As researchers today seek to understand how virtual worlds may be effectively leveraged for collaborative purposes, exploring the role of leadership in virtual world teams may help shed light on how to manage synchronous and highly interdependent work activities for better team outcomes. Based upon Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory, this dissertation seeks to understand how leadership affects team member performance and proposes that 1) the relationship between a leader and a team member influences the degree to which a team member is allocated and develops resources and 2) to the extent which a team member receives or develops resources, their performance will be enhanced. Findings from a field survey of 61 members in a large virtual world team (VWT) within the MMORPG Everquest suggest that leader-member relationships matter, having a direct impact on members' allocation and development of resources. However, a mediation test strongly suggests that it is the quantity and the type of resource that impacts performance and not the direct influence of the leader-member relationship. From a theoretical standpoint, opening the "black box" of LMX theory has revealed more precise causal mechanisms by which leader-member relationships impact performance. The influential resources identified include two dimensions of empowerment, access to better work assignments, benevolence-based trust, obligation, and identification. From a practical standpoint, this research provides guidance into what leaders may do to effectively management VWTs. For example, better member performance could be achieved through coaching and avoiding micro-management, providing members with better team assignments, and binding VWT members to each other such that collective interest replaces self-interest. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2010. / May 17, 2010. / MMOGS, Virtual Worlds, Leadership, Virtual Teams, LMX / Includes bibliographical references. / Molly Wasko, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael Brady, University Representative; David Paradice, Committee Member; Gerald Ferris, Committee Member; Deborah Armstrong, Committee Member.

In today's business environment, deception is commonplace. In hiring situations, successful deception by job candidates can lead to a poor fit between the candidate's abilities and the requirements of the job, and this can lead to poor performance. This study seeks to inhibit successful deception by job candidates by suggesting that managers limit communication with job applicants to the media that the applicant is least comfortable using for deception. Media vary on several dimensions, such as their ability to transmit cues and convey personal focus. The choice of which media to use to communicate a lie will depend on the characteristics of the media, as well as several other factors. Some of these factors are situational, such as the familiarity of the receiver with the sender, and some of these factors are related to the individual attempting to communicate the lie. Because different people react to lying differently, their preference for media characteristics will vary when they lie. Deception research has largely been conducted in a North American context, using North American subjects. As a result, our understanding of deception and its detection outside of North America is limited. In today's multicultural business environment, job applicants can come from a variety of cultural backgrounds, and the attitudes, beliefs, customs and norms related to deception that they exhibit may differ from those of their North American counterparts. Taking this into account, the current study seeks to predict media choice for deception based on a subject's espoused national culture. A scenario-based media choice task was given to subjects in the United States and China, aimed at determining the effect of espoused collectivism, espoused power distance, espoused uncertainty avoidance, espoused masculinity, espoused long-term orientation, espoused universalism, the severity of the lie and the familiarity of the reciever on media choice. Results indicate that espoused collectivism, espoused power distance, espoused masculinity and the severity of the lie had an impact on media choice. The findings of the current study carry implications for researchers and for managers. For researchers this study suggests that media choice and deception models developed in North America may not hold when applied to subjects who are not North American. In addition, this study contributes to a relatively understudied area of deception research: deception from the point of view of the deceiver. For managers charged with hiring candidates for positions sensitive with regard to national security, this study suggests communication media, based on the espoused national culture of the candidate, that should make successful deception more difficult. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management Information Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / June 25, 2008. / Media Choice, Media Selection, Culture, Deception, Lying / Includes bibliographical references. / Joey F. George, Professor Directing Dissertation; Lee Stepina, Outside Committee Member; David Paradice, Committee Member; Ashley Bush, Committee Member.

