Internet banking service quality:an investigation of interrelationships between construct dimensions

Service quality measurement in Internet banking services is an area of growing interest to researchers and managers. This research investigates the interrelationships between the dimensions comprising the Internet banking service quality construct through structural equation modelling. Five Internet service quality dimensions are identified: access, web interface, trust, attention and credibility. Credibility is modelled as an outcome of the causal variables of access, web interface, trust and attention. Trust and attention emerges as key dimensions in explaining the credibility dimension. Access is found to be a common antecedent of trust, attention and Web interface dimensions. Implications from the findings are offered.

Measurements of generalisation based on information geometry

Neural networks are statistical models and learning rules are estimators. In this paper a theory for measuring generalisation is developed by combining Bayesian decision theory with information geometry. The performance of an estimator is measured by the information divergence between the true distribution and the estimate, averaged over the Bayesian posterior. This unifies the majority of error measures currently in use. The optimal estimators also reveal some intricate interrelationships among information geometry, Banach spaces and sufficient statistics.

Taking strategy seriously:responsibility and reform for an important social practice

Strategy is a pervasive and consequential practice in most Western societies. We respond to strategy's importance by drawing an initial map of strategy as an organizational field that embraces not just firms, but consultancies, business schools, the state and financial institutions. Using the example of Enron, we show how the strategy field is prone to manipulations in which other actors in the field can easily become entrapped, with grave consequences. Given these consequences, we argue that it is time to take strategy seriously in three senses: undertaking systematic research on the field itself; developing appropriate responses to recent failures in the field; and building more heedful interrelationships between actors within the field, particularly between business schools and practitioners.

The influence of high contrast acuity and normalised low contrast acuity upon self-reported situation avoidance and driving crashes

The aim of this study was to determine the cues used to signal avoidance of difficult driving situations and to test the hypothesis that drivers with relatively poor high contrast visual acuity (HCVA) have fewer crashes than drivers with relatively poor normalised low contrast visual acuity (NLCVA). This is because those with poorer HCVA are well aware of their difficulties and avoid dangerous driving situations while those poorer NLCVA are often unaware of the extent of their problem. Age, self-reported situation avoidance and HCVA were collected during a practice based study of 690 drivers. Screening was also carried out on 7254 drivers at various venues, mainly motorway sites, throughout the UK. Age, self-reported situation avoidance and prior crash involvement were recorded and Titmus vision screeners were used to measure HCVA and NLCVA. Situation avoidance increased in reduced visibility conditions and was influenced by age and HCVA. Only half of the drivers used visual cues to signal situation avoidance and most of these drivers used high rather than low contrast cues. A statistical model designed to remove confounding interrelationships between variables showed, for drivers that did not report situation avoidance, that crash involvement decreased for drivers with below average HCVA and increased for those with below average NLCVA. These relationships accounted for less than 1% of the crash variance, so the hypothesis was not strongly supported. © 2002 The College of Optometrists.

The impact of portfolio diversification on trading rule profits:some evidence for UK share portfolios

This paper demonstrates how the autocorrelation structure of UK portfolio returns is linked to dynamic interrelationships among the component securities of that portfolio. Moreover, portfolio return autocorrelation is shown to be an increasing function of the number of securities in the portfolio. Since the security interrelationships seemed to be more a product of their history of non-synchronous trading than of systematic industry-related phenomena, it should not be possible to exploit the high levels of return persistence using trading rules. We show that rules designed to exploit this portfolio autocorrelation structure do not produce economic profits.

