Dissertations / Theses: 'Decision making tools'

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Lu, Jingyan 1971. "Supporting medical decision making with collaborative tools." Thesis, McGill University, 2007. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=103266.

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This study examines the decision-making activities and communicative activities of two groups participating in a simulated medical emergency activity: the control group (CG) using a traditional whiteboard and the experimental group (EG) using a structured interactive whiteboard. The two groups differ in that the EG has a structured template to annotate and share their arguments with each other. Data analysis of the decision-making activities focused on planning, data collecting, managing, and interpreting patient data. Data analysis of the communicative activities focused on informative, argumentative, elicitative, responsive, and directive acts. In the early stage of decision-making the EG spent significantly more time interpreting the situation and less time managing the patient than the CG; in the later stage the EG spent significantly more time managing the patient but less time interpreting the situation. No significant results were found in communicative activities due to low cell frequencies of the utterances. Qualitative results indicated that shared visualizations can disambiguate and clarify verbal interactions and promote productive argumentation and negotiation activities. Shared cognition facilitates the construction of shared situation models and joint problem spaces which lead to better decision making and problem solving.

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Rick, Christian. "Computers as tools for ethical decision making." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informationsteknologi, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-252088.

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ew technology gives rise to new moral problems and dilemmas. We can therefore no longer be sure that our previously collected moral knowledge for dealing with everyday life situations applies to the new situations that arise as a consequence of modern technology. Thus we are forced to seek new answers and to re-examine the foundations of our moral reasoning. To find these new answers we need an autonomous approach to moral problem solving. Education can help increase the moral awareness in computer professionals by training them in disregarding moral fixations and automatic reactions, instead solving the problem using critical thinking and consideration of all values, interests, feelings, duties, needs, and beliefs of all those somehow involved. As a complement to education various support systems can be implemented to help professionals solve moral problems much in the same way as with normal problem solving. Some of these methods are suitable for computerization, creating a moral computer not as a moral authority or a set of guidelines but as an application that guides the user in a process of autonomy, helping the decision maker to make autonomous decisions. Three different approaches to creating a computerized tool for ethical decision- making were prototyped, tested, and evaluated resulting in an indication that such a tool has its merits and can offer benefits over a pen and paper method.

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Simoes, Alexander James Gaspar. "The observatory : designing data-driven decision making tools." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76532.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2012. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-56). Creative usages of graphics to encode information date back to at least the beginnings of the industrial revolution. It is also around that same time that a gap between the wealthiest of nations and least begins to develop. How can we use techniques of visualization complimented with vast amounts of data to provide a lens by which we may understand economic development? The amount of computing power and data available at our finger tips is increasing everyday. This thesis will introduce The Observatory as a tool that combines big data with interactive visualizations as a means for discerning the patterns found in economic development over the past 50 years. The tool draws on influences from other interactive visualizations tools as well as theory and literature from the field of complexity economics. The impact of this tool has already begun to emerge with its proliferation online and usage by experts in the field of development economics. by Alexander James Gaspar Simoes. S.M.

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Dowling, Karilynn, Nicholas E. Hagemeier, Daniel Hartung, and Nicole O'Kane. "Tools and Training to Optimize Pharmacist Decision-Making." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2017. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/1412.

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The next presentation will examine common gray areas of community pharmacy practice. For example: under what circumstances do pharmacists fill early, transferred controlled substance prescriptions for out-of-town patients; when do pharmacists sell syringes to patients without proof of medical need; and how do pharmacists determine that a buprenorphine prescriber is acting in a patient's best interest? These and other ethical or legal dilemmas challenge pharmacists as they try to balance identifying and preventing potential drug abuse and diversion with providing evidence-based, quality patient care. Based on data from pharmacists and pharmacy students, as well as established theory, presenters will describe typical approaches to decision-making. Multiple pharmacy cases will be discussed. Participants will learn how to integrate best-practice patient care systematically into common practice scenarios.

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Abdel, Moteleb Moustafa. "Risk Based Decision Making Tools for Sewer Infrastructure Management." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1282051778.

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DeTar, Charles (Charles Frederick). "InterTwinkles : online tools for non-hierarchical, consensus-oriented decision making." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/91432.

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Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2013. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages [165]-173). Non-hierarchical, participatory, consensus-based decision making has seen an explosion in popularity in recent years. The traditional techniques of formal consensus, however, are limited to face-to-face meetings, which can limit organizations' capacity due to their time and cost. InterTwinkles is a set of integrated but composable online tools designed to assist small and medium-sized groups in engaging in formal group decision making processes online. In this thesis, I present a thorough investigation of the ethical and practical motivations for consensus decision making, and relate these to concerns of control and autonomy in the design of online systems. I describe the participatory and iterative design process for building an online platform for consensus, with particular attention to the practical constraints of real-world groups with mixed technical aptitude. I present the results of a three month field trial with six cooperative groups in the Boston area, and evaluate the results through the lens of adaptive structuration theory, with particular attention on the fit between the ethical motivations and performance outcomes. by Charles DeTar. Ph. D.

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Hedin, Nathalie, and Adrian Zander. "Using KPIs in decision-making tools in the construction industry." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för elektroteknik och datavetenskap (EECS), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-253805.

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The construction industry has a great opportunity to streamline its operations even more by making greater use of the digital revolution. The industry today uses a lot of manual data management and analysis to get an overview of the business and to make decisions. This can be a time-consuming process that could be made more efficient through Business Intelligence (BI). BI is a technology that automatically, with the help of selected Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), shows the current status of how a business performs. This can allow managers and executives to make decisions easier and faster.This study examines which KPIs that are of common interest to companies and organizations in the construction industry as well as how these KPIs can be presented to the end users of a BI application. To investigate this, data is collected through literature studies and interviews, which results in a list of common KPIs for the industry. From this common list, a number of KPIs are selected to be visually represented.An analysis of the results, indicates that KPIs are of different importance and relevance depending on which sector of the construction industry the interviewee belongs to. There also appears to be sector-specific KPIs and the common list suggests that the profit margin is of great importance throughout the whole industry. KPIs can be represented in different types of charts and diagrams, depending on the purpose they hold, and should be designed so that they are intuitive and easy to understand. Bygg- och hantverksbranschen har stor möjlighet att effektivisera sin verksamhet ännu mer genom att i större utsträckning utnyttja den digitaliserade utvecklingen. Branschen använder idag mycket manuell datahantering och manuell dataanalys för att få en överblick över verksamheten och ta beslut. Detta kan vara en tidskrävande process, som skulle kunna effektiviseras ytterligare genom Business Intelligence (BI). BI är en teknologi som automatiskt, med hjälp av valda nyckeltal (KPI:er), visar aktuell status på hur en verksamhet presterar. Detta kan göra att beslutsfattare kan fatta beslut enklare och snabbare.Denna studie undersöker vilka nyckeltal som är av gemensamt intresse för företag och organisationer i byggoch hantverksbranschen samt hur dessa nyckeltal kan presenteras för slutanvändarna av en BI-applikation. För att ta reda på detta samlas data in genom litteraturstudier och intervjuer, vilket resulterar i en lista över gemensamma KPI:er i branchen. Ur denna lista handplockas ett antal nyckeltal ut för att representeras visuellt.En analys av resultaten indikerar att nyckeltal är av olika vikt och relevans, beroende på vilken sektortillhörighet av byggoch hantverksbranschen den intervjuade tillhör. Det verkar även finnas sektorspecifika KPI:er samt att listan med de branchgemensamma nyckeltalen antyder att vinstmarginal är av stor vikt. KPI:er kan representeras i olika typer av diagram beroende på vilket syfte de innehar och bör designas så att de är intuitiva och lättförståeliga.

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BELLINGERI, ANDREA. "WHOLE FARM DECISION MAKING AND TOOLS FOR DAIRY FARMS PROFITABILITY." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/72496.

