Matrix representation of ideas: stimulating creativity using matrix Algebra

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-538
Author(s):  
Victor Tang
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Matrix Algebra ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Discriminatory Power ◽  
Mathematical Representation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Ratio Scales ◽  
Feature Attribute

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a fresh approach to stimulate individual creativity. It introduces a mathematical representation for creative ideas, six creativity operators and methods of matrix-algebra to evaluate, improve and stimulate creative ideas. Creativity begins with ideas to resolve a problem or tackle an opportunity. By definition, a creative idea must be simultaneously novel and useful. To inject analytic rigor into these concepts of creative ideas, the author introduces a feature-attribute matrix-construct to represent ideas, creativity operators that use ideas as operands and methods of matrix algebra. It is demonstrated that it is now possible to analytically and quantitatively evaluate the intensity of the variables that make an idea more, equal or less, creative than another. The six creativity operators are illustrated with detailed multi-disciplinary real-world examples. The mathematics and working principles of each creativity operator are discussed. Design/methodology/approach The unit of analysis is ideas, not theory. Ideas are man-made artifacts. They are represented by an original feature-attribute matrix construct. Using matrix algebra, idea matrices can be manipulated to improve their creative intensity, which are now quantitatively measurable. Unlike atoms and cute rabbits, creative ideas, do not occur in nature. Only people can conceive and develop creative ideas for embodiment in physical, non-physical forms, or in a mix of both. For example, as widgets, abstract theorems, business processes, symphonies, organization structures, and so on. The feature-attribute matrix construct is used to represent novelty and usefulness. The multiplicative product of these two matrices forms the creativity matrix. Six creativity operators and matrix algebra are introduced to stimulate and measure creative ideas. Creativity operators use idea matrices as operands. Uses of the six operators are demonstrated using multi-disciplinary real-world examples. Metrics for novelty, usefulness and creativity are in ratio scales, grounded on the Weber–Fechner Law. This law is about persons’ ability to discern differences in the intensity of stimuli. Findings Ideas are represented using feature-attribute matrices. This construct is used to represent novel, useful and creative ideas with more clarity and precision than before. Using matrices, it is shown how to unambiguously and clearly represent creative ideas endowed with novelty and usefulness. It is shown that using matrix algebra, on idea matrices, makes it possible to analyze multi-disciplinary, real-world cases of creative ideas, with clarity and discriminatory power, to uncover insights about novelty and usefulness. Idea-matrices and the methods of matrix algebra have strong explanatory and predictive power. Using of matrix algebra and eigenvalue analyses, of idea-matrices, it is demonstrated how to quantitatively rank ideas, features and attributes of creative ideas. Matrix methods operationalize and quantitatively measure creativity, novelty and usefulness. The specific elementary variables that characterize creativity, novelty and usefulness factors, can now be quantitatively ranked. Creativity, novelty and usefulness factors are not considered as monolithic, irreducible factors, vague “lumpy” qualitative factors, but as explicit sets of elementary, specific and measurable variables in ratio scales. This significantly improves the acuity and discriminatory power in the analyses of creative ideas. The feature-attribute matrix approach and its matrix operators are conceptually consistent and complementary with key extant theories engineering design and creativity. Originality/value First to define and specify ideas as feature-attribute matrices. It is demonstrated that creative ideas, novel ideas and useful ideas can be analytically and unambiguously specified and measured for creativity. It is significant that verbose qualitative narratives will no longer be the exclusive means to specify creative ideas. Rather, qualitative narratives will be used to complement the matrix specifications of creative ideas. First to specify six creativity operators enabling matrix algebra to operate on idea-matrices as operands to generate new ideas. This capability informs and guides a person’s intuition. The myth and dependency, on non-repeatable or non-reproducible serendipity, flashes of “eureka” moments or divine inspiration, can now be vacated. Though their existence cannot be ruled out. First to specify matrix algebra and eigen-value methods of quantitative analyses of feature-attribute matrices to rank the importance of elementary variables that characterize factors of novelty, usefulness and creativity. Use of verbose qualitative narratives of novelty, usefulness and creativity as monolithic “lumpy” factors can now be vacated. Such lumpy narratives risk being ambiguous, imprecise, unreliable and non-reproducible, Analytic and quantitative methods are more reliable and consistent. First to define and specify a method of “attacking the negatives” to systematically pinpoint the improvements of an idea’s novelty, usefulness and creativity. This procedure informs and methodically guides the improvements of deficient ideas.

