Automatic translation of formal data specifications to voice data-input applications.

This thesis introduces a complete solution for automatic translation of formal data specifications to voice data-input applications. The objective of the research is to automatically generate applications for inputting data through speech from specifications of the structure of the data. The formal data specifications are XML DTDs. A new formalization called Grammar-DTD (G-DTD) is introduced as an extended DTD that contains grammars to describe valid values of the DTD elements and attributes. G-DTDs facilitate the automatic generation of Voice XML applications that correspond to the original DTD structure. The development of the automatic application-generator included identifying constraints on the G-DTD to ensure a feasible translation, using predicate calculus to build a knowledge base of inference rules that describes the mapping procedure, and writing an algorithm for the automatic translation based on the inference rules.Dept. of Computer Science. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2006 .H355. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-01, page: 0354. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2006

Developing Organizational Dynamic Capabilities in Project-Based integrated Solution: A Study of Servitization in Chinese Water treatment Industry

Manufacturing firms seeking to create and extend competitive advantage are striving to incorporate more services into their offerings. Although service is seen as service providers applying knowledge and skills for the benefits of customers, service providers are traditionally treated as pure decision takers, and their influence upon organizational dynamic capabilities is largely underestimated. There are research gaps such as how front-line service providers influence organizational dynamic capabilities and how organizational dynamic capabilities can be developed in servitization need to be systematically studied and explicitly explained. This study focuses on firms providing project-based integrated solutions. The attempt to fill identified research gaps is carried out by answering three questions: What roles the front-line service providers, project manager and team members, play in project-based integrated solution? How service providers can influence organizational dynamic capabilities in project-based integrated solution? What mechanisms service providers can adopt to develop dynamic capabilities in project-based integrated solution? The theoretical foundation of this thesis is built on dynamic capability and servitization literature, complemented by researches on project-based organizations. The empirical data are collected in semi-structured interviews. In this thesis, the strategic roles which project manager and team members play, and their respective influences upon organizational capabilities are differentiated. Meanwhile, the roles of service co-creators on customer side are studied and the influence on project performance are discussed. Overall, this study is qualitative in nature and the theory development follows a deductive in combination with inductive approach. This study creates multiple theoretical contributions. Knowledge about the roles of front-line service providers, their influence upon organizational capabilities, the micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities, and the influence of service co-creators in project-based integrated solution are developed. This study also generates insights for managers to reconsider firm organizational structure, decision-making processes, human resource and knowledge assets management in solution projects. Additionally, this study indicates that, to improve project performance, managers should emphasize the importance of service co-creators and develop their capabilities

A Contingency Approach for Supply Chain Preparedness to Pursue Circular Economy Business Models

A growing stream in circular economy (CE) research is about circular economy business models (CEBM). It suggests how firms could learn to adopt unique material and product designs, newer business models, value chain networks and potential enablers that satisfies CE ideologies about economic, environment, and society. However, the understanding about how firms could integrate CEBM practices at internal, supply chain, and external levels is limited. Given the rising complexities in supply chains, the goal of this dissertation is to: (a) understand the landscape of CE concepts within the supply chain management context, and consequently (b) comprehend how firms’ preparedness about their internal, end-to-end supply chains and external environment, help them in pursuing business models that are guided by CE principles. In this dissertation, the first study provides an inclusive understanding of CE in a supply chain management context using bibliometric-network analysis. One key insight suggests CEBM is a promising theme within CE but remains unexplored in supply chain context. Using contingency theory lens, the second study identifies factors related to a focal firm’s CEBM practice as the response, its contingencies as context, its supply chain preparedness as output, and its CEBM performance as a consequent outcome. Using multi-industry multi-tier supply chain case-study method, the study explores how supply chain preparedness is related to CEBM practices and CEBM performance, and the factors upon which this relationship is contingent. A set of propositions and a contingency research framework is proposed. The research implications shall benefit scholars of transdisciplinary interests and serve as a guiding tool for practitioners and consultants presently acting upon CEBM implementation in their supply chain systems

Factors affecting the adoption and practice of knowledge management in the life insurance industry in Taiwan

