Cultural differences are often used as explanations of organizational problems following mergers. This paper argues that this literature is to a large extent based on a realist epistemology where too little emphasis has been placed on the constructive processes. To partially bridge this gap, this study adopts a sensemaking approach to studying the (re)construction of cultural conceptions in the merger context. The study is based on extensive ethnographic material from eight cases of Finnish-Swedish mergers and acquisitions. The analysis of this material leads to a specification of three concurrent cultural sensemaking processes through which the top decision makers involved in the post-merger integration processes make sense of and enact cultural conceptions. First, this cultural sensemaking involves a search for rational understanding of cultural characteristics and differences. Second, cultural sensemaking also includes more or less suppressed emotional identification with either of the merging sides. Third, cultural sensemaking also involves purposeful manipulation of the cultural conceptions for more or less legitimate purposes. Based on this distinction, this study leads to specific propositions concerning how cultural conceptions are formed in post-merger organizations.

The previous lecture notes (“Using Valence and Arousal …”) focus on respondents ’ reports of their emotional reactions to specific objects, presidential candidates. In the following sections, I examine the more typical situation in which data on emotion inventories is collected: quality of life surveys that specify no object of emotion. 1 In such surveys the emotion inventories appear to be used as measures of psychological well-being along with a variety of other measures, most notably selfreported

This work presents the Persona-AIML architecturef or the creation of chatterbots in AIML (Artif icial Intelligence Markup Language) with personality. It is af lexible architecture that allows the use of dif f erent models of personality in the construction of chatterbots. Tests with the prototype revealed satisf actory and very encouraging results.