bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
B2E Relationships, Intranets, and Competency Management
Authors: Valdés-Conca Jorge , Canós-Darós Lourdes
Published: May 2011

Achieving success in today’s uncertain environment is a complex and dynamic task. Companies are forced to make keen decisions for survival, anticipating and even provoking the changes of the environment. In this context, the role played by the employees is the key to achieve such a goal. They are required to develop the adequate skills, attitudes, and behaviors for reaching excellent results in their daily tasks, in order to comply with the adaptation needs of the firm. For an efficient management of the staff, human resources (HR) managers may use several means. Two of most outstanding are the development of competency management practices and the implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT) to support business to employee (B2E) relationships. Regarding the former, current and trendy HR management approaches such as knowledge management or coaching are based in competency models (Fernández, 2005). As for the latter, the use of Web technologies has changed the way in which data and computational resources are brought to the desktop of the employees. Since Web based solutions are easy to establish (Power & Kaparthi, 2002), a plenty and quickly increasing number of resources can be made available in the intranet (Güntzer, Müller, Müller, & Schinmkat, 2007). The intranet’s main advantages are the increase in decision making efficiency and the decrease in the required time for internal and external communication. Both of these result in cutting down on coordination and communication costs, removing bottlenecks in the decision making system, and eliminating duplicated and routine administrative tasks. These positive effects could also be transferred onto human resource management (HRM) policies to lessen their subjectivity, with the help of a rigorous competency management system. This article presents a review and foundation for the design of an intranet for the development of B2E relationships, based in competency management theory as a means for transforming the firm’s HR into sources of competitive success. This proposal is the result of the authors’ research in competency-based HRM, after the HR models used in Spanish, American, or British companies. A stepwise methodology is outlined consisting of six stages: definition of objectives, data collection, intranet implementation, competency map analysis, competencies and job inventory preparation, and control of performance. Suggestions are provided for each stage on ways to leverage the strengths of the intranet application for enhancing the performance of human resources.
Conception, Categorization, and Impact of HR-Relevant Virtual Communities
Authors: Diederichsen Anke
Published: May 2011

Virtual community (VC), in its most general sense, is an increasingly popular and apparently omnipresent tool to communicate and interact on the Web. People from diverse backgrounds meet in VCs for likewise diverse purposes: social gatherings, information sharing, entertainment, social, and professional support. The phenomenon of virtual—or online—communities dates back to the late 1960s, when ARPANET, a network for U.S.-military research purposes was established (Licklider & Taylor, 1968). The initially provided e-mail service was later supplemented by a chat functionality. In 1979, virtual social interaction was enabled by USENET use-groups. Here, asynchronous communication is enabled by e-mail and bulletin boards. In the same year, multi user dungeons (MUDs), a new form of text-based virtual reality games were created. In 1985, The WELL was started. This mainly bulletin board-based VC received public attention at least by the publication of the community experiences of one of its most active members, Howard Rheingold. His book also marks the starting point of the virtual community literature (Rheingold, 1993). In the late 1990s, the focus on VCs as Web-based enablers of social interaction (e.g., Wellman, Salaff, Dimitrova, Garton, Gulia, & Haythornthwaite, 1996) shifted to the perception of its potential economic value (e.g., Hagel & Armstrong, 1997). The aim of this article is to depict applications of VCs in human resources (HR)-relevant processes. Applications range from company internal employee communities to company external applicant communities. HR-relevant VCs reflect the increasing utilization of modern information and communication technology (ICT) in human resource management (HRM). The application of VCs in HRM might be beneficial but also may cause negative effects if current trends, are not observed or if the technology is not incorporated strategically. In the following, a definition, a framework, and a categorization of HR-relevant VCs is given. Examples outline potential applications and implications for HRM.
Concepts and Challenges of E-Leadership
Authors: Crawford-Mathis Krista J.
Published: May 2011

Technology increasingly allows one to work from anywhere, altering the mode and style of communication. Videoconferencing, online collaboration software, cell phones, e-mail, Wi-Fi, and other technological tools are contributing to a growing number of virtual companies and teams. Some larger companies have made portions of their workforce virtual, allowing employees to simply work out of their homes. These changes in work force dynamics require additional skill sets for leaders. What follows is a description of e-leadership and the unique leadership challenges associated with this field.
A Contingency Perspective on the Implementation of E Performance Management
Authors: Bondarouk Tanya , Looise Jan Kees
Published: May 2011

