bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interaction
Authors: Ko Chi Chung , Cheng Chang Dong
Published: May 2011

In Chapter VII, we discussed how animation can be applied in Java 3D to increase the visual impact of a virtual 3D world and illustrate the dynamic of the various 3D objects to the user (Tate, Moreland, & Bourne, 2001). In this chapter, we will continue this process to make the virtual 3D universe even more interesting and appealing by adding the ability for the user to interact with the 3D objects being rendered. In Java 3D, both animation and interaction can be accomplished through the use of the behavior class. Having discussed how this class helps to carry out animation in the last chapter, we will now concentrate on the mechanism of using behavior class to achieve interaction. Technically, the behavior class is an abstract class with mechanisms for the scene graph to be changed. Being an extension of the leaf class, it can also be a part of a normal scene. In particular, it may be a leaf node in the scene graph and can be placed in the same way as geometry is placed. For instance, in an application where it is necessary to render and control a rotating cube, the rotation behavior for the animation and interaction can be placed under the same transform group as the geometry object for rendering the cube. The main objective of adding a behavior object in a scene graph is of course to change the scene graph in response to a stimulus in the form of, say, pressing a key, moving a mouse, colliding objects, or a combination of these and other events. The change in the virtual 3D world may consist of translating or rotating objects, removing some objects, changing the attributes of others, or any other desirable outcomes in the specific application.
Multiple Views
Authors: Ko Chi Chung , Cheng Chang Dong
Published: May 2011

Our discussions in previous chapters have centered on the creation and interaction of visual objects in a virtual 3D world. The objects and scenes constructed, however, will ultimately have to be shown on appropriate display devices such as a single PC monitor, a stereoscopic head mount display (HMD), or a multi screen project system (Salisbury, Farr, & Moore, 1999). Also, it is quite often that we may need to show different views of the created universe at the same time for certain applications. Even for the case of a single PC monitor, showing different views of the same objects in different windows will be instructive and informative, and may be essential in some cases. While we have been using a single simple view in earlier chapters, Java 3D has inherent capabilities to give multiple views of the created 3D world for supporting, say, the use of head tracking HMD systems for user to carry out 3D navigation (Yabuki, Machinaka, & Li, 2006). In this chapter, we will discuss how multiple views can be readily generated after outlining the view model and the various components that make up the simple universe view used previously.
A Web-Based 3D Real Time Oscilloscope Experiment
Authors: Ko Chi Chung , Cheng Chang Dong
Published: May 2011

In this final chapter, we will describe the use of Java 3D as a visualization technology in the development of a Web-based 3D real time oscilloscope experiment. Developed and launched under a research project at the National University of Singapore, this application enables students to carry out a physical electronic experiment that involves the use of an actual oscilloscope, a signal generator and a circuit board remotely through the Internet (Ko 2000, and 2001). Specifically, this system addresses 3D visualization schemes on the client side (Bund, 2005, Hobona, 2006, Liang, 2006, Ueda, 2006, Wang, 2006), as well as Web-based real time control and 3D-based monitoring between the client and server (Nielsen, 2006; Qin, Harrison, West, & Wright, 2004). The control of the various instruments are carried out in real time through the use of a Java 3D based interface on the client side, with the results of the experiment being also reflected or displayed appropriately on 3D instruments in the same interface.
Globalization and the Changing Face of IDentification
Authors: Michael Katina , Michael M.G.
Published: May 2011

National security measures can be defined as those technical and non-technical measures that have been initiated as a means to curb breaches in national security, irrespective of whether these might occur by nationals or aliens in or from outside the sovereign state. National security includes such government priorities as maintaining border control, safeguarding against pandemic outbreaks, preventing acts of terror, and even discovering and eliminating identification fraud. Governments worldwide are beginning to implement information and communication security techniques as a way of protecting and enhancing their national security. These techniques take the form of citizen identification card schemes using smart cards, behavioral tracking for crowd control using closed-circuit television (CCTV), electronic tagging for mass transit using radio-frequency identification (RFID), ePassports for travel using biometrics (Figure 1), and 24×7 tracking of suspected terrorists using global positioning systems (GPS).
Magnetic-Stripe Cards
Authors: Michael Katina , Michael M.G.
Published: May 2011

