Management Information Systems Commons^™

The Multi– Mode Resource– Constrained Project Scheduling Problem With Generalized Precedence Relations, Bert De Reyck, Willy Herroelen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this paper, we tackle the challenging problem of scheduling activities to minimize the project duration, in which the activities (a) are subject to generalized precedence relations, (b) require units of multiple renewable, non-renewable and doubly constrained resources for which a limited availability is imposed, and (c) can be performed in one of several different ways, reflected in multiple activity scenarios or modes. These multiple modes give rise to several kinds of tradeoffs (time/resource, time/cost and resource/resource trade-offs) which allow for a more effcient allocation and use of resources. We present a local search-based solution methodology which is able to …

An Investigation Of Environmental Management Systems Motivations And Firm Performance, Robert Sroufe, Steven A. Melnyk, Frank L. Montabon, Roger Calantone

Frank L. Montabon

There are many of issues associated with Environmental Management Systems (EMS). One attempt to overcome these issues can be found in the development of IS0 14000. In this paper, a hypothesized model of the motivations influencing the decision to seek IS0 14000 certification and the relationship to firm performance is examined. The hypothesized model is tested through the use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results identify positive relationships between uncertainty and the motivations to seek EMS certification. A positive relationship is shown between the status of a firm’s EMS, the environmental options a firm will explore. Finally, a positive …

Iso 14000: Assessing Its Perceived Impact On Corporate Performance, Frank L. Montabon, Steven A. Melnyk, Robert Sroufe, Roger J. Calantone

Frank L. Montabon

The IS0 14000 environmental standard is a relatively recent development in Environmentally Responsible Manufacturing (ERM). It applies to environmental systems and processes the same approach used by its predecessor, the IS0 9000 quality standards. Being relatively new, there are numerous questions regarding the impact of this new standard both on the corporate environmental management system and corporate performance. This paper addresses some of these questions, by drawing on data generated by a large-scale survey of American managers. The results indicate that, even though IS0 14000 has achieved relatively limited acceptance, there is strong evidence to indicate that this standard can …

Role Of Information Technology In Providing Decision Support To Crisis Management, Ann Taysir Nosseir

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Selecting It Applications In Manufacturing: A Kbs Approach, Ravi Kathuria, Murugan Anandarajan, Magid Igbaria

Business Faculty Articles and Research

The use of the right type of Information Technology (IT) applications or manufacturing systems is expected to usher in a competitive advantage. Selection of the right type of IT application is, however, a challenging task. When a company, with a given dominant process structure, emphasizes two or more competitive priorities, such as quality, product flexibility, etc., an unaided manager faces a complex decision problem in choosing from alternative IT applications available in the areas of product design through distribution. In this paper, we present a Knowledge Based System (KBS) that would assist managers with the identification of IT applications that …

The Final Countdown To Y2k: Is Your Small Business Ready?, Douglas J. Swanson Ed.D Apr

Douglas J. Swanson, Ed.D APR

No abstract provided.

Considerations For An Effective Telecommunications-Use Policy, Michael E. Whitman, Anthony M. Townsend, Robert J. Aalberts

Faculty and Research Publications

Recent changes in federal telecommunications legislation have underscored the importance of an up-to-date and effective telecommunications-use policy in business organizations. With the proliferation of the Internet, intranets, and email as commonplace business tools, the potential for misuse and subsequent liability has become an increasing concern. Even though the recent Supreme Court decision struck down the obscenity provisions of the Communications Decency Act (CDA), it left intact legislation that effectively mandates development of a sound telecommunications-use policy. In addition to potential liability for systems misuse, organizations have also had to address issues of individual employee privacy within the new systems.

This …

Porting The Sisal Functional Language To Distributed-Memory Multiprocessors, Jui-Yuan Ku

Dissertations

Parallel computing is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in recent years. The sizes of application problems continuously increase for solving real-world problems. Distributed-memory multiprocessors have been regarded as a viable architecture of scalable and economical design for building large scale parallel machines. While these parallel machines can provide computational capabilities, programming such large-scale machines is often very difficult due to many practical issues including parallelization, data distribution, workload distribution, and remote memory latency.

