bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enabling Social Semantic Collaboration
Authors: Auer Sören , Ives Zachary G.
Published: May 2011

The concepts Social Software and Web 2.0 were coined to characterize a variety of (sometimes minimalist) services on the Web, which rely on social interactions to determine additions, annotations, or corrections from a multitude of potentially minor user contributions. Nonprofit, collaboration- centered projects such as the free encyclopedia Wikipedia belong to this class of services, as well as commercial applications that enable users to publish, classify, rate, and review objects of a certain content type. Examples for this class of content-centered Web 2.0 projects are del.iciou. us (for Web links), Digg.com (for news), Flickr (for images), and YouTube (for movies). Communication- centered services such as MySpace or XING enable individual communication and search for and within spatially distributed communities. So-called Web 2.0 mashups integrate and visualize the collected data and information in novel ways, unforeseen by the original content providers. The most prominent examples of mashups are based on Google Maps and overlay external content on a map. All these developments have a common approach of collecting metadata by making participation and contribution as easy and rewarding as possible.
Added-Value
Authors: Kohlhase Andrea , Müller Normen
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we will look at users’ taking action processes in Semantic Work Environments. We argue that the underlying motivational problem between vast semantic potential and extra personal investment can be considered as a “Semantic Prisoner’s Dilemma” that builds on two competing value perspectives: The micro and macroperspective. The former informs a user’s decision for action, whereas the latter informs a designer’s decision for offering services. An in-depth analysis of the term “Added- Value” reveals its double relativity, which allows a sophisticated evaluation of such services from a microperspective. We use this property of double relativity for suggesting the “Added-Value Analysis” as a design method for getting people into Semantic Work Environments—showcasing its strength with a description of CPoint and ConneXions.
Design and Development of a Taxonomy Generator
Authors: Theng Yin-Leng , Lwin Lwin Nyein Chan , Na Jin-Cheon , Foo Schubert , Goh Dion Hoe-Lian
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses the issues of resource discovery in digital libraries (DLs) and the importance of knowledge organization tools in building DLs. Using the Greenstone digital library (GSDL) software as a case example, we describe a taxonomy generation tool (TGT) prototype, a hierarchical classification of contents module, designed and built to categorize contents within DLs. TGT was developed as a desktop application using Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 in Visual C# language and object-oriented programming. In TGT, Z39.19 was implemented providing standard guidelines to construct, format, and manage monolingual controlled vocabularies, usage of broader terms, narrower terms and related terms as well as their semantic relationships, and the simple knowledge organization system (SKOS) for vocabulary specification. The XML schema definition was designed to validate against rules developed for the XML taxonomy template, hence, resulting in the generated taxonomy template supporting controlled vocabulary terms as well as allowing users to select the labels for the taxonomy structure. A pilot user study was then conducted to evaluate the usability and usefulness of TGT and the taxonomy template. In this study, we observed four subjects using TGT, followed by a focus group for comments. Initial feedback was positive, indicating the importance of having a taxonomy structure in GSDL. Recommendations for future work include content classification and metadata technologies in TGT.
Metadata Interoperability
Authors: Chudamani K. S. , Nagarathna H. C.
Published: May 2011

Metadata is data about data. Metadata originated in the context of digital information in databases. This chapter looks at the various standards available for digital document description in the context of bibliographic databases. It also describes the variety of metadata associated with such systems. Some of the metadata standards examined are MARC21, Dublin Core (DC), and Libsys. The second part examines metadata interoperability and mapping among these standards.
Automatic Text Summarization in Digital Libraries
Authors: Ou Shiyan , Khoo Christopher S.G. , Goh Dion Hoe-Lian
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes various text summarization techniques and evaluation techniques that have been proposed in literature and discusses the application of text summarization in digital libraries. First, it introduces the history of automatic text summarization and various types of summaries. Next, it reviews various approaches which have been used for single-document and multidocument summarization. Then, it describes the major evaluation approaches for assessing the generated summaries. Finally, it outlines the principal trends of the area of automatic text summarization. This chapter aims to help the reader to obtain a clear overview of the text summarization field and facilitate the application of text summarization in digital libraries.
Guidelines for Developing Digital Cultural Collections
Authors: Lourdi Irene , Nikolaidou Mara
Published: May 2011

his chapter presents basic guidelines for maintaining digital cultural collections in order for them to be interoperable and easily retrievable from users. The requirements of cultural material are discussed and it is shown how in combination with the adequate metadata schema policy a digital cultural collection can cover the various needs for learning and retrieving information. The authors emphasize the fact that various metadata schemas are used for describing cultural collections and that this leads to problems for interoperability. It is analyzed that while designing a digital collection, the internal structure of material must be followed and the metadata model must cover specific needs; furthermore, a data preservation policy is a considerable issue in the digital era.
Digital Library Requirements
Authors: Kimani Stephen , Panizzi Emanuele , Catarci Tiziana , Antona Margerita
Published: May 2011

