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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
21

An Analysis of Workplace Training in Canada: Evidence from WES

Wang, Ying January 2012 (has links)
With fast development of technology and globalization competition, firms today are in a changing environment. Skills obsolete quickly. To prevent the skill shortage, training has been given more and more attention. However, current literature has some gaps in examining the training determinants. This thesis use the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) data (1999 - 2005) to conduct research on the determinants of provision of training and training selection in Canada. The workplace data is a longitudinal panel data of seven waves while the employee data is linked to employer at the micro level. Training is first explored on the workplace panel data to capture the workplace determinants that decide training incidence and intensity. Then with these workplace determinants included, provided that different company train differently in regard of training incidence, employee’s participation in training is investigated on the linked data. Heckman Two-step selection model is adopted to correct the selection bias which has not been properly addressed in most of the studies. With the analysis results, determinants of training are identified. Profit, non-wage benefit and payroll are alternatives to training regardless of firm size. Firms train less if they are experiencing high turnover rate while more training will be provided if firms have larger proportion of professional and technical workers or undergo some organizational change. Employees with longer tenure, married people and female employees are the group of employees that have disadvantage in training. Classroom training is more sensitive for immigrants and temporary workers. The negative effects are greater for classroom training than on-the-job training when those two variables are presented. Collective bargaining agreements only guarantee a large proportion of employees having the training opportunity while training intensity cannot be promised. In fact, small firms reduce their training expenditure while large firms increase investment in training when they are unionized.Several implications are also mentioned.
22

Innovation-Performance relationship: the moderating role of the Degree of Internationalization

Wahid, Fazli January 2010 (has links)
Moderator variables are typically introduced when there is an unexpectedly weak or inconsistent relationship between a predictor and a criterion variable (Baron and Kenny, 1986). Holak, Parry and Song (1991) and Zhang, Li, Hitt, and Cui (2007) found an inconsistent relationship between R&D spending (a measure of innovation) and firm performance and so concluded that this relationship should be studied under different contextual factors. One such factor is the Degree of Internationalization (DOI) of a firm. Therefore, this paper evaluates the innovation-performance link in the presence of a moderator - the Degree of Internationalization (DOI). It proposes that DOI moderates the innovation-performance relationship. In addition, this research tests the hypothesis that DOI can affect either the form or the strength of the innovation-performance relationship. Only one previous study has evaluated the moderating effect of DOI on innovation-performance relationship, but this paper did not investigate the influence on the form of the relationship. The findings of this study are based on time series cross-sectional data of 102 large U.S. manufacturing firms from seven different industries. Data for each firm was obtained for eight years (2000-2007) from the Compustat database. Hypotheses were tested using the TSCSREG procedure with Fuller-Battese method implemented in SAS. The identification and the differentiation of the moderation effect into form and strength were carried out by using the typology from the work of Sharma, Durand and Gur-Arie (1981). The results show that DOI moderates the innovation-performance relationship positively and significantly. In addition, DOI affects the form (direct) and is a quasi moderator of the innovation-performance relationship. In terms of theory, there are two implications. First, that DOI is an important contingency factor when examining the innovation-performance relationship. Predicting the innovation-performance relationship without including DOI may lead to misleading conclusions. Second, when evaluating the relationship between R&D and firm performance, identifying whether DOI moderates the form or the strength of the relationship is needed in order to use a proper analytical technique. In terms of practice, the results sensitize managers to the need to focus not only on innovation activities, but also on their internationalization in order to appropriate the full benefits of their innovations.
23

Numerosity and Cognitive Complexity of a Medium as Moderators of Medium Effect on Effort

Rahimi Nejad, Mona 27 September 2010 (has links)
As a part of loyalty programs in marketing or as incentive plans in companies, mediums have attracted considerable interest from marketing and organizational behavior researchers. Previous studies focused mainly on the effects of mediums on people’s choices and not on the role of moderators of a medium effect. The goal of the present thesis is to study two such moderators namely the numerosity of a medium and the cognitive complexity of mediums. In this study, after a thorough theoretical analysis, experimental data is analyzed to explore the relation between numerosity and cognitive complexity of a medium on individuals’ efforts. Our findings suggest that the medium effect is stronger when a medium is more numerous. Also, a more cognitively complex medium makes the mediums more effective.
24

