Abstract: Aspects include a method, a system and a computer program product. The method includes identifying, on an electronic platform providing for an exchange of messages among multiple participants, at least one open issue to be resolved. Data is collected from the exchanged messages to determine a participation interaction parameter and a solution quality parameter associated with at least one open issue. The participation interaction parameter includes an accountability dynamic factor and collaboration dynamic factor and the solution quality parameter includes a velocity factor, a dormancy factor, and an extinction factor. When a sum of the participation interaction parameter and the solution quality parameter is below a threshold value, at least one open issue participant is invited to the electronic platform. It is also determined when the at least one open issue becomes a closed issue.

Abstract: Training a machine to learn and to identify time slots to select in a user's electronic calendar, in one aspect, may include receiving an invitee list and meeting meta data associated with a meeting via an electronic calendar application. Candidate timeslots for the meeting may be determined and a database associated with the electronic calendar application analyzed to obtain user factors associated with the candidate timeslots and invitees in the invitee list. Based on the user factors, a predictive model may be generated that is associated with an invitee in the invitee list by a machine learning algorithm. The predictive model may be executed to determine a time slot to select for the invitee.

Abstract: A system for dispatching vehicles in a public transportation network may include a passenger monitoring system configured to monitor a number of passengers waiting at a stop in the transportation network, a vehicle dispatching system and a processing device. The processing device may apply a Markov Decision Process (MDP) model to determine a score for each of multiple decision rules, in which each score represents a number of passengers waiting at the stop at the end of a time interval, and use the scores to identify a number of waiting passengers at which a reserve vehicle should be dispatched. The system may use information received from the passenger monitoring system to determine a state at an instant of time, and determine whether a reserve vehicle should be dispatched based on the MDP model and cause the vehicle dispatch system to dispatch a reserve vehicle or retain a nominal vehicle.

Abstract: A mobile application enables employees to manage their goals and track their performance at any time, and from any place. A mobile device such as a tablet computer or a smart phone can download goal information over the Internet from a remote server. The mobile device can provide user interfaces through which its user can work on the goal. The mobile device can upload the result of the work performed on the mobile device to the remote server. The mobile application also enables an employee to augment his or her goal and performance data using data from third-party systems. The data from the third party systems can be incorporated into the goal and performance data as evidence of the employee progressing toward his goals. For example, such data from a third-party system might include tweets from a Twitter feed, or stock prices from a NASDAQ ticker feed.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for improving management and performance of an employee. An indication of a goal sponsored by an owner, such as a manager, is received. After receiving an indication of a user subscribing to the goal sponsored by the owner, communications (e.g., posts) on the social network involving the subscribed user that include a tag designating the goal may be monitored. Upon detecting a completion of the goal by the subscribed user in the monitored communications, a pattern of steps (e.g., “prepare,” “review” and “finish”) to accomplish the goal is determined based on the monitored communications. The pattern may then be used to recommend actions to other users subscribed to the goal concerning accomplishing the goal based on the pattern. Furthermore, the owner may receive indications as to the progress of the user in accomplishing the goal based on the pattern.

Abstract: A method for associating user engagement data with various features of a product associated with a webpage is provided. The method includes detecting a visit to a portion of the webpage by a user. The webpage includes features of the product. A feature from the portion of the webpage is then determined using keyword of the feature. The portion includes the keyword of the feature. A user engagement input is then received for entire webpage from the first user. The webpage includes only one user interface option to provide the user engagement input of a particular type, at an instance, for entire webpage. The user engagement input is associated with the feature and not associated with other features on the webpage. A report indicating association of the user engagement input with the feature and non-association of the user engagement input with other features on the webpage is then generated.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to modeling resource allocations. A data model may be provided to an activity modeling engine. The activity modeling engine may be employed to provide an activity model based on the data model, such that the activity model may include activity objects that each may be associated with bills-of-materials (BOMs). Resource allocations from source activity objects to target activity objects may be provided based on the BOMs, such that the resource allocations may be modeled using unit values defined by the BOMs. A report visualizing the activity model may be provided and presented on a hardware display.

Abstract: An appointment and payment handling system may operate to handle payments for appointments. In advance of an appointment, the appointment and payment handling system may send a reminder to customer devices of the customers associated with the appointment, and then receive a response that includes a requested change to the appointment. The requested change may comprise a net increase in the number of customers associated with the appointment and an updated cost-splitting arrangement for dividing appointment costs between the customers. The appointment and payment handling system may seek and receive approval of the change from the merchant. Upon determining that the appointment is completed, the appointment and payment handling system may process payment based at least in part on the updated cost-splitting arrangement.

Abstract: Methods and systems for determining a sales channel for a product in a brick and mortar store include displaying to customers in a brick and mortar store information on an interactive data collection system relating to a product; collecting, via the data collection system, information indicative of customer interest in the product by tracking inputs at the interactive data collection system; collecting, via an online website, information indicative of customer interest relating to the product; and based upon both the information obtained at the brick and mortar store and the information obtained by the online website, determining a sales channel from a plurality of channels to offer the product for purchase by a customer.

Abstract: Embodiments of a supplemental message display method and system are described. Supplemental messages to be displayed on the client display of a network client are defined and comprise content that is separate from content generated by any application currently executed on the network client. A virtual desktop view is served from a server computer to the network client. The virtualization layer defines a screen region on the virtual desktop view of the client display device through for the display of one or more of the supplemental messages. The virtualization layer controls the size, location, color, and transparency level of the defined screen region. The defined screen region is made persistent to ensure the continual display of the supplemental message. The supplemental message content is provided to the network client and interactive user input is received through the displayed message.

