The Organizational Context of Process Reengineering Project Initiatives

In this study, three potentially facilitating sources of influence on BPR initiatives --innovative capacity of the organization, IS maturity and Strategy-IS interface --were examined. It was found that while factors related to IT factors such as experience in mainframe and client/server computing may facilitate the decision to reengineer, they are not critical to project success. On the other hand, factors having significant relationships beyond the initial decision include variables pertaining to innovative capacity of the organization and Strategy-IS interfac

Allergies Related to Mosquitoes, Repellents, and Insecticides

Man\u27s skin response to the mosquito bite exhibits great individual variability. The everyday immediate reaction consists o f a red, or erythematous wheal that lasts only one or two hours. Twenty to 24 hours after the mosquito bite, a delayed reaction of erythema, swelling, and itching may also occur. An individual may exhibit an immediate reaction, delayed reaction, both reactions, or neither reaction. Studies suggest that sensitization to mosquito saliva may be responsible for the inflammatory response. This hypothesis is supported by histologic studies which demonstrate striking infiltration of inflammatory cells at the site of mosquito bites. Severe local reactions can occur in areas of compromised circulation. Severe systemic reactions, on the other hand, are extremely rare. Although allergy or hypersensitivity to mosquito saliva is thought to cause both the ordinary and systemic bite reactions, this has not been investigated by modern immunologic methods. The use of insect repellents is a safe, effective method for avoiding insect bites. However, these agents can cause allergic contact dermatitis or hives. Aerosol insecticides are also effective, but respiratory allergic symptoms can occur in susceptible or asthmatic individuals

Athletic Success and Donation Intentions: Does Sense of Community Mediate?

As Division-I FBS expenditures continue to rise, it is of paramount importance for universities to better understand the benefits received as a result of athletic success. Specifically, previous research has identified a strengthened campus sense of community and increased donation levels as potential beneficial outcomes of football success. However, it is not clear how football success, sense of community, and donation intention operate cumulatively. Therefore, this study sought to explain the effect of football success on donation intentions, with the mediating effect of campus sense of community. FBS students (N = 253) reported their perceptions of football success, campus sense of community, and intentions to donate to their universities’ annual funds, as well as the athletic departments. Two separate mediation analyses indicated partial mediation for both annual fund donation intentions and athletic department donation intentions. Team identification was also found to be a positive, significant predictor of sense of community, (p < .05). These results suggest university administrators may anticipate institution-wide benefits from football success, but they may be contingent upon students’ identification levels with the football team

Information Technology-Enabled Change: The Risks and Rewards of Business Process Redesign and Automation

Information technology-enabled business process redesign is a means of levering the power of information technology to change organizational processes radically resulting in substantial improvements in corporate effectiveness and efficiency. Some of the greatest opportunities for organizational improvement using IT are associated with the support of processes that cross functional boundaries. In this search for improvement, it is important to recognize that there are both process risks associated with business process redesign and structural risks associated with crossing functional boundaries. This paper proposes a model that relates the risks and rewards of IT-enabled change and reports on the experience of 59 organizations. The study found that organizations tend to emphasize either cross-functional business process redesign or intrafunctional automation projects. The results suggest that corporations that wish to take advantage of the rewards available from information technology-enabled change should recognize the risks associated with cross-functional change and process redesign

Athletic Success and Donation Intentions: Does Sense of Community Mediate?