Creation of firm performance through resource orchestration: the case of ÜLKER

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rifat Kamasak
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Multiple Data

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the complex interaction of different resource sets and capabilities in the process of performance creation within the context of resource-based theory. Design/methodology/approach – An inductive case study approach that included multiple data collection methods such as in-depth interviews, observation and documentation was utilized. Findings – Organizational culture, reputational assets, human capital, business processes and networking capabilities were found as the most important determinants of firm performance within the context of Ülker case study. Originality/value – Although large-scale empirical studies can be used to explore the direct resource–performance relationship, these quantitative methods bypass the complex and embedded nature of intangibles and provide only a limited understanding of why some resources are identified as strategic but others are not, what their roles are, and how these resources are converted into positions of competitive advantage. However, understanding of complex nature of resources that are embedded in organizations designates the need for more fieldwork-based qualitative studies. This study aims to address this gap by providing a thorough understanding about the managerial and organizational processes through which the resources become valuable.

On maintaining semantic networks: challenges, algorithms, use cases

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Ulmschneider ◽  
Bernd Michelberger ◽  
Birte Glimm ◽  
Bela Mutschler ◽  
Manfred Reichert
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Semantic Network ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Enterprise Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Cases

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide methods and algorithms to maintain a semantic network (SN). In previous work, the authors introduced the SN approach for bridging the gap of aligning enterprise information with business processes, i.e. for discovering explicit relations between them. What has been neglected so far, however, is SN maintenance, which is required to keep an SN consistent, complete and up-to-date. Design/methodology/approach – The paper illustrates an approach for SN maintenance. Specifically, the authors show how an SN evolves over time, classify properties of objects and relations captured in an SN and show how these properties can be maintained. An empirical evaluation, which is based on synthetic and real-world data, investigates the performance, scalability and practicability of the proposed algorithms. Findings – The authors prove the feasibility of the introduced algorithms in terms of runtime performance with a proof-of-concept implementation. Further, a real-world case from the automotive domain confirms the applicability of the SN maintenance approach. Originality/value – As opposed to existing work, the presented approach allows for the automated and consistent maintenance of SNs. Furthermore, the applicability of the presented SN maintenance approach is validated in the context of a real-world scenario as well as two business cases.

scholarly journals The Business Process Design Space for exploring process redesign alternatives

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Gross ◽  
Katharina Stelzl ◽  
Thomas Grisold ◽  
Jan Mendling ◽  
Maximilian Röglinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Real World ◽  
Process Design ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Design Space ◽  
Business Process Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Process Redesign ◽  
Design Alternatives

PurposeProcess redesign refers to the intentional change of business processes. While process redesign methods provide structure to redesign projects, they provide limited support during the actual creation of to-be processes. More specifically, existing approaches hardly develop an ontological perspective on what can be changed from a process design point of view, and they provide limited procedural guidance on how to derive possible process design alternatives. This paper aims to provide structured guidance during the to-be process creation.Design/methodology/approachUsing design space exploration as a theoretical lens, the authors develop a conceptual model of the design space for business processes, which facilitates the systematic exploration of design alternatives along different dimensions. The authors utilized an established method for taxonomy development for constructing the conceptual model. First, the authors derived design dimensions for business processes and underlying characteristics through a literature review. Second, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with professional process experts. Third, the authors evaluated their artifact through three real-world applications.FindingsThe authors identified 19 business process design dimensions that are grouped into different layers and specified by underlying characteristics. Guiding questions and illustrative real-world examples help to deploy these design dimensions in practice. Taken together, the design dimensions form the “Business Process Design Space” (BPD-Space).Research limitations/implicationsPractitioners can use the BPD-Space to explore, question and rethink business processes in various respects.Originality/valueThe BPD-Space complements existing approaches by explicating process design dimensions. It abstracts from specific process flows and representations of processes and supports an unconstrained exploration of various alternative process designs.

