Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) spends significant and unnecessary amounts of capital in distribution material inventory. As a government owned power utility, citizens expect to receive low cost electricity, so it is particularly important for Taipower to have a cost effective material management system (MMS). To reduce operating costs on carrying inventory, this dissertation explores literature on MMS in terms of forecasting demand, inventory control, and purchasing. And, this dissertation conducts extensive research on conventional operations research and modern computer-based material management techniques. In addition, four case studies are analyzed to determine what sort of MMS will be appropriate for Taipower's needs. The theory and practice revealed in the literature lead to a proposed MMS methodology, a hybrid of conventional and modern computer-based techniques, which can prevent the shortages and surpluses of material consuming needless amounts of capital. Finally, a simulation is offered to compare the costs of the existing and proposed material management system. The simulation results indicated that Taipower could reduce its average inventory level by 64.5% and its operating cost by 44 . 7% with the proposed material management system.

The study dealt with the effects of the International Online Conference "Opening Gates in Teacher Education" that was held at the MOFET Institute in Israel in 2001, on the educators who participated in it. The study was aimed at indicating the areas in which an online conference in education can contribute to enhanced use of technology in the educational community. It tested the hypothesis that when teachers are placed in the familiar context of participating in a conference in their field of specialization, and where the only novel factor is online technology, they would be able to learn the technology easily. This is shown by identifying the changes in participants' attitude and behavior toward technology, and the knowledge they acquired. Specifically, the study analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of such an online conference and the differences between different groups of participants in terms of attitude to the conference. This was a descriptive study with qualitative instruments (interviews) in the development stage. The developmental study served to construct the survey for the quantitative main research. The questionnaire was validated by an expert panel. People who took part in the online conference answered a Web survey that they received through e-mail. The responses were analyzed to determine the effects of various technological tools used in the conference on the educators-participants in terms of thinking, attitudes to technology, behavior and changes in teaching. The questionnaire assessed participants' expectations regarding an online conference in education and whether these expectations were met. It profiled the participants as to the perceived advantages of an online conference in education and looked for features that made a difference in the impact of the online conference. Findings showed that as a result of the conference, about half of the respondents started to incorporate online teaching or reported encouraging their students to use the computer. Respondents who had a low initial level of technology use reported a change toward greater personal use of technology after the conference. On the other hand, respondents who were initially high in technology use reported greater integration of advanced technology into their teaching.

Problem-based learning is playing an increasingly significant role in higher education. Introduced in medical schools in the 1960s as a learning technique to facilitate learning in context, this approach has been implemented in more than 19 college disciplines around the world. Characterized by its problem-solving process, the problem-based learning approach uses complex ill-structured problems to motivate students to identify, research, analyze, and arrive at workable solutions that are applicable in real-world situations beyond the academic setting. Problem solving is conducted using team collaboration and iterative processes. This study investigated the application of problem-based learning in an introductory junior-level online finance course, part of the core curriculum for a Bachelor of Science in Technology and Management at a community college. The primary question the study addressed was how an online problem-based learning experience can enhance the motivation and mastery of undergraduate students in this course. The model for designing, developing and implementing problem-based learning into an existing course was explored, and the suitability of its application analyzed against the overall college objectives of providing education to prepare graduates to lead and manage technical processes, operations and personnel through the 21st century. Working within the constructs of a qualitative paradigm, a multiple-case study was conducted using three course offerings, two Internet-based offerings and one in blended learning format. Under both formats, the problem-based learning collaboration was conducted online through the use of WebCT tools: the recorded chat room and the discussion forums. The course concluded with formal student presentations that included a team consensus of the problem solution, validated with the support students used to arrive at their solution. Data collected for the study consisted of recorded chats, discussions forums, and student reflection papers, terminating presentations, interviews and surveys. At the interpretive level of the study, emerging patterns were described for each team, across stages of the study and across the courses. A model used for designing, developing and implementing problem-based learning in an online environment was explored. The findings were supported using pattern matching and triangulation, and validated by a panel of experts from corporate and academic environments.

