Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

Engineering Innovative Mobile Data Services: Developing A Model For Value Network Analysis And Design, Mutaz M. Al-Debei, Enas M. Al-Lozi, Guy Fitzgerald

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Purpose – This study aims to analytically develop a reference model for engineering (i.e. analysis, design, development, evaluation, delivery, maintenance, modification, and management) powerful value networks capable of creating innovative mobile data services. Design/methodology/approach – The paradigm followed is that of Design-Science Research (DSR) which incorporates two main iterative processes: build and evaluate. For building the model (i.e. the design science artifact in this research), we followed three iterations: (1) Literature Review Analysis; (2) Semi-Structured Interviews analyzed through content analysis; and (3) examination of real-life case studies. But for evaluating the model, we utilized the NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode case. Findings …

A Value-Based Approach For Explaining The Adoption Intention Of Mobile Data Services, Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

This study aims at explaining the factors affecting the adoption intention of mobile data services from the perspective of consumers as users. In this study we focus on the value users can potentially gain from using these services. We hypothesize that if we can examine users' utilitarian, hedonic, uniqueness, epistemic and economic value, then we can explain and predict their intention to use mobile data services. Our results show that utilitarian value is according to previous studies an important adoption factor. Additionally, economic value is also important and significant. Nevertheless, it seems that in our context, hedonic, uniqueness, and epistemic …

Cfp: Handbook Of Research On Technological Applications And Innovation For Economic Development, Deogratias Harorimana Mr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

The innovation in the 21st century goes significantly beyond the high-tech picture driven by small or large industry clusters in a specific region-typically Silicon Valley and M4Corridor. The future of innovation will lie within knowledge management and seamless technological applications. These will be supported by planned funding strategies, possibly with clients as drivers of the innovation. This view seems to be supported by the UK government “Technology and Innovation Futures” (2011); the USA government (2011), study into which leading scholars concede that the future innovation and technological applications for economic growth will include products and processes, improvements in areas such …

The Quality And Acceptance Of Websites: An Empirical Investigation In The Context Of Higher Education, Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The aim of this study is to explain the main factors affecting behavioural intentions of students to regularly use university websites in the future. Universities are investing millions of dollars in developing high quality websites as they believe that this course of action can provide them with significant strategic benefits. Notwithstanding, little is known about what attracts students to regularly use university websites and our understanding in this context is by no means complete. Aiming to advance our knowledge in this domain, this study utilises a novel model that is developed on the basis of three well-established theories in the …

Developing And Implementing A Web Portal Success Model, Dima Jalal, Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The emergence and subsequent spreading of new technologies, such as Web portals, has changed the way people handle information, communicate, share knowledge, and perform tasks. The use of different information technologies and systems offers the potential for substantially improving performance not only at the organizational level but also at the individual level. However, performance gains are often obstructed by users' unwillingness to accept and use available systems and technologies. This paper aims at examining the role of Web portals in improving the overall performance at the individual level in terms of task productivity and innovation, customer satisfaction, and management control. …

Measuring Web Portals Success: A Respecification And Validation Of The Delone And Mclean Information Systems Success Model, Mutaz M. Al-Debei, Dima Jalal, Enas Al-Lozi

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The main aim of this research is to investigate the role of web portals in improving job performance at the individual level from the perspective of employees as users. This is deemed significant as yet little research has assessed the success of web portals in delivering benefits at the individual level in terms of improved performance in developing countries. The DeLone and McLean IS success model was used as a foundational theory and then was refined to match the context of the current research. In fact, the functions and features of portals were identified, clustered and then linked to portals’ …

How Can Pacific Island Economies Benefits From The Advent Of Ict’S – Review Of Best Practices In Education, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper explored implementation and use of information and communication technologies in Fiji, in order to gain insight into recent government initiatives to introduce computers and other ICTs for the community of Fiji. The focus of this paper in that it provided the framework for an in-depth exploration of e-learning centers around the country and the benefits from the advent of ICT’s in e-learning community centers in Fiji. Areas concentrated on are outcome of ICT’s in formal education to students and community as a whole in areas of agriculture, health, environment and infrastructure etc. The research sought understanding from the …

