An information assistant system for the prevention of tunnel vision in crisis management

In the crisis management environment, tunnel vision is a set of bias in decision makers’ cognitive process which often leads to incorrect understanding of the real crisis situation, biased perception of information, and improper decisions. The tunnel vision phenomenon is a consequence of both the challenges in the task and the natural limitation in a human being’s cognitive process. An information assistant system is proposed with the purpose of preventing tunnel vision. The system serves as a platform for monitoring the on-going crisis event. All information goes through the system before arrives at the user. The system enhances the data quality, reduces the data quantity and presents the crisis information in a manner that prevents or repairs the user’s cognitive overload. While working with such a system, the users (crisis managers) are expected to be more likely to stay aware of the actual situation, stay open minded to possibilities, and make proper decisions

Improving the decision-making process using an information management system

Research article published on Special Issue of International Journal of Current Research. Also available online at http://www.journalcra.com.The ability to make effective decisions is crucial to an organization’s survival in today’s tumultuous business environment. In order for firms to evaluate alternatives and make informed choices they must have reliable and timely data upon which to make their decisions. Consequently, the development of effective information management techniques is critical. In this research a web-based information management system is developed for better decisionmaking. Two agents are integrated in the system, namely; mapping agent and extraction agent. The mapping agent reduces the workload for users charged with the responsibility of data entry. The extraction agent is designed to aid in the retrieval of current, timely and relevant data, eliminating unnecessary information. The critical information requirements are identified and a prototype is developed for verification. The prototype is developed using PHP language for the system interfaces with GD for providing a graphical reporting supported by a MySQL database. The system is implemented and tested at a Kenyan based Internet Service Provider. As a result, the organization under study increases its sales through improved targeted marketing and monitoring of the outcome. The user load is also reduced by half and the risk of data input errors minimized by 80%.The ability to make effective decisions is crucial to an organization’s survival in today’s tumultuous business environment. In order for firms to evaluate alternatives and make informed choices they must have reliable and timely data upon which to make their decisions. Consequently, the development of effective information management techniques is critical. In this research a web-based information management system is developed for better decisionmaking. Two agents are integrated in the system, namely; mapping agent and extraction agent. The mapping agent reduces the workload for users charged with the responsibility of data entry. The extraction agent is designed to aid in the retrieval of current, timely and relevant data, eliminating unnecessary information. The critical information requirements are identified and a prototype is developed for verification. The prototype is developed using PHP language for the system interfaces with GD for providing a graphical reporting supported by a MySQL database. The system is implemented and tested at a Kenyan based Internet Service Provider. As a result, the organization under study increases its sales through improved targeted marketing and monitoring of the outcome. The user load is also reduced by half and the risk of data input errors minimized by 80%

Assistant Agents to Advice Users in Hybrid Structured 3D Virtual Environments

Hybrid structured 3D Virtual Environments model serious activities in immersive 3D spaces, where participants are human and software agents, and their interactions are regulated by an Organization Centered Multi-Agent System (OCMAS). In this context, both OCMAS social model and the tasks that users need to accomplish can be rather complex, and thus, users may benefit from having an assistance service. Hence, we propose personal assistant agents (PA), which, based on knowledge about the OCMAS specification and current system state, provide the user with an advice (a plan) to achieve her or his goal. Additionally, we implement this service with plan-ea, an extension of the A¿*¿ algorithm that generates plans for a user whose actions may depend on other users¿ actions. Thus, PAs provide plans that do not only include assisted user actions but also other users¿ ones. We illustrate our approach by means of v-mWater¿an online water market¿and make a comparative analysis, with and without assistance, where efficiency¿in terms of number of user actions¿shows an improvement (7 vs 10.8), efficacy¿percentage of completed tasks¿also improves (93% vs 77%), and assistance's overall satisfaction is positive. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Peer Reviewe

Agent Based Environmental Scanning System: Impacts on Managers and Their Strategic Scanning Activities

In this paper we propose a framework for analyzing the impacts of scanning support technologies. The framework is applied to examine the impacts of an agent-based environmental scanning system on managers, as users, and on their scanning process and outcomes. We develop speculations on the system’s impacts and contrast them with empirical result

Assistant Agents to Advice Users in Hybrid Structured 3D Virtual Environments

Hybrid structured 3D Virtual Environments model serious activities in immersive 3D spaces, where participants are human and SW agents, and their interactions are regulated by an OCMAS (Organization Centered Multi-Agent System). In this context, both OCMAS social model and the tasks that users need to accomplish can be rather complex, and thus, users may benefit from having an assistance service. Hence, we propose Personal Assistant agents (PA) which, based on knowledge about the OCMAS specification and current system state, provide the user with an advice (a plan) to achieve her goal. Additionally, we implement this service with PLAN-EA, an Extension of the $A^{\ast}$ algorithm that generates plans for a user whose actions may depend on other users' actions. Thus, PAs provide plans that do not only include assisted user actions but other users' ones. We illustrate our approach by means of v-mWater -an online water market- and make a comparative analysis, with and without assistance, where efficiency -in terms of number of user actions- shows an improvement (7 vs 10.8), efficacy -percentage of completed tasks- also improves (93% vs 77%), and assistance's overall satisfaction is positive

