Background:  The reallocation of resources is changing with the rapid growth of business and the changing products and technologies in most countries around the world. Information technology (IT) outsourcing is one way to access resources efficiently. Meanwhile, software and IT service providers, in particular, rely significantly on innovation to stay competitive and fulfill their clients' continuously changing expectations (Blumenberg et al., 2009). Knowledge transferring is a source of innovation, which helps employees actively acquire their explicit and tacit knowledge from their clients to realize ambidextrous innovative performances. Purpose:   The goal of our research is to investigate the association between the two different knowledge transfer mechanisms from the clients to the suppliers, ambidextrous innovation and innovation performance of suppliers’ employees in the software and IT services industry. The research also aims to identify whether ambidextrous innovation has mediating effects on the relationship. On the basis of a literature review of the topic, a total of 17 hypotheses are proposed.  Method:   As for the research methodology, this research adopts a realist ontology and a positivist epistemology. Through a web-based questionnaire survey of 250 employees from the software and IT industries, the research collected relevant data about knowledge transfer, employees’ ambidextrous innovation, and employees’ innovation performance and the approach is purposive and snowball sampling. In addition, we conducted a pretest to ensure the web-based survey’s questionnaire is reliable and valid. SPSS 28.0 was used as the tool for data analysis, and the methods of analysis mainly included descriptive statistics analysis, reliability analysis, validity analysis, and correlation analysis and linear regression. Conclusion:  Our research established a framework to show the association between two types of knowledge transfer mechanisms, employees’ ambidextrous innovation and employees' innovation performance. It has been found that the transfer of explicit and tacit knowledge from clients to suppliers' employees has a statistically significant positive association with the employees' innovation performance in the suppliers’ companies of software and IT services industry. Furthermore, explicit knowledge transfer has a stronger association with employees' ambidextrous innovation compared to tacit knowledge transfer. The analysis also pointed out that exploratory innovation, rather than exploitative innovation, is proven to have a higher association with employees’ innovation performance. In addition, a mediating role of ambidextrous innovation between knowledge transfer and innovation performance is also identified in our research. Our research also took gender into consideration to examine the consistency of the results across gender conditions.

A new era of wireless networks is evolving, thanks to the significant advances in communications and networking technologies. In parallel, wireless services are witnessing a tremendous change due to increasingly heterogeneous and stringent demands, whose quality of service requirements are expanding in several dimensions, putting pressure on mobile networks. Examples of those services are augmented and virtual reality, as well as self-driving cars. Furthermore, many physical systems are witnessing a dramatic shift into autonomy by enabling the devices of those systems to communicate and transfer control and data information among themselves. Examples of those systems are microgrids, vehicles, etc. As such, the mobile network indeed requires a revolutionary shift in the way radio resources are assigned to those services, i.e., RRM. In RRM, radio resources such as spectrum and power are assigned to users of the network according to various metrics such as throughput, latency, and reliability. Several methods have been adopted for RRM such as optimization-based methods, heuristics and so on. However, these methods are facing several challenges such as complexity, scalability, optimality, ability to learn dynamic environments. In particular, a common problem in conventional RRM methods is the failure to adapt to the changing situations. For example, optimization-based methods perform well under static network conditions, where an optimal solution is obtained for a snapshot of the network. This leads to higher complexity as the network is required to solve the optimization at every time slot. Machine learning constitutes a promising tool for RRM with the aim to address the conflicting objectives, i.e., KPIs, complexity, scalability, etc. In this thesis, we study the use of reinforcement learning and its derivatives for improving network KPIs. We highlight the advantages of each reinforcement learning method under the studied network scenarios. In addition, we highlight the gains and trade-offs among the proposed learning techniques as well as the baseline methods that rely on either optimization or heuristics. Finally, we present the challenges facing the application of reinforcement learning to wireless networks and propose some future directions and open problems toward an autonomous wireless network. The contributions of this thesis can be summarized as follows. First, reinforcement learning methods, and in particular model-free Q-learning, experience large convergence time due to the large state-action space. As such, deep reinforcement learning was employed to improve generalization and speed up the convergence. Second, the design of the state and reward functions impact the performance of the wireless network. Despite the simplicity of this observation, it turns out to be a key one for designing autonomous wireless systems. In particular, in order to facilitate autonomy, agents need to have the ability to learn/adjust their goals. In this thesis, we propose transfer in reinforcement learning to address this point, where knowledge is transferred between expert and learner agents with simple and complex tasks, respectively. As such, the learner agent aims to learn a more complex task using the knowledge transferred from an expert performing a simpler (partial) task.