The gathering of user requirements is key to the gaining of a deeper understanding of the needs evolving from the user’s operational context and from the use of the system. User requirements are pivotal in guiding the development process of any system. This is no less true in the arena of digital libraries (DLs). The gathering of DL requirements should be conducted with the understanding that the anticipated DL user interface should accord support to the user throughout the entire DL usage/interaction process. This chapter describes a questionnaire-based study of DL requirements based on the foregoing understanding. The study covered a wide range of issues pertinent to the design of user interfaces for DLs, including: user characteristics/profiles, current experience in DL usage, functional requirements, nonfunctional requirements, and contextual requirements. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic empirical investigation of DL requirements that covers such a wide range.
BIVALDI the Digital Library of the Valencian Bibliographic Inheritance
Authors: Romero Nuria Lloret , Cabrera Méndez Margarita , Carot Alicia Sellés , Aquino Lilia Fernandez
Published: May 2011

The Biblioteca Valenciana was created by the decree 5/1985 of the 8th of January and is presented primarily as “upper library centre of the Generalitat Valenciana and basic bibliographic deposit” which depends on the Conselleria for Culture, Education, and Sport. For this reason, it is the head of the library system of the Comunidad Valenciana, Conselleria, and as such, it has established objectives in the eighth article of the Law 10/1986 of 30th of December of Organización Bibliotecaria de la Comunidad Valenciana between which are emphasised “to meet, to conserve and divulge the Valencian bibliographic inheritance and all the printed, sound and visual production, about the Comunidad Valenciana.” It is also made up as “receiver of one of the examples proceeding from the offices of the Depósito Legal “and it is attributed the obligation of fulfilling the collective catalogue of the Valencian bibliographic and cultural inheritance. Furthermore, the Valancian library must insert itself into the denominated National Libraries, and for this reason, in the Comunidad Valenciana, it is in charge of uniting history, tradition, and in the future of the obtaining of political libraries, because it is defined as “central expert of the carefully worked political library in the Valencian library system” and, for this reason, must be in charge of “elaborating and divulging the bibliographic information about the Valencian editorial production and of maintaining the cooperation with the library services of different scopes.” In fulfilment of its responsibilities and with the intention of obtaining the maximum spread of the bibliographic and cultural inheritance, the Biblioteca Valenciana, in the setting of its Digitization policy, has dedicated and dedicates many resources in four lines or different solutions. In the first place, it coedits with different publishers, monographs, or titles of magazines which permit the recuperation and spreading of the Valencian inheritance. Some examples are Ruedo Ibérico, L’Espill, or La República de les Lletres. In the second place, it digitalizes different resources which can be consulted from the catalogue. This solution is especially oriented to the preservation and conservation of the collections, and enables the users to be able to see from their computers the supplies to which the descriptions belong, and can decide if they are useful or not for their consultation, instead of indiscriminately asking for them, thus reducing the moving and manipulation of the original copies. The library is also working on the digitalization of material, especially all personal files, which do not belong to them, but which are of great importance. Finally, the Biblioteca Valenciana has begun the Biblioteca Valenciana Digital, (BIVALDI), which is the object of the present project, and which we are going to describe in detail in the following sections.
The Strategic Plan of Digital Libraries
Authors: Kettunen Juha
Published: May 2011

This abstract describes the networked cooperation of the academic libraries and the consortium of the digital libraries of the Finnish universities of applied sciences and their strategic plan for the Web service. It argues that it is reasonable to plan the strategies for the network, because no single library has complete control over all the aspects that are necessary to develop the cooperation between the libraries. The strategy is the basis for a cooperation enabling electronic services for the libraries. The findings of this study are useful to the administrators of educational institutions aiming to plan a networked strategy and improve the cost-efficient cooperation of otherwise independent organisations.
New Roles of Digital Libraries
Authors: Ahmad Faisal , Sumner Tamara , Devaul Holly
Published: May 2011

