bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Designing Online Pedagogical Techniques for Student Learning Outcomes
Authors: MacKeogh Kay , Fox Seamus , Lorenzi Francesca , Walsh Elaine
Published: May 2011

The concept of identifying and measuring student learning outcomes has been embraced by a wide range of international policy makers and institutions across the globe, including the European Union through the Bologna Process, the USA, the OECD and other international organisations, while at national level many states have adopted, or are in the process of adopting a new national qualifications framework, based on student learning outcomes. The challenge for educators is to develop ways of enabling students to achieve, and to demonstrate their achievement, of these outcomes. The aim of this chapter is to explore ways in which online pedagogical techniques can be designed to provide solutions to the challenge of clearly demonstrating that students are achieving intended learning outcomes. While the techniques have been developed in the context of distance education programmes, the chapter includes an example of how these methods have been adapted for blended learning for on-campus students. A note of caution is sounded on the need to adopt effective techniques which do not impact unduly on lecturer workload.
The Management and Creation of Knowledge
Authors: Bruen C. , Fitzpatrick N. , Gormley P. , Harvey J. , McAvinia C.
Published: May 2011

Wikis are frequently cited in higher education research as appropriate and powerful web spaces which provide opportunities to capture, discuss, and review individual, group, project or organisational activities. These activities, in turn, offer possibilities for knowledge development by utilising wiki collaborative active spaces.The chapter uses selected case studies to illustrate the use of wikis to support online community based tasks, project development/processes, collaborative materials development and various student and peer supported activities. A key focus of the chapter is on evaluating the effectiveness (or otherwise) of wikis to create online communities to support knowledge management, development, retention and transfer.By way of contextualising the studies, a variety of examples of the use of wikis in higher education are reviewed. While there are relatively few studies of the use of Web 2.0 for the creation of knowledge, there are a number of reports which indicate the preference for the use of Web 2.0 technologies over the standard virtual learning environments.The chapter concludes with a review of the emergent themes arising and lessons learned from the case studies. This leads into a series of recommendations relating to the effective establishment, design, management and use of wikis to support knowledge creation and collaborative enterprise.
Learning to LOLIPOP
Authors: Bruen Jennifer , Péchenart Juliette , Crosbie Veronica
Published: May 2011

The focus of this chapter is twofold: firstly, on the development of an electronic version of a European Language Portfolio, known as the LOLIPOP ELP,1 and, secondly, on its integration into a study and research skills module for first-year students on the BA in Applied Language and Intercultural Studies at Dublin City University. The chapter begins with an introduction to the concept of a European Language Portfolio (ELP) in the context of current trends in foreign language learning and teaching. It then describes the development and key features of the LOLIPOP ELP. It explains how it was integrated into a first-year, undergraduate research and study skills module focusing on elements of course design and assessment. Finally, the chapter concludes by analysing the output from the participants in this study which indicates that they appreciated the opportunity to engage with the LOLIPOP ELP and found it beneficial to their language learning although issues remain around its design and integration into an academic programme.
DSS in Pig Production Systems
Authors: Plà-Aragonés Lluís Miquel
Published: May 2011

Decision support systems (DSS) is the natural framework where decision models should be included in order to support farmers, advisers or livestock management specialists in the decision making process. During last years, the increment of competition between pig producers caused the marginal benefits per unit of product to reduce. A concentration of production to maintain past profit levels is performed. In this context, there is an increasing interest in DSS tools capable of dealing with the uncertainty inherent to pig production systems for practical decision support. In this chapter the development of DSS for pig systems representing either the productive and reproductive behaviour of a group of breeding sows over time and their mathematical foundation are reviewed. It is in the aim to detect strong and weak points making DSS more suitable for practical use, explaining why actually few farmers and specialists are using them. New DSS tools adapted to particular production patterns beyond individual farms and the irruption of internet are also important issues in future developments. Arguments presented, discussion and conclusion can easily extended to other livestock systems.
Virtual Learning Environments for Culture and Intercultural Competence
Authors: Ogan Amy , Lane H. Chad
Published: May 2011

The authors review six virtual learning environments built to support the acquisition of cultural knowledge and communication skills: ATL, BiLAT, Croquelandia, Second China, TLCTS, and VECTOR. Each leverages modern 3D video game engine technology which allows high-fidelity simulation of new cultural settings, including representations of buildings, streets, art work, dress, voice, gestures, and more. To bring more realism to simulated cultural interactions, several of the systems are driven by artificial intelligence (AI) models of culture, communication, and emotion. Additionally, several rely on narrative-based techniques to place the target culture in context and enhance motivation of those using the systems. The authors conclude with a discussion of the reviewed environments and identify potential research directions that focus on (1) intercultural competence skills, (2) learner assessment, and (3) cultural model building and validation.
Assigning People as Number One Priority
Authors: Ansari Walid El
Published: May 2011

