A number of practitioner surveys across a range of industries have cited the lack of senior female role models as a barrier to career progression. There is very little academic literature to explain this at a senior organizational level. An initial review of the extant role model literature led to the inclusion of two further related areas – organizational demographics, as a contextual factor affecting the availability of role models, and work identity development as a link between the lack of senior female role models and the lack of career progression. In seeking to answer the question of why and then how female role models are important for senior women, this study fills an identified gap in the comprehension of the concept of role models and their importance in the workplace. It addresses a need to understand both the key elements of the concept and the mechanism by which they come into play. The research uses qualitative methods, specifically in-depth semi-structured interviews. These were conducted with a senior group of 33 female directors from six global investment banks, in order to elicit their experiences of role models in demographically imbalanced work contexts. Analysis of interview data considered all three areas of role models, demographic context and work identity development. As the women forged their identities in the male-dominated context of global investment banks, what became clear was that who they are and have become was informed by the critical relationships they have had. Whilst clearly some of the women had found male role models with whom to develop these critical relationships, there were some identity issues, particular salient to women, which could not be addressed by men. Thus the findings demonstrated the utility of female role models. This thesis has a number of contributions to make on varying levels: On a conceptual level, this study adds to our understanding of the value of role models, particularly detailing the affective or symbolic value. It has added to the conceptualization of role models, detailing what were the core attributes of individuals chosen to be role models, who they were in relation to the women, how the women used them and why they were important. It has combined the three literature areas of role models, organizational demographics and work identity development in a way not previously done, and has shown empirically that they are related and explain each other. Organizational demographics affect the availability of role models. And it is suggested that the relatively new theory of relational identification is the mechanism that explicates how the presence of positive female role models is a key influence on women’s work identity development. It has clarified the value of role models in extreme gender demographic contexts, and how and why they are important to senior women’s professional development, thereby adding to the theory of role modelling. Practically, the study explains why women in surveys may have been citing the lack of female role models as such a prominent issue, and suggests what some of the issues are that organizations should pay heed to in trying to address this.

Mobile devices are increasingly being used to access Web content but lack the resources for proper presentation to the user. To address this problem, content is typically customized to be more suitable for a mobile environment. Automatic customization of web content is a challenging problem because fine-grain adaptation often depends on both the relevance of individual objects on a web page, as well as the context of access (e.g., screen size of device being used, network connectivity, location, etc.). We present Usage-aware Interactive Content Adaptation, an adaptation technique that allows a user who is unsatisfied with the system’s adaptation decision to take control of the adaptation process and make changes until the content is suitably adapted for her purposes. The adaptation system learns from the user’s modifications and adjusts its prediction for future accesses by other users. With this approach, users are empowered to correct bad adaptation decisions made by the system without being overly burdened. We applied the technique in two domains: adapting the quality of images to reduce download times and save energy and bandwidth, and customizing the layout of images to improve the utilization of screen real-estate. The work was evaluated through a series of user studies, and the results show that user feedback can be effectively used to provide appropriate customizations (i) for objects with varying relevance, (ii) when context affects the users adaptation requirements, and (iii) when the same content can be used for multiple purposes by different users.

The internet is fundamentally a large storage unit for immense amounts of data. Consequently, the majority of online users log on to the internet in order to find information. Innovations in technology continue to make both the production and consumption of this information an easily achieved endeavor, resulting in high expectations for instantaneous answers via immediate search results. While a plethora of information is not difficult to find, knowing what to do with that information is often problematic. To turn information into knowledge requires an ability to contextualize it and critically engage with it. WebMD is a highly recognizable health information database that often runs into information overload problems with its users. This thesis will examine the information that the WebMD website provides, as well as its usability. The goal is to investigate, firstly, the importance of context for knowledge-forming when users perform online information research and, secondly, the critical literacy required to use such information.

