Small businesses have always played important roles in America's economic evolution. They continue to be an important means by which women, minorities, and immigrants enter the American economic mainstream. A review of the relevant literature indicated that information is one of the central resources of a new venture and that there is still much to be learned about the ways in which entrepreneurs gather and utilize the information they need. This study aimed to identify the information needs of the minority small business owner and provide a solution to these information needs through the design and development of a business research information portal that will serve as a gateway to subject specific information for this user group. The researcher first investigated the information needs of the minority small business owner by conducting a needs analysis survey. The survey findings provided an understanding of the information needs, while the focus group and usability study revealed the users' perceptions of Web site usability and content. The results of the needs analysis survey indicated that the minority small business owner has a strong need for information. Subject areas include market research, demographics, funding resources, and industry data. In general, approximately 65% survey respondents rated their computer and Internet competency levels as proficient, advanced, or at mastery. Although participants generally ranked themselves competent in using the Internet the majority were still interested in learning how to research specific business topics. The business information research portal was developed, based on the results of the needs analysis survey, as an online community for the minority small business owner. The goal was to provide business information resources, services, and tools, in an environment that would allow this group to network with one another, share their thoughts and ideas, and learn from each other. This online community brings the minority small business owners together and offers them the opportunity to interact extensively with one another on specific topics. Therefore, this portal will serve the minority small business owners' information research needs.

No / Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the contemporary research themes published in IJOPM in order to contribute to current debates about the future directions of operations management (OM) research. Design/methodology/approach All 310 articles published in IJOPM from volume 24 issue 9 in 2004 through volume 29, issue 12 in 2009 are analysed using content analysis methods. This period of analysis is chosen because it represents all the articles published in issues for which the authors are able to have full control, during their period of tenure as Editors of the journal. This analysis is supplemented by data on all 1,853 manuscripts submitted to the journal during the same time period and further, by analysis of reviews and feedback sent to all authors after review. Findings The paper reports the main research themes and research methods inherent in the 310 published papers. Statistics on the countries represented by these papers and the size and international composition of author teams are provided, together with the publication success rates of the countries that submit in the highest volumes, and the success rates associated with the size of the author team. Finally, data on the reasons for rejection of manuscripts are presented. Research limitations/implications There is some residual inaccuracy in content analysis methods, whereby, in extracting research themes there is often more than one topic covered. In the same vein, as regards categorisation of the causes of rejection of manuscripts during the review process, there is frequently more than one reason for rejection, so perhaps a weighted scoring system would have been more insightful. In determining the country of origin of papers, while the country of the corresponding author is used, it should be recognised that some studies originate from international collaborations so that this method may give a slightly distorted picture. Finally, in computing publication success rates by comparison of submissions and published papers there is a time delay between the two data sets within any defined period of analysis. Practical implications The analysis adds generally to debates about contemporary research themes; in particular it extends the work of Pilkington and Fitzgerald, which analyses all articles solely in IJOPM between 1994 and 2003. In addition, the findings suggest a need for more frequent exploitation of multiple research methods, for greater rigour in the planning and execution of fieldwork, for greater engagement with the world of OM practice and finally, consideration of how OM research can address wider social and political issues. Originality/value This paper represents an inside view of the publication process from a leading OM journal; this kind of insight is rarely available in the public domain.

The purpose of the current study was to confirm or dismiss Saudi students' behavioral intention with regard to using smartphone applications for learning purposes. A quantitative, non-experimental survey research design and descriptive research conducted on the determinants -performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence- that predict Saudi students' intention at University of North Texas to use smartphone applications for learning purposes, based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) as the framework. This study aims at filling gap found in understanding of students' intentions and their behaviors regarding the adoption and use of the Smartphone applications. Data was collected by means of an online questionnaire. The hypothesized model validated empirically using data collected from around 234 Saudi students who enrolled at University of North Texas. The model developed from UTAUT explained 50.1% of the variance of behavioral intention, and behavioral intentions explained 13.6% of the variance of usage behavior. The result of this study support that the determinants of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions were the highest predictors of behavioral intentions in using smartphone applications for learning purposes. The results of this study could encourage students, educators, and the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education to provide educational applications that meet students' needs for information and knowledge.

