bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis and Modeling of H.264 Unconstrained VBR Video Traffic
Authors: Koumaras Harilaos , Skianis Charalampos , Kourtis Anastasios
Published: May 2011

In future communication networks, video is expected to represent a large portion of the total traffic, given that especially variable bit rate (VBR) coded video streams, are becoming increasingly popular. Consequently, traffic modeling and characterization of such video services is essential for the efficient traffic control and resource management. Besides, providing an insight of video coding mechanisms, traffic models can be used as a tool for the allocation of network resources, the design of efficient networks for streaming services and the reassurance of specific QoS characteristics to the end users. The new H.264/AVC standard, proposed by the ITU-T Video Coding Expert Group (VCEG) and ISO/IEC Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG), is expected to dominate in upcoming multimedia services, due to the fact that it outperforms in many fields the previous encoded standards. This article presents both a frame and a layer (i.e. I, P and B frames) level analysis of H.264 encoded sources. Analysis of the data suggests that the video traffic can be considered as a stationary stochastic process with an autocorrelation function of exponentially fast decay and a marginal frame size distribution of approximately Gamma form. Finally, based on the statistical analysis, an efficient model of H.264 video traffic is proposed.
AI Design for Believable Characters via Gameplay Design Patterns
Authors: Lankoski Petri , Johansson Anja , Karlsson Benny , Björk Staffan , Dell’Acqua Pierangelo
Published: May 2011

We address the problem of creating human-like, believable behavior for game characters. To achieve character believability in games, the game designer needs to develop that character so that it fulfills as many aspects of believability as possible. With believable behavior we mean that the game is consistently structured in terms of narration or gameplay so that it is possible to build and maintain coherent relations between the actions of the characters. In this paper, we first analyze the general patterns for game characters design in detail concentrating on the aspects that are relevant to the AI design. Then, we present an agent architecture that we are developing, and discuss how this architecture can address the identified design patterns.
A Practice-Based Analysis of Social Interaction in a Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming Environment
Authors: Milolidakis Giannis , Kimble Chris , Grenier Corinne
Published: May 2011

This chapter analyzes behaviour in on-line games from a practice-oriented perspective and focuses on how individuals create and sustain social structures. It reports on research based in MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games) that investigates how what the players do in the gaming environment can give rise to structures that continue to exist outside that environment. The analysis centres on the notion of how practice is framed within the game; the methodology is one based on virtual ethnography. It describes the activities of a group of gamers in both MMOGs and other on-line settings. It will show how such players develop an identity as members of a ’community of games players’ and how their gaming practices are not based around a single game but are spread across several different platforms.
Artificial Intelligence in Games Evolution
Authors: Carneiro Murillo Guimarães
Published: May 2011

The growth of the game industry shows a great market to be conquered. However the gaming business now has consumers more demanding and hungry for quality games, not just graphics, but also related to more gameplay and challenge. This chapter provides an overview over a large area that is increasingly explored by game developers, the artificial intelligence (AI). The main goal is to highlight the main reasons that make the great investors fascinated to use AI techniques in games. Indeed, a new paradigm of game began to be defined and introducing it is also the mission of this chapter. As a final goal is intended that this material can be a source of learning and encouragement for beginners on game development and even for the curious and amateurs about the subject.
Human-Computer Interaction in Games Using Computer Vision Techniques
Authors: Devyatkov Vladimir , Alfimtsev Alexander
Published: May 2011

A primary goal of virtual environments is to support natural, efficient, powerful and flexible human-computer interaction. But the traditional two-dimensional, keyboard- and mouse-oriented graphical user interface is not well-suited for virtual environments. The most popular approaches for capture, tracking and recognition of different modalities simultaneously to create intellectual human-computer interface for games will be considered in this chapter. Taking into account the large gesture variability and their important role in creating intuitive interfaces, the considered approaches focus one’s attention on gestures although the approaches may be used also for other modalities. The considered approaches are user independent and do not require large learning samples.
Mobile Gaming
Authors: Hoffman Blaine
Published: May 2011

The continued evolution of mobile technology provides for new means of interaction and engagement in our daily lives. The interconnectedness, availability, and rapid adoption of mobile computing means users can expect to have access to data and information on their terms. Likewise, games and means of play are increasingly common on mobile devices. This chapter seats a discussion of mobile game development within the context of place and space to reveal how we can improve our understanding of mobile interaction and begin to merge our view of physical and digital spaces. By applying the ideas of place and space to mobile game development, game applications can encourage users to broaden their view of the spaces around them and strengthen the developments of interactions in a mobile world.
The Contribution of Videogames to Anti-Social Attitudes and Behaviours amongst Youngsters
Authors: Albuquerque Olga , Moreira Gillian Grace
Published: May 2011

