The problem addressed by this thesis is the need for a software measurement tool that enforces a uniform measurement algorithm on several programming languages. The introductory chapter discusses the concern for software measurement and provides background for the specific models and metrics that are studied. A multilingual software measurement tool is then introduced, that analyzes programs written in Ada, C, Pascal, or PL/I, and quantifies over thirty different program attributes. Metrics computed by the program include McCabe's measure of cyclomatic complexity and Halstead's software science metrics. Some results and conclusions of preliminary data analysis, using the tool, are also given. The appendices contain exhaustive counting algorithms for obtaining the metrics in each language.

Measuring Internet performance for home users can provide useful information for improving network performance. Such measurements typically require users to install special software on their machines, a major impediment to use. To overcome this impediment, we designed and implemented several scripting techniques to predict Internet performance within the tightly constrained sandbox environment of a Web browser. Our techniques are integrated into a Web site project called "How's My Network" that provides performance predictions for common Internet activities, with this thesis concentrating on the performance of online news, social networks, and online shopping. We started our approach by characterizing news sites to understand their structures. After that, we designed models to predict the user's performance for reading news online. We then implement these models using Javascript and evaluate their results. We find out that news sites share common characteristics in their structures with outliers for some. Predicting the page load time according to number objects coming from dominant domain, the one providing the most number of objects, gives more accurate predictions than using total number of objects across all domains. The contributions of this work include the design of new approaches for predicting Web browser performance, and the implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of our approach to predict Web browser performance.

Controlling for the wide variability in the physical health status of geriatric populations is important as severity of illness is known to both moderate and suppress relationships examined in psychosocial research. The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a uniform, easily administered quantitative index of illness severity, composed of disease-specific scales, that was independent of psychosocial factors and appropriate for use with a geriatric population. As well, the aim was to collect preliminary data on the reliability and validity of the scale. The development of the Severity of Illness-Geriatric (SOI­G) scale involved the adaptation of a previously developed severity of illness instrument Severity of Renal Disease Scale (SORDS). <p>The present investigation involved five programmatically linked studies. Study 1 involved the determination of the items to be included on SOI-G while Study 2 defined the severity criteria for each item. In Study 3, five geriatric specialists scaled each level of each item on the same underlying threat to life scale. There was a high level of initial agreement between the raters supporting the reliability of the severity values. The final scale consisted of 32 items. <p>In Study 4, archival data was collected on 61 patients admitted to the geriatric unit of a rehabilitation hospital. The SOI-G was compared to the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatric (CIRS-G) and a global severity rating. <p>SOI-G inter-rater reliability estimates were low (likely due to rater error) but promising. SOI-G demonstrated support for content validity, face validity, and construct validity but evidence for convergent validity was not established. SOI-G scores were sensitive to differences among patients with respect to discharge outcome. The utility of SOI-G as a moderator variable in psychosocial research with the elderly could not be explored in Study 5 due to a limited sample size. <p>It was concluded that the present investigation demonstrated the potential usefulness of SOI-G in psychosocial research with the elderly but further research is needed before definitive conclusions can be made. The SOI-G offers researchers a tool for controlling disease variability that is not measured by psychological tests but must be accounted for in research designs.