Notions of the “expert patient,” user choices about where care is provided and by whom, and enhanced understanding between patients and healthcare workers for continuity of care all have implications for workforce planning and human resources. Modern health systems and care require a range of patient and community inputs if they are to be relevant for their users. However, partnering with disadvantaged communities for such purposes is not an easy undertaking. Such partnership efforts need to be premised on a participatory approach and face multiple challenges. Given the range of the stakeholders involved, the sharing of turf, risks, and resources that are usually part of such efforts requires careful consideration of all the partners. Further, there is always the possible exhaustion of the communities from being repeatedly over-researched, as well as the frequently encountered initial lack of trust between partners-to-be who have not previously collaborated. In such circumstances, the sharing of assets and a focus on enhancing the mutual capacities for a common purpose needs to be spelled out clearly from the start. Notwithstanding these and other challenges, over the past decade partnerships have become a frequent requirement for government and funding agency assistance. Research partnerships that incorporate community assets and values are among the defining approaches to social problem solving, where partnering has become the fundamental and strategic component of efforts aimed at promoting community health.
3D Modelling and Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Marichal G. N. , Hernández A. , González E. J. , Acosta L. , Saorin J. L.
Published: May 2011

This paper explains the different interactions between the Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques and 3D modelling, not only the wide-used application of AI in order to the implementation of 3D environments, but the less explored use of 3D models in order to take advantage from AI techniques. The authors will be especially interested in real Engineering applications, but the techniques presented in this paper are general and can be used in other research fields. Moreover, a particular robotic application is shown.
Intrinsic Evolvable Hardware Structures
Authors: Ionescu Laurentiu , Mazare Alin , Iana Gabriel , Serban Gheorghe , Bostan Ionel
Published: May 2011

The main target of this chapter is to present the intrinsic evolvable hardware structures: concept, design and applications. The intrinsic evolvable hardware structures concept join more research areas like: bio–inspired searching methods (evolutionary algorithms), optimization of algorithms by parallel processing and reconfigurable circuits. First, a general overview about intrinsic evolvable hardware structure is presented. The intrinsic evolvable hardware structure consists of two main modules: hardware genetic algorithm and dynamic reconfigurable circuit. The hardware genetic algorithm searches the configuration that makes the reconfigurable circuit to correctly respond to application requirements. The background section present the genetic algorithm concept as a bio-inspired search solution, the hardware reconfiguration concept with sub areas classifications and the research directions in the evolvable hardware structures areas with application examples. The main section presents the design solutions for hardware implementation of genetic algorithm and for the reconfigurable circuit. Finally, several applications are presented that illustrate the usefulness of the intrinsic evolvable hardware structure.
GA-Based Data Mining Applied to Genetic Data for the Diagnosis of Complex Diseases
Authors: Aguiar Vanessa , Seoane Jose A. , Freire Ana , Guo Ling
Published: May 2011

A new algorithm is presented for finding genotype-phenotype association rules from data related to complex diseases. The algorithm was based on genetic algorithms, a technique of evolutionary computation. The algorithm was compared to several traditional data mining techniques and it was proved that it obtained better classification scores and found more rules from the data generated artificially. It also obtained similar results when using some UCI Machine Learning datasets. In this chapter it is assumed that several groups of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) have an impact on the predisposition to develop a complex disease like schizophrenia. It is expected to validate this in a short period of time on real data.
Improving Ontology Alignment through Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Vázquez Naya José Manuel , Martínez Romero Marcos , Loureiro Javier Pereira , Munteanu Cristian R. , Pazos Sierra Alejandro
Published: May 2011

Ontology alignment is recognized as a fundamental process to achieve an adequate interoperability between people or systems that use different, overlapping ontologies to represent common knowledge. This process consists of finding the semantic relations between different ontologies. There are different techniques conceived to measure the semantic similarity of elements from separate ontologies, which must be adequately combined in order to obtain precise and complete results. Nevertheless, combining multiple measures into a single similarity metric is a complex problem, which has been traditionally solved using weights determined manually by an expert, or calculated through general methods that does not provide optimal results. In this chapter, a genetic algorithm based approach to find out how to aggregate different similarity metrics into a single measure is presented. Starting from an initial population of individuals, each one representing a specific combination of measures, the algorithm finds the combination that provides the best alignment quality.
Applications of Self-Organizing Maps to Address Environmental Studies
Authors: Gómez-Carracedo M. P. , Ballabio D. , Andrade J. M. , Fernández-Varela R. , Consonni V.
Published: May 2011