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Nel tentativo di rispondere alle richieste della società per lo sviluppo sostenibile, i sistemi agricoli di tutto il mondo devono affrontare sfide ambientali, tecniche ed economiche. I raccolti irregolari, i prezzi fluttuanti delle materie prime e l'impatto delle attività agricole sull'ambiente sono preoccupazioni crescenti. Le tendenze demografiche effettive e i maggiori costi energetici potrebbero complicare ulteriormente lo scenario nel prossimo futuro. La ricerca sta affrontando queste sfide lavorando su sistemi di allevamento e zootecnia più sostenibili e rispettosi dell'ambiente in grado di fornire sia alti livelli di produttività che sostenibilità economica per gli agricoltori. Per ottenere un effetto, le innovazioni derivate dalla ricerca devono essere implementate a livello di azienda agricola. Tuttavia, a causa delle relazioni tra i vari elementi del bestiame nel sistema di produzione lattiero-casearia, la diversità delle aziende agricole anche in una piccola area rende complessa la piena attuazione di tali raccomandazioni. Abbiamo scoperto che pochissimi studi tentano di affrontare i tre componenti principali dei sistemi di produzione di caseifici (bestiame, terreni coltivati, mercato e materie prime) all'interno di un unico quadro di ricerca. Abbiamo quindi sviluppato un quadro collegando le caratteristiche e le esigenze del bestiame, le caratteristiche dei terreni coltivati e le opportunità di mercato per sostenere il piano di coltivazione e la gestione nutrizionale a livello aziendale al fine di massimizzare i profitti e ridurre i costi di produzione del latte. Abbiamo scoperto che il costo reale di produzione in loco dei principali foraggi coltivati presenta un'elevata variabilità tra le aziende agricole e che una strategia decisionale dedicata al piano colturale è un modo adatto per migliorare le IOFC (reddito sul costo dell'alimentazione) a livello di azienda agricola. In trying to respond to the society demands for sustainable development, environmental, technical and economic challenges are faced by farming systems worldwide. Irregular crop yields, fluctuating commodities prices, and the impact of agricultural activities on the environment are growing concerns. Actual demographic trends and higher energy costs are likely to further complicate the scenario in the near future. Research is facing these challenges by working on more sustainable and environmental friendly cropping and livestock systems able to provide both high productivity levels and economical sustainability for farmers. To obtain an effect, innovations derived from the research, has to implemented at the farm level. However, due to the relationships between the various elements of the cropping-livestock in the dairy production system, the farms diversity even in a small area, make the fully implementation of such recommendations complex. We found that very few studies attempt to address the three main components of the dairy farm production systems (livestock, crop land, market and commodities) within a single research framework. We therefore developed a framework by connecting livestock characteristics and requirement, crop land characteristics and market opportunities to support cropping plan and nutritional management at the farm level in order to maximize profit and reducing milk costs of production. We found that home-grown real cost of production of the main forages cultivated has a high variability among farms and that a dedicated crop plan decision making strategy is a suitable way to improve IOFC (Income Over Feed Cost) at the farm level.

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Valente, Patrick. "Software tools for the investigation of stochastic programming problems." Thesis, Brunel University, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.270578.

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Sequeira, Movin. "Developing decision-support tools for evaluation of manufacturing reshoring decisions." Licentiate thesis, Tekniska Högskolan, Jönköping University, JTH, Industriell produktutveckling, produktion och design, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-48263.

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During last three decades, companies have offshored their manufacturing activities across international borders in order to pursue lower manufacturing costs. Despite having accomplished their purpose, companies have also suffered from issues, especially poor quality of products and a poor response to customer demand. Therefore, companies consider relocating some of the manufacturing activities back to the home country, a process that is known as manufacturing reshoring. There is paucity of scholarly attention on how manufacturing reshoring decisions are evaluated and supported. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to develop decision-support tools to evaluate manufacturing reshoring decisions. In order to fulfil this, it is important to know how industry experts reason while making manufacturing reshoring decisions (RQ1), and how their reasoning can be modeled into decision-support tools (RQ2). Therefore, three studies were conducted including a multiple case study and two modeling studies. The multiple case study addressed the criteria that are considered by the industry experts in these decisions, while the two modeling studies, based on fuzzy logic and analytical hierarchy process (AHP), used a part of these criteria to develop decision-support tools. The findings indicate that a holistic set of criteria were considered by industry experts in arriving at a manufacturing reshoring decision. A large portion of these criteria occur within competitive priority category and among them, high importance is given to quality, while low importance to sustainability. Fuzzy logic modeling was used to model the criteria from the perspective of competitive priority at an overall level. Three fuzzy logic concepts were developed to capture industry experts’ reasoning and facilitate modeling of manufacturing reshoring decisions. Furthermore, two configurations and sixteen settings were developed, of which, the best ones were identified. AHP-based tools were used to capture experts’ reasoning of the competitive priority criteria by comparing the criteria. It was observed that fuzzy logic-based tools are able to better emulate industry experts’ reasoning of manufacturing reshoring. This research contributes to theory with a holistic framework of reshoring decision criteria, and to practice with decision-support tools for evaluation of manufacturing reshoring decisions. Under de tre senaste decennierna har många företag flyttat sin produktion till lågkostnadsländer för att kunna utnyttja lägre lönekostnader. Många gånger har företagen genom denna åtgärd lyckats sänka sin tillverkningskostnad men samtidigt drabbats av oförutsedda problem kopplat till exempelvis produkt-kvalitet och möjligheten att kundanpassa produkter. Hanteringen av problemen har lett till ytterligare kostnader som många gånger överstigit besparingen i tillverkningskostnad. Detta har lett till att allt fler företag börjat flytta tillbaka sin produktion till hemlandet, så kallad reshoring. Reshoring är ett ungt område där det saknas forskning gällande bland annat hur den här typen av beslut på bästa sätt kan utvärderas och vilken typ av beslutstöd som kan underlätta den här typen av beslut. Därför är syftet med den här avhandlingen är att utveckla beslutsstödverktyg för utvärdering av reshoring beslut. För att uppfylla syftet har två forskningsfrågor formulerats. Den första frågan handlar om hur industriexperter resonerar kring reshoring beslut (RQ1) medan den andra frågan handlar om hur deras resonemang kan modelleras i beslutsstödverktyg (RQ2). Tre studier har genomförts för att besvara forskningsfrågorna, en fallstudie och två modelleringsstudier. Fallstudien fokuserar på att identifiera vilka kriterier som industriexperter beaktar medan modelleringsstudierna fokuserar på att utveckla beslutstödsverktyg där en del av dessa kriterier beaktas, med hjälp av fuzzy logic och analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Resultaten från forskningen visar att industriexperter bedömer reshoring beslut utifrån ett holistiskt perspektiv. En stor del av dessa beslutskriterier finns inom konkurrenskraft kategorin och inom dessa, har industriexperterna lagt högst vikt på kvalitet och lägst vikt på hållbarhet. Genom fuzzy logic modellering modellerades kriterierna på en övergripande nivå. Tre nya fuzzy logic koncept utvecklades för att fånga experternas resonemang. Dessutom utvecklades två konfigurationer med sexton olika inställningar, och de bästa identifierades. AHP-baserade verktyg utvecklades för att fånga experternas resonemang om kriterierna för konkurrenskraft prioriteringar. Fuzzy logic-baserade verktyg kan bättre fånga experternas resonemang kring reshoring beslut. Denna forskning bidrar till teori med en holistisk lista över beslutskriterier för reshoring beslut, och till praktik med beslutsstöd verktyg för utvärdering av reshoring beslut.

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Fletcher, Pinar Fethiye. "The Ironic Effects of Motivational Tools on Attention and Decision Making." Thesis, Harvard University, 2016. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:33493404.

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Decision makers often display bounded awareness – a tendency to miss or overlook easily accessible, critical information and contextual cues – and make suboptimal decisions. In popular parlance, these defective attentional strategies that seem astonishing with the benefit of hindsight have been described with terms such as “tunnel vision” or “wearing blinders”. In my dissertation, I examine whether certain types of motivational tools commonly used by organizations increase the tendency for bounded awareness. Specifically, using laboratory experiments, I demonstrate that winner-takes-all type of incentive schemes, social comparison, and specific and challenging goals result in excessive and rigid focusing (e.g., on performance benchmarks stated in goals and/or performing better than rivals), decrease scanning of the social context for relevant information, impair ability to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity, and negatively affect decision making performance. These findings indicate that these types of motivational tools should be used with care in managerial and higher-level work where detection of new opportunities, threats and shifts in the organizational environment are of utmost importance. Furthermore, results show that variable reward schemes, broadly-defined goals, and an emphasis on individual performance and accomplishments (compared to an emphasis on performance relative to others) are more effective in inducing flexible, sophisticated attentional strategies. In addition to contributing to the literature on motivation, goal-setting, competition and decision making, results add to a growing body of research on inattentional blindness by exploring the properties of social context (instead of the properties of the stimuli/information) that affect individuals’ ability to notice important information or contextual cues. Organizational Behavior

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ESTEBSARI, ABOUZAR. "MODELS AND TOOLS TO SUPPORT THE DECISION MAKING FOR ELECTRICITY SECURITY." Doctoral thesis, Politecnico di Torino, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11583/2595159.

