No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that information system resources and capabilities have on company performance. This study was a replication of research conducted in the United States where Resource Based theory was used as the theoretical framework to analyse the relationships between the identified constructs. The relationship between IS resources and IS capabilities was posited to be positive. Likewise the relationships between IS Capabilities and IT support for Core Competencies and in turn company performance were hypothesised to be positive. A quantitative methodology was employed, using a five-point Likert scale survey, which was emailed to senior managers within the Financial Services sector of South Africa. The Partial Least Squares multivariate technique was used to analyse the data. The structural model provided support for two of the hypotheses, whilst support for the remaining three could not be established. The empirical results were then analysed to develop the implications for South African business managers. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This research proposes an on-line Environmental Information System for Planners (EISP). The Environmental Information System for Planners has been developed in collaboration with five local authorities as a web-based system designed to support decision making within the UK planning framework. It has been built as a ‘proof-of-concept’ system to demonstrate the value to urban planning of making information on environmental issues more widely accessible. The EISP has been designed to support three principal planning functions carried out by Local Authorities: Pre-planning enquiries; Development control decisions; and Strategic planning. The system incorporates 12 environmental themes: Air quality (PM10); Shallow undermining; Landslide susceptibility; Groundwater protection; Flood risk; Drainage; Land contamination; Proximity to landfill; Biodiversity; Natural heritage designations; Man-made heritage; and Natural Ground Stability (Geohazards). The design framework is based upon a series of decision flow diagrams, each covering one of the above themes. These decision flows take account of current planning procedures in the UK. Industry-standard web technologies have been employed to integrate the flows and develop the functionality that will allow the planner access to the system through secure web pages. Underpinning the system is an environmental Geographical Information System (GIS) that contains the most up-to-date data, information and models relevant to each of the environmental themes listed. The planning regulations are subject to change and so the system has been designed in a modular way so that new legislation can be accommodated without the need for a complete system rewrite. This modular approach also means that the system can be readily adapted to reflect local priorities and to draw on local datasets. The EISP was successfully tested and the thesis concludes with a costed business case study for commercial implementation and rollout of a production EISP system populated with appropriate environmental data within UK local authorities.

Work has been successfully performed by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI) to synthesize the nation’s hydrologic data. Through the building of a national Hydrologic Information System, the organization has demonstrated a successful structure which promotes data sharing. While data access has been improved by the work completed thus far, the resources available for discovering relevant datasets are still lacking. In order to improve data discovery among existing data services, a model for the storage and organization of metadata has been created. This includes the creation of an aggregated table of relevant metadata from any number of sources, called a Master SeriesCatalog. Using this table, data layers are easily organized based on themes, therefore simplifying data discovery based on concepts. / text

Because of changing customer requirements and increasing introduction of new products, the retailer¡¦s inventory has to be reduced. In addition, the supplier is facing the problem of more frequent delivery in small batch. All these give rise to the demand for Distribution center¡]DC¡^. In addition to the study of logistics facilities, logistics information system¡]LIS¡^ plays an important role to improve the efficiency of physical distribution. Various market environments require different kinds of DC. The services and operational processes provide in each DC will depend on the orientation of the DC. The differences are to be reflected in the LIS requirements. The findings of this research indicated that both scale and organizational form have contributed to the variation in LIS. The DC that is large in size is often the logistics department of a big company; furthermore, the DC that is small in size is often a third party logistics company. Hence small DCs, while concentrating on the logistics function, do no need the function of purchasing. Large DCs have better performance record in using database, electronic bulletin board system, telephone conference, and video conference. By comparison, small DCs have better use of common distribution network and common information system. In general, problematic internal and external integration, and lack of flexibility are prevalent phenomena in the implementation of LIS. Suggestions could be made that integration with other type of information system is to be emphasized for large DCs. Small DCs, while falling short of resources, will need to form alliance with their partners, which can provide better information resources for daily operations. The user interface of LIS had a significant impact on user satisfaction, and user satisfaction in turn affected the competitive advantage of DC. This indicated that both user interface and user satisfaction should be highlighted in designing LIS. A LIS should be directed to meet user friendly purpose and strategic position in the market, which will exert the system function fully and achieve competitive advantage for the company.

