bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association Rules
Authors: McNicholas Paul D. , Zhao Yanchang
Published: May 2011

Association rules present one of the most versatile techniques for the analysis of binary data, with applications in areas as diverse as retail, bioinformatics, and sociology. In this chapter, the origin of association rules is discussed along with the functions by which association rules are traditionally characterised. Following the formal definition of an association rule, these functions – support, confidence and lift – are defined and various methods of rule generation are presented, spanning 15 years of development. There is some discussion about negations and negative association rules and an analogy between association rules and 2×2 tables is outlined. Pruning methods are discussed, followed by an overview of measures of interestingness. Finally, the post-mining stage of the association rule paradigm is put in the context of the preceding stages of the mining process.
Computer-Supported Collaborative Work and Learning
Authors: Lim John , Yang Yin Ping , Zhong Yingqin
Published: May 2011

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

This chapter explores the utilization of a multiagent system in the field of supply chain management for electronic business. It investigates the coordination and cooperation processes, and proposes and discusses a newly developed model for an enhanced and effective cooperation process for e-business. The contribution made by this research provides a theoretical solution and model for agents that adopt the enhanced strategy for e-business. Both large organizations and SMEs will benefit by increasing and expanding their businesses globally, and by participating and sharing with business partners to achieve common goals. As a consequence, the organizations involved will each earn more profit.
Mobile Batch Tracking
Authors: Huerster Walter , Feuchtmueller Hartmut , Fischer Thomas
Published: May 2011

Globalization and expanding markets has invariably led to increasingly higher loads of goods traffic. This has resulted, amongst other things, in challenges to supply chain management in terms of cost pressure and demands for short-term availability of the goods. Considering that an increasing number of goods will be “on the road” (on rails, on ship, in the air) for an appreciable percentage of the life-cycle, there is an urgent need to bridge the information gap between the automated systems at the factory sites and the storage control systems at the destination sites. This chapter reports on a system solution that has been developed by T-Systems’ Solution and Service Center Ulm / Germany, within the Service Offering Portfolio “Embedded Functions”. The system solution has been gained as a synergy effect of connecting mobile communication solutions with Auto ID Services. It is presented here and discussed in the context of online surveillance during transportation, providing both downstream batch tracking, as well as upstream traceability.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Authors: Kolp Manuel , Faulkner Stéphane
Published: May 2011

Business needs have driven the design, development, and use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Intra-enterprise integration was a driving force in the design, development, and use of early ERP systems, but increased globalization, intense competition, and technological change have shifted to focus to inter-enterprise integration. Current and evolving ERP systems thus reflect the expanded scope of integration, with greater emphasis on things like supply chain management and customer relationship management. This manuscript explores the evolution of ERP, the current status of ERP, and the future of ERP, with the objective of promoting relevant future research in this important area. If researchers hope to play a significant role in the design, development, and use of suitable ERP systems to meet evolving business needs, then their research should focus, at least in part, on the changing business environment, its impact on business needs, and the requirements for enterprise systems that meet those needs.
Extending Relationship Marketing to Human Resources Management Using the CaRM Approach to Personnel Recruitment
Authors: Keim Tobias , Fritsch Kerstin
Published: May 2011

Since the early 1990s, relationship-oriented approaches to product and services marketing have gained increasing interest by research and practice. While the overall approach of managing customer interactions has been inherent to the ways of doing business ever since, the recent change from transaction-oriented to relationship-oriented marketing is typically considered as a major paradigm shift (Grönroos, 2004). The current boom of customer relationship management concepts and solutions is only one indicator of this development. However, while relationship marketing has been discussed in various contexts such as business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing, little attention so far has been paid to the question of what such an approach could add to the human resources field. This is astonishing as labor markets due to demographic effects and other changes in labor offer and demand tend to get increasingly narrow. Thus, traditional approaches to personnel marketing might no longer be sufficient and new concepts for the successful recruitment of qualified staff might be needed. Therefore, our research question is: How can we transfer the concepts of relationship marketing to personnel recruitment and what are potential benefits of such an approach? In order to answer this question, we present an approach for the ISsupported management of employer-candidate relationships. We outline two major dimensions of the approach together with selected validation results. The objective is to enhance human resources information systems (HRIS) research and to present an approach that could potentially assist employers in better facing mid-term shortages of qualified staff on a drastically changing labor market.
Strategic Decisions for Green Electricity Marketing
Authors: Pérez-Plaza Marta , Linares Pedro
Published: May 2011

