bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Considering the Perceptual Implications of Auditory Rich Content on the Web
Authors: Neff Flaithrí , Kehoe Aidan , Pitt Ian
Published: May 2010

In this chapter the authors discuss the growing relevance of audio on the World Wide Web, and show how new issues of accessibility and usability are coming to the fore. Web designers are employing an increasingly rich palette of sounds to enhance the user “experience”, but apart from guidelines for facilitating screen-readers, very little exists in the way of design strategies for non-speech sound content. Although their primary focus is on web accessibility for visually disabled users, the same issues are increasingly applicable to sighted users accessing the web via WIFI enabled mobile devices with small screen real estate. The authors present an auditory user interface model aimed at conceptualizing the perceptual issues involved when presenting a rich soundscape to the user, and show how this model can help web designers to consider issues of accessibility and usability without detracting from the “experience”. Non-speech sound is not only a means of entertainment or background enhancement, but can also efficiently relay useful information to the user – a function that is still underutilized on the web.
Whose Questionnaire is it, Anyway?
Authors: Saxon Andrew , Walker Shane , Prytherch David
Published: May 2010

This chapter focuses on the adoption and adaptation of methodologies drawn from research in psychology for the evaluation of user response as a manifestation of the mental processes of perception, cognition and emotion. The authors present robust alternative conceptualizations of evaluative methodologies which allow the surfacing of views, feelings and opinions of individual users producing a richer, more informative texture for user centered evaluation of software. This differs from more usual user questionnaire systems such as the Questionnaire of User Interface Satisfaction (QUIS). (Norman et al, 1989) The authors present two different example methodologies so that the reader can firstly, review the methods as a theoretical exercise and secondly, applying similar adaptation principles, derive methods appropriate to their own research or practical context.
Multiple-User Simultaneous Testing
Authors: Yadamsuren Borchuluun , Paul Anindita , Erdelez Sanda , Moore Joi L.
Published: May 2010

Web developers and usability specialists face the challenge of dealing with the cost and quality of usability testing that must be implemented in a short period of time. Multiple-User Simultaneous Testing (MUST) can reduce usability testing time by allowing data collection from many users at the same time. This chapter reviews the literature on MUST and related methodologies for group users. It describes on a conceptual level two methods for setting up the MUST testing environment: self-paced and moderated. The authors do not aim to present which method is better from the empirical standpoint. Instead, the chapter describes the authors’ comparative experiences with these methods, with a focus on the laboratory set up, data collection protocols, and data analysis issues. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research and recommendations for usability specialists on how to conduct well designed MUST studies.
Measuring the Financial Crisis in Local Governments through Data Mining
Authors: Zafra-Gómez José Luis , Cortés-Romero Antonio Manuel
Published: May 2010

In local government, the financial analysis is focused on evaluating the financial condition of municipalities, and this is normally accomplished via an analytic process examining four dimensions: sustainability (or budgetary stability), solvency, flexibility and financial independence. Accordingly, the first goal the authors set out to achieve in this chapter is to determine the principal explanatory factors for each of the above dimensions. This is done by examining a wide range of ratios and indicators normally available in published public accounts, with the aim of extracting the most significant explanatory variables for sustainability, solvency, flexibility and financial independence. They use a rule induction algorithm called CHAID, which provides a highly efficient data mining technique for segmentation, or tree growing. The research sample includes 877 Spanish local authorities with a population of 1000 inhabitants or more. The developed model presents a high degree of explanatory and predictive capacity. For the levels of budgetary sustainability the most significant variables are those related to the current margin, together with the importance of capital expenditure in the budgetary structure. On the other hand, the short-term solvency depends on the liquid funds possessed by the entity. The flexibility, however, depends mainly on the financial load per inhabitant of the municipality, on the total sum of fixed charges. Finally, financial independence depends fundamentally on the transfers that the entity receives and on the fiscal pressure, among other elements.
The Use of Data Mining for Assessing Performance of Administrative Services
Authors: Pecar Zdravko , Bratko Ivan
Published: May 2010