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Security of power systems, as a critical infrastructure, is a global concern because continuous, reliable supply of electricity is substantial for the economy of modern countries and the well-being of people. Thus electricity security is a key concern for the utilities, the operators and the authorities in charge. From one side, the threats to the supply of electricity have changed dramatically throughout the last decade; additional to the traditional natural (lightning, flood, etc.) and accidental ones (component failure, untimely intervention of protections, etc.), new threats represented by highly organized malicious attacks needs to be considered in the light of the development of national and international terrorism and crime. Moreover, renewable energy sources and more smart equipment are being utilized extensively, the infrastructures are growing in complexity and vulnerability and in parallel, information flows and operational methods are being developed rapidly which consequently result in a huge growth in different types of emerging threats to the power system infrastructures. From another side, keeping a required level of security after materialization of threats to the power systems implies a required level of investment to secure the infrastructure. New technologies and innovation in the energy sector can greatly enhance the ability of the system to prevent and cope with security threats and incidents. Multiple available options and proposals of measures and investments need to be decided and selected for limited budgets. Therefore, there is a need for panoramic understanding of how and where to allocate limited budgets for the preparedness of the system against potential failures or ceasing the evolution of the cascades at a restrained level. The decision on the implementation of a set of selected feasible countermeasures needs to be taken through a scientific evidence based approach. Therefore, special tools are needed to support decision making process aiming at modeling the impacts of various threats, quantifying the consequences of the disruption in the supply of electricity and eventually carrying out cost/benefit trade off of the investment to improve the security level. This thesis aims to introduce a proposed framework of supporting decision making for electricity infrastructure security, whose objective is to ensure the ability of the power system to withstand some level of impacts from threats by means of the enhancement of the infrastructure. The decision needs to assess the investments, with medium/long term perspective, off-line, and carry out a tradeoff analysis between them and benefits given a proper estimation of the costs of the failure. As prerequisite, firstly threats to power system need to be classified and mapped to triggering events which directly affect the physical networks including ICT layers. A materialized threat (set of triggering events) provokes a sequence of cascading failures and counteractions in the grid. The simulation and analysis of the cascades leading to blackouts are extremely intricate due to various time scales, multiple interacting automatic and human-driving actions, and the large set of possible countermeasures. To design protective schemes, guiding investments and supporting policy decision making on reinforcing the system, the simulation of post-contingency evolution of cascading events is crucial. In this thesis, I also present a simulation framework which provides snapshots of system operational status during cascading failures, modelling both behaviors of the system and human/automatic actions, and considering the actions for minimizing load-shedding or maximizing the restoration of the unserved loads. The conceptual framework is implemented as a software tool to simulate system behaviors and actions like automatic countermeasures, human interventions and optimal operational strategies to defend and restore the system. It can be used as a key component of the decision support system to evaluate investments on the countermeasures and the potential costs of different threats. The software with its developed algorithm has been applied to study the countermeasures to enhance the security of two realistic regional EU power transmission networks.

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Galán, Martín Ángel. "Contribution to the development of mathematical programming tools to assist decision-making in sustainability problems." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/461609.

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L'activitat humana està excedint la capacitat de resposta de la Terra, el que pot tenir implicacions perjudicials per al futur benestar humà i del medi ambient. Sens dubte, severs canvis estructurals seran necessaris, el que exigeix prendre solucions eficaces davant els problemes emergents de sostenibilitat. En aquest context, aquesta tesi es centra en dues transformacions clau per re-connectar el desenvolupament humà amb el progrés sostenible: la "seguretat alimentària sostenible", desacoblant la intensificació agrícola de l'ús insostenible dels recursos; i el "model energètic sostenible", donant suport al canvi cap a una economia respectuosa amb el medi ambient. El marc metodològic consisteix a abordar diferents problemes mitjançant el desenvolupament d'eines sistemàtiques de programació matemàtica amb l'objectiu de donar suport a la presa de decisions i la formulació de polítiques conduents a la consecució del desenvolupament sostenible. Aquesta tesi doctoral inclou quatre contribucions principals en forma d'eines de decisió i suport de polítiques prou flexibles com per abordar diferents casos d'estudi. En primer lloc, es proposa una eina multiobjectiu per assignar àrees de cultiu considerant simultàniament criteris productius i mediambientals. En segon lloc, es proposa un model multiperíode per determinar plans de cultiu òptims i subsidis efectius per tal de promoure pràctiques agrícoles sostenibles. En tercer lloc, es proposa una metodologia per a analitzar la sostenibilitat que permet avaluar sistemes muticriteri i proporciona potencials millores d'acord amb els principis de la sostenibilitat. En quart lloc, es proposa un nou enfocament basat en l'optimització d'accions cooperatives amb l'objectiu de promoure i enfortir la cooperació internacional en la lluita contra el canvi climàtic La informació derivada de la investigació, com la presentada en aquesta tesi, pot tenir un paper fonamental en la transició cap a una nova era en la qual l'economia, la societat i el medi ambient coexisteixin com a pilars clau del desenvolupament sostenible. La actividades humanas están excediendo la capacidad de carga de la Tierra, lo que puede potencialmente generar implicaciones perjudiciales para el futuro bienestar humano y del medio ambiente. Sin duda son necesarios profundos cambios estructurales, lo que exige tomar soluciones eficaces ante los problemas emergentes de sostenibilidad. En este contexto, esta tesis se centra en dos transformaciones clave para reconectar el desarrollo humano con el progreso sostenible: la "seguridad alimentaria sostenible", desacoplando la intensificación agrícola del uso insostenible de los recursos; y el " modelo energético sostenible", apoyando el cambio hacia una economía respetuosa con el medio ambiente. El marco metodológico consiste en abordar distintos problemas mediante el desarrollo de herramientas sistemáticas de programación matemática cuyo objetivo es apoyar la toma de decisiones y la formulación de políticas tendentes hacia la consecución del desarrollo sostenible. La tesis incluye cuatro contribuciones principales en forma de herramientas de decisión y apoyo de políticas suficientemente flexibles para abordar diferentes casos de estudio. En primer lugar, se propone una herramienta multiobjetivo para asignar áreas de cultivo considerando simultáneamente criterios productivos y medioambientales. En segundo, se propone un modelo multiperiodo para determinar planes de cultivo óptimos y subsidios efectivos con el fin de promover prácticas agrícolas sostenibles. En tercero, se propone una metodología para realizar análisis de sostenibilidad que permite evaluar sistemas muticriterio y proporciona potenciales mejoras de acuerdo con principios de sostenibilidad. En cuarto lugar, se propone un nuevo enfoque basado en la optimización de acciones cooperativas con el objetivo de promover y fortalecer la cooperación internacional en la lucha contra el cambio climático La información derivada de la investigación, como la presentada en esta tesis, puede desempeñar un papel fundamental en la transición hacia una nueva era en la que la economía, la sociedad y el medio ambiente coexistan como pilares clave del desarrollo sostenible. Impacts from human activities are exceeding the Earth’s carrying capacity, which may lead to irreversible changes posing a serious threat to future human well-being and the environment. There is no doubt that an urgent shift is needed for sustainability, which calls for effective solutions when facing ongoing and emerging sustainability challenges. Against this background, this thesis focuses on two key structural transformations needed to reconnect the human development to sustained progress: the “food security transformation”, through decoupling the intensification of agricultural production from unsustainable use of resources; and the “clean energy transformation”, supporting the transition towards a more environmentally friendly economy. Methodologically, different sustainability issues are tackled by developing systematic mathematical programming tools aiming at supporting sustainable decision and policy-making which ultimately will lead to the development of more efficient mechanisms to foster a sustainable development. This thesis includes four major contributions in the form of decision and policy- support tools which are flexible and practical enough to address different case studies towards a more sustainable agriculture and energy future. First, a multi-objective tool is proposed which allows allocating cropping areas simultaneously maximizing the production and minimizing the environmental impact on ecosystems and resources. Second, a multi-period model is proposed which allows determining optimal cropping plans and effective subsidies to promote agricultural practices beneficial to the climate and the environment. Third, a novel methodology tailored to perform sustainability assessments is proposed which allows evaluating multi-criterion systems and providing improvements targets for such systems according to sustainability principles. Fourth, an optimised cooperative approach is proposed to promote and strengthen international cooperation in the fight against climate change. Research-based work as the one proposed herein may play a major role in the transition towards a new era where the economy, society and the environment coexist as key pillars of sustainable development.

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Kalén, Ekblad Emelie. "The Business Model House : A Study in Business Model Decision-Making Tools." Thesis, KTH, Entreprenörskap och Innovation, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-169461.

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In the world of today, constant change is the “new normal”. The context of our global economy calls for a new set of entrepreneurial leaders; leaders who embrace and diligently find the way forward for their organizations. In this context, leading decision makers need efficient tools for smart business model decision-making. (Ries, 2011) Thus, this thesis sets out to answer following questions, with the purpose to inform those seeking a fundament for advantageous business model decision-making. MAIN QUESTION: Can the Business Model Canvas be an advantageous tool for business model decision-making in large enterprises? SUB QUESTION 1: What are the limitations of the Business Model Canvas in the decision-making process? SUB QUESTION 2: What modifications might be applied to increase the relevance of the Business Model Canvas as a tool for large enterprises? To answer these questions, the thesis presents relevant theory regarding key concepts behind the business model, frameworks and tools commonly used in the startup community (the Business Model Canvas, Customer Development, Lean Startup, and Lean Canvas), as well as an overview of the concepts of strategy and dynamic capabilities. The empirical procedure begins with hybrid brainstorming sessions and in-depth interviews, and continues with a workshop and evaluation interviews and questionnaires. The empirical work is conducted with Microsoft Sweden Services’ executive leadership team, spanning a time period of approximately one month. The results are derived by reviewing the empirical findings in light of theory. In short, the results show: (1) That five out of six leadership team members regarded the Business Model Canvas (BMC) as a 4 or 5 on a 1-5 scale, ranging from “Prefer traditional tools” (e.g. a business plan), to “Prefer the BMC” (2) That the following areas where identified as “Key areas of improvement” by the leadership team (number of members considering this a key area for improvement in brackets): Connection to strategy (4/6), Connection to organizational capabilities (3/6), Connection to values (2/6), Mixing different levels of abstraction (1/6), Connection to compete (5/6), Ability to track development over time (4/6) The results are then discussed and analyzed, presenting critique of and limitations to the tools, as well as suggesting modification and a new model, The Business Model House (The BMH), which was created by this researcher and is based on following decisions: Integrate chosen aspects of the BMC and the Lean Canvas Add a foundation of values Add a ceiling of strategy Add an intersection of dynamic capabilities Add a third, optional, dimension capturing the transition between business models and innovation accounting. The purpose of these development decisions is to offer a more holistic and yet simple tool for business model decision-making.

