Along with the rapid and continuing evolution of enterprise computerization, enterprise establishes Enterprise Information Portal (EIP) gradually. The function and property of EIP changing with complicated environment and technology. Thus, the way enterprise adopt and use the EIP will influence enterprise operating and users satisfaction of EIP and the faithfulness of appropriation of information system will influencing user satisfaction. The goal of this research is to find the significant factors that link between the user satisfaction of EIP and faithfulness of appropriation by using diamond model and contingency theory. We combine with three distinct factors of compatibility, including (1) Technology¡VTask Compatibility (2) Technology¡VPeople Compatibility (3) Technology¡VOrganization Compatibility, to build an integrated model. An empirical survey methodology is applied to test the research model and six hypotheses are developed in this study, and then we use PLS to analysis it. The results reveal that Technology¡VTask Compatibility contributes most to the use of EIP. It implies that EIP should fulfill the task needs of users to promote user satisfaction. Moreover, Technology¡VPeople Compatibility implies that it will enhance the user satisfaction if the EIP is more compatible with user past experience and value. We also found that as EIP is more compatible with enterprise needs of tasks, and people, and the way user use EIP is more faithful with the purpose of the designer will promote user satisfaction of EIP.

For many enterprises, brand extension has played an important role in the new products developement and brand strategy. By using brand extension, corporation could reduce costs and effectivly gain their reputation while they sell new products. Recently, certain reserch about brand extension have shown that the key factor of successful brand extension lies in the connection between consumer brand extension and parent brand, the more related of the brands and the products, the higher of the effect of brand extension. In addition, self-construals also make effects in understanding the effects of brand extensions. In this study, we form the concept from this base and would like to exam the further extension effect of brand concept and the distance of each case. Also, we would like to testify how would different self-construals of consumer products works while they evaluate the products and try to examine their influence to consumer through advertising techniques by the extension of self-construals and product reviews. In this study, we use really existed brand as our studing case ,"Nike", "Adidas" and "New balance". We would like to explore the different brand extension degree lie in several types of consumer self-construals from the case. In this study, based on attitude function theory, we form the questions toward advertising manipulation of different attitudes inoder to explore whether consumer self-construals affect cognition, and thus affect the extension of consumer product evaluation. The results indicate that, in general, different types of consumer self-construals for evaluation of the product from the extension make significant difference in distance extension products. When the parent brand as a functional brand concept, no matter the distance or distance extension products, self-construals on the extension of product evaluation is not significant. The study also find that different attitude affects advertising strategy for the consumer, and have no significant effects for self-construals. In addition, they can not affect the extension of product evaluation.

In terms of the ¡§basic principles¡¨ of the Free Independent Travelers program(FIT), we need to notice that it is the very first and fresh contact in the cross-straits with the friendliest cooperation. With the change that given by FIT to rebuild the mutual trust between two nations, instead of labeling the ¡§evil nature¡¨ on the people from mainland, the government should remove the discriminative norms and regulations from FIT immediately. In the perspectives of the Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of UN, the right for people to have the freedom of mobility should be safeguarded. Internally, the authority should be delegated to local governments to enhance the potential benefit from few private and affluent enterprises and Taiwan-based business in China to the local economy with a greater profit. From the aspect of ¡§organization,¡¨ shortening the administrative process is the priority to reduce unnecessary red tape. Ma¡¦s administration attempts to establish offices in different fields in the cross-straits by ¡§building blocks¡¨; however, a more ¡§comprehensive¡¨ service organization is more needed based due to the reality. If this kind of organization can be set up in the important cities in China, FIT applicants can apply the grogram, including ¡§application, submission and receiving certifications¡¨ by a single window. It can not only reduce the cost and the possibility to be exploited for applicants, but it also can force the government to eliminate transferring the unnecessary risk of the possibility for Chinese travelers¡¦ staying illegally to the tourism industry in Taiwan. In relation to ¡§authority,¡¨ the policy should incline to ¡§soft law¡¨ for promoting FIT with ¡§management¡¨ rather than ¡§protecting with strictness.¡¨ If there is a conflict between authority and basic principles, related administrative problems may be even harder to be processed, let alone putting effectiveness of organizations into full play. Regarding to ¡§remedy,¡¨ a comprehensive arbitration mechanism, or an integrated system of mediation for dispute and remedy, is a must for FIT. From the premise of a mutual consensus to make it work effectively, instead of post-incident remedy, pursuing the quality of travelling by ¡§risk management¡¨ is more important. After all, the remedy in current society is so limited that it only covers the mediation for the dispute of product consumption and purchasing. In terms of ¡§supervision,¡¨ related source of law should be made by ¡§legislative sector,¡¨ so that an ¡§internal controlling¡¨ mechanism can be set up while part of the legal system is unable to be intervened by non-executive power, including president¡¦s power. Moreover, the set up of this mechanism should imitate the evaluation for universities. Professional scholars should be invited to do the evaluation, and by way of selecting random case or lot drawing, the power of the president can be redressed. Based on the divisions of responsibilities between administrative and legislative sectors, the ¡§interior controlling¡¨ role that the Congress plays, still, should not infringe the executive power of legislative sector. Nevertheless, it should reinforce practical supervision and identify what the object should be. From the aspect of ¡§exterior controlling,¡¨ an unofficial and professional organization should be established, so as to assist the integration of a comprehensive plan and supervision assessment. The pressure that media puts on the government is limited, not to mention correcting exterior supervision instantly; however, if the assessment can be submitted to Legislative Yuan from time to time, it might leave pressure to the administrative sector, so that the problems can be redressed.