The aim of this research was to study the performance of 58 Slovenian administrative districts (state government offices at local level), to identify the factors that affect the performance, and how these effects interact. The main idea was to analyze the available statistical data relevant to the performance of the administrative districts with machine learning tools for data mining, and to extract from available data clear relations between various parameters of administrative districts and their performance. The authors introduced the concept of basic unit of administrative service, which enables the measurement of an administrative district’s performance. The main data mining tool used in this study was the method of regression tree induction. This method can handle numeric and discrete data, and has the benefit of providing clear insight into the relations between the parameters in the system, thereby facilitating the interpretation of the results of data mining. The authors investigated various relations between the parameters in their domain, for example, how the performance of an administrative district depends on the trends in the number of applications, employees’ level of professional qualification, etc. In the chapter, they report on a variety of (occasionally surprising) findings extracted from the data, and discuss how these findings can be used to improve decisions in managing administrative districts.
Clinical Data Mining in the Age of Evidence-Based Practice
Authors: Epstein Irwin , Joubert Lynette
Published: May 2010

Clinical Data Mining (CDM) is a paradigm of practice-based research that engages practitioners in analyzing and evaluating routinely recorded material to explore, evaluate and reflect on their practice. The rationale for, and benefits of this research methodology are discussed with multiple exemplars from health and human service settings. While CDM was conceived as a quantitative methodology evaluating the process, intervention and outcomes of practice, it can support qualitative studies encouraging reflectiveness. CDM was originally employed as a practice based research (PBR) consultation strategy with practitioners in clinical settings, but the methodology has been increasingly used by doctoral students as a dissertation research strategy either by itself or in combination with other research methods. CDM has gained international recognition by both social workers and allied health professionals. The authors present CDM as a knowledge-generating paradigm contributing to “evidence-informed” practice rather than “evidence based practice.”
A Method of Building Learner Model in Personalized e-Learning
Authors: Wu Xiyuan , Zheng Qinghua , Wang Hao , Li Haifei , Liu Guangdong
Published: May 2010

Learner modeling is the key aspect in personalized e-learning. The quality of the personalization largely depends on the accuracy of the learner model. The core data of a learner model include generally learner’s personality characteristics, interesting etc. While personality characteristics can describe a learner’s stable traces internally, interest can describe something that a learner wants externally. But, a learner’s personality characteristic may have many attributes, and all of them may not have equal values, while learner interests exist implicitly in the information of learner network behavior. The work discusses and evaluates how to find the key personality attributes and their weight, and how to mine learner interest from learner behavior. The method has been successfully used in China e-learning for a major research university. The experimental evaluation shows the modeling method is effective in personalized e-learning.
OrPAF
Authors: Yessad Amel , Faron-Zucker Catherine , Sander Peter , Laskri Med Tayeb
Published: May 2010

Adaptive learning support for learners becomes very important in the context of increasing re-use of resources from heterogeneous and distributed learning repositories. This chapter presents OrPAF, an Adaptive Educational Hypermedia (AEHS) and web-based System which integrates semantic web models and technologies in order to achieve interoperability with e-learning systems. The key feature of OrPAF is the construction of adaptive hypermedia courses: both the course structure and the course content are dynamically generated and adapted to learners. On the one hand, a learning ontology is proposed to describe, at a meta-level, abstract characteristics of an e-learning system. This learning ontology is instantiated to construct learning models: domain model, learner model and pedagogical model. On the other hand, semantic annotations and a semantic relevance measure are proposed to improve the LOM metadata associated to learning resources in order to reuse and share them. The authors tested the prototype on learners in order to evaluate the usability of OrPAF and to determine the conceptual capabilities developed by learners who used it.
The Implementation of a Server-based Computerized Adaptive Testing on Mobile Devices (CAT-MD)
Authors: Triantafillou Evangelos , Georgiadou Elissavet , Economides Anastasios A.
Published: May 2010

The introduction of mobile devices into the learning pedagogy can compliment e-learning and e-testing by creating an additional channel of assessment with mobile devices. The current study describes the design issues that were considered for the development and the implementation of a CAT on mobile devices, the CAT-MD (Computerized Adaptive Testing on Mobile Devices). The system was implemented in two phases, where initially, a standalone prototype application was developed in order to implement the architecture of the CAT-MD. After a formative evaluation, the second phase took place, where a server-based application was developed in order to add new functionalities to the system so that CAT-MD can be an effective and efficient assessment tool that can add value to the educational process. The mobility of the CAT-MD eliminates the need for a specialized computer lab, as it can be used anywhere, including a traditional classroom.
Security Analysis of Service Oriented Systems
Authors: Innerhofer-Oberperfler Frank , Mitterer Markus , Hafner Michael , Breu Ruth
Published: May 2010