Innovation in teams : a qualitative and quantitative study of team behaviours

This thesis explores the processes of team innovation. It utilises two studies, an organisationally based pilot and an experimental study, to examine and identify aspects of teams' behaviours that are important for successful innovative outcome. The pilot study, based in two automotive manufacturers, involved the collection of team members' experiences through semi-structured interviews, and identified a number of factors that affected teams' innovative performance. These included: the application of ideative & dissemination processes; the importance of good team relationships, especially those of a more informal nature, in facilitating information and ideative processes; the role of external linkages in enhancing quality and radicality of innovations; and the potential attenuation of innovative ideas by time deadlines. This study revealed a number key team behaviours that may be important in successful innovation outcomes. These included; goal setting, idea generation and development, external contact, task and personal information exchange, leadership, positive feedback and resource deployment. These behaviours formed the basis of a coding system used in the second part of the research. Building on the results from the field based research, an experimental study was undertaken to examine the behavioural differences between three groups of sixteen teams undertaking innovative an task to produce an anti-drugs poster. They were randomly assigned to one of three innovation category conditions suggested by King and Anderson (1990), emergent, imported and imposed. These conditions determined the teams level of access to additional information on previously successful campaigns and the degree of freedom they had with regarding to the design of the poster. In addition, a further experimental condition was imposed on half of the teams per category which involved a formal time deadline for task completion. The teams were video taped for the duration of their innovation and their behaviours analysed and coded in five main aspects including; ideation, external focus, goal setting, interpersonal, directive and resource related activities. A panel of experts, utilising five scales developed from West and Anderson's (1996) innovation outcome measures, assessed the teams' outputs. ANOVAs and repeated measure ANOVAs were deployed to identify whether there were significant differences between the different conditions. The results indicated that there were some behavioural differences between the categories and that over the duration of the task behavioural changes were identified. The results, however, revealed a complex picture and suggested limited support for three distinctive innovation categories. There were many differences in behaviours, but rarely between more than two of the categories. A main finding was the impact that different levels of constraint had in changing teams' focus of attention. For example, emergent teams were found to use both their own team and external resources, whilst those who could import information about other successful campaigns were likely to concentrate outside the team and pay limited attention to the internal resources available within the team. In contrast, those operating under task constraints with aspects of the task imposed onto them were more likely to attend to internal team resources and pay limited attention to the external world. As indicated by the earlier field study, time deadlines did significantly change teams' behaviour, reducing ideative and information exchange behaviours. The model shows an important behavioural progression related to innovate teams. This progression involved the teams' openness initially to external sources, and then to the intra-team environment. Premature closure on the final idea before their mid-point was found to have a detrimental impact on team's innovation. Ideative behaviour per se was not significant for innovation outcome, instead the development of intra-team support and trust emerged as crucial. Analysis of variance revealed some limited differentiation between the behaviours of teams operating under the aforementioned three innovation categories. There were also distinct detrimental differences in the behaviour of those operating under a time deadline. Overall, the study identified the complex interrelationships of team behaviours and outcomes, and between teams and their context.

Environmental features which limit organization and industry viability:a study of the footwear industry

This thesis proposes a conceptual framework for the analysis of organizational environments. Three primary segments of the task environment - the transaction environment, the industrial environment and the ecotone are delineated. The interrelationships between the organization and these three environmental segments are examined. It is suggested that the task environment i) defines the nature of the task confronting the organization and the economic, political and social position of the organization within this network; ii) influences the way organizations and industries are organized; iii) prevents recognition of the need for adaptation and change; and iv) limits the alternatives available to the organization should changes in the environment render existing technology, behaviour and structures obsolete. The British Footwear Industry provides an example of how this framework might be used to investigate the problem of industry decline and organization viability. It is argued that the explanations usually put forth to explain organization failure and industrial decline have not taken into consideration the environmental factors which affect organization and industry viability. The shift from national markets to global markets has altered the composition of the task environment and has changed the nature of competition from firm versus firm to environment versus environment. Organizations do not compete in the market, their products do. These products are often produced by organizations embedded in environments which are significantly different from the one in which the focal organization and industry are embedded.

