Location relevance and diversity in symbolic trajectories with application to telco data

We present an approach to the discovery and characterization of relevant locations and related mobility patterns in symbolic trajectories built on call detail records - CDRs - of mobile phones (telco trajectories). While the discovery of relevant locations has been widely investigated for continuous spatial trajectories (e.g., stay points detection methods), it is not clear how to deal with the problem when the movement is defined over a discrete space and the locations are symbolic, noisy and irregularly sampled, such as in telco trajectories. In this paper, we propose a methodological approach structured in two steps, called trajectory summarization and summary trajectories analysis, respectively, the former for removing noise and irrelevant locations; the latter to synthesize key mobility features in a few novel indicators. We evaluate the methodology over a dataset of approx 17,000 trajectories with 55 million points and spanning a period of 67 days. We find that trajectory summarization does not compromise data utility, while significantly reducing data size. Moreover, the mobility indicators provide novel insights into human mobility behavior

Learning Behavioral Representations of Human Mobility

In this paper, we investigate the suitability of state-of-the-art representation learning methods to the analysis of behavioral similarity of moving individuals, based on CDR trajectories. The core of the contribution is a novel methodological framework, mob2vec, centered on the combined use of a recent symbolic trajectory segmentation method for the removal of noise, a novel trajectory generalization method incorporating behavioral information, and an unsupervised technique for the learning of vector representations from sequential data. Mob2vec is the result of an empirical study conducted on real CDR data through an extensive experimentation. As a result, it is shown that mob2vec generates vector representations of CDR trajectories in low dimensional spaces which preserve the similarity of the mobility behavior of individuals.Comment: ACM SIGSPATIAL 2020: 28th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems.November 2020 Seattle, Washington, US

Introduction and Adoption in an Organizational Context

In the last decade, service design has seen a rapid diffusion, with several service design agencies established globally and commercial organizations willing to adopt it. This quick expansion is mainly due to an increasing focus of organizations on services and customer experience, building also on the need for businesses to digitalize their commercial offers and core operations. Despite the uptake of service design in practice, research has yet to deliver systematic empirical studies, rigorous analysis, and careful theorizing of service design and its fit within the strategies, practices, and processes of organizations (Ostrom, et al., 2015; Andreassen, et al., 2016). Service design’s theoretical foundations can be found in a wide range of academic fields that span from design to management (Kimbell, 2011; Karpen, et al., 2017), making it difficult to locate and develop a cohesive argument on the topic. The purpose of this study is to contribute to laying the foundations to systematically start investigating service design in an organizational context. I will use an institutional logics perspective, one of the key themes in institutional theory. Through this perspective, the study aims at clarifying the elements characterizing the organizational environment within which service design is introduced and the mechanisms for its adoption in such an organizational context

The role of interoganisational tension and conflict in market creation practice

Markets exist within a world of constant exchanges which form the basis for changes and the creation of new markets. Therefore, it is important to research these exchanges. One of the areas in which market creation can be observed is interorganisational collaborations, as firms increasingly collaborate to create markets. In market creation practice, however, interorganisational tension and conflict can form from divergent approaches and vested interests of the partners. Interorganisational tension represents the opposing intentions of interorganisational forces, and conflict is generated through disagreements. The aim of this research is to investigate interorganisational tension and conflict on market creation practice. Specifically, it attempts to: (i) expand interorganisational tension and conflict and provide insights to these concepts, as well as establishing a two-dimensional interorganisational tension (productive and unproductive) understanding, (ii) explore the interactions between interorganisational tension and conflict, (iii) develop a conceptual framework that explains the level of market creation depending on the effects of interorganisational tension and conflict, (iv) develop a typology of partnering firms based on interorganisational tension and conflict practice. To achieve this aim, and to respond to the research calls, this study follows a grounded theory approach which intends to expand the understanding of interorganisational tension and conflict. According to the findings, a major characteristic of interorganisational tension is its two dimensions: productive and unproductive. However, it is the intertwined nature of tension and conflict that influences market creation. Fundamental to these are the six interorganisational tension and three conflict types revealed by the findings of this study. The core theoretical contributions of the study are a dynamic framework that portrays the dynamic interactions between interorganisational tension and conflict on market creation practice, and a typology of market-creating partnering firms. Collectively, they explicate the development of market creation practice, and firms’ reactions to interorganisational tension and conflict

