8 research outputs found
Electronic IPA and EMBASE: a first glance comparison for pharmacy - a study in progress
EMBASE is known to cover drug related literature more extensively than many other biomedical bibliographic databases, but there is a lack of published comparative studies of EMBASE with IPA. So, the aim of this study was to begin that process
Using Appreciative Inquiry to Discover School Administrators\u27 Learning Management Best Practices Development
The U.S. Department of Education has mandated that each U.S. state develop successful initiatives to help students navigate their educational experience. Yet in Alabama students neither advance academically nor in improved life skills development. It is unclear if school administrators in Alabama Schools have contextual best practices for strategic planning and implementation to support and improve the experiences of vulnerable K-12 students. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore how administrators of Alabama schools develop contextual best practices for strategic planning and implementation to support students. The conceptual framework was designed using collaboration theory, organizational learning theory, and appreciative inquiry. The overarching question addressed developing an understanding about how Alabama school administrators develop contextual best practices for strategic planning and implementation. Appreciative inquiry was used to facilitate a focus group and individual interviews with 15 participants. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis and bracketing. Thus, 4 themes were identified from the interviews and focus group. Most significant results were the identification of having a positive, engaging mobile environment and improving full community participation in the collaborative process. Contributions to positive social change may be experienced by developing community-based collaboration where all contribute to, and benefit from, co-create, collaborate, and structure a more balanced and feasible approach to successful implementation of strategic plans in an environment of financial constraints
National freight transport planning: towards a Strategic Planning Extranet Decision Support System (SPEDSS)
This thesis provides a `proof-of-concept' prototype and a design architecture for a
Object Oriented (00) database towards the development of a Decision Support
System (DSS) for the national freight transport planning problem. Both governments
and industry require a Strategic Planning Extranet Decision Support System
(SPEDSS) for their effective management of the national Freight Transport Networks
(FTN).
This thesis addresses the three key problems for the development of a SPEDSS to
facilitate national strategic freight planning: 1) scope and scale of data available and
required; 2) scope and scale of existing models; and 3) construction of the software.
The research approach taken embodies systems thinking and includes the use of:
Object Oriented Analysis and Design (OOA/D) for problem encapsulation and
database design; artificial neural network (and proposed rule extraction) for
knowledge acquisition of the United States FTN data set; and an iterative Object
Oriented (00) software design for the development of a `proof-of-concept'
prototype. The research findings demonstrate that an 00 approach along with the use
of 00 methodologies and technologies coupled with artificial neural networks
(ANNs) offers a robust and flexible methodology for the analysis of the FTN problem
domain and the design architecture of an Extranet based SPEDSS.
The objectives of this research were to: 1) identify and analyse current problems and
proposed solutions facing industry and governments in strategic transportation
planning; 2) determine the functional requirements of an FTN SPEDSS; 3) perform a
feasibility analysis for building a FTN SPEDSS `proof-of-concept' prototype and
(00) database design; 4) develop a methodology for a national `internet-enabled'
SPEDSS model and database; 5) construct a `proof-of-concept' prototype for a
SPEDSS encapsulating identified user requirements; 6) develop a methodology to
resolve the issue of the scale of data and data knowledge acquisition which would act
as the `intelligence' within a SPDSS; 7) implement the data methodology using
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) towards the validation of it; and 8) make recommendations for national freight transportation strategic planning and further
research required to fulfil the needs of governments and industry.
This thesis includes: an 00 database design for encapsulation of the FTN; an
`internet-enabled' Dynamic Modelling Methodology (DMM) for the virtual
modelling of the FTNs; a Unified Modelling Language (UML) `proof-of-concept'
prototype; and conclusions and recommendations for further collaborative research
are identified