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Traditionally, the fuzzy rules for a fuzzy controller are provided by experts. They cannot be trained from a set of input-output training examples because the correct response of the plant being controlled is delayed and cannot be obtained immediately. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to construct fuzzy rules for a fuzzy controller based on reinforcement learning. Our task is to learn from the delayed reward to choose sequences of actions that result in the best control. A neural network with delays is used to model the evaluation function Q. Fuzzy rules are constructed and added as the learning proceeds. Both the weights of the Q-learning network and the parameters of the fuzzy rules are tuned by gradient descent. Experimental results have shown that the fuzzy rules obtained perform effectively for control.

Abstract Nowadays, firms and corporate have came to realize that ethics is as important as innovation. As researches pointed that a great portion of business damage is done by white collar crimes (Bowman, 1984). Aside from preventing the happening of crime, firms must constantly come up with new ideas in order to provide useful products for their consumers in order to survive in a vicious and competitive market (Johne, 1999). Under the pressure of having to live up to two harsh demands, not many have dedicated to the research in explore the relation of ethics and innovation. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore if there is any direct relationship between two among many recognize competitive advantages of present day firms. The result of this research demonstrated that there is no linear relation between organizational ethical climate and innovation. However, this research point out other variables that influence organizational ethical climate and further narrow down the possibilities of variables that might of have an influence on innovation.

Retailing industry is facing sterner competition in satisfying consumers¡¦ needs due to diversified market demands and shorter product life cycles. Thus, the selling characteristics of retailers have changed significantly into multifunctional retailing. Under the trend of internationalization, multinational retailers gradually entered Taiwan and became the major retailing channel in Taiwan. This thesis aims at analyzing the characteristics of multinational retailers¡¦ managerial control systems, comparing their attributes under different conditions of: level of internationalization, capital structure and styles of managers, and determine whether different retailing chain would yield different managerial control systems. Research objectives are as follows: 1. To analyze the relation between the design, operation and staff styles in managerial control systems of retail stores located in different locations. 2. The relation between the level of internationalization and the level of structuralization of the retail stores¡¦ managerial control systems. 3. Serve retailing industry in Taiwan as an example, whether there are relations between stockholder structures and firms¡¦ managerial control systems. 4. To provide a basic model of improvement on managerial control systems in Taiwan¡¦s retailing firms under different cultural structures. This thesis applied both in-depth interview and questionnaire survey methods to gather practical experiences of the interviewees. Four aspects are used to analyze whether the internal managerial systems of retailers are different. Related studies are also consulted. The research discovered that although retailing is categorized into service industries, the consumers generally possess high price elasticity, thus methods are needed to lower costs. As a consequence, extreme centralization and bureaucratic control systems are necessary to a firm¡¦s success, especially to multinational retailers¡¦ managerial control systems.

This thesis serves auto part manufacturers as research objects, and categorizes them by market characters into types of OEM and AM strategy groups in order to discover the application differences in managerial control systems by group. This thesis aims at finding the relation between strategy group and their managerial control systems. This research took these firms¡¦ current application practices of managerial control systems as the cases. The outcomes of this study could provide a reference base for the management of underlying firms for the design and operation management of managerial control systems. This thesis developed related hypotheses via multiple case interview and questionnaire surveys with contingency point of view. The main hypotheses used in this study are: (1) Cost leadership group is facing a generally stable environment while differentiation group facing a generally uncertain environment, (2) Cost leadership group assumes less uncertainty in techniques, firms in this group aim at mass production while differentiation group assumes more uncertainty in techniques, aims at researching capacity, (3) Firms in cost leadership group have relatively formal, centralized and larger sized organizations while firms in differentiation group have flexible, decentralized and smaller sized organizations, and (4) Cost leadership firms value formal control, budgeting systems while differentiation firms value planning process and interpersonal control. Via interviews and questionnaires, the study discovered following points: OEM firms are categorized into cost leadership group, their managerial control systems think highly of cost budgeting and formal control; AM firms are categorized into differentiation group, their managerial control systems think highly of information process integration and participative budgeting. Gather quantitative information via mass amount of questionnaires is recommended. Researchers could also analyze and research further in practical realms through managerial control systems¡¦ tools in order to help forms design their tools for enhancing forms strategy implementation and objective attainment.

The object of this study is to examine the relationships between the use of management control system (MCS) and organization capability in different contingency. This study will adopt the management characteristic of three management control tools which were budget control, project management, and performance management to classify the use of management control system of bank. More specifically, the study is to know whether the diagnostic and interactive use of management control system cause the effect on market orientation, innovativeness, and organization learning and then leading to strategic choice. The research findings are (1) The interactive use of management control system of bank has significant better organization capability and performance. (2) The diagnostic use of management control system of bank has bad organization capability and performance. (3) The structure oriented hybrid use of management control system has lower organization capability and performance than the interactive use. (4) The more fit between contingency factors and management control system, the better organization capability and performance.