Using questionnaires and interviews, the video-gaming habits of 136 youngsters, ranging from the ages of 9 to 15 years, were assessed, taking into consideration their age and gender. It was found that many youngsters are playing games which are not appropriate for their age group, and that long hours are spent at computer screens on these games without parental control or supervision. In fact, most parents do not even know what games their children are playing never mind whether they are rated as suitable for their age group. In addition, differences between boys and girls were significant, allowing us to confirm that boys prefer more action-oriented games while girls choose simulation games. Although the small-scale nature of this study does not allow us to generalise its conclusions, its findings are relevant and can point the way for future studies of this type. The centrality of video games in the lives of children and teenagers today is such that these and the practices they engender need to be taken into account when considering the rise of anti-social, aggressive, and at times violent attitudes and behaviours amongst youngsters.
Law, Architecture, Gameplay, and Marketing
Authors: Wasilko Peter J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces readers to a broad range of legal issues relevant to game designers and developers touching such topics as intellectual property protection, player disputes, employment, licensing, and taxation. It provides an overview of relevant law, but primarily focuses on how to bring legal considerations into game design, software development, and business planning so as to minimize one’s legal risk. The Principle of Severability is also highlighted as a way to increase users’ willingness to contribute content; it is then extended to offer guidance in setting up a Litigation Savvy Development process.
A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Designing Business Management Games
Authors: Campos Pedro
Published: May 2011

Computer games have become an important part of the new digital economy, employing thousands of Information Technology professionals worldwide. Their role as a novel approach to reduce the distance between students and knowledge is also well documented. In this chapter, we will describe a multi-disciplinary approach to designing a particular class of educational games: business management games. We argue that through a better understanding of the relationship between work-domain based decisions and processes, professional game designers can achieve effective results. The design approach was based on intensive collaboration and co-design meetings with business management researchers and professors. The result was a game called “SimCompany”, aimed at teaching children about business management concepts, thus promoting an entrepreneurship culture in classroom settings. “SimCompany” proved effective as a teaching tool about business management concepts, and initial evaluation showed a positive increase in students’ rate of learning, when compared to traditional teaching methods.
RACEM Game for PC for Use as Rehabilitation Therapy for Children with Psychomotor Disability and Results of Its Application
Authors: Muro Brenda Flores , Delgado Eduardo César Contreras
Published: May 2011

Present work develops a PC simulation game to conduct a study with the main objective to train children with psychomotor disabilities (coordination, equilibrium and movements). The child interacts with simulated environments which contain the needed stimulus to develop the eye-hand coordination, the child responds to the game with mouse movements by means of audible orders. The main objective for the present work is to enhance the child´s psychomotricity with more precise movements. Converting the game in a mean to children rehabilitation, this can be used in homes aided by child´s parents. Another purpose is to have a didactical tool for professors of special education.
Evaluation of Simulation Games for Teaching Production (Engineering)
Authors: Riedel Johann C.K.H. , Hauge Jannicke Baalsrud
Published: May 2011

The findings from the evaluations showed that serious games deliver learning outcomes. However, there are drawbacks to their use that need to be taken into account. Principally the high cost of development and the need for expert facilitators for running game sessions.
Can Computer Games Motivate and Sustain Learning?
Authors: Okojie Mabel C.P.O.
Published: May 2011

A critical examination of the use of computer games as motivation for learning is provided. The examination is addressed by reviewing evidence from the literature dealing with computer games as learning tools. Factors and difficulties associated with games as instructional strategies are discussed. Evidence from the literature indicates that current methods of applying computer games into instruction are not guided by pedagogical principles. It is recognized that the design of educational games be based on learning theories. The current practice of viewing educational games as separate entity from all other educative processes is detrimental to learning. Although, the results of scientific studies on game-based learning are inconclusive, nevertheless, the future of game-based learning is promising partly because games are generally engaging. The results of qualitative interviews reveal that the participants believe that computer games motivate them to have fun but not to learn. Thus, by implication may not sustain learning.
Building Portal Applications
Authors: Polgar Jana , Polgar Tony
Published: May 2011

