Predetermined time standards origin, theory and application.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston Universit

Scientific realism, the necessity of causal contact in measurement and emergent variables

Purpose This study aims to correct errors in, and comment on the claims made in the comment papers of Rigdon (2022) and Henseler and Schuberth (2022), and to tidy up any substantive oversights made in Cadogan and Lee (2022). Design/methodology/approach The study discusses and clarifies the gap between Rigdon’s notion of scientific realism and the metaphysical, semantic and epistemological commitments that are broadly agreed to be key principles of scientific realism. The study also examines the ontological status of the variables that Henseler and Schuberth claim are emergent using emergence logic grounded in the notion that variables are only truly emergent if they demonstrate a failure of generative atomism. Findings In scientific realism, hypothetical causal contact between the unobserved and the observed is a key foundational stance, and as such, Rigdon’s concept proxy framework (CPF) is inherently anti-realist in nature. Furthermore, Henseler and Schuberth’s suggestion that composite-creating statistical packages [such as partial least squares (PLS)] can model emergent variables should be treated with skepticism by realists. Research limitations/implications Claims made by Rigdon regarding the realism of CPF are unfounded, and claims by Henseler and Schuberth regarding the universal suitability of partial least squares (PLS) as a tool for use by researchers of all ontological stripes (see their Table 5) do not appear to be well-grounded. Practical implications Those aspiring to do science according to the precepts of scientific realism need to be careful in assessing claims in the literature. For instance, despite Rigdon’s assertion that CPF is a realist framework, we show that it is not. Consequently, some of Rigdon’s core criticisms of the common factor logic make no sense for the realist. Likewise, if the variables resulting from composite creating statistical packages (like PLS) are not really emergent (contrary to Henseler and Schuberth) and so are not real, their utility as tools for scientific realist inquiry are called into question

Change Impact Analysis for Evolving Configuration Decisions in Product Line Use Case Models

Product Line Engineering is becoming a key practice in many software development environments where complex systems are developed for multiple customers with varying needs. In many business contexts, use cases are the main artifacts for communicating requirements among stakeholders. In such contexts, Product Line (PL) use cases capture variable and common requirements while use case-driven configuration generates Product Specific (PS) use cases for each new customer in a product family. In this paper, we propose, apply, and assess a change impact analysis approach for evolving configuration decisions in PL use case models. Our approach includes: (1) automated support to identify the impact of decision changes on prior and subsequent decisions in PL use case diagrams and (2) automated incremental regeneration of PS use case models from PL use case models and evolving configuration decisions. Our tool support is integrated with IBM Doors. Our approach has been evaluated in an industrial case study, which provides evidence that it is practical and beneficial to analyze the impact of decision changes and to incrementally regenerate PS use case models in industrial settings

Model-to-model transformation approach for systematic integration of security aspects into UML 2.0 design models

Security is a challenging task in software engineering. Traditionally, security concerns are considered as an afterthought to the development process and thus are fitted into pre-existing software without the consideration of whether this would jeopardize the main functionality of the software or even produce additional vulnerabilities. Enforcing security policies should be taken care of during early phases of the software development life cycle in order to decrease the development costs and reduce the maintenance time. In addition to cost saving, this way of development will produce more reliable software since security related concepts will be considered in each step of the design. Similarly, the implications of inserting such mechanisms into the existing system's requirements will be considered as well. Since security is a crosscutting concern that pervades the entire software, integrating security solutions at the software design level may result in the scattering and tangling of security features throughout the entire design. Additionally, traditional hardening approaches are tedious and error-prone as they involve manual modifications. In this context, the need for a systematic way to integrate security concerns into the process of developing software becomes crucial. In this thesis, we define an aspect-oriented modeling approach for specifying and integrating security concerns into UML design models. The proposed approach makes use of the expertise of the software security specialist by providing him with the means to specify generic UML aspects that are going to be incorporated "weaved" into the developers' models. Model transformation mechanisms are instrumented in order to have an efficient and a fully automatic weaving process

Partial least squares path modeling: Time for some serious second thoughts

Partial least squares (PLS) path modeling is increasingly being promoted as a technique of choice for various analysis scenarios, despite the serious shortcomings of the method. The current lack of methodological justification for PLS prompted the editors of this journal to declare that research using this technique is likely to be deck-rejected (Guide and Ketokivi, 2015). To provide clarification on the inappropriateness of PLS for applied research, we provide a non-technical review and empirical demonstration of its inherent, intractable problems. We show that although the PLS technique is promoted as a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, it is simply regression with scale scores and thus has very limited capabilities to handle the wide array of problems for which applied researchers use SEM. To that end, we explain why the use of PLS weights and many rules of thumb that are commonly employed with PLS are unjustifiable, followed by addressing why the touted advantages of the method are simply untenable