This chapter is devoted to the continuous security analysis of service oriented systems during design and operation. The authors present the ProSecO framework which offers concepts and a process model for the elicitation of security objectives and requirements, evaluation of risks and documentation of security controls. The goal of ProSecO is to provide the analyst at any time during design and operation with information about the security state of the system. Core ideas of ProSecO are interweaved elicitation and documentation of functional and security properties based on system models and the clear separation of business oriented and technical information. The kind of information ProsecO handles is in wide parts informal and non-executable.
Information and Communication Technoethics
Authors: Rocci Luppicini
Published: May 2010

Vanderburg’s (2005) Living in the Labyrinth of Technology, describes the seemingly ambivalent state of life and meaning within a technological society. The ubiquity and invisibility of advancing information and communication technologies (ICT’s) challenges individuals sense of self and society, and their understanding of how meaning is communicated, by whom, for what purpose, and with what outcomes. The convergence of information, communication, and technology has become an important concern in academia as is apparent in the intersecting interests of technology studies, information studies, and communication studies in areas related to the role of technology in social interaction, meaning creation, identity formation, culture, and information exchange. This intersection of fields is partly due to the convergence of information and communications with advancing technological innovation. This has given rise to the ever-expanding convergence in academic research within communications and technology studies. This is exemplified through an amassing body of research publications focusing on technology, information, and communication, along with continued growth of technology and communication oriented research activities carried out within professional associations (Society for Social Studies of Science [4S] and the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology [EASST], International Communication Association, Canadian Communication Association).
Biomedical Technoethics
Authors: Rocci Luppicini
Published: May 2010

The ethical use of new technologies is important for the advancement of modern health and medicine in many areas including, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, reproductive technologies and genetic research, sports, and nutrition. This is partly because revolutionary technologies have provided new opportunities that raise ethi- cal issues and public debate. In this context, technology is viewed not as a solution, but as a driver of societal development fostering change and generating new ethical considerations to address. The goal of technoethical inquiry within the context of modern health and medicine is to ensure that technological changes are desired and accepted by those affected.
Engineering and Environmental Technoethics
Authors: Rocci Luppicini
Published: May 2010

This chapter traces the development of Engineering Ethics, Computer Ethics, and Environmental Technoethics. It also covers the topic of military technoethics as an important new development that deserves special attention. The story begins in the late 19th century with the development of various engineering professional bodies to ensure that engineers were responsible for potentially harmful constructions. This in turn, gave rise to the creation of codes of engineering ethics to help guide professional conduct. As the public demand for engineering increased throughout the 20th century, so did the ethical implications and demand for codes of engineering ethics. In the 1950s and 1960s, the continued expansion of industrial growth lead also to a number of human caused environmental disasters ranging from oil spills to nuclear explosions to the release of toxic chemicals into the air and water supply. This brought on a public reaction among environmental organizations and increased public attention to ethical implications of technology and the environment. These developments helped nurture in studies in environmental technoethics and the ethical concern over human involvement in technology related environmental change. Also in the 1950s and 1960s, the public use of mainframe computers, promising outlook for computer networking, and scholarly interest in systems research raised additional interest concerning the ethical implications connected to computer innovation in society. This chapter provides a review of background developments, challenges, and current directions in each of these areas. It uses examples to illustrate the potency of technology in reference to key areas (i.e., access equity, software design, computer navigation systems, construction, mining, and other areas of technology use and misuse). It concludes with insider interviews from leading experts working in the field and recommendations on how to use technoethical inquiry to leverage the ethical use of science and technology in areas where technological innovation has created ethical challenges and dilemmas.
Global Technoethics and Society
Authors: Rocci Luppicini
Published: May 2010

As discussed in Chapter Five, Technoethics and Society is a branch of Technoethics concerned with the ethical use of technology to promote the aims of contemporary society. This includes the study of local organizations (micro level) as well as the study of broader global structures and processes (macro level). Although this section focuses mainly on global technoethics (macros level), it provides a sketch of organizational and global developments to better situate the discussion. Since the beginning of the 20th century, work in organizational studies reflects a continually evolving research area within communications and other fields (human resource management, industrial relations, business management) since the contribution of early classical models of organizations. Classical models provided a new technology (technique) for organizational leaders to help manage increasing large contingencies of workers within a top-down communication structure geared towards maximizing organizational performance and efficiency. The coming of the information age and the development of sophiosicated information and communication technologies (ICT’s) provides additional technology for transforming society and the institutions within it. This was the start of the trend towards the modern day multi-corporation. Continuing progress through human relations and human resource approaches, systems theory, and ideological perspectives (critical, cultural, and feminist) on organizations have reinforced this core work. Rapid technological developments within organizational life, the increasing power of multi-corporations, and the faster pace of organizational change processes, have helped nurture in globalization
Virtual Communities of Practice
Authors: Gammelgaard Jens
Published: May 2010

