A concise guide to market research:the process, data, and methods using IBM SPSS Statistics

This accessible, practice-oriented and compact text provides a hands-on introduction to the principles of market research. Using the market research process as a framework, the authors explain how to collect and describe the necessary data and present the most important and frequently used quantitative analysis techniques, such as ANOVA, regression analysis, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. An explanation is provided of the theoretical choices a market researcher has to make with regard to each technique, as well as how these are translated into actions in IBM SPSS Statistics. This includes a discussion of what the outputs mean and how they should be interpreted from a market research perspective. Each chapter concludes with a case study that illustrates the process based on real-world data. A comprehensive web appendix includes additional analysis techniques, datasets, video files and case studies. Several mobile tags in the text allow readers to quickly browse related web content using a mobile device.

Responsive systems:an introduction

This paper introduces responsive systems: systems that are real-time, event-based, or time-dependent. There are a number of trends that are accelerating the adoption of responsive systems: timeliness requirements for business information systems are becoming more prevalent, embedded systems are increasingly integrated into soft real-time command-and-control systems, improved message-oriented middleware is facilitating growth in event-processing applications, and advances in service-oriented and component-based techniques are lowering the costs of developing and deploying responsive applications. The use of responsive systems is illustrated here in two application areas: the defense industry and online gaming. The papers in this special issue of the IBM Systems Journal are then introduced. The paper concludes with a discussion of the key remaining challenges in this area and ideas for further work.

Editorial

This second issue of Knowledge Management Research & Practice (KMRP) continues the international nature of the first issue, with papers from authors based on four different continents. There are five regular papers, plus the first of what is intended to be an occasional series of 'position papers' from respected figures in the knowledge management field, who have specific issues they wish to raise from a personal standpoint. The first two regular papers are both based on case studies. The first is 'Aggressively pursuing knowledge management over two years: a case study a US government organization' by Jay Liebowitz. Liebowitz is well known to both academics and practictioners as an author on knowledge management and knowledge based systems. Government departments in many Western countries must soon face up to the problems that will occur as the 'baby boomer' generation reaches retirement age over the next decade. This paper describes how one particular US government organization has attempted to address this situation (and others) through the introduction of a knowledge management initiative. The second case study paper is 'Knowledge creation through the synthesizing capability of networked strategic communities: case study on new product development in Japan' by Mitsuru Kodama. This paper looks at the importance of strategic communities - communities that have strategic relevance and support - in knowledge management. Here, the case study organization is Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), a Japanese telecommunication firm. The third paper is 'Knowledge management and intellectual capital: an empirical examination of current practice in Australia' by Albert Zhou and Dieter Fink. This paper reports the results of a survey carried out in 2001, exploring the practices relating to knowledge management and intellectual capital in Australia and the relationship between them. The remaining two regular papers are conceptual in nature. The fourth is 'The enterprise knowledge dictionary' by Stuart Galup, Ronald Dattero and Richard Hicks. Galup, Dattero and Hicks propose the concept of an enterprise knowledge dictionary and its associated knowledge management system architecture as offering the appropriate form of information technology to support various different types of knowledge sources, while behaving as a single source from the user's viewpoint. The fifth and final regular paper is 'Community of practice and metacapabilities' by Geri Furlong and Leslie Johnson. This paper looks at the role of communities of practice in learning in organizations. Its emphasis is on metacapabilities - the properties required to learn, develop and apply skills. This discussion takes work on learning and core competences to a higher level. Finally, this issue includes a position paper 'Innovation as an objective of knowledge management. Part I: the landscape of management' by Dave Snowden. Snowden has been highly visible in the knowledge management community thanks to his role as the Director of IBM Global Services' Canolfan Cynefin Centre. He has helped many government and private sector organizations to consider their knowledge management problems and strategies. This, the first of two-part paper, is inspired by the notion of complexity. In it, Snowden calls for what he sees as a 20th century emphasis on designed systems for knowledge management to be consigned to history, and replaced by a 21st century emphasis on emergence. Letters to the editor on this, or any other topic related to knowledge management research and practice, are welcome. We trust that you will find the contributions stimulating, and again invite you to contribute your own paper(s) to future issues of KMRP.

