bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Business Value of E-Collaboration
Authors: Fink Lior
Published: May 2010

This article presents a conceptual framework of the business value of e-collaboration. In the past decade, firms have increasingly implemented collaborative technologies to support business activities, and investments in collaborative technologies have taken an increasing share of firms’ e-business investments. Presumably, such investments have been motivated by the notion that the implementation of collaborative technologies has business value. While research has repeatedly demonstrated the individual- and group-level impacts of collaborative technologies, it has rarely addressed their impacts at the organizational level and demonstrated their business value. In this article, I draw on three strategic management frameworks – the resource-based view of the firm, the knowledge-based view of the firm, and the dynamic capabilities perspective – to describe how specialized knowledge assets can be integrated through collaborative processes to create and sustain a competitive advantage. I then use this conceptualization as a platform for defining the organizational roles of collaborative technologies and the potential impact of each role on organizational performance. The main objective of this article is to provide a conceptual framework for researchers and practitioners who are interested in investigating and understanding the organizational impacts of collaborative technologies.
Concept of an Agent-Based Electronic Marketplace
Authors: Jailani Norleyza , Patel Ahmed , Mukhtar Muriati , Abdullah Salha , Yahya Yazrina
Published: May 2010

This study explains the concepts of an electronic marketplace (e-marketplace) and the types of e-marketplaces in today’s computing environment that is facilitated and driven by the Internet. The concept of software agent and the different types of agents which may exist in an e-marketplace application in the current setting of the global economy is also discussed. Specifically the idea of using mobile agents in the implementation of an e-marketplace is investigated. This article also introduces an example of a mobile agent-based e-marketplace which offers secure infrastructure services. The complex and challenging computing environment in which agents operate requires efforts in the standardization and management of agents.
Time Constraints for Sellers in Electronic Markets
Authors: Kolomvatsos Kostas , Hadjiefthymiades Stathes
Published: May 2010

Electronic markets provide virtual places for negotiation over the exchange of products. In such places entities representing buyers and sellers can interact and agree upon a product price. Both parties try to maximize their profit. The authors model such an interaction as a finite horizon bargaining game and try to quantify the maximum time of seller participation in the game. The estimated deadline indicates until when the interaction is profitable for the seller. The authors’ model defines the appropriate value for a patience factor which finally results in the seller deadline fully adapted in each product characteristics.
E-Business and the Resource-Based View
Authors: Soto-Acosta Pedro
Published: May 2010

The article provides a review of the adoption of a resource-based view of the firm (RBV) in eBusiness literature and, then, suggests directions for future research. First, a distinction is drawn between Internet resources and eBusiness capabilities. Second, the relationship between Internet resources and eBusiness value is emphasized. Third, the relationships among Internet resources, eBusiness capabilities and firm performance are argued and, finally, the complementarity of Internet resources and eBusiness capabilities is proposed as source of business value. In this regard, a set of propositions is advanced to help guide future research.
E-Commerce Business Models
Authors: Nagaty Khaled Ahmed
Published: May 2010

In this article the author explained some of the common artificial intelligence techniques used in e-commerce web sites and how these techniques are implemented in auctions, intermediaries and e-marketplaces to increase customer’s satisfaction, minimize the look up time, reduce costs and improve the usability of e-commerce Web sites so that visitors can quickly access the required information or perform required transactions without being overwhelmed or confused with the large amount of data.
ARIBA
Authors: Wang Zhongxian , Yan Ruiliang , Yao James
Published: May 2010

Ariba services major corporations, and provides services to smaller companies as well. In this chapter, the authors will examine how Ariba, a small startup company during the Internet boom of the 90’s was able to overcome hardships, survive market and industry downturns, and continue to thrive and survive in such a competitive industry. The authors will also review major events and innovations that helped the company to grow and succeed rather than to fail.
Integrated Optimal Procedure of Internet Marketing
Authors: Zhao Lan
Published: May 2010

The article focuses on how to integrate all the phases of Internet marketing process into a seamless pipeline. The current techniques used in three main phases: (1) customer targeting; (2) ads piece designing; and (3) marketing budget allocation, are described in detail to reveal the cohering inside of searching optimal marketing strategies.
Managerial Succession and E-Business
Authors: Adeniji Anthonia Adenike
Published: May 2010

There have been several studies on managerial succession otherwise known as succession planning but greater percentage of them focused on succession planning as related to family owned small to medium sized enterprises (SME’s), government establishments, effects of succession planning on performance and profitability of a business organization, CEOs perspectives on planning for succession, family business and succession planning to mention just a few (Motwani,et al 2006,Brown 2007, Dunemann & Barreff, 2004).
The Importance of Gender, IT Experience, and Media-Rich Social Cues on Initial Trust in E-Commerce Websites
Authors: AlDiri Khalid , Hobbs Dave , Qahwaji Rami
Published: May 2010