Almost simultaneously that the retail industry underwent revolutionary changes with the introduction of bar code, the financial industry adopted magnetic-stripe card technology. What is of interest is that both bar code and magnetic-stripe card enjoyed limited exposure when they were first introduced in the late 1960s. It took at least a decade for the technologies to become widespread. Each overcame a variety of obstacles. Coupled together the two techniques were major innovations that affected the way that consumers carried out their day-to-day tasks. The technologies were complementary; on the one hand were the actual commodities consumers purchased and on the other was the means with which they purchased them. Yet, the bar code differed from magnetic-stripe card in that it was more a service offered by retailers to consumers, with the primary focus being to make business back-end operations more efficient. The magnetic-stripe card however, had a more direct and personal impact on the cardholder, as it was the individual’s responsibility to maintain it. The consumer had to carry it, use it appropriately, and was liable for it in every way. Certainly bar codes on cards were being used early on but they were far less secure than magnetic stripe cards and therefore not adopted by financial institutions. Before too long, magnetic-stripe cards became synonymous with the withdrawal of cash and the use of credit which acted to heighten the importance of the auto-ID technology. Even today, magnetic-stripe cards for financial transaction cards dominate the market.
Geographic Information Systems & Location-Based Services
Authors: Michael Katina , Michael M.G.
Published: May 2011

This chapter is about geographic information systems (GIS) and its relevance to the location-based services industry. One might initially ask how relevant GIS is to a book that is predominantly about automatic identification and its future trajectory. The answer becomes apparent quickly as the reader is introduced to the importance of geocoding information, i.e., geographically linking data such as personal details using a unique ID number. In the past data matching programs have received a great deal of attention from privacy advocates, especially those used for the administration of government procedures. Till now, automatic identification has facilitated electronic services (e-services), allowing an individual to be matched to a fixed address, usually their place of residence. But it is one thing to tag and another to track. Today, we are moving towards a model of tracking and monitoring people as they go about their daily business, in real time. We are no longer satisfied with knowing where an individual lives but we want to know their every move- so that we can estimate traffic congestion on a busy road, design 3G mobile networks that have enough capacity during busy hours, and to ensure someone’s safety when adequate supervision is not available.
New Episthemologies in a Changing Media Environment
Authors: Ardrizzo Giuseppe
Published: May 2011

This chapter draws the landscape of the passage from modernity to information society. This is a passage referring to our idea of the universe, the way we’re thinking, the modalities with which we make sense of the world. Describing them, it is also possible to understand the main challenges for education: a shift from linear to complex methodologies, the need to provide students with abilities for searching and evaluating information, and the development of a new episthemology with its cultural codes and its languages. If school doesn’t individualize new tools for interpreting youngsters’ behaviours, it shall not be able to understand its new role in this changing society: to work at digital literacy thinking of it as a knowledge literacy.
Children and Computers
Authors: Ferri Paolo Maria , Mantovani Susanna
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the design, the methodology, and the preliminary results of the research Children and Computer. Experience and Conceptual Frameworks (3-6). The research, started in 2004, is supported by IBM Foundation Italy and University of Milan-Bicocca—Dipartimento di Scienze Umane per la Formazione “Riccardo Massa.” The research team, led by Professor Susanna Mantovani, includes: Chiara Bove, Paolo Ferri, Valentina Garzia, Susanna Mantovani, Anna Poli, Donata Ripamonti, and Angelo Failla (IBM Foundation Italy), Morgana Stell (IBM Foundation Italy).
The Future of Digital Society and the New Values of Media
Authors: Perez Tornero Jose Manuel
Published: May 2011

This chapter concerns the conceptualization of information society and its social impact. From this point of view it worked like a myth, emphasizing the role of technology and producing some effects on social behaviours. This idea is develop in three main ways. First of all the chapter explains how the myth was born and how it is producing effects. Second, it investigates how it is changing the anthropology of how we are thinking about technology and its development. Finally, it imagines how media education is affected by this process, pointing out some ideas for redesigning its epistemological profile.
International Students and Plagiarism Detection Systems
Authors: Introna Lucas D. , Hayes Niall
Published: May 2011

This paper explores the question of plagiarism by international students (non-native speakers). It argues that the inappropriate use of electronic plagiarism detection systems (such as Turnitin) could lead to the unfair and unjust construction of international students as plagiarists. We argue that the use of detection systems should take into account the writing practices used by those who write as novices in a non-native language as well as the way ‘plagiarism’ or plagiaristic forms of writing are valued in other cultures. It calls for a move away from a punitive legalistic approach to plagiarism that equates copying to plagiarism and move to a progressive and formative approach. If taken up such an approach will have very important implications for the way universities in the west deal with plagiarism in their learning and teaching practice as well as their disciplinary procedures.
Students and the Internet
Authors: Ramsey Jon R.
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the information revolution represented by the Internet. It argues that a number of contemporary debates over the nature of authorship and the ownership of ideas and information present serious challenges to traditional concepts of plagiarism. Especially considered are students’ many types of interactions with digital technologies and the effect of a “flat world” on their thinking and information-gathering practices. The author then offers suggestions for improving faculty and student understanding of the new information environment and for sustaining academic integrity in the midst of a knowledge revolution.
Critical Success Factors of IT Strategy
Authors: Chew Eng K. , Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