Green electricity (GE) has emerged as one of the most interesting instruments for promoting renewable electricity in liberalized markets, at least in theory. Indeed, some experiences have already been carried out, mostly in the U.S. and Europe. However, most of them have been largely unsuccessful. In this chapter, we look at previous surveys and studies carried out on customer response, and provide a review of the most relevant results achieved by GE experiences, in order to learn from them. As a result, we provide what we believe are the key strategic recommendations for green electricity retailers to launch a successful GE program. Although the green electricity market remains a difficult one, several improvements can be achieved by learning from past mistakes and carefully analysing the alternatives and the boundary conditions.
A Process-Oriented and Technology-Based Model of Virtual Communities of Practices
Authors: Secundo Giustina , Elia Gianluca , Taurino Cesare
Published: May 2011

This paper hypothesizes that Virtual Community of Practices (VCoPs) are valuable to Business Schools and Universities because they contribute to the emerging paradigms of just-in-time, action based and informal learning. It presents a real case study of a VCoPs called “Virtual eBMS”, that was built by applying the participative observation (Yin, 1994). In particular, the paper provides a process-oriented model of the “Virtual eBMS”, that is composed by four main elements: The People participating in the community, the Processes and the Purpose of the community in terms of value created for the Business School, and the Technology enabling the interactions between the community members. Indeed, from a technological point of view, the community is supported by an integrated Web Learning and Knowledge Management platform, described in terms of the main knowledge processes triggered and the correspondent technologies supporting the actions. Finally, the work presents some preliminary results and the value created through the use of the “Virtual eBMS”.
Peer-to-Peer Networking Platform and Its Applications for Mobile Phones
Authors: Ishikawa Norihiro , Sumino Hiromitsu , Kato Takeshi , Hjelm Johan , Murakami Shingo , Kitagawa Kazuhiro , Saito Nobuo
Published: May 2011

Compared with traditional Internet technologies, peer-to-peer technologies has functions to realize resource discovery, resource sharing, and load balancing in a highly distributed manner. In addition to the Internet, new networks such as home network, ad-hoc network and sensor network are emerging. An easy prediction is the emergence of a new environment in which many sensors, people, and many different kinds of devices coexist, move, and communicate with one another over such heterogeneous networks. Peer-to-peer technology is one of the most important and suitable technologies for such ubiquitous networking since it supports discovery mechanisms, simple one-to-one communication, free and extensible distribution of resources, and distributed search to handle the enormous number of resources. The authors have designed and implemented a peer-to-peer networking platform for realizing applications, which include various applications for mobile phones. This chapter presents their peer-to-peer networking architecture, protocols, and applications for mobile phones.
Vertical Fragmentation in Databases Using Data-Mining Technique
Authors: Narasimhaiah Gorla , Pang Wing Yan Betty
Published: May 2011

A new approach to vertical fragmentation in relational databases is proposed using association rules, a data-mining technique. Vertical fragmentation can enhance the performance of database systems by reducing the number of disk accesses needed by transactions. By adapting Apriori algorithm, a design methodology for vertical partitioning is proposed. The heuristic methodology is tested using two reallife databases for various minimum support levels and minimum confidence levels. In the smaller database, the partitioning solution obtained matched the optimal solution using exhaustive enumeration. The application of our method on the larger database resulted in the partitioning solution that has an improvement of 41.05% over unpartitioned solution and took less than a second to produce the solution. We provide future research directions on extending the procedure to distributed and object-oriented database designs.
Using and Evaluating Learning Objects for Online Courses in Vocational Education
Authors: Conceição Simone C.O. , Strachota Elaine , Schmidt Steven W.
Published: May 2011

