bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Chinese Culture Values on Knowledge Sharing Through Online Communities of Practice
Authors: Li Wei , Ardichvili Alexandre , Maurer Martin , Wentling Tim , Stuedemann Reed
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how national (Chinese) cultural factors influence knowledge sharing behavior in virtual communities of practice at a large U.S.-based multinational organization. The data in this study come from interviews with the company’s employees in China, and managers who are involved in managing knowledge-sharing initiatives. The study results suggest that overall the influence of the national culture could be less pronounced in online knowledge sharing than what the literature has suggested. Although Chinese employees’ tendency to draw sharp distinctions between in-groups and out-groups, as well as the modesty requirements were barriers to knowledge sharing online, the issue of saving face was less important than expected, and attention paid to power and hierarchy seemed to be less critical than what the literature indicated. A surprising finding was that in the initially assumed collectivistic Chinese culture, the high degree of competitiveness among employees and job security concerns seem to override the collectivistic tendencies and are the main reasons for knowledge hoarding. The reasons for unexpected findings could be associated with differences between face-to-face and online knowledge sharing environments, the influence of the company’s organizational culture, and the recent rapid changes of the overall Chinese cultural patterns.
Instant Messaging (IM) Literacy in the Workplace
Authors: Hewett Beth L. , Hewett Russell J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses instant messaging (IM) as a valuable digital tool that has influenced business communication practices at least as much as e-mail. It argues that IM’s characteristics of presence awareness, synchronicity, hybridity, and interactivity create a unique set of writing and reading experiences. These functional qualities both require and hone high-level writing and reading skills, which are used powerfully in communicative multitasking. The authors believe that IM should be sanctioned in the workplace and that IM use should be a subject of focused training; to that end, they provide a practical, literacy-based training sequence that can be adapted to various settings.
Risk Management in Distributed IT Projects
Authors: Prikladnicki Rafael , Evaristo Roberto , Audy Jorge Luis Nicolas , Yamaguti Marcelo Hideki
Published: May 2011

Distributed IT projects exhibit certain features that make them fundamentally different from traditional co-located projects, not only involving additional steps and decisions, but also impacting the risk management process. The goal of this paper is to discuss these impacts and to suggest the development of an integrated risk management process taking into account site dispersion, time zone difference, and cultural boundaries not only at the operational, but also at the tactical and strategic level. We also report results of an exploratory case study conducted in a software development center (a Brazilian subsidiary of a U.S. corporation) in support of such a model, and conclude with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications of our work.
The Impacts of Electronic Collaboration and Information Exploitation Capability on Firm Performance
Authors: Ko Ilsang , Olfman Lorne , Choi Sujeong
Published: May 2011

We defined electronic collaboration as consisting of two major activities: electronic information sharing (EIS) and electronic cooperation (ECo). We evaluated the extent of EIS and ECo that suppliers contribute to their development of an information exploitation capability (IEC). This capability enables them to utilize internally both information and knowledge created from electronic collaboration. We assessed the effects of electronic collaboration activities and IEC on a firm performance. We collected surveys from 169 firms, and conducted a Structural Equation Model analysis. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that electronic information sharing exerts a clear effect on electronic cooperation. Electronic information sharing and electronic cooperation are major sources for the development of information exploitation capability. Both electronic cooperation and information exploitation capability result in improved company performance. We determined that the information exploitation capability has a partial mediating effect between electronic information sharing and electronic cooperation on firm performance.
Meta-Analysis Research on Virtual Team Performance
Authors: Liu Ying-Chieh , Burn Janice , Stoney Susan
Published: May 2011

The results from prior studies on the effectiveness of virtual teams (VTs) are ambiguous and show that few studies have built upon previous findings to build a substantiated body of work. In this article, the authors attempt to remedy this by performing a meta-analysis on VT research. Powell et al.’s (2004) framework of VTs is used as a prototype and twelve variables and their relationships identified as the basis for this study. Twenty empirical studies are identified and used to validate the variables statistically. From this, seven variables are preserved and form the final framework. Future research directions and managerial implications are explained.
Interactional Modifications in Internet Chatting
Authors: Isharyanti Neny
Published: May 2011

