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Simulation software has been integrated into education delivery process in order to provide an effective learning environment for students such as FlexSim and Arena. This study investigated Hong Kong engineering students' help-seeking perception and attitudes towards learning simulation software at their university education institution. Students can be influenced by different factors during their study of using simulation software and depends on different situations for determining their help-seeking perception. The objective of this survey is to examine the factors and situations that influenced students on using simulation software about its usage and acceptance, including the teaching and learning processes and the usage as a supplement to the conventional instruction. A survey will be conducted and collected samples from university students in one of Hong Kong's universities. A comparison will be made based on students' help-seeking perception and attitudes towards using simulation software (e.g. FlexSim or Arena) after collecting and analyzing those samples in order to provide a suggestion for improving the learning environment.

E-books have been predicted to have a high influence on higher education. However, the use rate of e-e-book adoption in higher education has been lower than expected in Hong Kong. Therefore, it is essential to investigate how students in higher education think of using e-books. In order to obtain a wide view of this survey, a questionnaire survey will be conducted. Research on the perception of higher education students has been done to illustrate the reasons that might lead to a low using rate of e-books. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to help scholar to notice about this issue and encourage students who are in higher education to use more e-books.

The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, engineering students' motivation in using technology for learning in one of Hong Kong universities is investigated. Secondly, new research model about students' perception in using technology for learning is developed. Survey was employed and the questionnaires were distributed to targeted university under study. 211 questionnaires were collected. The major findings of this study are that (i) Confidence was positively related to Relevance; (ii) Satisfaction was positively related to Confidence; (iii) Relevance was positively correlated with Satisfaction; (iv) Interest is positively related to Relevance; (v) Perceived personal ability is positively associated with Confidence; (vi) Confidence is positively associated with perseverance; (vii) Confidence, is negatively associated with anxiety; and (viii) Satisfaction is positively associated with social influence.

Some past studies find that older students have more confidence in using technology for learning than younger students but some other studies find the opposite result. However, it is found that there are a few researches studying on the age difference in the perception of using technology for learning in Hong Kong. Therefore, the aim of the study is to examine the age difference of confidence in using technology for learning in the Hong Kong higher educational institutions. In this study, it employed a survey methodology to collect a total of 211 questionnaires from one of the universities in Hong Kong. The findings show that older students had more confidence in using technology for learning than younger students. (Contains 3 tables.)

The study aims to examine the effectiveness of the implementation of "Meeting Pupil Needs and Empowering Staff" in the quality management in Hong Kong primary schools. A case study of nine primary schools was conducted and a qualitative method of interviews was adopted in this study. A total of 9 principals and 9 teachers from 9 primary schools responded to the interviews. The finding shows that "meeting pupil needs and empowering staff" was perceived to be one of least implemented area because most schools' parents and students were not given any chances to express their opinions on the school policy as to meet their needs. Some teachers could give opinions on school matters but their ideas might not be accepted. The executive committee members were empowered to prepare the budgets, give opinions and make decisions on school policy. Finally, the implication of the study is addressed.

Past studies have found male students to have more confidence in using technology for learning than do female students. Males tend to have more positive attitudes about the use of technology for learning than do females. According to the Women's Foundation (2006), few studies examined gender relevant research in Hong Kong. It also appears that no studies have examined these gender differences in the perception of confidence in using technology for learning specifically in Hong Kong. The aim of this study was to examine gender difference regarding confidence toward using technology (e.g., AutoCAD, SPSS, Compiere, Arena, and programming language, such as C, Java, Visual Basic, etc.) for learning in higher educational institutions in Hong Kong. The study employed a survey methodology collecting 211 questionnaires from one specific university in Hong Kong. The findings confirmed that male students have more confidence in using technology for learning than do female students because gender imbalances in computing are socially constructed and not related to a learner's innate ability. It is recommended that the universities should set up training courses for female students so these students can build confidence in using technology for learning. (Contains 3 tables.)

