Strategic marketing planning : a state of the art review

School of Managemen

Theoretical optimisation of IT/IS investments: A research note

The justification of Information Technology (IT) is inherently fuzzy, both in theory and practice. The reason for this is due to the largely intangible dimensions of IT projects. In view of this, this research note presents the results of on-going research, in the application of Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM), as a tool to identify complex functional interrelationships associated with the justification of IT. This paper presents a theoretical functional model which describes these relationships, and by using an FCM, further interrelationships are developed in the context of justifying IT projects. A procedure which would address the optimisation of these intangible relationships in the form of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is proposed as a process for Investment Justification

Software-Engineering Process Simulation (SEPS) model

The Software Engineering Process Simulation (SEPS) model is described which was developed at JPL. SEPS is a dynamic simulation model of the software project development process. It uses the feedback principles of system dynamics to simulate the dynamic interactions among various software life cycle development activities and management decision making processes. The model is designed to be a planning tool to examine tradeoffs of cost, schedule, and functionality, and to test the implications of different managerial policies on a project's outcome. Furthermore, SEPS will enable software managers to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of software project development and perform postmodern assessments

A revised perspective on the evaluation of IT/IS investments using an evolutionary approach

On-going research into the evaluation of Information Technology (IT) / Information Systems (IS) projects has shown that aerospace and supply chain industries are needing to address the issue of effective project investment in order to gain technological and competitive advantage. The evaluative nature of the justification process requires a mapping of interrelated quantities to be optimised. Earlier work by the authors (Irani and Sharif 1997) has presented a theoretical functional model that describes these relationships in turn. By applying a fuzzy mapping to these variables, the optimisation of intangible relationships in the form of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is proposed as a method for investment justification. This paper revises and reviews these key concepts and provides a recapitulation of this optimisation problem in terms of long-term strategy options and cost implications. Glossary of terms : DC = Direct Costs, FA = Financial Appraisal, FR = Financial Risks, FUR = Functional Risks, HC = Human Costs, IC = Indirect Costs, IR = Infrastructural Risks, OB = Operational Benefits, OC = Organisational Costs, PB = Project Benefits, PC = Project Costs, RF = Risk Factor, SB = Strategic Benefits, SM = Strategic medium-term benefit, SR = Systemic Risks, TB = Tangible Benefits, TC = Tangible Costs, TL = project lead time, TR = Technological Risks, V= Project Value

Construction and Application of an LP Farm Model with an Integrated Life Cycle Assessment for the Determination of Sustainable Milk Production Systems

The increasingly stringent conditions underlying Swiss dairy production demand sustainable milk production systems that are economically optimized but also meet the ecological requirements of society. To determine such systems, a comparative-static LP model was constructed at farm level. Realistic production systems are reproduced in the model by means of binary variables. An Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was integrated into the model to determine the environmental impacts of the farm. To this effect, the internal farm influences on production are illustrated in detail. An initial application of the model, in which a comparison of different income-optimized production systems was carried out, revealed some goal conflicts between economics and ecology. Systems involving full-time grazing achieved the best results in both aspects.Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), LP-model, dairy production, production system, Livestock Production/Industries, C61, Q12, Q51,

A document-like software visualization method for effective cognition of c-based software systems

It is clear that maintenance is a crucial and very costly process in a software life cycle. Nowadays there are a lot of software systems particularly legacy systems that are always maintained from time to time as new requirements arise. One important source to understand a software system before it is being maintained is through the documentation, particularly system documentation. Unfortunately, not all software systems developed or maintained are accompanied with their reliable and updated documents. In this case, source codes will be the only reliable source for programmers. A number of studies have been carried out in order to assist cognition based on source codes. One way is through tool automation via reverse engineering technique in which source codes will be parsed and the information extracted will be visualized using certain visualization methods. Most software visualization methods use graph as the main element to represent extracted software artifacts. Nevertheless, current methods tend to produce more complicated graphs and do not grant an explicit, document-like re-documentation environment. Hence, this thesis proposes a document-like software visualization method called DocLike Modularized Graph (DMG). The method is realized in a prototype tool named DocLike Viewer that targets on C-based software systems. The main contribution of the DMG method is to provide an explicit structural re-document mechanism in the software visualization tool. Besides, the DMG method provides more level of information abstractions via less complex graph that include inter-module dependencies, inter-program dependencies, procedural abstraction and also parameter passing. The DMG method was empirically evaluated based on the Goal/Question/Metric (GQM) paradigm and the findings depict that the method can improve productivity and quality in the aspect of cognition or program comprehension. A usability study was also conducted and DocLike Viewer had the most positive responses from the software practitioners

Impact of knowledge management processes on organisational performance: A preliminary study

Copyright @ 2013 EMCIS.Despite the increasing number of studies relating to Knowledge Management (KM) in developed countries, few studies have explored this issue within the context of developing countries. Moreover, some industries have been affected more acutely than others in the transition to a knowledge-based economy. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate KM processes and to investigate the impact on organisational performance (OP).The authors propose a conceptual model through an in-depth investigation of the previous and current studies in the area of KM and OP. It is envisaged that this model can play a role in guiding the process of KM implementation in order to maximise the beneficial effects of KM processes on OP. An inductive qualitative approach was used based on a preliminary study. A pilot study was conducted; the study involved the use of interview as a primary data collection technique. Content analysis approach was used to identify ideas relevant to the main themes. The study showed that knowledge usage is the most influential aspect of KM that impacts OP. Moreover, the study revealed that knowledge transfer is a common KM process employed by organisations. Accordingly, it was ranked as the second most influential factor of KM with respect to OP

Comment: Expert Elicitation for Reliable System Design

Comment: Expert Elicitation for Reliable System Design [arXiv:0708.0279]Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/088342306000000538 in the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

A Study of Junior High Students' Perceptions of the Water Cycle

Provides pedagogical insight concerning learners' pre-conceptions and misconceptions about the water cycle The resource being annotated is: http://www.dlese.org/dds/catalog_DLESE-000-000-003-365.htm