George MacDonald's novel Lilith relates the story of a young man inheriting his deceased father's estate and coming in contact with its remarkable library and mysterious librarian. The protagonist's subsequent adventures in a fantastical world prepare the young Mr. Vane to assume authority over his inherited archive and become an archon. Jacques Derrida's exposition of the responsibilities of the archon including archival authority, domiciliation, and consignation illuminate the mentoring role of the elusive librarian Mr. Raven in Vane's adventures. By using Derrida's deconstruction of archives to unpack the intricacies of knowledge transfer in MacDonald's novel, the lasting impact of the archon on the archive and the individuals in Lilith, as well as the importance of the archon in the transfer of knowledge between individuals facilitated through relationships, becomes apparent. The archon, acting as a gatherer, organizer, and shaper of texts, uses the materials within the archive to exercise power and to bequeath power upon other individuals, as seen in the character Mr. Raven's actions. Lilith illustrates the necessity of the archon as he shapes the archive's contents and governs the interactions between book and reader, ultimately allowing the archive to become a place where knowledge is heritable.

In today’s fast-changing business climate, the priority on digital transformation demands organizations to develop innovation competencies to survive (Nambisan et al., 2017). To gain knowledge and know-how and stay innovative, organizations could work together with an Innovation Lab (IL) to remain competitive. To reach the best outcome from an IL, the dynamic between lab environment, resources, participants, and facilitation must be considered. Since SMEs typically have fewer resources, having an in-house IL is impossible. In addition, they require the guidance of experts to cope with the challenges of the digital era, to uncover solutions and continuous advancements, as innovation is critical for established companies to stay relevant in the phase of disruption and change (Berglund, 2007). This study aims to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon of ILs in the context of SMEs. More precisely, we are scrutinizing the integration of acquired knowledge, inventions, competencies, and innovations to see what both ILs and SMEs could do to achieve a better outcome. This study aims to originate valuable insights on integration patterns and key issues SMEs face during the IL, to fill literature gaps and build on existing theories of ILs (Fecher et al., 2020) and absorptive capacity (Zahra & George, 2002). Our goal is to contribute with managerial implications for SMEs who wish to participate in ILs and achieve a favorable outcome. Additionally, to give IL facilitators suggestions on making the process more suitable for SMEs. Our research aimed to answer the question of how SMEs integrate competencies and inventions developed during their IL participation in ILs. We established a multiple case study (Eisenhardt, 1989) to investigate the phenomenon. Together with existing literature and qualitative data, we set a model on: ‘SMEs’ Absorptive Capacity in the Context of Innovation Labs’. Our model describes how ACAP is present in the three lab phases and its effect on integrating competencies and inventions. First, our results show the relevance of preparation and participants in the pre- lab phase. Second, PACAP, including acquisition and assimilation, correlated with resources and the IL process in the lab phase. Third, in the post-lab phase or integration phase, RACAP with the capabilities of transformation and exploitation were significant for the business practice, IL process, IC, and resources. Concluding, each of the phases and SMEs’ capabilities during the IL process affects the integration and commercialization of the outcome.

Despite the volume, growth, and accessibility of documented knowledge – the insights and experiences stored on paper and in electronic form - management research has yet to demonstrate the same usefulness for documented knowledge as that found in knowledge residing in human sources. This dissertation explores two areas of potential for documented knowledge, suggesting the efficacy of a piece of documented knowledge is contingent not only on content, but upon the style and structure associated with that content. Style, how cognitively 'concrete' and affectively 'memorable' documented knowledge is perceived to be, is hypothesized to affect how much attention it draws and, in turn, to impact its transfer to users. Structure, reflecting the level of parsimony and modularity in documented knowledge, is hypothesized to impact attention to and manipulation of knowledge such that it affects knowledge transfer and creation. Hypotheses were tested in two laboratory studies using scientific research as an exemplar of documented knowledge. Results indicated that style was associated with documented knowledge, but was not related to its transfer. Likewise, structuring documented knowledge for greater parsimony and modularity did not improve knowledge transfer or knowledge creation. Shortcomings of the empirical tests are evaluated and possibilities for future improvements are discussed.