Studies in computer-mediated communication (CMC) have shown that it has the potential to provide opportunities for ESL learners to actively participate in communication using the target language, to notice inter-language gaps in their language production, and to negotiate meaning by the use of interactional modifications (IMs). The use of certain types of communication tasks also seems to play an important role in how to increase the quantity and quality of interactions among learners. Such a role is believed to affect the effectiveness of language acquisition. This chapter reports the findings of a study that investigates Internet chatting interactions between 28 college-level Indonesian non-native speakers (NNSs) of English using two different communicative language tasks, a jigsaw task and a decision- making task, which are believed to facilitate language acquisition. The main aim of this chapter is to discuss how the differences in tasks may generate different frequencies and types of IMs, as well as the possibilities of employing the results of the study in a classroom environment.
Beyond Constriction and Control
Authors: Fitzpatrick Noel , Hayes Nóirín , O’Rourke K.C.
Published: May 2011

Constructivism has become the comfortable face of educational theory in recent years, due in no small part to the mainstreaming of learning technologies since the 1990s. Many of these technologies embed constructivism in their aspirations and actual design. But, generally speaking, the uncritical acceptance of constructivism as beneficial to education has been widespread – not surprising, perhaps, given that teaching as a profession has tended to be inspired by practice rather than being theory-led. In this chapter, the authors attempt to explore the uncomfortable tranche between theory and practice which constructivism currently occupies. Education has historically been about hierarchy and the control of knowledge and knowledge-flows, rather than about the construction of knowledge by the “amateur” individual or group. Constructivism conspires to foster active learning and the organic creation of knowledge, a radical departure from the accepted authority of the curriculum, leaning towards learning situated in the context of the learner, which is ultimately non-objective in the traditional manner. Is a bridge between theory and practice possible? In considering this question the chapter draws on the authors’ experiences in designing and running an on-line graduate degree program according to constructivist principles. In doing so, it also attempts to describe and evaluate the impact which constructivism as a theory could have on the reality of teaching and learning practice in the early 21st Century.
Nontraditional Students and Information Technology
Authors: Coulter Xenia , Mandell Alan
Published: May 2011

The adult college student, caught between the competing demands of work and home, has recently become a valuable commodity in today’s fast-changing American universities. The authors argue that the response of the university to the personal circumstances and credentialing needs of adult learners, accentuated by the forces of globalization and the availability of new information technologies, particularly the Internet, has been to focus upon the efficient delivery of information deemed important in our post-industrial society. This response, particularly well exemplified by the virtual classroom, is not conducive to the fluid and open-ended inquiry associated with progressive education. In the end, the authors speculate, adult students may taste the true progressive and constructivist approaches to learning better outside the confines of formal higher education.
Constructivism and Online Collaborative Group Learning in Higher Education
Authors: Lim Hwee Ling , Sudweeks Fay
Published: May 2011

As educators utilize an increasingly wide range of technologies for facilitating interaction between distant learning parties, there are concerns over the ad hoc use of technology in online course design and activities that are not grounded in sound pedagogical frameworks. This chapter presents a case of a hybrid undergraduate course that is shaped by sociocultural constructivist principles. Survey findings on student experiences of online collaborative learning and group work processes in two constructivist-based learning activities are reported. Results reflecting sociocultural constructivist concepts of scaffolding and appropriation of shared knowledge are presented based on student learning experiences during online synchronous tutorials and collaborative team projects. The conclusion discusses the effectiveness of the two course activities in facilitating collaborative group learning and recommendations are offered to enhance overall student experiences of online collaborative-constructivist group learning processes.
Reconfiguring Interaction Through the E-Marketplace
Authors: Rossignoli Cecilia , Mola Lapo , Cordella Antonio
Published: May 2011

The aim of this chapter is to analyse electronic marketplaces from an organisational point of view. These marketplaces are considered as a particular form of electronic network and are analysed from the perspective of transaction cost theory. This chapter considers the three classical effects identified by Malone et al. (communication effect, electronic integration effect, electronic mediation effect), and also evaluates a fourth effect on the grounds of empirical evidence; this effect is defined by Wigand as “the strategic electronic network effect.” Adopting the case study approach, the chapter describes how ICT affects marketplace organisation, and reshapes relationships among the actors involved in this particular type of electronic network.
Source and Channel Coding Techniques for Cooperative Communications
Authors: Shea John M. , Wong Tan F. , Wong Chan Wong , Choi Byonghyok
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides a survey of practical cooperative coding schemes currently available in the literature, with focus on those schemes that achieve performance close to capacity or the best known achievable rates. To provide an insight into the construction of practical coding schemes for various cooperative communication scenarios, we first summarize the main design principles and tools that are used. We then present a survey of cooperative communication scenarios, and the progress on practical coding schemes for each of these scenarios is discussed in detail. Throughout the chapter, we demonstrate how the common design principles and tools are exploited to construct the existing practical coding schemes. We hope that the integrated view presented in this chapter can lead to further advances in this area.
Inverting the Remedial Mathematics Classroom with Alternative Assessment
Authors: Brunsden Victor W.
Published: May 2011