Impacto de la Data Warehouse e Inteligencia de Negocios en el Desempeño de las Empresas: Investigación Empírica en Perú, como País en Vías de Desarrollo

Gonzales López, Rolando Alberto 05 October 2012 (has links)
Es va realitzar una investigació amb la finalitat d'estimar l'impacte que tenen la Data Warehouse (DW) i la Intel•ligència de Negocis (BI) en l'acompliment de les empreses en un país en vies de desenvolupament. Es van establir les preguntes d'investigació i es van utilitzar dos models per resoldre aquestes. El primer un model Qualitatiu Explorador, mitjançant entrevistes semi-estructurades, i el segon un model Quantitativa, mitjançant qüestionaris. El model Qualitatiu Explorador va utilitzar 23 entrevistes en 16 empreses de diversos segments de negocis, que utilitzen la DW i BI. Es van entrevistar Gerents d'Intel•ligència de Negocis d'empreses que desenvolupen el sistema de DW i BI, després a Gerents de DW i BI d'empreses que utilitzen el sistema ja usuaris directes del sistema de DW i BI. Es van gravar totes les entrevistes, després van ser transcrites i codificades, de manera obtenir la informació més important. D'aquesta manera es van establir quines eren les variables més rellevants i els seus components en el cas de la DW i BI, i es va obtenir addicionalment informació molt rellevant. El model Quantitatiu utilitzar 110 qüestionaris de 13 empreses de diversos segments de negocis que utilitzen la DW i BI. Es va utilitzar el model de l'èxit de IS de DeLone i McLean de 2003, amb les variables verificades en l'estudi qualitatiu. Aquest té els constructes independents, Qualitat de la Informació, Qualitat del Sistema i Qualitat del Servei. Després els constructes mediadors, Ús del Sistema i satisfacció de l’usuari, i finalment el constructe dependent, l'Impacte Individual. Com s'indica el constructe dependent, la unitat d'anàlisi va ser l'usuari individual, atès el nombre limitat d'empreses que fan servir el sistema de DW i BI, la qual cosa no permetia treballar amb les empreses com a unitat d'anàlisi. Per a la resolució del model es van utilitzar les Equacions Estructurals, les quals són una eina d'anàlisi multivariable d'última generació que permet treballar amb diversos ítems per a cada constructe i solucionar el model amb tots els constructes alhora. D'aquesta manera es van establir les variables o constructes més rellevants, per grau d'importància, i els seus components, i després es va determinar la significació de cada un d'ells, responent d'aquesta manera les preguntes de recerca i confirmant les hipòtesis més rellevants de l'estudi quantitatiu . Es va determinar addicionalment aspectes com l'ús que li donen les empreses a la Intel•ligència de Negocis. Es va aconseguir explicar àmpliament al constructe dependent, l'Impacte Individual, i es va determinar també un constructe que no va funcionar bé en el model, l'Ús del Sistema. Es van establir igualment les limitacions de l'estudi i es van donar les recomanacions per a estudis futurs, de manera d'aprofitar el trobat en aquest estudi. / Se realizó una investigación con la finalidad de estimar el impacto que tienen la Data Warehouse (DW) y la Inteligencia de Negocios (BI) en el desempeño de las empresas en un país en vías de desarrollo. Se establecieron las preguntas de investigación y se utilizaron dos modelos para resolver las mismas. El primero un modelo Cualitativo Exploratorio, mediante entrevistas semi-estructuradas, y el segundo un modelo Cuantitativo, mediante cuestionarios. El modelo Cualitativo Exploratorio utilizó 23 entrevistas en 16 empresas de diversos segmentos de negocios, que utilizan la DW y BI. Se entrevistaron a Gerentes de Inteligencia de Negocios de empresas que desarrollan el sistema de DW y BI, luego a Gerentes de DW y BI de empresas que utilizan el sistema y a usuarios directos del sistema de DW y BI. Se grabaron todas las entrevistas, luego fueron transcritas y codificadas, de manera obtener la información más importante. De esta manera se establecieron cuales eran las variables más relevantes y sus componentes en el caso de la DW y BI, y se obtuvo adicionalmente información muy relevante. El modelo