Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Adaption – innovation theory'

Kirton's adaption-innovation theory suggests adaptors and innovators have different approaches to decision-making. The relationship between thinking styles in conjunction with decriminalization has not been investigated thoroughly, and this study addressed the relationship based on thinking styles and 6 demographics (race, age, gender, religion, education, and geographical location). The main research question examined whether innovators and adaptors have different attitudes about decriminalization. The hypotheses were tested with: (a) t tests to compare responses, (b) analysis of variance for comparing multiple groups and investigating moderator effects, and (c) correlation tests to determine whether Kirton's adaption-innovation inventory scores are associated with decriminalization attitudes. A correlational research design and 4 research questions were used to understand the relationships utilizing 123 participants. Results found that innovators are more open to the support of drug use and prostitution decriminalization while adaptors perceived danger and social threat of this step. Out of 6 variables analyzed, 3 (age, gender, and religion) significantly moderated the relationships between adaptor and innovator attitudes to decriminalization of prostitution, drug use, and drug possession. Race, education, and geographical location were found to be insignificant factors. The body of work is important, as there is a lack of empirical data on how thinking styles may affect people's perceptions of the legal status of certain activities. The findings of this study are relevant to the process of developing legal policies through legislative actions, as public opinions are considered for specific policy issues. More importantly, it highlights that people's perceptions regarding ambiguous social issues are complex and formed under the influence of numerous factors.

This research is concerned with the question of performance in scientific research, and focusses on the potential of Adaption-Innovation theory (Kirton, 1976) for providing insights into individual innovativeness. Using empirical data from four large research organisations, a taxonomy of scientists is developed using the Kirton Adaption-Innovation (KAI) inventory. This taxonomy breaks new ground in its use of the sub-scales of KAI. It shows that the use of the total KAI scale, as in previous research in the literature, is a conflation which conceals important insights. The research also breaks new ground in its conceptualisation of research performance. Two dimensions of performance are hypothesised: creative performance and skills performance. The evidence suggests that the distinction is meaningful and that the two dimensions are essentially orthogonal. The taxonomy developed in this research identifies four types of scientists according to their location on the '0' and 'E' sub-scales of the KAI. It is in the distinction between two types possessing similar mid-range KAI scores that the research makes a notable contribution to the literature. These two types are shown to be very different in terms of their performance, job satisfaction and other characteristics. It is through these insights that the research offers the prospect of an instrument of value in the deployment of research scientists. Finally, concerns about the conceptual status of the KAI are developed. The KAI is critically reviewed, and the evidence presented seriously challenges the claim that the KAI is purely a measure of cognitive style. Criticism is focussed on the 0 sub-scale which, it is argued, contains items measuring level of cognitive ability. A refined KAI is developed and evaluated using a sample of post-graduate students of management. It is demonstrated that sub-scales can be derived which are more homogeneous conceptually and give nearly orthogonal measures.

Research on high-performing nonprofit boards has indicated a positive relationship between a board's strength and an organization's effectiveness; however, how boards achieve success remains relatively unknown. The Kirton adaption-innovation (KAI) theory was used to examine board members' cognitive styles in relationship to facilitating problem solving and decision making. This nonexperimental, quantitative study included archived nonprofit board data from 2 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) studies that had addressed the high performance of boards and factors associated with organizational success. A total of 102 randomly selected, high-performing nonprofit board members completed the KAI Inventory, which was used to measure cognitive style on a continuum; participants also answered questions from the second ASAE study to indicate board performance. Correlational and regression analyses were used to determine whether cognitive style on problem solving and decision making predicted high performance of boards. Results showed that cognitive style was not a significant predictor of problem solving; however, participants with an innovation cognitive style provided answers to the decision-making performance questions that were noticeably lower than participants who were classified as adaption. Findings might be used by nonprofit board members to enhance individual growth, increase organizational agility, and improve problem solving for effective decision making to ensure nonprofit board excellence.