The rapid advance of the Internet and global information technology has changed the way many people view shopping and undertake daily transactions. Despite the Internet advantages, the rate of Internet shopping remains low; commonly explained by a lack of trust in the new shopping mode (Kim & Tadisina, 2005). Consumer trust may be even more important in electronic transactions than in traditional forms, lacking the assurance provided in traditional settings through formal proceedings, receipts and face-to-face interactions. Since trust should play an essential role in online transactions, identifying the antecedents of a consumer’s trust is important in the context of Internet transactions so that consumers can feel relaxed and confident.
Exploring Video Games from an Evolutionary Psychological Perspective
Authors: Mendenhall Zack , Nepomuceno Marcelo Vinhal , Saad Gad
Published: May 2010

Video games are a relatively recent form of entertainment whose sales growth has been enormous (almost 700% from 1996 to 2007), with sales for 2007 reaching 9.5 billion dollars in the US (Entertainment Software Association, 2007). This figure does not include the sales of hardware components such as consoles and accessories, or subscriptions to high-speed Internet providers. To contextualize this sales figure, the US cinema industry garnered 9.6 billion dollars domestically in the same year (MPAA, 2007). The video game industry is so robust that it appears to be impervious to the current economic crisis (Economist, December 20, 2008).
Web Service Discovery, Composition, and Interoperability
Authors: Le Duy Ngan , Mous Karel , Goh Angela
Published: May 2010

Web services have been employed in a wide range of applications and have become a key technology in developing business operations on the Web. In order to leverage on the use of Web services, Web service operations such as discovery, composition, and interoperability need to be fully supported. Several approaches have been proposed for each of these operations but these have advantages and disadvantages as well as varying levels of suitability for different applications. This leads to a motivation to explore and to compare current approaches as well as to highlight problems of the operations and their possible solutions. In this chapter, an introduction, a brief survey, problems and possible solutions to the three Web service operations mentioned above are discussed. The research opportunities and possible future directions on Web service are also presented.
Web Services E-Contract and Reuse
Authors: Fantinato Marcelo , Felgar de Toledo Maria Beatriz , Gimenes Itana Maria de Souza
Published: May 2010

The Internet and the Service-oriented Computing (SOC) paradigm (Papazoglou, Traverso & Dustdar, 2008) made the electronic interchange of services possible. Consequently, the scope of Business Process Management (BPM) (Khalaf, Keller & Leymann, 2006) has broadened from intra-organizational service interchange to interorganizational cooperation. In this new scenario, organizations are concentrating efforts on their main business and subcontracting electronic services (e-services) from partners. Business processes that cross organizational borders are more complex, thus a simple definition of the process is no longer enough to ensure trust. An electronic contract (e-contract) is necessary to define the rights and obligations of each involved party and monitoring of business process execution becomes mandatory.
Interoperability Issues of Business Processes
Authors: Kajan Ejub
Published: May 2010

At the beginning of the third millennium, we are facing one of the most important transition challenges: to build an electronic society. In that movement, EC (Electronic Commerce) represents one of the major driving forces that survived two big failures in the past, represented by EDI (1980s) and “dotcom era” (1990s). Despite different network technologies, EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) over OSI (Open Systems Interconnections) vs. dotcom over the Internet both left out of the e-business too many companies (e.g. most of SMEs, Small-to-Medium Enterprises). After disillusionment and failure analysis, new expansion of EC is taking place, especially in the form of B2B. In such circumstances there is a lot of heterogeneity between business processes, supported applications and associated data on one side and different hardware, operating systems, database systems, network infrastructure, etc. on the other side, that make huge difficulties and barriers in achieving the full potential of EC (Medjahed et al., 2003; Kajan & Stoimenov, 2005; Hepp, 2006). Similar situation is taking place inside companies where A2A (Application-to-Application) costs for data integration and access software were about $2.5 billion in 2007 and are going to grow further (Bernstein & Hass, 2008).
Integrated Business Process Designs and Current Applications of Workflow Systems in E-Business
Authors: Kung Mabel T. , Zhang Jenny Yi
Published: May 2010