This chapter investigates the phenomenon of virtual communities of practice, and proposes them to be efficient for individual’s knowledge retrieval, when they work in a geographically dispersed organization, such as a multinational corporation. The virtual community of practice is likely to reduce the contextual gaps that typically exist between senders and receivers of knowledge, as it includes the possibility of feedback loops in the information exchange process. However, the organization must provide a knowledge-sharing friendly culture, and an institutional protectionism, in order to establish the required level of trust, being the foundation for knowledge exchanges within the virtual community.
Qualitative Pre-Processing for Semantic Search of Unstructured Knowledge
Authors: Hazarika Shyamanta M.
Published: May 2010

This chapter describes semantic search of unstructured data through a qualitative pre-processor. Using the spatial representation language Region Connection Calculus, qualitative relationships inherent in the background knowledge is made explicit. The pre-processor obtained by exploiting such qualitative information can overcome some fundamental problems associated with information retrieval and is an efficient approach to retrieve relevant results.
Facilitating Virtual Collaborative Writing through Informed Leadership
Authors: Lyman Catherine
Published: May 2010

With the right combination of writers, collaborative writing may grow organically in a team. But it is more likely that managers need to set the expectation that collaboration is requirement, provide strong leadership in an organization to make it happen, and measure its effectiveness. Managers need to lead writers down the path to writing collaboratively, finding effective ways to support the implementation of new writing methods. This chapter provides practical approaches that will help develop a manager’s skills for leading virtual collaborative writing teams. The techniques described in this chapter were developed and tested by actual collaborative writing teams, most notably by the Information Engineering team at NetApp, Inc.
Collaborating with Customers Virtually to Improve Content
Authors: Studevant Mirhonda
Published: May 2010

Writers often are challenged to measure the effectiveness of their deliverables. Measurement is frequently difficult because the writer is expected to act as a reader advocate without direct customer or audience input. Fortunately, this trend is changing. Today, technical writers have a wealth of opportunities to seek input directly from the internal or external consumers of their deliverables. In today’s globally competitive marketplace, organizations constantly strive to deliver high-quality goods and services. Many companies are recognizing customers as a critical strategic partner in their product development and quality improvement programs. This recognition of customers as development and quality partners extends to documentation resources such as training materials, web-based help, support knowledge bases, user manuals, quick-reference guides and virtual tours and tutorials. More and more, the voice of the customer is becoming the most important consideration in product and process decisions, including the delivery of documentation. Collaborating with customers goes beyond fostering goodwill. Employing various methods to invite customer collaboration accelerates documentation development and significantly improves documentation quality. By considering strategic partner values, organizational culture, cost and complexity, and availability of resources, technical writers can develop customer feedback programs that increase customer retention and positively impact revenue. This chapter explores methods and processes that help to ensure successful virtual collaboration with customers.
The Human Factor in Quality
Authors: Vouzas Fotis
Published: May 2010

The aim of this chapter is to theoretically investigate the implications of ISO 9000:2000 and EQA on HR issues in selected Greek industrial organizations in their road to quality improvement. The study sample consists of two selected industrial organizations that were judged as normal, ordinary, and representative. The data gathering was carried out through extensive and in-depth interviews in the two organizations asking several multiple informants. The study shows that organizations approach to quality is of great influence to effective human resource utilization. There is a tendency to avoid the involvement of HR department on either certification or the EQA and also it is clear that HR department status and role is still very traditional. The small sample does not allow making any generalizations for the majority of Greek organizations in all sectors of the economy. This is the first step towards an understanding of the current context and content of HRM in organizations moving towards total quality management implementing ISO 9000:2000 or EQA model. However, further studies needed to investigate similarities and differences in an international basis. The chapter provides a basis for understanding the present status of HRM implementation under ISO 9000 implementation and EQA model of selected Hellenic organizations and the results can be helpful for academics and practitioners. The author suggests that in order to have a reliable and objective depiction of the effect and influence of ISO 9000:2000 and EQA to the context and content of HRM, a thorough examination and analysis of relevant studies should be conducted which will include all the various approaches, practices and perceptions recorded so far in the literature -some of them based on empirical data and some deriving from rhetoric and “good-stories” or “how things ought to be” perspective.
Internships, Residencies, and Fellowships
Authors: Stinehelfer Rachel Kuhn , Crumpton Michael A.
Published: May 2010

