Using management objectives to specify management information systems : a contribution to MIS success

Data warehouse projects, today, are in an ambivalent situation. On the one hand, data warehouses are critical for a company’s success and various methodological and technological tools are sophisticatedly developed to implement them. On the other hand, a significant amount of data warehouse projects fails due to non-technical reasons such as insufficient management support or in-corporative employees. But management support and user participation can be increased dramatically with specification methods that are understandable to these user groups. This paper aims at overcoming possible non-technical failure reasons by introducing a user-adequate specification approach within the field of management information systems.

Constructing a traditional Chinese medicine data warehouse application

The explosive growth in the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has resulted in the continued increase in clinical and research data. The lack of standardised terminology, flaws in data quality planning and management of TCM informatics are preventing clinical decision-making, drug discovery and education. This paper argues that the introduction of data warehousing technologies to enhance the effectiveness and durability in TCM is paramount. To showcase the role of data warehousing in the improvement of TCM, this paper presents a practical model for data warehousing with detailed explanation, which is based on the structured electronic records, for TCM clinical researches and medical knowledge discovery.

PIB: Profiling Influential Blogger in Online Social Networks, A Knowledge Driven Data Mining Approach

Online Social Networks (OSNs) facilitate to create and spread information easily and rapidly, influencing others to participate and propagandize. This work proposes a novel method of profiling Influential Blogger (IB) based on the activities performed on one's blog documents who influences various other bloggers in Social Blog Network (SBN). After constructing a social blogging site, a SBN is analyzed with appropriate parameters to get the Influential Blog Power (IBP) of each blogger in the network and demonstrate that profiling IB is adequate and accurate. The proposed Profiling Influential Blogger (PIB) Algorithm survival rate of IB is high and stable. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

What's happening in European supply-chains?

Many multinational companies are supposedly viewing Europe as one region and re-shaping their approach to the supply of products to customers. Several factors are thought to be driving this trend, notably the degree of merger and acquisitions activity; the need for improved financial performance; the pressure to reduce inventories and costs, facilitated by improvements in communication and information technology systems. All of this is in the context of European market and monetary harmonisation. This paper investigates the extent and effect of the amanegement of supply chains on a pan-European baisis by multinational business. A survey was used to examine changes, both made and anticipated. to operational strategies, processes, organisational structures and physical infrastructure across a range of businesses and industry sectors. Cost reducation, driven by the need for profit and shreholder return, was found to be the priority for developments in supply chains.Many businesses reported consolidation of manufacturing and distribution activities whilst retaining discrete country-by-country organisational structures for managing customers and markets.Logistics Service Providers were seen in a traditional role as suppliers of commodity warehousing and transport services and lacked true pan-European capability. Despite the often-vaunted concept of a pan-European business model, individual businesses wwere seen to be negotiating their own path to balancing economies of scale with customers' service needs and expectations.

Data Reduction with Rough Sets

R. Jensen, Q. Shen, Data Reduction with Rough Sets, In: Encyclopedia of Data Warehousing and Mining - 2nd Edition, Vol. II, 2008.

Service composition for biomedical applications

A exigente inovação na área das aplicações biomédicas tem guiado a evolução das tecnologias de informação nas últimas décadas. Os desafios associados a uma gestão, integração, análise e interpretação eficientes dos dados provenientes das mais modernas tecnologias de hardware e software requerem um esforço concertado. Desde hardware para sequenciação de genes a registos electrónicos de paciente, passando por pesquisa de fármacos, a possibilidade de explorar com precisão os dados destes ambientes é vital para a compreensão da saúde humana. Esta tese engloba a discussão e o desenvolvimento de melhores estratégias informáticas para ultrapassar estes desafios, principalmente no contexto da composição de serviços, incluindo técnicas flexíveis de integração de dados, como warehousing ou federação, e técnicas avançadas de interoperabilidade, como serviços web ou LinkedData. A composição de serviços é apresentada como um ideal genérico, direcionado para a integração de dados e para a interoperabilidade de software. Relativamente a esta última, esta investigação debruçou-se sobre o campo da farmacovigilância, no contexto do projeto Europeu EU-ADR. As contribuições para este projeto, um novo standard de interoperabilidade e um motor de execução de workflows, sustentam a sucesso da EU-ADR Web Platform, uma plataforma para realizar estudos avançados de farmacovigilância. No contexto do projeto Europeu GEN2PHEN, esta investigação visou ultrapassar os desafios associados à integração de dados distribuídos e heterogéneos no campo do varíoma humano. Foi criada uma nova solução, WAVe - Web Analyses of the Variome, que fornece uma coleção rica de dados de variação genética através de uma interface Web inovadora e de uma API avançada. O desenvolvimento destas estratégias evidenciou duas oportunidades claras na área de software biomédico: melhorar o processo de implementação de software através do recurso a técnicas de desenvolvimento rápidas e aperfeiçoar a qualidade e disponibilidade dos dados através da adopção do paradigma de web semântica. A plataforma COEUS atravessa as fronteiras de integração e interoperabilidade, fornecendo metodologias para a aquisição e tradução flexíveis de dados, bem como uma camada de serviços interoperáveis para explorar semanticamente os dados agregados. Combinando as técnicas de desenvolvimento rápidas com a riqueza da perspectiva "Semantic Web in a box", a plataforma COEUS é uma aproximação pioneira, permitindo o desenvolvimento da próxima geração de aplicações biomédicas.