The limited scope of digital libraries can be attributed to the brick and mortar vision of the library metaphor. In order to extend scope of digital libraries, in this chapter we examine the current supports and future possibilities afforded by digital libraries to support conventional consumers (i.e., information- users and information-curators), as well as emerging new types of consumers such as distributed computer applications. A functional analysis of conventional libraries is coupled with metaphor design methodology to explore new promising applications and usage scenarios for digital libraries.
Computational Sense for Digital Librarians
Authors: Twidale Michael B. , Nichols David M.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the role of technology in digital library education. It explores how elements of computer science and library science can be blended to produce an appropriate “computational sense” for future digital librarians. Elements of this approach include: metacognitive skills in learning about new computational resources, fluency in tailoring applications and a view of computing applications as codesigned artifacts that can evolve in response to the changing needs of users. The development of spreadsheets is used as an example of technological development that was well-designed to support both ease of use and incremental skill acquisition. The discussion in this chapter aims to inform the development of digital library software tools—particularly those used in educational contexts.
Digital Libraries Overview and Globalization
Authors: Kheng Grace Soh Whee
Published: May 2011

Library digitization on a global basis is essential in the twenty-first century. The digital library development initiatives in most countries depend substantially on their national libraries. This chapter focuses on an overview of how national libraries of 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region are involved in digital library initiatives. Most libraries participate in the collaborative efforts to build digital libraries with support from their government. Some focus on digitization and preservation activities, while others concentrate on digitization standards. Requirements for digital library implementation from a global perspective are essential. With the understanding of the current situation in Asia Pacific, we can understand the readiness of national libraries aiming for globalization in this part of the world, and action can be taken to achieve the aim. The globalization of digital libraries is what the world should be heading towards as we enter the next century.
Cyber Charter Schools
Authors: Hipsky Shellie
Published: May 2011

Cyber charter schools often have as their motto a version of the slogan “any pace, any place, any time.” This is because cyber charter schools offer flexibility to the families who enroll in this publicly-funded form of instruction. Students can learn from their homes at a time that meets their needs and choose from a large variety of courses. The classes are delivered via a computer and the Internet, and the students’ work and assessments are guided by a teacher.
Data Mining
Authors: Peterson Richard
Published: May 2011

Data mining is the process of extracting previously unknown information from large databases or data warehouses and using it to make crucial business decisions. Data mining tools find patterns in the data and infer rules from them. The extracted information can be used to form a prediction or classification model, identify relations between database records, or provide a summary of the databases being mined. Those patterns and rules can be used to guide decision making and forecast the effect of those decisions, and data mining can speed analysis by focusing attention on the most important variables.
Decision Support Software
Authors: Wang John , Ouyang Huanyu , Chakraborty Chandana
Published: May 2011

Throughout the years many have argued about different definitions for DSS; however they have all agreed that in order to succeed in the decision-making process, companies or individuals need to choose the right software that best fits their requirements and demands. The beginning of business software extends back to the early 1950s. Since the early 1970s, the decision support technologies became the most popular and they evolved most rapidly (Shim, Warkentin, Courtney, Power, Sharda, & Carlsson, 2002). With the existence of decision support systems came the creation of decision support software (DSS). Scientists and computer programmers applied analytical and scientific methods for the development of more sophisticated DSS. They used mathematical models and algorithms from such fields of study as artificial intelligence, mathematical simulation and optimization, and concepts of mathematical logic, and so forth.
Differentiated Instruction and Technology
Authors: Hipsky Shellie
Published: May 2011

The variety of students’ needs and backgrounds in classrooms include students with special needs, gifted, and typical students who have grown up in differing socio-economic levels and diverse cultures. Differentiated instruction is based on the premise that instructional approaches should vary and should be adapted in relation to individual and diverse students in classrooms (Tomlinson, 2001). When teachers engage in differentiated instruction, they address every student’s interests, ability levels, and learning profiles. The instructor plans both curriculum and instruction that honor the individual student’s strengths and needs in order to benefit the learning of all the students (Tomlinson, 1999; Tomlinson & Eidson, 2003). Teachers adapt their content (what will be taught), process (how it will be taught), and product (the assessment of the content through culminating projects) in order to differentiate instruction (Hipsky, 2006a). The reality of why instructors should be differentiating instruction goes beyond theory into the reality of today’s classrooms. Teacher Patricia Holliday expressed “Even though it takes a lot of time upfront to plan for a differentiated classroom, the benefits have been proven. Each year that I get better at planning for differentiation, I can see an improvement in the outcomes of my students” (Lewis & Batts, 2005, p. 32).
Evaluating Online Resources
Authors: Studnicki Elaine
Published: May 2011