As Division-I FBS expenditures continue to rise, it is of paramount importance for universities to better understand the benefits received as a result of athletic success. Specifically, previous research has identified a strengthened campus sense of community and increased donation levels as potential beneficial outcomes of football success. However, it is not clear how football success, sense of community, and donation intention operate cumulatively. Therefore, this study sought to explain the effect of football success on donation intentions, with the mediating effect of campus sense of community. FBS students (N = 253) reported their perceptions of football success, campus sense of community, and intentions to donate to their universities’ annual funds, as well as the athletic departments. Two separate mediation analyses indicated partial mediation for both annual fund donation intentions and athletic department donation intentions. Team identification was also found to be a positive, significant predictor of sense of community, (p < .05). These results suggest university administrators may anticipate institution-wide benefits from football success, but they may be contingent upon students’ identification levels with the football team

Input states for quantum gates

We examine three possible implementations of non-deterministic linear optical cnot gates with a view to an in-principle demonstration in the near future. To this end we consider demonstrating the gates using currently available sources such as spontaneous parametric down conversion and coherent states, and current detectors only able to distinguish between zero or many photons. The demonstration is possible in the co-incidence basis and the errors introduced by the non-optimal input states and detectors are analysed

Consumer Behaviour Analysis and Consumer Brand Choice

This is the SECOND of TWO linked articles on consumer behavioural analysis dealing with the Behavioural Perspective Model, which locates consumer behaviour at the intersection of the consumer’s learning history and the consumer situation. As an example of research inspired by the Model, this article presents investigations into consumers’ patterns of brand choice, showing how brand repertoires are formed and how brands are selected within those repertoires

Consumer Behaviour Analysis and the Behavioural Perspective Model

This is the FIRST of TWO linked articles on consumer behavioural analysis. Cognitive theories have dominated the field of consumer behaviour for the last few decades, however, an observed lack of consistency between attitudes and behaviour has suggested the need to investigate more thoroughly situational and behavioural variables. Consumer behaviour analysis can be viewed as an alternative theoretical approach that emphasizes situational variables and measures of behaviour. Within consumer behaviour analysis, the Behavioural Perspective Model (BPM) interprets consumer behaviour as occurring at the intersection of the individual’s learning history and the consumer setting, which signals utilitarian and informational consequences associated with consumption-related responses. Utilitarian consequences are mediated by the product or service and are related to its functional benefits. Informational consequences are social, mediated by other people, and are related to feedback upon consumers’ behaviour, such as social status and prestige

Differential Impacts of Smoke-Free Laws on Indoor Air Quality

The authors assessed the impacts of two different smoke-free laws on indoor air quality. They compared the indoor air quality of 10 hospitality venues in Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, before and after the smoke-free laws went into effect. Real-time measurements of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or smaller (PM2.5) were made. One Lexington establishment was excluded from the analysis of results because of apparent smoking violation after the law went into effect. The average indoor PM2.5 concentrations in the nine Lexington venues decreased 91 percent, from 199 to 18 µg/m3. The average indoor PM2.5 concentrations in the 10 Louisville venues, however, increased slightly, from 304 to 338 µg/m3. PM2.5 levels in the establishments decreased as numbers of burning cigarettes decreased. While the Louisville partial smoke-free law with exemptions did not reduce indoor air pollution in the selected venues, comprehensive and properly enforced smoke-free laws can be an effective means of reducing indoor air pollution

Granular packings with moving side walls

The effects of movement of the side walls of a confined granular packing are studied by discrete element, molecular dynamics simulations. The dynamical evolution of the stress is studied as a function of wall movement both in the direction of gravity as well as opposite to it. For all wall velocities explored, the stress in the final state of the system after wall movement is fundamentally different from the original state obtained by pouring particles into the container and letting them settle under the influence of gravity. The original packing possesses a hydrostatic-like region at the top of the container which crosses over to a depth-independent stress. As the walls are moved in the direction opposite to gravity, the saturation stress first reaches a minimum value independent of the wall velocity, then increases to a steady-state value dependent on the wall-velocity. After wall movement ceases and the packing reaches equilibrium, the stress profile fits the classic Janssen form for high wall velocities, while it has some deviations for low wall velocities. The wall movement greatly increases the number of particle-wall and particle-particle forces at the Coulomb criterion. Varying the wall velocity has only small effects on the particle structure of the final packing so long as the walls travel a similar distance.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, some figures in colo