A framework for selecting workflow tools in the context of composite information systems

When an organization faces the need of integrating some workflow-related activities in its information system, it becomes necessary to have at hand some well-defined informational model to be used as a framework for determining the selection criteria onto which the requirements of the organization can be mapped. Some proposals exist that provide such a framework, remarkably the WfMC reference model, but they are designed to be appl icable when workflow tools are selected independently from other software, and departing from a set of well-known requirements. Often this is not the case: workflow facilities are needed as a part of the procurement of a larger, composite information syste m and therefore the general goals of the system have to be analyzed, assigned to its individual components and further detailed. We propose in this paper the MULTSEC method in charge of analyzing the initial goals of the system, determining the types of components that form the system architecture, building quality models for each type and then mapping the goals into detailed requirements which can be measured using quality criteria. We develop in some detail the quality model (compliant with the ISO/IEC 9126-1 quality standard) for the workflow type of tools; we show how the quality model can be used to refine and clarify the requirements in order to guarantee a highly reliable selection result; and we use it to evaluate two particular workflow solutions a- ailable in the market (kept anonymous in the paper). We develop our proposal using a particular selection experience we have recently been involved in, namely the procurement of a document management subsystem to be integrated in an academic data management information system for our university.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Caracterización de los aportes de los momentos de un ambiente de aprendizaje mediado por tic en el proceso de fortalecimiento del pensamiento numérico en estudiantes de sexto grado

213 páginasEste documento da cuenta de una investigación aplicada de tipo cualitativa-descriptiva desarrollada bajo el diseño metodológico estudio de caso en el Colegio Nueva Colombia IED localizado en Bogotá D.C. (Colombia). Allí se lograron identificar y describir los aportes de los siete momentos de un Ambiente de Aprendizaje mediado por TIC diseñado para el fortalecimiento del Pensamiento Numérico en estudiantes de sexto grado. En este Ambiente de Aprendizaje se implementó la estrategia Aprendizaje por Proyectos y la técnica elaboración y solución de problemas matemáticos. Se trabajó con una muestra de 23 estudiantes; además, para la recolección de la información se utilizaron cuestionarios, entrevistas semiestructuradas, observación directa y un grupo focal. Los resultados de la investigación mostraron que cada uno de los siete momentos del Ambiente de Aprendizaje contribuyen de manera particular al proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje de las matemáticas y, en consecuencia, los estudiantes alcanzaron un aprendizaje significativo de las matemáticas

The impact of corporate social responsibility on customer loyalty in hypermarkets: A new socially responsible strategy

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to knowledge on the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on retailers' performance (hypermarkets). An analysis using a comprehensive conceptualization of CSR reveals that CSR has positive implications for hypermarkets' performance and illustrates which CSR dimensions are the most important to focus on. For this purpose, this study enhances its empirical validity by collecting data from 667 respondents in Spain and testing the hypothesis applying partial least squares structural equation modeling. The study finds that CSR is positively influencing customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction, image, and quality also intervened in their relationships. In particular, a new finding of the study highlights the importance of the mediating role played by image and quality in enhancing the effect of CSR on satisfaction. The research findings provide useful insights into how hypermarkets should develop a CSR strategy that would enhance customer loyalty

Sponsorship image and value creation in E-sports

.E-sports games can drive the sports industry forward and sponsorship is the best way to engage consumers of this new sport. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of sponsorship image and consumer participation in co-creation consumption activities on fans’ sponsorship response (represented by the variables interest, purchase intention and word of mouth) in e-sports. Four antecedent variables build sponsorship image (i.e., ubiquity of sport, sincerity of sponsor, attitude to sponsor and team identification). A quantitative approach is used for the purposes of this study. Some 445 questionnaires were filled in by fans who watch e-sports in Spain; these are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The outcomes show that sponsor antecedents are crucial factors if a sponsor wants to change their sponsorship image and influence sponsorship response, and that it is also possible to use participation to improve responsesS

The role of consumer happiness in brand loyalty: a model of the satisfaction and brand image in fashion.

Purpose: The study of the antecedents to loyalty is of great interest to both academics and professionals in the context of fashion consumption. The purpose of this paper is to define a SEM model,in which brand image and its dimensions, as well as consumer satisfaction and consumer happiness asmediators, are explained as antecedents to loyalty. Design/methodology/approach: A transversal descriptive study based on primary data were,therefore, carried out using a survey with a sample of 2,515 consumers representing the Spanishpopulation. The Partial Least Square method was applied to test the hypotheses. Findings: The results of this research tell us which variables have a positive influence on consumer loyalty tofashion brands,where brand image, satisfaction and consumer happiness are the determining variables of loyalty. Research limitations/implications: This model has important implications and contributes both to theliterature and to the choice of differentiation and brand positioning strategies for marketing to a globaland highly competitive market. Originality/value: One of the novelties of this study is the fact that it considers the consumer happinessvariable as an antecedent to loyalty in the fashion consumer sector