Tyrimo tikslas - nustatyti ryšius tarp valstybės tarnautojų subjektyviai suvokiamo atitikimo darbui, pasitenkinimo darbu ir kognityvinių stilių (darbuotojų, darbo aplinkos ir šių stilių atitikimo) bei empiriškai patikrinti teorinį šių ryšių modelį. Tyrime dalyvavo 168 darbuotojai, dirbantys valstybės tarnyboje. Vadovaujantis Kirton adaptyvaus – novatoriško kognityvinio stiliaus teorija, šiame tyrime analizuojamas valstybės tarnautojų kognityvinis stilius ir kognityvinis stilius, kurio reikalauja darbo aplinka valstybės tarnyboje. Asmens - aplinkos atitikimo teorijos pagrindu, analizuojamas šių kognityvinių stilių atitikimas bei subjektyviai suvokiamas atitikimas darbui. Taip pat analizuojami šių dviejų atitikimo tipų ryšiai su pasitenkinimu darbu. Vadovaujantis teorinėmis žiniomis sudarytas modelis, kuris buvo patikrintas empiriškai. Siekiant nustatyti, kaip kognityviniai stiliai (asmens, darbo aplinkos bei jų sąveika) susiję su subjektyviai suvokiamu atitikimu darbui ir pasitenkinimu darbu, sudarytos dvi regresijos lygtys. Abiem atvejais reikšmingos prognozinės vertės turėjo darbuotojams būdingas kognityvinis stilius bei darbuotojo – darbo aplinkos kognityvinių stilių sąveika. Regresinė analizė atskleidė, kad subjektyviai suvokiamo atitikimo darbui prognozei yra svarbesnė šių kognityvinių stilių sąveika, o pasitenkinimo darbu prognozei – darbuotojams būdingas kognityvinis stilius. Šio tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad valstybės tarnautojai, kuriems būdingas adaptyvus... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]
The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between civil servants’ subjectively perceived person – job fit, job satisfaction and cognitive styles (employees’, job environment’s and their fit) as well as to test empirically the theoretical model of these relationships. The subjects of the study were 168 public service employees. Based on Kirton’s adaption – innovation cognitive style theory, this study examines civil servants’ cognitive style and their perceptions of cognitive style required by the job environment. Using person – environment fit theory as the theoretical framework, this study examines the fit between these two styles as well as subjectively perceived person – job fit. Also, we explore relations of these two types of fit with job satisfaction. According to theoretical knowledge, a special model was developed and tested empirically. In order to test how cognitive styles (person’s, job environment’s and interaction of them) are related to subjectively perceived person – job fit and job satisfaction, two regression equations were formed. In both cases, the employees’ cognitive style and the interaction of employee – job environment cognitive style were of significant predictable value. Regression analysis showed that interaction of cognitive styles is the most important predictor for subjectively perceived person – job fit, while employees’ cognitive style is the most important predictor for job satisfaction. The results of this study suggest that those... [to full text]

Diffusion of innovation across cultures is a broad field of study, especially when considering the adaptation of organizational development (OD) innovations into multicultural environments. Although OD interventions are often adapted to fit unique circumstances of each organization’s culture, this study explored whether there were specific adaptations that occur when OD interventions are applied to Indian organizations by Indian practitioners. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover how appreciative inquiry (AI) as an OD intervention was received and adapted by OD practitioners in India with particular focus on for-profit organizations.

A thematic analysis of 17 implementations shared by Indian practitioners was conducted to examine the fidelity and extensiveness of AI adaptation. Toward this end, the study was tailored to ensure the intervention was localized and situated more specifically in the organizational and leadership contexts. Results revealed that AI, when applied to India-based for-profit organizations, exhibited a level of adaptation that could be applied on a global scale. It is anticipated that understanding the factors that drive AI adaptation in India will assist scholars and practitioners to establish guidelines for successfully transferring organizational innovations.

