Quality Of Information Flow Research Articles

Employee Involvement in Internal Communication Activities PT. Pertamina Hulu Energi

Employee involvement is important for a company, where it shows how responsive employees are to the programs created by the company for its employees. How responsive employees are to an activity held by the company's internal communications is also a good record for the internal communications department. This research aims to examine employee involvement at PT. Pertamina Hulu Energiin programs held by the company's internal communications. The research was conducted using descriptive quantitative methods by distributing questionnaires to 470 employees spread throughout Indonesia and also from international branches. The research results show that employee involvement in activities held by the internal organization is very necessary to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of these activities. Communication channels also play a role in the effectiveness of delivering messages to reach employees. How to ensure that messages are well received by employees also requires a good strategy. By integrating internal communications strategies with employee engagement factors such as a participative culture, a supportive communications climate, and the quality of information flow, organizations can build a solid framework that strengthens consistency and synergy between internal communications and employee engagement.

Situational Awareness in Construction Using a Serious Game

Production planners in construction face several problems related to the lack of information regarding construction project status, changes to resource availability, instability in production rates, design changes, and limited situational awareness (SA). Poor SA leads to uninformed and suboptimal resource allocation decisions. As a result, the construction workflow is negatively affected, degrading project performance. This study focuses specifically on possible relationships between production planners’ SA and the resulting workflow quality. Such understanding can lead to the development of measures to improve production management in construction. Interviews with diverse production planners highlighted the nature of the information needed, issues related to the lack of SA, and the effect on workflow. A serious roleplaying game was devised to measure the correlation between production planners’ SA and workflow, and 14 live simulation experiments were conducted with two teams of nine players each. Finally, a qualitative analysis of the information flow configurations applied in the experiments evaluated the expected effects of information flows in the live experiment. The study found a positive correlation between the quality of information flow and workflow in construction, indicating causation in line with theoretical expectations. Specifically, free communication among planners together with management tools such as formal weekly work planning and a digital planning tool reduced the assembly time, working time, and non-value-added time of the subcontractors in the experiments. Good information flows among production planners and an up-to-date jobsite status diminish uncertainty and increase SA, which lead to improved workflow and productivity.

The Role of University Library in the Development of Information Culture of Students Studying Journalism

The article is devoted to identifying the role of a university library in the formation of professional competencies of students studying journalism. The relevance lies in the reduction of information competencies of mass media specialists, which affects not only the quality of information flows, but also the development of the audience, contributing to the creation and spread of misconceptions and factual errors. The purpose of the study is to determine the degree of influence of the library on the formation of elements of information culture among students in the direction of training “Journalism”. The author identifies the main problems that arise when students work with library technologies, and presents ways to solve them. The author implemented an experiment on the formation of the foundations of library and information literacy in the context of developing professional reading skills, and presented recommendations for conducting classes with first-year students. This study may be of interest to teachers who train specialists in the field of mass media, for employees of university libraries, as well as for specialists working with juniors in the framework of career guidance projects.

Performance Improvement in Manufacturing Shop Floor Operations of Developing Countries Based on Three Characteristics of Information Flow

The management of information flow for production improvement has always been a target in the research. In this paper, the focus is on the analysis model of the characteristics of information flow in shop floor operations based on the influence that dimension (support or medium), direction and the quality information flow have on the value of information flow using machine learning classification algorithms. The obtained results of classification algorithms used to analyze the value of information flow are Decision Trees (DT) and Random Forest (RF) with a score of 0.99% and the mean absolute error of 0.005. The results also show that the management of information flow using DT or RF shows that, the dimension of information such as digital information has the greatest value of information flow in shop floor operations when the shop floor is totally digitalized. Direction of information flow does not have any great influence on shop floor operations processes when the operations processes are digitalized or done by operators as machines.

