Paul D. Guild

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Chapter One introduces and outlines the possible contribution of the thesis to telecommunications research. There were four main objectives, the first of which was to demonstrate that theoretical contributions of social psychology might be applicable to questions of mediated interaction. Previous research in social psychology, for the most part conducted in a face-to-face condition, might generalize to the new research and if it did not, this too might be of interest. Familiar research findings related to such phenomena as leadership role emergence, intimacy management and effects of self-focused attention are among the theoretical concepts employed in the reported investigations of mediated communication. A second objective was to develop research methods for use in communication studies. A standardized test for assessing person perception in the video medium was developed. Further, a method for assessing communality of impressions, also termed inter subjectivity, was created for use in communication studies. The third objective was to attempt to find answers to problems posed by telecommunications designers and evaluators. For example, systems engineers have long pondered the issue of how much information is necessary for successful audio-video interaction. A more basic question, namely, whether or not nonverbal cues could be communicated effectively through this medium, was given careful consideration. Finally, the fourth objective of the thesis was the attempt to identify the most successful dependent variables for use in experimental communication studies. Chapter Two was concerned with significant changes to social processes which might occur during mediated interaction. Two experimental studies comprised the chapter. Teleconferencing and leadership emergence. An attempt was made to assess the role of medium of communication on leadership differentiation in discussion groups. Groups of undergraduates met on five different occasions to solve human relations problems, either in face-to-face discussion situations, or over video conferencing networks. In face-to-face conditions, development of leadership took almost a classic form, with sociometric measures system atically related to behavioural indexes; in the video (teleconference) conditions, role differentiation tendencies were sharply curtailed, and the relationship of sociometric indexes with indexes of verbal output were greatly diminished. Speculations about how mediated communication may affect differentiation processes were offered. Distance, gaze and the intimacy equilibrium model in video-mediated and face-to-face dyads. This experiment focused on the Argyle-Dean Intimacy Equilibrium Model, gaze and social distance in face-to-face and video-mediated dyads. It was found that, during video-mediated interaction, communicators did not experience the anticipated degree of interpersonal remoteness or separation. What was expected to act as a technological barrier appeared to affect social influence but not interpersonal or informational communication. Under video-mediated (teleconference) conditions, certain negative consequences of excessive intimacy (especially assertiveness or dominance) appeared less salient, while certain positive effects remained unchanged. Consequently, subjects in the video-mediated conditions liked each other to a greater degree, enjoyed the experiment to a greater extent, and perceived greater "closeness" than did subjects in face-to-face conditions. The levels of intradyadic gaze, which were significantly higher in the video-mediated dyads, may have increased perceived intimacy between communicators. Chapter Three examined the conceptualization and methodological development of intersubjectivity for use in communication studies. Four empirical studies are reported in this chapter. Intersubjectivity: a concept and methodology for communication studies. A theoretical study of intersubjectivity, a condition of shared impressions or communality of experience between individuals, was undertaken. The origins of this concept were considered and an attempt was made to show its compatibility with other theory in social psychology. Methodologies were developed for measuring the extent of intersubjectivity in communication studies. These may be employed to test differences of dispersion or variability in semantic differential ratings. Subsequent investigations of mediated communication may benefit from this type of analysis. Variation in person perception as a function of cultural differences between encoder and decoder. This investigation, composed of two studies, assessed variation in person perception occurring as a function of cultural differences between encoder and decoder. Understanding of such variation may be essential as cross-cultural mediated communication becomes more commonplace. A multicultural subject population of psychiatric nursing students was subdivided into categories either like or unlike the apparent…

In this study of 54 public start-ups firms created to commercialize the results of university research, we find evidence that operating through markets for technology is a common approach to commercialization and that there are substantive differences in the business activities of these start-ups depending on whether they operate through product markets or markets for technology.

Time–to–market pressures and related factors are compelling firms to rethink the ways in which they manage new product introduction (NPI). This paper discusses attempts to reorganize the NPI process occurring in the information technology industries (telecommunications, computing and consumer electronics). The projects discussed involve changes in the roles of the design and manufacturing functions in both the upstream and downstream phases. They include the introduction of these two functions into the earliest stages of the NPI process, the transfer of certain detailed design activities from R&D to manufacturing, and the transformation of new product introduction into new product and service introduction. The implications for research of these undertakings, including the need for a better understanding of inter–functional coordination, are discussed.

The assessment of intangibles in business plans by investors is an important factor of recent interest, particularly in the evaluation of early-stage technology-based ventures. On one hand, investors are challenged to properly assess new opportunities. At the same time, entrepreneurs or innovators face the formidable task of communicating what is, sometimes, nothing more than just an 'extraordinary' idea. In such situations, the decision to continue with the due diligence process, and finally to invest, is based frequently on those aspects that are intangible. In an attempt to reveal some of the intangibles assessed by investors and communicated by entrepreneurs, an investigation was conducted using repertory grid, a technique based on personal construct psychology. Five venture capitalists and five entrepreneurs were interviewed. Evidence was found for the importance of intangibles during the investment-decision process of early stage technology-based ventures. For these ve...

