bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rescheduling Dental Care with GSM-Based Text Messages
Authors: Suomi Reima , Serkkola Ari
Published: May 2011

The Internet has opened new avenues for customer communication, even for public services. In this chapter, we propose a framework for an integrated electronic health platform. Most of the platform is still at the planning stage, but the first applications are already up and running, among them, dental-service appointment rescheduling. In this application, new patients to fill canceled dental-service appointments are searched from an existing waiting list using GSM SMS messages. The first few months of operation have already shown that the new application, in conjunction with other methods in use, could limit the share of time slots that dentist completely lose through cancellations to under 10% percent of all canceled times.We present and analyze the function of the SMS-message-based dental-service appointment-reservation system, which is being implemented in Lahti, Finland. This analysis contains a description of the system functions, as well as some assessment of the success from a service-provider and customer point of view.
Portal Development Framework
Authors: Polgar Jana , Braum Robert Mark , Polgar Tony
Published: May 2011

To understand portal applications and the principles of their development, we need to distinguish between a portal and a portlet. A portal is a framework that lets you plug in new features or extensions called portlets. In the same way that a servlet is an application component within a Web server, a portlet is an application component within a portal. A portal is a Web application. Developing portlets is the most important task in making portals function as the user’s window to information and tasks. Portlets are an encapsulation of content and functionality. They are reusable components that combine Web-based content, application functionality, and access to resources. Portlets must be considered as complete applications, having multiple states and view modes. They have messaging and event recognition capabilities. Portlets are assembled in portal pages that make up a portal implementation. An important issue is the design of a portal page as the aggregate of several different portlets.
Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) in Korea
Authors: Baek Seung , Kim Bong J.
Published: May 2011

The launch of portable Internet, alongside mobile Internet technology and cellular technology, is a new milestone, converging wireless with wired technology. Along with these new technologies, a new telecommunication service has been introduced and has received much attention from the Korean public. This is the Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) service. DMB is a digital multimedia service combining telecommunications with broadcasting technologies. DMB enables users to watch various multimedia contents on their phone screens while they are on the move. Since DMB services in Korea are the first in the world, the Korean Government has much interest in DMB services. However, the repeated failures in establishing a regulatory framework for DMB and ill-defined roles of players in the DMB industry interfere the diffusion of DMB in the Korean market. As the convergence of broadcasting and telecommunications makes progress, proper modifications of existing regulatory frameworks should be made in order to guarantee success of DMB service in Korea. This chapter reviews DMB technology, its business model, its market structure, and its policy. In particular, it explores business opportunities around DMB services and identifies major issues that must be solved to launch DMB services successfully.
Recognition of Lubrication Defects in Cold Forging Process with a Neural Network
Authors: Rolfe Bernard F. , Frayman Yakov , Kelly Georgina L. , Nahavandi Saeid
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the application of neural networks to recognition of lubrication defects typical to industrial cold forging process. The accurate recognition of lubrication errors is very important to the quality of the final product in fastener manufacture. Lubrication errors lead to increased forging loads and premature tool failure. Lubrication coating provides a barrier between the work material and the die during the drawing operation. Several types of lubrication errors, typical to production of fasteners, were introduced to sample rods, which were subsequently drawn under both laboratory and normal production conditions. The drawing force was measured, from which a limited set of statistical features was extracted. The neural-network-based model learned from these features is able to recognize all types of lubrication errors to a high accuracy. The overall accuracy of the neural-network model is around 95% with almost uniform distribution of errors between all lubrication errors and the normal condition.
Social Construction of Information Technology Supporting Work
Authors: Ramos Isabel , Berry Daniel M.
Published: May 2011

In the beginning of 1999, the CIO of a Portuguese company in the automobile industry was debating with himself whether to abandon or to continue supporting the MIS his company had been using for years. This MIS had been supporting the company’s production processes and the procurement of resources for these processes. However, in spite of the fact that the MIS system had been deployed under the CIO’s tight control, the CIO felt strong opposition to the use of this MIS system, opposition that was preventing the MIS system from being used to its full potential. Moreover, the CIO was at lost as to how to ensure greater compliance to his control and fuller use of the MIS system. Therefore, the CIO decided that he needed someone external to the company to help him understand the fundamental reasons, technical, social, or cultural, for the opposition to the MIS system.
MACROS
Authors: Zhang Jing , Paro Theresa A. , Sarkis Joseph
Published: May 2011