Abstract: In some examples, a service provider may determine, for a time of day and a day of a week, orders received by individual merchants of a plurality of merchants over a past period of time. The service provider may further determine, for the time of day and day of the week, based at least in part on the orders received over the past period of time, a first merchant predicted to receive an order. Based at least in part on a pickup location of the first merchant, the service provider may send a communication to a first courier device associated with a first courier of a plurality of couriers. For example, the communication may include location information for a recommended location to which the first courier is to move to be in position for picking up an order from the merchant that is predicted to receive the order.

Abstract: A method for providing incentive to mentors of at-risk mentees is described. The method includes the steps of determining an at-risk mentee's prospects in the absence of mentoring, and then tracking behavior and progress in a period of time, determining the mentee's achievement of important milestones, avoidance of costs to society, and/or income and income tax payments during the same period of time, and calculating a financial incentive to the mentee's mentor, wherein the amount of the financial incentive is calculated based on the mentee's behavior, achievement of important milestones, avoidance of costs to society, and/or income tax payments during the period of time.

Abstract: Example systems and methods of classifying web visitor sessions based on clickstreams are presented. In one example, a plurality of web pages of a website is organized into a plurality of web page categories. A clickstream of each visitor to visit the plurality of web page categories of the website are divided into a plurality of visitor sessions. A mathematical distance between each of the plurality of visitor sessions is determined using a visitation metric based on the web page categories. Each of the visitor sessions is classified into a target group or a non-target group based on the mathematical distance between each of the visitor sessions and on an identification of at least one of the visitor sessions with an event corresponding to the target group.

Abstract: Systems and methods to integrate point of sale processing, online order processing, coupon management, WiFi access management, and supply chain and store management, etc. In one aspect, a central server provides point of sale, coupon management and other functions via browser based interfaces. The system provides a coupon to a customer to offer discounts to friends of the customer and/or rewards to the customer if the friends of the customer use the coupon. The system validates the coupon when the coupon is used at POS terminals of the system and tracks the usage of the coupons to select customers for targeting future coupons. In another aspect, the central server is configured to provide the customer with WiFi access at the retail location where the order of the customer is fulfilled and further configured to automatically log the customer into an account of the customer hosted on a third party server.

Abstract: Approaches for analyzing entity performance are disclosed. A first set of data and a second set of data can be stored in a data structure. This data can be associated with a plurality of interactions, and can be modified to include additional interactions. These interactions can involve consuming entities and provisioning entities. The modified data structure can be queried to retrieve information associated with one or more entities. After information is retrieved, it can be provided to a user.

Abstract: A method for selecting thresholds for a data variable or key performance indicator (KPI) includes processing, by a computer, an actual data set for the data variable or KPI and displaying a perspective view representing the actual data for the data variable or KPI in an interactive threshold editor or selection dialog on a computer-user interface. Processing the actual data set for the data variable or KPI includes statistically curve fitting the actual data set to a probability distribution function and determining a set of pre-selected thresholds based on the parameters obtained by fitting the actual data set to the probability distribution function. The method further involves presenting one or more user-activable UI elements that are configured to receive user acceptance, rejection or adjustment of the pre-selected thresholds as thresholds for the data variable or KPI.

Abstract: An example news production system includes a scheduling system and multiple remotely controllable devices configured to perform actions based on commands. A first remotely controllable device is configured to receive commands formatted according to a first protocol, and a second remotely controllable device is configured to receive commands formatted according to a second protocol. The scheduling system accesses a news program schedule that specifies a sequence of actions to be performed by the news production system. The scheduling system access the schedule, selects entries from the news program schedule, generates commands based on the selected entries for the first and second remotely controllable devices in accordance with the first and second protocols, respectively, and transmits the generated commands to the first and second remotely controllable devices.

Abstract: A workroom is automatically established for each job created and is associated with a unique email address. The workroom allows members to hold live meetings, communicate in real-time, including via email, upload/manage/share files, and automatically provide transcripts of communication. The workroom also allows team members to launch work trackers directly from the workroom. A work tracker collects work information and directly generates one or more status reports based on the work information collected. A status report includes a back-end version viewable and modifiable by a service provider and a front-end version viewable by a buyer. The status report directly generates an invoice based on the information from the status report. The invoice is submitted to the buyer and allows the buyer to directly pay the service provider.

Abstract: A computer-implemented system, a method thereof, and a computer-readable medium comprising a supply chain visualizer providing a plurality of graphical elements in a multi-dimensional supply chain network view and a plan display providing a plurality of graphical elements in a multi-dimensional tabular view, a multi-directional capability for traversing between the supply chain visualizer and the plan display operable to receive input from a planner during a planning session specifying a plan problem, reflecting changes to data associated with the plan display back to data associated with the supply chain visualizer, reflecting changes to data associated with the supply chain visualizer back to data associated with the plan display, traversing the multi-dimensional supply chain network via a real-time interaction between the multi-dimensional tabular view of the plan display and the visual representation of the graphical view of the supply chain visualizer, and providing the planner the ability to generate a

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a computer implemented scheduling method comprising: accessing project data from computer readable storage media. The project data comprises work item data defining a plurality of work items to be scheduled, and release data defining one or more releases into which one or more of the plurality of work items are to be scheduled. The method comprises processing, using a computer processor, the project data to schedule strictly assigned work items by identifying strictly assigned work items, a strictly assigned work item having a particular release into which the strictly assigned work item needs to be scheduled; and for each strictly assigned work item identified, scheduling the strictly assigned work item into the release specified for that strictly assigned work item.