Real-time process plant fault diagnosis

Operators can become confused while diagnosing faults in process plant while in operation. This may prevent remedial actions being taken before hazardous consequences can occur. The work in this thesis proposes a method to aid plant operators in systematically finding the causes of any fault in the process plant. A computer aided fault diagnosis package has been developed for use on the widely available IBM PC compatible microcomputer. The program displays a coloured diagram of a fault tree on the VDU of the microcomputer, so that the operator can see the link between the fault and its causes. The consequences of the fault and the causes of the fault are also shown to provide a warning of what may happen if the fault is not remedied. The cause and effect data needed by the package are obtained from a hazard and operability (HAZOP) study on the process plant. The result of the HAZOP study is recorded as cause and symptom equations which are translated into a data structure and stored in the computer as a file for the package to access. Probability values are assigned to the events that constitute the basic causes of any deviation. From these probability values, the a priori probabilities of occurrence of other events are evaluated. A top-down recursive algorithm, called TDRA, for evaluating the probability of every event in a fault tree has been developed. From the a priori probabilities, the conditional probabilities of the causes of the fault are then evaluated using Bayes' conditional probability theorem. The posteriori probability values could then be used by the operators to check in an orderly manner the cause of the fault. The package has been tested using the results of a HAZOP study on a pilot distillation plant. The results from the test show how easy it is to trace the chain of events that leads to the primary cause of a fault. This method could be applied in a real process environment.

Dynamic simulation of chemical processes

This thesis describes the design and implementation of an interactive dynamic simulator called DASPRII. The starting point of this research has been an existing dynamic simulation package, DASP. DASPII is written in standard FORTRAN 77 and is implemented on universally available IBM-PC or compatible machines. It provides a means for the analysis and design of chemical processes. Industrial interest in dynamic simulation has increased due to the recent increase in concern over plant operability, resiliency and safety. DASPII is an equation oriented simulation package which allows solution of dynamic and steady state equations. The steady state can be used to initialise the dynamic simulation. A robust non linear algebraic equation solver has been implemented for steady state solution. This has increased the general robustness of DASPII, compared to DASP. A graphical front end is used to generate the process flowsheet topology from a user constructed diagram of the process. A conversational interface is used to interrogate the user with the aid of a database, to complete the topological information. An original modelling strategy implemented in DASPII provides a simple mechanism for parameter switching which creates a more flexible simulation environment. The problem description generated is by a further conversational procedure using a data-base. The model format used allows the same model equations to be used for dynamic and steady state solution. All the useful features of DASPI are retained in DASPII. The program has been demonstrated and verified using a number of example problems, Significant improvements using the new NLAE solver have been shown. Topics requiring further research are described. The benefits of variable switching in models has been demonstrated with a literature problem.

Optimization of chemical plant simulation using double collocation

A method has been constructed for the solution of a wide range of chemical plant simulation models including differential equations and optimization. Double orthogonal collocation on finite elements is applied to convert the model into an NLP problem that is solved either by the VF 13AD package based on successive quadratic programming, or by the GRG2 package, based on the generalized reduced gradient method. This approach is termed simultaneous optimization and solution strategy. The objective functional can contain integral terms. The state and control variables can have time delays. Equalities and inequalities containing state and control variables can be included into the model as well as algebraic equations and inequalities. The maximum number of independent variables is 2. Problems containing 3 independent variables can be transformed into problems having 2 independent variables using finite differencing. The maximum number of NLP variables and constraints is 1500. The method is also suitable for solving ordinary and partial differential equations. The state functions are approximated by a linear combination of Lagrange interpolation polynomials. The control function can either be approximated by a linear combination of Lagrange interpolation polynomials or by a piecewise constant function over finite elements. The number of internal collocation points can vary by finite elements. The residual error is evaluated at arbitrarily chosen equidistant grid-points, thus enabling the user to check the accuracy of the solution between collocation points, where the solution is exact. The solution functions can be tabulated. There is an option to use control vector parameterization to solve optimization problems containing initial value ordinary differential equations. When there are many differential equations or the upper integration limit should be selected optimally then this approach should be used. The portability of the package has been addressed converting the package from V AX FORTRAN 77 into IBM PC FORTRAN 77 and into SUN SPARC 2000 FORTRAN 77. Computer runs have shown that the method can reproduce optimization problems published in the literature. The GRG2 and the VF I 3AD packages, integrated into the optimization package, proved to be robust and reliable. The package contains an executive module, a module performing control vector parameterization and 2 nonlinear problem solver modules, GRG2 and VF I 3AD. There is a stand-alone module that converts the differential-algebraic optimization problem into a nonlinear programming problem.

The development of a multi-function computer-assisted instruction system using a hierarchical database structure as the lesson compendium.

