bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomedical Image Registration for Diagnostic Decision Making and Treatment Monitoring
Authors: Wang Xiu Y. , Feng David D.
Published: May 2011

The chapter introduces biomedical image registration as a means of integrating and providing complementary and additional information from multiple medical images simultaneously to facilitate diagnostic decision-making and treatment monitoring. It focuses on the fundamental theories of biomedical image registration, major methodologies and contributions of this area, and the main applications of biomedical image registration in clinical contexts. Furthermore, discussions on the future challenges and possible research trends of this field are presented. The chapter aims to assist in a quick understanding of main methods and technologies, current issues, and major applications of biomedical image registration, to provide the connection between biomedical image registration and the related research areas, and finally to evoke novel and practical registration methods to improve the quality and safety of healthcare.
Organizing for Knowledge Management
Authors: Johnson J. D.
Published: May 2011

The Cancer Information Service is a knowledge management organization, charged with delivering information to the public concerning cancer. This chapter describes how societal trends in consumer/client information behavior impact clinical knowledge management. It then details how the CIS is organized to serve clients and how it can interface with clinical practice by providing referral, by enhancing health literacy, by providing a second opinion, and by giving crucial background, assurance to clients from neutral third party. The CIS serves as a critical knowledge broker, synthesizing and translating information for clients before, during, and after their interactions with clinical practices; thus enabling health professionals to focus on their unique functions.
Clinical Decision Support Systems
Authors: Golemati Spyretta , Mougiakakou Stavroula , Stoitsis John , Valavanis Ioannis , Nikita Konstantina S.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the basic principles of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems. CDS systems aim to codify and strategically manage biomedical knowledge to handle challenges in clinical practice using mathematical modelling tools, medical data processing techniques and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods. CDS systems cover a wide range of applications, from diagnosis support to modelling the possibility of occurrence of various diseases or the efficiency of alternative therapeutic schemes, using not only individual patient data but also data on risk factors and efficiency of available therapeutic schemes stored in databases. Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems can enhance the diagnostic capabilities of physicians and reduce the time required for accurate diagnosis. Modern Therapeutic Decision Support (TDS) systemsmake use of advanced modelling techniques and available patient data to optimise and individualise patient treatment. CDS systems aim to improve the overall health of the population by improving the quality of healthcare services, as well as by controlling the cost-effectiveness of medical examinations and treatment.
Comprehensive Impact of Mobile Technology on Business
Authors: Vaghjiani Khimji , Teoh Jenny
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we explore the concept of enterprise, or organisational mobility. We examine how mobility in a business can provide a competitive advantage and enhanced sustainability. Potential industry applications for mobile technology are discussed. We delve further by exploring the growth areas of mobile technologies and outline key success factors for the stakeholders in the mobile technology arena. We assess the many opportunities mobile technology brings to various businesses. Furthermore the impacts of mobile technology on organisations and society are evaluated. We then conclude by outlining various competing mobile technologies available to the market both today and in the future.
E-Business in the Global Automotive Industry
Authors: Raisinghani Mahesh S. , Herwick Lisa , Pullamsetti Ramesh , Gunther Thomas , Caisan Vanessa , Wang An , Koszut Andrzej
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews the components of e-business from a procurement perspective in order to explore the key value propositions of e-business practices in the global automotive industry. It is easy to simply state that a product or service “adds value” to a firm’s operations. It is critical that the value proposition of e-business be analyzed from a rational perspective by any organization competing in the “post-irrational exuberance” era of the digital economy. Using an exploratory case study of the automotive industry, the key questions for identifying a true value proposition of e-business are identified, including their e-procurement, e-catalog order processing, e-auction and e-capacity systems. We intend this chapter to be helpful to practitioners, researchers, and students who either are contemplating updating their legacy e-business systems and/or trying to gain insight into the value proposition of these systems. It is undisputed that e-business will bring at least some level of benefit to a vast majority of organizations, regardless of size or industry. We intend this chapter to be valuable for evaluating and implementing a successful e-business strategy, structure, and solution.
Global Information Systems in the Publishing Domain
Authors: Payne Christopher , Unhelkar Bhuvan
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses how globalization in the publishing domain is achieved through global information and communication systems. Global information systems (GIS) enable not only integration of applications within an organization (leading to what is known as EAI), but also enable extensive connectivity between applications across varied platforms and software domains both within and outside the organization. This timely connectivity has created tremendous opportunities for the publishing industry — increasingly dependent on split-second timings to report news — to integrate its business processes as well as devise new and innovative ways of collecting, assimilating, and disbursing information. This chapter is based on the experience of the lead author in one of Australia’s largest publishing groups, John Fairfax Holdings Ltd.
Knowledge Creation in Inquiring Organizations using KDD
Authors: Murray John D. , Case Thomas L. , Gardiner Adrian B.
Published: May 2011

