bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organizational Password Policy
Authors: Obuh Alex Ozoemelem , Babatope Ihuoma Sandra
Published: October 2011

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of password policy. It specifically identifies some basic elements of password policy, password and password policy life cycles, essence of password policy within an organization, password policy usability considerations, implementation/enforcement of password policies within organizations, the importance of access control in relation to password policy and computer security, and future trends in password policy are set forth. Generally, the absence of a password policy leaves a large void in any organization‘s ability to operate effectively and maintain business continuity, and allows for ad-hoc decisions to be made by unauthorized personnel.
The Role of ICTs and the Management of Multinational Intellectual Capital
Authors: Mohamed Mirghani S. , Mohamed Mona A.
Published: October 2011

This chapter provides a systematic multidisciplinary framework that defines the role of technology in leveraging IC across borders and between headquarters and subsidiaries. In reaching this conclusion, this chapter investigates the strategic importance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the management of Intellectual Capital (IC) within a Multinational Company (MNC) ecosystem. The chapter addresses the transubstantiation of MNC into boundaryless Global Knowledge-Based Organization (GKB-MNC) which ultimately propagates into Learning MNC (LMNC). The latter is a suggested MNC category that sustains competitive advantage through systemic adoption of “Knowledge Iterative Supply Network (KISN)” model proposed by the authors. The chapter suggests a new multinational ICT/IC governance strategy that handles the emerging complexities associated with modern intangible resource synthesis.
An Approach to Efficient Waste Management for SMEs via RBVOs
Authors: Katriou Stamatia-Ann , Ignatiadis Ioannis , Fragidis Garyfallos , Tolias Evangelos , Koumpis Adamantios
Published: October 2011

Businesses are aware of the popular demand for careful waste management as a high priority environmental issue. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) face greater pressure when coping with waste products, because they often lack necessary resources or expertise. E-business could offer unique opportunities both for SMEs wanting to dispose of their waste or find waste management services and for SMEs who deal with specific aspects of waste disposal itself. This chapter proposes an approach for locating actors involved in the transportation, disposal, recycling and reuse of waste created by SMEs. Our approach incorporates the notion of Request Based Virtual Organizations (RBVOs) using a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and an ontology for the definition of waste management requirements. The populated ontology is utilized by a Multi-Agent System which performs negotiations and forms RBVOs. This approach enables SMEs to find appropriate partners, handle waste management and gain competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Supply Chain Risk Management Driven By Action Learning
Authors: Borgman H.P. , Rachan Wilfred
Published: October 2011

This chapter is the outcome of our consolidated learning on “Supply Chain Risk Management” and “Action Learning in Supply Chains” over a period from 2006 to 2010. We have also published several papers in this domain; please refer to the bibliography section. Although there is a substantial volume of literature on the topic of Supply Chain Management and no lack of coverage today on Risk Management, our motivation was guided by our desire to put into context, both from an academic and Industry perspective, a practical methodology for supply chain risk mitigation based on a proven theory of learning. This methodology will enable industry practitioners of supply chain management to comprehend and act upon risk i.e. identification, assessment, response, monitoring and evaluation. Risk Management in Supply Chain is not a “one-off” transaction but rather an ongoing practice of problem solving and organizational learning i.e. a continuous methodology for sustainable improvement. The methodology provides a means to structure past problems as knowledge to be used by the organization and increase preparedness for facing new challenges. In a global competitive market, successful management of risk in supply chain can be the difference between corporate success and failure.
Extracting Concepts’ Relations and Users’ Preferences for Personalizing Query Disambiguation
Authors: Chen Yan , Zhang Yan-Qing
Published: October 2011

For most Web searching applications, queries are commonly ambiguous because words usually contain several meanings. Traditional Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) methods use statistic models or ontology-based knowledge models to find the most appropriate sense for the ambiguous word. Since queries are usually short, the contexts of the queries may not always provide enough information for disambiguating queries. Thus, more than one interpretation may be found for one ambiguous query. In this paper, we propose a cluster-based WSD method, which finds out all appropriate interpretations for the query. Because some senses of one ambiguous word usually have very close semantic relations, we group those similar senses together for explaining the ambiguous word in one interpretation. If the cluster-based WSD method generates several contradictory interpretations for one ambiguous query, we extract users’ preferences from clickthrough data, and determine suitable concepts or concepts’ clusters that meet users’ interests for explaining the ambiguous query.
A URI is Worth a Thousand Tags
Authors: Passant Alexandre , Laublet Philippe , Breslin John G. , Decker Stefan
Published: October 2011

