bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trust-Based Usage Control in Collaborative Environment
Authors: Yang Li , Phuong Chang , Novobilski Amy , Ege Raimund K.
Published: October 2011

Most access control models have formal access control rules to govern the authorization of a request from a principal. In pervasive and collaborative environments, the behaviors of a principal are uncertain due to partial information. Moreover, the attributes of a principal, requested objects, and contexts of a request are mutable during the collaboration. A variety of such uncertainty and mutability pose challenges when resources sharing must happen in the collaborative environment. In order to address the above challenges, we propose a framework to integrate trust management into a usage control model in order to support decision making in an ever-changing collaborative environment. First, a trust value of a principal is evaluated based on both observed behaviors and peer recommendations. Second, the usage-based access control rules are checked to make decisions on resource exchanges. Our framework handles uncertainty and mutability by dynamically disenrolling untrusted principals and revoking granted on-going access if access control rules are no longer met. We have applied our trust-based usage control framework to an application of file sharing.
An Empirical Assessment of Technology Adoption as a Choice between Alternatives
Authors: Bekkering Ernst , Johnston Allen C. , Warkentin Merrill , Schmidt Mark B.
Published: October 2011

Technology adoption by individuals has traditionally been regarded by information systems researchers as a choice between adoption and non-adoption of a single technology. With the current diversity of technology alternatives, the adoption decision may be more accurately specified as a choice between competing alternative technologies. The research question may no longer be simply whether technology is adopted, but rather which technology is adopted. The authors illustrate this with a simplified model of choice between two competing technologies, where the second technology is an enhanced version of the first. Their theoretical model is based on Expectancy Theory (ET). Results indicate that system characteristics can be successfully captured in the Valence Model of ET, and effort expectancy in the Force Model. Future research can expand on these results by including more factors in the Valence Model, and by comparing more than two alternative technologies.
Knowledge Flow Networks and Communities of Practice in Business Process Management
Authors: Khosla Rajiv , Chu Mei-Tai , Doi Shinichi , Yamada Keiji , Nishida Toyoaki
Published: October 2011

Business process management (BPM) is a common approach used in dynamic and complicated environment throughout the organizations’ operation. Knowledge Flow Networks (KFN) and Communities of Practice (CoPs), especially that resulting from innovation needs, is regarded as a BPM issue. It involves both personal and organizational aspects, and is an iteration of the transmission between explicit and tacit knowledge. We discuss business process management in the context of Knowledge Management (KM) and knowledge flow networks. KFN, unlike workflow, can often transcend organizational boundaries and are distinct and different than workflow models. In this chapter, we develop, implement, and analyze a CoPs Centered KFN model in a multinational organization. The CoPs Centered KFN model is underpinned in a CoPs model built around four organization performance evaluation dimensions and sixteen criteria. Many criteria and clusters need to be taken into consideration while establishing a CoPs model. For this purpose, fuzzy multi-criteria decision making and cluster analysis techniques for evaluation of the CoPs Centered KFN model are employed in this chapter. A Dynamic Knowledge Flow Activity Analysis Model is also defined as part of our ongoing and future work.
Knowledge, Culture, and Cultural Impact on Knowledge Management
Authors: Harorimana Deogratias
Published: October 2011

This chapter offers a taste of the ingredients for further debates that continue to emerge from within knowledge management communities. The author has identified the nuts and bolts of the debate encountered by managers who find themselves faced with high costs involved in breaking cultural barriers, and offers suggestions as to how these can be overcome. From an academic perspective, the author argues that successful knowledge creation and management comes from the combination of two schools of thought – social and technological - and that any considerations that sideline either of these will be wrong or may be hard to justify, when related to the claim of best practice and/or the rationale of quality delivery of the business case. The chapter argues that current organisational practices involving a strong emphasis on team work and the ability to use technologies dominate business operations hence, it is equally important to unblock the human factors that are likely to hinder people’s interaction within a team as it is to keep to the minimum physical barriers and systems that may impede this exercise.
Capturing Tacit Knowledge from Transient Workers
Authors: Hamza Salah Eldin Adam
Published: October 2011