Controlling for the wide variability in the physical health status of geriatric populations is important as severity of illness is known to both moderate and suppress relationships examined in psychosocial research. The purpose of the present investigation was to develop a uniform, easily administered quantitative index of illness severity, composed of disease-specific scales, that was independent of psychosocial factors and appropriate for use with a geriatric population. As well, the aim was to collect preliminary data on the reliability and validity of the scale. The development of the Severity of Illness-Geriatric (SOI­G) scale involved the adaptation of a previously developed severity of illness instrument Severity of Renal Disease Scale (SORDS). <p>The present investigation involved five programmatically linked studies. Study 1 involved the determination of the items to be included on SOI-G while Study 2 defined the severity criteria for each item. In Study 3, five geriatric specialists scaled each level of each item on the same underlying threat to life scale. There was a high level of initial agreement between the raters supporting the reliability of the severity values. The final scale consisted of 32 items. <p>In Study 4, archival data was collected on 61 patients admitted to the geriatric unit of a rehabilitation hospital. The SOI-G was compared to the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatric (CIRS-G) and a global severity rating. <p>SOI-G inter-rater reliability estimates were low (likely due to rater error) but promising. SOI-G demonstrated support for content validity, face validity, and construct validity but evidence for convergent validity was not established. SOI-G scores were sensitive to differences among patients with respect to discharge outcome. The utility of SOI-G as a moderator variable in psychosocial research with the elderly could not be explored in Study 5 due to a limited sample size. <p>It was concluded that the present investigation demonstrated the potential usefulness of SOI-G in psychosocial research with the elderly but further research is needed before definitive conclusions can be made. The SOI-G offers researchers a tool for controlling disease variability that is not measured by psychological tests but must be accounted for in research designs.

It is estimated that nearly 100 various environmental product certification rating tools are implemented in the United States construction and real estate industries. Choice of a certain building sustainability measurement tool depends on the specific need for reflection of buildings’ impact on the natural and urban environment as well as its tenants. Selection of the appropriate rating system is a decision-making process performed by the project client (landlord of the building, potential or current tenant) which can be affected by clients’ insufficient knowledge or otherwise be biased. The result of selection decision has significant consequences for the project design, construction process complexity and entire life-cycle of the building. In this work, an effort is made to facilitate decision-making process of best environmental rating alternative selection for a “green building” project. The analytic hierarchy process is used to perform unbiased decision making on the environmental rating selection. The decision process has been evaluated from the landlord and the tenant perspectives. The findings of this study show that for the landlord, it would be enough to be certified with a single-attribute rating that covers only one characteristic of building sustainability and, according to AHP analysis, satisfies all significant landlord’s requirements for the environmental rating system. The main conclusion of the study is that selection of environmental rating is a multicriteria problem that should take into consideration the requirements from landlord and tenant as well as the environmental ratings characteristics but not based on the distinct assessment of the mentioned factors.