As discussed in Chapter III, a successful IT strategy must align with the business, fully at every stage of the end-to-end strategic management process, from strategy setting and planning to detailed program execution and delivery. Most publications (Luftman & McLean, 2004) on business–IT alignment to date have been centered on one dimension of the alignment issues, for example, on strategic planning or organizational issues. In this chapter, we discuss the critical success factors of IT strategy holistically across four dimensions of the strategic management process from strategy formulation to planning to execution and to value delivery monitoring end-to-end because IT leaders have to manage alignment in all four dimensions in order to maximize the strategic value of information technology deployment. The most basic requirement for the success is that IT must be regarded as being part of the business, devoid of the “us” vs. “them” chasm (separating IT from the business) found in most traditional organizations where IT is viewed as a subservient role performing basically a “back office” function. This critical organizational culture requirement of “IT and business acting as one” is founded on the rigor and discipline of IT governance. IT governance is integral to corporate governance, subject to periodic governance compliance audit by is chapter will briefly describe this function as it applies to the end-to-end process of IT strategy. A more complete treatment will be covered in Chapter IX.
Is It Safe to Talk,Yet? The Evolution of Electronic Privacy Law
Authors: Thomas John
Published: May 2011

This chapter traces the development in the United States of legal protections of the right to privacy. It begins with the common law “right to be let alone” in the early 1900s and proceeds through the enactment of the U.S. Patriot Act in 2001 and the National Security Administration’s warrantless wire tapping program revealed to the public in 2005. It concludes with a discussion of emerging electronic threats to the security of privacy of the public and concomitant challenges to lawmakers and law enforcers.
Privacy Preserving Data Mining
Authors: Ahluwalia Madhu V. , Gangopadhyay Aryya
Published: May 2011

This chapter gives a synopsis of the techniques that exist in the area of privacy preserving data mining. Privacy preserving data mining is important because there is a need to develop accurate data mining models without using confidential data items in individual records. In providing a neat categorization of the current algorithms that preserve privacy for major data mining tasks, the authors hope that students, teachers and researchers can gain an understanding of this vast area and apply the knowledge gained to find new ways of simultaneously preserving privacy and conducting mining.
Business Cases for Privacy-Enhancing Technologies
Authors: Clarke Roger
Published: May 2011

Many categories of e-business continue to under-achieve. Their full value cannot be unlocked while key parties distrust the technology or other parties, particularly the scheme’s sponsors. Meanwhile, the explosion in privacy-intrusive technologies has resulted in privacy threats looming ever larger as a key impediment to adoption. Technology can be applied in privacy-enhancing ways, variously to counter invasive technologies, to enable untraceable anonymity, and to offer strong, but more qualified pseudonymity. After their first decade, it is clear that privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) are technically effective, but that their adoption lags far behind their potential. As a result, they have not delivered the antidote to distrust in e-business. If individuals are not spontaneously adopting PETs, then the opportunity exists for corporations and government agencies to harness PETs as a core element of their privacy strategies. The financial investment required is not all that large. On the other hand, it is challenging to attract the attention of executives to an initiative of this nature, and then to adapt corporate culture to ensure that the strategy is successfully carried through. This chapter examines PETs, their application to business needs, and the preparation of a business case for investment in PETs.
Human Detection in Static Images
Authors: Jia Hui-Xing , Zhang Yu-Jin
Published: May 2011