An overview on the basic principles of Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs), Counter-Propagation Artificial Neural Networks (i.e., a SOM with a supervised layer, called the Grossberg layer) and the so-called MOLecular Map of Atom-level Properties (MOLMAP) and their usefulness in analytical chemistry, particularly in the environmental field, was presented. Two case studies dealing with environmental studies of soil pollution by road traffic and sea pollution by spilled hydrocarbons were discussed in detail to exemplify different benefits derived from the use of these techniques.
Designing Web-Based Training Courses to Maximize Learning
Authors: Sitzmann Traci , Ely Katherine , Wisher Robert A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents results from a meta-analysis that compares the effectiveness of Web-based instruction (WBI) to classroom instruction (CI). The results suggest that when the same instructional methods are used, WBI and CI are equally effective for teaching declarative knowledge. However, the instructional methods and course design features incorporated in WBI are critical factors in determining trainees’ knowledge acquisition. Specifically, the chapter examines the influence of lecture, human interaction, and learner control on the effectiveness of WBI. Based on the findings, the authors provide the following recommendations for increasing learning in WBI: (1) require trainees to be active, (2) incorporate a variety of instructional methods, (3) offer computer and Internet skillscourses, (4) provide trainees with access to lecture notes, (5) incorporate synchronous human interaction, and (6) provide trainees with learner control.
Community of Inquiry in Adult Online Learning
Authors: Akyol Zehra , Garrison D. Randy
Published: May 2011

The adult education literature emphasizes communitybuilding in order to increase effectiveness and success ofonline teaching and learning. In this chapter theCommunity of Inquiry Framework that was developed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000) has been introduced as a promising theory for adult learning in onlineenvironments. The chapter discusses the potential of the CoI framework to create effective adult online learning communities by utilizing the research findings from anonline course. Overall, the research findings showed that students had positive attitudes toward the communitydeveloped in the course and that their perception of constituting elements of the community of inquiry was significantly related to perceived learning and satisfaction.
Enhancing Skills of Application Software via Web-Enabled Problem-Based Learning and Self-Regulated Learning
Authors: Shen Pei-Di , Lee Tsang-Hsiung , Tsai Chia-Wen
Published: May 2011

The computer software education in vocational schools in Taiwan can hardly be deemed as effective. To increase students’ learning motivation and develop practical skills, innovative learning designs such as problem-basedlearning(PBL) and self-regulated learning (SRL) are on trial in this specific context. We conducted a series of quasi-experiments to examine effects of these designs mediated by a web-based learning environment. Two classes of 106 freshmen in a semester course at Institute of Technology in Taiwan were chosen for this empirical study. Result sreveal that effects of web-enabled PBL, web-enabled SRL, andtheir combinations, on students’ skills of applicationsoftware have significant differences. The implications of this study are alsodiscussed.
Integrated Design of Web-Platform, Offline Supports, and Evaluation System for the Successful Implementation of University 2.0
Authors: Kim Soyoung , Kim Minyoung , Hong Junhee
Published: May 2011

University 2.0 is a collaborative way of constructing andsharing knowledge, based on epistemological and social technologies to amplify the effect of interaction andparticipation at higher education settings. In this case study, Web 2.0 social technologies were implemented to improve teaching and learning performances by integrating user-centered interactive platform, offline support strategies, and evaluation systems. The interactive web-platform is the essence of University 2.0 and enables thevarious interested parties to practice the 2.0 spirits of openness, sharing, and participation. In order to make learning based on the web-platform more effective andefficient, offline supports such as learning cells, learning facilitators, and learning spaces should be supplemented.The CIPP model was employed to monitor all processes ofthe University 2.0 project, to guide developers to the next steps, to attract attention from faculty members andstudents, and to derive consensus among them.
Examining the Relationship Between Course Management Systems, Presentation Software, and Student Learning
Authors: Crawley Daria C. , Frey Barbara A.
Published: May 2011