Although tagging is a widely accepted practice on the Social Web, it raises various issues like tags ambiguity and heterogeneity, as well as the lack of organization between tags. We believe that Semantic Web technologies can help solve many of these issues, especially considering the use of formal resources from the Web of Data in support of existing tagging systems and practices. In this article, we present the MOAT—Meaning Of A Tag—ontology and framework, which aims to achieve this goal. We will detail some motivations and benefits of the approach, both in an Enterprise 2.0 ecosystem and on the Web. As we will detail, our proposal is twofold: It helps solve the problems mentioned previously, and weaves user-generated content into the Web of Data, making it more efficiently interoperable and retrievable.
A Comparison of Corpus-Based and Structural Methods on Approximation of Semantic Relatedness in Ontologies
Authors: Ruotsalo Tuukka , Mäkelä Eetu
Published: October 2011

In this paper, the authors compare the performance of corpus-based and structural approaches to determine semantic relatedness in ontologies. A large light-weight ontology and a news corpus are used as materials. The results show that structural measures proposed by Wu and Palmer, and Leacock and Chodorow have superior performance when cut-off values are used. The corpus-based method Latent Semantic Analysis is found more accurate on specific rank levels. In further investigation, the approximation of structural measures and Latent Semantic Analysis show a low level of overlap and the methods are found to approximate different types of relations. The results suggest that a combination of corpus-based methods and structural methods should be used and appropriate cut-off values should be selected according to the intended use case.
Improving Domain Searches through Customized Search Engines
Authors: Chua Cecil Eng Huang , Chiang Roger H. , Storey Veda C.
Published: October 2011

Search engines are ubiquitous tools for seeking information from the Internet and, as such, have become an integral part of our information society. New search engines that combine ideas from separate search engines generally outperform the search engines from which they took ideas. Designers, however, may not be aware of the work of other search engine developers or such work may not be available in modules that can be incorporated into another search engine. This research presents an interoperability architecture for building customized search engines. Existing search engines are analyzed and decomposed into self-contained components that are classified into six categories. A prototype, called the Automated Software Development Environment for Information Retrieval, was developed to implement the interoperability architecture, and an assessment of its feasibility was carried out. The prototype resolves conflicts between components of separate search engines and demonstrates how design features across search engines can be integrated.
Agents, Availability Awareness, and Decision Making
Authors: Russell Stephen , Yoon Victoria Y.
Published: October 2011

Despite the importance of resource availability, the inclusion of availability awareness in current agent-based systems is limited, particularly in decision support settings. This article discusses issues related to availability awareness in agent-based systems and proposes that knowledge of resources’ online status and readiness in these systems can improve decision outcomes. A conceptual model for incorporating availability and presence awareness in an agent-based system is presented, and an implementation framework operationalizing the conceptual model using JADE is proposed. Finally, the framework is developed as an agent-based decision support system (DSS) and evaluated in a decision making simulation.
User Perceptions and Employment of Interface Agents for Email Notification
Authors: Serenko Alexander
Published: October 2011

This study investigates user perceptions and employment of interface agents for email notification to answer three research questions pertaining to user demographics, typical usage, and perceptions of this technology. A survey instrument was administered to 75 email interface agent users. Current email interface agent users are predominantly male, well-educated and well-off innovative individuals who are occupied in the IS/IT sector, utilize email heavily and reside in an English-speaking country. They use agents to announce incoming messages and calendar reminders. The key factors why they like to use agents are perceived usefulness, enjoyment, ease of use, attractiveness, social image, an agent’s reliability and personalization. The major factors why they dislike doing so are perceived intrusiveness of an agent, agent-system interference and incompatibility. Users envision ‘ideal email notification agents’ as highly intelligent applications delivering messages in a non-intrusive yet persistent manner. A model of agent acceptance and use is suggested. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]
Association Analysis of Alumni Giving
Authors: Hashemi Ray R. , Le Blanc Louis A. , Bahrami Azita A. , Bahar Mahmood , Traywick Bryan
Published: October 2011

