Thesis (M.S.)--Texas A & M University, 2003. / "Major Subject: Science and Tech Journalism." Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

Work deals with global trends in high-tech industry which are mainly consolidation, concentrations and regionalization. It provides the definition of the high-tech industry, then focuses on specific sector - semiconductor industry. It describes the characteristics of the manufacturing process and workforce. A special part is devoted to government policies regards to the semiconductors research and development. The last part is devoted to a case study of the American company - Texas Instruments Inc. which has been playing the important role in the world semiconductor industry.

Technology plays a huge role in our daily lives. While technology provides a multitude of positivity for society, many are blinded to the dangers it can present, especially for children. Technology is proving to impact pediatric development and impair family dynamics. The research presented in this doctoral manual will shed light on this problem, discuss previous attempts at providing a solution, and present the author’s solution – ON THE DOCK ™. ON THE DOCK ™ is a classic-style board game, based on current research, curated to aid child development through play. Every detail of this game, both big and small, was meticulously selected to provide as much therapeutic value as possible. Not only does the game provide benefit for children, but this author also created an educational component for parents. The parental education component is meant to bring awareness to parents about child play behaviors, how to create the best play environment for children, and marketing strategies often used to promote toys and games. This information will be presented in the form of a brochure included in each game box as well as through a seminar. ON THE DOCK ™, and its associated parental education, is an important invention that can prove beneficial for parents and occupational therapy practitioners alike; not only was it developed by an occupational therapist, but the author is also a parent which guarantees both perspectives are represented. The foundation of both components is grounded by three theories: Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, and Bruner’s Scaffolding Model. Disseminating the game and seminar will be of crucial importance for success; social media will be a big component of the dissemination process. The success of the program, both game and seminar, will be evaluated primarily through sales count. The seminar will also be evaluated through questionnaires completed by seminar participants. The game and seminar will be largely self-funded; the possibility of receiving grants and investors is considered as well. The research and intervention as described in this doctoral project will bring much needed attention to an ever-expanding situation of technology overload. / 2023-09-17T00:00:00Z

Thesis (M. S.)--Texas A&M University, 2003. / "Major Subject: Science and Technology Journalism" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Oct. 15, 2004.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Virginia Tech contributes significantly to social and economic progress at the regional, state and national levels through its teaching, research and public service activities. The study is motivated by the current debate on the appropriate level of support for higher education in Virginia's largest university. This study measures the benefits of the university's undergraduate teaching mission. The results suggest that a VT undergraduate degree significantly increases the lifetime earnings of the graduates and also leads to several other benefits to the graduate, to his/her family, and to society. This study can help policy-makers to better understand the important contribution of Virginia Tech's teaching mission to society, and thus make more-informed decisions regarding the appropriate level of support for higher education. / Master of Science

At the crossing of a strong architectural edge and an axis line, it is necessary to articulate the intersection and acknowledge the moment. But what if, at the point of this intersection, other contextual factors work against the articulation? What if there is an opportunity to not only mark the intersection, but in doing so strengthen the edge condition, elevate the importance of the axis line and provide a celebrated threshold experience? This project looks at this very condition as it exists within the context of the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. At the intersection of the axis of symmetry for the campus and the building edge along Perry Street, there is no acknowledgment of this crossing. In fact, in its present condition, the intersection is beset by a breakdown in the edge condition and only a trace of the powerful axis line. In addressing the challenges that plague this existing condition, this project will seek to achieve four things with respect to the Virginia Tech campus, at large: 1. Articulate the termination point of the axis of symmetry for the campus by strengthening the pedestrian path that runs along the axis providing a clearly defined route to the Drill Field. 2. A redefinition of the edge along Perry Street, repairing the breech in the building wall and connecting the components that make up the edge. 3. Strengthen intersection of the edge and the axis/path line by developing a new pedestrian portal into the heart of campus thereby providing a formal entry point along an edge that currently does not articulate the entry points into campus. 4. Develop the architectural context within the site, bridging the divide between the architectural traditions of the campus core with the modernist vernacular of the Perry Street Edge. / Master of Architecture

The dissertation at hand presents the findings that have emerged from the research intervention in a case study, Gpi Group, conducted with a general objective to propose an approach that would assist an organisation in developing tailored indicators for social impact measurement. Three studies administered within the framework of this interventionist research pursue the aim: i) to explore conditions informing the substantive-symbolic adoption of sustainability agenda; ii) to reveal factors that hinder calculative practices from ensuring accountability of technology companies in the healthcare system; and iii) given the restricted direct stakeholder engagement, to design an approach or methodological tool for the impact measurement indicators. The research has been conducted in the interventionist research tradition, whereby the researcher collaborates with organisational members to solve real-world problems and contribute to scientific knowledge. In this work, the identified problem pertains to the limitations of conventional indicators in measuring implications arising from the Gpi Group’s operations that are borne by final beneficiaries. The company offers a wide range of technological solutions and health booking services for the healthcare sector. However, despite the considerable importance of final beneficiaries, namely medical professionals and patients, they remain underrepresented in materiality, which has motivated this research. The first chapter outlines emerging nuances, power dynamics, and internal tensions when the organisation decides to commit to the sustainability agenda and formalise corresponding standards. By triangulating data from corporate documents, interviews, and survey, and further interpreting them through the lens of Bourdieu’s field theory, it has been revealed that substantive-symbolic adoption of sustainability standards depends on the power dynamics that enable a shared meaning of sustainability and accordingly shape individuals’ habitus. The second chapter explores whether existing calculative practices for impact can ensure the accountability of technology companies operating in the healthcare sector. By identifying commonly used indicators from extant scientific research and non-academic reports and further critically scrutinising them with organisational members of the case study, a limited practical validity of calculative practices is revealed for technology companies. Pragmatic constructivism applied to the interview analysis points to the topoi mismatch and insufficient addressing of a practical validity condition across all dimensions of the actor’s reality construction, which led to the abstract and theoretical indicators. The third chapter describes in detail the indicator-building approach for social impact measurement and the process of integrating derived indicators into Gpi Group’s materiality assessment. Materiality, which is a highly contested concept in the literature, has been examined from a pragmatic stance in this chapter. The application of this approach to the organisational setting, where it is prohibited to involve final beneficiaries by virtue of regulations and ethical concerns, has enabled deriving 21 indicators composing four major materiality topics.

