bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enterprise Systems and the Challenge of Integrated Change
Authors: McDonagh Joe
Published: May 2011

While the business press is awash with claims that investing in enterprise-wide systems is the key to delivering superior economic performance, unfortunately it appears that reaping the benefits of such IT investments is fraught with difficulty. Indeed, the introduction of IT into work organisations is generally marred with persistent reports of underperformance and failure. This chapter critiques the nature of this dilemma and in particular explores the role of diverse occupational groups in its perpetuation over time. This dilemma is sustained over time by the behavioral patterns of diverse occupational groups that have vested but divergent, interests in exploiting IT. Executive management tend to view the introduction of IT as an economic imperative while IT specialists tend to view it as a technical imperative. The coalescent nature of these two imperatives is such that the human and organisational aspects of IT related change are frequently marginalized and ignored. Achieving a more integrated approach to the introduction of IT is inordinately difficult since the narrow perspectives embraced by the executive and IT communities do not naturally attend to change in an integrated manner.
ERP Systems Management
Authors: de Souza Cesar Alexandre , Zwicker Ronaldo
Published: May 2011

This chapter investigates the aspects involved in ERP systems management to understand how such artifacts transform the role of Information Technology (IT) areas within the organizations. ERP systems are currently the main component of the information architecture of most large and medium sized companies and the management of these systems has become a critical part of IT teams’ every day. Initially is proposed a management model for ERP systems based upon a survey of the literature. Next is presented, based upon the model, the analysis of two ERP systems management cases of large sized Brazilian companies. At the end the cases are compared and important observed differences set up the conclusions of this chapter.
A Comparative Analysis of Major ERP Life Cycle Implementation, Management and Support Issues in Queensland Government
Authors: Chang She-I , Gable Guy G.
Published: May 2011

This chapter reports on a study of issues across the ERP life cycle from the perspectives of individuals with substantial and diverse involvement with SAP Financials in Queensland Government. A survey was conducted of 117 ERP system project participants in five closely related state government agencies. Through a modified Delphi technique, the study inventoried, synthesized, then weighted perceived major-issues in ongoing ERP life cycle implementation, management, and support. The five agencies each implemented SAP Financials simultaneously using a common implementation partner. The three Delphi survey rounds, together with a series of interviews and domain experts’ workshops, resulted in a set of 10 major-issue categories with 38 sub-issues. Sub-issue weights are compared between strategic and operational personnel within the agencies in order to understand where the organizations should focus their resources in order to avoid, minimise, or eliminate these issues. Study findings confirm the importance of this finer partitioning of the data, and distinctions identified reflect the unique circumstances across the stakeholder groups. The study findings should be of interest to stakeholders who seek to better understand the issues surrounding ERP systems and to better realize the benefits of ERP.
Planning for Multimedia Learning
Authors: Fahy Patrick J.
Published: May 2011

Multimedia tools, applied with awareness of the realities of organizational culture, structures and finances, have been shown to enhance the performance of learning systems.  If some predictable pitfalls are avoided, and proven pedagogical design principles and appropriate vehicles (including the Internet) are used effectively, multimedia can permit greater individualization, in turn fostering improved learning, learner satisfaction, and completion rates.
Empirical Representations in Multimedia Materials
Authors: Kawachi Paul
Published: May 2011

A multimedia construct for learning based on the Theory of Transactional Distance has been developed consisting of four stages of decreasing transactional distance. This model has been applied in various teaching and learning contexts, on- and off-line, and its validation was investigated. Results confirmed in practice the four distinct sequential stages. Difficulties were discovered in navigating through the collaborative second and third stages, consistent with findings from related studies on acquiring critical thinking skills. Specific areas for attention were identified to promote learning using multimedia.
Usable and Interoperable E-Learning Resources Repositories
Authors: Retalis S.
Published: May 2011

The Web puts a huge number of learning resources within reach of anyone with Internet access. In many cases, these valuable resources are difficult for most users to find in an efficient and effective manner. What makes an e-learning resources repository much more than a portal is the ability to discover a learning object and put it to a new use. The purpose of an e-learning resources repository is not simply safe storage and delivery but the ability of their administration, in terms of updating, identifying, utilizing, sharing and re-using them, which remains a great challenge. Moreover, the various repositories are either closed systems or systems that allow user access only through proprietary interfaces and data formats. In brief, there is lack of interoperability. The aim of this chapter is to present the requirements of an ideal e-learning resources repository that will provide services for covering the aforementioned critical issues. We will also describe such an ideal system could be non-centralized, which is the main difference from all the system that exists today in the WWW. Peer to Peer (P2P) based approaches are more flexible than centralized approaches with several advantages.
Interactive Multimedia and AIDS Prevention
Authors: Illera José L.R.
Published: May 2011