The impacts of mega events: a case study of visitor profiles, practices and perceptions in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East London

In 2012, London successfully hosted the Games of the XXX Olympiad. The main legacy of hosting the event is the 560 acre, mixed use Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park located in Stratford in the heart of London s former industrial East End. The Park is located across the four Park Boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, each distinct in character but shaped by similar trends of urban regeneration and gentrification. This research examines the profiles, practices and perceptions of visitors to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as an impact study of mega events conducted within five years after the London Olympics. It draws on research about mega events and urban regeneration with a focus on sports science and geography that has largely neglected visitor experiences as an outcome of mega events. Based on a mixed methods approach combining a longitudinal face-to-face visitor survey conducted over two years, a postal survey among local schools, and interviews with stakeholders, this thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge by proposing a new conceptual framework on mega event legacy and empirical findings on the use and perceptions of The Park by local, regional, national and international visitors. The conceptual approach (Chapter 3) bridges the two distinct literatures of mega-event legacy theory (and more broadly the sports literature) and actor-network theory. The framework allows for the study to approach the research questions from a tridic actor-network perspective, examining how material, immaterial and mainly human dynamic hybrids co-exist in complex webs of relations. It also allows for the unravelling of how these relations have given rise to impacts tied to the developments in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. This unravelling is explored through the remainder of this thesis. Following the description and analysis of methods used in the thesis (Chapter 4), Chapter 5 provides a historic overview of the four Park Boroughs that define the study area of the thesis. The shifting nature of this multicultural area is contextualised in light of several catalytic events (industrialisation, de-industrialisation and finally the Olympic Games). At the heart of this examination is the intention to show that despite the narratives pedalled by policy makers, planners and politicians, areas of East London were inhabited by groups who for several centuries symbiotically produced and reproduced their own diverse identities and ultimately that of East London. Chapter 6 analyses and critiques 35 policy documents released during the Olympic cycle (broadly defined here as the period between 2003 and 2012) and follows both the visible and invisible actants. The key findings are that: poorly executed event planning is inextricably linked to a poor implementation of local community interests; there were unheard and excluded voices, particularly the disadvantaged and displaced, in these policy and planning documents and; that there was little opportunity for the youth voice to be heard. Finally, the analysis of policy documents has underlined the value of reflecting on legacy promises from a longer-term perspective, suggesting that the legally binding bid books should be compared with the actual outcomes from a long-term perspective. The typical visitor to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Chapter 7) is a white middle-aged male or female (71% over age 25, ~50/50 male and female). They will be visiting the sports facilities and their frequency of use suggests that they have monthly membership to one of the leisure centres. This indicates that they have a relatively high level of both social capital and disposable income. They will reside within the Park Boroughs, often within walking distance of the Park or close to a transport link with a direct transport connection, probably by the Underground system. They will not often visit the Park with under 18s and if they do visit with anyone, it will be their partner or friend, and thus they resemble very closely the typical affluent gentrifier couples. The term experience athlete was coined for these visitors with 53% being from the Park Boroughs. In addition, there were those who came to sight-see, designated as Games tourists of whom 56% of these were international visitors. While ~20% of the visitors to the Park were under age 18 most of these were under 12s attending with their parents. Young people and particularly young people from the Park Boroughs were largely absent from the Park, which was contributed to by discriminatory practices (often under the guise of security issues) which focused on groups of ethnic minority youth. The possible reasons for the absence of young people from the Park are explored and unravelled in Chapter 8 by discussing the results of the semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders and the postal survey with school staff. The key issues raised in this chapter were that: the lack of a representative youth voice with a hidden and perceived to be cosmetic contribution to legacy planning and; the lack of social and financial capital in school staff and young people in combination with the gentrifying process and; spatial factors such as distance from the Park and poor acces routes, all contributed to the absence of young people from the Park. Overall, this thesis stresses the importance of unravelling networks to their fullest extent to truly understand the impact such spaces have on diverse communities