A large sample (initially 33,000 cases representing a ten percent trial) of university alumni giving records for a large public university in the southwestern United States is analyzed by Formal Concept Analysis. This likely represents the initial attempt to perform analysis of such data by means of a machine learning technique. The variables employed include the gift amount to the university foundation as well as traditional demographic variables such as year of graduation, gender, ethnicity, marital status, etc. The foundation serves as one of the institution’s non-profit, fund-raising organizations. It pursues substantial gifts that are designated for the educational or leadership programs of the giver’s choice. Although they process gifts of all sizes, the foundation’s focus is on major gifts and endowments. Association Analysis of the given dataset is a two-step process. In the first step, FCA is applied to identify concepts and their relationships and in the second step, the association rules are defined for each concept. The hypothesis examined in this paper is that the generosity of alumni toward his/her alma mater can be predicted using association rules obtained by applying the Formal Concept Analysis approach.
KStore
Authors: Mazzagatti Jane Campbell
Published: October 2011

KStore is a computer data structure based on the Phaneron of C. S. Peirce (Peirce, 1931-1958). This structure, called a Knowledge Store, KStore or simply K, is currently being developed as a storage engine to support BI data queries and analysis (Mazzagatti, 2007). The first Ks being constructed handle nominal data and record sequences of field/record data variables and their relationships. These rudimentary Ks are dynamic allowing real-time data processing, ad hoc queries and data compression, to facilitate data mining. This paper describes a next step in the development of the K structure, to record into the K structure, meta data associated with the field/record data, in particular the column or dimension names and a source indicator.
Modeling User Acceptance of Internet Banking in Malaysia
Authors: Rouibah Kamel , Ramayah T. , May Oh Sook
Published: October 2011

This study is the first empirical research that compares three well known technology adoption models in the in the field of e-banking. It aims to determine the dominant factor(s) which influence the user intention to use Internet banking. Three models (TAM, TPB, and TRA) were used to test the impact of five factors (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) on intention to adopt e-banking by 239 individual bank customers in Malaysia. Survey questions from prior studies were adopted and customized. Partial least Square (PLS) SmartPLS M2 Version 2.0 was used for data analysis. Results reveal that the five factors have a direct positive effect on behavioral intention to use Internet banking. However, attitude toward behavior has the highest beta, followed by perceived usefulness, and subjective norm, while perceived behavioral control exerts the weakest effect. In testing the explanatory power of the different models, results found TAM model has the best explanatory power, followed by TPB and TRA models. Findings of the study should benefit banks in improving their use of e-banking technologies as a strategic weapon, and can be used to target more potential customers.
Exploring Antecedents of Behavior Intention to Use Internet Banking in Korea
Authors: Lee Kun Chang , Chung Namho
Published: October 2011

This study is aimed at analyzing adoption and usage behavior within the context of Internet banking services in South Korea. In a country where the penetration rate of the Internet is very high, it seems that the self-efficacy would play a crucial role in affecting the Internet banking adoption. To pursue this research question, this study adopts TAM and incorporates the self-efficacy into TAM as one of antecedent variables such as risk, Internet experience, facilitating conditions. The proposed research model is tested empirically with 185 usable questionnaires and partial least square (PLS) method. Experimental results showed that the self-efficacy plays a prominent role in influencing the Internet banking usage compared to other factors.
Internet Marketing & SMEs
Authors: Doiron Daniel John
Published: October 2011

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been adopting the internet at a feverish pace. Recent studies have shown that up to 85% of SMEs in industrialized countries have web sites, yet less than half are utilizing these web sites to securely transact with their customers. Consumer media consumption is moving away from traditional media, like newspapers, to the internet. These revelations coupled with the growth of tools and techniques available to support online marketing, make it a perfect time for SMEs to market their web sites and ultimately succeed online. In this chapter we will present and support the hypothesis that SMEs should stop investing in their web site’s design and functionality and start investing in efforts to market their web sites online, no matter how lousy their web site may be in comparison to today’s standards. With the support of two case studies, illustrating the successful utilization of internet marketing by two very different SMEs, we will relate how a SME can effectively market their web site online. We will also discuss the tools and techniques available to help an SME successfully begin a journey of internet marketing.
Cultural Accommodation in Consumer E-Commerce
Authors: Chen Rui , Sharma Sushil
Published: October 2011

Consumer e-commerce extends the marketplace of traditional business and brings in business opportunities in online retailing and service. As a consequence of intensive competition among online vendors, the need to capture customers has become a top priority. Thanks to the wide penetration of Internet, the online consumer group now consists of individuals with diverse cultural values and backgrounds. In the context of ethnic culture, we explore the ways a Web site may attract and accommodate ethnic consumers. Drawing upon existing literature in culture and Web Information System success, we develop a Web-based intercultural accommodation model. This model offers a theoretical explanation of online ethnic consumers’ behavioral intention to use e-commerce Web site. The conceptual model recognizes the potential roles of ethnicity attributes of individual consumers as well as the use of ethnic pertaining Web site designs in accommodating ethnic consumers. Future study that validates the theoretical model is discussed as well.
The Case of Electronic Approval System
Authors: Sang Sinawong , Lee Jeong-Dong , LeeSeoul Jongsu
Published: October 2011

