• IE interfaces
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.539-546
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• 2007

This study has been conducted on touch screen interface design for mobile devices. It was intended to measure user’s satisfaction on one-handed thumb input mobile devices. Recent studies proposed the optimal touch button size, but it is inappropriate for mobile devices. Therefore, this study was focused on four touch key factors-width, height, the horizontal and vertical distance between touch keys-as independent variables. The ANOVA results showed that the user satisfaction of four touch key factors was significantly affected by the thumb input. It also apparent that the interactions between four factors were significant. As a result, the horizontal and vertical distance as well as the width and height affected the satisfaction of users. In addition, this study suggested satisfaction models which represent the top 30%, 50%, 70% of user satisfaction measurement. The results of this study could be used to design touch keys that are able to enhance the usability on touch screen based mobile devices.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.140-149
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• 2007

Indian construction companies have only 0.05% market share in the 3-4 trillion dollar global construction business and only two Indian construction companies figure in the ENR "Top 225 Global Contractors 2006" list. Hence, while enormous scope for growth exists, international construction experience is limited. This study explores the risks as perceived by Indian companies venturing abroad since risks in international construction differ from home market risks. Literature survey identified a number of risk factors that were evaluated by the experts, highlighting fourteen important risk factors. Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) was used to develop a hierarchical model showing the relationships between the different risk factors, thus helping to focus on the key risks for effective risk management. The study shows that poor project management is a key risk forming the hub of the system, while political instability has maximum influence. The results of the study can be used by managers to visualise the risks in perspective and prioritise the mitigation effort.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.176-184
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• 2007

Recently, in the korean construction industry, the importance of cost management in the building design process has been grown up institutional systems and policies for the cost management of design stages are however weakness. Traditionally, the range of cost management has been limited to the construction stages, and due to inefficiency of the infrastructure such as standards and building cost data for cost management. It has trouble to perform the cost management in building design process. This study intends to derive key influence factors for raising efficiency of cost management. With questionnaire surveys to professionals, we analyze a current situations and the influence of obstacle factors on cost management. Finally, the key influence factors are induced, based on the result of the analysis on influence the obstacle factors.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.77-85
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• 2017

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the variables that lead consumers to visit traditional markets and buy market goods. Thus, the current research examined the relationship between satisfaction and return intention as among the factors influencing loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology - This study was conducted to examine the effects of the perceived level of factors on loyalty and how it influenced consumers' visits to traditional markets in 125 adult adolescents and women living in Mok-po area. The results of the questionnaire were obtained. The statistical data of the questionnaire were verified by SPSS. Results - In this study, consumers' perception level of eight loyalty factors can be perceived by the traditional Korean market. The empirical analysis is summarized as follows. First, by selecting five representative variables influencing intention to return to traditional markets, Mok-po area consumers were affected by the intention to revisit according to the intensity of recognition level among these variables. Second, the higher the perceived level of product price, quality of access (accessibility) among the factors that consumers perceive as important factors in visiting traditional markets were heightened. Third, Mokpo residents are aware of the main important factors of visiting the market such as receiving a friendly atmosphere (image) about traditional market, market environment (hygiene and cleanliness), connection with the local economy, and customer service such as kindness, refund and return. These loyalty factors did not affect consumers' intention to revisit. In other words, image, environment, regional economic linkage, and these factors did not have a positive effect on revisit intention. Conclusions - The empirical analysis of this study suggests that factors that directly affect loyalty among the key factors that play a major role in visiting traditional markets should be identified and developed as loyalty factors. It is necessary to identify the key factors influencing the satisfaction and loyalty of traditional market users, and operate a system that systematically and comprehensively manages and evaluates them. In order to do this, the government, the local governments, and related organizations should regularly conduct loyalty and satisfaction surveys on visa recognition levels and establish strategies for dramatic improvement measures.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the influences of hospital employees' daily life posture habits and work-related factors upon musculoskeletal subjective symptoms. Methods: This study was a descriptive survey study. Data were collected using structured a self-report questionnaire between April 1 and May 31, 2015. One hundred and ninety two employees were recruited in three hospitals. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$ test, t-test, and binomial logistic regression. Results: The habit of leaning on one side and the habit of bending the back in an improper posture are key postures based on lifestyle affecting musculoskeletal subjective symptoms in neck, shoulders, arms, waist, and legs. Labours accompanying repeated arm movements for a long time are key work-related risk factors affecting musculoskeletal subjective symptoms in arms. Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed that, to prevent musculoskeletal diseases, it is necessary to identify and mediate personal factors like daily life posture habits as well as work-related risk factors. They may be utilized as basic materials for education of musculoskeletal health promotion and development of life guidance programs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.285-296
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• 2014