El paisatge competitiu ràpid i canviant ha desafiat les empreses a tornar-se més emprenedores. En comptes de caure a la trampa de les forces sempre canviants del mercat, algunes empreses mostres una gran agilitat, ja que llancen incansablement nous productes, serveis i processos. Aquestes empreses estan impulsades per una recerca continuada d’oportunitats que aportin un ús millor i més profitós dels seus recursos. L’habilitat d’orquestrar els recursos d’una empresa i la capacitat per crear oportunitats són el tema d’aquesta tesi. Aquesta habilitat, que he denominat “capacitat emprenedora” (CE), es defineix com la capacitat total d’una empresa per fer servir els recursos interns i externs amb l’objectiu de perseguir oportunitats de manera continuada. Per això, la finalitat d’aquesta tesi és proporcionar una comprensió minuciosa de la CE i analitzar-ne la variabilitat en cinc contextos diferents. Estudiar la CE permet examinar l’emprenedoria a escala d’empresa mitjançant l’aplicació d’una perspectiva de capacitat, que se centra en l’orquestració que fan les empreses dels seus recursos i de les seves capacitats per desenvolupar oportunitats. El desenvolupament d’oportunitats exigeix a les empreses que integrin les seves capacitats col•lectivament per transformar-les en accions. Promulgar oportunitats amb èxit no tracta de tenir diverses capacitats individuals que pertanyin a àrees funcionals diferents, sinó de saber reconfigurar-les, ja que així es vinculen els diversos recursos i s’incentiven noves oportunitats. Així doncs, a la tesi presento un enfocament sobre les capacitats i les accions de les empreses. La tesi està dissenyada com un compendi de publicacions i la formen set capítols. A més de la introducció i les conclusions, els cinc capítols restants representen cinc papers individuals que analitzen la CE en múltiples contextos. Això reflecteix un elevat grau de diversitat, que permet elaborar un estudi detallat sobre la CE en diversos contextos. Al seu torn, se centra en les diferències entre els tipus d’oportunitats que es persegueixen i les seves implicacions per integrar les capacitats de les empreses. / El rápido y cambiante paisaje competitivo ha desafiado a las empresas a volverse más emprendedoras. En lugar de caer en la trampa de las fuerzas siempre cambiantes del mercado, algunas empresas muestran una gran agilidad, puesto que lanzan nuevos productos, servicios y procesos incansablemente. Estas compañías son impulsadas por una continua búsqueda de oportunidades que aporten un mejor uso y un mayor provecho de sus recursos. La habilidad de orquestar los recursos de una empresa y la capacidad para crear oportunidades son el tema de esta tesis. Esta habilidad, a la que he denominado “capacidad emprendedora” (CE), se define como la capacidad total de una empresa para utilizar sus recursos internos y externos con el objetivo de perseguir oportunidades de forma continuada. Por eso, la finalidad de esta tesis es proporcionar una comprensión minuciosa de la CE y analizar su variabilidad en cinco contextos distintos. Estudiar la CE permite examinar el emprendimiento a nivel de empresa mediante la aplicación de una perspectiva de capacidad, que se centra en la orquestación que realizan las empresas de sus recursos y capacidades para desarrollar oportunidades. El desarrollo de oportunidades exige a las empresas que integren colectivamente sus capacidades para transformarlas en acciones. Promulgar oportunidades con éxito no trata de tener varias capacidades individuales que pertenezcan a distintas áreas funcionales, sino de saber reconfigurarlas, ya que así se vinculan los diferentes recursos y se incentivan nuevas oportunidades. Por lo tanto, en la tesis presento un enfoque sobre las capacidades y las acciones de las empresas. La tesis está diseñada como un compendio de publicaciones y formada por siete capítulos. Además de la introducción y las conclusiones, los cinco capítulos restantes representan cinco papers individuales que analizan la CE en múltiples contextos. Esto refleja un elevado grado de diversidad, que permite elaborar un estudio detallado sobre la CE en varios contextos. A su vez, se centra en las diferencias entre los tipos de oportunidades que se persiguen y sus implicaciones para integrar las capacidades de las empresas. / The rapidly changing competitive landscape has challenged companies to become more entrepreneurial. Instead of falling prey to ever-changing market forces, some firms have shown great agility as they relentlessly introduce new products, services, and processes. These companies are driven by a continuous quest for opportunities that put their resources to better and more profitable use. The ability to orchestrate firms’ resources and capabilities to realize opportunities is the topic of this dissertation. I refer to this ability as entrepreneurial capability (EC), which is defined as a firm’s overall capacity to use its internal and external resources to continuously pursue opportunities. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to provide a fine grained understanding of EC and examine its variability across five different contexts. Studying EC allows the examination of firm-level entrepreneurship by applying a capability perspective, which focuses on firms’ orchestration of their resources and capabilities to develop opportunities. Opportunity development requires firms to collectively integrate their capabilities to transform them into actions. Successful enactment of opportunities is not about individual capabilities belonging to different functional areas but rather their reconfiguration, which links diverse resources and spurs new opportunities. Thus, this dissertation brings forward a focus on firms’ capabilities and actions. This dissertation is designed as a compendium of publications and is comprised of seven chapters. Besides the introduction and conclusion, the five remaining chapters represent five individual papers that examine EC in multiple contexts. This reflects a high degree of diversity, which allows a close investigation of the manifestation of EC in several contexts. In turn, this brings focus on the differences among the type of opportunities pursued and their implications for integrating firms’ capabilities.

