A PostgreSQL/PostGIS Implementation for the Sightseeing Tour Planning Problem

This article discusses a procedure for finding the best multi stops route for sightseeing tour through a road network. The procedure involves building a database containing nodes and road network in PostgreSQL, calculating the shortest distance between a pair of nodes using pgDijkstra module, and solving the tour problem using a function written in PL/pgSQL. The function was developed based on the Nearest Insertion Algorithm for solving the Travelling Salesman Problem. The algorithm inserts a sightseeing attraction (node) at the best position in the existing route, which is between a pair of nodes that yields the minimum difference between the total tour time before and after the new node was inserted. The test result shows that the function can solve the problem within acceptable runtime for web application for total destination nodes of 22. It is concluded that the whole procedure was suitable for developing Web GIS application that solve the sightseeing tour planning problem

Delphi Technique in Poverty Alleviation: A Case Study

This study aims at investigating scholars thinking intended for poverty alleviation. Two-round Delphi techniques were applied to attain experts’ opinion in support of probable resolution of poverty. Government officials, Non-government executives, University academics, and social & political personalities are considered as scholars. The scholars think that limitation of job is the fundamental cause of poverty that is why the poor are bound to live in vulnerable unhygienic places where inadequate services are prevailing. They also argued that by providing home-based work and especial training that will help them to get job for income generation, the poverty problems could be reduced. As well community-based management similar to labor intensive low-cost housing factory and sanitation plant will also been lead to decrease poverty. To avoid hypothetical discover, the study analyzed poverty alleviation activities of UNDP/GOB project. The UNDP/GOB project entitled ‘Local Partnerships for Urban Poverty Alleviation’ is one of the biggest urban poverty alleviating projects in Bangladesh. There are many successful activities of this project such as community-based micro-credit, sanitation as well as drinking water has been highlighted. The study was undertaken by acquiring primary data from the field survey that employed a structure questionnaire and gathered information emphasis on poverty. Heads of poor households or a member behalf of HH, were used as respondents.

A Theoretical Review on Organizational Information Systems for Analysing Spatial Issues: A Perspective of Modern Business

Organizational Information Systems (OIS) is established purposely to support an organization in managerial and routine works, as well as important to decision making process. Theoretically, there are sixth types of OIS, common identified as Executive Information System (EIS), Management Information System (MIS), Decision Support System (DSS), Knowledge Information System (KWS), Office Automation System (OAS) and Transaction Information System (TPS). Some of organization has developed OIS for achieved their strategic advantages where final aimed to sustain the performance of organisation. However, there are questions arises about OIS uses in analyzing a spatial issue which is refers to geographical locations. The objective of this paper is to overview the fundamental concept, capability and constrains of every types of OIS with specific reference to spatial issues. Spatial issues is refers to concurrent and real-time based issues that arisen from external environment where can affect directly on organization performance. This literature review is driven from business perspective where OIS capability and ability of handle spatial issues will discuss. In general, this study found that all most OIS have limited capability to handle and manage spatial issues. Although DSS can support decision making for execute specific decision related to spatial issues, however DSS still lacks  on visualized spatial issues geographically, as well as spatial issues tied to geographical location. This paper is suggest to developed Geographical Information System (GIS) as one of OIS for discover all kind of spatial issues

Current Issues and Challenges of Estimating Lifetime Value of ‘Free Customer’ in Malaysia: An Un-Structured Interview Approach with Industrial Expertises

Traditionally, the world wide businesses has being applied customer lifetime value (CLV) model for estimating their profitability by counting contribution of customer toward the business. The strategic used of CLV model is for understand and analyzing the lifetime values of each customer directly on their spending and purchasing activities. Currently, managing CLV has faced some current issues and challenges specifically on predicting a specific category of customer, called ‘free customer’. In fact, ‘free customer’ is non-database customer and their information is not available to any business. This category of customer always neglect and un-counting contribution, as well as them lifetime value that could be potentially affects the future prospect of the business. The study is aimed to explore current issues and challenges on implementations of CLV model with specific reference to ‘free customer’ of the hypermarket business. Secondly, the theoretical point of view on CLV will reviewed by using previous selected literature, as well as to explain the current issues and trends of CLV of the study. The method used is semi structured interview with the key person of Industrial Expertise. Meanwhile, the International Hypermarket at Seberang Perai of Pulau Pinang, Malaysia is selected as a reference location regarding the interview session. At the end, suggestion will be made for using geographical information system (GIS) approach for strengthening the traditional ways of understanding CLV of ‘free customer’ where it used map as platform of visualization the location of ‘free customer’.Key words: Lifetime value; Free customer; International hypermarket; Seberang Perai of Penan

