Visualization and interpretation of models obtained with non-negative matrix factorization

Attributes that describe data in the databases present themselves in large numbers. For this reason defining truly important attributes for classification and establishing their mutual dependence poses a significant challenge. One way of reducing the dimensionality of the space and defining important attributes and examples is by using non-negative matrix factorization. In this master thesis we first examined the basics of non-negative matrix factorization and a few ways of visualizing the data and factor models in matrices. We propose a few ways of presenting and understanding the models acquired with factorization. We evaluated the effectiveness of the methods on several databases and learnt that each method reveals useful information about a model. Clustering of the factorized matrices can produce purer clusters than clustering of the source data. By projecting examples to the factor space we can see which factors affect certain classes. Adding attributes to this projection makes it possible to deduce the link between the examples and the attributes of the source space

Visualization and interpretation of models obtained with non-negative matrix factorization

Attributes that describe data in the databases present themselves in large numbers. For this reason defining truly important attributes for classification and establishing their mutual dependence poses a significant challenge. One way of reducing the dimensionality of the space and defining important attributes and examples is by using non-negative matrix factorization. In this master thesis we first examined the basics of non-negative matrix factorization and a few ways of visualizing the data and factor models in matrices. We propose a few ways of presenting and understanding the models acquired with factorization. We evaluated the effectiveness of the methods on several databases and learnt that each method reveals useful information about a model. Clustering of the factorized matrices can produce purer clusters than clustering of the source data. By projecting examples to the factor space we can see which factors affect certain classes. Adding attributes to this projection makes it possible to deduce the link between the examples and the attributes of the source space

Analytic Hierarchy Process Application in Different Organisational Settings

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply AHP in two case settings which include (i) evaluation/selection of maintenance policy (ii) sustainability factors of employee suggestion schemes

Povezanost med inovativno usmerjenimi dejavnostmi trajnostnega razvoja ter učinkovitostjo in uspešnostjo organizacije

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyse the effects of sustainability-oriented innovation practices on the overall organizational performance. Further, this paper also aims to advance understanding of the measurement of corporate sustainability practices with the focus on innovation dimensions. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study uses data obtained from a survey of 116 organizations encompassing both the manufacturing and service industries in Slovenia. Descriptive statistics were used in order to determine the level of sustainability-oriented innovation practices deployment. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to extract the underlying factors and to provide a basis for assessing their reliability and validity. In addition, regression analysis was used to quantify the effect of sustainability practices on the organizational performance. Results: Data analysis result showed that sustainability-oriented innovation practices are significantly associated with organizational performance. Therefore, empirical evidence from this research confirmed the premise that building innovation competencies and integrating innovation activities in organization’s processes lead to performance benefits. This contributes to the debate about the potential for organizations to be sustainable and competitive. Conclusion: The presented research on corporate sustainability provides important theoretical and practical insights on which the deployment of sustainability-oriented innovation practices are conducive to fostering a broader set of performance benefits. As such, managers should increase organizations’ capacity for innovation which can be beneficial in terms of performance implications and achieving sustainability goalsOzadje in namen: Poglavitni namen članka je predstaviti empirično raziskavo o vplivu dejavnosti trajnostnega razvoja, ki so osredotočene na inovativnost, na celokupno učinkovitost in uspešnost organizacije. Namen članka je prav tako izboljšati razumevanje operacionalizacije spremenljivk dejavnosti trajnostnega razvoja, s poudarkom na dimenzijahinovativnosti. Zasnova in metodologija: Pričujoči članek temelji na anketni raziskavi, na osnovi katere smo pridobili 116 uporabnih odgovorov s strani slovenskih proizvodnih in storitvenih organizacij. S pomočjo faktorske analize smo preverili konvergentno veljavnost merjenega konstrukta in s tem oblikovali posamezne dimenzije na inventivnost osredotočenih dejavnosti trajnostnega razvoja organizacije. Vplive na inventivnost osredotočenih dejavnosti trajnostnega razvoja na celokupno učinkovitost in uspešnost organizacije smo proučevali s pomočjo regresijske analize. Rezultati: – Rezultati raziskave so pokazali, da na inventivnost osredotočene dejavnosti trajnostnega razvoja pozitivno in statistično značilno vplivajo na celokupno učinkovitost in uspešnost organizacije. Rezultati raziskave so torej potrdili predpostavko, da razvoj kompetenc na področju inovativnosti in vključitev le-teh v procese organizacije, prinese številne koristi za organizacijo. Na ta način članek prispeva k razpravi o priložnostih in možnostih organizacije, da razvijakonkurenčne prednosti in hkrati prispeva k trajnostnemu razvoju. Zaključek: Raziskava doprinaša pomembne teoretične in praktične vpoglede na področju trajnostnega razvojaorganizacije in prikazuje pomembnost izvajanja na inventivnost osredotočenih dejavnosti trajnostnega razvoja z vidika doseganja učinkovitosti in uspešnosti organizacije. Izsledki raziskave poudarjajo vlogo vodstva, ki mora spodbujati povečevanje sposobnosti organizacije na področju inovativnosti, saj organizacije lahko posledično izboljšujejo različne segmente učinkovitosti in uspešnosti ter hkrati dosegajo cilje trajnostnega razvoja