To enable effective cross-departmental automations and global transactions, business processes modeling offer external views on their infrastructure processes to all partners in the enterprise, such as product data, quality, costs and delivery requirements, quantity quotations, process plan efficiency, and interactions for meta-, macro-, and micro- distributed process planning (Livari & Livari, 2006; McKendrick, 2006; Siller, Estruch, Vila, Abellan, & Romero, 2008; Kuechler & Vaishnzvi, 2008). Business process modeling is significant as EBusiness and enterprise integration drive the need to deploy activities online (Tagg, 2001; Aissi, Malu, & Srinivasan, 2002; Weiss & Amyot, 2005; Sewing, Rosemann & Dumas, 2006; Chen, Zhang & Zhou, 2007). These management systems employ integrated productivity tools, specialized technical support systems, such as CAD systems, graphic packages, enterprise-wide integrated software applications, for example, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), mail and other communication systems. When the applications become more modulated and service oriented, stand-alone software will no longer be sufficient (Cimatti, Clarke, Giunchiglia & Roveri, 2000; Adner & Helfat, 2003; Andreescu, 2006).
Event-Driven Service-Oriented Architectures for E-Business
Authors: Levina Olga , Stantchev Vladimir
Published: May 2010

E-Business research and practice can be situated on following multiple levels: applications, technological issues, support and implementation (Ngai and Wat 2002). Here we consider technological components for realizing business processes and discuss their foundation architecture for technological enabling. The article provides an introduction to the terms, techniques and realization issues for eventdriven and service-oriented architectures. We begin with a definition of terms and propose a reference architecture for an event-driven service-oriented architecture (EDSOA). Possible applications in the area of E-Business and solution guidelines are considered in the second part of the article. Service-oriented Architectures (SOA) have gained momentum since their introduction in the last years. Seen as an approach to integrate heterogeneous applications within an enterprise architecture they are also used to design flexible and adaptable business processes. An SOA is designed as a distributed system architecture providing a good integration possibility of already existing application systems. Furthermore, SOA is mostly suitable for complex and large system landscapes.
E-Inclusion
Authors: Wessels Bridgette
Published: May 2010

The development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is part of a reshaping of socio-economic life that is resulting in new forms of inclusion and exclusion. The use of ICT in economic activity is situated within global capitalism that is based on a networked organisation of production processes and patterns of consumption. This networked organisation of social and economic life is facilitated by an infrastructure based on ICT, which form part of an e-economy and information society (Castells, 2001). In order for economies to be competitive in a global market they need to be connected into the ICT infrastructure and they require a labour force that has the education and skills to work in an e-economy. From the point of view of ordinary people their life chances are linked to having the capability to work in the e-economy to ensure employment. Furthermore as ICT becomes embedded in political and cultural communication, individuals need access and skills in ICT to participate in their societies. These dimensions of change are creating concerns in policy-making communities and user groups regarding ensuring inclusion in the e-economy and for social cohesion more generally as societies undergo change. The focus of academics and policy-making groups first addressed the concept of a digital divide between those who have access to ICT and those that do not. However, this idea has now been extended into the concept of e-inclusion. In this article, the author first outlines the background to the emergence of the term and its definition and provides the policy response by the European Union. She then considers the problems, controversies and issues of the concept. This is followed by a discussion of some possible solutions, policy recommendations, and suggests areas of further research. The article concludes by
Electronic Commerce Prospects in Emerging Economies
Authors: Kamel Sherif
Published: May 2010

The information and communication technology (ICT) evolution is aggressively affecting many nations around the world, forcing changes and transformations to business and socioeconomic development plans, reflecting major implications on different economies and contributing to the notions of globalization and the evolution of the global digital economy irrespective of time and distance barriers. ICT is driving the radical transformation and change for individuals, organizations and societies from the marketplace to the cyberspace helping the realization of the digital economy, outsourcing and global outreach. In a fast changing global environment, speed, competition and catering for various diversified cultural elements become key factors for development and growth in the reengineered business environment where electronic commerce (E-commerce) applications promise to grow in volume helping the digital economy to mature and dominate. Egypt, as a developing nation with an economy in transition, started to invest in building its ICT infrastructure since 1985 as a vital tool for development and leading to availing opportunities for E-commerce to grow. This article describes the emergence of E-commerce in Egypt since the mid 1990s and its implications in the marketplace including the challenges faced relating to social, technological, financial, cultural and legal issues and the efforts exerted by different stakeholders including the government, the private sector and the civil society to diffuse E-commerce in Egypt.
Using Assistive Technology to Ensure Access to E-Learning for Individuals with Disabilities
Authors: Lee Hwa
Published: May 2010