Churchman (1971) emphasized the continual learning nature of organizations as part of their ontological fabric. Accordingly, he proffered the view of organizations as inquiring systems whose actions result in the creation of knowledge. To this end, many modern organizations have attempted to create knowledge by using technologies, such as Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD). Although quite powerful, these technologies depend heavily upon the skill and insights of the analyst. We propose that the role of the analyst in the application of these technologies is poorly understood. To advance our understanding in this regard, we dedicate the first part of this chapter to describing the KDD process and relate it to the five philosophical perspectives of organizational knowledge acquisition, as originally discussed by Churchman (1971). In the second part of the chapter, we draw parallels between the process of knowledge acquisition via KDD with the concept of information foraging (Pirolli & Card, 1999). Information foraging theory is offered as a research lens through which we can investigate the role of human judgment in KDD. These insights lead us to propose a number of areas for possible future research. Based on our insights into information foraging and knowledge creation, the chapter concludes by introducing a new organizational metaphor into corporate epistemology: inquiring organizations as knowledge foragers.
Understanding Organizational Philosophies of Inquiry Through Hermeneutic Analysis of Organizational Texts
Authors: Dickey Michael H. , Paradice David B.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces cultural hermeneutics as a lens for understanding philosophies of inquiry in distributed work groups. The authors suggest that philosophies of inquiry can be ascertained through hermeneutic analysis of written texts created by distributed workers using computer-mediated communication systems. Using this approach, elements of context in written artifacts that should be evident for each of Churchman’s inquiring models (Leibnizian, Lockean, Kantian, Hegelian, and Singerian) are delineated, which should help identify the underlying philosophies of inquiry being used by a particular group. Sample texts for each inquiring model are also presented. Understanding philosophies of inquiry can both guide the design and implementation of computer-mediated communication systems used to create knowledge and illuminate best practices for their use.
Exploiting Reusable Abstractions in Organizational Inquiry
Authors: Kilov Haim , Sack Ira
Published: May 2011

This chapter shows how crucial aspects of organizational knowledge and organizational inquiry can be exactified using a relatively small number of abstract concepts common to various areas of human endeavor, such as (exact) philosophy, business management, science, and technology. Abstraction and exactification are essential for taming complexity in general and complexity of the modern-day organization in particular. Exactification is achieved, first and foremost, by creating and using ontologies—business and organizational domain models with precisely defined semantics. An ontology clearly demonstrates the fundamental concepts of a domain and relationships between them. The semantics of generic concepts used in effective modeling is based on mathematics and philosophy, while in too many cases a multitude of concepts invented in buzzword-compliant IT methods has no clear semantics and therefore cannot be reasonably used. Organizational learning and organizational inquiry can be understood and accomplished substantially better in the well-defined contexts of the domain ontologies that provide a foundation of organizational knowledge.
The Clonal Selection Principle for In Silico and In Vitro Computing
Authors: Cutello Vincenzo , Nicosia Giuseppe
Published: May 2011

The chapter describes the theory of clonal selection and its usage in designing and implementing immunological algorithms for problem solving and learning. In detail, it presents various immune algorithms based on the clonal selection principle, analyzing computational time complexity, experimental results, similarities and differences. It introduces two paradigms to model immune algorithms: noisy channel, and Turing’s reaction-diffusion systems to build artificial immune systems for effective information processing and computing. The authors show how Libchaber DNA algorithm can be interpreted as an “in vitro” implementation of the clonal selection principle by means of molecular biology technology. These similarities witness the ubiquity of such a kind of information processing in nature and give evidence of the universality of the concept of computation. The authors’ intent is to provide a general framework that can be considered as a first core for in silico and in vitro computation based on the clonal selection theory.
Canada
Authors: Zwick Detlev
Published: May 2011