In a matter of seconds, a person using the Web will make a decision. Do I stay on this Web site or click to another? There are many reasons for this reaction. For many the decisions are unconscious behavior and for others it is a matter of speed. Still others focus on content. Regardless, the ability to get users to a Web site and keep them there has become big business for both business and educational institutions. According to Internet Usage Statistics (2007), the Internet World Stats Web site, over 1 billion people use the Internet worldwide. The MIT home page is accessed about 2000 time a day from around the world. And use is on the rise. In 2009 the completion of an 18,000 km oceanic cable drop linking South Korea, China, and Taiwan with the United States Internet sends a clear signal that usage and dependency will only increase in the future and spread around the world. This creates an imperative that users are keenly aware of where they surf, what information they share, and, most importantly, if they can believe what they read and see.
Executive Information Systems
Authors: Wang John , Xing Ruben , Yao James
Published: May 2011

An executive information system (EIS) is a computerbased system that serves the information needs of top executives. Also known as executive support systems (ESSs), EISs are essential for a business to succeed in today’s highly competitive corporate environment. EISs gained popularity in the 1990s and became a staple in almost all large organizations. Today the focus is more on performance management and things like the everpopular balance scorecard (Kaplan & Norton, 1992; Smith, 2006). However, even though very few articles are being written about EISs, they still exist because companies, quite frankly, have a need for EISs, as the need for executive information remains. As Power (2003) indicated, EISs may continue to take different shapes over the next few years but the basic principles of an EIS will remain the same.
Expert Systems
Authors: Changchit Chuleeporn
Published: May 2011

While technology and human abilities have evolved over the years, individuals still have limitations in their abilities to accomplish certain tasks. This may be due to limits on financial or cerebral resources. Information needs have expanded and evolved as well. With the spurring of globalization and flatter hierarchies in organizations, it has become imperative that individuals are able to analyze, in shorter periods of time, information that is more complicated and wider in scope.
Learning Community and Networked Learning Community
Authors: Wang Shuyan , Song Hongbo
Published: May 2011

A community is socially organized around relationships as a result of seeking a common ground that builds upon “community by kinship, of mind, of place, and of memory” (Sergiovanni, 1994, p. xvi). Participating in the activities of others and contributing to cooperative doings may reveal identity construction in the social process of forging a community. Such a communitybuilding process is further reinforced by its members’ increased belonging and shared identity, values, norms, communication, and supporting behavior. However, along with the rapid postmodern technological developments, the notion of community has changed as current community involves “virtual as well as actual, global as well as local” (Palloff & Pratt, 1999, p. 25). As a result, a relationship-focused rather than place-based community has expanded the parameters of community concept, as is the case with networked-learning community. Seen in this light, this article examines the notions of community, of learning community, and of networked-learning community that is related to technological developments. A discussion of trends, issues, and strategies that can be used to foresee, solve, and maximize learning outcomes in the networked online learning environments will also be addressed.
Model Based Decision Making in Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Staudinger Oskar , Staudinger Bettina , Ostermann Herwig , Grabenwöger Martin , Tilg Bernhard
Published: May 2011

The development of models for risk stratification in cardiac surgery goes back a number of years. In 1989, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) created the first database version for use in the USA. In the year 2005 alone, the data from 234,532 operations were recorded in a structured way by 654 participating institutes. The value of these collected data is described by Ferguson (Ferguson, Dziuban, Edwards, Eiken, Shroyer, & Pairolero, 2000): “Because of their collective efforts, the goal to establish the STS National Data Base as a ‘gold standard’ worldwide for process and outcomes analysis related to cardiothoracic surgery is becoming a reality.” The number of research projects deriving from this is correspondingly large (The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database Access and Publications Task Force, 2006).
Multicultural Education and Technology Integration
Authors: Okojie-Boulder Tinukwa , Boulder James M. , Okojie Mabel C.P.O.
Published: May 2011

The article includes a description of the foundation of multicultural education and a delineation of the concept and its processes. It will also include a depiction of multicultural instructional strategies, and the transformations academic institutions must undergo to adopt the multicultural philosophy. Finally, the article will include a discussion on how technology can be integrated into multicultural education to assist educators.
No Child Left Behind
Authors: Yamamoto Junko
Published: May 2011

The Federal Government passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 1965 to enable the federal government to finance public schools (Paige, 2004). This law was signed by President Johnson and has been revised every 5 years since then (Wisconsin Education Association Council, n.d.). ESEA started the provision of Title I funding, the federal money given to a school district to assist students who are falling behind academically (Public Schools of North Carolina, n.d.). President George W. Bush signed the ESEA, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB) (P.L.107-110), on January 8, 2002 (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.). This provision designated that total federal funding of $116,250 million was to be dispensed between 2002 and 2007. The Act was strongly supported by both parties: the final vote was 87 to 10 in the Senate and 381 to 41 in the House (Paige, 2004). This article will address the necessity for teacher training caused by the educational institution’s accountability imposed by No Child Left Behind, and the stronger need to assist disabled learners affirmed by the law.
Online Curriculum Development
Authors: Walsh Lucas
Published: May 2011