Introduction  In contemporary higher education systems, interactive learning tool such as simulation, has been widely adopted in clinical studies as an effective learning tool to help students to gain both near and far transferable learning skills in a controlled setting, where parameters are defined, and an alternate reality generated. There is a dearth of knowledge on how simulation designers can support learners to transfer learning from simulation settings to clinical settings, by focusing on improving the design of simulation sessions.  Aim of the Study The aim of conducting this qualitative metasynthesis was to identify significant elements of simulation design that are necessary to support learning transfer to clinical settings.   Methodology A qualitative metasynthesis was adopted as a rigorous method to examine the findings of the original 15 qualitative studies to offer new interpretations and insights on the concept of learning transfer. Inductive thematic analysis was used to synthesize the data  Results  Six key findings we identified that include authentic setup, immersive learners’ role, learner’s cognitive boost, positive formative feedback, timing, and learner’s confidence. The findings represent elements of simulation design that can be improved by simulation session designers to support learning transfer from simulation to the clinical setting. Conclusion The result suggests that learning transfer from simulation sessions cannot be assumed to occur spontaneously in clinical settings but as a product of various factors. Therefore, the designers of simulation settings need to focus on replicating reality while provoking learners’ deeper thinking skills in the actual clinical setup, lay efforts in all aspects of the design to achieve higher levels of authenticity and transferability, consider incorporating observers actively and  eliminate categorization bias. This with a view to learners to transfer near and far learning from simulation settings to clinical settings.

Problem Mergers and acquisitions are a common way for organisations to extend their operations. By merging two or more organisations into one, the newly formed constellation can access new markets and increase the market presence or control of the supply chain. Previous research has demonstrated that mergers and acquisitions generally need to improve in creating added value. There appears to be a gap in existing research regarding the extent managers utilise and execute knowledge integration. The relationship between operational managers and organisational members is yet to be explored in the context of M&As, which has derived the problem statement of this thesis.   Purpose This thesis aims to gain insights into how organisational members and operational managers contribute to knowledge integration. The thesis also aims to reveal what essential aspects influence the outcome of mergers and acquisitions processes, partially with consideration to organisational members and operational managers, but also to other variables that are of significance during mergers and acquisitions.   Methodology The thesis is conducted through the qualitative research method. The thesis is mainly based on semi-structured interviews with professionals with broad experience in mergers and acquisitions processes and their integration phases. Aside from the interviews, data from secondary cases on mergers and acquisitions have been condensed to view additional perspectives and complement the primary data.   Findings The thesis finds that operational managers are in control of the overhauling structure of mergers and acquisitions processes. Although, despite the control of the operational manager, they are to be considered an enabler, leaving the organisational member as the executer, which implies that one cannot operate without the other. It appears in the thesis that mergers and acquisitions are complex constructs and that there are numerous varying variables. Therefore, one of the thesis’ main findings highlights the importance of understanding the interrelationship between operational management and organisational members, especially in the context of mergers and acquisitions.

Purpose: This paper aims to shed light on the process involved in acquiring and integrating complementary knowledge. The process model is based on a theoretical review of literature on complementarity in M&A’s, firm relatedness and knowledge integration. This literature acts as a foundation to construct the proposed model combined with a process oriented semi-structured interview based on a single case where we found complementary knowledge was integrated under conditions that would be challenging in this regard. The literature review provides the theoretical foundation and the process-oriented interview provides the process of implementing and understanding the theory. Therefore the following study should be considered a contribution to guide further research into this phenomena, which is currently underexplored especially from a qualitative point of view.  Method: The theoretical study utilizes a synthesizing approach in connecting the literature findings and the empirical study adopts a qualitative lens by conducting three phases of study: pre-study,single case study and expert interviews. The primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with M&A managers, and the sampling method is purposive.  Findings: On a theoretical perspective we found that low external relatedness acts as a source of complementarity and low internal relatedness creates inefficiency in exploiting those complementary differences within knowledge. Allowing autonomy to the acquired firm is best when external relatedness is low as to maintain the differences that contribute to complementarity. On the contrary, if internal relatedness is low we find that high integration is recommended to ensure that internal relatedness is increased and efficiency issues are limited. When internal relatedness and external relatedness are both low, the required approach is a balance between autonomy and integration, described as symbiosis.  From the empirical study, we conclude that the integration approach becomes an iterative process where the knowledge integration process plays an important role in learning to understand the acquired firm. In short, symbiosis requires close interaction and observation and an established process of integrating new knowledge to get familiar with the acquired firm.

