ERP Software Evaluation and Comparative Analysis

This paper presents the results of an investigation performed in 2001 under the title Comparative Analysis of Information Systems Software in Croatia. The focus was set on the comparative analysis of domestic and foreign Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, which is present in Croatia. The investigation was performed from the standpoint of ERP applicability, regardless of the development methods and information technology. In other words, the evaluation was performed primarily from the standpoint of users rather than designers, programmers or other persons engaged in the system development and implementation. System evaluation was performed in several phases and in multiple steps. A general list of relevant ERP characteristics was established first. This initial list was updated in co-operation with ERP suppliers and users. They completed the list by adding the characteristics they regarded as important or accentuated some features of their solutions that had not been mentioned initially. System evaluation was performed at the users\u27 sites, having insight to real applications. To increase the objectivity and accuracy, the evaluating teams consisted by persons of different profile (independent field experts, e.g. an accounting expert, IT expert, end-user etc.). In spite of the attitude taken not to evaluate the concrete basic technology, some estimation of the computing architecture and functionality was performed, when it was found relevant for the estimation of applicability

Principles in Patterns (PiP) : Evaluation of Impact on Business Processes

The innovation and development work conducted under the auspices of the Principles in Patterns (PiP) project is intended to explore and develop new technology-supported approaches to curriculum design, approval and review. An integral component of this innovation is the use of business process analysis and process change techniques - and their instantiation within the C-CAP system (Class and Course Approval Pilot) - in order to improve the efficacy of curriculum approval processes. Improvements to approval process responsiveness and overall process efficacy can assist institutions in better reviewing or updating curriculum designs to enhance pedagogy. Such improvements also assume a greater significance in a globalised HE environment, in which institutions must adapt or create curricula quickly in order to better reflect rapidly changing academic contexts, as well as better responding to the demands of employment marketplaces and the expectations of professional bodies. This is increasingly an issue for disciplines within the sciences and engineering, where new skills or knowledge need to be rapidly embedded in curricula as a response to emerging technological or environmental developments. All of the aforementioned must also be achieved while simultaneously maintaining high standards of academic quality, thus adding a further layer of complexity to the way in which HE institutions engage in "responsive curriculum design" and approval. This strand of the PiP evaluation therefore entails an analysis of the business process techniques used by PiP, their efficacy, and the impact of process changes on the curriculum approval process, as instantiated by C-CAP. More generally the evaluation is a contribution towards a wider understanding of technology-supported process improvement initiatives within curriculum approval and their potential to render such processes more transparent, efficient and effective. Partly owing to limitations in the data required to facilitate comparative analyses, this evaluation adopts a mixed approach, making use of qualitative and quantitative methods as well as theoretical techniques. These approaches combined enable a comparative evaluation of the curriculum approval process under the "new state" (i.e. using C-CAP) and under the "previous state". This report summarises the methodology used to enable comparative evaluation and presents an analysis and discussion of the results. As the report will explain, the impact of C-CAP and its ability to support improvements in process and document management has resulted in the resolution of numerous process failings. C-CAP has also demonstrated potential for improvements in approval process cycle time, process reliability, process visibility, process automation, process parallelism and a reduction in transition delays within the approval process, thus contributing to considerable process efficiencies; although it is acknowledged that enhancements and redesign may be required to take advantage of C-CAP's potential. Other aspects pertaining to C-CAP's impact on process change, improvements to document management and the curation of curriculum designs will also be discussed

An In-Depth International Comparison of Major Donor Agencies: How Do They Systematically Conduct Country Program Evaluation?