This thesis proposes to solve the programmability and performance issues of distributed-memory machines using the Sisal functional language. The programs written in Sisal will be automatically parallelized, scheduled and …

Automatic Document Classification And Extraction System (Adoces), Xuhong Li

Dissertations

Document processing is a critical element of office automation. Document image processing begins from the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) phase with complex processing for document classification and extraction. Document classification is a process that classifies an incoming document into a particular predefined document type. Document extraction is a process that extracts information pertinent to the users from the content of a document and assigns the information as the values of the “logical structure” of the document type. Therefore, after document classification and extraction, a paper document will be represented in its digital form instead of its original image file format, …

A New-Generation Class Of Parallel Architectures And Their Performance Evaluation, Qian Wang

Dissertations

The development of computers with hundreds or thousands of processors and capability for very high performance is absolutely essential for many computation problems, such as weather modeling, fluid dynamics, and aerodynamics. Several interconnection networks have been proposed for parallel computers. Nevertheless, the majority of them are plagued by rather poor topological properties that result in large memory latencies for DSM (Distributed Shared-Memory) computers. On the other hand, scalable networks with very good topological properties are often impossible to build because of their prohibitively high VLSI (e.g., wiring) complexity. Such a network is the generalized hypercube (GH). The GH supports full-connectivity …

Prozessbenchmarking - Ein Methodischer Ansatz Zur Prozessentwicklung Mit Standarsoftware, Hubert Oesterle, Christine Legner

Hubert Oesterle

No abstract provided.

Plugging The Knowledge Drain: Strategies And Technologies For Acquiring Knowledge In Lean Organizations, Kathy A. Stewart, Veda C. Storey, Daniel Robey

Computer Information Systems Faculty Publications

Recent programs for organizational improvement (reengineering, downsizing, and outsourcing) have apparently resolved the productivity paradox by making organizations leaner and more efficient. However, these same programs have drained knowledge from organizations, threatening the future performance of lean organizations. Knowledge management, which focuses on the acquisition, internalization, and maintenance of an organization's intellectual assets, is currently a popular approach used to plug the knowledge drain. Designed and managed properly, knowledge management programs can repair significant damage to organizations affected by work force reductions. In this paper, we analyze the process of organizational knowledge acquisition, which most directly addresses the problem of …

The Role Of Organizational Reality In Implementing Technology, Sakthi Mahenthiran, M. D’Itri, R. Donn

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Reports on the structurational model of technology which shows how workers who had the power to make the implementation successful affected the data that was collected and the extent to which management was able to use the technology to influence their work. Systems for recording job-related data; Analyzing organizational processes; Application of the structurational theory.

The Effects Of Computer Self-Efficacy And Outcome Expectancy On End-User Job Control And Stress, John W. Henry, Robert W. Stone

Journal of International Information Management

This article examines the effects of computer self-efficacy and outcome expectancy on the end-user's sense of felt stress as mediated by job control. A nationwide survey of information technology end-users provided the sample. The results show that computer self-efficacy directly impacts personal and job related outcome expectancies and that computer self-efficacy and job related outcome expectancies directly affect job control. Job control is shown to mediate the impacts of computer self-efficacy and job related expectancies on stress. The results are discussed and implications for information technology managers are presented.