High Studies Deanery Faculty of Commerce Business Administration Department

This study aimed to show the influence of information overload on the decision making process, using the descriptive analytical method to study the influence of information overload represented through three dimensions (email overload, information characteristics and information & communication technology). The study was applied on INGOs that work in Gaza Strip. The questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. The study population was (106) who are all managers (Top and Middle levels Management) in INGOs. A census has been used for the target population. Because of the policy of some organizations regarding confidentiality and privacy of work environment, only (86) questionnaires were collected and all were retrieved and analyzed. Results of the analysis of the questionnaire data demonstrate significant relationship of information overload with the managers ‘decision making process

PCO-IB: Churn Analysis P2P Networks Using A Peer Co-Operative Intensive Based Schema

The Peer-to-Peer networks used technology of distributed computing.  The P2P network is essential for network communication. P2P networks are utilized in many applications due to these benefits. For example, record sharing, broadcast communications, and media streaming. There are a lot of nodes connected to the P2P network. Peers of network frequently join and leave the network at the same time. In the P2P network, this kind of paradigm is called churn. Numerous new examination works uncovered that stir is the primary issue looked by the present P2P organization. Content availability, data accuracy, and overhead were significantly reduced by the churn process. An Incentive-Based (IB) schema was proposed in this paper in order to circumvent the limitations of the P2P network for multimedia transmission. The IB schema that has been proposed encourages fair communication and cooperation among the nodes. Multimedia transmission efficiency in real-time P2P networks is maximized by the IB schema. In this paper, IB outline for the most part centered around the upgrade of the P2P organizations. The proposed construction is carried out utilizing Organization Test system. In P2P networks, the proposed IB schema improved multimedia transmission performance

Email communication in project management: A bane or a blessing?

Background: Project success used to be measured solely in terms of efficiency metrics such as scope, cost and time; however, there are proposals that more attention should be paid to process-related performance factors such as communication. The advent of email has significantly impacted the way the world communicates. Objectives: This study investigates the preference of email communication relative to other communication mediums in project environments and the effect of email communication on feelings of stress and overload in the workplace. Method: A survey with 430 responses was conducted to determine the communication preferences of project practitioners in a typical project. The average rank and frequency response methods were used to analyse the data. Results: The findings indicate that the communication preferences of project practitioners still support the media richness theory and that face-to-face communication is the preferred communication medium in most situations. Despite email being disruptive and a cause of stress, the respondents did not indicate being overloaded because of email. Conclusion: Even though there has been a dramatic shift towards email and electronic communication in projects, face-to-face communication is still the most preferred communication type for most situations. Furthermore, email is perceived as an effective tool to delegate, can be used to build and develop relationships and trust, and is an efficient and effective tool that contributes to project communication success

Overcoming foreign language anxiety in an emotionally intelligent tutoring system

Learning a foreign language entails cognitive and emotional obstacles. It involves complicated mental processes that affect learning and emotions. Positive emotions such as motivation, encouragement, and satisfaction increase learning achievement, while negative emotions like anxiety, frustration, and confusion may reduce performance. Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) is a specific type of anxiety accompanying learning a foreign language. It is considered a main impediment that hinders learning, reduces achievements, and diminishes interest in learning. Detecting FLA is the first step toward reducing and eventually overcoming it. Previously, researchers have been detecting FLA using physical measurements and self-reports. Using physical measures is direct and less regulated by the learner, but it is uncomfortable and requires the learner to be in the lab. Employing self-reports is scalable because it is easy to administer in the lab and online. However, it interrupts the learning flow, and people sometimes respond inaccurately. Using sensor-free human behavioral metrics is a scalable and practical measurement because it is feasible online or in class with minimum adjustments. To overcome FLA, researchers have studied the use of robots, games, or intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). Within these technologies, they applied soothing music, difficulty reduction, or storytelling. These methods lessened FLA but had limitations such as distracting the learner, not improving performance, and producing cognitive overload. Using an animated agent that provides motivational supportive feedback could reduce FLA and increase learning. It is necessary to measure FLA effectively with minimal interruption and then successfully reduce it. In the context of an e-learning system, I investigated ways to detect FLA using sensor-free human behavioral metrics. This scalable and practical method allows us to recognize FLA without being obtrusive. To reduce FLA, I studied applying emotionally adaptive feedback that offers motivational supportive feedback by an animated agent