bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CAMCE
Authors: D’Andrea Alessia , Ferri Fernando , Grifoni Patrizia
Published: May 2011

There is a growing need to collaborate at national and European level for solutions connected with risks and problems due to climate changes. This need is leading to creation of Web platforms in which experts, stakeholders, decision-makers and overall citizens can collaboratively share information. This common information space on the Web can be used for planning, managing, evaluating and using services devoted to the protection and safeguarding of critical infrastructures (i.e. the supply of energy and water, sewage system maintenance). Keeping this purpose in mind, the chapter proposes a framework that provides a web-based collaborative opportunity for decision support, program management and collaboration for climate adaptation, mitigation and citizens’ education.
An Overview of Ontology-Driven Data Integration
Authors: Buccella Agustina , Cechich Alejandra
Published: May 2011

New software requirements have emerged because of innovation in technology, specially involving network aspects. The possibility enterprises, institutions and even common users can improve their connectivity allowing them to work as they are at the same time, generates an explosion in this area. Besides, nowadays it is very common to hear that large enterprises fuse with others. Therefore, requirements as interoperability and integrability are part of any type of organization around the world. In general, large modern enterprises use different database management systems to store and search their critical data. All of these databases are very important for an enterprise but the different interfaces they possibly have make difficult their administration. Therefore, recovering information through a common interface becomes crucial in order to realize, for instance, the full value of data contained in the databases (Hass & Lin, 2002).
Mix, Match, Rediscover
Authors: Meza Justin , Zhu Qin
Published: May 2011

Knowledge is the fact or knowing something from experience or via association. Knowledge organization is the systematic management and organization of knowledge (Hodge, 2000). With the advent of Web 2.0, Mashups have become a hot new thing on the Web. A mashup is a Web site or a Web application that combines content from more than one source and delivers it in an integrated way (Fichter, 2006). In this article, we will first explore the concept of mashups and look at the components of a mashup. We will provide an overview of various mashups on the Internet. We will look at literature about knowledge and the knowledge organization. Then, we will elaborate on our experiment of a mashup in an enterprise environment. We will describe how we mixed the content from two sets of sources and created a new source: a novel way of organizing and displaying HP Labs Technical Reports. The findings from our project will be included and some best practices for creating enterprise mashups will be given. The future of enterprise mashups will be discussed as well.
A Structured Approach to Developing a Business Case for New Enterprise Information Systems
Authors: Chia Cua Francisco , Garrett Tony C.
Published: May 2011

The term business case is used to describe both a process and a document. A business case exploits an initiative. Exploiting the initiative from awareness to implementation encompasses a process, referred to in the diffusion of innovation parlance, as the innovation-decision process. The development of a business case concerns this innovation-decision process. The individuals or the decision-making units pass through the innovation-decision process, gaining knowledge of a new idea, forming an attitude toward it, and deciding whether to adopt or reject it (Rogers, 2003, p 20). Gaining the knowledge triggers the awareness or enforces it. Then, it leads to setting the agenda. After the agenda-setting stage is the examination of the available options. Attributes of competing options are matched together, enabling attitude formation in favour or against a particular option. This results in the creation of a shortlist of two or three options. A decision is generally reached at this point. The decision is, therefore, part of the matching stage. However, this is not always true in an organisational setting. There is a third stage after the matching stage. It is the decision (aka, business case) stage. Organisations generally demand rigour in making the decision. A business case document embodies the rigour in the business case development. Consequently, the decision stage culminates with a completed business case document and the decision that results from it: to adopt or reject the innovation. The three stages, agenda setting, matching, and decision stages, compose the initiation phase. If the decision favours adoption, then the implementation phase proceeds. In the context of implementing the new enterprise information systems, the stages in the implementation phase consists of pre-production, production, post-production (that is, maintenance), and confirmation stages. In summary, the business case development is a means, and its end is a business case document.
Facilitating Design of Efficient Components by Bridging Gaps between Data Model and Business Process via Analysis of Service Traits of Data
Authors: Chen Ning
Published: May 2011

In many large-scale enterprise information system solutions, process design, data modeling and software component design are performed relatively independently by different people using various tools and methodologies. This usually leads to gaps among business process modeling, component design and data modeling. Currently, these functional or non-functional disconnections are fixed manually, which increases the complexity and decrease the efficiency and quality of development. In this chapter, a pattern-based approach is proposed to bridge the gaps with automatically generated data access components. Data access rules and patterns are applied to optimize these data access components. In addition, the authors present the design of a toolkit that automatically applies these patterns to bridge the gaps to ensure reduced development time, and higher solution quality.
Transforming Compensation Management Practices through Web-Based Enterprise Technologies
Authors: Liang Xiaoya
Published: May 2011

