A rule based model for the objective determination of the e-business requirements of a manufacturing organisation

The starting point of this research was the belief that manufacturing and similar industries need help with the concept of e-business, especially in assessing the relevance of possible e-business initiatives. The research hypotheses was that it should be possible to produce a systematic model that defines, at a useful level of detail, the probable e-business requirements of an organisation based on objective criteria with an accuracy of 85%-90%. This thesis describes the development and validation of such a model. A preliminary model was developed from a variety of sources, including a survey of current and planned e-business activity and representative examples of e-business material produced by e-business solution providers. The model was subject to a process of testing and refinement based on recursive case studies, with controls over the improving accuracy and stability of the model. Useful conclusions were also possible as to the relevance of e-business functions to the case study participants themselves. Techniques were evolved to synthesise the e-business requirements of an organisation and present them at a management summary level of detail. The results of applying these techniques to all the case studies used in this research were discussed. The conclusion of the research was that the case study methodology employed was successful. A model was achieved suitable for practical application in a manufacturing organisation requiring help with a requirements definition process.

The effects of a lutein-based supplement on objective and subjective measures of retinal and visual function in eyes with age-related maculopathy - a randomised controlled trial

Lutein and zeaxanthin are lipid-soluble antioxidants found within the macula region of the retina. Links have been suggested between increased levels of these carotenoids and reduced risk for age-related macular disease (ARMD). Therefore, the effect of lutein-based supplementation on retinal and visual function in people with early stages of ARMD (age-related maculopathy, ARM) was assessed using multi-focal electroretinography (mfERG), contrast sensitivity and distance visual acuity. A total of fourteen participants were randomly allocated to either receive a lutein-based oral supplement (treated group) or no supplement (non-treated group). There were eight participants aged between 56 and 81 years (65·50 (sd 9·27) years) in the treated group and six participants aged between 61 and 83 years (69·67 (sd 7·52) years) in the non-treated group. Sample sizes provided 80 % power at the 5 % significance level. Participants attended for three visits (0, 20 and 40 weeks). At 60 weeks, the treated group attended a fourth visit following 20 weeks of supplement withdrawal. No changes were seen between the treated and non-treated groups during supplementation. Although not clinically significant, mfERG ring 3 N2 latency (P= 0·041) and ring 4 P1 latency (P= 0·016) increased, and a trend for reduction of mfERG amplitudes was observed in rings 1, 3 and 4 on supplement withdrawal. The statistically significant increase in mfERG latencies and the trend for reduced mfERG amplitudes on withdrawal are encouraging and may suggest a potentially beneficial effect of lutein-based supplementation in ARM-affected eyes. Copyright © 2012 The Authors.

Developing a knowledge-based perspective on coordination:the case of global software projects

We have attempted to bring together two areas which are challenging for both IS research and practice: forms of coordination and management of knowledge in the context of global, virtual software development projects. We developed a more comprehensive, knowledge-based model of how coordination can be achieved, and\illustrated the heuristic and explanatory power of the model when applied to global software projects experiencing different degrees of success. We first reviewed the literature on coordination and determined what is known about coordination of knowledge in global software projects. From this we developed a new, distinctive knowledge-based model of coordination, which was then employed to analyze two case studies of global software projects, at SAP and Baan, to illustrate the utility of the model.