Showing papers on "Business analytics published in 2002"

Emerging trends in business analytics

Abstract: The goal is business effectiveness through 'verticalization,' usability, and integration with operational systems.

The integration of business intelligence and knowledge management

Abstract: Enterprise executives understand that timely, accurate knowledge can mean improved business performance. Two technologies have been central in improving the quantitative and qualitative value of the knowledge available to decision makers: business intelligence and knowledge management. Business intelligence has applied the functionality, scalability, and reliability of modern database management systems to build ever-larger data warehouses, and to utilize data mining techniques to extract business advantage from the vast amount of available enterprise data. Knowledge management technologies, while less mature than business intelligence technologies, are now capable of combining today's content management systems and the Web with vastly improved searching and text mining capabilities to derive more value from the explosion of textual information. We believe that these systems will blend over time, borrowing techniques from each other and inspiring new approaches that can analyze data and text together, seamlessly. We call this blended technology BIKM. In this paper, we describe some of the current business problems that require analysis of both text and data, and some of the technical challenges posed by these problems. We describe a particular approach based on an OLAP (on-line analytical processing) model enhanced with text analysis, and describe two tools that we have developed to explore this approach--eClassifier performs text analysis, and Sapient integrates data and text through an OLAP-style interaction model. Finally, we discuss some new research that we are pursuing to enhance this approach.

Business performance measures and alignment impact on strategy: The role of business improvement models

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to explore the longitudinal alignment between performance measures and business strategy. Moreover, the paper will probe the role of business improvement models as a key catalyst in this alignment process. Since the late 1980s performance measurement has become topical with ever‐increasing interest in the subject. The increasing interest has been driven by the rapidly changing business environment and strategy, in both the private and public sectors. A literature review covering the current issues concerning performance measurement was undertaken, emphasising the development of performance measurement in relation to business strategy. The continual alignment of performance measures and frameworks with business strategy is stressed. Also, business improvement models are reviewed as possible mechanisms for enabling this alignment. Following this review, a longitudinal case study approach, based on a five‐year university/industry learning partnership with an international aerospace organisation, was used to investigate alignment between performance measures and business strategy. The findings of the study confirm that performance measures linked to strategy are more effective. Moreover, the alignment between the measures, measurement framework and the strategy must be continually reviewed and treated as a dynamic and complex issue, rather than a linear mechanistic relationship.

Practical Business Forecasting

Abstract: Stressing the concrete applications of economic forecasting, Practical Business Forecasting is accessible to a wide-range of readers, requiring only a familiarity with basic statistics. The text focuses on the use of models in forecasting, explaining how to build practical forecasting models that produce optimal results. In a clear and detailed format, the text covers estimating and forecasting with single and multi- equation models, univariate time-series modeling, and determining forecasting accuracy. Additionally, case studies throughout the book illustrate how the models are actually estimated and adjusted to generate accurate forecasts. After reading this text, students and readers should have a clearer idea of the reasoning and choices involved in building models, and a deeper foundation in estimating econometric models used in practical business forecasting.

Business Intelligence

Abstract: From the Publisher: This title provides decision makers with the information they need as they adopt a comprehensive business intelligence solution that helps them react to change and anticipate customer needs more quickly. It describes business intelligence and demonstrates how it can improve profits by helping businesses outmaneuver their competitors. It also discusses the Microsoft® platform for business intelligence. The book includes case studies plus a glossary of business-intelligence-related terms. Provides business decision-makers with the information they need as they consider adopting a comprehensive business-intelligence solution. It's the only book that discusses not only business intelligence in general but also the comprehensive Microsoft business-intelligence solution. Key Book Benefits: * Create a comprehensive business-intelligence strategy for your organization. * Build competitive advantage using the Microsoft platform * Customize your business intelligence through advanced querying, reporting, and analysis capabilities.

UK data warehousing and business intelligence implementation

Abstract: This paper summarises the situation regarding the penetration of data warehouses and business intelligence systems in companies across a range of industries in the UK. Data warehouses are being implemented due to the business need for tools within companies today to analyse the increasing amounts of data being collected. The paper then presents a short case study describing an example of a successful implementation of a business intelligence solution that supports CRM in a major retailer. Points are emphasised via the use of results from a recent IBM‐sponsored qualitative study done in the UK.