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Emovon, Ikuobase. "Multi-criteria decision making support tools for maintenance of marine machinery systems." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3280.

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For ship systems to remain reliable and safe they must be effectively maintained through a sound maintenance management system. The three major elements of maintenance management systems are; risk assessment, maintenance strategy selection and maintenance task interval determination. The implementation of these elements will generally determine the level of ship system safety and reliability. Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) is one method that can be used to optimise maintenance management systems. However the tools used within the framework of the RCM methodology have limitations which may compromise the efficiency of RCM in achieving the desired results. This research presents the development of tools to support the RCM methodology and improve its effectiveness in marine maintenance system applications. Each of the three elements of the maintenance management system has been considered in turn. With regard to risk assessment, two Multi-Criteria Decision Making techniques (MCDM); Vlsekriterijumska Optimizacija Ikompromisno Resenje, meaning: Multi-criteria Optimization and Compromise Solution (VIKOR) and Compromise Programming (CP) have been integrated into Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) along with a novel averaging technique which allows the use of incomplete or imprecise failure data. Three hybrid MCDM techniques have then been compared for maintenance strategy selection; an integrated Delphi-Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology, an integrated Delphi-AHP-PROMETHEE (Preference Ranking Organisation METHod for Enrichment Evaluation) methodology and an integrated Delphi-AHP-TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) methodology. Maintenance task interval determination has been implemented using a MCDM framework integrating a delay time model to determine the optimum inspection interval and using the age replacement model for the scheduled replacement tasks. A case study based on a marine Diesel engine has been developed with input from experts in the field to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodologies.

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Bohlin, Sofia, and Eini Inha. "Book review: Tools and concepts for strategic decision making on Market Intelligence." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Centre for International Marketing and Entrepreneurship Research (CIMER), 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-33515.

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Simon, Lisa. "The Relationship between Knowledge Management Tools and Interprofessional Healthcare Team Decision Making." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1939.

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Rising costs and continued risks in patient care indicate that knowledge management (KM) tools have not been fully recognized in healthcare. A case study was conducted to determine how KM tools might support the decision-making process of interprofessional teams. The study was predominately qualitative with a quantitative supplemental component. A questionnaire was used to collect data; this questionnaire contained open-ended questions along with Baggs' Collaboration and Satisfaction about Care Decisions and Anderson & West's Team Climate Inventory instruments. Responses to open-ended questions were reviewed, categorized, and coded as part of the qualitative analysis. Descriptive statistics were completed from Likert scale responses. Participants were selected from existing interprofessional transitional care teams in clinics at a VA hospital; a total of 29 participants volunteered. The framework of decision making and KM was the basis for the study. The research concentrated on interprofessional teams' environment characteristics of trust, collaboration, and sharing. The intended goal of the study was to understand how satisfaction in the delivery of collaborative care decisions and the team climate might influence the success of using or implementing KM tools. Key findings included the importance of communication to support teams' knowledge sharing and collaboration; findings also revealed how the satisfaction in the patient care decision-making process may influence a team's climate for innovation, collaboration, and sharing. These insights may inform the development and implementation of healthcare KM tools. Through the use of KM tools to support clinical decision making, opportunities become available to improve patient care and reduce costs, which lead to a positive social change in minimizing the disparity in the healthcare delivery system.

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Singhal, Amod. "An evaluation methodology to ensure the success of decision support tools." Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/101149.

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Motivated by the need for an evaluation technique to help decision makers ensure the success of their computer-based decision support tools, this research explores the evaluation of decision aids from a broad organizational and managerial perspective. A review of current research identifies the need for theoretical and practical developments emphasizing: (1) evaluation techniques which can work with partial knowledge about the effect of a decision support tool on management processes, (2) a systematic way to prescribe evaluation techniques for different assessment situations, (3) evaluation techniques which provide a way to transition from one assessment situation to another, and (4) evaluation techniques which recognize that the performance of one decision support tool may depend on other decision aids used by the manager. This study complements existing theoretical research by developing seven conceptual models which identify essential evaluation parameters and their relationships. The first model explores parameters affecting the decision to evaluate. The second and third models examine the role of evaluation in ensuring success. The fourth and fifth models analyze how conclusions about success are made. The sixth model identifies components of an evaluation technique. Finally, the seventh model presents a framework for prescribing evaluation approaches. Using the seven conceptual models and previous research as its theoretical foundation, Evalu-Action, a step-by-step practical technique to ensure the success of computer-based decision support tools is developed. The technique is pilot tested and improved. Recommendations for further work are presented. M.S.

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Palmer, Vivian Julian. "Decision making improvement by effectively utilising activity-based costing and activity-based management tools." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1152.

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The aim of this study was to suggest ways to effectively utilise Activity-Based Costing and Activity-Based Managment within Eskom Transmission Southern Grid to improve decision making towards improved business and financial performance. The ultimate purpose was to assist managers and staff to implement ABC and ABM effectively for improved business and financial performance. The focus was on the following objective: To suggest ways to effectively utilise ABC & ABM within Eskom Transmission Southern Grid as to improve decision making and business financial performance. Given the selection of management tools available, instruments such as ABC and ABM are usually not implemented alone, but may be supported by one or more approaches. For this reason ABC and ABM are contrasted with several other popular instruments mentioned in the literature. The instruments are: • The value chain; • Continuous improvement; • The theory of constraints; and • Total quality management. Insight will be given to provide managers with more accurate information regarding maintenance for the Grid and tools in identifying critical bottlenecks. By applying the TOC, TQM and continuous improvement strategies, managers will be able to make improved decisions, leading to improved financial performance in the Eskom Transmission Southern Grid. iii The literature study revealed that ABC and ABM prove to be the cornerstone for informed decision making. Since organisations are highly dependent on quality information to make these informed decisions, ABC and ABM reorientate the organisation towards understanding and managing work processes thus impacting financial performance positively. ABC and ABM trace the cost of activities such as engineering and procurement to how maintenance benefits from these activities. The empirical study consisted of a structured questionnaire distributed to a sample population of engineers and managers in Eskom Transmission Southern Grid in Port Elizabeth. It was aimed at gathering information about the use of ABC and ABM within the Grid. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with financial staff in the Grid and a focus group interview with engineering staff was done. The main findings of the empirical investigation revealed that management and staff lack insight into the use of ABC and ABM and how it can be integrated with existing improvement systems within the organisation. This study is concluded with a number of recommendations. These recommendations address the shortcomings and improvements that can be made to improve the utilisation of ABC and ABM within the organisation. The recommendations address the following: • Ensuring full commitment towards organisational goals and broadening the endorsement of ABC within the organisation; • Highlighting the importance of financial performance throughout the Grid; • Training of Managers, finance staff and engineers is required for proper execution of the ABC system; • Implementers need skills and know-how of the ABC and ABM system ensuring full utilisation; • The main cost drivers are identified, prioritised and efforts channelled into these activities; • Tools such as the Theory Of Constraints and Total Quality Management from the proposed model would assist the Grid in identifying the bottlenecks of a system correctly, thus know explicitly the amount of slack capacity of each activity available during a specific time period.

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Duclos, Gosselin Louis. "How Managers Can Use Predictive Analysis and Mathematical Models as Decision Making Tools." Thesis, Université Laval, 2011. http://www.theses.ulaval.ca/2011/26771/26771.pdf.

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MONTENEGRO, ROBSON MOURAO DE ARAUJO. "TOOLS TO SUPPORT DECISION MAKING IN TRANSPORTATION BASED ON ANALYSIS OF HISTORICAL DEMAND." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2012. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=37175@1.

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A crescente competição entre as empresas ao redor do mundo tem levado à necessidade de aumento da competitividade para que as empresas possam crescer, ou, até mesmo, sobreviver. A logística, especialmente o transporte, ganhou grande importância com a globalização, onde as partes de um mesmo produto provêm de diversos países, muitas vezes distantes uns dos outros. O aumento da competição exige tomada de decisão cada vez mais rápidas e mais eficientes. Para auxiliar estas decisões são feitas análises, internas e externas à empresa, dentre elas, análises sobre a demanda histórica. Este trabalho se volta ao desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta de apoio às decisões relacionadas à gestão dos transportes, através da coleta, organização e descrição dos dados históricos armazenados. Também, neste trabalho, serão apresentadas situações de tomada de decisão, nas quais a ferramenta presta um importante auxílio. The growing competition among companies around the world has led to the need for increased competitiveness for companies can grow, or even survive. The logistics, especially transportation, gained importance with globalization, where pieces of the same product come from different countries, often distant from each other. The increase in competition requires decision-making ever faster and more efficient. To assist these decisions are made analysis, internal and external to the company, among them, analysis on historical demand. This study turns to the development of a tool to support decisions related to the transport management, through collecting, organization and description of historical data stored. Also, in this study, will be presented decision-making situations, in which the tool provides an important assistance.