Factors of acceptance of electronic procurement system and user satisfaction in small and medium businesses in Kermanshah province

Electronic procurement is one of the most important tools of e-commerce that mechanizes the activity of purchasing and supply in organizations using Internet technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting the continuity of the use of electronic procurement system and user satisfaction based on the quality acceptance model of technology in small and medium active rural industries in Kermanshah province. The method was quantitative and regression study. The statistical population consisted of users of small and medium rural industries in Kermanshah province, and 284 people were selected as the study sample by simple random method based on Cochran's sample size determination table. The research tool was a standard questionnaire. The reliability of this tool was determined by Cronbach's alpha of 0.86. Exploratory factor analysis, structural equations, and path coefficient testing with PLS software were used to analyze the data. Employees' perceptions of procurement services on the satisfaction of electronic procurement system and perceived usefulness, ease of use, satisfaction of the system, online ordering process, perceived usefulness, quality of completion of procurement orders, quality of information flow and It makes sense. According to the results of this study and knowledge of the variables affecting the acceptance of favors, it is possible to plan carefully and increase readiness, as well as the successful use of these systems in the community.

Managing information flow and design processes to reduce design risks in offsite construction projects

PurposeFollowing the increasing need for faster construction, improved quality and evidence value propositions, offsite construction is increasingly being proffered as a viable contender to “traditional” construction approaches. However, whilst evidence supports the move towards offsite, its uptake has been lower than expected. Whilst the precise reasons for this seem to be influenced by a number of issues, including contextual drivers and market maturity; some project stakeholders also view offsite as carrying greater risks. The purpose of this paper is to report on the quality of information flow, in particular, the impact and influence of this on design risks in offsite construction projects.Design/methodology/approachAn existing design risk framework is used as the point of departure for this research. This is further expanded into a specific model for evaluating offsite construction projects design risks, the rubrics of which were informed by two case studies of offsite construction projects in Australia and the UK analysed with a process-tracing technique. Whilst these cases were geographically separated, the constructs were aligned to uncover fundamental design information requirements and concomitant risks associated with offsite.FindingsThe findings of the research reported in this paper include the crucial information feeding into the design process emanating from the lifecycle of offsite construction projects, namely, design, offsite (manufacturing), handling and transporting, site works and installation and also occupancy. These are contextualised within the four categories, namely, client requirements, project requirements, regulation aspects and social aspects and the final outcomes were summarised into a holistic diagram.Originality/valueGiven that the offsite construction has shifted the working paradigm into assigning a significant level of efforts and emphasis at the front end of the construction projects, the importance of its design process and hence design risks management has gone up significantly in construction projects delivered using this technique. This research and paper contributes significantly to the built environment domain by identifying the crucial aspects along the project lifecycle to be considered to minimise the potential occurrence of design risks and hence increasing the confidence of project stakeholders in adopting offsite construction techniques in their projects.

Improving the quality of the information flow among top managers

Purpose of the paper: The paper aims to identify the factors that can affect the quality of horizontal information flows at top management level and suggest a method for their removal. Methodology: From a theoretical perspective that draws from studies on managerial information systems, on top management horizontal communication and on total quality management, a method (narrative action research method, NARM) has been proposed, which is based on the direct involvement of the participants in the flow, in this specific case top managers. The method has been tested on 18 large organizations. Individual interviews of top managers and collective meetings with them were set up to assess their degree of satisfaction in relation to the quality of the flow. Findings: This method has allowed to find that the factors which the quality of the information flow depends on are mainly organizational-relational in nature, thus highlighting the circular causality relationship between the quality of the information flow and organizational well-being. Research implications: From a theoretical-conceptual viewpoint, this study has focused on the issue of the strategic information flow and its problems from a relational perspective that appears to have received less consideration in literature. Practical implications: The method has proved effective in improving the quality of the process, with benefits in terms not only of decision-making capacity but also of organizational climate. Originality of the paper: The method is the result of the original combination of the action research principles of change promotion and narration and problem solving techniques, which are respectively at the base of role-playing and quality circles.