A Hierarchy Fuzzy Mcdm Method For Studying Electronic Marketing Strategies In The Information Service Industry, Michael T. Tang, Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng, Shinn-Wen Wang

Journal of International Information Management

In this paper the impacts of Electronic Commerce {EC) on the international marketing strategies for the information service industries are studied. In seeking to blend humanistic concerns in this research with technological development by addressing challenges for deterministic attitudes, it also examines critical environmental factors relevant to Internet commerce in the changes of the international marketing environment. The needs for a new marketing paradigm for EC, which comes out of new trends of international electronic marketing, are also examined. The impacts of EC for the information service industry are discussed and a hierarchy fuzzy multicriteria decision-making (Fuzzy MCDM) method for …

Managing Health Information In New Zealand: An Analysis Of The Health Information Privacy Principles, Felix B. Tan, Gehan Gunasekara

Journal of International Information Management

The New Zealand Health Information Service has recently established a national health register. At the heart of this development are three national databases. These applications and their functions are presented. Other initiatives currently being explored are also discussed. The paper contends that these initiatives under the guise of advancing the nation's health may instead be infringing the privacy of the nation's citizens. An analysis of New Zealand's privacy legislation to the development of such a centralized health system is detailed. The paper concludes by considering the possibility of hidden agendas despite the provisions of the nation's privacy rules.

Teaching Design In Visual Basic Programming Environments Using The Neadt 3 Rapid Application Design Tool, William A. Newman

Journal of International Information Management

Although program design and documentation tools have existed for over 30 years, virtually no tools other than the Task-Object-Event (TOE) chart have been created for teaching program design in the event-driven object-oriented language environment. This paper discusses the NEADT3 (Newman-Ekedahl Application Development tool) applied to the Visual Basic 6.0 language. NEADT 3 Significantly extends the commonly used TOE model in teaching programming by providing more concise and correct design and documentation of Rapid Application Development (RAD) student programs.

Managing The Information Technology Help Desk: An International Dimension, Vivek Shah, Roy Martin

Journal of International Information Management

Information Technology continues to change at a fast and furious rate that shows no signs of slowing. Support requirements are increasing, while businesses are becoming global and demanding more support for technology. This paper focuses on the issues and challenges faced by organizations in setting and running a help desk for end users in an international environment.

Enterprise Resource Planning Growth In India: A Global Competitive Advantage (Part Ii), Kamlesh T. Mehta, Vivek Shah

Journal of International Information Management

The increasingly sophisticated and competitive Indian economy is faced with life in the global fast lane. The transition to an open economy has thrust India into the information age, an age that is forcing Indian firms to cope with a deluge of new information relationships. In order to keep up with the global advances, numerous Indian industries are implementing or considering ERP to compete in the global business environment. Several examples of successful implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning in India are discussed.

A Contingency Framework—The Influence Of Computerized Information Systems On Organizational Performance, Jagannathan V. Iyengar

Journal of International Information Management

Evaluation is a task most designers, builders, and supporters of information systems agree is significant. However, most information systems evaluations are performance evaluations focusing on the efficiency of the computer system. There is another dimension to the evaluation of the information system that must be considered if computerized information systems (CIS) are to be designed to "fit" an organization: impact evaluations. Impact evaluations are concerned with those effects on an organization which result from the development and use of an information system. The actual task of performing an impact evaluation is hindered by the complexity of the task and by …

The Dreams Of The Cashless Society: A Study Of Eftpos In New Zealand, Erica Dunwoodie, Michael D. Myers

Journal of International Information Management

This paper looks at the way in which Utopian dreams, such as the cashless society, influence the adoption of information technology. Some authors claim that Utopian visions are used by IT firms to market their services and products, and that the hype that often accompanies technological innovations is part of a "large scale social process" in contemporary societies. This article discusses the social role of technological utopianism with respect to the introduction of EFTPOS in New Zealand. The case of New Zealand is interesting, given that New Zealand has the highest saturation of EFTPOS terminals in the world.

An Exploration Of Differences In Judgements Of Computer Ethical Behavior By Sex, Education, Age, And Other Demographic Factors, Margaret Anne Pierce, John W. Henry

Journal of International Information Management

When faced with an ambiguous ethical situation related to information technology (IT), the individual's course of action is influenced by personal experiences, consideration of what co-workers would do in the same situation, and an expectation of what the company would sanction. In this article, the approval/disapproval ratings of over three-hundred Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) members concerning the actions taken in a series of IT ethical scenarios are evaluated. Respondents expressed their personal opinion, as well as their perception of their co-workers' opinion, and their understanding of the company s opinion of the actions relating to IT described in …

The Year 2000 Problem, Marshal Whatley

Journal of International Information Management

The purpose of this article is to discuss the root causes of the Year 200 Problem, the effects of the problem and how a systematic approach can be used to solve this problem.