Using multimedia applications to inform or to train is very different than using them for changing attitudes. The documented and discussed project started with the perspective that a large proportion of young people, despite knowing how AIDS might be contracted, still adopt risk behaviors. A multimedia role play application was designed to include both information and game layers. The game introduces complex situations using video stories, and then lets the users construct different narratives by choosing between behavior alternatives. The result of each narrative is related to contracting the disease or not. A discussion about role playing games follows, on the limits of this approach, as well as the kind of interactivity and the forms of delayed feedback given.
Cave Automated Virtual Environment
Authors: Hin Leo T.W. , Subramaniam R. , Anthony Sharlene
Published: May 2011

A multimedia system based on the Cave Automated Virtual Environment is shown to be useful for learning science in the informal setting of a science center. Using the theme of water, concepts such as atomic structure, electron processing, bonding and phase transformations have been used to provide a framework for scaffolding content in a dynamic manner among students. The high quality visualizations, immersive experiences, interactivity and stereoscopic imagery in this virtual environment also contributes towards experiential learning, and it is suggested that this has constructivist implications.
An Outline of Approaches to Analyzing the Behavior of Causal Maps
Authors: Narayanan V. K. , Liao Jiali
Published: May 2011

Analysis of the behavior of casual maps is not as well developed as the analysis of their content and structure. In this chapter, we propose a set of approaches to examine the behavior of causal maps. Simulation approaches that invoke computer simulations, influence diagrams and fuzzy causal maps are eminently suitable to examine the intrinsic behavior of causal maps. Empirical approaches attempt to build a theory of cognition-behavior linkages from the ground up, by unearthing stable linkages between cognition and behavior. Both approaches could be combined in major programs of research.
Spatial Data Repositories
Authors: Ray Julian
Published: May 2011

This chapter identifies and discusses issues associated with integrating technologies for storing spatial data into business information technology frameworks. A new taxonomy of spatial data storage systems is developed differentiating storage systems by the systems architectures used to enable interaction between client applications and physical spatial data stores, and by the methods used by client applications to query and return spatial data. Five distinct storage models are identified and discussed along with current examples of vendor implementations. Building on this initial discussion, the chapter identifies a variety of issues pertaining to spatial data storage systems affecting three distinct aspects of technology adoption: systems design, systems implementation and management of completed systems. Current issues associated with each of these three aspects are described and illustrated along with a discussion of emerging trends in spatial data storage technologies. As spatial data and the technologies designed to store and manipulate it become more prevalent, understanding potential impacts these technologies may have on other technology decisions within an organization becomes increasingly important. Furthermore, understanding how these technologies can introduce security risks and other vulnerabilities into a computing framework is critical to successful implementation.
Strategic Positioning of Location Applications for Geo-Business
Authors: Hackbarth Gary , Mennecke Brian
Published: May 2011

The chapter presents several conceptual models, each of which can be used to improve our understanding of whether spatially enabled virtual business is appropriate or not. The first model, the Net-Enablement Business Innovation Cycle (NEBIC), modified from Wheeler (2002), consists of the steps of identifying appropriate net technologies, matching them with economic opportunities, executing business innovations internally, and taking the innovation to the external market. The process consumes time and resources, and depends on organizational learning feedback. The second model, modified from Choi et al. (1997), classifies geo-business applications in three dimensions, consisting of virtual products, processes and agents. Each dimension has three categories: physical, digital, and virtual. The chapter discusses examples of spatially enabled applications that fall into certain cells of this model. The model is helpful in seeing both the potential and limitations for net-enabled applications. The final model classifies spatially enabled applications by operational, managerial, and individual levels. Examples are given that demonstrate spatial applications at each level.
Monitoring and Analysis of Power Line Failures
Authors: Fritz Oliver , Skerfving Petter
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a case study on the role of geographical information systems in power utility automation. It argues that geographical information systems are ideal software components for enterprise-wide application integration, data and asset management, and decision support applications. The authors believe that advances in industrial software applications are predominantly realized through stepwise integration and extension of existing systems. A case study on a monitoring application for power lines serves as example for this thesis. Furthermore, the authors hope that understanding technical and economic conditions governing the field of industrial automation helps readers in appreciating that software development and integration strategies are strongly linked to organizational and structural changes in the power utility industry.
Business Alignment Requirements and Dynamic Organizations
Authors: Cunha Maria M. , Putnik Goran D
Published: May 2011

