Business Commons^™

Versicherungsportale, Hubert Oesterle

Hubert Oesterle

No abstract provided.

Tackling The Iso 14000 Maze: Which Firms Adopt And Which Do Not?, Steven A. Melnyk, Robert Sroufe, Frank L. Montabon, Roger Calantone

Frank L. Montabon

ISO 14000 constitutes a major dilemma for most American firms in that they are not sure whether or not to actively pursue this new form of certification. This new standard is attractive as it holds the promise of helping firms become more efficient via better management of waste, yet this new standard deals with environmental performance, a potentially dangerous legal area. Both benefits and cost liabilities are very difficult to quantify and forecast. This leads to great uncertainty as to whether the benefits offered by improving environmental performance are sufficient to outweigh the costs incurred in obtaining certification. This study …

Environmentally Responsible Manufacturing: Assessing The Current State In American Industry, Steven A. Melnyk, Robert Sroufe, Frank L. Montabon, Roger Calantone

Frank L. Montabon

To some managers Environmentally Responsible Manufacturing (ERM) can be seen as an opportunity to better understand processes and reduce waste. To others, ERM is an unwarranted intrusion into their functional responsibilities. This paper explores the reasons for these two very different views of ERM. The paper begins by defining the concepts of ERM and Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and identifying the reasons for the increasing importance now associated with each of these concepts. Drawing on the results of a large-scale survey of American managers, a summary of current practices associated with EMS at the plant level is given. Additionally, analysis …

M:N Business Networking, Hubert Oesterle

Hubert Oesterle

No abstract provided.

E-Services Als Neue Herausforderung Im Business Networking, Rainer Alt, Hubert Oesterle

Hubert Oesterle

No abstract provided.

Knowledge Discovery In Biological Databases : A Neural Network Approach, Qicheng Ma

Dissertations

Knowledge discovery, in databases, also known as data mining, is aimed to find significant information from a set of data. The knowledge to be mined from the dataset may refer to patterns, association rules, classification and clustering rules, and so forth. In this dissertation, we present a neural network approach to finding knowledge in biological databases. Specifically, we propose new methods to process biological sequences in two case studies: the classification of protein sequences and the prediction of E. Coli promoters in DNA sequences. Our proposed methods, based oil neural network architectures combine techniques ranging from Bayesian inference, coding theory, …

Future Application Architecture For The Pharmaceutical Industry, Thomas Huber, Rainer Alt, Vladimir Barak, Hubert Oesterle, Thomas Puschmann

Hubert Oesterle

No abstract provided.

Unternehmen Im Informationszeitalter, Hubert Oesterle

Hubert Oesterle

No abstract provided.

Services Als Neue Herausforderung Im Business Networking, Rainer Alt, Hubert Oesterle

Hubert Oesterle

No abstract provided.

Templates - Instruments For Standardizing Erp Systems, Thomas Huber, Rainer Alt, Hubert Oesterle

Hubert Oesterle

Today’s large companies face significant challenges in the integration of differently configured ERPsystems which have evolved within the last decade. These systems impede the flow of informationalong the value chain which is vital for supply chain management and holistic controlling processes.They also create implementation inefficiencies since learning and scale effects are not takenadvantage of. Therefore, establishing standards for the harmonization of independent and distributedsystems would have a profound positive competitive impact. This article describes the TemplateHandbook, a standardization approach which was developed and implemented in a project with amultinational company, the Robert Bosch Group. ERP templates establish interoperability byidentically configuring …

The Importance Of Communication Skills: Perceptions Of Is Professionals, Is Managers, And Users, Ruth A. Spurlock Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Information systems (IS) research has shown that communication skills tend to be more important than technical skills to IS staff in project development activities. Yet, research findings indicate that IS staff are lacking in the communication skills they need to interact successfully with users and managers during systems development. Thus, the two purposes of this research were (1) to determine whether IS staff, IS managers, and IS users differ in their perceptions of important communication skills that IS staff need and (2) if differences do exist, to assess the impact of the differences on user satisfaction with IS product and …

Call Center Benchmarking: How Good Is, Jon Anton, David Gustin

Purdue University Press Books

Executives are beginning to recognize the potential of the call center as a significant revenue generator, perhaps one of the surest investments they can make in enhancing and creating customer value and bottom-line profits. Return on investments made in customer accessibility is seldom less than 100% in the first year, and frequently even more if customer lifetime value is included in the equation. Herein lies the challenge and the primary reason to benchmark your call center metrics against not only the best-in-the-world, but also your most direct competitors, i.e., best-in-class.