This article studies the way tacit knowledge is dealt with in a high turnover business environment through a qualitative research approach in an engineering organization with respect to organizational culture and values and the effect in competitive stance. The study found peer review process and managerial/supervisory style to be effective in enabling new employees in a short time with knowledge critical for them to do a successful job, core values, and open-door policy to be necessary factors in forming a fertile environment for a quick tacit knowledge harvesting. The study also showed that a good competitive stance and customer satisfaction can be achieved and maintained through implementation of a rigorous peer review process. The study revealed noneffective utilization of knowledge management (KM) technical resources. The study directs future research towards evaluating possible objectives for utilization of KM technological resources, timeline for effective codification of tacit knowledge, and responsibilities for handling resources.
Visualizing Knowledge Networks and Flows to Enhance Organizational Metacognition in Virtual Organizations
Authors: Nissen Mark E.
Published: October 2011

In today’s increasingly networked world of organizational practice, information and computer technologies are enabling people and organizations to collaborate ever more virtually (i.e., even when distributed temporally and geographically). Despite the clear and many advantages enabled by the virtual organization, this increasingly common virtual organizational form is very demanding in terms of Knowledge Management. The key problem is that many otherwise knowledgeable people and organizations are not fully aware of their knowledge networks, and even more problematic, they are not aware that they are not aware. Thus organizational metacognition (e.g., an organization knowing what it knows) offers the potential to elucidate the key issues associated with knowledge networking in the virtual organization. The research described in this chapter builds upon a stream of work to understand and harness dynamic knowledge and organization for competitive advantage, with a particular emphasis upon knowledge networks and flows in the virtual organizational context.
Managing the Information Technology
Authors: Hsu Huei-Chen
Published: October 2011

The main points of this chapter are probing for the combination of information technology and virtual work, and how to change the distribution of different types of knowledge across individuals, teams, and even the organization. The discussion in the chapter will assess the dynamics between the individual, the organization, and information technology in the context of teams that vary in their virtualness. Information technology can make convenient spread of knowledge across the organization; even the point of making virtual teams a viable alternative to face-to-face work. However, unless managed, information technology may destabilize the relationship between organizations and their employees when it comes to the transform of knowledge. Therefore, this chapter advances theory and informs practice by illustrating the dynamics of knowledge development and transfer in more and less virtual teams.
The Influence of National and Organizational Cultures on Technology Use
Authors: Guo Zixiu , D’Ambra John
Published: October 2011

This article presents the results of an exploratory study examining the influence of national and organizational cultures on technology use in a multinational organizational (MNO) context. Data were collected from 121 respondents of a multinational organization in the Asia Pacific with headquarters in Australia and three subsidiaries in Asia: Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. Even though significant differences were found between respondents from headquarters and subsidiaries in terms of perceived media richness and preference for telephone and written documents, very similar media preference patterns for face-to-face and e-mail between the headquarters and subsidiaries were identified. Furthermore, face-to-face and e-mail were two primary media used for most communication activities in this MNO. Follow-up interviews revealed that the universal organizational culture of this MNO may explain media use consistency between the headquarters and subsidiaries. Implications of the findings are discussed and future research considered.
Revisiting the Impact of Information Technology Investments on Productivity
Authors: Ko Myung , Clark Jan G. , Ko Daijin
Published: October 2011

This article revisits the relationship between IT and productivity, and investigates the impact on information technology (IT) investments. Using the MARS techniques, we show that although IT Stock is the greatest predictor variable for productivity Ko, M.; Clark, J.G.; Ko, D.(Value Added), it is only significant as an interaction variable, combined with Non-IT Capital, Non-IT Labor, Industry, or Size.
Exploring the Implications of Complexity Thinking for the Management of Complex Organizations
Authors: Richardson Kurt A.
Published: October 2011

This article is an attempt to explore the implications of the emerging science of complexity for the management of organizations. It is not intended as an introduction to complexity thinking, but rather an attempt to consider how thinking ‘complexly’ might affect the way in which managers do their jobs. This is achieved in a rather abstract way with some theory, but I hope the general message that there is no one way to manage comes through loud and clear, and that management is as much an art as it is a science (and always will be). In a sense complexity thinking is about limits, limits to what we can know about our organizations. And if there are limits to what we can know, then there are limits to what we can achieve in a pre-determined, planned way.
Can Person-Centered Technology Enhanced Learning Contribute to Develop Project Management Soft Skills in an Academic Context?
Authors: Motschnig-Pitrik Renate , Derntl Michael
Published: October 2011

In the preceding years we employed active technology enhanced learning in a course on project management soft skills that was particularly well received by students. This chapter presents the underlying philosophy, the current course design, students’ reactions, and our experiences and lessons learned. Concurrently, we confirm the applicability of participatory action research as a methodological framework suited for improving course design, specific interventions, and theory building. We propose to complement that framework by qualitative and quantitative methods in order to deal with specific research questions. Results indicate that students consider their active involvement in the course, both face-to face and online, the top factor from which they benefit. Furthermore, the majority of students felt that it was easier for them to work in teams and to establish social relationships. The primary goal of the chapter is to provide a pool of inspiration for other educators in practice and research.
The Quality of Online Privacy Policies
Authors: Storey Veda C. , Kane Gerald C. , Stewart Schwaig Kathy
Published: October 2011

