The purpose of this study is to analyse the differences between upper-stream, lower-stream and mixed-ability mathematics classes in terms of student perceptions of their classroom learning environment. Both quantitative and qualitative data has been collected from students while qualitative data only was collected from pre-service teachers, practising teachers and parents. The sample for the quantitative data collection was comprised of 581 Year 9 and 10 students in 36 different classes taught by 28 different teachers in 7 schools covering 4 states of Australia. All of the schools are private schools and part of the Seventh-day Adventist school system. The questionnaire used an actual and preferred form of the 56 item version of the What is Happening in the Classroom? (WIHIC) survey along with 10 questions from the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) modified for mathematics classrooms. For the qualitative data collection 40 interviews and 8 focus groups were conducted. Apart from comparing upper and lower-streams, other variables examined were: actual and preferred perceptions of the classroom learning environment, Year 9 with Year 10, males with females, English speakers with second language students, and attitudes with perceptions of learning environments. The most significant finding of the study was not only that lower-stream students have a more negative perception of their classroom learning environment, but that they seek less change. This negative perception is seen to be worse in Year 10 than Year 9, particularly in the areas of teacher support and task orientation. This study found a positive correlation between attitude and perceptions of classroom learning environment. This study also found a tacit acceptance of streaming as a practice by most participants in the study.

One of the major challenges of MIS activities is the difficulty in measuring the effectiveness of delivered systems. The principal purpose of my research is to explore this field in order to develop an instrument by which to measure such effectiveness. Conceptualisation of Information System (IS) Effectiveness has been substantially framed by DeLone and McLean's (1992) Success; Model. But with the innovation in Information Technology (IT) over the past decade, and the constant pressure in IT to improve performance, there is merit in undertaking a fresh appraisal of the issue. This study built on the model of IS Success developed by DeLone and MeLean, but was broadened to include related research from the domains of IS, Management and Marketing. This analysis found that an effective IS function is built on three pillars: the systems implemented; the information held and delivered by these systems; and, the service provided in support of the IS function. A common foundation for these pillars is the concept of stakeholder needs. In seeking to appreciate the effectiveness: of delivered IS applications in relation to the job performance of stakeholders, this research developed an understanding of what quality means in an IT context I argue that quality is a more useful criterion for effectiveness than the more customary measures of use and user satisfaction. Respecification of the IS Success Model was then proposed. The second phase of the research was to test this model empirically through judgment panels, focus groups and interviews. Results consistently supported the structure and components of the respecified model. Quality was determined as a multi-dimensional construct, with the key dimensions for the quality of delivered IS differing from those used in the research from other disciplines. Empirical work indicated that end-user stakeholders derived their evaluations of quality by internally evaluating perceived performance of delivered IS in relation to their expectations for such performance. A short trial explored whether, when overt measurement of expectations was concurrent with the measurement of perceptions, a more revealing appraisal of delivered IS quality was provided than when perceptions alone were measured. Results revealed a difference between the two measures. Using the New IS Success Model as the foundation, and drawing upon the related theoretical and empirical research, an instrument was developed to measure the quality/effectiveness of delivered IS applications. Four trials of this instrument, QUALIT, are documented. Analysis of results from preliminary trials indicates promise in terms of business value: the instrument is simple to administer and has the capacity to pinpoint areas of weakness. The research related to the respecification of the New IS Success Model and the associated empirical studies, including the development of QTJALIT, have both contributed to the development of theory about IS Effectiveness. More precisely, my research has reviewed the components of an information system, the dimensions comprising these components and the indicators of each, and based upon these findings, formulated an instrument by which to measure the effectiveness of a delivered IS.