Libraries need creative ways to grow a new generation of librarians, specifically middle managers. The authors’ profession is not known for training librarians to become managers, either in graduate school or on the job. Because of this deficiency they find themselves without a succession plan to fill the forthcoming retirements in upper management that will leave a gap in middle management. This chapter addresses time-limited appointments such as internships, residencies and fellowships and how they can prepare recent graduates for more advanced, non-entry level positions. Different skills and responsibilities can be built into the programs to better prepare new librarians to take on greater, more dynamic roles in an organization. These types of positions can serve as incubators for library leaders and enrich the entire profession.
Recruitment Experiences in Area Studies Library Organizations
Authors: Paganelis George I.
Published: May 2010

This chapter discusses the urgent need to recruit individuals into academic librarianship for positions within or otherwise related to area studies. It first outlines the major problems that continue to inhibit recruitment efforts in area studies including negative perceptions of academic librarianship, a narrow interpretation of qualifications, deterrents of the library and information science curriculum for subject Ph.D.s, and the shrinking number of dedicated full-time positions. Educational incentives, experiential opportunities, and a stronger focus on professional recruitment and collaboration by area studies library organizations are each explored as potential solutions. The second half of the chapter presents the activities and accomplishments of WESS’s Recruitment to the Profession Committee as a model for other area studies library groups to use to stimulate professional recruitment in their respective specialties.
Trends in Integration-Based Orientation in Academic Libraries
Authors: Loya Aimee Denise , Sunday Deborah Stansbury
Published: May 2010

When new employees join an organization, a great deal of information must be provided to support their success. While clarifying job duties, outlining operational procedures, and reviewing benefits details are priorities, integrating employees into the culture of the organization is perhaps the most critical, and most often overlooked, aspect of orientation programs. In the ever-expanding field of information science and knowledge management, it is imperative that organizations provide comprehensive orientation programs that not only welcome new employees but successfully integrate them to their long-term contributions to the organization and the profession. This chapter examines the importance of orientation programs and discusses how current orientation programs in several academic and research libraries are effectively focusing on organizational culture and employee integration.
The Career Development Compass
Authors: Thornton Joel B.
Published: May 2010

Due to constant change and intense competition within the information environment, developing a diversified portfolio of professional capabilities ensures employability and career mobility for future Information Professionals (IPs). Capability development begins with career development planning. However, without the proper navigation device to guide future IPs, career plans can go awry and career opportunities may vanish. Because the IP’s role is constantly changing, unforeseen opportunities exist for those who address career development planning beginning the first day of graduate school. This chapter provides future IPs with a navigation tool and roadmap to develop career plans in an unpredictable environment and discusses implications for the future viability of the profession.
A Multicriteria Tool for Evaluating Performance of Service Suppliers
Authors: Hernández Albalicia Martínez , Sifuentes Mario Cantú , Campos Miguel Gastón Cedillo
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this document is to expose an applied methodology for improving performance of service supply chains mainly focusing on performance of service suppliers running operations in emerging market context. In fact, this solution (methodology and informatics tool) was conceived as a standardized instrument for suppliers of the metallurgical sector. Whereas some researches analyze the service supplier selection, the originality of this work is its continuous improvement approach, based on a standard instrument to measure and improve the quality of service in a metallurgical supply chain. From a logistics standpoint, this applied approach was helpful to the practitioners who were faced with complex evaluating supplier tasks. Comparing with other approaches, the main advantages of the solution proposed is its hybrid methodology founded on a strong systemic point of view and, continuous improvement purpose, as well as its easiness of utilization by service suppliers themselves.
Perceived Risk Management
Authors: Dubosson Magali , Fragnière Emmanuel
Published: May 2010