Due to the increased availability of online collaboration tools, individuals are now likely to work together in settings where computers are their primary mode of communication. However, because many communication cues are absent in these settings, unique problems arise, such as deception. Deceptive individuals are difficult to detect over computer-mediated channels because many audio and visual cues to deception are filtered out. This dissertation presents two experiments where groups performed a computer-mediated collaborative task either without deceivers or with confederate deceivers. Task complexity was manipulated in the first experiment, and subject experience and task complexity were manipulated in the second experiment. Results suggest that groups performing a low complexity task were better at detecting deception than were groups performing a high complexity task. Furthermore, experienced groups had higher task performance but did not have higher deception detection accuracy than did groups without experience. These findings should help organizations identify decision-making settings where group performance and deception detection accuracy are at risk and allow them to take actions to minimize the negative impact of deception. These actions might include minimizing the cognitive complexity of a group task and making sure that individuals have had multiple experiences together before performing their task. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Management Information Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2007. / March 26, 2007. / Computer-Mediated Communication, Collaborative Groups, Task Complexity, Group Member Experience, Deception, Instant Messaging / Includes bibliographical references. / Joey F. George, Professor Directing Dissertation; Gerald R. Ferris, Outside Committee Member; David B. Paradice, Committee Member; Katherine M. Chudoba, Committee Member.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an integrated set of software modules which are linked to a common database to handle basic corporate functions such as planning, manufacturing, sales, marketing, accounting, distribution, human resource and inventory. When ERP is implemented successfully, it can reduce operating costs, increase productivity, and improve customer services. However, ERP fails to deliver the promised benefits in many companies due to the poor implementation planning. A successful ERP implementation requires a careful thinking, good planning from a strategic perspective. It is difficult to measure the success of an extremely complex information system such as ERP as it involves almost every aspect of business operations. Different people from different perspectives will have different views about the success of ERP implementation. Therefore, we adopted Critical Success Factors (CSFs) approach. We identified the critical success factors for the success implementation of ERP based on literature review. A model is developed with assumption that there is Relative Importance (RI) among these critical success factors. The data collected in Chinese Mainland manufacturing companies were analyzed on Structural Equation Modeling by LISREL. Six critical success factors were identified by the survey as the relative important critical success factors. They are (1) Business Process Reengineering management, (2) change readiness, (3) software competence and IT skills, (4) departmental communication, (5) top management support, and (6) hardware and equipments. Understanding the importance of these factors will help managers to make a good planning for ERP implementation. It is suggested to set high priority to these critical success factors, which can help managers to have a better control of the activities in the process of ERP implementation. Hopefully, it will increase the chance to implement ERP successfully.

One of the many problems the educational system in Malawi suffered is the lack of an efficient decision-making system that could make better use of its resources. A decentralization reform was therefore adopted as one of the means by which efficient decisions for the educational system could be assured. The decentralization reform was intended to give local or district level administrators powers for making discrete planning and management decisions for basic education within their jurisdiction. Unfortunately, the implementation of the reform was seen to lack progress. Some issues that were against the decentralization probably caused the stalled progress of the implementation. The basis of this study was to explore possible factors that might have caused the stalled implementation of the decentralization so that possible solutions could be provided to strengthen it. A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods was employed to conduct the study. Interviews, documents analysis, observations, and questionnaires were the means for collecting data for the study. Using a sample of 23 participants drawn from different central, division, and district offices of the educational system and donor agencies, the study forces revealed that there were problems in the process and support system for the implementation. Process related forces include: lack of a culture of change, lack of specific decentralization goals for education, fear of loss of power, poor participation, lack of preparedness by the districts, poor coordination, resistance, lack of information, and poor commitment. Support related forces that were for the implementation included: existing policies, willingness of the districts, political will, and donor support. As a way forward, the study proposes that the implementation of the decentralization could be strengthened if the design of the implementation and its support system are reconsidered and improved. Regular revisions on the design of the implementation to ensure that it meets the decentralization requirements and strengthening the support system by making sure that the districts have an adequate information system can help to strengthen the implementation of the decentralization.

An artificial intelligence approach to the simulation of neurolinguistically constrained processes in sentence comprehension is developed using control strategies for simulation of cooperative computation in associative networks. The desirability of this control strategy in contrast to ATN and production system strategies is explained. A first pass implementation of HOPE, an artificial intelligence simulation model of sentence comprehension, constrained by studies of aphasic performance, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, and linguistic theory is described. Claims that the model could serve as a basis for sentence production simulation and for a model of language acquisition as associative learning are discussed. HOPE is a model that performs in a "normal" state and includes a "lesion" simulation facility. HOPE is also a research tool. Its modifiability and use as a tool to investigate hypothesized "causes" of degradation in comprehension performance by aphasic patients are described. Issues of using behavioral constraints in modelling and obtaining appropriate data for simulated process modelling are discussed. Finally, problems of validation of the simulation results are raised; and issues of how to interpret clinical results to define the evolution of the model are discussed. Conclusions with respect to the feasibility of artificial intelligence simulation process modelling are discussed based on the current state of the research. The significance of the research for artificial intelligence techniques, the need for AI simulation models, the use of such models as investigative tools, the potential use for enriching our understanding of the brain and its function, and the potential for contributing to better understanding of aphasic performance leading to enhanced therapy, together suggest many exciting prospects for future development.

Information retrieval is concerned with selecting documents from a collection that will be of interest to a user with a stated information need or query. Research aimed at improving the performance of retrieval systems, that is, selecting those documents most likely to match the user's information need, remains an area of considerable theoretical and practical importance. This dissertation describes a new formal retrieval model that uses probabilistic inference networks to represent documents and information needs. Retrieval is viewed as an evidential reasoning process in which multiple sources of evidence about document and query content are combined to estimate the probability that a given document matches a query. This model generalizes several current retrieval models and provides a framework within which disparate information retrieval research results can be integrated. To test the effectiveness of the inference network model, a retrieval system based on the model was implemented. Two test collections were built and used to compare retrieval performance with that of conventional retrieval models. The inference network model gives substantial improvements in retrieval performance with computational costs that are comparable to those associated with conventional retrieval models and which are feasible for large collections.

