Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.A.)--Villanova University, 2009. / Political Science Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-91). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. / Committee Chair: Sholl, David; Committee Member: Agrawal, Pradeep; Committee Member: Alamgir, Faisal; Committee Member: Fuller, Tom; Committee Member: Jones, Christopher. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

<p> The purpose of this grounded theory study is to identify teacher factors that affect student performance on computerized exams such as teacher beliefs, professional development, and school resources. Additionally, the researcher seeks to identify student factors that can have an impact on student performance such as student demographics and the socioeconomic status of students. </p><p> To analyze and describe any differences in teacher beliefs between two schools, the researcher compared teacher training, administrative support, and teacher comfort with technology as it related to the technology acceptance model (TAM). The question that the researcher hopes to answer, which is a guiding question for this research is: </p><p> What factors influence student preparedness for computerized assessments? </p><p> The researcher attempts to answer this question by conducting surveys and interviewing teachers. The researcher codes and then analyzes the quantitative data using IBM&rsquo;s Statistical Package for Research Software Program (SPSS) and codes the qualitative data using NVivo, a data analysis tool, to determine common themes about beliefs about technology. Major sections covered in this document include an introduction, review of the literature, methodology, results, and discussion. </p><p>

D.Comm. / The marketing concept has been widely accepted as the most important component of marketing academia and practice since the 1950s. Over the decades the marketing concept has grown in stature - from being described as the old marketing concept to the new marketing concept. This was an evolutionary process that catapulted the marketing concept to a philosophy of conducting business that is considered the central tenet of a successful organization. The customer became the dead-end of all corporate efforts. However, the elevation of the marketing concept to the position of such unprecedented importance, and the articulation of market orientation as the implementation construct of the marketing concept represented the genesis of modern marketing and paved the way for generations of practitioners, consultants, and academic researchers. Most academic researchers cast doubt on the veracity of the concept among other issues and the marketing concept’s application and applicable areas became sticking points of argument. Despite much research undertaken, albeit mostly in the Western world, the marketing concept’s acceptance in the ICT sector in South Africa is a case in point. The purpose of the study was to test the adoption and implementation of the marketing concept in the ICT sector in South Africa, as envisaged in literature. The major elements of the study were to find the extent of the chosen respondents’ agreements in terms of the 39 questions in a questionnaire that represented the six pillars of the 21st century marketing concept, as defined in this study. Thereafter, the other sections of the questionnaire detailed the practical adoption and implementation of the marketing concept. The last section required of respondents to rank the six pillars of the marketing concept in terms of importance, the purpose being to lay a foundation for developing a framework that would be used for adoption and implementation of the marketing concept in the ICT sector. The major findings indicated that the ICT sector has accepted the marketing concept to an extent and that there are no differences in acceptance between the major subgroups, i.e. (i) services and manufacturing organizations and (ii) subsidiaries of international organizations and local South African organizations. The results show startling revelations about the ICT sector’s management philosophy. A framework for the adoption and implementation of the marketing concept in the ICT sector in South Africa was developed.

This thesis describes the conditions that influence technology acquisition when an industry partner is involved. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge regarding the conditions that affect effective acquisition of technology by collaboration by identifying and describing the relationship between the following variables: key activities and influential factors. The results are drawn from the analysis of eleven case studies involving experiences from different industries including chemicals, oil and gas and biofuels. The research adopts the perspective of an acquiring firm, which is interested in incorporating a new technology into its operations in order to meet a particular business need. Such a business need can be, for example, entering into a new market, meeting key customer requirements or improving operational efficiency. The results indicate that technology acquisition involving an industry partner can be described as a six-stage process where the acquiring firm may or may not get involved in the development of the technology concept. During the process a number of factors can influence the acquisition and implementation of the technology in the acquiring firm’s operations. These factors can be divided into six categories: business alignment, structural match, development management, technology uncertainty, implementation opportunity and contextual factors. The results also suggest that effective acquisition of technology by means of collaboration is achieved by the combination of three conditions: effective partnership management, effective execution of the co-development project and effective transference of the technology to the recipient system in the acquiring firm. The research provides relevant implications for theory and practice. On the one hand, technology acquisition by means of collaboration has been marginally addressed in technology management literature; extant literature has given more attention to organisational modes to acquire technology by collaboration rather than increasing our understanding of the dynamics of technology partnerships. On the other hand, the outcomes offer practitioners an account of the key factors and activities in technology acquisition projects involving an industry partner. These insights are key to systematically managing collaborative projects aimed at acquiring new technologies.

