This dissertation explores the interplay between competitive strategy and alliance network structure in explaining firm performance in highly volatile environments (e.g., personal computers or consumer electronics). In particular, I examine the following three questions: (1) Which competitive strategies enable firms to gain superior performance? (2) How do these strategies affect the firm‘s networking behavior and lead to the formation of particular network positions? (3) What optimal combinations of competitive strategies and network structures maximize firm performance? Firms can outperform rivals by pursuing two types of competitive strategies: advantage-creating and advantage-enhancing. Each of these strategies creates different needs, motivations, and opportunities for collaborative activity. Therefore, certain regularities in the firms‘ strategic behavior in the previous period can lead to distinctive and recognizable patterns of networking behavior in the future period, which in turn leads to predictable types of network structure. This study shows that firms with superior advantage-creating strategies become embedded in sparse network structures and are more likely to form non-equity alliances in the future period, whereas firms with strong advantage-enhancing tendencies become embedded in dense network structures with many equity-based alliances in the future period. However, if different strategies lead to formation of different types of network structure, are these tendencies beneficial for firm performance? If not, what is the optimal combination of competitive strategy and network structure that maximizes firm performance? I argue that network structure provides advantageous access to external resources that can both complement (enhance) the internal capabilities of the firm and substitute for the capabilities that a firm is lacking. I find that network structure plays both complementary and substitutive roles. However, my findings suggest dense network structure is more beneficial for firms that have superior either advantage-creating or advantage-enhancing capabilities, whereas firms with inferior internal capabilities can benefit more from a sparse network structure. I tested the proposed dynamic model on a sample of the largest 125 firms from computers and electronics industries that initiated 11,075 competitive actions and were embedded in a larger network of 36,766 alliances over 7 years.

<p>Programmes and policies to support ecological sustainable development and the practice of implementation is a question of innovation rather than known and taken for granted procedure. This thesis argues a priori models concerning stability in the social sciences, and human geography especially, are less able to help us understand this practice and planning in such unstable situations. Problematic in common understandings of planning and policy implementation concerning sustainability are the dualisms between physical-social spaces and between rationality-contingency. The first dualism makes it hard to grasp the interaction between humans and nonhumans. The second dualism concerns the problem of how to capture change without resorting to reductionism and explanaining the evolving projects as either technically, economically, or culturally rational. </p><p>The scope of the thesis is to test resources from actor-network theory as a means of resolving these dualisms. The case is the Stockholm Local Investment Programme and the new district of Hammarby Sjöstad. The programme’s objective was to support the implemention of new technologies and systems, energy efficiency and reduced resource-use as well as eco-cycling measures. The case-study follows how the work with the programme unfolded and how administrators’ efforts to reach satisfactory results was approached. In doing this, the actors had to be far more creative than models of implementation and traditional technology diffusion seem to suggest. The recommendation is to take the instrumentalisation framing the plasticity of a project in planning seriously – as innovativeness is not a special but the general case. Hence, to broaden our tools and understanding of planning a human geography of planning projects is pertinent.</p>

Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) are becoming standard tools in healthcare, lauded for improving patient access and outcomes. However, the healthcare professionals who work with, around, and despite these technologies in their daily practices often regard EPRs as troublesome. In order to investigate how EPRs can prompt such opposing opinions, this project examines the EPR as a collection of communication genres set in complex contexts. In this project, I investigate an EPR as it was used on the Nephrology ward at a large, Canadian, urban, paediatric teaching hospital. In this setting, this study investigates EPR-use in relation to the following aspects of context: (a) the visual rhetoric of the EPR's user-interface design; (b) the varied social contexts in which the EPR was used, including a diversity of professional collaborators who had varying levels of professional experience; (c) the span of social actions involved in EPR use; and (d) the other genres used in coordination with the EPR. <br /><br /> This qualitative study was conducted in two simultaneous stages, over the course of 8 months. Stage one consisted of a visual rhetorical analysis of a set of genres (including the EPR) employed by participants during a specific work activity. Stage two involved an elaborated, qualitative case study consisting of non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews. Stage two used a constructivist grounded theory methodology. A combination of theoretical perspectives -- Visual Rhetoric, Rhetorical Genre Studies, Activity Theory, and Actor-Network Theory -- supported the analysis of study data. This