Battery-powered portable embedded systems have been widely used in many applications. These embedded systems have to concurrently perform a multitude of complex tasks under stringent time constraints. As these systems become more complex and incorporate more functionality, they became more power-hungry. Thus, reducing power consumption and extending battery lifespan while guaranteeing the timing constraints has became a critical aspect in designing such systems. This gives rise to three aspects of research: (i) Guaranteeing the execution of the hard real-time tasks by their deadlines, (ii) Determining the minimum voltage under which each task can be executed, and (iii) Techniques to take advantage of run-time variations in the execution times of tasks. In this research, we present techniques that address the above aspects in single and multi processor embedded systems. We study the performance of the proposed techniques on various benchmarks in terms of energy savings.

The function of budgetary controls is to control the resource allocation within companies. It can also be an instrument for measure and control subordinates and/or business units’ performance (Van der Stede 2001). This paper concerns the latter; when the budgetary control function is used to measure and control subordinates performance based on budget. Previous research in this area has not yet accomplished to explain the effects of tight budgetary control which Hartman (2000) considers as the main issue to be concerned about in management accounting research. Previous research has presented contradictory findings regarding tight budgetary control explained by positive effects as well as negative effects during the last decades. Further, these findings provide us with contradictory results in which budget participation is initiating intended effects or unintended effects such as budgetary slack. With this in mind we have invented a model including these variables, intended to find the context and effects. This study includes subordinates from different companies within Sweden and it is based upon a self-completion survey. Our intention with this paper is to present an explanation according to budgetary slack. The result shows that tight budgetary control does affect the degree of slack as well as participation do. Further, we present evidence that high participation moderates the effect of tight budgetary control on slack.

Battery-powered portable embedded systems have been widely used in many applications. These embedded systems have to concurrently perform a multitude of complex tasks under stringent time constraints. As these systems become more complex and incorporate more functionality, they became more power-hungry. Thus, reducing power consumption and extending battery lifespan while guaranteeing the timing constraints has became a critical aspect in designing such systems. This gives rise to three aspects of research: (i) Guaranteeing the execution of the hard real-time tasks by their deadlines, (ii) Determining the minimum voltage under which each task can be executed, and (iii) Techniques to take advantage of run-time variations in the execution times of tasks. In this research, we present techniques that address the above aspects in single and multi processor embedded systems. We study the performance of the proposed techniques on various benchmarks in terms of energy savings.

Pour faire face aux défaillances et leurs conséquences, certaines organisations adoptent des modes de fonctionnement leur permettant d’assurer un haut degré de fiabilité et de résilience. Cette thèse s’attache à formaliser ces modes de fonctionnement au travers d’une approche processuelle de la fiabilité et de la résilience organisationnelles d’un service d’urgence médicale. Nous étudions d’une part comment les processus se déploient concrètement dans le contexte opérationnel face aux situations rencontrées et d’autre part quel est l’impact du contexte organisationnel sur le maintien de la fiabilité et de la résilience.Au travers d’une étude d’un service d’accueil des urgences vitales français, un premier niveau de résultats décrit les différents processus aux niveaux organisationnel et situationnel constitutifs du maintien de la fiabilité et de la résilience organisationnelles : culture, intégration des nouveaux membres, confiance, coordination, apprentissage et slack organisationnel.Un second niveau de résultats aborde les situations de prise en charge des patients sous forme de continuum et de points d’inflexion. Saturation de l’unité, gestion de l’imprévu et slack situationnel viennent répondre à la volatilité et à l'urgence vitale des situations qui imposent une action immédiate.Nous étudions également la question de l’articulation entre les niveaux organisationnel et situationnel en proposant une relecture du concept d’espace de discussion (Detchessahar, 2003).Enfin, nos résultats nous invitent à considérer la tension existant dans l’hôpital concernant les ressources nécessaires au maintien de la fiabilité et de la résilience organisationnelles. / In order to prevent faults to happen and their catastrophic consequences, some organizations adopt operational modes allowing them to ensure a high degree of reliability and resilience. This research focuses on formalizing these operational modes through a processual approach to organizational reliability and resilience of a critical-care unit. We aim to study, on the one hand, how the processes unfold in the operational context facing real-life situations and, on the other hand, the impact of the organizational context on reliability and resilience.Studying a French critical-care unit, first-order results describe the different processes – at both organizational and situational levels of analysis – contributing to the organizational reliability and resilience: culture, integration of new members, trust, coordination, learning and organizational slack.Second-order results address patient-care situations as a continuum and we highlight the inflection points of the different patient-care trajectories. Saturation of the unit, management of the unexpected and of the situational slack enable critical-care unit’s members to cope with the volatility and the life-threatening emergency of situations demanding immediate action.We also study the links between the organizational and the situational levels of analysis by proposing a reinterpretation of the concept of discussion space (Detchessahar, 2003).Finally, our findings invite us to consider the tension in hospitals regarding the resources needed to maintain organizational reliability and resilience.