The application of computerised modelling techniques in manufacturing system design

The absence of a definitive approach to the design of manufacturing systems signifies the importance of a control mechanism to ensure the timely application of relevant design techniques. To provide effective control, design development needs to be continually assessed in relation to the required system performance, which can only be achieved analytically through computer simulation. The technique providing the only method of accurately replicating the highly complex and dynamic interrelationships inherent within manufacturing facilities and realistically predicting system behaviour. Owing to the unique capabilities of computer simulation, its application should support and encourage a thorough investigation of all alternative designs. Allowing attention to focus specifically on critical design areas and enabling continuous assessment of system evolution. To achieve this system analysis needs to efficient, in terms of data requirements and both speed and accuracy of evaluation. To provide an effective control mechanism a hierarchical or multi-level modelling procedure has therefore been developed, specifying the appropriate degree of evaluation support necessary at each phase of design. An underlying assumption of the proposal being that evaluation is quick, easy and allows models to expand in line with design developments. However, current approaches to computer simulation are totally inappropriate to support the hierarchical evaluation. Implementation of computer simulation through traditional approaches is typically characterized by a requirement for very specialist expertise, a lengthy model development phase, and a correspondingly high expenditure. Resulting in very little and rather inappropriate use of the technique. Simulation, when used, is generally only applied to check or verify a final design proposal. Rarely is the full potential of computer simulation utilized to aid, support or complement the manufacturing system design procedure. To implement the proposed modelling procedure therefore the concept of a generic simulator was adopted, as such systems require no specialist expertise, instead facilitating quick and easy model creation, execution and modification, through simple data inputs. Previously generic simulators have tended to be too restricted, lacking the necessary flexibility to be generally applicable to manufacturing systems. Development of the ATOMS manufacturing simulator, however, has proven that such systems can be relevant to a wide range of applications, besides verifying the benefits of multi-level modelling.

Cost models for engineering services

This thesis describes the procedure and results from four years research undertaken through the IHD (Interdisciplinary Higher Degrees) Scheme at Aston University in Birmingham, sponsored by the SERC (Science and Engineering Research Council) and Monk Dunstone Associates, Chartered Quantity Surveyors. A stochastic networking technique VERT (Venture Evaluation and Review Technique) was used to model the pre-tender costs of public health, heating ventilating, air-conditioning, fire protection, lifts and electrical installations within office developments. The model enabled the quantity surveyor to analyse, manipulate and explore complex scenarios which previously had defied ready mathematical analysis. The process involved the examination of historical material costs, labour factors and design performance data. Components and installation types were defined and formatted. Data was updated and adjusted using mechanical and electrical pre-tender cost indices and location, selection of contractor, contract sum, height and site condition factors. Ranges of cost, time and performance data were represented by probability density functions and defined by constant, uniform, normal and beta distributions. These variables and a network of the interrelationships between services components provided the framework for analysis. The VERT program, in this particular study, relied upon Monte Carlo simulation to model the uncertainties associated with pre-tender estimates of all possible installations. The computer generated output in the form of relative and cumulative frequency distributions of current element and total services costs, critical path analyses and details of statistical parameters. From this data alternative design solutions were compared, the degree of risk associated with estimates was determined, heuristics were tested and redeveloped, and cost significant items were isolated for closer examination. The resultant models successfully combined cost, time and performance factors and provided the quantity surveyor with an appreciation of the cost ranges associated with the various engineering services design options.

The effects of new technology on employment structures in the service sector

This thesis explores the interrelationships between the labour process, the development of technology and patterns of gender differentiation. The introduction of front office terminals into building society branches forms the focus of the research. Case studies were carried out in nine branches, three each from three building societies. Statistical data for the whole movement and a survey of ten of the top thirty societies provided the context for the studies. In the process of the research it became clear that it was not technology itself but the way that it was used, that was the main factor in determining outcomes. The introduction of new technologies is occurring at a rapid pace, facilitated by continuing high growth rates, although front office technology could seldom be cost justified. There was great variety between societies in their operating philosophies and their reasons for and approach to computerisation, but all societies foresaw an ultimate saving in staff. Computerisation has resulted in the deskilling of the cashiering role and increased control over work at all stages. Some branch managers experienced a decrease in autonomy and an increase in control over their work. Subsequent to this deskilling there has been a greatly increased use of part time staff which has enabled costs to be reduced. There has also been a polarisation between career and non-career staff which, like the use of part time staff, has occurred along gender lines. There is considerable evidence that societies' policies, structures and managerial attitudes continue to directly and indirectly discriminate against women. It is these practices which confine women to lower grades and ensure their dependence on the family and which create the pool of cheap skilled labour that societies so willingly exploit by increasing part time work. Gender strategies enter management strategies throughout the operations of the organisation.