The emerging, multi-disciplinary field of Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) is an alternative to linear, reductionist thinking. It is based on the observations that real-world systems, regardless of scale, are emergent, complex, adaptive, and evolutionary. In this research the scale of CAS examined range from distances of Planck’s constant to Gigaparsecs. CAS has also heavily leveraged the interpretations of several recent Nobel Laureates and assumes too that the world is random, indeterministic, and chaotic. But randomness, chaos, and indeterminism can hardly create the progressive, increasingly harmonious world that we are a part of. At the heart of this issue lies confusion around what innovation in CAS really is. The essential approach to arriving at a mathematical basis of innovation for CAS here has been to view systems from the outside-in as opposed to from the inside-out and the bottom-up. In this approach innovation is conceptualized as existing in every single space-time point-instant in a system. There is a process of precipitation by which this innovation may express itself through a series of quaternary-based architectural forces that are the prime sources of innovation. These series or arrays of forces may further precipitate by informing organizational signatures. Organizations can be thought of as formations with a unique signature at their center, and can vary in complexity and scale. The unique signature for each organization is usually hidden though by common surface dynamics, and “to innovate” is to work through and change the habitual and common patterns in order to allow the deeper founts of innovation to become active at the surface level. When this happens, it is then that innovation occurs. Once that is more clearly seen then the erected probabilistic and uncertainty functions assumed to be true of the fundamental layers of nature, will be relegated to their place as interim devices in model building. The nature of innovation can be progressively elaborated through inductive reasoning to arrive at a mathematical framework for innovation in CAS. Rather than assume a chaotic, random, indeterministic world as a starting point, this framework can be built assuming a purposeful, ordered world characterized by qualified determinism. Equations to provide insight into the inherent innovation bias of our system, the nature of each point in the system, the broad architectural forces behind the development of organizations, the inherent uniqueness of each organization, the way to think about varying cultures or organizations, and the inherent dynamism of our system, form the edifice of this framework. The resulting model can then be used deductively to reinforce observations, and predictively to suggest directions and / or steps to emerging trends. This research hence, through deriving mathematical equations, and by further applying these to various domains ranging from the quantum, to the atomic, to the cellular, to the astrophysical, has been able to provide mathematical contributions to the theory of CAS and to various CAS application areas. With respect to the theory of CAS, mathematical contributions have been made to understanding the underlying directional bias of CAS activity, understanding the nature of each point in any CAS, and creating mathematical sets for architectural forces that are posited to be behind the development of any CAS. Further, mathematical contributions have been made to understanding the inherent dynamics in any CAS, the dynamics of stagnation and growth in CAS, and the balance of randomness and determinism of any CAS. Mathematical contributions also extend to framing complexity in CAS, understanding what can drive sustainability of CAS, and arriving at a general set of mathematical operators true of any CAS. In terms of application areas in the organizational space, mathematical contributions have been made to understanding uniqueness of organizations, the emergence of uniqueness in organizations, and what constitutes varying culture of organizations. Further, existing work done by Nobel Laureate Ilya Prigogine and Alan Turing have been leveraged to further frame organizational transitions, and to frame and model shifts in innovations, respectively. Further mathematical contributions have been made in a range of CAS areas at different scale and level of complexity. Hence, a series of equations have been derived for the electromagnetic spectrum. Quantum, atomic, and cellular wave equations have been derived building off Schrodinger’s existing Wave Equation. Further qualifications have been derived for Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and an equation has been derived for the integration of different layers of CAS also using Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. Equations for space and time alteration as per Einstein’s Theory of Relativity have also been derived. Additionally, equations for the architectures of quantum particles, periodic table elements, and molecular plans at the cellular level have also been derived. Finally, equations for dark matter and dark energy, non-probabilistic quantum states in quantum computing, and the emergence of CAS in the universe have been derived. In all over 225 equations in 25 different areas have been derived in this dissertation. In fact, as suggested by the CAS equation derived for a unified field, everything, from unseen energy fields, to quantum particles, to atoms, to molecules, to cells, and therefore to all animate and even inanimate and even unseen objects, and therefore even any CAS system regardless of scale would have a high-degree of quaternary intelligence embedded in it and exist simultaneously. Quoting Schrodinger: “What we observe as material bodies and forces are nothing but shapes and variations in the structure of space. Particles are just schaumkommen (appearances). The world is given to me only once, not one existing and one perceived. Subject and object are only one. The barrier between them cannot be said to have broken down as a result of recent experience in the physical sciences, for this barrier does not exist.” This implicit quaternary-based intelligence likely sheds new light on properties such as distributed control, uncertainty, paradox, co-evolution, emergence, amongst others, seen as fundamental to CAS. Thinking about CAS as purposeful, and animated by a mathematically-framed engine of innovation, allows existence to potentially be considered as a unified field. Further, it allows insight and additional solutions to a host of complex problems regardless of scale – at the quantum, cellular, human, organizational, sociotechnical, market, economical, political, and social levels - to be conceptualized, designed, elaborated, and managed differently.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM)
PhD
Unrestricted