Colored model based testing for software product lines (CMBT-SWPL)

Over the last decade, the software product line domain has emerged as one of the mostpromising software development paradigms. The main benefits of a software product lineapproach are improvements in productivity, time to market, product quality, and customersatisfaction.Therefore, one topic that needs greater emphasis is testing of software product lines toachieve the required software quality assurance. Our concern is how to test a softwareproduct line as early as possible in order to detect errors, because the cost of error detectedIn early phases is much less compared to the cost of errors when detected later.The method suggested in this thesis is a model-based, reuse-oriented test technique calledColored Model Based Testing for Software Product Lines (CMBT-SWPL). CMBT-SWPLis a requirements-based approach for efficiently generating tests for products in a soft-ware product line. This testing approach is used for validation and verification of productlines. It is a novel approach to test product lines using a Colored State Chart (CSC), whichconsiders variability early in the product line development process. More precisely, the vari-ability will be introduced in the main components of the CSC. Accordingly, the variabilityis preserved in test cases, as they are generated from colored test models automatically.During domain engineering, the CSC is derived from the feature model. By coloring theState Chart, the behavior of several product line variants can be modeled simultaneouslyin a single diagram and thus address product line variability early. The CSC representsthe test model, from which test cases using statistical testing are derived.During application engineering, these colored test models are customized for a specificapplication of the product line. At the end of this test process, the test cases are generatedagain using statistical testing, executed and the test results are ready for evaluation. Inxaddition, the CSC will be transformed to a Colored Petri Net (CPN) for verification andsimulation purposes.The main gains of applying the CMBT-SWPL method are early detection of defects inrequirements, such as ambiguities incompleteness and redundancy which is then reflectedin saving the test effort, time, development and maintenance costs

Investigating politeness among IsiZulu mother tongue and non-mother tongue speakers in higher education open distance learning environment

This study aims to explore politeness shown by lecturers during tuition and student support conversations with the objective of promoting polite interactions between IsiZulu mother tongue and non-mother tongue speakers in higher education in South Africa. In particular, the study investigates the way in which politeness in email communication influences learning outcomes within an ODL environment, using quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, a questionnaire as well as interviews to collect data from a cross-section of students from an Open Distance Learning (ODL) institution. All the results drawn from the data sources, namely the questionnaires and interviews, were enumerated according to the data collection tools used. Version 12 of SPSS and Nvivo were used to analyse the quantitative data. The analysis is also based on the politeness strategies of Brown and Levinson (1978) as well as a conceptual framework that links all the variables. Based on the results, the research hypotheses are accepted, thus indicating that politeness in email communication influences learning outcomes within an ODL environment. In particular, the results show that, overall, lecturers who employ politeness contribute positively to student compliance. Accordingly, the study recommends that ODL should recognise both the role of language in communication as well as the power and influence of politeness in communication.African LanguagesD. Litt. et Phil

A study into user acceptance of new technology: British Airways ground transport department Heathrow Terminal 5

This project was conducted with the help and encouragement of British Airways (BA) management. It was carried out at Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5 (T5) where a new Resource Management System (RMS) that is based upon Internet Protocol (IP) has been implemented. RMS has replaced traditional pen and paper and radio systems for allocating work tasks to 4,000 airport operational staff. This research project studied one application of the RMS system; the allocation of tasks to the coach drivers in the Ground Transport Services (GTS) department. The user acceptance of the RMS system by the drivers was evaluated. In the previous 20 years, user acceptance theories have been developed which have shown that increased user acceptance of new Information Technology (IT) projects significantly reduces costs and improves efficiency (Davis, 1980). The most comprehensive theory is that of Sun and Zhang (2006) who identify critical factors regarding individual user acceptance (gender, age, experience, cultural background and intellectual capability). This research project used a case study methodology: three days were spent airside at T5 observing and interviewing a sample of drivers. The project research question was: 'Can the degree of RMS acceptance by the GTS end-users be determined by factors identified in user acceptance theories?' Essentially, it was not possible to answer this question because of two reasons. First there was little difference in level of user acceptance; it was very high for all users. Second there was also very little difference in the sample and population. The drivers were all male, over 90% between 42 and 65 years of age, with similar levels of experience regarding the RMS technology and computers in general. In addition, it was not possible to measure any difference between the intellectual capabilities of the participants. A difference in the cultural background was identified; there were two ethnic groups, Asian and Caucasian. However, detailed analysis of the responses to the questionnaire demonstrated that there was no evidence of different levels of user acceptance of these groups. Recommendations to improve the testing of user acceptance theories are included in this report