Software development methodology refers to a standardised, documented methodology which has been used before on similar projects or one which is used habitually within an organisation (Software development methodology). It can generally be applied to all kinds of software products. In portlet development process there are new circumstances which affect the methodology. A portal development manager must be aware of the technological properties and constraints, because there is a large (and very new) range of issues, risks and hidden costs that must be addressed in both the development and deployment processes. This article focuses on discussion of practical approaches to the resolution of development issues and risks in Portal environment. The discussed topics include implementation of Portals in enterprise environment, portlet applications’ high availability, portlet disaster recovery, and the cost of portlet deployment. An attempt is made to forecast future trends in portlet technology.
Architecture of the Organic.Edunet Web Portal
Authors: Manouselis Nikos , Kastrantas Kostas , Sanchez-Alonso Salvador , Cáceres Jesús , Ebner Hannes , Palmer Matthias , Naeve Ambjorn
Published: May 2011

The use of Semantic Web technologies in educational Web portals has been reported to facilitate users’ search, access, and retrieval of learning resources. To achieve this, a number of different architectural components and services need to be harmonically combined and implemented. This article presents how this issue is dealt with in the context of a large-scale case study. More specifically, it describes the architecture behind the Organic.Edunet Web portal that aims to provide access to a federation of repositories with learning resources on agricultural topics. The various components of the architecture are presented and the supporting technologies are explained. In addition, the article focuses on how Semantic Web technologies are being adopted, specialized, and put in practice in order to facilitate ontology-aided sharing and reusing of learning resources.
An Overview of REST
Authors: Newmarch Jan
Published: May 2011

The REST approach was developed to describe the architecture of distributed resource access, such as the WEB. REST in comparison with WS_*stack works with the Web rather than against it and is getting increasing support of not only from developers but also from vendors. This paper explains the philosophy of REST and highlights its simplicity in accessing resources.
Service Oriented Architecture Conceptual Landscape PART I
Authors: Young Ed
Published: May 2011

Contemporary architectural approach is for an orchestrated, agnostic, federated enterprise through the adoption of loosely-coupled open Service interfaces. The Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) paradigm unifies dis­parate, heterogeneous technologies. It resurrects legacy technology silos with a Service ‘face-lift’ while maintaining their autonomy. Somewhat in its infancy as standards and methodologies are evaluated and adopted, the differences between theory and praxis of SOA remain to be fully de­termined, predominately due to the size and complexity of the conundrum it addresses.
Two Examples of the Development and Use of Portals
Authors: Tatnall Arthur , Burgess Stephen
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we revisit some portal research we conducted in Bangladesh and in Australia, the data collection of which was conducted in the early 2000s. We then investigate the evolution of these different types of web portal and how they compare ten years later. The concept of a web portal has been around for some time, but in the last few years the portal concept has gained considerably in importance as new types of portal are developed and new uses found for portal technology. This chapter begins with a brief classification of the types of portals in use today. Developed and developing countries experience different problems in making use of e-commerce and see the advantages and problems of using portals rather differently. In the chapter we examine and compare case studies of a Horizontal Business-Business Industry Portal in Melbourne, Australia, and a Vertical Industry Portal in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Understanding Trust in Virtual Communities
Authors: Zou Qing , Park Eun G.
Published: May 2011

With people participating in various virtual communities in everyday life, trust building between participants is significant and indispensable in order to maintain communication in both traditional and virtual communities. In particular, virtual communities provide a platform or network through which members can communicate with faster and more simultaneous interactions in invisible ways. Since the importance of trust in virtual communities has been widely recognized, trust as a complex, multi-faceted, and context-dependent concept has been examined by many researchers in several disciplines. In this chapter, the authors aim to examine the definitions and characteristics of trust in the context of virtual communities and discuss terms relevant to the concept of trust. Different types of trust are investigated. Issues, challenges and future research directions revolving around trust are discussed. In examining the concept of trust, this chapter focuses on social rather than technical aspects of trust and trust building in virtual communities.
The Ethics of Security of Personal Information upon Facebook
Authors: Leitch Shona , Warren Matthew
Published: May 2011

Social networking systems are an ever evolving and developing means of social interaction which is not only being used to disseminate information to family, friends and colleagues, but as a way of meeting and interacting with “strangers” through the advent of a large number of social applications. Social networking systems, as well as being a way for those people who are isolated to interact with other people, can also have a huge social and personal impact on some users, for example, harassment via a social networking site resulting in suicide. This personal information (not just factual data), including the thoughts and feelings of individuals, can be used by others through social applications to cause emotional and psychological distress. The level of security for all this personal information on social networking systems such as Facebook will be examined in the chapter, as well as the possible threats and ethical issues that could impact users. This chapter will discuss a number of examples where personal information has been breached and will put forward a model that evaluates the security and risks and proposes a framework that relates to the use of information within Facebook.
The Socio-Ethical Considerations Surrounding Government Mandated Location-Based Services during Emergencies
Authors: Aloudat Anas , Michael Katina
Published: May 2011