This thesis examines the associations between organisational slack, that pool of actual or potential cushion of resources of an organisation, and executive discretion - the executives’ latitude for strategic action. Bourgeois and Singh (1983), George (2005), Sharfman et al. (1988) and Sharma (2000) have referred to slack as having a discretionary dimension because its ‘ease of recovery’ varies depending on where it is gained from. For the obverse of this association, slack contributes to resource availability in the task environment and therefore executive discretion (Hambrick & Finkelstein, 1987). However until now, this bi-direction association has been largely unexplored empirically. This thesis contributes to both fields by bringing them together to examine and measure aspects of these interactions. These constructs are applied to the annual reports of U.S. firms by measuring industry level discretion using content analysis of presidents’ letters to shareholders and industry average slack using financial ratios. Correlations show that industries with higher levels of slack enjoy greater industry level discretion. However the associations between slack types and industry level discretion are not uniform suggesting that the discretionary dimension of slack is influenced by the task environment and industry context. The present study replicated Keegan and Kabanoff’s (2007) method to examine slack within industries but could not extend their results to available and recoverable slack, which suggest a curvilinear relationship between potential slack and executive discretion. The limited sub-industry results offer opportunity for further research as does the idea of applying the same research question to the organisational and individual level studies of different cohorts of firms and industries. Future efforts should also improve the measurement of the slack construct.

La récupération de l’énergie ambiante en temps réel est une technique qui permet d’allonger significativement la durée de vie des systèmes embarqués, aujourd’hui limitée par la quantité d’énergie stockable dans les batteries traditionnelles. La récupération d’énergie renouvelable (energy harvesting) comme celle envisagée pour de nombreux objets sans fil, rend possible un fonctionnement quasiperpétuel de ces systèmes, sans intervention humaine, car sans recharge périodique de batterie ou de pile. Concevoir ce type de système autonome d’un point de vue énergétique devient très complexe lorsque celui-ci a en plus un comportement contraint par le temps et en particulier doit respecter des échéances de fin d’exécution au plus tard. Comme pour tout système temps réel, une problématique incontournable est de trouver un mécanisme d’ordonnancement dynamique capable de prendre en compte conjointement deux contraintes clés : le temps et l’énergie. Proposer et évaluer de nouvelles techniques d’ordonnancement pour que le système adopte un comportement énergétiquement neutre dans le respect des contraintes temps réel constitue le point central cette thèse. Plus précisément, nous considérons ici un ensemble de tâches mixtes constitué de tâches périodiques et de tâches apériodiques souples sans échéance. L’architecture matérielle retenue est monoprocesseur. Les tâches apériodiques ne sont connues qu’au moment de leur arrivée et les tâches périodiques sont supposées ordonnançables par l’ordonnanceur optimal ED-H. La question à laquelle nous voulons apporter une réponse se résume comme suit : comment servir les tâches apériodiques pour minimiser leur temps de réponse sans remettre en question la faisabilité des tâches périodiques. Dans cette thèse, nous répondons à cette question de façon incrémentale. Dans un premier temps, nous étendons le serveur classique dit en arrière plan au contexte du energy harvesting avec la proposition de deux nouveaux serveurs. Simples à implémenter, ces techniques offrent toutefois des performances limitées. C’est pourquoi, dans un second temps, nous proposons un nouveau serveur basé sur le vol de temps creux (en anglais, Slack Stealing), au sens des notions de laxité temporelle et de laxité énergétique. Une évaluation théorique de celui-ci nous permet d’établir son optimalité. Vu l’implémentation relativement complexe de ce serveur, dans un dernier temps, nous proposons un nouveau serveur dit à préservation de bande (en anglais, Total Bandwith), basé sur l’attribution d’échéances fictives avec une implémentation plus simple. Une étude expérimentale accompagne nos propositions et permet d’attester la performance de nouveaux serveurs de tâches apériodiques spécifiquement conçus pour les systèmes temps réel autonomes. / Real-time energy harvesting is a technology that significantly extends the lifetime of embedded systems. This technology is limited at present by the amount of energy that can be stored in traditional batteries. Renewable energy harvesting such as that envisaged for many wireless things, allows the quasi-perpetual systems operation without human intervention because it works without periodic recharging of battery. From an energy point of view, the design of this type of autonomous system becomes more complex since this process has in addition a behavior constrained by time, and particularly has to meet latest timing deadlines. As with any real-time system, an unavoidable problem is to find a dynamic scheduling mechanism able of considering jointly two key constraints: time and energy. Thus, the main objective of this thesis is to propose and evaluate new scheduling techniques that enable the system to adopt an energy-neutral behavior while respecting the real-time constraints. More precisely, we consider here a set of mixed tasks consisting of periodic tasks and soft aperiodic tasks without deadline. The hardware architecture chosen is monoprocessor. Aperiodic tasks are only known at the time of their arrival while periodic tasks are assumed to be schedulable by the optimal ED-H scheduler. In this thesis, we will provide appropriate solutions for the following question: how to serve aperiodic tasks in order to minimize their response time without challenging the feasibility of periodic tasks. Initially, we extend the conventional server (called Background) to the context of energy harvesting by the proposal of two new servers. These techniques can be easily implemented and offer limited performance. Secondly, we propose a new server based on Slack Stealing which uses the slack time and slack energy concepts. A theoretical evaluation of this one allows us to establish its optimality. Finally, due to the relatively complex implementation of this server, we propose a new server, called Total Bandwidth. This server is based on fictive deadlines assignment with a simpler implementation. All propositions are illustrated by experimental studies that allow us to investigate the performance of new aperiodic task servers specifically designed for autonomous real-time systems.

