Continuous action system refinement

Action systems are a framework for reasoning about discrete reactive systems. Back, Petre and Porres have extended these action systems to continuous action systems, which can be. used to model hybrid systems. In this paper we define a refinement relation, and develop practical data refinement rules for continuous action systems. The meaning of continuous action systems is expressed in terms of a mapping from continuous action systems to action systems. First, we present a new mapping from continuous act ion systems to action systems, such that Back's definition of trace refinement is correct with respect to it. Second, we present a stream semantics that is compatible with the trace semantics, but is preferable to it because it is more general. Although action system trace refinement rules are applicable to continuous action systems with a stream semantics, they are not complete. Finally, we introduce a new data refinement rule that is valid with respect to the stream semantics and can be used to prove refinements that are not possible in the trace semantics, and we analyse the completeness of our new rule in conjunction with the existing trace refinement rules.

An activity theory approach to strategy as practice

This chapter introduces activity theory as an approach for studying strategy as practice. Activity theory conceptualizes the ongoing construction of activity as a product of activity systems, comprising the actor, the community with which that actor interacts and those symbolic and material tools that mediate between actors, their community and their pursuit of activity. The focus on the mediating role of tools and cultural artefacts in human activity seems especially promising for advancing the strategy-as-practice agenda, for example as a theoretical resource for the growing interest in sociomateriality and the role of tools and artefacts in (strategy) practice (for example, Balogun et al. 2014; Lanzara 2009; Nicolini 2009; Spee and Jarzabkowski 2009; Stetsenko 2005). Despite its potential, in a recent review Vaara and Whittington (2012) identified only three strategy-as-practice articles explicitly applying an activity theory lens. In the wider area of practice-based studies in organizations, activity theory has been slightly more popular (for example, Blackler 1993; 1995; Blackler, Crump and McDonald 2000; Engeström, Kerosuo and Kajamaa 2007; Groleau 2006; Holt 2008; Miettinen and Virkkunen 2005). It still lags behind its potential, however, primarily because of its origins as a social psychology theory developed in Russia with little initial recognition outside the Russian context, particularly in the area of strategy and organization theory, until recently (Miettinen, Samra-Fredericks and Yanow 2009). This chapter explores activity theory as a resource for studying strategy as practice as it is socially accomplished by individuals in interaction with their wider social group and the artefacts of interaction. In particular, activity theory’s focus on actors as social individuals provides a conceptual basis for studying the core question in strategy-as-practice research: what strategy practitioners do. The chapter is structured in three parts. First, an overview of activity theory is provided. Second, activity theory as a practice-based approach to studying organizational action is introduced and an activity system conceptual framework is developed. Third, the elements of the activity system are explained in more detail and explicitly linked to each of the core SAP concepts: practitioners, practices and praxis. In doing so, links are made to existing strategy-as-practice research, with brief empirical examples of topics that might be addressed using activity theory. Throughout the chapter, we introduce key authors in the development of activity theory and its use in management and adjacent disciplinary fields, as further resources for those wishing to make greater use of activity theory.

Person-organization fit and incentives:a causal test

We investigate the effects of organizational culture and personal values on performance under individual and team contest incentives. We develop a model of regard for others and in-group favoritism that predicts interaction effects between organizational values and personal values in contest games. These predictions are tested in a computerized lab experiment with exogenous control of both organizational values and incentives. In line with our theoretical model we find that prosocial (proself) orientated subjects exert more (less) effort in team contests in the primed prosocial organizational values condition, relative to the neutrally primed baseline condition. Further, when the prosocial organizational values are combined with individual contest incentives, prosocial subjects no longer outperform their proself counterparts. These findings provide a first, affirmative, causal test of person-organization fit theory. They also suggest the importance of a 'triple-fit' between personal preferences, organizational values and incentive mechanisms for prosocially orientated individuals.

Radiocarbon dates of peatland initiation across the northern high latitudes

A compilation of basal dates of peatland initiation across the northern high latitudes, associated metadata including location, age, raw and calibrated radiocarbon ages, and associated references. Includes previously published datasets from sources below as well as 365 new data points.