L’addiction à Internet a fait l’objet de nombreuses études à travers le monde durant les vingt dernières années. Pourtant aucun consensus au sujet de sa définition ou de ses critères diagnostiques n’a encore été admis, soulevant ainsi de nombreux débats. Ce travail a pour objectif d’étudier la conceptualisation de l’addiction à Internet principalement au travers de ses outils d’évaluation, et de combler un manque de données empiriques au sein d’échantillons français.Étude 1 – Objectif : Déterminer le nombre d’outils de mesure de l’addiction à Internet et mettre en avant leurs qualités psychométriques. Résultats : Quarante-cinq outils mesurant l’addiction à Internet ont été identifiés dont seulement dix-sept ayant été évalués plus d’une fois en termes de propriétés psychométriques. La plupart des échelles existantes nécessitent de plus amples travaux de validation. Bien que critiqué, l’Internet Addiction Test (IAT) est l’échelle présentant le plus de supports empiriques. Cependant, de nombreuses échelles prometteuses requièrent un examen plus approfondi. Étude 2 – Objectif : Évaluer les qualités psychométriques de l’Online Cognition Scale (OCS). Résultats : Les analyses factorielles de l’OCS suggéraient un meilleur ajustement du modèle avec une solution à 5 facteurs (27 items), comparé au modèle original (36 items). Nos résultats mettent en avant une excellente consistance interne et des corrélations inter items et test-retest satisfaisantes. Les scores de l’OCS étaient significativement corrélés avec ceux de l’IAT, du temps passé en ligne et des symptômes dépressifs au cours des deux passations. Étude 3 – Objectifs : Évaluer les qualités psychométriques de la Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 et la pertinence du modèle d’Utilisation Problématique Généralisée d’Internet (UPGI) au sein d’étudiants français. Résultats : Les résultats de la modélisation en équations structurelles soutiennent ce modèle conceptuel de l’addiction à Internet, et un bon ajustement du modèle aux données. Les qualités psychométriques de la version française de la GPIUS-2 étaient satisfaisantes, notamment la fiabilité, et les validités convergente et concurrente, confirmant l’utilité de cet outil multidimensionnel. Étude 4 – Objectif : Explorer la relation entre l’UPGI et les Utilisations Problématiques Spécifiques d’Internet (UPSI). Résultats : Nos analyses mettent avant des relations significatives entre l’UPGI, les symptômes psychopathologiques et la plupart des UPSI, avec de nombreuses différences en fonction du genre et de l’âge. Alors que les scores d’UPSIcommunication prédisaient ceux d’UPGI chez l’ensemble des participants, ceux d’UPSIrecherche d’informations et jeux en ligne, ainsi que les symptômes dépressifs n’étaient significatifs que chez les femmes, les hommes et les jeunes adultes, et l’UPSIconsommation de vidéo/musique et le temps passé en ligne uniquement chez les femmes et les jeunes adultes. / Internet addiction has been the subject of numerous studies worldwide, during the last twenty years. Yet, no consensus on its definition or diagnosis criteria has been admitted, which therefore is triggering numerous debates. The present research aims to study the conceptualization of Internet addiction mainly through its assessment tools, and to fill in the lack of empirical data among French samples.Study 1 - Aim: To assess the measurement tools for Internet addiction and their psychometric properties. Results: Forty-five tools assessing Internet addiction were identified, of which only seventeen had been evaluated more than once in terms of their psychometric properties. Most of the existing scales for Internet addiction require further validation work. Despite criticism, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) appears to be the scale with the most empirical support. However, numerous promising scales warrant further examination.Study 2 - Aim: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Online Cognition Scale (OCS). Results: Confirmatory factorial analyses showed that the 4-factor solution did not demonstrate satisfactory fit but the 5-factor model was found to better fit the data. Our results revealed that the scale scores demonstrated excellent internal consistency and satisfying inter-item correlation and test-retest reliability. The OCS was significantly correlated with the IAT, time spent online and depressive symptoms at both time points.Study 3 - Aim: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 and the relevance of the Generalized Problematic Internet Use (GPIU) model among French users. Results: Path analysis provided support for this conceptual model of problematic Internet use, and a good fit to the data. The psychometric properties of the French version of the GPIUS-2 were satisfying, including reliability, concurrent and convergent validities, suggesting the usefulness of this multidimensional tool.Study 4 - Aim: To explore the relationship between GPIU and Specific Problematic Internet Uses (SPIU) Results: Our analysis revealed significant relationships between GPIU, psychopathological symptoms and most of SPIU, with many differences according to gender and age. SPIUcommunication scores significantly predict GPIU scores among the whole sample, whereas SPIUinformation seeking and gaming, and depressive symptoms were only significant among women, men and young adults, and SPIUconsumption of video/music and time spent online, among women and young adults.

