A look at the potential of big data in nurturing intuition in organisational decision makers

YesAs big data (BD) and data analytics having gain significance the industry expects helping executives will eventually move towards evidence based decision making. The hope is to achieve more sustainable competitive advantage for their organisations. A key question is whether executives make decisions by intuition. This leads to another question whether big data would ever substitute human intuition. In this research, the ‘mind-set’ of executives about application and limitations of big data be investigated by taking into account their decision making behaviour. The aim is to look deeply into how BD technologies facilitate greater intuitiveness in executives, and consequently lead to faster and sustainable business growth

Making use a new open-multipurpose framework for more realistic estimation process in project management

YesThe current turbulent times call for adaptability, especially in non-repetitive endeavours being a vital characteristic of project management. The research organized along five objectives commenced in the autumn of 2008 with a pilot study. Then it proceeded through an inductive research process, involving a series of interviews with well-recognized international experts in the field. In addition conceptualized long-running observation of forty-five days was used, before proposal of a new framework for improving the accuracy of estimates in project management. Furthermore, the framework’s “know-how to apply” description have been systematically reviewed through the course of four hundred twenty-five days of meetings. This achieved socially agreed understanding assured that it may be possible to improve accuracy of estimates, while having flexible, adaptable framework exploiting dependency between project context and conditioned by it, use of tools and techniques

A Qualitative Approach to Investigating the Behavioral Definitions of the Four Paradigm Theory of Information Systems Development

Hirschheim, Klein and Lyytinen introduced the four-paradigm theory of information systems development (ISD) as a significant attempt to systematise developer assumptions. The theory perspective is that developers hold key assumptions that may be grouped together and classified into paradigms, and that these paradigms influence their ISD behaviour. The aims of the research described here are theory exploration and explanation in case studies concerning the ISD process in three public National Health Service (NHS) institutions in the north of England. We focus on the behavioral rather than the cognitive (assumptions) aspect of the theory. Our conclusions are, firstly, that qualitative theory explanation is desirable because we need to test theory in practice to show its applicability to wider settings. A rigorous qualitative, interpretive method, paying attention to openness and validity, can satisfactorily undertake such theory explanation; such research can help our IS community to gain wider credibility, authority and acceptance. Secondly, with regard to the four-paradigm theory, its predictions were largely met, as the paradigms were capable of classifying developer behaviour and developers had a dominant paradigm, namely functionalism. We found the theory to be very relevant to the investigation of current IS issues, and we introduce the concept of developer paradigmatic inconsistency

Is it too early to learn lessons from the developed world on the potential of big data technology: Harnessing and nurturing intuition in organisational decision makers

YesAs big data (BD) and data analytics gain significance in Europe, the industry expects that executives will eventually move towards evidence based decision making, and consequently would build sustainable competitive advantages for their organisations. Therefore, the lessons learned from experiences of European executives can be key for human development and also economic development. However, it also seems that in some cases decision makers in Europe seem to not use business intelligence systems at all. Since, executives are intelligent human beings with credible and proven expertise, it seems to raise a question mark on effectiveness of business intelligence systems, and the potential it has in human and economic development. Furthermore, repeated evaluation of literature pointed out that ultimately executives in Europe make decisions by intuition, and this leads to the question whether big data would ever replace intuition. In this paper, the mind-sets of executives about application and limitations of big data have been explored, by taking into account the cognitive factors in decision making. By using this, it is evaluated whether BD technologies can use to accelerate intuition development of the executives, and consequently lead to faster and sustainable economic development in the developing world

Minority entrepreneurs’ exposure and journey in business: the underpinning assumptions and actions

YesIn this paper we introduce Morgan’s (1986, 1997) eight metaphors for making sense of entrepreneurs’ motives and their view of ‘reality’. Employing Burrell and Morgan’s (1979, 2003) four paradigms for the analysis of organisational theory, we propose a methodology to capture the ‘longitudinal’ journey of minority ethnic entrepreneurs’ original motives for setting up business; and, current and future perceived image. We use a deductive approach by developing a multiple-choice questionnaire based on eight metaphors. The data is collected from 30 small business owner managers/entrepreneurs based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Our initial findings show that the assumptions of most of the respondents conform to the “functionalist” paradigm that place emphases on order, objectivity, rationality and tangible view of ‘reality’. Accordingly most of the respondents selected the functionalist metaphors like ‘Brain’, ‘Machine’ and ‘Psychic Prison’. Interestingly, most of the respondents selected and re-selected functionalist paradigm to indicate their past and future aspirations, perhaps due to their need for business stability and to subside any insecurity feelings with regards to their future. However, interestingly many respondents selected “radical Humanist” or “interpretivist” paradigms to map their current situation. These paradigms portray relatively more entrepreneurial and explorative mindset, perhaps mimicking unease with the current situation and a desire by the respondents to introduce some kind of a change in their current business and social settings. We believe that their metaphorical assumptions could determine their decision making, policy and strategy setting, and, actions. In our view our research instrument is appropriate for conducting ‘longitudinal’ studies for eliciting past, current and future assumptions of entrepreneurs

