This thesis is concerned with the various factors determining the apparent migration of targets during rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). This migration effect occurs when an observer reports a target as being present in a scene other than the one in which it was actually presented, usually the immediately preceding or following scene - the "host" scene. An experimental technique was developed based on Intraub's (1985;1989) work on these migration errors, and an improved computer-based system was developed. This allowed flexibility in the manipulation of experimental variables and also used a recognition memory paradigm to identify targets. Ten experiments were completed in total which examined three major issues concerning RSVP: contextual effects, low-level cues and the effects of apparent contrast. Using the newly developed software, Intraub's original results were replicated and extended. Manipulation of contextual information surrounding a host scene showed that the direction of apparent target migration, to the scene either succeeding or preceding the host scene, could be influenced by using a pre- or post-host bias in the visual context. For example, preceding an outdoor host-scene with another outdoor scene and following it with an indoor scene led to more migration errors to the preceding scene, i.e. there was a tendency for errors to be biased to structurally similar scenes. In another set of experiments, it was found that low-level binding cues could effectively aid the cohesiveness of host and target and thus reduce the number of migration errors. Furthermore, in a third set of experiments evidence that the direction of migration errors could be influenced by the apparent contrast of the search target was found. Higher apparent contrast could produce a predominance of pre-host migration errors. However, caution is called for in the interpretation of this final set of results since they are somewhat ambiguous and need further clarification. Taken as a whole the results found in these experiments have shown that an overall presentation rate of 8.33 Hz, subjects are able to effectively grasp the gist of the background to the target.

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Over the past five years, an average of about 323 traffic accidents that were caused by drunk driving occurred in Taiwan every year, resulting in 306 deaths and injuring 297 people and costing Taiwan society a lot. Concerned government agencies have recognized this harsh problem and taken measures as a counteract, for example, imposing heavy fines and punishing the driver with penal code, in order to discourage this poor habit of drunk driving. However, the tragedies caused by drunk driving have not abated. Government agencies usually execute public powers from the subjective perspective of statutory law, and similarly the research and investigation of related problems conducted in Taiwan usually emphasize the enforcement aspect. However, the results of foreign research indicate that risk message can be conveyed through risk communication so as to change the public¡¦s risk perception, resulting in their changes in behavior. This study began with the cognitive perspective of the risk of drunk driving perceived by the law enforcers, voluntary group of drunk driving risk, and pressured group of drunk driving risk, and used the experimental method of Information Integration Theory to investigate the integrated algebra model of each concerned group¡¦s ¡§probability information¡¨ and ¡§outcome information¡¨ of drunk driving risk and its level of risk perception. The findings are as follows: I. Cognitive algebra model (I) On drunk driving cases with high-probability, low-outcome risk of being stopped, the law enforcers as a whole used the multiplying model, while the drunk driving group and the ordinary driving group used the equal-weight averaging model to integrate the information. (II) On drunk driving cases with low-probability, high-outcome risk of causing traffic accidents, the law enforcers, the drunk driving group, and the ordinary group all used the adding model, with more emphasis on the outcome information. (III) On drunk driving cases with high-probability, low-outcome risk of being stopped, most people used the equal-weight averaging model, and they used the adding model on the cases of low-probability, high-outcome risk of causing traffic accidents. II. Risk perception (I) The drunk driving group had the highest risk perception on the type of high-probability, low-outcome risk of being stopped drunk driving, the ordinary group had the second highest risk perception, and the law enforcers had the lowest risk perception. (II) The ordinary group had the highest risk perception on the type of low-probability, high-outcome risk of drunk driving causing traffic accidents, the drunk driving group had the second highest risk perception, and the law enforcers had the lowest risk perception.