Purpose – To contribute to the theoretical work on service-perceived risk management of knowledge-based services (i.e. intangible and heterogeneous) and experience-based services and to suggest a framework that helps to formalize these risks and the value associated with their management, by arguing that this risk management relies on a sequence of risks (Threat, Event, Ignorance and Damage, called the TEID model) and on 3 categories of control measures (preventative, detective and protective). Design / methodology / approach – A case study research using the guidelines developed by Eisenhardt (1989) in the context of travel agency industry about how to deliver added value by selling the expertise that helps to reduce customer-perceived risks. Risk management and control process constructs were compared in order to confirm the relevance of this approach. Findings – Customers feel that travel services which are bought encompass a lot of uncertainties and annoyances (risks) about what they will be experiencing. At present customers are not willing to pay for advice that they regard as free. In order to charge and deliver more added-value, knowledge-based service providers have to make their role more tangible, aiming at reducing and managing risks. By categorizing customer-perceived risks, and by integrating control measures and assurances into their offer, providers can design new and valuable services. Service value-chains involve various providers (implicitly or otherwise) who may engender annoyance and damages as risks are a sequence of events. For their effective management risks have to be considered from the customer’s point of view as this is the only way to apply an integrated approach. Originality / value – This chapter holds the potential to contribute to extending an understanding and management capacity of customer-perceived risks of knowledge-based services. It brings into play a new framework and new risk management process. It also helps with formalizing and making tangible customer added-value.
Intelligent Simulation System for Supply Chain Event Management (SCEM)
Authors: Nag Barin , Qiao Haiying , Yao Dong-Qing
Published: May 2010

In this chapter, the authors present an intelligent simulation system for supply chain event management for the purpose of designing and re-engineering the supply chain. The simulation framework mainly composes of component layer, process layer, intelligent execution layer, and output layer. The functional design of the layers is discussed with comments on the contribution of the simulation. Implementation issues are further addressed and an illustrative case study is reported.
A 3D Vision-Based Solution for Product Picking In Industrial Applications
Authors: Sgarbi Mirko , Colla Valentina , Bioli Gianluca
Published: May 2010

Computer vision is nowadays a key factor in many manufacturing processes. Among all possible applications like quality control, assembly verification and component tracking, the robot guidance for pick and place operations can assume an important role in increasing the automation level of production lines. While 3D vision systems are now emerging as valid solutions in bin-picking applications, where objects are randomly placed inside a box, 2D vision systems are widely and successfully adopted when objects are placed on a conveyor belt and the robot manipulator can grasp the object by exploiting only the 2D information. On the other hand, there are many real-world applications where the 3rd dimension is required by the picking system. For example, the objects can differ in their height or they can be manually placed in front of the camera without any constraint on the distance between the object and the camera itself. Although a 3D vision system could represent a possible solution, 3D systems are more complex, more expensive and less compact than 2D vision systems. This chapter describes a monocular system useful for picking applications. It can estimate the 3D position of a single marker attached to the target object assuming that the orientation of the object is approximately known.
Modeling and Simulating Disruptions and other Crisis Events in Virtual Enterprise Networks
Authors: Manuj Ila
Published: May 2010

Simulation is not only a powerful decision-making aid for supply chain managers but also a powerful research tool for theory building and testing. In addition to incorporating stochastic situations, simulation also enhances decision making by offering the flexibility to understand system behavior when cost parameters and policies are changed in a timely, cost-effective, and non-disruptive manner. The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate an approach toward modeling disruptions, risks and other crisis events in virtual enterprise networks. It provides several illustrations from published literature, presents a framework for managers and researchers to better apply and gain from the strength of simulation modeling, identifies several common pitfalls to avoid during the process, and compiles extensive references for readers who want to further their knowledge in this specific area.
Growth Trajectories of SMEs and the Sensemaking of IT Risks
Authors: Karunakaran Arvind , He Jingwen , Purao Sandeep , Cameron Brian
Published: May 2010

Our case will describe two small to medium enterprises which are located within the same region and sharing the broad industry sector but at a different ‘growth stage’ perceive the role of Information Systems differently. We describe how these two firms, at different growth stages and at different levels of maturity with respect to their information systems, perceive the usefulness of information systems differently. We extend the interpretations to discuss sub-sections within SMEs, which are at different stages of growth, and how the nature of information systems’ risks is likely to differ depending on these growth stages. We emphasize the importance of owner/manager’s “sensemaking of risks” as a key variable that influences the demarcation between entrepreneurs and small business owners, beyond the oft-discussed variables such as “achievement motivation,” “risk-taking propensity,” and “preference for innovation.” We conclude with the proposition that SMEs should not be considered as unitary entities; and suggest that there are likely to be different varieties of risks that SMEs face, and suggest the growth stage and organizational filters as key determinants of the owner/managers’ understanding of these risks.
Redefining Medical Tourism
Authors: Narasimhalu Desai
Published: May 2010