This chapter sketches the Canadian mobile commerce space. Relative to other parts of the world, Canadians have been slower in their embrace of the brave new wireless world. The Canadian mobile commerce market is characterized by relatively high costs for consumers combined with inflexible pricing strategies and the rather limited content available for wireless communication and commerce. In addition, limited network speed and robustness to handle more advanced services remain obstacles for wider application rollout and adoption. As a result, the Canadian market for mobile communication and commerce will remain dominated for some time to come by consumers’ demand for reliable and low-cost voice services.
France
Authors: Vialle Pierre , Epinette Olivier
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the emerging m-commerce market in France. Despite the current low level of use, this market is characterized by the implementation of an increasingly efficient m-commerce value chain by network operators, content providers and content enablers. As a consequence, innovative and attractive services are being introduced progressively for both consumers and businesses, which are analyzed here with the help of the CLIP framework. Furthermore, the authors argue that an m-commerce strategy should be designed in synergy with a fixed network-based e-commerce strategy while carefully following and anticipating the progressive implementation of significant technological advances.
United Kingdom
Authors: Papagiannidis Savvas , Carr James , Li Feng
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides an overview of the current development of m-commerce in the UK and explores its future prospects. A number of mini-case studies are drawn from a diverse range of business and government sectors. Although m-commerce is still in its infancy in the UK, there are many rapid developments taking place that suggest strong future growth.
Inter-Organizational Information System Adoption and Diffusion
Authors: Koch Hope
Published: May 2011

New technology, fueled by the Internet’s commercialization, has led to new types of business partner connectivity. However, statistics show business-to-business (B2B) electronic commerce (EC) and electronic market growth are slower than anticipated (Bartlett, 2001). Realizing the full potential of this emerging inter-organizational connectivity requires understanding what facilitates its adoption and diffusion. Given the need for research in this area, this chapter reviews the existing inter-organizational information systems (IOISs) adoption and diffusion research. The chapter analyzes twenty-five empirical inter-organizational information system adoption and diffusion studies. This study identifies several IOIS types and lists and categorizes variables found to significantly influence adoption and diffusion of each IOIS type. This study has two main contributions. The study finds that variables found to significantly influence IOIS adoption and diffusion fall into three categories: inter-organizational, organizational and technical. The study also brings the IOIS adoption and diffusion literature together. As such, this study provides a starting point for conducting research on emerging IOISs.
Empirical Evidence on How Information Technology Encourages the Creation of Strategic Networks
Authors: Medina-Garrido Jose A. , Bruque-Camara Sebastian , Ruiz-Navarro Jose
Published: May 2011

This chapter analyzes how information technology fosters and supports the creation of strategic networks. First, we shall establish an eclectic theoretical framework that can appropriately explain the reasons why firms form strategic networks. We base our analysis on the theories of transaction cost economics and the resource-based view. Second, we shall analyze, from this theoretical perspective, how information technology can affect the factors of value and cost that influence the formation of strategic networks. Finally, we shall empirically test if theory predictions actually occur in practice, by studying the role that information technology has played in the formation of a network by a Spanish firm.
Two Models of Online Patronage
Authors: Pan Yue , Zinkhan George
Published: May 2011

The Internet provides an alternative method for reaching retail consumers, and e-tailing is attracting considerable attention from practitioners and scholars. This chapter aims to develop a better understanding of Internet shopping (with a special emphasis on explaining consumer patronage behavior). Two conceptual models of consumer online patronage behavior are developed. Our focus is on the “C” side of B-to-C commerce. We do not deal explicitly with B-to-B commerce. Based on a review of the traditional retailing literature as well as the emerging e-commerce literature, we identify the promising predictor variables that may be applicable to the Internet setting. The outcome of our investigation is two conceptual models, including 22 propositions.
Converting Browsers to Buyers
Authors: Ranganathan C. , Grandon Elizabeth E.
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we explore the key elements in designing business-to-consumer Web sites. We synthesize the results of two independent research studies to delve upon the important considerations in developing and designing effective online retail sites. We examine Web site design from two perspectives. First, we examine how consumers view online Web sites and what factors they look for in effective retail sites. Second, we explore the top retail Web sites and identify the elements making up the top retailing Web sites. Then, we identify the gaps in current Web site practices and the online consumer expectations. Finally, we reflect upon this analysis to propose some important considerations in designing an effective online business-to-consumer Web site.
On a Formal Model of the T Cell and Its Biological Feedback
Authors: Ciobanu Gabriel
Published: May 2011