<p>This paper consists of a comprehensive look at the advertising industry as a whole and communication mould various guises in the context of technology development. It also describes a production in the form of a commercial for a network of ten companies called The Lodge. The result is discussed based on questions on the subject communications and marketing. The discussions of this work will then be transferred to a proposal for further research.</p>

<p>Research Questions: Is the usage of existing IT/IS in SCM just a necessity or a key factor contributing to their success for Company BETA?</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of our thesis is to describe how a successful distributor like Company BETA manages their supply chain activities, then to analyze and discuss their performances as well as the IT support on their operations.</p><p>Method: We conducted qualitative research. Our main primary data came from the interviews with employees of Company BETA while our secondary data was collected from literature books, websites, and database. The data was gathered and analyzed in the light of our literature review.</p><p>Conclusion: Company BETA’s existing IT/IS is not the main factor contributing to their success. There are more possibilities in the markets nowadays and more importantly, Company BETA could have considered and leveraged their IT/IS better.</p>

<p>Verksamheters säkerhetsproblem i samband med informationssystem och informationsteknik (IS/IT) är ett område som uppmärksammats kraftigt de senaste åren. Denna avhandling syftar till att ge en ökad förståelse av informationssäkerhet; begreppet i sig, dess hantering i</p><p>verksamheter samt dess betydelse för verksamheter. För att nå en ökad förståelse för informationssäkerhet och dess hantering består avhandlingen till stora delar av konceptuella resonemang. Avhandlingens huvudsakliga kunskapsbidrag är:</p><p>- En kritisk granskning och en revidering av den begreppsapparat som dominerar i Sverige inom området informationssäkerhet och dess hantering.</p><p>- En generisk modell (ISV-modellen) avseende verksamheters hantering av informationssäkerhet.</p><p>ISV-modellen beskriver vilka grundläggande förutsättningar, aktiviteter, resultat och konsekvenser som kan kopplas till hantering av informationssäkerhet i verksamheter. Informationssäkerhetsområdet betraktas utifrån ett perspektiv som har sin grund i Skandinavisk informationssystemforskning. Ett viktigt kännetecken hos detta perspektiv är att IS/IT betraktas i en verksamhetskontext där bl a människors roller och aktiviteter utgör en viktig del.</p><p>Studien bygger på både teoretiska och empiriska studier som har skett parallellt och genom växelverkan. De teoretiska studierna har främst bestått av litteraturstudier och konceptuellt modellerande som har konfronterats med empiriskt material vilket huvudsakligen har hämtats genom en fallstudie på en kommun i Bergslagen.</p>

<p>Syfte med vårt arbete är att identifiera och analysera framgångsfaktorer vid en kommuns förändringsarbete mot en modern, effektiv och medborgarorienterad förvaltning, en så kallad 24-timmarskommun. För att nå detta syfte har vi valt att göra en fallstudie av Mjölby kommuns arbete med utvecklingen av 24-timmarskommun.</p><p>Fältarbetet har utförts med hjälp av kvalitativa semistandardiserade intervjuer med ämnesområdets relevanta personer inom kommunen. Analys av empiridata har genomförts med hjälp av förändringsanalys enligt SIM-metoden.</p><p>Resultat av vår undersökning visar att införande av 24-timmarskommun bör ses som en del av kommunens förändringsarbete mot en modern förvaltning. För att detta arbete ska vara framgångsrikt krävs det strategiskt ledarskap som ska ta fram, förankra och kommunicera visioner och målbilder av den moderna förvaltningen i organisationens alla delar. Samarbete, systematisk process- och brukarorienterad verksamhetsutveckling och den professionella kompetensen utgör en garanti att uppställda målen och visioner for 24-timmarskommun kan förverkligas. I detta sammanhang bör IT ses som en strategisk resurs och den gemensamma nämnaren för alla ovan nämnda förändringsfaktorer vid utvecklingen av 24-timmarskommun.</p>

<p>Detta examensarbete handlar ”Verklighetstrogen Effektskomposition”. Målet med arbetet är att undersöka och utnyttja alla de olika aspekterna som gör att en film med specialeffekter känns så verklighetstrogen som möjligt. Arbetet handlar om de olika delarna i en filmproduktionsfas så som pre-production,production och post-production. Filmen som skapas är en specialeffektsbaserad hemmavideo som har som syfte att vara så chockande som möjligt i förhållande till vad man förväntar sig när man börjar kolla. Arbetets fokus ligger mycket på tracking i en svårtrackad miljö där detta problem kommer att lösas.</p>