The business environment of today’s demands organizations to be permanently aligned with the market. As knowledge and physical resources associated to the development and production of most of today’s products often exceed what a single firm is able to accomplish, this business alignment requirement suggests that a successful company must acquire the capability to achieve and explore the competitive advantage in synergy, i.e., using the best available resources, corresponding to a shift from “self-centered close-enterprises” to networked structures. Complementarily, permanent business alignment also implies a high dynamics of the networked structure reconfigurability, so that the structure is able of fast adaptability face to the unpredictable changes in the market, to be closely aligned with it, corresponding to the concept of dynamic organizations. The chapter discusses the importance of networking and inter-organizational reconfiguration dynamics in the context of the actual business alignment requirements and introduces the most relevant and pertinent concepts around the dynamic organizational models.
Collaborative Network Models
Authors: Ellmann Sonja
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a classification model that provides an approach to classify collaborative networked organizations. Many models with different names and organizational backgrounds can be found in today’s network literature. From a time perspective, traditional and innovative models provide two classification groups for collaborative networked organizations. In the process of this chapter, models with different names and organizational backgrounds will be introduced. Special attention will be given to the virtual organization. A classification model shows that collaborative networked organizations can be separated by using the body of knowledge and literature currently available. Requirements for the development of virtual organizations and inhibiting factors will be explained, and an organizational environment that supports the development of trust is subject to closer examination. The authors provide an overview regarding network management models. The reader should develop an understanding for critical factors in network relationships and understand essential requirements of networked organizations.
Market of Resources as a Virtual Enterprise Integration Enabler
Authors: Cunha Maria M. , Putnik Goran D. , Gunasekaran Angappa , Avila Paulo
Published: May 2011

The search for increased competitiveness and efficiency during the last decade resulted in several organizational approaches that presented flexibility as a main characteristic. Some of these approaches rely on dynamically reconfigurable partnerships in permanent alignment with the market and strongly supported by information and communication technology, with the agile/virtual enterprise (A/VE) organizational model as a leading example. Several technologies and valuable applications have been developed to support some of these emerging models, however, the full potential of the A/VE model requires an environment coping with its requirements, and the Market of Resources concept is defended as a solution for virtual enterprise (VE) integration. The chapter discusses the requirements for the A/VE model and introduces the global structure and functionalities of the Market of Resources.
Broker Performance for Agile/Virtual Enterprise Integration
Authors: Avila Paulo , Putnik Goran D. , Cunha Maria M.
Published: May 2011

The implementation of the virtual enterprise (VE) model requires an agent, called a broker, who undertakes several functions and whose increased performance contributes to the searched agility of this organisational model. From the set of functions that the broker can provide to the VE, there are some that may explicitly contribute to the process of VE integration. One of the processes that contributes to VE integration, either in the project phase, during the resources system configuration, or in the operation phase, when the system reconfiguration is required, is the resources system selection process. We will approach, in this work, the importance of the broker in the resources system selection through the comparison of his performance in that process to the performance expected of the VE itself, if the person for whom it is responsible (or principal) performs the same process. This comparison is made based on the simulation results obtained from a numeric demonstrator specifically constructed to quantify the time and cost of the selection process for both the selectors (the broker and the principal). We demonstrate that the domain of advantage for the broker, i.e., where the broker’s performance exceeds the principal’s, grows with the dimension of the tasks plan and with the number of preselected resources, and also with the complexity of the selection method.
Machine Learning Techniques for Wrapper Maintenance
Authors: Lerman Kristina , Minton Steven N. , Knoblock Craig A.
Published: May 2011

The proliferation of online information has led to an increased use of wrappers for extracting data from Web sources and transforming it to a structured format. The resulting data can then be used to build new enterprise applications. While most of the previous research has focused on quick and efficient generation of wrappers, the development of tools for wrapper maintenance has received less attention. This is an important problem, because Web sources often change in ways that prevent the wrappers from operating correctly. In this chapter, we describe machine learning techniques for verifying that a wrapper is working correctly and repairing it if not. Our approach is to learn structural descriptions of data and use these descriptions to verify that the wrapper is correctly extracting data. The repair algorithm automatically recovers from Web source format changes by identifying data so that a new wrapper may be generated for this source.
Real Living with Virtual Worlds
Authors: Bellman Kirstie L.
Published: May 2011