Human detection is the first step for a number of applications such as smart video surveillance, driving assistance systems, and intelligent digital content management. It’s a challenging problem due to the variance of illumination, color, scale, pose, and so forth. This chapter reviews various aspects of human detection in static images and focuses on learning-based methods that build classifiers using training samples. There are usually three modules for these methods: feature extraction, classifier design, and merge of overlapping detections. The chapter reviews most existing methods for each module and analyzes their respective pros and cons. The contribution includes two aspects: first, the performance of existing feature sets on human detection are compared; second, a fast human detection system based on histogram of oriented gradients features and cascaded AdaBoost classifier is proposed. This chapter should be useful for both algorithm researchers and system designers in the computer vision and pattern recognition community.
A Unified Approach to Support Vector Machines
Authors: Shilton Alistair , Palaniswami Marimuthu
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a unified introduction to support vector machine (SVM) methods for binary classification, one-class classification, and regression. The SVM method for binary classification (binary SVC) is introduced first, and then extended to encompass one-class classification (clustering). Next, using the regularized risk approach as a motivation, the SVM method for regression (SVR) is described. These methods are then combined to obtain a single unified SVM formulation that encompasses binary classification, one-class classification, and regression (as well as some extensions of these), and the dual formulation of this unified model is derived. A mechanical analogy for binary and one-class SVCs is given to give an intuitive explanation of the operation of these two formulations. Finally, the unified SVM is extended to implement general cost functions, and an application of SVM classifiers to the problem of spam e-mail detection is considered.
Online Games as Powerful Food Advertising to Children
Authors: Cole Richard T. , Quilliam Elizabeth Taylor
Published: May 2011

As Internet marketing has evolved, customized online games created to promote specific brands or products have been embraced by food marketers. At the same time that these advergames, a hybrid of entertainment and advertising, have emerged, childhood obesity in the United States has reached what some consider epidemic proportions. Advertising to children is frequently implicated as contributing to children’s poor dietary choices, and ultimately to childhood obesity and its attendant medical risks. In this chapter, we describe the nature of advergames, consider their effectiveness as teaching tools and advertisements, and suggest public policy issues related to the continued use of advergames to promote non-nutritious foods to children.
MMORPGS and Foreign Language Education
Authors: Zhao Yong , Lai Chun
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides an overview of the potential of massively multiplayer role-playing games (MMORPGs) for foreign language education and discusses how MMORPGs can be better designed to support foreign language education. It reviews current conceptualizations on ideal language learning environments, discusses the potential of MMORPGs for foreign language education, and elaborates on how to design MMORPGs to facilitate foreign language learning. The authors hope that this discussion will help foreign language educators realize and capitalize on the values of MMORPGs in foreign language education, and will guide the design of MMORPGs for foreign language learning.
Game-Based Learning in Design History
Authors: Martinson Barbara , Chu Sauman
Published: May 2011

Games are increasingly being used to teach content in a variety of courses from elementary to graduate education. This study investigates the effectiveness of using a game, to learning design history content, and it examines students’ preferred learning activities based on learning styles. Forty-two students played a computer game and then responded to a 10-item quiz. Learning style or times played did not impact achievement on the quiz. Students did prefer games as a learning tool, but equally preferred lecture and projects. This study does indicate that games can be used as tools to teach various types of information within a college course. Games added variety to the design history course and made learning facts more fun. The concrete nature of the game was appropriate for this particular group of students, most of whom had concrete learning styles. Finally, the recycling of a previously designed learning object made the project affordable in terms of time and money.
Social Psychology and Massively Multiplayer Online Learning Games
Authors: Bowers Clint , Smith Peter A. , Cannon-Bowers Jan
Published: May 2011

The use of computer games and especially online games for educational purposes is growing in popularity. In this chapter we attempt to summarize findings from the area of social psychology as a basis to form propositions, guidelines, and research questions that will help develop effective multiplayer environments for learning. We are particularly interested in how to foster collaborative learning in multiplayer environments by exploiting the naturally occurring structures and features of popular massively multiplayer games. Where possible, we offer examples of how these features can be used to support learning and highlight areas in need of future research.
Evaluating and Managing Cognitive Load in Games
Authors: Kalyuga Slava , Plass Jan L.
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides an overview of our cognitive architecture and its implications for the design of game-based learning environments. Design of educational technologies should take into account how the human mind works and what its cognitive limitations are. Processing limitations of working memory, which becomes overloaded if more than a few chunks of information are processed simultaneously, represent a major factor influencing the effectiveness of learning in educational games. The chapter describes different types and sources of cognitive load and the specific demands of games on cognitive resources. It outlines information presentation design methods for dealing with potential cognitive overload, and presents some techniques (subjective rating scales, dual-task techniques, and concurrent verbal protocols) that could be used for evaluating cognitive load in electronic gaming in education.
Playing Roles in the MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing
Authors: Oliver Martin
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the roles players created, and how these structured their online relationships, in an online massively multi-player role-playing game, Kingdom of Loathing—a low-tech browser-based game with a satirical, humorous style. Existing research has often sought to understand players’ actions by classifying them into “types”, determined by motivations for play or patterns of behaviour. However, such typologies are shown to be problematic, particularly in the way that they might be interpreted as predicting behaviour. Instead, a phenomenographic exploration was undertaken, looking at players’ experiences, the roles they took up, and how they learned to perform these. This exploration shows that classifications of players are an over-simplification. Instead, the classification should apply to examples of play—not least because the game itself was not “fixed” but was constantly re-designed in response to play. This has implications for research methodology, but also for the (ongoing) design of games.
Gender and Racial Stereotypes in Popular Video Games
Authors: Mou Yi , Peng Wei
Published: May 2011