The control of mitosis in mammalian tissues

The question of which factors are central in determining whether a cell will undertake a new round of mitosis or will decycle has been examined in the isolated thymic lymphocyte model. Such cell populations possess both in vivo and in vitro a subpopulation of quiescent lymphoblasts which may be induced to reinitiate their mitotic programme. In the intact animal the major determinant of proliferative activity is the plasma ionised calcium concentration. However it has been established in culture that a variety of hormones, ions, cyclic nucleotides, plant lectins and ionophores may like calcium elicit a mitogenic response. These agents do not appear however to initiate DNA synthesis in an identical fashion. Rather there are two distinct intracellular mitogenic axes. The first axis includes a number of adenylate cyclase stimulants, cyclic AMP, phosphodiesterase inhibitors and magnesium ions. It was found that all these mitogens required extracellular magnesium ions to exhibit their stimulatory capacity. This dichotomy in mitogenic activity was further emphasised by the observation that these mitogens are all inhibited by testosterone, whilst the magnesium-independent mitogens were insensitive to this androgen. Indeed this second group of stimulatory factors required the presence of calcium ions in the extracellular milieu for activity, and were, in contrast to the magnesium-dependent mitogens inhibited by the presence of oestradiol in the culture. By examining the interrelationships between these various mitogens and inhibitors it has been possible to propose a mechanism to describe the activation process in the thymocyte. Studies of the metabolism of cyclic nucleotides, membrane potential and transmembrane ion fluxes indicate that there may be a complex relationship between membrane fluidity, ion balance and cyclic nucleotide levels which may individually or in concert promote the initiation of DNA synthesis. A number of possible mechanisms are discussed to account for these observations.

Biomechanical aspects of the anterior segment in human myopia

The thesis investigates the relationship between the biomechanical properties of the anterior human sclera and cornea in vivo using Schiotz tonometry (ST), rebound tonometry (RBT, iCare) and the Ocular Response Analyser (ORA, Reichert). Significant differences in properties were found to occur between scleral quadrants. Structural correlates for the differences were examined using Partial Coherent Interferometry (IOLMaster, Zeiss), Optical Coherent tomography (Visante OCT), rotating Scheimpflug photography (Pentacam, Oculus) and 3-D Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Subject groups were employed that allowed investigation of variation pertaining to ethnicity and refractive error. One hundred thirty-five young adult subjects were drawn from three ethnic groups: British-White (BW), British-South-Asian (BSA) and Hong-Kong-Chinese (HKC) comprising non-myopes and myopes. Principal observations: ST demonstrated significant regional variation in scleral resistance a) with lowest levels at quadrant superior-temporal and highest at inferior-nasal; b) with distance from the limbus, anterior locations showing greater resistance. Variations in resistance using RBT were similar to those found with ST; however the predominantly myopic HKC group had a greater overall mean resistance when compared to the BW-BSA group. OCT-derived scleral thickness measurements indicated the sclera to be thinner superiorly than inferiorly. Thickness varied with distance from the corneolimbal junction, with a decline from 1 to 2 mm followed by a successive increase from 3 to 7 mm. ORA data varied with ethnicity and refractive status; whilst axial length (AL) was associated with corneal biometrics for BW-BSA individuals it was associated with IOP in the HKC individuals. Complex interrelationships were found between ORA Additional-Waveform-Parameters and biometric data provided by the Pentacam. OCT indicated ciliary muscle thickness to be greater in myopia and more directly linked to posterior ocular volume (from MRI) than AL. Temporal surface areas (SAs, from MRI) were significantly smaller than nasal SAs in myopic eyes; globe bulbosity (from MRI) was constant across quadrants.

The innovation value chain in new technology-based firms:evidence from the U.K.