Based on the strengths and weaknesses of many current applications, this chapter discusses how to make virtual worlds (VWs) “real-world capable.” With sufficiently realistic data and dynamic processing capabilities within VWs, we could do medical interventions, analysis, engineering, invention, and design. This will require creating systems with sophisticated integration and analysis capabilities in order to suitably and continually scale up VWs with rich data sources, such as live data feeds and mobile sensors, and better computational and mechanical capabilities, such as multi-sensory interfaces and telerobotics. Scaling VWs will require new strategies and capabilities for the numerousness and variety of resources.
Metadata Management
Authors: Laware Gilbert W.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the need for the World Wide Web to provide a standard mechanism so individuals can readily obtain data, reports, research and knowledge about any topic posted to it. Individuals have been frustrated by this process since they are not able to access relevant data and current information. Much of the reason for this lies with metadata, the data about the data that are used in support of Web content. These metadata are non-existent, ill-defined, erroneously labeled, or, if well-defined, continue to be marked by other disparate metadata. With the ever-increasing demand for Web-enabled data mining, warehousing and management of knowledge, an organization has to address the multiple facets of process, standards, technology, data mining, and warehousing management. This requires approaches to provide an integrated interchange of quality metadata that enables individuals to access Web content with the most relevant, contemporary data, information, and knowledge that are both content-rich and practical for decision-making situations.
MARS
Authors: Meng Xiannong , Chen Zhixiang
Published: May 2011

This chapter reports the project MARS (Multiplicative Adaptive Refinement Search), which applies a new multiplicative adaptive algorithm for user preference retrieval to Web searches. The new algorithm uses a multiplicative query expansion strategy to adaptively improve and reformulate the query vector to learn users’ information preference. The algorithm has provable better performance than the popular Rocchio’s similarity-based relevance feedback algorithm in learning a user preference that is determined by a linear classifier with a small number of non-zero coefficients over the real-valued vector space. A meta-search engine based on the aforementioned algorithm is built, and analysis of its search performance is presented.
Towards a Danger Theory Inspired Artificial Immune System for Web Mining
Authors: Secker Andrew , Freitas Alex A. , Timmis Jon
Published: May 2011

The natural immune system exhibits many properties that are of interest to the area of Web mining. Of particular interest is the dynamic nature of the immune system when compared with the dynamic nature of mining information from the Web. As part of a larger project to construct a large-scale dynamic Web-mining system, this chapter reports initial work on constructing an e-mail classifier system. The Artificial Immune System for e-mail Classification (AISEC) is described in detail and compared with a traditional approach of naive Bayesian classification. Results reported compare favorably with the Bayesian approach and this chapter highlights how the Danger Theory from immunology can be used to further improve the performance of such an artificial immune system.
Web Graph Clustering for Displays and Navigation of Cyberspace
Authors: Huang Xiaodi , Lai Wei
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a new approach to clustering graphs, and applies it to Web graph display and navigation. The proposed approach takes advantage of the linkage patterns of graphs, and utilizes an affinity function in conjunction with the k-nearest neighbor. This chapter uses Web graph clustering as an illustrative example, and offers a potentially more applicable method to mine structural information from data sets, with the hope of informing readers of another aspect of data mining and its applications.
Customer-centric Internet Strategies
Authors: Gurau Calin
Published: May 2011

This chapter analyzes the implementation process of a CRM system in online retailing and the challenges of transforming a product-focused business into a customer-centric organization. Customer relationship management (CRM) is increasingly found at the top of corporate agendas. Online companies in particular are embracing CRM as a major element of corporate strategy, because online technological applications permit a precise segmentation, profiling, and targeting of customers, and the competitive pressures of the digital markets require a customer-centric corporate culture. The chapter argues that the implementation of CRM systems in online organization determines a complex restructuring of the organizational elements and processes to adapt to new customer-centric procedures. The proper understanding of the benefits and challenges of implementing an online CRM system may help professional organizations to plan, design, and manage more effectively this major organizational re-structuring.
A Framework for Addressing Minority Suppliers as an E-Business Strategy
Authors: Young Dale
Published: May 2011

