Information systems have developed to the stage that there is plenty of data
available in most o... more Information systems have developed to the stage that there is plenty of data
available in most organisations but there are still major problems in turning that
data into information for management decision making. This thesis argues that
the link between decision support information and transaction processing data
should be through a common object model which reflects the real world of the
organisation and encompasses the artefacts of the information system. The CORD
(Collections, Objects, Roles and Domains) model is developed which is richer in
appropriate modelling abstractions than current Object Models. A flexible Object
Prototyping tool based on a Semantic Data Storage Manager has been developed
which enables a variety of models to be stored and experimented with. A
statistical summary table model COST (Collections of Objects Statistical Table)
has been developed within CORD and is shown to be adequate to meet the
modelling needs of Decision Support and Executive Information Systems. The
COST model is supported by an statistical table creator and editor COSTed which
is also built on top of the Object Prototyper and uses the CORD model to manage
its metadata.
Effective communication is essential for information systems development crossing functional, org... more Effective communication is essential for information systems development crossing functional, organisational and national boundaries. As organisations attempt to overcome cultural barriers to communication across the world, communication with colleagues across the corridor remains problematic; cultural barriers between departments remain unchallenged. This paper introduces the concepts of 'culture ' and 'tribe ' into the discussion of the relationship between business users and information systems developers. Previous research has focused on identifying specific barriers to user-systems developer communication and on ways of eliminating these barriers. In contrast, this paper suggests that much can be learnt through the recognition of cultural differences inherent to the differing roles of user and systems developer. Maintenance of cultural identity is essential to the individual if he/she is to function effectively as a member of his/her tribe, whether it is the...
The Semantic Analysis Method (SAM) was used to design a Portal for the SEDITA Project. The paper ... more The Semantic Analysis Method (SAM) was used to design a Portal for the SEDITA Project. The paper describes the application of the SAM and the various stages in designing the Portal. It also presents a description of the final portal.
Stratification is a feature of the majority of field sample designs. In the early stages of multi... more Stratification is a feature of the majority of field sample designs. In the early stages of multi‐stage sample procedures the population is often small so that the number of stratification factors which may be employed is limited. The use of cluster analysis allows any number of stratification factors to be incorporated in producing a “specified” or “best” number of strata. An application of the technique in a four‐stage design for the selection of a sample of motorists in Birmingham is discussed.
Following comments made in a House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee Report in 1994, this p... more Following comments made in a House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee Report in 1994, this paper considers the dividend behaviour of 46 large UK and 44 large German quoted companies over the period 1980-1995. The analysis is principally based on comparison of the constancy, or otherwise, of dividends per share relative to profit before non-recurring items (PBNRI). Where possible, contingency tests have been applied to test the hypothesis that there is no difference between UK and German companies in their dividends per share response to identified changes in PBNRI. While interesting, statistically significant differences are found with respect to the basic situation of dividend behaviour linked to profit of the current or immediately preceding year, and the general, provisional, conclusion does not support the view that the two countries' dividend behaviour is that strikingly different. The relationship between dividends per share (DPS) and dividend cover was also examined with similar results. Differences in the two nations corporate dividend behaviour are subsequently discussed by reference to comparisons of tax and institutional shareholding characteristics.
Information systems have developed to the stage that there is plenty of data available in most or... more Information systems have developed to the stage that there is plenty of data available in most organisations but there are still major problems in turning that data into information for management decision making. This thesis argues that the link between decision support information and transaction processing data should be through a common object model which reflects the real world of the organisation and encompasses the artefacts of the information system. The CORD (Collections, Objects, Roles and Domains) model is developed which is richer in appropriate modelling abstractions than current Object Models. A flexible Object Prototyping tool based on a Semantic Data Storage Manager has been developed which enables a variety of models to be stored and experimented with. A statistical summary table model COST (Collections of Objects Statistical Table) has been developed within CORD and is shown to be adequate to meet the modelling needs of Decision Support and Executive Information Sy...