In this chapter a model of the molecular networks, created by using a network of communicating automata, is described as a dynamic structure, discrete event system, and interesting theoretical results are provided. This formal model provides a detailed approach of the biological system, and its implementation is able to handle large amounts of data. This model is applied to T cell signalling networks. T cell shows a hierarchical organization depending on various factors. Some mechanisms are still unresolved, including contribution of each signalling pathway to each response type. The software tool produced is used to simulate and analyze the T cell behaviour. The simulation reflects, quite faithfully, the process of T cell activation and T cell responses. This increases the confidence in using this model and its implementation both as descriptive and prescriptive tools. The interactions that govern the T cell behaviour are simulated and analyzed, providing statistical correlations according to software experiments, together with new insights on signalling networks that trigger immunological responses. The software tool allows users to systematically perturb and monitor the components of a T cell molecular network, capturing biological information relevant to immunology.
IS/IT Strategy for Knowledge Management
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

Developing an IS/IT strategy for knowledge management is taken to mean thinking strategically and planning for the effective long-term application and optimal impact of electronic information to support knowledge management in the organization. Strategy can simply be defined as principles, a broad based formula to be applied in order to achieve a purpose. These principles are general guidelines guiding the daily work to reach business goals. Strategy is the pattern of resource development and application decisions made throughout the organization. These encapsulate both desired goals and beliefs about what are acceptable and, most critically, unacceptable means for achieving them.
Ontological Analysis of Business Systems Analysis Techniques
Authors: Green Peter , Rosemann Michael
Published: May 2011

For many years in the area of business systems analysis and design, practitioners and researchers alike have been searching for some comprehensive basis on which to evaluate, compare, and engineer techniques that are promoted for use in the modelling of systems’ requirements. To date, while many frameworks, factors, and facets have been forthcoming, most of them appear not to be based on a sound theory. In light of this dilemma, over the last 10 years, attention has been devoted by researchers to the use of ontology to provide some theoretical basis for the advancement of the business systems modelling discipline. While the selected ontologiesare reasonably mature, it is the actual process of an ontological analysis that still lacks rigour. The current procedure leaves room for individual interpretations and is one reason for criticism of the entire ontological analysis. This chapter proposes an enhanced procedural model for the ontological analysis based on the use of meta-models, the involvement of more than one coder and metrics. This model is explained with examples from various ontological analyses.
Organisations Models and Information Systems for Production-Integrated Environmental Protection (OPUS)
Authors: Haasis Hans-Dietrich , Jurgens Gunnar , Kriwald Torsten
Published: May 2011

Environmental protection in companies gains higher importance as the demand for information on environmental performance is rewarded by society, market and policy makers. Additive environmental technologies encounter increasing ecological and economical borders. Production-integrated measures for environmental protection are much more efficient and sustainable. Such measures extend over inner enterprise and enterprise spanning order processing and value chains. They open up numerous possibilities for product and process innovation by combining ecological and economical potentials. The research project OPUS provides solutions for the organization of product-development and production-processes in and between companies under environmental aspects. Parts of those solutions are information technologies and information systems that support the processes within a company and over the entire logistical network. The development of methods, models and prototypes within the project is based on the processes of construction, process planning, production planning and control, production scheduling, balancing and controlling and intercompany environmental management. Results were applied, evaluated and optimised in different companies out of the branches of machine building, aircraft building, chemical industry, electronic industry and software development for industrial fields of application.
A Social Context Model for Discussion Process Analysis
Authors: de Moor Aldo , Kleef Rolf
Published: May 2011

Computer-mediated discussion processes play an important role in achieving sustainable development. However, when part of authoring complex documents, these discussions have so far not been very effective. One reason is that in the design and application of the information tools supporting discussion, the social context is not sufficiently taken into account. We outline a social context model for discussion process analysis. The GRASS tool for group report authoring and the freeText tool for document review are authoring tools in which the social context of discussions is given explicit attention. Analyzing GRASS and freeText, we show how the model could be used to construct information tools that enable more effective discussions.
Web Portals
Authors: Kreeb Martin , Schulz Werner , Vosseler Christof , Krcmar Helmut , Rudel Annette
Published: May 2011

Ecoradar (www.ecoradar.org / www.oekoradar.de) is the name of an innovative Internet portal that sets out to use the simplest and most persuasive means to motivate others to implement sustainable management in those enterprises that have so far taken little or no interest in this subject. This major project, in which over 80 German enterprises and institutions participated, is part of the new funding focus “Integrated Environmental Protection – Instruments for Sustainable Business Management” set by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The primary task of the portal is the creation of an environmental management community. The purpose of this article is to show the structure and elements of the ecoradar community. Both the creation of a “culture of trust” among the participating enterprises and the strategy of successful integration of the joint project partners are of specific interest. In the following, the content models are presented and the article examines the ability of the ecoradar community to develop, share and use the available knowledge by using the tools of knowledge management. Finally, the authors describe the technology used to create the portal.
The Integration of Safety, Environmental and Quality Management Systems
Authors: Strauss Werner , Herrmann Klaus-Dieter , Roenick Christoph
Published: May 2011