While the violent content of video games has caused wide concern among scholars, gender, and racial stereotypes in video games are still an understudied area. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a better understanding of the stereotypical phenomenon in video games. The book chapter first provides a comprehensive review of previous studies conducted upon gender-role and racial portrayals in video games. Then a small-scale content analysis on a sample of official trailers, introductory sequences and covers of 19 of the most popular video games is introduced. Finally, the implications of stereotype in video games and the possible social and psychological impacts on players, especially adolescent players, are discussed.
Artists in the Medium
Authors: Squire Kurt
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses emerging trends in games and learning. It argues for an approach that examines games as a new medium. With the increased attention being given to games, critiques about the instructional efficacy of games will emerge, and that educators must truly take advantage of the unique capacities of the medium, as well as keep in mind the new forms of learning supported by games. It continues to outline key trends, such as emerging game genres, new forms of productive play, and embedded game assessments. By targeting what kinds of design advances occur in contemporary entertainment games, perhaps games can be designed that will become integrated into educational systems.
Insights into the Impact of Social Networks on Evolutionary Games
Authors: Sycara Katia , Scerri Paul , Chechetka Anton
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we explore the use of evolutionary game theory (EGT) (Nowak & May, 1993; Taylor & Jonker, 1978; Weibull, 1995) to model the dynamics of adaptive opponent strategies for a large population of players. In particular, we explore effects of information propagation through social networks in evolutionary games. The key underlying phenomenon that the information diffusion aims to capture is that reasoning about the experiences of acquaintances can dramatically impact the dynamics of a society. We present experimental results from agent-based simulations that show the impact of diffusion through social networks on the player strategies of an evolutionary game and the sensitivity of the dynamics to features of the social network.
Nonlinear Pricing in E-Commerce
Authors: Canals-Cerdá José J.
Published: May 2011

Internet markets are usually under the command of a market intermediary that charges fees for its services. Differences in quality across items being sold allow the market intermediary to employ lucrative nonlinear pricing strategies and to offer different levels of service. For several years now, eBay has been using a nonlinear pricing policy that offers sellers the opportunity of having their items listed first when buyers search for specific products in return for an additional fee. A similar pricing strategy is also used in other online markets like Overstock.com and ArtByUs.com, and is also employed by search engines when sponsored links are displayed first. In this paper we analyze this topic from a theoretical and empirical perspective. Intuitively, potential buyers are more likely to examine items listed first and sellers of high quality items are more likely to pay an extra fee in order to have preferential access to buyers. In the theoretical section of the paper we analyze the optimal pricing policy of the market intermediary in a market with heterogeneous goods. In the empirical sections of the paper we analyze a unique panel of approximately 2,200 art auctions from artists who sell their own work through eBay. We use our data to quantify the overall impact of this pricing policy on the revenues of the sellers and the market intermediary. As expected, this pricing policy creates a selection effect by which sellers of the most valuable paintings are willing to pay an extra fee in order to gain access to a large pool of potential buyers. Our results also indicate that the pricing policy implemented by eBay increases revenues significantly for sellers and for the market intermediary when compared with a single-price policy and acts as a coordination mechanism that facilitates the match between buyers and sellers.
The Effect of Information Satisfaction and Relational Benefit on Consumer's On-Line Shopping Site Commitment
Authors: Park Chung-Hoon , Kim Young-Gul
Published: May 2011