One major challenge facing early stage technology based companies is obtaining timely capital to aid their growth. This study sought to advance understanding of the decision making criteria currently used by Canadian equity investors to evaluate technology based companies which are seeking early stages of financing (seed, start–up or first stages). Sixty individuals belonging to one of three equity investor types participated: business angels (BAS, n=20), private venture capitalists (PVCs, n=20) and public venture capital funds (PVCFs, n=20). Data were collected using questionnaires administered through on–site personal interviews. Analyses reported here focus on group differences among decision making criteria as investors evaluated the business worthiness of one of their recent specific technology based business ventures. A total of 95 criteria were derived from previous investment literature and these subsequently received a priori assignment to one of these five categories: (1) ...

Time-to-market pressures and related factors are compelling firms to rethink the ways in which they manage new product introduction (NPI). This paper discusses attempts to reorganize the NPI process occurring in the information technology industries (telecommunications, computing and consumer electronics). The projects discussed involve changes in the roles of the design and manufacturing functions in both the upstream and downstream phases. They include the introduction of these two functions into the earliest stages of the NPI process, the transfer of certain detailed design activities from R&D to manufacturing, and the transformation of new product introduction into new product and service introduction. The implications for research of these undertakings, including the need for a better understanding of inter-functional coordination, are discussed.

This paper relates a research project that we have performed during two years in order to understand the barriers and the opportunities of replacing fossil raw materials by vegetal raw materials in large consumption products. In particular, we have considered bio-polymers (and their ...

The focus of this chapter is on the use of backcasting in competitive analysis to improve the understanding of the strategic directions and actions of a firm that may be a competitor or a potential collaborator. Intended for use as a competitive weapon, this tool is formulated to assess the distinct technological and organizational competencies a firm is exploiting. This we advocate in order to analyze a firm’s strategic thrusts before they become obvious in the marketplace. Competitive analysis is concentrated on a level that can reveal discernible comparative advantage vis-a-vis other players, rather than merely looking at the end products a firm offers or the markets it serves. By examining a range of plausible futures and understanding the possible ‘stepping stones’ a firm intends to take in reaching its desired targets, competitive intelligence can facilitate countermoves through strategy formulation to gain advantageous maneuvering. Armed with this kind of planning framework, ...

Abstract—Commercialization of new university technology within the new product development process is an important tool by which established firms can expand their innovative capabilities. The strategic importance of the university technology to the firm, however, ...

This paper describes a laboratory facility and the multidisciplinary research that has been carried out in it relevant to the application of communications technology in such areas as teleconferencing and education. This facility at Carelton University, Ottawa, Canada, provides multichannel multipoint audio and video communications, and information storage and control facilities to simulate a wide variety of uses. The research program, conducted by communication technologists, systems engineers, and social psychologists, is outlined ...

Markets for technology are important for the commercialization of university research. We examine how the concepts of markets for technology and of markets and hierarchies generally apply to the commercialization of new technologies arising from university research and propose a next step that strengthens the link between research in these fields.

Summary Forty-seven participants in a march for charity were interviewed to test the dissonance hypothesis that a goal will become more attractive as S s expend increasing amounts of effort in service of the goal. As predicted, the number of marchers who cited the charity as a justification for their behavior increased as the march progressed through the first 27 miles. Unexpectedly, the frequency of charity citings was lower at the finish line (35 miles) than at the 27-mile point.

The development and operation of a laboratory for both the application and the technology of broadband communications are discussed. The Wired City Simulation Facility was established in the systems engineering department of Carleton University, Canada. The facility provides a pilot communications system for analyzing and solving broadcasting problems. The facility uses telecommunications for access to information systems and simulates multi-point audio, video, and data communications representative of those available in and between urban areas.

Summary form only as given. The authors propose a competence-based approach to competitive analysis for a better understanding of how rival firms in technology-based industries may compete into the future. The results obtained in analyzing a Japanese multinational are assessed by that firm's technical staff members. The study investigates the firm's source of competitiveness and suggests strategic implications

Normally, the difficulty of describing expert knowledge about a potential converging technology is its tacit or hidden nature. In other words, such knowledge is typically part of the intuition of an expert on different technologies that could merge form a new one. It is therefore, difficult to portray since, even though it resides within the person itself, it is not always formalised. However, such internal thoughts are typically revealed as probes that can be further developed. That is, it is sometimes communicated as hints into what could be the next generation of technologies almost as a fantasy out of the expert's imagination. This also applies to nascent technologies. In this case, we are after expert's intuitions. Again, it is not always easy for experts to reveal with all clarity what are their visions because such needs reside, typically, well within themselves. This article describes a study of a group of experts and key players from different areas interviewed using the repertory grid technique. The collected information will help as a first step within the research process in this area to the generation of hypotheses that can be tested in future research. With this research it is expected to advance knowledge in the area of new converging technologies and at the same time improve our understanding of which technologies will more likely take place in the market in the future.