This chapter will show how the demands on safety, environmental and quality management systems and their implementation into IT solutions have changed over the years and how such systems may appear in the future. Tangible business processes from the areas of occupational health and safety and environmental protection are described and a solution shown as to how these can be dealt with in a task-related way. Furthermore, there will be shown the connection between these business processes and the relevant legislation and the special benefits pertaining to legal security. Following this we describe how the linking of IT systems mentioned with scientific management systems with the primary processes of the company can be arranged. We also provide a look at the benefits arising from using such systems. The chapter concludes with a critical look at the future distribution and use of such integrated, process-oriented and legally based management systems. This chapter is particularly directed to companies that have set the carrying out of the material-related legal requirements and cost reduction through thought-out product use as a corporate objective. The concept of a networked corporate occupational health and safety and environmental protection information system and its implementation as a standard product will be introduced. Core components include basic data maintenance, modules for supporting decentralised specialised tasks and an efficient reporting system used at all locations and linked to an intranet.
Development of a Decision Support Tool for Technological Risk Management with Remote Sensing and GIS
Authors: Chrysoulakis Nektarios , Prastacos Poulicos , Cartalis Constantinos
Published: May 2011

In this study, a GIS based decision support tool is proposed for the support of technological risk management by integrating moderate and high spatial resolution satellite imagery with in-situ vector data. The Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on board the NOAA satellites has been used for the detection of fire as well as for the detection and monitoring of plumes caused by major technological accidents. The Thematic Mapper (TM) on board the Landsat satellite has been used for the depiction of the urban areas and the main road network as well as for the estimation of the spatial distribution of vegetation in the study area. A major technological accident scenario was developed for the broader area of Athens (Greece) in order to present the functionality of the GIS tool for the support of decision making during the crisis, as well as for the assessment of the accident’s impact on the natural and human environment.
Learning from Simple Systems
Authors: Cooper Lynne P. , Nash Rebecca L. , Phan Tu-Anh T. , Bailey Teresa R.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the development and operation of a knowledge system to support learning of organizational knowledge at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It describes in detail requirements generation, implementation, and rollout of the system and presents results from performance and usage data collected over 19 weeks of operation. Although the underlying technology was relatively straightforward, the development process had to address concerns from multiple stakeholders, support a broad user base, and incorporate a cost-effective approach to knowledge validation. These, in turn, impacted requirements, design, and maintenance of the system and how it was deployed within the organization. This case demonstrates that a relatively “simple” system can effectively support learning or organizational knowledge, while still presenting a variety of challenges during the implementation process.
Organizational Knowledge Sharing Based on the ERP Implementation of Yongxin Paper Co., Ltd.
Authors: Li Zhang , Yezhuang Tian , Ping Li
Published: May 2011

This case focuses on the effect of knowledge sharing in the process of enterprise resources planning (ERP) system implementation. Knowledge sharing mainly means the sharing and combination of tacit knowledge in the application of new techniques. Up to now, less than 20% of ERP implementations have varying degrees of success in Chinese companies. Yongxin is one such company that used knowledge sharing to successfully introduce an ERP management system. The authors hope that this case will not only inform researchers of a better design for knowledge sharing, but also assist companies implementing knowledge management in effective knowledge sharing.
Keeping the Flame Alive
Authors: Rich Eliot , Duchessi Peter
Published: May 2011

This case study looks at how to keep a knowledge management initiative going after it has been successful for a couple of years. This organization found that continuously measuring benefits from the knowledge management system and keeping the knowledge in the system fresh and relevant were key to long-term success. However, achieving this was difficult as improving quality added more work to the already-busy managers and measuring worth was difficult.
Electronic Business in Developing Countries
Authors: Ferran Carlos , Salim Ricardo
Published: May 2011