Justifying Electronic Banking Network Expansion Using Real Option Pricing: An Empirical Illustration, Michel Benaroch, Robert J. Kauffman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The application of real options analysis to information technology investment evaluation problems recently has been proposed in the IS literature (Chalasani et al. 1997; Dos Santos 1991; Kambil et al. 1993; Kumar 1996; Taudes 1998). The research reported on in this paper illustrates the value of applying real options analysis in the context of a case study involving the deployment of point-of-sale (POS) debit services by the Yankee 24 shared electronic banking network of New England. In the course of so doing, the paper also attempts to operationalize real options analysis concepts by examining claimed strengths of this analysis approach …

Genetically Evolved Dynamic Control For Quadruped Walking, Giorgio Grasso

Dissertations

The aim of this dissertation is to show that dynamic control of quadruped locomotion is achievable through the use of genetically evolved central pattern generators. This strategy is tested both in simulation and on a walking robot. The design of the walker has been chosen to be statically unstable, so that during motion less than three supporting feet may be in contact with the ground.

The control strategy adopted is capable of propelling the artificial walker at a forward locomotion speed of ~1.5 Km/h on rugged terrain and provides for stability of motion. The learning of walking, based on simulated …

Component-Based Software Engineering, Zhiyuan Wang

Dissertations

To solve the problems coming with the current software development methodologies, component-based software engineering has caught many researchers' attention recently. In component-based software engineering, a software system is considered as a set of software components assembled together instead of as a set of functions from the traditional perspective. Software components can be bought from third party vendors as off-the-shelf components and be assembled together.

Component-based software engineering, though very promising, needs to solve several core issues before it becomes a mature software development strategy. The goal of this dissertation is to establish an infrastructure for component-based software development. The author …

Applications Of Agent Architectures To Decision Support In Distributed Simulation And Training Systems, Plamen V. Petrov

Dissertations

This work develops the approach and presents the results of a new model for applying intelligent agents to complex distributed interactive simulation for command and control. In the framework of tactical command, control communications, computers and intelligence (C₄I), software agents provide a novel approach for efficient decision support and distributed interactive mission training. An agent-based architecture for decision support is designed, implemented and is applied in a distributed interactive simulation to significantly enhance the command and control training during simulated exercises. The architecture is based on monitoring, evaluation, and advice agents, which cooperate to provide alternatives to the …

Development And Characterization Of Techniques For Neuro-Imaging Registration, Carlo Ciulla

Theses

Three automated techniques were developed for the alignment of Neuro-Images acquired during distinct scanning periods and their performance were characterized. The techniques are based on the assumption that the human brain is a rigid body and will assume different positions during different scanning periods. One technique uses three fiducial markers, while the other two uses eigenvectors of the inertia matrix of the Neuro-Image, to compute the three angles (pitch, yaw and roll) needed to register the test Neuro-Image to the reference Neuro-Image. A rigid body transformation is computed and applied to the test Neuro-Image such that it results aligned to …

Brauchen Versicherungsunternehmen Prozessportale?, Hubert Oesterle

Hubert Oesterle

No abstract provided.

Radikale Kundenzentrierung Im Informationszeitalter, Hubert Oesterle, Andreas Muther

Hubert Oesterle

Neue Informationstechniken er-öffnen neue Wege zum Kunden. Unternehmen erkennen die Potentiale und setzen beispielsweise elektronische Produktkataloge, interaktive Chat-Systeme oder Work-flows in der Kundenbetreuung ein. Aber bringen diese Instrumente dem Kunden wirklich den versprochenen Nutzen und kann sich ein Unternehmen dadurch tatsäch-lich von der Konkurrenz abheben? Aus unserer Sicht nur bedingt, denn viele Projekte in der Anbieter-Kunden-Beziehung be-ar-bei-ten nur Teilprobleme des Kun-den. Der Quantensprung findet statt, wenn die Kun-den-zentrierung die immer noch dominante Lieferantenzentrierung ersetzt; die In-for-ma-tionstechnologie bietet die Chance dazu.

Collaborative Software Agents Support For The Texpros Document Management System, Jrtian Lin

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the use of active rules that are embedded in markup documents. Active rules are used in a markup representation by integrating Collaborative Software Agents with TEXPROS (abbreviation for TEXt PROcessing System) [Liu and Ng 1996] to create a powerful distributed document management system. Such markup documents with embedded active rules are called Active Documents. For fast retrieval purposes, when we need to generate a customized Internet folder organization, we first define the Folder Organization Query Language (FO-QL) to solve data categorization problems. FO-QL defines the folder organization query process that automatically retrieves links of documents deposited into …

Quality Management In Systems Development: An Organizational System Perspective, T. Ravichandran, Arun Rai

Computer Information Systems Faculty Publications

We identify top management leadership, a sophisticated management infrastructure, process management efficacy, and stakeholder participation as important elements of a quality-oriented organizational system for software development. A model interrelating these constructs and quality performance is proposed. Data collected through a national survey of IS executives in Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies was used to test the model using a Partial Least Squares analysis methodology. Our results suggest that software quality goals are best attained when top management creates a management infrastructure that promotes improvements in process design and encourages stakeholders to evolve the design of the development processes. Our …

