The aim of this study was to investigate if a mechanical recruitment process could be a useful tool for employers to avoid discrimination. National and international law protect jobseekers from discrimination during the recruiting process. Despite this individuals frequently report that they are treated unfairly when they apply for a job. In line with this research shows that some individuals do not have the same opportunities in the labour market as the rest of the population. This study focus on discrimination based on ethnicity, age, gender or disability. Today most of the hiring decisions are based on employers professional judgement. This constitute a potential risk for discrimination since the judgement can be influenced by prejudices and stereotypes. The research shows that employers tend to measure variables which are not relevant for individuals future job performance when they make decisions in selection processes. A mechanical approach for the recruitment can broadly correct for this since it is based on standardized procedures that eliminates human judgement. The data collection of candidates strictly relate to a defined job profile which only contains criterions that are of importance for the employment. Pre-specified algorithms are later on used for combining each candidates data into an overall assessment. This regulates that the same criteria is measured for all individuals. In order to analyse the material a legal dogmatic method has been combined with a legal sociology method.

Electromagnetic induction (EM) methods have been utilised in a recent surge of archaeological applications across continental Europe, Ireland and Scandinavia. Development of multi-exploration depth instruments and improvements to instrument stability have improved its reputation as an effective method for mapping archaeological remains. Despite these advances, EM methods are comparatively lacking in rigour when for British sites. Through a structured scheme of experimental analysis and fieldwork, this thesis develops an understanding of the responses of EM instruments over a range of British archaeology, including earthworks, field systems, burials, modern remains, and a Cistercian abbey; the results of which demonstrate its effective over a diversity of environments. The impact of instrument-based issues on the collected measurements was quantified through a scheme of experiments targeting instrument drift, calibration and elevation. Dedicated instrument operation and processing workflows were developed based on the collective field and experimental results, which recommend best practice guidelines for improving the quality and accuracy of collected data. The link between instrument measurements and buried archaeology was further developed through a structured analysis of the EM datasets with complementary earth resistance and magnetic results. The integration of the EM, earth resistance and magnetic datasets was utilised to develop an enhanced archaeological characterisation of subsurface features. While the earth resistance and magnetic methods generally responded to different aspects of the buried archaeology, the EM surveys were able to detect a range of responses evident in the results of the former methods. Therefore, the role of EM methods within this characterisation are shown to “bridge the gap” between the earth resistance and magnetic methods, while providing a comprehensive characterisation of the remains in their own right.

Electromagnetic induction (EM) methods have been utilised in a recent surge of archaeological applications across continental Europe, Ireland and Scandinavia. Development of multi-exploration depth instruments and improvements to instrument stability have improved its reputation as an effective method for mapping archaeological remains. Despite these advances, EM methods are comparatively lacking in rigour when for British sites. Through a structured scheme of experimental analysis and fieldwork, this thesis develops an understanding of the responses of EM instruments over a range of British archaeology, including earthworks, field systems, burials, modern remains, and a Cistercian abbey; the results of which demonstrate its effective over a diversity of environments. The impact of instrument-based issues on the collected measurements was quantified through a scheme of experiments targeting instrument drift, calibration and elevation. Dedicated instrument operation and processing workflows were developed based on the collective field and experimental results, which recommend best practice guidelines for improving the quality and accuracy of collected data. The link between instrument measurements and buried archaeology was further developed through a structured analysis of the EM datasets with complementary earth resistance and magnetic results. The integration of the EM, earth resistance and magnetic datasets was utilised to develop an enhanced archaeological characterisation of subsurface features. While the earth resistance and magnetic methods generally responded to different aspects of the buried archaeology, the EM surveys were able to detect a range of responses evident in the results of the former methods. Therefore, the role of EM methods within this characterisation are shown to “bridge the gap” between the earth resistance and magnetic methods, while providing a comprehensive characterisation of the remains in their own right. / The supplementary material files from Appendix 2 are not available online.