Knowledge sharing among divisions of an organization is an important yet difficult goal foray institution to achieve. This case reports on development of a system that fosters knowledge sharing across divisions and levels of government in a New York State agency. The case will focus on project management aspects, and discuss tools and models used to aid in the development and evolution of this project from an intra-division application to a more pervasive enterprise-wide system. A number of organizational and technological elements provide the impetus for growth, improvement, and success of this system. Overall, the case study provides insights and lessons learned to problems encountered in diverse and sizable organizations, such as large companies and not-for-profit organizations, as well as state and federal governments, where knowledge is distributed and sharing knowledge is critical to organizational performance.
A Content-Based Approach to Medical Image Database Retrieval
Authors: Wei Chia-Hung , Li Chang-Tsun , Wilson Roland
Published: May 2011

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) makes use of image features, such as color and texture, to index images with minimal human intervention. Content-based image retrieval can be used to locate medical images in large databases. This chapter introduces a content-based approach to medical image retrieval. Fundamentals of the key components of content-based image retrieval systems are introduced first to give an overview of this area. A case study, which describes the methodology of a CBIR system for retrieving digital mammogram database, is then presented. This chapter is intended to disseminate the knowledge of the CBIR approach to the applications of medical image management and to attract greater interest from various research communities to rapidly advance research in this field.
Diversity Chalenges in Online Learning
Authors: Stanton Cecilia
Published: May 2011

Delivering online quality education and equal access requires a commitment to diverse learner populations. This chapter outlines some of the reasons why online learning has become a popular vehicle for pursuing educational goals for minority learners. The author also indicates challenges that must be overcome in order to serve a diverse online student body. She also urges educational leadership to begin a dialogue on on-learning and communication styles, cultural competence in curriculum, academic preparedness, language barriers, and access to technology as they relate to success in the online learning environment.
Analyzing Strategic Stance in Public Services Management
Authors: Beynon Malcolm J. , Kitchener Martin
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the utilization of an uncertain reasoning-based technique in public services strategic management analysis. Specifically, the nascent NCaRBS technique (developed from Dempster-Shafer theory) is used to categorize the strategic stance of each state’s public long-term care (LTC) system to prospector, defender or reactor. Missing values in the data set are termed ignorant evidence and withheld in the analysis rather than transformed through imputation. Optimization of the classification of states, using trigonometric differential evolution, attempts to minimize ambiguity in their prescribed stance but not the concomitant ignorance that may be inherent. The graphical results further the elucidation of the uncertain reasoning-based analysis. This method may prove a useful means of moving public management research towards a state where LTC system development can be benchmarked and the relations between strategy processes, content, and performance examined.
Learning in a Geographically Dispersed Context
Authors: Assudani Rashmi H.
Published: May 2011

The use of the Internet to deliver management education has increased dramatically over the last decade. Academic institutions and business organizations are harnessing technological advances to enable Web-based learning for individuals who are geographically dispersed across different physical locations. One source of learning for such individuals is their interaction with their dispersed peers. However, it is challenging for dispersed individuals to interact with each other and to learn from each other because of a lack of common context among them. This chapter aims to explore the conditions that are conducive to ferment learning in a dispersed setting. The findings demonstrate that dispersed learning is a socio-technical process. The chapter concludes with implications for Web-enabled institutions to develop competencies to build a community of learning in dispersed space.
Computerization Movements and Scientific Disciplines
Authors: Hine Christine
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines some of the factors which help to create a momentum for developing new infrastructures for scientific research. Specifically it discusses the usefulness of the “computerization movement” perspective for understanding how innovations in scientific practice catch on and to what effect, arguing that we need to understand the role that wider cultural perceptions about the potential of new technologies play in shaping high level policy and day-to-day practice in science. A case study to develop this point is drawn from one scientific discipline, biological systematics. Examination of a recent policy document suggests that a computerization movement is in progress in this discipline, accompanied by a variety of strategic responses. It can be seen that a computerization movement in science can not only stimulate particular forms of technical activity, but also provide the occasion for focused discussions on the directions, goals and audiences for a discipline.
Interest in Production
Authors: Vann Katie , Bowker Geoffrey C.
Published: May 2011