The development of online curriculum provides an opportunity to rethink traditional workflows and approaches to curriculum mapping. An XML-based single-source model is used to illustrate some key practical and conceptual challenges. A mezzanine approach to curriculum is proposed, which seeks to conceive of curriculum as a three-dimensional space embedded within various networks. The final part of the discussion then seeks to contextualise these challenges in the recent climate in which user-generated, participatory technologies have made a resurgence. Here, the single source case study highlights some complimentary benefits of using a conventional learning-object approach that provides scope to encompass the social, participatory, and collaborative aspects of “E-learning 2.0.”
Online Mentoring in Education
Authors: Hartsell Taralynn
Published: May 2011

Mentorship between new and experienced education professionals is a laborious task. Senior educators assume the responsibility of teaching rules, codes of conduct, relevant information, content knowledge and skills, and so forth to newer colleagues as a way to help them transition into the new role of an educator. This form of mentorship can also exist between professionals and students who are learning about their fields of study. Finally, older students can mentor younger students to help them progress academically, personally, physically, and psychologically. Hence, mentoring is one of the more effective processes for supporting and improving professional development in education (McCampbell, 2002). Because mentorship can be arduous in terms of time and commitment, other mentoring alternatives are available such as using online communications. This overview discusses the importance of using online modes of communication as a form of mentorship between educators and students. When distance and time are factors impeding effective mentorship, online tools can help improve the teaching and learning processes.
Podcasts
Authors: King Kathleen P. , D’Agustino Steven
Published: May 2011

“The Voice of the People,” “Democratization of the Media,” and “Radio on Demand,” are some of the titles podcasting has earned since emerging on the public technology scene in 2004. The original podcast movement started with Adam Curry, a former host on cable television’s MYV, and much of the movement was focused on music. Podcasts enabled people to be “instant disc jockeys” and create their own radio shows, albeit Web-based, RSS feed, and mobile.
Service-Oriented Architecture in Higher Education
Authors: Kettunen Juha , Kantola Mauri
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this article is to present the framework of the SOA to analyse the service structure in the networked and virtual working environments in higher education. The approach developed in this article is planned to be generic so that it can be applied to various kinds of organisations and networks for the analysis and management of services. This approach helps an organisation to reengineer the architecture of ICT environments. The architecture is useful for the planning of networked learning community. This article is intended for managers and other experts who may wish to familiarise with the benefits and opportunities provided by the SOA.
System Theory
Authors: Liberati Diego
Published: May 2011

System Theory is a powerful paradigm to deal with abstract models of real processes in such a way to be accurate enough to capture the salient underlying dynamics while keeping the mathematical tools easy enough to be manageable. Its typical approach is to describe reality via a reduced subset of ordinary differential equations (ODE) linking the variables. A classical application is the circuits theory, linking the intensive (voltage) and extensive (current) variables across and through each simplified element by means of equilibrium laws at nodes and around elementary circuits. When such relationships are linear (like in ideal capacitors, resistances, and inductors, just to stay in the circuit field), a full battery of theorems does help in understanding the general properties of the ODE system. Positive systems, quite often used in compartmental processes like reservoirs in nature and pharmacologic concentration in medical therapy, enjoy most of the properties of the linear systems, with the nonlinear constraint of non negativity. More general nonlinear systems are less easily treatable unless a simple form of nonlinearity is taken into account like the ideal characteristic of a diode in circuit theory. When the physics of the process is quite known, like in the mentioned examples, it is quite easy to identify a small number of variables whose set would fully describe the dynamics of the process, once their interrelations are properly modeled: this is the classical way to approach such a problem.
Technology Support for Collaborative Learning
Authors: Banks David A.
Published: May 2011

Collaborative learning is an activity that takes place between a teacher and a learner, between learner and learner, and sometimes, one would hope, between learner and teacher. The free flow of ideas between the various parties can be inhibited by a variety of factors, including perceived or actual power barriers, language skills, previous learning experience, and personal factors such as shyness or dominance. Technology can be used as a way of overcoming, or reducing, some of these inhibitory factors, and this chapter outlines some of the computer-based technologies that can be used. The use of technology to support distant learners is well documented, and this chapter concentrates instead on the less well-reported use of technology in the face-to-face classroom. The chapter opens with a brief consideration of collaborative learning and then focuses on the technologies that can be used to support collaborative learning process in a variety of time and place settings. These technologies include audience response systems, electronic meeting systems, and more recently, and rapidly developing, blended versions of these technologies.
Telementoring
Authors: Scigliano Deborah A.
Published: May 2011