The author present a case-study of a classroom technique that allows assessment and some remediation of several shortcomings of college student skills in mathematics, particularly problem solving. Students are required to write their own notes for class and hand them in at the end for credit. Instead of a traditional lecture format, the first part of class is used to do examples of problems, creating an opportunity to model problem solving strategies for the class. Students then are separated into groups to work on individualized homework sets delivered via WeBWorK and group projects. Although problem sets are individualized, the problem types are the same from student to student, and the groups work on problems from all students in the group. Several issues of implementation are identified. Also discussed are alternative implementations of parts of the strategy, and possible extensions of the strategy to other courses that aren’t based on problem-solving.
Redefining Writing Reality Multi-Modal Writing and Assessment
Authors: Pettipiece Deirdre , Ray Timothy , Everett Justin
Published: May 2011

Perhaps due to its applicability as a performance of skill sets in virtually all disciplines, writing as a mechanism for measuring student success is more persistent than ever. New technologies, such as computerized scoring and distanced assessments, make these writing assessments readily available, affordable, replicable, and transferable. However, determining the value of the texts produced with new technologies is difficult. Therefore, this chapter introduces a variety of multi-modal writing assessment methods and discusses potential ways to determine the value of the student texts produced in them.
Strategic Alignment Between Business and Information Technology
Authors: Barbin Laurindo Fernando Jose , Monteiro de Carvalho Marly , Shimizu Tamio
Published: May 2011

Information technology (IT) has assumed an important position in the strategic function of the leading companies in the competitive markets (Porter, 2001). Particularly, ecommerce and e-business have been highlighted among IT applications (Porter, 2001). Two basic points of view can be used for understanding IT’s role: the acquisition of a competitive advantage at the value chain, and the creation and enhancement of core competencies (Porter & Millar, 1985; Duhan, Levy, & Powell, 2001). Several problems have been discussed concerned with IT project results in effectiveness of their management. Effectiveness, in the context of this article, is the measurement of the capacity of the outputs of an information system or of an IT application to fulfill the requirements of the company and to achieve its goals, making this company more competitive (Shimizu, Carvalho, & Laurindo, 2006). There is a general consensus about the difficulty of finding evidence of returns over the investments in IT (the “productivity paradox”), even though this problem can be satisfactorily explained (Farrell, 2003). Carr (2005) defends the idea that IT in itself has no more strategic value, since it is so widely disseminated that it could not be a source of strategic differentiation anymore. In order to better use these investments, organizations should evaluate IT effectiveness, which allows the strategic alignment of objectives of implemented IT applications and their results with the company business vision (Shpilberg, Berez, Puryear, & Shah, 2007; Laurindo & Moraes, 2006). Besides, it must be highlighted that if IT applications are associated with changes in business processes, it is possible to notice greater impacts in business performance (Farrell, 2003). According to Benko and McFarlan (2003), three aspects must be taken into account about IT strategic alignment: IT projects portfolio, business objectives, and the constantly changing situation of business environment. Thus, the comparison and evaluation of business and IT strategies and between business and IT structures must be a continuous process, since the company situation is constantly changing to meet market realities and dynamics.
Computer-Supported Collaborative Work and Learning
Authors: Lim John , Yang Yin Ping , Zhong Yingqin
Published: May 2011

Evvident and growing research interest has been witnessed on the relationship between the use of commputer-based syystemms and effectivve commmmunication in group-related activvities such as collaborativve learning and training. The vvarious termms accorded to this research streamm include vvirtual teamms, e-collaboration, commputer-supported collaborativve work, distributed work, electronic mmeetings, etc. AA notable and well-accepted aspect in the information system field is group support systems (GSS), the focus of this article. The numerous GSS studies have reported findings which may not be altogether consistent. An overall picture is much in want which attends to the synthesizing of the findings accumulated over decades. This article presents a mmeta-analyysis studyy aimmed at gaining a general understanding of GSS effects. We invvestigate six immportant mmoderators of group outcommes, nammelyy group size, task tyype, anonymymityy, timme and proximmityy, levvel of technologyy, and the existence of facilitation. The results point to immportant conclusions about the phenommenon of interest; in particular, their immplications vvis-à-vvis commputer-supported collaborativve learning technologies and use are discussed and highlighted along each dimmension of the studied vvariables.
Strategic Technology Engineering Planning
Authors: Shan Tony C. , Hua Winnie W.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a methodical strategic technology engineering planning (STEP) approach, to effectively cope with the design complexity in service-oriented architecture and manage the strategic planning of solution development of information systems. This holistic model comprises four modules: Want-Is-Target (WIT) model, Transition and Alignment Grid (TAG), Comprehensive Architecting Process (CAP), and Joint Analysis & Roadmapping (JAR). The characteristics and features of the constituent elements in the STEP model are articulated in great detail. The WIT model defines three stages of architecture states – current, target, and end state. TAG specifies two dimensions for architecture planning, namely current-to-future state transformation and IT-to-Business alignment. CAP presents an overarching method for step-by-step engineering and design in system architecture and portfolio optimization. JAR comprises the best-of-breed strategic analysis techniques, accompanied by a hybrid method with strategy-driven and initiative-driven planning streams. Applying the framework in planning and future trends are also discussed in the context. This overarching framework provides a comprehensive multi-disciplinary approach to conducting strategic and tactical technology planning for both near-term needs and long-term goals.
A Strategic Framework for City Marketing
Authors: Mishra Barry , Rolland Erik
Published: May 2011