Subliminal influence on generosity

We experimentally subliminally prime subjects prior to charity donation decisions by showing words that have connotations of pro-social values for a very brief time (17ms). Our main fnding is that, compared to a baseline condition, the pro-social prime increases donations by approximately 10-17 percent among subjects with strong pro-social preferences (universalism values). We find a similar effect when interacting the prime with the Big 5 personality characteristic of agreeableness. We furthermore introduce a novel method for testing for priming, "subliminity". This method reveals that some subjects are capable of recognizing prime words, and the overall results are weaker when we control for this capacity.

Radiocarbon dating, carbon storage and soil properties of samples from Tulemalu Lake, central Canadian Arctic

We investigated total storage and landscape partitioning of soil organic carbon (SOC) in continuous permafrost terrain, central Canadian Arctic. The study is based on soil chemical analyses of pedons sampled to 1 m depth at 35 individual sites along three transects. Radiocarbon dating of cryoturbated soil pockets, basal peat and fossil wood shows that cryoturbation processes have been occurring since the Middle Holocene and that peat deposits started to accumulate in a forest-tundra environment where spruce was present (~6000 cal yrs BP). Detailed partitioning of SOC into surface organic horizons, cryoturbated soil pockets and non-cryoturbated mineral soil horizons is calculated (with storage in active layer and permafrost calculated separately) and explored using principal component analysis. The detailed partitioning and mean storage of SOC in the landscape are estimated from transect vegetation inventories and a land cover classification based on a Landsat satellite image. Mean SOC storage in the 0-100 cm depth interval is 33.8 kg C/m**2, of which 11.8 kg C/m**2 is in permafrost. Fifty-six per cent of the total SOC mass is stored in peatlands (mainly bogs), but cryoturbated soil pockets in Turbic Cryosols also contribute significantly (17%). Elemental C/N ratios indicate that this cryoturbated soil organic matter (SOM) decomposes more slowly than SOM in surface O-horizons.

Ranskalaisen lähiökulttuurin välittäminen elokuvassa La Haine

Tutkielman tarkoituksena on tarkastella ja analysoida kahta elokuvan La Haine (suom. Viha) tekstitystä. Ensimmäinen on La Hainen DVD-versio 2005-2006, jonka on suomentanut Irmeli Debarle. Toinen on elokuvan Yleltä tullut televisioversio vuodelta 2010, jonka on suomentanut Marjo Hiidensalo. Tutkielman tarkoituksena on selvittää, miten kaksi eri suomentajaa ovat tekstittäneet elokuvassa puhuttua Pariisin lähiöslangia. Analysoin käytettyjä käännösstrategioita, taktiikoita ja keinoja, joilla suomentajat ovat luoneet slangin illuusion. Esitän vaihtoehtoisen käännösehdotuksen silloin, kun elokuvan sävy tai tyyli eivät mielestäni heijastu tekstityksissä. Tutkielmassa on myös sosiologinen näkökulma; Koska elokuvan keskeisiin teemoihin kuuluvat sekä lähiönuorten elämäntavat että syrjäytyminen, tarkastelen siis syrjäytymisen välittymistä koko audiovisuaalisessa viestissä, eli elokuvassa esiintyvän puhekielen lisäksi analysoin puheenaiheita ja pääprotagonistien elämäntapaa. Teoreettisena viitekehyksenä on AV-kääntämisen näkökulma ja tutkimusmenetelmänä diskurssianalyysi. Analyysi osoitti, että tutkimuksessa tarkastellut kaksi eri suomeksi teksitettyä elokuvaversiota poikkesivat käännösstrategioiltaan toisistaan. Yleisesti ottaen televisioversion käännöstaktisina keinoina olivat tiivistäminen, poisjättö, parafraasi, ellipsien käyttö ja syntaksin yksinkertaistaminen. Slangin illuusio saatin luotua ajoittaisella slangilla, kirosanoilla ja solvauksilla. DVD-versiossa käännettiin paljon enemmän kielellistä ainesta ja käännökset olivat tutkitussa materiaalissa ajoittain sanasanaisia käännöksiä; lisäksi verlanisoidut sanat oli joskus tulkittu virheellisesti. DVD-versiossa tekstitykset oli kuitenkin ajoitettu paremmin: Katsojan on helppo seurata elokuvaa, sillä tekstitys kulkee elokuvan audiovisuaalisen puolen kanssa synkronoidusti.