Magister Scientiae Dentium - MSc(Dent) / The aim of the study was to assess the dimensional accuracy of Gypsum models following chemical disinfection of the impressions and to compare it with the accuracy of gypsum models exposed to microwave irradiation disinfection. Results indicated that the dimensional accuracy of the gypsum models disinfected in a microwave oven did not differ significantly from models in the control group. Except for models produced from SS white (SS White group, England) impressions where models irradiated in microwave exhibit significant improvement in the dimensional accuracy when compared with control group. / South Africa

Submitted in fulfillment for the requirements of the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Didactics in the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, 1997. / Due to a rather weak performance of the economy and rising unemployment in South Africa a serious need of upgrading the South African education system was deemed necessary. The introduction of technology education into the genera! school curriculum was considered to be a possible means of improving the content and developing skills required by industry. As technology education is project driven, this study set about the investigation of identifiable criteria which may be applied by teachers to the selection of suitable projects in technology education courses. These criteria were considered to be essential to ensure equality between urban, rural and culturally diversified learners with special emphasis on previously disadvantaged pupils in a post-apartheid educational system. This study is concluded with a check-list (table 34) consisting of five main criteria and twenty sub-criteria for teachers to apply when making choices of technology projects based upon sound didactic principles. Chapter one orientates the reader into the background of the study, the problems and hypotheses. Chapter two provides a detailed empirical overview of five main criteria: SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND, DEVELOPMENTAL LEVEL, PROBLEM SOLVING, MOTIVATION and MEANINGFUL TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE These criteria were derived from a literary study of didactic sources which provided a sound basis for their foundation. Chapter 3 investigates the possibility of using the principles of general and strategic management planning to facilitate a technology education programme and project theme. There is also an overview of the methodology required for the lorry project tested in this study and the conditions at the pilot schools. Chapter 4 provides the quantrtative results gathered via a questionnaire to 380 pupils (205 pupils from "disadvantaged" urban schools and 175 pupils from "disadvantaged" rural schools) at the eight pilot schools described by this study. There is also an overview of the findings related to these results presented in tabular form. Chapter 5 analyses the findings presented in chapter 4 and forms the qualitative results of the study. The reader is directed specifically to the detailed criteria (classified as sub-criteria which support the five main criteria) required by technology education teachers when projects are to be selected. Chapter 6 concludes the study with logical conclusions, guidelines and recommendations to teachers, education planners, curriculum developers and administrators who are the agents to promote educational change in Kwazulu Natal. A check-list with a simple yes/no response (table 34) is presented for the convenience and application by teachers when selecting technology education projects.

Smart rail guide is a collaboration between two students in the Development Engineering program and the company Flexlink. Flexlink is a company stationed in Gothenburg that manufactures flexible, modular conveyor belts and industrial automation equipment. Efficiency is important for today's industries, which means that space is optimized, e.g. by using the same conveyor belt for several different products with different sizes and transporting products high up in the ceiling. To ensure that the products are secured and don’t risk falling off the conveyor belts, which is a safety risk both for the staff but also for the products themselves, railings are used. In the productions where you use the same conveyor belt for several products, you need to have railings that are adjustable. Flexlink currently manufactures a rail guide that is used to adjust the railings on the side of the conveyor belts. The project's goal is to create a new rail guide system that is easy to use, economically beneficial and more sustainable for the environment. A number of different analyzes were made to create a product that achieves these goals. A brainstorming was carried out and the proposals that were developed are ranked with the goals in focus. To make the product easier to use and economically favorable, it was decided to reduce the number of components. After all the analyzes and rankings of the concepts that were developed, a solution was chosen that the group further developed. This solution was developed from a sketch to a CAD model and then to a physical prototype. The solution consists of a limited number of components and with materials that are reusable and good for the environment. For the solution to be implementable, some further development is required, but it is well on its way.