The chapter locates the organization of the technology-bearing labor process as an important object of STS/ e-science research. Prospective e-science texts, so central to the pursuit of innovative technologies, construct images of specific technical product outcomes that could justify future investment; such products in turn imply specific labor contributions. To study the production of IT for epistemic practice is to go beyond an inquiry of IT use and design practices, and to consider decisions that get made about how the skill, commitment, performance and product demand of scientists could be coordinated and stabilized. In bringing these considerations to the fore, the chapter presents findings from a study about a particular e-science infrastructure production project—the U.S. National Computational Science Alliance—at the turn of the 21st century. The chapter illustrates the organizational dynamics in this case that were bound up with the garnering of interest and commitment of scientists who were funded to build interdisciplinary computational media.
Networks of Objects
Authors: Elvebakk Beate
Published: May 2011

The chapter is based on interviews with a group of university scientists in the Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo. It seeks to lay bare some of the processes that the chemists carry out in order to transform their “raw materials” into more or less standardized information that can usually be communicated in the forms of e-mails, etc., in a seemingly unproblematic manner. The chapter argues that this work has been a precondition for the success of electronic communication in the sciences, and that information that has not been through such a process is frequently seen as unfit for electronic media. It follows that further introduction of ICTs in the sciences might not prove useful unless this is taken into account. The chapter includes references to problems and literature from the field of Science and Technology studies.
Challenges for Research and Practice in Distributed, Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Authors: Haythornthwaite Caroline , Lunsford Karen J. , Bowker Geoffrey C. , Bruce Bertram C.
Published: May 2011

As private sector and government research increasingly depends on the use of distributed, interdisciplinary and collaborative teams, particularly in scientific endeavors, we are faced also with an increased need to understand how to work in and study such teams. While much attention has been paid to issues of knowledge transfer, the impact of many other consequences of distribution—disparate disciplines, institutions, career paths, time zones and technologies—have been understudied and underestimated. In this chapter, we describe how distributed, interdisciplinary work puts pressure on existing disciplinary, institutional and personal practices—many of which are second nature to team members, and thus easily overlooked. Reflecting on our own and others’ studies of such teams, and our group’s experiences as a distributed, interdisciplinary and collaborative unit, we describe some key challenges facing such teams, including issues relating to working and learning together as experts, defining and crossing boundaries, managing external relations and working with and through technologies.
Definitions, Uses and Benefits of Standards
Authors: Shepherd Eric
Published: May 2011

This chapter explains the background and significance of specifications and standards that make it possible for content and management systems to work together. It examines why standards are needed and traces the challenges of developing them. It also explains the technical and operational standards that are currently available and the standards for exchanging data and communicating data. It describes the organizations that establish standards and specifications. I hope to give readers a working understanding of the principles behind today’s use of technical interoperability standards as they relate to assessments and learning.
Securing and Proctoring Online Tests
Authors: Howlett Bernadette , Hewett Beverly
Published: May 2011

Online course delivery has introduced a new spectrum of opportunities not only for innovative pedagogical approaches, but also for cheating. This chapter provides instructors with methods to deter students from cheating in online assessments either by limiting the opportunity to cheat or by reducing their motivation for doing so. Through an extensive discussion of research literature, we provide an exploration of cheating that includes: definitions, cost and effects, ethical considerations, motivations for cheating, role of organizational policy, history and recent examples. In this exploration, both technological solutions and instructional design solutions to reduce cheating are examined. This chapter looks closely at the capabilities and limitations of online testing and the tools technology provides to reduce cheating. We emphasize the role of instructional design in securing online tests. We conclude with a discussion on future trends.
Second Language Acquisition and Online Learning
Authors: Inoue Yukiko , Bell Suzanne
Published: May 2011