Background: This paper presents an in-depth international comparison of systems and procedures of aid evaluation, focusing on Country Program Evaluation among major donor agencies. The original client of this study is Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan (MOFAJ).   Purpose: The purposes of this paper are set as follows: (1) to understand how aid agencies conduct Country Program Evaluation; and (2) to make recommendations for improvement of the current practice of Country Program Evaluation in the aid evaluation community.   Setting: The examined donors include: the World Bank (WB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the U.S. (USAID), Canada (CIDA), the U.K. (DFID), the Netherlands (IOB), Germany (BMZ), France (Foreign Ministry), and Japan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFAJ)). In addition, aid agencies conducting respective project evaluation are also examined, and they are JICA (Japan), GTZ and KfW (Germany) and AFD (France). Intervention: This study presents the result of comparative analysis among those donor agencies in terms of the following viewpoints: (1) evaluation criteria employed; (2) approaches to evaluate “effectiveness” and “impact”; (3) attribution issue; (4) the use of a rating system;  and (5) overall evaluative conclusion and integrating methods. All viewpoints are focusing on Country Program Evaluation. One conclusion is that most agencies have been struggling with how to judge the degree and value of their country programs.   Data Collection and Analysis: Mixed methodologies were employed to collect data from the said donor agencies. The analysis was conducted by a systematic procedure consisting of: (i) summarizing information in a comparative table; (ii) trying to make groups/categories based on common characteristics if possible; and (iii) examining and concluding basic thoughts/philosophy which make their differences.   Findings: This study made some new knowledge about how aid agencies conduct Country Program Evaluation and identified several issues remained. Varieties of their practices are observed and it is far from the unified methods agreed. Some remarkable points identified in this study are:(1) Most aid agencies invoke the DAC five evaluation criteria for Country Program Evaluation. (Major exception was USAID); (2) “Strategic relevance” and “coherence/complementarity” are the emerging new criteria; (3) Attribution is still the issue that aid agencies have struggled; and (4) The attitude for introduction of rating system is clearly divided among aid agencies.  &nbsp

Chemical composition of soils and of vegetation of roadside phytocenosis of Tobolsk

Article presents the results the study of anthropogenic roadside phytocenoses city of Tobolsk. Studied the state of herbaceous vegetation. As a result of work done carried out: a) the selection of sites with anthropogenic impact; b) description of the composition of the grass; c) defines the main pollutants (Cu, Cd, Co, Pb, Cr, As, Ni) and their accumulation in the soil and total biomass of observing sites. Comparative analysis, obtained by different methods, will serve as the basis for the development of a comprehensive evaluation system. The results can be used to assess the extent of human impact on ecosystems and plant communities roadside predict the degree of likely changes in them. Forecast results will determine the necessary system of measures aimed at improving the sustainability of plant communities

Chemical composition of soils and of vegetation of roadside phytocenosis of Tobolsk

Article presents the results the study of anthropogenic roadside phytocenoses city of Tobolsk. Studied the state of herbaceous vegetation. As a result of work done carried out: a) the selection of sites with anthropogenic impact; b) description of the composition of the grass; c) defines the main pollutants (Cu, Cd, Co, Pb, Cr, As, Ni) and their accumulation in the soil and total biomass of observing sites. Comparative analysis, obtained by different methods, will serve as the basis for the development of a comprehensive evaluation system. The results can be used to assess the extent of human impact on ecosystems and plant communities roadside predict the degree of likely changes in them. Forecast results will determine the necessary system of measures aimed at improving the sustainability of plant communities

Evaluating Roadside Perception for Autonomous Vehicles: Insights from Field Testing

Roadside perception systems are increasingly crucial in enhancing traffic safety and facilitating cooperative driving for autonomous vehicles. Despite rapid technological advancements, a major challenge persists for this newly arising field: the absence of standardized evaluation methods and benchmarks for these systems. This limitation hampers the ability to effectively assess and compare the performance of different systems, thus constraining progress in this vital field. This paper introduces a comprehensive evaluation methodology specifically designed to assess the performance of roadside perception systems. Our methodology encompasses measurement techniques, metric selection, and experimental trial design, all grounded in real-world field testing to ensure the practical applicability of our approach. We applied our methodology in Mcity\footnote{\url{https://mcity.umich.edu/}}, a controlled testing environment, to evaluate various off-the-shelf perception systems. This approach allowed for an in-depth comparative analysis of their performance in realistic scenarios, offering key insights into their respective strengths and limitations. The findings of this study are poised to inform the development of industry-standard benchmarks and evaluation methods, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of roadside perception system development and deployment for autonomous vehicles. We anticipate that this paper will stimulate essential discourse on standardizing evaluation methods for roadside perception systems, thus pushing the frontiers of this technology. Furthermore, our results offer both academia and industry a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities of contemporary infrastructure-based perception systems.Comment: 6 figures, 8 tables, 14 page

Online database for the Assessment and Comparative Evaluation of Rehabilitation Outcomes

The changing face of rehabilitation structures and practices has meant that measurement of outcomes of rehabilitation has become an absolute necessity. Unfortunately the level of agreement over which measures to use is poor as a result of lack of access to measures and lack of knowledge concerning methods of analysis and interpretation of results. In this paper we report on efforts by the authors to address these issues through the establishment of an online database available over a variety of web devices for the comparative evaluation of rehabilitation outcomes. We discuss the background to the problem, the development and use of an initial system and the future directions of the project. Keywords - Outcome measures, Internet, databas