The use of learning objects, such as videos, interactive games, and tutorials, has become increasingly popular in online vocational education. Used to reinforce concepts, to allow students to review subject matter, and to help students become more adept at procedural tasks, learning objects can enhance learning in online environments. This chapter presents an overview of learning objects, framed in a study that resulted in an instrument that can be used for student evaluation of learning objects. Also included is a discussion of the future of learning objects in online vocational education.
Using Meta-Analysis as a Research Tool in Making Educational and Organizational Decisions
Authors: Brewer Ernest W.
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the viability of meta-analysis as a research tool for helping career and technical educational and organizational professionals make decisions. Following many of the same steps involved in the basic research process, meta-analysis provides a means for reconciling contradictory quantitative results from multiple studies, thereby generating a conclusive answer. However, meta-analysis is subject to many forms of bias and can pose practical problems. Meta-analysis has been used to study many issues in administration and management. From this chapter, educational and organizational professionals can determine if it is an appropriate tool to help them make decisions about specific challenges that they face.
Accreditation Experience of the Designated Subject Credential (DSC) Program at California State University, Long Beach
Authors: Wang Viktor
Published: May 2011

To receive accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) is of utmost importance to every credential program in the State of California. Without it, programs are like drivers driving vehicles without a license. Naturally, those credential programs that do not receive accreditation are put on probation. Drawing from firsthand observation, reflection and introspection, the author of this paper shares with the reader successful accreditation experience with the Designated Subjects Credential (DSC) program at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and reveals lessons associated with this accreditation experience.
Serving Rural Communities Using Blended Technology
Authors: Beck Jules K. , Biggs Bobbie T.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a case study that illustrates how blended technology can provide an opportunity to complete an undergraduate degree through distance education for students living in rural communities. The research examines the educational, life, and work experiences of students who joined Cohort Ten in a Human Resource Development (HRD) curriculum. Some common perceptions related to their experience in the program emerged from qualitative interviews as students considered accessibility, achievement, and other issues important to achieving their goals. The blended technology approach used in the program included compressed interactive video (CIV); Blackboard, a Web-based classroom management system; and a face-to-face weekend gathering each semester of students and faculty from current cohorts.
A Paradigmatic and Methodological Review of Research in Outsourcing
Authors: Yadav Vanita , Gupta Rajen
Published: May 2011

Due to the growing academic and practitioner interest in the field of outsourcing, there is a need to do a comprehensive assessment and synthesis of research activities to date. This chapter addresses this need and examines the academic literature on information systems outsourcing and business process outsourcing using a paradigmatic and methodological lens. The objective of this chapter is fourfold. Firstly, it examines the status of outsourcing research from 1995 to 2005 in eight leading academic journals, to compare the current research trends with past research directions in terms of methodologies applied. Secondly, it analyzes the research paradigms adopted in these research papers using the Operations Research Paradigm framework. Thirdly, it compares and contrasts the outsourcing research work published in three leading European journals with the work published in three leading American journals. Finally, it uncovers the implications of this study and the directions for future research.
Information Technology Outsourcing
Authors: Rouse Anne
Published: May 2011

Organizations have used external vendors to supply information technology (IT) functions since the first commercial implementations. In the sixties, the use of facilities management, contract programmers, and contract project management were common, but during the 70s, many organizations relied increasingly on internal delivery of IT services. The term “outsourcing” arose in the late 80s. Since that time industry has seen a fundamental change in the way information technology (IT) services are organized and delivered, with increasing reliance on external, outsourced providers. Managing outsourced IT service delivery has now become a core competence for organizations.
Macro-Economic and Social Impacts of Offshore Outsourcing of Information Technology
Authors: Knapp Karl , Sharma Sushil , King Kevin
Published: May 2011

Offshore IT outsourcing has been gaining acceptance among corporations as a mainstream alternative to in-house operations. Various studies conducted over the last 10 years have shown that outsourcing allows firms to reduce high overhead costs and improve productivity, contribute flexibility, and thus improve overall performance of the firm. However, offshore IT outsourcing brings new challenges and risks. The skeptics believe that outsourcing may weaken the local business competitiveness of the region, investors’ confidence in investing in local businesses, and may create a spiral effect on economic indicators such as unemployment, enrollment in schools, living styles, housing, and construction, etc. Little deliberate research has been conducted to date. This study investigates the macro- and socio-economic consequences of offshore IT outsourcing in the United States using a system dynamics model. The research finds significant effects perceived and experienced by IS professionals. The research also finds significant differences in the perceptions of practitioners and the academy, especially students whose inflated expectations may cause disappointment with the reality of the current IS professions.
A Reference Model for Strategic Supply Network Development
Authors: Albani Antonia , Muessigmann Nikolaus , Zaha Johannes Maria
Published: May 2011