This study examines the effects of social tie strength, value fit and affect-based trust of overseas workers on their cultural knowledge acquisition in foreign countries. Based on the assumption that cultural knowledge is acquired through social interactions, the research model encompassed 3 social-related independent variables and tested empirically from 536 interpersonal relationships reported by 136 respondents. The results revealed that social tie strength and value fit have positive impacts on cultural knowledge acquisition not only directly but also indirectly, through the mediation role of affect-based trust. However, the mediation effect differs between relationships with local nationals and relationships with non-local nationals. Specifically, affect-based t rust is essential for the effect of social tie strength to local nationals instead of that to non-local nationals; moreover, the mediation effect is sufficient on value fitted non-local nationals but is incomplete on value fitted local nationals. The implications of the findings and the need for future research were also discussed.

In this dissertation, the generalized score tests based on weighted estimating equations are proposed for missing covariate data. Their properties, including the effects of nuisance functions on the forms of the test statistics and efficiency of the tests, are investigated. Different versions of the test statistic are properly defined for various parametric and semiparametric settings. Their asymptotic distributions are also derived. It is shown that when models for the nuisance functions are correct, appropriate test statistics can be obtained via plugging the estimates of the nuisance functions into the appropriate test statistic for the case that the nuisance functions are known. Furthermore, the optimal test is obtained using the relative efficiency measure. As an application of the proposed tests, a formal model validation procedure is developed for generalized linear models in the presence of missing covariates. The asymptotic distribution of the data driven methods is provided. A simulation study in both linear and logistic regressions illustrates the applicability and the finite sample performance of the methodology. Our methods are also employed to analyze a coronary artery disease diagnostic dataset.

Two Monte Carlo studies were conducted to investigate the sensitivity of fit indices in detecting model misspecification in multilevel structural equation models (MSEM) with normally distributed or dichotomous outcome variables separately under various conditions. Simulation results showed that RMSEA and CFI only reflected within-model fit. In addition, SRMR for within-model (SRMR-W) was more sensitive to within-model misspecifications in factor covariances than pattern coefficients regardless of the impact of other design factors. Researchers should use SRMR-W in combination with RMSEA and CFI to evaluate the within-mode. On the other hand, SRMR for between-model (SRMR-B) was less likely to detect between-model misspecifications when ICC decreased. Lastly, the performance of WRMR was dominated by the misfit of within-model. In addition, WRMR was less likely to detect the misspecified between-models when ICC was relative low. Therefore, WRMR can be used to evaluate the between-model fit when the within-models were correctly specified and the ICC was not too small.