Technical Assistance, Knowledge Gatekeeping And Indigenous Knowledge: Re-Thinking The International Development Practice, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper presents results from a multi-disciplinary conceptual analysis of development theory and practice. It reviews issues raised and proposes a shift in the epistemology of possession towards an epistemology of practice which is guided by the following aspects (1) The consideration of the learning culture of parties involved, (2) the ability and willingness for decontextualisation of the knowledge by the source and (3) the ability to embedded it by recipients (embededness ), (4) the importance that is attached to knowledge of the host country as reflected through (5) Similarity in culture, values, understanding of context and knowledge bases; (6) …

Mis Mock Questions (Why Mis In Corporate Turbulant Times), Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

With corporate strategy becoming more and more dependent on speed,focus, innovation and strategy, what can MIS do? and what should be MIS role ? what is the relationship between Corporate Strategy KPI and MIS? These questions are answered in an MBA Management Information Systems at USP. This programme is delivered across the entire Pacific region through the Graduate School of Business. It is my privilege to post here few questions that students who attended one of the course in Nadi, at Tanoa International Hotel had to answer in one of the Quiz test.

Economic Benefits Analysis Of Mining Industries In Png And Solomon Islands, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper discusses mining and mineral operations in the two countries Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands with regards to its contribution to the overall Gross domestic Product and the economic development of each country.

Our finding shows that mining is an excellent contributor to economic growth and development as in the case of Papua New Guinea.Tax revenue from PNG Mining industries contributions to the PNG fiscal basket remains strong and growing steadily. The mining and minerals tax revenue remains an important contributor to the government fiscal budget over the last 10 years. This has been a strong contributor to …

Understanding Economics Of The Pacific Island Nations: Issues And Cases, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

No abstract provided.

Job Creation In The Tuna Industry Of The Solomon Islands- A Tentative Strategic Analysis, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

The principal objective of this paper is to review the current Tuna Fisheries Policies in the Solomon Islands with a view to proposing strategies that will maximize Job creation while at the same time address the issues that currently exist in this sector. Although the Tuna Industry’s contribution to GDP is quite significant, the Solomon Island Government (SIG) gets little or close to nothing out of it in the form of revenue and Job creation with the majority of vessels being foreign owned and fishing license fees amongst the lowest in the Pacific. SOLTAI which is partly owned by the …

Review Of Solomon Islands’ Policies And Programs To Promote Private Sector Development And Small Business, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

Solomon Islands is a nation with vast resources with huge potential to excel economically if proper business atmosphere is provided for both private sector development and small and medium enterprises entrepreneurship. Conducive policies that, not only, a mere statement but is broken down to workable strategies with quantitative expected outcome with a strong mentoring mechanism is very important. Previous governments have continuously ignored the importance of having small business policies until lately when NCRA government came up with a set of policies that strategically addresses the significance of small and medium businesses. However, notwithstanding foreign investment is very important in …

Using The Case Study Methodology In Teaching, Deogratias Harorimana Mr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper reviews the Why, How, to use the Case Study Methods in MBA teaching. The Presentation was prepared for and delivered as part of MBA students induction Programme in the Graduate School of Business.

The Gatekeeper And The Knowledge Environment-Who They Are, How They Work Empirical Evidences From High-Tech Manufacturing And R&D Firms, Deogratias Harorimana

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to critically study the role of the Knowledge Gatekeeper within the manufacturing and high tech selected case studies and by explaining who they are, how they work and identify and analyse the barriers to knowledge creation and knowledge sharing. Methodology: The research was guided by an inductive approach with a multiple case study strategy. Research instruments included a questionnaire and interviews from respectively 105 and 40 respondents. Findings: In the African Manufacturing context, and in absence of sophisticated technologies and highly qualified personnel, technical knowledge can be obtained from organizational …

Review Of Economics Of Manamagement Information Systems, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

“Information technology is the "digital nervous system" of any business.” (Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation, 1997)

The way business is conducted in this era is phenomenal. Almost everything is a “click” away. The customers are satisfied, businesses are satisfied, Government is satisfied and the entire globe is gratified by the work of information technology (IT). This research discloses the several returns and shortcomings of IT, and how businesses use IT to realize their strategic goals.