Human resources management system (HRMS) is one of the core components in any major enterprise resource planning (ERP) application suite since its earliest development. As information communications technologies progress, ERP vendors are able to incorporate more sophisticated HR functions into their products in an increasingly user-friendly manner. HRM modules in ERP suites cover a full spectrum of conventional HR functions ranging from recruitment, selection, compensation, and so on. Meanwhile, there is also an explosion of growth in the number of specialized HR software products and application service providers in the market place. The goal of this article is to provide a current, non-technical review and comparison of major compensation software products and services developed using Internet technology, and to offer some insights on understanding emerging HRIS trends and new strategic roles compensation professionals play. To do this, I will start with an overview of key features of a good Web-based compensation program and main benefits of such program. I compare common and unique features in performing compensation functions offered by both major ERP vendors. Implications for HR professionals and researchers will be discussed in the concluding section.
Business Driven Enterprise Architecture and Applications to Support Mobile Business
Authors: Sherringham Keith , Unhelkar Bhuvan
Published: May 2011

Information Communication Technology (ICT) needs to provide the knowledge worker with an integrated support system of information management and work-flow. This challenge, however, is further exacerbated in mobile business wherein the knowledge work is not identified with a particular location. Information systems need to be analyzed and modeled, keeping the location-independence of the users in mind. A Model Driven Architecture (MDA) approach, aligned with Object-Orientated Design principles, and driven dynamically as the user interacts, has immense potential to deliver solutions for the systems used by the knowledge worker. An MDA approach provides a unified approach to solutions architecture, information management, and business integration. At the enterprise level, the desktop, the mobile device and at the emerging marketplace level, the evolving need for realtime decision making on any device, anywhere, anytime, to support mobile business is providing a framework for aligning ICT to business. Further details are presented in this chapter together with some of the challenges and opportunities to be seen within mobile business.
Convergence in Mobile Internet with Service Oriented Architecture and Its Value to Business
Authors: Garito Marco
Published: May 2011

The word “convergence” refers to the combination of fixed and mobile communication, a situation where a private or business user can take advantage of being constantly connected and be able to retrieve applications and data by swapping device, with the limitations that a mobile device may have such as smaller screen and keyboard, reduced storage capability, and limited power provided by batteries. Convergence can also include imagining how mobile technology can be a component of everyday items and how data, applications, and services can be delivered via the network infrastructure. This chapter aims to cover RFID technology, Bar code and Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): the first two technologies are dealt with in parallel to provide an overall view of advantages and disadvantages, while SOA will be part of a distinct discussion and analysis. Eventually, some practical examples of these discussed technologies are provided.
Consistency and Modularity in Mediated Service-Based Data Integration Solutions
Authors: Zhu Yaoling , Pahl Claus
Published: May 2011

A major aim of the Web service platform is the integration of existing software and information systems. Data integration is a central aspect in this context. Traditional techniques for information and data transformation are, however, not sufficient to provide flexible and automatable data integration solutions for Web service-enabled information systems. The difficulties arise from a high degree of complexity in data structures in many applications and from the additional problem of heterogeneity of data representation in applications that often cross organisational boundaries. The authors present an integration technique that embeds a declarative data transformation technique based on semantic data models as a mediator service into a Web service-oriented information system architecture. Automation through consistency-oriented semantic data models and flexibility through modular declarative data transformations are the key enablers of the approach.
Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence Systems in the Context of E-HRM
Authors: Burgard Martin , Piazza Franca
Published: May 2011

The increased use of information technology leads to the generation of huge amounts of data which have to be stored and analyzed by appropriate systems. Data warehouse systems allow the storage of these data in a special multidimensional data base. Based on a data warehouse, business intelligence systems provide different analysis methods such as online analytical processing (OLAP) and data mining to analyze these data. Although these systems are already widely used and the usage is still growing, their application in the area of electronic human resource management (e-HRM) is rather scarce. Therefore, the objective of this article is to depict the components and functionality of these systems and to illustrate the application possibilities and benefits of these systems by selected application examples in the context of e-HRM.
Implementation of ERP in Human Resource Management
Authors: Li Zhang , Dan Wang , Lei Chang
Published: May 2011