In business analytics

Abstract: The MS in Business Analytics combines foundational knowledge in (1) data management and business intelligence, (2) applied statistics, machine learning, and data mining, with (3) knowledge of business functional areas, analytics applications in specific contexts, and (4) understanding of analytics and information management practice and strategy in organizations. It is targeted both at students with undergraduate degrees from business and other disciplines who seek specialized knowledge and training to work in increasingly data-rich business environments, as well as working professionals looking to develop business intelligence and analytics capability.

Knowledge Management und Business Intelligence

Abstract: Following your need to always fulfil the inspiration to obtain everybody is now simple. Connecting to the internet is one of the short cuts to do. There are so many sources that offer and connect us to other world condition. As one of the products to see in internet, this website becomes a very available place to look for countless knowledge management und business intelligence sources. Yeah, sources about the books from countries in the world are provided.

Dynamic construction of business analytics

Abstract: A system and method are provided that enable dynamic construction of analytics for the evaluation of opportunities. A unique decision-focused approach simplifies the evaluation of opportunities and incorporates expertise and future-relevant judgments directly into the decision process, thereby tracking the effectiveness of those decisions with respect to selected metrics.

Business relationships: cross-cultural analysis

Abstract: Culture is an important aspect of business relationships and investigation of the impact of culture within relationships is becoming more common within the IMP group of researchers (Fang and Kriz 2000). This research considers whether attitudes towards national culture at the micro-level are consistent with those developed at the macro-level by Hofstede (1980). Data was collected from Hong Kong and Portugal, vastly different in geographical and cultural heritage, but according to Hofstede (1980) similar in the cultural dimensions of individualism/collectivism and power distance. The attitudes displayed by the micro-level actors did indicate national cultural characteristics were consistent with Hofstede (1980) in some cases giving partial support to the research propositions. The effect of organizational culture within the Portuguese case, strongly influenced attitudes of the actors and in the individualism/collectivism cultural dimension were not consistent with that expected from the ranking given by Hofstede (1980). INTRODUCTION Cultural understanding is a key issue in the development of cross-cultural relationships and is one of the major issues facing multi-national organisations both internally within their human resource development and externally with the numerous relationships they develop with buyers and suppliers in many different international countries (Tse, Lee, Vertinsky and Wehrung 1988). Yet, although these issues have been highlighted previously (see Ajiferuke and Boddewyn 1970; Adler 1983; Bhaghat and McQuaid 1982; Smircich 1983) the academic community is still grappling with these contentious issues. With insufficient progress being made towards cultural research, especially cultural studies external to the United States, more research needs to be conducted. This paper takes a step towards considering cross-cultural issues and compares the cultural dimensions raised in research conducted within a peripheral European country, Portugal, and a developed Asian country, Hong Kong. The trend towards internationalization has been increasing with research looking at the internationalization process of firms entering different markets (Johanson and Vahlne 1990; Johanson and Mattsson 1986; Axelsson and Johanson 1992; Seyed-Mohamed and Bolte 1992). One aspect of the internationalization process is the ability of the firms to develop and maintain business relationships and business networks within a cross-cultural context. Research focusing on the importance of culture in managing cross-cultural business relationships within the IMP Group is relatively recent (see Fang and Kriz 2000; Amelingmeyer and Moehringer 2002). Fang and Kriz (2000) highlighted that managing business relationships across cultures is a new research area within the IMP group and provide guidelines on how this research area should be created. Their study was focused on employing emic techniques to research managing business relationships within Chinese dominated cultures. There also consists a debate of whether cultural research should be considered from just an emic framework or an etic framework (Kriz and Fang 2000). Although it is difficult to compare across cultures due to the different values on which each separate culture develops, practitioners must operate within a global environment facing many crosscultural contexts within their business practices. Also much research has been conducted within an etic framework where behaviours are compared across different countries (see Hofstede1980, Hofstede 1984, Trompenaars 1994 etc). This paper uses data collected in emic studies to compare behaviours across countries from two different regions. According to Hofstede (1980) both countries should have similar behaviours along some dimensions due to their closeness in relative cultural dimensions, as indicated in Table 1. Table 1. Comparison of cultural dimensions Cultural Dimension Hong Kong Portugal Index Rank Index Rank Individualism/ collectivism 25 37 27 33-35 Power Distance 68 15-16 63 24-25 Masculinity/Femininity 57 18-19 31 45 Source: Hofstede and Bond 1988 Portugal is a small European country that