Les études empiriques sur les technologies mobiles dans le cadre de l'éducation sont rares. Selon la revue de la littérature, différentes études théoriques critiquent les modèles actuels d'acceptation et d'adoption de la technologie mais peu d'études ont été menées sur le terrain. Il existe également peu de données empiriques sur la stratégie de l’université en matière d’adoption et de mise en œuvre de la technologie mobile. Nos propres recherches confirment le manque de telles études empiriques, en particulier en ce qui concerne les réponses des utilisateurs à la technologie mobile et leurs stratégies d'adaptation. De plus, la revue de la littérature suggère un manque de consensus théorique sur l'adaptation de la technologie mobile dans l'éducation. La théorie montre que l'éducation a besoin d'une vision holistique de l'adoption de la technologie mobile et de la recherche de ses différents aspects et composants. L’objectif de notre recherche est de comprendre la stratégie de l'université pour adopter et mettre en œuvre la technologie mobile. Cette recherche se structure autour de deux questions principales : Pourquoi la technologie mobile est-elle utilisée dans l’enseignement supérieur ? (au niveau stratégique) Comment la technologie mobile est-elle utilisée dans l’enseignement supérieur ? Cette thèse est une recherche exploratoire. Afin de laisser la théorie émerger des résultats empiriques, cette thèse est inspirée de la théorie enracinée. Au total, deux études de cas ont été menées. Deux écoles d'ingénieur françaises ont été choisies comme nos terrains de recherche. Première étude de cas réalisée par observation directe pendent 6 mois dans une école d'ingénieur A (1155 heures d’observations) comprenant 193 étudiants et 88 enseignants. Deuxième étude de cas réalisée par observation directe pendant 4 mois dans une école d'ingénieur B (704 heures d’observations) comprenant 115 étudiants et 29 enseignants. De plus, 15 entretiens semi-directifs ont été réalisés avec des professeurs en charge du projet de la technologie mobile, le directeur de l’université, le directeur du département et le personnel informatique et administratif. Toutes les données ont été codées et analysées. Au cours de cette recherche, nous avons constamment comparé nos résultats, les données codées, les incidents émergents et les concepts émergents pour générer des catégories et les comparer avec les résultats des terrains de recherche. Les apports principaux peuvent être classés en quatre catégories : Utilisation de la technologie mobile (selon les réponses des étudiants et des enseignants). Une analyse des perceptions du participant sur la technologie mobile adoptée. Une analyse des activités d'adaptation des participants (relatif à TI, aux tâches et l’individu) et trois phases du processus d'adaptation (au niveau individuel, organisationnel et du groupe). Une étude de la stratégie principale de l’université vers l’adoption de la technologie mobile et des moyens engagés pour soutenir les changements en vue de l'appropriation de la technologie mobile. En conclusion nous préconisons des implications managériales et théoriques et différents axes de recherche qui pourraient être développés ultérieurement en vue d’affiner le travail réalisé pour cette thèse et aussi afin de tester et généraliser les résultats aujourd'hui obtenus
Empirical studies of mobile technology in education are scarce. According to the literature review, different theoretical studies criticizing the current models of technology acceptance and adoption are seeking for changes, but not many research works have been conducted in the field. There are few empirical data about the university’s strategy in adoption and implementation of mobile technology as well.This research confirms the lack of such empirical studies, especially regarding user’s responses to mobile technology and their adaptation strategies in education. Hence, more rigorous research is needed to understand the perceptions and adaptation process of university’ participants. Furthermore, the literature review suggests a lack of theoretical consensus on adaptation of mobile technology in education.Theory shows that the education needs a holistic view of mobile technology adoption and investigation of its different aspects and components. Few research works were conducted in investigating a whole organizational implementation.This dissertation aims at understanding the strategy of university for adopting and implementing the mobile technology.This research is articulated around two main research questions:• Why is mobile technology used in higher education? (at the strategic level)• How is mobile technology used in higher education?This study is an exploratory research in order to allow the theory to emerge from the empirical results and this research is inspired from the Grounded Theory.In total, two case studies were conducted. Two French engineering universities were selected as our fields of study:• First case study is carried out during a 6-month direct observation at engineering university A (equal to 1155 hours) including 193 students and 88 faculty members.• Second case study is carried out during a 4-month direct observation at engineering university B (equal to 704 hours) including 115 students and 29 faculty members.In addition, 15 semi-directive interviews were conducted with professors in charge of mobile technology project, the university’ director, head of the department as well as IT and administrative staff. All data were coded and analyzed.During this research, we constantly compared our findings and the coded data to the emerging incidents and to the emerging concepts with the purpose of generating categories and comparing with the findings acquired from the fields of research.The main contributions can be classified into four categories:• Utilization of mobile technology (according to students, faculty members use),• An analysis of the participant’s perceptions of the adopted mobile technology• An analysis of participant’s coping activities (IT related, Task related and self-related) and three phases of adaptation process (individual, organizational, and group level)• A study of the main university’s strategy towards the adoption of mobile technology and how far it supports changes towards mobile technology appropriation.The conclusion brings managerial implications, theoretical implications and some recommendations for further studies in order to deepen the research and to answer several hypotheses issued from our results

