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Sequential Innovation involves the serial commercialization of improving products based on technologies that improve over time. In many industries such as semiconductors, electronics and computers, fundamental advances have presented firms with opportunities to substantially improve their product's capabilities in very short periods of time. Customers who invest in these products may, however, react adversely to rapid improvements that obsolete their previously purchased products. In the case of breakthrough products that create categories of their own, potential consumers might even be unaware of their own valuation for new products. In this dissertation, I identify and analyze some means by which a firm can engage in sequential innovation in the face of such apprehensions. In particular, I focus on three aspects of product development that have important implications for its eventual success in the market: product design, sourcing of components and distribution channels. In the first essay, motivated by an emerging trend in industrial markets, I analyze the role of modular upgradable designs in managing the introduction of rapidly improving products. I show that modular upgradability can reduce the need for slowing the pace of innovation or foregoing upgrade pricing. In the second essay, I study a dual set of challenges that arise for the modular innovator in the presence of strategic consumers and suppliers. The firm's ability to credibly signal its future design strategy could be adversely affected under various sourcing arrangements for peripheral components of the modular product. Even when consumers strategically plan their purchases while taking into account the firm's incentives, they often have limited understanding of their own valuation of a product before they buy it. In the third essay, I consider the role played by channels of distribution that play an educational role when selling sequentially improving products to such consumers who are uncertain about their preferences. The contribution of this dissertation is to formalize the sequential innovation problem and propose solutions that can help firms in synchronizing product development decisions with customers and other value-chain partners. / text

Increased competition, rapidly changing technology and customer expectations have caused the innovation process to become more complex and uncertain. This study examines the possible benefits of integrating some of the concepts of risk management into the innovation project. However, adopting rigorous risk management at every stage of the innovation process could be costly: some risk management could be valuable, but too much, or inappropriate risk management might stifle innovation. There are many separate models for innovation and risk management. This study develops a combined theoretical model which aims to help the understanding of appropriate risk management in innovation. The theoretical model is based on the classic innovation process but emphasises critical decision points and information needs at various stages, with various possible contributions from risk management. The stage-gate innovation process model, with its emphasis on decisions, provides a basis for incorporating risk management with decisions related to criteria and information needs; this stage-gate model was employed in the study as the core of a theoretical model combining innovation and risk management. The theoretical model was tested in a series of empirical case studies in the United Kingdom and Iran. These involved 40 detailed interviews in five medium-large companies from a variety of industries. The case studies suggest that the combined model of risk and innovation management should be relevant across diverse industries: staff from different countries (UK and Iran), industries and functional backgrounds could all relate to it and the theoretical model provided a useful structure for developing a more detailed understanding of the possible roles and implementation of risk management in innovation. The study suggests that there is no simple guidance that companies can apply in all situations. The choice of risk management techniques varies with different innovation projects, the characteristics of the particular industry and the environment. In addition, different aspects of the risk management system are useful in different stages of the innovation project and attempting to apply a standard technique throughout the innovation project could lead to failure. A prime example is in the creativity stage: simple risk identification at this stage may be useful but more rigorous risk analysis may be stifle creativity. More rigorous risk analysis may be more appropriate in the later stages of the innovation process. Companies can use this theoretical model to help people appreciate the possible contribution of risk management at the different stages of the innovation project.

M. Tech. Electrical Engineering / For the last 3 decades, interdisciplinary studies on the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) have grown in number. This common interest has been stirred up by recent developments in technology and opportunities seen in BCI. BCI systems provide an interface for communicating and controlling the physical environment, bypassing the normal neuromuscular pathways. They thus constitute an alternative means of control for the large population of people with limited to non-existent muscular abilities. Limitations in existing systems have prevented BCIs from being used in real life applications. New approaches are now being investigated with the aim of exporting BCI to home usage. This study investigates a BCI with realistic performances for practical home usage. It proposes a BCI to be used as a modality in a multimodal control of an exoskeleton.

Authors augment their texts using devices such as bold and italic typeface to signal important information to the reader. These typographical text signals are an example of a signal designed to have some affect on others. However, some signals emerge through the unplanned, indirect, and collective efforts of a group of individuals. Paths emerge in parks without having been designed by anyone. Objects accumulate wear patterns that signal how others have interacted with the object. Books open to important, well studied pages because the spine has worn, for example (Hill, Hollan, Wroblewski, & McCandless, 1992). Digital text and the large-scale collaboration made possible through the internet provide an opportunity to examine how unplanned, collaborative text signals could emerge. A software application was designed, called CoREAD, that enables readers to highlight sections of the text they deem important. In addition, CoREAD adds text signals to the text using font colour, based on the group's collective history and an aggregation function based on self-organising systems. The readers are potentially influenced by the text signals presented by CoREAD but also help to modify these same signals. Importantly, readers only interact with each other indirectly through the text. The design of CoREAD was greatly inspired by the previous work on history-enriched digital objects (Hill & Hollan, 1993) and at a more general level it can be viewed as an example of distributed cognition (Hollan, Hutchins, & Kirsh, 2000). / Forty undergraduate students read two texts on topics from psychology using CoREAD. Students were asked to read each text in order to write a summary of it. After each new student read the text, the text signals were changed to reflect the current group of students. As such, each student read the text with different text signals presented. / The data were analysed for each text to determine if the text signals that emerged were stable and valid representations of the semantic content of the text. As well, the students' summaries were analysed to determine if students who read the text after the text signals had stabilised produced better summaries. Three methods demonstrated that CoREAD was capable of generating stable typographical text signals. The high importance text signals also appeared to capture the semantic content of the texts. For both texts, a summary made of the high signals performed as well as a benchmark summary. The results did not suggest that the stable text signals assisted readers to produce better summaries, however. Readers may not respond to these collaborative text signals as they would to authorial text signals, which previous research has shown to be beneficial (Lorch, 1989). The CoREAD project has demonstrated that readers can produce stable and valid text signals through an unplanned, self-organising process.

This study, through the lens of Activity Theory, focused on the induction and constructivist teaching practices of experienced teachers who were recently hired in a technologically advantaged middle school. Activity Theory was used not only to examine the induction practices but also to focus on constructivist practices with technology. Data sources consisted of using various instruments three of which were used for surveys, 11 interviews were employed to assess goals, and 18 classroom observations were carried out regarding constructivist practices. Findings through Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) analysis revealed under-realized forms of mediation to achieve effective use of ICTs (objective) and the perceptions of collaboration among the teaching staff, specifically with respect to relationships between rules and the division of labor. In effect, this study presents a challenge for CHAT analysis to elaborate the construct of contradictions to include "latent contradictions" which is essential to an expansive learning cycle.

Educators need access to a technology-based instructional model that provides opportunities for students to develop an expanded set of skills, accommodates students' unique learning styles and rates, and which allows teachers flexibility in adapting the model to their own instructional styles. The thesis presents a concise operational definition of Technology Enhancement as it applies to instruction in secondary school classrooms. The definition of Technology Enhancement then forms the basis for developing criteria that can be used to establish and evaluate Technology Enhanced Instruction (TEI) programs in secondary schools. These criteria will also enable educators to ensure the longevity and continuity of the program in their schools, thus maximizing the educational benefits afforded by technology, while minimizing the potential capital costs. Technology will continue to pervade all aspects of educational institutions; educators are faced with the challenge of making effective use of technology and helping students to develop life-long learning skills without discarding established, effective educational strategies.

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