In the trend of globalization and coordination of banks, insurance and security companies, Taiwan life insurance industry has been facing tremendous competitive pressure. As a result of the shift from focusing on tangible resources to intangible resources, enterprises are seeking for gaining more and more competitive advantages through managing and maximizing their most valuable asset, i.e., knowledge. While knowledge management (KM) has been used and operated in the business world for decades, its applications, which involve recognition of knowledge, development of information system and support of organization, have just been initiated in Taiwan life insurance industry recently. The issues of knowledge management have been discussed widely by a number of researchers. However, there is a genuine lack of knowledge management adoption and practice model for the life insurance industry. This study addresses this research gap via conducting empirical surveys with an embedded qualitative field study among the life insurance enterprises in Taiwan. The research aims to examine the value of knowledge, perception of knowledge management and the factors of knowledge management adoption and practice in the context of Taiwan life insurance industry.The research was carried out in three main phases. In the first phase, a tentative research model was developed through a comprehensive literature review. A qualitative field study was then undertaken to fine-tune the research model. Six life insurance companies participated in the field study, resulting in ten interviews with key persons in the companies. A semi-structured interview protocol was used to collect the data. Via the procedures of content analysis, twelve factors and ninety-three variables were identified from the field study. The combined research model was thus developed by incorporating the results from the field study and the tentative research model which was proposed based on the extensive literature review.In the second phase, a questionnaire was developed, according to the combined research model. The research instrument was pilot tested by surveying several managers and staff in a life insurance company in Taiwan. The findings from the empirical pilot survey indicated that the research instrument was relatively reliable. However, some minor amendments were made based on the feedback from pilot test.In the third phase, a nation-wide main survey was administered among 605 managers and staff within different departments and sections in the life insurance companies in Taiwan. 362 valid responses were collected in this phase which yielded a 59.8% effective response rate. The national survey data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) based Structural Equation Modeling technique.The findings revealed that “environments and industrial factors”, “knowledge management promotion” as well as “cultural factors” significantly influenced the “perceived usefulness” of knowledge management. However, the effect of the “complexity” concerning knowledge management on employees’ attitudes toward its adoption was found to be insignificant in this study. It was “individual characteristics”, “perceived usefulness” and “subjective norm” that significantly influenced the employees’ attitudes toward knowledge management adoption. It thus implied that the employees would attempt to overcome the difficulties involved in knowledge management as it was perceived useful for them and there was an environment in which knowledge management activities were valued and encouraged. Moreover, the results indicated that “attitude toward KM adoption” significantly influenced knowledge management practice, which in turn affected the perceived performance of the organization.The research model well explained how knowledge management was adopted and applied in Taiwan life insurance enterprises. This study thus contributes significantly to the existing literature since there was little research available in investigating life insurance enterprises’ adopting and applying knowledge management. In the meantime, the findings of this study also provide managerial implications to the life insurance business, particularly that embarking on knowledge management in Taiwan. Finally, the applications of this study can be extended through further adaptation in other financial industries and various geographic contexts

On the Mechanism of Building Core Competencies: a Study of Chinese Multinational Port Enterprises

This study aims to explore how Chinese multinational port enterprises (MNPEs) build their core competencies. Core competencies are firms’special capabilities and sources to gain sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) in marketplace, and the concept led to extensive research and debates. However, few studies include inquiries about the mechanisms of building core competencies in the context of Chinese MNPEs. Accordingly, answers were sought to three research questions: 1. What are the core competencies of the Chinese MNPEs? 2. What are the mechanisms that the Chinese MNPEs use to build their core competencies? 3. What are the paths that the Chinese MNPEs pursue to build their resources bases? The study adopted a multiple-case study design, focusing on building mechanism of core competencies with RBV. It selected purposively five Chinese leading MNPEs and three industry associations as Case Companies. The study revealed three main findings. First, it identified three generic core competencies possessed by Case Companies, i.e., innovation in business models and operations, utilisation of technologies, and acquisition of strategic resources. Second, it developed the conceptual framework of the Mechanism of Building Core Competencies (MBCC), which is a process of change of collective learning in effective and efficient utilization of resources of a firm in response to critical events. Third, it proposed three paths to build core competencies, i.e., enhancing collective learning, selecting sustainable processes, and building resource base. The study contributes to the knowledge of core competencies and RBV in three ways: (1) presenting three generic core competencies of the Chinese MNPEs, (2) proposing a new conceptual framework to explain how Chinese MNPEs build their core competencies, (3) suggesting a solid anchor point (MBCC) to explain the links among resources, core competencies, and SCA. The findings set benchmarks for Chinese logistics industry and provide guidelines to build core competencies