Privacy concerns and practices, especially those dealing with the acquisition and use of consumer personal information by corporations, are at the forefront of business and social issues associated with the information age. This research examines the privacy policies of large U.S. companies to assess the substance and quality of their stated information practices. Six factors are identified that indicate the extent to which a firm is dependent upon consumer personal information, and therefore more likely to develop high quality privacy statements. The study’s findings provide practical and theoretical implications for information privacy issues, particularly for consumers who need to determine whether or not to disclose their personal identifying information to firms. The results illustrate the complexity involved in managing personal private information.
Knowledge Integration Through Inter-Organizational Virtual Organizations
Authors: Boronat Navarro Montserrat
Published: October 2011

In this study we adopt an inter-organizational view to examine virtual organizations. Thus, we understand this phenomenon as a strategic agreement between organizations that collaborate and coordinate their work through information technologies. This dimension adds greater flexibility to the strategic alliance, which in turn is beneficial for the integration of knowledge. In high technology industries, inter- organizational virtual organizations add further advantages to this option of knowledge integration through strategic alliances because of the importance of speed and flexibility. We put forward a series of propositions, following an initial approximation to this phenomenon through the combination of the strategic alliances, virtual organizations and the knowledge-based view literatures.
Investigating the Impact of Publicly Announced Information Security Breaches on Three Performance Indicators of the Breached Firms
Authors: Ko Myung , Osei-Bryson Kweku-Muata , Dorantes Carlos
Published: October 2011

This article examines the impact of information security breaches on organizational performance. Until now, there have been only a few empirical academic studies that have investigated this issue and they have investigated information security breaches with the focus on the short-term impact on the market value of the firm. This study offers an alternate approach to investigate this issue as it explores the impact of breaches on financial performance of the firm, one year after the breach. Using a “matched sampling” methodology, we explored the impact of each type of breach (i.e., confidentiality, integrity, and availability) and also by IT intensity and size. Our results suggest that the direction of the impact (i.e., positive, negative) is dependent on the type of security breaches and also the impact of IT intensive firms is different from non-IT intensive firms. Our study also includes some important implications for managers and stock market investors.
Governance of Virtual Networks
Authors: Semolic Brane , Kovac Jure
Published: October 2011

Technological and organizational excellence is the key element for business success in a modern business environment. In contemporary business environments, companies will restore and keep their competition capability not only by optimizing their own potentials, but mainly by utilizing capability of foreign resources and their connection to complete business process in the so called network organizations. Virtual organizations are a special form of network organizations. Among virtual organizations the so called Living Laboratory takes place. This chapter presents the findings of the research regarding the state of development and application of laser living laboratory management and governance system in Toolmakers Cluster of Slovenia.
A New Approach to a Theory of Management
Authors: Mikulecky Donald C.
Published: October 2011

An organization is defined by the performance of function which is different from the way the organization is put together by its designers. An example is a business. The organizational chart is a poor way of understanding what actually goes into performing a task. The problem arises because of misunderstanding about to how events are caused. There is not just one type of causality, but there are four distinct kinds leading to closed causal loops. The causal entailment allows us to identify “functional components” that do not correspond to entities in an organizational chart or its accompanying job descriptions. Functional components are defined in a specific context and are destroyed if that context is altered significantly. By comparing a relational analysis of organizational functions with the standard organizational chart and its intent for getting things done, many problems in management can be given an explanation and thereby be solved.
Facing the Challenges of RFID Data Management
Authors: Bose Indranil , Lam Chun Wai
Published: October 2011

Radio frequency identification (RFID) has generated vast amounts of interest in the supply chain, logistics, and the manufacturing area. RFID can be used to significantly improve the efficiency of business processes by providing automatic data identification and capture. Enormous data would be collected as items leave a trail of data while moving through different locations. Some important challenges such as false read, data overload, real-time acquisition of data, data security, and privacy must be dealt with. Good quality data is needed because business decisions depend on these data. Other important issues are that business processes must change drastically as a result of implementing RFID, and data must be shared between suppliers and retailers. The main objective of this article is focused on data management challenges of RFID, and it provides potential solutions for each identified risk.
Developing a Basis for Global Reciprocity
Authors: Crawford Lynn , Pollack Julien
Published: October 2011