There are three dimensions through which to measure university support for students' transition to university life: academic adjustment, social adjustment and psychological adjustment. Previous research studies show that there are relationships among those adjustments. However, less is known about gender differences in these relationships. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived gender differences in perception of the relationships among these adjustments during the first year undergraduate transition period. The study is based on a survey of 114 first year undergraduate students from a Hong Kong local university. The findings show that (1) female students perceive social adjustment to have more influence on academic adjustment than male students, (2) female students perceive psychological adjustment to have more influence on academic adjustment than male students, and (3) there is no significant difference in the relationship between social and academic adjustments for female and male students.

University support to students' transition to university life can be divided into three dimensions, namely: academic adjustment, social adjustment and psychological adjustment. Previous researches show that there are relationships among those adjustments. However, less is known about gender differences in these relationships. The purpose of this study is to examine the gender differences in the perception of the relationships among these adjustments during the transition period. The study is based on a survey of 265 students from five Hong Kong universities. The findings show that: (i) social adjustment is perceived by female students to have more influence on academic adjustment than male students; (ii) psychological adjustment is perceived by female students to have more influence on academic adjustment than male students; and (iii) there is no significant difference in the relationship between social and psychological adjustments for both female and male students. Finally, implications of this study are explored and discussed. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

The purpose of this study is to determine if there are gender differences in the perception of university support. The study is based on a survey of 368 students in a Hong Kong university. The findings of the study are threefold. First, female students perceive the university as being more supportive in their academic adjustment than do male students (t = -4.256, p less than 0.001). Second, male students perceive the university as being more supportive in their social adjustment than do female students (t = 2.156, p less than 0.05). Last, male students perceive the university as being more supportive in their psychological adjustment than do female students (t = 2.401, p less than 0.05). (Contains 3 tables.)

Students' adjustment to the university environment is an important factor in predicting university outcomes and is crucial to their future achievements. University support to students' transition to university life can be divided into three dimensions: academic adjustment, social adjustment and psychological adjustment. However, these relationships have not been studied simultaneously in previous studies. The purpose of this study is to examine the students' perception on the relationships between two of the three dimensions. The study is based on a survey of 265 students from five Hong Kong universities. The findings show that students perceive that (1) social adjustment has a positive impact on academic adjustment; (2) psychological adjustment has a positive impact on academic adjustment; and (3) social adjustment has a positive impact on psychological adjustment. The implications are explored and discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of a sample of Hong Kong principals and teachers of the extent to which quality management (QM) has been effectively implemented in primary schools. The features of QM improvement implemented in Hong Kong primary schools include: values and duties, systems and teams(ST) resources and changes(RC) and meeting pupil needs and empowering staff. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative, survey questionnaire was adopted in this study. A total of 322 respondents (83 principals and 239 teachers) out of 83 primary schools responded to the questionnaire. Findings: The finding shows that all four features of QM are perceived as being implemented in Hong Kong primary schools. There are significant differences between the perceptions of principals and teachers towards "value and duties", "ST", "RC" of QM. However, there is no significant difference between the perceptions of principles and teachers towards "meeting pupil needs and empowering staff" of QM. Originality/value: This paper is a first step towards extending the theory and practice of QM to principals and teachers in Hong Kong primary schools. (Contains 4 tables.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the IT professionals in a Hong Kong public transport company have a general perception of influence of the organisational defensive patterns on learning of ICT; and whether skilled incompetence, organisational defensive routines and fancy footwork are positively associated with each other in IT group of a transport company. Design/methodology/approach: This paper investigated the influence of organisational defensive patterns by means of a survey of 171 IT professionals at a Hong Kong public transport company. Each selected employee completed a questionnaire that asked them to indicate the influence of the organisational defensive patterns (skilled incompetence, organisational defensive routines and fancy footwork) on the learning of ICT in their organisation. Findings: The employees indicated that skilled incompetence, organisational defensive routines and fancy footwork had influence on the learning of ICT. The findings show that the IT professionals in a Hong Kong transport company have the general perception of influence of skilled incompetence, defensive routines and fancy footwork on learning of ICT. The findings also indicate that skilled incompetence, defensive routines and fancy footwork are positively associated with each other in IT group of the transport company. Originality/value: This article is a first step towards extending the theory and practice of organisational defensive patterns to IT group of a transport company. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