The purpose of this study is to assess and test the factors that influence user adoption of e-Government services: the Electronic Approval System (EAS). This study uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the extended TAM (TAM2), the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), and trust to build a parsimonious yet comprehensive model of factors that influence user acceptance of the EAS. We collected data from a total of 112 public officers in 12 ministries in Cambodia. We assessed the model with regression analyses. The findings in this article show that the determinants of the model (perceived usefulness, relative advantage, and trust) explain 30.5% of the variance in user acceptance of the EAS. At the same time, image, output quality, and perceived ease of use explain 38.4% of the variance in user perception of the usefulness of the EAS. In this article, we discuss our findings, implications, and suggestions for future research.
A Theoretical Technology Adoption Rate Model
Authors: Samuel Jeanne C.
Published: October 2011

This article proposes a hypothetical model for determining rate of diffusion of an innovation in a system. The model modifies Everett Rogers’ S-curve using an index created from Gartner’s hype cycle phases. Rogers’ model for technology innovation adoption demonstrates that cumulative technology diffusion in a system from zero through the late majority adopters’ phase forms a curve resembling the letter “S”. Hype cycles analyze the five emotional stages technology adopters go through from over-enthusiasm (hype) though disappointment until it plateaus (beginning of mainstream adoption). When numbers assigned to the phases of adoption from the hype cycle are used as multipliers and applied to the cumulative adoption data of an innovation (Rogers’ S-curve), the “S” becomes a “J”. With the J-curve you can determine the rate of innovation diffusion in an organization.
Supercomputers in Grids
Authors: Resch Michael M. , Gabriel Edgar
Published: October 2011

This article describes the state of the art in using supercomputers in Grids. It focuses on various approaches in Grid computing that either aim to replace supercomputing or integrate supercomputers in existing Grid environments. We further point out the limitations to Grid approaches when it comes to supercomputing. We also point out the potential of supercomputers in Grids for economic usage. For this, we describe a public-private partnership in which this approach has been employed for more than 10 years. By giving such an overview we aim at better understanding the role of supercomputers and Grids and their interaction.
Porting HPC Applications to Grids and Clouds
Authors: Gentzsch Wolfgang
Published: October 2011

A Grid enables remote, secure access to a set of distributed, networked computing and data resources. Clouds are a natural complement to Grids towards the provisioning of IT as a service. To “Grid-enable” applications, users have to cope with: complexity of Grid infrastructure; heterogeneous compute and data nodes; wide spectrum of Grid middleware tools and services; the e-science application architectures, algorithms and programs. For clouds, on the other hand, users don’t have many possibilities to adjust their application to an underlying cloud architecture, because of its transparency to the user. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to guide users through the important stages of implementing HPC applications on Grid and cloud infrastructures, together with a discussion of important challenges and their potential solutions. As a case study for Grids, we present the Distributed European Infrastructure for Supercomputing Applications (DEISA) and describe the DEISA Extreme Computing Initiative (DECI) for porting and running scientific grand challenge applications on the DEISA Grid. For clouds, we present several case studies of HPC applications running on Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 and its recent Cluster Compute Instances for HPC. This chapter concludes with the author’s top ten rules of building sustainable Grid and cloud e-infrastructures.
Moldable Job Allocation for Handling Resource Fragmentation in Computational Grid
Authors: Huang Kuo-Chan , Shih Po-Chi , Chung Yeh-Ching
Published: October 2011

In a computational Grid environment, a common practice is to try to allocate an entire parallel job onto a single participating site. Sometimes a parallel job, upon its submission, cannot fit in any single site due to the occupation of some resources by running jobs. How the job scheduler handles such situations is an important issue which has the potential to further improve the utilization of Grid resources, as well as the performance of parallel jobs. This paper adopts moldable job allocation policies to deal with such situations in a heterogeneous computational Grid environment. The proposed policies are evaluated through a series of simulations using real workload traces. The moldable job allocation policies are also compared to the multi-site co-allocation policy, which is another approach usually used to deal with the resource fragmentation issue. The results indicate that the proposed moldable job allocation policies can further improve the system performance of a heterogeneous computational Grid significantly.
Speculative Scheduling of Parameter Sweep Applications using Job Behaviour Descriptions
Authors: Ulbert Attila , Lorincz László Csaba , Kozsik Tamás , Horváth Zoltán
Published: October 2011