Professional standards are a significant issue for professions such as IT and Project Management, where certification and licensure are either necessary to practice or to demonstrate individual competence and capability. In many professions there is no basis for international reciprocity of professional standards. This paper documents the development of a standard for global reciprocity between already existing professional standards in the field of Project Management. Data are based on personal involvement by the authors and interviews with participants. This discussion addresses different approaches to standardisation, how common issues in the standardisation process have been addressed, and how the hindering influence of the professional associations’ proprietorial interest was avoided. Significantly different standards of development processes have been used compared to those typical in Project Management standards development, including: an emphasis on negotiation and joint modification rather than market dominance, and an open access approach, rather than one based on exclusion and gate-keeping.
Tracking Persons
Authors: Leignel Christine , Jolion Jean-Michel
Published: October 2011

This chapter presents a survey of methods used for tracking in video sequence. We mainly focus this survey on tracking persons. We introduce three main approaches. First, we present the graph based tracking approach where the sequence of tracked objects are embodied in a graph structure. Then we introduce the features (extracted from the images) based tracking and matching with a model. We survey the main primitives and emphasize the approaches based on 2D and 3D body model. We present the particular case of tracking in a network of cameras with the particle filtering method. Finally, As a generalization, we focus on the single vs. stereo approaches.
State-of-the-Art Assistive Technology for People with Dementia
Authors: Phua Clifton , Roy Patrice Claude , Aloulou Hamdi , Biswas Jit , Tolstikov Andrei , Foo Victor Siang-Fook , Aung Aung-Phyo-Wai , Huang Weimin , Feki Mohamed Ali , Maniyeri Jayachandran , Chu Alvin Kok-Weng , Xu Duangui
Published: October 2011

The work is motivated by the expanding demand and limited supply of long-term personal care for People with Dementia (PwD), and assistive technology as an alternative. Telecare allows PwD to live in the comfort of their homes for a longer time. It is challenging to have remote care in smart homes with ambient intelligence, using devices, networks, and activity and plan recognition. Our scope is limited to mostly related work on existing execution environments in smart homes, and activity and plan recognition algorithms which can be applied to PwD living in smart homes. PwD and caregiver needs are addressed in a more holistic healthcare approach, domain challenges include doctor validation and erroneous behaviour, and technical challenges include high maintenance and low accuracy. State-of-the-art devices, networks, activity and plan recognition for physical health are presented; ideas for developing mental training for mental health and social networking for social health are explored. There are two implications of this work: more needs to be done for assistive technology to improve PwD’s mental and social health, and assistive software is not highly accurate and persuasive yet. Our work applies not only to PwD, but also the elderly without dementia and people with intellectual disabilities.
Prototyping Smart Assistance with Bayesian Autonomous Driver Models
Authors: Moebus Claus , Eilers Mark
Published: October 2011

The Human or Cognitive Centered Design (HCD) of intelligent transport systems requires digital Models of Human Behavior and Cognition (MHBC) enabling Ambient Intelligence e.g. in a smart car. Currently MBHC are developed and used as driver models in traffic scenario simulations, in proving safety assertions and in supporting risk-based design. Furthermore, it is tempting to prototype assistance systems (AS) on the basis of a human driver model cloning an expert driver. To that end we propose the Bayesian estimation of MHBCs from human behavior traces generated in new kind of learning experiments: Bayesian model learning under driver control. The models learnt are called Bayesian Autonomous Driver (BAD) models. For the purpose of smart assistance in simulated or real world scenarios the obtained BAD models can be used as Bayesian Assistance Systems (BAS). The critical question is, whether the driving competence of the BAD model is the same as the driving competence of the human driver when generating the training data for the BAD model. We believe that our approach is superior to the proposal to model the strategic and tactical skills of an AS with a Markov Decision Process (MDP). The usage of the BAD model or BAS as a prototype for a smart Partial Autonomous Driving Assistant System (PADAS) is demonstrated within a racing game simulation.
Pervasive Computing for Efficient Energy
Authors: Bieliková Mária , Hönsch Marián , Kompan Michal , Šimko Jakub , Zeleník Dušan
Published: October 2011