La compréhension des dimensions centrales dans l’évaluation et l’adoption d’un produit technologique par les utilisateurs est un domaine de recherche en pleine expansion (Yeh & Teng, 2012). Les principaux précédents travaux ont été construits autour trois théories : l’acceptabilité/l’acceptation (i.e., variables à l’origine de l’adoption ; Dubois & Bobillier-Chaumon, 2010), l’expérience utilisateur (i.e., qualités fonctionnelles et non fonctionnelles influençant l’expérience avec un produit ; Hassenzahl, 2004) et les variables affectivo-motivationnelles (i.e., dimensions rattachées au fonctionnement humain influençant le jugement et le comportement). Cependant, à notre connaissance, aucune approche unifiée n’a étéproposée. Ainsi, l’objectif de cette thèse était de créer un nouvel outil de mesure en mettant en lien ces travaux théoriques. Pour ce faire, plusieurs études ont été conduites aux diverses temporalités du jugement utilisateur. Les résultats ont, tout d’abord, mis en avant des qualités psychométriques satisfaisantes pour l’outil de mesure proposé. De plus, les modélisations statistiques ont montré un effet majeur de l’utilité perçue à travers les temps d’évaluation. Les autres variables empruntées à ces divers champs théoriques ont des effets différents en fonction de la temporalité du jugement. Enfin, des travaux ont été conduits pour offrir des échelles à items uniques, limitant les problèmes de modélisationclassique des échelles courtes, afin de faciliter les futures expérimentations. / The understanding of main dimensions influencing the evaluation and adoption of technological product by users is a growing up research field (Yeh & Teng, 2012). Majority of previous research was based on three theories: acceptability/Acceptance (i.e., key variables in product adoption; Dubois & Bobillier- Chaumon, 2010), user experience (i.e., functional and non-functional qualities influencing experience with a product; Hassenzahl, 2004) and affective-motivational factors (i.e., dimensions related to human functioning influencing judgements and behaviors). Nevertheless, to our knowledge, no unified approach was proposed. Thus, the objective of the thesis was to create a new measurement tool linking these theoretical fields. For the purpose, several studies were conducted at several temporalities of user judgment. The results indicated satisfactory psychometrics proprieties for the proposed measurement tool. Moreover, the statistical modeling showed a main effect of perceived usefulness through evaluation time. Lastly, work has been done in order to propose single-items scales, limiting the classical modeling problems with short scales, to facilitate futures experimentations.

Researchers and companies are paying increasing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and the reaction to them by consumers. Despite such corporate efforts and an expanding literature exploring consumers' response to CSR, it remains unclear how consumers perceive CSR and which "Gestalt" consumers have in mind when considering CSR. Academics and managers lack a tool for measuring consumers' perceptions of CSR (CPCSR). This research explores CPCSR and develops a measurement model. Based on qualitative data from interviews with managers and consumers, the authors develop a conceptualization of CPCSR. Subsequently, model testing and validating occurs on three large quantitative data sets. The conceptualization and the measurement scale can assist companies to assess CPCSR relative to their performance. They also enable managers in identifying shortcomings in CSR engagement and/or communication. Finally, the paper discusses implications for marketing practice and future research.

Smärta är något subjektivt och det är bara patienten som kan säga hur ont han har. Smärtskattning ger sjuksköterskan en uppfattning om patientens upplevda smärta. Sjuksköterskor kommer ofta i kontakt med patienter med smärta, därav vikten av att kunna skatta smärta hos en patient på ett adekvat sätt. Olika smärtskattningsinstrument har tagits fram och är ett hjälpmedel till sjuksköterskan vid smärtskattning. Syftet med denna studie är att få en ökad kunskap och insikt i smärtskattningen ur en sjuksköterskas perspektiv. Vidare frågeställningar är vilka metoder som används vid smärtskattning, hur instrumenten fungerar i den kliniska vardagen samt sjuksköterskornas attityder gentemot smärtskattning. Metoden för datainsamlingen var att intervjua 9 sjuksköterskor på två ortopedavdelningar. Analysen skedde enligt en modifierad manifest innehållsanalys där fyra huvudkategorier arbetades fram. Det är individuellt hur sjuksköterskor smärtskattar en patient. Är patienten orienterad till tid och rum används visuell analog skala (VAS). Är det en patient med kognitiv nedsättning tittar sjuksköterskan på rörel-semönster eller frågar om smärta. VAS är det instrument som är mest känt. Fördelen med VAS är att det är lättdokumenterat. Nackdelen är att vissa patienter lär sig vad som ska sägas för att få smärtstillande. / Pain is something subjective and it is only the patient who knows how much pain he has. Pain measurement gives the nurse a perception of the patients’ experience of pain. Nurses often come in contact with patients with pain and that is why it is important to assess the patients’ pain adequately. Different instruments for pain assessment have been developed and are a complement to the nurse in pain measurement. The aim of this study is to get better knowledge and insight into pain measurement from a nurse’s perspective. The study also examines which methods are used in pain measurement, how assessments function in every day medical practise and nurses’ attitudes towards pain measurement. The method of data collection was to interview 9 nurses at two orthopaedic wards. The analysis was done by modified manifest content analysis where four main categories were compiled. Nurse’s pain measurement is individual. If the patient is oriented to time and room the nurse uses visual analoge scale (VAS). If the patient suffers from cognitively dysfunction the nurse looks at the movement pattern or asks about pain. VAS is the tool that is most common. The advantage by using VAS is easy to document. The disadvantage is that some patients learn what to say to get painrelieving.