Since the advent of the Internet, the use of e-commerce has been an emerging way of conducting business. E-commerce has the potential to radically alter economic activities and social environments. Widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICT) along with their widespread diffusion has led to speculation about "frictionless" economies in which the transaction costs are nearly zero, contestability and barriers to entry disappear, as well as markets clear instantly. Although e-commerce is becoming pervasive and has high impact on businesses as well as people's lives, it is still far from achieving its potential as a global electronic marketplace, in particular in Arab countries. This study investigated constructs that impede the use of e-commerce in the Arab countries; more specifically Saudi Arabia. A predictive model was proposed, based on the constructs found in the literature, in order to predict people's intention to use ecommerce in Arab countries. The study further validated the proposed model empirically in order to find the weight of each construct and its contribution to predicting intention to use e-commerce in Arab countries. Finally, the study empirically tested the differences between Saudi Arabia, where the use of e-commerce is somewhat limited, and the United Arab Emirates, where the use of e-commerce is thriving, to find if there was a significant difference in intention to use e-commerce. A theoretical model was proposed, and two statistical methods were used to formulate models and test predictive power: Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLR). It was predicted that gender, attitude towards ICT, SES, CSE, perceived usefulness of e-commerce, and culture would have a significant impact on intention to use e-commerce in the Arab countries. Results showed overall significant models of the six aforementioned factors in predicting intention to use e-commerce in Arab countries. Additionally, results demonstrated that attitude towards ICT, CSE, perceived usefulness of e-commerce, and gender were significant predictors of the use of e-commerce in the Arab countries, while culture was not found to be significant predictors. It was also found that the significant predictors were responsible for 75% of the variance in intentions to use e-commerce. To find the differences in intentions to use e-commerce in Saudi Arabia and the UAE test analysis was used, which found significant differences in intention to use ecommerce within the two countries, with UAE residents having much higher intentions to use e-commerce. The data also revealed that women in Saudi Arabia have a much higher intention to use e-commerce as compared to men in Saudi Arabia. However, in the UAE males have a higher intention to use e-commerce as compared to females. This study includes two important contributions. First, an investigation of factors that contribute to Internet user's intentions to use an emerging business technology in the Arab countries. This study has been developed specifically to respond to the questions regarding the lack of use of e-commerce in Saudi Arabia, and second, an investigation of key constructs contributing to the intention of the Internet users in the Arab countries to use emerging technologies to conduct business over the Internet.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a Six Sigma tool for identifying, analyzing and prioritizing failures and solutions. FMEA is widely used in many different industries worldwide. The FMEA model is neither easy to learn nor easy to use. Effective FMEA automation has been an elusive goal for some time. The scope of meaningful FMEA automation has been limited to specific proprietary or academic application domains where substantial time and effort have been invested. Commercially available FMEA software packages do little more than reduce clerical effort. There has been no published research on the usability of FMEA. Most of the recent FMEA research has applied various artificial intelligence technologies. The vast majority of FMEA research has been directed toward manufactured products rather than information systems. The author has examined the use of FMEA for software development. The author's goal for this dissertation was the creation of a usable failure analysis matrix (FAM) model for prioritizing solutions to failures in information systems. The two-dimensional F AM worksheets are smaller than the linear FMEA worksheets, requiring less scrolling. The F AM is an alternative method to help identify the most important potential failures or failures and help prioritize alternative solutions using approximate expected costs. This new tool, implemented in Excel, provides integrated data entry and reporting. The F AM may be used without having detailed information. The author validated four usability attributes for the F AM: usefulness, ease of use, ease of learning, and satisfaction. The validation process employed expert reviews, usability testing, and a usability questionnaire. The final mean value of 5.30 for usability questionnaire items compares favorably with a neutral value of 4. The F AM underwent expert reviews with reviewers from three different domains of expertise: usability, FMEA, and Six Sigma. Usability test subjects were 20 GE Industrial Systems information systems professionals. The test subjects applied the F AM to real information systems failures. The author has improved professional practice by applying usability engineering to a problem analysis tool for software development. Expert reviews and usability testing both proved to be applicable to the design of the F AM. The expert reviews resulted in the inclusion of several important attributes of the FAM. The usability testing resulted in shorter task completion times and less severe usability problems.

This study presents a specification for the design of file system performance metrics. Standard system performance evaluation techniques involve the use of checkpoints imposed at the application layer. These checkpoints are part of a synthetic mix of programs, usually part of a benchmark, used to exercise a system. These evaluations compile system data, but in most cases only collect general information on the I/O subsystem. An important aspect of the I/O subsystem is a file system. In most performance studies the file system is measured based on system calls such as read, write, and delete. However, a file system is composed of many algorithms that perform the file system management duties. This study isolates those functions that compose a file system. It is important to provide a testing environment that isolates the subsystem used in the study. This study provides a controlled environment for data collection with the use of an operating system that allows the coexistence of multiple file systems. Based on this feature, a virtual model was developed as a specification for the design of checkpoints used to collect the appropriate raw data. This 'data was then studied and analyzed. This study presents an implementation under the Linux Virtual File System model based on the virtual model design. This implementation was used to collect and present data on performance of several of the Linux file system implementations. This study shows that a controlled specification designed into the multiple file system support layer of an operating system provides: (J) a file system independent checkpoint that cannot be altered by the file system; (2) more file system related data by collecting information on most file system functions; and (3) a means for measuring file systems under live loads as well as synthetic loads.