City marketing in the broadest term can be defined as the strategic design of the city to satisfy the various stakeholders of the city who often have conflicting goals. This frequently requires an integrated approach that aligns and addresses the expectation of various stakeholders to create vibrant communities. The current trend in globalization, formation of regional trade blocks, and the shift in importance of location factors have increased the intensity of competition among regions and cities. More than ever, cities need to compete and cooperate with each other to attract companies, investments, talent, tourists, and create markets for their products and services. This entails that cities embrace strategic marketing management tools and practices, and utilize e-services such as electronic customer relationship management. The authors propose a broad approach, called strategic stakeholder relationship management (SSRM), which is enabled by information and communication technologies, including Internet, to help the decision makers succeed in designing the 21st Century city marketing initiatives.
Dynamics in IS Development
Authors: Otto Peter , Belardo Salvatore
Published: May 2011

The failure of many IS development efforts suggests that the development process, in particular the role that key antecedents play in ensuring success, is poorly understood. Information systems are based on a series of highly complex interrelated tasks that can be significantly affected by organizational (e.g., management attention), project (e.g., resources), and technical (e.g., tools) drivers. Changes or disruptions in these can have severe and, in many cases, unanticipated consequences for IS development efforts. To help understand how disruptions during the IS development initiative affect the quality of the system, we employ the system dynamics methodology to capture feedback from non-linear activities, viz., those that define a systems development effort. The results from the simulation lead to some tangible and timely recommendations to manage an IS development initiative.
Flexible Spatial Decision-Making and Support
Authors: Gao Shan , Sundaram David
Published: May 2011

Spatial decision-making is a key aspect of human behaviour. Spatial decision support systems support spatial decision-making processes by integrating required information, tools, models and technology in a user-friendly manner. While current spatial decision support systems fulfil their specific objectives, they fail to address many of the requirements for effective spatial problem solving, as they are inflexible, complex to use and often domain-specific. This research blends together several relevant disciplines to overcome the problems identified in various areas of spatial decision support. We proposed a generic spatial decision-making process and a domain-independent spatial decision support system (SDSS) framework and architecture to support the process. We also developed a flexible SDSS to demonstrate an environment in which decision makers can utilize various tools and explore different scenarios to derive a decision. The use of the system is demonstrated in a number of real scenarios across location, allocation, routing, layout, and spatio-temporal problems.
A Framework for a Scenario Driven Decision Support Systems Generator
Authors: Ahmed M. Daud , Sundaram David
Published: May 2011

Traditional Decision Support Systems (DSS) provide strong data management, modelling and visualisation capabilities for the decision maker but they do not explicitly support scenario management appropriately. Systems that purport to support scenario planning are complex and difficult to use and do not fully support all phases of scenario management. We introduce scenario as a core component of decision making systems and present a life cycle approach for scenario management, which helps the decision maker with idea generation, scenario planning, development, organisation, analysis, execution, evaluation, and decision support. This research designs and develops a domain independent framework and architecture for Scenario-driven Decision Support Systems Generator that aligns the DSS with the scenario management process. We then propose a generalised evaluation process that allows homogeneous and heterogeneous scenario comparisons among multiple instances of similar and dissimilar scenarios respectively. The framework and architecture is implemented and validated through a concrete prototype.
Exploring a UML Profile Approach to Modeling Web Services in Healthcare
Authors: Raghupathi Wullianallur , Gao Wei
Published: May 2011