Based on rapidly changing market conditions and increasing pressure on cost and productivity, companies in different industries have started to concentrate on their core competencies and to decrease vertical range of manufacture. This resulted in an increasing dependency between the producing companies and their suppliers. Enterprise networks are formed emerging the necessity to focus on the strategic development of supply network partners. While currently strategic purchasing mainly deals with direct suppliers future strategic purchasing needs to deal with flexible and dynamic supply networks. This results in a paradigm shift in the domain of strategic sourcing from a supplier centric to a supply network scope. In order to support the paradigm shift the development of a reference model specifying the organizational and functional implications is necessary. This chapter therefore introduces a reference model for the domain of strategic supply network development extending the traditional frame of reference in strategic sourcing to a supply network perspective.
Motivations for Social Networking Site Adoption
Authors: Gangadharbatla Harsha
Published: May 2011

Social networking sites (SNSs) are being increasingly used by businesses to add value to companies as well as consumers. Yet, very little is known as to why individuals adopt and use SNS. The current chapter reviews literature on uses and gratification and technology acceptance model (TAM) to propose a framework for SNS adoption. Six main motivational factors are identified from literature and are expected to influence SNS adoption: need to belong, entertainment, communication, information, commercial value, and self-expression. Further, two main barriers to SNS adoption, technology and privacy, are expected to hinder adoption. The proposed theoretical framework is a first step toward understanding SNS adoption and both managerial and theoretical implications are drawn.
Role of Telecommunications in Precision Agriculture
Authors: McKinion James M.
Published: May 2011

Precision agriculture has been made possible by the confluence of several technologies: geographic positioning systems, geographic information systems, image analysis software, low-cost microcomputerbased variable rate controller/recorders, and precision tractor guidance systems. While these technologies have made precision agriculture possible, there are still major obstacles which must be overcome to make this new technology accepted and usable. Most growers will not do image processing and development of prescription maps themselves but will rely upon commercial sources. There still remains the challenge of storage and retrieval of multi-megabytes of data files for each field, and this problem will only continue to grow year by year. This chapter will discuss the various wireless technologies which are currently being used on three proof-of-concept farms or areas in Mississippi, the various data/ information intensive precision agriculture applications which use wireless local area networking and Internet access, and the next generation technologies which can immensely propel precision agriculture to widespread use in all of agriculture.
Environments for Virtual Enterprise Integration
Authors: Cruz-Cunha Maria Manuela , Putnik Goran D.
Published: May 2011

The Virtual Enterprise model relies on dynamically reconfigurable collaborative networks, with extremely high performances, strongly time-oriented while highly focused on cost and quality, in permanent alignment with the market, and strongly supported by information and communication technology. Networking and reconfiguration dynamics are the main characteristics of this model, which claim for enabling and supporting environments, assuring cost-effective integration in useful time and preventing the risk of leakage of private information about products or processes. Some existing technologies and Internet-based environments can partially support this organizational model, but the reconfiguration dynamics can only be assured by environments able to manage, control, and enable virtual enterprise creation/operation/reconfiguration. Several environments are introduced in the article, and particular focus is given to the Market of Resources, an environment coping with the requirements of the Virtual Enterprise model.
On System Algebra
Authors: Wang Yingxu
Published: May 2011

Systems are the most complicated entities and phenomena in abstract, physical, information, and social worlds across all science and engineering disciplines. System algebra is an abstract mathematical structure for the formal treatment of abstract and general systems as well as their algebraic relations, operations, and associative rules for composing and manipulating complex systems. This article presents a mathematical theory of system algebra and its applications in system engineering, software engineering, and cognitive informatics. A rigorous treatment of abstract systems is described, and the algebraic relations and compositional operations of abstract systems are analyzed. System algebra provides a denotational mathematical means that can be used to model, specify, and manipulate generic “to be” and “to have” type problems, particularly system architectures and high-level system designs, in computing, software engineering, system engineering, and cognitive informatics.
Formal RTPA Models for a Set of Meta-Cognitive Processes of the Brain
Authors: Wang Yingxu
Published: May 2011

The cognitive processes modeled at the metacognitive level of the layered reference mode of the brain (LRMB) encompass those of object identification, abstraction, concept establishment, search, categorization, comparison, memorization, qualification, quantification, and selection. It is recognized that all higher layer cognitive processes of the brain rely on the metacognitive processes. Each of this set of fundamental cognitive processes is formally described by a mathematical model and a process model. Real-time process algebra (RTPA) is adopted as a denotational mathematical means for rigorous modeling and describing the metacognitive processes. All cognitive models and processes are explained on the basis of the object-attribute-relation (OAR) model for internal information and knowledge representation and manipulation.
On Foundations and Applications of the Paradigm of Granular Rough Computing
Authors: Polkowski Lech , Semeniuk-Polkowska Maria
Published: May 2011

Granular computing, initiated by Lotfi A. Zadeh, has acquired wide popularity as a tool for approximate reasoning, fusion of knowledge, cognitive computing. The need for formal methods of granulation, and means for computing with granules, has been addressed in this work by applying methods of rough mereology. Rough mereology is an extension of mereology taking as the primitive notion the notion of a part to a degree. Granules are formed as classes of objects which are a part to a given degree of a given object. In addition to an exposition of this mechanism of granulation, we point also to some applications like granular logics for approximate reasoning and classifiers built from granulated data sets.
Building Bridges Online
Authors: Austin Roger , Anderson John
Published: May 2011

This article indicates that there are four key drivers for school-based use of collaborative software; a. The speed at which ‘social software’ has been taken up by young people outside school which has led some educationists to review the potential of such software in more formal school settings. b. Helping pupils to develop ’knowledge construction skills’ which are relevant to a knowledge economy. c. Enabling more pupils to access a wider curriculum. d. The promotion of inter-cultural education through citizenship. In the case of the fourth driver, the article examines in detail the research basis for extending the concept of the ’contact hypothesis’ through communication technology. It uses evidence to show that well managed on-line collaboration between school-based students can be a powerful vehicle for intercultural education through citizenship.
Case Study
Authors: Kessler Judith
Published: May 2011

The Technical Publications team at Sybase, Inc. maintains many thousands of pages of user documentation and online help topics for a diverse set of software products. Writing teams work in nine locations around the globe; a given project often involves writers from multiple locations. To achieve greater efficiency, increase opportunities for reuse, and improve user experience, the department is moving to the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) from a variety of source formats. Early adopters realized the need for more detailed information models for several types of content than required by the DITA standard. This chapter discusses why models are a critical component to successful collaborative writing, especially for topic-oriented content. It then describes the collaborative processes and tools by which Sybase® Technical Publications team members propose, evaluate, develop, test, and enforce new content models, challenges encountered, and key success factors.
Impacts from Using Knowledge
Authors: Jennex Murray E.
Published: May 2011

This is a longitudinal case study that explored the relationship between use of organizational memory and knowledge, knowledge management, and knowledge worker productivity within the engineering group at a nuclear power plant. Three data points were taken over 5 years. The group used a knowledge management system (KMS) and it was found that the system improved effectiveness/productivity of the organization. The organization had not identified measures for determining productivity improvements, so the key results of the case study are models showing the impact of knowledge use on productivity.
Context-Aware Services for Ambient Environments
Authors: Meier René , Lee Deirdre
Published: May 2011

This article presents the iTransIT framework for building context-aware pervasive services in large-scale ambient environments. The iTransIT framework provides an architecture for conceptually integrating the independent systems underlying an ambient environment and a data model for capturing the contextual information generated by these systems. The data model is based on a hybrid approach to context-modeling that incorporates the management and communication benefits of traditional object-based-context modeling with the semantic and inference advantages of ontology-based context modeling. The iTransIT framework furthermore supports a programming model designed to provide a standardized way to access and correlate information from systems and their devices based on context and ultimately, to build context-aware ambient services. The framework has been assessed based on a prototypical realization of an architecture for integrating diverse intelligent transportation systems in Dublin and by building context-aware ambient transportation services for urban journey planning and for visualizing traffic congestion.
Adaptive Narration in Multiplayer Ubiquitous Games
Authors: Natkin Stéphane , Yan Chen
Published: May 2011