Dans le cadre d’un projet d’aménagement, la reconnaissance du sous-sol est une étape prépondérante pour la construction d’un bâtiment. Le géotechnicien se doit de définir le comportement mécanique des sols à partir d’un nombre limité de sondages. La problématique soulevée par les prospections géotechniques est qu’il est difficile d’une part d’étendre une information ponctuelle dans l’environnement proche des sondages, et d’autre part d’estimer la variabilité latérale des matériaux. Dans cette optique, cette thèse développe une approche novatrice de combinaison de méthodes géophysiques aidant à la quantification de la variabilité spatiale des structures géoélectriques du sous-sol. Dans un second temps, au regard des limites rencontrées dans la modélisation 3D des structures géoélectriques du sous-sol, nous avons mis au point un processus innovant de modélisation 3D des propriétés physiques du sous-sol par combinaison de méthodes géophysiques. Les travaux menés ont permis de caractériser les paramètres régissant le positionnement et la quantité de données sources nécessaires.Enfin, un dispositif innovant de mesure de Tomographie de Résistivité Electrique en Cinématique (TREC) a été développé. La validation du dispositif sur trois sites différents a permis de mettre en évidence sa capacité à détecter les structures géoélectriques des sols sur un linéaire de plusieurs centaines de mètres. Ce dispositif constitue un outil précieux pour l’étude des structures géoélectriques du sous-sol dans le cadre de prospections géophysiques à grand rendement. / The geotechnical study of a building project is a decisive step for the construction of it. The geotechnical engineer must define the mechanical behavior of soils from a limited number of drills. The problem of the geotechnical surveys is, on the one hand that difficult to extend a punctual data in the near space to the drills,and on the other hand to estimate the lateral variability of materials. In this context, this thesis develops an innovative approach by combination of geophysical methods to quantify the spatial variability of geoelectrical structures. In asecond time, against the known limits of the 3D modeling of soil geoelectrical structures, we have developed an innovative process of 3D modeling of the physical properties of soil by geophysical methods combination. These works allow characterizing the parameters who governing the positioning and the number of necessary primary data.Finally, an innovative measuring device of Kinematic Electrical Resistivity Tomography (KERT) has been developed. The validation of the device on three different site has allowed to highlight its ability to detect the soil geoelectrical structures within a linear of hundreds meters. This device is a valuable tool for studying soil geoelectrical structures in the context of high yield geophysical prospection.

Identifying and hiring the highest performers is essential for organizations to remain competitive. Research has provided effective guidelines for this but important aspects of these evidence-based processes have yet to gain acceptance among practitioners. The general aim of this thesis was to help narrowing the gap between research and practice concerning personnel selection decisions. The first study compared the validity estimates of general mental ability (GMA) and the five factor model of personality traits as predictors of job performance, finding that, when the recently developed indirect correction for range restriction was applied, GMA was an even stronger predictor of job performance than previously found, while the predictive validity of the personality traits remained at similar levels. The approach used for data collection and combination is crucial to forming an overall assessment of applicants for selection decisions and has a great impact on the validity of the decision. The second study compared the financial outcomes of applying a mechanical or clinical approach to combining predictor scores. The results showed that the mechanical approach can result in a substantial increase in overall utility. The third study examined the potential influences that practitioners’ cognitive decision-making style, accountability for the assessment process, and responsibility for the selection decision had on their hiring approach preferences. The results showed that practitioners scoring high on intuitive decision-making style preferred a clinical hiring approach, while the contextual aspects did not impact practitioners’ preferences. While more research may be needed on practitioner preferences for a particular approach, the overall results of this thesis support and strengthen the predictive validity of GMA and personality traits, and indicate that the mechanical approach to data combination provides increased utility for organizations. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p>