In 1999, Peter Drucker said: “A new Information Revolution is well under way. It is not a revolution in technology, machinery, techniques, software or speed. It is a revolution in concepts.” As a result of information technology (IT) innovation and reorganization, enterprise resource planning (ERP) was proposed by the Gartner Group in the early 1990s. It is a successor to manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) and attempts to unify all departmental systems together into a single, integrated software program that runs off a single database so that the various departments can more easily share information and communicate with each other (Koch, 2002). Over 60% of the U.S Fortune 500 had adopted ERP by 2000 (Kumar, & Hillegersberg, 2000; Siau, 2004), and it was projected that organizations’ total spending on ERP adoptions was an estimated $72.63 billion in 2002 (Al-Marshari, 2002). Many scholars have recognized the importance of people in organizations, and this viewpoint is the central focus of the human resource management (HRM) perspective (Pfeffer, 1995). In this perspective, HRM has the potential to be one of the key components of overall enterprise strategy. Additionally, HRM may provide significant competitive advantage opportunities when they are used to create a unique (i.e., difficult to imitate) organizational culture that institutionalizes organizational competencies throughout the organization (Bowen & Ostroff, 2004). Typically, an ERP system supports HRM, operation and logistics, finance, and sales and marketing functions (Davenport, 1998) (see Figure 1). But the early development stage of ERP in enterprises was all along with the center of production and sales course. Until recently, research has empirically supported the positive relationship between corporate financial performance and HRM function, and managers have also realized that HRM can deliver organizational excellence and competitive advantage for enterprises (Boudreau & Ramstad, 1997; Huselid, 1995; Wright, McMahan, Snell, & Gerhart, 2001). The HRM module was introduced into ERP, forming a highly integrated and efficient resource system with the other function modules of ERP. However, there are still many HRM-related problems that may result in the failure of ERP projects arising. So, there have been regular appeals to scholars for more research about the implementation of ERP systems in the HRM perspective in the last few years (Barrett & Mayson, 2006). This article introduces the functions of an HRM module in ERP systems from the fields of human resource planning, recruitment management, training management, time management, performance management, compensation management, and business trip arrangement. Then it analyzes five HRM-related problems that may block the enterprises from implementing ERP successfully, and it provides reasonable recommendations. Finally, the article discusses future trends and suggests emerging research opportunities within the domain of the topic.
Application of Software Metrics in EPR Projects
Authors: Parthasarathy S.
Published: May 2011

Business information system is an area of the greatest significance in any business enterprise today. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects are a growing segment of this vital area. Software engineering metrics are units of measurement used to characterize the software engineering products and processes. The research about the software process has acquired great importance in the last few years due to the growing interest of software companies in the improvement of their quality. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects are very complex products, and this fact is directly linked to their development and maintenance. One of the major reasons found in the literature for the failure of ERP projects is the poor management of software processes. In this chapter, the authors propose a Software Metrics Plan (SMP) containing different software metrics to manage software processes during ERP implementation. Two hypotheses have been formulated and tested using statistical techniques to validate the SMP. The statistical analysis of the collected data from an ERP project supports the two hypotheses, leading to the conclusion that the software metrics are momentous in ERP projects.
Factors Influencing Information System Flexibility
Authors: Chen Ruey-Shun , Sun Chia-Ming , Helms Marilyn M. , Jih Wen-Jang (Kenny)
Published: May 2011

Information System (IS) flexibility has been regarded as an important indicator of information technology success. This article provides a model of IS flexibility encompassing all stages of IS implementation and usage. The model considers the cognitive factors from IS staff and users as important leveraging IS flexibility with adaptation activities. A review of constructs extending from the interpretive flexibility perspective in the literature is used to identify these cognitive factors. By hypothesizing the relationships among these cognitive factors, IS flexibility, and adaptation activities several propositions are identified. Empirical testing is then warranted to refute or validate the propositions.
An Object-Oriented Abstraction Mechanism for Generic Enterprise Modeling
Authors: Choudhury Islam , de Cesare Sergio , Di Florido Emily
Published: May 2011

A generic object-oriented enterprise modeling process (GOOEMP) is a set of partially ordered steps intended to reach the objective of building a fully integrated, dynamic, object-oriented model of the enterprise. An abstraction mechanism is proposed to enable this process. The process is generic because it applies to most types of enterprises. Enterprise models are the products developed from the process and these can be used by various stakeholders in an organization to: a) give them an understanding of the enterprise; b) design integrated information systems; c) respond to business changes by evolving their enterprise models and information systems in a coordinated and coherent manner; and d) enable the enterprise models built within a particular industry to be reused and applied to many other industries.
ERP Trends, Opportunities, and Challenges
Authors: Shakir Maha
Published: May 2011