A lot has been done in the research into information technologies for HR purposes. Beginning in the 1960- s, personnel management was an early candidate for office automation in payroll, benefits administration, and employee records holding (Ball, 2001). Typically, this information was stored in flat databases being interrogated via simple searching of key words. Growth in strategically focused HRM produced demands for information and communication developments in human resource information systems (HRIS). Growth in strategically focused HRM produced demands for information and communication developments in e-HRM. Empirical reports since then have indicated that the use of e-HRM has become more confident although still mainly for administrative purposes, and that e-HRM projects mainly remained technology-driven events, with the focus on the growing sophistication of information technology. As a result, in the first years in this field, e-HRM was subject to high failure rates and, today, the situation is little better (Bondarouk & Ruël, 2007; Keebler & Rhodes, 2002): While there have been periods during the last thirty years when human resource information systems have been more successful in the industry eye, there is no reason to think that it has become less serious. (Bondarouk & Rüel, 2007) The purpose of this article is to contribute to the discussion on the implementation of e-HRM in organizations by developing a contingency framework of what the organizational conditions are likely to support the process of adoption of one specific e-HRM application, e-performance management.
Curricula Frameworks for an E-Learning Catalog
Authors: Hall Bettie C. , Inskeep Nancy A.
Published: May 2011

Viable organizations use learning concepts to obtain competitive advantage and to leverage the organization’s knowledge. To remain viable, a learning organization embraces electronic communication and the World Wide Web to address increasing competitive forces and changing consumer wants. To focus these efforts, we discuss the importance of developing a curricula framework that meets the organization’s business and learning objectives and present examples of an e-learning system’s online catalog’s features and functionality.
E-HRM as a Reality in Virtual World
Authors: Yamamoto Gonca Telli , Özbek Ahmet
Published: May 2011

The human resources (HR) profession has had a rich history: that is, from the concept of labor unions in 1930 to the creation of selection tools in 1940 then to the reward systems in 1970 shifting to teamwork and then to partnerships in 1990. After the 1990s, like all other businesses, HR also influenced the Internet revolution. Classical human resources management (HRM) concerns the recruitment, selection, development, compensation, retention, evaluation, and promotion of personnel within an organization (Bernardin & Russel, 1993), which could be mostly transferred to the virtual world. Therefore, the HR profession faces an important challenge with new e-HRM and virtual actions encountered in the business world. This chapter examines the e-HRM phenomenon in the virtual world in detail and tries to bring new angles to e-HRM, and then manifests new definitions for the new reality while changes andinteractions take place in the virtual world.
Electronic Employee Performance Management (EPM) Systems
Authors: Case Thomas L. , Hoell Robert
Published: May 2011

Performance management systems are tools that measure employee performance in terms of meaningful standards and goals, in a manner that aligns individual behaviors and efforts with organizational success. The advantages of employee performance management (EPM) systems are widely recognized today. EPM systems have been implemented by thousands of companies in order to obtain greater strategic value from their human resources (HR) and their HR divisions. As a result, EPM is viewed as a top priority by most HR managers and, according to a report issued by Lawson Software in 2006, is observed as being more important than other HRIS applications including payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, online recruiting, and regulatory compliance (Business Wire, 2006c). According to a report issued by Forrester, corporate use of electronic performance and talent management systems is growing at a robust rate of 20% (Business Wire, 2006b).
E-Recruitment in Emerging Economies
Authors: Rao Pramila
Published: May 2011

Electronic human resource management (e-HRM) is the process of using online technology for human resource management activities, such as recruitment, training, performance appraisal and benefits (Rudich, 2000). The goal of this article is to discuss the origins of e-recruitment and address some challenges of e-recruitment in emerging economies like India and Mexico as multinationals seeks to establish strong presence in these countries. E-recruitment originated in the form of independent job sites called bulletin board systems in the 1980s. Initially only the U.S. universities and military had access to Internet facilities. However, the PC revolution that embraced the world in the early 1990s changed the corporate landscape completely (Rudich, 2000). Today more than three-fourths of the Fortune 500 companies use online recruiting and approximately about 18 million people are posting their resumes on Internet portals such as Monster.com (Feldman & Klaas, 2002). Corporations are aggressively seeking the best talent worldwide. Internet recruiting allows organizations to tap a huge talent beyond their own national boundaries (Birchfield, 2002). E-recruitment has several advantages such as its low cost (Galanaki, 2002; Rudich, 2000), quick response time (Hays, 1999), wide range of applicants (Sessa & Taylor, 2000), and worldwide accessibility (Galanaki, 2002; Vinutha, 2005). Specifically to recruitment, it has demonstrated a shorter recruitment cycle and lower cost-per-hire (Jasrotia, 2001; Pollitt, 2005; Sridhar, 2005). For instance, Nike has demonstrated with the use of e-recruitment the average time to fill job positions reduced from 62 to 42 days and the recruitment costs reduced by 54% (Pollitt, 2005). From the employees’ perspective, is that it has made the recruitment process a very proactive one—now passive applicants post their resumes online in anticipation of an interview (Mollison, 2001). Further, online recruitment allows applicants the luxury of accessing jobs online at their own convenience 24 hours 7 days a week. It provides the comfort of scrutinizing jobs without physically going through the stress of an interview. Finally, it allows applicants to get a thorough understanding of the organization and its culture before joining the organization (Vinutha, 2005).
Exploring the Link between Flexible Work and Organizational Performance
Authors: Rimbau-Gilabert Eva
Published: May 2011