This chapter uses information theory to study the effect of the Internet and e-business over the digital divide. It develops a framework that defines four types of information technologies and Internets based on four dimensions of information: physical, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. Technologies like e-mail that only make use of the first three hardly interact with the industrial infrastructure and superstructure. Nonetheless, technologies like e-commerce that require the pragmatic dimension, which is related to matter and energy (products and services) need such structures. For example, e-commerce requires a trustworthy transportation and payment infrastructure. Unfortunately, developing countries are lacking them. This differential capacity to use the pragmatic dimension of AdvIT/IS (pragmatic fragility) explains why developing countries are not able to skip industrialization and jump into the information era. This pragmatic fragility increases the existing digital divide since implementing e-business in developing countries ends up being the digitalization of bad business practices.
E-Marketplace Adoption Success Factors
Authors: Pucihar Andreja , Podlogar Mateja
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces e-marketplace adoption success factors as a challenge and opportunity for a small developing country. The chapter offers insights into e-marketplace definitions with e-marketplaces’ business models and business processes. Further it describes opportunities for, and threats to e-marketplaces’ use. Success factors of e-marketplace adoption are divided into three groups: organizational factors, e-marketplace factors and environmental factors. The authors argue that each of these group influences significantly an organization’s e-readiness for e-marketplace adoption. The importance of each of these factors is described on the basis of the results of research, conducted in 119 large organizations in Slovenia. Furthermore, the authors believe that by understanding these factors, organizations will be able to prepare better for successful e-marketplace adoption and successfully exploit important competitive advantages offered by new e-commerce business models.
Offshore Outsourcing
Authors: Kansal Purva , Kaushik Amit Kumar
Published: May 2011

In an attempt to influence their pace of development, developing countries around the world try and influence the rate of investment (especially foreign private investments) in their economy. These countries attempt to influence investor decisions by matching and changing their portfolio with that of foreign investors’ needs. However, to make the country portfolio impressive, a country requires massive investment in infrastructure and other portfolio variables which brings countries at an impasse. This chapter discusses the viability of increasing income as a way out. This leads to another important issue as to how to increase revenue of a country with its limited portfolio of strengths. Recent developments in information technology and the Internet have led to a simple solution to this - offshore outsourcing. Outsourcing as a strategy has been around for many years. Traditionally, companies used to outsource their activities to independent suppliers who were best, but the choice was made from the suppliers located in the vicinity of the outsourcing company for easier coordination and control of the activities of the partner. However, due to developments in e-commerce, distance has become a relative term. Exchange of information in a fraction of a minute, irrespective of physical distance, has made it possible for companies to widen their horizons and look for independent suppliers in different nations — offshore outsourcing.
Data, Information and Knowledge
Authors: Kock Ned
Published: May 2011

Quite often we hear the words data, information, and knowledge being used as if they were synonymous. But aren’t data, information, and knowledge actually the same thing? And if not, what is the difference? I strongly believe that there are subtle but very important differences among these concepts, and that the nature of these differences is a relatively complex one. Moreover, from a business process improvement perspective, data, information, and knowledge serve fundamentally different purposes.
Business Process Improvement and Knowledge Sharing
Authors: Kock Ned
Published: May 2011

As we have seen earlier in this book, knowledge, whether stored in the brain, computer databases, or other storage media, is more often than not used for the processing of information. Information processing, in turn, has been identified as the main reason organizations exist1 (Galbraith, 1973). That is, purposeful organization of people, capital, and other resources is necessary so information processing can be done efficiently and effectively. Information processing, in turn, is seen as a fundamental step in the generation and delivery of products and services by organizations to their customers.
The E-Collaboration Paradox
Authors: Kock Ned
Published: May 2011

This chapter advances a new explanation for some of the apparently contradictory findings discussed earlier in the book, which, in turn, reflect fairly well the body of mixed findings associated with academic and industry research on e-collaboration during the last 30 years (that research was usually conducted under other banners, such as computer-supported collaborative work and group support systems).
Managing the External Provision of "Knowledge Management" Services for Projects
Authors: Smyth Hedley
Published: May 2011

Knowledge management has largely been considered from the perspective of internal generation. It is posed that external provision will increase due to the diversity of problems and scarce resources, the arising issues being explored through a case study. The aim is to explore this process for construction projects. It will be shown that the successful delivery of knowledge services for the construction industry depends upon the way in which the provider conducts its marketing and the operation of gatekeepers in the project organisation. These issues are explored in relation to the main concepts and theories, applying and evaluating these through the case study approach.
Capturing and Reusing Building Maintenance Knowledge
Authors: Fong Patrick S.W. , Wong Ka-chi
Published: May 2011