This chapter highlights the key trends in the ERP market, with a focus on the challenges related to the implementation of these systems in the Middle Eastern Gulf region. The key trends discussed here include consolidation of the ERP market, diversification of the ERP product, new modes for ERP application delivery, ERP and new technologies, changing ERP pricing structures, ERP support operations, growing demands for ERP vertical solutions, demanding ERP customers, inter-organizational ERP solutions, and regional adaptations for ERP products. The chapter further provides insight into emerging and future trends in the region. Awareness of these issues plus knowledge of the local environment gives us a richer understanding of key ERP issues and how they apply within the unique limitations and opportunities of this region.
Engineering the Coordination Requirements in Cross-organizational ERP Projects
Authors: Daneva Maya
Published: May 2011

There is yet little knowledge about cross-organizational Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation projects when it comes to determining requirements and achieving alignment between IT and businesses. Consequently, the requirements engineering (RE) processes are often more expensive and less effective as they could be. In this chapter, the authors view a cross-organization ERP implementation as a coordination problem, and introduce a coordination complexity model based on an organization’s level of participation in a business network. They show how the external coordination characteristics of an organization can be mapped to ERP-supported mechanisms for cross-organizational coordination. To incorporate this activity in the state-of-the-art ERP RE processes, the authors propose a set of good practices that counterpart certain coordination issues at different complexity levels. Their chapter is based on empirical data gathered from secondary sources. They also carried out an early validation assessment based on an online focus group composed of ERP solution architects
Developing Angles of Integration
Authors: Thun Jörn-Henrik
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the relationship between the focus and degree of internet-based Information Technology (IT) applications and the scope and orientation of process-oriented integration in supply chains. In particular, the degree of supplier and customer integration and its match with the implemented IT instruments supporting inter-organizational collaboration are investigated. Different types of integration are differentiated from each other. For the measurement of the focus and degree of IT integration and supply chain integration, an approach is introduced which allows the analysis of the alignment of both aspects. This approach is referred to as the angles of integration. With respect to supply chain integration and IT implementation, the analysis of different integration strategies are possible. The chapter helps companies to evaluate the alignment of their use of IT techniques with their supply chain management emphases. Furthermore, it refines an existing framework for the comparison of different supply chain integration strategies and applies it with IT. Based on the angles of integration, the match of supply chain integration and IT can be investigated.
An Application of a Positive Mathematical Programming Model to Analyse the Impact of Agricultural Policy Measures in the Spanish Agricultural Sector
Authors: Asensio Lucinio , Gómez de Barreda Rosario , Ruiz Miguel , Miguel de Diego José-Luis , Miqueleiz Elvira
Published: May 2011

In agricultural economics, one of the greatest weaknesses in mathematical programming models for the evaluation of agricultural processes is the calibration of the model in a base year. The reason for this is that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to introduce all the variables affecting farmers’ decisions in the models and thus obtain reliable results. This chapter presents a method for calibrating mathematical programming models using limited information. From the mathematical programming properties, by using the dual form of the original model, this methodology allows the model results to reproduce the situation existing in a baseline situation of the unit (farm, region) modelled. This method, called Positive Mathematical Programming, is currently being used in a great number of analyses of new agricultural policies. In this chapter it is applied to analyse the impact of recent measures of the European Common Agricultural Policy in Spain.
Social Issues Related To Gene Patenting in Latin America
Authors: Rodriguez Eduardo , Lolas Fernando
Published: May 2011

The chapter reports on the experiences of both experts and lay people on the level of knowledge and social representations of genomic research and its applications in a number of Latin American developing countries. Issues discussed include access to prevention and therapeutic methods related to genomic medicine in Latin America, risks associated to genetic modifications in humans, lack of equity in the access to health benefits, control by biotechnological companies, commercialization of gene sequences through patents which leads to commercial exploitation of underdeveloped countries, among others
Functions of Unconscious and Conscious Emotion in the Regulation of Implicit and Explicit Motivated Behavior
Authors: Smith Mark Ashton
Published: May 2011

In this chapter the objective is to taxonomize unconscious and conscious affective and emotional processes and provide an account of their functional role in cognition and behavior in the context of a review of the relevant literature. The position adopted is that human affect and emotion evolved to function in motivational-cognitive systems and that emotion, motivation and cognition should be understood within a single explanatory framework. A ‘dual process’ account that integrates emotion, motivation and cognition, is put forward in which emotion plays different functional roles in implicit motivations and explicit motivations.
A Scientific Look at the Design of Aesthetically and Emotionally Engaging Interactive Entertainment Experiences
Authors: El-Nasr Magy Seif , Morie Jacquelyn Ford , Drachen Anders
Published: May 2011

The interactive entertainment industry has become a multi-billion dollar industry with revenues overcoming those of the movie industry (ESA, 2009). Beyond the demand for high fidelity graphics or stylized imagery, participants in these environments have come to expect certain aesthetic and artistic qualities that engage them at a very deep emotional level. These qualities pertain to the visual aesthetic, dramatic structure, pacing, and sensory systems embedded within the experience. All these qualities are carefully crafted by the creator of the interactive experience to evoke affect. In this book chapter, the authors will attempt to discuss the design techniques developed by artists to craft such emotionally engaging experiences. In addition, they take a scientific approach whereby we discuss case studies of the use of these design techniques and experiments that attempt to validate their use in stimulating emotions.
Information Systems and Technology Outsourcing
Authors: Rose Jeremy , Hackney Ray
Published: May 2011

This case concerns an Information Systems and Technology (IS/IT) action research intervention into a train operating company in the newly privatized rail industry in the United Kingdom. Having operated for many years as a nationalized industry under government control, but outside the strictly commercial sector, the new company found itself in the position of having many of its important IS/IT systems being run by separate companies – it was outsourced without ever having made an outsourcing decision. The project involved information management in the maintenance wing of the company. After the event analysis of the problem situation revealed the extent of the company’s IS/IT management difficulties. Many of these problems were directly attributable to privatization and the outsourcing arrangements imposed upon the new company. The lessons from the case cast serious doubts upon the long-term benefits of outsourcing key systems and are believed to represent a significant learning vehicle relating to IS/IT adoption and exploitation.
On-Line Analytical Processing at Washtenaw Mortgage Company
Authors: Heinrichs John H. , Doll William J.
Published: May 2011

In an ever-changing, competitive marketplace, executive information systems (EIS) promise the ability to simultaneously assess factors in both the internal and external environment, enabling a timely competitive response. EIS is enjoying a renaissance due to the recent emergence of on-line analytical processing (OLAP) capabilities. OLAP’s power, flexibility and ease of use supports mental model (knowledge) creation better than traditional executive information systems. This case study allows you to examine the usefulness and ease of use of OLAP technology for strategic market analysis at “Washtenaw Mortgage Company”, a firm in the mortgage wholesale industry. The key to improving competitive performance is not the technology, but rather, how the technology is utilized to focus management’s analysis. Gaining strategic insights requires three ingredients – people, process, and technology. A three-stage process used for implementing an OLAP strategic market analysis application is presented. OLAP technology marks an evolutionary improvement in EIS software. The potential of this technology, however, is not likely to be realized without a better understanding of the process for achieving management focus.
Information Systems Redesign in a State Social Services Agency
Authors: Kuilboer Jean-Pierre , Ashrafi Noushin
Published: May 2011

Successful implementation of Information Systems (IS) is an essential part of executing new business strategies. Yet, IS development projects are most susceptible to fail. According to a report by the Standish group 42% of the IS projects are canceled before completion. This case addresses many of the causes of IS project failure. It is based on an information system redesign project undertaken by a State Social Services Agency. The Project aims at automating the welfare system and providing mission-critical applications to the social workers in the field and federal subsidies distribution. The case is written from the perspective of an actual participant on the project during the time that is documented. Although most of the players recognized that they needed automation to conduct their business in a radically different and superior way, the project failed, wasting $32 million of taxpayers’ money. A number of problems such as lack of proper planning, underestimating the size and complexity of the endeavor, and organizational and cultural issues surrounding government agencies contributed to the project failure.
Development Of E-Government Services For Cultural Heritage
Authors: Andrea Carugati , Elias Hadzilias
Published: May 2011