The external competitive environments and internal group dynamics of organizations are increasing in complexity resulting in new challenges for organizational leaders to improve performance in underperforming teams. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to address what factors led to high-innovation outcomes in complex adaptive systems using a framework constructed from elements of complexity leadership theory and group dynamics research. An in-depth interviewing approach was used to collect data on the lived experience and meaning the participants attributed to their experiences regarding improved team performance. A total of 21 participants were selected from multiple business settings where their team experienced adaptive tension and improved group cohesion. Their stories were reduced into themes using an inductive process and later analyzed through the lens of complexity leadership theory. The factors that emerged in this study, leveraging tension in the group dynamics enabled through objectivity, roles, alignment, capability, execution, purpose, and work ethic that led to mutual respect, directness, and reliance, offer leaders an effective method for achieving sustained team performance. These factors can be used by organizational leaders to improve team performance and consistency in team outcomes over traditional command and control approaches with a work exchange that benefits individual team members. The findings from this study contribute to social change by improving not only team performance, but also member satisfaction. When leadership is viewed from the perspective of the whole system instead of from the perspective of the individual, the relationships between people emerge as the primary enabling factor for high-innovation outcomes.

Research and Development engineering is at the corner stone of humanity’s evolution. It is perceived to be a systematic creative process which ultimately improves the living standard of a society through the creation of new applications and products. The commercial paradigm that governs project selection, resource allocation and market penetration prevails when the focus shifts from pure research to applied research. Furthermore, the road to success through commercialisation is difficult for most inventors, especially in a vast and isolated country such as Australia which is located a long way from wealthy and developed economies. While market leading products are considered unique, the actual process to achieve these products is essentially the same; progressing from an idea, through development to an outcome (if successful). Unfortunately, statistics indicate that only 3% of ‘ideas’ are significantly successful, 4% are moderately successful, and the remainder ‘evaporate’ in that form (Michael Quinn, Chairman, Innovation Capital Associates Pty Ltd). This study demonstrates and analyses two techniques developed by the author which reduce uncertainty in the engineering design and development phase of new product development and therefore increase the probability of a successful outcome. This study expands the existing knowledge of the engineering design and development stage in the new product development process and is couched in the identification of practical methods, which have been successfully used to develop new products by Australian Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Excel Technology Group Pty Ltd (ETG). Process theory is the term most commonly used to describe scientific study that identifies occurrences that result from a specified input state to an output state, thus detailing the process used to achieve an outcome. The thesis identifies relevant material and analyses recognised and established engineering processes utilised in developing new products. The literature identified that case studies are a particularly useful method for supporting problem-solving processes in settings where there are no clear answers or where problems are unstructured, as in New Product Development (NPD). This study describes, defines, and demonstrates the process of new product development within the context of historical product development and a ‘live’ case study associated with an Australian Government START grant awarded to Excel Technology Group in 2004 to assist in the development of an image-based vehicle detection product. This study proposes two techniques which reduce uncertainty and thereby improve the probability of a successful outcome. The first technique provides a predicted project development path or forward engineering plan which transforms the initial ‘fuzzy idea’ into a potential and achievable outcome. This process qualifies the ‘fuzzy idea’ as a potential, rationale or tangible outcome which is within the capability of the organisation. Additionally, this process proposes that a tangible or rationale idea can be deconstructed in reverse engineering process in order to create a forward engineering development plan. A detailed structured forward engineering plan reduces the uncertainty associated with new product development unknowns and therefore contributes to a successful outcome. This is described as the RETRO technique. The study recognises however that this claim requires qualification and proposes a second technique. The second technique proposes that a two dimensional spatial representation which has productivity and consumed resources as its axes, provides an effective means to qualify progress and expediently identify variation from the predicted plan. This spatial representation technique allows a quick response which in itself has a prediction attribute associated with directing the project back onto its predicted path. This process involves a coterminous comparison between the predicted development path and the evolving actual project development path. A consequence of this process is verification of progress or the application of informed, timely and quantified corrective action. This process also identifies the degree of success achieved in the engineering design and development phase of new product development where success is defined as achieving a predicted outcome. This spatial representation technique is referred to as NPD Mapping. The study demonstrates that these are useful techniques which aid SMEs in achieving successful new product outcomes because the technique are easily administered, measure and represent relevant development process related elements and functions, and enable expedient quantified responsive action when the evolving path varies from the predicted path. These techniques go beyond time line representations as represented in GANTT charts and PERT analysis, and represent the base variables of consumed resource and productivity/technical achievement in a manner that facilitates higher level interpretation of time, effort, degree of difficulty, and product complexity in order to facilitate informed decision making. This study presents, describes, analyses and demonstrates an SME focused engineering development technique, developed by the author, that produces a successful new product outcome which begins with a ‘fuzzy idea’ in the mind of the inventor and concludes with a successful new product outcome that is delivered on time and within budget. Further research on a wider range of SME organisations undertaking new product development is recommended.