Celovito obvladovanje tveganj v slovenski kemični industriji

Enterprise risk management (ERM) is widely accepted as an effective management tool by companies all over the world. The survey centered on the ERM’s use was, in December 2005, carried out among Slovenian medium and large chemical companies. Questionnaires were sent to 41 companies focused on production of chemicals and chemical products (NACE 24). A total of 24 (59 %) completed questionnaires were returned. The results show that only a third of them have an integrated ERM in their business operations. Companies that have implemented at least two standardized management systems (e.g. ISO 9001 and ISO 14001) use ERM as well. The surveyed companies see the most important risks in the field of financial risks, health and safety risks, strategic risks and environmental risks. Majority of the companies have noticed a significant increase in business risks over past three years. They believe that companies should invest more resources in risk management. Almost all surveyed chemical companies have encountered at least one event that could lead to a higher damage in the company. Accidents at work and financial damages are the most frequent eventV svetu je vedno več podjetij, ki prepoznavajo prednosti celovitega in sistematskega pristopa k obvladovanju tveganj. V decembru 2005 smo izvedli raziskavo med slovenskimi srednjimi in velikimi podjetji kemične industrije z namenom pregleda in analize trenutnega stanja na področju celovitega obvladovanja tveganj. Anketne vprašalnike smo naslovili na 41 srednjih in velikih podjetij, ki se ukvarjajo z dejavnostjo proizvodnje kemikalij, kemičnih izdelkov, umetnih vlaken (SKD 24). Vrnjenih smo dobili 24 vprašalnikov (59 %). Raziskava je pokazala, da ima le slaba tretjina (29 %) uveden celovit pristop obvladovanja tveganj. Podjetja, kjer imajo vpeljana najmanj dva sistema managementa (npr. ISO 9001 in ISO 14001), obvladujejo tveganja celovito. Anketirana podjetja so kot najpomembnejša tveganja navedla finančno tveganje, tveganje varnosti in zdravja pri delu, strateško tveganje ter okoljska tveganja. V zadnjih treh letih anketirana podjetja opažajo porast tveganj pri poslovanju. Menijo, da bi morali obvladovanju tveganj nameniti več ali veliko več resursov. V skoraj vseh anketiranih podjetjih so imeli vsaj en dogodek, ki je, oziroma bi lahko, povzročil večjo škodo v podjetju. Najbolj pogosti dogodki, ki lahko povzročijo večjo škodo, so nesreče pri delu in finančne škode

Contribution of live working to the quality, safety, effectiveness and efficiency of the maintenance processes

Unatoč činjenici da se rad pod naponom provodi u svijetu već više od stotinu godina, u Sloveniji se kao sredstvo preventivnog održavanja električnih instalacija koristi tek u posljednjih nekoliko godina. Rad pod naponom je novost za slovensko elektroenergetsko okruženje tako da zaslužuje stručnu i znanstvenu pozornost. Pregled sekundarnih izvora na tom području pokazuje da postoje mnogi izvori, koji uglavnom pokrivaju usko područje razvoja tehnologije rada pod naponom, opreme i alata te osobne zaštitne opreme i obuku za rad pod naponom. Sa pregledom literature smo predstavili područje rada pod naponom gdje se otavaraju mogućnosti njegove uporabe i analize učinaka rada pod naponom kod integracije u kurativno i preventivno održavanje te koncepte sigurnosti i zdravlja na radu, kvalitete te uspješnosti i učinkovitosti metode rada pod naponom.In spite of the fact that live working has been carried out in the world for over a hundred years, it has been used in Slovenia as a tool of preventive maintenance of electrical installations only for the last few years. Live working is a novelty for the Slovene electricity environment, so it deserves professional and scientific attention. A review of secondary sources shows that there are many professional sources mainly covering the narrow field of the development of live working technology, equipment and tools, personal protective equipment and training in live working. This review of the literature presents the area of live working where its possibilities for a broader use are offered. The analysis of live working effects is presented under the integration of corrective and preventive maintenance as well as the concepts of health and safety at work, quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the live working method