research reveals that participants routinely transformed EPR-based information into paper documents when the EPR's visual designs did not support the professional goals and activities of the participants. <br /><br /> Results indicate that healthcare professionals work around EPR-based patient information when that genre's visual organization is incompatible with professional activities. This study suggests that visual rhetorical analysis, complemented with observation and interview data, can provide useful insights into a genre's social actions. This research also examines the effects of such EPR-to-paper genre transformations. Although at one level of analysis, the EPR-to-paper-genre transformation may be considered inefficient for participants and so should be automated, at another level of analysis, the same transformation activity can be seen as beneficially supporting the detailed reviewing of patient information by healthcare professionals. <br /><br /> To account for this function in the transformation dysfunction, my research suggests that many contextual factors need to be considered during data analysis in order to construct a sufficiently nuanced understanding of a genre's social actions. To accomplish such an analysis, I develop a five-step approach to data analysis called 'context mapping. ' Context mapping examines genres in relation to the varied social contexts in which they are used, the span of social actions in which they are involved, and a range of genres with which they are coordinated. To conduct this analysis, context mapping relies heavily on theories of "genre ecologies" (Spinuzzi, 2003a, 2003b; Spinuzzi, Hart-Davidson & Zachry, 2004; Spinuzzi & Zachry, 2000) and "Knotworking" (Engestrom, Engestrom & Vahaaho, 1999). Context mapping's first three steps compile study data into results that accommodate a wide range of contextual analysis considerations. These three steps involve the use of a composite scenario of observation data, genre ecologies and the description of a starting point for analysis. The final two steps of this approach analyse results using the theory of Knotworking and investigate some of the implications of the patterns of genre use on the ward. <br /><br /> Through context mapping analysis, this study demonstrates that EPR-based innovations created by a study participant could result in the generation of other improvisations, in a range of genres, by the original participant and/or by other collaborators. These genre modifications had ramifications across multiple social contexts and involved a wide range of genres and associated social actions. Context mapping analysis demonstrates how the effects of participant-made EPR-based variations can be considered as having both beneficial and detrimental effects in the research site depending on the social perspective adopted. Contributions from this work are directed towards the fields of Rhetorical Genre Studies, Activity Theory research, and Health Informatics research, as well as to the research site itself. This study demonstrates that context mapping can support text-in-context style research in complex settings as a means for evaluating the effects of genre uses.

Why do some religious movements succeed and spread, while others, seemingly equally popular and successful at a certain time, ultimately fail? It is from this starting point that this thesis approaches religious success or failure in the Roman Empire: exploring a new analytical method for understanding religious change: network theory. The thesis forms two parts. Part I sets out the theoretical frameworks. The focus of network theory is on the processes by which innovation spreads: how interconnectedness facilitates change. Although some innovations might be ‘superior’, viewing success or failure as the result of interplay between inherent qualities of a religious movement and the structure of the social environment in which it is embedded means it is possible to reduce value judgements about superiority or inferiority. The discussion then turns to religious change. The key point is that sociologists of religion can explain something of the processes of religious conversion (or ‘recruitment’) and the success or failure of a religious movement through an analysis of social interactions. Finally, I explain how I shall use networks both as a heuristic approach and a practical modelling technique to apply to the epigraphic data, and detail some of the previous application of networks to archaeological test cases. Part II applies these methods to the epigraphic data of three religions. In Chapter Four, I examine the cult Jupiter Dolichenus, arguing that the previous explanations for the success of the cult are untenable, showing from the epigraphy that the cult spread through a strong-tie network of Roman military officials. In Chapter Five, I look at the development of Jewish identity in the Diaspora, showing that, during the second century AD, Diaspora Jews began to actively display their Jewish identity in their epitaphs. I argue that this re-Judaization represents the ‘activation’ of an ethno-cultural network, as a response to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the crushing of the Bar Kokhba rebellion; the visible remains of the rabbinic reforms. In Chapter Six, I discuss the cult of the ‘Highest God’, Theos Hypsistos, taking Mitchell’s argument further to suggest that the huge increase in the dedications during the second-third centuries is not simply a reflection of the epigraphic habit, but rather, that the cult of Hypsistos was swelled by the Gentile god-fearers, as a result of the changes happening within Judaism itself at this time.