The execution of data intensive Grid applications raises several questions regarding job scheduling, data migration, and replication. This paper presents new scheduling algorithms using more sophisticated job behaviour descriptions that allow estimating job completion times more precisely thus improving scheduling decisions. Three approaches of providing input to the decision procedure are discussed: a) single job description, b) multiple job descriptions, and c) multiple job descriptions with mutation. The proposed Grid middleware components (1) monitor the execution of jobs and gather resource access information, (2) analyse the compiled information and generate a description of the behaviour of the job, (3) refine the already existing job description, and (4) use the refined behaviour description to schedule the submitted jobs.
A Security Prioritized Computational Grid Scheduling Model
Authors: Kashyap Rekha , Vidyarthi Deo P.
Published: October 2011

Grid supports heterogeneities of resources in terms of security and computational power. Applications with stringent security requirement introduce challenging concerns when executed on the grid resources. Though grid scheduler considers the computational heterogeneity while making scheduling decisions, little is done to address their security heterogeneity. This work proposes a security aware computational grid scheduling model, which schedules the tasks taking into account both kinds of heterogeneities. The approach is known as Security Prioritized MinMin (SPMinMin). Comparing it with one of the widely used grid scheduling algorithm MinMin (secured) shows that SPMinMin performs better and sometimes behaves similar to MinMin under all possible situations in terms of makespan and system utilization.
A Replica Based Co-Scheduler (RBS) for Fault Tolerant Computational Grid
Authors: Raza Zahid , Vidyarthi Deo P.
Published: October 2011

Grid is a parallel and distributed computing network system comprising of heterogeneous computing resources spread over multiple administrative domains that offers high throughput computing. Since the Grid operates at a large scale, there is always a possibility of failure ranging from hardware to software. The penalty paid of these failures may be on a very large scale. System needs to be tolerant to various possible failures which, in spite of many precautions, are bound to happen. Replication is a strategy often used to introduce fault tolerance in the system to ensure successful execution of the job, even when some of the computational resources fail. Though replication incurs a heavy cost, a selective degree of replication can offer a good compromise between the performance and the cost. This chapter proposes a co-scheduler that can be integrated with main scheduler for the execution of the jobs submitted to computational Grid. The main scheduler may have any performance optimization criteria; the integration of co-scheduler will be an added advantage towards fault tolerance. The chapter evaluates the performance of the co-scheduler with the main scheduler designed to minimize the turnaround time of a modular job by introducing module replication to counter the effects of node failures in a Grid. Simulation study reveals that the model works well under various conditions resulting in a graceful degradation of the scheduler’s performance with improving the overall reliability offered to the job.
A Policy-Based Security Framework for Privacy-Enhancing Data Access and Usage Control in Grids
Authors: Hommel Wolfgang
Published: October 2011

In this chapter, we first summarize an analysis of the differences between Grids and the previously dominant model of inter-organizational collaboration. Based on requirements derived thereof, we specify a security framework that demonstrates how well-established policy-based privacy management architectures can be extended to provide the required Grid-specific functionality. We also discuss the necessary steps for integration into existing service provider and service access point infrastructures. Special emphasis is put on privacy policies that can be configured by users themselves, and distinguishing between the initial data access phase and the later data usage control phase. We also discuss the challenges of practically applying the required changes to real-world infrastructures, including delegated administration, monitoring, and auditing.
Identifying Secure Mobile Grid Use Cases
Authors: Rosado David G. , Fernández-Medina Eduardo , López Javier , Piattini Mario
Published: October 2011

Mobile Grid includes the characteristics of the Grid systems together with the peculiarities of Mobile Computing, with the additional feature of supporting mobile users and resources in a seamless, transparent, secure, and efficient way. Security of these systems, due to their distributed and open nature, is considered a topic of great interest. We are elaborating a process of development to build secure mobile Grid systems considering security on all life cycles. In this chapter, we present the practical results applying our development process to a real case, specifically we apply the part of security requirements analysis to obtain and identify security requirements of a specific application following a set of tasks defined for helping us in the definition, identification, and specification of the security requirements on our case study. The process will help us to build a secure Grid application in a systematic and iterative way.
Large-Scale Co-Phylogenetic Analysis on the Grid
Authors: Stockinger Heinz , Auch Alexander F. , Göker Markus , Meier-Kolthoff Jan , Stamatakis Alexandros
Published: October 2011