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This paper pioneered in examining the impact of diversification on financial performance of technology companies and comparing diversification and its impact between technology and media companies. Diversification and financial performance in 24 leading media companies and 19 leading tech companies from 2012 to 2017 were studied. The empirical results suggest diversification in general has a positive impact on ROE of tech companies. There is also some evidence for a positive impact from related diversification on ROA of media companies with market cap over $10B. The results also show that media companies are more diversified than tech companies. From 2012 to 2017, both tech companies and big media companies have steadily increased their related degree of diversification while slightly reducing their overall diversification. That seems to suggest that the media and tech conglomerates have increased their effort to create synergy.

In the current era of knowledge economy, the core of the competitions between corporations has evolved from production to management, and now focuses on the acquirement of adequate human resources and the amelioration of innovation. To corporations, the most vital task is often not how to obtain capable human resources, but rather how to ensure the existing ones continuously contribute to the progression of the firm. This involves the internal culture of the firm and its organizational layout; moreover, the most direct effect comes from the ¡§push-and-pull¡¨ interaction between the employer and employee, which is the fundamental quality of employee relations. This research first intends to explore and clarify the meaning of employee relation through a comprehensive study of the aggregated works on related applications of labor relations by previous scholars, including labor union, collective bargaining, negotiation, and labor involvement and participation. Bearing the attributes of high-tech industries in mind, the actual practice of employee relations can then be categorized under six major groups through an understanding of renowned models on labor relations: direct financial rewards and benefits, indirect financial rewards and benefits, non-financial rewards and benefits, employee participation and involvment, organizational communication and management on labor relations. Based on these six categories, an analysis of the actual practice on employee relations leads to the following conclusions: A.Direct financial rewards and benefits In respect to the base-salary system, position-oriented system is more widely adopted than the ability-oriented and the seniority-oriented ones. The ability-oriented system, though, imposes the maximal impacts on employee relations. In respect to the motivation system, the year-end profit-sharing system is the most common one, and it is also considered to be having the best effect on stimulating employee relations. In most firms, the department of human resources is the key unit in charge of the motivation system. B.Indirect financial rewards and benefits Regarding economical benefits, most companies follow the traditional model and engage in pension plan, the subsidy for marriage and funeral. Injury compensation is often acclaimed to be the most essential program in enhancing employee relations. These programs are often done through the Human Resource Department and the Employee Welfare Committee. Regarding benefits on leisure activities, the most common activity is domestic and international travel coordinated through the Employee Welfare Committee. Regarding facility benefits, high percentages of firms have contracts with stores or other corporations for discounts and pre-arranged special rates. However, labor co-ops are preferred as the facility that improves employee relations the most. In general, facility benefits are coordinated through the General Administrative Department, the Human Resource Department and the Employee Welfare Committee. Regarding services benefits, most firms respect foremost the smoothness of complain and appeal channel of lower-ranked employees, and they also achieve improvements on employee relation through family goodwill policy. Most of the services benefits are managed by the department of human resources. C.Non-financial rewards and benefits In respective to non-financial compensations, the leadership style of the high-tech industry often focus on the involvement and participation from the employees, and this is often done through inquiry and commentary. Regarding the working environment, the business sectors widely adopt regulation and policy on assessment, opportunities and fairness for advancement. Flexible working hours have also been known to have positive effect on employee relations. Benefits in this category are usually overseen by the Human Resource Department. D.Employee participation and involvement Most corporations implement labor participations through employee suggestion program, which also improves employee relations the most. Regarding the rights of employee participation, the participation level on financial management is the lowest, but the participation level on company¡¦s policy, marketing, production and human resource management are normal. E.Organizational communication Regarding organizational communication, parallel communication is more efficient based on survey results. The efficiency of downward communication and upward communication is normal. Besides, bulletin board, telephone, interview, meeting, and e-mail are commonly adopted, especially the last three improves employee relations most. F.Management in labor relations Regarding management on labor relations, there were only few unions in hi-tech companies. Conciliation is most widely adopted on labor dispute. Collective bargaining and collective agreement improves employee relations greatly. Since most companies do not organize unions, conciliation is more preferred, compared with arbitration and lawsuit.