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The purpose of this study is to test an adapted model of network theory against state air pollution control institutions. Air pollution control presents a regulatory problem that has interstate, intrastate and multiple federal dimensions. It is one of extreme complexity and uncertainty, from both a regulatory and scientific perspective. The changing political environment federally has enabled states to redefine their roles in the regulatory process (Adler, 1997; Krane, 2007). Drawing from network theory in intergovernmental policy processes my research tests three key factors in explaining state air pollution levels: tenure in office of the air policy administrator, the use of air policy boards, and networking encompassing agency heads, air boards and the public. Theoretically this research builds upon important work by William Berry, Paul Teske, Lawrence O’Toole, Kenneth Meier and Mark Schneider in empirically investigating the network theory of policy behavior. Network theory, as envisioned by O’Toole and Meier, provides for systematic empirical research on intergovernmental management. This research expands the network model to incorporate citizen participation and information access in agency policy-making. Further, this research develops the ozone exposure index as the dependent measure and metric of agency performance. The study limits itself to the time frame of 1999-2007. This time-frame enables me to pool data on the instances of nonattainment of National Air Quality standards for ground-level ozone. This study limits itself to ground-level ozone as the dependent measure. Ground-level ozone is primarily regulated at the state level. It and PM2.5 represent the greatest threats to human health nationally. A series of panel data statistical models are tested revealing that the two-way generalized least squares random effects regression proves the best fit for the data. Results support the hypothesis that the tenure of the air administrator positively impacts pollution reduction. The number of citizen members on air policy boards is also found positively correlated to pollution reduction. This research contributes to the field by expanding the reach of the network model to air policy. It also incorporates citizen participation into the model. Lastly, it also posits that institutional structure can be successfully tied to performance.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the links between various providers of tourism in the locality of Western Šumava. The research is focused on municipalities and selected entities operating in the Šumava National Park, the aim of this work being to evaluate the level of destination management based on cooperation between municipalities or between municipalities and individual actors in tourism. Destination management in the defined area is characterized in more detail by analyzing the activities of individual actors in tourism. This thesis evaluates the influence of provider activity, administrative boundaries, geographical distance and organizational structure on the origins and function of destination management. Levels of cooperation are analyzed by using a questionnaire survey. The result of the work is an evaluation of the importance of various providers based on their degree of inter-cooperation and a proposal for future streamlining the process of destination management for current and emerging destination companies in the western part of the Šumava. Key words: tourism management, network theory, destination, rural tourism, Šumava

This qualitative research has been performed at Saab Dynamics with the purpose to analyze how resources are used in Saab to improve their processes and increase their market share. The theory used is founded in IMP theory with the implication that companies must move their focus from only considering internal resources into using their network. To analyze the different types resources in the network the 4R model has been used and adopted to two different cases at Saab Dynamics. The first case is about Saabs procurement of one of its suppliers, ACAB, and the second case is about a Country Xs procurement of the man-portable air-defense system RBS 70 NG. To gather data about the cases interviews has been performed with employees at Saab as well as other stakeholders. The result from these interviews were then analyzed based on the 4Rs, answering the questions: What Products are involved in the product development?  Which Production Facilities are involved in the product development? Which Business Units are involved in the product development? What Business relationships are involved in the product development? Once the resources were analyzed and compared to separately, the following question was answered: How have resources been combined to expand and strengthen the network? The result from the research showed that Saab has a great focus on its suppliers and how they should structure the network for the best potential end-result. In the first case, the procurement resulted in factors such as shorter lead-times, smoother processes and better quality products. The second case showed that Business Relationship resources such as trust played a great part in the procurement. To grow a stronger Business Relationship, Saab used a supplier in Country X which in turn also ended up being a part of the creation of a new innovative component.  The end discussion is about the benefits that the procurement of ACAB and weather this could be used as a way for Saab to expand their network while also gaining more control over the Supply Chain. This is something that goes against modern-day literature which often argue that the opposite often is to prefer. In the end there is also a short ethical section with the aim to examine why people chose to work in an industry like Saab Dynamics. To gather the data a few interviews were made with the end result that the respondents believe that the industry is necessary for the protection of Sweden and that it “is a human right to feel safe”.