Material damping affects the dynamic behaviors of engineering structures considerably, but up to till now little research is maintained on influence factors of material damping. Based on the damping-stress function of steel, the material damping of steel beams is obtained by calculating the stress distribution of the beams with an analytical method. Some key influence factors of the material damping, such as boundary condition, amplitude and frequency of excitation, load position as well as the cross-sectional dimension of a steel beam are analyzed respectively. The calculated results show that even in elastic scope, material damping does not remain constant but varies with these influence factors. Although boundary condition affects material damping to some extent, such influence can be neglected when the maximum stress amplitude of the beam is less than the fatigue limit of steel. Exciting frequency, load position and cross-section dimension have great effects on the material damping of the beam which maintain the similar changing trend under different boundary conditions respectively.

• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.30-39
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• 2012

Design-build (D&B) has been broadly perceived as an effective project delivery method and become popular in the world. However, the implementation process of this innovative procurement method in Vietnam encounters difficulties due mainly to unfamiliarity and inexperience with the approach. Critical success factors (CSFs) which could be used to enhance the project execution are useful to practitioners in Vietnam if identified. A questionnaire survey was employed to identify CSFs of D&B projects in Vietnam. Parties' competence, especially financial capability, and contract documentation are the most important factors significantly affecting project success. It was also shown that the perspectives of two principal parties in D&B projects on the CSFs are statistically correlated. The identified CSFs were then validated with some various D&B projects. The execution results of CSFs' were compared with the projects' performance measured try key performance indicators (KPIs). The most important success factors of this study were also compared with other countries'. The validation and comparison results provide project participants with some useful information to perform D&B projects better. Practitioners should well perform the identified CSFs to enhance the chance of the success of D&B projects in Vietnam. The findings of this study are useful not only to Vietnamese practitioners but also to others who are concerned about D&B method and plan to employ it in Vietnam in future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2012.10a
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• pp.630-635
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• 2012

Nearfield acoustic holography method predicts an unmeasured sound field, therefore it depends on its prediction methods. In particular, if one has radiators or scatters, which cannot be expressed by simple geometry, then inverse boundary element method (BEM) is normally employed to reconstruct the sound field induced by sound sources with irregular profiles. The characteristics of boundary element, including the element shape, characteristic length, order of shape function and others, affect the reconstruction error. Investigating the errors by means of changing these factors will provide a guide line for selecting appropriate factors, associated with the elements of BEM. These factors are investigated by numerical simulations, and the accuracies with respect to the variant factors are compared. Novel suggestions for selecting appropriate boundary element factors are described based on the simulation results.

• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.28-38
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• 2016

The flexible control system for hydraulic pile hammer using main control valve is present to the requirement of rapidly reversing with high frequency. To ensure the working reliability of hydraulic pile hammer, the reversing performance of the main control valve should commutate robustness to various interfere factors. Through simulation model built in Simulink/Stateflow and experiment, the effects of relative parameters to reverse performance of main control are analyzed and the main interfere factors for reversing performance are acquired. Treating reverse required time as design objects, some structure parameters as control factors, control pressure, input flow and gaps between spool and valve body as interfere factors, the robust design of the main control valve is done. The combination of factors with the strongest anti-jamming capability is acquired which ensured the reliability and anti-jamming capability of the main control valve. It also provides guidance on design and application of the main control valve used in large flow control with interferes.

• World Technopolis Review
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.21-42
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• 2019

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors influencing global expansion/scalability of Kenyan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Factor analysis and multiple/multivariate regression analysis to determine the functional relationship between independent variables (factors) and the dependent variable was used. The independent variables were: innovation & technology, fitness/appropriateness of management, global marketing strategy; and support environment and the dependent variable, global expansion/scalability. Data was collected from a survey of randomly selected firms of 205, drawn from a population of 440 firms from Kenya Manufacturers Directory, with 175 firms responding. The key findings from the research in relation to Kenyan SMEs were that: there is a functional relationship between global market strategy and global expansion; there is a functional relationship between innovation and technology orientation and global expansion, there is no significant functional relationship between supportive environment of firms and their global expansion; and there is no significant functional relationship between fitness/appropriateness of management and global expansion/scalability. The implications for practice is that the ranking of the factors in order of priority supports focusing concern on the orientation of business strategy toward global market strategy, market research geared at obtaining foreign market intelligence, innovation and technology, product adaptation, service orientation, collaborative ventures, and long-range vision as key factors in making Kenyan firms successful in the international market. The implication for policy and practice is that there is need for collaboration between industry and government in pursuing policies for global expansion/scalability and among SMEs and large enterprises particularly in areas of rapid technological change.