The expansion of flexible work experienced since the 1980s in developed economies is consistent with a more generic trend towards organizational flexibility, which many authors see as essential in order to compete in the dynamic global environment (Volberda, 1998). From this point of view, the changing demands of the environment have forced organizations to seek the ability to adapt rapidly and effectively as a means to be successful or even to survive. In the quest for flexibility, every area of the organization has been scrutinized in order to render it as “agile” as possible. In the human resources arena, this analysis has led to the definition of diverse “flexible working practices” (FWP) that describe a wide range of employment practices, which differ from the traditional full-time job with a fixed salary and a permanent contract. These practices have been described using other terms, such as “alternative” (Polivka, 1996; Powell & Mainiero, 1999), “non-standard” (Kalleberg, 2000), or “atypical” (De Grip, Hoevenberg, &m Willems, 1997), which coincide in denoting their divergence from the most traditional forms of employment. This article will show that quite different practices have been embraced by the common term “flexible working practices.” Subsequently, the results of empirical research regarding the implications for organizational performance of a number of flexible practices will be commented on.
HRIS as Drivers to Introduce Total Quality in HRM
Authors: Callejo Miguel Blanco
Published: May 2011

Many studies have shown that total quality management (TQM) represents an up-to-date approach to the management of companies in a complex, turbulent, and global environment. In fact, TQM, as a multidimensional concept, offers the most advanced approach and a wider perspective on quality management that analyzes in depth its impact on strategic management, human resource, and information systems areas (Dale & Cooper, 1994; Wilkinson, Redman, Snape, & Marchington, 1998). In this article, TQM application in human resource management (HRM) (in terms of practices and implications for the company) and the role that technology and information systems could play as drivers in reaching HRM policy objectives are studied. To do this, TQM philosophy is introduced and, subsequently, the three main elements related to TQM implementation in HRM are discussed: the definition of the “success cycle”; the concept of “inverted pyramid,” an organizational structure designed to satisfy client needs, and where employees stay “at the top”; and the essential role that human resource information systems (HRIS) could play in the application of TQM to HRM, increasing employee satisfaction and enhancing customer needs satisfaction and loyalty.
The Importance of Task Type in Virtual Teams
Authors: Araujo Andre L.
Published: May 2011

Both scholars and practitioners have widely acknowledged that the successful management of virtual teams requires a good understanding about the nature of the task. A virtual team is a group of people who work on interdependent tasks guided by a common purpose across space, time, and organizational boundaries with technology-supported communication, substantially more than face-to-face meetings (Maznevski & Chudoba, 2000). Given that a significant portion of the literature on virtual teams finds its roots in the computer-mediated work literature, this chapter provides a review of the tasks that have been used in the computer-supported work literature in an effort to take stock of the current state-of–the-art research. The review is organized around McGrath’s task circumplex. Building on this review, two alternative frameworks that may guide future research on virtual teams are offered. Altogether, 50 empirical studies were identi- fied as meeting the criteria for inclusion, and 69 tasks were analyzed. The review focuses on research that examined the longitudinal effects of computer-mediated work on team processes and performance. This approach follows a large body of scientific evidence (McGrath, 1991) indicating that interactions between task and group processes vary according to a group’s development stage, thereby generating different outcomes over time. In other words, how the task shapes computer-mediated work interactions and performance cannot be understood without taking the role of time into account. In carefully selecting the studies to be reviewed, I ensured that the sample represented the wide range of longitudinal studies that examined patterns of change over time. Accordingly, studies that reported only cross-sectional results were not included in this chapter. The search was conducted using ABI/INFORM database on a number of well recognized academic journalsa. Following the introduction, the chapter is organized into the following four sections: (1) background, (2) task issues, (3) future trends, and (4) a conclusion.
Knowledge Management in Organizations
Authors: Pérez-Montoro Mario
Published: May 2011

