Modelo de selección de plataforma educativa virtual con mapas cognitivos difusos (FCM)

La tendencia mundial contemporánea en educación se inclina hacia la formación virtual, la cual ofrece mayor versatilidad en lo referente a la educación a distancia, pues cuenta con numerosas herramientas al alcance de los estudiantes. Los cursos en línea, en auge, especialmente los de modalidad abierta en línea y masivos (massive online open course - MOOC), han logrado difundir el conocimiento a la mayor cantidad de alumnos en poco tiempo, fenómeno que antes no era posible. Al iniciarse la transformación hacia la educación virtual, es indispensable el uso de una plataforma virtual. La decisión sobre esta determina las herramientas que se tengan disponibles, así como las posibilidades de ofrecer cursos semipresenciales, cursos 100 % en línea, cursos presenciales con talleres virtuales o cursos abiertos masivos en línea (MOOC). Por tal razón, hemos descubierto la importancia del desarrollo de un modelo original para la selección de una plataforma virtual educativa. Para el propósito de esta investigación elaboraremos el mapa cognitivo difuso con dos rondas de entrevistas a expertos en el tema.Contemporary global trends in education favor virtual training, which offers greater versatility in terms of distance education, as it has numerous tools available for students. Online courses, currently on the rise, especially massive open online courses (MOOCs), have managed to spread knowledge to the largest number of students in a short time: a phenomenon that was not possible before. When transformation towards virtual education begins, using a virtual platform is essential. Decisions on this determine the tools that will be available, as well as the possibilities of offering semi-face-to-face courses, 100 % online courses, face-to-face courses with virtual workshops or MOOCs. For this reason, we have discovered the importance of developing an original model for selecting a virtual educational platform. For the purpose of our research, we will prepare a fuzzy cognitive map with two rounds of interviews with experts in the field

Analysis of the causes and level of maintenance for enterprise systems in construction companies

A construction company without a similar information technology (IT) system in the past has insufficient historical data to use for investment decision-making of IT system. An estimation of maintenance costs is especially more uncertain than the initial investment costs, and the uncertainty is greater when the IT system is used over a long period, such as an enterprise system (ES). This study proposes estimation criteria for the maintenance costs of an ES for an accurate investment decision. First, the causes of maintenance are determined, and the level of maintenance analyzed. Then, the result is compared with a general trend of maintenance incidence (bathtub curve) that is widely used as reference criteria to estimate maintenance cost. The level of maintenance was high during the early stage but steadily decreased in the middle and end stage because high-cost maintenance activities were postponed with the approach of the time in which the ES was being restructured. This trend is different from the bathtub curve that increases again during the end stage. Thus, when a maintenance contract is negotiated, the maintenance level that affects maintenance cost should be considered as well as the incidence of maintenance

Decision support systems in crowdfunding: A fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM) approach

Crowdfunding as an alternative source of finance to banking is the subject of numerous research works. This research proposes the guidelines of a Decision Support System (DSS) in the area of crowdfunding based on a Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) approach. A framework consisting of three phases (ten steps) has been proposed to design the guidelines of a DSS in crowdfunding. The first phase focusses in the construction of the FCM. FCM- based scenarios have been built in the second phase. Finally, in the third phase the guidelines of the DSS in crowdfunding have been defined. Results show that DSS using FCM-based scenarios could be useful tools to promoters, funders and managers of crowdfunding projects.Premio Mensual Publicación Científica Destacada de la US. Facultad de Turismo y Finanza

A New Neutrosophic Cognitive Map with Neutrosophic Sets on Connections

Neutrosophic sets and their application to decision support have become a very important topic. In real situations, there are different sources of indeterminacy. This paper suggests a new decision-making model based on Neutrosophic Cognitive Maps (NCMs) for making comprehensive decisions from a multi-objective approach (diagnosis, decisions, and prediction) during the execution of many projects simultaneously. A Soft Computing technique like Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) has been widely used for decision-making process in project management, but this technique has the limitation of not considering the indeterminacy between concepts. This limitation is overcome by the proposed model since NCMs can represent the indeterminacy or neutrality. The new model includes neutrosophic sets in the map’s connections. Finally, the suggested model has been compared with traditional FCM-based model considering efficiency and efficacy

Startup’s critical failure factors dynamic modeling using FCM

The emergence of startups and their influence on a country's economic growth has become a significant concern for governments. The failure of these ventures leads to substantial depletion of financial resources and workforce, resulting in detrimental effects on a country's economic climate. At various stages of a startup's lifecycle, numerous factors can affect the growth of a startup and lead to failure. Numerous scholars and authors have primarily directed their attention toward studying the successes of these ventures. Previous research review of critical failure factors (CFFs) reveals a dearth of research that comprehensively investigates the introduction of all failure factors and their interdependent influences. This study investigates and categorizes the failure factors across various stages of a startup's life cycle to provide a deeper insight into how they might interact and reinforce one another. Employing expert perspectives, the authors construct fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) to visualize the CFFs within entrepreneurial ventures and examine these factors' influence across the four growth stages of a venture. Our primary aim is to construct a model that captures the complexities and uncertainties surrounding startup failure, unveiling the concealed interconnections among CFFs. The FCMs model empowers entrepreneurs to anticipate potential failures under diverse scenarios based on the dynamic behavior of these factors. The proposed model equips entrepreneurs and decision-makers with a comprehensive understanding of the collective influence exerted by various factors on the failure of entrepreneurial ventures