This thesis examines the rhetoric of Theodore Dwight Weld's American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. Published anonymously in 1839, Weld's publication became the longest antislavery tract in American history. It left its mark on the abolitionist movement itself and future antislavery literary works most notably Uncle Tom's Cabin. Despite its historical and rhetorical importance, Weld's text has been subjected to little critical exploration. This being the case, it is the goal of this study to find the dominant means of persuasion that Weld used to argue to antebellum northern audiences that slavery is evil and should be abolished. Weld accomplishes this goal by using a judicial motif throughout his tract. In his text, Weld acts as prosecutor and asks his readers to act as jurors in judging the legitimacy of slavery in the United States. In doing so, Weld relies on evidence in the form of testimony and newspaper advertisements to prove his arguments. I utilize the Hermagorian system of stasis to shed light on Weld's use of the judicial motif. This system points to four main questions, which represent the main stands of argument between a prosecutor and defense. The four main questions are the stases of conjecture, definition, quality, and objection. Under the stasis of conjecture I show that Weld demonstrates that slavery results when individuals are motivated by absolute arbitrary power. Under the stasis of definition I argue that the South offered the justifications of "necessary evil" and "positive good" in linking their way of life to the institution of slavery. Weld rejects these justifications and establishes his own account of slavery to be a thirst for absolute power over others. In the third stasis of quality I show that Weld argues that human nature is against slavery and therefore, should be abolished. In the last stasis of objection I show that Weld answers the question of whether abolitionists are justified in condemning slavery. Using The Hermagorian system of stasis shows that although each one is applicable to an analysis of Weld's tract, the stases of quality and objection are the most fruitful in establishing the effectiveness of Weld's rhetoric. By combining both emotion and logic for his jurors, Weld accomplishes his role as prosecutor in the case. Once his jurors act in accordance to the judicial motif as members of humanity and see the slaves in the same light, they are forced to bring back a just verdict of guilty because slavery is against the very essence of humanity itself. / Graduation date: 1999

This dissertation attempts to answer the question, "How is truth communicated through fiction?" It begins with an analysis of theories of fiction that have been given in analytic philosophy. Then, it frames the question in terms of a response to the "war" between philosophy and poetry, represented by Plato's Socrates, who sees a variety of problems with allowing that poetry can teach ethical behavior, and Sir Philip Sidney, who believes that poetry has a great ability to teach. At the heart of the disagreement between the two is a question about the relationship between truth and the kind of communication that takes place in poetry, which is everywhere assumed rather than stated and argued for. The dissertation then continues to work toward an answer to its main question. First it looks at the theories of several continental philosophers who had things to say that hint at the direction to go in answering the question. The last two chapters are an attempt to give and support an answer to the question; imput is drawn from sources as various as Leonard Nimoy, Dorothy Sayer's "Gaudy Night," Linda Young's "Remember WENN" website, and academic literary theory; and the question is given a direct answer in the last chapter. There are three things that all fiction does that makes it communicate truth in a specific manner: all fiction attempts to engage, purports to describe the normal, and actually makes normative implications. It is because of this that fiction is the dangerous but potentially beneficial thing that Plato and Sidney respectively see it as.

This research takes steps towards developing a new theory of organizational information management based on the idea that information creates ordering effects in transactions and on the idea that there are multiple centers of authority in organizations. The rationale for developing this theory is the empirical observation that hospitals have great difficulty in managing information relating to transactions with patients. The research illustrates the detailed workings of an initial conceptual framework based on an action research project into the revenue cycle of a hospital. The framework facilitates a deeper understanding of how information technology can help transform information management practices in complex organizations, such as hospitals. At the same time, this research adds to the literature on Polycentricity Theory by linking its two core concepts – multiple nested centers of decision-making and context-dependent governance – with Transaction Cost Theory and information management theories to establish a new foundation for understanding the role of information technology in organizational contexts.