Au-delà des variables climatiques, d’autres facteurs non climatiques sont à considérer dans l’analyse de la vulnérabilité et de l’adaptation au changement et variabilité climatiques. Cette mutation de paradigme place l’agent humain au centre du processus d’adaptation au changement climatique, notamment en ce qui concerne le rôle des réseaux sociaux dans la transmission des nouvelles idées. Dans le domaine de l’agriculture, le recours aux innovations est prôné comme stratégie d’adaptation. L’élaboration et l’appropriation de ces stratégies d’adaptation peuvent être considérées comme des processus d’innovation qui dépendent autant du contexte social et culturel d’un territoire, de sa dynamique, ainsi que de la stratégie elle-même. Aussi, l’appropriation et la diffusion d’une innovation s’opèrent à partir d’un processus décisionnel à l’échelle de l’exploitation agricole, qui à son tour, demande une compréhension des multiples forces et facteurs externes et internes à l’exploitation et les multiples objectifs de l’exploitant. Ainsi, la compréhension de l’environnement décisionnel de l’exploitant agricole à l’échelle de la ferme est vitale, car elle est un préalable incontournable au succès et à la durabilité de toute politique d’adaptation de l’agriculture. Or, dans un secteur comme l’agriculture, il est reconnu que les réseaux sociaux par exemple, jouent un rôle crucial dans l’adaptation notamment, par le truchement de la diffusion des innovations. Aussi, l’objectif de cette recherche est d’analyser comment les exploitants agricoles s’approprient et conçoivent les stratégies d’adaptation au changement et à la variabilité climatiques dans une perspective de diffusion des innovations. Cette étude a été menée en Montérégie-Ouest, région du sud-ouest du Québec, connue pour être l’une des plus importantes régions agricoles du Québec, en raison des facteurs climatiques et édaphiques favorables. Cinquante-deux entrevues ont été conduites auprès de différents intervenants à l’agriculture aux niveaux local et régional. L’approche grounded theory est utilisée pour analyser, et explorer les contours de l’environnement décisionnel des exploitants agricoles relativement à l’utilisation des innovations comme stratégie d’adaptation. Les résultats montrent que les innovations ne sont pas implicitement conçues pour faire face aux changements et à la variabilité climatiques même si l’évolution du climat influence leur émergence, la décision d’innover étant largement déterminée par des considérations économiques. D’autre part, l‘étude montre aussi une faiblesse du capital sociale au sein des exploitants agricoles liée à l’influence prépondérante exercée par le secteur privé, principal fournisseur de matériels et intrants agricoles. L’influence du secteur privé se traduit par la domination des considérations économiques sur les préoccupations écologiques et la tentation du profit à court terme de la part des exploitants agricoles, ce qui pose la problématique de la soutenabilité des interventions en matière d’adaptation de l’agriculture québécoise. L’étude fait ressortir aussi la complémentarité entre les réseaux sociaux informels et les structures formelles de soutien à l’adaptation, de même que la nécessité d’établir des partenariats. De plus, l’étude place l’adaptation de l’agriculture québécoise dans une perspective d’adaptation privée dont la réussite repose sur une « socialisation » des innovations, laquelle devrait conduire à l’émergence de processus institutionnels formels et informels. La mise en place de ce type de partenariat peut grandement contribuer à améliorer le processus d’adaptation à l’échelle locale.
Other than climatic variables, non-climatic factors should be considered in the analysis of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change and variability. This shift in paradigm places the human agent at the centre of the process of adaptation to climate change, particularly with regard to the role of social networks in the transmission of new ideas. In agriculture, the use of innovations is advocated as a coping strategy. The development and adoption of these coping strategies can be considered innovative processes that depend as much on the social and cultural context of a country, its dynamics, and the strategy itself. Also, the ownership and dissemination of an innovation are taking place from a decision-making across the farm, which in turn requires an understanding of the multiple forces and external and internal factors in operation and the multiple objectives of the operator. Thus, understanding of the farmer’s decision- making environment at the farm level is vital because it is a prerequisite for the success and sustainability of any agricultural adaptation policy. However, in a sector like agriculture, it is recognized that social networks for example, play a crucial role in adaptation in particular, through the diffusion of innovations. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyze how farmers take ownership and design strategies to adapt to climate change and variability from the perspective of diffusion of innovations. This study was conducted in Montérégie- West, a region located in the southwestern part of Quebec and which is known to be one of its most important agricultural regions, due to favorable climatic and soil factors. Fifty-two interviews were conducted with various stakeholders in agriculture at local as well as regional levels. The grounded theory approach is used to analyze and explore the contours of farmers’s decision-making environment regarding the use of innovation as a coping strategy. The results show that innovations are not implicitly designed to cope with climate change and variability even if climate change affects their emergence. The decision to innovate is largely determined by economic considerations. Moreover, the study also shows a weakness of social capital within farmers groups related to the overriding influence of the private sector, which are the main supplier of materials and agricultural inputs. The influence of the private sector has resulted in the dominance of economic considerations over environmental concerns and the temptation of short-term profit from the farmers, which raises the issue of sustainability of interventions in adaptation of Quebec’s agriculture. The study also highlights the complementarity between informal social networks and formal structures of support for adaptation, as well as the need to build partnerships. In addition, the study places the adaptation of Quebec’s agriculture from the perspective of private adaptation whose success is based on a "socialization" of innovations, which should lead to the emergence of formal and informal institutional processes. The establishment of such partnerships can greatly help improve the adaptation process at the local level.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
HEVC has achieved significant coding efficiency improvement beyond existing video coding standard by employing many new coding tools. Deblocking Filter, Sample Adaptive Offset and Adaptive Loop Filter for in-loop filtering are currently introduced for the HEVC standardization. However these filters are implemented in spatial domain despite the fact of temporal correlation within video sequences. To reduce the artifacts and better align object boundaries in video , a new algorithm in in-loop filtering is proposed. The proposed algorithm is implemented in HM-11.0 software. This proposed algorithm allows an average bitrate reduction of about 0.7% and improves the PSNR of the decoded frame by 0.05%, 0.30% and 0.35% in luminance and chroma.