In responding to the need for quality EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher education, my university also offers English majors an EFL teacher education course, which can be counted toward teacher accreditation program credits. The EFL methodology course includes lectures and activities to familiarize students with theoretical bases of EFL instruction and hands-on classroom practices. One special component of the course is the incorporation of cross-cultural e-mail correspondence, allowing prospective teachers to communicate with fellow pre-service bilingual/ESL teachers in the United States. The cross-cultural component of the course is an attempt to foster the prospective teachers’ reflectivity through social/interpersonal interactions with a distant group of colleagues made possible by Internet technology. (Liaw, 2003a, pp. 1-2)
Modeling of Adaptive Tutoring Processes
Authors: Martens Alke
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, a formal, adaptive tutoring process model for case-based Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) is described. Combining methods of Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science led to the development of ITSs more than 30 years ago. In contrast to the common agreement about the ITSs’ architecture, components of ITSs are rarely reusable. Reusability in ITSs is intimately connected with the application domain, that is, with the contents that should be learned and with the teaching and learning strategy. An example of a learning strategy is case-based learning, where the adaptation of the learning material to the learner plays a major role. Adaptation should take place automatically at runtime, and thus should be part of the ITS’s functionality. To support the development of ITSs with reusable components and the communication about and the evaluation of similar ITSs, a formal approach has been chosen. This approach is called the tutoring process model.
An Intrinsic, Quantitative Case Study of WebCT Developers
Authors: Mann Bruce L.
Published: May 2011

An intrinsic case study investigated the claim that distance educators at an Eastern Canadian college (n = 17) with some knowledge of instructional design but a limited technical knowledge could, without human support, use Web-course management tools to create sophisticated online educational environments. Results of the study showed that these participants needed more assistance in both technical and design aspects of Web-course management than currently offered in the tools and help in the Web management systems. Phase theory was introduced as a teleological taxonomy that describes Web-course management based on the educators’ intuition, personal preferences and prior educational experiences with Web-course tools (Mann, 1999a, 1999b, 2000). The principles and underlying assumptions of the theory are discussed in the light of current capabilities and recent research.
Self-Assessment During Online Discussion
Authors: Guo Ruth X.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes student online self-assessment from a participatory action research perspective to monitor understanding and writing ability of international ESL students in English. The primary purpose of this chapter is to distinguish between holistic and analytic approaches to online self-assessment and to discuss the procedure for conducting action research on participants’ own online postings. Since both holistic and analytic assessments have benefits and limitations, the author argues that conducting self-assessment through a combination of these two approaches from an action research perspective allows learners of English a better opportunity to understand and monitor their own learning process. Therefore, the learners can have a better control of their learning activities and take an action to improve their online learning outcomes. This study implies that instructors should encourage students to develop their self-assessment skills since Web-based technology provides more freedom for students to monitor their own learning behaviors.
Enhancing Teaching and Learning Computer Hardware Fundamentals Using PIC-Based Projects
Authors: Sarkar Nurul I. , Craig Trevor
Published: May 2011

Computer hardware, number systems, CPU, memory and I/O (input/output) ports are topics often included in computer science, electronics, and engineering courses as fundamental concepts involved in computer hardware. We believe that students learn computer hardware fundamentals better if they are given practical learning exercises that illustrate theoretical concepts. However, only a limited range of material designed specifically to supplement the teaching of computer hardware concepts is publicly available (see http://sigcse.org/topics/, the SIGCSE Education Links page on the Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education Web site).
Vmware as a Practical Learning Tool
Authors: Correia Eduardo , Watson Ricky
Published: May 2011

Providing a dedicated lab to each group of students in order to gain hands-on learning experience is not always possible due to budget and space constraints. For example, in one class of 20 students, each student requires at least three computers with each computer capable of running three operating systems, such as UNIX, Linux, and Windows Server 2003. This requires a large computer laboratory with 60 computers in total. In addition, it is difficult to manage the laboratory to accommodate students from other classes. For example, once one class leaves the laboratory, another class of 20 students needs to start immediately with each person configuring Windows Server 2003 Active Directory on four computers. This requires another large computer laboratory with 80 computers. This chapter presents VMware as a teaching and learning tool to overcome the problems mentioned above. Under VMware, students do not require administrative privileges on physical machines. Consequently, they have complete freedom to experiment within their own virtualised environments.
A Framework for Digital Accounting
Authors: Deshmukh Ashutosh
Published: May 2011

