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This thesis attempts to gauge the strengths and limitations of the Java programming language in terms of its use in the production of multimedia compositions: in particular, the ways in which Java supports the creation of interactive, non-deterministic musical works. An original solution to the problem of multimedia design is presented: a hierarchically defined, basic, yet flexible scripting language that is interpreted using Java. This scripting language allows the user to incorporate his/her own media into a coherent and interactive form using a small set of simple keywords and basic operators. It also allows new functionality to be added by advanced users with a basic knowledge of Java. By investigating how such a scripting language may be implemented, the extent to which Java may be applied towards multimedia applications in general is revealed.

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Spoken language is used by people to communicate naturally with one another. A simplistic view of the communication process is as follows. Person A wishes to communicate an idea to person B. The idea, initiated in the mind/brain of person A is encoded into speech signals by means of the person A's speech production mechanism, the vocal apparata in the vocal tract. Various kinds of noise may interfere with the speech signals as they travel to person B. The resulting signal is captured by person B's speech receiving mechanism, the ear. It is then analysed and decoded into a meaningful message by the brain of person B. This thesis concerns itself with the investigation of and attempt to automate the receiving and decoding of English sentences using a machine - that is to perform the task of person B in the above scenario using a computer. The aim is not only to produce a sequence of phonetic sounds, but to look at the problems of building in the 'mind of the machine', a picture of the meanings, intentions, absurdities and realities of the spoken message. The various models, algorithms and techniques of speech recognition and speech understanding systems are examined. Speech signals are captured and digitised by hardware. The digital samples are analysed and the important distinguishing features of all speech sounds are identified. These are then used to classify speech sounds in subsequent spoken words. The way speech sounds are joined together to form syllables and words introduces difficult problems to the automatic recognition process. Speech sounds are blurred, overlapped or left out due to the effects of coarticulation. Finally, natural language processing issues, such as the importance of syntax (the structure) and semantics (the meaning) of sentences, are studied. A system to control and unite all the above processing is considered. The blackboard expert system model of the widely reported HEARSAY-II speech recognition system is reviewed as the system with the best potential for the above tasks. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 1992.

This study set out to ascertain whether or not Telkom's SAP Rl3! process modification adaptation strategy resulted in improved supply chain performance. For Telkom who have struggled, at great expense and with great frustration, with incompatible information systems and inconsistent operating practices, the promise of an off-the-shelf solution, in the form of SAP R3, to solve its problem of supply chain integration was too great to resist. There are two alternative approaches to implementation of packaged software: Package adaptation to organisational needs and organisational adaptation to the package. This research revealed that typically, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) vendors recommend process adaptation and discourage ERP adaptations for the fear of potential performance and integrity degradation as well as maintenance and future upgrade difficulties - however, enterprises often find reasons to stray from that directive. Telkom decided to use the process modification and enhancement ERP adaptation strategy for its SAP Rl3 implementation, because management believes that by enhancing the speed and effectiveness of business processes before implementing SAP Rl3, the full benefits SAP Rl3 will be realised. Telkom redesigned 489 processes to take full advantage of the new system's capabilities, in particular its ability to simplify the flow of information. Taking a broad look at the results and comments made regarding Telkom's SAP Rl3 implementation, it was found that Telkom's SAP Rl3 implementation strategy resulted in quick achievements of a positive return on investment (ROI) when comparing pre- and postimplementation performance. Inventory levels, receivables, operating costs, order cycle times, stock turns, labour and distribution expenditures have all improved. On the other hand, fifty percent of the peer group benchmark baselines were not matched or exceeded by Telkom's measured post-implementation performance. It was found that Telkom's supply chain performance is tightly related to three areas of concern identified in this research: Problems with SAP and c-commerce integration, SAP's forecasting ability remains at a disadvantage, and the issue of Telkom not benchmarking their supply chain performance. It was also found that process improvement emerged as the principal element that enabled Telkom to realise the measured benefits of its ERP implementation. I SAP Rl3 stands for Systems, Applications and Products, Real time, 3-tier architecture. / Thesis (M.B.A. -University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.