Phylogenetic data analysis represents an extremely compute-intensive area of Bioinformatics and thus requires high-performance technologies. Another compute- and memory-intensive problem is that of host-parasite co-phylogenetic analysis: given two phylogenetic trees, one for the hosts (e.g., mammals) and one for their respective parasites (e.g., lice) the question arises whether host and parasite trees are more similar to each other than expected by chance alone. CopyCat is an easy-to-use tool that allows biologists to conduct such co-phylogenetic studies within an elaborate statistical framework based on the highly optimized sequential and parallel AxParafit program. We have developed enhanced versions of these tools that efficiently exploit a Grid environment and therefore facilitate large-scale data analyses. Furthermore, we developed a freely accessible client tool that provides co-phylogenetic analysis capabilities. Since the computational bulk of the problem is embarrassingly parallel, it fits well to a computational Grid and reduces the response time of large scale analyses.
Self-Configuration and Administration of Wireless Grids
Authors: Agarwal Ashish , Gupta Amar
Published: October 2011

A Wireless Grid is an augmentation of a wired grid that facilitates the exchange of information and the interaction between heterogeneous wireless devices. While similar to the wired grid in terms of its distributed nature, the requirement for standards and protocols, and the need for adequate Quality of Service; a Wireless Grid has to deal with the added complexities of the limited power of the mobile devices, the limited bandwidth, and the increased dynamic nature of the interactions involved. This complexity becomes important in designing the services for mobile computing. A grid topology and naming service is proposed which can allow self-configuration and self-administration of various possible wireless grid layouts.
FH-MAC
Authors: Tandjaoui Djamel , Doudou Messaoud , Romdhani Imed
Published: October 2011

In this article, the authors propose a new hybrid MAC protocol named H-MAC for wireless mesh networks. This protocol combines CSMA and TDMA schemes according to the contention level. In addition, it exploits channel diversity and provides a medium access control method that ensures the QoS requirements. Using ns-2 simulator, we have implemented and compared H-MAC with other MAC protocol used in Wireless Network. The results showed that H-MAC performs better compared to Z-MAC, IEEE 802.11 and LCM-MAC.
A Decentralized Directory Service for Peer-to-Peer-Based Telephony
Authors: Stäber Fabian , Kunzmann Gerald , Müller Jörg P.
Published: October 2011

Decentralized peer-to-peer systems fit well as the underlying infrastructure for IP-telephony, as they provide the scalability for a large number of participants, and are able to handle the limited storage and bandwidth capabilities on the clients. We studied a commercial peer-to-peer-based decentralized communication platform supporting video communication, voice communication, instant messaging, et cetera. One of the requirements of the communication platform is the implementation of a user directory, allowing users to search for other participants. In this chapter, we present the Extended Prefix Hash Tree algorithm that enables the implementation of a user directory on top of the peer-to-peer communication platform in a fully decentralized way. We evaluate the performance of the algorithm with a real-world phone book. The results can be transferred to other scenarios where support for range queries is needed in combination with the decentralization, self-organization, and resilience of an underlying peer-to-peer infrastructure.
The Information Overload Paradox
Authors: Kock Ned , Del Aguila-Obra Ana Rosa , Padilla-Meléndez Antonio
Published: October 2011

Information overload is one of the major problems for individuals and organizations in modern urban environments. This phenomenon has been studied for many years, and has proven to be more complex than researchers believed it to be. It is important to better understand this “pathology of information” for two reasons. First, it has a deleterious impact on work productivity and quality. Second, it has traditionally been a driver of Information Technology developments aimed at helping individuals to better cope with it. The study presented here aims at shedding light on the complexity of information overload, by examining the relationship between perceived information overload intensity and three traditional information overload predictors as well as one nontraditional predictor. The nontraditional predictor is power distance, or the extent to which less powerful members of a national culture accept that power is distributed unequally. Power distance was manipulated through the collection of data from 184 local managers and professionals (in New Zealand, Spain and the U.S.A.). The data analyses led to one surprising conclusion: perceived information overload intensity seems to be more strongly related to power distance than to the volume of written information or number of information transactions processed by an individual.
The Influence of Organizational Communication Openness on the Post-Adoption of Computers
Authors: Al-Gahtani Said , Shih Hung-Pin
Published: October 2011

