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A Low-Overhead Method for Software Process Appraisal
Get PDFThis paper describes a low-overhead method of software process appraisal that has been developed and used by the Centre for Software Process Technologies (CSPT) to appraise small-to-medium-sized software development organisations in Northern Ireland (NI) that have little or no experience of software process improvement programmes.
During the appraisal, information is collected and reviewed to produce a findings report. The findings report consists of a list of strengths, issues and suggested actions for each of the process areas evaluated. The suggested actions detail how the assessed company may improve their processes in line with their business goals. Because the NI software industry is mainly composed of small-to-medium sized software development companies, it is sometimes difficult, both in terms of financial expense and time, for such companies to engage in regular appraisals with the CSPT appraisal team. Therefore, since the main purpose of the CSPT is to instil a software process improvement culture into the NI software industry a pragmatic and relatively non-evasive solution has been developed.
This solution has two parts. The first part enables an initial software process appraisal to be performed on-site by the CSPT appraisal team. The second part is an on-line appraisal tool used by the company itself during follow-on periodic self-appraisals
An investigation into the support structures available to entrepreneurs in the north east of Ireland, with emphasis on hi-tech start-ups
No full textThe importance that entrepreneurship plays in our economy is becoming increasingly obvious. Government and policy makers on the Island of Ireland and indeed on a pan-EU scale are implementing changes in policy to accommodate and nourish new ventures and enterprise.
This study looks at the support structures in evidence in the North East of Ireland. It will concentrate specifically on those in the Counties of Down and Louth
MedeSPI: A Software Process Improvement Model for the Medical device industry based upon Automotive SPICE
No full textSoftware is becoming an increasingly important aspect of medical devices and medical device regulation. Software enables highly complex systems to be built. However, complexity is the enemy of safety, therefore strict adherence to well documented processes is important within the domain of medical device software. Medical devices can only be marketed if compliance and approval from the appropriate regulatory bodies (e.g. the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)) is achieved. This paper outlines the development of a software process improvement (SPI) model specifically for the medical device industry. The paper details how medical device regulations may be satisfied by extending relevant practices from Automotive SPICE
Consumer behaviour: a study of young teenagers' reference group influences
No full textOver recent years marketers have identified a niche in the area of the youth marketing. This niche is comprised of young teenagers who range in age from ten to fifteen years old. Companies have begun to realise the buying potential of this group of children. In order to understand this newly defined target market there is a need to investigate this group's consumer behaviour and the various influences on their purchase decisions. This dissertation investigated the consumer buying behaviour of young teenagers between the ages of 12 to 15 years old and identified to what degree different socialising agents such as peers, parents and the mass media have on influencing these young people's behaviours and attitudes. The research was undertaken in post primary schools in the region of Dundalk Co. Louth. A focus group and questionnaire were carried out with students from first and second year classes. The information that was reported by these respondents developed an insight into their opinions, beliefs and trends regarding consumer behaviour and reference group influence
The Development of a Low-Overhead Assessment Method for Irish Software SMEs
No full textThis paper describes the development of ‘Adept’, a low-overhead method of software process appraisal specifically targeted at Irish software small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The method explicitly focuses on organisations that have little or no experience of software process improvement (SPI) programmes. Historically, it has been difficult for software SMEs to find the resources, in both time and money, necessary to engage properly in SPI. To alleviate this, we have created a low-overhead and relatively non-invasive solution to support SMEs in establishing process improvement initiatives.
The paper initially describes how Adept was developed and then illustrates how the method is currently being extended to include an on-line tool that may be used by the appraised organization to perform follow-on self-assessments
Spontaneous Electrical Activity in Sheep: Mesenteric Lymphatics
No full textBackground: It has recently become apparent that the lymph pump is an electrical entity thatrivals the heart in complexity. Many interesting currents have been demonstrated by voltage clamping isolated lymphatic smooth muscle cells, but until now the role of these currents in the intact syncitium has not been studied. Methods and Results: Intracellular microelectrode recordings were made from smooth muscle of sheep mesenteric lymphatics to investigate the electrophysiological basis of lymphatic pumping. Approximately 50% of the vessels exhibited spontaneous electrical activity, varying from regular oscillations in membrane potential to spike complexes. Spike complexes generally consisted of one or more action potentials superimposed on a slower depolarization or ‘plateau’ phase and were often preceded by a slow diastolic depolarization or ‘pre-potential’. Norepinephrine (5 uM) induced depolarizing events in quiescent preparations. Both agonist-induced oscillations and spike complexes were attenuated or completely abolished by 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB); 10–100 uM). Cesium (1 mM) reduced the frequency of spontaneous firing by approximately 30% by flattening the pre-potential phase.
