SSM Approach to Realizing Emancipatory Idels in ERP Implementation

Organizations implement Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems seeking to integrate functional units, standardize business processes and enhance organizational efficiencies. Although several millions of dollars are spent in implementing ERP systems, most of these systems fail. As ERP systems are implemented in complex environments with extensive social and organizational interactions leading to dramatic changes in the organizational structures and business processes, two critical success factors in ERP implementation are user involvement and effective project communication. Although Checkland’s soft systems (SSM) methodology is a proven tool for encouraging user participation, it does not fully embrace emancipation. In this paper, we reformulate SSM to incorporate emancipatory ideals to enhance project communication during ERP implementation. The emancipatory approach developed in this paper is suitable for the requirement specification phase of ERP implementation. The approach can enhance systems implementation practice and presents an opportunity for a new research stream in method engineering for ERP systems

Nitrogen Fixation and Yield Potential of Some Early-Maturing Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata (L) Walp) Lines

Field experiment was conducted at Mampong Campus of the University of Education to determine the yield and nitrogen fixation potential of some cowpea lines. Nine lines plus Asontem variety were studied in a Randomized Complete Block Design with four replications. The results showed that all the lines nodulated freely with the natural rhizobia in the soil. There was significant differences (P<0.05) in the nodulation abilities of the lines. Number of nodules negatively correlated with nodule dry weight (r= -0.38) whiles the amount of nitrogen fixed positively correlated with total seed yield (r= 0.94). Line IT97K-506-1 produced the highest number of nodules per plant but did not fix the highest amount of nitrogen. Lines IT97K-566-18 and IT97K-570-18 which contained the highest amount of nitrogen (4.43 and 4.70kgN/ha) respectively in their residue also produced the highest seed yield (3.58 and 3.61t/ha) respectively. The results showed that lines IT97K-570-18 and IT97K-566-18 have high yielding potentials and N-fixing abilities and should be tested on farmers’ fields. Key words: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp), Nitrogen Fixition, Anova, Soil Fertility.

The role of regional and community planning in economic development in Ghana

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1965 A55Master of Scienc

Impact of ERP Implementation on Business Process Outcomes: A Replication of a United States Study in a Sub-Saharan African Nation

This study is a conceptual replication of Karimi et al.’s (2007) study on the impact of ERP implementations on business process outcomes among US manufacturing firms in a Sub-Saharan African (SSA) nation. The results of the measurement model are valid and reliable, which are consistent and comparable with that of the original study, enhancing the external validity of the constructs proposed in the original model. However, only one of the four hypotheses tested in the structural model was confirmed in the current study although all four were supported in the original study. While the original model was tested on manufacturing firms in the US, the replicated study was carried out in several industries in Ghana, a SSA nation. Thus the differences in the structural model results do not invalidate the original model but suggest the need for capturing contextual or environmental variables such as culture, industry, ethical behavior, and data culture in order to enhance the external validity and theoretical contribution of the original model in the SSA context

Classical literature gives life to business paradox and systems integration

Professors bemoan the great difficulty students have understanding the complexity of their disciplines or functional specializations. Many non-traditional students have work and family commitments that limit the time needed to reflect professionally and to master these concepts. This disconnect has persisted despite decades of work developing more integrated, interdisciplinary curricula. One potential, partial solution is to simply start sooner and partner with liberal arts courses to introduce business students to complexity and paradox before they arrive at the business school. Grounding these concepts in the Classics embeds them in great stories of passion, betrayal, commitment, and emotion normally absent in business courses. Business textbooks and cases are usually sanitized, simplified, and quantified, stripping them of the chaos normally experienced in reality. These classical tales are captivating and compelling, making the business concepts used to analyze them more memorable and hopefully retained until encountered again in the business curriculum. The classics deal with real and raw emotions, with powerful prose more likely to capture and engage students on a very personal level. This article explores how economics can be used to analyze Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, how multi-stakeholder theory can be used to analyze Sophocles’ Antigone, and how business contract law can be used to analyze William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. Liberal Arts programs will gain additional relevance, commanding further student respect; business schools will stand a better chance of meeting AACSB gold-standard, interdisciplinary learning outcomes when students are exposed to these concepts before arriving at the business school