This study adopts social identity theory (SIT) to examine the post-adoption of computers using a research model that extends the theory of planned behavior (TPB) with two organizational cultural factors. Individual attitudes toward using computers and perceived behavioral control are TPB personal factors, while subjective norms can be viewed as the social factor. Empirical findings from 400 Arab end-users show that openness to superior-subordinate relationships (reducing organizational boundaries) significantly influences current computer usage only through personal factors. In contrast, openness to superior-subordinate relationships significantly influences continued use of computers through personal and social factors. However, openness to work communication (reducing communicative boundaries) does not significantly influence either current computer usage or continued use of computers through TPB beliefs. The implications for research and practice, and the limitations of this study, are discussed accordingly.
Chronism Theory, Culture, and System Delay
Authors: Rose Gregory M. , DeVilliers Carina , Straub Detmar
Published: October 2011

System response delay has been cited as the single most frustrating aspect of using the Internet and the most worrisome aspect of Web application design. System response time (SRT) research generally concludes that delay should be eliminated where possible to as little as a few seconds, even though delay reduction is costly. Unfortunately, it is not clear if these conclusions are appropriate outside of the developed world where nearly all of the SRT research has taken place. Cultural effects have been, hence, generally missing from SRT research. The one SRT study to date outside of the developed world did report differences using the theoretical construct of cultural chronism, and this finding could limit the generalizability of SRT research findings from developed countries to many economically developing nations. However, limitations and potential confounds in this single study render those findings tentative. The end of Apartheid in South Africa allowed an opportunity to conduct a longitudinal free simulation experiment that overcomes the critical limitations of this previous research. Subjects were members of historically polychronic and monochronic groups who had been segregated by Apartheid and now live in an integrated society with shared infrastructure and computer access. Results find that members of the historically polychronic group are more accepting of longer delays and are more willing to trade longer delays for improved functionality than are their historically monochronic counterparts. Furthermore, tests find that members of the historically monochronic population that came of age in a desegregated, majority-polychronic culture appear to be polychronic themselves and to differ significantly from the older monochronic generation. Results from this study can be applied to design culturally-sensitive applications for users in the developing economies of the world.
A Cross-National Study of Mobile Internet Services
Authors: Shin Dong Hee
Published: October 2011

This study surveyed mobile users in the United States and Korea to determine the key differences between the two countries. Survey questions, developed in two languages, were presented in each country to explore the influences of informativeness, entertainment, interactivity, and availability on mobile user dimensions. The study design methods were based on the revision of a uses and gratifications approach, and a relational model of antecedents and consequences was tested with a structural equation modeling approach. Mobile Internet service uses and gratifications were analyzed cross-nationally in a comparative fashion focusing on the differences in the composition of motives in the two countries. Based on the results of this study, practical implications for marketing strategies in mobile service markets and theoretical implications for cross-country studies are recommended accordingly.
IT Maturity and Strategic Alignment
Authors: Huang Leelien Ken
Published: October 2011

Strategic alignment of IT/business remains one of the top IT management issues. We proposed, using contingency theory, that the extent to which IT maturity can be evolved to support overall business goals is moderated by strategic organizational contexts. Results suggested that companies could succeed when IT maturity is appropriate for a certain strategic organizational context. Our research model was generic for foreign companies’ strategic behaviour because, based on contingency theory, these companies make dynamic adaptations toward their particular external environment for a competitive strategy. Implications of results are discussed.
E-Services for Managing and Orchestrating Organizational Networks
Authors: Janssen Marijn
Published: October 2011

Organizations increasingly cooperate in organizational networks to remain competitive. Electronic intermediaries can provide all kinds of e-services to support the creation and management of such networks. While there has been substantial discussion on intermediaries matching demand and supply, there has been little analysis in relation to the management and orchestration of organizational networks. In this chapter, we analyze an intermediary that uses e-services for orchestrating a network in the consumer electronics industry. The empirical results show that the coordination and management of networks requires specific expertise and skills which could be provided by specialized intermediaries. The primary value creation activity of the intermediary is leveraging the products, activities, and knowledge of the specialized companies and providing e-services for orchestrating the organizational network to create short lead times, improve customer responsiveness, and ensure adaptability.
E-Services and the Codification of Informational Services
Authors: Scupola Ada , Hente Anders , Nicolajsen Hanne Westh
Published: October 2011

The concept of e-services has gained increasing use during the past decade. There is, however, no general agreement as to the precise meaning and scope of the term. The research purpose of the present chapter is, therefore, to discuss the e-service concept, its strengths and scope, and thereby contribute to the general understanding and definition of the term. More specifically, the chapter aims at examining one of the primary conditions for the development of e-services, namely the codification of knowledge in connection with knowledge intensive services. The e-service concept is used in relation to private as well as public e-services. The present chapter examines the e-service concept at a generic level and does not differentiate between private and public e-services.
E-Services and Australian Accounting Practices
Authors: Breen John , Burgess Stephen
Published: October 2011