Cette étude est fondée sur deux constats dans le domaine de la maintenance aéronautique : l’utilisation non systématique de la documentation de maintenance aéronautique (DMA) malgré la prescription légale et l’évolution technologique qui a entraîné l’introduction de l’utilisation de l’appareil à petit écran ou mobile pour la consultation et la recherche d’information pour la réalisation de la tâche de maintenance. L’objectif de cette étude est double : identifier les raisons de la sous utilisation de la DMA et contribuer à la conception d’une documentation de maintenance adaptée à la fois aux supports mobiles (PDA), à l’utilisateur et au contexte de la maintenance aéronautique. Des tests d’utilisabilité ont été menés et testaient l’hypothèse selon laquelle l’utilisation du petit écran a un effet négatif sur les performances des utilisateurs. Des observations et entretiens dans les centres de maintenance ainsi que des tests sur avion ont aussi été conduits pour évaluer la lisibilité de l’interface et la portabilité des appareils mobiles. Les résultats montrent que les raisons de la non utilisation de la documentation de maintenance sont principalement liées à la non adaptation de celle-ci aux utilisateurs et au contexte du métier, que l’utilisation du petit écran est envisageable aussi bien pour une application destinée aux petits écrans que pour celle destinée aux écrans standard. En outre, l’utilisation du petit écran ne détériore pas, d’une façon générale, les performances des utilisateurs et qu’elle est envisageable aussi bien chez les novices que chez les experts qui sont encore réticents mais n’y sont pas opposés. / Literature review shows that maintenance operators do not use the aircraft maintenance documentation (AMD) systematically despite the legal obligation. The aim of this study is to contribute to the identification of users’ difficulty about the use of the AMD and the designing of maintenance documentation well-adapted to mobile devices (PDA), to users and to aircraft maintenance context. Hypothesis consists on verifying the effect of the small screen use on users’ performances. According to the usability test results, the small screen use has no negative effect on the users’ (experts and novices) performances. Field studies in maintenance centers and on aircraft show that small screen use is suitable to novices and experts for small screen documentation consultation and also for standard screen documentation when consultation is limited. Some users, particularly experts, are hesitant about using small screen for information consultation. However, they are not against the use of such format if information display is improved. Results are not limited to small screen documentation issue, some parts (e.g. information display study to reduce user effort) could be generalised to information system for task support.

This thesis considers the role of the Information Research Department (IRD) in countering Arab nationalist and Communist propaganda directed at British interests in the Middle East and Africa between 1954 and 1963. It argues that the 1956 Suez Crisis and its fallout was the catalyst that drove a significant expansion of IRD's remit and responsibility. From 1956 the department – which up to this point had had a purely anti-Communist function – was given the responsibility of countering the increasing flow of Arab nationalist propaganda emerging from Egypt. The same year, the Communist powers mounted a renewed and concerted effort to culturally and ideologically penetrate Africa. IRD, who to this point had been excluded from directly operating in Africa, began counter-Communist work in the face of stiff Colonial Office resistance. Analysis of IRD in the Middle East has rarely considered events beyond the immediate aftermath of Suez. IRD's work in Africa is almost wholly unexplored. It is a central contention of this thesis that the two regions cannot be viewed in isolation post-Suez. Egypt's standing was buoyed by the propaganda capital of victory over Suez, and Nasser's position as the figurehead of Arab nationalism was assured. In seeking the removal of colonial influence from the Middle East and Africa, Arab propaganda – particularly the Voice of the Arabs programme of Cairo Radio – ties the regions together. Communist and African nationalist propagandists were drawn to Cairo in the wake of the Suez Crisis. The former, building relationships through aid, sought to leverage Cairo's expanding influence to their own advantage. The latter sought facilities and support for their own propaganda efforts. After Suez, IRD sought to manage Egyptian propaganda whilst avoiding direct confrontation, seeking to normalise relations. In Africa, the department sought to build an infrastructure for information work aimed at influencing future leaders, their efforts constrained by the timetable of British decolonisation. In both regions, through developing relationships with local agencies and the BBC, and from initiatives such as the Transmission 'X' news commentary service, IRD continued to address Arab nationalist and Communist propaganda with a flexibility and responsiveness not recognised in the current literature on IRD.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Psychology, 2005. / Title from second page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [2], vi, 72, [22] p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-37).