Koraki slovenskih organizacij proti poslovni odličnosti

This research was carried out among the winners of the Slovenian business excellence prize (PRSPO), finalists and those who received special diplomas as a recognition level reached by applicants in implementing the business excellence model. Based on the findings of the research, we defined eight steps that organizations can consider as a guide on the path towards excellence. The purpose of the study was to examine how the previous winners of the PRSPO began their journey towards excellence, which were the key factors, what problems they encountered and how they managed to win the diploma or award. The analysis of the survey showed that the ISO 9001 standard is considered a first step towards the Slovenian business excellence award - in fact, it is a prerequisite for further improvements in the organization. The second step involves top management commitment and support for the introduction of excellence into business processes. The top management, in cooperation with all the employees, defines the areas for improvement and also confirms the method of implementation, both conceptually and financially. It is also necessary to take environmental aspects into consideration, which is provided by a third step along with the introduction of the ISO 14001. Once an organization defines the processes, it begins to introduce the business excellence model in the fourth step and carries out the self-assessment process. The key opportunities for improvement identified by the self-assessment process are further introduced in the business. In doing so, the organization can use various quality management approaches (the fifth step) and the first application for the PRSPO. In the sixth step, the organization encourages its employees to follow continuous education and innovation and, in the seventh step, participates again in the competition for the Slovenian business excellence award. As the required business excellence level is achieved, the organization receives the award for business excellence (PRSPO).Med desetimi dobitniki Priznanja RS za poslovno odličnost (PRSPO), finalisti ter dobitniki posebne diplome za razpoznaven napredek pri uvajanju modela poslovne odličnosti je bila izvedena raziskava, na podlagi katere smo definirali osem korakov, ki jih organizacije lahko upoštevajo kot vodilo na poti proti odličnosti. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti, na kakšen način so dosedanji dobitniki PRSPO začeli svojo pot k odličnosti, kateri dejavniki so bili po njihovem mnenju ključni in kako jim je uspelo osvojiti diplomo oziroma priznanje. Raziskava je pokazala, da je standard ISO 9001 prvi korak na poti k PRSPO, pravzaprav je predpogoj za nadaljnje izboljševanje v organizaciji. Drugi korak je zavezanost in podpora vodstva k odličnemu poslovanju. Vodstvo, v sodelovanju z vsemi zaposlenimi, definira področja, ki jih je potrebno izboljšati in tudi potrdi način izvedbe, tako idejno kot tudi finančno. Pri tem mora upoštevati tudi okoljevarstvene vidike, ki jih predvideva tretji korak z uvedbo standarda ISO 14001. Potem, ko organizacija definira procese, začne v četrtemi koraku z uvajanjem modela poslovne odličnosti ter s postopkom samoocenjevanja. Ključne možnosti za izboljšave, ki jih prepozna s samoocenjevalnim postopkom, tudi uvede v poslovanje. Pri tem si lahko pomaga z različnimi pristopi managementa kakovosti (peti korak) ter z oddajo prve vloge za priznanje. V šestem koraku organizacija spodbuja zaposlene k stalnemu izobraževanju in inovativnosti ter v sedmem koraku ponovno sodeluje za PRSPO. Ko doseže zahtevano stopnjo odličnosti poslovanja, priznanje tudi prejme (osmi korak)

Ecodesign in the context of customer\u27s and producer\u27s point of view

The present study reviews the attitudes and behaviours of the customers toward products which are “respectful” for the environment. To address the issue in a wider perspective, this paper also encompasses various aspects of ecodesign from producer’s point of view. Two surveys were conducted. The purpose of the first survey was to investigate the awareness and intention of the Slovenian customers to purchase green products, their perceptions and attitudes towards green products. The second survey was directed to organizations to examine their attitudes toward green products and environmental issues. The study revealed that the green products have substantial awareness among Slovenian customers. The results received from the study were illuminating, and encourage the possibility for integration of environmental aspects into products, since 94 percent of respondents expressed a desire for more “green” products available on the market. For the customers the most important quality characteristics of the product are: quality, usability and practicality followed by environmental ones. Survey results indicate that environmental concern plays a fundamental role in organizations. According to the results, concern for the environment is the most important criteria that encourage organizations to introduce environmental management system (EMS) standard (mean=4,2 on a scale of 5)

Analysis of Slovenian politics activity on Twitter

Twitter is a rapidly growing social network, whose vast number of users attracts politicians and researchers alike. The former see it as a way of connecting with their constituents, while it offers a huge amount of data for analysis to the latter, who are especially interested in finding a way to predict elections. I will begin my thesis by covering past attempts at researching political activities on Twitter and later I will analyze the Slovenian political activity on Twitter, both on a party and on a deputy level. During my analysis I will research the correlation between election results, activity, number of tweets and number of followers, the lexical diversity of words, hashtags and mentions used in tweets and the connection between the followers of the parties and the followers of the deputies