The adoption of mobile technologies for emergency management has the capacity to save lives. In Australia in February 2009, the Victorian bushfires claimed 173 lives, the worst peace-time disaster in the nation’s history. The Australian government responded swiftly to the tragedy by going to tender for mobile applications that could be used during emergencies, such as mobile alerts and location services. These applications have the ability to deliver personalized information direct to the citizen during crises, complementing traditional broadcasting mediums like television and radio. Indeed governments have a responsibility to their citizens to safeguard them against both natural and human-made hazards, and today, national security has grown to encapsulate such societal and economic securitization. However, some citizens and lobby groups have emphasized that such breakthrough technologies need to be deployed with caution as they are fraught with ethical considerations, including the potential for breaches in privacy, security, and trust.
Monitoring Employee Actions in the Workplace
Authors: McParland Cliona , Connolly Regina
Published: May 2011

While the use of Internet based technologies empower organisations immensely, the recent surge of pervasive technologies into the workplace environment has created situations whereby employees are becoming increasingly aware of the ways in which management can employ these technologies to monitor their email and computer interactions. Although it is apparent that in some cases management may have legitimate reasons to monitor employees’ actions it is becoming increasingly evident that emerging issues and subsequent privacy concerns resulting from the use of these technologies have the potential to negatively impact organisational productivity and employee morale. This chapter outlines some of the major issues relating to workplace surveillance, identifying the emerging issues and subsequent privacy concerns from the employee’s perspective, as well as the motivation behind managements’ decision to employ monitoring technologies in the workplace.
Policy and Issues in Deploying Automated Plagiarism Detection Systems in Academic Communities
Authors: Cheong Chi Hong , Lau Tak Pang , King Irwin
Published: May 2011

Plagiarism is becoming prevalent through the use of the Internet. Educational institutions are seeking technology to combat plagiarism. This chapter describes policy and issues encountered by an educational institution that deploys an automated plagiarism detection system. Background information of plagiarism and the benefits of using automated plagiarism detection systems are presented as motivation. A detailed account on the benefits of using automated plagiarism detection system in the academic setting is given. Associated policy issues (administrative issues, submission policy issues, disciplinary issues, copyright issues, security and privacy issues, and ethical issues) and resources needed to deploy such a system are discussed in details. VeriGuide, an automated plagiarism detection system designed and implemented at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, is presented as a case study on how the technology can be used to alleviate workload for the teachers and also provide a fair academic environment for the students. It is hoped that the case study would be helpful for those who are interested in using such a system to promote academic quality and integrity.
Using the Social Web Environment for Pattern Engineering
Authors: Kamthan Pankaj
Published: May 2011

There are a number of disciplines that depend on the lessons based on history and human creativity while solving problems. In the last two decades, patterns have emerged as a notable problem-solving approach in various disciplines, including science and engineering. The relationships between people, patterns, and technology have evolved over the years. In particular, the changes in the technological environment affect communication, education, production, publication, and management of patterns. This chapter proposes the use of the Social Web in supporting the human and social aspects of pattern engineering. In doing so, the prospects of integrating the technologies/applications underlying the Social Web in the activities and artifacts of pattern engineering are illustrated by a variety of examples, and the concerns in doing so are highlighted.
On User Experience Measurement Needs
Authors: Ketola Pekka , Roto Virpi
Published: May 2011

Measurements related to user expectations, behaviors and experiences can provide useful data to many roles and teams in a company. Each role provides different views to the question “what should be measured, and why?” We conducted an empirical study on user experience (UX) measurement needs at different units and levels in one corporate (Nokia) and asked which kinds of UX measurements would be useful for different functions. We identified common UX measurement needs on 8 different themes.
A Motive Analysis as a First Step in Designing Technology for the use of Intuition in Criminal Investigation
Authors: Rødseth Ingerid
Published: May 2011

