Showing papers by "AT&T Teleholdings, Inc. published in 1995"
TL;DR: In this article, a longitudinal case study of an administrative unit of a large non-federal government following the election of a new Chief Elective Official is presented, where the changing climate becomes a dominant characteristic of the emerging situation.
Abstract: In this paper we report on a longitudinal case study of an administrative unit of a large nonfederal government following the election of a new Chief Elective Official. In this case, the changing climate becomes a dominant characteristic of the emerging situation. Poole and McPhee's (1983) extension of Giddens' Structuration Theory is employed as an analytic framework, tracing through the evolution and transformation of climate themes in the case. We find new categories of, and conditions affecting, climate—theme emergence, spread, and sedimentation. More particularly, the case demonstrates the complexity of organizational climate, with several processes interacting simultaneously to generate a constantly changing climate in the course of reproducing the organization's culture and beliefs. Importantly, the case shows how these complex climate processes are related to demoralization and counterintentional results in organizational change.
50 citations
TL;DR: This paper proposes guidelines for construction of phone-based interfaces to interactive voice response systems, a compilation of information from the best of current practices, empirical research where available, and the wisdom of the industry.
Abstract: Thousands of applications-from airline reservations to zoo schedules-use phonebased interfaces to provide information to callers and to request input. The dramatic increase in the number of these applications has led to wide variability in the quality of the interface design. Most users have no choice but to grudgingly accept these systems; experience with poorly designed phone-based interfaces has led to widespread dissatisfaction. We believe that the lack of published guidelines for interface design for these systems contributes to the variability in quality and thus to user antipathy. In this paper we propose guidelines for construction of phone-based interfaces to interactive voice response systems. These guidelines are a compilation of information from the best of current practices, empirical research where available, and the wisdom of the industry. We see this collection as a starting point for further discussion and standardization that will ultimately lead to optimally usable interactive voice res...
44 citations
Patent•
11 May 1995TL;DR: In this paper, a multi-purpose interface for a television receiver for digital or analog, broadcast or switched video distribution systems is provided which eliminates the necessity of having the user operate a separate set-top cable converter at the location of the subscriber in order to receive any switched or broadcast, digital, analog or analog CATV offering transmitted to the subscriber by the cable service provider, regardless of the particular type of cable service requested by the subscriber from the cable services provider (i.e., basic cable program offering, a scrambled premium program offering and/or a pay-for-view
Abstract: A multi-purpose interface apparatus for a television receiver for digital or analog, broadcast or switched video distribution systems is provided which eliminates the necessity of having the user operate a separate set-top cable converter at the location of the subscriber in order to receive any switched or broadcast, digital or analog CATV offering transmitted to the subscriber by the cable service provider, regardless of the particular type of cable service requested by the subscriber from the cable service provider (i.e., basic cable program offering, a scrambled premium program offering and/or a pay-for-view program offering). This interface will also be fully capable of operating with novel CATV distribution systems, including all prospective video dial tone systems. Also disclosed is a related method.
32 citations
23 Oct 1995
TL;DR: The authors' results demonstrate that gains in quality due to higher resolution levels may eventually be outstripped by the degrading effects of compression as the compression ratio increases and suggest a more gradual reduction in resolution would provide better control over loss of quality.
Abstract: The effect of prefiltering and resizing on the diagnostic quality of compressed images at various compression ratios is examined in this paper. A key object of the work is to get an insight on selecting an optimal combination of resolution and quantizer coarseness for a given ratio of compression of medical images. Test images were decimated by several decimation factors, and compressed to achieve a target file size. The decompressed images were assessed for their diagnostic quality. The authors' results demonstrate two things: (1) the higher sampling rates allow a quality margin that may offset the effects of subsequent quantization; and (2) gains in quality due to higher resolution levels may eventually be outstripped by the degrading effects of compression as the compression ratio increases. The result suggests a more gradual reduction in resolution would provide better control over loss of quality.
6 citations
TL;DR: The days of the communications monopoly are quickly running out and none too soon for those of us who yearn to compete in a fully competitive marketplace.
Abstract: The days of the communications monopoly are quickly running out and none too soon for those of us who yearn to compete in a fully competitive marketplace. Technological breakthroughs have a profound effect on the very fabric of our society, reducing the need for monopolistic business structures and thereby fostering the competitive marketplace so central to an economic system based on free enterprise.
1 citations