Con esta tesis doctoral aproximamos la teoría de la inferencia gramatical y los estudios de adquisición del lenguaje, en pos de un objetivo final: ahondar en la comprensión del modo como los niños adquieren su primera lengua mediante la explotación de la teoría inferencial de gramáticas formales.Nuestras tres principales aportaciones son:1. Introducción de una nueva clase de lenguajes llamada Simple p-dimensional external contextual (SEC). A pesar de que las investigaciones en inferencia gramatical se han centrado en lenguajes regulares o independientes del contexto, en nuestra tesis proponemos centrar esos estudios en clases de lenguajes más relevantes desde un punto de vista lingüístico (familias de lenguajes que ocupan una posición ortogonal en la jerarquía de Chomsky y que son suavemente dependientes del contexto, por ejemplo, SEC).2. Presentación de un nuevo paradigma de aprendizaje basado en preguntas de corrección. Uno de los principales resultados positivos dentro de la teoría del aprendizaje formal es el hecho de que los autómatas finitos deterministas (DFA) se pueden aprender de manera eficiente utilizando preguntas de pertinencia y preguntas de equivalencia. Teniendo en cuenta que en el aprendizaje de primeras lenguas la corrección de errores puede jugar un papel relevante, en nuestra tesis doctoral hemos introducido un nuevo modelo de aprendizaje que reemplaza las preguntas de pertinencia por preguntas de corrección.3. Presentación de resultados basados en las dos previas aportaciones. En primer lugar, demostramos que los SEC se pueden aprender a partir de datos positivos. En segundo lugar, demostramos que los DFA se pueden aprender a partir de correcciones y que el número de preguntas se reduce considerablemente.Los resultados obtenidos con esta tesis doctoral suponen una aportación importante para los estudios en inferencia gramatical (hasta el momento las investigaciones en este ámbito se habían centrado principalmente en los aspectos matemáticos de los modelos). Además, estos resultados se podrían extender a diversos campos de aplicación que gozan de plena actualidad, tales como el aprendizaje automático, la robótica, el procesamiento del lenguaje natural y la bioinformática. / With this dissertation, we bring together the Theory of the Grammatical Inference and Studies of language acquisition, in pursuit of our final goal: to go deeper in the understanding of the process of language acquisition by using the theory of inference of formal grammars. Our main three contributions are:1. Introduction of a new class of languages called Simple p-dimensional external contextual (SEC). Despite the fact that the field of Grammatical Inference has focused its research on learning regular or context-free languages, we propose in our dissertation to focus these studies in classes of languages more relevant from a linguistic point of view (families of languages that occupy an orthogonal position in the Chomsky Hierarchy and are Mildly Context-Sensitive, for example SEC).2. Presentation of a new learning paradigm based on correction queries. One of the main results in the theory of formal learning is that deterministic finite automata (DFA) are efficiently learnable from membership query and equivalence query. Taken into account that in first language acquisition the correction of errors can play an important role, we have introduced in our dissertation a novel learning model by replacing membership queries with correction queries.3. Presentation of results based on the two previous contributions. First, we prove that SEC is learnable from only positive data. Second, we prove that it is possible to learn DFA from corrections and that the number of queries is reduced considerably.The results obtained with this dissertation suppose an important contribution to studies of Grammatical Inference (the current research in Grammatical Inference has focused mainly on the mathematical aspects of the models). Moreover, these results could be extended to studies related directly to machine translation, robotics, natural language processing, and bioinformatics.