Investigators occasionally rely on intuitive feelings during crime solving, but have no technological tool targeting directly on mediating this investigation factor. Technology that encourages the sharing and alerting of hunches therefore seemed to be needed. A motive analysis of interviews with criminal investigators was performed as part of an investigation aiming at adding hunches to the criminal investigators’ visualization tools (the project management system to keep track of the investigation). Purpose of the study was to explore how a motive analysis (by revealing the criminal investigators’ motives and attitudes) could contribute in the first phase of the design. The assumption that designing for intuition could be useful, was confirmed by all of the informants. The study gave valuable input to how motive analysis could be used to identify suitable requirements, by resulting in a proposed technological concept supporting the use of intuitive feelings in criminal investigation.
Designing Ubiquitous Content for Daily Lifestyle
Authors: Inakage Masa , Ueki Atsuro , Tokuhisa Satoru , Katsumoto Yuichiro
Published: May 2011

This article presents a design theory for an emerging genre in digital content called Ubiquitous Contents. To design entertaining experience, the article introduces the design concept of the Experience Chain. Examples are shown to illustrate how people, artifacts, and environment can be seamlessly connected to design emotional and entertaining experiences through the interaction.
Trust Restoration in Electronic Commerce
Authors: Liao Qinyu , Luo Xin , Gurung Anil
Published: May 2011

This paper proposes a model addressing the rebuilding of post-violation trust in B2C electronic commerce. The model uses expectation-confirmation theory and provides empirical verification for the factors affecting post-violation trust rebuilding and the association between them. The factors are perceived trustworthiness, confirmation by trust restoration, satisfaction and continuance trust intention. In accordance with exiting literature, perceived trustworthiness was found to have significant impact on continuance trust intention. The study also showed that confirmation by post-violation trust restoration activities had strong impact on satisfaction but satisfaction did not lead to post-violation continuance trust intention.
Swift Trust in Web Vendors
Authors: Li Xin , Rong Guang , Carter Michelle , Thatcher Jason Bennett
Published: May 2011

With the growth of product search engines such as pricegrabber.com, web vendors have many more casual visitors. This research examines how web vendors may foster “swift trust” as a means to convert casual visitors to paying customers. We examine whether perceptions of website’s appearance features (normality, social presence and third-party links) and functionality features (security, privacy, effort expectancy and performance expectancy) positively relate to swift trust in a web vendor. Using a quasi-experimental research design, we empirically test the proposed relationships. Based on an analysis of 224 respondents, we found appearance and functionality features explained 61% of the variance in swift trust. The paper concludes with a discussion of findings and implications.
End User Authentication (EUA) Model and Password for Security
Authors: Oreku George S. , Li Jianzhong
Published: May 2011

Authentication is one among a set of services that constitute a security subsystem in a modern computing or communications infrastructure. End User Authentication flexibility model proposed in this article will allow the user to have multiple authentications with varying levels of guarantee, and for suppliers to request and rely on mechanisms appropriate to the service requested. We describe the ticket used by clients, servers, model and algorithm to achieve authentication toward prevention of unauthorized access to in sourced data on applications level. An authentication to end-user proposed in this article is a simple three level ticket request model solution in an open distributed environment. We also develop an analytical password for the proposed mechanism and validate this approach through experiment. Furthermore, we explore this approach to end user authentication and demonstrate the conception of a textual password which in many cases improves the security. We analyze Deffie-Hellman exchange weakness and present how it can be made robust against attacks. Our approach is based on the use of the Kerberos authentication technique and the Diffie-Hellman Key exchange.
An Empirical Study of Computer Self-Efficacy and the Technology Acceptance Model in the Military
Authors: Levy Yair , Green Bruce D.
Published: May 2011

The U.S. Navy continues to be a major developer and procurer of information systems (ISs), yet very limited research has been done to determine the factors that influence technology acceptance by naval personnel. Literature suggests that efforts to embrace information technology in improving decision making and reducing workload depend heavily on the use of such systems. Moreover, previous research has shown the validity of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and computer self-efficacy (CSE) to model technology acceptance in numerous environments. However, very little research was done specifically addressing such technology acceptance with military combat ISs. Thus, this study examines the applicability of the extended TAM with a CSE construct model to the U.S. Navy’s combat ISs. A survey sample of 237 sailors from five different U.S. Navy aircraft carriers was used to assess such an extended model on a U.S. Navy’s combat IS. Results indicate that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and CSE were valid antecedents of technology acceptance (as indicated by intention to use). Moreover, high Cronbach’s alpha was observed on all measures, indicating reliability of the measures in the context of military organizations.
Organizational Factors and Information Technology Use
Authors: Arsal Riza Ergun , Thatcher Jason Bennett , Zagenczyk Thomas J. , McKnight D. Harrison , Ahuja Manju K.
Published: May 2011