Dr. Wei Siang Yu, a medical doctor who is a compulsive serial entrepreneur and the founder of the FlyFreeForHealth, has created a comprehensive medical tourism service using a multimedia platform as the core engine. FlyFreeForHealth has started gaining traction in several countries across Asia including the Philippines and Australia. Dr. Wei has been very resourceful in exploiting business opportunities by leveraging emerging technologies for his company’s products. The rapid growth of the company requires Dr. Wei to focus on developing an enterprise related information and technology architecture for FlyFreeForHealth.
Proving the Science
Authors: Fausnaugh Carolyn J. , McCay Mary Helen
Published: May 2010

This chapter is about the process by which an inventor (a physician) secures the expertise he needs to determine if his observations and resulting patent have commercial value. It is also about the process by which the university accepts the engagement. A physician with an unproven patent contracting with a university for market and scientific research that would establish the commercial viability of his invention. It explores patterns of social networking, searching, communications, and negotiations theory to describe an inventor’s quest for evidence that his invention worked. The chapter outlines the process by which the physician searched his network to find resources outside of his field of expertise that could guide his next steps in evaluating the commercial potential of his invention. In addition, it describes the information gathering and negotiation process leading to a university contract. The case illustrates that the issuance of a patent does not represent either technical proficiency or market potential for an invention.
Relationship Between Second Life and the U.S. Economy
Authors: Reynolds Rosemarie , Ishikawa Yusuke , Macchiarella Amanda
Published: May 2010

Second Life is a virtual world designed to be a free, laissez-faire market economy in which Linden Dollars are used to buy and sell goods and services. This study investigated the relationship between the economies of Second Life and the United States, using financial data collected from Linden Lab and the Federal Reserve. Partial correlation analyses were computed between two pairs of economic measures, and our results indicated that there was a significant relationship between the two economies.
Measuring the Quality Of E-Business Services
Authors: Springer Mark , Tyran Craig K. , Ross Steven
Published: May 2010

Electronic service quality, or e-service quality, refers to the quality experienced by the user of a service delivered via the Internet. Over the past several years, researchers have developed different models of e-service quality with the objective of identifying those aspects that are most important for customer satisfaction and loyalty. The current authors develop a framework to compare and contrast these models. While there is some agreement between existing models regarding the key dimensions of e-service quality, these models focus almost exclusively on retail e-commerce Web sites. Additional research is needed not only to resolve the differences between existing quality models for e-commerce Web sites, but also to develop e-service quality assessment tools for the entire range of e-business services.
Adoption of e-Commerce by Canadian SMEs
Authors: Sparling Lynn L. , Cater-Steel Aileen , Toleman Mark
Published: May 2010

While online sales have experienced high growth rates, e-commerce adoption rates by Canadian SMEs have not kept pace. Canadian SMEs continue to lag behind the US and the EU in adopting e-commerce. Recently, a survey of SMEs’ adoption of e-commerce was conducted to determine reasons for this low adoption rate (Sparling, 2007; Sparling, Cater-Steel, & Toleman, 2007). Constructs used in the survey focussed on three contexts: organizational, external environmental and innovation. The study found significant factors that differentiated adopters and non-adopters of e-commerce included technological opportunism and readiness, owner experience with computers, support within the organization, relative advantage and compatibility. This chapter focuses on the definitions of the variables in the organizational context.
E-Commerce Business Models
Authors: Nagaty Khaled Ahmed
Published: May 2010

In this article the author explained the classes of e-commerce business models and their advantages and disadvantages. He discussed the important issues and problems facing e-commerce web sites and how to build a successful e-commerce Web site using techniques of security, privacy and authentication, guidelines of maintenance, collecting user’s information for personalization, using multi-tier architecture to achieve high performance and high availability.
E-CRM
Authors: Llamas-Alonso María Rosa , Jiménez-Zarco Ana Isabel
Published: May 2010

As competition and the cost of acquiring new customers continue to increase, the need to build and enhance customer relationships has become paramount for businesses. The building of strong customer relationships has been suggested as a means for gaining competitive advantage (Mckenna, 1993) so, in today’s marketplace, a growing number of firms seek to develop profound, close and long-lasting relationships with their customers since it is much more profitable to keep and satisfy current customers than to manage an ever-changing customer portfolio (Reinartz & Kumar, 2003; Ross, 2005; Llamas-Alonso et al. 2009). This one is a consequence of many paradigmatical changes in the marketing field during the past decades, such as a transition from a focus on the product, transactional marketing, acquiring clients (responsive marketing approach) and market share towards a customer centric approach, relationship marketing, two-way communication, retaining customers (proactive and holistic marketing approaches) and share of customer. Thus, in this fastmoving and highly competitive scenario Customer Relationship Management (hereafter referred to as CRM) emerges as a business philosophy devoted to enhance customer relationships and consequently create value for both the company and the customer.
Effective Virtual Project Management Using Multiple E-Leadership Styles
Authors: Lee Margaret R.
Published: May 2010