Within the last 10 years we have witnessed the appearance and consolidation of a brand- new discipline, that of knowledge management (KM), which has the organization and organizational environment as its primary focus. This discipline seeks to design systems and strategies to make it possible to systematically take advantage of the knowledge generated by and within an organization. Within the current economic situation characterized by extreme competitiveness and market globalization, the correct application of knowledge management offers an important competitive advantage in the business world, one capable of ensuring a company’s ongoing survival and operation. This article seeks to present a brief analysis of this new discipline and, at the same time, offer a useful conceptual framework as a tool for orientation to the literature of the field. In order to accomplish this, first we shall tackle the historical context of the discipline and describe the two main schools which have dominated the theoretical outlook of knowledge management ever since its inception, as well as their evolution. Secondly we shall compile an outline of the fundamental concepts upon which KM is based, and we shall introduce a detailed working definition of knowledge management. Last of all, we shall consider the methodological and pragmatic aspects involved in developing an effective KM program or system within an organization.
Online Dispute Resolution
Authors: Ebner Noam
Published: May 2011

The past few decades have seen explosive growth in the degree to which disputes that would previously have been litigated in court, or simply allowed to fester, are being dealt with constructively by other methods. The development of the field of conflict resolution and management, and of its sub-field, alternative dispute resolution (ADR), which focus on understanding conflict and on developing processes to deal with it, has provided both the theoretical background and the practical applications needed to transform conflicts into opportunities for learning and building. These developments have greatly affected, inter alia, the way conflict is handled inside organizations and in the workplace. The intuitive understanding of conflict’s combined potential for good and evil in organizations and in long term relationships such as employment and labor relations resulted in these being some of the earliest focal points for ADR.a The task of managing workplace conflict is a day-to-day job of managers (Lax & Sebenius, 1987). Whether formally listed in the company’s organizational responsibility chart or not, the task of identifying and managing conflict is most often assigned to human resources experts. In the age of e-communication, new types and sources of organizational conflict are emerging (Landry, 2000) and organizational dispute resolution experts need to update their toolbox. As HRM makes the transition to e-HRM, traditional ADR is adopting new methods for coping with conflict through e-methods and processes. The technology and skills necessary for managing online mediation, arbitration, and negotiation processes are being developed and improved, and the new subfield of online dispute resolution (ODR) is rapidly taking form. The aim of this article is to introduce, in general, the field of ODR to the e-HRM community, and to elaborate on one process which is suitable for widespread use in e-HRM: that of online mediation. In addition, we will also suggest other potentialities of ODR for e-HRM, in the hopes that this discussion will be taken up and developed by others in both fields.
Organizational Implications of Managing the HRIS Employee Experience
Authors: Ruta Dino
Published: May 2011

The aim of this article is to study the employee experience of human resource information systems (HRIS) as the sum of all perceptions that managers, employees, and the human resource (HR) personnel develop in their interaction with different channels (IT applications), such as Web sites, portals, personal digital assistants (PDAs), kiosks, call centers, e-mails, and other such instruments. Nurturing the employee experience of HRIS (also named only employee experience) means finding a perfect match between employees’ expectations and the HR proposition, which entails focusing to the experience each employee has every time he or she interacts with human resource management systems through different channels. We discuss the employee experience as a critical factor that managers need to consider in order to increase HRIS effectiveness. The organizational implications for managing the HRIS employee experience are discussed by way of three factors: the channel integration, the human-computer interaction, and the organizational culture of HRIS.
Project Management Concepts for E-HRM
Authors: Hall Bettie C. , Inskeep Nancy A.
Published: May 2011

Project management skills are essential in today’s business environment. In the case of electronic human resource management (e-HRM) projects, these skills are vital because expendable resources are limited, numerous stakeholders are impacted, and inadequate deliverables result in client dissatisfaction and reflect poor management. Project management methodologies are evidence of proactive controls and credible processes that lay the foundation for success. This chapter presents an overview of project management and introduces concepts for gaining control of any undertaking, especially e-HRM projects, based on the generally accepted principles of project management.
The Sign-Meaning Chain and its Implications for the Organization
Authors: Sanchez-Alarcos José , Revilla Elena
Published: May 2011