Background:  Supply risk becomes a crucial risk that manufacturing companies are facing while supplier information integration is one of the most important parts of supply chain management and supplier integration. The research based on the relationship between them is rarely found. Purpose: To find, describe, and compare the significant relationship of supplier information integration and supply risk and identify whether supplier information integration can help to mitigate supply risk in Chinese and Thai manufacturing industries. Methods: In order to answer the research questions, the search of the relevant literatures were carried out. The theoretical frame was made of basic concepts, approaches of supplier information integration, and sources of supply risk. The questionnaire was designed based on the theoretical framework and sent out among Chinese and Thai listed manufacturing companies. The correlation analysis was carried out as the main approach to check the significant relationships while the   descriptive statistics were used to described, compared, and analyzed in order to indentify the level of SII and perception of supply risk. Conclusion: The level of supplier information integration and the perception of supply risk showed differences in Chinese and Thai manufacturers. Chinese manufacturing industry was at medium level of IT and share tactical and strategic information with suppliers with a concern on suppliers’ suppliers while the Thai manufacturing industry was at low level of IT and shared only tactical information with suppliers with very less concern on suppliers’ suppliers. Chinese manufacturers showed an obvious lower perception of getting affected by terrorist incidents and natural disasters while Thai manufacturers showed the same perception of all sources of supply risk. The results indicated that most of relationships between the sub items of supplier information integration and supply risk were not significant with some special cases that showed small and medium relationships. The contribution and suggestion were concluded at the end.

Diploma thesis deals with the topic of information integration. The aim of the thesis is to characterize the market of IT resources for supporting Enterprise Information Integration. To achieve its objective, it will be first introduced the area of EII. The results will serve for formulating criteria that will be used to analyze the market of these IT resources. Based on the formulated criteria, there will be evaluated market offerings and then specified its key characteristics. The author's contribution to this work lies in the submission of a comprehensive description of the Enetrprise Information Integration.

This Master thesis has been made for Volvo Group Trucks Operations, Logistics Services (VGLS) in Gothenburg. Other companies within the Volvo Group and Volvo Car Corporation (VCC) have been involved during the process, including Volvo Trucks Umeå (VTU), Volvo Trucks Tuve (VTT) and Volvo Cars Body Components (VCBC) in Olofström. The thesis has examined activities within the supply chain process between three factories, VCBC – VTU – VTT. The different companies at each location serve different purposes in the supply chain, ultimately leading to a finished truck. To get a complete truck it takes different types of resources and thus an effective and well-functioning infrastructure to cope with the transportation of resources in an efficient way. VGLS is the provider of logistics services between the factories, meaning VGLS is in charge of the transportation process between the locations and take care of related transportation issues. A few years ago a project was started with the participation of VGLS with the aim to identify different types of objects better, via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), aiming to create a more efficient supply chain. VGLS now wants to further exploit this technology as future implementation of RFID is soon ahead of them. According to the possibilities and opportunities related to RFID this thesis has critically examined activities in the supply chain process and its underlying problems, trying to create the right conditions for VGLS in order for them to better cope and utilize a near future RFID implementation. The main result of this study indicates that the problems of the transportation flow don’t derive from the physical transportation of material, but rather in the information flow between the actors. The results indicate that more emphasis should be placed on creating new ways to achieve more efficient information sharing, which in some cases can be facilitated through the use of RFID.

The evolvement of technology within the business world has transformed both organizations and people involved. As the business world is rapidly changing it requires organizations to adapt to new trends to be able to compete and to gain competitive advantage. The widely developed and used mobile business-to-customer applications have generated the realization that the technology can be used by organizations for their mobile employees to gain competitive advantage. Therefore, we have investigated the functionality of information integration between mobile applications and ERP systems for mobile employees, and the benefits and challenges it has. The research is an exploratory investigation about how the new trend within mobility is to be seen within the business world. With the use of an inductive and qualitative research approach, we started with no previous theories to get an understanding of the subject. In the use of mobile business-to-employee applications, the most important information integration is the one between ERP systems and mobile applications since it is the organizational information that is needed for the mobile workers. The result of the research is that it is more common with a single, oneway integration in terms of either input or output between ERP systems and mobile applications. The more advanced two-way integration exists and is increasing in the area of internal use of mobile applications for organizations. Additionally, there are a lot of benefits to gain from when working with mobile applications for organizations, for example to increase the productivity of mobile employees. There are also challenges that need to be discussed before deciding to invest in enterprise mobility, for example security aspects.