The Web services paradigm offers numerous potential benefits to the health care area. These include interoperability, portability, scalability, and compliance with universal standards. How-ever, development of large-scale Web services applications in health care is relatively scarce. Multiple challenges are slowing the diffusion of information technology practices in health care, starting with the absence of modeling tools and methodologies that are the bases for building such technology. This article describes a UML profile approach to developing Web services applications in the health care area, emphasizing the use of such extensions as stereotyping and tagging to model the unique elements of health care processing. We apply these ideas to a health clinic example. From here, one can imagine building incrementally upon these ideas to develop frameworks for Web services applications in health care. The benefits would enhance the overall quality of health care delivery and lower costs.
Developing a Global CRM Strategy
Authors: Shumanov Michael , Ewing Michael
Published: May 2011

While the managerial rationale for adopting customer relationship management (CRM) has been fairly well articulated in the literature, research on strategy development is scant. Moreover, reports of “CRM failures” in the popular business press have done little to inspire confidence. To date, what little research has been conducted in the area of CRM strategy development has been confined to a single country (often the U.S.). Global CRM strategy development issues have yet to be specifically addressed, particularly which elements of CRM strategy should be centralised/decentralised. The present study examines the complexities of global CRM strategy using the case of a leading financial services company. Interviews are conducted in 20 countries. Global Head Office and external IT consultant perspectives are also considered. Our findings confirm that a hybrid approach has wide practical appeal and that subsidiary orientation towards centralisation/decentralisation is moderated by firm/market size and sophistication.
Building Complex Adaptive Systems
Authors: Sudeikat Jan , Renz Wolfgang
Published: May 2011

Agent Oriented Software-Engineering (AOSE) proposes the design of distributed software systems as collections of autonomous and pro-active actors, so-called agents. Since software applications results from agent interplay in Multi-Agent Systems (MAS), this design approach facilitates the construction of software applications that exhibit self-organizing and emergent dynamics. In this chapter, we examine the relation between self-organizing MAS and Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS), highlighting the resulting challenges for engineering approaches. We argue that AOSE developers need to be aware of the possible causes of complex system dynamics, which result from underlying feedback loops. In this respect current approaches to develop SO-MAS are analyzed, leading to a novel classification scheme of typically applied computational techniques. To relieve development efforts and bridge the gap between top-down engineering and bottom-up emerging phenomena, we discuss how multi-level analysis, so-called mesoscopic modeling, can be used to comprehend MAS dynamics and guide agent design, respectively iterative redesign.
An Ontology-Based Intelligent System Model for Semantic Information Processing
Authors: Xu Mark , Ong Vincent , Duan Yanqing
Published: May 2011

In the context of increasing usage of intelligent agent and ontology technologies in business, this study explores the ways of adopting these technologies to revitalize current executive information systems (EIS) with a focus on semantic information scanning, filtering, and reporting/alerting. Executives’ perceptions on an agent-based EIS are investigated through a focus group study in the UK, and the results are used to inform the design of such a system. A visualization prototype has been developed to demonstrate the main features of the system. This study presents a specific business domain for which ontology and intelligent agent technology could be applied to advance information processing for executives.
Intelligent Supply Chain Management with Automatic Identification Technology
Authors: Li Dong , Wang Xiaojun , Liu Kinchung , Kehoe Dennis
Published: May 2011

RFID-enabled business models are proposed in this chapter to innovate supply chain management. The models demonstrated benefits from automatically captured real-time information in supply chain operations. The resulting visibility creates chances to operate businesses in more responsive, dynamic, and efficient scenarios. The actual initiative of such novel RFID enabled applications is therefore to encourage intelligent supply chain management to dynamically respond changes and events in real-time. As the RFID implementation costs are continuously decreasing, it is expected that more novel business models would be inspired by the technological advancement to foster more intelligent supply chains in the near future.
RFID and Wireless Personal Area Networks for Supply Chain Management
Authors: Wright David
Published: May 2011

Efficient supply chain management relies on knowing where products in the supply chain are located. The ability to track items from manufacturing plant to warehouse to distribution center to wholesaler to retailer is currently provided by RFID, radio frequency identification (Weinstein, 2005). Case examples of commercial applications of RFID in supply chain management are evaluated by Jones et al. (2004). A recent development, low power wireless personal area networking, WPAN, can offer advantages over RFID in certain circumstances. It is the purpose of this article to evaluate RFID and wireless personal area networks with respect to each other and to identify the features that give one an advantage over the other. We first describe the two technologies.
Bridging the Gap
Authors: Tsou Ming-Hsiang
Published: May 2011