Predicting business processes of the social insurance using recurrent neural network and Markov chain

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Fadaei PellehShahi ◽  
Sohrab Kordrostami ◽  
Amir Hossein Refahi Sheikhani ◽  
Marzieh Faridi Masouleh
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Markov Chain ◽  
Recurrent Neural Network ◽  
Real World ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Past History ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Prediction Systems ◽  
Markov Method

Purpose Predicting the final status of an ongoing process or a subsequent activity in a process is an important aspect of process management. Semi-structured business processes cannot be predicted by precise and mathematical methods. Therefore, artificial intelligence is one of the successful methods. This study aims to propose a method that is a combination of deep learning methods, in particular, the recurrent neural network and Markov chain. Design/methodology/approach The proposed method applies the BestFirst algorithm for the search section and the Cfssubseteval algorithm for the feature comparison section. This study focuses on the prediction systems of social insurance and tries to present a method that is less costly in providing real-world results based on the past history of an event. Findings The proposed method is simulated with real data obtained from Iranian Social Security Organization, and the results demonstrate that using the proposed method increases the memory utilization slightly more than the Markov method; however, the CPU usage time has dramatically decreased in comparison with the Markov method and the recurrent neural network and has, therefore, significantly increased the accuracy and efficiency. Originality/value This research tries to provide an approach capable of producing the findings closer to the real world with fewer time and processing overheads, given the previous records of an event and the prediction systems of social insurance.

Study on high-temperature wear and mechanism of Al-Si/graphite composites prepared by the die-casting process

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1153-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yafei Deng ◽  
Xiaotao Pan ◽  
Guoxun Zeng ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
Sinong Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Friction Coefficient ◽  
Wear Rate ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Die Casting ◽  
Casting Machine ◽  
Injection Pressure ◽  
Casting Process ◽  
Matrix Alloy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Matrix

Purpose This paper aims to improve the tribological properties of aluminum alloys and reduce their wear rate. Design/methodology/approach Carbon is placed in the model at room temperature, pour 680°C of molten aluminum into the pressure chamber, and then pressed it into the mold containing carbon felt through a die casting machine, and waited for it to cool, which used an injection pressure of 52.8 MPa and held the same pressure for 15 s. Findings The result indicated that the mechanical properties of matrix and composite are similar, and the compressive strength of the composite is only 95% of the matrix alloy. However, the composite showed a low friction coefficient, the friction coefficient of Gr/Al composite is only 0.15, which just is two-third than that of the matrix alloy. Similarly, the wear rate of the composite is less than 4% of the matrix. In addition, the composite can avoid severe wear before 200°C, but the matrix alloy only 100°C. Originality/value This material has excellent friction properties and is able to maintain this excellent performance at high temperatures. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-10-2019-0454/

Fatigue behavior of precipitation strengthened Cu–Ni–Si alloy modified by Cr and Zr addition

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 861-873
Author(s):  
Ş. Hakan Atapek ◽  
Spiros Pantelakis ◽  
Şeyda Polat ◽  
Apostolos Chamos ◽  
Gülşah Aktaş Çelik
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Fatigue Behavior ◽  
Fatigue Tests ◽  
Lower Stress ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hardened Alloy ◽  
Zr Addition ◽  
Nucleation Sites ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Lower Stress Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the fatigue behavior of precipitation-strengthened Cu‒2.55Ni‒0.55Si alloy, modified by the addition of 0.25 Cr and 0.25 Zr (wt%), using mechanical and fractographical studies to reveal the effect of microstructural features on the fracture. Design/methodology/approach For strengthening, cast and hot forged alloy was subjected to solution annealing at 900°C for 60 min, followed by quenching in water and then aging at 490°C for 180 min. Precipitation-hardened alloy was exposed to fatigue tests at R=−1 and different stress levels. All fracture surfaces were examined within the frame of fractographical analysis. Findings Fine Ni-rich silicides responsible for the precipitation strengthening were observed within the matrix and their interactions with the dislocations at lower stress level resulted in localized shearing and fine striations. Although, by the addition of Cr and Zr, the matrix consisted of hard Ni, Zr-rich and Cr-rich silicides, these precipitates adversely affected the fatigue behavior acting as nucleation sites for cracks. Originality/value These findings contribute to the present knowledge by revealing the effect of microstructural features on the mechanical behavior of precipitation-hardened Cu‒Ni‒Si alloy modified by Cr and Zr addition.