Electronic Data Interchange (Edi): Application Of Edi And Its Impact On Information Quality, Jagannathan Iyengar

Journal of International Information Management

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the electronic transmission or movement of business data, information and documents from one business'computer system to another system in a standardized format. This movement is in a structured data format that permits data to be transferred without rekeying from a computer-supported business application in one location to another such system elsewhere. This technologically advanced mode of business transactions is fast becoming the operating "norm" for many areas of the business world. EDI is not electronic mail or FAX. They do not generate computer-processable information. EDI is not an application; it performs no business transactions and …

An Abductive Model Of Population Change, Milan Aiken

Journal of International Information Management

Logical abduction is a relatively unknown technique that may be used to classify or forecast. This paper describes abduction and applies it to a classification problem involving population change in the United States to test its accuracy. Results show that for this problem, it is as accurate as logistic regression, used in a prior study. Guidelines for using abduction are also presented.

Knowledge-Based Simulation Model For Performance Analysis And Reliability Of Computer Networks, Jaymeen R. Shah, Mirza B. Murtaza, Vipul K. Gupta

Journal of International Information Management

Modeling and analysis of performance of computer networks is essential for ensuring smooth operation of an organization's networks and preventing major failures. Mathematical analysis and simulation modeling are the common procedures for network system performance analysis. In this paper, a knowledge-based simulation model is developed that can be used for predicting network performance and reliability.

Military Development And Applications Of Simulation Systems, Jagannathan V. Iyengar, Gregory H. Hargett, Joe D. Hargett

Journal of International Information Management

Simulations used in training attempt to portray reality for the units or individuals participating in training. Some of the benefits of simulation training include; cost efficient training, training units in tasks that are too dangerous to perform otherwise, and training units in complex tasks in a repetitive fashion.

Customizable And Ontology-Enhanced Medical Information Retrieval Interfaces, Gondy Leroy, K.M. Tolle, Hsinchun Chen

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This paper describes the development and testing of the Medical Concept Mapper as an aid to providing synonyms and semantically related concepts to improve searching. All terms are related to the userquery and fit into the query context. The system is unique because its five components combine humancreated and computer-generated elements. The Arizona Noun Phraser extracts phrases from natural language user queries. WordNet and the UMLS Metathesaurus provide synonyms. The Arizona Concept Space generates conceptually related terms. Semantic relationships between queries and concepts are established using the UMLS Semantic Net. Two user studies conducted to evaluate the system are described.

Algorithms For Scheduling Projects With Generalized Precedence Relations, Bert De Reyck, Erik Demeulemeester, Willy Herroelen

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The problem of scheduling projects under various types of resource constraints constitutes an important and challenging problem which has received increasing attention during the past several years. The bulk of the models and procedures designed for coping with these problem types aim at scheduling project activities to minimize the project duration subject to constant availability constraints on the required set of resources and precedence constraints that indicate that activities can only be started when all of their predecessors have already been finished. However, real-life project scheduling applications often involve more complicated types of precedence relations such as arbitrary minimal and …

Linking It Applications With Manufacturing Strategy: An Intelligent Decision Support System Approach, Ravi Kathuria, Murugan Anandarajan, Magid Igbaria

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Research has indicated the importance of matching Information Technology (IT) applications or manufacturing systems with the competitive strategy of a company. Selection of the right type of IT application is, however, a challenging task. When a company, with a given dominant process structure, emphasizes two or more competitive priorities, such as quality, product flexibility, etc., an unaided manager faces a complex decision problem in choosing from alternative IT applications available in the areas of product design through distribution. In this paper, we developed an Intelligent Decision Support System (IDSS) that would assist managers with: assessment of the relative importance of …