With the advancement of technology, Electronic Learning (E-Learning) now is more of the rule than the exception. E-learning has been the synonym for online learning, web-based learning, computerbased learning, in the fields of education, business, and information technology. E-learning utilizes a wide spectrum of technologies including internet, intranets, or multimedia platforms (O’Neill, Singh, & O’Donoghue, 2004). In order for individuals with disabilities to utilize E-Learning, often cases they need Assistive Technology (AT) which functions as a technological medium for accessing computer and the internet. The extent to which individuals need AT for computer and internet access varies depending on their residual abilities. Results from numerous empirical studies indicate the effectiveness of AT for individuals with disabilities in accessing learning and daily life activities. While a large body of studies exists in E-Learning, very few focus on supporting individuals with disabilities in their access to E-Learning. Providing AT for E-Learning access is not only the intent of the federal laws but also the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The core intent of the federal law, Americans with Disabilities Act, is to narrow the disparity between individuals with and without disabilities by ensuring access to technologies needed for equal employment (CAST, 2009). Given that rehabilitation, business, education agencies attempt to fulfill the intent of the laws, the purpose of this study is to provide an overview of technology access for E-Learning for individuals with disabilities including legislations relevant to technology access for individuals with disabilities, AT service delivery models, principles of UDL, effectiveness of AT for individuals with disabilities, issues and solutions, and discussions for future directions for research.
Search Engines
Authors: Reid Patrick , Laffey Des
Published: May 2010

This chapter covers key issues in the area of search engines. It shows the importance of search by explaining what search engines are and their significance to business and society. The mechanics of search are outlined which includes developments to the current age. The search market is then covered which stresses Google’s dominance of most national markets. Search engine optimization is then analysed looking at the key factors which determine position. The chapter also looks at the key funding mechanism for search, paid search advertisements. Finally, the article looks at emerging issues in search, including rich media and mobile, and privacy issues.
Trust, Loyalty, and ECommerce
Authors: Rotman Leonard I.
Published: May 2010

E-commerce has experienced a meteoric rise from technological curiosity to substantive institution in little more than a decade of meaningful existence. The annual value of its global transactions is measured in the trillions of dollars. However, the unique nature of e-commerce has created a host of challenges for those seeking to ensure its continued vitality. The most significant of these challenges is the maintenance of user trust. To this point, e-commerce has tended to look to traditional methods of regulation to govern its participants and their transactions. However, the unique character of e-commerce and the concerns it generates warrant consideration of non-traditional approaches to regulation as well. This chapter suggests that fiduciary law, with its focus on maintaining the integrity of certain important relationships in contemporary society, could be a useful tool in e-commerce regulation by facilitating the trust and loyalty that is foundational to its success.
E-Business Goes Mobile
Authors: Zakhem Abe
Published: May 2010

Where others have remarked on the possible fiduciary regulation of e-commerce in general, this chapter makes a more specific and demanding normative claim; notably, that we in fact ought to regulate Mobile Location Based Services (MLBS) along fiduciary lines. Part I describes the limited-access nature of fiduciary relationships and the conditions of peculiar vulnerability and dependence that attract fiduciary obligations. Part II explains the dynamics of user-provider relationships in MLBS environments and argues that the conditions present therein generate fiduciary obligations. Part III describes and addresses a likely criticism; in particular, that the imposition of fiduciary obligations on MLBS providers is morally incompatible with the special fiduciary status rightly and already afforded to equity holders. In response, I argue that those who argue along these lines tend to confuse a manager’s nominate function with their strict fiduciary duty to refrain from the opportunistic exploitation of those they serve.
A Case for Consumer Virtual Property
Authors: Hettche Matt
Published: May 2010

While the Internet is generally regarded as a tool of consumer empowerment, recent innovations in e-marketing signal a disparity in the quality of knowledge that the e-buyer and e-seller each bring to the exchange process. Armed with sophisticated consumer tracking programs and advanced data mining techniques, the e-seller’s competitive advantage for anticipating consumer preference is quickly outpacing the e-buyer’s ability to negotiate fair terms for an equal trade. This chapter considers the possible threat that aggressive forms of electronic surveillance pose for a market economy in e-commerce and offers a framework for how marketing practitioners can protect consumer autonomy online. Using John Locke’s classic social contract theory as a model, I argue that information created by an end-user’s online activity is a form of ‘virtual property’ that in turn establishes a consumer’s right to privacy online.
Ethical Issues Arising from the Usage of Electronic Communications in the Workplace
Authors: Lagraña Fernando A.A.
Published: May 2010

