Suggestion systems: a usability-based evaluation model

Usability has been used to design and assess products and websites. This paper takes the concept of usability one step further and proposes a framework to assess suggestion systems. Thus taking the concept of usability one step further and applying it in the area of ideas management through suggestion system. The fundamental premise of the article is that a suggestion system designed, with usability in mind, will improve innovation among employees, and hence increase participation. This framework was then used to assess four suggestion systems in an oil and gas company in the middle-east. These systems were further assessed for employee perception of their usability and participation. After collecting data on these three different aspects conclusions are drawn. Out of the four systems analyzed, the most usable suggestion system had the highest participation rate and the least usable system attracted the fewest suggestions

Before you invest: An illustrated framework to compare conceptual designs for an enterprise information system

Post-implementation analysis on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems has drawn attention to manystructural shortcomings. Yet, no framework exists to compare the different structural features of the ERP system. This paperdevelops a framework to compare different enterprise-wide systems at the conceptual design level using size, coupling andarchitectural complexity as criteria. Since, metrics used to measure these criteria are subjected to individual interpretation, astatistical technique using repeated measures design is used to validate the results of multiple evaluators. The framework wasapplied to the comparison of two enterprise-wide system implementations at the conceptual design level. One was a typicalERP, and the other was a document- based system. A conceptual model was developed for the two methodologies using UnifiedModeling Language (UML). Ten evaluators, all graduate students with the knowledge of UML were given the conceptualmodels of both systems and were instructed to apply the metrics. The evaluators performed the evaluations separately and wereunder no time restriction. Their results were used in the repeated measures design. Based on the results, TDM was smallerin size, more loosely coupled and less complex as compared to the ERP model. The framework successfully demonstratedthat it can differentiate between two different implementations on the basis of their size, module coupling and architecturalcomplexity. This framework presents a quantifiable technique that helps in informed decision making prior to a major financialcommitment

Green business models in the construction sector: An analysis of outcomes and benefits

Purpose –Green business models (GBMs) in the construction sector represent the logic of green value creation and capture. Hence, the call to examine GBMs is growing ever louder. The aim is to identify benefits of GBMs by adopting five essential elements of the GBM from the literature: green value proposition (GVP); target group (TG); key activities (KA); key resources (KR); and financial logic (FL). Design/methodology/approach Nineteen semi-structured interviews are conducted with construction sector practitioners and academics in the UK. Thematic analysis is used to obtain benefits of GBMs. Further, the Interpretive Ranking Process (IRP) is used to examine which elements of the GBM have a dominant role in providing benefits to construction businesses. Findings – The benefits are grouped into three themes: credibility/reputation benefits; financial benefits; and long-term viability benefits. The IRP model shows that the element of KR is the most important when evaluated against these three benefit themes. Implications – Linking GBM elements and benefits will help companies in the construction sector to analyse the business case of embracing environmental sustainability. Originality/value - This research is one of the few empirical academic works investigating the benefits of GBMs in the construction sector. The IRP method is a novel contribution to GBMs and construction research

Case Learning Methodology In Operations Engineering

Teaching operations engineering to traditional and non-traditional engineering students using case learning methods presents both instructional challenges and provides learning rewards when performed properly. Unfortunately, few engineering faculty have had exposure to this learning approach. However, the skills are learnable and the results satisfying to instructor and student alike. The purpose of this paper is to explore case learning methods and illustrate their appropriateness for a course in operations engineering

Small enterprise systems based on document methodology

Enterprise system vendors have attempted to enlarge their market by offering pre-engineered solutions for small companies, thereby avoiding the massive implementation difficulties usually associated with an enterprise system such as SAP. One unfortunate result of such an approach is that the pre-engineered structure does not fit the physical environment of the company well, resulting in poor results, a discouraged workteam, and excessive costs of ongoing system use and training. In a doctoral dissertation, one research effort [M. Arif, The Design of an Enterprise Information System: A Document Approach, Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, 2002] demonstrated that a less complex document based enterprise system could be constructed and compared to an integrated software based ERP system at the conceptual design level. The testbed was a live operating company. The comparison was based upon a series of quantitative software metrics applied to both constructs. The results were encouraging in that they showed that the possibility of smaller, simpler, and less expensive systems could be created using the document methodology. The purpose of this paper is to enlarge the comparison. It shows how the document methodology can be used to tailor a unique, well-fitting solution using document methodology and standard off the shelf software. The concepts are illustrated through a case application

Legacy systems: Must history repeat itself?

Legacy software systems are notorious for repeating the mistakes of the past. However, it is entirely possible that the solutions to problems might be available in their past. Maintaining a Lessons Learned (LL) database and consulting it regularly might result in avoiding potential problems. This research uses surveys as a means to obtain LL and corrective actions taken in legacy systems. It also presents three case studies to demonstrate the utility of LL in legacy systems. This research found that LL are used in legacy systems, however their use is not widespread. When employed, the LL process improves a legacy system’s situation and validates the lessons learned tool utilized by hardware engineering projects. In addition, the research shows that problems facing legacy systems are not isolated, but are replicated throughout industry. Preventive Measures as identified in LL, and applied to new efforts can dramatically affect system life cycle costs but this remains to be verified in subsequent research

Enterprise information systems: technology first or process first?

Purpose – Enterprise resource planning (ERP), a technological approach for enterprise information systems, has many recorded case examples of lengthy and expensive implementations reported in literature. This research has uncovered an alternative process-driven and document-based approach that may offer a simpler and more flexible solution compared with technology-driven ERP. This paper investigates the differences and similarities of the two approaches, and also answers a related question: Is the enterprise system implementation an information systems effort performed to support the business processes, or is it a process re-engineering effort required to implement the pre-packaged software system? Design/methodology/approach – To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of the two approaches to an enterprise information system, this research developed a unified modeling language (UML) process model of a manufactured housing company and used it as a basis for a conceptual level UML model for both an ERP- and a document-based system. Findings – In a designed experiment with UML-fluent analysts, the process-driven document solution to an enterprise information system was shown to be smaller, less complex and more flexible than an ERP solution at the conceptual design level. Practical implications – Software specifications for the resulting document-based system included only standard COTS software packages easily usable in companies of any size. Further, the potential for prototype as-you-go development offers opportunities for continuous refinement of the system in contrast with the episodic implementation of packaged ERP systems. Originality/value – This alternative system highlights the desirability, for both academicians and practitioners, of concentrating on processes and then implementing the most suitable technology, rather than allowing the technology to impose constraints on processes