This research examines the relative impact of students’ in-class behaviors (i.e., attendance and participation) by assessing student perceptions of the value of instructional technologies, such as eCollege course managementsystems and instructors’ PowerPoint presentations. Theresults of the study through exploratory factor analyses revealed that 13 items were divided into three factors (electronic presentations, onlinecourse management, andeffective classroom behavior) with 53 percent explained variance in instructional technologies’ impact on studentlearning. ANOVA results indicated significant differences in online-course management and perceived impact of electronic presentations on students’ classroom behavior among respondents who used the online-coursemanagement system. Respondents who used multiple onlinecourse management features viewed it more favorably and did not believe that it had a negative impact on classroom behaviors, such as attendance or class participation compared to those who used fewer features. Implications for construct refinement and future research are discussed.
Web-Based Implementation of the Personalised System of Instruction
Authors: Brinkman Willem-Paul , Rae Andrew , Dwivedi Yogesh   K.
Published: May 2011

This article presents a case study of a university discrete mathematics course with over 170 students who had access to an online learning environment (OLE) that included a variety of online tools, such as videos, self-tests, discussion boards, and lecture notes. The course is based on the ideas of the personalised system of instruction (PSI) modified to take advantage of an OLE. Students’ learning is examined over a period of two years, and compared with that in a more traditionally taught part of the course. To examine students’ behaviour, learning strategies, attitudes and performance, both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used in a mixed methodology approach, including in-depth interviews (N = 9), controlled laboratory observations (N = 8), surveys (N = 243), diary studies (N = 10), classroom observations, recording online usage behaviour, and learning assessments. The paper aims to increase understanding of whether PSI, supported by an OLE, could enhance student appreciation and achievement as findings suggest.
Herding Cats
Authors: Philip Donald N.
Published: May 2011

Teachers using online learning environments have found that traditional classroom control techniques do not work when applied online. Instead, other approaches need to be used. This chapter introduces the concept of knowledge-building as an approach that is effective in online learning,and the concept of protocological control as a means ofcontrolling the communications networks that evolve during the learning process. Data from a study involving students in a gr. 5/6 hybrid (online and face-to-face) class are used to illustrate how the teacher controls the learning process when the students all work independently of each other. The use of social network analysis as a tool for visualizing the communications networks that form is demonstrated.
Web-Based Collaboration and Decision Making Support
Authors: Karacapilidis Nikos , Tzagarakis Manolis
Published: May 2011

Arguing that a vvaryying levvel of formmalityy needs to be offered in syystemms supporting argummentativvecollaboration, this article proposes an incremmental formmalization approach that has been adopted in the devvelopmment of CoPe_it!, a Web-based tool that commplies with collaborativve principles and practices, andprovvides mmemmbers of commmmunities engaged in argummentativve discussions and decision mmakingprocesses with the appropriate mmeans to collaborate towards the solution of divverse issues. AAccording to the proposed approach, incremmental formmalization can be achievved through the consideration of alternativve projections of a collaborativve workspace.
Metacognition for Enhancing Online Learning
Authors: Chiazzese Giuseppe , Chifari Antonella , Merlo Gianluca , Ottaviano Simona , Seta Luciano
Published: May 2011

The existing research in the field of traditional didactics shows that students who have good metacognitive skills often achieve better scholastic results. Therefore, it seems that students who are aware of their cognitive processes and are able to self-monitor their learning activities tackle didactic tasks with greater success. The chapter presents an analysis of studies regarding applications ofmetacognition within technological learning environments which have been implemented in the last few years, and this is followed by a description of the features of the Gym2learn system. This system aims to reveal self-regulating processes and guide the student in acquiring all the steps of the executive control of some important comprehension strategies for understanding hypertexts.
Blogging Minds on Web-Based Educational Projects
Authors: Yang Harrison Hao
Published: May 2011

Weblogs are radically redefining the way people obtain information and the way they teach and learn. This chapter examines issues and problems of typical Web-basededucational projects as gleaned from the literature. It then reveals the potentials and advantages of the Weblog for enhancing those existing Web-based educational projects. It also proposes a new framework which integrates the Weblog as a means for Web-based educational project design, development, and implementation. Finally, it presents a case study which incorporated Weblogs in a specific Web-based educational project - the development of a professional portfolio.
The Evolution of B2B E-Services from First Generation E-Commerce Solutions to Multichannel Architectures
Authors: Legner Christine
Published: May 2011

Although e-services have been recognized for their contribution to strengthening customer relationships and fostering customer loyalty, prior research is heavily skewed toward the field of business-to-consumer interactions and online retail channels. This article explores the evolution of e-services in the business-to-business domain. Based on the case study of ETA SA, a Swiss manufacturer of watch movements and components, it identifies three stages of increasing electronic interaction with customers. The company pioneered online ordering of watch spare parts based on a first generation e-commerce solution and subsequently introduced a comprehensive customer service portal. Our research suggests that moving from the e-commerce solution to the customer process portal involved a significant extension of the e-service portfolio (service innovation), whereas the subsequent stage introduced an additional electronic channel (channel innovation). Every stage in this evolution path forces companies to substantially re-architect their interorganizational process and system linkages. From the experiences of ETA SA, we conclude that a service-oriented multichannel architecture makes it easier to cope with the growing number of e-services and the complexity of serving multiple electronic channels.
Accessibility, Usability, and Functionality in T-Government Services
Authors: Pagani Margherita
Published: May 2011