Knowledge is regarded as the most important asset for sustainable success in today’s knowledge-based economy, and it has become the main competitive tool for many businesses. Proper capture and reuse of knowledge reduces the risk of “reinventing the wheel.” Building surveyors play a major role in building maintenance. Owing to the unique nature of building maintenance, building surveyors need sufficient knowledge and experience to facilitate their decision-making process. Apart from gaining this knowledge and experience by direct participation, learning from others is a sound alternative. However, insufficiencies have been found in the current practice on this aspect, and thus the aim of this chapter is to study whether a proposed Web-based prototype knowledge management system would be a feasible solution for capturing and reusing knowledge and experience in building maintenance. A questionnaire survey was conducted in this research to study the opinions of professional building surveyors on the capture and reuse of knowledge and experience in building maintenance, as well as the requirements of a proposed Web-based prototype system.
Managing Corporate Information Systems Evolution and Maintenance
Authors: Chapin Ned
Published: May 2011

Five key management considerations center on a basic fact—managers manage people in getting things done. As they manage the people in getting information systems evolution and maintenance done, the managers address many concerns arising from the interests of the corporation and the stakeholders involved in the information systems. One of the two major groups of stakeholders is the people who use and work with the information systems, that is, the systems’ customers. The suppliers are the other group and consist of the corporation’s information systems personnel and the supporting vendors. Fifteen of the many concerns arising from the interests of the stakeholders are introduced in this chapter to provide context for the subsequent chapters in this book. This chapter concludes by noting the critical success factor role of leadership in the management of information systems evolution and maintenance.
Evolving Legacy System Features into Fine-Grained Components
Authors: Mehta Alok , Heineman George T.
Published: May 2011

There is a constant need for practical and cost-effective software evolution techniques. We have developed a novel evolution methodology that integrates the concepts of features, regression testing, and component-based software engineering (CBSE). Regression test cases are untapped resources, full of information about system features. By exercising each feature with its associated test cases using code profilers, code can be located and refactored to create components. These components are then inserted back into the legacy system, ensuring a working system structure. This methodology is divided into three parts. Part One identifies the source code associated with features that need evolution. Part Two deals with creating components and Part Three measures results. We have validated our approach on the evolution of a real-world legacy system. By applying this methodology, American Financial Systems, Inc. (AFS) has successfully restructured its enterprise legacy system and reduced the costs of future maintenance. In this chapter we show a simple example of this methodology in action.
Evolving Legacy System Towards E-Business
Authors: Aversano Lerina , Esposito Raffaele , Mallardo Teresa , Tortorella Maria
Published: May 2011

In e-business, addressing the technical issues alone is not enough to drive the evolution of existing legacy applications, but it is necessary to consider problems concerning the strict relationship that exists between the evolution of the legacy system and the evolution of the e-business process. To fulfill this purpose, this chapter proposes a strategy for extracting the requirements for a legacy system evolution from the requirements of the e-business process evolution. The strategy includes a toolkit composed of a set of decision tables and a measurement framework, both referring to the organization, business processes, and legacy software systems. The decision tables allow the identification of the processes to be evolved, the actions to be performed on them and their activities, and the strategies to be adopted for evolving the information systems. The measurement framework aims at achieving a greater understanding of the processes and related problems, taking into account organizational and technological issues.
Reducing IS Maintenance by Improving the Quality of IS Development Processes and Practices
Authors: Duggan Evan W.
Published: May 2011

The correlation between the quality of information systems (IS) development practices, the products they shape, and systems maintainability has been well established. Several organizations have expended large amounts of money on ineffective software that have attracted high maintenance activities, which consume a disproportionate share of IS development resources. The IS quandary is how to reverse this trend, and free up resources for more productive organizational endeavors. This chapter presents a review of a variety of IS quality-oriented approaches (based on research findings and dispassionate practitioner accounts) and an indication of their advantages and weaknesses, and the development environments and contexts for which they are most suited. These techniques are available to software developers to be used individually or in synergistic combinations to confront the prevalent problem of poor software quality and reduce its unfavorable impact on software maintenance.
The Impact of Open Source Development on the Social Construction of Intellectual Property
Authors: Stahl Bernd C.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the impact that open source software has on our perception and use of intellectual property. The theoretical foundation of the paper is constructionist in that it holds intellectual property to be a social construction that is created and legitimized by narratives. In a first step, the chapter recounts the narratives that are usually found in the literature to justify the creation and protection of intellectual property. The two most important streams of narratives are the utilitarian and the natural rights arguments. In a second step, the paper proceeds to the impact that the use of information and communication technology (ICT) has on the narratives of intellectual property. From there, the chapter progresses to a discussion of the impact of open source software on these narratives. It will be argued that open source software changes our perception of intellectual property because it offers evidence that some of the classical narratives are simplistic. At the same time it will become clear that open source is not a frontal assault on intellectual property because it is partly based on ownership of intellectual artefacts. The conclusion discusses how this change of narratives caused by open source software may reflect on our institutions, laws, and regulations of intellectual property.
MSQ-Model
Authors: Nordman Jan , Liljander Veronica
Published: May 2011