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Physical processes which are governed by differential equations or difference equations with discontinuous behavior can be modeled as jump systems. An important type of jump systems is the one evolving linearly among the discrete events; this type of systems is called jump linear systems. A common analysis approach is to employ stochastic processes to describe the sequences, switches, and statistic properties of the discrete events. In this thesis, the jump linear systems to be studied are governed by semi-Markov processes. This type of jump linear systems is called the semi-Markov jump linear system. Due to the nature of the jump linear system, it finds many applications in networked control systems, fault tolerant control systems, and other systems subject to abrupt changes. It is worthwhile to mention that the well studied Markov jump linear system is a special case of the semi-Markov jump linear system. The thesis consists of two parts: The analysis and synthesis of semi-Markov jump linear systems and networked dynamic systems. In Chapter 2 and Chapter 3, the stochastic stability and optimal control for semi-Markov jump linear systems with or without time delays are investigated. In Chapter 4, a novel fault tolerant control scheme is proposed based on the semi-Markov jump linear system stability conditions. Chapter 5 to Chapter 7 discuss the networked dynamic systems analysis via jump linear system approaches. The stochastic stability conditions for semi-Markov jump linear systems are firstly derived. The Lyapunov theory is used to establish the sufficient stability conditions by deriving the infinitesimal generator of the Lyapunov function. Since in practice, almost all the system models could not be identified precisely, robust control problems for systems with uncertainties are investigated based on the established stability conditions. Considering the potential applications on networked systems where time delays are inevitable, optimal control problems for systems with time-varying delays have been studied. In the fault tolerant control design, the semi-Markov process is ideal to characterize time-varying failure rates of the system components whose life time is not exponentially distributed. The designed controller is capable of maintaining the stability when an actuator malfunctions. In the networked control system analysis, stochastic processes are used to model time delays and sensor scheduling rules. Network limitations are compensated by considering more historical information or planning for all possible delays that happen in the future. Both simulations and experiments show the improvements of the control performance by using the proposed techniques. A networked haptic system is investigated via the switching system approach. In the haptic system, the avatar interacts one-dimensionally with a multi-material virtual wall in the virtual environment.The random trajectory along which the avatar moves upon the wall is modeled by stochastic processes, then the multi-material virtual wall rendering is achieved. Finally, the thesis work is summarized and two future research topics are proposed. One is on the networked control system design where delays are modeled by semi-Markov processes, and the other one is on the event-trigger scheme design for networked dynamic systems. / Graduate / 0548 / 0544 / 0546 / jihuang@uvic.ca

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009. / Title from title screen (site viewed July 8, 2010). PDF text: ix, 195 p. : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 4 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3366273. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

In order to achieve the ambitious decarbonisation targets of the UK government, up to 30GW of wind generation could be connected to the GB transmission system by 2020. The challenges imposed when incorporating this volume of renewable energy are significant, introducing new technical challenges for National Grid as the system operator for the Great Britain transmission system. The majority of this new renewable generation will be connecting in Scotland and offshore in the UK as a whole. This results in greater uncertainty in the system from significant changes to the direction and volume of power flows across the network. In addition this implies a higher power transfer capacity requirement on the AC transmission lines, which are currently stability-limited, connecting SPT (Scottish Power Transmission) and National Grid networks. The required power transfer capability increases every year because of the large-scale increase in wind generation. Therefore, there is insufficient transmission capacity in the existing network to accommodate the increasing power transfer without constraining output of some generation plants. A range of new state of art technologies such as embedded HVDC link and Thyristor Controlled Series Compensation (TCSC) are planned to be added to the GB system in order to provide additional capacity and consequently facilitate the integration of large-scale renewable generation. It is, therefore essential that National Grid explores new ways of operating the transmission network and new devices to gain additional benefit from the HVDC link and the TCSC capabilities with regard to the system stability enhancement. This thesis investigates the effectiveness of the HVDC link and the TCSC with a view to system stability enhancement. A hierarchical stability control system to enhance the stability limit and achieve the best transient and dynamic performance using the HVDC link and the TCSCs as actuators in the feedback control system is proposed. In addition, a stability control system, using a robust and stabilising Sample Regulator multivariable control design method , to guarantee the system robustness and stability is proposed and designed. The performance and capability of the designed controller in co-ordinated control of the forthcoming power flow control devices are demonstrated on benchmark networks as well as full dynamic models of the GB transmission system using various study cases. Finally, the effectiveness of the West Coast HVDC link in improving the inter-area oscillation damping is presented using the developed model of the future GB transmission system.