The report presents discussion on two organisations, Dell Computer Corporation and Sydney Waters, which had a prosperous and disastrous implementation of IT systems respectively. The …

Using Mis To Deliver Essential Services:Case Of Healthcare Provision Support In Fiji, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

In comparison to other Pacific Island countries, Fiji’s health system is the most developed amongst Pacific Island countries (UNDP 2006) and has undergone significant change in the last decade. From 1999 – 2009, AusAid, a major donor to Fiji’s health system, has supported two stage health sector improvement programs. The first stage (1999 - 2003) was a management reform program designed to improve decision making by supporting a new model of decentralized management. The second phase (2004 – 2009) looked at improving governance, health systems performance, clinical outcomes and supported public health and infrastructure initiatives at the divisional level (WHO …

Impact Of Crm Systems On Organisational Performance: A Case Study Of Anz Bank, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This paper reports case study results analysis of the ANZ Bank in the Pacific Region. The case study results show that ANZ has a well-established CRM system supporting its marketing and sales activities, but equally the results indicate mixed scenarios. A positive relationship between CRM to performance was established. That is, it has a positive contribution to the bank’s performance, both financial and non-financial. There is also negative feedback on the bank’s CRM system which illustrates that CRM system can also have negative consequences. CRM success is questionable from a stand-alone perspective. Although there are encouraging results from the use …

Portals And Task Innovation: A Theoretical Framework Founded On Business Intelligence Thinking, Mutaz M. Al-Debei, Dima Jalal

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The main aim of this study is to develop a theoretical framework for the success of Web portals in promoting task innovation. This is deemed significant as yet little research has tackled this important domain from the business intelligence perspective. The D&M IS Success Model was used as a foundational theory and then was refined to match the context of the current research. Importantly, in this study, system quality and information quality constructs were defined on the basis of portals' characteristics since a mapping was conducted between the most significant functions and features of Web portals and quality constructs. The …

A Framework Of Value Exchange And Role Playing In Web 2.0 Websites, Mutaz M. Al-Debei, Enas M. Al-Lozi

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Digitally engaged communities can be described as communities created and evolved within Web 2.0 Websites such as Facebook, Bebo, and Twitter. The growing importance of digitally engaged communities calls for the need to efficiently manage the building blocks of sustaining a healthy community. The initial operation of any digitally-engaged community depends on the existence of its own members, the beneficial values created and exchanged, and the relationships interlinking both. However, the level of contribution and involvement might vary depending on the benefits being gratified from engaging in such communities. In other words, motivations for participating and getting involved are purposive; …

Conceptual Modelling And The Quality Of Ontologies: Endurantism Vs. Perdurantism, Mutaz M. Al-Debei, Mohammad Mourhaf Al Asswad, Sergio De Cesare, Mark Lycett

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Ontologies are key enablers for sharing precise and machine-understandable semantics among different applications and parties. Yet, for ontologies to meet these expectations, their quality must be of a good standard. The quality of an ontology is strongly based on the design method employed. This paper addresses the design problems related to the modelling of ontologies, with specific concentration on the issues related to the quality of the conceptualisations produced. The paper aims to demonstrate the impact of the modelling paradigm adopted on the quality of ontological models and, consequently, the potential impact that such a decision can have in relation …

Implementations Of Ict Innovations: A Comparative Analysis In Terms Of Challenges Between Developed And Developing Countries, Mutaz Al-Debei, Enas Al-Lozi

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The main aim of this paper is to achieve a depth of understanding of the various similarities and differences in terms of challenges between developed and developing countries and in regards to the implementation of ICT innovations. Indeed, advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have brought many innovations to the field of Information Systems (IS). Despite agreements on their importance to the success of organizations, the implementation processes of such innovations are multifaceted and require proper addressing of a wide-spread issues and challenges. In this study, we address this matter by first; synthesizing a comprehensive body of recent and …

A Review Of International Best Practice In E-Governmentsome Lessons For New Adopters, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

Efficient bureaucratic processes as essential to attract and retain investment, as well as promote SME growth. The e_Gov is one of many ways emerging economies have used to streamline public service delivery and create a freindly and conducive atmosphere for business -both MNC and SMEs. This presentation provide an overview of some of the World's most recent case examples on the successful design-plan-implementation of eGov to build a strong basis to attract investment and deliver seamless essential services to Citizens.

