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An ethnography of patient and health care delivery systems : dialectics and (dis)continuityHeslop, Liza January 2001 (has links)
Abstract not available
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Internationalization as an entrepreneurial process.Chandra, Yanto, Marketing, Australian School of Business, UNSW January 2007 (has links)
Despite the substantial amount of work undertaken on internationalization to-date, most has placed little emphasis on the temporal processes and dynamics of internationalization in shaping firm internationalization histories. This is reflected in several problem areas in theories and research regarding internationalization including accelerated internationalization, full and partial de-internationalization and use of multiple modes of entry at a point in time. This study addressed an important question: what factors and processes affect the way a firm???s pattern of internationalization changes over time? Although mainstream theories of internationalization and recent advances that link internationalization and entrepreneurship assume the importance of ???opportunity???, there is a paucity of research that that places ???opportunity??? as the core process in internationalization. By embracing time as a key dimension, this study reconceptualized internationalization as an entrepreneurial process: as the process of opportunity discovery, evaluation and exploitation in international markets. The research was undertaken in two phases. Phase 1 included a literature review covering the internationalization and entrepreneurship research streams. The discovery-evaluation-exploitation framework from entrepreneurship was used to identify relevant factors and explore eight case studies. By drawing on results from the exploratory research, an initial conceptual model and a set of propositions were developed. In Phase 2, fifteen case studies were theoretically sampled from a pool of small and medium enterprises from the knowledge and non-knowledge based industries in Australia. The data collection and analysis followed a process, event-driven approach to case study research involving the mapping of key sequences of events as well as within and cross case analysis. The results clarified the nature and pattern of opportunity discovery, evaluation and exploitation, and a number of factors that influence this process: the role of prior knowledge, network ties, serendipity, absorptive capacity, bricolage, the nature of uncertainty, feedback mechanisms and effectual versus causal reasoning. The findings also suggest the evolutionary process of firm development and internationalization and show that born globals may be a classification error. The results indicate that full and partial de-internationalization as well as the use of multiple modes of entry are influenced by the interconnectedness of opportunities across the founding, domestic and international context over time; the role of Knightian uncertainty which can push or pull the patterns in many directions and how firms rely on effectual reasoning. The results provide a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of internationalization. The academic contributions of this thesis include the extension of Jones and Coviello???s (2005) model and previous models by developing a dynamic, process model of internationalization that is capable of addressing the temporal and dynamic gaps in internationalization; the integration and reconciliation of extant theories of internationalization by understanding the role of mode of reasoning; and the establishment of ???opportunity-firm??? nexus as a suitable unit of analysis in internationalization and international entrepreneurship research. Finally, the managerial contributions include guidance for firms and entrepreneurs in terms of dealing with uncertainty and complexity in international markets using the appropriate mode of reasoning (i.e. effectual, non-predictive approach vs. causal, predictive approach) in the right context and circumstances.
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Changes to Malay village home gardens in the Kinta district of West MalaysiaBarter, Paul Alexander. January 1991 (has links) (PDF)
Bibliography: leaves 94-98
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The US Department of Defense Environmental Assessment and Management (TEAM) Guide : critical review and case studyHepler, Jeffrey A. 14 September 2001 (has links)
In 1994, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) implemented a new audit tool
developed by the US Department of Defense (DOD) called "The Environmental
Assessment and Management Guide" (TEAM Guide). The TEAM Guide uses an
extensive menu of checklists to determine compliance. In November 1994, the
USACE Portland District conducted a TEAM audit of the North Pacific Division
Laboratory in Troutdale, Oregon. The results showed serious deficiencies in
environmental management and compliance that ultimately contributed to closure
of the facility. Opportunities to improve the TEAM Audit process were identified
and included the following:
1. Ensure that each facility develops an Environmental Management Plan using
either ISO 14001 or the Global Reporting Initiative Environmental Standards
2. Utilize professionally-trained and independent auditors to examine
Environmental Management Plans prior to conducting additional TEAM Audits
3. Change TEAM Audit intervals from 5-years to 3-years to increase facility
oversight and be in agreement with audit intervals used by other DOD agencies
4. Continue to document "Findings" by using severity levels, photographs, and
suggested corrective actions in TEAM Audit reports
5. Report environmental management and compliance audit results directly to
senior management and hold managers accountable for corrective actions
6. Involve labor representatives on audits; use them to develop appropriate
corrective actions; communicate to all employees the program's value. / Graduation date: 2002
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A case study of organizational culture in a sawmillChaney, Brian K. 06 August 2001 (has links)
The purpose of this study was to describe the level to which a target work culture
based on core organizational values was shared in one lumber manufacturing plant. The
organization under study perceived that their culture was a source of competitive
advantage and was key to their success in safety, product quality, and labor-relations.