The business model concept was first introduced in the early 1990s alongside the boom of the Internet. Although the Internet bubble has burst, the popularity of the business model concept continues to increase. It is being used more and more often by not just people in business management, but also the general population, as people, for example, talk about a successful start-up. Although it has become part of the vernacular today, the business model concept itself is lacking in theoretical roots. Thus, a gap exists regarding the business model concept. Its usefulness in practice has been proven in numerous business cases, yet academia remains divided on the definition and appropriate means to use the concept. A thorough literature review reveals that the concept of a business model has been framed in various ways, ranging from the strategic logic of a company to the activities a company performs. This misalignment creates barriers for the advancement of this body of knowledge in both research and practice. Researchers have thus called for a clearer and more operational definition of the concept.
With this goal in mind, this qualitative study sought to advance business model understanding by proposing a business model conceptualization that:
1) Is robust in its theoretical roots and informs the critical characteristics of a business model,
2) Highlights potential means to resolve the debate over the definition of a business model through examination of its broad range of conceptualizations and uses, and,
3) Guides business model design through a robust exploration of design options for users interested in business model development.
To achieve this goal, a three-stream study was conducted.
The first stream focused on creating a business model construct that is rooted in advanced system theory and on proposing a related business model framework. This objective was achieved through a combination of scholarship of integration and thematic analysis. A resilient complex adaptive system (RCAS) perspective was taken to proactively construct a business model conceptualization. To fully understand an RCAS, a literature review was carried out on the notion of systems. Theories from general system theory (GST) to an RCAS were examined to form a full understanding of these foundational concepts. The resulting construct was employed as the underlying structure of a business model framework. To create a set of functions that a business model should include, an extensive literature review was conducted on 150 business model research articles. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze words and phrases used by authors to describe the critical components of a business model, and then aggregate these views into a set of mutually supportive functions that represent the essence of a business model. Eight functions, termed “elemental functions”, centered on value were defined. These elemental functions are able to capture all components identified in the studied literature and collectively display required RCAS characteristics. This RCAS business model framework lays the foundation for a unified landscape of business model conceptualization and acts as a potential universal language in this body of knowledge. The developed framework also serves as the basis for the subsequent lines of work detailed below, and grounds both further research and application.
The second stream is based on the RCAS framework and draws on its ability to facilitate abstraction. The work stream focuses on outlining a knowledge space for business models utilizing three variables that are closely tied to abstraction in the business model context, namely: elemental functions, purposes, and levels of abstraction. These variables were identified as critical factors influencing business model variation from both a literature perspective and observations. A thematic analysis was conducted on the same 150 articles as in the first stream to extract the potential states of these variables. Eleven purposes and five levels of abstraction were identified; and these two variables act as the axes of the knowledge space. Elemental functions were incorporated in the knowledge space to illustrate the frequency with which each elemental function is used for specific purposes and specific levels of abstraction. This knowledge space, herein termed the business model knowledge map, can be used to position existing work and identify future opportunities for research. The 150 articles were positioned in this space to outline a grander picture of the business model concept. It highlights that previous authors in the business model area have worked on abstractions of the same concept. This stream is another step towards a universal landscape of business model conceptualization that could help unify previously diverse views of business models.
The last work stream contributes to the design of business models – one of the key purposes for which business model constructs are employed as highlighted in the knowledge map described above. Specifically, this work stream puts forward a system-inspired business model design method. Building directly on the RCAS framework, this stream employs combinatorial design thinking from engineering and design to create a design method. One of the most critical aspects of this design method is its emphasis on creating a complete, to the extent possible, set of design options for each elemental function that composes a business model. To achieve this, an extensive review of over 200 company annual reports was conducted to generate design options for each elemental function. This design method focuses on raising awareness of one’s design options thereby enhancing the potential for business model innovation.
Collectively, this study advances the business model body of knowledge in both research and practice. The study is unique in its proactive employment of the RCAS construct to define a business model, its focus on abstraction to form a theoretically robust and potentially universal landscape for knowledge and research on business models, and its proposition of a structured approach to complete business model design. It is hoped that the developments outlined herein help pave a path to a more unified view of business model concepts that can foster connections between the work of researchers who employ business model constructs and further advance the state of knowledge in this arena.