Notre travail de recherche s’inscrit dans le cadre du projet de recherche REDiM (Réingénierie des EIAH Dirigée par les Modèles) qui porte sur la réingénierie d'un scénario pédagogique. Il se focalise plus précisément sur l'analyse de traces collectées en session par un EIAH pour fournir à l'enseignant des indicateurs calculés.Dans notre contexte de travail, UTL (Usage Tracking Language) permet de définir des indicateurs sous une forme proche des patrons de conception. Il a été conçu pour répondre aux questions de capitalisation et de réutilisation. Par contre, UTL ne disposait initialement pas de moyens pour spécifier formellement la façon de calculer l’indicateur à partir des traces collectées. De plus, les approches par développement ad hoc d’indicateurs ne permettent pas de modéliser de façon formelle la méthode de calcul. En général, les patrons de conception se limitent à la description, ils ne peuvent donc pas être automatisés. Des descriptions textuelles dans UTL pour produire un indicateur à partir des traces ne permettent pas de générer automatiquement les valeurs d’un indicateur.Notre principal objectif de recherche a donc été de définir des modèles, des méthodes et des outils pour la formalisation et l’automatisation du calcul d’indicateurs. Pour cela, nous avons élaboré une nouvelle version d’UTL qui intègre un langage de combinaison de données nommé DCL4UTL, qui permet de modéliser des indicateurs sous une forme capitalisable, automatisable et réutilisable afin de fournir des indicateurs signifiants à l’enseignant/concepteur. Ces indicateurs peuvent être calculés en temps réel ou après une session, respectivement dans un contexte de tutorat ou de réingénierie du scénario pédagogique.L'originalité de notre approche réside dans le fait que cette version permet non seulement de capitaliser des savoir-faire sur les techniques d'analyse d'usage d'un EIAH, mais aussi, avec le langage DCL4UTL (1) de décrire formellement dans une forme générique des méthodes de modélisation et de calcul d’indicateurs à partir des traces collectées par un EIAH, (2) d’intégrer des fonctions externes (qui proviennent d’autres outils d’analyse), et (3) de créer des données intermédiaires paramétrées facilitant la modélisation et la réutilisation de la méthode de calcul d’indicateurs. Nous avons également développé un outil d’analyse pour calculer les indicateurs modélisés.Cette version est le résultat d'une étude théorique et d’une analyse de l’état de l’art, mais aussi de travaux exploratoires sur la modélisation d’indicateurs et l’analyse de traces. L’approche et le langage ont été validés par plusieurs expérimentations avec plusieurs EIAH existants. / The research topic of this thesis is a part of the REDIM (model driven re-engineering) research project. It focuses specifically on the analysis of tracks collected during the learning session by a TEL (Technology Enhanced Learning) system in order to provide teachers indicators calculated. In our work environment, UTL (Usage Tracking Language) allows users to define the indicators in a form close to the design patterns. It was designed to response capitalization and reuse questions. However, UTL did not initially have any means to formally specify how to calculate indicators based on tracks collected. In general, design patterns are limited to the description, they cannot be automated. In addition, textual descriptions in UTL to produce indicators from tracks do not allow generating automatically an indicator’s values.Our main research objective was therefore to define models, methods and tools for formalizing and automating the calculation of indicators. We propose an extension for UTL named DCL4UTL (Data Combination Language for UTL) to model indicators in a capitalizable, automatable and reusable form to provide meaningful indicators to teachers/designers. With this new version, the indicators can be calculated in real-time or after a learning session in the context of tutoring actions or the reengineering of learning scenarios, respectively.The originality of our approach (DCL4UTL) lies in the fact that this version not only capitalize know-how on analysis techniques of the use an TEL system, but also (1) formally describe models and calculation methods of indicators from tracks collected by a TEL system, (2) integrate external functions (from other analysis tools), and (3) create parameterized intermediate data facilitating the modeling and reuse of indicators’ calculation method. We have also developed an analysis tool to calculate modeled indicators. Our approach and language have been validated by several experiments with several existent TEL systems.