Improving logistics processes of surgical instruments: case of RFID technology

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 448-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afrooz Moatari-Kazerouni ◽  
Ygal Bendavid
Keyword(s):  
Radio Frequency Identification ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Rfid Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Realistic Potential ◽  
Simulation Techniques ◽  
Frequency Identification ◽  
Management Project

Purpose Since mid-2000s, hospitals have begun implementing radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in order to improve their operations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential of RFID technology in improving the traceability of surgical instruments in a hospital environment. Design/methodology/approach A case study is conducted at a teaching hospital in Montreal, Canada. Business process reengineering approach and simulation techniques are used to assess the realistic potential of the RFID technology. The application of different scenarios and how they influence the efficiency of process flow between the central sterilization department and operating rooms of the hospital is investigated. Findings Research outcomes demonstrated how tagging individual instruments or their sets lead to reduction of the time spent in re-processing the soiled instrument as well as the reduction of costs related to staff. Furthermore, specific key performance indicators are identified and eventual issues related to implementation of the re-designed processes are discussed. Originality/value Implementing RFID-enabled solutions in hospital context is still an emerging phenomenon that involves various stakeholders in a change management project. While implementing RFID technology can benefit hospitals by improving business processes and workflows, the adoption is still slow, especially for managing surgical instruments. It is, hence, crucial to compare the advantages and drawbacks of RFID-enabled surgical instruments solutions with other well-established traceability technologies such as barcoding.

Improving recommender systems’ performance on cold-start users and controversial items by a new similarity model

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masoud Mansoury ◽  
Mehdi Shajari
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cold Start ◽  
Selection Function ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
User Similarity ◽  
Active User ◽  
Similarity Model

Purpose This paper aims to improve the recommendations performance for cold-start users and controversial items. Collaborative filtering (CF) generates recommendations on the basis of similarity between users. It uses the opinions of similar users to generate the recommendation for an active user. As a similarity model or a neighbor selection function is the key element for effectiveness of CF, many variations of CF are proposed. However, these methods are not very effective, especially for users who provide few ratings (i.e. cold-start users). Design/methodology/approach A new user similarity model is proposed that focuses on improving recommendations performance for cold-start users and controversial items. To show the validity of the authors’ similarity model, they conducted some experiments and showed the effectiveness of this model in calculating similarity values between users even when only few ratings are available. In addition, the authors applied their user similarity model to a recommender system and analyzed its results. Findings Experiments on two real-world data sets are implemented and compared with some other CF techniques. The results show that the authors’ approach outperforms previous CF techniques in coverage metric while preserves accuracy for cold-start users and controversial items. Originality/value In the proposed approach, the conditions in which CF is unable to generate accurate recommendations are addressed. These conditions affect CF performance adversely, especially in the cold-start users’ condition. The authors show that their similarity model overcomes CF weaknesses effectively and improve its performance even in the cold users’ condition.

scholarly journals How to evaluate sustainability of supply chains? A dynamic network DEA approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (9) ◽  
pp. 1866-1889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Shokri Kahi ◽  
Saeed Yousefi ◽  
Hadi Shabanpour ◽  
Reza Farzipoor Saen
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Real World ◽  
Performance Optimization ◽  
Network Dynamic ◽  
Network Dea ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dea Model ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
First Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel network and dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) model for evaluating sustainability of supply chains. In the proposed model, all links can be considered in calculation of efficiency score. Design/methodology/approach A dynamic DEA model to evaluate sustainable supply chains in which networks have series structure is proposed. Nature of free links is defined and subsequently applied in calculating relative efficiency of supply chains. An additive network DEA model is developed to evaluate sustainability of supply chains in several periods. A case study demonstrates applicability of proposed approach. Findings This paper assists managers to identify inefficient supply chains and take proper remedial actions for performance optimization. Besides, overall efficiency scores of supply chains have less fluctuation. By utilizing the proposed model and determining dual-role factors, managers can plan their supply chains properly and more accurately. Research limitations/implications In real world, managers face with big data. Therefore, we need to develop an approach to deal with big data. Practical implications The proposed model offers useful managerial implications along with means for managers to monitor and measure efficiency of their production processes. The proposed model can be applied in real world problems in which decision makers are faced with multi-stage processes such as supply chains, production systems, etc. Originality/value For the first time, the authors present additive model of network-dynamic DEA. For the first time, the authors outline the links in a way that carry-overs of networks are connected in different periods and not in different stages.

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