Achieving Significant Learning in E-Commerce Education Through Small Business Consulting Projects

Spanning almost a decade in the business vernacular, electronic commerce has been an exciting endeavor for the business world and a challenging field in which to teach. From the launch of instant success stories such as Amazon.com, and the glory days of rapidly accelerating Internet stocks, electronic commerce has evolved into a valid business methodology, and the Internet accepted as an appropriate alternative distribution channel. Cross-functional in nature and with rapidly changing technology, electronic commerce challenges our ability to develop meaningful academic experiences that build marketable technical skills. The good news is that maturity in this area may finally have yielded a level of stability in course content and successful learning experiences to prepare our graduates for a world that thrives on electronic business. This paper outlines the issues and challenges of developing electronic commerce curricula to achieve Fink\u27s definition of significant learning. One method of accomplishing this goal is through team projects in which students consult to small businesses, collaborate on development projects, and achieve significant learning though the realistic application of theory

Electronic Commerce Adoption & Success: A Study of Organizational Factors and Influences

Rapid growth in electronic commerce activity raises many questions about technology adoption, implementation, and success that to date has not been addressed with empirical research. Extending the results of an in-depth case study of electronic commerce adoption, this paper seeks to test several propositions across organizations and industries, and explores the organizational characteristics that appear to influence adoption. Early results seem to indicate that the historical use of technology is not a predictor of success or failure in electronic commerce adoption and that an aggressive business strategy is a stronger indicator of adoption behavior. With the electronic commerce phenomenon, even conservative users of technology can change their normal adoption strategy and become successful in a new and innovative area that supports their core competence

Transport in Almost Integrable Models: Perturbed Heisenberg Chains

The heat conductivity kappa(T) of integrable models, like the one-dimensional spin-1/2 nearest-neighbor Heisenberg model, is infinite even at finite temperatures as a consequence of the conservation laws associated with integrability. Small perturbations lead to finite but large transport coefficients which we calculate perturbatively using exact diagonalization and moment expansions. We show that there are two different classes of perturbations. While an interchain coupling of strength J_perp leads to kappa(T) propto 1/J_perp^2 as expected from simple golden-rule arguments, we obtain a much larger kappa(T) propto 1/J'^4 for a weak next-nearest neighbor interaction J'. This can be explained by a new approximate conservation law of the J-J' Heisenberg chain.Comment: 4 pages, several minor modifications, title change

On Equivalence of Critical Collapse of Non-Abelian Fields

We continue our study of the gravitational collapse of spherically symmetric skyrmions. For certain families of initial data, we find the discretely self-similar Type II critical transition characterized by the mass scaling exponent $\gamma \approx 0.20$ and the echoing period $\Delta \approx 0.74$. We argue that the coincidence of these critical exponents with those found previously in the Einstein-Yang-Mills model is not accidental but, in fact, the two models belong to the same universality class.Comment: 7 pages, REVTex, 2 figures included, accepted for publication in Physical Review

The role of quantum fluctuations in the optomechanical properties of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a ring cavity

We analyze a detailed model of a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in a ring optical resonator and contrast its classical and quantum properties to those of a Fabry-P{\'e}rot geometry. The inclusion of two counter-propagating light fields and three matter field modes leads to important differences between the two situations. Specifically, we identify an experimentally realizable region where the system's behavior differs strongly from that of a BEC in a Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity, and also where quantum corrections become significant. The classical dynamics are rich, and near bifurcation points in the mean-field classical system, the quantum fluctuations have a major impact on the system's dynamics.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, submitted to PR

On vacuum gravitational collapse in nine dimensions

We consider the vacuum gravitational collapse for cohomogeneity-two solutions of the nine dimensional Einstein equations. Using combined numerical and analytical methods we give evidence that within this model the Schwarzschild-Tangherlini black hole is asymptotically stable. In addition, we briefly discuss the critical behavior at the threshold of black hole formation.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

From simple to complex networks: inherent structures, barriers and valleys in the context of spin glasses

Given discrete degrees of freedom (spins) on a graph interacting via an energy function, what can be said about the energy local minima and associated inherent structures? Using the lid algorithm in the context of a spin glass energy function, we investigate the properties of the energy landscape for a variety of graph topologies. First, we find that the multiplicity Ns of the inherent structures generically has a lognormal distribution. In addition, the large volume limit of ln/ differs from unity, except for the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model. Second, we find simple scaling laws for the growth of the height of the energy barrier between the two degenerate ground states and the size of the associated valleys. For finite connectivity models, changing the topology of the underlying graph does not modify qualitatively the energy landscape, but at the quantitative level the models can differ substantially.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figs, slightly improved presentation, more references, accepted for publication in Phys Rev

On correlation functions and the onset of chaotic motion

A variety of correlation functions computed over a microcanonical ensemble for the Hénon–Heiles system are investigated. We find the general trend is that of a gradual change to some form of decaying behavior as the motion becomes predominantly chaotic. The decay of a mode energy correlation function indicates a time scale for intramolecular energy redistribution

Reading in Graduate School: A Survey of Doctoral Students in Clinical Psychology

To what extent do graduate students in clinical psychology complete assigned readings? A total of 744 graduate students in American Psychological Association-accredited doctoral programs completed an online survey regarding reading in graduate school (67% response rate, of those viewing the survey). The reported amount of assigned reading varied widely, with an average of 330 pages per week. Compliance ratings suggested that about half the assigned reading is completed thoroughly and that thorough reading is more common than skimming or not reading assigned material. Motivating and hindering factors for reading are reported, and implications for faculty are considered