Increasing energy consumption requires our attention. Resources are exhaustible, so building new power plants is not the only solution. Since residential expenditure is of major parts of overall consumption, concept of intelligent household has potential to participate on energy usage optimization. In this chapter, we concentrate on software methods, which based on inputs gained from an environment monitor, analyze and consequently reduce non-effective energy consumption. We gave a shape to this concept by description of real prototype system called ECM (Energy Consumption Manager). Besides active energy reduction, the ECM system also has an educative function. User-system interaction is designed to teach the user how to use (electric, in case of our prototype) energy effectively. Methods for the analysis are based on artificial intelligence and information systems fields (neural networks, clustering algorithms, rule-based systems, personalization and adaptation of user interface). The system goes further and gains more effectiveness by exchange of data, related to consumption and appliance behaviour, between households.
Client-Serve Yourself
Authors: Reisman Sorel , Dear Roger G. , Dabirian Amir
Published: October 2011

The Office of Information Technology at California State University, Fullerton is responsible for campus administrative mainframe and programming support, as well as for all mainframe applications such as the student records and financial accounting systems. Two campus organizations, University Extended Education and the Office of Analytical Studies rely heavily on the timeliness and accuracy of administration and student record data. These organizations have identified process improvements that are best met by client/server database applications. Due to limitations in the university’s Office of Information Technology support capabilities (budgetary and legacy system related), both University Extended Education and Analytical Studies have opted for internal database development while still relying on the Office of Information Technology’s mainframe data. This approach has resulted in increased local capabilities without the uncertainties related to working within an overloaded campus-wide Information Technology organization. Whether this approach is advantageous from an enterprise perspective remains to be seen.
Reinventing Business Processes through Automation
Authors: Paper David
Published: October 2011

Although numerous firms have experimented with business process reengineering (BPR), many have achieved less than dramatic results (Davenport, 1993; Hammer and Champy, 1993; Kotter, 1995). To explore possible reasons for BPR underachievement, an in-depth case study was undertaken. The case focuses on events surrounding the redesign of a fundamental business process (Personal Lines Insurance) at Safeco Corporation. Redesign is led by the Information Systems and Services (ISS) department as they are in charge of the Personal Lines Systems (PLS) that support the business. Analysis of the interviews provides a detailed description of the project and uncovers possible reasons for failure of the reengineering effort.
Remote Management of a Province-Wide Youth Employment Program Using Internet Technologies
Authors: Dienes Bruce , Gurstein Michael
Published: October 2011

A province-wide network of Community Access Internet sites was supported during the summers of 1996 and 1997 by Wire Nova Scotia (WiNS), a government funded program to provide staffing, training and technical support for these centres. The program was managed remotely from an office in Sydney, Nova Scotia (Canada) using a variety of Internet-based technologies, including email, a web site, conference boards, real-time chat, and mailing lists. Remote management enabled the efficient and low-cost operation of a program involving 67 sites with field placements, plus six regional coordinators and the technical and administrative staff at the hub in Sydney. Effectiveness of remote management was enhanced when employees participated in an initial face-to-face regional training workshop. This training not only familiarized the employees with the communications technologies, but, perhaps more importantly, put a human face and personality to the messages that later came electronically over the Intranet.
The Progress of the Internet
Authors: Blank Grant
Published: October 2011

By simplifying communication, the Internet is causing significant, broad changes. This chapter describes some effects of the Internet on teaching and research: the use of Web pages in teaching, spread of remote statistical analysis, elimination of journal page constraints, and the impact on activities that benefit from debate and discussion. The chapter ends by pointing out that although the technical implications of an innovation are predictable, the major social implications often do not become apparent for years.
The World Wide Web and Local Media and the 1996 Presidential Election
Authors: Novotny Patrick
Published: October 2011

The advent of technology is reshaping the landscape of political campaigns. Cable television, satellite uplinks, cellular telephones, facsimile machines, and related communications and software applications offer ever more sophisticated ways of reaching voters. With each passing month, the advertisements in Campaigns and Elections, the trade journal of consultants and political professionals, are filled with more applications of this new information and media technology. Simply collecting and keeping track of the advertisements of a rival during a campaign is now a large part of the work of a campaign. Where candidates once coveted relationships with voters in their districts, they now purchase lists of these same voters on CD-ROM and data files on the World Wide Web as a part of the new campaign technologies.
Electronic Communities
Authors: Riedel Eric , Wagoner Marc J. , Dresel Libby , Sullivan John L. , Borgida Eugene
Published: October 2011