Why Software Projects Escalate: An Empirical Analysis And Test Of Four Theoretical Models, Mark Keil, Joan Mann, Arun Rai

Computer Information Systems Faculty Publications

Software projects can often spiral out of control to become runaway systems that far exceed original budget and schedule projections. The behavior that underlies many runaway systems can best be characterized as escalation of commitment to a failing course of action. The objectives of this study were to: (1) understand the extent to which IS projects are prone to escalate, (2) compare the outcomes of projects that escalate with those that do not, and (3) test whether constructs associated with different theories of escalation can be used to discriminate between projects that escalate and those that do not. A survey …

Net Bet Debt, Larry D. Strate, Martin Weisner

Hospitality Review

The prospective high returns from gaming operations have introduced the Internet as a new competitor to the hotel and travel industry. With the dawn of the new millennium, am epidemic of gamblers has infected the virtual world and raised leagal problems yet to be solved.

Information Systems Objectives: Perceptions Of Information Systems Developers Of Different Cultures, Dane K. Peterson, Chung S. Kim

Journal of International Information Management

An increasing number of corporations are developing and implementing information sys tems (IS) applications which cross national boundaries and span diverse cultures. As a result of the cultural differences, IS developers in different countries may have very different perceptions regarding the objectives of an IS. In the current study, developers from three countries - Japan, Taiwan, and the United States - rated the importance of eight objectives of a successful IS. The eight objectives are categorized by hierarchical levels, and also as short-term or long-term goals. The results indicated the IS developers viewed objectives at the system and organizational levels …

Brainwriting In Virtual Legislative Sessions, Milam Aiken

Journal of International Information Management

Many studies have demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of using group support systems in large, face-to-face meetings known as legislative sessions. However, few have investigated how individual participants or sub-groups in different rooms linked via a computer network, forming a "virtual" group, may use the systems. An experiment using two sizes of virtual groups (8 and 16 participants) showed that participants were satisfied with the meeting process. In addition, there were no significant differences in five process and outcome variables between the two sizes of groups, indicating that an upper limit on the size of the virtual groups had not …

An Artificial Intelligence Approach To Goal Programming Goal Structure Development Using Ahp, Jagan Iyengar, Mukesh Srivatsava

Journal of International Information Management

An expert system is proposed to help non-operation research users to formulate goal programs. The developmental tool being used is VP-Expert. The proposed expert system will used constraint information to assist users in goal selection. Goal structure will be constructed using a pairwise comparison technique, similar to the AHP approach.

Managing Data Quality In The Health Care Industry: Some Critical Issues, Binshan Lin, Houn-Gee Chan

Journal of International Information Management

Data quality analysis in health care is a large and ongoing problem. Because the scope oj health care information systems is extremely broad and because most such systems have either a direct or indirect impact on the provision of health care, their quality is a topic of critical importance for information management professionals. Of vital concern is the data flow from the point of patient service delivery to an end point of decision support and analysis of the data derived from the encounter. The historical use of these data, their current uses and how industry dynamics have created a need …

Policing Efficacy: Socioeconomic Destiny Or Effective Information Analysis, Brian D. Lynch

Journal of International Information Management

Tlie efficacy of new policing techniques has called in to question a long held canon of criminologists: that vast social forces (such as poverty, racism and demographics) beyond police control are the primary determinants of criminal activity. A new approach to policing called COMSTAT (computerized analysis of crime statistics) has resulted in a significant reduction in criminal activity within the cities that have adopted it according to FBI Uniform Crime Report data. These results were achieved by quickly identifying and targeting minor social disorders crimes (such as graffiti, loitering, and vandalism) before they lead to major social disorders (such as …

Use Of Replication Technology In A Global Software Development Environment, Bhushan L. Kapoor, Ram Singhania

Journal of International Information Management

In this article, we have proposed a new global software development support system. Until now, the technological challenges in global software development support have been addressed on a semi-automatic ad hoc basis by Groupware technologies such aS electronic mail, teleconferencing, electronic meetings, calendaring and scheduling, and workflow. These methods are usefid but do not address the issues of site autonomy, and transactional consistency. Our proposed software development support system is based on replication technology. In our system, each software development center has the ability to make additions and modifications. Further, the system also maintains transactional consistency so all sites have …

Cross-Cultural Issues In Virtual Team Support: Communication Characteristics And Task/Technology Perceptions From Mexican And U.S. Team Members, Richard E. Potter, Pierre A. Balthazard

Journal of International Information Management

We present a study of cross-cultural virtual teams supported by two computer-mediated communication technologies (electronic mail and the World-Wide Web). Our primary focus is to identify how cultural differences affect users' task and technology perceptions. Dyads made up of members from the United States and Mexico created a five-page strategic plan for the implementation of a joint MBA international business capstone course that establishes strong international bonds between the students of both institutions. Team members generated ideas, made decisions, and created a common strategic course through Email-based correspondence. They also had access to a project coordination guide, which was a …