Internet GIS provides a collaborative communication environment for sharing data, information, and knowledge. Mobile GIS can add both geospatial information and global positional systems (GPS) coordinates from remotely located field-based personnel to spatial decision support systems (SDSS). By adopting broadband wireless telecommunication technology for connecting Internet GIS and mobile GIS devices, decision makers can gather near real-time information from field personnel and, equally quickly, distribute updated information back to the field. This chapter introduces a collaborative GIS prototype that demonstrates an interoperable framework for combining Web-based GIS technologies and wireless mobile GIS applications. The integrated framework provides real-time or near real-time GIS data update functions (such as adding new spatially located map features or GPS tracking locations) between mobile GIS devices and Internet GIS servers. Although these real-time GIS functions can be very important during time-urgent emergencies, they can be equally beneficial and highly cost effective during routine field activities.
Group Support Systems as Tools for HR Decision Making
Authors: Yao James , Wang John
Published: May 2011

In the late 1960s, a new type of information system came about: model-oriented DSS or management decision systems. By the late 1970s, a number of researchers and companies had developed interactive information systems that used data and models to help managers analyze semistructured problems. These diverse systems were all called decision support systems (DSS). From those early days, it was recognized that DSS could be designed to support decision-makers at any level in an organization. DSS could support operations, financial management, and strategic decision making. Group decision support systems (GDSS) which aim at increasing some of the benefits of collaboration and reducing the inherent losses are interactive information technology-based environments that support concerted and coordinated group efforts toward completion of joint tasks (Dennis, George, Jessup, Nunamaker, & Vogel, 1998). The term group support systems (GSS) was coined at the start of the 1990s to replace the term GDSS. The reason for this is that the role of collaborative computing was expanded to more than just supporting decision making (Patrick & Garrick, 2006). For the avoidance of any ambiguities, the latter term shall be used in the discussion throughout this article. Human resources (HR) are rarely expected like other business functional areas to use synthesized data because HR groups have been primarily connected with transactional processing of getting data into the system and on record for reporting and historical purposes (Dudley, 2007). For them soft data do not win at the table; hard data do. Recently, many quantitative or qualitative techniques have been developed to support human resource management (HRM) activities, classified as management sciences/operations research, multiattribute utility theory, multicriteria decision making, ad hoc approaches, and human resource information systems (HRIS) (Byun, 2003). More importantly, HRIS can include the three systems of expert systems (ES), decision support systems (DSS), and executive information systems (EIS) in addition to transaction processing systems (TPS) and management information systems (MIS) which are conventionally accepted as an HRIS. As decision support systems, GSS are able to facilitate HR groups to gauge users’ opinions, readiness, satisfaction, and so forth, increase their HRM activity quality, and generate better group collaborations and decision makings with current or planned HRIS services. Consequently, GSS can help HR professionals exploit and make intelligent use of soft data and act tough in their decision-making process.
Strategic Management in City Government
Authors: Matherly Laura L. , Jouett Maureen
Published: May 2011

Integrating information communication technologies (ICTs) and marketing in strategic management of city government is critical to achieving stakeholder satisfaction and economic development. As a result of the rapid growth in computer networks and access to online services, the use of ICTs, for example, Internet and Intranet, as a communication and marketing platform can provide a city with a global advantage. City marketing focuses on promoting the attributes of a location to prospective stakeholders so that these individuals, businesses, and investors are attracted to visit, locate, or invest in the city. A causal model is presented where ICT is used to not only to deliver services to internal stakeholders, but also to market a city to external stakeholders. To be successful, managers need to be skilled in current technologies and marketing practices. Case study applications are discussed as well as the questions to address in future research to most effectively integrate ICTs and marketing in city management.
Adoption and Implementation of IT Governance
Authors: Bhattacharjya Jyotirmoyee , Chang Vanessa
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces key IT governance concepts and industry standards and explores their adoption and implementation in the higher education environment. It shows that IT governance processes, structures and relational mechanisms adopted by these institutions generate value through improvements in a number of key focus areas for IT management. It is hoped that the study will inform both practitioners and researchers and lead to a better understanding of the relationship between IT governance structures, processes and relational mechanisms and business benefits.
Diffusion of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in Taiwan
Authors: Chang Hsiu-Hua , Yin Chun-Po , Chou Huey-Wen
Published: May 2011