The practice of online mentoring, known as telementoring, provides a powerful tool to facilitate meaningful learning. It is based upon the traditional roles of mentoring, yet, it goes beyond temporal and spatial boundaries. The majority of telementoring models involve subject matter experts and students who engage in projects to further learning. Successful telementoring projects involve both content-centered processes as well as effective telecommunication processes. When these elements combine, students engage in opportunities for inquiry and deep learning and telementors experience satisfaction for sharing their knowledge and facilitating the growth of student learning.
Thinkquest
Authors: King Kathleen P.
Published: May 2011

Thinkquest is a worldwide competition funded by the Oracle Foundation that focuses student efforts on project-based learning. Each year students around the world assemble in teams under the guidance of a coach to identify a project and build a Web site to present that topic. In 1996, Oracle Foundation (http://www.oraclefoundation. org/) began an annual competition that by 2006 had grown to include 30,000 participants and an online library of resulting Web sites, the Thinkquest Library, and projects numbering more than 6,000 (Thinkquest, 2007a, para 2). The age of participating students spans ages 9-19. The team has to have a coach who then enrolls the team through the Thinkquest Web site in order that they are up to date with the requirements, submission process, deadlines, and evaluation criteria for the competition.
Adoption of E-HRM in Large New Zealand Organizations
Authors: Lau Gloria , Hooper Val
Published: May 2011

Human resources are usually the most expensive resource in any organization. They thus need careful management. The aim of human resources management (HRM) is to Ensure that a firm has the right number of people with the required knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies, in the right place, at the right time, at an affordable cost and who are motivated and committed to achieving the current and strategic need of a firm. (Macky & Johnson, 2000, p. 3) Information communication technologies (ICT) have changed the way organizations conduct their business. The use of ICT in HRM is often referred to as e-HRM, Web-based HR, or virtual HR, which Lepak and Snell (1998) define as “a network-based structure built on partnership and typically mediated by information technology to help organizations acquire, develop and deploy intellectual capital” (p. 216). ICT has made e-HRM applications not only possible, but also economically viable (Watson Wyatt, 2002). However, the adoption of e-HRM in New Zealand does not appear to have progressed as speedily as the adoption of technology in many other functional areas of the organization. Although most organizations utilized basic ICT applications such as e-mail and the Internet in the HR department, the majority do not appear to have moved far enough into actual e-HRM development, such as e-recruitment and e-benefits (Watson Wyatt, 2002).
Basics to Develop Web Services for Human Resources
Authors: Povalej Roman , Weiß Peter
Published: May 2011

In this article certain pillars as basics are presented being necessary to develop Web services (W3C, 2007) supporting human resource (HR) processes like assessing, hiring, modeling information systems, staffing, and so forth; by the help of these Web services. Current HR information systems in general do not adequately support tasks related to cross-organizational or global skills and competence management. In the following, the topic is presented which relates to knowledge management especially to “communities of practice,” as well as related topics such as e-skills and ICT (information and communication technologies) professionalism; the latter currently being broadly discussed by experts in Europe. HR managers of a company or an organization are challenged through the need to formalize skills requirements and to continuously monitor the skills demand inside the company. Obtaining ICT skills are not a one-time event. Technological change advances at a high speed and requires that skills need continually to be kept up-to-date and relevant (The European e-Skills Forum [ESF], 2005). During the last years, new concepts have emerged which intend to empower learners and individuals to steer learning processes to a large extent on their own. Learning objectives tend to be increasingly individual in character (ESF, 2005). In this context, providing an appropriate infrastructure which supports the continuing professional development (CPD) of employees is today a key issue.CPD processes require a respective infrastructure encompasses besides qualifications, skills/competence frameworks and body of knowledge, as well required standards for competence, skills, and appropriate career and development services. Standards encompass educational and industry-oriented performance standards which in turn are expressed preferably through a common language as competence and skills standards. The governance and administration of the CPD process require the availability of flexible and personalized certification services which offer the formal validation of individuals’ learning achievements independent of where and how they were acquired.
Communities of Practice
Authors: Costa Gonçalo
Published: May 2011