Word of mouth and digitalization in small retailers: Tradition, authenticity, and change

Traditional commerce does not have a great variety of products: it has a more leisurely sale and does not develop impulse buying. The most important factor is the direct relationship established between the seller and the customer, facilitating advice and creating a relationship of trust between the two. Traditional retailers nowadays need digitization, without which they cannot compete technologically with large companies, whereas they can compete in quality, authenticity, proximity, and service. For all these reasons, it seems appropriate to investigate the antecedents that may influence consumers? attitudes towards online shopping in traditional retailers. To achieve this objective, a research plan was developed based on a cross-sectional descriptive study using primary data from a questionnaire answered by 4,063 individuals who live in Spain. The result shows that store loyalty and word of mouth (WOM) communications are the main drivers of attitudes to online shopping. As intermediaries, the mediating variables of the quality and image of the store are established. Small stores should focus on authenticity; this is built on the dimensions established by theory: heritage, legitimacy, nostalgia, originality, and social commitment. Authenticity allows these stores to differentiate themselves from their competitors

Diferencias en la determinación y percepción de la realidad para la actuación pública mediante cuestiones de respuesta cerrada y abierta: Teoría y práctica

En el proceso de conocimiento de la realidad y valoración de alternativas que debe preceder a toda actuación pública, una alternativa es la interpelación directa a los ciudadanos a través de los correspondientes cuestionarios, si bien cabe realizar diferentes consideraciones respecto a la forma en que son planteadas las diferentes preguntas, así como –y esto suele tenerse menos en cuenta– en relación a si éstas son de respuesta abierta, semiabierta o cerrada. En este orden de cosas, y si bien en muchas ocasiones se prioriza la utilización de preguntas de respuesta cerrada (principalmente por la mayor facilidad de tabulación y análisis), en el presente trabajo se plantean diferentes argumentos en favor del empleo alternativo de las de respuesta abierta, tanto desde un punto de vista teórico como desde la evidencia empírica.Actuación pública, conocimiento inferencial de la realidad, preguntas abiertas y cerradas

Computation of the optimal relative pose between overlapping grid maps through discrepancy minimization

Grid maps are a common environment representation in mobile robotics. Many Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) solutions divide the global map into submaps, forming some kind of graph or tree to represent the structure of the environment, while the metric details are captured in the submaps. This work presents a novel algorithm that is able to compute a physically feasible relative pose between two overlapping grid maps. Our algorithm can be used for correspondence search (data association), but also for integrating negative information in a unified way. This paper proposes a discrepancy measure between two overlapping grid maps and its application in a quasi Newton optimization algorithm, with the hypothesis that minimizing such discrepancy could provide useful information for SLAM. Experimental evidence is provided showing the high potential of the algorithm

The effects of corporate social responsibility on customer-based brand equity: Spanish hypermarket case

[EN] Hypermarkets have experienced substantial restructuring in the recent past because their situation has generated the necessity to develop new models that include different new aspects. The question under consideration here is whether the adoption of measures of corporate social responsibility (C.S.R.) by hypermarkets in Spanish markets can solve their continuing problems by establishing a fair degree of consumer-based brand equity. The purpose of the present study is twofold: (a) to investigate the effects of C.S.R. on hypermarket brand equity; and (b) to explore the dimensions of both these variables by using and testing property scales. As such, it is necessary to consider the possibility of integrating the management of C.S.R. into the global strategy of hypermarkets and to analyse its possible effects on the variables that influence consumer-based brand equity. It may be interesting to dedicate resources and efforts to strengthening hypermarkets’ links with their consumers.S

A Sigmoidal Model for the Interpretation of Quantitative PCR (QPCR) Experiments

Real-time or quantitative PCR (qPCR) is the most commonly used technique for estimating the amount of starting nucleic acids in a PCR or RT-PCR reaction. Quantification of PCR product is achieved in real time by measuring the increase in fluorescence of intercalating dyes, labeled primers or oligonucleotides in the presence of double stranded DNA. This amplification curve follows a sigmoid behavior and is used to estimate the relative and/or absolute amount of template using different methods and assumptions. Estimation of C0 normally requires the measurement of a threshold cycle and some assumption about the efficiency of the reaction. An accurate estimation of efficiency is paramount for a precise determination of template levels at time zero. Several non-linear fitting methods have been implemented to model the sigmoid behavior using different empirical models with varying amounts of parameters; however, interpretation of the corresponding parameters is not straightforward. In this paper a model of PCR amplification is deduced and used in the interpretation of qPCR experiments. A non-linear regression analysis of this equation gives a direct estimation of C0 and automatically calculates a parameter k related to the reaction efficiency. This model takes into account non-idealities in the amplification reaction and avoids a priori assumptions about efficiency