Resilience is studied as a systemic property in several disciplines such as engineering, psychology, systems biology, and ecological sciences. Yet, the system view on resilience is not pervasive in management science. This dissertation is on Enterprise Resilience, which is an emerging topic within the fields of organization and management science. Corporate enterprises are viewed as type 1 complex adaptive systems (CAS) operating within an external business environment. Thus, perturbations occurring in the environment affect enterprises, whose resilience then depends on their adaptive response to them. Therefore, the focus is on system perturbances and on investigating drivers of the enterprises’ adaptive response. As a result, enterprise resilience is more granularly defined as an enterprise’s ability to continually remain valuable to stakeholders by simultaneously managing short-term shocks and long-term stressors. This re-definition brings forth an actionable pathway to enterprise resilience- the pursuit of improved management of the enterprise’s risk and growth management functions.

Two challenging issues plaguing the risk and growth functions are the lack of a comprehensive understanding of risks (especially of unknowns) and their inter-connections, and a weak link between risk management and the enterprise’s growth strategy intended to continually and increasingly generate value. This work addresses both issues via the development of an enterprise-agnostic comprehensive risk typology, and by building a conceptual link between risk and growth strategy through the business model construct and its use in the study of repeatable patterns of innovation. Therefore, this work develops one pathway toward enterprise resilience i.e., via improved risk management and systematic growth management. Furthermore, it advances knowledge by bridging the theoretical conceptualization of an enterprise as a CAS1 into actionable methods for practice in the form of risk management tools and systematic innovation frameworks that aid the enterprise’s adaptive response.

The interdisciplinary dissertation develops hypotheses and employs appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods to test them. Overall, a theory building process is undertaken using the constructionist school of thought and using methods based in inductive logic such as the scholarship of integration, thematic analysis, and case studies. Additionally, to achieve wide and comprehensive coverage, data-driven quantitative methods using advanced computing such as data mining, machine learning, and natural language processing are employed.