E-mail has become the most popular communication tool in the professional environment. Electronic communications, because of their specific nature, raise a number of ethical issues: e-mail communications are distance, asynchronous, text-based, and interactive computer-mediated communications and allow for storage, retrieval, broadcast and manipulation of messages. These specificities give rise to misunderstanding, misconduct in the absence of the interlocutors, information and mail overload, as well as privacy infringement and misuse of shared computing resources. Inexperience explains some users’ unethical behavior. Other forms of unethical behavior find their roots in corporate culture, internal competition and management styles. E-businesses, as early adopters of information and communication technologies, are being particularly exposed to such behaviors, since they rely heavily on electronic communications. They should therefore assess their internal situation and develop and enforce e-mail policies accordingly.
Engagement, Immersion, and Learning Cultures
Authors: Keesey Christopher
Published: May 2010

The decision to use a virtual world for training and development is a potentially treacherous one. Legal issues, adoption barriers, a pedagogical design complexities often inhibit true engagement and adoption. Strategic planning is required for every step from the choice of a virtual world to instruction design and user adoption. In this chapter, Keesey and Smith-Robbins offer guide to avoiding common pitfalls while suggesting a plan for maximum training benefit in virtual world implementations. Included are considerations about sound pedagogical practices, advice regarding the assessment of a corporate culture’s ability to engage in a virtual world, as well as recommendations for alleviating common fears and concerns. Special attention is paid to the complexities of virtual world cultures as they interact with organizational cultures. Finally, the authors offer a rubric to aid training designers evaluate whether a virtual world is the right choice for their organization through a series of question and adoption concerns.
Workplace Use of Web 2.0 Communication Tools and its Implications for Training of Future Communication Professionals
Authors: Zemliansky Pavel
Published: May 2010

Traditional instructional models in web design and web communication have, until recently, leaned towards seeing websites primarily as vehicles for information distribution from one centralized source, like a company or organization, to a mass audience. Consequently, training in web communication and design has often been limited to those types of websites. However, with the advent of phenomenon known variously as “web 2.0,” or “social web” several years ago and and increasing use of web 2.0 tools in the workplace, this type of training may not be enough for future communicators and designers. This chapter investigates the extent and purposes with which web 2.0 and social media communication tools are being used in the corporate and other workplace settings. Based on this analysis, a set of recommendations for teachers, trainers, and administrators is offered.
Applied Training in Virtual Environments
Authors: Hudson Ken
Published: May 2010

Virtual worlds hold enormous promise for corporate education and training. From distributed collaboration that facilitates participation at a distance, to allowing trainees to experience dangerous situations first-hand without threat to personal safety, virtual worlds are a solution that offers benefits for a multitude of applications. While related to videogames, virtual worlds have different parameters of interaction that make them useful for specific location or open-ended instructional exchanges. Research suggests that participants identify quickly with roles and situations they encounter in virtual environments, that they experience virtual interactions as real events, and that those experiences carry over into real life. This paper will evaluate the attributes of a successful applied training project, the Canadian border simulation at Loyalist College, conducted in the virtual world Second Life. This simulated border crossing is used to teach port of entry interview skills to students at the college, whose test scores, engagement level, and motivation have increased substantially by utilizing this training environment. The positive results of this training experience led the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) to pilot the border environment for agency recruits, with comparable results. By analyzing the various elements of this simulation, and examining the process with which it was used in the classroom, a set of best practices emerge that have wide applicability to corporate training.
Assessing 3D Virtual World Learning Environments with the CIMPLe System
Authors: Williams Sean D. , Switzer Deborah M.
Published: May 2010

This chapter introduces an assessment rubric for virtual world learning environments (VWLEs) built from proven principles of user experience design, instructional design, interface design, learning theory, technical communication, instructional systems design (ISD), and VIE motivation theory. Titled the “CIMPLe System,” this rubric captures the ways that context, interactivity, motivation, presence, and cognitive load weave together to form a successful VWLE. The CIMPLe System offers an advance in how educators can assess the quality and predict the success of the VWLEs that they build. The holistic approach achieved in the CIMPLe System arises from the multidisciplinary approach represented in the tool. As designers consider what to build into the environment, they can refer to the CIMPLe System as a checklist to ensure that the environment meets the needs that the cross-disciplinary theory suggests are necessary.
The New Company Water Cooler
Authors: Cheney Amelia W. , Riedl Richard E. , Sanders Robert L. , Tashner John H.
Published: May 2010

Employees gathered around the water cooler – the image is now a corporate cliché. This type of informal networking allows members of an organization to build – or break – personal and professional relationships in ways not possible in more formal settings or business situations. As companies become larger and more geographically dispersed, these types of opportunities and relationships are increasingly more difficult to create and maintain. Organizations must investigate new means of communications and technology. Three-dimensional (3D) immersive worlds offer a range of possibilities for accomplishing this goal. In this chapter, the authors will highlight their eight year experience using 3D virtual immersive worlds in graduate programs at Appalachian State University. Their experience based on feedback, observation, and survey results suggests that 3D virtual worlds developed for education support deep learning and can help learners make meaning and feel part of a learning community. The chapter will consider ways in which corporate organizations can draw upon the experience of higher education in the design, creation and utilization of virtual worlds to create opportunity for both purposeful and serendipitous interaction.
Team Dynamics in Virtual Spaces
Authors: Yopp Martha C. , Kitchel Allen
Published: May 2010