The transition process from analog to digital system, above all in the broadcasting field, and the development of Third Generation standards in mobile communications offer an increasing number of value-added services: the incumbent actors (i.e., local and central administrations, local health structures and hospitals, dealers of public services) have the opportunity to provide e-services to citizens by exploiting the new technologies (digital television, mobile). The centrality of technology for citizens is a central issue in the Information Society policy, at a local, regional, national, European, and global level. In Europe, the action plan called “eEurope 2005”1 aims to increase productivity, better public services, and above all guarantee to the whole community the possibility to participate in a global information society, promoting new offers based on broadband and multiplatform infrastructures. Therefore, new devices, such as digital television and mobile systems, are becoming innovative and complementary solutions to the PC. As service providers must guarantee an adequate interface to the citizen, it is also important to identify the critical variables influencing the design of the new t-government services. We explore in this chapter accessibility, usability, and functionality of the systems as the key drivers to build a pervasive offer.
Adding Value to SMEs in the Courier Industry by Adopting a Web-Based Service Delivery Model
Authors: Darbyshire Paul
Published: May 2011

The aim of this research is to design a framework for a Web system that is intended for linking small and medium transport companies with their customers. The unique aspects of the framework are twofold. The framework utilizes Web services, which means that it can be applied to existing software and hardware environments. This reduces the need for specialized integration and development, the cost of which becomes a further barrier to SMEs in adding value to customers through existing systems. The framework is additionally designed to link both communities of SMEs and customers in a fledgling digital ecosystem arrangement. Such arrangements offer inherent added value to both types of participants.
Web Services in Distributed Information Systems
Authors: Zhao Xia , Wang Tao , Liu Enjie , Clapworthy Gordon J.
Published: May 2011

Distributed information systems are growing rapidly in response to the improvement of computer hardware and software and this is matched by the evolution of the technologies involved. This article focuses mainly on Web Services technology and discusses related technical issues including availability, performance and composition. It also introduces Grid, agents and Semantic Web technologies that can work together with Web Services to serve different business goals.
The Role of E-Services in the Transition from the Product Focus to the Service Focus in the Printing Business
Authors: Penttinen Esko , Saarinen Timo , Sinervo Pekka
Published: May 2011

Today, many manufacturing companies are focusing on their service operations, which are often seen as a better source of revenue than the traditional product business. E-services can accelerate this process by offering companies new ways to control products and monitor equipment from a distance. This chapter describes the changes which are taking place in the printing business. It tells the story of Lexmark, a printer manufacturer that has recently created differentiated offerings to its business customers. In the case of Lexmark, this repositioning of offerings has been enabled by e-services. Here, the e-services consist of the Lexmark Fleet Manager system which monitors the use and availability of the equipment and makes suggestions on how to improve the printing processes on the customer site. The case ends with a description of the actual challenges that Lexmark is currently facing.
Understanding and Facilitating the Development of Social Networks in Online Dating Communities
Authors: Bishop Jonathan
Published: May 2011

Online dating is a big business, allowing people from the comfort of their own home to view and read about potential mates all around the world. Different dating sites offer different services. However, it is not yet commonplace for Web sites dedicated to dating to use the social networking tools used by popular online communities, such as those that use the personal homepage and message board genres. The ecological cognition framework (ECF) provides a theoretical model regarding online dating communities’ behavior and relationship development. A model based on the ECF is proposed and provides a basis for developing online dating services that effectively support relationship development. Two investigations are presented in this chapter, one that uses a case study approach to identify and describe online dating services from the perspective of a specific case and another that assess the effectiveness of existing online dating services based on the guidelines developed from the case study. The case study provides a useful insight into the nature of social networking from the perspective of a specific case, which led to guidelines for developing e-dating systems that when evaluated showed that the most popular social networking services also score well against the criteria proposed in those guidelines.
Tracing the Many Translations of a Web-Based IT Artefact
Authors: Naidoo R. , Leonard A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter adopts an interpretive, case based research strategy to discuss the centrality of meaning in implementing an Internet-based self-service technology. Actor-Network theory (ANT) is used to describe the complex evolution of a Web-based service at a healthcare insurance firm. Using processes of inscribing, translating and framing, this chapter explores the emergence of the technology from 1999 – 2005 using three technological frames, ‘channel of choice’, ‘dazzle the customer’, and ‘complementary channel’ as episodes of translation. ANT demonstrates that the Internet-based self-service technology at this particular healthcare context emerged out of many unplanned negotiations and mediations with both human and non human actors. Finally, this chapter argues that ANT’s socio-technical lens provides a richer understanding of the meaning of Internet-based self-service technology within a multi-channel context.
The Role of E-Services in the Library Virtualization Process
Authors: Scupola Ada
Published: May 2011