The term digital refers to digits or numbers; however, in the computer science lexicon this term refers to the representation of information in 0s and 1s, which can be read, written and stored using machines. The prefix “e” refers to electronic, meaning use of electricity in powering machines such as computers. Digital accounting, or e-accounting, as a corresponding analog, refers to the representation of accounting information in the digital format, which then can be electronically manipulated and transmitted. Digital accounting does not have a standard definition but merely refers to the changes in accounting due to computing and networking technologies. Accounting, the art and science of measuring business performance, has evolved with business, more so with information technology. Punch cards and mainframes, databases and data warehouses, personal computers and productivity software, specialized accounting software and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs), among other things, have left their mark on accounting theory and practice. For example, data-entry mechanisms, data storage and processing mechanisms, end reports, internal controls, audit trails and skill sets for accountants have been in continual flux for the past several decades.
Electronic Data Interchange
Authors: Deshmukh Ashutosh
Published: May 2011

Before the dawn of the computer age, intra- and inter-business activities, especially purchasing and selling of products and services, were paper-intensive. Paper documents such as purchase orders, invoices, shipping notices, and bills of lading needed to be prepared in multiple copies. These copies had to be approved, signed, preserved in files for a certain duration, forwarded to trading partners and processed in a myriad of ways. Purchasing and selling activities rippled through the entire organization and tied in manufacturing, logistics, accounting, finance and human resources, among other areas. The documents then multiplied exponentially. Additionally, these documents were organization-specific, meaning there were no standard formats. The lack of standard format resulted in extra processing time; incoming purchase orders needed to be converted into the organization’s sales order. In the 1960s, giant corporations had to deal with a mountain of paperwork and employ armies of clerks to process those documents. The associated costs and their effect on the bottom line alarmed managers. The idea of electronic surrogates for these documents and Electronic Data Processing (EDP) began to look attractive. In the late 1960s, the idea of an electronic exchange of standardized documents had taken a firm root in the transportation industry. The age of EDP has arrived and EDI was on the forefront of the wave and became more sophisticated over the next several decades.
Controls, Security, and Audit in Online Digital Accounting
Authors: Deshmukh Ashutosh
Published: May 2011

Internal controls have existed since the dawn of business activities. Internal controls are basically systems of checks and balances. The purpose is to keep the organization moving along desired lines as per the wishes of the owners and to protect assets of the business. Internal controls have received attention from auditors, managers, accountants, fraud examiners and legislatures. Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002 now requires the annual report of a public company to contain a statement of management’s responsibility for establishing and maintaining an adequate internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting; and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting. Section 404 of the Act also requires the auditor to attest to and report on management’s assessment of effectiveness of the internal controls in accordance with standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).
Dialectic Argumentation for Promoting Dialogue in IT Education
Authors: Dakers John R.
Published: May 2011

If a deep and meaningful understanding of Information Technology is to flourish, we need, as educators, to create an ethos in which students can express themselves in a risk-free environment. In order to promote higher-order thinking skills, we must move from the single-expert view to a more collaborative classroom. In information technology, there are controversies and different solutions to problems: Students need to be helped to understand the arguments from different points of view, and to see how they relate to each other. The development of technological literacy, as well as life skills, will be accelerated through the use of argumentation skills such as debating, justifying an opinion, weighing up conflicting points of view and analyzing disagreements. These skills that are inextricably linked to problem-solving skills, may be assessed in dynamic and exciting ways, such as observation, interaction, group work and challenge. Arguments may be grounded on common knowledge, personal knowledge, testimony, plausibility and necessary truth. These philosophies are essential to understanding both the made world and the new electronic age.
Variations in Adaptive Testing and Their Online Leverage Points
Authors: Levy Roy , Behrens John T. , Mislevy Robert J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter builds on foundational work on probabilistic frames of reference and principled assessment design to explore the role of adaptation in assessment. Assessments are characterized in terms of their claim status, observation status, and locus of control. The relevant claims and observations constitute a frame of discernment for the assessment. Adaptation occurs when the frame is permitted to evolve with respect to the claims or observations (or both); adaptive features may be controlled by the examiner or the examinee. In describing the various combinations of these characteristics, it is argued that an online format is preeminent for supporting common and emerging assessment practices in light of adaptation.
Authentic Assessment Online
Authors: Mathur Smita , Murray Terry
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses the issue of authentic assessment in an online, asynchronous educational environment. Initially, a definition of “authentic” is articulated. Building on this theoretical foundation by describing authentic assessment in the face-to-face classroom, a framework for authentic assessment in the virtual classroom is developed. Next, the multiple challenges of conducting authentic assessment online are addressed. Finally, specific strategies for authentic online assessment are identified and discussed. These strategies include the use of electronic portfolios, electronic journals, assessment embedded in online discussion, and rubrics.
Learner-Centered Language Programs
Authors: Lonsdale Deryle , Graham C. Ray , Madsen Rebecca
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we first discuss three factors believed to be important for success insecond-language learning: comprehensible input, comprehensible output and noticingdiscrepancies. We then discuss our current research work in integrating variouscomponents of human language technology to address these three language acquisitionfactors. Our efforts involve creating a wide spectrum of interesting language-learningapplications, including question answering and pronunciation tutoring. Theseapplications show the potential of combining speech processing with other importantnatural-language tools, such as external knowledge sources and dialog move engines.The applications we have developed not only show that this integration can besuccessful in creating non-trivial applications, but that there is much work that canbe done to build on what we have accomplished thus far.
Patient Confidentiality
Authors: Curtis Andrew , Leitner Michael
Published: May 2011

