Industrial furnace is very important production equipment for industrial enterprises. Its performance will directly affect the efficiency and effectiveness of enterprises in manufacturing industry, even change the competitive advantage of the organization. To achieve more high quality and synergy, there is a need to have an integrated industrial furnace system that may compose of industrial furnaces, network, computer automatic control, intelligent software, and decision support technical. The integrated industrial furnace system takes the place of the traditionally single and dummy industrial furnace gradually. The importance of the integrated industrial furnace system to the enterprise is increased dramatically. With the change of market focus from production-orientation to customer-orientation, more and more companies realize the importance of the strategy of market segment and position. ¡§The small market segment¡¨ and ¡§unease of standardization¡¨ (high customization) are major characteristics in the industrial furnace industry. Therefore, the market and position strategy is the critical successful factor for the furnace industry in addition to technical excellence. Taiwanese industrial furnace companies are becoming global business recently. This research will focus on exploring the market and position strategy of furnace industry from a global perspective. This research will combine qualitative and quantitative methods. First, we will adopt literature review, in-depth interview, and focus-group interview with suppliers, customers, scholars, market analysts, and economic officials to develop two measure instruments: the supplier strategy measure and customer preference and selection criterion measure. Second, we will survey via questionnaires, and test reliabilities and validities of the both measures conscientiously. Finally, we formally mail validated questionnaires to suppliers and customers in the industrial furnaces industry. Based on multivariate analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis, and multi-dimensional scaling, we will provide insights and suggestion about integrated industrial furnace system industry: 1.The strategy patterns of industrial furnace suppliers 2.The selection criterion of industrial furnace in a broad customer perspective 3.The grouping of customers and supplier in the integrated industrial furnace system industry. 4.The perceptual map of major suppliers in the integrated industrial furnace system industry 5.The strategy, market segment, and position current analysis and future suggestions

This study investigates expressions akin to ‘again’, which inhabit the semantic domain of repetition and restitution, from a cross-linguistic perspective. Using massively parallel corpora as the primary source of data the aim of this study is to investigate whether the encoding of repetitive and restitutive meaning is a cross-linguistically valid difference and if there are any patterns in the language specific variation of the repetitive and restitutive domain. By using Multi-Dimensional Scaling and Partitioning Around Medoids to investigate how the expressions ‘third time’, ‘second time’, ‘again’, ‘back’ and ‘return’ make up the semantic space of the domain, it was determined that the domain in question forms a continuum of meanings. This scale, named the TURN-hierarchy, is comprised of repetitive expressions like ‘third time’ to the far left, ambiguous expressions like ‘again’ in the intermediate section and restitutive expressions such as ‘return, back’ to the far right. Furthermore, the results show that repetitive and restitutive meaning is encoded differently in a majority of the sample languages, and that there is asymmetry in the encoding of repetition and restitution where repetitive meaning is privileged. Thus,it is proposed that all languages have at least one exclusively repetitive expression.

Groundwater analyses have revealed high concentrations of the toxic element arsenic around Stockholm and Mälardalen, a problem that often is linked to high levels of arsenic in the bedrock and which could be escalated by the many construction projects in the same region. However, it is unknown what part of the bedrock is causing the contamination. The aim of this thesis is to identify the chemical elements that associate with arsenic and study how the rock types differ in their content of elements and compounds. The highest median concentration of arsenic is found in quartz-feltspar-rich sedimentary rock, while intrusive rock types reveal the lowest levels. Using cluster analysis, arsenic is placed in a group including nine other elements, to which the strongest correlations are found with antimony, bismuth and silver. A moderate correlation with sulphur is also observed. The associations between groupings of elements are analysed using measures of dependence, which reveal relatively strong associations. Dimension reduction and ordination techniques provide further insight to the typical appearances of elements and reveal two groups of similar rock types.

No description available.

No description available.