Among the potential determinants of consumers’ commitment to on-line shopping site are information features of the web site because on-line shopping consumers have to base their judgment solely on the product or service information presented on the site. When consumers are satisfied with such information features and perceive clear benefits from their relationships with the site, we can expect them to be more committed to the site. In this study, we investigate the relationship between such determinants and consumers’ commitment to an on-line shopping site. Results of the on-line survey with 1,278 Korean customers of on-line bookstores and ticketing services indicate that information satisfaction and relational benefit are highly predictable of consumers’ commitment to an on-line shopping site. In addition, we found that information satisfaction is affected most by product information quality while relational benefit is strongly related to service information quality. These results seem to reflect the consumers’ different perceptual weights to different information contents of the web sites in forming their web site perceptions.
A Reflection on Teachers' Experience as E-Learners
Authors: Cunningham Tony , McDonnell Claire , McIntyre Barry , McKenna Theresa
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the insights gained by a group of teachers from their lived experience as e-learners participating in a blended module on designing e-learning. An understanding of the student perspective on online learning was obtained, but we were also able to reflect on our participation in the module on the basis of our other roles: as teachers and potential e-tutors, and as course designers. As a result, important considerations were identified for the design and facilitation of online courses. These include the support provided to online learners, particularly over the first few weeks; appropriate assessment methods; the facilitation of online collaboration; access to the Internet; time management; and contextualising and scaffolding learning activities. Some issues relating to the implementation of effective e-learning in higher education institutions were also considered. Our lived experience as e-learners was invaluable to our development as e-tutors and module designers, and this approach is strongly recommended to achieve effective learning on how to be an effective online tutor and facilitator and how to design and develop online programmes and activities that make full use of the strengths of online learning.
E-Learning for All? Maximizing the Impact of Multimedia Resources for Learners with Disabilities
Authors: Munro Morag , McMullin Barry
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines some of the tensions that may exist between e-learning and accessibility in higher education, and aims to redress the balance between them. The chapter necessarily involves some significant technical detail. It examines and reports on the accessibility issues associated with particular e-learning technologies that are either current or emerging in this dynamic field. Nonetheless, the discussion attempts to provide practitioners with practical advice that will assist them in designing multimedia-based e-learning that is both innovative and inclusive. Integral to this is a framework for best practice for the development of accessible educational multimedia.
The Use of Online Role Play in Preparing for Assessment
Authors: Millard Steve
Published: May 2011

This chapter sets out a number of ways in which effective use of the online discussion board in a virtual learning environment can contribute to the preparation of assessment tasks. In particular, it examines the specific advantages of the use of online role play as a means of effective task preparation, and reviews various examples of its application in different academic areas and contexts. The primary emphasis of this chapter is the use of the VLE in general, and the use of role play within the discussion board in particular, as a means of preparing assessment rather than undertaking assessment online using a series of automated processes.
Knowledge Sharing in Virtual and Networked Organisations in Different Organisational and National Cultures
Authors: Siakas Kerstin , Georgiadou Elli
Published: May 2011

In today’s competitive business environment, increasingly large numbers of organisations use virtual distributed teams in their operations. This chapter provides a basis for discussion and analysis of knowledge sharing in culturally diverse networked organisations. Examining the different cultural values and perceptions related to knowledge sharing, we aim at making the human and cultural dynamics that bear on knowledge sharing and knowledge management success more explicit. The objectives are to foster an effective knowledge-sharing culture within virtual distributed teams. The chapter provides mechanisms for understanding the potential for conflict, for knowledge sharing, and building of trust among culturally diverse team members. Guidelines for successful knowledge sharing in the global environment are developed providing indications of the expected benefits for the organisation and the individuals involved. An outline of future trends and further work complete the chapter.
Towards an Implicit and Collaborative Evolution of Terminological Ontologies
Authors: Ngonga Ngomo Axel-Cyrille
Published: May 2011

This chapter is concerned with the evolution of terminological ontologies used for representing personal knowledge. It first argues that each member of the knowledge society will need a personal knowledge model representing his/her knowledge. Subsequently, it presents a method for implicitly and collaboratively evolving such personal knowledge models, improving by these means the knowledge transfer in the knowledge society over the Internet. The authors hope that an understanding of the importance of personal terminological ontologies, and especially of a low-bias approach to their implicit and collaborative evolution, will contribute to the transformation from the information to the knowledge society.
Understanding Knowledge Transfer on the Net
Authors: Bolisani Ettore
Published: May 2011