Studies of information technology (IT) use have focused on numerous antecedents to behavioral intent to use. Although some antecedents (such as subjective norms) reflect aspects of the organizational environment, most antecedents reflect beliefs or attitudes about the technology itself. Using TAM, social exchange theory, and social information processing theories as conceptual bases, we posit that general beliefs about the organizational environment influence IT use on the job. Specifically, we propose that affective commitment, autonomy, and team member trust will directly influence behavioral intent to use IT. However, TAM variables (perceived usefulness, subjective norm, and perceived ease of use) will mediate the effects of organizational variables on behavioral intent to use IT. The results provide initial evidence that organizational variables are related to behavioral intent to use IT, but only when IT is perceived to be useful and subjective norms favor its use. We suggest that when introducing IT, managers need to pay attention not only to technology-related issues, but also to the broader organizational environment in which IT will be used. Implications for researchers and practitioners are offered.
Support and Facilitating Conditions to Computer Workers Who Dislike Working with Computers
Authors: Harris Ranida B. , Marett Kent
Published: May 2011

While the number of employees who primarily use computers to complete their work increases, a significant subset of those employees simply do not enjoy computer work. This dislike has an influence on work-related outcomes like perceived technology overload and job satisfaction. It is important to examine how work-related support from either supervisors or coworkers can minimize/buffer the negative outcomes related to an individual’s disliking computer work. Using a sample of 225 workers from a range of businesses and industries, we investigated the influence of facilitating conditions on liking computer work. The results show that liking computer work is positively related to job satisfaction, and supervisor support helps moderate the relationships between liking computer work and the outcomes of job satisfaction and technology work overload. Implications for research and practice and directions for future research are offered.
Knowledge Worker Productivity
Authors: Nicholson Darren B. , Nicholson Jennifer A. , Parboteeah D. Veena , Valacich Joseph S.
Published: May 2011

Mobile wireless computing is changing the way in which people work, allowing work to occur in a broad range of environments on tasks that previously required fixed location-based, networked computing environments. Along with this greater work flexibility, it is also likely that these mobile work environments contain various types of distractions that could potentially affect the task performance of knowledge workers. Drawing on distraction-conflict theory, this research proposes a model of knowledge worker task performance within the context of a mobile wireless work environment. To test this model, a controlled laboratory experiment was conducted that contrasted task complexity and distraction levels on the task performance of individuals within a mobile wireless environment. Results indicate that regardless of task complexity, productivity losses will occur under both lower and higher levels of distraction. The implications of these results for future research and for the deployment of mobile technologies within organizations are discussed.
Friend or Foe?
Authors: Brennan Linda L.
Published: May 2011

While many organizations and individuals use social media and information technologies (IT) to overcome the limitations of time and space, they often experience unintended consequences from increased immediacy and access. How can they achieve the desirable changes and address the negative effects that can result? This article presents a systematic framework that managers can use to proactively identify ways to either leverage or mitigate the increased immediacy and access. Specific examples are used as illustrations to demonstrate how these issues can be anticipated and used for competitive advantage. They are not offered as specific “prescriptions” for any one organization. Rather, they show how the framework can inform managers as they evaluate proposals for, and implementation plans of, new information systems in their organizations.
Web 2.0
Authors: Stephens R. Todd
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, the author takes a look at how organizations can integrate Web 2.0 technology into their current electronic commerce environment. The success of the Internet can be seen within any organization, but customers are asking for more interaction with the enterprises they do business with. In a few years, having a standard electronic commerce site will be as passé as having an information only site today. Organizations must progress to the next level in order to have a viable business model in the future. Web 2.0 provides the basic technology for creating a network of customers who are passionate about the company’s product offering. This chapter reviews several different examples where organizations have added Web 2.0 to their environment and are succeeding in transforming themselves.
Entrepreneurship and Growth in Knowledge Economy
Authors: Vardhan Julie
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, contemporary explanation of growth, knowledge-based growth, and finally, an entrepreneurially driven growth model will be explored. Growth will be researched not only in terms of knowledge economy, but also in terms of knowledge, and economy in specific. Some of the recent knowledge based growth models also focus upon, namely, the effects of innovation in creation of new frontiers and firms, and more specifically, on firms exploiting various web technologies and business frontiers, inter-industry, and cross platform avenues. The chapter conceptually demonstrates the importance of knowledge as driver of growth, and concludes with the entrepreneurial leadership as the locus and paradigm of growth.
Emerging Web Tools and Their Applications in Bioinformatics
Authors: Singh Shailendra , Singh Amardeep
Published: May 2011

