Exploring Website Evaluation Criteria using the Repertory Grid Technique: A Web Designers’ Perspective

This study aims to investigate web designers’ perceptions of an “effective” website. Twenty web designers were interviewed using Kelly’s Repertory Grid Technique in order to elicit factors that they consider important when designing or developing B2C websites. Using grounded theory approach, these elicited data were then classified into 14 meta-categories. The intensive nature of the interviews eventually gave rise to a comprehensive framework that broadens the base of existing web evaluation literature. This framework is based on an adapted Technology Acceptance Model with the 4 dimensions of Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Playfulness and Attractiveness

Multi-agent knowledge integration mechanism using particle swarm optimization

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2011 Elsevier B.V.Unstructured group decision-making is burdened with several central difficulties: unifying the knowledge of multiple experts in an unbiased manner and computational inefficiencies. In addition, a proper means of storing such unified knowledge for later use has not yet been established. Storage difficulties stem from of the integration of the logic underlying multiple experts' decision-making processes and the structured quantification of the impact of each opinion on the final product. To address these difficulties, this paper proposes a novel approach called the multiple agent-based knowledge integration mechanism (MAKIM), in which a fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) is used as a knowledge representation and storage vehicle. In this approach, we use particle swarm optimization (PSO) to adjust causal relationships and causality coefficients from the perspective of global optimization. Once an optimized FCM is constructed an agent based model (ABM) is applied to the inference of the FCM to solve real world problem. The final aggregate knowledge is stored in FCM form and is used to produce proper inference results for other target problems. To test the validity of our approach, we applied MAKIM to a real-world group decision-making problem, an IT project risk assessment, and found MAKIM to be statistically robust.Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Korea

A Comparison of Combined Overlap Block Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (COBFCM) and Combined Overlap Block Neutrosophic Cognitive Map (COBNCM) in finding the hidden patterns and indeterminacies in Psychological Causal Models: Case Study of ADHD

In spite of researchers’ concerns to find causalities, reviewing the literature of psychological studies one may argue that the classical statistical methods applied in order to find causalities are unable to find uncertainty and indeterminacies of the relationships between concepts. In this paper, we introduce two methods to find effective solutions by identifying “hidden” patterns in the patients’ cognitive maps. Combined Overlap Block Fuzzy Cognitive Map (COBFCM) and Combined Overlap Block Neutrosophic Map (COBNCM) are effective when the number of concepts can be grouped and are large in numbers. In the first section, we introduce COBFCM, COBNCM, their applications, and the advantages of COBNCM over COBFCM in some cases. In the second section, we explain eight overlapped cognitive concepts related to ADHD in children and apply COBNCM and COBFCM to analyze the modeled data, comparing their results. Conclusions, limitations, and implications for applying COBNCM in other psychological areas are also discussed

The Impact of Social Presence and User Experience on Gender Sensitive E-Tail Websites

Internet has come afar, from connecting computers to connecting people. Since its early days, the use of Internet has evolved tremendously. People use the Internet today in a variety of different ways, including communicating with friends, family, co-workers and performing activities like paying bills and shopping. With the increase in electronic retailing (e-Tailing), attracting and retaining customers has become the most important part of running a successful business. However, the online shopping experience may be viewed as lacking human warmth and sociability as it is more impersonal, anonymous, automated and generally devoid of face-to face interactions. Thus, understanding how to create electronic loyalty (e-Loyalty) by retaining existing customers in online environments is a complex process. To maintain e-Loyalty, e-Tailing sites should provide customized user experience. Men and women have been known to have different perception of online shopping. Women tend to be less satisfied because of lack of human connection in online shopping environment. To date, how social presence (interpreting human warmth and human presence electronically) affects e-Loyalty and adoption of e-Tailing across genders has been relatively underexplored. A research on influence of gender towards social presence features in e-Tailing websites could contribute to our understanding of gender preferences in online environments, allowing researchers to predict and measure differences among user interfaces, and guide the design of customized interfaces customized for gender sensitive e-Tailing websites. In this research, we developed a research model based on extensive literature review. We developed a survey instrument to measure predictability of the model and used t-tests, principal component analysis and linear and multiple regression analysis to analyze and validate the model. We conducted an extensive survey of social presence and user experience design features, and synthesized survey response with the above methodologies using SPSS. The study revealed social presence and user experience factors that positively affect gender experience in development of e-Loyalty. Based on the analysis of survey responses, we conclude that gender plays an important role in determining the state of social presence and user experience for e-Tailing websites to create e-Loyalty among customers