Bibliography: pages 191-198. volume 1, thesis. volume II, appendices. / The ancestors of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) were first developed in the early 1960's as a computer mapping mechanism but with the development of the Canada Geographical Information System the base was set for a powerful spatial analytical tool that could be used in a wide range of applications from business through to map analysis and archaeology. GIS have been used in terrestrial archaeology with success for a number of years and have started to move into the maritime archaeological field, however, little has been published on the use of GIS in the regard to the latter. On 24 May 1697, the VOC retourschip, Oosterland, was wrecked in Table Bay off Paarden Eiland, Cape Town, South Africa. With its discovery by sport divers in 1988, an ideal opportunity represented itself for the first scientific excavation of a shipwreck in southern Africa. With the development of the project, it was decided that GIS would be applied to surveyed artefacts recovered over the first fieldwork seasons. Early efforts, in 1991 and 1994, set up a GIS for this site that succeeded in plotting and mapping artefact groups selected by the user but failed in creating a system through which advanced spatial analysis could be undertaken. Because of the simplicity of the 1991 and 1994 versions of the Oosterland GIS and the fact that the format of analysis was changed from the ARCJINFO to ArcView GIS, it was necessary to re-enter all of the data. This was achieved by creating tables in the Tables feature of ArcView that contained x and y positions for all of the surveyed artefacts. Positioning of artefacts was achieved through a True Basic program that converted on-site tape measurements into map co-ordinates. Other features included in these tables were artefact numbers, names, a classification and a description of each artefact created specifically for use in this system. Once data had been captured it was plotted and spatial analysis that hoped to test the viability and accuracy of the system was performed. These tests included the orientation of the wreck on the sea floor, and assigning ownership of personal trade items within the artefact assemblage to specific people or areas on board the ship. Tests also examined the position of artefacts whose place on the working vessel were known from historical documentation and related them to other artefacts present in their immediate neighbourhoods. This system appears to possess the potential for being a powerful analytical tool which can be easily updated to include more advanced analysis and adapted to incorporate other wreck sites. Finally, this system has enormous potential as an educational tool that can be used to raise awareness of the importance of historically significant wrecks.

Includes bibliographies. / The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) acquired a Geographic Information System (GIS) in 1987. The purpose of acquiring such a system was to aid the department in implementing their water resource management strategy of that time. On acquiring this system it was well recognised that the GIS would need to communicate geo-referenced information, generated by analysis and modelling to decision makers by means of graphic representations or maps (Olivier et al., 1990: 14 73). Towards the end of 1990 it became apparent that the department needed to standardise cartographic output of this system. Maps on the same theme, which were produced at different sites were not comparable and graphic communication was not effective. A consultant was appointed, who, in conjunction with the departmental digital cartographer, established criteria and standards which were flexible enough to accommodate mapping on a wide variety of themes. These standards were implemented, to a limited extent in July 1994. Standards were set for map encoding, map content and map composition. This report investigates how effective these standards have been. The effectiveness of these standards have been measured in terms of the five recognised cartographic design principles that have been identified by Robinson et al. (1984), Wood (1992) and Dent (1990). These include the clarity and legibility of maps, the distinction between figure and ground, the hierarchical organisation of mapped information, the visual contrast of marks on maps and the visual balance or layout of the finished map. A sample of maps made after the implementation of cartographic standards at the department was compared to a sample of comparable maps made prior to the implementation of these standards. In a large organisation like the department the success of such standards do not depend on the standards alone but also on their implementation. Implementation related problems were identified by comparing standardised maps with the standards. The outcome of the investigation proved that the effectiveness of graphic communication had indeed improved albeit to a varying degree. In most cases the standards were adequate and the main problems actually lay with their implementation. Recommendations on the implementation and the few aspects of the standards that require amendment have been included in this report.

Bibliography: pages 85-87. / Geographical Information Systems (GIS) often do not meet the expectations of users and management, raising questions and doubts as to their overall success and effectiveness. To date the majority of GIS research has focused on technical issues, and management research has approached GIS effectiveness from a purely cost benefit perspective. This study adopts a holistic, multi-perspective approach to the issue of GIS effectiveness, identifying measures of effectiveness related to the fields of Information Systems (IS), Management Information Systems (MIS) and GIS. It applies these measures using the case study methodology in a small South African local authority, the Ceres Municipality.