KM is making its way among the more established branches of business management. Thus, the contribution that can come from an “economic reading” of KM practices cannot be neglected. To systematise the conceptual backgrounds and to improve the formal modelling, a more direct connection with the models and approaches of the economic disciplines would be useful, but KM and Economics have often been two too-distant areas. Recently, the attention to the economic models by KM researchers has increased. On the other hand, a growing number of economists have shown interest in the emerging field of the “Knowledge Economy,” which focuses on the knowledge as an explicit object of the economic analysis. From these converging efforts, useful elements for the conceptual systematisation of KM can arise, and can give theoretical robustness to both the practice and the research. In the light of this, the chapter examines the contribution that the current studies of the Knowledge Economy can give to the clearer understanding of KM and, particularly, of Knowledge Transfer processes that are a central element of KM. The open research questions that may result from such an “economics-based” approach to KM are also analysed.
Managing Knowledge-Based Complexities Through Combined Uses of Internet Technologies
Authors: Godé-Sanchez Cécile , Barbaroux Pierre
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a theoretical framework to study how Internet technologies provide organizations with additional capabilities to handle various forms of communication and decision-making complexities. In particular, we investigate how specific use-based combinations of Internet technologies emerge within operational contexts. Principal illustrations are drawn from the U.S. military uses of Tactical Internet during recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Military contexts offer relevant illustrations of organizations using Internet within complex decision environments for which short-term responsiveness and tactical adaptability are critical. Within this framework, we discuss the conditions for which combined uses generate additional value for organizations, and we underline the active role played by final users in exploiting the benefits of tactical Internet. Finally, we examine their additional value in the formulation of an effective technological strategy.
Identifying Knowledge Values and Knowledge Sharing Through Linguistic Methods
Authors: Tolsby June
Published: May 2011

How can three linguistical methods be used to identify the Web displays of an organization’s knowledge values and knowledge-sharing requirements? This chapter approaches this question by using three linguistical methods to analyse a company’s Web sites; (a) elements from the community of practice theory (CoP), (b) concepts from communication theory, such as modality and transitivity, and (c) elements from discourse analysis. The investigation demonstrates how a company’s use of the Web can promote a work attitude that actually can be considered as an endorsement of a particular organizational behaviour. The Web pages display a particular organizational identity that will be a magnet for some parties and deject others. In this way, a company’s Web pages represent a window to the world that need to be handled with care, since this can be interpreted as a projection of the company’s identity.
Seals on Retail Web Sites
Authors: Kimery Kathryn M. , McCord Mary
Published: May 2011

Signaling theory provides the framework to address why third-party assurance (TPA) seals may not have the desired positive effect on consumer trust in online merchants. Based on identified antecedents of effective signaling, three research propositions are presented to explore 1) how reliably consumers are able to recall TPA seals on viewed retail websites, 2) how familiar consumers are with major TPA seals, and 3) how accurately consumers comprehend the assurances legitimately represented by the TPA seals. Results of this study of three major TPA seals (TRUSTe, BBBOnLine Reliability, and VeriSign) reveal that subjects have relatively poor notice and recall of TPA seals viewed on a website, have limited familiarity with TPA programs, and have incomplete and largely inaccurate understanding of the assurances represented by the TPA seals. These results suggest that TPA seals may not fulfill their potential to influence consumer trust in online merchants, because the signals are not effectively noticed or accurately interpreted by consumers.
Online Shopping and Catalog Shopping
Authors: Madlberger Maria
Published: May 2011

Multi-channel retailing can offer a wide range of synergies for retailers when their distribution channels accommodate consumer’s preferences and their buying behavior. Among the large number of retail types, mail-order companies are well suited to benefit from electronic commerce. Not only can they use their infrastructure and experience with direct selling, but many mail-order companies also seek to use the Internet to attract new target groups to increase their typically small and narrow customer bases. Currently, we do not know enough about the antecedents of channel choices, especially in the mail-order sector. This paper addresses this issue and draws special attention to exogenous (i.e. independent of the retailer) factors influencing online shopping behavior. These variables include perceived convenience and perceived security of online shopping in general and consumers’ attitudes toward the catalog as the existing distribution channel. One endogenous factor, i.e. attitude toward the online shop, is assumed to influence buying behavior at the online shop. To examine relationships between the catalog and the online shop, 2,363 consumers who are familiar with both distribution channels of a mail-order company were surveyed online. The structural equation model developed reveals that attitudes toward the printed catalog most strongly influence attitudes toward the online shop. Further, the analysis has shown that antecedents of buying behavior at the online shop are moderated by gender. Shopping behavior of men is influenced by their attitudes toward the catalog, while that of women is determined by their attitudes toward the online shop.
Digitizing Business Relationship
Authors: Salo Jari
Published: May 2011

Companies are involved in different types of business relationships for various reasons. These include, but are not limited to, efficiency gains, innovation, and influencing other organizations. In the age of digitization managers have witnessed new ways to manage business relationships, as the number of digital and electronic commerce tools have mushroomed. Business relationships digitization is an under-researched area and therefore the purpose of this chapter is to illustrate how relationships are digitized and what managers as well as academics should know about this emerging phenomenon. With the help of an extensive literature review this paper presents an overview of basic features and types of digitized business relationships. The author outlines a model that tackles critical factors while digitizing business relationships. In addition, a case example depicting the digitization process of a business relationship is presented. The chapter concludes with a description of the contribution of the study and presents suggestions for further research.
Organizational Sense of Community and Listserv Use; Examining the Roles of Knowledge and Face-to-Face Interaction
Authors: Blanchard Anita
Published: May 2011