This thesis presents two novel coding schemes and applications to both two- and three-dimensional image compression. Image compression can be viewed as methods of functional approximation under a constraint on the amount of information allowable in specifying the approximation. Two methods of approximating functions are discussed: Iterated function systems (IFS) and wavelet-based approximations. IFS methods approximate a function by the fixed point of an iterated operator, using consequences of the Banach contraction mapping principle. Natural images under a wavelet basis have characteristic coefficient magnitude decays which may be used to aid approximation. The relationship between quantization, modelling, and encoding in a compression scheme is examined. Context based adaptive arithmetic coding is described. This encoding method is used in the coding schemes developed. A coder with explicit separation of the modelling and encoding roles is presented: an embedded wavelet bitplane coder based on hierarchical context in the wavelet coefficient trees. Fractal (spatial IFSM) and fractal-wavelet (coefficient tree), or IFSW, coders are discussed. A second coder is proposed, merging the IFSW approaches with the embedded bitplane coder. Performance of the coders, and applications to two- and three-dimensional images are discussed. Applications include two-dimensional still images in greyscale and colour, and three-dimensional streams (video).

Pervasive computing is an important trend today. It concerns devices and services in a smart space that interact with users in a simple, natural, and harmonious way. Many problems in this domain have been studied from different perspectives in various projects. However, one important characteristic of pervasive computing, which is how to make it non-intrusive so that users can focus on their tasks, has received little formal attention. Nowadays, many computing entities including smart devices, and software components, are involved in our daily lives, and users need to deal with them as well as with other people. Besides, people are easy to reach with multiple devices. We believe there should be a systematic way to help users avoid intrusive ones. We propose a model for posing and answering two questions: will an interaction intrude on its receiver if delivered, and given that the interaction is deliverable, how can it be delivered effectively and not too overtly? With this model, the intrusion problem is analyzed and the essential factors are identified. A quantitative approach is used, so that factors have quantitative values for comparison and computation. We also apply context to refine them in order to achieve better results. We then illustrate how to materialize the model and build a system whose design is inspired by the Jabber framework that includes a collection of standards, technologies, and projects for instant messaging. The discussion is at a general level that does not depend on Jabber. However, by choosing Jabber in implementation, we reuse existing software and technologies, and benefit from Jabber/XMPP standardization, its low entry barrier for application developers, and its rich community support. The main contributions of our work are two-fold. First, we propose a model for intrusiveness in pervasive computing. Second, we address the problem at the system level by designing and realizing it. We also make use of standardized instant-messaging technologies, more precisely Jabber, in the system instantiation to reuse existing software, making the system more flexible and extensible.