ERP was one of the important developments in the use of information technology for organizations in the 1990s. Y2K rectification was a key driver in the decision to move to ERP software. Based on diffusion-of-innovation models, in this study, the sources of influence of ERP adoption in Taiwan are investigated and if the dawning Y2K can be viewed as a critical point is explored. The results demonstrate that the main influence source of ERP adoption is a mix of influence sources for all adopters. Before the millennium, the internal model shows the higher power of explanation. And after the millennium, the main influences become external influence sources. With different diffusion patterns between, before, and after the millennium, the analysis results confirm that the millennium is a critical point. Besides contributing to the application of diffusion-of-innovation in Taiwan’s ERP adoption, the results of this study can provide suggestions for ERP suppliers’ marketing strategy.
Decision Support Systems for Cardiovascular Diseases Based on Data Mining and Fuzzy Modelling
Authors: Tsipouras Markos G. , Exarchos Themis P. , Fotiadis Dimitrios I. , Bechlioulis Aris
Published: May 2011

The widespread availability of new computational methods and tools for data analysis and predictive modelling requires medical informatics researchers and practitioners to systematically select the most appropriate strategy to cope with clinical prediction problems. In particular, data mining techniques offer methodological and technical solutions to deal with the analysis of medical data and construction of decision support systems. Furthermore, fuzzy modelling deals with the ambiguity inherent in all medical problems. These methods can be used to design and develop clinical decision support systems (CDSSs), which, after evaluated from the experts, can be integrated into clinical environments.
Investigating the Impact of Customer Relationship Management Practices of E-Commerce on Online Customer's Web Site Satisfaction
Authors: Lee Su-Fang , Jih Wen-Jang (Kenny) , Fang Shyh-Rong
Published: May 2011

This study addresses the effect of customer relationship management (CRM) practices on online customers’ satisfaction with their experience in interacting with the company Web sites. Recognizing the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with customers, companies are actively seeking ways to enhance the customer value of their offerings through relationship marketing. Since effective managing of customer relationships essentially involves managing customer information flow, Internet technologies have become an important element of a firm’s CRM program. The company Web site is functioning as the focal point of contact for interacting with existing and prospective customers. An important concern is how the company Web site affects customers’ overall perception of the Web site. Using the concepts of Internet-mediated market orientation in marketing and user satisfaction in information systems, this study formulated and validated a theoretical model to analyze causal relationships between CRM practices, customers’ perception of a Web site’s online customer orientation and online customer Web site satisfaction. Based on the structural equation modeling analysis of the primary data collected in Taiwan, the study found that CRM practices positively impact online customers’ Web site satisfaction through their perception of the Web site’s customer orientation.
SHRM Portals in the 21st Century Organisation
Authors: Lloyd-Walker Beverley , Soutar Jan
Published: May 2011

The importance of people to organisational success has been recognised; the implications of this for human resource departments forms the basis for the content of this article. The ways in which information technology has been used to support changes in the human resource function are discussed, leading to an exploration of the role of strategic human resource management portals. The content of strategic human resource management portals is then outlined, and covers the range of information they currently provide and their future role. Finally, issues relating to implementation are addressed. The need for human resource practitioners to develop a greater understanding of technology and its potential benefits is discussed. This article concludes by reiterating the uses made of strategic human resource portals and by acknowledging the need to continue to strive for improvements in the implementation of IT systems.
Information Feedback Approach for Maintaining Service Quality in Supply Chain Management
Authors: Manjunath R.
Published: May 2011

Maintaining the service quality in a supply chain has become a challenging task with increased complexity and number of players down the line. Often several supply chains cross over the common resources, calling for the sharing of resources and prioritization. This leads to the definition of prespecified service quality as seen by the end user of the supply chain. In this chapter, a feedback mechanism that conveys the status of the supply line starting from the tail end is discussed. The advantages of using a predicted and shifted slippage or loss rate as the feedback signal are highlighted. Based on the feedback, the source is expected to change the rate of transfer of the commodity over the supply chain. With this, the resources would get utilized effectively, reducing the stranded time of the commodity down the line. The service quality in terms of delay and loss rate gets improved.
Security Policies and Procedures
Authors: Ghormley Yvette
Published: May 2011

The number and severity of attacks on computer and information systems in the last two decades has steadily risen and mandates the use of security policies by organizations to protect digital as well as physical assets. Although the adoption and implementation of such policies still falls far short, progress is being made. Issues of management commitment, flexibility, structural informality, training, and compliance are among the obstacles that currently hinder greater and more comprehensive coverage for businesses. As security awareness and security-conscious cultures continue to grow, it is likely that research into better methodologies will increase with concomitant efficiency of security policy creation and implementation. However, attacks are becoming increasingly more sophisticated. While the human element is often the weakest link in security, much can be done to mitigate this problem provided security policies are kept focused and properly disseminated, and training and enforcement are applied.
System Dynamics Modeling for Strategic Management of Green Supply Chain
Authors: Su Ying , Jin Zhanming , Yang Lei
Published: May 2011