Bakgrund: Utifrån HR-transformationen har HR-funktionen samt HR-chefer fått en ny inriktning. Istället för att vara omvårdande och administrativa ska de vara mer värdeskapande, strategiska och effektiva. I och med detta har även rollerna för HR förändrats där förväntningarna samt vad HR bör fokusera på i sitt arbete har blivit otydligt. Detta har i sin tur skapat ett legitimitetsproblem för HR som blivit speciellt påtagligt i ledningsgruppen, där HR-chefer nu ska verka som en strategisk business partner. Det kan finnas olika orsaker till varför detta legitimitetsproblem existerar i praktiken på den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Dock finns det bristande forskning kring HR-chefers legitimitet i ledningsgrupper i Sverige samt hur de upplever sin legitimitet. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att få en förståelse för hur HR-chefer i praktiken ser på deras legitimitet samt hur de tror att den eventuellt kan stärkas. Vidare är syftet att undersöka ifall HR-chefer använder sig utav mätverktyg gällande de mänskliga resurserna som hjälpmedel för att erhålla legitimitet. Metod: Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ samt abduktiv metod där intervjuer har använts som datainsamlingsmetod. Det är 10 stycken HR-chefer som intervjuats från olika branscher med olika typer av erfarenheter. Vald metod grundar sig i att studien är ämnad att fokusera på att få en djupare förståelse för valt problemområde, snarare än att försöka hitta lösningar på problemformuleringen. Slutsats: Studien har resulterat i att HR-chefer generellt sett inte upplever att de har bristande legitimitet i vare sig sin yrkesroll eller i ledningsgruppen. Vidare har studien bidragit med en förståelse för att mätverktyg gällande de mänskliga resurserna faktiskt kan fungera som ett hjälpmedel till HR-chefer för att de ska erhålla eller stärka sin legitimitet. Studien har dessutom lyft fram andra faktorer som har visat sig ha en positiv inverkan på legitimiteten där kommunikation, visa sitt värde samt att vara insatt i hela verksamheten tas upp som exempel. / Background: After the HR transformation, the HR function and HR managers should be more strategic, effective and creating more value than being only an administrative function like they were before. Based on this new alignment the expectations and what the HR function should focus on have become unclear. In turn, this have created a legitimacy problem for HR and have also affected them in their ambition to become a strategic business partner in company’s boardrooms. There could be different reasons to why this legitimacy issue exists on the Swedish work market. However, are the research about HR managers legitimacy in boardrooms in Sweden and their experience around their own legitimacy insufficient. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of how HR managers in practice look at their legitimacy and how they believe it can be strengthened. Furthermore, the purpose is to investigate whether HR managers use measuring tools regarding human resources in their ambition to obtaining legitimacy. Method: The study has been conducted with a qualitative and abductive method, where interviews have been used as a data collection method. 10 HR managers have been interviewed from different industries with different types of experiences. The chosen method is based on the study’s focus, which is to gain a deeper understanding of the chosen problem area, rather than trying to find solutions to the problem. Conclusion: The result of this study indicate that HR managers generally do not feel that they have a lack of legitimacy in either their professional role or in the company’s boardroom. Furthermore, the study has contributed to an understanding that measuring tools regarding human resources can function as a tool for HR managers in their ambition to obtain or strengthen their legitimacy. The study has also highlighted other factors that have proved to have a positive impact on the legitimacy where communication, showing their value and having knowledge about the entire business are addressed as examples.