Information-Processing Alternatives for Coping with Manufacturing Environment Complexity

Investment in information systems and technology is often justified as a necessary strategy for coping with the increased complexity and information needs of today/s manufacturing environments. However, the world class manufacturing paradigm suggests that increased complexity is not always necessary to meet the needs of markets and customers. Galbraith/s (1973, 1977) seminal information-processing model is applied to a manufacturing environment, supported by the world class manufacturing paradigm, to test the role of various information-processing alternatives for coping with increased environmental complexity. Moderated regression and multiple discriminant analysis are used to test hypotheses in a sample of 164 manufacturing plants. Environmental complexity was found to be related to manufacturing performance for each of the five dependent variables. This relationship was moderated by at least one information-processing alternative for each dependent variable, including self-contained tasks, lateral relations, and environmental management strategies for reducing manufacturing, supplier, and goal diversity. Investments in information systems and reduction of labor and customer diversity did not moderate this relationship. Practices that were found to be particularly effective in moderating this relationship included the use of multifunctional employees, communication of manufacturing strategy, coordination of decision making, product design simplicity, reduction of parts counts, supervisory interaction facilitation, recruiting and selection for flexible employees, JIT practices, blanket purchase orders, and strong customer relationships.     

The Role of Organizational and Information Technology Antecedents in Reengineering Initiation Behavior*

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) has been a major catalyst of the pervasive organizational change we have witnessed over the past decade. Although one can speculate on the reasons for the popularity of this phenomenon, it is important that we carefully examine its underlying antecedents for initiation, implementation, and ultimately success, if we are to add value to practitioners of this concept. This study empirically examines the importance of facets of the organizational structure, IT knowledge resources and infrastructure, and the IS function in the initiation of BPR. Data from 313 corporations were gathered using a carefully validated survey, and initiators were compared with noninitiators. The results strongly suggest that client-server architectures, the strategic integration of IS, and cross departmental interaction are among the more important factors facilitating initiation and can be important inputs in a BPR decision-making process. The study attempts to build a contingent theory for BPR, and the more sustainable notion of fundamental process change.     

On the asymptotic power and relative efficiency of the frequency X2 test

The asymptotic (Pitman) power of the X² test is investigated for particular classes of alternatives. A simple rule is introduced to identify ‘orthogonal alternatives’, for which the noncentrality parameter can be computed in a very simple way. In the sequel, restricted alternatives are considered and the ARE of the unrestricted test w.r.t. the restricted one is shown to depend only on the numbers of degrees of freedom. The concluding section discusses ‘undetectable alternatives’, i.e. alternatives for which the noncentrality vanishes.     

浅谈消息导语的写作

新闻导语是"消息"这一新闻体裁特有的概念,是消息的开头部分,一般由最新鲜、最主要的事实或依托新闻事实的精辟议论组成。新闻导语是全篇消息最重要的部分,写导语是写好消息的关键,也是难点。因此有经验的记者无不在导语上绞尽脑汁,刻意求新,达到既表达出最精华的事实,又能吸引读者看下去的目的。     

信息技术“生产率悖论”分析

信息与资本、土地一样,是一种重要的资源.信息技术是利用信息资源、发挥信息资源价值的技术和手段.然而,长期以来人们都为信息技术投资究竞有没有效益、效益有多大、究竞该如何测算其效益等这些问题所困惑.本文分析了信息技术"生产率悖论"产生的原因,并力图对这些问题给予解释和回答.     

Working artefacts: ethnomethods of the prototype

This paper follows recent science studies in theorizing information technologies as socio-material configurations, aligned into more and less durable forms. The study of how new technologies emerge shifts, on this view, from a focus on invention to an interest in ongoing practices of assembly, demonstration, and performance. This view is developed in relation to the case of the 'prototype', an exploratory technology designed to effect alignment between the multiple interests and working practices of technology research and development, and sites of technologies-in-use. In so far as it is successful, the prototype works as an exemplary artefact that is at once intelligibly familiar to the actors involved, and recognizably new.     

Choice of Parametric Accelerated Life and Proportional Hazards Models for Survival Data: Asymptotic Results

We discuss the impact of misspecifying fully parametric proportional hazards and accelerated life models. For the uncensored case, misspecified accelerated life models give asymptotically unbiased estimates of covariate effect, but the shape and scale parameters depend on the misspecification. The covariate, shape and scale parameters differ in the censored case. Parametric proportional hazards models do not have a sound justification for general use: estimates from misspecified models can be very biased, and misleading results for the shape of the hazard function can arise. Misspecified survival functions are more biased at the extremes than the centre. Asymptotic and first order results are compared. If a model is misspecified, the size of Wald tests will be underestimated. Use of the sandwich estimator of standard error gives tests of the correct size, but misspecification leads to a loss of power. Accelerated life models are more robust to misspecification because of their log-linear form. In preliminary data analysis, practitioners should investigate proportional hazards and accelerated life models; software is readily available for several such models.     

群体归因偏差及矫正策略

转型期社会群体对于社会认知和人的发展的归因偏差主要表现在过度归因于体制和政策、社会认识偏差、人情认知偏差、社会浮躁心态与社会牢骚等方面。因此,应通过克服归因从众心理,克服群体归因极化模式,提高元认知水平和强化自我控制等对策,使个体与群体都能得到良好的发展,更好地促进社会发展。     

从“新闻纸”走向“文化纸” —— 试论互联网时代高校校报的转型

高校校报长期被作为学校最主要的新闻宣传媒介.随着互联网的兴起和校园网的普遍应用,受众的信息需求发生变化,而校报存在着自身难以克服的 局限性,不能适应这种变化,因而其作为新闻媒介的信息传播优势地位将被网络取代.校报 的出路在于实现从"新闻纸"向"文化纸"的转型,向传播先进大学文化的地位复归.     

可持续发展农业的新视野——基于RS、GIS和GPS的“精确农业”

国内外许多研究表明,随着环境退化、资源衰竭、人口剧增等一系列生态问题的日益严重,持续农业将是今后发展永恒的主题,而持续农业的基本特点是高度依赖于信息和密集型管理。本文研究了基于RS、GIS、GPS的“精确农业”以及实施精确农业的技术条件和程序、我国精确农业应用研究的领域与国外“3S”精确农业的研究进展和发展前景。