Innovation is central to the survival and growth of firms, and ultimately to the health of the economies of which they are part. A clear understanding both of the processes by which firms perform innovation and the benefits which flow from innovation in terms of productivity and growth is therefore essential. This paper demonstrates the use of a conceptual framework and modeling tool, the innovation value chain (IVC), and shows how the IVC approach helps to highlight strengths and weaknesses in the innovation performance of a key group of firms-new technology-based firms. The value of the IVC is demonstrated in showing the key interrelationships in the whole process of innovation from sourcing knowledge through product and process innovation to performance in terms of the growth and productivity outcomes of different types of innovation. The use of the IVC highlights key complementarities, such as that between internal R&D, external R&D, and other external sources of knowledge. Other important relationships are also highlighted. Skill resources matter throughout the IVC, being positively associated with external knowledge linkages and innovation success, and also having a direct influence on growth independent of the effect on innovation. A key benefit of the IVC approach is therefore its ability to highlight the roles of different factors at various stages of the knowledge-innovation-performance nexus, and to show their indirect as well as direct impact. This in turn permits both managerial and policy implications to be drawn. © 2012 Product Development & Management Association.

Ocular biometric correlates of ciliary muscle thickness in human myopia

Purpose - Anterior segment optical coherent tomography (AS-OCT) is used to further examine previous reports that ciliary muscle thickness (CMT) is increased in myopic eyes. With reference to temporal and nasal CMT, interrelationships between biometric and morphological characteristics of anterior and posterior segments are analysed for British-White and British-South-Asian adults with and without myopia. Methods - Data are presented for the right eyes of 62 subjects (British-White n = 39, British-South-Asian n = 23, aged 18–40 years) with a range of refractive error (mean spherical error (MSE (D)) -1.74 ± 3.26; range -10.06 to +4.38) and separated into myopes (MSE (D) <-0.50, range -10.06 to -0.56; n = 30) and non-myopes (MSE (D) =-0.50, -0.50 to +4.38; n = 32). Temporal and nasal ciliary muscle cross-sections were imaged using a Visante AS-OCT. Using Visante software, manual measures of nasal and temporal CMT (NCMT and TCMT respectively) were taken in successive posterior 1 mm steps from the scleral spur over a 3 mm distance (designated NCMT1, TCMT1 et seq). Measures of axial length and anterior chamber depth were taken with an IOLMaster biometer. MSE and corneal curvature (CC) measurements were taken with a Shin-Nippon auto-refractor. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine total ocular volume (OV) for 31 of the original subject group. Statistical comparisons and analyses were made using mixed repeated measures anovas, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise forward multiple linear regression. Results - MSE was significantly associated with CMT, with thicker CMT2 and CMT3 being found in the myopic eyes (p = 0.002). In non-myopic eyes TCMT1, TCMT2, NCMT1 and NCMT2 correlated significantly with MSE, AL and OV (p < 0.05). In contrast, myopic eyes failed generally to exhibit a significant correlation between CMT, MSE and axial length but notably retained a significant correlation between OV, TCMT2, TCMT3, NCMT2 and NCMT3 (p < 0.05). OV was found to be a significantly better predictor of TCMT2 and TCMT3 than AL by approximately a factor of two (p < 0.001). Anterior chamber depth was significantly associated with both temporal and nasal CMT2 and CMT3; TCMT1 correlated positively with CC. Ethnicity had no significant effect on differences in CMT. Conclusions - Increased CMT is associated with myopia. We speculate that the lack of correlation in myopic subjects between CMT and axial length, but not between CMT and OV, is evidence that disrupted feedback between the fovea and ciliary apparatus occurs in myopia development.

Corporate governance, managers' independence, exporting and performance of firms in transition economies

Using data on 157 large companies in Poland and Hungary this paper employs Bayesian structural equation modeling to examine interrelationships between corporate governance, managers' independence from owners in terms of strategic decision-making, exporting and performance. It is found that managers' independence is positively associated with firms' financial performance and exporting. In turn, the extent of managers' independence is contingent on the firm's corporate governance parameters: it is negatively associated with ownership concentration, but positively associated with the percentage of foreign directors on the firm's board. We interpret these results as an indication that (i) risk averse, concentrated owners tend to constrain managerial autonomy at the cost of the firm's internationalization and performance, (ii) board participation of foreign stakeholders, on the other hand, enhances the firm's export orientation and performance by encouraging executives' decision-making autonomy.