Environmental issues are rapidly emerging as one of the most important topics in strategic manufacturing decisions. Perusal of the literature has shown many models to support executives in the assessment of a company’s environmental performance. Unfortunately, none of these identifies operating guidelines on how the systems should be adapted to support the deployment of different types of green supply-chain strategies. This chapter seeks to investigate how system dynamics modeling can be supportive for management of feasible green supply-chain strategies. Besides conceptual considerations, we base our arguments on the development of efficient performance measurement systems for remanufacturing facilities in reverse supply chains, taking into account not only economic but also environmental issues. The behavior of the green supply-chain management under study is analyzed through a simulation model based on the principles of the system dynamics methodology. The simulation model can be helpful for green strategic management as an experimental tool, which can be used to evaluate alternative long-term strategies (“what-if” analysis) using total supply chain profit as measure of strategy effectiveness. Validation and numerical experimentation further illustrate the applicability of the developed methodology, while providing additional intuitively sound insights.
Social and Usage-Process Motivations for Consumer Internet Access
Authors: Stafford Thomas F.
Published: May 2011

Differences between light and heavy users of America Online are investigated using theoretical expectations derived from recent research on uses and gratifications theory. Measures of Internet-usage-process gratifications and Internet socialization gratifications were utilized to test for differences between light and heavy Internet users in the consumer market, and it was expected that heavy users would be more socially motivated in their Internet use while light users would be more motivated by gratifications related to usage processes. However, results indicate that both heavy and light users are more motivated by usage factors, although the difference between usage and social motivation was more pronounced for heavy users. Heavy users are more socially motivated than light users, but both heavy and light users show a significant preference for process uses and gratifications as compared to social uses and gratifications for Internet use.
The Argentine IT Professionals Forum
Authors: Kaufman Ester
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the experience of the Argentine IT Professionals Forum (ITPF) that enriches the definition of processes involving the tasks of e-government. The ITPF has become a cross-agency network that involves all the IT professionals of the public administration. It was created in 2002 as a response to the institutional crisis in Argentina in order to solve problems associated with the IT areas. The most important contribution of the ITPF is the basis for the back office as an interesting management model, theoretically known as “communities of practice” (CoPs) and networks, which have become core organizational tools as far as carrying out difficult innovation processes, such as the development of free software, cross-agency applications, and interoperability. However, traditional government structures have found it hard to deal with this kind of processes. Among the specific tasks involved, it is worthwhile mentioning the development of suitable software, the creation of cross-agency consensus, the generation of institutional networks, and so forth.
P2P Information Lookup, Collection, and Distribution in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks
Authors: Kummer Raphaël , Kropf Peter , Felber Pascal
Published: May 2011

The most important characteristics of mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) such as broadcast and multihop communication, limited resources (particularly energy) and physical proximity are often ignored in solutions being proposed for information lookup and distribution. Thus, many lookup approaches rely on unstructured algorithms using flooding techniques, while content distribution mechanisms frequently generate inefficient multicast trees without considering the presence of nodes that are involved only as relays and are not interested in the distributed content. In this chapter, the authors present a multicast algorithm designed to build efficient multicast trees in MANETs that strive to limit the number of relay nodes and transmissions required. This distribution infrastructure relies on a lightweight distributed hash table (DHT) specifically adapted to MANETs, and exploits the physical proximity of nodes and broadcast communication. The algorithmic efficiency and scalability are evaluated by means of simulations for various network sizes and configurations.
Peer-Based Collaborative Caching and Prefetching in Mobile Broadcast
Authors: Wu Wei , Tan Kian-Lee
Published: May 2011

Caching and prefetching are two effective ways for mobile peers to improve access latency in mobile environments. With short-range communication such as IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth, a mobile peer can communicate with neighboring peers and share cached or prefetched data objects. This kind of cooperation improves data availability and access latency. In this chapter the authors review several cooperative caching and prefetching schemes in a mobile environment that supports broadcasting. They present two schemes in detail: CPIX (Cooperative PIX) and ACP (Announcement-based Cooperative Prefetching). CPIX is suitable for mobile peers that have limited power and access the broadcast channel in a demand-driven fashion. ACP is designed for mobile peers that have sufficient power and prefetch from the broadcast channel. They both consider the data availability in local cache, neighbors’ cache, and on the broadcast channel. Moreover, these schemes are simple enough so that they do not incur much information exchange among peers and each peer can make autonomous caching and prefetching decisions.