This thesis examines how the context in which an item is studied affects the phenomenological experience of the rememberer. Previous research has extensively studied how the match between study and test context affect subsequent memory performance; however, little work has attempted to examine how visual context information provided at study affects later recollection when that context information is not re-presented at retrieval. In particular, the quality of the memory retrieved may be enhanced when highly meaningful visual context information is provided at study. In each of seven experiments in the current thesis, participants studied words presented with context information high or low in meaningful content, and on a later recognition memory test made a Remember, Know, or New response to the words presented alone. Experiment 1 showed that participants had better overall memory, specifically recollection, for words studied with pictures of intact as opposed to scrambled faces. In Experiment 2, these results were replicated and recollection was shown to be higher for words studied with versus without pictures of faces. Experiment 3 showed that participants had higher memory performance, and recollection in particular, for words studied with upright compared to inverted faces. In Experiment 4, participants showed equivalent memory for words studied with novel or familiar faces. These results suggest that recollection benefits when visual context information high in meaningful content accompanies study words, and that this benefit is not related to the novelty of the context. To further test the claim that participants engage in elaborative processes at study to bind item and context information, improving subsequent recollection, the subsequent set of experiments examined how normal, healthy aging affects participants’ ability to use context information provided at study to benefit subsequent recollection. Older adults have been shown to experience deficits both in memory for context and in recollection, suggesting that they might fail to use context effectively to increase recollection, in contrast to younger adults. Experiment 5 found that younger, but not older, adults showed higher recollection for words studied with faces as compared to rectangles. To determine the type of cognitive processing required to obtain recollection benefits, and to examine whether instruction could alleviate age-related deficits, in Experiment 6, the type of processing engaged during the encoding of context-word pairs was manipulated. Younger and older adults studied words presented with a picture of a face under a surface feature or binding feature instruction condition. Both age groups showed higher recollection in the binding than surface instruction condition. Results suggest that older adults do not spontaneously engage in the processes required to boost recollection when visual context information is provided at study, although instructional manipulation during encoding lessens this deficit. This is in line with the Associative Deficit Hypothesis (Naveh-Benjamin, 2000), suggesting that older adults’ recollection deficit involves a specific difficulty in binding item and context information. The final experiment used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural correlates of recollection, specifically testing the hypothesis that sensory-specific reactivation of context information occurs during item recollection. In Experiment 7, brain activation for Remember responses given to words studied with and without meaningful context information was compared. Behaviourally, 8 of the 14 participants showed a higher proportion of Remember responses to words studied with faces than scrambled faces, and 6 did not. Whole brain analysis showed that, for only those participants who showed higher memory performance for words studied with faces, activation in the fusiform gyrus and hippocampus was higher, and a region-of-interest analysis showed increased activation in the functionally-defined FFA (identified in a localizer task), for Remember responses given to words studied with faces compared to scrambled faces. A regression analysis additionally showed that activation in the fusiform gyrus increased as the relative recollection benefit for words studied with meaningful (face) compared to non-meaningful (scrambled face) context information increased across participants. Results suggest that encoding context can influence the pattern of recollection responses on a recognition task and that sensory-specific reactivation is related to behavioural performance. The findings of these experiments suggest that participants can use context information high in meaningful content at study to improve subsequent recollection and I suggest that this involves the use of elaborative processes at encoding that integrates item and meaningful contexts. Such recollection benefits can also be observed in older adults when they are provided experimental instructions to bind item and context at encoding. In addition, the brain regions used to process context information are reactivated at retrieval and, importantly, that this neural pattern determines whether a boost in recollection, from the encoding manipulation, is observed. Participants can thus use context information provided at study to boost subsequent recollection, and I suggest that this involves cognitive processes that bind item and context information at encoding and the reactivation of sensory-specific brain regions at retrieval.

The three essays that comprise my dissertation are drawn from a longitudinal field study of the work process innovation of sourcing professionals at a large multinational paper products and related chemicals manufacturing firm. The focus of this study is an examination of how characteristics of the work process innovation context impact enterprise system (ES) acceptance, rich ES use behavior and the resulting individual-level job outcomes realized by knowledge workers in a strategic business process. The ES, an enterprise sourcing application, was introduced to innovate the work processes of employees who perform the sourcing business process. Over a period of 12 months, we collected survey data at four points in time (pre-implementation, immediately following training on the new system; following six months of use; and, following 12 months of use) to trace the innovation process as it unfolded. The three essays that comprise my dissertation focus on three key gaps in understanding and make three corresponding key contributions. The first research essay focuses on the transition from an emphasis on behavioral intention to mental acceptance in mandatory use environments. This essay contributes to the technology acceptance literature by finding that work process characteristics and implementation characteristics are exogenous to beliefs about the technology and that these beliefs are important to understanding mental acceptance as well in mandatory use contexts. The second and third research essays emphasize the transition from lean use concepts to conceptualizing, defining and measuring rich use behaviors and show that use must be captured and elaborated on in context. This is pursued through the development of two rich use constructs reflective of the sourcing work context and the complementary finding of countervailing factors in the work process that may impede the positive impact of rich use behaviors on job benefits.

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