The impacts of new technologies often belie the hopes of proponents and the fears of detractors. For example, Claude Fischer (1992) in his thorough analysis of the diffusion and social effects of the telephone, suggests that the overall effect of this new technology in the early twentieth century was not a dramatic break from the existing social order. “In more general terms, Americans apparently used home telephones to widen and deepen existing social patterns rather than to alter them.” (263) Moreover, he found initial access was determined by existing economic resources and social location (e.g. status). Our study examines a new communications technology which (at the very least) promises to be for the twenty-first century what the telephone was for the twentieth. The research question examined below follows a central concern of proponents and detractors of the Internet: whether this new technology will exacerbate or alleviate a growing inequality in resources (Phillips, 1990) among Americans, creating a new class of information “haves” and “have-nots” (Schiller, 1994). This question is answered in the context of a rural community consciously seeking to develop broad-based Internet resources available to all members. Existing socioeconomic inequalities are replicated with regards to computer ownership and use. With regards to knowledge and support for the network however, “social capital” constitutes an alternative path to socioeconomic resources. The community electronic network replicates not only economic stratification in the community but the social structure as well. These findings, as this article discusses, have broad implications for future studies of the Internet and other emerging communication technologies. Such findings suggest that emerging virtual social structures are grounded in existing economic and social structures.
Personal Computers, Mass Media, and Other Uses of Free Time
Authors: Robinson John P. , Kestnbaum Meyer , Kohut Andrew
Published: October 2011

One measure of the impact of the personal computer is in terms of its time displacement of other activities; mass media generally are considered a prime candidate given the on-line profusion of information and entertainment services. This article compares the daily mass media habits and other leisure activities of heavy, light and non users of personal computers and on-line services based on 1994-95 and 1997 national surveys. No significant or consistent evidence of time displacement of mass media was found. Indeed, heavier computer usage was associated with significantly greater use of print media and other cultural uses of free time, even after multivariate adjustment. It was concluded that at this early stage of diffusion, personal computers may have more in common with “time enhancing” home appliances (like the telephone, automobile and washing machine) than with television. Nonetheless, more complete time-diary studies are needed to identify the full temporal effects of the personal computer, much as they did for television.
Streamlining Operations in Healthcare with ICT
Authors: Suomi Reima
Published: October 2011

Health care is an information-intensive industry. Its cornerstones are a research tradition of hundreds of years, and detailed understanding of each customer, patient. As compared to other industries, say banking, the data about the customer needs to be very detailed, and must include trend data to allow analysis of the development of things. When caring for a patient, even very special knowledge and know-how is often needed, and this compels the industry into a networked mode of operation, with a lot of communication needs. With this background, it is astonishing to see how slowly the industry has adopted to new information and communication technology (ICT). Currently, however, a major revolution is under way, and the health care industry has become a key application area for ICT, and an object for both national and international programs to promote usage of ICT. We want to understand these trends better. Our research questions are: 1. Which reasons led to the late adoption of modern ICT in the healthcare sector? 2. Why is the situation now changing fast? 3. Which seem to be the main application areas? 4. Which kind of progress can we now see? To each of the research questions, we allocate one section in our chatper. This article is conceptual in nature, but argumentation is supported by concrete examples and field work done at the author’s Institute in more than 10 projects in the health care sector. The main conclusions are that:
Healthcare Information and Communication Standards Framework
Authors: Lagendijk Peter J.B. , Stegwee Robert A.
Published: October 2011

Standardization in healthcare is a rapidly growing field. To prevent proliferation in standardisation, good coordination in both the development and usage of standards is necessary. In this chapter we propose a framework to analyse the fit between the proposed purpose of the standard and the perceived needs of the applications using the standard. An available standard can be characterised by the level of acceptance, the application area, the object of standardisation and the kind of user a standard is aimed at. The same aspects can be determined for the kind of standards needed for a specific application of information interchange. In a practical sense this will help in determining which standards to use. Also, it may provide a better perception of the supply and demand of healthcare information and communication standards in general.
The Electronic Patient Record as an Organizational Artifact
Authors: Toussaint Pieter , Berg Marc
Published: October 2011

The research effort on Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) has rapidly increased in the last decade. Much of this research focussed on standardisation and technical realizations. We will describe such a research effort in this chapter and evaluate its success. Our main finding is that the lack of success of this specific research effort is mainly due to its technological bias. Although standards (both conceptual and technical) are important prerequisites for the realisation of an EPR, organisational issues are decisive for success. The role played by these organisational issues will be illustrated by analysing the findings of the case study presented in the chapter. We will argue that research on EPRs should be more focussed on the role of an EPR as an organisational artefact that coordinates the work of healthcare professionals, in order to lead to successful implementations.
Interactive Query Expansion with Automatically Generated Category-Specific Thesauri
Authors: Sebastiani Fabrizio
Published: October 2011