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Baker, Malchus B. Jr, Barbara Hutchinson, Eric Pfirman, Michael Haseltine, and Jeffrey Schalau. "Management of Arid and Semi-Arid Watersheds: Decision-Making Tools and Technology Transfer." Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/296558.

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Kotnour, Timothy G. "The effect of lessons-learned sharing processes for organizational learning on decision-making performance." Diss., This resource online, 1995. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-02132009-170945/.

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Larsen, Håkon Thorsås. "Early decision making tools in selecting renewable energy solutions for Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB)." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for energi- og prosessteknikk, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-13493.

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The current residential building stock in Norway is organized in to groups, and sorted after number of building units. The criteria used for sorting, are criteria that affect the viability and rationality of various energy supply systems. The results from this survey forms a database where it is possible to go in and find the number of buildings sorted after region, building type, urbanity and year of construction.Based on findings from the survey and other factors affecting the applicability, a set of four energy supply systems are introduced and studied closer as possible solutions in ZEBs; District heating (DH) + PV, Bio energy (BIO) + PV, Heat pump (HP) + PV, Combined heat and power (CHP) + PV. The Zero Emission Building balance is calculated for each solution and pre-defined energy level, to determine the required on-site electricity generation from the PVs. A model is then developed to study the potential of the proposed solutions in the Norwegian residential building stock. The analysis is performed on future scenarios, which represent different development of the building stock with regards to new buildings, refurbishment and demolition. The number of buildings that can be converted to ZEBs with the investigated energy supply systems and [available roof area/floor area] are quantified. Results show uptake potential for all of the technologies in buildings with energy demand lower than 94,5 kWh/m2year, but limitations occur as soon as [available roof area/floor area] decreases from the upper limit investigated in the study (1:2). The greatest potential is shown by CHP + PV, where ZEB conversion is possible in approximately 30% of the total residential stock in year 2050. It is also observed a relative growth in the potential of DH + PV and HP + PV in small houses after year 2025 due to the estimated upgrade of energy-efficiency in the stock. In multi dwelling buildings, it is only CHP + PV and BIO + PV that show potential in both current and future stock.

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ADAMASHVILI, NINO. "Big data analytics tools for improving the decision-making process in agrifood supply chain." Doctoral thesis, Università di Foggia, 2021. https://hdl.handle.net/11369/425167.

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Introduzione: Nell'interesse di garantire una sicurezza alimentare a lungo termine di fronte a circostanze mutevoli, è necessario comprendere e considerare gli aspetti ambientali, sociali ed economici del processo di produzione. Inoltre, a causa della globalizzazione, sono stati sollevati i problemi delle lunghe filiere agroalimentari, l'asimmetria informativa, la contraffazione, la difficoltà di tracciare e rintracciare l'origine dei prodotti e le numerose questioni correlate quali il benessere dei consumatori e i costi sanitari. Le tecnologie emergenti guidano verso il raggiungimento di nuovi approcci socioeconomici in quanto consentono al governo e ai singoli produttori agricoli di raccogliere ed analizzare una quantità sempre crescente di dati ambientali, agronomici, logistici e danno la possibilità ai consumatori ed alle autorità di controllo della qualità di accedere a tutte le informazioni necessarie in breve tempo e facilmente. Obiettivo: L'oggetto della ricerca riguarda lo studio delle modalità di miglioramento del processo produttivo attraverso la riduzione dell'asimmetria informativa, rendendola disponibile alle parti interessate in un tempo ragionevole, analizzando i dati sui processi produttivi, considerando l'impatto ambientale della produzione in termini di ecologia, economia, sicurezza alimentare e qualità di cibo, costruendo delle opportunità per le parti interessate nel prendere decisioni informate, oltre che semplificare il controllo della qualità, della contraffazione e delle frodi. Pertanto, l'obiettivo di questo lavoro è quello di studiare le attuali catene di approvvigionamento, identificare le loro debolezze e necessità, analizzare le tecnologie emergenti, le loro caratteristiche e gli impatti sulle catene di approvvigionamento e fornire utili raccomandazioni all'industria, ai governi e ai policy maker. Introduction: In the interest of ensuring long-term food security and safety in the face of changing circumstances, it is interesting and necessary to understand and to take into consideration the environmental, social and economic aspects of food and beverage production in relation to the consumers’ demand. Besides, due to the globalization, the problems of long supply chains, information asymmetry, counterfeiting, difficulty for tracing and tracking back the origin of the products and numerous related issues have been raised such as consumers’ well-being and healthcare costs. Emerging technologies drive to achieve new socio-economic approaches as they enable government and individual agricultural producers to collect and analyze an ever-increasing amount of environmental, agronomic, logistic data, and they give the possibility to the consumers and quality control authorities to get access to all necessary information in a short notice and easily. Aim: The object of the research essentially concerns the study of the ways for improving the production process through reducing the information asymmetry, making it available for interested parties in a reasonable time, analyzing the data about production processes considering the environmental impact of production in terms of ecology, economy, food safety and food quality and build the opportunity for stakeholders to make informed decisions, as well as simplifying the control of the quality, counterfeiting and fraud. Therefore, the aim of this work is to study current supply chains, to identify their weaknesses and necessities, to investigate the emerging technologies, their characteristics and the impacts on supply chains, and to provide with the useful recommendations the industry, governments and policymakers.

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Low, Lenora W. Y. "Promoting Shared Decision Making Through Patient Education of Labor Inductions." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1905.

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The induction of labor is medically indicated for many conditions in which delivering the baby outweighs the risk of continuing the pregnancy. Patients admitted for the induction of labor require adequate information to actively participate in decision making that affects their plan of care. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve the quality of healthcare delivery and promote patient engagement by providing consistent education using a teaching tool. The project question addressed the impact of a labor-induction teaching tool on improving patient education, participation, and overall satisfaction. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model was used to plan, implement, and evaluate the labor-induction teaching tool in a 9-room labor and delivery unit that averages approximately 1,500 births per year. The teaching tool content was obtained from existing patient education information from the organization's resource library. The nurses piloted the teaching tool for all patients admitted for the induction of labor for 3 weeks. Patient comments supported the use of the teaching tool to improve knowledge, increase participation in decision making, and enhance overall satisfaction. The nurses voluntarily completed an online survey that indicated the teaching tool was easy to use, positively impacted workflow, and supported informed choice. Patient charts were audited and showed a 94% compliance with documentation of education. The success of the teaching tool in improving patient education and decision-making capacity supports the development of other teaching tools, encourages patient and family-centered care, and improves the delivery of quality care.

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Kizito, Frank. "Development of Decision Support Tools for Urban Water Supply Management in Uganda." Licentiate thesis, Stockholm : Mark- och vattenteknik, Land and Water Resource Engineering, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-4803.

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Hutchinson, Collette. "How are strategy tools used in practice in a university context?" Thesis, Umeå University, Umeå School of Business, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-1977.

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Many business schools teach the importance of using strategy tools when engaging in strategizing activities. Despite this fact there is an ongoing debate concerning what is taught in business schools and what is actually used in practice. In spite of this debate there has been little research done regarding how these strategy tools are used in practice. This study seeks to address this through the adoption of a strategy as practice perspective which helped to identify what is actually practiced by managers while engaging in strategizing activities. Managers use strategy to respond to complex forces (social, political, economic) in their business environments. However to develop and implement strategy encompasses a full range of strategizing activities such as strategic thinking, strategic analysis, strategic decision making and implementation. Many business schools teach strategy tools are techniques which managers use to structure and influence strategizing activities. Previous research on strategy tools played emphasis on the benefits that can be derived if tools are used in different context. Others have highlighted the frequency of tool usage. Nevertheless, there is a need to make a review what is taught and how strategy tools are used in practice.A qualitative study was conducted in two universities through the use of semi structured interviews to gather data. The use of an inductive and interpretivism perspective through a case study helped the researcher identify the context in which events were taking place. The choice of a small yet deliberate sample size was done to focus in on the various levels of management within these universities and to review how strategy tools were used at these levels. After each interview the interviewees were given a list of 15 strategy tools (all of which were taught in the researcher’s masters programme) to identify whether they used any of the strategy tools on the list and if they did how did they use them. It was noted from the empirical data acquired that quite often strategy tools were not always being used for the purpose for which they were taught nevertheless managers were altering components of various tools to meet their individual business needs. Strategy tools were often used to assist in strategic thinking and strategic decision making. Managers’ perception of strategy tools affected the extent to which tools were used and the frequency of usage. While strategy tools were often used for growth and development, communication and persuasion and best practices it was its use in sense-making and evaluation which indicated that there is a need for a greater understanding into how managers make sense of strategy tools. The study answers how strategy tools are used in practice in a university context by giving illustrations and quotations from the various interviewees regarding strategy tools.

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Moberg, Åsa. "Environmental systems analysis tools for decision-making : LCA and Swedish waste management as an example." Licentiate thesis, KTH, Environmental Strategic Analysis, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-3904.