This research investigated the website use of Australian accounting practices in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia in the period 2006-2010. This occurred through an investigation of the websites of 100 practices and interviews involving selected practices at the start of the period and a further investigation of the websites at the end of the period. The analysis revealed a heavy emphasis towards website features that identify the businesses and the services that they offer, which is consistent with other website studies involving professional services. More than other businesses, accounting practices rely on keeping their clients up to date and thus the provision of information such as taxation news updates, changes to superannuation and regular newsletters to clients through their websites was identified as being an important tool for many practices. None of the accounting practices offered online order or payment features over the period. Again this is consistent with other studies of similar professional services businesses. Although some of the practices had log-in features in 2006, only two contained features that could perhaps be classed as ‘e-services’. However, the 2010 review found an increase in the number of accounting practices with a log-in feature on their website. This suggests that the issues of trust in the technology are being addressed and that they could be moving towards a situation where e-services may become more commonplace in the future.
Online Self-Services
Authors: Gurau Calin
Published: October 2011

The introduction of self-service applications by online service providers provided an effective solution to the lack of direct personal contact over the Internet, and offered a quick way to expand business operations. However, the success of this customer empowerment method is influenced by the capacity of various clients to use and adopt self service technology. Despite the interest raised by this topic within academic and practitioners communities, the factors that determine the adoption of online self-service applications are still a matter of debate. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis, this study attempts to identify the main phases of customer-system interaction, as well as the quality dimensions perceived as important by SST users in each particular phase. The findings reinforce the interpretation of SST adoption as a gradual process of learning that presents different challenges for various types of customers depending on their level of online experience.
The Adoption of “E-Banking” by Lebanese Banks
Authors: Toufaily Elissar , Daghfous Naoufel , Toffoli Roy
Published: October 2011

This article examines the organizational, structural, and strategic factors that can speed up or slow down the adoption of E-banking innovations by financial institutions in the Lebanese market. A conceptual model is developed based on a review of the major innovation adoption theories and other research findings, and tested with a survey administered through a census of the population of Lebanese banks. Findings revealed that the organizational variables of bank size, presence of functional divisions, technical staff and infrastructure, as well as the degree of international experience and tolerance of risk of the decision makers exert a significant impact on the adoption of E-banking. Two structural characteristics, the internal technological environment, and relative advantage of the innovations were also found to impact adoption. The two strategic factors related to the banks’ degree of international operations were also found to positively influence the adoption of E-banking. Recommendations were provided on ways of accelerating the rate of adoption of E-banking in an important developing Middle Eastern country.
A User Centered Innovation Approach Identifying Key User Values for the E-Newspaper
Authors: Eriksson Carina Ihlström , Svensson Jesper
Published: October 2011

We have studied the pre-adoption phase of the e-newspaper, i.e. a newspaper published with e-paper technology. The research question of this article is: In what way can a user centered innovation process contribute to identifying key values in mobile innovations? The aim of this article is threefold: firstly, to identify key values for the e-newspaper, secondly, to examine the intention to adopt a new possible innovation and thirdly, to explore user centered design processes ability to capture user values early in the innovation process. We have identified seven key user values: mobility, availability, personalization, usability, interactivity, readability and environment. Furthermore, we found that surprisingly many would consider exchanging their traditional newspaper with an e-newspaper in the future, indicating that the e-newspaper have a fair chance of becoming an important innovation. Finally, we propose a four phase model for identifying user values in a pre-adoption phase of an innovation.
Exploring the Factors Behind the Resistance to Mobile Banking in Portugal
Authors: Cruz Pedro , Laukkanen Tommi , Muñoz Pablo
Published: October 2011

M-banking has been highlighted as one of the most promising e-commerce services. However, the adoption of financial mobile services is still far behind market expectations. This study seeks to provide academics and bank managers alike with a better understanding of resistance to m-banking. Based on Ram and Sheth’s (1989) Theory of Innovation Resistance, a SEM model was built to describe resistance barriers. A total number of 3,852 observations, of which 2,344 were effective for SEM analysis, were obtained from an Internet survey at a Portuguese bank. The “functional barriers” revealed more severe barriers than the “psychological” ones. Latent scores were used to compare consumers’ perceptions and behaviour. Results indicate a significantly higher resistance among non-users, and demographic and behavioural profiles were established, promoting wider knowledge and possible enhancement of m-banking adoption. Conclusions and managerial implications are provided.