On Modeling and Analyzing Cost Factors in Information Systems Engineering

Introducing enterprise information systems (EIS) is usually associated with high costs. It is therefore crucial to understand those factors that determine or influence these costs. Though software cost estimation has received considerable attention during the last decades, it is difficult to apply existing approaches to EIS. This difficulty particularly stems from the inability of these methods to deal with the dynamic interactions of the many technological, organizational and projectdriven cost factors which specifically arise in the context of EIS. Picking up this problem, we introduce the EcoPOST framework to investigate the complex cost structures of EIS engineering projects through qualitative cost evaluation models. This paper extends previously described concepts and introduces design rules and guidelines for cost evaluation models in order to enhance the development of meaningful and useful EcoPOST cost evaluation models. A case study illustrates the benefits of our approach. Most important, our EcoPOST framework is an important tool supporting EIS engineers in gaining a better understanding of the critical factors determining the costs of EIS engineering projects

Soft systems methodology analysis for scoping in environmental impact statement in Israel

The current working paper will focus on Soft System Methodology (SSM) analysis of the process of issuing guidelines for Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) to developers in the Israeli context. The paper’s goal is to make the reader familiar with the terminology and the concepts of SSM, while serving as a case study for practising SSM. The paper starts with a “crash” introduction to SSM, followed by a general description of the process in the centre of the discussion - the Israeli EIS process. After these two introductory sections, the paper turns to the main issue - a SSM analysis of the problem situation - the creation of guidelines for EIS in the Israeli context. This specific case study have been selected due to the author’s familiarity with it (is served as the main research field for his MA thesis). Also the author has the shorthand transcripts from a series workshops that were held as part of an evaluation study that the environmental planning department in the ministry of environment (EPD-MoE) have commissioned on the Israeli EIS system. Unless stated otherwise, the sources for SSM are “Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools” (Avison and Fitzgerald, 1995), “Practical Soft Systems Analysis” (Patching, 1990), on-line lecture notes for the UCL “System Analysis and Design” course (Sasse and Fultun, 1997) and “Soft Systems Methodology: An Alternative Approach to Knowledge Elicitation in Complex and Poorly Defined Systems” (Finegan, 1994)

Future internet enablers for VGI applications

This paper presents the authors experiences with the development of mobile Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) applications in the context of the ENVIROFI project and Future Internet Public Private Partnership (FI-PPP) FP7 research programme.FI-PPP has an ambitious goal of developing a set of Generic FI Enablers (GEs) - software and hardware tools that will simplify development of thematic future internet applications. Our role in the programme was to provide requirements and assess the usability of the GEs from the point of view of the environmental usage area, In addition, we specified and developed three proof of concept implementations of environmental FI applications, and a set of specific environmental enablers (SEs) complementing the functionality offered by GEs. Rather than trying to rebuild the whole infrastructure of the Environmental Information Space (EIS), we concentrated on two aspects: (1) how to assure the existing and future EIS services and applications can be integrated and reused in FI context; and (2) how to profit from the GEs in future environmental applications.This paper concentrates on the GEs and SEs which were used in two of the ENVIROFI pilots which are representative for the emerging class of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) use-cases: one of them is pertinent to biodiversity and another to influence of weather and airborne pollution on users’ wellbeing. In VGI applications, the EIS and SensorWeb overlap with the Social web and potentially huge amounts of information from mobile citizens needs to be assessed and fused with the observations from official sources. On the whole, the authors are confident that the FI-PPP programme will greatly influence the EIS, but the paper also warns of the shortcomings in the current GE implementations and provides recommendations for further developments

Spectroscopic confirmation of clusters from the ESO imaging survey

We measure redshifts for 67 galaxies in the field of six cluster candidates from the ESO Imaging Survey (EIS). The cluster candidates are selected in the EIS patches C and D among those with estimated mean redshifts between 0.5 and 0.7. The observations were made with EFOSC2 at the 3.6m ESO telescope. In the six candidate cluster fields, we identify 19 possible sets of 2 to 7 galaxies in redshift space. In order to establish which of the 19 sets are likely to correspond to real dense systems we compare our counts with those expected from a uniform distribution of galaxies with given luminosity function. In order to take into account the effect of the Large Scale Structure, we modulate the probability computed from the luminosity function with random samplings of the Canada-France Redshift Survey. We find that four out of six candidate EIS clusters are likely to correspond to real systems in redshift space (> 95 % confidence level). Two of these systems have mean redshift in agreement with the redshift estimate given by the matched filter algorithm. The other two systems have significantly lower redshifts. We discuss the implications of our results in the context of our ongoing research projects aimed at defining high-redshift optically-selected cluster samples.Comment: To appear in A&A, main journal -- 12 pages, 9 figure