Linnaeus University, School of Management and Economics, 5FE00E, Spring 2010 Author: Hana Hulthén Tutor: Helena Forslund Title: Information integration between retailers and manufacturers in Swedish food retail supply chains; The manufacturers’ perspective.  Background: According to study conducted by Brege in 2007, in Swedish food retail supply chains there is lack of external integration between retailers/wholesalers and manufacturers. This fact indicates that there are gaps in information integration between them which have consequences mainly for the manufacturers. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe gaps, from the manufacturers´ perspective, in the information integration between Swedish retailers/wholesalers and manufacturers, and analyze what are the consequences of these gaps for manufacturers as well as propose how these gaps can be alleviated. Method: Multiple - case study as research method has been applied. Specifically, three case companies, Swedish meat manufacturers, have been selected. Three one-hour long focused interviews combined with open-ended interviews have been conducted with two sales managers and one sales representative. The empirical evidence has been analyzed by using cross-case analysis method and pattern-matching method.   Results, conclusion: Firstly, Swedish meat manufacturers do not have access to real-time demand or POS data on store level. Instead, they receive orders from retailers based on updated demand forecast. As manufacturers do not have perfect demand information it leads to information asymmetry between retailers and manufacturers. As a consequence of inaccurate demand signal processing a Bullwhip effect can occur. Implementation of integrated information systems using EDI for exchange of POS data could solve the gap. However, small-scaled manufacturers have neither enough resources nor incentives to invest in an expensive business-to-business system. Furthermore, manufacturers with restricted production flexibility cannot utilize provided information on very detailed level; such as POS data. Thus, in these cases implementation of integrated information systems seems not to be reasonable. Secondly, it has been found that information integration between retailers and manufacturers has been significantly improved the last three or four years. The Swedish retailers are willing to provide information to manufacturers. Future Work: The result of this thesis is based only on findings from meat manufacturers. Other sectors could be also included as well as opinion of retailers and wholesalers to identify common problems related to information integration in Swedish food retail supply chains.

Does the specialization and division of labor lead to the unequal distribution of social resources or the power in the highest stratification decide opportunities and incomes? What roles do occupation, incomes, and social status play in this society? The phenomenon of social stratification extending from specialization of labor results in the disputes over equality and inequality. People of different social stratification hold dissimilar social resources, which differentiate the opportunities that they acquire. In order to understand how people perceive the factors of inputs and outputs of social stratification, the experiment of information integration is to understand that the model of information Integration of how different groups and individuals influence the factors of inputs and outputs of social stratification, to investigate the perception of the factors of inputs and outputs of social stratification of different groups, and to increase the related analysis of social stratification in our country. This research takes Information Integration Theory (IIT) as research method to understand the internal process of how people deal with a couple of variables with perception. Integration of function would be the main discourse of Information Integration Theory. Through study, it is found that people usually use simple rules of algebra such as adding, multiplying and averaging to integrate information. The research is designed to induce the factors of inputs of social stratification as education and family background by means of documents; the factors of outcomes of social stratification as reputation of occupation and incomes. Information Integration Theory, IIT is employed to know the subjects¡¦ cognitive algebras and there might be different models of integration for people perceive unfairness very differently. The research result is shown as below:¡G 1 Information integration of the administrative group is the differential-weight averaging model in the category of ¡§education-reputation of occupation¡¨ whereas the working group is the adding model. 2 The information integration of the administrative group and the working group are both the differential-weight averaging model in the category of ¡§education-income¡¨. 3 The information integration of the administrative group and the working group are both the model of addition in the category of ¡§family background-reputation of occupation¡¨. 4 The information integration of the administrative group and the working group are both the differential-weight averaging model in the category of ¡§family background-income¡¨.

This study aims to start from the individual perspective and concretize the Diamond Model issued in the Competitive Advantage of Nations by Porter in 1990, and discuss the interior cognitive structure of investment policy of the state/private-run facilities from the cognitive psychology by means of information integration. In the aspect of private-run facility, it is an integrated pattern for the general investors to encounter diverse investment information, while the discussion of the sympathetic pattern in the marketing and investment introduction of government for state-run facility. After dedicated himself for more than forty years in studying Information Integration Theory, IIT, Anderon, an American scholar, found that in integrating diverse information, people stick to the three major patterns of Adding, Multiplying and Averaging. It was also certified that IIT has a positive impact in the interior and exterior efficiency in measuring the subjective essentiality and toleration of different sorts of information. Statistic is applied to this study in analyzing its algebra pattern for understanding the essentiality and integration pattern of investment factors and comparing the policy-making difference in the investment of state & private-run facilities so as to make it a reference for this expects that the marketing division of enterprise style government can control the thread of area economic under limited conditions and established a long-term developing urban environment through the thinking method of sympathetic pattern.