507 research outputs found
Partnership quality in IT outsourcing: a mixed methods review of its measurement
[Abstract]: There is little doubt that how an IT outsourcing relationship is managed has a significant bearing on the overall success of an outsourcing venture. However, there has been a lack of empirical research with the view to developing a better understanding of the partnership type relationship between the client organisation and outsourcing vendor. This paper reports on the measurement and applicability of partnership quality using a mixed methods approach. The findings confirmed six dimensions of partnership quality which are important in evaluating the quality of a partnership type relationship in IT outsourcing. But findings also show that a partnership type relationship is more likely to exist for small to medium sized organisations
Higher education course content: paper-based, online or hybrid course delivery?
[Abstract]: The emergence of the Internet has made many institutions involved in the delivery of distance education programs re-evaluate the course delivery framework. A variety of models and techniques co-exist in an often uneasy alliance at many such institutions. These range from the traditional
distance learning model, which remains paper-based, to the purely online model. Recently, hybrid models have emerged which apparently attempt to forge elements taken from several models into a unified whole. Many of these hybrid models seek to eliminate paper-based materials from the tuition process. While many arguments are put forward about the efficacy of purely electronic delivery mechanisms, cost containment is often the driving motivation. This study explores student perceptions of the various delivery mechanisms for distance learning materials. In particular,
it seeks to determine what value students place on paper-based delivery mechanisms. The study surveys a group of undergraduate students and a group of graduate students enrolled in the Faculty of Business at a large regional Australian university
Factors influencing the decision to choose information technology preparatory studies in secondary schools: an exploratory study in regional/rural Australia
[Abstract]: The career paths of students are influenced and shaped by the subject choices that are made in the final years of secondary schooling. This paper presents the findings of an empirical study that identified the key factors influencing the decision of rural / regional Australian students to choose or not choose to study Information Processing and Technology. The findings revealed that career oriented, extrinsic factors play an important role in motivating the selection of I.P.T. at school and, by implication, information technology at university. There are few apparent gender differences but there is limited evidence to suggest that males may be more influenced by extrinsic motivators and females by intrinsic motivators. Although the factors used in the study were initially identified largely via informal processes, they all appear to influence the decision to take I.P.T. The focus on career-related factors and the instrumentality of taking I.P.T. could explain the drop-off in students taking the subject. This has potentially significant implications as regards the
future supply of good information technology professional
Adolescents' judgments of doubly deviant peers: Implications of intergroup and intragroup dynamics for disloyal and overweight group members
Group membership, loyalty, and weight are highly relevant for adolescent peer evaluations at school. This research tested how inâgroup/outâgroup membership affected judgments of peers who deviated from social norms for weight and loyalty. Two hundred and forty 11â13âyearâolds (49 percent female; 94 percent Caucasian) judged two inâgroup or outâgroup peers: one was normative (loyal and average weight) and the other was nonânormative (i.e., âdeviantâ). The deviant target was overweight, disloyal to their own group (school), or both (âdoubly deviantâ). Derogation of overweight relative to average weight peers was greater if they were inâgroup rather than outâgroup members, revealing a strong âblack sheep effectâ for overweight peers. Disloyal outâgroup deviants were judged favorably, but this effect was eliminated if they were doubly deviant, suggesting that their disloyalty was insufficient to overcome the overweight stigma. Consistent with developmental subjective group dynamics theory, effects of group membership and types of deviance on adolescentsâ favorability toward peers were mediated by adolescentsâ perceptions of how well the deviant members would âfitâ with the inâgroup school. Implications for theory and strategies to reduce peer exclusion, particularly weight stigmatization, are considered
The isolation and serology of Brucella melitensis in a flock of goats in central RSA
Brucella melitensis biotype 1 was isolated in pure culture from the lungs, liver, spleen, kidney, stomach contents, abomasum and brain of an aborted caprine (Boer goat) foetus in the district of Cullinan, near Pretoria. The 18 does and 1 ram in the flock of Boer goats were examined serologically by means of the complement fixation (CF) test, using Brucella abortus antigen. Six weeks later they were examined again, using B. abortus as well as B. melitensis biotype 1 antigens. No significant differences were found between the 2 CF tests using B. abortus antigen, or between the results obtained by using the B. abortus and B. melitensis antigens.
Twelve goats, showing CF antibody titres, were slaughtered and examined bacteriologically. No relationship was found between the serological and bacteriological results.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.mn201
Monte Carlo simulation of virtual Compton scattering below pion threshold
This paper describes the Monte Carlo simulation developed specifically for
the VCS experiments below pion threshold that have been performed at MAMI and
JLab. This simulation generates events according to the (Bethe-Heitler + Born)
cross section behaviour and takes into account all relevant
resolution-deteriorating effects. It determines the `effective' solid angle for
the various experimental settings which are used for the precise determination
of photon electroproduction absolute cross section.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figures, to be published in Nuclear Instruments and
Methods in Physics Research, A One author adde
Measurement of the Beam-Recoil Polarization in Low-Energy Virtual Compton Scattering from the Proton
Double-polarization observables in the reaction have been measured at . The experiment
was performed at the spectrometer setup of the A1 Collaboration using the 855
MeV polarized electron beam provided by the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) and a recoil
proton polarimeter. From the double-polarization observables the structure
function is extracted for the first time, with the value , using the low-energy theorem
for Virtual Compton Sattering. This structure function provides a hitherto
unmeasured linear combination of the generalized polarizabilities of the
proton
The HERMES Dual-Radiator Ring Imaging Cerenkov Detector
The construction and use of a dual radiator Ring Imaging Cerenkov(RICH)
detector is described. This instrument was developed for the HERMES experiment
at DESY which emphasizes measurements of semi-inclusive deep-inelastic
scattering. It provides particle identification for pions, kaons, and protons
in the momentum range from 2 to 15 GeV, which is essential to these studies.
The instrument uses two radiators, C4F10, a heavy fluorocarbon gas, and a wall
of silica aerogel tiles. The use of aerogel in a RICH detector has only
recently become possible with the development of clear, large homogeneous and
hydrophobic aerogel. A lightweight mirror was constructed using a newly
perfected technique to make resin-coated carbon-fiber surfaces of optical
quality. The photon detector consists of 1934 photomultiplier tubes for each
detector half, held in a soft steel matrix to provide shielding against the
residual field of the main spectrometer magnet.Comment: 25 pages, 23 figure
The first determination of Generalized Polarizabilities of the proton by a Virtual Compton Scattering experiment
Absolute differential cross sections for the reaction (e+p -> e+p+gamma) have
been measured at a four-momentum transfer with virtuality Q^2=0.33 GeV^2 and
polarization \epsilon = 0.62 in the range 33.6 to 111.5 MeV/c for the momentum
of the outgoing photon in the photon-proton center of mass frame. The
experiment has been performed with the high resolution spectrometers at the
Mainz Microtron MAMI. From the photon angular distributions, two structure
functions which are a linear combination of the generalized polarizabilities
have been determined for the first time.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Leptospirosis as a cause of "white spot" kidneys in South African pig abattoirs
The incidence of isolation of Leptospira sp. from the kidneys of slaughter pigs with âwhite-spot" macroscopic
lesions was determined. Histology and general bacteriology were performed. Leptospira pomona was
isolated from 19/21 kidneys showing macroscopic lymphocytic lesions.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi.
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201
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