Financial returns from a corporate website are improved by broadening the site’s audience to include minority (e.g., small and women-owned) suppliers. Firms believe that it is good for business if their supplier base has the same racial and gender composition as their customer base. This chapter directly addresses supply chain relationships, diverse suppliers, and investment returns by examining how large corporations use their public websites to communicate with small, minority-owned and women-owned trading partners. The chapter is based on findings from a large-scale study of corporate, public websites. The researcher visited all of the public websites of the Fortune 500 to understand Web-based supplier communications, and analyze how large firms use their public website to communicate with minority suppliers.
Introducing Electronic Patient Records to Hospitals
Authors: Suomi Reima
Published: May 2011

Healthcare is on of the industries that is currently fast adopting information technology (IT) into use. Electronic patient records (EPRs) are at the hearth of healthcare information technology applications. However, patient data is seldom efficiently organized even within one organization, and when patient data is needed in applications covering several organizations, the situation becomes even more complicated. We draw some lessons on how EPR systems should look like from the customer relationship management literature point of view: After all, patients are the customers of healthcare institutions. As a guiding framework for this analysis we use the concepts developed by (Winter, Ammenwerth, et al,. 2001). Then we proceed to discuss how EPR systems diffuse in the healthcare industry and use the Internet standards adoption (ISA) model presented by (Hovav, Patnayakuni, et al., 2004) as a starting point. We apply this model to the diffusion of EPR systems in the healthcare industry. We found big differences between customer relationship management and EPRs management. Customer relationship management aims at long-term relationships and customer profitability, which are not strong goals for EPR systems. Our analysis too resulted to the conclusion that the practical innovation adoption bath for EPRs over paper-based patient records is that of adoption through coexistence.
A Cross-Cultural Framework for Evolution
Authors: Turunen Pekka
Published: May 2011

The evaluation of information systems (ISs), especially in the healthcare field, is a complex task. Evidently, there is a need for better understanding of the different aspects evaluation. While in the general IS science field there have been several attempts to build frameworks and models to better understand the evaluation of ISs, in healthcare similar frameworks have been almost nonexistent. Unfortunately, general frameworks cannot be exactly applied for the cross-cultural evaluation of healthcare ISs, because they do not recognise the specific nature of the medicine. Based on works in different areas, this chapter represents an attempt at to combine them to conceptual frameworks for the evaluation of healthcare ISs.
Service Patterns for Enterprise Information Systems
Authors: Constantinides Constantinos , Roussos George
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces service patterns for SOA-based enterprise systems. The authors believe that the deployment of such patterns would be of considerable value both as a best-practice guide for practitioners as well as a starting point for further research in their role in software engineering. A comprehensive catalog of service patterns is included in this chapter. In the catalog, each pattern is discussed in the context of selected examples and in terms of a brief description of its role, functionality, and deployment. For each pattern there are recommendations on implementation and a practical usage scenario.
Service-Oriented Agents and Meta-Model Driven Implementation
Authors: Li Yinsheng , Ghenniwa Hamada , Shen Weiming
Published: May 2011

Current efforts have not enforced Web services as loosely coupled and autonomous entities. Web services and software agents have gained different focuses and accomplishments due to their development and application backgrounds. This chapter proposes service-oriented agents (SOAs) to unify Web services and software agents. Web services features can be well realized through introducing software agents’ sophisticated software modeling and interaction behaviors. We present a natural framework to integrate their related technologies into a cohesive body. Several critical challenges with SOAs have been addressed. The concepts, system and component structures, a meta-model driven semantic description, agent-oriented knowledge representation, and an implementation framework are proposed and investigated. They contribute to the identified setbacks with Web services technologies, such as dynamic composition, semantic description, and implementation framework. A prototype of the proposed SOAs implementation framework has been implemented. Several economic services are working on it.
Core Concepts in Peer-to-Peer Networking
Authors: Schoder Detlef , Fischbach Kai , Schmitt Christian
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews core concepts of peer-to-peer (P2P) networking. It highlights the management of resources, such as bandwidth, storage, information, files, and processor cycles based on P2P networks. A model differentiating P2P infrastructures, P2P applications, and P2P communities is introduced. This model provides a better understanding of the different perspectives of P2P. Key technical and social challenges that still limit the potential of information systems based on P2P architectures are discussed.
Potential Security Issues in a Peer-to-Peer Network from a Database Perspective
Authors: Asvathanarayanan Sridhar
Published: May 2011