Non-technological and non-economic innovations: contributions to a theory of robust innovation

Although the label innovation is applied to almost everything, with even the diffusion of innovations to society being called innovation, innovation research remains focused on bringing technology to the economic market. this dissonance provoked the central questions discussed at the 2nd International Conference on Indicators and Concepts of Innovation (ICICI). What are non-technological and non-economic innovations? What impact do these innovations have on the economy? Are there actually purely techno- logical or economic innovations? Consisting of selected answers to these questions, this volume presents international approaches beyond the technology to market main- stream of innovation research as well as analyses of socially robust innovations that succeed in both economic and non-economic markets and are hence more sustainable and more profitable. the 2nd ICICI has been supported by the SCoPES program of the Swiss National Science Foundation

Mobile remittances as sociotechnical networks : an Actor-Network Theory case study

The use of formal remittance channels between developing countries is highly variable. In particular, take-up of digital retail payment channels to facilitate remittance formalisation is often sparse and subject to resistance. Through the case of an emergent mobile phone-based international money remittance channel, this study sought to understand how a service provider utilises legitimation strategies to create a stable channel (network) and enhance user uptake. Prior studies, mainly influenced by a cognitive tradition, tend to explain uptake of mobile payments, mobile banking and mobile money services either through features of the technology such as interface design or through individual motivational structures. There is a paucity of research on how such Information Communication Technology innovations are created and deployed in developing countries’ settings, which may shed light on why they may result in failure or success. Research that traces core processes involved in the formation of such emergent and complex sociotechnical networks including identifying primary actors and their relationships is sorely lacking. Thus, assuming Actor-Network as a theoretical base, this study sought to theorise about how a mobile remittance network was created along the South-Africa-to-Zimbabwe corridor; identify actors and their interests in that network; trace what associations exist in that network; how relationships evolve; how actors are enrolled in the network; how parts of the network form a whole network; and, how the network attained temporary stability or, conversely, why the network may be unstable. Interestingly, ANT assumes context to be emergent and that actors and their relations is all that is needed to understand phenomena. As a consequence of this radical ontological stance, the lens is criticised for overly focusing on micro- (individual) level actor interactions and neglecting the existence of context thus under-exploring how broader social structures, their role and interests influence local action and the stability of sociotechnical networks. Challenging this assumption emerged as an area of potential theoretical contribution. My contribution to theory was to demonstrate that sociotechnical network creation takes more than human and technological actors and their actions, as the ANT assumes. I argued for a pragmatic application of the ANT. This entails taking institutions seriously. I augmented ANT with institutional legitimation strategies from the Legitimacy Perspective to foreground the influence of social structures. I argue that social structures are active non-human actors in which interests have been inscribed that should not be obscured or downplayed. At the macro-level of analysis, the analysis reveals that a hybrid of argumentation, manipulation, selection and adaptation strategies helped to account for the concealed but important social, cultural, political and historical actors that facilitate or constrain the four stages of translation (Problematisation, Interessement, Enrolment and Mobilisation) during the network building process to achieve desired stability. My thesis demonstrates that if the focal actor (service provider) finds a way of communicating (such as using symbolic management) with heterogeneous actors (often with contradictory interests) that resonates with the target potential allies’ norms, values and standards, enrolment and stability of a sociotechnical network may be facilitated and enhanced. Working in combination, the findings of ANT and the Legitimacy Perspective offered some rich perspectives that deepen our current understanding of sociotechnical network. The study highlights that sociotechnical networks are also products of institutional settings in which they are immersed hence the need to foreground the highly contextualised character of network creation. Wider context in which sociotechnical networks are created and immersed consist of actors on a higher level of analysis which should be viewed as other parts of the network. In addition to their relational nature, networks are not only emergent but are also historically-shaped. Likewise, the study is also significant in that it brings to the fore the significance of politics and power at both the micro and macro-levels of analysis, which provides a basis for practitioners to understand why some sociotechnical networks stabilise (i.e. are eventually employed as remittance channels) while others fail to scale-up. I envisage this case study to provoke debate about the size of the opportunity for international remittance service providers and how far they should go to seize it using emergent digital mechanisms.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019.Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)PhDUnrestricte

