Extraction of ontology and semantic web information from online business reports

CAINES, Content Analysis and INformation Extraction System, employs an information extraction (IE) methodology to extract unstructured text from the Web. It can create an ontology and a Semantic Web. This research is different from traditional IE systems in that CAINES examines the syntactic and semantic relationships within unstructured text of online business reports. Using CAINES provides more relevant results than manual searching or standard keyword searching. Over most extraction systems, CAINES extensively uses information extraction from natural language, Key Words in Context (KWIC), and semantic analysis. A total of 21 online business reports, averaging about 100 pages long, were used in this study. Based on financial expert opinions, extraction rules were created to extract information, an ontology, and a Semantic Web of data from financial reports. Using CAINES, one can extract information about global and domestic market conditions, market condition impacts, and information about the business outlook. A Semantic Web was created from Merrill Lynch reports, 107,533 rows of data, and displays information regarding mergers, acquisitions, and business segment news between 2007 and 2009. User testing of CAINES resulted in recall of 85.91%, precision of 87.16%, and an F-measure of 86.46%. Speed with CAINES was also greater than manually extracting information. Users agree that CAINES quickly and easily extracts unstructured information from financial reports on the EDGAR database

Information for Impact: Liberating Nonprofit Sector Data

This paper explores the costs and benefits of four avenues for achieving open Form 990 data: a mandate for e-filing, an IRS initiative to turn Form 990 data into open data, a third-party platform that would create an open database for Form 990 data, and a priori electronic filing. Sections also discuss the life and usage of 990 data. With bibliographical references

Disagreeable Privacy Policies: Mismatches between Meaning and Users’ Understanding

Privacy policies are verbose, difficult to understand, take too long to read, and may be the least-read items on most websites even as users express growing concerns about information collection practices. For all their faults, though, privacy policies remain the single most important source of information for users to attempt to learn how companies collect, use, and share data. Likewise, these policies form the basis for the self-regulatory notice and choice framework that is designed and promoted as a replacement for regulation. The underlying value and legitimacy of notice and choice depends, however, on the ability of users to understand privacy policies. This paper investigates the differences in interpretation among expert, knowledgeable, and typical users and explores whether those groups can understand the practices described in privacy policies at a level sufficient to support rational decision-making. The paper seeks to fill an important gap in the understanding of privacy policies through primary research on user interpretation and to inform the development of technologies combining natural language processing, machine learning and crowdsourcing for policy interpretation and summarization. For this research, we recruited a group of law and public policy graduate students at Fordham University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh (“knowledgeable users”) and presented these law and policy researchers with a set of privacy policies from companies in the e-commerce and news & entertainment industries. We asked them nine basic questions about the policies’ statements regarding data collection, data use, and retention. We then presented the same set of policies to a group of privacy experts and to a group of non-expert users. The findings show areas of common understanding across all groups for certain data collection and deletion practices, but also demonstrate very important discrepancies in the interpretation of privacy policy language, particularly with respect to data sharing. The discordant interpretations arose both within groups and between the experts and the two other groups. The presence of these significant discrepancies has critical implications. First, the common understandings of some attributes of described data practices mean that semi-automated extraction of meaning from website privacy policies may be able to assist typical users and improve the effectiveness of notice by conveying the true meaning to users. However, the disagreements among experts and disagreement between experts and the other groups reflect that ambiguous wording in typical privacy policies undermines the ability of privacy policies to effectively convey notice of data practices to the general public. The results of this research will, consequently, have significant policy implications for the construction of the notice and choice framework and for the US reliance on this approach. The gap in interpretation indicates that privacy policies may be misleading the general public and that those policies could be considered legally unfair and deceptive. And, where websites are not effectively conveying privacy policies to consumers in a way that a “reasonable person” could, in fact, understand the policies, “notice and choice” fails as a framework. Such a failure has broad international implications since websites extend their reach beyond the United States

Software como um Serviço: uma plataforma eficaz para oferta de sistemas holísticos de gestão da performance