Computing strategies have constantly undergone changes, from being completely centralized to client-servers and now to peer-to-peer networks. Databases on peer-to-peer networks offer significant advantages in terms of providing autonomy to data owners, to store and manage the data that they work with and, at the same time, allow access to others. The issue of database security becomes a lot more complicated and the vulnerabilities associated with databases are far more pronounced when considering databases on a peer-to-peer network. Issues associated with database security in a peer-to-peer environment could be due to file sharing, distributed denial of service, and so forth, and trust plays a vital role in ensuring security. The components of trust in terms of authentication, authorization, and encryption offer methods to ensure security.
Engineering Location-Based Services in the Web
Authors: Gordillo Silvia , Bazzocco Javier , Rossi Gustavo , Laurini Robert
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we will present a modular approach for building evolvable location-based services in the context of Web applications. We first motivate our research by discussing the state of the art of location-based services; next we analyze which design problems we face while building this kind of application, stressing those problems related with the application’s evolution. We present an object-oriented design approach for engineering location-based applications that effectively supports the evolution of these applications rather than their revolution and give a few examples of its use. We finally discuss some further research issues not explicitly addressed in this chapter.
Architectural Metrics for E-Commerce
Authors: Kim Jinwoo
Published: May 2011

Metrics for the architectural quality of Internet businesses are essential in measuring the success and failure of e-commerce. This chapter proposes six dimensions of architectural metrics for Internet businesses: internal stability, external security, information gathering, order processing, system interface, and communication interface. For each of the six metrics, we have constructed questionnaires to measure the perceived level of architectural quality and identified feature lists that might be closely related to the perceived quality level. Large-scale empirical studies were conducted both to validate the proposed metrics and to explore their relevance across four Internet business domains. The results indicate that metrics have high validities and reliabilities in three different domains. The relevance of the metrics was also proved by the meaningful relations between design features and customer loyalty. This chapter ends with the implications and limitations of the study results.
The Requirements of Methodologies for Developing Web Applications
Authors: Standing Craig
Published: May 2011

The Internet has had a significant impact on the process of developing information systems. However, there has been little research that has examined specifically the role of development methodologies in this new era. Although there are many new forces driving systems development many other issues are extensions of problems that have been there for some years. This study identifies the main requirements of methodologies for developing e-commerce applications. A number of e-commerce application development approaches are examined and a methodology is proposed which attempts to address a number of issues identified within the literature. The Internet Commerce Development Methodology (ICDM) considers evolutionary development of systems, provides a business and strategic focus and includes a management structure in addition to covering the engineering aspects of e-commerce application development. The methodology is evaluated by three focus groups. The results of the evaluations are used to highlight the factors that practitioners identify as important attributes of systems development methodologies for developing Web applications. These include emphasising a business focus, the consideration of organisational culture and management structures, and the importance of an external focus. Practitioners would ideally like methodologies to be relevant to their industry and provide detailed approaches for changing organisational culture. Many traditional systems development methodologies are perceived as being inadequate for dealing with the development of e-commerce systems. The research work proposes that there is a need for an overarching development framework where other more sub-system specific approaches can be integrated. However, any such framework should consider the strategic business drivers of the system, the evolutionary nature of systems, effective management structures, and the development of a conducive organisational culture.
Analysis and Customization of Web-Based Electronic Catalogs
Authors: Yen Benjamin P.C.
Published: May 2011

Electronic catalogs are at the core of information system support for electronic commerce. Unlike traditional paper-based product catalogs which are limited by size, access method, high production cost, and obsolete information, electronic catalogs promise up-to-date information, more flexible methods of search and retrieval, interactive multimedia user interface, and automated linkage and support for various procurement functions. As the World Wide Web became more popular, a tremendous amount of information flooded the cyberspace resulting in the problem of information overload. To attract and retain users, a Web site should be adaptive on information content, information organization and information display. In this chapter, a Personalized Electronic Catalog (PEC) system is proposed to synthesize the Web-based electronic catalog customization on information content, organization, and display; as well as to demonstrate the analysis and improvement of information access for electronic catalogs in an industrial application.
E-Learning Strategies of Italian Companies
Authors: Comacchio Anna , Scapolan Annachiara
Published: May 2011