The organization had actively managed their culture through operations management and
human resource policies. The study addressed three research questions (1) to what extent
were the core values of the organization shared, (2) were there any inconsistent values,
and (3) did organizational members perceive their culture as helping or hurting their
plant's performance outcomes. The study found eight of the nine values were shared
across the organization. The values of safety and customer satisfaction were strongly
shared. The value of environmental stewardship was not apparent in the organization.
The organization perceived that its culture helped the mill success in key performance
outcomes by promoting teamwork, participation, and communication. For the values of
communication, involvement, trust, and respect there were perceptions of inconsistency
between the target culture's definition of the value and its actual practice. The study
provides support that culture may have an influence on organizational effectiveness. / Graduation date: 2002
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InHERitance : the transmission of women's inalienable possessions, personal narrative and the mother-daughter bondAshley, Jessica 14 February 2003 (has links)
Two companion pieces, a video documentary and written analysis, provide the
text for this exploration of how women's life stories and the mother-daughter narrative
are preserved through the transmission of inherited objects. The video documentary
reveals the lives of six diverse women who each discuss the politics of receiving and
passing on family heirlooms, and inevitably share the stories their artifacts represent,
recalling details of their own lives and of their female ancestors. The written analysis,
focused in the three key areas of Stories, Objects and Inheritance, is inclusive of
research in reminiscence, oral history, storytelling by women of color, the mother-daughter
bond, consumer behavior and exchange, ethnography, anthropology of gift-giving,
and personal narrative by and about women. This project is informed from a
feminist worldview, drawing on socialist feminism's connection of capitalism and
material access to patriarchal domination of women.
The research reflects the power of the stories. Women's personal narratives
mirror the realities of their daily lives and exhibit a rich diversity of experience and
culture. Further, as women's reminiscence and storytelling become and active part of
a more inclusive historical archive, women of color's narrative and interpretive voices
are also validated. The power of objects is revealed as they are passed through
generational channel, gaining invaluable status and acting as an emblem of the
spiritual nature of a kin group. Finally, the power of inheriting an inalienable
possession is divulged, not just for one woman but also for her entire family system.
When a woman inherits an object, she embodies a symbolic status ascribed to her
simply by being a woman: keeper of the kin, guardian of the artifact, and guide in
preserving and passing on the rituals and stories of women who came before.
Inalienable possessions are bundled with personal biographies. Holding the artifact
and ensuring the "rules" of transmission (such as passing it along gender lines or
passing it on during a particular celebration or life transition) becomes more critical
than preventing the object from breaking or landing in the wrong hands. Inheritance of
an object is one sacred step in the family journey.
The stories recounted by six women in this research are not the stories of all
women, but speak to the politics and privileges of holding inalienable possessions that
have been present for women for generations. Their stories and the supporting
research move this niche of women's experiences from cupboards, basements, cedar
chests and journals to the archives of a truer American history. / Graduation date: 2004 / 1 videocassette (100 min.), available at the OSU Circulation Desk.
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Case study of the student-to-student interactions in an online course offered by a community college, and how the interactions impact learning communityCvetko, Marlene G. 15 October 2001 (has links)
This study was conducted to investigate the student-to-student
interactions that take place in an online community college course, and how
the interactions impact an online learning community.
The literature review revealed three related themes: (a) the impact of
the teaching/learning environment on student interaction, (b) barriers in the
online environment, and (c) peer collaboration in the online environment.
The case was selected using four selection criteria: (a) the class was
offered completely online (b) the instructor was experienced teaching online
classes, (c) computer technology was not the primary content of the course,
and (d) the level of interaction was sufficient to investigate student interaction.
Data were collected from public transcripts including bulletin board
forum postings, email, group papers, and interviews. Six of the 16 students
enrolled in the class and the instructor were interviewed.
In this case, the environment impacted the way students interacted,
collaborated, and socialized with peers. It changed the way participants
existed within the learning community and impacted how students interpreted
meaning and perceived time.