This study main objective was to assess the viability of development of a Performance Management (PM) system, delivered in the form of Software as a Service (SaaS), specific for the hospitality industry and to evaluate the benefits of its use. Software deployed in the cloud, delivered and licensed as a service, is becoming increasingly common and accepted in a business context. Although, Business Intelligence (BI) solutions are not usually distributed in the SaaS model, there are some examples that this is changing. To achieve the study objective, design science research methodology was employed in the development of a prototype. This prototype was deployed in four hotels and its results evaluated. Evaluation of the prototype was focused both on the system technical characteristics and business benefits. Results shown that hotels were very satisfied with the system and that building a prototype and making it available in the form of SaaS is a good solution to assess BI systems contribution to improve management performance.O objetivo principal deste estudo é avaliar a viabilidade de desenvolvimento de um sistema de Gestão da Performance, entregue sob a forma de “Software como Serviço” (SaaS), específico para o setor hoteleiro, e também avaliar os benefícios de seu uso. O software implantado na cloud, entregue e licenciado como um serviço, é cada vez mais aceite num contexto de negócios. Todavia, não é comum que soluções de Business Intelligence (BI) sejam distribuídas neste modelo SaaS. No entanto, existem alguns exemplos de que isso se está a alterar. Para atingir o objetivo do estudo, foi utilizada Design Science Research como metodologia de pesquisa científica para desenvolvimento de um protótipo. Este protótipo foi implementado em quatro hotéis para que os seus resultados pudessem ser avaliados. A avaliação foi focada tanto nas características técnicas do sistema como nos benefícios para o negócio. Os resultados mostraram que os hotéis estavam muito satisfeitos com o sistema e que construir um protótipo e disponibilizá-lo sob a forma de SaaS é uma boa solução para avaliar a contribuição dos sistemas de BI para melhorar o desempenho da gestão.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Online Financial Reporting Disclosure Requirements Across Central and Eastern European Countries

The business community has admitted that the accounting is “the language of business”. They are using the accounting to communicate the existence and the evolution of the financial situation and also of the performance for the economical entities. Financial information is a form of a language. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the various elements of financial reporting frameworks and practice in the context of the Internet. The Internet has emerged as a recent medium of presentation of corporate information in the United States, Germany, Great Britain, but also in the Central and Eastern European Countries. Actual disclosure by companies from CEE was investigated in order to compare de jure and the facto financial reporting disclosure.financial reporting, Internet, disclosure, CEE countries