Computer-Based Learning systems of one sort or another have been in existence for almost 20 years, but they have yet to achieve real credibility within Commerce, Industry or Education. A variety of reasons could be postulated for this, typically: - cost - complexity - inefficiency - inflexibility - tedium Obviously different systems deserve different levels and types of criticism, but it still remains true that Computer-Based Learning (CBL) is falling significantly short of its potential. Experience of a small, but highly successful CBL system within a large, geographically distributed industry (the National Coal Board) prompted an investigation into currently available packages, the original intention being to purchase the most suitable software and run it on existing computer hardware, alongside existing software systems. It became apparent that none of the available CBL packages were suitable, and a decision was taken to develop an in-house Computer-Assisted Instruction system according to the following criteria: - cheap to run; - easy to author course material; - easy to use; - requires no computing knowledge to use (as either an author or student) ; - efficient in the use of computer resources; - has a comprehensive range of facilities at all levels. This thesis describes the initial investigation, resultant observations and the design, development and implementation of the SCHOOL system. One of the principal characteristics c£ SCHOOL is that it uses a hierarchical database structure for the storage of course material - thereby providing inherently a great deal of the power, flexibility and efficiency originally required. Trials using the SCHOOL system on IBM 303X series equipment are also detailed, along with proposed and current development work on what is essentially an operational CBL system within a large-scale Industrial environment.

Setting parameters in MRP for the effective management of bought-out inventory in a JIT assembly environment

In recent years, UK industry has seen an explosive growth in the number of `Computer Aided Production Management' (CAPM) system installations. Of the many CAPM systems, materials requirement planning/manufacturing resource planning (MRP/MRPII) is the most widely implemented. Despite the huge investments in MRP systems, over 80 percent are said to have failed within 3 to 5 years of installation. Many people now assume that Just-In-Time (JIT) is the best manufacturing technique. However, those who have implemented JIT have found that it also has many problems. The author argues that the success of a manufacturing company will not be due to a system which complies with a single technique; but due to the integration of many techniques and the ability to make them complement each other in a specific manufacturing environment. This dissertation examines the potential for integrating MRP with JIT and Two-Bin systems to reduce operational costs involved in managing bought-out inventory. Within this framework it shows that controlling MRP is essential to facilitate the integrating process. The behaviour of MRP systems is dependent on the complex interactions between the numerous control parameters used. Methodologies/models are developed to set these parameters. The models are based on the Pareto principle. The idea is to use business targets to set a coherent set of parameters, which not only enables those business targets to be realised, but also facilitates JIT implementation. It illustrates this approach in the context of an actual manufacturing plant - IBM Havant. (IBM Havant is a high volume electronics assembly plant with the majority of the materials bought-out). The parameter setting models are applicable to control bought-out items in a wide range of industries and are not dependent on specific MRP software. The models have produced successful results in several companies and are now being developed as commercial products.

A paradigm shift:alternative interaction techniques for use with mobile & wearable devices

Desktop user interface design originates from the fact that users are stationary and can devote all of their visual resource to the application with which they are interacting. In contrast, users of mobile and wearable devices are typically in motion whilst using their device which means that they cannot devote all or any of their visual resource to interaction with the mobile application -- it must remain with the primary task, often for safety reasons. Additionally, such devices have limited screen real estate and traditional input and output capabilities are generally restricted. Consequently, if we are to develop effective applications for use on mobile or wearable technology, we must embrace a paradigm shift with respect to the interaction techniques we employ for communication with such devices.This paper discusses why it is necessary to embrace a paradigm shift in terms of interaction techniques for mobile technology and presents two novel multimodal interaction techniques which are effective alternatives to traditional, visual-centric interface designs on mobile devices as empirical examples of the potential to achieve this shift.

Business statistics using EXCEL and SPSS

'Takes the challenging and makes it understandable. The book contains useful advice on the application of statistics to a variety of contexts and shows how statistics can be used by managers in their work.' - Dr Terri Byers, Assistant Professor, University Of New Brunswick, Canada A book about introductory quantitative analysis for business students designed to be read by first- and second-year students on a business studies degree course that assumes little or no background in mathematics or statistics. Based on extensive knowledge and experience in how people learn and in particular how people learn mathematics, the authors show both how and why quantitative analysis is useful in the context of business and management studies, encouraging readers to not only memorise the content but to apply learning to typical problems. Fully up-to-date with comprehensive coverage of IBM SPSS and Microsoft Excel software, the tailored examples illustrate how the programmes can be used, and include step-by-step figures and tables throughout. A range of ‘real world’ and fictional examples, including "The Ballad of Eddie the Easily Distracted" and "Esha's Story" help bring the study of statistics alive. A number of in-text boxouts can be found throughout the book aimed at readers at varying levels of study and understanding •Back to Basics for those struggling to understand, explain concepts in the most basic way possible - often relating to interesting or humorous examples •Above and Beyond for those racing ahead and who want to be introduced to more interesting or advanced concepts that are a little bit outside of what they may need to know •Think it over get students to stop, engage and reflect upon the different connections between topics A range of online resources including a set of data files and templates for the reader following in-text examples, downloadable worksheets and instructor materials, answers to in-text exercises and video content compliment the book.