An investigation of consumers’ webstore shopping: A view of click-and-mortar company

Consumers’ shopping intention is central to a Webstore's success. While past information system (IS) studies have examined this phenomenon extensively, they have focused on examining the single channel of e-tailing only. Knowledge of consumers’ cross-channel shopping behavior, which is common nowadays, was scarce. This study has empirically investigated a research model proposing how consumers’ brand loyalty in the retailing channel may impact on their shopping intentions at the same brand's Webstore. Specifically, in contrast to the system approach examined by past IS studies, this study has undertaken a brand perception approach and uncovered that by shaping consumers’ online perceptions of brand familiarity and Webstore reputation, consumers’ offline brand loyalty directly and indirectly enhances their trust in Webstore and lead to a higher shopping intention. Practical suggestions for click-and-mortar companies in building their channel strategies were proposed accordingly.     

Discriminatory power of water polo game-related statistics at the 2008 Olympic Games

The aims of this study were (1) to compare water polo game-related statistics by context (winning and losing teams) and sex (men and women), and (2) to identify characteristics discriminating the performances for each sex. The game-related statistics of the 64 matches (44 men's and 20 women's) played in the final phase of the Olympic Games held in Beijing in 2008 were analysed. Unpaired t-tests compared winners and losers and men and women, and confidence intervals and effect sizes of the differences were calculated. The results were subjected to a discriminant analysis to identify the differentiating game-related statistics of the winning and losing teams. The results showed the differences between winning and losing men's teams to be in both defence and offence, whereas in women's teams they were only in offence. In men's games, passing (assists), aggressive play (exclusions), centre position effectiveness (centre shots), and goalkeeper defence (goalkeeper-blocked 5-m shots) predominated, whereas in women's games the play was more dynamic (possessions). The variable that most discriminated performance in men was goalkeeper-blocked shots, and in women shooting effectiveness (shots). These results should help coaches when planning training and competition.     

Two novel ways of averaging waveforms by fourier analysis: the representative and the synchronous averages

Two algorithms are provided which define two new ways of averaging waveforms. The representative average maintains shape, has average d.c. offset, average amplitude and average position of noise-free input signals whose onset varies in time after a trigger pulse. The synchronous average removes random bipolar noise, the amplitude of which is below a critical threshhold, from a randomly occuring waveform. The latter does not require a trigger pulse, maintains its shape, has an average d.c. offset and average amplitude. Its position in the output field is such that the centroid of the waveform is placed in the center of the field. Both methods involve the definition of average phase angle and a quantity called the angular standard deviation.     

Relationship of socioeconomic status and ethnicity to primary grade children's self-concept

This study provides evidence regarding the controversy about the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) and ethnicity to self-concept. Subjects were 345 first-, second-, and third-grade children of low SES (180 were black) attending inner city schools in a large metropolitan area. The Purdue Self Concept Scale was the measure of self-concept. There was a decline in self-concept with grade level (p < .01), and blacks scored higher than whites (p < .01). An analysis of black second-grade children's scores indicated that the race difference was due to the high scores of those with welfare status. Low expectations resulting from SES and ethnic segregation, effects of the black pride movement, and defensiveness are considered as possible explantions.     

Theory-based model of factors affecting information overload

As the volume of available information increases, individuals and organisations become overwhelmed by the plethora of information. This can reduce productivity and performance, hinder learning and innovation, affect decision making and well-being and cost organisations large amounts of money. This paper develops a new theory-based model of factors affecting information overload and provides a formula for calculating the extent of overload, potentially of use as a diagnostic tool supporting individual or organisational development.     

A compact static double-array keeping character codes

A trie represented by a double-array enables us to search a key fast with a small space. However, the double-array uses extra space to be updated dynamically. This paper presents a compact structure for a static double-array. The new structure keeps character codes instead of indices in order to compress elements of the double-array. In addition, the new structure unifies common suffixes and consists of less elements than the old structure. Experimental results for English keys show that the new structure reduces space usage of the double-array up to 40%.     

Cognitive Development and Comprehension of Physics Concepts

Summaries

English

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to investigate the cognitive development of llth‐grade science students in Jordan; and (2) to investigate the relationship between cognitive development of science students and their comprehension of concrete and formal physics concepts.

The sample of this study consisted of 389 secondary science students (209 males and 180 females) of the school year 1979‐1980. Cognitive development of the students was measured by an Arabic version of the Longeot Test. Comprehension of physics concepts was assessed by an achievement test constructed by the researchers and validated by teachers of physics and the science supervisor in the Irbid district of Jordan.

The study did not reveal any significant difference between males and females in cognitive development. Moreover, it revealed that only 17% of the students were formal thinkers, whereas 52% were concrete thinkers.

The 2×3 ANOVA revealed that cognitive level was a highly significant factor in the comprehension of both concrete and formal concepts. It also revealed that while sex was not a significant factor in the comprehension of concrete concepts, it was a significant factor in the comprehension of formal concepts. The interaction between sex and cognitive level was not significant in the comprehension of both types of concepts.     

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES AND INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY IN THE COMPUTER AGE

Through increasingly sophisticated computerization, libraries will evolve from being passive depositories of published materials to becoming dynamic information systems. Stored information will be analyzed and recoinbined in original ways which are similar to the processes occurring on the frontiers of disciplines which are giving rise to new combined disciplines: Thus the partnership of computerized information systems and interdisciplinary scientific research will vastly widen the frontiers of human discovery.