We present a theory for constructing linear, black box approximations to face recognition algorithms and empirically demonstrate that a surprisingly diverse set of face recognition approaches can be approximated well using a linear model. The construction of the linear model to a face recognition algorithm involves embedding of a training set of face images constrained by the distances between them, as computed by the face recognition algorithm being approximated. We accomplish this embedding by iterative majorization, initialized by classical multi-dimensional scaling (MDS). We empirically demonstrate the adequacy of the linear model using six face recognition algorithms, spanning both template based and feature based approaches on standard face recognition benchmarks such as the Facial Recognition Technology (FERET) and Face Recognition Grand Challenge (FRGC) data sets. The experimental results show that the average Error in Modeling for six algorithms is 6.3% at 0.001 False Acceptance Rate (FAR), for FERET fafb probe set which contains maximum number of subjects among all the probe sets. We demonstrate the usefulness of the linear model for algorithm dependent indexing of face databases and find that it results in more than 20 times reduction in face comparisons for Bayesian Intra/Extra-class person classifier (BAY), Elastic Bunch Graph Matching algorithm (EBGM), and the commercial face recognition algorithms. We also propose a novel paradigm to reconstruct face templates from match scores using the linear model and use the reconstructed templates to explore the security breach in a face recognition system. We evaluate the proposed template reconstruction scheme using three, fundamentally different, face recognition algorithms: Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Bayesian Intra/Extra-class person classifier (BAY), and a feature based commercial algorithm. With an operational point set at 1% False Acceptance Rate (FAR) and 99% True Acceptance Rate (TAR) for 1196 enrollments (FERET gallery), we show that at most 600 attempts (score computations) are required to achieve 73%, 72% and 100% chance of breaking in as a randomly chosen target subject for the commercial, BAY and PCA based face recognition system, respectively. We also show that the proposed reconstruction scheme has 47% more probability of breaking in as a randomly chosen target subject for the commercial system as compared to a hill climbing approach with the same number of attempts.

Text in Afrikaans / Dit is belangrik vir bemarkingsorganisasies om die effek van bemarkingsaksies en meer spesifiek reklame te meet van wee eskalerende koste-oorwegings. Wat die rol van reklame in verbruikersgedrag betref, is die belewing van of houding-teenoor-reklame konsepte van sentrale be lang. Aangesien die term bel ewing meer beskrywend is oor die impak wat advertensies op verbruikers het word hierdie term algemeen gebruik. Hierdie studie ondersoek die konsep advertensiewaardering en ontleed die invloed daarvan op advertensiebelewing. Die kyker-responsprofiel soos deur Schlinger (1979) ontwikkel, word algemeen gebruik om televisiekykers se houding teenoor televisie-advertensies te meet. Hierdie studie poog om die toepaslikheid en geldigheid van die kyker-responsprofiel onder Suid-Afrikaanse televisiekykers te ondersoek. Die navorsingsmetode het uit twee fases bestaan. Die eerste fase was meer kwalitatief van aard, en ondersoek kykers se kognitiewe struktuur van houding teenoor televisie-advertensies. Die teoretiese uitgangspunt tydens hierdie fase is persoonlike-konstrukteorie. Repertoriumrooster onderhoude is met 50 volwasse televisiekykers (ouer as 16 jaar) uit verskillende taalgroepe gevoer. Daar is bevind dat kykers gemiddeld ses konstrukte gebruik ten einde die waarderingsvlak van advertensies te bepaal. 313 Konstrukte is in totaal deur die 50 respondente ontlok. Hierdie konstruke is deur individuele roosterontledings en ooreenkomsanalise tot 'n aantal konstrukgroepe gereduseer. Beskrywings van konstrukgroepe is aan die hand van n literatuurnavorsing gedoen. Die konstrukgroepe (tevredenheid, vermaaklikheid, interessantheid, sosialiteit, duidelikheid, realiteit, tempo en emosialiteit) toon 'n mate van ooreenstemming met die sewe Schlinger basisfaktore. Die onderliggende indiwiduele konstrukte wat vermaaklikheid, sosialiteit tempo en interessantheid beskryf, toon hoe korrelasies met waardering wat daarop dui dat waardering meer as net vermaaklikheid behels. Fase twee was meer kwantitatief van aard en het die ontleding van 382 kykerresponsprofiele behels. 