The moderating effects of leadership roles between total productive maintenance (TPM) practices and organisation performance in power generation industry

The importance of the energy industry motivated this research to be conducted, specifically to explore the Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) implementation in the power generation industry. TPM, as a part of management tools, has the proven capacity to improve the business performance of production in organizations. TNB Janamanjung Sdn Bhd (TNBJ) owned by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has progressively implemented TPM since 2010. Therefore, there is a need for a research to be conducted to determine the relationship between TPM practices and the organization’s performance. Organization performance, in this research context, refers to the performance in TPM, namely equipment effectiveness, efficiency and reliability. These three measures are considered highly significant to the key performance indicators. Hence, the primary aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between TPM practices and organization performance. TPM encompasses the maintenance practice, continuous improvement, resource management and training; meanwhile, organization performance includes equipment effectiveness, autonomous maintenance and planned maintenance. This research also examined the moderating effects of leadership between the TPM practices and organization performance. The research applied the quantitative approach where the survey which was conducted received a 76 percent response rate. The results showed a significant relationship between TPM practices and organization performance and found leadership roles only moderated between the relationship of TPM practices and the maintenance activities in organization performance. In sum, the findings support the TPM pillars model which can be the basis for TPM implementation in other industries. Besides, the findings also provide opportunities for future research to venture into different TPM practices and the effects to the organization performance

Aligning IT strategy with business strategy: A case study of global IT consultancy firms

Traditionally IT played a supportive and administrative role within organizations, however the increasing complexity in business environment and rapid development of IT has empowered IT to play a strategic role that leverages and sustains organisational strategy. Furthermore, alignment or fit between IT strategy and business strategy is very significant and both researchers and practitioners advocate such alignment. The main objective of this thesis is to acquire in-depth insight on how three major IT consultancy firm Accenture, Tata Consultancy Services, and Cognizant Technology Solutions headquartered in three different continents leverage IT strategy to reinforce business strategy for clients. In addition, the study also aims to deduce how the case companies comprehension and approach to strategic themes related to IT strategy diverge and converge from each other. The literature review acquaints the readers with the origin of the term strategy and how the meaning of the term itself has evolved and undergone several changes over time. Furthermore the review also sheds light on how scholars and academics elucidate, describe and portray "strategy". Besides the literature review also expands on various strategic themes that are significant for business like strategic change and its protagonists, connection between strategy and organizational structure, significance of strategic alliances and partnerships ,strategic decision making under uncertainty and significance of performance measurement and goal setting for strategy work. Additionally the review also examines how scholars elucidate and describe information technology and various dimensions, levels and significance of business -IT alignment. The research methodology chosen for this thesis is qualitative multiple case study of case companies. The research utilizes secondary data accumulated from case company's official website. The empirical research section mainly comprises of three parts : description of case companies elucidation of IT strategy to potential clients, thematic content analysis of various strategic IT services offered by case companies to sustain and reinforce business strategies, and cross case analysis of three case companies. The research has revealed that the case companies are quite similar in their perception and description of IT strategy. A closer look at the data yielded by the study indicates that the case companies describe IT strategy as tool, formula or package of services that helps companies in pursuing and attaining superior competitiveness. Furthermore, the research also provides important insights on key themes within strategic IT services offered by case companies to sustain and reinforce business strategies. In essence, the key themes are strategic change, organizational structure re-design, strategic partnership, decision making under uncertainty, performance measurement and goal setting. Besides, the data yielded by this study appears to suggest that the case companies offer strikingly similar services related to IT strategy . Services albeit are titled and marketed differently, but if one scrutinizes the offerings in details, one will easily come to conclusion that the core services are quite similar. In addition, it is worth noting that the case companies comprehension and approach to key themes within strategic IT services is strikingly similar to academic research on similar strategic themes