is a member of the European Union. It has participated in the final stage of European Economic and Monetary Union and is considered a mainstream European nation (Portugal Government 2002). Portugal is the 14 largest economy in the EU and the 34 in the world, exporting wine, textiles, cork, automotive parts, vehicles and computer chips. The main religion followed is Roman Catholic (97% population) and is a seafaring trading nation being situated on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Europe (Portugal Government 2002). Hong Kong is a small group of islands in the South China Sea (CIA 2002). Although once under the British Commonwealth it is now a special administrative region (SAR) of China. Hong Kong has limited natural resources and is based on international trade within a free market economy. It is one of the more developed Asian regions with a strong growth rate over the last 10 years. The majority of the population is Chinese (95%) whose main religions are an eclectic mixture of local religions (90%) and Christian (10%). As can be seen from the above description of each country/SAR they come from distinctly different geographic locations and have very different historical cultural backgrounds. Even though there are vast differences in historic development, according to Hofstede (1980) they are relatively close in some of their macro cultural dimensions as shown in Table 1. This paper will examine three cultural dimensions and compare the data from two sources to determine the similarities and differences that these two vastly different countries/SAR exhibit towards their cultural values. This focus leads to an overall research question: How well can the cultural dimensions as outlined by Hofstede(1980) explain the individual attitudes within business relationships developed in Hong Kong and Portugal? The paper will discuss the literature relating to cultural dimensions, highlight the data analysis method which considers the complex issue of reconciling data from different paradigms, highlight the results obtained and then discuss the implications of the results for future academics and practitioners. CULTURAL DIMENSIONS Culture is a difficult concept to define due to the multi-dimensional nature of the concept and the existing variations of thought on different cultural aspects. For the purposes of this paper, culture has been defined as “the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings, that is transmitted from one generation to another” (Macquarie Dictionary p. 529). Culture has also been described as how people think and behave as a society (Hofstede 1980) and how group problem solving and what basic assumptions those groups use during their problem solving (Trompenaars 1994). All descriptions bring out common themes in that culture operates within a group, culture is learned (often through generations), influences the basic thinking process of groups of people, and describes common behaviours and values that groups of people may exhibit under certain conditions. Each of these descriptions operates at the macro-level, on groups of people, and does not discuss individuals within each group. Individuals may vary within the group, but as a whole the group will tend to act as per their common cultural heritage. Due to the learned aspect of culture, a cultural pattern can be developed by which a detailed understanding of group behaviour can be developed. These patterns allow researchers to compare behaviours of people across different cultural contexts. Hofstede (1980, 1984), Hofstede and Bond (1988) and Trompenaars (1994) all developed cultural dimensions by which different national cultural patterns can be compared. Cultural dimensions simplify the comparison process by highlighting the main elements on which national culture can be compared. These ‘elements’ are common across all national cultures. National culture pertains to the culture of a sovereign country not to the different sub-cultures that exist within each sovereign country. The next section of the paper will discuss the different cultural dimensions developed by both researchers. Trompenaars (1994) developed seven cultural dimensions and grouped them under three main headings: those arising from relationships with other people, those involving the passage of time and those emerging from our attitudes towards the environment. The seven dimensions are: attitudes to time; universalism vs particularism; individualism vs collectivism; emotional; specific/diffuse; achievement/ascription and internal environmental control/external environmental control. Trompenaars (1994) study considered international managers from multiple organisations and compared their behaviours. The specific cross-section of society from which the data was collected limited the ability to generalise the results to society in general. Data collected for this research, came from respondents at different levels within their respective organisations (particularly relevant to the Portuguese data) rather than at the level of the international manager. Therefore, it was decided to utilise the cultural dimensions as described by Hofstede (1980, 1984) rather than those described by Trompenaars (1994). It is noted that there are similarities in the cultural dimensions between the studies with the main difference being the lack of gender dimensions in the Trompenaars (1994) study and the inclusion of gender dimensions as one of the main dimensions in Hofstede (1980). This study concentrates on the cultural dimensions as outlined by Hofstede (1980) as they have been widely utilized in the literature. Hofstede (1980) highlighted four cultural dimensions: power distance; masculinity/ femininity; individualism/collectivism; and uncertainty avoidance. In a later study looking at Chinese values, Hofstede

