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Training is a critical factor in enabling users to make effective use of their computers. A variety of training methods have been proposed in the literature. These training methods will be considered within the framework of procedural and conceptual training, with special reference to their application in the training of novice end users in the use of applications software. The impact of learning styles and other user characteristics on the selection of training methods for use in this area is discussed. Finally, a current research programme to explore the effectiveness of training methods for novice end users is briefly described.

It has been suggested that conceptual models can be used to enhance the training of novice end‐users. This paper discusses the part played by metaphor in conceptual models, provides examples of end‐user training incorporating metaphors, and contends that metaphors facilitate the development of accurate mental models. The more specific issue of the role of conceptual models, and by implication metaphor, in the training of end‐users remains to be investigated, and a research agenda for this purpose is outlined.

The use of energy balance and simplified hydrodynamic models for simulating GaAs devices is investigated. The simplified hydrodynamic model predicts velocity spikes that are not present in more detailed Monte Carlo simulation results. These velocity spikes are associated with overestimation of thermal diffusion. The simplified hydrodynamic model can predict terminal currents that are significantly lower than those predicted by the energy balance model. The differences between the models are significantly greater than those observed previously for silicon devices. The main conclusion of this study is that the energy balance model is preferable to the simplified hydrodynamic model as the basis for GaAs device simulation, but the energy balance model still needs refinement to improve the agreement with more general simulation and experimental results.

Self‐consistent electrothermal simulation of modern semiconductor devices is required for the accurate and efficient design and optimization of many semiconductor devices. The need to perform this type analysis in order to predict the behavior of power devices was realized many years ago. It is now clear that nonisothermal analysis can be very important for VLSI devices as well.

There are many methods by which the state of dispersion of pigments may be studied, either in the liquid paint or in the dried film. They range from essentially practical methods useful for production control to sophisticated laboratory techniques capable of providing quantitative data on the number, size, and type of particles present in a dispersion.

The changes generated by information and telecommunication technologies in the organization of work activities may influence the way that modern cities will change in both the short and long term. The radical changes predicted in the first utopian scenarios have not taken place yet, but there is evidence of slow changes that are reshaping work and urban structures. This article analyses this evidence, in the light of the utopian and dystopian views proposed by many authors, with the aim of outlining scenarios for the future of work activities and urban structures.

An improved velocity‐space carrier transport model is presented, based on a direct solution of the Boltzmann Transport Equation. This model attempts to achieve the computational efficiency required for device simulation, while still solving for the distribution function itself. This preserves critical fine structure effects due a non‐ideal band structure and forward scattering mechanisms. The model includes a numerically efficient representation of three dimensional k‐space formulated around a 1D velocity‐space variable, and the particle energy. The number of empirical parameters in the model is reduced to a single constant per scattering mechanism. A physically intuitive solution algorithm is developed which repeatedly shifts and shapes the estimate of the distribution until convergence. Results are presented for the steady‐state homogeneous case in silicon and GaAs, which are of comparable computational cost as drift‐diffusion simulations.

Organisational performance of sport organisations has been studied over the last three decades. However, little attention was paid towards performance management (PM) compared to performance measurement. The purpose of this paper is to close this research gap by establishing a holistic perspective for PM of National Sports Organisations (NSOs) that accounts for their uniqueness, the interdependence of their operating systems and their relationship with their environments. Furthermore, this paper presents a holistic model of PM for NSOs.

The model was developed from a literature review process and uses the macro, meso and micro framework to describe external and internal environmental influences that affect the PM of NSOs.

The NSO’s ability to respond to the dynamics of their external environment by implementing organisational processes that account for the resources available and their structural designs influences their PM. Furthermore, the ability of the individuals within NSO to create enabling environments for PM influences organisational efficiency and effectiveness.

This paper contributes to sport management literature on the PM of NSOs, and informs sport managers on ways to improve organisational performance by implementing holistic approaches to PM.

This is the first study that takes a holistic approach to PM of NSO and depicts the specific elements that play a crucial role in managing NSO’s multi-dimensional performance.

Time and frequency domain complementary numerical models of microwave non‐linear circuits using two‐terminal active semiconductor devices are presented. Their main feature is the use of numerical one‐dimensional macroscopic physical models as semiconductor device models. Their respective capability is illustrated by some results of a study devoted to the optimization of millimeter‐wave avalanche diode frequency multipliers.

In the last two decades sports studies and sports management journals have called for there to be research in sports management that explores sports links to mainstream management analyses. The purpose of this paper is to argue that in many ways the sports sector is dominated by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which have a different dynamic to larger entities and therefore should be analysed accordingly. This paper applies an SME perspective on English professional football clubs.

This paper, drawn from 22 semi‐structured interviews with key individuals in the English professional football (soccer) industry, employs an interpretivist approach of semi‐structured interviews of key personnel to provide an account of the business practices prevalent in the English football industry.

The findings are as follows: that the sports industry can be regarded as one that is largely constituted of elements that are ascribed with characteristics associated with SMEs called archetypal SMEs, either in entity size, turnover or mentality; that much analysis of the administration and management of the sports industry fails to assess the sector through the prism of SME “modelling”; there are areas of engagement with SME literature that could be useful to the analysis of the management of the sports industry.

This paper does what few other papers have achieved by outlining that the sports industry can be effectively examined by applying “SME perspectives” to help explain what might appear to be their idiosyncratic characteristics.