Bioinformatics is an emerging area of interest for many researchers and scientists. It has unlimited applications in many areas. The most important application of this is to know about genes, et cetera. But nowadays, research has also started in the emerging areas of network security and threats using bioinformatics. In the present scenario, we are highly dependent on Internet. The Web has invited different people from different backgrounds to work together sitting at far places. And to fulfill the needs of the interested and involved people, lots of Web based tools have been developed, and many others are being developed. In this chapter, the area of bioinformatics has been introduced along with its applications, Web, developed Web based tools, and a case study of one such tool.
Online Grocery Provision Resistance
Authors: de Kervenoael Ronan , Bozkaya Burcin , Palmer Mark
Published: May 2011

This chapter investigates the resistance by institutional actors in ambiguous supply chain environments for online grocery provision. Recent studies have shown that significant shifts in urban geographies are increasing consumers’ expectations of online retail provision. However, at the same time there is also growing evidence that the collaborative practice in online grocery provision within the urban supply chains is resisted. That these trends are found despite growing demand of online provision highlights both the difficulty of bringing geographically dispersed supply partners together and the problems associated with operating within and across ambiguous environments. Drawing upon twenty-nine in-depth interviews with a range of institutional actors, including retail, logistics, and urban planning experts within an urban metropolis in an emerging market, we detail the different ways that collaboration is resisted in online retail provision. Several different patterns of resistance were identified in (non-) collaboration notably, ideological, functional, regulatory and spatial.
Virtual Reality and Identity Crisis—
Authors: Tyagi Archana
Published: May 2011

Identity has become one of the single most important issues for human development and adjustment in today’s turbulent times. Virtual world is changing the interface of identification and communication. Virtual reality has recently emerged as an effective tool to extend a healing space for an alternative identity. The focus of this chapter is on the challenges faced by the young generation, which is struggling to understand its “identity.” The exploration of identity in such virtual environments may be a search for a ‘unitary’ construct about the self (Erikson, 1968). In this paper, the concept of “identity” and “identity crisis” and the potential challenges identified in the real and virtual world are discussed at length. In today’s world people are pulled in different directions, thanks to the different kinds of societal demands from family, friends and society. It becomes difficult to find a uniqueness of one’s self and yet able to fulfill the norms and parameters set up by the society. Respect for diversity of self would go a long way in allowing people to be “uniquely themselves” while belonging to a community. Healthy “crisis” or exploration can afford people the opportunity to knowledgeably investigate choices in which there is positive meaning with regard to where they have come from, where they presently exist, and where they envision their future to be (International Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences, 2008). An attempt to explore the identity management and identity statuses has also been made to understand “real” and “virtual reality.” Identity crisis and psychosocial moratorium’s linkage (Erikson, 1963) to virtual reality have also been touched upon. An understanding of organizational identity with the individual identity.
Collaborative Virtual Business Events- Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Chauhan Roma , Chauhan Ritu
Published: May 2011

Virtual world’s immersive collaborative environment has brought immense potential for innovation and transformation within business processes. While online business transactions have been well in place and largely stabilized now, collaborative business events using the virtual world are an emerging and less explored area. This chapter delves into the offerings of rich interactive virtual exhibition and conference space to enable business events. In addition to saving time and cost, such offerings also enable knowledge on demand, so crucial for the end users. While virtual conference technologies can be carried out using audio or video and have been relatively high on usage, virtual exhibitions exercise the use of 3-D virtual worlds. Ideally, any effective business event needs to have an integration of virtual conferences and virtual exhibitions. The chapter brings out the services and usage trends available in this virtual space. Related challenges for the end users, organizers, and developers are discussed.
Rembassy
Authors: Formoso Vreixo , Cacheda Fidel , Carneiro Víctor , Valiño Juan
Published: May 2011

