The systems approach is a means of studying the properties of things in relation, not just to their components, but also to the ways in which the components interact, both with each other and with their environment. Within this approach, the task of ascertaining causal linkages existing among the variables in soft systems (as against hard systems) is more complex as these are often messy and th...

Information commitments’ include both a set of evaluative standards that Web users utilize to assess the accuracy and usefulness of information in Web-based learning environments (implicit component), and the information searching strategies that Web users use on the Internet (explicit component). An ‘Information Commitment Survey’ (ICS), consisting of aforementioned components, was developed. ...

Mass customization capabilities enable firms to design, produce, and deliver a high volume of differentiated products that meet specific customer needs in a timely manner and at close to mass-production prices. A critical part of mass customization is simultaneously achieving customer responsiveness, cost efficiency, and high volume production in the manufacturing system. This research describe...

Recently structural equation modeling software packages have implemented more accurate statistical methodology for analyzing complex survey data. The computational algorithms however vary across the packages and produce different results even for simple models. In this note we conduct simulation studies to compare the performance of the methods implemented in Mplus and LISREL. The Mplus algorit...

The author proposes an alternative estimation technique for latent variable interactions and quadraties. Available techniques for specifying these variables in structural equation models require adding variables or constraint equations that can produce specification tedium and errors or estimation difficulties. The proposed technique avoids these difficulties and may be useful for EQS, LISREL 7...

Results The model fit for the final Structural Equation Model (SEM) provided an acceptable fit, [2(28)=105.88,p<.001, RMSEA,= .07,CFI=.95, SRMR =.05]. Path analysis revealed sociocultural pressures to diet increased concurrent body dissatisfaction (=.70;p<0.05) and DE at T1 (=.56;p<.05). Internalisation of the thin-ideal and negative appearance comparisons partially mediated the effect of socio...

Since the introduction of covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) by Jöreskog in 1973, this technique has been received with considerable interest among empirical researchers. However, the predominance of LISREL, certainly the most well-known tool to perform this kind of analysis, has led to the fact that not all researchers are aware of alternative techniques for SEM, such as parti...

The main purpose of this research is to study the impact of the human resources measures on organization performance through the mediating role of organizational learning capability. The study population consisted of 220 employees of the financial branches of the Social Security Organization of KHUZESTAN province. Census method was used for data collection, a total of 220 questionnaires were di...

This study examines the effect of tertius iungens orientation on knowledge sharing activity within a social media environment. In addition, the study also introduces, based on the social cognitive theory and social capital theory, individual and social factors which influence tertius iungens orientation and knowledge sharing activity in social media. The research model was assessed using data c...

The concomitant proliferation of causal modeling and hypotheses of multiplicative effects has brought about a tremendous need for procedures that allow the testing of moderated structural equation models (MSEMs). The seminal work of Kenny and Judd and Hayduk has been drawn on by several authors in the past 10 years, thus producing procedures that allow for such tests. Yet, utilization of MSEMs ...