The choice of technological innovation modes: a multiple case study in the green lighting industry in China

JEL: M1，O3Since the beginning of the 21st century, the human living environment has been increasingly facing serious challenges. Energy-saving and environmental protection has become the theme of the era. Worldwide governments and enterprises work on the effective policies and measures that are jointly committed to the use and development of clean energy. In the 12th “Five-Year Plan” (i.e. The National Economic and Social Development Plan between 2011 and 2015) the Chinese government makes it clear that the energy saving and environmental protection industries will be the priority for its development. The green lighting industry is the new wave of energy saving and environmental protection industry. Due to its long industrial chain and comparatively less capital investment, the industry has attracted a large number of start-ups. According to statistics, the majority of enterprises in the industry were established less than ten years. The emerging entrepreneurial enterprises play an important role in the green lighting industry. However, the technology of green lighting is not mature yet. The competition of the industry is highly strong due to the fast changing market and demanding performance of the products. Against this backdrop, it is an inevitable requirement to strengthen and emphasize technological innovation. Based on the reality of green lighting industry, this thesis aims to develop models of technological innovation for entrepreneurial enterprises facing resource and capability constraints. Taking Grand Technology Co. Ltd, Kingsun Optoelectronic Co. Ltd and Sanan Photoelectrical Co. Ltd as the cases for the study, we focus our research on the competition environment of green lighting industry and identify the characteristics of entrepreneurial enterprises and technological innovation models. We then construct a theoretical framework for the selection of technological innovation of entrepreneurial enterprises with resource and capability constraints. The research adopts a multiple case study method to study representative companies of green lighting industry and finds the differences in the innovative selection under different resource and capability constraints.Desde o início do século XXI que o meio ambiente tem vindo a enfrentar desafios cada vez mais difíceis e que a necessidade de proteção ambiental se tornou no tema da época designadamente através da poupança de energia. Os governos e as empresas de todo o mundo trabalham no sentido da promoção de políticas e medidas destinadas à utilização e desenvolvimento de energias limpas e, no seu 12º Plano Quinquenal (i.e. o Plano Nacional de Desenvolvimento Económico e Social para o quinquénio 2011 - 2015), o governo chinês torna bem claro que será dada prioridade ao desenvolvimento de indústrias no ramo da poupança de energia e proteção ambiental. Neste âmbito insere-se a indústria da iluminação verde pelo seu impacto na poupança de energia. Nos últimos dez anos esta indústria tem atraído um número elevado de empresas nascentes devido à extensão da sua cadeia industrial e às necessidades de investimento relativamente reduzidas pelo que são empresas no seu estádio empreendedor que desempenham um papel importante na indústria da iluminação verde. Contudo, a tecnologia não está ainda suficientemente madura e a concorrência é muito intensa devido à elevada dinâmica do mercado e às crescentes exigências quanto ao desempenho dos produtos sendo inevitável reforçar e enfatizar a necessidade de inovação tecnológica. Baseando-se na realidade que a indústria da iluminação verde apresenta, esta tese pretende analisar e propor modelos de inovação tecnológica para empresas empreendedoras que se confrontam com escassez de recursos e de competências. Para tal foram estudados os casos das empresas Grand Technology Co. Ltd, Kingsun Optoelectronic Co. Ltd e Sanan Photoelectrical Co. Ltd procurando-se identificar e analisar as características destas empresas e os seus modelos de inovação. Através desse estudo procurou-se depois apresentar um modelo teórico para a seleção de inovação tecnológica por parte de empresas que se debatem com restrições de recursos e competências. Esta tese adopta o método do estudo de caso múltiplo e, focalizando-se em empresas representativas do fenómeno a analisar, foi possível encontrar diferenças no modo de seleção da inovação tecnológica em função das restrições de recursos e competências de cada empresa