'n Faktorontleding van die 32 Schlinger-items het sewe basisfaktore tot gevolg. Die eerste vyf faktore (vermaaklikheid, verwarring, relevante nuus, handelsmerkversterking en empatie) beskik oor soortgelyke faktorladings as faktorontledings wat in die V.S.A. gedoen is. Hierdie bevinding dui daarop dat die affektiewe belewingstruktuur van televisiekykers in Suid-Afrika grootliks dieselfde is as kykers in die Verenigde State. Die ander twee faktore (familiariteit en vervreemding) se ladings verskil van die in die Verenigde State maar hierdie verskille kan gegewe die aard van die advertensies ( bestaande en nuwe advertensiekonsepte) en die kruiskulturele aard van Suid-Afrikaanse kykers verklaar word. Die Schlingeritems is statisties beskryf en ontleed deur die rol wat die tipe advertensie (bestaande versus nuwe), produk-kategorie en kulturele teikenmark speel in waardering van advertensies te ondersoeK. Nuwe konsepte is geneig om meer vermaaklik en relevant te wees. Zulu, Sotho en Xhose kykers is geneig om advertensies as meer positief te beleef. Kosmetika en medisinale-, korporatiewe- en motoradvertensies is verder minder vermaaklik as voedsel en handelsadvertensies. Die Schlingeritems wat advertensiewaardering die beste beskryf en voorspel is bepaal deur bondelontledings en meerdimensionele verskaling. Daar is gevind dat waardering die mate waartoe 'n advertensie aan die vermaaklikheids, empatie en relevante nuus doelwitte voldoen sonder om verwarrend, vervreemdend of oorbekend te wees. Dit wil voorkom of daar twee dimensies bestaan wat die meeste variansie in Schlingeritems verklaar naamlik waardering (positief of negatief) en relevansie. Bondelontleding dui verder daarop dat 'n positiewe persepsie van 'n geadverteerde handelsmerk kykers ontvanklik maak om meer van 'n advertensie te hou of te waardeer. / It is important that, given escalating cost considerations, marketing organisations determine the effect that their marketing efforts have. With regard to the role of advertising m consumer behaviour, attitude towards commercials is of utmost importance. This study examined the liking of television advertisement concept and analyses the effect of this concept on attitude towards television advertising. The viewer response profile as developed by Schlinger (1979) is commonly used to evaluate viewer's attitude towards television commercials. This study attempted to investigate the applicability and validity of this instrument amongst South African television viewers. The study consisted of two phases. Phase one was more qualitative in nature and investigated the viewer's cognitive structure of attitude towards television commercials. The theoretical approach used during this phase was personal construct theory. It was found that viewers on average use six constructs to evaluate whether they like or dislike commercials. 313 Constructs were elicited and based on individual grid analyses and correspondence analysis a reduced number of construct groups was identified. These construct groups ( contentness, entertainment, interesting, sociality, clearness, reality, emotionality, and tempo) show a measure of similarity to the seven Schlinger factors or dimensions. The individual constructs, which make up entertainment, sociality, emotionality, tempo and interesting, show high levels of correlation with advertisement liking. This finding suggests that advertisement liking involve more than pure entertainment. Phase two was more quantitative and consisted of analysing 382 viewer response profiles. A factor analysis of the 32 items, which make up the viewer response profile, resulted in seven factors. The first five factors (entertainment, confusion, relevant news, brand reinforcement and empathy) show similar factor loading to factor analytical studies done in the United State of America. The other two factors (familiarity and alienation) show different loading to the United States of America study but these differences could be explained given the nature of commercials tested (existing commercials and new commercial concepts) and the cross cultural nature of South African viewers. The Schlinger items were analysed in greater detail by investigating the role which type of