The categorization of documents into subject-specific categories is a useful enhancement for large document collections addressed by information retrieval systems, as a user can first browse a category tree in search of the category that best matches her interests and then issue a query for more specific documents “from within the category.” This approach combines two modalities in information seeking that are most popular in Web-based search engines, i.e., category-based site browsing (as exemplified by, e.g., Yahoo™) and keyword-based document querying (as exemplified by, e.g., AltaVista™). Appropriate query expansion tools need to be provided, though, in order to allow the user to incrementally refine her query through further retrieval passes, thus allowing the system to produce a series of subsequent document rankings that hopefully converge to the user’s expected ranking. In this work we propose that automatically generated, category-specific “associative” thesauri be used for such purpose. We discuss a method for their generation and discuss how the thesaurus specific to a given category may usefully be endowed with “gateways” to the thesauri specific to its parent and children categories.
If Managing Knowledge is the Solution, then What's the Problem?
Authors: Zack Michael H.
Published: October 2011

Strategic theories of organizing are grounded in the notion that organizations should configure their internal resources and capabilities to address competitive opportunities and threats. The knowledge-based view suggests that knowledge may be the most enduring and strategic resource. This chapter presents a taxonomy for describing resources, capabilities and competitive environments in terms of four distinct yet related knowledge processing requirements or “problems”: complexity, uncertainty, equivocality and ambiguity. Each suggests a particular knowledge processing capability. The taxonomy is used to develop finer-grained distinctions regarding knowledge-based theories of the firm and the resource-based concept of inimitability.
Armadillo Power & Light
Authors: LeBlanc Louis A.
Published: October 2011

Armadillo Power & Light Company (AP&L), headquartered in Hondo (TX), provides electric service to the lower half of the Lone Star State. AP&L is a wholly owned subsidiary of Texas Power Corporation, an electric utility holding company. The General Accounting (GA) Department of AP&L is primarily responsible for closing the company books on a monthly basis. After the books are closed, GA is responsible for providing senior management with data relating to key operating results. This data includes a comparative income statement, analysis of rate of return on common equity, analysis of operating revenues and megawatt hours (MWH) sales (as shown in Figure 1), analysis of sources and disposition of energy, and analysis of operation and maintenance expenses by function.
Key Issues in the MIS Implementation Process
Authors: Lane Peggy L. , Palko Jeffrey , Cronan Timothy P.
Published: October 2011

Many issues that have the potential to affect the success of an information system development project have been discussed in the literature. Three issues which appeared to discriminate between successful and unsuccessful projects were identified in a 1981 study by Ginzberg. The present study enhances and expands his analysis to evaluate the stability of these issues. The purpose of this updated study is to identify which issues are associated with system development success as measured by computing satisfaction. The results indicate that although some of the issues identified by Ginzberg continue to be relevant to implementation success, their character has changed somewhat. Based on the responses from six companies, end-user computing satisfaction can be explained by the extent of project definition and planning, organizational commitment, breadth of analysis, user responsibility, and commitment to change. User ownership of the system was not considered a issue in the implementation process.
Our Mousetrap's Fine
Authors: Ditsa George E.M. , MacGregor R. C.
Published: October 2011

Over the last decade, researchers of user satisfaction have continued to examine the elusive failure of information systems (IS) amidst advances in computer technology. This chapter suggests that despite the very important findings in the area of user satisfaction, very little is finding its way to the day-to-day practices. The chapter continues to suggest that even more alarming is the notion that most users expect that systems will be difficult to use and there is little demand by them for the inclusion of psychological and organisational aspects to be included in information systems. This is supported by results of a pilot study examining criteria used for repurchase of computing technology. Finally, the chapter briefly examines the organisational culture which appears to prevent users demanding more attention to user satisfaction criteria and proposes some necessary inclusions for an infrastructure; users will begin to expect and demand the inclusion of psychological and organisational aspects in the development and implementation of information systems.
A Model for Motivation for IT Retraining
Authors: Ryan Sherry D.
Published: October 2011

The skill-sets of many information technology (IT) professionals are becoming obsolete as IT changes accelerate. Organizations are retraining many software developers with legacy systems skills to skills required in the new Internet-based, client-server and object-oriented paradigms. This type of retraining is not incremental, but entails major cognitive, methodological and procedural shifts. Given its importance, cost and currency, processes that impact the effectiveness of training should be considered. Trainee motivation is one such process that should be investigated because it is more malleable than other aspects, such as trainees’ cognitive ability. This chapter proposes a model of motivational intentions and antecedents in this information technology retraining context. Theoretical background for the model is described. In addition, the implications of the model and its potential utilization in influencing motivational intentions, and ultimately improving the retraining outcomes, is discussed.
Measuring the Potential for IT Convergence at Macrolevel
Authors: Pagani Margherita
Published: October 2011