IFRS and Secrecy: Assessing Accounting Value Relevance Across Africa

AbstractWe examine the value relevance of accounting across several African countries and test whether IFRS improved the value association of earnings and equity book values. We report a stronger valuation association between accounting and stock prices in African countries classified as having a secrecy culture. This increases after IFRS and more so for earnings. On the other hand, IFRS induced a stronger increase in the book value coefficient in the less secretive and more developed South African market. We surmise that the more conceptual focus of IFRS induced an increased demand for higher‐quality accounting professionals, which had a filtering‐down effect of improving quality information flow and breaking down the secrecy culture. Our research highlights the diverse impacts of IFRS and the role of culture, asset markets and accounting professionalism, in driving the relevance of accounting components across Africa.

Strategic Waiting for Consumer-Generated Quality Information: Dynamic Pricing of New Experience Goods

In this paper, we study the impact of consumer-generated quality information (e.g., consumer reviews) on a firm’s dynamic pricing strategy in the presence of strategic consumers. Such information is useful, not only to the consumers that have not yet purchased the product but also to the firm. The informativeness of the consumer-generated quality information depends, however, on the volume of consumers who share their opinions and, thus, depends on the initial sales volume. Hence, via its initial price, the firm not only influences its revenue but also controls the quality information flow over time. The firm may either enhance or dampen the quality information flow via increasing or decreasing initial sales. The corresponding pricing strategy to steer the quality information flow is not always intuitive. Compared to the case without consumer-generated quality information, the firm may reduce the initial sales and lower the initial price. Interestingly, the firm may get strictly worse off due to the consumer-generated quality information. Even when the firm benefits from consumer-generated quality information, it may prefer less accurate information. Consumer surplus can also decrease due to the consumer-generated quality information, contrary to the conventional wisdom that word of mouth should help consumers. We examine extensions of our model that incorporate capacity investment, firm’s private information about quality, alternative updating mechanisms, as well as multiple sales periods, and show that our insights are robust. This paper was accepted by Yossi Aviv, operations management.

Stakeholder participation and the use of web technology for MPA management

Stakeholder participation has received increased attention as a key process for enhancing mitigation of conflicts between different interests for the same resources and transparent decision-making in marine protected areas (MPAs). A wide range of advanced web tools is available nowadays that integrate stakeholder participation by generating new information and allow interaction between actors in MPA management. However, such technologies are frequently used without much consideration regarding the complexity of the decision to be made and the heterogeneity of stakeholder preferences and understanding in order to be related to these technologies. In order to understand how technology corresponds to the changing needs of MPA management, we have reviewed a range of different participation strategies adopted by web technology, based on a set of criteria that define a successful participation approach. We start from simple towards more sophisticated tools that have been developed worldwide in order to better inform decisions, and contribute to more effective and efficient MPA management. Finally, we draw a theoretical framework for the development of a community-based web tool with the capacity to incorporate the philosophy of stakeholder participation by generating new and high quality information flow for effective MPA management.

Stakeholder participation and the use of web technology for MPA management

Stakeholder participation has received increased attention as a key process for enhancing mitigation of conflicts between different interests for the same resources and transparent decision-making in marine protected areas (MPAs). A wide range of advanced web tools is available nowadays that integrate stakeholder participation by generating new information and allow interaction between actors in MPA management. However, such technologies are frequently used without much consideration regarding the complexity of the decision to be made and the heterogeneity of stakeholder preferences and understanding in order to be related to these technologies. In order to understand how technology corresponds to the changing needs of MPA management, we have reviewed a range of different participation strategies adopted by web technology, based on a set of criteria that define a successful participation approach. We start from simple towards more sophisticated tools that have been developed worldwide in order to better inform decisions, and contribute to more effective and efficient MPA management. Finally, we draw a theoretical framework for the development of a community-based web tool with the capacity to incorporate the philosophy of stakeholder participation by generating new and high quality information flow for effective MPA management.