Investigating relationships between road freight transport, facility location, logistics management and urban form

This paper examines road freight transport activity and its relationship with facility location, logistics management and urban form through an analysis of 14 selected urban areas in the UK. Improved understanding of this relationship will assist planners when making transport and land use decisions. The findings suggest that several geographical, spatial and land use factors have important influences on freight activity in urban areas. Commercial and industrial land use patterns affect the types and quantities of goods produced, consumed, and hence the total quantity of freight transport handled. This also influences the distances over which goods are moved and by what specific mode. There has been relatively low growth in warehousing in many of the selected areas over the last decade compared to the national average as well suburbanisation of warehousing in some locations. This affects the origin and destination of journeys visiting these facilities and typically increases the distance of such journeys. A greater proportion of road freight has been shown to be lifted on internal journeys in large urban areas than in smaller ones. Journeys within urban areas have been shown to be less efficient than journeys to and from the urban area in the 14 locations studied due to the much smaller average vehicle carrying capacities and lower lading factors for journeys within urban areas. The length of haul on journeys to and from urban areas studied was found to be greatest for those areas with a major seaport and/or which were geographically remote. This affects the road freight transport intensity of goods transport journeys.

Materials handling in hospitals: An analysis of how the storage and materials handling system can be improved, using the example of Hospital Santa Maria

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Implementação de uma solução open source de Business Intelligence com metodologia Ágil

A importância dos sistemas de data warehousing e business intelligence é cada vez mais pronunciada, no sentido de dotar as organizações com a capacidade de guardar, explorar e produzir informação de valor acrescido para os seus processos de tomada de decisão. Esta realidade é claramente aplicável aos sectores da administração pública portuguesa e, muito em particular, aos organismos com responsabilidades centrais no Ministério da Saúde. No caso dos Serviços Partilhados do Ministério da Saúde (SPMS), que tem como missão prover o SNS de sistemas centrais de business intelligence, o apelo dos seus clientes, para que possam contar com capacidades analíticas nos seus sistemas centrais, tem sido sentido de forma muito acentuada. Todavia, é notório que, tanto os custos, como a complexidade, de grande parte destes projetos têm representado uma séria ameaça à sua adoção e sucesso. Por um lado, a administração pública tem recebido um forte encorajamento para integrar e adotar soluções de natureza open source (modelo de licenciamento gratuito), para os seus projetos de sistemas de informação. Por outro lado, temos vindo a assistir a uma vaga de aceitação generalizada de novas metodologias de desenvolvimento de projetos informáticos, nomeadamente no que diz respeito às metodologias Agéis, que se assumem como mais flexíveis, menos formais e com maior grau de sucesso. No sentido de averiguar da aplicabilidade do open source e das metodologias Ágeis aos sistemas de business intelligence, este trabalho documenta a implementação de um projeto organizacional para a SPMS, com recurso a ferramentas open source de licenciamento gratuito e através de uma metodologia de desenvolvimento de natureza Ágil.

A study of the marketing of fertilisers in India

This is a descriptive and analytical study. It investigates how Fertilisers are marketed in India. It describes and evaluates the system of fertiliser marketing prevalent in the country at the time of this study (1979-82). The study, as the title will indicate, has been conceived on a large canvass and in very broad and generalised terms. Such a large framework has been chosen with the intention of investigating the task of Fertiliser marketing in its totality