This study examines how a Listserv affects its members’ sense of community (SOC) with the sponsoring organization. It was expected that the Listserv would increase members’ knowledge about and participation in the sponsoring organization department, which, in turn, would increase their SOC. The study examined Listserv members and nonmembers before and after implementation of the Listserv. As expected, Listserv membership increased knowledge and face-to-face activity, and knowledge and face-to-face activity increased sense of community. However, there was ironically no effect of Listserv membership on sense of community. These findings challenge previous theories about the development of sense of community while nonetheless demonstrating the positive effects of Listserv membership.
Agile IT Outsourcing
Authors: Roussev Boris
Published: May 2011

Agile methods are lightweight, iterative software development frameworks used predominantly on small and mid-sized software development projects. This chapter introduces a project structure and management practices creating agile conditions for large software projects outsourced either offshore or onshore. Agility is achieved by slicing a large project into a number of small projects working in agile settings. Development is divided into research and development activities that are located on-site, and production activities located off-site. The proposed approach makes agile methods applicable to the stressed conditions of outsourcing without compromising the quality or pace of the software development effort. Creating an agile environment in an outsourcing project relies on maintaining a balance between the functions and sizes of on-site and off-site teams, on redefining the developers’ roles, and on reorganizing the information flow between the different development activities to compensate for the lack of customers on-site, team colocation, and tacit project knowledge.
Design and Development of ISO 9001
Authors: Sakthivel M. , Devadasan S.R. , Vinodh S. , Ragu Raman S. , Sriram S.
Published: May 2011

Among all quality strategies, quality information system (QIS) is the one that finds comparatively little recognition among the quality engineering professionals. The situation is different in the general management arena, where management professionals are striving to attain core competence of organizations through the implementation of management information systems (MIS). On realizing this trend and anticipating tremendous benefits, a research project has been started with the objective of developing a QIS compatible to ISO 9001:2000. In this chapter, the quality management information system (QMIS) that has been designed by referring to clause 4 of ISO 9001:2000 has been reported. After designing this QMIS, its development in a real time environment was examined by conducting a study at an ISO 9001:2000 certified high technology oriented company. Also, a validation study was conducted by gathering the opinions and assessment of the managing partner of the company on QMIS. These studies revealed the feasibility and possibility of implementing QMIS in ISO 9001:2000 certified companies. The details of this work are presented in this paper.
Enhancing Cyber Risk Management with the Framework of ERM and Basel II
Authors: Hiwatashi Junji
Published: May 2011

Information technology (IT) has been rapidly developed to provide financial services for customers via the Internet. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across borders. On the other hand, technology-oriented financial services may face various cyber risks such as disruption caused by natural disasters and terrorist attacks, impersonation and other events stemming from unauthorized access, and theft or alteration of data. Once these events occur, they can affect not only companies such as financial institutions but also their stakeholders (e.g. customers) and financial stability. These events lead to indirect effects such as lawsuits and a bad reputation losing a sound customer base immediately. Thus, it is critical to enhance cyber risk management in advance before the nightmare happens, in order to enjoy the benefits of IT. This chapter introduces practical methods of enhancing cyber risk management efficiently and effectively with the framework of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and Basel Accord II (Basel II). It aims to show how to enhance cyber risk management, as well as efficiency, so that sustainable growth is achieved with a balance between risk and return or risk-adjusted return on equity.
Implementing E-Business Models in the Public Services
Authors: Andreescu Francesca
Published: May 2011

Despite the significant progress made by research into e-business models, the issue of how public sector organisations can successfully make the transition from traditional approaches to e-business by taking advantage of e-technologies has received little attention. This chapter draws on qualitative, longitudinal case-study research carried out between 2001 and 2005 in Britain’s national mapping agency to reveal the processes of strategic and organisational transformation engendered by E-business in an organisation evolving from the classical, bureaucratic and centralised ‘public sector model’ towards a new organisational form through embracing e-business as a corporate philosophy. The study also explores the key components of the new e-business model implemented by the organisation and the contextual factors that impacted on the effectiveness of E-strategy implementation in order to draw a list of best practices for the implementation of E-business in a public sector context.