In this chapter, the author sets out to define what convergence is and to measure it in Europe. It begins by proposing that the concept of digital convergence, as it is commonly expressed, is taken to refer to three possible axes of alignment: convergence of devices, convergence of networks, and convergence of content. Although there is evidence in digital environments of limited alignment in some of these areas, there are considerable physical, technical, and consumer barriers in each case. In fact, rather than convergence, the transition from analog to digital is often accompanied by a process of fragmentation. A better way of looking at convergence may lie in the degree to which two-way digital networks facilitate cross-platform management of customer relationships, regardless of the type of networks those customers use. In the chapter, a definition of convergence based on penetration of digital platforms and the potential for cross-platform Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategies is argued for before going on to develop a convergence index according to different European territories that can be compared.
Understanding the Role of Use Cases in UML
Authors: Dobing Brian , Parsons Jeffrey
Published: October 2011

A use case is a description of a sequence of actions constituting a complete task or transaction in an application. Use cases were first proposed by Jacobson (1987) and have since been incorporated as one of the key modeling constructs in UML (Booch, Jacobson, & Rumbaugh, 1999) and the Unified Software Development Process (Jacobson, Booch, & Rumbaugh, 1999). This paper traces the development of use cases, and identifies a number of problems with both their application and theoretical underpinnings. From an application perspective, the use case concept is marked by a high degree of variety in the level of abstraction versus implementation detail advocated by various authors. In addition, use cases are promoted as a primary mechanism for identifying objects in an application, even though they focus on processes rather than objects. Moreover, there is an apparent inconsistency between the so-called naturalness of object models and the commonly held view that use cases should be the primary means of communicating and verifying requirements with users. From a theoretical standpoint, the introduction of implementation issues in use cases can be seen as prematurely anchoring the analysis to particular implementation decisions. In addition, the fragmentation of objects across use cases creates conceptual difficulties in developing a comprehensive class model from a set of use cases. Moreover, the role of categorization in human thinking suggests that class models may serve directly as a good mechanism for communicating and verifying application requirements with users. We conclude by outlining a framework for further empirical research to resolve issues raised in our analysis.
A Design Method for Real-Time Object-Oriented Systems Using Communicating Real-Time State Machines
Authors: Fernandez Eduardo B. , Wu Jie , Hancock Debera R.
Published: October 2011

Many methodologies for software modeling and design include some form of static and dynamic modeling to describe the structural and behavioral views respectively. Modeling and design of complex real-time software systems requires notations for describing concurrency, asynchronous event handling, communication between independent machines, timing properties. Dynamic modeling of real time systems using object-oriented methodologies requires extensions to the traditional state machine notations in order to convey the real-time system characteristics and constraints. This chapter proposes an object-oriented analysis and design methodology that augments the traditional UML (Unified Modeling Language) dynamic model with real-time extensions based on high-level parallel machines and communication notations from CRSM (Communicating Real-Time State Machines). An example of the proposed methodology is provided using a realistic example of an automated passenger train system.
Java Integrated Development Environments' Support for Reuse-Oriented Software Development
Authors: Ristonmaa Jenni , Ahonen Jarmo , Forsell Marko
Published: October 2011

Component reuse is a promising direction to develop software more efficiently and cost effectively. One part of software development is the actual programming with an integrated development environment (IDE). We studied three Java IDEs and how they support reuse-oriented software development. We derived evaluation criteria from a known reuse model. As a conclusion we suggest that current Java IDEs need to improve their support for the reuse process.
Information Modeling and Method Engineering
Authors: Siau Keng
Published: October 2011

Information modeling is the cornerstone of information systems analysis and design. Information models, the products of information modeling, not only provide the abstractions required to facilitate communication between the analysts and end users, but they also provide a formal basis for developing tools and techniques used in information systems development. The process of designing, constructing, and adapting information modeling methods for information systems development is known as method engineering. Despite the pivotal role of modeling methods in successful information systems development, most modeling methods are designed based on common sense and intuition of the method designers with little or no theoretical foundation or empirical evidence. Systematic scientific approach is missing! This paper proposes the use of cognitive psychology as a reference discipline for information modeling and method engineering. Theories in cognitive psychology are reviewed in this paper and their application to information modeling and method engineering are also discussed.