Religion, Moral Hegemony and Local Cartographies of Power: Feminist Reflections on Religion in Local Politics

This is a comparative feminist analysis of religion in local politics within two London boroughs: Ealing and Newham. Starting from the observation that there has been a de-secularisation of relations between the state and civil society in Britain, it draws upon the feminist and anti racist critique of multiculturalism to produce new reflections on the shift to multifaithism. This thesis argues that the shift is the result of a double movement - from above and from below - and enables moral hegemony. By re-orienting an analysis of the religious-secular to local cartographies of power, this thesis makes smaller claims that run alongside and pose questions for a growing consensus within feminist theory that seeks a distance from secularism, that emphasises solidarities with faith based mobilisations and seeks to uncritically defend religious minority claims. The data comprises 47 in depth interviews with 'secular', 'religious' and 'state' actors. This is supplemented with ethnographic observations from public meetings, religious processions and other events. The empirical analysis discusses the following key themes: the way in which religion is welded to electoral politics; religious commitment as an ontological, aesthetic and affective source for social responsibility and political engagement; the shared pastoral-policing functions of religious organisations and the state; the emergence of religious 'election' as a new way of re-ordering local areas and access to welfare services; the negotiation of a new wave of Muslim political identifications in the context of the War on Terror; the perpetuation of a unanimist Khalsa norm and its implications for making religious claims; and a closer consideration of religious groups in alliance, the darker side of faith as social capital

The development of design strategies that promote the engagement of users in the authorship process

Underlying all the ideas articulated in this thesis is a political challenge to the designer's innate right to occupy a hierarchical position in the designer/user relationship. Equally, where these relationships have been superseded (in for example Desktop Publishing and web page design) the designer still has an important, but quite different, role to play. In contrast to some community design-led initiatives, the aim here is not necessarily to welcome users into an aspect of the conventional design process on terms determined by the designer by helping users conform to practices established by the designer. The aim is the development of strategies in which the designer and user can influence each other without dominating, going beyond conventional strategies of consultancy or feedback. My determination is not to turn everyday users into mouthpieces of surrogate design sensibility, in the way that 'makeover' TV programs, and their DIY predecessors, promote a particular aesthetic as good design, leading to a rejection of direct communication between designer and user. This places the designer in a position of power; users will skew their responses towards what they think the designer is looking for. Also designers could never work so inexpensively as to engage in bespoke design activity for more than a fraction of the population. This view has been achieved through the interplay of my own design practice and a spectrum of theoretical (broadly post-structural) influences, although most individuals referenced here would reject this (or any category), including Derrida, Deleuze and Guattari, and the Situationists. My responses to these ideas influence and are influenced by the production of a range of design proposals, and the promotion of the colonisation, modification and even hijacking by others, including designers, users and educators. These have developed in a number of phases: 1 Modular/Adaptive proposals for office furniture, and product design; 2 CAD/CAM proposals in which users select and modify 'design methods' to help them exploit the more technical expert systems available to help them create their own artefacts; 3 Flexible communication systems, which are designs populated and modified by users in ways beyond the control or knowledge of the designer. These stages show an evolution in my creative responses from producing designed artefacts that promote interaction with users, to systems in which the designer and user have to contribute jointly for the systems to function. It is organic, uncontrolled development by the user that determines the development and configuration of these systems guided by the initial conditions and processes determined by the designer. This allows the interreIationship of designers and truly user-led creative activities