In this study we develop a new method for testing the null hypothesis that the predictor function in a canonical link regression model has a prescribed linear form. The class of models, which we will refer to as canonical link regression models, constitutes arguably the most important subclass of generalized linear models and includes several of the most popular generalized linear models. In addition to the primary contribution of this study, we will revisit several other tests in the existing literature. The common feature among the proposed test, as well as the existing tests, is that they are all based on orthogonal series estimators and used to detect departures from a null model. Our proposal for a new lack-of-fit test is inspired by the recent contribution of Hart and is based on a Laplace approximation to the posterior probability of the null hypothesis. Despite having a Bayesian construction, the resulting statistic is implemented in a frequentist fashion. The formulation of the statistic is based on characterizing departures from the predictor function in terms of Fourier coefficients, and subsequent testing that all of these coefficients are 0. The resulting test statistic can be characterized as a weighted sum of exponentiated squared Fourier coefficient estimators, whereas the weights depend on user-specified prior probabilities. The prior probabilities provide the investigator the flexibility to examine specific departures from the prescribed model. Alternatively, the use of noninformative priors produces a new omnibus lack-of-fit statistic. We present a thorough numerical study of the proposed test and the various existing orthogonal series-based tests in the context of the logistic regression model. Simulation studies demonstrate that the test statistics under consideration possess desirable power properties against alternatives that have been identified in the existing literature as being important.

The Internet has become a very important tool in the modern life and a useful channel for people to find information. Although there is a lot of information in the internet, it does not mean that Internet users can always find what they really need and want. The difficulty for Internet users is not that they can¡¦t find out the information but that too much information exists. Therefore, good search tools that can help them find useful information become critical to productivity improvement. The purpose of this research is to investigate how people use different tools on the Internet to find information they are looking for. Three factors were examined: task characteristics, search tools, and user characteristics. Experiments were conducted on tasks designed to show different characteristics. Four task types featured by different uncertainty and equivocality levels and two Internet search tools were used in the experiment. Users were asked to use different tools for solving the assigned tasks to see whether their satisfaction differs under different settings. The results indicate that the effect of task types is not significant. That is, user satisfaction of using search engines is similar under different circumstances. Using the search tool itself is the key factor that affects the level of satisfaction. Therefore, the most important thing for internet user to find useful information is to adopt a proper search tool.

In cold forming operations, tool geometry has a direct influence on the product quality, forming force, load acting on dies and tool life. Finite element method provides a means to analyse these parameters to predict forming defects and die failures. In this study, shrink fitting the components of a bolt forming die is modelled and the finite element results are compared with the analytical solutions and experiments. In order to perform die stress analyses, deformable die models are implemented in the forging simulations. Furthermore, effect of using rigid and deformable dies on the stress distributions in the tools, forming force and product dimensions are examined. Some applications of tool geometry improvements and optimization of prestressing are presented in the case studies. In the second part of the study, the appropriate friction model for the cold forming operation of bolts is investigated. For this purpose, ring compression and forward rod extrusion tests are conducted. Dimensional variations and deformation forces are compared with the finite element simulations performed for different friction models and constants. The results of shrink fit analyses of die prestressing are in good agreement with the elasticity formulations and real applications. In the studied bolt production cases, after improving the die stress distributions by using FE simulations, longer tool lives are achieved. Finally, for more accurate results, Coulomb friction model is determined as an appropiate model for bolt forming analyses.

This thesis investigates the variations of electrical properties of linear antennas mounted on certain platforms, depending on the physical properties of that platform. In this respect, related basic antenna simulations, electromagnetic simulations from primitive to complex models of airframes, and scale model measurements were used. Firstly, electrical properties of monopoles at known environment were examined and basic analyses were performed via an electromagnetic simulation tool, named CST Microwave Studio&reg / . In addition, important aspects of simulation tool were investigated. Then, an F-4 aircraft model was used to observe the electrical characteristics of antennas mounted on it. Using 3D model of F-4 aircraft, realistic antenna placement points were assigned and monopoles were attached to those points. Alternatively, a simplified F-4 model was also used and for two different models, identical simulations were done, followed by accuracy and performance analysis between the results obtained from simplified and exact models. As the outcome of these simulations, certain parameters like impedance, antenna-to-antenna coupling and radiation pattern values were examined. Additionally, change in antennas&rsquo / electrical characteristics due to their position over the airframe was investigated. In addition, a 1:10 down-scaled and copper-plated F-4 aircraft model was obtained and equipped with identical antennas. By using the measurements done on this scale model, antenna-to-antenna coupling results of MWS&reg / were verified by measurements. Finally, advantages and disadvantages of using electromagnetic simulation tools and scale model measurements for such antenna studies were discussed.