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The goal of this paper is to develop an interactive training system. Although the system developed was used to train tank gunners, the system concepts are generic in that they can be applied to many training scenarios. Applications of computer-based training systems are briefly discussed. The system concepts are defined and hardware and software subsystems are outlined. An architectural overview will precede a detailed discussion of subsystems.

Advances in simulation methodology, and the computer support systems to implement these methodologies, have led to the development of integrated simulation support environments. These environments, or collection of software tools, seek to aid the analyst in developing models, data management and analysis, and data presentation. While an integrated simulation environment provides a more organized structure for managing and performing simulation projects, and provides a database management structure for storing, manipulating, and analyzing data, they do not address the actual process of going out and obtaining the data. As a result, many of the common problems associated with poor problem and system definition, and low quality model input data, may still occur. To solve this problem, this study examines the concept of development a "support-support" system; a portable microcomputer with software tools designed to support collection of the data, both subjective and objective, required in a simulation study. This data can then be ported into the integrated support system for analysis and model development. In developing this concept, the simulation process is better defined using structured analysis diagrams. Based on this analysis the functions that a support-support system could best accomplish are identified and a conceptual specification developed. An implementation strategy is proposed which is based on the use of readily available software tools, such as BASIC. To demonstrate how this strategy can be implemented, a BASICA program was developed to support model input data collection. Using a graphic display to define input data requirements and single key inputs, this program should maximize the time an analyst can spend observing the system and minimize the time he/she has to spend entering data.

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This dissertation reports on a initial assessment of Anderson’s Reward/Measurement (R/M) Model of organizational buying behavior. The R/M Model rests on the fundamental proposition that individuals’ organizational buying behavior is determined largely by the reward and measurement system which exists in the organization. This research is a test of the model’s major assertion: the behavior of organizational buying process participants is determined to a substantial degree by their corresponding reward/measurement systems. The research was conducted in three phases. Phase one was the development of an instrument to operationalize the experimental design. A buying game booklet incorporating a descriptive purchasing scenario with hypothetical vendors and five buying tasks was used. Respondents were allocated rewards (in the form of points) based on their vendor choice in each trial within each buying task. Phase two consisted of a pilot test of the experiment using students as subjects. Phase three was the conduct of the experiment using industrial buyers as subjects. The experimental procedure consisted of a two-group, two factor mixed design, with repeated measures on one factor. The independent variable was the consistency or inconsistency between the stated organizational purchasing objectives, and the objectives for which rewards were given. The dependent variables were vendor choice (measured by subjects’s responses to a forced-choice question), and subjects’ vendor preferences and behavioral intentions (assessed by responses on seven-point semantic differential rating scales). Statistical techniques used to analyze the data included: (1) chi-square analyses, (2) analysis of variance tests, (3) Tukey’s multiple comparison tests, (4) inter-item correlation matrices, and (5) Cronbach’s alpha tests. Generally, the hypotheses and consequently the R/M Model’s major assertion were supported by the results of the data analyses. Specifically, the research revealed that subjects: (1) preferred vendors which allowed them to achieve organizationally-mediated rewards, (2) intended to select vendors which would allow them to achieve organizationally-mediated rewards, and (3) for the most part, chose vendors which allowed them to achieve organizationally-mediated rewards. The dissertation concludes by discussing contributions and implications for both the theorist and the practitioner. In addition, limitations of the study are cited and suggestions for future research are proposed. / Ph. D.

The process analysis approach was chosen for modeling the joint product nature of timber supply. Considerable emphasis was placed upon defining model components that would be required for developing a positivistic model of timber supply. An empirical application of the proposed linear programming model to Eastern Virginia simulated the impacts of increased fuelwood prices on the timber market system in 1976. The empirical application of the model indicated an ability to simulate many of the complex market interactions inherent in timber supply. Fuelwood was found to act as both a production complement and a production competitor with the conventional forest products, depending upon the range of prices analyzed. Fuelwood price was also found to act as a demand shifter for roundwood outputs of the forest. / Ph. D.

A financial analysis was developed and adapted to a forest products firm’s timber harvest scheduling model in an attempt to increase its net present value of harvest returns, using alternative harvest criteria. The firm’s original harvest scheduling model was used as a control model for the study. A net present value financial analysis was developed for this model that represented the firm’s current financial management and taxation policies. A second model was developed that utilized the same model structure and solution technique, but a different harvest criterion consistent wit the simple financial maturity concept. A third model was also developed that utilized the same financial maturity harvest criterion, while simultaneously considering intermediate harvests in the form of one commercial thinning over the life of a stand. A series of eight management alternatives representing different combinations of allowable cut levels and harvest flow constraints was developed and tested using each of the scheduling models. The use of the second and third scheduling models resulted in an increase in net present value of harvest returns over a fixed planning horizon for each management alternative considered. In addition, the use of these two models eliminated any severe depletion of economically mature timer inventories, while maintaining a sustained flow of harvests. Thus, by using a marginal value approach to the scheduling of timber harvests, the firm’s timber capital was used more efficiently in comparison to its original harvest criterion. / M. S.