Defects tracking in mass customisation production using defects tracking matrix combined with principal component analysis

One of the most important quality control tools for mass customisation production (MCP) is defects tracking. Classical statistical process control and design of experiment technologies are not useful for MCP quality control due to the extensive difference in organisational structures, values, management roles and systems, learning and training techniques and customer relations with the traditional mass production. Defects tracking work is often affected by the frequent reconfiguration of the production line and the interruption of the quality information flow. The purpose of this research is to develop an effective and efficient tool for defects tracking in MCP. A defect tracking matrix (DTM) based on house of quality is constructed to directly connect manufacturing technologies with quality defects within a production module. An AHP method is employed and a new correlation coefficients calculation algorithm is proposed to build the ‘house’. The matrix, which is called ‘defect-gene matrix’, contains core defects and manufacturing technologies extracted from DTM by using principle component analysis. The defect-gene matrix can identify and track defects in mass customisation production without being affected by the frequent reconfiguration of the production line and the interruption of the quality information flow. The application revealed that the proposed DTM and defect-gene matrix was an effective and efficient tool for defects tracking in MCP. The defect-gene matrix brings a novel idea to defects tracking. The results of this research will help systematically in defects tracking in MCP.

Strategic Waiting for Consumer-Generated Quality Information: Dynamic Pricing of New Experience Goods

In this paper, we study the impact of consumer-generated quality information (e.g., consumer reviews) on a firm's dynamic pricing strategy in presence of strategic consumers. Such information is useful, not only to the consumers that have not yet purchased the product, but also to the firm. The informativeness of the consumer-generated quality information depends, however, on the volume of consumers who share their opinions and, thus, depends on the initial sales volume. Hence, via its initial price, the firm not only influences its revenue but also controls the quality information flow over time. The firm may either enhance or dampen the quality information flow via increasing or decreasing initial sales. The corresponding pricing strategy to steer the quality information flow is not always intuitive. Compared to the case without consumer-generated quality information, the firm may reduce the initial sales and lower the initial price. Interestingly, the firm may get strictly worse off due to the consumer-generated quality information. Even when the firm benefits from consumer-generated quality information, it may prefer less accurate information. Finally, consumer surplus can also decrease due to the consumer-generated quality information, contrary to the conventional wisdom that word-of-mouth should help consumers.

Entropy Model on the System Management Structure Order Degree Evaluation

The management structure that the paper discussed is from the equipment maintenance unit. The structure is the base and support system of the unit. The optima design of the structure possess the basal position in unit management .Based on the theory of entropy, this paper analyses the influence of system management structure on the system information flow. It evaluated the order degree of system management structure in view of information, introduced two concepts: time- effect and quality of information flow and established the Time Effect-Quality Model (TEQM). With TEQM, it is possible to optimize and quantitatively evaluate the system management structure. In addition, the paper also supplies detailed calculating steps of order degree of system management structure, and provides an example at the end.

Partilha de informação de enfermagem: dimensões do Papel de Prestador de Cuidados

Background: the quality and continuity of nursing care depend on the quality of information flows between different contexts of care. Objectives: to analyz...

From Rural Women’s Groups to the World:

This paper explores the contribution that information and communication technologies (ICTs) make to regional development. ICTs offer the potential to improve the quality of information flow within regional settings. This research investigates the impact that ICTs have at the regional level, and the role they play in developing local, regional and global networks. The ICT networks are themselves affected by local regional culture and this research examines the recursive relationship between the soft networks created by social capital and hard ICT based networks. The setting for this research is regional New Zealand. One urban and one rural region have been studied over the twenty year period, from 1985 to 2005. In the regional setting tacit or soft knowledge is built up through networks such as “Women in Dairying” and “Grey Power”. Social interaction and the exchange of information are easier and cheaper in the regional context. Within the regional setting these soft social networks interact with hard ICT based networks, and when brought together they can facilitate both national and international information flows. A historical approach has been used to plot the development of both soft and hard networks in the two contrasting regions. In terms of soft networks New Zealand became more culturally diverse and liberal especially in the urban areas. Social capital in terms of volunteering and membership of community groups was high throughout the period though its form changed. As the country worked on developing new global trading links with new partners in Asia, there was a parallel fast take up of new ICTs such as the Internet which offered the opportunity to overcome some of the barriers created by the geographic remoteness of New Zealand. The focus of this paper will be on the interplay between these soft social networks and the hard ICT based networks and the role they play in establishing national and global linkages.

