Focal Spot, Fall 1972

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/focal_spot_archives/1003/thumbnail.jp

Recent Development in Information Science: Implications for Information Systems Research

Over past several decades, the management information systems (MIS) community has adopted theories, methodologies, philosophical bases, and assumptions from sister disciplines. This paper reports the changing nature of information science (IS) towards multi-disciplinarity and its development over the past decade. It also examines the contribution of informetrics to MIS research in delineating the intellectual structure of information systems, comparing cumulative research traditions, demonstrating theoretical differences between competing approaches, tracing a paradigm shift. Development in IS provides MIS researchers with ample opportunities for cross-disciplinary research, new research tools, new theories to understand information systems phenomena, etc

Workshop proceedings: Information Systems for Space Astrophysics in the 21st Century, volume 1

The Astrophysical Information Systems Workshop was one of the three Integrated Technology Planning workshops. Its objectives were to develop an understanding of future mission requirements for information systems, the potential role of technology in meeting these requirements, and the areas in which NASA investment might have the greatest impact. Workshop participants were briefed on the astrophysical mission set with an emphasis on those missions that drive information systems technology, the existing NASA space-science operations infrastructure, and the ongoing and planned NASA information systems technology programs. Program plans and recommendations were prepared in five technical areas: Mission Planning and Operations; Space-Borne Data Processing; Space-to-Earth Communications; Science Data Systems; and Data Analysis, Integration, and Visualization

Estimating residual value of heavy construction equipment using ensemble learning

Knowing the right moment for the sale of used heavy construction equipment is important information for every construction company. The proposed methodology uses ensemble machine learning techniques to estimate the price (residual value) of used heavy equipment in both the present and the near future. Each machine in the model is represented with four groups of attributes: age and mechanical (describing the machine) and geographical and economic (describing the target market). The research suggests that the ensemble model based on random forest, light gradient boosting, and neural network members, as well as support vector regression as a decision unit, gives better estimates than the traditional regression or individual machine learning models. The model is built and verified on a large data set of 500,000 machines advertised in 50 US states from 1989 to 2012

Missouri S&T Magazine Spring 2004

https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/alumni-magazine/1053/thumbnail.jp

A Comparative Assessment of Knowledge Management Programs across the United States Armed Services

Knowledge is a corporate resource that is required to accomplish business processes, to make decisions, and to improve efficiency and effectiveness. To completely take advantage of the benefits of knowledge, organizations must harvest and leverage the collective knowledge of the entire workforce. This can be achieved through effective knowledge management. Knowledge management involves processes to create, to store, and transfer knowledge to accomplish business objectives and to achieve a competitive advantage. The United States armed services have also recognized the benefits of knowledge management in meeting the emerging challenges of modern warfare. This study investigated knowledge management programs in the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Using a case study methodology, each of the service\u27s knowledge management programs were assessed against Stankosky et al.\u27s (1999) Four Pillar Framework which outlines key elements of leadership, technology, organization/culture, and learning associated with robust knowledge management programs. Based on the evidence reviewed for this research, the results indicate each of the services are making progress albeit with slightly different approaches towards a more mature KM program with the U.S. Army having the most complete approach according to the evaluation criteria. The research also revealed that there is much collaboration and work yet to be done among the services if the concepts of knowledge management are to be used to operate and fight more effectively as a joint force

IS Support for Top Managers\u27 Dynamic Capabilities, Environmental Dynamism, and Firm Performance: An Empirical Investigation

Despite a continual interest in developing information systems (IS) to support the work of top managers, assessing the impact of IS support for top managers and their capabilities on the bottom-line performance of firms has received little attention in existing literature. Drawing upon the resource based view of competitive advantage, this paper argues that firms that provide IS support for their top managers’ dynamic capabilities may enjoy competitive advantage and superior firm performance. The performance impact of IS support for two key dynamic capabilities of top managers (fast response and mental model building) under different (dynamic vs. stable) external environments was then examined and assessed with both survey and archival data. The results show that IS support for the fast response capability of top managers improved both profitability and labor productivity in a dynamic external environment. On the other hand, the study did not find either direct or indirect effects of IS support for the mental model building capability of top managers