This paper discusses a software development in the light of object-oriented methodolody, called F... more This paper discusses a software development in the light of object-oriented methodolody, called Fusion method. Fusion is claimed to be based on a concise but comprehensive set of well-defined notations for capturing analysis and design decisions. Fusion can be used to develop sequential object-oriented systems and certain restricted kinds of concurrent systems. A case study on self service petrol pump is used to observe the consistency and completeness of this approach with C++ as an implementation language. The scope of the development covers the analysis, design and implementation.
Enterprises have architecture: whether it is visible or invisible is another matter. An enterpris... more Enterprises have architecture: whether it is visible or invisible is another matter. An enterprises ’ architecture determines the way in which it works to deliver its business objectives and the way in which it can change to continue to meet its evolving business objectives. Enterprise architectural thinking can facilitate effective strategic planning and information systems development. This paper reviews enterprise architecture (EA) and its concepts. It briefly considers EA frameworks. It describes the ADaPPT (Aligning Data, People, Processes and Technology) EA approach as a means to managing organisational complexity and change. Future research directions are discussed.
Enterprises have architecture: whether it is visible or invisible is another matter. An enterpris... more Enterprises have architecture: whether it is visible or invisible is another matter. An enterprises’ architecture determines the way in which it works to deliver its business objectives and the way in which it can change to continue to meet its evolving business objectives. Enterprise architectural thinking can facilitate effective strategic planning and information systems development. This paper reviews enterprise architecture (EA) and its concepts. It briefly considers EA frameworks. It describes the ADaPPT (Aligning Data, People, Processes and Technology) EA approach as a means to managing organisational complexity and change. Future research directions are discussed.
National sample designs such as those conducted by government agencies or opinion
poll organisat... more National sample designs such as those conducted by government agencies or opinion
poll organisations are typically based upon the multi-stage principle. Equally typical is
the presence of some element of stratification in the first and/or the second stages of the design.
The sampling variance consequences of this type of design are considered in this
paper and a range of approaches to the construction of Stratification factors are
explored and compared.
In particular, the relative merits and limitations of a priori k-variable factorial
standard stratification designs and those based on principal component and cluster
analysis are considered in relationship to a two-stage design of the type used in political opinion research.
It is concluded that from the theoretical standpoint of efficiency more sophisticated
methods of determining strata configurations are more satisfactory, although they may
lead to practical problems for commercial research organisations.
The shortcomings of conventional statistical packages are discussed to
illustrate the need to de... more The shortcomings of conventional statistical packages are discussed to
illustrate the need to develop software which is able to exhibit a greater degree of
statistical expertise, thereby reducing the misuse of statistical methods by those not well versed in the art of statistical analysis. Up to now the majority of the research into
developing knowledge-based statistical software has concentrated on moving away from conventional architectures by adopting what can be termed expert systems approaches.
This paper proposes an approach which is based upon the concept of semantic modelling. By representing some of the semantic meaning of data, it is conceived that a system could examine a request to apply a statistical technique and check if the use of the chosen technique was semantically sound, 1.e. will the results obtained be meaningful. Current systems, in contrast, can only perform what can be considered as syntactic checks. The prototype system that has been implemented to explore the feasibility of such an approach is presented; the system has been designed as an enhanced variant of a conventional style, statistical package.
Various methods have been proposed for making statistical packages more intelligent. One method d... more Various methods have been proposed for making statistical packages more intelligent. One method discussed in detail in this paper is to enrich the description of the data with the relevant semantic knowledge and equip the package to make use of this knowledge. This paper reports on a research project which explored in some details the structure of this metadata and the requirements of the processing modules. In particular the nature of knowledge needed to implement a range of bivariate statistical tests is examined and the features of the necessary software to validate these tests in a standard statistical package are described. The results of a prototype application of the method are also discussed.
This article evaluates the performance of the Guttman-Kaiser criterion in determining the number ... more This article evaluates the performance of the Guttman-Kaiser criterion in determining the number of significant components or factors in a correlation matrix.