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Decisions are made based on information of different kinds. Several tools have been developed to facilitate the inclusion of environmental aspects in decision-making on different levels. Which tool to use in a specific decision-making situation depends on the decision context. This thesis discusses the choice between different environmental systems analysis (ESA) tools and suggests that key factors influencing the choice of ESA tool are object of study, impacts considered and information type regarding sitespecificity and according to the DPSIR-framework.Waste management in Sweden is used as an example to illustrate decision-making situations, but discussions concerning choice of tools are also thought to be of general concern. It is suggested that there is a need for a number of ESA tools in waste management decision-making. Procedural tools like Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) should be used e.g. by companies applying for development of waste management facilities and by public authorities preparing plans and programmes. Within these procedural tools analytical tools providing relevant information could be used, e.g. Risk Assessment (RA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or Substance Flow Analysis (SFA). Analytical tools may also be used separately. If the decision-making situation concerns a choice between different waste management options, such as recycling, incineration and landfilling, environmental aspects could be assessed using LCA or Material Input Per unit Service (MIPS). To study certain substances within the waste system, RA or SFA could be used.An LCA of different strategies for treatment of municipal solid waste was made. A conclusion from this study is that the waste hierarchy is valid as a rule of thumb. Suggestions resulting from this study are that decisions promoting recycling of paper and plastics should be pursued, preferably in combination with decisions promoting the use of plastics replacing plastics made from virgin sources. The study further identifies a need for limiting transportation by private car for options requiring source separation of waste. When recycling is not an alternative, incineration is in general preferable to landfilling. Key issues that may affect the ranking of the waste treatment options include alternative energy sources, the material the recycled material replaces and the time perspective chosen.It is suggested that LCA may be a useful tool in waste management, both on its own and as a part of an SEA. Results from LCAs can provide advice on ranking of alternatives. More importantly, key assumptions and value choices that may influence the rankings can be highlighted and thus made clear to the decision-makers. In general, LCA results are not site-specific and provide information in the form of potential environmental impacts, and thus could be combined with other tools if other type of information is needed. QC 20100610

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Moberg, Åsa. "Environmental systems analysis tools for decision-making : LCA and Swedish waste management as an example /." Sockholm : Environmental Strategies Research - fms, Royal Institute of Technology, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-3904.

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Tounsi, Mohamed Ilyes. "Application and Survey of Business Intelligence (BI) Tools within the Context of Military Decision Making." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/7419.

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Business intelligence (BI) is a general category of applications and technologies for collecting, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help users make better and faster decisions. BI applications include the activities of decision support systems, query and reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), statistical analysis, forecasting, and data mining. The purpose of this research is to explore and survey several tools that fall under the BI umbrella and investigate their applicability within the context of military decision making. This survey will help military decision makers select the right BI tool for the right decision problem using the right technology. This would result in reduced IT costs by eliminating redundancy and consolidating computing resources, accelerated decision making, and improved accuracy, consistency, and relevance of decisions by providing a single version of truth.

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Shijaku, Egi. "Adding interaction to decision making support tools : What can be learned from the Capitalization Table." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informatik och media, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-298153.

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The capitalization table is the system that aids companies in keeping ownership data. The current norm is a simple spreadsheet that does not provide for all the needed functionalities. This thesis investigates how designing a new interactive capitalization table can add knowledge to the broader area of interactive decision making support tools. The iterative design process carried out in this thesis is user based, with qualitative interviews, prototyping and user testing as main methods. Rather than merely the final design, the crucial point in this thesis is the knowledge that can be obtained from the case in hand, the ways it can be used to motivate design choices and how these can be transferred to similar systems that aid decision making. It can be concluded that enabling safe simulation and adding visual support are two crucial paradigms that add value to a decision support system. Denna uppsats har som syfte att utöka kunskapen om stödverktyg för beslutsfattande. Detta är gjort genom design av en så kallat ”Capitalization table”, ett system där företag hanterar ägarinformation. En användarcentrerad forskningsmetod, innefattande kvalitativa intervjuer, prototyper och användarbaserad utvärdering, används för att styra designprocessen. Istället för den slutgiltiga produkten så är det kunskapen som kan fås från designprocessen som är det viktiga i den här uppsatsen; hur kunskapen kan motivera designval och hur dessa kan användas i liknande system för beslutsfattande. Slutsatsen är att ”safe simulation” och visuell support är två viktiga koncept som skapar mervärde för ett stödverktyg för beslutsfattande.

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Abokersh, Mohamed. "Decision Making Tools for Sustainable Transition Toward Low Carbon Energy Technologies in the Residential Sector." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/671958.

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Aliniant-se amb l’ambiciós paquet energètic i climàtic de la UE 2030 per reduir les emissions d’efecte hivernacle i substituir les fonts de calor convencionals mitjançant la presència de participacions d’energia renovable per aconseguir una comunitat d’energia nul·la, les parts interessades del sector residencial s’enfronten a diversos aspectes tècnics, econòmics i ambientals. qüestions per assolir els objectius de la UE en un futur proper. Aquesta tesi se centra en dues transformacions estructurals claus necessàries per a una transició sostenible cap a la producció d’energia neta: el problema de les tecnologies d’energia amb baix carboni que representen els sistemes solars de calefacció urbana juntament amb l’emmagatzematge estacional d’energia i la seva aplicació per aconseguir edificis d’energia gairebé nul·la. L’abordatge d’aquests reptes s’inicia mitjançant l’ús del disseny i l’optimització de sistemes d’energia neta incorporats a l’aprenentatge automàtic i l’anàlisi de dades per desenvolupar eines d’enginyeria de processos assistits per ordinador. Aquestes eines ajudarien a abordar els reptes de les parts interessades, contribuint així a la transició cap a un futur més sostenible. Alineándose con el ambicioso paquete de energía y clima de la UE 2030 para reducir las emisiones de efecto invernadero y reemplazar las fuentes de calor convencionales a través de la presencia de energía renovable para lograr una comunidad de energía neta cero, las partes interesadas en el sector residencial se enfrentan a varios problemas técnicos, económicos y ambientales. cuestiones para cumplir los objetivos de la UE en un futuro próximo. Esta tesis se centra en dos transformaciones estructurales clave necesarias para la transición sostenible hacia la producción de energía limpia: el problema de las tecnologías energéticas bajas en carbono que representan los sistemas de calefacción de distrito solar junto con el almacenamiento de energía estacional, y su aplicación para lograr edificios de energía casi nula. El abordaje de estos desafíos se inicia mediante el uso del diseño y la optimización de sistemas de energía limpia incorporados con el aprendizaje automático y el análisis de datos para desarrollar herramientas de ingeniería de procesos asistida por computadora. Estas herramientas ayudarían a abordar los desafíos de las partes interesadas, contribuyendo así a la transición hacia un futuro más sostenible. Aligning with the ambitious EU 2030 climate and energy package for cutting the greenhouse emissions and replacing conventional heat sources through the presence of renewable energy share to achieve net-zero-energy community, the stakeholders at residential sector are facing several technical, economic, and environmental issues to meet the EU targets in the near future. This thesis is focusing on two key structural transformations needed for sustainable transition towards clean energy production: the low carbon energy technologies problem represented by the solar district heating systems coupled with seasonal energy storage, and its application to achieve Nearly Zero Energy Buildings. The Tackling for these challenges is instigated through using design and optimization of clean energy systems incorporated with machine learning and data analysis to develop Computer-Aided Process Engineering tools. These tools would help in addressing the stakeholder’s challenges, thus contributing to the transition towards a more sustainable future.

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Cortesi, Marilisa <1987&gt. "Computational Tools and In-Silico Models to Identify Transcriptional Determinants of Cell Phenotype Decision Making." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2017. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/8104/1/PhDThesis_Cortesi.pdf.

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The study of complex biological processes has significantly benefited from recent technological advancements and the increasing integration between experimental and computational approaches. In the following this combined approach will be applied to the study of gene expression and specifically to the identification of transcriptional determinants in a phenotypic regulation process involved in cell fate determination, the Epithelial to Mesenchymal transition (EMT). After the complete description of the technical aspects of the development of the model, its results and validation against experimental data are presented. In the last part of this thesis a series of software tools are presented. They can be used to analyse experimental data and either inform a computational representation of a process of interest (e.g. parameters identification) or improve the accuracy and reliability of a number of widely used in-vitro techniques. Two of them focus on gene expression quantification at single-cell level, from images acquired with an optical microscope. The ability of these instruments to identify the signal emitted by single-cells makes them able to identify the parameters of the computational model describing the process of interest. Another set of tools presented in the following, analyses one of the major consequences of EMT induction in a cell population, i.e. an augmented invasiveness. Two different experimental assays widely used to quantify this characteristic are considered and software tools that improve their reliability and accuracy are developed and characterized. Overall this thesis contributes to the increasingly applied approach that integrates in-vitro and in-silico techniques when studying biological processes. Indeed it includes a computational representation of a significant example of a phenotype regulation process, built entirely from freely available data and a collection of tools that could be used to analyse experimental data and reliably quantify their results.

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TORTORELLA, MARIA MADDALENA. "Decision-making support tools and scenario analysis for valorising endogenous resources and promoting energy efficiency." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi della Basilicata, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/11563/160517.