A Critical Review Of The Effectiveness Of Fiscal And Monetary Policies In The Pacific Island Countries (Pics) Between 1990-2010, Deogratias Harorimana Mr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

The purpose of this paper is to critically assess the effectiveness of Fiscal and Monetary Policies in the South Pacific Island Countries. The paper tracks down the economic growth for the last 20 years between 1990-2010, and drawing from key fiscal and monetary policies in place during the time under consideration, as well as specific interventions in the region, we find that: 1) While the South Pacific Island Countries (SPICs) particularly the six major economies (Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, PNG, Samoa, Tonga) pursued fiscal and monetary policies for promoting growth and diversification of their economies, their fiscal policies relied heavily …

Data Warehouse As A Backbone For Business Intelligence: Issues And Challenges, Mutaz M. Al-Debei

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The aim of this research is to identify and classify the main issues and challenges facing different business organizations when implementing Data Warehouse (DW) technologies. This is highly significant given the theoretical and practical implications and importance of such technologies. It is also important to highlight these challenges given the scarcity of research in this domain despite its value. To determine DW issues and challenges, a qualitative research methodology was followed. A semi-structured interview protocol was used with 17 DW project managers and seniors’ members. The gathered data were analyzed by utilizing a bottom-up content analysis technique where content is …

Nested Circles Boundary Algorithm For Rotated Texture Classification, Mutaz M. Al-Debei, Suzan Awienat, Rana Abu-Laila

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

A new simple yet efficient classification algorithm named as Nested Circle Boundary (NCB) is proposed in this study. This algorithm provides features from measuring the average of the sum of boundary pixels for a number of nested circles inside the texture image. It was tested on different 91 rotated texture images for 13 texture classes using Brodatz texture database. The proposed algorithm achieves 100% accuracy when it comes to rotated texture classification. The methodology of NCB algorithm is based on two phases. Phase one mainly measures the features of the 13 texture classes and the original texture images. Then, the …

Business Model Requirements And Challenges In The Mobile Telecommunication Sector, Mutaz M. Al-Debei, David Avison

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

The telecommunications business is undergoing a critical revolution, driven by innovative technologies, globalization and deregulation. Cellular networks and telecommunications bring radical changes to the way telecom businesses are conducted. Globalization, on the other hand, is tearing down legacy barriers and forcing monopolistic national carriers to compete internationally. Moreover, the noticeable progress of many countries towards deregulation coupled with liberalization is significantly increasing telecom market power and allowing severe competition. The implications of this transition have changed the business rules of the telecom industry. In addition, entrants into the cellular industry have had severe difficulties due to inexistent or weak business …

A Semi-Automatic Ontology Extension Method For Semantic Web Services, Mutaz M. Al-Debei, Mohammad Mourhaf Al Asswad

Dr. Mutaz M. Al-Debei

this paper provides a novel semi-automatic ontology extension method for Semantic Web Services (SWS). This is significant since ontology extension methods those existing in literature mostly deal with semantic description of static Web resources such as text documents. Hence, there is a need for methods that can serve dynamic Web resources such as SWS. The developed method in this paper avoids redundancy and respects consistency so as to assure high quality of the resulting shared ontologies.

Closing The Gap Between The Industry And Higher Education Institutions- Case Examples From East African Region, Deogratias Harorimana Mr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

Much complained about is the quality of graduates Universities put on the labour market. Less talked about however is why knowledge institutions seems to be bad knowledge managers. In this presentation I argue that DIRECT collaborative relationship between Industry,Governments and Higher Education Institutions is a per-requisite.Good relationship is key to building such a successful knowledge transfer strategies between Industries and Educational and Research Institutions. This paper explores what makes a good Knowledge Transfer Partnership Strategy and highlights some key lessons for businesses, Universities and Government bodies. This paper was a Key note presentation to the Annual International Conference on Building …

Rwanda National Customer Satisfaction Survey: Results And Conclusions, Deogratias Harorimana

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

It can be said that development practice requires more than financial and manpower inputs. Rwanda, in 1994 suffered a Genocide. The Society,collectively and under the leadership of His Excellence Paul Kagame the current elected President of Rwanda came together and designed strategies that would propel Rwanda to a Middle-Income, Private Sector Led Economy by the Year 2020.

In 2009, a client seating in one of the Hotels in a Suburb of Remera, in Kigali City, complained about poor service delivery he was experiencing from the waitress staff.Using his Blackberry message, the client forwarded an email to some of the RDB …