The goal of this research is to develop new gameplays and new narration principles for MUGs (Multiplayer Ubiquitous Games). We aim to formalize a narrative mechanism to generate events which can stimulate the user’s physical actions with the real world, and social communications with other players. We first present a pattern to identify the feedback relationship between the real world and the virtual world. We then analyze the notion of narration in games and the notion of user’s model in information technology. Based on this analysis, a narration adaptive to the user’s profile in considering the real world context is proposed. The last part of the paper is devoted to an experimental game MugNSRC developed through of the preceding principles. A prototype of this game has been developed using off the shell services available on geolocalized mobile phones.
Different Web Strategies for Different E-Marketplaces
Authors: Geppert L.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents two possible models of electronic marketplaces put in place at the beginning of this century, which, after their introduction, the first incoming wave of connected economy-based paradigms was ended. Both the two models show a particular use of Web-based information technology in order to exploit their mission and represent meaningful cases of application of well-defined Web strategies. Even though, at the moment, the initially built Web sites supporting those related business have been closed and merged with other Web sites, they may introduce examples of a Web strategy approach having a relevant historical meaning that may be still redefined in practical implementations once revised and adequately updated. The mentioned cases described in this chapter are usteel.com and up2gold.com, two examples of Web-based business in two well-defined supply chains, that is, the “steel” chain and the “gold and silver” chain.
Applying an Organizational Uncertainty Principle
Authors: Wood Joseph , Tung Hui-Lien , Marshall-Bradley Tina , Sofge Donald A. , Grayson James M. , Bergman Margo , Lawless William F.
Published: May 2011

The theory of bistable perceptions in the interaction indicates the existence of an uncertainty principle with effects amplified at the organizational level. Traditional theory of the interaction, organizational theory, and the justification for an organizational uncertainty principle are reviewed. The organizational uncertainty principle predicts counterintuitive effects that can be exploited with the Semantic Web to formulate a set of metrics for organizational performance. As a preliminary test of the principle, metrics derived from it are applied to two case studies, both works in progress, with the first as an ongoing large system-wide application of web-based metrics for organizational performance and the second as a case study of a small college where web-based metrics are being considered and constructed. In preparation for the possibility of machine-based real-time metrics afforded by the Semantic Web, the results demonstrate a successful theory and application in the field of an uncertainty principle for organizations.
Pedagogical Responses to Social Software in Universities
Authors: McLoughlin Catherine , Lee Mark J.W.
Published: May 2011

Learning management systems (LMS’s) that cater for geographically dispersed learners have been widely available for a number of years, but many higher education institutions are discovering that new models of teaching and learning are required to meet the needs of a generation of learners who seek greater autonomy, connectivity, and socioexperiential learning. The advent of Web 2.0, with its expanded potential for generativity and connectivity, propels pedagogical change and opens up the debate on how people conceptualize the dynamics of student learning. This chapter explores how such disruptive forces, fuelled by the affordances of social software tools, are challenging and redefining scholarship and pedagogy, and the accompanying need for learners to develop advanced digital literacy skills in preparation for work and life in the networked society. In response to these challenges, the authors propose a pedagogical framework, Pedagogy 2.0, which addresses the themes of participation in networked communities of learning, personalization of the learning experience, and learner productivity in the form of knowledge building and creativity.
A Social Framework for Software Architectural Design
Authors: Kolp Manuel , Wautelet Yves
Published: May 2011

Information systems are deeply linked to human activities. Unfortunately, development methodologies have been traditionally inspired by programming concepts and not by organizational and enterprise ones. This leads to ontological and semantic gaps between the systems and their environments. The adoption of Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) helps to reduce these gaps by offering modeling tools based on organizational concepts (actors, agents, goals, objectives, responsibilities, social dependencies, etc.) as fundamentals to conceive systems through a development process. Socio-technical design is concerned with the direct involvement of users in software design. To this respect the DesCARTES framework presented in this paper offers three main contributions: 1) the use of agents modeled according to organizational concepts, 2) the use of social patterns in software design that better match with users’ organization structures, and 3) the inclusion in an iterative development methodology that involves the user intensively in software development.
Technosocial Space
Authors: Laegran Anne Sofie
Published: May 2011