For anyone with an education in literary or philosophical confines, coming across the word “semiotics” in a business dictionary might seem strange. It is not among the terms that make up the common jargon of the manager, however, it is acquiring more importance as organizations become more complex. Although the concept is very old and it could be referred to, the philosopher, Umberto Eco (1991) was who got the concept out of the most tightly knit academic circles in his “treating general semiotics.” Eco defines semiotics as “the science that studies the life of signs within the framework of social life” while the R.A.E. (Spanish Society of Arts) defines it as “general theory of signs.” Towards the year 1995, the application of the principles of semiotics to organizations started to be used. The reason why a concept close to grammar or language construction should be of interest in business confines must be sought in the development of information systems (Gazendam, 2001). These have converted today’s organization into an ordered set of signs where, instead of “touching” a reality, it is represented by symbols which, at the same time are represented by other symbols, and so on, until n number of times. As a result, organizations have generated a language of electronic signs more and more distanced from tangible reality because the mobility of the sign is much higher than that which it actually represents. This is the phenomenon which has raised interest in semiotics from the confines of organizations.
Social Cognitive Trust Model
Authors: Bello Joseph Abiodun
Published: May 2011

The literature of small group dynamics is replete with studies emanating from small group experimentalists interested in the subject matter of trust. Trust and trusting relationships have been explored more notably by researchers utilizing small group network communications paradigm (Mackenzie, 1978). Because of the salience of trust to interpersonal and intergroup functioning activities aimed at realizing social group objectives, network communication researchers have focused on a set of variables. There are notions of personalities that are prone to easily trusting others. Self-esteem, self-concept, and self-efficacy do matter (Homans, 1974). There are individual attributes predisposing persons to cautious trusting. The situation or transaction linking parties in a social exchange may also condition the structure of trust manifest from such parties. Experiences gained by social intimates in working together have been known to constrain the texture of trust between them. There exists a natural tendency for a party once trusted to a positive avail, to be readily accorded more trust in future (Frey & Feld, 2002). There exists a social cost to trusting ventures, when a social transaction involving trust has a material cost impact, questions of how such cost is shared will arise. And pose challenges to fair exchange. In business transactions, parties expecting certain considerations from a contracted deal may often insist that all reasonable effort should be exerted to avert disappointment. In formal business relationships, individuals occupying organizational positions as agents will often have to relate to other agents in the regular course of business. The persons and parties engaging in trusting situations are not doing so in a cultural vacuum. Social mutual awareness, perceptual variations, historical antecedents, social learning, and episodes of intellectual experiences dove-tail into social cognitions of trust.
Tools and Techniques for Designing Effective Compensation Systems
Authors: Adenike Adeniji Anthonia
Published: May 2011

Employees are the most essential resource of an organization. They are vital to a company’s success. Without them, it would seize to exist. Management will probably give employee compensation the first place in their priority list and rightly so. Because the importance that compensation holds for their lifestyle and self-esteem, individuals are very concerned that they be paid a fair and competitive wage. Organizations are concerned with pay not only because of its importance as a cost of doing business, but also because it motivates important decisions of employees about taking a job, leaving a job, and performance on the job. Hence, one of the most vital factors for attraction, motivation, and retention amongst the employees is the compensation system, policies, and review philosophies of any organization. Compensation as a function of human resource management that involves rewarding employees for performing organizational task is one of the most complex functions of the human resource manager. A lot of studies have shown the various components of compensation both for the executives and the employees, but no study has focused on the tools and techniques for designing and implementing effective compensation systems. Therefore, this article will look into these tools and techniques of effective compensation systems. To be able to do this effectively, we will look at the various definitions of compensation in the background to the study, the features of good compensation tools, the rationale for choosing effective compensation tools, and the various compensation tools we have—both intrinsic and extrinsic.
BM_VE Architecture Reference Model for Concurrent Engineering
Authors: Caulliraux Pithon Antonio José , Putnik Goran D.
Published: May 2011

To support the requirements for the new organizational forms of enterprises, the cooperative work and work groups approach has appeared. Cooperative work may be defined as one where a group of people, physically separated or not, articulate the accomplishment of a common task in a synchronous or asynchronous form. In order to cooperate, a previous agreement should be considered. All should be committed to work to reach a common objective (Borges, 1995). It is supposed that the agility, that is, dynamics, with which these work groups may be created and reconfigured, makes it possible to use the best “resources,” the (best) individuals capable to add value to one defined task, independently of their (the individuals’) (geographic) location and, consequently, contribute to the product and process quality. In that sense, it is supposed that application of virtual enterprise (VE) organizational principles contributes to the agility of the work teams, that is, to the concurrent engineering (CE) work teams, or team work, organization.
Broker's Direct Cost and Time Variables and Expressions
Authors: Ávila Paulo , Putnik Goran D. , Cunha Maria Manuela , Madureira Ana
Published: May 2011