Cuantitativo utilizó 110 cuestionarios de 13 empresas de diversos segmentos de negocios que utilizan la DW y BI. Se utilizó el modelo del éxito de IS de DeLone y McLean de 2003, con las variables verificadas en el estudio cualitativo. Éste tiene los constructos independientes, Calidad de la Información, Calidad del Sistema y Calidad del Servicio. Luego los constructos mediadores, Uso del Sistema y Satisfacción del Usuario, y finalmente el constructo dependiente, el Impacto Individual. Como se indica el constructo dependiente, la unidad de análisis fue el usuario individual, dado el número limitado de empresas que usan el sistema de DW y BI, lo cual no permitía trabajar con las empresas como unidad de análisis. Para la resolución del modelo se utilizaron las Ecuaciones Estructurales, las cuales son una herramienta de análisis multivariable de última generación que permite trabajar con varios ítems para cada constructo y solucionar el modelo con todos los constructos a la vez. De esta manera se establecieron las variables o constructos más relevantes, por grado de importancia, y sus componentes, y luego se determino la significancia de cada uno de ellos, respondiéndose de esta manera las preguntas de investigación y confirmándose las hipótesis más relevantes del estudio cuantitativo. Se determinó adicionalmente aspectos como el uso que le dan las empresas a la Inteligencia de Negocios. Se logró explicar ampliamente al constructo dependiente, el Impacto Individual, y se determinó también un constructo que no funcionó bien en el modelo, el Uso del Sistema. Se establecieron igualmente las limitaciones del estudio y se dieron las recomendaciones para estudios futuros, de manera de aprovechar lo encontrado en el presente estudio. / The research was made with the purpose of assess the impact that the Data Warehouse (DW) and Business Intelligence (BI) have on the business performance of enterprises in a developing country. Two research questions were established, and two models were used to answer them. The first was a Qualitative exploratory model, using semi- structured interviews, and the second was a Quantitative model, using questionnaires. The Qualitative Exploratory model utilized 23 interviews in 16 enterprises of several business sectors that utilize de DW and BI. Managers of BI of companies that develop systems of DW and BI were interviewed, then managers of DW and BI of companies that use the system, and finally, users of the systems of DW and BI. The interviews were digitally recorded, and then transcribed and coded for analysis. In this way, the main variables and their components that impact in the DW and BI were established, and some complementary information was obtained. The Quantitative model used 110 questionnaires of 13 companies of different business sectors that utilize the DW and BI. The DeLone and McLean model of 2003 with constructs verified in the qualitative model. The model has three independent constructs, Information Quality, System Quality and Service Quality. Then two mediated constructs, Use of the system and User Satisfaction, and finally, the Dependent construct, the Individual Impact. As indicated in the dependent construct, the individual user was the unit of analysis, because of the limited number of enterprises that utilize the system of DW and BI. To solve the quantitative model, structural equations were used, which are tools of multivariate analysis that permit to work with several items per construct and solve the model with all constructs at the same time. In this way, using both models the more relevant constructs and their components were established, determining their importance and significance, and both research questions were answered, and the main hypothesis were confirmed. The dependent construct, the Individual Impact, was well explained, and one construct, the Use of the system, did not work at all. Besides that, some additional information of the DW and BI was gotten, as the specific use of BI that the companies realized. Finally, the limitations and recommendations of the study were presented in order to help to futures studies of DW and BI.
25