commercial (existing versus new), product category and cultural target market play in liking of commercials. New concepts are proven to be more entertaining, creative and relevant. Zulu and Sotho viewers are likely to be more positively disposed towards television commercials while cosmetic, medicine, corporate and motor vehicle commercials are less entertaining than food and commercial commercials. Those Schlinger items, which best describe and predict commercials liking were determined by using cluster and multi dimensional scaling techniques. It is apparent from this analysis that likability is the extent to which the objective of entertainment, empathy or relevant news is achieved without confusion, alienation or familiarity. Cluster analysis furthermore suggests that a positive perception of an advertised brand predispose viewers to higher levels of commercial liking. Multi dimensional scaling suggest two dimensions explaining most of the Schlinger factor variance namely liking (positive of negative) and relevance. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Com. (Bedryfsielkunde)

「奢侈平民化」帶動奢侈品牌年年高成長的業績，卻迫使品牌必須面對截然不同的消費者態度與品味。品牌欲持續保有強勢地位，必須了解奢侈在消費者心目中的意義以及消費者如何評估奢侈品牌。因此，本研究欲探討台灣精品消費者認知中構成品牌奢侈的因素，建構衡量品牌奢侈之量表，並以量表探討消費者購買經驗對奢侈認知之影響，及分析個別品牌的現況及優劣勢，研擬具體的競爭策略方向。 本研究選取五個奢侈品牌作為分析標的，進行實證研究，期望達到下列研究目的： (1)驗證品牌奢侈量表，建立評估奢侈品牌的管理工具； (2)探討不同奢侈品牌購買經驗之消費者對各品牌奢侈認知的差異性； (3)探討各奢侈品牌在消費者心目中的知覺定位，擬定未來的策略方向。 依本研究之目的，擬定研究架構及確立抽樣設計，並發放問卷收集消費者資訊。之後以二階驗證性因素分析檢驗品牌奢侈量表模式品質；再利用量表探討不同購買經驗對奢侈認知的影響；最後則以多元尺度分析進行知覺定位分析，經實證分析得到以下研究發現： (1)品牌奢侈包含知覺炫耀性、知覺獨特性、知覺品質、知覺享樂價值與知覺延伸自我等五個構面，其影響力依序排列為知覺享樂價值>知覺延伸自我>知覺獨特性>知覺炫耀性>知覺品質。 (2)台灣地區消費者於購買奢侈品牌之產品後，對品牌奢侈程度的認知無明顯地降低，對品牌的奢侈評價與無購買經驗者沒有顯著差異。 (3)各奢侈品牌的改善重點主要包括知覺品質、知覺享樂價值以及知覺獨特性等三項，其中知覺品質為市場最重要之關鍵因素。 根據實證分析之結果，衍生出許多的策略涵意，包括掌握關鍵因素、規劃競爭策略以及未來發展方向等，可以作為奢侈品牌改善或塑造奢侈形象及規劃策略方向的參考依據。 / “Luxury Democratization” brings great growth to the luxury goods market, but also forced these brands to confront consumers with different attitudes and tastes. As a result, it is critical for luxury brand managers to understand consumer’s perception of brand luxury in order to maintain the brands’ luxury image. This research focused on the confirmation of Brand Luxury Scale to understand Taiwanese cousumers’ perception of brand luxury. Based on the Scale, the influence of purchase experience to luxury perception was tested, and the competitive advantages of five luxury brands were analyzed. Competitive strategies of each brand were futher developed. Research was conducted by using five luxury brands and expected to achieve the following research purposes: (1)Confirm the Brand Luxury Scale to establish a managerial tool for brand luxuriousness evaluation; (2)Use the Brand Luxury Scale to evaluate the influence of purchase experience to luxury perception; (3)Use the Brand Luxury Scale to evaluate consumers’ perception of different brands, and seek to imply different competitive strategies for these brands base on the analysis. After the conduction of research framework, sampling design and data collection, Secondary Comfirmatory Factor Analysis was used to confirm the structure of Brand Luxury Scale. 1-Way ANOVA was used to test the influence of purchase experience to luxury perception. Finally, Multi-Dimensional Scaling Analysis was implied to analyze the perceptual position of each brand. The research findings are as below: (1)Brand Luxury is constructed by five dimensions: Perceived Conspicuousness, Perceived Uniqueness, Perceived Quality, Perceived Hedonic, and Perceived Extended-self. The order of dimensional influence is Perceived Hedonic> Perceived Extended -self> Perceived Uniqueness> Perceived Conspicuousness> Perceived Quality. (2)No difference in brand luxury perception between different purchasing experience consumers was found, showing that the perceptions of brand luxury of Taiwanese consumers’ remain unchanged after purchase. (3)Perceived Quality is the most important dimension of all, and the five luxury brands tested needs to improve in dimensions of Perceived Quality, Perceived Hedonic, and Perceived Uniqueness. According to the results, several managerial implications were derived, including key factors in marketing and competitive strategy of each brand. These strategies can be used in improving the performance of perceived luxuriousness of brand, enhancing brand luxury image, and planning the direction of luxury marketing and brand strategy.

Text in Afrikaans / Dit is belangrik vir bemarkingsorganisasies om die effek van bemarkingsaksies en meer spesifiek reklame te meet van wee eskalerende koste-oorwegings. Wat die rol van reklame in verbruikersgedrag betref, is die belewing van of houding-teenoor-reklame konsepte van sentrale be lang. Aangesien die term bel ewing meer beskrywend is oor die impak wat advertensies op verbruikers het word hierdie term algemeen gebruik. Hierdie studie ondersoek die konsep advertensiewaardering en ontleed die invloed daarvan op advertensiebelewing. Die kyker-responsprofiel soos deur Schlinger (1979) ontwikkel, word algemeen gebruik om televisiekykers se houding teenoor televisie-advertensies te meet. Hierdie studie poog om die toepaslikheid en geldigheid van die kyker-responsprofiel onder Suid-Afrikaanse televisiekykers te ondersoek. Die navorsingsmetode het uit twee fases bestaan. Die eerste fase was meer kwalitatief van aard, en ondersoek kykers se kognitiewe struktuur van houding teenoor televisie-advertensies. Die teoretiese uitgangspunt tydens hierdie fase is persoonlike-konstrukteorie. Repertoriumrooster onderhoude is met 50 volwasse televisiekykers (ouer as 16 jaar) uit verskillende taalgroepe gevoer. Daar is bevind dat kykers gemiddeld ses konstrukte gebruik ten einde die waarderingsvlak van advertensies te bepaal. 313 Konstrukte is in totaal deur die 50 respondente ontlok. Hierdie konstruke is deur individuele roosterontledings en ooreenkomsanalise tot 'n aantal konstrukgroepe gereduseer. Beskrywings van konstrukgroepe is aan die hand van n literatuurnavorsing gedoen. Die konstrukgroepe (tevredenheid, vermaaklikheid, interessantheid, sosialiteit, duidelikheid, realiteit, tempo en emosialiteit) toon 'n mate van ooreenstemming met die sewe Schlinger basisfaktore. Die onderliggende indiwiduele konstrukte wat vermaaklikheid, sosialiteit tempo en interessantheid beskryf, toon hoe korrelasies met waardering wat daarop dui dat waardering meer as net vermaaklikheid behels. Fase twee was meer kwantitatief van aard en het die ontleding van 382 kykerresponsprofiele behels. 'n Faktorontleding van die 32 Schlinger-items het sewe basisfaktore tot gevolg. Die eerste vyf faktore (vermaaklikheid, verwarring, relevante nuus, handelsmerkversterking en empatie) beskik oor soortgelyke faktorladings as faktorontledings wat in die V.S.A. gedoen is. Hierdie bevinding dui daarop dat die affektiewe belewingstruktuur van televisiekykers in Suid-Afrika grootliks dieselfde is as kykers in die Verenigde State. Die ander twee faktore (familiariteit en vervreemding) se ladings verskil van die in die Verenigde State maar hierdie verskille kan gegewe die aard van die advertensies ( bestaande en nuwe advertensiekonsepte) en die kruiskulturele aard van Suid-Afrikaanse kykers verklaar word. Die Schlingeritems is statisties beskryf en ontleed deur die rol wat die tipe advertensie (bestaande versus nuwe), produk-kategorie en kulturele teikenmark speel in waardering van advertensies te ondersoeK. Nuwe konsepte is geneig om meer vermaaklik en relevant te wees. Zulu, Sotho en Xhose kykers is geneig om advertensies as meer positief te beleef. Kosmetika en medisinale-, korporatiewe- en motoradvertensies is verder minder vermaaklik as voedsel en handelsadvertensies. Die Schlingeritems wat advertensiewaardering die beste beskryf en voorspel is bepaal deur bondelontledings en meerdimensionele verskaling. Daar is gevind dat waardering die mate waartoe 'n advertensie aan die vermaaklikheids, empatie en relevante nuus doelwitte voldoen sonder om verwarrend, vervreemdend of oorbekend te wees. Dit wil voorkom of daar twee dimensies bestaan wat die meeste variansie in Schlingeritems verklaar naamlik waardering (positief of negatief) en relevansie. Bondelontleding dui verder daarop dat 'n positiewe persepsie van 'n geadverteerde handelsmerk kykers ontvanklik maak om meer van 'n advertensie te hou of te waardeer. / It is important that, given escalating cost considerations, marketing organisations determine the effect that their marketing efforts have. With regard to the role of advertising m consumer behaviour, attitude towards commercials is of utmost importance. This study examined the liking of television advertisement concept and analyses the effect of this concept on attitude towards television advertising. The viewer response profile as developed by Schlinger (1979) is commonly used to evaluate viewer's attitude towards television commercials. This study attempted to investigate the applicability and validity of this instrument amongst South African television viewers. The study consisted of two phases. Phase one was more qualitative in nature and investigated the viewer's cognitive structure of attitude towards television commercials. The theoretical approach used during this phase was personal construct theory. It was found that viewers on average use six constructs to evaluate whether they like or dislike commercials. 313 Constructs were elicited and based on individual grid analyses and correspondence analysis a reduced number of construct groups was identified. These construct groups ( contentness, entertainment, interesting, sociality, clearness, reality, emotionality, and tempo) show a measure of similarity to the seven Schlinger factors or dimensions. The individual constructs, which make up entertainment, sociality, emotionality, tempo and interesting, show high levels of correlation with advertisement liking. This finding suggests that advertisement liking involve more than pure entertainment. Phase two was more quantitative and consisted of analysing 382 viewer response profiles. A factor analysis of the 32 items, which make up the viewer response profile, resulted in seven factors. The first five factors (entertainment, confusion, relevant news, brand reinforcement and empathy) show similar factor loading to factor analytical studies done in the United State of America. The other two factors (familiarity and alienation) show different loading to the United States of America study but these differences could be explained given the nature of commercials tested (existing commercials and new commercial concepts) and the cross cultural nature of South African viewers. The Schlinger items were analysed in greater detail by investigating the role which type of commercial (existing versus new), product category and cultural target market play in liking of commercials. New concepts are proven to be more entertaining, creative and relevant. Zulu and Sotho viewers are likely to be more positively disposed towards television commercials while cosmetic, medicine, corporate and motor vehicle commercials are less entertaining than food and commercial commercials. Those Schlinger items, which best describe and predict commercials liking were determined by using cluster and multi dimensional scaling techniques. It is apparent from this analysis that likability is the extent to which the objective of entertainment, empathy or relevant news is achieved without confusion, alienation or familiarity. Cluster analysis furthermore suggests that a positive perception of an advertised brand predispose viewers to higher levels of commercial liking. Multi dimensional scaling suggest two dimensions explaining most of the Schlinger factor variance namely liking (positive of negative) and relevance. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / D. Com. (Bedryfsielkunde)