In this work, we will present the direct costs and times of the broker for the resources selection process in our agile/virtual enterprise (A/VE) project designated by BM_Virtual Enterprise project (more details can be seen in Putnik, 2000). Related with this work and after revised literature about the selection process for A/VE, we have verified there are some works about selection models and about selection algorithms (Dhaenens- Filipo, 2000; Gupta & Nagi, 1995; Huang & Mak, 2000; Ko, Kim, & Hwang, 2001; Minis, Herrmann, & Lam, 1996; Sluga & Butala, 2001; Subbub, Sanderson, Hocaoglu, & Graves, 1999; Wu, Mao, & Quian, 1999), but on the one hand without evaluating the times and the costs associated to the selection process, much less considering the broker.
Business Ecosystem
Authors: den Hartigh Erik , Tol Michiel
Published: May 2011

As a consequence of the importance of technology platforms, it is almost impossible for firms to engage the competitive battle on their own. We therefore see patterns of competition emerge that do not match the economic models of perfect competition or even of oligopolistic or monopolistic competition. Rather, competition takes place between a few large coalitions, or networks, of firms around a common technological platform. Such networks, consisting of multiple firms performing different roles, are not unlike biological ecosystems. For such networks, therefore, the term business ecosystem is increasingly used (Den Hartigh & Van Asseldonk, 2004; Iansiti & Levien, 2002, 2004a, 2004b; Moore, 1993, 1996; Witte, 2004). The term business ecosystem was coined by James Moore in his 1993 Harvard Business Review article Predators and Prey. Moore (1996, p. 15) defines a business ecosystem as “The term circumscribes the microeconomics of intense coevolution coalescing around innovative ideas. Business ecosystems span a variety of industries. The companies within them coevolve capabilities around the innovation and cooperatively and competitively to support new products, satisfy customer needs, and incorporate the next round of innovation.” There is a strong analogy between business ecosystems and biological ecosystems, as implied by the “ecosystems” terminology.
Collaborative Networks and Virtual Support Enterprises
Authors: Liyanage Jayantha P. , Herbert Mike
Published: May 2011

Owing to complexity and dynamism of the industrial settings, the business environment today is more prepared to adapt different competitive strategies to retain profitability and growth (see for instance, Click & Duening, 2005; Tidd, 2000; Wang, Heng, & Chau, 2007). Smart use of cooperative technologies and establishment of prudent business-to-business (B2B) partnerships are very central to manage risk when business activities are exposed to a much wider range of uncertainties (Shaw, 2006; Wang et al., 2007; Wroblewski, 2002). This is particularly so for high-risk businesses such as oil and gas (O&G) exploration and production (E&P), which is far more sensitive in socio-economical and political terms. This chapter presents such an emerging collaborative and dynamic network environment within the O&G industry on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) through a case study. It provides a background of the industry, describes the organization of the network, its structure, and the active strategic components. At the end it also highlights some of the major challenges that need to be addressed in the establishment of a fullyintegrated and fail-safe network and an operational enterprise to manage complex assets. This is based on an ongoing industry-wide new development process termed integrated operations (IO) commenced very recently in 2004-2005 dedicated to establish smart offshore asset management practices on NCS by 2015 or so (OLF, 2003).
Constructing Virtual Libraries
Authors: Maltez Conceição , Moreira António
Published: May 2011

In his well-known book The Library (1987)1, Umberto Eco writes about the role of the library which has evolved and changed over the centuries according to the social, historical, and cultural contexts of society in general, adapting to the transformation of mentalities and the conquests brought about by the constant advancement of knowledge and science. From collecting to treasuring, from transcribing, disseminating, lending, and reading, the library has adopted different connotations from those which traditionally directed our minds to the universe of books.
Context-Awareness in Pervasive Environments
Authors: Bublitz Frederico Moreira , Loureiro Emerson , Almeida Hyggo , Costa Evandro , Perkusich Angelo
Published: May 2011

Pervasive computing is emerging as the new paradigm for the XXI century. Although it may be a new concept for many, its first ideas were introduced in 1991, in the seminal paper of Mark Weiser (Weiser, 1991). The primary vision of such a paradigm is that computing becomes part of our lives, being available anytime and anywhere. In other words, it replaced the idea of each person using a single computer at a time (i.e., the personal computer paradigm) to the one where each person can use many computers, which are embedded in everyday life objects (e.g., clothes, phone and automobile).
Reflective Ba and Refractive Ma in Cross-Cultural Learning
Authors: Medeni Tunç D. , Iwatsuki Shunji , Cook Steven A.
Published: May 2011