The purpose of this study was toexplore organizational culture in a digital context, so that a greater understanding of the relations between the two subjects could be developed. The interest for the subject came from reflections and observations obtained during a prior internship at a small organization using the digital collaboration platform Slack in their daily work. To answer the purpose of the study, one main research question; ‘What is the relationship between organizational culture and a digital communication platform as Slack?’ and two sub questions; ‘How is Slack used to solve problems with internal integration? and ‘How is Slack used to solve problems with external adaption?’ was formulated. The two sub questions came from an operationalization of Schein’s (2010, p.18) well used definition of organizational culture. By using the qualitative method netnography to study the behaviors and interactions of the members of a small organization through participating observations, in combination with the field notes and observations from the prior internship, the research questions were successfully answered. The results showed that Slack was used as a tool to maintain structure and order during problems with external adaption in form of a re-organization creating an unsecure time-period. Decrement in activity also showed that the usage of Slack was limited in time and easily could be exchanged, but that appreciated cultural rites and behaviors created from using it could live on outside of Slack. Results also showed that Slack successfully functioned as a tool to solve problems with internal integration. By allowing new members to efficiently come in contact with both the formal and informal cultural elements, the very essence of culture as in underlying assumptions was quickly taught. The efficiency of using Slack for internal integration was also shown to rely on a new possible problem in form of a disintegration between the private and work. The answer to the main research question was that Slack is an artifact, inhabiting other artifact, living in symbiosis with the organization. Even though Slack could help an organization to cope with problems of external adaption and internal integration, Slack on its own did not serve as a one single place for understanding and becoming a part of an organization and its culture, as the organization and culture still will live and develop outside of the digital medium. / Syftet med den här studien var att utforska organisationskultur i en digital miljö, så att en ökad förståelse för de två ämnena kunde utvecklas. Intresset för ämnet kom från observationer och reflektioner införskaffade under en tidigare praktik på en mindre organisation som använde den digitala plattformen Slack i sitt dagliga arbete. För att besvara syftet med studien formulerades en huvudsaklig forskningsfråga; ’Vad är relationen mellan organisationskultur och en digital plattform som Slack?’, och två sekundära frågor; ’Hur används Slack som lösning för problem med intern integration?’, och ’Hur används Slack för att lösa problem med extern anpassning?’. De sekundära frågorna kom från en operationalisering av Scheins (2010, p.18) väl använda definition av organisationskultur. Den kvalitativa metoden netnografi användes för att studera beteende och interaktioner mellan medlemmarna i en mindre organisation. Genom deltagande observationer i kombination med fältanteckningar och observationer från den tidigare praktiken kunde forskningsfrågorna framgångsrikt besvaras. Resultatet visade att Slack användes som ett verktyg för att behålla struktur och ordning under problem med extern anpassning, uppkomna till följd av en omorganisering av företaget. En minskning av aktiviteten i Slack visade att själva användandet av Slack är kopplat till en viss tidsperiod och enkelt kan bytas ut vid förändrat behov, men också att uppskattade beteenden och riter skapade genom användandet av Slack kan leva vidare utanför mediet. Resultatet visade också att Slack framgångsrikt fungerade som ett verktyg för att lösa problem med intern integration. Genom att låta nya medlemmar effektivt komma i kontakt med både formella och informella kulturella element kunde själva essensen av kultur, underliggande förgivettaganden, snabbt läras ut. Effektiviteten av att använda Slack för intern integrering visades också föra med sig ett eget potentiellt problem, en upplösning av gränsen mellan privat och arbete. Svaret på den huvudsakliga forskningsfrågan var att Slack är en artefakt, innehållandes andra artefakter, som lever i symbios med organisationen. Även om Slack kan hjälpa en organisation att hantera problem med extern anpassning och intern integrering, fungerar Slack inte som en ensam källa för att förstå och bli en del av en organisation och dess kultur, eftersom organisationen och dess kultur alltid kommer att leva vidare och utvecklas utanför det digitala mediet.