Different governmental agencies have long stored information in restricted-access databases. The advent of online data entry and analysis, and subsequent distribution of data to the public, has created a need for a more rigid set of visualization rules that preserve individual confidentiality. For example, when crime data are disseminated to the public in the form of crime maps via the Internet, law enforcement agencies have to balance between citizens’ rights to know the dangers they face in their neighborhoods, while at the same time preserving the confidentiality rights of the victim. Similarly, in health data it is important to know which “risks” pregnant mothers face in particular neighborhoods, while preserving the actual birth outcomes of women living in those neighborhoods. An ex-graduate student of mine, who currently works for the Office of Public Health (OPH) in Baton Rouge, recently asked for a copy of the original paper on which this chapter is based. Her role in the OPH was as a GIS specialist with a particular emphasis on bioterrorism. The problem that she and the rest of OPH faced was how to publish information on the public’s health on a Web site, while at the same time preserving patient confidentiality.
Time Management
Authors: Fioravanti Fabrizio
Published: May 2011

Time management is one of the most problematic issues to be addressed and to be understood well and transferred to the people belonging to the team. In order to understand the meaning of time management, it is necessary to deal with the concept of time and then with the concept of the unit cost of your time for the company. During each year, you usually work (without considering extra work) between 1,600 and 1,800 hours, and then, if you divide your gross annual pay (say $50,000), you obtain an hourly cost of your time between $27 and $31. Each hour you lose during your work time costs that amount of money to your company. Usually, if you are a team manager, for each hour you lose, your team in the complex loses about five times as much, and then a larger amount of money is thrown away for your company. In order to manage your time and the time of your team in the best way, it is necessary to approach the problem basing your efforts on some values, as suggested in the following.
ADPD and UML Adoption
Authors: Fioravanti Fabrizio
Published: May 2011

In this book, the world of management and Agile development always suggested that we adopt the simplest technology and methodologies that can fit the project you are dealing with. These are the questions that can arise: How can UML fit these requirements? Can UML be employed with Agile methodologies and particularly with ADPD? How many types of diagrams should be used profitably with ADPD? This chapter will try to answer these and other questions that are asked considering UML as a tool for aiding development and management of Agile projects. Agile developers usually draw UML diagrams on a board in order to have a topic to discuss about formalized well-know common language. On the other hand, when these diagrams are transferred to a tool capable of managing UML notation, you obtain the advantage of having a documentation automatically generated that can be updated to your needs. As introduced in Chapter XI, UML and the automated documentation that some tools can generate, starting from a set of UML diagrams, can substitute the ADPD project document. This approach to documentation compels the project manager to make some choices and decide if some parts of the project have to be documented or not. In any case, it is better that this choice be performed by the project manager, who can select the most important features to be documented among the whole project instead of compelling the reader of the documentation to cut according to his judgment.
Web Services
Authors: Guah Matthew W.
Published: May 2011

Organizations today are desperate to identify new opportunities in the facilities provided by the Internet. Few have attempted to link interorganizational, interfunctional and interpersonal levels of their organizational processes via Web services. They have undertaken this process in anticipation of reshaping and improving their core business processes. This chapter details how Web services could potentially make a significant different in the integration of software applications across multiple platforms, sites and departments of an organization. The chapter concludes by advising that organizations, in the process of reviewing their Internet strategies, should at least investigate the potential impact of Web services integration because this could sooner or later become a permanent business necessity and not just a competitive advantage material.
Concerns
Authors: Guah Matthew W.
Published: May 2011