It is important to underline that learning and knowledge are relative in terms of space and time (Medeni, 2005). This notion of relativity and the inter-linkage of time and space is furthered by Costea,1 in his discussion of “time and the conceptual problems of the temporal dimension of business education discourse.” In conclusion, Costea’s analysis shows that: with regard to the problem of time, management education discourses originate in a paradigmatic framework which leads to the assimilation of human practices in the overall economic-functionalist view of human beings and of the world as space for history. Thus, time itself is rendered into a homogenous resource to be managed according to the agenda of the corporate organisation as main unit of analysis. The role of human beings involved in this process is to merely synchronize their actions and make more efficient use of time as an economic resource. (p. 38)
Revision of the Bullwhip Effect
Authors: de la Fuente David
Published: May 2011

A supply chain is composed of all the stakeholders and processes involved in satisfying consumer demand: wholesaler, retailer, warehousing, transport and so on. A classic method to understand the internal workings of a supply chain is the much-used beer distribution game that came out of MIT during the sixties. In this game, each player takes on the role of one of the members of the chain (consumer, retailer, wholesaler and manufacturer). The aim is for each of them to coordinate their actions in such a way as to satisfy the demands of the upstream member of the chain at the least possible cost. Sterman (1989) provided evidence of an effect that had already been described by Forrester (1961) whereby initial consumer demand is distorted and amplified as it passes along the chain. This increment is known as the Forrester or Bullwhip effect.
Social Interaction Effects
Authors: den Hartigh Erik
Published: May 2011

Direct social interactions between economic agents (people) are important in determining their choices. When choosing a new car, you will likely ask some of your friends or acquaintances what their opinion is on different types and brands of cars. When choosing a new photo camera, you are likely to visit an Internet forum to see what other peoples’ opinions are on the different brands and types of cameras. These are examples of social interaction. Social interaction effects are therefore important in determining buying behavior. The rise of the Internet has considerably facilitated such social interactions, making social interaction effects even more important.
Social Networks through an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Authors: de Souza Euler G.M. , Medeni Tunç D. , Nie Kun
Published: May 2011

The entrepreneurial mindset is crucial to build and manage social networks. Entrepreneurs have proven to be skillful social networks builders and users (Stuart & Sorenson, 2005). Nevertheless, an entrepreneurial mindset is not limited only to entrepreneurs, organizations are made of people where social networks play a very important role in order to create, maintain and develop patterns of communications among people. Analyzing the entrepreneurial personality, researchers have found many traits in successful entrepreneurs along history. According to McClelland (1986), the key to entrepreneurial success is the need for achievement, which is explained by the urgency of coming up with the new, to create and to make things happen. An important aspect to be considered is that an entrepreneur does not act alone; he or she always depends on others to go on, therefore making use of networks. Another important characteristic of an entrepreneur is the ability to take calculated risks (Hornaday, 1982), being the opposite of what many people think, the real entrepreneur will take risks, however with a very clear understanding of the situation and the risks will be moderated not high. Social competence (Baron, 2000) is higher than average when talking about entrepreneurial behavior; there is a high social perception and extreme capacity to adapt to new social situations. The flow of information and knowledge has been considered the lifeblood of many organizations, especially the ones based on the knowledge economy. Considering the emergent knowledge society, change agents are necessary to provide a dynamic equilibrium to our changing organizational environment and acting with an entrepreneurial mind will allow individuals and organizations to act proactively identifying opportunities and mobilizing resources (Stuart & Sorenson, 2005).
Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication Systems
Authors: Reis António D. , Rocha José F. , Gameiro Atilio S. , Carvalho José P.
Published: May 2011

This article talks generically about telecommunication systems. A telecommunication system involves a transmitter, a transmission medium, and a receiver. The type of communication between the transmitter and the receiver can be the synchronous transmission mode or the asynchronous transmission mode. Synchronous communication is sending data with synchronization to an external clock. The most significant aspect of synchronous communication is that the transmitter and receiver clocks are dependent and synchronized. The synchronous communication is a transmission technique that is widely used in telecommunications. Asynchronous communication is sending data without synchronization to an external clock. The most significant aspect of asynchronous communication is that the transmitter and receiver clocks are independent and are not synchronized. The synchronous communication is a transmission technique, which is widely used in personal computers, providing connectivity to printers, modems, fax machines, and so forth.
Taxonomy of Broker's Functions in Virtual Enterprises
Authors: Ávila Paulo , Putnik Goran D. , Cunha Maria Manuela , Pires António
Published: May 2011