A Study on Futures Trading in Commodities With Special Reference to Rubber

Futures trading in Commodities has three specific economic functions viz. price discovery, hedging and reduction in volatility. Natural rubber possesses all the specifications required for futures trading. Commodity futures trading in India attained momentum after the starting of national level commodity exchanges in 2003. The success of futures trading depends upon effective price risk management, price discovery and reduced volatility which in turn depends upon the volume of trading. In the case of rubber futures market, the volume of trading depends upon the extent of participation by market players like growers, dealers, manufacturers, rubber marketing co-operative societies and Rubber Producer’s Societies (RPS). The extent of participation by market players has a direct bearing on their awareness level and their perception about futures trading. In the light of the above facts and the review of literature available on rubber futures market, it is felt that a study on rubber futures market is necessary to fill the research gap, with specific focus on (1) the awareness and perception of rubber futures market participants viz. (i) rubber growers, (ii) dealers, (iii) rubber product manufacturers, (iv) rubber marketing co-operative societies and Rubber Producer’s Societies (RPS) about futures trading and (2) whether the rubber futures market is fulfilling the economic functions of futures market viz. hedging, reduction in volatility and price discovery or not. The study is confined to growers, dealers, rubber goods manufacturers, rubber marketing co-operative societies and RPS in Kerala. In order to achieve the stated objectives, the study utilized secondary data for the period from 2003 to 2013 from different published sources like bulletins, newsletters, circulars from NMCE, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Warehousing Corporation and traders. The primary data required for this study were collected from rubber growers, rubber dealers, RPS & Rubber Marketing Co-operative Societies and rubber goods manufacturers in Kerala. Data pertaining to the awareness and perception of futures trading, participation in the futures trading, use of spot and futures prices and source of price information by dealers, farmers, manufacturers and cooperative societies also were collected. Statistical tools used for analysis include percentage, standard deviation, Chi-square test, Mann – Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, Augmented Dickey – Fuller test statistic, t- statistic, Granger causality test, F- statistic, Johansen co – integration test, Trace statistic and Max –Eigen statistic. The study found that 71.5 per cent of the total hedges are effective and 28.5 per cent are ineffective for the period under study. It implies that futures market in rubber reduced the impact of price risks by approximately 71.5 per cent. Further, it is observed that, on 54.4 per cent occasions, the futures market exercised a stabilizing effect on the spot market, and on 45.6 per cent occasions futures trading exercised a destabilizing effect on the spot market. It implies that elasticity of expectation of futures market in rubber has a predominant stabilizing effect on spot prices. The market, as a whole, exhibits a bias in favour of long hedges. Spot price volatility of rubber during futures suspension period is more than that of the pre suspension period and post suspension period. There is a bi-directional association-ship or bi-directional causality or pair- wise causality between spot price and futures price of rubber. From the results of the hedging efficiency, spot price volatility, and price discovery, it can be concluded that rubber futures market fulfils all the economic functions expected from a commodity futures market. Thus in India, the future of rubber futures is Bright…!!!

Investigación del uso de las tecnologías de información y comunicaciones en la industria logística en Bogotá

Este trabajo de investigación contiene inicialmente una presentación del marco teórico el cual consiste de una breve descripción de la historia de la logística, y del desarrollo de la disciplina de la administración de la cadena de abastecimiento, también denominada gestión de la cadena de suministro. La globalización de los mercados y el incremento de la competencia a nivel mundial, entre otros factores, ha generado varias disciplinas de investigación y desarrollo empresarial bajo la sombrilla de la administración de la cadena de abastecimiento. Dichas disciplinas también se describen brevemente en este trabajo. Luego presentamos una descripción corta de algunas de las tecnologías de la información utilizadas para incrementar la eficiencia en los procesos empresariales. Posteriormente planteamos la investigación del impacto de las tecnologías de la información en empresas del sector logístico en Bogotá, Colombia, que prestan servicios tales como almacenamiento, transporte, intermediación aduanera y operaciones en puerto. Para el desarrollo de dicha investigación, se plantea una encuesta de diez preguntas básicas. Finalmente presentamos los resultados de la investigación, con sus conclusiones y recomendaciones, en donde se evidencia el impacto del tamaño de las empresas y los mercados a los que sirven en la motivación y las barreras para implementar tecnologías de la información en sus procesos y procedimientos.

Caracterización de un modelo de gestión del conocimiento aplicable a las funciones universitarias de investigación y extensión: caso Universidad CES

Existen en la actualidad múltiples modelos de gestión de conocimiento y medición del capital humano, los cuales son aplicados en las organizaciones, pero ninguno de éstos ha sido diseñado para Instituciones de Educación Superior. En este trabajo se hace un recuento de algunos de los modelos de gestión del conocimiento y capital intelectual más destacados como el Modelo de conversión del conocimiento de Nonaka y Takeuchi, el Modelo de GC de Arthur Andersen, el Cuadro de Mando Integral de Kaplan y Norton, entre otros, pero es a partir del Modelo Organizacional Estrella de Galbraith que se presenta una propuesta teórica para caracterizar un modelo de gestión del conocimiento aplicable a las funciones universitarias de investigación y extensión en la Universidad CES – Medellín, Colombia, a través de una investigación cualitativa en donde, a partir de la correlación entre la teoría general de la GC, particularmente de los modelos y el análisis de las características de la Universidad CES, así como la revisión sistemática, el grupo focal y el análisis documental se propone el Modelo Hexagonal de GC.

Estudio de caso. “el papel de los refugiados en la implementación de la política de libre circulación de la cedeao: visto desde el flujo de Liberia a Ghana”

Este estudio de caso tiene como objetivo determinar las implicaciones del flujo de población refugiada en la implementación de la política de libre circulación de la CEDEAO; tomando como referente el flujo desde Liberia hacia Ghana generado por la Guerra Civil. Esta investigación defiende que las implicaciones pueden estar relacionadas a las dinámicas que se asocian al movimiento de personas, las cuales pueden ser negativas o positivas, razón por la cual los Estados pueden reaccionar endureciendo las políticas migratorias, la obtención de permisos laborales y de residencia, y el cierre de fronteras o la expulsión de refugiados; con el fin de evitar consecuencias a nivel político, económico o en materia de seguridad. Para comprobar lo anterior se va a realizará un análisis de texto, sobre posiciones nacionales y políticas comunitarias, así como una revisión de estudios y estadísticas relacionados con el tema.