EVResponse - Moving Beyond Traditional Emergency Response Notification

Federal, state and local governmental agencies have been investing considerably in emergency response management systems to assist crisis management officers in the assessment, mitigation and response to emergency situations. In crisis management contexts, the timeliness of a response may be determined with reference to a fixed instant in the form of an absolute action threshold. This establishes the last possible point in time where any sort of solution is available. Once an action threshold is passed, a crisis is no longer containable; whatever adverse consequences a problem portends are thereafter inescapable. In this paper, we describe a special GIS-based response management system, EVResponse that combines GIS capabilities with web based voice translation technologies such as VoiceXML to effectively coordinate the pre, current and post crisis management activities. VoiceXML provides open standards based methodology to facilitate the integration and communication of emergency response systems with existing disaster planning systems. The EVResponse application uses web services to provide real-time reporting capabilities to both decision makers and first response units

The Role of Negotiation in Privacy-Enhanced E-Commerce Transactions

Online vendors use personal information to deliver customized services efficiently to their customers. Both users and vendors value the relationship building made possible using personal data. However, the use of personally identifying data gives rise to the potential for privacy invasion. When consumers must disclose personal information, they are forced to perform a risk-benefit analysis in which the risks of disclosing one\u27s personal information are weighted against the potential benefits of the disclosure. While some researchers note that consumers maximize benefits in deciding whether to disclose personal information, others argue that consumers lack sufficient information and power to make educated, balanced decisions regarding disclosing their private information. We add to the privacy discussion by arguing that a real negotiation position for both parties can help realize the full benefits of online personalization. We propose a model for mitigating the tension between the benefits of personalization and the risks to privacy invasion. This framework informs our future work which seeks to develop rich and deep understandings of negotiated, privacy-concerned personalization

Grain quality characteristics of imported rice in Ghana: Implications for breeding for consumer-preferred varieties

ABSTRACTRice is the fastest growing food source in Ghana. The country, however, imports about 70 per cent of its rice requirement due to low volumes of production and poor grain quality of domestic rice compared to imported ones.  In the study, 10 popular imported rice brands on the Ghanaian market were characterised for grain quality traits including grain dimensions, apparent amylose content, gelatinisation temperature, paste viscosity properties, and aroma using physiochemical properties and DNA markers. The rice brands came from Asia and the USA. The rice type from Asia was found to be Jasmine-styled aromatic long grained with low amylose content and gelatinisation temperature, whereas those of USA were conventional long grain with intermediate amylose content and gelatinisation temperature.  These findings were confirmed through DNA marker analyses, with the rice types from Asia and the USA revealing the presence of the TAC and GCC of the waxy gene SNP haplotypes, respectively. The implication for rice breeding in Ghana is discussed.Original scientific paper. Received 29 Oct. 14; revised 03 Aug 15

Examining Users’ Information Disclosure and Audience Support Response Dynamics in Online Health Communities: An Empirical Study

Online healthcare communities (OHCs) facilitate two-way interaction. Examining users’ information disclosure-audience support response dynamics can reveal insights for fostering a supportive environment, community engagement, bond formation, knowledge sharing, and sustained participation in OHCs. We propose a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model of user disclosure and response dynamics in OHCs. Based on the health disclosure decision-making model and daily time series data, we examine the two-way interaction of two dimensions of disclosure efficacy with audience support response acceptance. Findings of the impulse response functions reveal that user information density leads to positive support response acceptance, whereas support response acceptance reduces the information density of a user post over time. Further, higher information efficacy leads to more support response acceptance with long run improved information efficacy. Theoretically, findings extend the disclosure decision-making model in OHCs. Practically, the results provide insights for OHC management to facilitate two-way dynamic users’ interactions