Die Netzwerktheorie ist eine wirksame Methode, um die Struktur realer Systeme, z.B. des Klimasystems, zu beschreiben und zu klassifizieren. Der erste Teil dieser Arbeit nutzt diese Diskriminanzfähigkeit um die Ost- und Zentralpazifischen Phasen von El Niño und La Niña mittels eines Index basierend auf der Evaluation zeitlich entwickelnder Klimanetzwerke zu unterscheiden. Nach dem Studium der klimatischen Einflüsse dieser unterschiedenen Phasen verlegt die Arbeit ihren Schwerpunkt von der Klassifikation einzelner klimatischer Schichten auf den generelleren Fall interagierender Netzwerke. Hier repräsentieren die Teilnetzwerke entsprechende Variabilitäten in Ozean und Atmosphäre. Es zeigt sich, dass die Ozean-Atmosphären-Wechselwirkung einer hierarchischen Struktur folgt wobei makroskopische Netzwerkmaße einzelne Atmosphärenschichten bezüglich ihrer Wechselwirkung mit dem Ozean unterscheiden. Der zweite Teil dieser Arbeit untersucht den Einfluss der räumlichen Einbettung von Knoten auf topologische Netzwerkeigenschaften. Hierzu werden Nullmodelle eingeführt, welche zufällige Surrogate eines gegebenen Netzwerks erzeugen, sodass globale und lokale räumliche Eigenschaften erhalten bleiben. Diese Modelle erfassen die makroskopischen Eigenschaften der studierten Netzwerke besser als bisherige Standardmodelle zur Erzeugung von Zufallsnetzwerken. Abhängig von der Performanz der vorgeschlagenen Modelle können gegebene Netzwerke schlussendlich in verschiedene Klassen eingeteilt werden. Die Arbeit schließt mit einer Erweiterung der bisherigen Netzwerkklassifikatoren um eine zweidimensionale Metrik, welche Netzwerke auf Basis ihrer Komplexität unterscheidet. Es wird gezeigt, dass Netzwerke des gleichen Typs dazu neigen in individuellen Bereichen der resultierenden Komplexitäts-Entropie-Ebene zu liegen. Die eingeführte Methode ermöglicht auch die objektive Konstruktion von Klimanetzwerken indem Schwellwerte gewählt werden, die die statistische Komplexität maximieren. / Complex network theory provides a powerful tool to quantify and classify the structure of many real-world complex systems, including the climate system. In its first part, this work demonstrates the discriminative power of complex network theory to objectively classify Eastern and Central Pacific phases of El Niño and La Niña by proposing an index based on evolving climate networks. After an investigation of the climatic impacts of these discriminated flavors, this work moves from the classification of sets of single-layer networks to the more general study of interacting networks. Here, subnetworks represent oceanic and atmospheric variability. It is revealed that the ocean-to-atmosphere interaction in the Northern hemisphere follows a hierarchical structure and macroscopic network characteristics discriminate well different parts of the atmosphere with respect to their interaction with the ocean. The second part of this work assesses the effect of the nodes’ spatial embedding on the networks’ topological characteristics. A hierarchy of null models is proposed which generate random surrogates from a given network such that global and local statistics associated with the spatial embedding are preserved. The proposed models capture macroscopic properties of the studied spatial networks much better than standard random network models. Depending on the models’ actual performance networks can ultimately be categorized into different classes. This thesis closes with extending the zoo of network classifiers by a two-fold metric to discriminate different classes of networks based on assessing their complexity. Within this framework networks of the same category tend to cluster in distinct areas of the complexity-entropy plane. The proposed framework further allows to objectively construct climate networks such that the statistical network complexity is maximized.