Spatial information systems for sustaining the profitability of retailer business during the global meltdown economy

Profitability is the central issues of world wide business firms, especially during the un-predictable situation under the global meltdown economy. Retailer is the most influenced by the crisis because it highly depends on the customers buying activity. In perspective of customers, the value that rewarded from purchasing activity is the most important consideration to continually transaction with the retailer. However, in perspective of retailers, they want to maximize the profit by utilizing their marketing efforts on selling the product to customers. As long as customer continues do the transaction, retailer believed that they can achieve their target. Critically, the contrast view of customer-retailer on the value will raise the issues on profitability and has identified as unsolved issues in the marketplace. Thus, this paper is highlighting the capability of Spatial Information Systems for sustaining the profitability of retailers. By utilizing this technology, it’s helps retailers in sustaining the retailer’s performance, via managing the customer value continuously and practically. Moreover, Spatial Information Systems provide tools and platform to analyzing the customer value in the marketplace, as the real geographical marketplace. Practical aspect of Spatial Information Systems applications are discussed with specific focus on retailer’s business. Moreover, the used of spatial information systems is practically important to the manager to make them understand on what are the real chances on customer value in the geographical marketplace. At the end, suggestion was made on how to choose the suitable Spatial Information Systems to retailers with considerations on the current financial matters

Customer lifetime value as a predictor for future prospect of retailer's survival: A review of customer lifetime value model

Customer lifetime value is the top priority issues in every segment of business and it’s become more significance during the world wide economy crisis. Estimating customer lifetime value of retailer’s business plays important roles in determine the most profitable customer’s to the business, as well as sustaining the performance of business, both short and long run operation. In perspective of global meltdown economy, specifically, the use of customer lifetime value will became as central issues because it has major influence on the strategy that adopted by the business. As a predictor of future prospect of retailer’s survival, customer lifetime value are developed based on financial items/method, as well as payback period, net present value, return on investment, return on equity, and so on. Thus, the objective of the paper is to review’s the model of customer lifetime value in-prospecting the future prospect of retailer’s survival in the marketplace. For that, advantages and disadvantages of models are discussed. In addition, to the best of knowledge, there are limited discussions on the reasons of adopting the customer lifetime approach for prospecting the lifetime value of retailer’s business, includes hypermarket business. Thus, discussion on the reasons of adopting the model was made with specific reference to hypermarket business. Moreover, it is important to the manager to understand the capabilities and constrains of those methods because it can affect the financial strategy of the business. At the end, suggestion was made on how to improvise the performance of estimates the customer lifetime value, accordingly to the chance of customer value in the geographical marketplace

Transforming customer postal address into spatial address for demographic analysis: A case of non-contractual customers in Seberang Perai, Pulau Pinang of Malaysia

Postal address is one of important data that potentially used for trace, capture and used together with customer demographic, such as location, residential, income level, education level, transportation, and so on.The customer postal address is a touch point to analyzing demographic where it is vital important to the business, especially to prospecting their profitable customer.From literature review survey, the business has been used survey intensively as main sources for gathering demographic infomation about customer, including non-contractual customer, also called non-database customer.However, some problem will rise during joins used of home postal address, specifically, refers to un-match problems between home postal address of non-contractual customer (from the survey) with spatial data address (road and street data). These un-match problems may create un-accurate value in analyzing customer demographic background when current location, of customer takes into account. The objective of the paper is to discuss some issues regarding un-match between home postal address of non-contractual customer and spatial address.Secondly, this study will introduce a procedure on how to solve these problems where at the end results on 100 percents match between these two data.The method of this study is by using iThoughMap as an application for transforming customer postal address into spatial address.To operating this work, data survey of non-contracting customer will use as a source of home postal address, while road and street data were obtained from government agency.This study will be applied specifically on the location of Seberang Perai, Pulau Pinang in Malaysia.One of result indicates that perfect match between postal address with spatial address bas produced when hundred percent match has resulted.At the end, suggestion will be recommended for future research on how improvising the accuracy, timeliness, and precision of information regarding non- contracting customer by utilizes spatial and non-spatial data