Organisational defensive patterns, including skilled incompetence, organisational defensive routines and fancy footwork, are considered to be a hindrance to effective learning and innovation capacity building in all organisations. The purpose of this research is to investigate: 1) the perceptions of the influence of organisational defensive patterns on the learning of ICT; 2) the relationships among three mechanisms of organisational defensive patterns; 3) the impact of organisational defensive patterns on innovation capacity building, in operational groups of transport sector. The study was conducted by survey and 304 operational employees completed questionnaires which were designed to measure the influence of the organisational defensive patterns (skilled incompetence, organisational defensive routines and fancy footwork) on learning ICT and innovative capacity building in their organisations. The findings revealed that: 1) skilled incompetence, organisational defensive routines and fancy footwork impeded the operational staff to learn ICT from other companies; 2) there were positive relationships among skilled incompetence, organisational defensive routines and fancy footwork; 3) skilled incompetence, organisational defensive routines and fancy footwork weakened the innovative capacity building in both transport companies. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

There are three dimensions through which to measure university support for students’ transition to university life: academic adjustment, social adjustment and psychological adjustment. Previous research studies show that there are relationships among those adjustments. However, less is known about gender differences in these relationships. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceived gender differences in perception of the relationships among these adjustments during the first year undergraduate transition period. The study is based on a survey of 114 first year undergraduate students from a Hong Kong local university. The findings show that (1) female students perceive social adjustment to have more influence on academic adjustment than male students, (2) female students perceive psychological adjustment to have more influence on academic adjustment than male students, and (3) there is no significant difference in the relationship between social and academic adjustments for female and male students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The speed of new product development (NPD) has been a key factor in a firm's degree of competitiveness. The tools and philosophy of quality management have been widely used to improve and control product quality. However, there is a lack of literature on the relationship between quality management and NPD. This paper aims to report on a study that investigates the influence of quality management on the speed of NPD. Design/methodology/approach – The philosophy of quality management refers to total quality management (TQM). Tools for quality management include teamwork, continuous improvement (CI), value analysis (VA) and quality function deployment (QFD). This study begins by comparing literature in concurrent engineering (CE) and TQM, which leads to several common principles and five hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested using survey data from 700 manufacturing companies in 20 countries. Findings – The research reveals that TQM, Team, VA and QFD are positively correlated with the speed of NPD, meaning that the tools and philosophy of quality management have a positive influence on the speed of NPD. However, no relationship is found between CI and the speed of NPD. Research limitations/implications – This paper tests hypotheses using survey data. It reveals the empirical relationship between quality management and the speed of NPD but does not provide details regarding the mechanism of influence between the two. Consequently, case studies should be conducted in the future to probe into the details. Additionally, new quality methods like Six Sigma can also be included in a future study, since Six Sigma covers both quality and NPD. Practical implications – This study proposes that companies that have implemented TQM and other quality management tools will have a better foundation for implementing new NPD approaches like CE and design for manufacturing and assembly. This is especially encouraging for those original engineering manufacturing (OEM) firms that would like to change from OEM to original design manufacturing/original brand manufacturing (ODM/OBM). OEM companies typically implement TQM but invest very little in NPD. Originality/value – This paper fills the gap in research exploring the links between quality management and NPD. It addresses the concern over whether quality management may hinder NPD. The critical issues for implementing quality management such as culture change, learning, change management, and team building can all be applied to implementing NPD methods such as CE. The result also supports the concept of "design the quality into products". It is beneficial for employees in quality and NPD to share and work together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]