Information systems have developed to the stage that there is plenty of data
available in most o... more Information systems have developed to the stage that there is plenty of data
available in most organisations but there are still major problems in turning that
data into information for management decision making. This thesis argues that
the link between decision support information and transaction processing data
should be through a common object model which reflects the real world of the
organisation and encompasses the artefacts of the information system. The CORD
(Collections, Objects, Roles and Domains) model is developed which is richer in
appropriate modelling abstractions than current Object Models. A flexible Object
Prototyping tool based on a Semantic Data Storage Manager has been developed
which enables a variety of models to be stored and experimented with. A
statistical summary table model COST (Collections of Objects Statistical Table)
has been developed within CORD and is shown to be adequate to meet the
modelling needs of Decision Support and Executive Information Systems. The
COST model is supported by an statistical table creator and editor COSTed which
is also built on top of the Object Prototyper and uses the CORD model to manage
its metadata.
Effective communication is essential for information systems development crossing functional, org... more Effective communication is essential for information systems development crossing functional, organisational and national boundaries. As organisations attempt to overcome cultural barriers to communication across the world, communication with colleagues across the corridor remains problematic; cultural barriers between departments remain unchallenged. This paper introduces the concepts of 'culture ' and 'tribe ' into the discussion of the relationship between business users and information systems developers. Previous research has focused on identifying specific barriers to user-systems developer communication and on ways of eliminating these barriers. In contrast, this paper suggests that much can be learnt through the recognition of cultural differences inherent to the differing roles of user and systems developer. Maintenance of cultural identity is essential to the individual if he/she is to function effectively as a member of his/her tribe, whether it is the...
The Semantic Analysis Method (SAM) was used to design a Portal for the SEDITA Project. The paper ... more The Semantic Analysis Method (SAM) was used to design a Portal for the SEDITA Project. The paper describes the application of the SAM and the various stages in designing the Portal. It also presents a description of the final portal.
Stratification is a feature of the majority of field sample designs. In the early stages of multi... more Stratification is a feature of the majority of field sample designs. In the early stages of multi‐stage sample procedures the population is often small so that the number of stratification factors which may be employed is limited. The use of cluster analysis allows any number of stratification factors to be incorporated in producing a “specified” or “best” number of strata. An application of the technique in a four‐stage design for the selection of a sample of motorists in Birmingham is discussed.
Following comments made in a House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee Report in 1994, this p... more Following comments made in a House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee Report in 1994, this paper considers the dividend behaviour of 46 large UK and 44 large German quoted companies over the period 1980-1995. The analysis is principally based on comparison of the constancy, or otherwise, of dividends per share relative to profit before non-recurring items (PBNRI). Where possible, contingency tests have been applied to test the hypothesis that there is no difference between UK and German companies in their dividends per share response to identified changes in PBNRI. While interesting, statistically significant differences are found with respect to the basic situation of dividend behaviour linked to profit of the current or immediately preceding year, and the general, provisional, conclusion does not support the view that the two countries' dividend behaviour is that strikingly different. The relationship between dividends per share (DPS) and dividend cover was also examined with similar results. Differences in the two nations corporate dividend behaviour are subsequently discussed by reference to comparisons of tax and institutional shareholding characteristics.
Information systems have developed to the stage that there is plenty of data available in most or... more Information systems have developed to the stage that there is plenty of data available in most organisations but there are still major problems in turning that data into information for management decision making. This thesis argues that the link between decision support information and transaction processing data should be through a common object model which reflects the real world of the organisation and encompasses the artefacts of the information system. The CORD (Collections, Objects, Roles and Domains) model is developed which is richer in appropriate modelling abstractions than current Object Models. A flexible Object Prototyping tool based on a Semantic Data Storage Manager has been developed which enables a variety of models to be stored and experimented with. A statistical summary table model COST (Collections of Objects Statistical Table) has been developed within CORD and is shown to be adequate to meet the modelling needs of Decision Support and Executive Information Sy...
This paper discusses a software development in the light of object-oriented methodolody, called F... more This paper discusses a software development in the light of object-oriented methodolody, called Fusion method. Fusion is claimed to be based on a concise but comprehensive set of well-defined notations for capturing analysis and design decisions. Fusion can be used to develop sequential object-oriented systems and certain restricted kinds of concurrent systems. A case study on self service petrol pump is used to observe the consistency and completeness of this approach with C++ as an implementation language. The scope of the development covers the analysis, design and implementation.