A Multi-Dimensional Model of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Critical Success Factors: Design and Evaluation

Department of Management EngineeringThis thesis studies Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems through an extensive literature review, and analyzes the found literature in terms of dimensionality of each paper (firm size, firm type, industry, deployment, etc.) to provide a model of corresponding CSFs for firms based upon their individual characteristics and creating a tool for practitioners and researchers alike. There is no published literature available which followed a similar approach in identification of the critical issues affecting ERP by dimensionality and there lies the originality of this study. For evaluation of this model, the researcher used two methods. First, evaluation against existing literature addressing a single particular dimension. Second, evaluation with a panel of experts in ERP implementation.clos

Analysis of the critical success factors for ERP implementation in a SME

Resumen: La implantación de un sistema ERP puede tener un gran potencial pero en ocasiones este tipo de herramientas no consigue el rendimiento esperado. Muchas empresas españolas ya están o van a estar realizado este proceso, especialmente pymes, es por ello por lo que se propone realizar un análisis de los factores críticos que afectan al éxito en una implantación. En este trabajo se realiza un estudio del caso sobre una pyme industrial de Cantabria utilizando la metodología Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM), un modelo cualitativo que muestra las relaciones entre variables complejas para ayudar a tomar decisiones, con la cual se identifican las interacciones entre los CSFs y los objetivos en la implantación de un ERP.Abstract: The ERP implementation system could have great potential, however, sometimes this kind of tool does not achieve the expected performance. Many Spanish companies are already, or are about to carry out this process, especially SMEs, which is why it has been proposed to carry out an analysis of the critical factors that influence a successful implementation. In this area, a case study will be / has been ?? carried out for an industrial SME in Cantabria using the Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) methodology. This methodology is a qualitative model that shows the relationships of complex variables in order to help make decisions and identify the interactions between CSFs and the objectives in the ERP implementation.Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresa

Strategies for Implementing a Successful Enterprise Resource Planning System

The U.S. Department of Defense executives consider enterprise resource planning systems as a critical technology because of increasingly global operations and audit compliance pressures, which may affect organizational performance and overall success. The estimated cost to implement enterprise resources systems to avoid failure and meet budget cost across the Department of Defense services and agencies has ranged from $530 million to$2.4 billion. Guided by the general systems theory, the purpose of this single-case study was to explore enterprise resource planning strategies developed and implemented by United States Marine Corps military leaders. Data collection consisted of a review of organizational documents and semistructured interviews of 5 organizational leaders in a United States Marine Corps base in Albany, Georgia. Data analysis entailed interview transcription, keyword and phrase coding, and emergent theme identification. The prominent emergent themes were essential strategic planning guidance and organizational leaders and change management, which are the essential components for effectively implementing enterprise resource planning systems. The Department of Defense executives and senior leaders may use the findings of this study to develop an essential strategic plan, which could reduce the excessive cost and over-budget associated with enterprise resource planning systems. Social change implications include enhancing end user knowledge and reducing inefficiencies within organizations to improve corporate social responsibility

Prioritizing Offshore Vendor Selection Criteria for the North American Geospatial Industry

The U.S. market for geospatial services totaled US $2.2 billion in 2010, representing 50% of the global market. Data-processing firms subcontract labor-intensive portions of data services to offshore providers in South and East Asia and Eastern Europe. In general, half of all offshore contracts fail within the first 5 years because one or more parties consider the relationship unsuccessful. Despite the high failure rates, no study has examined the offshore vendor selection process in the geospatial industry. The purpose of this study was to determine the list of key offshore vendor selection criteria and the efficacy of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) for ranking the criteria that North American geospatial companies consider in the offshore vendor selection process. After the selection of the initial list of factors from the literature and their validation in a pilot study, a final survey instrument was developed and administered to 15 subject matter experts (SMEs) in North America. The SMEs expressed their preferences for one criterion over another by pairwise comparisons, which served as input to the AHP procedure. The results showed that the quality of deliverables was the top ranked (out of 26) factors, instead of the price, which ranked third. Similarly, SMEs considered social and environmental consciousness on the vendor side as irrelevant. More importantly, the findings indicated that the structured AHP process provides a useful and effective methodology whose application may considerably improve the quality of the overall vendor selection process. Last, improved and stabilized business relationships leading to predictable budgets might catalyze social change, supporting stable employment. Consumers could benefit from derivative improvements in product quality and pricing