The networked ICT technologies (such as the Internet) are having a dramatic effect on how services and especially knowledge services are innovated, designed, produced and distributed. In addition ICT-networks such as the Internet have created the basis for the development of new types of services. E-services are defined here as services that are produced, provided and/or consumed through the use of ICT-networks such as for example Internet-based systems and mobile solutions. E-services can be used by both consumers and businesses, and can be accessed via a wide range of information appliances (Hoffman, 2003, p.53). E-services include also selling of physical goods on the Internet as for example an airline ticket that is purchased online, but delivered by surface mail to the buyers or government services offered on the Internet or e-government. There are three main characteristics of e-services: • The service is accessible across the Internet or other electronic networks • The service is consumed by a person across the Internet or other electronic networks • There might be a fee that the consumer pays the provider for using the e-service, but that might not always be the case as for example in some e-services offered by the government. Normally the production, provision or consumption of a service requires the interaction between the service provider and the user of the service. Traditionally this has been based on personal interactions, most often face-to-face interactions. In e-services, the production, consumption and/or provision of services takes place through the intermediation of an ICT-network such as Internet-based systems or mobile solutions. Examples of e-services are e-banking, e-library services, e-publishing, airline tickets, e-government, information and location services. The advent of e-commerce and e-services has raised a number of challenges for knowledge intensive service organizations such as consulting companies, libraries and publishers, as well as for companies selling physical goods. The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges that e-services are posing and will pose for research or academic libraries. The study has focused on the issues that Roskilde University Library (RUB) has had to deal with as a result of e-services adoption as well as the future challenges that e-services provide for RUB. The study is based on a number of interviews with RUB management, other secondary material provided by Roskilde University library and information provided on the Web page.
A Survey of Attacks in the Web Services World
Authors: Jensen Meiko , Gruschka Nils
Published: May 2011

In the modern electronic business world, services offered to business partners as well as to customers have become an important company asset. This again produces interests for attacking those services either to paralyze the availability or to gain unauthorized access. Though founding on decades of networking experience, Web Services are not more resistant to security attacks than other open network systems. Quite the opposite is true: Web Services are exposed to attacks well-known from common Internet protocols and additionally to new kinds of attacks targeting Web Services in particular. This chapter presents a survey of different types of such Web Service specific attacks. For each attack a description of the attack execution, the effect on the target and partly the results of practical experiments are given. Additionally, general countermeasures for fending Web Service attacks are shown.
E-Therapy
Authors: Reis Catarina I. , Freire Carla S. , Monguet Josep M.
Published: May 2011

Nowadays, information and communication technologies (ICT) are being used in the mental health field to improve the quality of the services provided. Several studies refer both advantages and disadvantages for these practices. E-therapy appears as a new way to help people in their life and existing relationships, and there is proven evidence that online therapy helps, for instance, to reduce depression symptoms. It is also seen as a complement of the technological and traditional techniques, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the therapeutic process. As a matter of fact, some people tend to be more comfortable with the computer than in face-to-face therapy. Besides patients and physicians, other direct players could be found in this domain, namely, families and caregivers. All players will be directly affected by the use of existing services and thus, a correct assessment of the effectiveness of e-therapy solutions and studies is required. eSchi is a multimedia portal that enables an e-therapy setting for schizophrenia patients. Currently under development, the system is described and future trends in the area are depicted.
The Digital Divide and the Emerging Virtual Therapeutic System
Authors: Barthold Christine H. , McNutt John G.
Published: May 2011

As the Internet becomes increasingly more and more ingrained in our society, the gap between those who have adequate Web access and those who do not will continue to widen. In the health, mental health, and disability sectors of society, technology helps provide access to previously unavailable information, communication, and services, allowing for greater independence, as well as 24/7 access to collaboration and support. The digital divide might prevent the people who will benefit the most from virtual services from accessing them. This chapter will explore systems of online health and mental healthcare, both formal and informal, the dependence on advanced networking technologies for these systems to be effective, and the impact of the digital divide on individuals’ access to online health and mental healthcare. We will discuss the implications for both policy and practice.
Enterprise Resource Planning Systems
Authors: Mishra Alok
Published: May 2011