Exploring Ways in Which Teachers Use Low-Cost No-Cost Resources to Develop Learners’ English Language Skills in a Public Primary School in Ilala District in Dar es Salaam-An Action Research

The use of teaching and learning resources by teachers influences the development of the four English language skills. Literature has demonstrated the significance of resources in English classrooms, particularly for English language learners whose first language is not English. In Tanzania, the majority of learners attend public primary schools where the language of instruction is Kiswahili in all subjects except English, and thus the majority of them struggle to achieve the desired level of effective English development even as they progress to secondary school because of their poor English language background. Several factors, including a lack of use of English resources, contribute to learners\u27 low level of English competence. Despite the fact that textbooks are provided in schools, they are still insufficient, leading to poor performance. This study set out to explore ways in which teachers use low-cost no-cost resources to develop learners\u27 English language skills. This study adopted qualitative action research to gain an in-depth understanding of the study. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews, observation, document analysis, and post-lesson discussions. Participants engaged in reflection throughout the study. The study engaged one English teacher who taught year three in primary school, which had two streams with a student population of one hundred and ten in each class. The study established several findings with regards to teachers’ use of low-cost no-cost resources. The study\u27s findings showed that teachers\u27 use of low-cost no-cost resources allows learners to develop their language skills. Furthermore, the more learners interact with the resources while receiving teacher support, the more active and interested they become in learning English. As beneficial as teachers\u27 use of low-cost no-cost resources is in the classroom, there are drawbacks to their use. Thus, educational practitioners should address such challenges by adopting a design thinking culture to effectively set objectives, plan lessons, determine the items to be developed, design and re-de

Positioning strategy in retailing: a study of Wuhan Wing on children shopping and Amusement Centre Company Limited

"To position the product in the mind of the prospect," this statement is very simple and straight forward, but the actual practice is complicated and profound. By adhering to the positioning concept and through the study of a children products store, this thesis investigates how people interpret positioning, studies the impact of positioning strategy on the designated store, reviews the retail market in China, tries to explain the influence of positioning on the customer shopping components, and looks at ways to revitalize the store business. As a staring point, the background of the positioning concept is studied. By reviewing articles from both marketing and retailing perspectives, the nature of positioning concept is clarified and the conceptual framework for the positioning strategy process is also established. To make the investigation of the Wuhan Wing On Children Shopping and Amusement Centre Company Limited, an overview of the retail market situation of the People's Republic of China is done. The China market has good potential but, to get rewards from such a market, foreign retailers should be patient and have long term plans. Wuhan has potential for further growth too, but many foreign retailers might have overlooked such an emerging market. As a joint venture company, Wing On was established in late 1992 by the Hong Kong and China parters. Positioning itself as the most modem and largest children products store in both Wuhan and China, Wing On made breakthroughs in the Wuhan retail industry in terms of openrack display system, goods retur guarantee, service quality, computerisation, etc. Through such right positioning, the sales result was excellent. However, because of the 'follow the wagon' effect, the store floor area ofWuhan doubled in 1996. Even then such a change did not affect Wing On very much, until the emergence of the new major competitor, Children World, which also positioned itself as the market leader. Then Wing On suffered. Through the survey research with the customers and Wing On employees, and by analyzing the different groups of respondents, it is found that Wing On is lagging behind Children World in terms of overall attitudes measurement. Even for the foureen store attribute comparson, Wing On is also at a disadvantageous condition, especially for the store facilities. Multiple regression analysis was used to trace the relationships between the background, shopping criteria, beliefs, and action of the frequent customers. In view of the adverse situation, it is recommended that Wing On should reposition itself in order to revitalize its business. Under this circumstance, the relevant positioning statement and positioning strategy guidelines are suggested. Through this study, it is found that the nature of positioning concept is segmentation, target marketing, and differentiation. Moreover, for better market performance, when applying the conceptual framework of the positioning strategy process, both the positioning statement and positioning strategy should be taken into consideration at the corporate management leveL. Also, there is a close linkage between marketing and positioning. On the whole, it is envisaged that the positioning/repositioning concept wil be more important and popular in the days to come