As evidence relating the reality and basic features of the application service provider (ASP) market continues to grow, there begins to be less concern about confirming that any structural economic shift has continued historically, and more concern about understanding how the ASP industry is performing, and its impacts on productivity, investment, corporate capital formation, labor force composition, and competition. The relationship between the traditional outsourcing and the “latest wave” e-sourcing on the one hand, and Internet investment productivity on the other, is at the centre of the IT strategic problem confronting corporate management in the 21st century.
Knowledge Power
Authors: Nissen Mark E.
Published: May 2011

This chapter focuses on how the power of dynamic knowledge can be harnessed. We look first at how knowledge enables competitive advantage and then discuss the nature of knowledge flows. The chapter concludes with five knowledge power principles and includes exercises to stimulate critical thought, learning, and discussion.
Knowledge Technology
Authors: Nissen Mark E.
Published: May 2011

This chapter surveys several classes of technologies and indicates which kinds of knowledge flows are enabled and supported relatively better and worse by such technologies. We look first at common problems associated with the most prevalent and prominent KM technologies and then discuss interactions between such technologies and the knowledge life cycle. The discussion then turns to examine expert systems technology, which addresses knowledge directly. This is followed by a discussion of simulation technology, which enables the development of tacit knowledge through practice in virtual environments. The chapter concludes with five knowledge technology principles and includes exercises to stimulate critical thought, learning, and discussion.
Justice in a Market Economy
Authors: Schultz Robert A.
Published: May 2011

As we saw from the last two chapters, the ethical IT professional is embedded in contexts of management, organization, and society. Ethical behavior for the IT professional is, therefore, impacted by the ethics of people and institutions in his or her environment. The primary term for ethical institutions is justice.1 In the next three chapters, we will examine the justice of institutions impacting the IT professional. The framework used will be that provided by the works of John Rawls (1999, 2001). Rawls’ work is based on the idea of a social contract, that a justly ordered society is one to which individuals can freely decide to obligate themselves. But our decision will very likely be biased if we base it on our current situation. So Rawls’ major addition is to say that the decision must be made prior to being in society, without knowledge of what our position will be in society, and it will be a decision we will be obligated to stick to and expect others to make and stick to as well. The basic principles for society chosen in this position (which Rawls calls the original position) will be the Principles of Justice. According to Rawls (1999, 2001), there will be two: 1. The First Principle of Justice or Greatest Equal Liberty: Society is to be arranged so that all members have the greatest equal liberty possible for all, including fair equality of opportunity. Each individual has basic liberties which are not to be compromised or traded off for other benefits. Besides the basic freedoms such as freedom of speech, assembly, religion, and so on, it includes equality of opportunity. Thus society’s rules are not biased against anyone in it and allow all to pursue their interests and realize their abilities. 2. The Second Principle of Justice or the Difference Principle: Economic inequalities in society are justified insofar as they make members of the least advantaged social class, better off than if there were no inequality. The social contract basis for this principle is straightforward: If you are entering a society with no knowledge of your specific place in that society, the Difference Principle guarantees that you will be no worse off than you need to be to keep the society functioning.
A Balanced Scorecard Approach to Monitoring and Evaluating E-Partnerships
Authors: Zhao Fang
Published: May 2011

The ongoing success of e-partnership requires the constant monitoring and measuring of its progress and outcomes. Many companies rushed into e-partnerships in order to exploit complementary resources that they lacked but knew little about how to make their partnerships work and how to effectively monitor and measure its performance. Even today, many partnerships are left to drift without a system in place to assess the quality of partnerships. So, how can the productivity and health of a partnership be monitored and measured? The biggest challenge relating to performance measurement for e-partnerships is that e-partners are often independent business firms and legal entities with different stakeholders and different business objectives and goals. In the supplychain, for example, one firm can rarely control the entire supply chain’s performance. However, performance measures that can be extended across firm boundaries and processes are needed to measure inter-organizational e-partnerships. The uncertainty and intangibility of e-business and information technology add more complexity and challenges to the measurement of e-partnership performance. Looking at the current literature, it is not hard to find that the development and implementation of performance measurement systems for inter-firm collaboration is still in its infancy. Overall, traditional performance measures do not focus on key inter-firm activities to monitor extended enterprise performance. This chapter reviews and discusses various concepts, models and issues of performance measurement. On the basis of that, the chapter proposes, by taking a balanced scorecard approach, a new set of performance metrics for managers to assess the process and outcome of e-partnerships in a comprehensive manner. The chapter will also help e-partners to benchmark against best practices and determine future direction and priorities in their e-business partnerships.
Applications of E-Commerce in Government
Authors: Stowers G. N.L.
Published: May 2011