Collaboration within virtual environments is an increasingly important aspect of organizational and workplace activities. “Virtual teams” are intentional groups of highly qualified people brought together in a virtual environment in order to capitalize upon each member’s unique attributes. In many instances these people represent different organizations, or branches of an organization, who work together virtually to tackle a specific problem or project. This paper examines issues that “virtual teams” encounter and identifies best practices that can positively contribute to effective and efficient teamwork within the virtual environment. The ideas and practices presented may be of value to organizational leaders, planners, human resource professionals, adult educators, and others involved in workforce training.
Agile Software Development for Customizing ERPs
Authors: Atem de Carvalho Rogério , Johansson Prof. Björn , Manhães Rodrigo Soares
Published: May 2010

Customization of ERP systems is a complex task, and great part of this complexity is directly related to requirements management. In this context, a well-known problem is the misfit between the ERP functionalities and the business requirements. This problem comprises communication bottlenecks and difficulties on responding to changes. The proposals for minimizing these misfits are mostly focused on traditional, heavyweight waterfall-like approaches for software development. On the other side, the last decade has witnessed the rise and growth of Agile methods, which have both close communication and fast response to changes among their main values. This chapter maps some of the main agile practices to ERP customization processes, using, where applicable, practices from a real-world ERP project. Moreover, some limitations on the agile approach to ERP customization are presented and discussed.
Software Components for ERP Applications
Authors: Ramachandran Muthu , Parthasarathy S.
Published: May 2010

The demand for ERP systems grows rapidly along with complexity and integration of enterprise systems. ERP is an enterprise oriented information system for resource planning which integrates various departments and systems. This chapter identifies a set of key characteristics of ERP system and then map onto a software component model which has been customised for ERP characteristics. A component based software process model for ERP projects is proposed and its significance during the ERP implementation is indicated.
Application of Software Metrics in EPR Projects
Authors: Parthasarathy S.
Published: May 2010

Business information system is an area of the greatest significance in any business enterprise today. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects are a growing segment of this vital area. Software engineering metrics are units of measurement used to characterize the software engineering products and processes. The research about the software process has acquired great importance in the last few years due to the growing interest of software companies in the improvement of their quality. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects are very complex products, and this fact is directly linked to their development and maintenance. One of the major reasons found in the literature for the failure of ERP projects is the poor management of software processes. In this chapter, the authors propose a Software Metrics Plan (SMP) containing different software metrics to manage software processes during ERP implementation. Two hypotheses have been formulated and tested using statistical techniques to validate the SMP. The statistical analysis of the collected data from an ERP project supports the two hypotheses, leading to the conclusion that the software metrics are momentous in ERP projects.
Implementation of ERP Systems
Authors: Jha Manoj , Kumar Sanjay
Published: May 2010

The model discusses the implementation of ERP systems. The article discusses the process based implementation approach and also the critical success factors approach for the implementation. A gap identified in literature is that critical success factors and ERP implementation has not been studied from the viewpoint of other stakeholders. This chapter tries to address this gap by proposing a seven stage model of ERP implementation and adoption from the viewpoint of the ERP implementation consultant. The model also addresses subsequent stages such a data exploitation stage where organizations learn to use data for decision making and process management. The model also addresses the subsequent stages of extension of ERP to partners like suppliers and dealers, and the innovation stage when the organizations starts to experiment with newer solutions based on ERP systems.
Global Emergency-Response System Using GIS
Authors: Al-Marri Salem , Ramachandran Muthu
Published: May 2010

Emergency needs occur naturally, manually (error and terror) and accidentally in addition to worldwide death by hunger and poverty. These situations can arise anytime, any place and thus globally, people are in need of any emergency help by every second. This paper proposes a model for Disaster Classification system of Natural Disasters and Catastrophic Failures activity. This model also proposes the use of emerging technologies such as ubiquitous computing and wireless communications systems that are used by people in recent years to communicate in event of any disaster. The use of emerging technologies also depends on the role of the people and their culture and global support. Furthermore, the paper will propose the deployment of Global Information Systems (GIS) as an aid to emergency management by identifying the related areas pertaining to disaster and thus to help the personnel involved to analyze disasters more accurately by developing a tool. The aim of this tool is to determine potential and affected disaster areas using the GIS technology and to provide support for decision makers during emergencies. Due to the significant development of computerization, networking and mobile systems, reporting a disaster, nowadays, is only a matter of seconds whereas, in the past it would take days or even weeks for the news to reach the people.
The Post Implementation Phase of a Large-Scale Integrative IT Project
Authors: Marabelli Marco , Newell Sue
Published: May 2010