A dynamic and constant change, characteristic of the existent paradigm, imposes that organizations assume, as an imperative, the need to be adaptable and evolutionary and flexible in their operations, all without losing their technological and human structure (Davenport & Prusak, 1998). In that sense, the need to capture, to apprehend, and to develop ideas and know-how have been discussed thoroughly by academics and managers worldwide. With such scenario, the need for organizational innovations increases dramatically, with communities of practices as one of the possible answers. Their purpose is then to complement the existing structures and to galvanize in a radical way the creation and sharing of knowledge, generating learning and change inside the organization. However, in spite of appearing as an answer to the organizational environment, the truth is that throughout mankind history the expression “communities of practices” can be apply; that is an unquestionable reality. For that, it is enough to recall the first men communities, the first sedentary communities, the great classic civilizations, the feudalism of the Medium Age, the renascent communities, the industrial communities (post-Industrial Revolution), and finally, the communities of practices. However, these communities present diverse analytical dimensions, that is, creation aim, leadership/hierarchical structures, and knowledge sharing processes.
E-Resourcing as an Effective Function of E-HRM Performance Linkage Models
Authors: Katou Anastasia A.
Published: May 2011

Although many studies, such as Ball (2001), Chapman and Webster (2003), and West and Berman (2001) have shown how e-recruiting and e-selection, e-reward and e-relations, and e-training and e-development can be used at an human resource management (HRM) resourcing, administrative, or learning-level, respectively, the formulation of e-HRM strategies relating HRM policies with business performance have been largely neglected (Lengnick-Hall & Moritz, 2003). The major contributing factor to this negligence may be the difficulty in developing a framework that distinguishes between context, configuration, and consequences of e-HRM, due to the fact that e-HRM is functioning at different but complex and interrelated levels (Strohmeier, 2007). In this article, the inclusion of e-resourcing, and more specifically e-recruiting and e-selection, in an HRM-performance linkage model is presented. Considering that the initial intention of the development of HRM-performance linkage models was not to serve e-HRM, the scope of this article is to adapt an HRM-performance linkage model to e-HRM. To do this, an integrative framework for understanding the link between Human Resource Management and Business Performance is presented and then the integration of e-resourcing in this framework is proposed, providing thus new knowledge on effective e-HRM performance linkage models.
Increasing Tacit Knowledge Sharing with an HRIS
Authors: Mayfield Milton , Mayfield Jacqueline , Lunce Stephen
Published: May 2011

This article gives an overview on using a human resource information system (HRIS) to enhance tacit knowledge sharing. Developing and implementing methods for enhancing tacit knowledge is becoming increasingly important in today’s global business environment; tacit knowledge is an emerging engine of economic growth (Argyris & Schon, 1996; Bergman, Jantunen, & Sakso, 2004; Lahaie, 2005; Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995; Senge, 1990; von Krogh, Ichijo, & Nonaka, 2000). Fortunately, an organization’s HRIS can play a pivotal role in improving tacit knowledge sharing through diagnostic and dissemination methods. But before we can explain how an HRIS can play this role, certain definitions must be made. For this article, we will use a previously developed comprehensive HRIS model that includes all relevant organizational areas relating to HRIS, and describe how each of these areas interact (Mayfield, Mayfield, & Lunce, 2003). As such, it provides an integrated approach to HRIS development and study. More importantly for this article, this model can be used to explicate a blueprint for tacit knowledge enhancement through HRIS techniques, and also provides suggestions for creating specific methods for improving tacit knowledge sharing. Table 1 provides a listing and brief description of model components.
The New Face of Sexual Harassment
Authors: Ritter Barbara A.
Published: May 2011

The use of online technology and computer-mediated communication continues to increase dramatically in organizations, bringing with it new avenues for sexual harassment (SH). Online SH includes behavior that follows the traditional definition of SH, but involves the use of the Internet, an Intranet, or other computer technology. SH occurring online rather than face-toface is a phenomenon that began to appear in the literature during the mid-1990s. The unique atmosphere provided by the online environment led theorists to question how women would be treated (most victims are women) (Pryor, Giedd, & Williams, 1995; Pryor & Stoller, 1994) and to redefine the definition of SH to correspond with the emerging world of cyberspace. Indeed, it was quickly evident that the availability of alternate modes of communicating not only introduced alternate modes of SH, but also created an environment in which SH was easy and acceptable. Given the loose legal regulations governing online harassment, the responsibility is left to organizations to understand the new face of SH and provide guidelines to discourage inappropriate online behavior.
Occupational Culture and Socialization in IS
Authors: Guzman Indira R.
Published: May 2011

Previous research about the people who work with information and communication technologies (ICT) have studied this group of workers from several perspectives, demonstrating that it is important to study the information systems (IS) occupational community as such. This article presents a cultural approach to the study of the people who work in information systems. To do this, I discuss first the concept of ‘occupational culture,’ how it is different from organizational culture, and what the characteristics of an occupational culture are in general. Then, a detailed overview of the characteristics of the occupational culture of the IS occupations and a summary of recent empirical studies that were conducted are included. Finally, the implications of this cultural approach in practice and future trends are discussed.
Organizational Justice in Virtual Team Settings
Authors: del Carmen Triana María
Published: May 2011