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Climate change represents the greatest environmental challenge humanity has ever faced, whose effects today seem to be irreversible. In such a context, agriculture is facing four main challenges: (i) becoming more resilient and adapting to climate change, (ii) reducing its impact in terms of GHG emissions and soil degradation, (iii) increasing its carbon sink potential, (iv) providing sufficient and healthy food to meet the growing demand of the population. This requires a transition from current models of intensive production to new models based on sustainable resource management. The adoption of a holistic approach is therefore essential to effectively represent the main variables (energy, water, environment, food and soil) and their interrelationships, exploit the complex interconnections between them and the associated phenomena, reduce risks identify feasible strategies for sustainable resource management based on integrated policies. An integration of the Nexus approach with the IEA-TIMES framework has been proposed to develop an innovative land use driven model - the TIMES Land-WEF model, which ensures an optimal management of resources of the entire agricultural system in a circular economy perspective. The TIMES- Land-WEF model was validated in the Basilicata Region, a selected area of Mediterranean Europe, in order to evaluate the robustness of solutions under different conditions, namely to determine the effects of climate change on agricultural production and performing and assessment of the Farm to Fork strategy of the EU Green Deal.

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Wen, Na. "Essays on consumer decision-making in interactive and information rich environments." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/34670.

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This dissertation consists of two central parts. Part one of the dissertation examines the impact of interactive restructuring on decision processes and outcomes. Five experimental studies show that consumers examine less information and engage in more compensatory decision processes when interactive restructuring tools are available. Consumers also increase their use of restructuring tools in cognitively challenging choice environments. The availability of a sorting tool improves objective and subjective decision quality when attributes are positively correlated, or when the number of alternatives in a choice set is large, but not when attributes are negatively correlated or choice sets are small. Greater use of interactive restructuring tools has deleterious effects on decision quality when attributes are negatively correlated. Under time pressure the availability of an interactive restructuring tool improves decision quality, even when attributes are negatively correlated, since time pressure limits tool overuse. Finally, the effects of multiple interactive restructuring tools on decision making vary by the types of tools that marketers make available to consumers. Part two of the dissertation explores the effects of visual design on consumer preferences and choice. Experiment 1 demonstrates preference reversals when visual separators are between product alternatives versus between product attributes. Experiment 2 shows that when product attributes are negatively correlated, visually separating alternatives improves decision quality but visually separating attributes hurts decision quality. Visual separators do not affect decision quality when attributes are positively correlated. Experiment 3 extends experiment 2 to show that visual separators enhance decision-making efficiency and can limit the extent to which consumers adapt to contextual changes in choice environments. Finally, experiment 4 shows that, under time pressure, both visual separators between attributes as well as visual separators between alternatives improve decision quality when attributes are negatively correlated.

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Oyelakin, Tesleem Olanrewaju. "Improvement on performance evaluation for a service providing process (With specific focus on material availability, administrative assistance, service quality and opening hour)." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för maskinteknik (MT), 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-24135.

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Improvement is an essential act for restricting increasing performance pressure in organizational activities. In this paper, a framework for carrying out performance measurement process in order to strengthen the balanced score card application is developed. The proposed framework is increased to 11 procedural steps with the modification of analytic hierarchy process methods (AHP) within the balanced score card (BSC) problem solving and continuous improvement. The framework was examined with a case study of city library in Sweden. The framework enabled the service providers’ as the decision maker to assess their performance on their service rendering with respect to customer requirement, identify key measures and select the most preferred and improvement means. The motivation for this proposed framework was evident of how the step 4 can be prioritized by addressing the measure to be taken that can lead the organization in improving their performance.

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Kharlamov, Alexander Alexandrovitch. "The use of visual analytics in decision making in operations and supply chain management : a systematic literature review." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2013. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/12468.

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The field of Operations & Supply Chain Management (O&SCM) deals with large and complex structures. Evidence from practice suggests that management still runs in silos and decisions are often focused on specific functions as the totality of the problem and the impact on the broader organisation is not always understood. To manage such structures, managers have been investing in information technology to improve data availability and quality. Finally, good data is available with potential to enable holistic decision-making (DM). The field of analytics answers the need to transform data into information to support DM processes. Visual analytics rely specifically on visual representations to support DM processes. As visual analytics is still at its infancy, the aim is to identify what types of visual analytics has been used in empirical research, to support what decisions and its impact in O&SCM context. Evidence based literature review, also known as systematic literature review (SLR) method is used to review 41 papers. The most common type of visual analytics identified is modelling, mapping and visual interfaces between data and managers. These most often support Plan and Make type decisions. Vast majority of applications are identified as positive, enabling better understanding of the problem, greater management involvement in the process and better communication. Future research is needed to define the term “visual analytics” as the field is still at its infancy. Development and empirical testing is required of whether the identified visual tools are an enabler for holistic decisions in the O&SCM context.

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Perruccio, Deandra Marie. "Using Mutli Criteria Decision Analysis To Develop Sustainability Assessment Tools: Biomass Supply Chains." ScholarWorks @ UVM, 2015. http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/445.

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Energy access remains a significant challenge in nations lacking access to resources and strong infrastructure systems, creating barriers to economic development and to increased standards of living. Small scale biomass gasification energy (BGE) systems have been developed to meet energy needs in rural areas, creating synergies between agricultural and agro-forestry systems through utilization of biomass feedstock for energy generation. The sustainability of such systems requires sophisticated planning and coordination of the biomass supply chain. The goal of this thesis is to investigate and improve structural and process related characteristics of sustainability assessments for small scale bio-energy systems, specifically focusing on establishment and management of biomass supply chains through the development and dissemination of a generic sustainability assessment framework for biomass supply chains of small-scale BGE systems in rural East Africa. Building on a preliminary sustainability assessment framework (Christensen, 2013; Joerg, 2013) this research develops an assessment tool designed to capture sustainability requirements of the biomass supply chain in the ecological, social, and economic spheres through testing on three case studies in rural Uganda. Application and analysis of a preliminary framework on pilot projects in a rural east African context using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodologies contributes to development of strategies for energy system analysis and building stakeholder capacity to incorporate social, economic, and environmental considerations. The assessment process is outlined, including scoring, data collection, contextual considerations. Model application is discussed, including the impact of weighting on decision outcomes, uncertainty management, sensitivity analysis, and identification of tradeoffs among criteria. Finally, discussion of tool usefulness verses usability contributes to bridging academic research with practitioner priorities.

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Purnomo, Deavi. "Developing collaborative planning support tools for optimised farming in Western Australia." Thesis, Curtin University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/2295.

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Land-use (farm) planning is a highly complex and dynamic process. A land-use plan can be optimal at one point in time, but its currency can change quickly due to the dynamic nature of the variables driving the land-use decision-making process. These include external drivers such as weather and produce markets, that also interact with the biophysical interactions and management activities of crop production.The active environment of an annual farm planning process can be envisioned as being cone-like. At the beginning of the sowing year, the number of options open to the manager is huge, although uncertainty is high due to the inability to foresee future weather and market conditions. As the production year reveals itself, the uncertainties around weather and markets become more certain, as does the impact of weather and management activities on future production levels. This restricts the number of alternative management options available to the farm manager. Moreover, every decision made, such as crop type sown in a paddock, will constrains the range of management activities possible in that paddock for the rest of the growing season.This research has developed a prototype Land-use Decision Support System (LUDSS) to aid farm managers in their tactical farm management decision making. The prototype applies an innovative approach that mimics the way in which a farm manager and/or consultant would search for optimal solutions at a whole-farm level. This model captured the range of possible management activities available to the manager and the impact that both external (to the farm) and internal drivers have on crop production and the environment. It also captured the risk and uncertainty found in the decision space.The developed prototype is based on a Multiple Objective Decision-making (MODM) - á Posteriori approach incorporating an Exhaustive Search method. The objective set used for the model is: maximising profit and minimising environmental impact. Pareto optimisation theory was chosen as the method to select the optimal solution and a Monte Carlo simulator is integrated into the prototype to incorporate the dynamic nature of the farm decision making process. The prototype has a user-friendly front and back end to allow farmers to input data, drive the application and extract information easily.

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Fox, Terry L. 1963. "An Examination of the Effect of Decision Style on the Use of a Computerized Project Management Tool." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1997. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc277800/.

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Managing a software development project presents many difficulties. Most software development projects are considered less than successful, and many are simply canceled. Ineffective project management has been cited as a major factor contributing to these failures. Project management tools can greatly assist managers in tracking and controlling their projects. However, project management tools are very structured and analytical in nature, which is not necessarily supported by decision-making styles of the managers. This research examined the influence that decision style has on a project manager's use of a project management tool.

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Gander, Brian David 1959. "A comparison of early reading outcomes and program costs in four primary reading programs for improved decision-making." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/6279.

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xiii, 189 p. A print copy of this title is available through the UO Libraries under the call numbers: KNIGHT LB1573 .G238 2007 This study uses cost-effectiveness tools to support school site decision-makers. It looks at four reading protocols for first and second graders using common outcomes of early reading proficiency. Similar outcome measures are a requirement of cost-effectiveness analysis but are a common shortcoming of program evaluations as presented in the literature. The comparison of Success For All, a Reading First protocol, and two locally designed instructional protocols gives the reader an opportunity to review the reading alternatives. The review is undertaken to highlight program costs ranging from difficult to discern indirect costs to readily accessible budget expenditures. The qualities of good reading programs are characterized and the essential elements of cost-effectiveness tools delineated before applying their theoretical principles to four schools in a large Northwest city. Adviser: Gerald Tindal

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Negahban, Sam. "Utilization of enterprise resource planning tools by small to medium size construction organizations a decision-making model /." College Park, Md.: University of Maryland, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1903/8087.