In this chapter the authors focus on the iterative process that occurs within the implementation phase of an ERP which they depict as a series of learning cycles: managers make decisions, identify mistakes, and accumulate experience (lessons learned). They examine these “learning cycles” through the lens of absorptive capacity and they use a case study and a qualitative perspective. The authors identify a number of tradeoffs that represent the learning paths of Alpha Co. and find that such learning process is path dependent, organizational memory plays a fundamental role, and double loop cycles contribute in the development of absorptive capacity seen as a dynamic capability.
A Fuzzy AHP Model for 3PL Selection in Lead Logistics Provider Scenarios
Authors: Bhatti Rajbir Singh , Kumar Pradeep , Kumar Dinesh
Published: May 2010

Selection of service providers in the global supply chains of today has been recognized as having a very important effect on the competitiveness of the entire supply chain. It results in achieving high quality end results (products and/or services), at reasonable cost coupled with high customer satisfaction. This article discusses the use of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to effectively manage the qualitative and quantitative decision factors which are involved in the selection of providers of 3PL services under Lead Logistics Provider (LLP) environments of today. Lead logistics providers (LLP) are increasingly being banked upon to integrate the best of 3PL service providers and allow for synchronized and optimized operations. In the asset free environments of today, many a times, the LLP uses the services of the 3PL and hence the issue of reliably choosing them assumes increasingly greater significance. The fuzzy-AHP has been adequately demonstrated in literature to be an effective tool which can be used to factor-in the fuzziness of data. Triangular Fuzzy Numbers (TFN) have been deployed to make over the linguistic comparisons of criteria, sub-criteria and the alternatives. The FAHP based model formulated in this chapter is applied to a case study in the Indian context using data from three leading LSPs with significant operating leverages in the province of Uttrakhand (India). The proposed model can provide the guidelines and directions for the decision makers to effectively select their global service providers in the present day competitive logistics markets.
Achieving Supply Chain Management (SCM)-Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Synergy Through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure in Knowledge Economy
Authors: Mohan Ashutosh , Lal Shikha
Published: May 2010

Information and communication technology infrastructure has changed modern business practice. The ever-changing information and communication technology infrastructure of organizations’ is opening new vista, which has not only bundles of opportunities to encash but also tremendous obstacles as survival threats. The concern about organizational competitiveness and development is closely linked to notions of the information sensitive society and global knowledge based economies. The business organizations under global knowledge economy can emerge and grow rapidly by formulating and adopting the innovative business practices. Information’s impact is easily seen—it substitutes for inventory, speeds product design and delivery, drives process reengineering, and acts as a coordinating mechanism, helping different members of the supply chain work together effectively. While the potential of information sharing is widely promoted, relatively few companies have fully harnessed its capability to enhance competitive performance. The chapter tries to provide insight into how information and communication technology can be leveraged for supply chain value creation and make it possible to achieve synergy with customer relationship management.
ERP System Selection Criteria
Authors: Pucihar Andreja , Lenart Gregor , Sudzina Frantisek
Published: May 2010

This chapter presents the importance of ERP system selection criteria for SMEs. Altogether, 28 ERP selection criteria were investigated. The criteria were grouped into the ERP benefits criteria, ERP system quality criteria, ERP vendor-related criteria and ERP package criteria. The main purpose of the study was to identify the current situation of ERP usage in SMEs in Slovenia and to measure how important the identified ERP selection criteria are in the process of acquisition of ERP systems. Beside the importance of ERP selection criteria for SMEs, the impact of companies’ factors (company size, representation of the IT department on the board level in the company, implemented information strategy in the company, ERP implementation stage and turnover growth) on ERP system selection criteria was also investigated. The findings are useful for companies considering ERP system implementation and for ERP system vendors to better understand different customers’ needs and expectations.
Australian SMEs and E-Commerce Adoption
Authors: Scupola Ada
Published: May 2010