The chapter gives a contribution to the understanding country-specific e-learning models, focusing on the e-learning experience of Italian companies in the pharmaceutical and banking industries. The chapter analyzes the antecedents of a corporate e-learning adoption process, asking whether it is forced by the rational search for economic benefit, or by bandwagon pressures, whereby companies are more interested in their reputations. The chapter also aims at understanding how companies are implementing e-learning, analyzing the most important features of the e-learning strategies: users, contents, infrastructures, and services and supports. After having discussed the result of the research conducted on a document analysis, a survey, some interviews, and two in-depth case studies, the emerging B2E strategy for e-learning is explained. In the conclusions the main issues related to the e-learning processes in the Italian companies are summarized, and the research methodology and the possible future research lines are discussed.
Is Organizational e-Democracy Inevitable? The Impact of Information Technologies on Communication Effectiveness
Authors: Watson Bernadette M. , Schwarz Gavin M. , Jones Elizabeth
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we consider the relationships between social identity and e-democracy in organizations that exist in the constantly changing global business and technological environment. We also consider the inevitability of organizational e-democracy in organizations undertaking information technology (IT) changes, the technology at the base of e-democracy. Through an examination of employees’ experiences of change, we investigate their perceptions of changes in effective communication during major organizational change implementation in a hospital context. While the changes were far reaching, we mainly focus on the introduction of information and communication technology (ICT). We use an empirical examination of an Australian public hospital’s IT change experience as the backdrop to assess the accuracy of the statement that there is an improvement in the autonomy within organizations as a result of IT changes. We discuss our findings in light of the implications that arise for HR practitioners.
Portals in Large Enterprises
Authors: Searle Ian
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses two aspects of the use of portals by large corporations: the roles of portals set up by corporations and the use made by corporations of portals other than their own. The purposes for which large enterprises have built Internet portals are identified as: public corporate information, product information, customer service, selling, supply chain management, and business to employee. Each of these types of portals is examined with examples being drawn from a range of Australian and international large corporate Internet sites. The uses of portals by large enterprises provided by other companies are discussed, including: the development and demise of collective procurement portals (corProcure, Cyberlynx, eSteel, MetalSite, and the like) and the slow development of supply chain management portals. A number of directions for further research are suggested, including: large enterprise plans for collective procurement portals in the late 1990s, the potential of supply chain portals that are not dominated by a single buyer, and the potential for increased transparency in the supply chain by development of supply chain management portals.
A Flexible Evaluation Framework for Web Portals Based on Multi-Criteria Analysis
Authors: Sampson Demetrios , Manouselis Nikos
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, the issue of subjective evaluation of Web portals for assessing user satisfaction is addressed. We present an evaluation framework for addressing the multiple dimensions of Web portals that can affect users’ satisfaction. The objective of this framework is to specify a set of total satisfaction indicators that allows monitoring of the user-perceived quality level of a Web portal and comparing the results from different evaluation groups. Initially, we study the multiple dimensions related with four main satisfaction factors: Web portal content, Web portal design, Web portal personalization, and Web portal community support. Then, we propose a multiple criteria model that synthesizes assessment upon the multiple satisfaction dimensions into a set of monitorable quality metrics. We present how the multi-criteria model is engaged throughout the framework stages to support subjective evaluation of Web portals. Finally, we demonstrate the application of the proposed framework in the context of the summative evaluation of the Greek Go-Digital e-business awareness and training portal for very small and medium enterprises (vSMEs).
Portal Services for Older Australians
Authors: Lepa Jerzy
Published: May 2011

The World Wide Web has the potential to be a major source of information for the older (55+) Australian demographic as well as an important recreational vehicle through the use of facilities such as e-mail, chat, current affairs (news), and music channels. Portals are varied in nature, have evolved on the Web over time, and can have tightly geared content to suit the needs of a particular demographic. This chapter reviews the needs of older people and then explores two Australian older-person portals, Greypath (www.greypath.com), and About Seniors (www.about seniors.com.au), within an older-person needs framework. The concepts of virtual communities and Web site loyalty are also discussed in terms of Greypath and About Seniors.
Post-Implementation Use of a Complex Technology
Authors: Boudreau Marie-Claude
Published: May 2011

This chapter reports on a qualitative research study conducted within a Southeastern U.S. university, which investigated how organizational members appropriated an ERP package over time. A framework suggested by Lassila and Brancheau (1999), which distinguishes different states of software usage, was found to be particularly appropriate in understanding ERP usage. The research, which used a grounded theory methodology supported by the software Atlas.ti®, uncovered different transition patterns of use exhibited by organizational members. Research findings suggest how the practice of informal learning was key in understanding how organizational members transited from one state of use to another.
Understanding an ERP System Implementation in a Higher Education Institution
Authors: Esteves Jose , Pastor Joan
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses the problem of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). It attempts to contribute to the understanding of ERP implementations in this kind of organizations by identifying and analyzing the major factors that affect this type of projects. Special attention has been paid to contextual influence and to organizational factors. The conclusions of this work suggest that most problems in ERP implementation projects are not technological but may be attributed to organizational factors. The chapter describes an in-depth case study carried out at a HEI that implemented an ERP system in 2001. The case was studied as part of a grounded theory based research project whose aim was to develop a model for the implementation of ERP systems.
What Went Wrong? Lessons Learned from Studying ERP Implementation Across Cultures
Authors: Livermore Celia Romm
Published: May 2011