The Fuzzy Front‐End of Discontinuous Innovation: Insights for Research and Management

In an article by Reid and de Brentani, a theoretical model of the process and structure for the fuzzy front‐end (FFE) of new product development (NPD) for discontinuous innovations was proposed. Its basic premise is that information flow in the early development of such innovations moves from the environment into the firm, facilitated by individuals playing three key roles at three decision‐making interfaces: (1) the boundary spanner at the boundary interface, (2) the gatekeeper at the gatekeeping interface, and (3) what is identified in this paper as the “project broker” at the project interface. The current paper builds on and augments the ideas presented in this theoretical model with the primary objective of formulating a set of propositions detailing factors affecting the flow of information, and thus role effectiveness at each of these interfaces for discontinuous innovations. The focus is on radically new innovations both because this type of innovation has the highest level of uncertainty during the FFE and because the development of products resulting from such innovations entails the greatest lack of understanding and the fewest strategies for effective management. To achieve this objective, individual, social system, and environmental factors, which promote and/or inhibit the effectiveness of the roles played during the three FFE phases, are examined in terms of both the speed and the quality of information flow. This is done with the goal of substantially improving NPD information as it proceeds through the FFE. In turn, it can help researchers, managers, and team players to better anticipate and meet the navigational challenges of this intrinsically complex, risky, but high potential, NPD scenario.

The Role of Agenda Setting in Pension Market Integration

Through a study of pension market integration, this article analyzes variation in the European Commission’s ability to use its agenda setting tools effectively. Contrasting failed and successful negotiations over European pension directives, the main argument is that efficient agenda setting in this policy area requires the Commission to build strategic coalitions, frame issues in a way that resonates with key actors, set aside internal rivalries, trim a crowded agenda, and enhance the quality of information flows regarding workplace pension reform options and limits in other countries.

An Empirical Study of Information Flows in Multidisciplinary Civil Engineering Design Teams using Lean Measures

Achieving smooth and continual flow of information among teams of independent designers is one of the central difficulties in detailed design of complex civil engineering projects. Lean production flow phenomena such as bottlenecks, rework, large batches and long cycle times are common. This research sought correlation between the degree of success achieved, in terms of design document effectiveness, meeting budget and schedule targets, and participant satisfaction, on the one hand, and the occurrence of information flow problems, on the other. Extensive data describing the communication of design documents between team members were collected in the detailed design phase of 14 civil engineering projects, all of which were part of a major airport construction project. The degree of effectiveness of the design documents, the extent to which budget and schedule targets were met, and participants' evaluations of their success were measured. The results confirm positive correlation between the quality of information flows and the effectiveness of design documents, and confirm that unstable information flows are associated with unpredictable project outcomes. No correlation was found between information flow problems and design managers' subjective views of the processes, nor between their performance evaluations and their fulfilment of budget or schedule targets.

Improving Safety in Radiation Oncology through the Development and Testing of IHE Radiation Oncology Integration Profiles

The planning and delivery of radiation oncology treatments have increased in complexity at a rapid rate over the past decade. As a consequence, our ability to insure the safety and quality of information flow through the process has diminished, requiring significant increases in personnel, time, and resources in order to achieve a clinically acceptable treatment environment. In response to this challenge, Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) efforts in radiation oncology (IHE-RO) have focused on identifying significant issues, developing solutions, and testing them in clinically realistic environments.