The chapter is based on a study of Internet cafés in Norway, and interrogates the way space and place is produced in interconnections between people and technology in the Internet café. Drawing on actornetwork theory and practice-oriented theories of place and space, the Internet café is understood as technosocial spaces producing connections between people and places at different levels. Firstly, the Internet café can be understood as a hybrid, a site where users and technologies as well as space are coconstructed in entwined processes where gender, as well as other identity markers, are central in the way the technology, as well as the cafés, develop and are understood. The next level looks at the production of Internet cafés as technosocial spaces. Despite being perceived as an “urban” and “global” phenomenon, Internet cafés are configured based on local circumstances, in urban as well as rural communities. Differing images of what the cafés want to achieve, as well as material constrains, are at play in this process. Finally, the chapter shows how Internet cafés are places of connections, producing space beyond the walls of the café, linking the local into a translocal sphere.
Social Software Use in Public Libraries
Authors: Abbas June
Published: May 2011

With the emergence of Web 2.0, libraries have started employing social software applications (such as blogs, tagging, social networking, and wikis) to engage readers, encourage user-contributed content, and connect with user populations in novel ways. However, little research has been conducted on the applications of Web 2.0 technologies within public libraries. This chapter focuses on the applicability of social software in a library setting and examines the use of such innovative techniques as live tagging, social cataloging, and social bookmarking. The chapter evaluates the potential of social software tools for facilitating collaboration between librarians and library patrons; it addresses the concerns expressed by the library and information science community related to the issues of trust, authority, accuracy, responsibility, and ethics in the context of the Library 2.0.
Learning for the Future
Authors: Merchant Guy
Published: May 2011

Over the last five years there has been a large scale shift in popular engagement with new media. Virtual worlds and massive multiplayer online games attract increasing numbers, whilst social networking sites have become commonplace. The changing nature of online engagement privileges interaction over information. Web 2.0 applications promote new kinds of interactivity, giving prominence and prestige to new literacies (Lankshear and Knobel, 2006). To date, discussion of the opportunities, and indeed the risks presented by Web 2.0 has been largely confined to social and recreational worlds. The purpose of this chapter is to open up discussion about the relevance of Web 2.0 to educational practice. A central concern in what follows will be to show how the new ways of communicating and collaborating that constitute digital literacy might combine with new insights into learning in ways that transform how we conceive of education (Gee, 2004).
Metacognition on the Educational Social Software
Authors: Romero Margarida
Published: May 2011

In recent years, we have witnessed an information revolution. This revolution has been characterised by widespread access to the Internet and by the emergence of information which has been generated by end-users–the so-called user-generated content. The information thus generated has been supported by Web 2.0 applications or social software. These changes in the information society have had an important impact in education, with more and more adults enrolling on life-long learning programs; moreover, the availability of distance learning courses has grown in line with this increase in demand. In this emergent educational paradigm, the new 2.0 technology context implies new competencies for learners. These competencies include literacy in information and communication technology (ICT), learning autonomy, self-regulation and metacognition, while at the same time expanding the opportunities for metacognitive development. We will consider in this chapter these two perspectives of the 2.0 context; on the one hand, the new requirements provided by the environment and, on the other hand, the new learning opportunities which this environment brings.
Critical Trends, Tools, and Issues in Telecommunications
Authors: Nugent John H. , Gordon David
Published: May 2011

As in all industries, in order to win in a market and set an appropriate strategy, it is important to know as much as possible about that market and have at one’s disposal tools that will provide insight and competitive advantage when properly, collectively, consistently, and timely applied. This paper presents a series of powerful, but easy to use and understand, analytical and operational tools that deliver insight and competitive advantage to the telecommunications professional. Moreover, it should be stated that as with all good tools, the tools and models as presented herein transition across industry lines and are not limited to the telecommunications industry alone.
Converged Networks and Seamless Mobility
Authors: Ioannidis Anthony , Kritsotakis Jiorgis
Published: May 2011

Convergence in the communication industry is a reality – networks are being integrated, digital devices are being unified, and organizations seeking to take advantage of the breadth of opportunities are moving into neighboring industries. These ground-shifting changes have precipitated the emergence of what has come to be known as the Next Generation Network (NGN). Bridging the fixed and mobile divide, that enables the “always connected lifestyle”, where all electronic equipment can be connected to each other in a seamless manner, and users access a wide range of services free of any time, location, and device constraints, stands out as the most notable manifestation of an NGN proposition. This is also known as the Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC). Given the general confusion and uncertainty that characterizes the rapidly integrated communications industry, this paper seeks to assess whether an integrated bundled network can itself become the gateway for the efficient delivery of multimedia applications and services. Applying the Resource Based View (RBV) theory, on the recent developments in the FMC space, this paper concurs with industry-wide skepticism and provides guidelines for the fulfillment of the NGN promise.
Optimizing IT Implementation by Using the Enterprise Architecture Approach (EA)
Authors: Ioannidis Anthony , Skarpetis Nikolaos
Published: May 2011