Ett livslångt lärande innebär att vi aldrig slutar lära oss, oavsett var i livet vi befinner oss. Därmed är det viktigt att organisationer kartlägger deras kompetens och behov i tid, för att minska risken att förlora kompetens när det är dags för medarbetare att gå i pension. Detta uppsatsarbete är grundat i en kvalitativ intervjustudie om hur kompetensöverföring vid pensionsavgångar upplevs, både av chefer och personer som nyligen gått i pension. Studiens syfte har varit att undersöka upplevelser av organisationers strategiska arbete med kompetensöverföring vid pensionsavgångar, med fokus på chefer och nyblivna pensionärer. Studien har utgått från följande frågeställningar: 1. Hur upplever chefer att de arbetar strategiskt med kompetensöverföring vid pensionsavgångar? 2. Hur upplever nyblivna pensionärer att deras organisationer arbetade för att säkerställa att deras kompetens inte gick förlorad vid pensionsavgången? För att undersöka detta har åtta informanter intervjuats, fyra chefer som arbetat med kompetensöverföring vid pensionsavgångar och fyra personer som nyligen (definierat som max tre år sedan) gått i pension. Informanterna valdes ut utifrån ett bekvämlighets- och strategiskt urval. Intervjuerna spelades in och transkriberades för att sedan analyseras utifrån en tematisk innehållsanalys. Ur denna analys utvanns fyra tematiseringar; mentorskap, vikten av långsiktigt arbete, betydelsen av att visa uppskattning samt fortsatt arbete efter pensionen. För att kunna genomföra en nyanserad och välgrundad analys har resultaten kopplats till teorierna kompetensöverföring, situerat lärande, socialt lärande och transformativt lärande. Resultaten av studien visade att många organisationer inte upplevs arbeta strategiskt och långsiktigt med kompetensöverföring vid pensionsavgångar, men att det är något som ur ett arbetstagarperspektiv vore önskvärt. Studien visade även på att en betydelsefull del är hur organisationer arbetar gentemot sina medarbetare för att främja en god känsla när de ska lämna organisationen. Slutsatsen blev att det kan finnas en vinst i att arbeta mer med denna fråga, ur både ett arbetsgivar- och arbetstagarperspektiv, men att det även är viktigt att poängtera att förlorad kompetens inte alltid måste vara negativt för organisationer. / A lifelong learning means that we never stop learning new things, no matter where in life we are. That is why it is important for organizations to map their competence and needs early on, to minimize the risk of losing competence when it is time for their staff to retire. This assignment is based on a qualitative interview study on how knowledge transfer during retirements is experienced, both by managers and people who have recently retired. The purpose of the study has been to examine the experiences of organizations' strategic work with knowledge transfer during retirements, with a special focus on managers and new retirees. The study has been based on the following questions: 1. How do managers feel that they work strategically with knowledge transfer during retirements? 2. How do new retirees feel that their organizations worked to ensure that their knowledge did not go to waste during the retirement? To examine this we interviewed eight informants, four managers who have worked with knowledge transfer during retirements and four persons who recently (in our definition a maximum of three years ago) retired. The informants were chosen from a convenience- and strategic selection. The interviews were recorded and transcribed to later on be analyzed based on a thematic content analysis. From this analysis we got four themes; mentorship, the importance of long-term work, the importance of showing gratitude and continued work after retirement. In order to carry out a nuanced and well-founded analysis, the results have been linked to the theories of knowledge transfer, situated learning, social learning and transformative learning. The results of the study showed that many organizations are not perceived to work strategically and long-term with knowledge transfer during retirements, but that it is something that would be desirable from an employee perspective. The study also shows that a meaningful part is how organizations try to foster a good feeling when their employees leave the organization. The conclusion was that there may be a profit in working more with this issue, both from an employer- and employee perspective, but that it is also important to state the fact that losing knowledge does not always have to be negative for organizations.

This dissertation examines the extent to which social vulnerability, as studied by researchers across multiple disciplines, has influenced the practice of emergency management at the local level. This study addresses two major research questions to accomplish this goal. First, how do local emergency managers perceive and define social vulnerability? Second, what strategies do local emergency managers employ to reach and meet the needs of socially vulnerable populations? Semi-structured interviews were conducted in person or by phone with a sample of local emergency managers, city managers, and American Red Cross personnel from the Houston - Galveston and the South East Texas regions as defined by the respective Councils of Government. A modified grounded theory approach was used with a constant comparative method to identify themes for each research question. Triangulation was accomplished through secondary census data and supplemental interviews. The interview data reveal that social vulnerability research has had an indirect influence on the practice of emergency management at the local level. This influence is facilitated through state and federal policy, training, and plans development. Based on the interview data, four themes were identified that capture the various ways in which local emergency management officials perceive and define social vulnerability. These include vulnerability as poverty and culture, vulnerability as a lack of security, vulnerability as a moral imperative, and vulnerability as a lack of awareness and knowledge. In terms of strategies employed to address social vulnerability, the data suggest four themes: leaving it to the professionals, bringing in volunteers, leveraging protocols to build buy-in, and fostering flexibility. The findings reveal the importance in closing the knowledge gap between research and practice, because increased damage, harm, and death can occur when the social inequalities of everyday life are not addressed in the planning process by emergency managers. The findings also reveal that state and federal policy, training, and plans development are the most trusted sources by emergency managers to transfer knowledge to practice. Additionally, with the proliferation of emergency management degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, higher education can potentially play a more active and visible role in bridging the gap between research and practice, particularly as it relates to social vulnerability.