In the age of globalization, organizations all over the world are giving more significance to strategy and planning to get an edge in the competition. This chapter discusses the Enterprise Resurce Planning (ERP) systems effects and strategic perspectives in organizations. These are significant how information technology and ERP together facilitate in aligning the business in such a way so that it should lead to excellent productivity. It further explores in what ways effects of ERP system in organizations can provide sustained competitive advantage.
Supply Chain Information Systems and Decision Support
Authors: Doyle Liam
Published: May 2011

Supply chains have become have become increasingly important as organisations have moved from competing on a stand-alone basis to recognizing that their success depends upon their trading partners. This includes their upstream suppliers and downstream customers. A supply chain involves a number of tiers of suppliers and customers that extends from the initial source of raw materials through to the final consumer of the finished product. Supply chain management involves the coordination of a number of functional areas in multiple organisations. Large amounts of information can be captured describing the activities in these organisations. It is possible to use this information in order to assist in decision making at strategic, tactical, and operational levels of the supply chain. The large volume of information available and the interdependencies between the activities within these multiple organisations means that it is necessary to employ computerized decision support systems to optimize supply chain activities.
Design and Analysis of Decision Support Systems
Authors: Wang John , Yao James , Chen Qiyang , Xing Ruben
Published: May 2011

Since their creation in the early 1960’s, decision support systems (DSSs) have evolved over the past 4 decades and continue to do so today. Although DSSs have grown substantially since its inception, improvements still need to be made. New technology has emerged and will continue to do so and, consequently, DSSs need to keep pace with it. Also, knowledge needs to play a bigger role in the form of decision making. We first discuss design and analysis methods/techniques/issues related to DSSs. Then, the three possible waysto enhance DSSs will be explored.
Tools for Collaborative Business Process T Modeling
Authors: González Paz Perez , Framinan Jose M.
Published: May 2011

A business process can be defined as a set of related tasks that are carried out within a business or organization in order to obtain certain output that should add value for the business client or organization (Gunasekaran & Kobu, 2002). An enterprise can be then analyzed and integrated through its business processes. Thus, business process modeling (BPM) becomes a fundamental part of business process management, as it enables a common understanding and analysis of a company’s business processes. Particularly, BPM using computer-aided design tools and a standard visual form of notation to describe, validate, and simulate business processes has taken on a new importance (Jonah, 2002).
Sequential Patterns Postprocessing for Structural Relation Patterns Mining
Authors: Lu Jing , Chen Weiru , Adjei Osei , Keech Malcolm
Published: May 2011

Sequential patterns mining is an important data-mining technique used to identify frequently observed sequential occurrence of items across ordered transactions over time. It has been extensively studied in the literature, and there exists a diversity of algorithms. However, more complex structural patterns are often hidden behind sequences. This article begins with the introduction of a model for the representation of sequential patterns—Sequential Patterns Graph—which motivates the search for new structural relation patterns. An integrative framework for the discovery of these patterns–Postsequential Patterns Mining–is then described which underpins the postprocessing of sequential patterns. A corresponding data-mining method based on sequential patterns postprocessing is proposed and shown to be effective in the search for concurrent patterns. From experiments conducted on three component algorithms, it is demonstrated that sequential patterns-based concurrent patterns mining provides an efficient method for structural knowledge discovery.
A Survey of Managing the Evolution of Data Warehouses
Authors: Wrembel Robert
Published: May 2011

Methods of designing a data warehouse (DW) usually assume that its structure is static. In practice, however, a DW structure changes among others as the result of the evolution of external data sources and changes of the real world represented in a DW. The most advanced research approaches to this problem are based on temporal extensions and versioning techniques. This article surveys challenges in designing, building, and managing data warehouses whose structure and content evolve in time. The survey is based on the so-called Multiversion Data Warehouse (MVDW). In details, this article presents the following issues: the concept of the MVDW, a language for querying the MVDW, a framework for detecting changes in data sources, a structure for sharing data in the MVDW, index structures for indexing data in the MVDW.
The Implementation of Large-Scale Decision-Making Support Systems
Authors: Mora Manual , Gelman Ovsei , Forgionne Guisseppi , Cervantes Francisco
Published: May 2011

