Fuzzification of quantitative data to predict tumour size of colorectal cancer

Regression analysis has become more popular among researchers as a standard tool in analyzing data. This paper used fuzzy linear regression model (FLRM) to predict tumour size of colorectal cancer (CRC) data in Malaysia. 180 patients with colorectal cancer received treatment in hospital were recorded by nurses and doctors. Based on the patient records, a triangular fuzzy data will be built toward the size of the tumour. Mean square error (MSE) and root mean square error (RMSE) will be measured as a part of the process for predicting the size of the tumour. The degree of fitting adjusted is set between 0 and 1 in order to find the least error. It was found that the combination of FLRM model with fuzzy data provided a better prediction compared to the FLRM model alone. Hence, this study concluded that the tumour size is directly proportional to several factors such as gender, ethnic, icd 10, TNM staging, diabetes mellitus, Crohn’s disease

Determinant Factors of E-commerce Adoption by SMEs in Developing Country: Evidence from Indonesia

The aim of this study is to investigate those factors that influence SMEs in developing countries in adopting e-commerce. This study is motivated by the fact that the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs, especially in developing countries, is still very far behind the adoption by large companies. Yet to be able to survive in the new economic era, which is the information era; businesses, including SMEs, are forced to adopt e-commerce. Non-adopters will be left behind by the adopters. In addition, studies regarding e-commerce adoption by SMEs are rarely found. Therefore, the results of this study provide a timely understanding of e-commerce adoption by SMEs in developing countries. The model developed in this study is based on the TOE framework. Eleven variables are proposed as the factors that influence SMEs in adopting of e-commerce. These are organized into four groups, namely: technological factors, organizational factors, environmental factors and individual factors. Based on a survey of 292 Indonesian SMEs, it was found that perceived benefits, technology readiness, owners’ innovativeness, owners’ IT ability and owners’ IT experience are the determinant factors that influence Indonesian SMEs in their adopting e-commerce

Determinants of Electronic Commerce Usage in Small Business in New Zealand

This research attempted to investigate the significance of an electronic commerce (EC) use model in small enterprises (SMEs) in New Zealand. The research model hypothesised ten factors as influencing the extent of EC usage significantly in SMEs. The research findings indicated that: relative advantage, cost, compatibility, size, information intensity of product, competition, pressure from suppliers/buyers and CEO’s involvement play an important role on the extent of EC usage. However, support from technology vendors and CEO’s innovativeness did not appear to influence the extent of EC usage

Extent of E-Procurement Usage: An Empirical Study of Small and Medium Sized New Zealand Manufacturing Businesses

This paper describes a project which aims to investigate the extent of e-procurement usage at the organizational level and to examine the key factors that influence the extent of e-procurement usage in New Zealand (NZ) small and medium enterprises (SMEs). An integrated model is developed based on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory. It is hypothesized that the extent of e-procurement usage is influenced by the technological (i.e. relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity), organizational (i.e. top management support and employees’ knowledge), and environmental (i.e. external pressure) contexts. This study employs a quantitative research methodology using a cross-sectional survey approach and a qualitative analysis of respondents’ free comments incorporated at the end of each construct of the survey. The model is tested using data from 120 senior managers. Our results demonstrate that relative advantage, employees’ knowledge, and external pressure have a significant influence on the extent of e-procurement usage

The State of e-New Zealand

Our study is based upon publicly available sources of information. Internationally published statistics have been used to supplement New Zealand data to assess New Zealand's relative position. While international studies have provided some basis for comparison the supplementary information sourced for this study has enabled a more complete picture of New Zealand to be painted. The infrastructures we examine to make our assessment of E-New Zealand are those of Internet penetration and uptake the electronic banking backbone of the payments system and the telecommunications environment. We then use this base to explore the extent to which this infrastructural base is utilised in electronic commerce applications. While we acknowledge that it is limited by the shortage of reliable and publicly available information this analysis enables us to postulate some explanations for apparent and observed behaviours which may have led others to conclude that despite the infrastructural advantage New Zealand's application uptake is not as advanced

Antecedents and Impacts of E-Business Aligment Amongst Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

E-business has great potentials for firms to extend their business efficiency. Nevertheless, due to various problems and constraints, the e-business deployment within SMEs sector has been reported as not effective. To ensure effective e-business deployment, necessary measures are needed to assess how firms align diverse ebusiness capabilities in support of their business operation. This study therefore aims to investigate the extent firms align diverse e-business capabilities across business processes (e-business alignment). Using a strategic fit perspective, this study has observed two major propositions. First, firms‟ ability to align e-business to support the most crucial business processes has potentially led to better realisation of ebusiness values. Secondly, certain managerial and environmental conditions have explained the differing characteristics of e-business alignment amongst firms. This study employs quantitative research approach using survey method to collect and collate evidences from 140 owner/managers of SMEs. Preliminary analysis has indicated e-business alignment/misalignment patterns across business functions. The cluster analysis further reveals three distinct profiles with different characteristics of e-business alignment. These profiles are labelled as 'highly fit', 'moderately fit' and 'low fit' based on their e-business fit characteristics. This result confirms the first proposition where highly aligned firms will report greater and wider e-business impacts. The second proposition reveals that environmental uncertainty, IT sophistication, owner/manager knowledge on advanced IT/IS, e-business deployment status, and support network are significant predictors to different e-business alignment characteristics among firms. This study suggests that firms relatively have different priority over e-business solutions to support their business. These findings have demonstrated why some firms do not progress to a higher e-business ladder. It further justifies unequal deployment of e-business solutions to support functions across firms

Extent of Adoption as Opposed to Adoption: Case of E-Procurement

Existing literature has given much attention to e-procurement adoption, rather than to the extent of e- procurement adoption. In most countries, e-procurement is being adopted at a slow pace by the corporate world, especially by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have traditionally been late adopters of any advanced technologies, due in large part to their resource constraints. This paper describes a project which aims to develop a measure of the extent of e-procurement adoption and to examine the key factors that influence the extent of e-procurement adoption in New Zealand SMEs. An integrated model of the Technology-Organization- Environment (TOE) framework and Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory is described and a cross-sectional survey is discussed. The model will be tested using data from the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the SMEs

Strength properties of rice husk ash concrete under sodium sulphate attack

The use of pozzolanic materials in concrete provides several advantages, such as improved strength and durability. This study investigated the strength properties of rice husk ash (RHA) concrete under severe durability (sodium sulphate attack). Four RHA replacement levels were considered in the study: 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% by weight of cement. The durability performance of the RHA blended cement exposed to sodium sulphate solution was evaluated through compressive strength, reduction in strength, and weight loss. Test results showed that RHA can be satisfactorily used as a cement replacement material in order to increase the durability of concrete. Concrete containing 10% and 20% of RHA replacements showed excellent durability to sulphate attack. The results also indicate that the amount of Ca(OH)2 in the RHA blended cement concrete was lower than that of Portland cement due to the pozzolanic reaction of RH