Enterprises have architecture: whether it is visible or invisible is another matter. An enterpris... more Enterprises have architecture: whether it is visible or invisible is another matter. An enterprises ’ architecture determines the way in which it works to deliver its business objectives and the way in which it can change to continue to meet its evolving business objectives. Enterprise architectural thinking can facilitate effective strategic planning and information systems development. This paper reviews enterprise architecture (EA) and its concepts. It briefly considers EA frameworks. It describes the ADaPPT (Aligning Data, People, Processes and Technology) EA approach as a means to managing organisational complexity and change. Future research directions are discussed.
Enterprises have architecture: whether it is visible or invisible is another matter. An enterpris... more Enterprises have architecture: whether it is visible or invisible is another matter. An enterprises’ architecture determines the way in which it works to deliver its business objectives and the way in which it can change to continue to meet its evolving business objectives. Enterprise architectural thinking can facilitate effective strategic planning and information systems development. This paper reviews enterprise architecture (EA) and its concepts. It briefly considers EA frameworks. It describes the ADaPPT (Aligning Data, People, Processes and Technology) EA approach as a means to managing organisational complexity and change. Future research directions are discussed.
National sample designs such as those conducted by government agencies or opinion
poll organisat... more National sample designs such as those conducted by government agencies or opinion
poll organisations are typically based upon the multi-stage principle. Equally typical is
the presence of some element of stratification in the first and/or the second stages of the design.
The sampling variance consequences of this type of design are considered in this
paper and a range of approaches to the construction of Stratification factors are
explored and compared.
In particular, the relative merits and limitations of a priori k-variable factorial
standard stratification designs and those based on principal component and cluster
analysis are considered in relationship to a two-stage design of the type used in political opinion research.
It is concluded that from the theoretical standpoint of efficiency more sophisticated
methods of determining strata configurations are more satisfactory, although they may
lead to practical problems for commercial research organisations.
The shortcomings of conventional statistical packages are discussed to
illustrate the need to de... more The shortcomings of conventional statistical packages are discussed to
illustrate the need to develop software which is able to exhibit a greater degree of
statistical expertise, thereby reducing the misuse of statistical methods by those not well versed in the art of statistical analysis. Up to now the majority of the research into
developing knowledge-based statistical software has concentrated on moving away from conventional architectures by adopting what can be termed expert systems approaches.
This paper proposes an approach which is based upon the concept of semantic modelling. By representing some of the semantic meaning of data, it is conceived that a system could examine a request to apply a statistical technique and check if the use of the chosen technique was semantically sound, 1.e. will the results obtained be meaningful. Current systems, in contrast, can only perform what can be considered as syntactic checks. The prototype system that has been implemented to explore the feasibility of such an approach is presented; the system has been designed as an enhanced variant of a conventional style, statistical package.
Various methods have been proposed for making statistical packages more intelligent. One method d... more Various methods have been proposed for making statistical packages more intelligent. One method discussed in detail in this paper is to enrich the description of the data with the relevant semantic knowledge and equip the package to make use of this knowledge. This paper reports on a research project which explored in some details the structure of this metadata and the requirements of the processing modules. In particular the nature of knowledge needed to implement a range of bivariate statistical tests is examined and the features of the necessary software to validate these tests in a standard statistical package are described. The results of a prototype application of the method are also discussed.
This article evaluates the performance of the Guttman-Kaiser criterion in determining the number ... more This article evaluates the performance of the Guttman-Kaiser criterion in determining the number of significant components or factors in a correlation matrix.
Impactof Computer Supported Technologies on Information Systems Development, 1992
Soft systems methodology (SSM) attempts to make sense of complex human activity systems. These pr... more Soft systems methodology (SSM) attempts to make sense of complex human activity systems. These problem situations are not well defined: often being described as fuzzy. Tools are not usually associated with this approach because human activity systems are difficult to model and the view of some of its proponents that tools are not appropriate to the approach. In this paper, we give an overview of SSM and discuss the benefits of using it. We also consider some of the issues relating to tools in the context of soft systems and describe our research in developing tools in this area.