This article reviews the literature-based issues involved in implementing large-scale decision-making support systems (DMSSs). Unlike previous studies, this review studies holistically three types of DMSSs (model-based decision support systems, executive-oriented decision support systems, and knowledge-based decision support systems) and incorporates recent studies on the simulation of the implementations process. Such an article contributes to the literature by organizing the fragmented knowledge on the DMSS implementation phenomenon and by communicating the factors and stages involved in successful or failed large-scale DMSS implementations to practitioners.
Managing Online Customer Service Operations
Authors: Barnes David , Hinton Matthew
Published: May 2011

This chapter investigates the implications of moving customer service operations online. Many organizations believe that e-business can provide opportunities to improve customer service operations by enabling them to get closer to the customer and enhance the customer contact experience. However, use of the Internet fundamentally changes the nature of a customer’s interaction with an organization, as the customer interacts with a computer screen rather than a human being. The online customer service encounter within the business processes of ordering and delivering was investigated in eight companies. It was concluded that an enhanced experience was only likely if the emotional aspects of customer service are considered alongside the functional.
Telecommunication Customer Detainment Management
Authors: Qi Jiayin , Li Yuanquan , Li Chen , Zhang Yingying
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes an integrated methodological system of telecommunication customer detainment management, including telecommunication customer churn prediction and strategy formulation of customer detainment management. The formulation of churn customer detainment management strategy includes customer detainment value assessment, customer detainment level determination, enterpriseattribution approach based on customer detainment strategy analysis, evaluation and implementation, and so forth. Future research in this field is discussed at the end of this chapter.
Success Factors for the Implementation of Enterprise Portals
Authors: Remus Ulrich
Published: May 2011

The implementation of enterprise portals is still ranked top on the wish list of many CEOs, expecting that the portal becomes the core system for offering a flexible infrastructure that integrates and extends business applications “beyond the enterprise” (Hazra, 2002). By 2009, the market for application integration, middleware, and portals is expected to grow to $7.1 billion, with a 5-year compound annual growth rate of 2.7% (Correia, Biscotti, Dharmasthira, & Wurster, 2005).
Semantic Synchronization in B2B Transactions
Authors: Fengel Janina , Paulheim Heiko , Rebstock Michael
Published: May 2011

Despite the development of e-business standards, the integration of business processes and business information systems is still a non-trivial issue if business partners use different e-business standards for formatting and describing information to be processed. Since those standards can be understood as ontologies, ontological engineering technologies can be applied for processing, especially ontology matching for reconciling them. However, as e-business standards tend to be rather large-scale ontologies, scalability is a crucial requirement. To serve this demand, we present our ORBI Ontology Mediator. It is linked with our Malasco system for partition-based ontology matching with currently available matching systems, which so far do not scale well, if at all. In our case study we show how to provide dynamic semantic synchronization between business partners using different e-business standards without initial ramp-up effort, based on ontological mapping technology combined with interactive user participation.
Web-Based Decision Support System
Authors: Goswami Rajib , Barua Pankaj
Published: May 2011

This chapter elaborates the basic concepts underlying the development of Web-based decision support systems (DSS) with a discussion on the key concepts and technical issues. The utility of Web-based decision support system in enhancing communication and decision-making capability in a distributed environment or a multiple stakeholder process (MSP) has been explained through examples with diverse application from the real world. Further, the chapter introduces a Web-based decision support system developed by the authors for water resources management on basin scale and also some evolving concepts like mobile agent technology to meet the challenges and problems associated with traditional Web-based DSS. The authors hope that better understanding of the key issues and concepts can bring together analysts, modelers, and the end users to build Web-based DSS that are understandable, accessible and acceptable to all, be it corporate or business houses, environmental agencies or government organizations.
What-if Simulation Modeling in Business Intelligence
Authors: Golfarelli Matteo , Rizzi Stefano
Published: May 2011

Optimizing decisions has become a vital factor for companies. In order to be able to evaluate beforehand the impact of a decision, managers need reliable provisional systems. Though data warehouses enable analysis of past data, they are not capable of giving anticipations of future trends. What-if analysis fills this gap by enabling users to simulate and inspect the behavior of a complex system under some given hypotheses. A crucial issue in the design of what-if applications is to find an adequate formalism to conceptually express the underlying simulation model. In this paper the authors report on how, within the framework of a comprehensive design methodology, this can be accomplished by extending UML 2 with a set of stereotypes. Their proposal is centered on the use of activity diagrams enriched with object flows, aimed at expressing functional, dynamic, and static aspects in an integrated fashion. The paper is completed by examples taken from a real case study in the commercial area.