An Analysis of Workplace Training in Canada: Evidence from WES

Wang, Ying January 2012 (has links)
With fast development of technology and globalization competition, firms today are in a changing environment. Skills obsolete quickly. To prevent the skill shortage, training has been given more and more attention. However, current literature has some gaps in examining the training determinants. This thesis use the Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) data (1999 - 2005) to conduct research on the determinants of provision of training and training selection in Canada. The workplace data is a longitudinal panel data of seven waves while the employee data is linked to employer at the micro level. Training is first explored on the workplace panel data to capture the workplace determinants that decide training incidence and intensity. Then with these workplace determinants included, provided that different company train differently in regard of training incidence, employee’s participation in training is investigated on the linked data. Heckman Two-step selection model is adopted to correct the selection bias which has not been properly addressed in most of the studies. With the analysis results, determinants of training are identified. Profit, non-wage benefit and payroll are alternatives to training regardless of firm size. Firms train less if they are experiencing high turnover rate while more training will be provided if firms have larger proportion of professional and technical workers or undergo some organizational change. Employees with longer tenure, married people and female employees are the group of employees that have disadvantage in training. Classroom training is more sensitive for immigrants and temporary workers. The negative effects are greater for classroom training than on-the-job training when those two variables are presented. Collective bargaining agreements only guarantee a large proportion of employees having the training opportunity while training intensity cannot be promised. In fact, small firms reduce their training expenditure while large firms increase investment in training when they are unionized.Several implications are also mentioned.
26

Myopic Policies for Inventory Control

Çetinkaya, Sila 06 1900 (has links)
<p>In this thesis we study a typical retailer's problem characterized by a slngle item, periodic review of inventory levels in a multi-period setting: and stochastic demands. We consider the case of full backlogging where backorders are penalized via fixed and proportional backorder costs simultaneously. This treatment of backorder costs is a nonstandard aspect of our study. The discussion begins with an introduction in Chapter 1. Next, a review of the relevant literature is provided in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3 we study the infinite horizon case which is of both theoretical and practical interest. From a theoretical point of view tile infinite horizon solution represents the limiting behavior of the finite horizon case. Solving the infinite horizon problem has also its own practical benefits since its solution is easier to compute. Our motivation to study the infinite horizon case in the first place is pragmatic. We prove that a myopic base-stock policy is optimal for the infinite horizon case, and this result provides a basis for our study. We show that the optimal myopic policy can be computed easily for the Erlang demand in Chapter 4; solve a disposal problem which arises under the myopic policy in Chapter 5, and also study in Chapters 6 and 7 the finite horizon problem for which a myopic policy is not optimal. For the finite horizon problem computation of the exact policy may require a substantial effort. From a computational point of view, there is a need for developing a method that overcomes this burden. In Chapter 6 we develop a model for such a method by restricting our attention to the class of myopic base-stock policies, and call the resulting policy the 'best myopic' policy. We discuss analytical and numerical results for the computation of the best myopic policy in Chapter 7. Finally we present a summary of our main findings in Chapter 8.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
27

Stochastic optimization models for service and manufacturing industry

Denton, Brian T. 05 1900 (has links)
<p>We explore two novel applications of stochastic optimization inspired by real-world problems. The first application involves the optimization of appointments-based service systems. The problem here is to determine an optimal schedule of start times for jobs that have random durations, and a range of potential cost structures based on common performance metrics such as customer waiting and server idling . We show that the problem can be formulated as a two-stage stochastic linear program and develop an algorithm that utilizes the problem structure to obtain a near-optimal solution. Various aspects of the problem are considered, including the effects of job sequence, dependence on cost parameters, and job duration distributions. A range of numerical experiments is provided and some resulting insights are summarized. Some simple heuristics are proposed, based on relaxations of the problem, and evidence of their effectiveness is provided. The second application relates to inventory deployment at an integrated steel manufacturer (ISM). The models presented in this case were developed for making inventory design-choice (what to carry) and lot-size (how much to carry) decisions. They were developed by working with managers from several different functional areas at a particular ISM. They are, however, applicable to other ISMs and to other continuous-process industries with similar architectures. We discuss details of the practical implementation of the models, the structure of the problems, and algorithms and heuristics for solving them. Numerical experiments illustrate the accuracy of the heuristics, and examples based on empirical data from an ISM show the advantages of using such models in practice and suggest some managerial insights.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
28