Modern Management in the Developing World: The Success of EIS in Mexican Organizations

Executive Information Systems are being used in organizations around the world to assist with the increased managerial information needs related to the opening of markets and the globalization of enterprise. This study adapts a model of IS success to the context of EIS in order to examine the potential success of EIS use by Mexican managers to help them cope with their highly competitive environment. Using data gathered from 89 Mexican senior and middle managers, the study examines some antecedents of EIS use, types of EIS use, individual impacts of EIS use, and organizational impacts of EIS use. The study suggests that Mexican managers use EIS to monitor internal and external information which enables them to make decisions faster, tohaveabetterunderstandingoftheirenvironment,andtoengageinmorethoroughdecisionanalysis. These individual benefits of EIS use then lead to certain organizational benefits, including a shared vision of organizational goals and performance, improved communication in the organization, improved competitive response, and improved organizational decision making effectiveness

Profiling and understanding student information behaviour: Methodologies and meaning

This paper draws on work conducted under the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) User Behaviour Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to identify a range of issues associated with research design that can form a platform for enquiry about knowledge creation in the arena of user behaviour. The Framework has developed a multidimensional set of tools for profiling, monitoring and evaluating user behaviour. The Framework has two main approaches: one, a broad‐based survey which generates both a qualitative and a quantitative profile of user behaviour, and the other a longitudinal qualitative study of user behaviour that (in addition to providing in‐depth insights) is the basis for the development of the EIS (Electronic Information Services) Diagnostic Toolkit. The strengths and weaknesses of the Framework approach are evaluated. In the context of profiling user behaviour, key methodological concerns relate to: representativeness, sampling and access, the selection of appropriate measures and the interpretation of those measures. Qualitative approaches are used to generate detailed insights. These include detailed narratives, case study analysis and gap analysis. The messages from this qualitative analysis do not lend themselves to simple summarization. One approach that has been employed to capture and interpret these messages is the development of the EIS Diagnostic Toolkit. This toolkit can be used to assess and monitor an institution's progress with embedding EIS into learning processes. Finally, consideration must be given to integration of insights generated through different strands within the Framework

Essays in the econometrics of dynamic duration models with application to tick by tick financial data.

This thesis organizes three contributions on the econometrics of duration in the context of high frequency financial data. We provide existence conditions and analytical expressions of the moments of Log-ACD models. We focus on the dispersion index and the autocorrelation function and compare them with those of ACD and SCD models We apply the effcient importance sampling (EIS) method for computing the high-dimensional integral required to evaluate the likelihood function of the stochastic conditional duration (SCD) model. We compare EIS-based ML estimation with QML estimation based on the Kalman filter. We find that EIS- ML estimation is more precise statistically, at a cost of an acceptable loss of quickness of computations. We illustrate this with simulated and real data. We show also that the EIS-ML method is easy to apply to extensions of the SCD model. We carry out a nonparametric analysis of financial durations. We make use of an existing algorithm to describe nonparametrically the dynamics of the process in terms of its lagged realizations and of a latent variable, its conditional mean. The devices needed to effectively apply the algorithm to our dataset are presented. We show that: on simulated data, the nonparametric procedure yields better estimates than the ones delivered by an incorrectly specified parametric method, while on a real dataset, the nonparametric analysis can convey information on the nature of the data generating process that may not be captured by the parametric specification.