In addition to having a negative inotropic effect, 10 mM Cs+ also caused gradual membrane depolarization and prolonged the plateau. 1 uM nifedipine abolished spontaneous events while tetrodotoxin (TTX; 0.5–1 uM) decreased the amplitude and maximum dV/dt of the spike upstroke or stopped activity completely. Spontaneously active segments of lymphatic vessel were inhibited by the chloride channel blocker, anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (9-AC; 250 uM-1 mM) suggesting that I Cl(Ca) plays a significant role in the generation of spontaneous activity in this tissue. Penitrem-A (0.1 uM) did not affect resting membrane potential but increased action potential amplitude and prolonged the plateau, suggesting that calcium-activated potassium current does not make a significant contribution to resting membrane conductance but is important in membrane repolarization following calcium influx during the action potential. In contrast 4-aminopyridine (4-AP; 5 uM) caused significant membrane depolarization, suggesting the existence of an active 4-AP-sensitive current at rest. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the currents found in isolated voltage-clamped cells from sheep mesenteric lymphatics do play a significant role in the shaping of spontaneous electrical activity of the intact syncitium
Human resource management in small to medium enterprises. A collective study of recruitment and selection, performance management, grievence procedures and trade unionism
No full textThere has been limited academic research in human resource management practices in small to medium enterprises. The aim of this dissertation is to look at the current state of recruitment and selection, performance management, grievance procedures and trade unions in small to medium enterprises. In order to achieve this objective a comprehensive literature review was carried out in recruitment and selection, performance management, grievance procedures and trade unions in small to medium enterprises. This was followed by interviews with human resource management representatives from four small to medium enterprises
The Fair Trade movement is a recognisable marketing mechanism
No full textThe Fair Trade movement has witnessed significant changes in the past number of years. Although the Fair Trade movement is still in its infancy, it marked a noteworthy turning point when retail sales for fairly traded products in Ireland reached £7.5 million in 2005. (Pope, 2006) It is clear that Fair Trade may no longer be considered a niche market nor a passing fad. Fair Trade coordinators are resolute that the Fair Trade movement is not a passing fad, but may be viewed as genuine approach to development aid.
Indeed, the surge in the Fair Trade market represents an increasing trend towards ethical consumerism. As a result of this trend, consumers are quickly tuning in to the business activities of companies, whereby demands are being placed on companies to act responsibly. One initiative companies are adopting to meet these demands, is displaying corporate social responsibility. Consequently, many organisations are engaging in ethical trading and fair-trading as a means of displaying corporate social responsibility
Enzymatic hydrolysis of organic waste materials in a solid-liquid system
Get PDFIn the current climate of increasing emphasis on environmental protection and efficient waste management, regional management bodies and environmental agencies are striving to achieve an economical and environmentally acceptable system for the recycling of biodegradable organic wastes. Composting would appear to be a cost effective solution to this problem but in its entirety, composting is an inherently lengthy and variable process and is restrictive in terms of the demand on resources and space in composting plants. The aim of this study was to compare a biological composting process of solid residues with an enzymatic hydrolysis process of residues. The length of time required to naturally compost three organic materials, spent mushroom substrate (SMS), farmyard manure (FYM) and dairy wastewater sludge (DWS) under optimal conditions was 42 days, 98 days and 84 days respectively. In an attempt to accelerate this process, commercial enzymes were added to the waste products in a heterogeneous solid - liquid system. The enzymes utilised included a range of proteases, cellulases, ligninases, lipases and pectinases, which are responsible for the hydrolysis of protein, cellulose, lignin, lipids and carbohydrates respectively. Preliminary results indicate that all the organic materials were stabilised within 9 hours and that the enzymes used would, therefore, improve the efficiency of a waste management plant, if such a system were employed. Spent mushroom compost has a mean N/P/K ratio of 20:10:10 recorded for composted SMS, while a similar ratio of 20:10:20 was obtained for hydrolysed SMS. In contrast composted farmyard manure has a N/P/K ratio of 30:0:30 and a ratio of 10:1:10 for hydrolysed FYM. Finally, composted DWS has a N/P/K ratio of 20:1:30 while DWS hydrolysate has a N/P/K ratio of 40:1:20, with the decrease in nitrogen in the composted DWS attributed to the addition of wood chippings and sawdust as a bulking agent. While all three materials have a considerable supply of plant nutrients, the variability in nutrients could be overlooked when employed as a soil amendment