The field of organizational behavior defines leadership as “the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals” (Capella, 2005, p. 294). Leadership styles have been well studied and researched. Early leadership studies were developed using traditional, co-located work arrangements in mind. Later studies expanded to include traditional project team environments. In the current business environment, however, nontraditional virtual work arrangements are becoming more popular. Virtual project teams are increasing in business today and will continue to become more common in the future (Martins, Gilson, & Maynard, 2004). Managing nontraditional work involving virtual teams is becoming a necessity in the current business environment. The type of leadership emanagers must demonstrate for successful virtual team management is different from traditional project team management (Konradt & Hoch, 2007). Understanding appropriate leadership styles for virtual project teams and the transition toward new leadership styles is an important part of managing human resources in organizations and successful virtual project management. Emerging e-leadership roles and management concepts for virtual teams include multiple leadership models, and their application is an important part of our evolving virtual organizational behavior.
Teams of Leaders Concept (ToL) and E-Business Operations
Authors: von Lubitz Dag
Published: May 2010

Information Technology (IT), and the subsequent broad acceptance of Information and Knowledge Management (IM/KM) methods revolutionized the way business is thought of and practiced. With e-business facilitating the ability to do more, more, faster, at a wider range, and to influence ever larger and more diverse consumer groups, the impact of technology on commerce, finance, and global economy has been frequently compared to the “paradigm shift” that Kuhn (1970) proposed as the essence of scientific revolution. Yet, despite the transformational influence of modernity on the ancient art, the fundamental principles of business have not changed: overreliance on the facilitation of business operations as the substitution for the adherence to the soundness of their conduct fuelled rampant growth of corporate laisse faire, and already twice brought the world to the brink of economic disaster (Stiglitz, 2003; Steingart, 2008).
E-Business and Web Accessibility
Authors: Koutsabasis Panayiotis
Published: May 2010

E-business has developed due to the fast penetration of the Web to human activities ranging from work and education to news and entertainment. The power of the Web is in its universality, and, in principle, everyone can access e-business websites and benefit from available information, products and services. However, in practice, universal access to the Web - and subsequently e-business websites - is not merely an issue of availability or technical development. Web accessibility emphasizes the incorporation of requirements of people with special needs to the design of Internet applications. Notwithstanding these requirements, the spectrum of accessibility concerns is even larger, for example if we think about the changing form of the computer and how people work and communicate: access is not required only from a PC, but also users are on the move and use other access devices (in terms of both hardware and software).
An Exploratory Study on the User Adoption of Central Cyber Government Office of the Hong Kong Government
Authors: Ho Kevin K.W. , Yu Calvin Chun , Lai Michael C.L.
Published: May 2010

This chapter investigates those factors affecting the user adoption of the Intranet Portal of the Hong Kong Government, a.k.a., Central Cyber Government Office (CCGO). The authors conducted a survey study in 2004 and they interviewed some of the users to collect their feedbacks on the user adoption of CCGO based on the premises of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Based on the results of their survey and interviews, the authors noted that civil servants of Hong Kong demonstrated strong reluctance to adopt CCGO.
B2C E-Commerce Acceptance Models Based On Consumers' Attitudes and Beliefs
Authors: Herrero-Crespo Ángel , Rodríguez-del-Bosque Ignacio
Published: May 2010

The novelty and dynamism of Internet and ecommerce have lead to the revision of the classic paradigm of consumer behaviour and to the continuous study of individuals’ conduct in virtual environments. In this context, the literature on Internet has placed special attention on the development and testing of theoretical models aimed to describe and explain e-commerce acceptance by final consumers. In this sense, two theoretical frameworks stand out as the most relevant and widely used approaches in e-commerce adoption literature: the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Schifter & Ajzen, 1985; Ajzen, 1991) and the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989; Davis et al., 1989). Both models are based on traditional theory of consumer behaviour and focus on individuals’ attitudes and beliefs about e-commerce and virtual transactions. However, TPB and TAM differ in the variety of explanatory variables they include and in the identification of beliefs considered as determinants of individuals’ attitudes towards a behaviour or technology.