This research addressed three problems. What is the effect of recent professional curricular guidelines (DPMAlISTE 90; ACMlIEEE 92; ISTE 92) upon program change in computer-related fields in private, liberal arts colleges? What is the effect of professional accreditation criteria (AACSB; ACBSP; NCATEIISTE) on computer-related fields in private, liberal arts colleges? What is the effect of institutional resources (faculty and technology) upon program change in computer related fields in private, liberal arts colleges? Program change was defined as change in courses, major course content or change in major class projects or homework assignments. A national survey stratified by accreditation region and enrollment size was sent to chairpersons of computer-related departments in a randomly selected sample of private, liberal arts colleges. A return rate of 51 % was attained. The proportions of the respondent rate paralleled the strata proportions in the population. The results provided support for the hypothesis that professional guidelines affected program change. The results did not support the hypothesis. That accreditation criteria affected program change. The results provided support for the hypothesis that institutional variables affected program change. This study suggested that liberal arts institutions are in agreement with regard to the importance of professional curricular guidelines, the unimportance of accreditation criteria and the importance of faculty and technology resources as variables affecting program change. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which liberal arts institutions differ from public universities.

This study investigated the existence of factors which might be used to predict student success in computer science at a community college. Factors examined included students' age, ethnicity, gender, and mathematics skills on entry to the college. Mathematics skills were measured by analyzing students' scores on the New Jersey College Basic Skills Placement Test (NJCBSPT). Success was determined by evaluating students' GPA in computer science courses, which was computed using students' average grade, highest grade, and lowest grade in repeated courses, and their grade in the first programming course taken. The 306 students comprising the sample group for this study were selected from full-time, computer science majors at Middlesex County College (MCC) in Edison, New Jersey in attendance from 1990- 1995. All students selected completed the NJCBSPT and took their introductory programming course at MCC. Students' age in the sample group ranged from 20 to 50 years. The average age of male students was 26.53 and the average age of female students was 27. 18. There were 200 males and 106 females. Neither age nor gender was found to be related to success in computer science. Non-Asian women were found to withdraw from computer science courses at a higher rate than male students. Five ethnic groups were represented in the sample group including 122 Asians, 115 whites, 31 Hispanics, 14 African Americans, and 2 Native Americans. An ANOVA test indicated that it is very unlikely that students of varying ethnicity have equal success in computer science. Minorities, other than Asians, were found to be less successful in computer science than whites. Using a stepwise regression, either computation or algebra skills entered into the equation first, yielding Multiple R's of not less than .30 at a p < .05 for each of the computed GPAs in the major and grade in the first programming course. A cross tabulation table demonstrated a clear trend between computation and grades in computer science and algebra and grades in computer science.

The use of simulators in support of learning has been problematic. The limited reports on their implementation in classrooms, or in distance learning, to replace existing laboratory equipment have been incomplete and contradictory making assessment of their value difficult. Since the majority of the studies were conducted at four year colleges or universities, the validity of generalizing the results to community colleges is also questionable. However, should a method be identified to successfully implement simulators in classrooms, there would be a potential savings in equipment purchase costs and means to provide an alternative to traditional classroom laboratories. From a distance learning perspective, simulators would enable the creation of active learning environments previously not possible because of equipment requirements of the learner. However, insufficient information existed to provide a guide for community colleges to create and implement a simulated laboratory learning environment for computer training. The goal of the study was to use computer-based simulators to enable distant students to master work traditionally done in a hands-on computer laboratory. It applied current learning theories and course design techniques to create a learning environment for computer training, executed training in the environment and provided a rich descriptive report on the findings. When used in an appropriate context, simulators provided the equivalent learning environment to that of real hardware. In the experimental courses, students perceived the simulator product as beneficial to their learning experience, and confirmed their position by rating simulator labs highly and stating they would take future courses that use simulators. A pretest to posttest score comparison confirmed that knowledge of the subject matter had indeed improved. Also, the results confirmed an existing demand for simulators as tools to reinforce learning, to enable online courses, to increase flexibility in scheduling of tradition classrooms, and to reduce costs of maintaining classroom equipment. A thick description of the design, implementation and evaluation of the findings is included in this report to provide guidance for those implementing, or considering the implementation of, simulators in a community college setting. Recommendations to simulator developers and future researchers are also provided.

A small mid-western, two-year, vocational technical college was experiencing academic advising difficulties. They felt their advising methods could use improvement. A preliminary investigation was conducted which indicated a need for improved advising techniques. It was recommended that a computer assisted advising component be added to the advising process to help. How the system called Advising by Computer Expert System (ACES) worked and the effects of this system on advising were tested. The development of an instrument to measure student satisfaction with advising, and the overall effects of the system with relation to student satisfaction and other intervening variables including sex, age, grade point average, cultural background, class standing, number of times the student met with their advisor, and length of time per advisor meeting were also tested. The study was done using two groups. Each had previously been advised in the traditional question/answer manual method of advising for registration. One group (experimental) used ACES in the advising process, while the other group (control) followed the traditional/manual process. A satisfaction with advising questionnaire, called the Academic Advising Satisfaction Questionnaire, was developed and validated for this study and used to measure student satisfaction levels. Upon completion of registration, the survey gauging student satisfaction with advising was administered since student satisfaction with advising is considered a valid form of evaluation of academic advising. The results showed a significant difference in levels of satisfaction between the experimental and control group. However, the means of the two groups showed a higher level of satisfaction among the control group than among the experimental group. This unexpected result is further discussed. Other results of the research were presented as well as recommendations for further study and improvement.