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Thesis by paul a golder
available in most organisations but there are still major problems in turning that
data into information for management decision making. This thesis argues that
the link between decision support information and transaction processing data
should be through a common object model which reflects the real world of the
organisation and encompasses the artefacts of the information system. The CORD
(Collections, Objects, Roles and Domains) model is developed which is richer in
appropriate modelling abstractions than current Object Models. A flexible Object
Prototyping tool based on a Semantic Data Storage Manager has been developed
which enables a variety of models to be stored and experimented with. A
statistical summary table model COST (Collections of Objects Statistical Table)
has been developed within CORD and is shown to be adequate to meet the
modelling needs of Decision Support and Executive Information Systems. The
COST model is supported by an statistical table creator and editor COSTed which
is also built on top of the Object Prototyper and uses the CORD model to manage
its metadata.
Papers by paul a golder
poll organisations are typically based upon the multi-stage principle. Equally typical is
the presence of some element of stratification in the first and/or the second stages of the design.
The sampling variance consequences of this type of design are considered in this
paper and a range of approaches to the construction of Stratification factors are
explored and compared.
In particular, the relative merits and limitations of a priori k-variable factorial
standard stratification designs and those based on principal component and cluster
analysis are considered in relationship to a two-stage design of the type used in political opinion research.
It is concluded that from the theoretical standpoint of efficiency more sophisticated
methods of determining strata configurations are more satisfactory, although they may
lead to practical problems for commercial research organisations.
co-author - Keith A Yeomans
illustrate the need to develop software which is able to exhibit a greater degree of
statistical expertise, thereby reducing the misuse of statistical methods by those not well versed in the art of statistical analysis. Up to now the majority of the research into
developing knowledge-based statistical software has concentrated on moving away from conventional architectures by adopting what can be termed expert systems approaches.
This paper proposes an approach which is based upon the concept of semantic modelling. By representing some of the semantic meaning of data, it is conceived that a system could examine a request to apply a statistical technique and check if the use of the chosen technique was semantically sound, 1.e. will the results obtained be meaningful. Current systems, in contrast, can only perform what can be considered as syntactic checks. The prototype system that has been implemented to explore the feasibility of such an approach is presented; the system has been designed as an enhanced variant of a conventional style, statistical package.
available in most organisations but there are still major problems in turning that
data into information for management decision making. This thesis argues that
the link between decision support information and transaction processing data
should be through a common object model which reflects the real world of the
organisation and encompasses the artefacts of the information system. The CORD
(Collections, Objects, Roles and Domains) model is developed which is richer in
appropriate modelling abstractions than current Object Models. A flexible Object
Prototyping tool based on a Semantic Data Storage Manager has been developed
which enables a variety of models to be stored and experimented with. A
statistical summary table model COST (Collections of Objects Statistical Table)
has been developed within CORD and is shown to be adequate to meet the
modelling needs of Decision Support and Executive Information Systems. The
COST model is supported by an statistical table creator and editor COSTed which
is also built on top of the Object Prototyper and uses the CORD model to manage
its metadata.
poll organisations are typically based upon the multi-stage principle. Equally typical is
the presence of some element of stratification in the first and/or the second stages of the design.
The sampling variance consequences of this type of design are considered in this
paper and a range of approaches to the construction of Stratification factors are
explored and compared.
In particular, the relative merits and limitations of a priori k-variable factorial
standard stratification designs and those based on principal component and cluster
analysis are considered in relationship to a two-stage design of the type used in political opinion research.
It is concluded that from the theoretical standpoint of efficiency more sophisticated
methods of determining strata configurations are more satisfactory, although they may
lead to practical problems for commercial research organisations.
co-author - Keith A Yeomans
illustrate the need to develop software which is able to exhibit a greater degree of
statistical expertise, thereby reducing the misuse of statistical methods by those not well versed in the art of statistical analysis. Up to now the majority of the research into
developing knowledge-based statistical software has concentrated on moving away from conventional architectures by adopting what can be termed expert systems approaches.
This paper proposes an approach which is based upon the concept of semantic modelling. By representing some of the semantic meaning of data, it is conceived that a system could examine a request to apply a statistical technique and check if the use of the chosen technique was semantically sound, 1.e. will the results obtained be meaningful. Current systems, in contrast, can only perform what can be considered as syntactic checks. The prototype system that has been implemented to explore the feasibility of such an approach is presented; the system has been designed as an enhanced variant of a conventional style, statistical package.