Not just with the emergence but also with the growing of the electronic market, that is, the growth of online suppliers of services and products and Internet users (potential consumers), the necessary conditions to the affirmation of the agile/virtual enterprises (A/VE) as a present and future enterprise organizational model are created. In this context, it is our understanding that the broker may have an important role in its development, namely, if the broker performs functions for the A/VE with better efficacy and efficiency. In this article, we will present first a revision of the broker’s models in a structured form. We present a taxonomy of possible broker’s functions for the broker’s actuation near the A/VE and then the classification of the literature broker’s models. This classification will permit an analysis of a broker’s model and establish a mainframe for our broker’s model according to the BM_Virtual Enterprise Architecture Reference Model (BM_VEARM).
Training Techniques for Developing Trust in Virtual Teams
Authors: Beranek Peggy M. , Martz Ben , French Monique
Published: May 2011

Trust among team members is a major factor influencing the cohesiveness of the group, trust also has a direct impact on team performance, problem solving, organizational performance, and organizational communication. Virtual teams are teams in which members are distributed and communicate via computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS). Past research has indicated that the development of trust among team members requires face-to-face communication, thereby making it difficult for virtual teams to develop trust. Recent research has shown that it is possible to train virtual teams to exhibit higher levels of trust. This paper describes and discusses different methods of trust training for virtual teams. We offer a comprehensive comparison of the results and analysis of the training programs of these studies and offer advice on developing and conducting such programs.
Using View Process Models in Collaborative Business Processes
Authors: Ziemann Jörg , Kahl Timo , Werth Dirk
Published: May 2011

Increasing interconnection of organizations is a global trend. Independent organizational units or entire organizations build temporary or permanent collaborations, which pool resources, capabilities, and information to achieve a common objective (Sydow, 1993). New business models are emerging and existing ways of working are redesigned forming long running processes between various (external) partners—so called Cross- Organisational Business Processes (CBPs). In order to realize a collaborative scenario in an efficient and effective manner, it is necessary to design, manage, and optimize CBPs on a global level. This requires the externalization of internal information of every single partner in the network.
The Value Creation Process in Networked Organizations
Authors: Chen Jengchung V. , Wang Yu-Hsiang
Published: May 2011

The concept of the organizations as value creators is not new. The capacity to create value in a sustainable way is just recognized to the organizations that are able to innovate and to find other forms of continuously combining their resources, capabilities, and processes. Value creation corresponds to a complex exercise that appeals to a global and transversal analysis of the organization and its environment as well as to the knowledge and control of the variables that leads or affects its creation (value drivers) or destruction. For a question of efficiency and/or flexibility, organizations cannot perform all value chain activities and do it in a better way. Concentration in activities or knowledge areas in which they are competent enough and rely on the other members of the network’s other responsibilities is a way to strengthen their own resources and capabilities; at the same time they preserve the flexibility to face change. On the other hand, firms do not control all the fundamental resources needed for the value creation process. In this way networks are not only important, but also critical to the success, or even the survival of the organization.
Virtual Community and Online Game Players
Authors: Chen Jengchung V. , Wang Yu-Hsiang
Published: May 2011

Since the Internet and other IT technologies have become more popular than ever before, the amount of time people spend with computers and IT products, such as Internet and online games, has increased tremendously. The continuing boom of information and communication technology is causing the Internet to become a part of everyone’s life. People use the Internet not only as a tool for their jobs, but also to participate in virtual communities. Even if the rate of Internet uptake slows considerably (Weisenbacher, 2002), the trend still remains growing. There were 275.5 million people using the Internet in February 2000. That number had changed to 605.60 million in September 2002 (Nua Ltd., 2002). According to Horrigan’s study (2001), 84 percent of Internet users in America have participated in a virtual community. Moreover, apart from the number of people using Internet, the average time spent doing any activity online is increasing.
Virtual Organizations Management
Authors: Jansson Kim , Karvonen Iris , Ollus Martin , Salkari Iiro , Negretto Ugo , Klen Alexandra , Paganelli Paolo
Published: May 2011

While single-domain and application-specific “organized networks” are known and have been in use throughout history, the concept of virtual organizations (VO) as such is very young (Camarinha-Matos, Banahan, & Sousa, 2004). In addition, virtual organizations encompass a wide range of typologies in structure, topology, and time span, as well as life cycle coverage (Karvonen, Salkari, & Ollus, 2005). Even though specific categories of VOs are more and more understood (i.e. supply chains, extended enterprises and other types of networks) and systematically supported by dedicated methods and tools, the “management” of their activities in terms of fostering the coordinated target achievement is still in its beginnings. Hence the management of generic VOs is even less systematically researched, which in itself constitutes a major challenge. It is important to note that VO management is about the management of business processes going over and across the VO members, it is not about the management of the constituent members themselves. VO management denotes the organization, allocation, and coordination of resources and their activities, as well as their interorganizational dependencies, to achieve the objectives of the VO within the required time, cost, and quality frame (ECOLEAD, 2005).