Until recently, mobile services, i.e., services that are offered to consumers on their mobile phones, have been overshadowed by their counterpart, the electronic services offered on the wired Internet, especially in Europe and the U.S. With the exception of simple SMS services, mobile services have not yet been widely adopted but will gain in importance as the technology develops and falling prices put them within the reach of most consumers. As the competition for consumers’ loyalty and share of wallet increases, it becomes crucial to understand, what the consumers value in mobile services. By understanding their service quality expectations and by developing the services accordingly, providers are able to attract users and develop a loyal user base. Based on a review of the literature, interviews with industry experts and users of mobile services, a conceptual model of mobile service quality (MSQ) was constructed. The study revealed that consumers use the wired Internet as a comparison standard when evaluating mobile services — a standard that mobile services cannot meet. Similarities were also observed between mobile and wired Internet service quality dimensions. Users evaluated mobile services on the ten dimensions: content, access, ease of navigation, ease of dialogue, aesthetics, reliability, personalization, security/privacy, responsiveness and price knowledge. The concluding remarks include a discussion of Wi-Fi and the impact of new technology on mobile services.
A Rhetorical-Prototype Mechanism for Creating International E-Marketing Materials
Authors: St.Amant Kirk
Published: May 2011

The global diffusion of the Internet has resulted in a new degree of access to international markets. Creating successful online materials for international consumers, however, requires an understanding of cultural expectations related to visual design. For this reason, a mechanism that examines such expectations can facilitate international e-marketing success. This chapter proposes a methodology marketers and design firms can use to address cultural expectations in relation to Web site design. By using this method, individuals can increase the chances that e-marketing materials will meet with success in the global marketplace.
Analyzing and Comparing Ontologies with Meta-Models
Authors: Davies Islay , Green Peter , Milton Simon , Rosemann Michael
Published: May 2011

High-level ontologies provide a model of reality and are of increasing popularity for the evaluation of modeling methods. Most of the common modeling methods have been studied using ontologies such as the BWW representation model and Chisholm’s ontology. However, at this stage only limited guidance is provided for the selection and evaluation of the appropriate ontology. The aim of this chapter is to propose meta-models for analyzing, comparing, and engineering ontologies. It discusses a methodology using extracts of meta-models for two well-known ontologies that had been used previously in Systems Analysis and Design research. The approach provides a theoretical analysis technique for evaluating these ontologies according to their equivalence, depth of structure, and comprehensiveness of scope.
Evaluation of Component-Based Development Methods
Authors: Boertien Nicky , Steen Maarten W.A. , Jonkers Henk
Published: May 2011

Component-based development (CBD) has received a lot of attention in software engineering literature over the last few years. Awareness has been raised that CBD is the way to go in software development, especially in the domain of e-business where the benefits of reusing components, i.e., faster time-to-market and quality, are essential. The question now is how to realize the full potential of CBD? Did we achieve reuse yet? In order to answer these questions, we evaluate and compare five popular methods for component-based development, including Catalysis, the Rational Unified Process, and Select Perspective, on their maturity and fitness-for-use in the context of e-business engineering. The evaluation is done based on our own reference framework for e-business development and a list of objective criteria. The methods each emphasize certain aspects of CBD, but as yet none of them offers a complete solution.
The Impact of Agile SAP on the Supply Chain
Authors: Conger Sue
Published: May 2011

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages, such as SAP, present different competitive challenges to vendors and users. Vendor competitiveness demands an agile deployment process for ERP software while offering increased functionality. User competitiveness depends on obtaining optimal benefits from ERP while not sacrificing competitive agility. This research shows that as deployability of SAP software becomes more agile, using organizations experience increased business agility. In addition to agile ERP deployment, the importance of process understanding and targeted agility impacts are shown to influence user SAP outcomes.