Businesses world-wide are faced with similar challenges including changing business conditions, shrinking profit margins, and competitive pressures. An organization is affected daily by the vast amounts of information received and stored from both external and internal environments. This information when not organized or standardized in a strategic manner, leads to the fragmentation of this same information. In turn, this fragmentation negatively affects an organization’s productivity, competitive advantage and thus its profitability. This chapter discusses the importance of developing a system that not only works in support of, but hand-in-hand with the specific needs of a given business. Through the discussion of its main characteristics and its implementation, it will be shown that the Enterprise Architecture Approach (EA) meets this specific need, as it provides the “blue-prints” to strategically organize information.
Adaptive IT Architecture as a Catalyst for Network Capability in Government
Authors: Ramanathan Jay
Published: May 2011

Public institutions that are organized in hierarchies find it difficult to address crisis or other unique requirements that demand networked solutions. This chapter first provides a prescriptive transactionbased method for achieving such networking organizations with information technologies (IT) and then discusses how the organization becomes more effective in non-routine responses to citizen requests. We illustrate how the prescriptive transaction-based enterprise architecture1 framework2 was used for decision-making in a multi-year interdisciplinary industry-university collaboration resulting in a successful 311 system.
Distributed Work Arrangements Supporting Organizational Needs
Authors: Roper Kathy O. , Kim Jun Ha
Published: May 2011

The objective of this paper is to provide understanding in developing high performance distributed work arrangements (DWA), and suggestions for an evaluation framework for measuring productivity changes in these distributed work arrangements. Globalization and development of information and communication technology (ICT) enables many organizations be more geographically distributed with work conducted in multiple locations. Distributed work and virtual organizations are at the center of much attention not only from the business world, but also from academia. In recent years, many different distributed work settings have been created to improve productivity while reducing costs.
Integrating Sensor Nodes into a Middleware for Ambient Intelligence
Authors: Klus Holger , Niebuhr Dirk
Published: May 2011

The development of infrastructures enabling dynamic and automated composition of IT systems is a big challenge. This paper addresses a new idea of allowing component-based systems to reconfigure themselves. Therefore, the authors propose DAiSI - a Dynamic Adaptive System Infrastructure for dynamic integration of components as well as their reconfiguration during runtime. Thereby, one of the features of the infrastructure is that it is capable of binding components based on their availability. In this paper the authors concentrate on presenting how resource constrained sensor nodes can be integrated into a system using this infrastructure.
Health Infonomics
Authors: Mackert Michael , Whitten Pamela , Holtz Bree
Published: May 2011

Researchers are currently challenged to document the economic aspects of information across an array of contexts. While some lessons can be applied generally, certain contexts present unique challenges for researchers interested in the acquisition, management, and use of information. Health is one such field currently undergoing a revolution driven by new applications of information-based technologies and services. This chapter provides background on health informatics and current issues as health informatics impacts the provision of health in doctors’ offices, shifts the provision of healthcare services into patients’ homes, and presents new opportunities to address public health concerns. An outline of a future research agenda in health informatics and a look at the prospect of health informatics applications provides the necessary foundation for focused work on the economic impact of this information-driven transformation in healthcare delivery.
Modeling and Analysis of Surgery Patient Identification Using RFID
Authors: Jeong Byungho , Cheng Chen-Yang , Prabhu Vittal
Published: May 2011

This article proposes a workflow and reliability model for surgery patient identification using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). Certain types of mistakes may be prevented by automatically identifying the patient before surgery. The proposed workflow is designed to ensure that both the correct site and patient are engaged in the surgical process. The reliability model can be used to assess improvements in patients’ safety during this process. A proof-of-concept system is developed to understand the information flow and to use information in RFID-based patient identification. Reliability model indicates the occurrences of patient identification error can be reduced from 90 to as low as 0.89 per 10,000 surgeries using the proposed RFID based workflow.