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:44:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_marcus_wilson_alves_favero.pdf: 322213 bytes, checksum: 2539ece7b29a3d3b23e225025e21ceb7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-06-23 / The yield of a corn crop is the result of the genetic potential of seeds and planting site conditions, in addition, crop management. The correct choice of the seed may be reason for success or failure of the crop. For the ideal choice of a seed, some criteria should be considered at the time of purchase. An applied research has been conducted with closed questions, which provided the researcher greater knowledge about the research problem. Two hundred (200) farmers were interviewed in the southern State of Goiás, with a questionnaire of seventeen questions relating to the supply of seeds and the degree of importance assigned by customers. The competitive criteria speed, uniformity of germination and emergence of seed purchased (quality of the seed), the fact that the seed has already come treated, availability of seed in the field, on the day and time scheduled for the beginning of the sowing and reliability of the company in relation to commitments are well valued by customers. To identify the company's performance ahead of direct competitors, information were used from the departments of marketing, sales and research of the company, as well as directors and managers of sales of three distributors of seeds (resale) of the region studied. From the analysis of information through the Matrix "Importance - Performance" Slack (2002) adapted by Kohls (2004), it was possible to propose specific strategies for each problem noted with the aim of improving the company's position in the market before their competitors. It suggested a campaign of social marketing for that the customer values the company's performance according to some competitive criteria. It was also emphasized the need to establish partnerships in different departments of the company to solve short-term competitive position of the criteria in the areas of urgent action and improvement. / O rendimento de uma lavoura de milho é resultado do potencial genético da semente e das condições do local de plantio, além do manejo da lavoura. A escolha correta da semente pode ser razão de sucesso ou insucesso da lavoura. Para a escolha de uma semente ideal, alguns critérios devem ser levados em consideração no momento da compra. Foi realizada uma pesquisa aplicada, com perguntas fechadas, que proveu ao pesquisador maior conhecimento sobre seu problema de pesquisa. Foram entrevistados duzentos (200) agricultores da região sul do estado de Goiás, com um questionário de dezessete perguntas relacionadas ao fornecimento de sementes e o grau de importância atribuído pelos clientes.Os critérios competitivos velocidade, uniformidade da germinação e emergência das sementes adquiridas (qualidade da semente), o fato da semente já vir tratada, disponibilidade da semente no campo, no dia e hora marcada para o início da semeadura e a confiabilidade da empresa em relação aos compromissos assumidos são bem valorizados pelos clientes. Para identificar o desempenho da empresa frente aos concorrentes diretos, utilizou-se das informações dos departamentos de marketing, vendas e pesquisas da empresa, bem como de diretores e gerentes de vendas de três distribuidores de sementes (revendas) da região estudada. A partir da análise das informações através da Matriz Importância Desempenho Slack (2002) adaptada por Kohls (2004), foi possível propor estratégias específicas para cada problema observado, com a finalidade de melhorar a posição da empresa no mercado perante seus competidores. Foi sugerida uma campanha de marketing social para que o cliente valorize o desempenho da empresa em relação a alguns critérios competitivos. Também foi ressaltada a necessidade do estabelecimento de parcerias de diferentes departamentos da empresa para a solução em curto prazo dos critérios competitivos posicionados nas zonas de ação urgente e melhoramento.

Univ., Diss.--Zürich, 2000.

<p>Författarna utreder i denna uppsats medelst empirisk analys huruvida ålder, anställningstid och personalansvar inverkar på graden av deltagande i budgetprocessen samt i vilken utsträckning dessa individuella karaktärsegenskaper påverkar uppfattningen av budgetmålens svårighetsgrad. För att definiera, mäta och samla in data har författarna distribuerat 103 stycken enkäter med direktriktade frågor till kostnadsansvariga chefer vid en av Sveriges ledande verkstadskoncerner. Resultatet har därefter sammanställts och analyserats utefter koncernens organisatoriska struktur.  Sammanfattningsvis gav uppsatsens empiriska resultat – i strid med tidigare empirisk forskning – tillräckligt med statistiskt belägg för att författarna skulle kunna konstatera att individuella karaktärsegenskaper som ålder och personalansvar särskilt bör beaktas vi en effektivisering av deltagandegraden i budgetprocessen.</p>