This article is aimed at defining a framework for the design of e-government services on cultural heritage. Starting from an analysis of three cases on digitization of different types of cultural objects, we highlight the problems existing in the creation of e-services on cultural heritage. These cases show the existence of four key issues in the development of this kind of information systems: digitization, requirement engineering, standardization, and interoperability. The proposed framework addresses these issues, focusing on the user requirements on one side, and the cultural object representation—which is the key to interoperability— on the other. In the cultural domain, the EU Lisbon strategy pushes for the compatibility of shared content across multiple, locally generated contents. Dynamic content exchange requires the use of a prescriptive framework for the development of cultural heritage Web sites. This article provides such a framework, using observation from concrete applications, knowledge of information systems development methodologies, and the IDEF0 modelling method.
Designing and Evaluating In-Car User-Interfaces
Authors: Burnett Gary
Published: May 2011

The introduction of computing and communications technologies within cars raises a range of novel human-computer interaction (HCI) issues. In particular, it is critical to understand how userinterfaces within cars can best be designed to account for the severe physical, perceptual and cognitive constraints placed on users by the driving context. This chapter introduces the driving situation and explains the range of computing systems being introduced within cars and their associated user-interfaces. The overall humanfocused factors that designers must consider for this technology are raised. Furthermore, the range of methods (e.g., use of simulators, instrumented vehicles) available to designers of in-car user-interfaces are compared and contrasted. Specific guidance for one key system, vehicle navigation, is provided in a case study discussion. To conclude, overall trends in the development of in-car user-interfaces are discussed and the research challenges are raised.
Personalization and Customer Satisfaction in Mobile Commerce
Authors: Hsu H.Y. Sonya , Kulviwat Songpol
Published: May 2011

The advancement of wireless technology facilitates both consumers’ activities and business transactions. With the rapid proliferation and widespread use of mobile devices, including mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and handheld computers, mobile commerce or m-commerce is widely considered to be a driving force for the next generation of electronic commerce (e-commerce). According to Jupiter Research, the m-commerce industry is expected to be US$22 billion globally by 2005. However, to date many promising technologies—especially m-commerce applications—have failed with the notable exceptions of i-Mode service and short messaging service (SMS). Popular “i-Mode”, produced by NTT DoCoMo of Japan, is a service that enables wireless Web browsing and e-mail from mobile phones. The “i-Mode service” has been the first successful commercial introduction of 3G (third-generation) mobile applications. It exceeded expectations and acquired over 30 million profitable users in a three-year period (Cohen, 2002). One of the main goals of most operators might be building customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing one or more ‘killer apps’ to them. One way is to integrate customer relationship management (CRM) into the development of mobile services’ applications. Some firms have tried to target these applications to their customers on an individualized basis. “Personalization” may be the way to achieve that. Specifically, personalization can be regarded as the use of technology and user/customer information to match multimedia content with individual needs with the goal of producing user satisfaction. Personalization can be presented by an IP services framework that allows operators and subscribers through selfservice provisioning approaches to control the types of service and applications they want and are willing to buy. The purpose of this article is to develop a deeper understanding of personalization, with an emphasis on those factors that lead to customer satisfaction and/or delight. Specifically, this article presents factors contributing to consequences derived from using personalized applications and services in m-commerce.
Intercultural Computer-Mediated Communication Between Chinese and U.S. College Students
Authors: Xia Yun
Published: May 2011

This study incorporates the effects of culture and computer-mediated communication (CMC) in the investigation of Chinese college students’ use of English in communication with U. S. college students. Ethnography of communication was used as the method to uncover four language patterns in Chinese college students’ use of English: others-oriented talk, mentor-mentee talk with limited relationship development, adoption of others’ talk, and icebreaker talk. Chinese cultural values showed a strong effect on Chinese college students’ use of English in CMC. Chinese cultural values included Chinese significance of personal relationships, Chinese collectivism, Chinese understanding of authority, and Chinese use of CMC. The characteristics of CMC showed minimal effect as either a constraint or a way of encouragement in the four language patterns.
Towards Ambient Business
Authors: Schmitt Christian , Schoder Detlef , Fischbach Kai , Muhle Steffen
Published: May 2011

Ubiquitous computing enables the development of new innovative applications and services. Particularly influential on future business services will be the connection of the real with the virtual world by embedding computers or smallest processors, memory chips, and sensors into the environment and into physical objects, as well as using natural, multimodal customer interaction. Bearing in mind that ubiquitous computing entails the interaction of mobile smart objects and local smart environments hosted by different service providers, we propose an open approach to encourage the development of new and innovative smart applications and services. Considering the Open Source community, we assert that such an open approach reveals innovation potentials that cannot be achieved in proprietary information system environments. Most research projects, as well as commercial initiatives, however, focus mainly on specific, proprietary applications like smart shopping environments, and do not incorporate further prospects of using an open approach. Therefore, this chapter discusses as a first step the impact of Open Innovation in a world of ubiquitous computing from an economic perspective. Then, the design of an Open Object Information Infrastructure (OOII) that enables Open Innovation in the context of ubiquitous computing is presented. Finally, an innovative smart service called the Federative Library (FedLib), which represents a first instantiation of the OOII, is introduced to demonstrate the feasibility of the design.
The Human Face of E-Business
Authors: Aldiri Khalid , Hobbs Dave , Qahwaji Rami
Published: May 2011

