My current research is aimed at using the information technology effectively and efficiently to develop a competitive advantage. This entails using a subset of advanced technologies and exploring their use in real or realistic organizational settings. My current research areas and most recent publications are highlighted below.

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning requiring Immersive Presence (CSCLIP)

We have been working on several projects to enable the next generation of e-learning to enable teaching of psychomotor skills for technical equipment. The work began with the intent of extending the reach of our M.S. in Telecommunications Management program's laboratory course. This work has been partially supported by SBC and Dept. of Education. You can access some of the virtual lab information through our project website. Other participants include Professors Mark Weiser, Nicholas Romano, George Scheets, J.M. Chung,  Joyce Lucca, and many MSTM students. A draft of a working paper to define our vision of CSLIP is here.

Knowledge Networks

I am exploring the use of knowledge networks to solve the dual problems of information overload and a lack of appropriate information at the right time. This work started as an outgrowth of our work in information sharing for teams (see below). An early concept I am exploring is the use of fisheye views. An AIS conference paper co-authored by Terence Ow is now available.  A paper on group knowledge networks appeared in Information Systems Frontiers. Ozgur Turetken and other colleagues are working on related systems to enhance visualization of web-search results to reduce information overload. A draft of a paper to appear in Decision Support Systems is available.

Decision modeling for Management of Email Overload

Prof. M. Kamath, Bob Greve, and some students are working to model the processing of email to enable better decision making on email management.  A paper was presented at the INFORMS Computing Conference, 2003.

Neural Networks

We have worked on statistical applications of neural networks. Here's a partial list of some of my NN related papers. Jun Wang and I served as guest editors for a special issue of the European Journal of Operations Research. The EJOR issue appeared in 1996. You can look at the Table of Contents. The most interesting problem for me right now is to try and forecast the box-office performance of movies using neural networks. Here is a  paper presented at the International Meeting of the Decision Science Institute at Athens, Greece in July 1999. You can download the presentation in Powerpoint format from here. A draft paper on the same topic is here.

Telecommunications Management/E-commerce Projects

CATT Project

I am participating in a DoD funded project to explore the use of the Internet in developing a collaborative organization. It is part of the Computer Assisted Technology Transfer (CATT) project. CATT Project Home Page is available. We have also developed a tutorial to help small business understand the process of doing business with the government. This tutorial, called SCORE, is available on CD or on the web. We have also developed a Defense Supplier Marketplace application to enable small business to upload their catalogs for viewing by military buyers.

PREVIOUS PROJECTS (More or less nothing new from me in these):

Internet

Papers that I have worked on involving the internet:

  1. Pawar, B., and R. Sharda, "Obtaining Business Intelligence Through the Internet," Long Range Planning, Vol. 30, No.1, pp. 110-121, Feb. 1997.
  2. Barr, S., and R. Sharda, "Effectiveness of Decision Support Systems: Learning or Reliance Effects?, " Decision Support Systems, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 133-146, 1997.
  3. Molnar, K. and R. Sharda, "Using the Internet for Knowledge Acquisition in Expert Systems Development: A Case Study," Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 11, pp. 223-234, 1996.

LP Software

For many years I conducted LP software comparisons. Several papers are listed in my vitae. John Gregory and Bob Fowier have produced an Excellent FAQ on linear programming and non-linear programming. OR/MS Today is a good source for recent software advertisements and surveys. The news group sci.op-research is another good source.

Policy Analysis

Keith Willett and I work on natural resource management problems. Samples of our recent projects are provided below:

  1. "Enhancements to a Water Quality Simulation Game," U.S. Geological Survey, 1995-96 (with K. Willett). (http://orcs2.bus.okstate.edu/gutter)
  2. Willett, et. al, "Regulation of Pesticide Discharge into Surface and Groundwater Under Uncertainty: A Model for Environmental Risk Profitability Tradeoffs and Policy Selection, Environmental Modelling and Assessment, Vol. 2, pp. 211-220, 1997.
  3. Willett, K., and R. Sharda, "Alternative Control Policies for Water Quality Management: An Experimental Economics Approach," Environmental Planning and Management, Vol. 40, No. 4, 507-528, 1997.
  4. Willett, K., and R. Sharda, "Analyzing Interest Group Preferences for Groundwater Management: An Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process," in Resolution of Water Quantity/Quality Conflicts, A. Dinar and E. Loehman, editors, Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 1994.

Model Analysis

David Steiger and I have worked on the use of AI technologies for enhancing model analysis.

  1. Sharda, R. and D. Steiger, "Inductive Model Analysis Systems: Enhancing Model Analysis in Decision Support Systems," Information Systems Research, Vol. 7, No.3, 1996.
  2. Sharda, R., and D. Steiger, "Using Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Model Analysis," in The Impact of Emerging Technologies on Computer Science and Operations Research, S.Nash and A. Sofer, Editors, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA, pp. 263-279, 1995.
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