Following a literature review that sets this research in context, case study data from two companies, one in the United States and one in Israel, are presented. Data are used to compare the implementation process of SAP Enterprise Planning Systems (ERPs) in the two cultures. The unique patterns of the implementation process that emerge from the two case studies are discussed as examples of the decision-making patterns typical of the two cultures. When relevant, areas where the findings did not agree with the theory are highlighted. The conclusions section explores the implications from this research to broader issues of ERP implementation across cultures, including the implementation of ERP systems within the higher education sector, and possible directions for future research emanating from this study.
Looking Back, Looking In and Looking On
Authors: Oliver David , Van Dyke Marilyn
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses the topic of organizational change brought about through the implementation of an enterprise resource planning system (ERP) at one of Queensland’s regional universities. This chapter describes the institution’s development and its increasing reliance on corporate information systems. The unsuccessful attempt to resolve problems associated with these systems, in particular the student record system via the Core Australian Specification for Management and Administrative Computing (CASMAC) project, is explored. How the need for ERP adoption was presented to staff is then examined. The reactions of staff to the implementation experience are then explored using preliminary results from focus group interviews. The chapter concludes by comparing the expectations, reactions, and outcomes of the ERP project with some recommendations suggested for improving organizational change induced by ERP implementation.
Evaluating the North American Pilot for SAP's Campus Management System
Authors: Gates Kathryn F.
Published: May 2011

The critical success factors for enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations in industry, especially in manufacturing, have been explored at length; however, little is available on implementing ERPs in higher education, even though administrative systems and ERPs have been identified as among the top information technology (IT)-related issues for campuses. This chapter examines the recent implementation of SAP®’s Campus Management (CM) system at the University of Mississippi (UM) in order to gain insight into what determines the success or failure of ERP implementations in higher education. It focuses on the transition to ERP, organizational issues, and project management in a university setting and then proposes critical success factors. While many universities implemented ERPs, this case study is particularly interesting, because it was one of the first implementations of SAP®’s student administration system and therefore presents a different perspective from other more prevalent ERPs in the higher education market.
Machine Learning for Adaptive Planning
Authors: Vrakas Dimitris , Tsoumakas Grigorios , Bassiliakes Nick , Vlahavas Ioannis
Published: May 2011

This chapter is concerned with the enhancement of planning systems using techniques from Machine Learning in order to automatically configure their planning parameters according to the morphology of the problem in hand. It presents two different adaptive systems that set the planning parameters of a highly adjustable planner based on measurable characteristics of the problem instance. The planners have acquired their knowledge from a large data set produced by results from experiments on many problems from various domains. The first planner is a rule-based system that employs propositional rule learning to induce knowledge that suggests effective configuration of planning parameters based on the problem’s characteristics. The second planner employs instance-based learning in order to find problems with similar structure and adopt the planner configuration that has proved in the past to be effective on these problems. The validity of the two adaptive systems is assessed through experimental results that demonstrate the boost in performance in problems of both known and unknown domains. Comparative experimental results for the two planning systems are presented along with a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages.
AI Planning and Intelligent Agents
Authors: Marinagi Catherine C. , Panayiotopoulos Themis , Spyropoulos Constantine D.
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides an overview of complementary research in the active research areas: AI planning technology and intelligent agents technology. It has been widely acknowledged that modern intelligent agents approaches should combine methodologies, techniques and architectures from many areas of computer science, cognitive science, operation research, cybernetics, and so forth. AI planning is an essential function of intelligence that is necessary in intelligent agents applications. This chapter presents the current state-of-the-art in the field of intelligent agents, focusing on the role of AI planning techniques. It sketches a typical classification of agents, agent theories and architectures from an AI planning perspective, it briefly introduces the reader to the basic issues of AI planning, and it presents different AI planning methodologies implemented in intelligent agents applications. The authors aim at stimulating research interest towards the integration of AI planning with intelligent agents.