Business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce suffers from consumers’ lack of trust. This may be partly attributable to the lack of face-to-face interpersonal exchanges that provide trust behavior in conventional commerce. It was proposed that initial trust may be built by simulating face-toface interaction. To test this, an extensive laboratory- based experiment was conducted to assess the initial trust in consumers using four online vendors’ Web sites with a variety of still and video images of sales personnel, both Western and Saudi Arabian. Initial trust was found to be enhanced for Web sites employing photographs and video clips compared to control Web sites lacking such images; also the effect of culture was stronger in the Saudi Arabian setting when using Saudi photos rather than Western photos.
Growing Up Wireless
Authors: Caronia Letizia
Published: May 2011

This chapter illustrates the role of the mobile phone in the rise of new cultural models of parenting. According to a phenomenological theoretical approach to culture and everyday life, the author argues that the relationship between technologies, culture, and society should be conceived as a mutual construction. As cultural artefacts, mobile communication technologies both are domesticated by people into their cultural ways of living and create new ones. How are mobile phones domesticated by already existing cultural models of parenting? How does the introduction of the mobile phone affect family life and intergenerational relationships? How does mobile contact contribute in the construction of new cultural models of “being a parent” and “being a child”? Analysing new social phenomena such as “hyper-parenting” and the “dialogic use” of mobile phones, the author argues upon the role of mobile communication technologies in articulating the paradoxical nature of the contemporary cultural model of family education.
Designing Technology Enhanced Learning Environments
Authors: Spector J. Micael
Published: May 2011

There are now many educational research and technology projects reporting a variety of outcomes and lessons learned with regard to how to effectively integrate technology into learning and instruction. What can we learn from these projects and experiences? Is there a clear and coherent instructional design framework for technology-enhanced learning environments? What are the most promising approaches to instructional design? Are there particular tools that can assist? What kinds of evaluations will insure that the process of designing such environments will become progressively more effective? These are the questions explored in this chapter. The discussion includes a short review of the possibilities afforded by new technologies, with special emphasis on collaborative tele-learning and Web-based simulations. After illustrating the rich and diverse kinds of interactions now possible in Web-based settings, we shall argue that instructional design is more critical than ever before. It is not the case that technology has simplified instructional planning. Quite the contrary; new technologies have made the design of effective learning environments even more challenging than before. While our concept of learning remains relatively intact, the settings in which instruction can and does occur and the kinds of resources which can be brought to support learning in those various settings has changed dramatically. As a consequence, the subject of this chapter is relatively unexplored territory, and the findings and conclusions suggested herein should be regarded as tentative and preliminary.
Selecting Software and Services for Web-Based Teaching and Learning
Authors: Klobas Jane , Renzi Stefano
Published: May 2011

As the World Wide Web has developed to be a widespread and reliable communication medium, a wide range of software and services has emerged to support teaching, learning, and collaborative work. These new software and services provide opportunities for supporting and enhancing teaching and learning strategies and practices. There are already many different types of software and services with many providers in each broad category; yet, given the rapid rate of change of the WWW, the specific nature of the software and services, the providers, and perhaps even the categories themselves, will change over time. One issue that teachers face in this new and rapidly changing environment is the choice of software and services to support their teaching and learning activities. Our goal in this chapter is to develop a model and guide for teachers who want to select software and services that support or enhance learning, and in particular collaborative learning, through the World Wide Web. We are concerned here, not with products and services that require significant investment in time, money, or technical resources, but with simple and low cost software and services that might be used in practice by teachers to support ‘every day’ teaching and learning, whether at school or on campus or by distance learning.
Pedagogical Methodology in Virtual Courses
Authors: Rea Alan , White Doug , Mchaney Roger , Sanchez Carol
Published: May 2011