Distribution of mineral extraction revenue: overview of international practice

Purpose. To study basic principles and conditions of the efficiency of the system to redistribute mineral extraction revenue including the countries with lower levels of welfare. Methods. The research applies a method of qualitative and quantitative analysis of the scientific literature, data by the Natural Resource Governance Institute, national reports according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and open Internet sources. Taxation schemes for mineral extraction revenue as well as the most important tendencies in the schemes changes over the recent years were considered. Distributions of the resource taxes in terms of the state administration levels as well as vertical distribution of budget receipts from the development of natural resources were analyzed. The countries distributing tax receipts from the mineral extraction in favour of the local authorities were selected as the object of the research. Findings. It has been determined that in the majority of countries, payments from mineral extraction are sent to the national-level institutions being distributed back to the mining areas or neighbouring territories. It has been pointed out that certain countries send a share of the mining income to the local budgets automatically using the formulas based on the objective indicators such as amount of population, amount of budget receipts from the area, poverty rate or geographical position. It has been identified that the basic principle of the system of resource use taxation to provide social welfare is represented by the optimal taxation scheme stimulating the production and maximizing the income which share is redistributed in favour of the society to cover all the local administration levels. Originality. The comparative analysis and determination of the recent data of distribution of budget receipts from mineral resources in terms of the developing countries. Practical implications. The obtained results may favour the scientific substantiation of the strategy to distribute mineral extraction revenue, planning of the development of mineral and raw material complex of the Central Asian countries; moreover, they may be useful while assessing the efficiency of investment projects of the field development.Мета. Вивчення основних принципів та умов ефективності системи перерозподілу доходів від видобутку корисних копалин, у тому числі в країнах з невисоким рівнем добробуту. Методика. У дослідженні використаний метод якісного та кількісного аналізу наукової літератури, даних Інституту управління природними ресурсами (Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)), національних звітів за стандартом Ініціативи прозорості видобувних галузей (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, ІПДО), відкритих джерел у мережі Інтернет. Розглядалися режими оподаткування доходів від видобутку корисних копалин і найбільш їх важливі тенденції протягом останніх років. Досліджувався розподіл податків на корисні копалини за рівнями державного управління, а також вертикального розподілу бюджетних надходжень від природних ресурсів. Як об’єкт дослідження обрані країни, що розподіляють податкові надходження від видобувних галузей на користь органів місцевого самоврядування. Результати. Встановлено, що для більшості країн платежі від видобутку корисних копалин надходять до інститутів загальнонаціонального рівня, однак розподіляються назад на місця видобутку або в довколишні райони. Відзначено, що деякі країни передають частину з доходів від видобувних галузей до місцевих бюджетів автоматично, використовуючи формули, що базуються на об’єктивних індикаторах, таких як кількість населення, обсяги бюджетних надходжень з території, рівень бідності або географічне положення. Виявлено, що основним принципом системи оподаткування використання ресурсів для забезпечення суспільного добробуту є встановлення оптимального режиму оподаткування, що залишає стимули до виробництва і, в той же час, максимізує дохід, частина якого перерозподіляється на користь суспільства між усіма місцевими рівнями управління. Наукова новизна полягає у порівняльному аналізі та виявленні особливостей новітніх даних розподілу бюджетних надходжень від природних ресурсів на прикладі країн, що розвиваються. Практична значимість. Результати можуть сприяти науковому обґрунтуванню стратегії розподілу доходів від видобутку корисних копалин, плануванню розвитку мінерально-сировинного комплексу країн Середньої Азії, а також можуть бути корисними при оцінці ефективності інвестиційних проектів освоєння родовищ корисних копалин.Цель. Изучение основных принципов и условий эффективности системы перераспределения доходов от добычи полезных ископаемых, в том числе в странах с невысоким уровнем благосостояния. Методика. В исследовании использован метод качественного и количественного анализа научной литературы, данных Института управления природными ресурсами (Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)), национальных отчетов по стандарту Инициативы прозрачности добывающих отраслей (Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (ИПДО)), открытых источников в сети Интернет. Рассматривались режимы налогообложения доходов от добычи полезных ископаемых и наиболее их важные тенденции на протяжении последних лет. Исследовалось распределения налогов на полезные ископаемые по уровням государственного управления, а также вертикального распределения бюджетных поступлений от природных ресурсов. В качестве объекта исследования выбраны страны, которые распределяют налоговые поступления от добывающих отраслей в пользу органов местного самоуправления. Результаты. Установлено, что для большинства стран платежи от добычи полезных ископаемых поступают в институты общенационального уровня, однако распределяются обратно на места добычи или в близлежащие районы. Отмечено, что некоторые страны передают часть с доходов от добывающих отраслей в местные бюджеты автоматически, используя формулы, которые базируются на объективных индикаторах, таких как количество населения, объемы бюджетных поступлений с территории, уровень бедности или географическое положение. Выявлено, что основным принципом системы налогообложения использования ресурсов для обеспечения общественного благосостояния является установление оптимального режима налогообложения, что оставляет стимулы к производству и, в то же время, максимизирует доход, часть которого перераспределяется в пользу общества между всеми местными уровнями управления. Научная новизна заключается в сравнительном анализе и выявлении особенностей новейших данных распределения бюджетных поступлений от природных ресурсов на примере развивающихся стран. Практическая значимость. Результаты могут способствовать научному обоснованию стратегии распределения доходов от добычи полезных ископаемых, планированию развития минерально-сырьевого комплекса стран Средней Азии, а также могут быть полезны при оценке эффективности инвестиционных проектов освоения месторождений полезных ископаемых.The authors are grateful for the support in conducting the research to Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI), Moscow Metropolitan Governance University (MMGU), Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, and MIREA – Russian Technological University Institute of Educational Technologies and Humanities