Electronic commerce, or e-commerce, is simply business that is conducted over the Internet. Government e-commerce applications are those e-commerce applications utilized by some level of government, whether it is federal, state, or local. In this article, we will distinguish between interactive transactions and e-commerce transactions. Strictly speaking, e-commerce applications are only those in which a financial transaction of some sort takes place. Interactive transactions would involve interaction with a Web survey or some other application like filing an online form requesting services or submitting a complaint, but financial transactions are not included. Electronic commerce applications are an important segment of the growing e-government service delivery field. Government e-commerce applications may involve G2B (government-to-business), G2G (government-to-government), or G2C (government-to-consumer or, in this case, citizen) mechanisms. Table 1 provides examples to illustrate the differences between e-government activities like information provision, non-e-commerce interactive transactions, and e-commerce transactions.
Business Process Redesign in Implementing E-Governement in Ireland
Authors: Hughes M.
Published: May 2011

Competitive pressures and improvements in information technology constantly force organisations to re-evaluate their business strategies (Porter, 2001; Venkatraman, 1994). Although public-sector organisations may not operate in a competitive environment, changes in management philosophies are causing public-sector organisations to think and act more like private-sector organisations (Gulledge & Sommers, 2002). Electronic government is one means by which governments can offer more effective and efficient services (Layne & Lee, 2001). This article investigates the evolution of e-government in Ireland. A case study is presented detailing how the Irish government’s e-government strategy was devised and implemented. The success of this implementation yields valuable insights into the identification and management of critical concerns during the evolvement and attainment of business-process redesign in e-government. Cumulatively, these lessons provide a road map for the successful attainment of citizen-centric e-government.
The Core Governmental Perspectives of E-Health
Authors: Syvajarvi A.
Published: May 2011

Public healthcare is facing huge future challenges in order to deal with rising costs, growing demands of customers, information flow, demographic changes, and aging population. The healthcare service sector can be seen as an information intensive area during an era of innovation and information technology (cf. Bellamy & Taylor, 1998). According to McLaughlin, Rosen, Skinner, and Webster (1999), it is common to assume that technological interventions are almost inevitable and it is humans’ duty, at least to some extent, to follow the suggested development. In the organizational level of public healthcare, high expectations about the technology and its new possibilities are introduced. Additionally, the customers can seek support and advice for their healthcare needs from thousands online connections at any time of a day (e.g., Silber, 2003). The European Commission (2004) states how “eHealth offers European citizens important opportunities for improved access to better health systems” (p. 22). This trend has implications to human beings and governments. The electronic health services produced by the information and communication technology (ICT) belong to the era of e-government. The e-government can be seen as an electronic exchange of information and services between different actors (cf. Mälkiä, Anttiroiko, & Savolainen, 2004; Oliver & Sanders, 2004). The development of information society throughout the last decades has brought up possibilities to adapt, modify, and reorganize healthcare practices and services (e.g., Gallivan, 2001; Turner, Fraser, Muir Grau, & Toth, 2002). The ICT has been used as a tool to reorganize best organizational practices, information management, and government. The ICT has also given a possibility to produce tailored healthcare services and to gain improvements in cost-effectiveness, access, safety, and quality of public healthcare services (Bates et al., 2001; Whitten et al., 2002). In the future, the healthcare organizations in public sectors will confront many challenges by means of the ICT implementation. This situation is considered here both as the function of healthcare organizations and as the supply of knowledge intensive public health services. The current viewpoint presumes a paradigm that is structured on the basis of specific conceptualization. The purpose of this article is to conceptualize the complex topic of e-health from the governmental viewpoint and to clarify the best organizational practices. Special notation is also given for human resources, information management and the ICT implementation. Finally, some future trends are shortly discussed.