A study looking at ways to increase acceptance of E-Government systems in Developing Countries: A focus on The Context-System Gap

YesFor developing countries involved in enhancing communication between citizens and public administration and minimizing corruption, it is imperative to exploit information technology. However, certain factors surrounding the context of e-government adoption can either facilitate or hinder the achievement of this objective. In this paper we develop a conceptual framework that aims to enable more successful e-government adoption and aim to expose the factors hindering implementation. Most empirical research and theories on the implementation of e-government in developing countries remain at the macro-level and fail to highlight contextual complexities of deployment and the role of the gap between the citizens and the government. Therefore, this research offers an empirical model differentiating between the electronic context and the electronic system and shed a light over a new gap, government-citizen gap, in the adoption of e-government

Pharmacokinetics of Caffeic Acid from Methanol Seed Extract of Syzygium cumini L in Rats

Purpose: To describe caffeic acid-based pharmacokinetics of methanol extract of seed of Syzygium cumini L. in rats.Methods: A dose of the extract (500 mg, equivalent to 37.135 mg caffeic acid) was administered orally to 6 male Wister rats, weighing 200 ± 10 g. Blood samples (0.5 mL), collected from the tail vein at 0, 15, 30, 60, 120, 240 and 720 min, were processed and analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography and detected with florescent light detector (FLD).Results: Following the administration of the extract, caffeic acid achieved maximum plasma concentration (5.96 ± 0.49 μg/mL) in 1.0 h which was also the time to achieve maximum concentration (Tmax). Mean resident time (MRT) and half-life (t1/2) were 4.092 ± 0.94 h and 0.14 ± 0.01 h, respectively.Conclusion: The results indicate that absorption of caffeic acid from the oral route is fast, but lower amounts are absorbed. The method developed for the extraction of caffeic acid from the plasma and HPLC determination may be useful in establishing phyto-bioequivalence between Syzygium cumini seed products.Keywords: Caffeic acid, Pharmacokinetics, Syzygium cumini, Phytobioequivalence, Absorptio

The role of a digital engineering platform in appropriating the creation of new work-related mind-set and organisational discourse in a large multi-national company

YesThis paper reports on a case study involving a strategic and innovative approach to creation of an in-house multifaceted digital engineering platform (the DEP) in overcoming a number of organisational problems at a multinational engineering company. The DEP was to be used strategically for simplifying the operational complexity and to create and appropriate new work-related mind-set and new organisational discourse to achieve homogenous working across the organisation, which is a huge challenge. The need for this system emerged from the need to resolve many organisational services related problems that carried phenomenal amount of processes, health and safety risks and to regulate, and, control the running of engineering project. Research data were collected using a longitudinal case study approach over a period of six months. In order to make sense of how the DEP helped the organisation, the study used certain elements of Extended Structuration Theory as a lens to assess the case study. This research discovered that the DEP succeeded in creating and appropriating work-related mind-set and organisational discourse. It also had real influence on working processes and employees at all levels while encouraging transparency, responsiveness, agility and accountability. It continues to help the organisation to govern, manage and maintain good standard of service but many barriers still remain

Improved accessibility of emergency obstetrics and newborn care (EmONC) services for maternal and newborn health: a community based project

Background: Every year an estimated three million neonates die globally and two hundred thousand of these deaths occur in Pakistan. Majority of these neonates die in rural areas of underdeveloped countries from preventable causes (infections, complications related to low birth weight and prematurity). Similarly about three hundred thousand mother died in 2010 and Pakistan is among ten countries where sixty percent burden of these deaths is concentrated. Maternal and neonatal mortality remain to be unacceptably high in Pakistan especially in rural areas where more than half of births occur. Method/Design: This community based cluster randomized controlled trial will evaluate the impact of an Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) package in the intervention arm compared to standard of care in control arm. Perinatal and neonatal mortality are primary outcome measure for this trial. The trial will be implemented in 20 clusters (Union councils) of District Rahimyar Khan, Pakistan. The EmONC package consists of provision of maternal and neonatal health pack (clean delivery kit, emollient, chlorhexidine) for safe motherhood and newborn wellbeing and training of community level and facility based health care providers with emphasis on referral of complicated cases to nearest public health facilities and community mobilization. Discussion: Even though there is substantial evidence in support of effectiveness of various health interventions for improving maternal, neonatal and child health. Reduction in perinatal and neonatal mortality remains a big challenge in resource constrained and diverse countries like Pakistan and achieving MDG 4 and 5 appears to be a distant reality. A comprehensive package of community based low cost interventions along the continuum of care tailored according to the socio cultural environment coupled with existing health force capacity building may result in improving the maternal and neonatal outcomes. The findings of this proposed community based trial will provide sufficient evidence on feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness to the policy makers for replicating and scaling up the interventions within the health syste