ABSTRACT In order to effectively manage the investment in China, Taiwanese enterprises need to develop information systems (IS) that can facilitate efficient operational control and decision making. This study investigates the various architectures that are employed by manufacturing enterprises investing in the south-eastern coastal area of China for such purpose. The results show 1. The vendor support for software and hardware is poor when the plant site is far away from cities; 2. There are more problems for China-based IS units than those in Taiwan; 3. The communication infrastructure in China is inferior to that in Taiwan; 4. Many application systems in China are based on those in Taiwan, although adjustment is often necessary in order to adapt realistically to situations in China; 5. Taiwanese enterprises always set up their own security systems that suit their own needs; 6. The interface between traditional Chinese Kanji and simplified Chinese characters is a non-issue; 7. The system security, the existing application structure used in Taiwan, number of connecting points in China, and the efficiency of leased telecommunication line are the main factors for enterprises to consider when making decisions on the IS architecture; and 8. If leasing telecommunication lines is acceptable, the IS managers should base the IS architecture in Taiwan to increase the efficiency, enhance the security, and reduce cost.

Abstract As Convertible Bonds (CB) market increasingly prospers in recent years, not only has it become one of the most important financing tools for public firms, but also the popular investment target for investors. However, given the complexity of Convertible Bonds Issuance Terms, coexistence of new and old regulations, and difficulties in obtaining relevant information, investors know little about CB in terms of its investment restrictions as well as arbitrage opportunities and models. This study attempts to explore arbitrage strategies for CB¡¦s trading and investing, and to design a CB ¡§Information System¡¨ which severs as a CB database querying system, and helps enhance the efficiency of CB investment and arbitrage. In this study, three CB related information systems were developed after analyzing CB issuance information and market price: 1. ¡§Database Querying System,¡¨ which is used to search for arbitrage restrictions and related information before engaging in CB investment and arbitrage. 2. ¡§Put Provision Instant Quoting System,¡¨ which is able to receive market quotation before exchange deadline, and to instantly calculate the rate of return in put provision. 3. ¡§Arbitrage Instant Quoting System,¡¨ like ¡§Put Provision Instant Quoting System,¡¨ can promptly calculate the rate of return in CB and considerably increase operating efficiency and the rate of return in arbitrage. Based on the case study and empirical research, this study argues that these three information systems can practically help control the fluctuation of market price, enhance operating efficiency, and serve as an effective financial operating tool of CB arbitrage strategies. Accordingly, several conclusions of this study are presented as follows: 1. The current stock market is inefficient, so the arbitrage opportunities are still available. 2. When market is thriving and stock price exceeds CB price, there are more arbitrage opportunities for and higher rate of return in CB. 3. While investing put provision for CB often accompanies high return opportunities, investors are suggested to gingerly evaluate the finance risks of public firms beforehand, such as making use of ¡§Instant Quoting System¡¨ to operate, which is helpful to controlling market price effectively. 4. To avoid operating risks, Investors should recognize all kinds of issuance restrictions in advance. 5. Conducting ¡§Instant Quoting System¡¨ can obtain market information quickly and promote operation efficiency and the rate of return.

No description available.

This study outlines the derivation of a behavioural model intended to underpin thinking on questions concerning the design of information retrieval systems for academic social scientists. The historical background of information retrieval research is reviewed and the behavioural assumptions made in that research, characterised as the information retrieval model, are examined. Developments in the research tradition following from the early empirical tests on information retrieval systems are discussed, and problems experienced in the attempt to develop a coherent and practically useful research programme around the notion of relevance as a quantitative concept are analysed. A major alternative to work employing the information retrieval model has been the cognitive approach to information retrieval system design. In research so far undertaken in this approach the system has had to construct a cognitive model of the searcher's requirements in order for retrieval to take place. It is argued that the characteristics of social science information present particular difficulties for building such a model, and that the step of the system building a cognitive model of the searcher's requirements as a pre—requisite for retrieval is unnecessary. Instead, a behavioural approach to system design is recommended. The information seeking patterns of a variety of academic social scientists, derived from transcripts of interviews, were analysed and broken down into six characteristics, starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, and extracting. These characteristics seemed sufficient to exhaust the different generic features of the various patterns, and to provide a flexible behavioural model to underpin thinking about information retrieval system design. The features of an exploratory retrieval system for social scientists based on the characteristics of their information seeking patterns are outlined, the extent to which such features are available in existing systems, and the requirements for implementing the model on an operational system are considered. The argument of the study is that the behavioural approach, and the analysis of information seeking patterns into their characteristics, represents a coherent and practically useful basis for the design of exploratory information retrieval systems for academic social scientists.