Recent technological changes have propelled a change in the way modern universities think about their educational delivery systems, and have significantly impacted on the nature of modern education (Eisenstadt and Vincent, 1998; Imel, 1996; Latta, 1996). Until recently only limited and often terribly expensive means existed for the conveyance of education to students via interactive mediums (Fires and Monahan, 1999). This chapter discusses the implementation of course delivery technology in a traditional university setting. Despite the traditional setting, students expect that technology will be used to facilitate their needs and desire for greater educational convenience (Mende, 1998). In addition, the university is demanding that faculty incorporate a higher degree of technological sophistication in their courses as administrators realize the vast numbers of potential students who can only be reached through technology (Kelley, 1995). This chapter discusses the related literature, defines categories of implementation, explains adaptable technologies to meet students’ needs, predicts significant pedagogical changes, and reports on relevant on-going projects.
Modelling and Analysis of Web-Based CourseWare Systems
Authors: Chi-Yung Lam , Shing-Chi Cheung
Published: May 2011

Designing reliable Web-based courseware systems is not trivial. Courseware authors need to allow as much flexibility in navigating through the system as possible on the one hand, and to ensure the satisfaction of properties and constraints in the system on the other. The problem is aggravated with facilities like Java applets which incorporate dynamic behaviour into the information structure. These issues motivate the need for designing such systems through rigorous modelling and analysis. We propose a scheme using a formal method called the Calculus of Communicating Systems (CCS) to unify the modelling of the courseware based on its navigational structure, semantics and dynamic components. Properties like ordering constraint, reachability and coverage constraint can be answered after a model is extracted from the implementation. Besides, our approach can be extended to assist in the design phase of the construction process, just like what computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools do. A hypothetical example is used throughout the chapter as an illustration.
Web-Based Seminar Work
Authors: Kangas Kalle , Puhakainen Jussi
Published: May 2011

Telecommunications are vital devices for researchers to exchange information between researchers located in different places around the globe. This kind of exchange can be regarded as external concerning individual institutions. But also internally there are people with matching interests. Why should they hold their seminars or meetings gathering in one place face-to-face at the pre-agreed point of time? This question has lately puzzled the academic community, and will still puzzle during the years to come. Further questions also arise: Will the Internet and WWW technology provide novel solutions? Does the new technology drastically change the dynamics of such group gatherings? The Internet must be seen more than a new medium. It is an infrastructure for commerce, a universal conduit of ideas, a parallel universe where people are exchanging information on an unprecedented scale (Schwartz 1997). Changes in the modes of communication are also emerging. We have at our disposal a powerful medium suited for one-to-one and many-to-many communications (Hoffman and Novak, 1996). On a practical level these developments can be seen in the speed of diffusion of this new technology. Finland, for instance, has turned out to be one of the densest Internet countries in the world. There are 500,000 daily and one million weekly Internet-users (Finland has a total population of 5.1 million). Thirty-six per cent of all the users classify as students, which is not surprising, since all universities in Finland have Internet connections and e-mail addresses available for student use (TOY Research 11/1998). The Internet is also by nature an open system. Thus, in practice for the first time, we now have at our disposal a tool that allows us easily to connect and work within the university as well as with other universities.
Introduction
Authors: Belanger France , Jordan Dianne H.
Published: May 2011

Since the dawn of human history when humans began living and working together, training and education have played a critical part in the evolution of culture and society. One of the oldest forms of training is apprenticeship, where apprentices learned their craft by working for and being mentored by their masters, learning their craft until they achieved mastery of that craft. Before the era of writing, education involved teaching survival skills to youth such as gathering food, building weapons and shelters, and teaching social skills about behavioral norms in communities. Beginning in the middle ages, centers of learning developed around the physical location of the teacher and the library of books in the scholar’s possession. In the age of computers and networks, we have finally broken through these physical limitations of time and space.
Distance Learning Technologies
Authors: Belanger France , Jordan Dianne H.
Published: May 2011

There are many technologies that can be used to support distance education and training. Some are used as supplements to traditional classroom environments; others are used as complete replacements for traditional lecture-based courses. While each technology might be better suited for one type of environment than another, it is important to consider its relative advantages and disadvantages. For example, some of them provide almost no interaction or communication between the learner and the instructor, or between learners. Some technologies provide limited contextual information besides the lecture material, while others provide the interested learner with a wealth of additional information. Consistent with chapter two, we must also note that some technologies allow for more flexibility by providing asynchronous support for learning, allowing learners to work at their own pace, while others are limited to a synchronous learning environment that also provides more communication possibilities. This chapter presents an overview of the various technologies that are being used in distance and distributed learning.