What's going on? [business activity monitoring]

Abstract: Modern technology is providing organisations with the thrilling opportunity to inject a revolutionary and unprecedented level of sophistication and control into their business analysis and planning. The old days when these functions were cumbersome, clumsy back-office functions that required many days - or weeks - to yield useful and insightful information are over. Organisations that have the good sense to implement new, state-of-the-art business analysis and planning systems are creating an enormously important in-house resource that can provide comprehensive and detailed information about every aspect of the organisation's activities, and also facilitate a rapid response to new, unforeseen, opportunities or challenges. The research organisation the Gartner Group has crystallised the objectives of business analysis and planning today into the phrase 'business activity monitoring' (BAM). This phrase aptly sums up the purpose of the business planning task: to monitor an organisations activity in every sense and to develop an understanding of what is happening now with the organisation, where the organisation is going and where the major opportunities for increased profitability lie within it. The author shows how to find out just what is going on within your business.

Data Quality and Business Rules

Abstract: A critical component of improving data quality is being able to distinguish between “good” (i.e., valid) data and “bad” (i.e., invalid) data. The common definition of data quality focuses on the concept of “fitness for use,” yet because data values appear in many contexts, formats, and frameworks, this simple concept can devolve into extremely complicated notions as to what constitutes fitness. The conventional wisdom dictates that in order to improve data quality, we must be able to measure the levels of data quality. Consequently, to be able to measure levels of data quality, we must know what defines a valid value. In this chapter, we explore a framework for defining data quality and business rules that qualify data values within their context, as well as the mechanism for using a rule-based system for measuring conformity to these business rules.

Socio-Cognitive Engineering Scenarios for the Reinforcement of Global Business Intelligence: TOGA Approach

Abstract: The presented paper is an introduction to the new global conceptualization scenario of the business intelligence improving from the perspective of meta-systemic knowledge and socio-cognitive values involved in the management of large complex heterogeneous real-world systems integrating human, technological and environmental components. The socio-cognitive perspective, as a complementary to the techno-economic vision of humans activity, is here considered. On the other hand, the paper demonstrates how an application of the modern systemic approach TOGA (Top-down Object-based Goal-oriented Approach), its top-ontology, and artificial intelligence software technologies enable together to define meta-modeling frameworks and to indicate why, where and how business intelligence can be constructed and reinforced. This approach should lead to the indication of critical factors of business organizations, and, as a consequence, to the development of intelligent business decision support systems. Conscious applications of socio-cognitive engineering paradigms and models, being integrated together with strongly automated business tools should also dramatically improve quality, efficiency and efficacy of the design, planning and management of business enterprises. Two concrete examples illustrate possible applications of the presented scenarios.

Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence

Abstract: Now people are interested in data warehouse technology which is the core of business intelligence.This paper introduces the concept,characteristics and new technology of data warehouse,illustrating its important role in business intelligence.

Business Intelligence Technology: The Croatian Case

Abstract: Each company aims to improve its business performance. Business Intelligence (BI) helps enterprises to optimize their decision-making capabilities and to attain unprecedented levels of competitive advantage. Its usage leads to conditions, procedures and mechanisms for creating quality information and business knowledge. By these the organization can successfully respond to numerous pressures in dynamical and complex environment. The main objective of the paper is to present what the business intelligence is, and show the results of the research about the level and use of business intelligence in Croatian large organizations.

Statistical Thinking: Improving Business Performance

Abstract: The business of this book is business. If you are looking for a book to teach general introductory statistics, or even introductory statistics for economics students, then this is not your book. Many business statistics books, in my opinion, differ from the standard introductory texts only in that they are garnished with business-related examples. Hoerl and Snee, on the other hand, offer a book completely immersed in the business paradigm. So much so, in fact, that perhaps they teach more business than statistics. The chief fault of this immersion, if indeed it is a fault, is that the book seems more intent on convincing business people to use statistics than it does on convincing statistics students to consider business as a viable Ž eld of application.