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Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2008. Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Civil Engineering. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

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Galicia, Oswaldo. "Development and Application of Decision-Making Tool for Rural Spring-Sourced Gravity-Fed Community Managed Water Systems." Scholar Commons, 2019. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7790.

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People all over the world still lack access to safe drinking water service. Those with access experience several issues during the first few years of installation that impede on their overall access. In order to improve water services, not only is a proper decision-making tool necessary, taking into account key factors that impact sustainable water service, but proper monitoring and evaluation is also important in ensuring service for the long term. There are several developed assessment tools used for monitoring and evaluation of water systems post-construction, applicable in various scenarios. However, there are only few tools available to facilitate the decision-making process for stakeholders implementing water systems in the field. Ideally, one tool could be used across various life-cycle stages, like planning (decision-making) and post-construction (monitoring and evaluation). Currently, several stakeholder groups are working in Panama to improve the access of safe drinking water for rural and indigenous populations living in mountainous areas, where spring-sourced gravity-fed community-managed systems are common. Effective sustainability assessment tools including Rural Water and Sanitation Information System, SIASAR in Spanish, provide useful frameworks to create a decision making tool for this development context. This research focused on developing a Decision-Making Tool using three key assessment tools (SIASAR, Peace Corps Panama WASH Index, & Schweitzer’s Sustainability Assessment Tool), field experience, and relevant literature incorporating technical, social, economic, and environmental factors. The Decision-Making Tool was developed to build or rehabilitate a rural spring-sourced gravity-fed community-managed water system and also serve as a practical monitoring and evaluation tool. The tool has a total of 10 indicators and 20 measures used to score various scenarios or alternatives as sustainability unlikely, sustainability possible, or sustainability likely. The tool was successfully applied as a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tool for the rural indigenous community of Quebrada Cacao in the province of Bocas del Toro in Panama. A total of 5 alternatives scenarios with estimated costs, labor expenditure and environmental impact were developed using EPANET and SimaPro to help improve the community’s rural spring-sourced gravity-fed community managed water system. Using analytical hierarchy process with weights set by three stakeholder groups in Panama (Quebrada Cacao’s water committee, Panama’s Ministry of Health, and Peace Corps Panama), these five alternative scenarios were scored using the Decision-Making Tool. As a result, a feasible alternative was recommended for the community of Quebrada Cacao using the developed Decision-Making Tool. The tool was also successfully applied as a monitoring and evaluation tool, providing a baseline to develop applicable alternatives to improve the community’s sustainability score. This Decision-Making Tool fulfills an important gap useful for both planning and monitoring and evaluation. It provides a successful tool for application in Panama for building or rehabilitating rural spring-sourced gravity-fed community managed water systems and for other countries with a similar context. Finally, the tool also considers technical, economic, social, and environmental factors, ensuring a more holistic definition of sustainability when building or rehabilitating these water systems. Overall, this Decision-Making Tool can help reduce the number of people without access to safe drinking water around the world and also help ensure systems function sustainably for the long term.

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Mayr, Adelheid, Vera Lengauer, and Sandie Parasote. "The impact of accounting information on management’s : Wexiödisk - A case study." Thesis, Växjö University, School of Management and Economics, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:vxu:diva-847.

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Wexiödisk AB is a producer of dishwashing machines for professional use. Its headquarter is located in Växjö and its products are present on the European, as well as the Japanese and Australian market. Currently the company is Scandinavian’s leading supplier in its business field. Since 2004, Wexiödisk belongs to an Italian group, called the Ali Group.For being a successful organisation, it is not only necessary to make decisions, but to implement the right ones. Wexiödisk’s present success, as shown in its leading position, can be led back among other things to a number of beneficial decisions. A decision is concerned with the selection of an action often out of a number of alternatives. In order to choose the right one, decision-makers need some guidance, which is partially provided by information gathered by management accounting. Tools used in the management accounting area are consequently considered as a helpful support.Also Wexiödisk focuses on some of these tools, including the costing system, profitability, costing tools and budgeting, which will be presented in this thesis. The costing system contributes to the available knowledge of costs, building the basis for several decisions, like determining prices. Profitability is used especially for decisions concerning discontinuing operations, whereas budgeting deals with the evaluation of investments.These financial information supports decisions made in Wexiödisk. Various decision-making models have been identified in literature to examine this process of decision-making. Out of this pool a sequential model was chosen to illustrate the decision-making steps in Wexiödisk. This model divides the decision-making process into several stages that follow each other. However, it will be illustrated that the decision-making process in Wexiödisk is a bit more complex and cannot be easily squeezed into these steps. It will become apparent in this paper that this process is influenced by many people, making it difficult to determine one final decision-maker as well as a certain decision-making point. Besides, experiences, feelings, preferences and other qualitative factors can have an impact on decisions in Wexiödisk.Nevertheless, financial information affects the decision-making process. In Wexiödisk the role of management accounting information is interwoven and integrated in the whole decision course, having the ability to influence the process at almost every stage.

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Baker, Elizabeth White. "The Impact of Relational Model Bases on Organizational Decision Making: Cases in E-Commerce and Ecological Economics." VCU Scholars Compass, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10156/1399.

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Sauchyk, Dzmitry. "Key Considerations When Selecting Environmental Rating System : Decision-Making Analysis from Landlord and Tenant Perspective." Thesis, KTH, Fastigheter och byggande, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-211139.

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It is estimated that nearly 100 various environmental product certification rating tools are implemented in the United States construction and real estate industries. Choice of a certain building sustainability measurement tool depends on the specific need for reflection of buildings’ impact on the natural and urban environment as well as its tenants. Selection of the appropriate rating system is a decision-making process performed by the project client (landlord of the building, potential or current tenant) which can be affected by clients’ insufficient knowledge or otherwise be biased. The result of selection decision has significant consequences for the project design, construction process complexity and entire life-cycle of the building. In this work, an effort is made to facilitate decision-making process of best environmental rating alternative selection for a “green building” project. The analytic hierarchy process is used to perform unbiased decision making on the environmental rating selection. The decision process has been evaluated from the landlord and the tenant perspectives. The findings of this study show that for the landlord, it would be enough to be certified with a single-attribute rating that covers only one characteristic of building sustainability and, according to AHP analysis, satisfies all significant landlord’s requirements for the environmental rating system. The main conclusion of the study is that selection of environmental rating is a multicriteria problem that should take into consideration the requirements from landlord and tenant as well as the environmental ratings characteristics but not based on the distinct assessment of the mentioned factors.

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Amores, Barrero María José. "Environmental Management In Agriculture Based On Water And Climate Change Assessments: Tools For Decision Making By Life Cycle Approach." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/283235.

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The irrigated world area has been increased dramatically from the mid of 20th century. Freshwater use and its consumption have emerged as areas of high environmental concern. Although agricultural lands represent only 12% of the world’s land area, roughly 70% of water withdrawn from aquifers, streams and lakes are for irrigated agriculture. Climate change is a truly global problem around the world and the contribution from the agricultural sector is significantly high. Consequently, the environmental impacts from the use of water by agricultural activities and their relative contribution to Greenhouse Gas emissions should be properly addressed. The present thesis aims mainly to assess the environmental performance of different agricultural systems through the application of Life Cycle Assessment and other complementary methods. Two main environmental impacts were considered: Global Warming and Water Footprint. The objective is to provide farmers with methodological and practical decision- making tools to help them to practice in sustainable agriculture. La superficie mundial de regadío ha aumentado drásticamente desde la segunda mitad del siglo XX. El uso de agua dulce y su consumo se han convertido en áreas de interés ambiental. Aunque las tierras agrícolas representan sólo el 12% de la superficie terrestre del mundo, aproximadamente el 70% del agua extraída de los acuíferos, ríos y lagos se utiliza para la agricultura de regadío. El cambio climático es un conocido problema global en todo el mundo y la contribución del sector agrícola es significativamente alta. Consiguientemente, los impactos ambientales procedentes del uso del agua debido a las actividades agrícolas y su relativa contribución en la emisión de Gases de Efecto Invernadero deben ser tratados adecuadamente. La presente tesis tiene como objetivo principal evaluar el perfil ambiental de los diferentes sistemas agrícolas a través de la aplicación del Análisis de Ciclo de Vida y otras herramientas complementarias. Principalmente, se consideraron dos impactos ambientales: el Calentamiento Global y la Huella Hídrica. El objetivo es proporcionar a los agricultores herramientas metodológicas y prácticas para la toma de decisiones y poder así practicar una agricultura sostenible.

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Kaymaz, Sidar Diri Alaattin. "Use of information technology tools in source selection decision making a study on USAF's KC-X Tanker Replacement Program /." Monterey, Calif. : Naval Postgraduate School, 2008. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA483510.

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"Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School, June 2008." Advisor(s): Heath, Susan K. ; Petross, Diana F. "June 2008." "MBA professional report"--Cover. Description based on title screen as viewed on August 8, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-152). Also available in print.

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Bentz, Barbara Joan. "Management decision-making tools for mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) populations in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) stands." Diss., This resource online, 1991. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07282008-135558/.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Decision making tools'

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