Nickel hydroxide films in contact with an electroactive solution. A study employing electrochemical impedance measurements

The deactivation of nickel hydroxide films after prolonged storage times without use was studied. This study was carried out in the context of the Rotating Disc Electrode Voltammetry (RDEV) andElectrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) when the nickel hydroxide film contacts an electroactive solution and a redox reaction occurs at the Au-Ni(OH)2|electrolyte interface. Deferasirox (4-(3,5-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl) benzoic acid) was employed as redox species in solution. Limiting currents vs. electrode rotation rate dependences allowed one to obtain variation of the charge transport rate on the storage time. EIS was employed to obtain a more complete series of charge-transport parameters, that is, electron and ion diffusion coefficients and different interfacial resistances related to the gold/nickel hydroxide and nickel hydroxide/solution interfaces.Fil: Tucceri, Ismael Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas; Argentin

IMPLEMENTASI KURIKULUM ENGLISH FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES DENGAN PENDEKATAN MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE DALAM MENINGKATKAN KOMPETENSI BERBAHASA : Studi evaluatif terhadap ESP keislaman di IAIN Palu dengan menggunakan model evaluasi CIPP

Penelitian ini didasari permasalahan pengajaran English for Islamic Studies (EIS) di IAIN Palu dalam mencapai kompetensi berbahasa mahasiswa. Penerapan Pendekatan Multiple Intelligence pada materi dan strategi pengajaran EIS menjadi fokus dalam penelitian ini. Untuk itu, maka perlu dilakukan evaluasi EIS secara menyeluruh untuk melihat sejauh mana keberhasilan program ini. Evaluasi ini dilaksanakan dengan menggunakan Model CIPP; mencakup evaluasi Context, Input, Process dan Product. Hasil evaluasi memberikan keputusan terhadap program EIS di IAIN Palu; apakah program dilanjutkan, dihentikan, atau dilanjutkan dengan beberapa perbaikan. Penelitian ini menggunakan Mixed Method. Sampel penelitian 97 mahasiswa dipilih melalui Penyamplingan Acak Bertingkat. Data Kuantitatif diperoleh melalui angket mahasiswa dan dosen; Data Kualitatif diperoleh dari wawancara dengan ketua prodi, perancang program dan pejabat berwenang serta observasi kelas dan analisa dokumen. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan evaluasi Komponen Konteks, Input, Proses dan Produk secara umum adalah efektif. Pencapain hasil belajar dan kompetensi empat keterampilan berbahasa menunjukkan keterampilan yang paling sulit adalah Listening and Writing, sekaligus membutuhkan lebih banyak latihan. Sedangkan keterampilan yang harus lebih diprioritaskan adalah Speaking and Reading. Temuan juga mengungkapkan bahwa dengan menerapkan Pendekatan Multiple Intelligence dalam materi ajar dan metode mengajar, maka kompetensi berbahasa mahasiswa meningkat. Disimpulkan bahwa implementasi EIS di IAIN Palu dapat dilanjutkan dengan beberapa perbaikan. Kata Kunci: ESP, EIS, Bahasa Inggris Keislaman, Evaluasi Kurikulum, Model CIPP, Kecerdasan Jamak, Kompetensi Berbahasa ABSTRACT Darwis Jauhari Bandu (NIM 1503300). The Implementation of English for Islamic Studies Curriculum with Multiple Intelligence Approach in Increasing Language Competency (An Evaluative Study on ESP Islam at IAIN Palu using CIPP Evaluation Model) The problems of ESP teaching at universities became background of this study. In this context focused on English for Islamic Studies (EIS) at IAIN Palu. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of EIS Program in increasing language competency by applying Multiple Intelligence approach. This study used Stufflebeam’s CIPP model evaluation covering Context, Input, Process and Product Evaluation. This study utilized quantitative and qualitative method. 97 students were chosen as sample through Stratified Random Sampling. Quantitative Data were obtained from questionnaires of students and lecturers. Interview with heads of departments, program designer and authorized official, class observation and document analysis were also conducted to elicit Qualitative Data. Results of the study showed that either Context, Input, Process or Product Evaluation were effective in general. The attainment of learning outcomes and competency in four language skills showed that the most difficult skills were Listening and Writing, accordingly, the skills need more practice. Whereas the skills which must be more prioritized were Speaking and Reading. The findings also revealed that by using Multiple Intelligence approach in learning materials and teaching strategy, the students’ language competency could enhance. It can be inferred that the implementation of EIS Program at IAIN Palu could be continued with revisions. Keywords: ESP, EIS, Curriculum Evaluation, CIPP Model, Multiple Intelligence, Language Competenc