Bi-Axial Testing of Zinc and Zinc Alloy Sheets under Superimposed Hydrostatic Pressures

Sandhu, Harjeet S. 07 1900 (has links)
<p>The effects of pressurization on the properties of metals has long been of interest to scientists. Bridgman found that in general, the ductility (ability of the metal to deform without fracture) increased with superimposed hydrostatic pressure. Pugh et al. confirmed similar findings.</p> <p>The effects of hydrostatistic pressure on the mechanical properties of thin anisotropic zinc, heat treated and non heat treated zinc alloy sheets subjected to biaxial tension (via the circular bulge test) is investigated in this project.</p> <p>A brief look is taken into the generalized conditions for the onset of tensile plastic instability in a thin circular diaphragm bulged under superimposed hydrostatic pressure. The material is assumed to obey Hill's theory of yielding for anisotropic materials. These predictions are verified by conducting bulge tests using back pressures up to 10,000 psi. It is concluded that within the pressure range of investigation there is no detectable changes in the properties of the materials tested.</p> <p>In the appendix section a brief look is taken into the microstructure of the materials tested.</p> / Master of Engineering (ME)
29

Development of Harmonic Excitation technique for Machine Tool stability analysis

Lau, King-Chun Michael 08 1900 (has links)
<p>The project described in this thesis was to establish the instrumentation and technique for analysing stability of machine-tools against chatter by harmonic excitation. To test out the technique, two sets of experiments were performed on centre lathes:</p> <p>1) comparison of cutting stability with tour different types of boring bars, and</p> <p>2) comparison of cutting stability of a tool oriented in seven orientations in a single plane perpendicular to the spindle axis.</p> <p>The electro-dynamic exciter was used in 1) while an electro-magnetic exciter was used in 2) Data of the excitation tests were used to compute and plot the cross-receptances which indicate the limit width of cut together with the chatter frequency and the modal shapes which identify the main masses and springs of the structure. The contribution of the individual modes to the resulting degree of stability can also be obtained. Cutting tests were conducted to provide some means of checking the reliability of the excitation test results. In this report also included are the theory of vibration, theory of chatter and specification of various parts of instrumentation.</p> / Master of Engineering (ME)
30

Agent based buddy finding methodology for knowledge sharing

Li, Xiaoqing 07 1900 (has links)
<p>The Internet provides opportunity for knowledge sharing among people with similar interests (i.e., buddies). Common methods available for people to identify buddies for knowledge sharing include emails, mailing lists, chat rooms, electronic bulletin boards, and newsgroups. However, these manual buddy finding methods are time consuming and inefficient. In this thesis, we propose an agent-based buddy finding methodology based on a combination of case-based reasoning methodology and fuzzy logic technique. We performed two experiments to assess the effectiveness of our proposed methodology. The first experiment was comprised of a stock market portfolio knowledge sharing environment in which a conventional cluster analysis was used as a benchmark to assess the technical goodness of the proposed methodology in identifying the clusters of buddies. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant ranking difference between conventional cluster analysis and the proposed buddy-finding methodology in identifying buddies. Cluster analysis requires centralized database to form buddies (clusters) with similar properties. The unique advantage of our proposed agent-based buddy finding methodology is that it can identify similar buddies in distributed as well as centralized database environments. A second experiment, in the context of sharing musical-knowledge among human subjects, was used to find out whether selection of the buddies by the proposed methodology is as good as those done by human subjects. The findings from this latter empirical test showed that the buddies found by agents are as good as the buddies found manually by humans.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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