Whooley questions miss ~80% of ‘cases’: are they therefore really ‘useful’?

Chatbots: Are they Really Useful?

Chatbots are computer programs that interact with users using natural languages. This technology started in the 1960’s; the aim was to see if chatbot systems could fool users that they were real humans. However, chatbot systems are not only built to mimic human conversation, and entertain users. In this paper, we investigate other applications where chatbots could be useful such as education, i...

Supportive therapies in ano-rectal diseases--are they really useful?

Epidemiological features of proctological disease are not well known because available studies have provided variable conclusions. Risk factors frequently mentioned include heredity, high socioeconomic level, obesity, smoking, a diet rich in fats, alcohol, spices and pepper as well low fluid intake have all been implicated. While treating patients with various ano-rectal pathologies, apart from...

Are Methods Really Useful?

Formal performance appraisal interviews: Can they really be objective, and are they useful anyway?

This paper presents a qualitative field study conducted in Australia which examined what is occurring in formal performance appraisal interviews in relation to their objectivity and resultant outcomes. Supervisors and subordinates who had recently been involved in performance appraisals were interviewed about their experiences of the process. Perceptions of the utility of, and satisfaction with...

too many students’ congresses, are they necessary and useful?