Research has demonstrated that organizational justice, the study of fairness in organizations, has an impact on both individual and team outcomes. However, until now, no studies have investigated how justice might unfold within the virtual team environment. The purpose of this article is to analyze organizational justice in virtual team settings and to discuss future implications based on this analysis. In order to meet this goal, this article is organized into three main sections. First, existing research on organizational justice will be reviewed. Next, organizational justice will be combined with the virtual team literature in order to assess how justice processes may be likely to unfold in virtual team settings. Finally, based on this analysis, implications and future trends for managers and researchers working with virtual teams will be presented.
The Role of HRIS in Crisis Response Planning
Authors: Hurley-Hanson Amy E.
Published: May 2011

“On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, killing 2,749 people. The attack resulted in severe economic impact, especially to airlines, and a stock market loss of $1.2 trillion. On December 26, 2004, a tsunami from a 9.1 earthquake overran the shores of many countries along the vast rim of the Indian Ocean. Over 283,000 people died. On August 29, 2005, Katrina, a category-5 hurricane, knocked out electric and communication infrastructure over 90,000 square miles of Louisiana and Mississippi and displaced 1.5 million people.” (Denning, 2006, p. 15). This past decade has been catastrophic, and there are still three more years to go. Many American businesses have not responded to the call for better human resource crisis planning, while a few corporations have risen to the challenge. It is necessary and extremely important for organizations to understand the importance of implementing crucial changes in the organizational structure of businesses, primarily in the human resource sector. The human resource sector is the area most responsible for the safety of personnel and therefore best equipped to foster the communication requirements any crisis will necessarily exact.
The Role of ICT in Support of Adaptable Work Arrangements
Authors: Dixon Pamela Marie , Shelton Paul M.
Published: May 2011

There has been a proliferation of adaptable work arrangements in United States (U.S.) organizations, which is driven by a convergence of information and communications technology (ICT) and workforce trends. Specifically, workforce trends indicate an increase in demographic diversity and a projected reduction in skilled workers. These trends have led many U.S. organizations to focus on retention strategies and subsequently to place emphasis on adaptable work arrangements as a workforce imperative. In this article, we describe the forces driving the utilization of adaptable work arrangements. Moreover, we will illuminate the ICT currently available to successfully design and execute adaptable work arrangements in support of increased productivity, and the realization of organizational sustainability and competitiveness.
Technology, Functionality, and Applicability of Portals in E-HRM
Authors: Strohmeier Stefan
Published: May 2011

The application of electronic human resource management (e-HRM) does rest heavily on underlying information technologies (IT). Up until now, regularly numerous internal “back-end” systems, external data, and services were combined with different “front-end” systems in order to support and network different actors such as HR-professionals, managers, service providers, employees, and applicants (Walker, 2001). Concerning the success of any e-HRM implementation this technological heterogeneity is ambivalent. On the one hand, the merged functions of such heterogeneous application clusters are the essential enablers of e-HRM. On the other hand, such heterogeneous application clusters burden users with numerous incoherent technologies. For some time, portal technology is pledged to overcome this problem by providing a single access point to all specific data, applications, and services any user needs (e.g., Raoi, 2003). Therefore, this article examines whether portal technology is feasible in e-HRM and hence can serve as a measure of integration of heterogeneous HR systems. To do this, first the current status of e-HRM technologies is briefly reported. Subsequently, the technical blueprint (“architecture”) and the general functionality of portal technologies are assessed. Based on this, the applicability of portals is conceptually analyzed by discussing two major application scenarios in e-HRM.
Trust Multidimensionality
Authors: Márquez-García Alfonso Miguel
Published: May 2011

Trust always exists in any form of personal relationship (Deutsch, 1958; Gambetta, 1988) and it is a basic concept to describe social interactions (Rotter, 1967) and ways to act, including organizational behavior (Couch & Jones, 1997; McEvily, Perrone, & Zaheer, 2003). Trust favors the creation and maintenance of competitive advantages (Jarillo, 1988; Barney & Hansen, 1994; Bibb & Kourdi, 2007) and it has become a precondition for a better performance and competitive success in the new business environment (Bradach & Eccles, 1989; Ring & Van de Ven, 1992; Sako, 1998; Kramer & Tyler, 1996; Kramer, 1999). Considering the impact of information technology (IT) on society and business, the consolidation of knowledge as the main source of competitiveness, the fact that frontiers among firms, and among people and firms, are becoming blurred, and the growing sharing of sensible information in computer mediated relationships, trust will become a must in the electronic human resources management (e-HRM) field.