This chapter presents the results of a study on factors affecting adoption of e-commerce in small and medium size enterprises in Australia. The Tornatsky and Fleischer (1990) model is used in the investigation therefore the main group of factors taken into consideration are environmental, organizational and technological. Top managers employed in five companies located in the area of Brisbane, Queensland have been interviewed. The results are partially in line with similar studies on e-commerce adoption in SMEs. However many differences are also found. For example this study found that the external environment has an influence mainly through customers’ requirements and pressure and availability of IT services, contrary to other studies that found that government and public administration have a big role. The organizational and technological contexts have also much relevance and include factors such as employees and CEO attitude.
The Perception of Barriers to E-commerce Adoption by SMEs
Authors: MacGregor Robert C. , Bunker Deborah , Kartiwi Mira
Published: May 2010

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has been utilised as a vehicle to rapidly transform the world into an information society. Yet despite the proven potential of e-commerce in the small business sector, studies have shown that it is the larger businesses that have reaped the benefits, with small/medium enterprise (SME) adoption remaining relatively low by comparison. This slow growth of e-commerce adoption by SMEs has been attributed to various adoption barriers that are faced by small business owners/managers. While many recent studies have begun examining the relationship between the perceptions of adoption barriers in developed economies, the relationship between the perceptions of these barriers has not been fully examined in developing economies. This chapter firstly presents the authors’ understanding of what defines an SME and then highlights our current understanding of the similarities and differences in barriers to e-commerce adoption by SMEs in developed and developing economies. It then describes and discusses a study which examines differences in the groupings and priorities, of barriers to adoption of e-commerce as perceived by SME owner/managers in a developing economy (Indonesia) and two developed economies (Sweden and Australia). The chapter finally describes the implications of these findings for practitioners and researchers.
Logistic Analysis of Business Cycles, Economic Bubbles and Crises
Authors: Girdzijauskas Stasys , Streimikiene Dalia
Published: May 2010

The chapter deals with business cycles, economic crises and other paradoxical economic phenomena and analyses their causes by applying logistic growth models. The logistic growth model allows investigating paradoxical and untypical aspects of real capital accumulation in the situation of exhausted investment potentiality or diminishing law of returns. Logistic capital accumulation theory is based on the main principles developed in classical finance theory. In classical finance theory exponential growth or rule of compound interest serves as the main law. In logistic growth theory the density dependent growth function is being applied instead of exponential growth function. The application of logistic theory in analysis of economic phenomena such as business cycles, economic bubbles, laws of diminishing returns etc. allows generating new insights. The term -business cycle or economic cycle applied in the chapter describes economy-wide fluctuations in economic activity around a long-term growth trend. It typically involves shifts over time between periods of relatively rapid growth of economic output (boom), and periods of relative stagnation or decline (contraction). Such fluctuations are often measured using the growth rate of real gross domestic product. The logistic discounting of cash flows allowed to develop mathematical model and apply it for depicting economic phenomena named as economic bubbles or economic overheating.
Economic Analysis of Systems under a Monopoly Based on a Reliability-Quality Index
Authors: Koide Takeshi , Sandoh Hiroaki , Yue Wuyi
Published: May 2010

The aim of this chapter is to present methods for conducting economic analysis on the reliability-quality level of systems as associated techniques for systems economic forecasting. System reliability has been a prominent research topic in the research field of reliability theory, and a sizeable amount of literature has proposed methods for economic analysis of systems. Most of the methods only look at mathematical aspects from the manufacturer’s point of view; that is, mathematical maximization of reliability-quality has been emphasized under a cost constraint. Under real circumstances, however, the economic analysis needs to include the aspect of consumer behavior, so that profitability of the systems can, a priori, be examined, since the goal of manufacturer’s activities is to maximize profit. The authors here introduce methods for economic analysis of systems under a monopoly based on a Stackelberg game formulation considering both the consumer’s viewpoint and the manufacturer’s. The methods are fundamental techniques for system planning which includes the long-term forecasting of the system economy in order to deal with long-term changes in consumer’s characteristics. The research findings from this chapter will assist top-level managers of business organizations in their decision making.
A Mixture Price Trend Model for Long-Term Risk Management
Authors: Fung Eric S. , Ching Wai-Ki , Siu Tak-Kuen
Published: May 2010

In financial forecasting, a long-standing challenging issue is to develop an appropriate model for forecasting long-term risk management of enterprises. In this chapter, using financial markets as an example, we introduce a mixture price trend model for long-term forecasts of financial asset prices with a view to applying it for long-term financial risk management. The key idea of the mixture price trend model is to provide a general and flexible way to incorporate various price trend behaviors and to extract information from price trends for long-term forecasting. Indeed, the mixture price trend model can incorporate model uncertainty in the price trend model, which is a key element for risk management and is overlooked in some of the current literatures. The mixture price trend model also allows the incorporation of users’ subjective views on long-term price trends. An efficient estimation method is introduced. Statistical analysis of the proposed model based on real data will be conducted to illustrate the performance of the model.