The study generated findings with implications for community college
instructors and participants of online learning communities. The online
environment may impact: (1) how conflict is handled, (2) the quality of
discussion among peers, (3) student involvement with peers, (4) the formation
of cohesive groups, (5) a student's ability to interpret the meaning of
comments made by others, (6) a student's expectations of the time needed to
complete tasks and respond to others, and (7) the ability to design a flexible
structure that encourages students to explore outside their comfort zone.
Additional research is warranted. It is recommended that future studies be
conducted to investigate how conflict, time, and collaboration impact an online
learning community. / Graduation date: 2002
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The heuristics college students use and the difficulties they encounter solving conditional probability problems : a case study analysisBamberger, Mary E. 08 June 2000 (has links)
The purpose of this descriptive case study analysis was to provide portraits of the heuristics students used and difficulties they encountered solving conditional probability problems prior to and after two-week instruction on sample space, probability, and conditional probability. Further analysis consisted of evaluating the data in relation to a previously designed Conditional Probability Framework for assessing students levels of thinking developed by Tarr and Jones (1997). Five volunteer participants from a contemporary college mathematics course participated in pre-and post-interviews of a Probability Knowledge Inventory. The Inventory consisted of seven tasks on sample space, probability, and conditional probability. The semi-structured interviews provided participants' explanations on the development of their solutions to the seven tasks.
Among the five participants, rationalizing, finding the odds, computing the percentages, and stating the ratio of a problem were the preferred heuristics used to solve the problems on the Probability Knowledge Inventory. After the two-week instruction, two of the four participants who did not previously use computation of probability to solve the problem changed their use of heuristics. The difficulties the students encountered prior to instruction included understanding the problem; recognizing the original sample space and when it changes; lacking probability vocabulary knowledge; comparing probability after the sample space changed; understanding the difference between probability and odds; and interchanging ratio, odds, and percentages-sometimes incorrectly-to justify their solution. After the two-week instruction, the students' difficulties diminished. Some improvements included a greater ability to understand the question of interest, to recognize the change in the sample space after a conditioning event, to use probability terminology consistently, and to compare probability after the sample space has changed.
Comparisons to the Probability Framework revealed that four of the five participants exemplified Level 3 thinking-being aware of the role that quantities play in forming conditional probability judgements. One participant exemplified a Level 4 thinking-being aware of the composition of the sample space, recognizing its importance in determining conditional probability and assigning numerical probabilities spontaneously and with explanation. / Graduation date: 2001
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Developing safety performance functions for 4-leg single-lane roundabouts based on Oregon data : a case studyZheng, Jianfei 13 December 2012 (has links)
Roundabouts have become an alternative for traditional intersections due to the safer operational performance. Previous research has provided crash modification factors (CMFs) as a criterion based on before-after studies as to evaluate the safety performance of roundabouts. One drawback of assessment based on crash modification factors, however, is that a before-after study includes too many variations at a time that it only provides a general idea of the safety performance for roundabouts.
Since the industrial world is interested in the safety outcome of converting traditional intersections to roundabouts, safety performance functions (SPFs) will provide more specific details on estimating crashes than that of crash modification factors.
This thesis will adopt a similar methodology that has been used in the current Highway Safety Manual (HSM) to develop safety performance functions for roundabouts based on Oregon data. The outcome of this thesis will help the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to evaluate existing roundabouts in the State of Oregon. Furthermore, this thesis will function as an additional case study from Oregon to contribute to the national effort of evaluating the safety performance of roundabouts. / Graduation date: 2013
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Straight-line Coverage in Wireless Sensor NetworksLee, Tzu-Chen 17 July 2006 (has links)
Wireless sensor networks provide an alternative way of improving our environments, such as environment surveillance, hazard monitoring, and other customized environment application, especially in military applications. Furthermore, the coverage issue in wireless sensor networks also plays an important role. Good coverage of a sensor network is an essential issue to ensure the quality of service.
This paper studies the barrier coverage problems of a sensor networks, and will find the optimized straight-line path for both best-case and worst-case coverage problems. The optimal algorithm we proposed has a quadratic time complexity and is based on computational geometry. We proposed the distance function theory and applied it in our problems and we used the sweep and divide concept to solve the problems. Furthermore, the correctness of the proposed method is validated and simulated by experiments.
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