Even though monitoring tools are essential to the management of communications networks, Open Source applications still confront their potential users with considerable problems. This work analyses the limitations of the currently existing tools and presents the development of a new tool that solves most of those problems. The tool is based on a new architecture of objects and remote method invocation and allows both centralized and distributed monitoring. Its configuration through web interface, its support to monitoring templates, and its flexibility make it particularly interesting for a large number of users in search of a strong but easily configurable system. The proposed extension system is based on plug-ins and it is highly innovative because of its power and simplicity. Finally, the configuration simplicity and other essential improvements of the proposed system are successfully tested in a real environment.
Shared Transport for Different Radio Broadband Mobile Technologies
Authors: Li Xi , Weerawardane Thushara , Zaki Yasir , Görg Carmelita , Timm-Giel Andreas
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces traffic separation technique and presents several traffic separation approaches to transmit HSPA (HSDPA/HSUPA) traffic and UMTS Release 99 (R99) traffic over a shared access transport network. The traffic separation technique enables QoS differentiations of HSPA and R99 traffic, while aiming to achieve a maximum utilization of the transport resources. In this chapter, two transport networks are studied for UMTS access network: ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) based transport network and IP based transport network with DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) technology. In the ATM based transport network, the authors suggest the traffic separation approaches by using separate ATM Virtual Paths (VPs) or Virtual Circuits (VCs) for transmitting R99 and HSPA traffic with different ATM QoS class. With the introduction of IP transport, the authors propose to transport the HSPA traffic over the DSL network while transmitting the R99 traffic with the legacy ATM network. The benefit of applying traffic separation and its impact on the performance of the transport network as well as the end users are studied in this article. The quantitative evaluations are provided by simulations. The results presented are obtained from own developed UMTS R99 and HSPA simulation models, which can generate HSDPA and HSUPA traffic as well as R99 traffic in the same UMTS network and transmit them with different transport technologies and traffic separation approaches. The presented results demonstrate that applying traffic separation between HSPA and R99 traffic can considerably improve the performance of both HSPA and R99 traffic, and as well bring significant gain on efficient bandwidth utilizations.
Energy-efficient Scalable Self-organizing Routing for Wireless Mobile Networks
Authors: Moh Melody , Lin Xuquan , Dhar Subhankar
Published: May 2011

The instant deployment without relying on an existing infrastructure makes the mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) an attractive choice for many dynamic situations. An efficient MANET protocol may be applied to other important emerging wireless technologies such as wireless mesh and sensor networks. This chapter proposes a hierarchical routing scheme that is scalable, energy-efficient, and self-organizing. This chapter presents a new algorithm: the Dynamic Leader Set Generation (DLSG). This algorithm dynamically selects leader nodes based on traffic demand, locality, and residual energy level, and de-selects them based on residual energy. Therefore, energy consumption and traffic load are distributed throughout the network. The network also reorganizes itself surrounding the dynamically selected leader nodes. Time, space, and message complexities are formally analyzed; implementation issues are also addressed. Incorporating the IEEE 802.11 medium access control mechanism including the power saving mode, performance evaluation is carried out by simulating DLSG and four existing hierarchical routing algorithms. It shows that DLSG successfully extends network lifetime by 20-50% while achieves a comparable level of network performance.
Challenging Traditional Media Hegemonic Practices
Authors: Wachanga D. Ndirangu
Published: May 2011

The top-bottom model espoused by the traditional media structures is being problematized by the emerging technological change in the 21st century. Kenya presents an example of bottom-top model, which is a challenge to the hegemonic potential of top-down model. In the discussion that follows, we will establish how media in Kenya have been operating within a top-bottom model until recently. This top-bottom model has been problematized by the emergence of the new communication technologies (NCTs), which have allowed individuals to challenge dominant voices and myths, alter representation and meaning of symbols and vocabulary, and re-define politico-social structures around which the luminal rituals of the national have been interwoven for the sole purpose of fostering group cohesion. We argue in this discussion that the proliferation of NCTs and communication strategies have dismembered the nation by stimulating exponential multiplication of discursive regimes that may have been impossible previously when media technologies were confined to the control of a central, and oftentimes restrictive authority. It is against this background that we seek to probe the extent to which media technologies are ineffaceably co-opted into designs of the dominant ideology and various other hegemonic structures.
New Media in Kenya
Authors: Njoroge Martin C. , Kimani Purity , Kikech Bernard J.
Published: May 2011

The way the media processes, frames, and passes on information either to the government or to the people affects the function of the political system. This chapter discusses the interaction between new media and ethnicity in Kenya, Africa. The chapter investigates ways in which the new media reinforced issues relating to ethnicity prior to Kenya’s 2007 presidential election. In demonstrating the nexus between new media and ethnicity, the chapter argues that the upsurge of ethnic animosity was chiefly instigated by new media’s influence. Prior to the election, politicians had mobilized their supporters along ethnic lines, and created a tinderbox situation. Thus, there is need for the new media in Kenya to help the citizens to redefine the status of ethnic relationships through the recognition of ethnic differences and the re-discovery of equitable ways to accommodate them; after all, there is more strength than weaknesses in these differences.