Comparative Analysis Of The Isps Code Non-conformities From Total Quality Management And Cognitive Mapping Perspective

Tez (Yüksek Lisans) -- İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, 2014Thesis (M.Sc.) -- İstanbul Technical University, Institute of Science and Technology, 2014Günümüzde dünya ticaretinin yaklaşık % 90’ı denizyolu ile gerçekleştirilmektedir. Dünya deniz ticaretinden yılda 400 Milyar Dolar gelir elde edilmektedir. Bu rakamlar denizyolu taşımacılığının ne derecede önemli bir konuma geldiğini göstermektedir. Deniz taşımacılığının ülke ekonomilerindeki yeri gelişmekte, bu sebeple limanlar ve deniz araçlarının önemi de artmaktadır. Stratejik önemi haiz olan deniz limanları yapısal ve kurumsal, ekonomik, finansal, yönetsel, çevresel ve rekabet açılarından pek çok risk ve tehlikeler ile karşı karşıyadır. Bu risk ve tehlikelerin tespit ve tanımının yapılması, alınacak tedbirler ve yapılacak eylemler için son derece önemlidir. 11 Eylül 2001’deki trajik olayları takiben, gemi ve liman tesisleri güvenliği ile bağıntılı yeni önlemler geliştirilmesine Uluslararası Denizcilik Örgütü Meclisi tarafından yirmi ikinci oturumda oybirliği ile karar verilmiştir ISPS Kod Kuralları uluslararası alanda ve yaygın olarak kabul gören, denizcilik endüstrisini, denizyolu ticaretini ve dünya ekonomisini terörizm konusunda emniyet altına almaya ve limanlar ile gemiler arasındaki işbirliği ve koordinasyona odaklanmış ilk proaktif düzenleyici çerçevedir. Bu çalışma, ISPS Kod sözleşmesi uygulama süresindeki genel etki sürecine neden olan potansiyel problemleri tespit etmek amacıyla kalite kusurlarının önlenmesi için Balık Kılçığı (Ishikawa) Diyagramı ve Pareto Diyagramı tekniklerini ve beyin fırtınası oturumlarını kullanarak, ISPS Kod Kurallarının kalite perspektifinden çözümsel ve sistematik analizini sunmaktadır. Daha sonra ise, Balık kılçığı diyagramıyla bulunan ana sebep ve alt sebeplerin birbiriyle olan ilişkisini bulmak amacıyla bilişsel haritalama yöntemine başvurulmuştur.Maritime transport is generally regarded as an important enabler of the world trade and plays a crucial role in the global system. Seaports are very important, which are an inseparable part of this transport, in terms of presence, necessity and economic activity. Because of transnational flows of goods and people; ports and maritime transport has been exposed to several types of security threats. Piracy, robbery attacks, terrorist attacks, illegal migrations, smuggling, human and drug trafficking are the most noticeable threats. This study addresses analytical analysis of the ISPS Code from quality perspective by using Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa Diagram) and Pareto Chart techniques and brainstorming sessions for quality defect prevention in order to identify potential factors causing an overall effect process. Fish-bone diagram is prepared to illustrate the problems effecting the ISPS Code’s implementation and Pareto charts are prepared for all the criteria to identify major causes in implementation of the ISPS Code. Finally, Cognitive-mapping method is used to determine the relationship between the causes and sub causes which was identified in Fish-bone diagram to see how the causes and sub causes affect each other.Yüksek LisansM.Sc

The effect of Web search strategy on online purchase intention: A Web design element-related cost benefit approach

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH