bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment and Improvement of Information Quality
Authors: Caballero Ismael , Piattini Mario
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a way for assessing and improving information quality at organizations. Information is one of the most important assets for today’s enterprises since it is the basis for organizational decisions. However, as information is produced from data, both data and information quality must be managed. Although many researches have proposed technical and managerial solutions to some specific information quality problems, an integrative framework which brings together these kinds of solutions is still lacking. Our proposal consists of a framework for assessing and improving information quality through the concept of Information Management Process (IMP). An IMP is assessed according to an information quality maturity model by using an assessment and improvement methodology. The framework provides a consistent roadway for coordinating efforts and resources to manage information quality with a strategic perspective. As an application example, a study case has been included in the chapter.
Integrating IP-Maps with Business Process Modelling
Authors: Pierce Elizabeth M.
Published: May 2011

This paper takes the basic constructs of the IP-Map diagram and demonstrates how they can be combined with the Event-Driven Process Chain Methodology’s family of diagrams. This extended family of diagrams can be used to more fully describe the organizational, procedural, informational, and communication structure of a business process while at the same time highlighting the manufacture of the information products used by that business process. The paper concludes with a review of requirements for a software package that will allow analysts to model and explore their business processes with an emphasis on improving the quality of the organization’s information products.
A Community Facilitation Model for E-Government
Authors: Murray Kyle B. , Habulin Cory A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a community facilitation model for e-government. The central tenet of this approach is the empowerment of a segment of the population to act, by providing the tools and information necessary to tackle issues that have been difficult to address with traditional approaches to government. Under this model, government provides an initial spark and then plays a supporting role in the growth of the community. By doing so, the costs of the program are minimized while the impact of the program is maximized. We examine the viability of the model by looking at a case study in water quality monitoring. The case illustrates the power of a government facilitated community of action to address an important problem, and it suggests that such a model can be applied globally and may be relevant to government initiatives beyond water monitoring.
The Development of Urban E-Governement in China
Authors: Lu Zi , Zhang Jing , Han Bing , Deng Zhuopeng , Lu Ji
Published: May 2011

The chapter assesses and cognizes the development of urban e-government in China from two main aspects: functionality and complexity. To functionality, nine websites of urban governments in China at three levels were selected for this assessment. Data needed for the study was tracked and recorded continuously for six weeks from these websites. To complexity, the influence of e-government to urban modality and evolution are explored, which shows that e-government has a leading role to the gathering and decentralization of urban space, the organization of material (people) flows and the informal exchange in internal cities.
Empirical Study of the Municipalitites' Motivations for Adopting Online Presence
Authors: Juana-Espinosa Susana de.
Published: May 2011

Nowadays, many public organizations rely on e-Government policies to seek modernization and efficiency, although they might not follow a true strategic purpose. This is particularly common on the subject of web site development policies. The objective of this chapter is to reveal the motivations for creating a web page in local administrations, and thus determine the real nature of their websites. A personal survey was addressed to the CIOs (Chief Information Officers) of 65 city councils out of the 69 with website of the province of Alicante (Spain), regarding their perceptions about the purpose of their web pages. The results show that, although most councils confer a strategic orientation to their web pages, communication goals are more popular than internal efficiency concerns. Consequently, it is found a general lack of commitment with local e-Government strategies. Understanding the implications of this duality may help other public organizations develop their modernization strategies.
Product Configuration in ETO Companies
Authors: Petersen T.
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews how mass customisation and product configuration can benefit engineer-to-order companies. The relevant main literature in the area is reviewed to identify the benefits and, subsequently, the challenges in implementing product configuration in an engineer-to-order company are described. Finally, a number of suggestions for meeting these challenges are presented, and a case description is introduced, which supports that product configuration can benefit engineer-to-order companies, even though there are a number of challenges to be met. The chapter concludes that engineer-to-order companies can certainly benefit from product configuration by improving business process efficiency as well as information quality and ultimately improving the company’s competitive advantage.
An Agent-Based Information Technology Architecture for Mass Customized Markets
Authors: Ghiassi M. , Spera C.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a Web-enabled, agent-based information system model to support mass-customized markets. We present a distributed, real-time, Java-based, mobile intelligent information system that interfaces with firms’ existing IT infrastructures, follows a build-to-order production strategy, and integrates order-entry with supply chain, manufacturing, and product delivery systems. The model provides end-to-end visibility across the entire supply chain, allows for a collaborative and synchronized production system, and supports an event-based manufacturing environment. The system introduces four general-purpose intelligent agents to support the entire mass customization process. The adoption of this approach by a semiconductor manufacturing firm resulted in reductions in product lead time (by half), buffer inventory (from five to two weeks), and manual transactions (by 80%). Similarly, the adoption by a leading automotive manufacturer resulted in a 51% total inventory reduction while increasing plant utilization by 30%. These results verify that the successful adoption of this system can reduce inventory and logistic costs, improve delivery performance, increase manufacturing facilities utilization, and provide a higher overall profitability.
Image Classification and Retrieval with Kernel Methods
Authors: Odone Francesca , Verri Alessandro
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we review some kernel methods useful for image classification and retrieval applications. Starting from the problem of constructing appropriate image representations, we describe in depth and comment on the main properties of various kernel engineering approaches that have been recently proposed in the computer vision and machine learning literature for solving a number of image classification problems. We distinguish between kernel functions applied to images as a whole and kernel functions looking at image features. We conclude by presenting some current work and discussing open issues.
The Syntactic and the Semantic Web
Authors: Cardoso J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter gives an overview of the evolution of the Web. Initially, Web pages were intended only for human consumption and were usually displayed on a Web browser. New Internet business models, such as B2B and B2C, required organizations to search for solutions to enable a deep interoperability and integration between their systems and applications. One emergent solution was to define the information on the Web using semantics and ontologies in a way that it could be used by computers not only for display purposes, but also for interoperability and integration. The research community developed standards to semantically describe Web information such as the resource description framework and the Web Ontology Language. Ontologies can assist in communication between human beings, achieve interoperability among software systems, and improve the design and the quality of software systems. These evolving Semantic Web technologies are already being used to build semantic Web based systems such as semantic Web services, semantic integration of tourism information sources, and semantic digital libraries to the development of bioinformatics ontologies.
Logics for the Semantic Web
Authors: Bruijn J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a number of formal logical languages which form the backbone of the Semantic Web. They are used for the representation of both ontologies and rules. The basis for all languages presented in this chapter is the classical first-order logic. Description logics is a family of languages which represent subsets of first-order logic. Expressive description logic languages form the basis for popular ontology languages on the Semantic Web. Logic programming is based on a subset of first-order logic, namely Horn logic, but uses a slightly different semantics and can be extended with non-monotonic negation. Many Semantic Web reasoners are based on logic programming principles and rule languages for the Semantic Web based on logic programming are an ongoing discussion. Frame Logic allows object-oriented style (frame-based) modeling in a logical language. RuleML is an XML-based syntax consisting of different sublanguages for the exchange of specifications in different logical languages over the Web.
Semantic Search Engines Based on Data Integration Systems
Authors: Beneventano D.
Published: May 2011

As the use of the World Wide Web has become increasingly widespread, the business of commercial search engines has become a vital and lucrative part of the Web. Search engines are common place tools for virtually every user of the Internet; and companies, such as Google and Yahoo!, have become household names. Semantic search engines try to augment and improve traditional Web Search Engines by using not just words, but concepts and logical relationships. In this chapter a relevant class of semantic search engines, based on a peer-to-peer, data integration mediator-based architecture is described. The architectural and functional features are presented with respect to two projects, SEWASIE and WISDOM, involving the authors. The methodology to create a two level ontology and query processing in the SEWASIE project are fully described.
Politics, Accountability, and Information Management
Authors: Rocheleau Bruce
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides examples of the politics of managing information in public organizations by studying both its internal and external aspects. Within the organization, politics is involved in structuring decision making, struggles over purchases of hardware and soft-ware, interdepartmental sharing of information, and the flow of communications such as e-mail among employees. The chapter analyzes examples of each of these internal aspects of politics. The chapter also discusses evidence concerning whether political appointees or career administrators are more effective as information managers. Externally, the chapter discusses how information management has been used to attempt to achieve greater political accountability through e-reporting and examples of cases where purchasing problems spill over into the realm of external politics such as through attempts to privatize governmental information management function. Certain topics such as municipal broadband systems and information management disasters are highly likely to involve information managers in politics. The attempts to use governmental Web sites as mechanisms to achieve e-governance and greater citizen participation in the political process also make it impossible for information managers to insulate themselves against politics.
A Reference Model for Retail Enterprise
Authors: Becker Jorg , Schutte Reinhard
Published: May 2011

In order to provide a structural framework for information systems that serves as a basis for understanding the organizational structure and the information systems of the retail sector, we present an architecture, the „Retail-H“, that outlines the various facets of trade information systems. The framework encompasses two further criteria, the types of businesses and the differentiation of goods. This architecture and its graphical representation aims at enhancing the orientation within the heap of information models applied in the retail sector. These information models are crucial for the management of information systems and organizational processes.
Digital Divide
Authors: Burtseva Liudmila , Cojocaru Svetlana , Gaindric Constantin
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we want to state shortly the basic components and manifestations of the digital-divide problem, as well as the ways of its solution in a specific country with its specific regional, social, historical, and political features. Moldova is taken as such a country. The problem is interesting to consider in the example of such a country because it is especially manifested in countries of such type: those that are waking up to development and are limited in means.
Knowledge Technologies Stages
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

Knowledge management systems refer to a class of information systems applied to manage organizational knowledge. These systems are IT applications to support and enhance the organizational processes of knowledge creation, storage and retrieval, transfer, and application (Alavi & Leidner, 2001). The knowledge management technology stage model presented in this chapter is a multistage model proposed for organizational evolution over time. Stages of knowledge management technology is a relative concept concerned with IT’s ability to process information for knowledge work. The knowledge management technology stage model consists of four stages (Gottschalk, 2005). When applied to law enforcement in the following chapters, the stages are labeled officer-to-technology, officer-to-officer, officer-to-information, and officer-to-application.
Governance Knowledge
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

In many organizations, information technology has become crucial in the support, the sustainability and the growth of the business. This pervasive use of technology has created a critical dependency on IT that calls for a specific focus on IT governance. IT governance consists of the leadership and organizational structures and processes that ensure that the organization’s IT sustains and extends the organization’s strategy and objectives (Grembergen et al., 2004). IT governance matters because it influences the benefits received from IT investments. Through a combination of practices (such as redesigning business processes and well-designed governance mechanisms) and appropriately matched IT investments, top-performing enterprises generate superior returns on their IT investments (Weill, 2004). IT governance can be defined as specifying decision rights and accountability framework to encourage desirable behavior in the use of IT (Weill & Ross, 2004). This is the definition we will use here. Other definitions are for example: (i) IT governance is the structures and processes that ensure that IT supports the organization’s mission. The purpose is to align IT with the enterprise, maximize the benefits of IT, use IT resources responsibly and manage IT risks, (ii) A structure of relationships and processes to direct and control the enterprise in order to achieve the enterprise’s goals by adding value while balancing risk versus return over IT and its processes, (iii) IT governance is the responsibility of the board of directors and executive management. It is an integral part of enterprise governance and consists of the leadership and organizational structures and processes that ensure that the organization’s IT sustains and extends the organization’s strategies and objectives, and (iv) IT governance is the system by which an organization’s IT portfolio is directed and controlled. IT Governance describes (a) the distribution of decision-making rights and responsibilities among different stakeholders in the organization, and (b) the rules and procedures for making and monitoring decisions on strategic IT concerns (Peterson, 2004a). IT governance has attracted substantial attention in recent years (e.g., Chin et al., 2004; Grembergen & Haes, 2004a, 2004b; McManus, 2004; Meyer, 2004; O’Donnell, 2004; Peterson, 2004a, 2004b; Rau, 2004; Read, 2004, Robbins, 2004; Trites, 2004; Weill & Ross, 2004, 2005). Here we will discuss IT governance in terms of resource mobilization, allocation of decision rights as well as strategic alignment.
The Semiotics of Smart Appliances and Pervasive Computing
Authors: Andersen Peter Bøgh , Brynskov Martin
Published: May 2011

This paper presents Digital Habitats, a conceptual and methodological framework for analyzing and designing smart appliances in the context of pervasive computing. The concrete topic is a project in pervasive gaming for children. The framework consists of a set of theoretical concepts supplemented by diagrams for representing semi-formal models. We give a short overview of selected theories of play and gaming and apply the framework to an implemented simple pervasive game. Finally, we use the framework in a constructive man-ner to produce a concrete design of a new game. The result is dis-cussed and compared to other approaches. The main points are: (a) it can describe communicative as well as material acts plus the way they hang together, (b) it provides an explicit link between human activities and their spatial context, (c) it has an explicit dynamic model that pre-cisely describes the conditions for executing actions, and (d) it offers a typology of participant roles, based on linguistic theory, that supports design processes.
Computational AutoGnomics
Authors: Hamann Jon Ray
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces an approach to understanding the “origin” and nature of Mind via a new method of integrated inquiry/inference/intuition. The method is concomitantly applicable to the foundations notions (philosophically, formally, and theoretically) which themselves subtend a theory of theory formation. An approach is posited regarding the formalization of an order and its derivative calculus, the latter taken as a formulation of the disorder experientially related to the given order, which also implies a reorder(ing) format that, within a Nonseparable System of order/disorder/reorder Relations, suggests The Form of a meta theory of theory formation. The Form will, in turn, be invoked in formulating a Theory of Intelligence/Mind and its technological implementations as Synthetic Intelligence/Mind, i.e. the AutoGnome, a semiotic machine interpreting C.S. Peirce. The key commercial application of the AutoGnome reported here is that of the IntelliSite (an Intelligent Website generically branded as TrueThinker.com) and its derivative implementations.
A Short History of Designing for Communication on the Web
Authors: Heilesen Simon B.
Published: May 2011

Web design is important for how we communicate on the Internet, and it also has an in?uence on computer interface design in general. Taking a very literal view of the theme of “designing for communication”, this chapter examines the development of Web design as a prerequisite for understanding what it has become today, and it concludes by offering some re?ections on the future of Web design. In the ?rst part of the chapter, the history of Web design is outlined in terms of the complex interplay of various social, cultural, economic, technological, and communicative factors. This section concludes with the presentation of a framework for Web design that allows for—if not actually reconciles—the many existing approaches to the subject. In the second part of the chapter, it is suggested that Web design, as it has developed so far, may be facing major changes as the requirements of users and the technologies employed to meet them are changing.
The Psychology of Online Sociability
Authors: Clemmensen Torkil
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, I will review current approaches to online sociability and present and exemplify the psychological social reality theory of online sociability. By analyzing sociability in a university-level virtual world course, I will present and analyze examples on how to understand the students’ design of conditions for sociability as communication of cultural symbols, such as avatars and virtual landscapes, and the social reality of perceived groups of people. The results of the analysis will be used to illustrate different kinds of online sociability: super?cial, convivial, and negative sociability. The chapter suggests solutions and recommendations to designers and researchers with a focus on online communities and networked communication.
Mobile Networked Text Communication
Authors: Barkhuus Louise
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a qualitative study of the use of mobile text messaging (SMS) and re?ects on how SMS in?uences social interaction. It describes how this new communication technology is used to maintain social relations and how it generally assists users in their everyday activities. Three issues are highlighted: how users use SMS to overcome shyness, how they use it for micro-grooming, and how they are able to control messages to their advantage. It is argued that SMS facilitates users in their everyday life through the ways it supports awareness and accountability. These characteristics make the communication channel a “social translucent” technology, contributing to its popularity. It is suggested that simple information and communication technologies such as SMS can provide powerful tools in new designs of information and communication technologies.
Conservation Studio
Authors: Olson Todd G. , Hilton Brian N.
Published: May 2011

Habitat suitability modeling in some form is required for virtually every regulatory action and conservation planning process that involves rare and/or endangered species or habitat types. Conservation Studio is a spatial information system that automates the entire process of conservation modeling, simulation, and planning. Conservation Studio consists of four software modules: Data Acquisition Interface, Habitat Suitability Analyst, Conservation Criteria Developer, and Implementation Modeler, the latter of which has been developed as a working prototype. The Implementation Modeler models the outcome of using tradable conservation credits to conserve habitat resources in a specified geographical plan area. Future design and development activities for this spatial information system are discussed.
Geo-Communication, Web-Services, and Spatial Data Infrastructure
Authors: Brodersen Lars , Nielsen Anders
Published: May 2011

The introduction of web-services as index-portals based on geo-information has changed the conditions for both content and form of geo-communication. A high number of players and interactions as well as a very high number of all kinds of information and combinations of these characterize web-services, where maps are only a part of the whole. This chapter discusses the relations between the different components of SDI and geo-communication as well as the impact thereof. Discussed is also a model for the organization of the passive components of the infrastructure; i.e. legislation, collaboration, standards, models, specifications, web-services and finally the information. Awareness of the complexity is necessary, and structure is needed to make it possible for the geo-information community to pull together in the same direction. Modern web-based geo-communication and its infrastructure looks very complex, and it will get even more complex! Therefore there is a strong need for theories and models that can describe this complex web in the SDI and geo-communication consisting of active components, passive components, users and information in order to make it possible to handle the complexity and to give the necessary framework.
Gathering and Organizing CIO Comments
Authors: Hunter M.
Published: May 2011

This book is about the experiences of contemporary chief information officers (CIO). CIOs in New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United States of America agreed to participate. They also agreed to be identified along with the name of their company. They provided their interpretation of issues that have been dealt with and those they anticipate having to deal with in the foreseeable future. The results of the interviews allowed the identification of emerging themes related to management and technological aspects. Another important result is the identification of an alignment issue. That is, it is important to ensure that the interpretation of the CIO role is clearly and explicitly agreed upon by both the chief executive officer (CEO) and the CIO.
Zarina Thesing, Pumpkin Patch
Authors: Thesing Zarina
Published: May 2011

This book is about the experiences of contemporary chief information officers (CIO). CIOs in New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United States of America agreed to participate. They also agreed to be identified along with the name of their company. They provided their interpretation of issues that have been dealt with and those they anticipate having to deal with in the foreseeable future. The results of the interviews allowed the identification of emerging themes related to management and technological aspects. Another important result is the identification of an alignment issue. That is, it is important to ensure that the interpretation of the CIO role is clearly and explicitly agreed upon by both the chief executive officer (CEO) and the CIO.
Russell Turner, MetService
Authors: Turner Russell
Published: May 2011

This book is about the experiences of contemporary chief information officers (CIO). CIOs in New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United States of America agreed to participate. They also agreed to be identified along with the name of their company. They provided their interpretation of issues that have been dealt with and those they anticipate having to deal with in the foreseeable future. The results of the interviews allowed the identification of emerging themes related to management and technological aspects. Another important result is the identification of an alignment issue. That is, it is important to ensure that the interpretation of the CIO role is clearly and explicitly agreed upon by both the chief executive officer (CEO) and the CIO.
Lucas Chuang, Eva Airways
Authors: Chuang Lucas
Published: May 2011

This book is about the experiences of contemporary chief information officers (CIO). CIOs in New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United States of America agreed to participate. They also agreed to be identified along with the name of their company. They provided their interpretation of issues that have been dealt with and those they anticipate having to deal with in the foreseeable future. The results of the interviews allowed the identification of emerging themes related to management and technological aspects. Another important result is the identification of an alignment issue. That is, it is important to ensure that the interpretation of the CIO role is clearly and explicitly agreed upon by both the chief executive officer (CEO) and the CIO.
C. K. Tsai, Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) Corporation
Authors: Tsai Chun-Kuei
Published: May 2011

This book is about the experiences of contemporary chief information officers (CIO). CIOs in New Zealand, Taiwan, and the United States of America agreed to participate. They also agreed to be identified along with the name of their company. They provided their interpretation of issues that have been dealt with and those they anticipate having to deal with in the foreseeable future. The results of the interviews allowed the identification of emerging themes related to management and technological aspects. Another important result is the identification of an alignment issue. That is, it is important to ensure that the interpretation of the CIO role is clearly and explicitly agreed upon by both the chief executive officer (CEO) and the CIO.
Information Technology, Social Capital, and the Generation of Intellectual Capital
Authors: Kianto A.
Published: May 2011

Networked collaboration, which spans functional, formal and hierarchical boundaries, has become increasingly important for all types of organizations. Communities rather than formal organizations are the social context in which most knowledge sharing, creation and learning take place. With the spread and evolution of information technologies, an increasing amount of interaction and communication is conducted online, in virtual communities. In this chapter we examine how different types of virtual communities function as platforms for the formation of social capital, which in turn enable production of new intellectual capital. We propose information technology-enabled social capital as a framework for understanding how organizations generate intellectual wealth. Specifically, we claim that social capital in physically-based virtual communities improves the incremental continuous development of existing intellectual capital, while in Internet-based communities it facilitates generation of new intellectual capital through radical innovations and paradigmatic change.
ICT for Knowledge and Intellectual Capital Management in Organizations
Authors: Bulchand J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes which information and communication technologies (ICT) can help in the process of managing knowledge and intellectual capital in organizations. We start the chapter examining the risks we face when we use technologies for knowledge management (KM) and for intellectual capital management (ICM). Once we have done this, we review the literature to see which technologies different authors mention; choosing then the most frequently cited ones. We classify these technologies in base technologies and technological applications, getting to a final number of 17. Each of them is then summarily described and its possibilities in helping KM and ICM are stated. The chapter ends by classifying all of them according to their utility in helping in KM and ICM and in which of the processes needed in organizations for managing knowledge and intellectual capital they can be used.
Knowledge Sharing in the Context of Information Technology Projects
Authors: Mussi C. , Angeloni M. , Serra F.
Published: May 2011

The proposal for this chapter is to analyze the influence of knowledge sharing in the context of an IT project management. This study is a result of field research that enabled an investigation of the way knowledge sharing figured among the parties involved in the ERP (SAP R/3) system implementation project in a Brazilian Higher Education Institution, as well as the analysis of how this sharing influenced the project in question. Data was collected in semi-structured interviews, open questionnaires and from documentary analysis. The research enabled us to verify that the factors that influenced knowledge sharing and consequently the project itself can be related to the context and dynamics of the institution in which the system was installed, to the way in which the project was planned and conducted, and also to the individual characteristics of the participants.
Impact Analysis of Intranets and Portals on Organizational Capital
Authors: Baroni de Carvalho R. , Ferreira M.
Published: May 2011

This chapter analyzes the impacts of intranet quality on organizational capital practices. The chapter describes a research model empirically tested in 98 large Brazilian organizations. The variables proposed by the TAM (technology acceptance model) (Venkatesh & Davis, 2000) and the TTF (task technology fit) (Goodhue & Thompson, 1995) were converted into portal’s context, emphasizing the importance of leveraging classical information science and information system studies to understand better the portal phenomenon. Furthermore, the knowing organization model (Choo, 1998) was applied in order to offer a theoretical support for the intellectual capital-based variables. The results give evidence that the portal quality has more influence on knowledge creation than on sense-making and decision-making. The chapter reinforces the usage of the Knowing Organization model as a framework to understand intellectual capital and knowledge management initiatives.
Developments in Structural Optimization and Applications to Intelligent Structural Vibration Control
Authors: Ali Faruque , Ramaswamy Ananth
Published: May 2011

The chapter introduces developments in intelligent optimal control systems and their applications in structural engineering. It provides a good background on the subject starting with the shortcomings of conventional vibration control techniques and the need for intelligent control systems. Description of a few basic tools required for intelligent control such as evolutionary algorithms, fuzzy rule base, and so forth, is outlined. Examples on vibration control of benchmark building and bridge under seismic excitation are presented to provide better insight on the subject. The chapter provides necessary background for a reader to work in intelligent structural control systems with real-life examples. Current trends in the research area are given and challenges put forward for further research.
Global Organizational Fit Pyramid for Global IT Team Selection
Authors: Colfax Richard , Perez Karri
Published: May 2011

Global organizations (GOs) rely on global IT teams to remain competitive and link global operations. The Global Organizational Fit Pyramid can facilitate decision making when selecting global IT team members and GO personnel for international team assignments. The Global Organizational Fit Pyramid provides a hierarchy of five decision levels to consider when putting together global IT teams. Level one: global status factors involves decisions regarding large-scale issues such as nationality, religion, and legal rules. Level two: social rank factors involves social background or history issues. Level three: experience factors involves experiences including work history. Level four: credential factors involves issues such as educational history and professional credentials. Level five: individual factors involves individual characteristics including physical, personality, and even emotional traits. The Global Organizational Fit Pyramid can be useful for selecting global IT team members. The Pyramid also may be applicable to other global team and HR-related decision-making issues.
Robust Intelligent Control of Mobile Robots
Authors: Fraser Gordon
Published: May 2011

An appropriate control architecture is a crucial premise for successfully achieving truly autonomous mobile robots. The architecture should allow for a robust control of the robot in complex tasks, while it should be flexible in order to operate in different environments pursuing different tasks. This chapter presents a control framework that is able to control an autonomous robot in complex real-world tasks. The key features of the framework are a hybrid control paradigm that incorporates reactive, planning and reasoning capabilities, a flexible software architecture that enables easy adaptation to new tasks and a robust task execution that makes reaction to unforeseen changes in the task and environment possible. Finally, the framework allows for detection of internal failures in the robot and includes self-healing properties. The framework was successfully deployed in the domain of robotic soccer and service robots. The chapter presents the requirements for such a framework, how the framework tackles the problems arising from the application domains, and results obtained during the deployment of the framework.
An Embodied Logical Model for Cognition in Artificial Cognition Systems
Authors: Bittencourt Guilherme , Marchi Jerusa
Published: May 2011

In this paper we describe a cognitive model based on the Systemic approach and on the Autopoiesis theory. The syntactical definition of the model consists of logical propositions but the semantic definition includes, besides the usual truth value assignments, what we call emotional flavors, which correspond to the state of the agent’s body translated into cognitive terms. The combination between logical propositions and emotional flavors allows the agent to learn and memorize relevant propositions that can be used for reasoning. These propositions are represented in a specific format – prime implicants/implicates – which is enriched with annotations that explicitly store the internal relations among their literals. Based on this representation, a memory mechanism is described and algorithms are presented that learn a proposition from the agent’s experiences in the environment and that are able to determine the degree of robustness of the propositions, given a partial assignment representing the environment state.
First Steps in Experimental Phenomenology
Authors: Poli Roberto
Published: May 2011

The main thesis defended by this paper is the thesis of the autonomy – i.e., non-reducibility -- of the phenomenic level of analysis of the psyche. The thesis will be defended by exploiting four main ideas: (1) the theory of levels of reality, (2) the distinction between act and object of presentation, (3) the structure of internal time, and (4) the distinction between egological and non egological acts. I shall present these theses from the point of view of the experiments conducted by Meinong and his pupils, notably Benussi, first at Graz and then at Padua. I may therefore claim that I am here adopting the point of view of what has been called experimental phenomenology, meaning the experimental study of phenomenic or first-person experiences.
A Dynamic Structural Model of Education and Skills Requirements for Careers in Information Systems
Authors: Lowry Glenn R. , Turner Rodney L. , Fisher Julie
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a dynamic structural model of the relative contribution and importance of education and skills required of information systems (IS) professionals. Model development took into account the technical skills found in many tertiary IS programs, other business-oriented academic studies, and soft skills sought by employers in new graduates. The model also includes features of the working environment which influence the career progress of IS graduates. Acknowledging the importance of these four areas, the authors present a second-order structural model that links these areas and compares the application of this model to IS students and decision makers who employ graduates. The model fits the data for the two groups and exhibits some unexpected outcomes in the area of soft skills, with students attributing more importance to soft skills than IS managers. The model was employed to identify gender differences in perceptions of the relative contribution and importance of education and skills required of IS professionals. The model also includes features of the working environment which influence the career progress of IS graduates. The model was used to describe how attitudes and perceptions of IS professionals change across career stages as measured by age groupings. Changes in perceptions across four major age groupings show significant differences with respect to these factors according to age groups and by inference, career stage. The model allows, with some confidence, a quantitative interpretation of the relative importance of the respective variables from the perspectives of the student and employer stakeholder groups toward the education and professional development of IS professionals. The model also suggests the presence of contrasting, gender-based quantitative views of the relative importance of the respective variables to the education and professional development of IS professionals.
Enterprise Systems Software in the Business Curriculum
Authors: Seethamraju Ravi
Published: May 2011

An integrated view of business and multidisciplinary perspectives are considered essential for business graduates in today’s workplace. Recognizing the increasing importance of enterprise systems (ES) in business and the pedagogical value in imparting the above, several universities have incorporated ES software solutions into their business school curricula. This chapter presents a review of literature on the inadequacies of business education, the pedagogical value of incorporating ES in the curricula, and an analysis of the effectiveness of curriculum design and delivery. Expansion and regular updating of the curriculum, more interaction with industry practitioners, more case studies that deal with post-implementation issues, better alignment with other prerequisite courses, and improvement in the knowledge of academic staff are some of the challenges faced. Varying student mix, significantly higher cost of providing access to software, difficulty in obtaining a sustainable industry support and involvement, inadequate administrative support in schools, limited interest by academic staff and the lack of perceived career benefits, however, are found to be problematic. Appropriate administrative policies, top management commitment and encouragement to align curriculum with industry requirements and industry support are essential for the successful integration of ES software solutions in the business curricula.
The Development of the Open ACS Community
Authors: Demetriou Neophytos
Published: May 2011

OpenACS is a high-level community framework designed for developing collaborative Internet sites. It started from a university project at MIT, got momentum from the ArsDigita Foundation, and split up into a commercial and an open source version. OpenACS has proven its durability and utility by surviving the death of its parent company (ArsDigita) to grow into a vibrant grassroots collection of independent consultants and small companies implementing diverse and complex Web solutions around the globe for NPOs, philanthropy, and profit. A heritage from this history is a still dominant position of contributors with commercial interests that, in its intensity, is above the norm found in open source projects. In this paper, OpenACS, with its community is presented as a case study documenting the forces between commercial interests, securing investments, and technical development in a large open source project with a large proportion of commercial involvement.
Predicitive Approach for Database Schema Evolution
Authors: Bounif Hassina
Published: May 2011

Information systems, including their core databases need to meet changing user requirements and adhere to evolving business strategies. Traditional database evolution techniques focus on reacting to change to smoothly perform schema evolution operations and to propagate corresponding updates to the data as effectively as possible. Adopting such a posteriori solution to such changes generates high costs in human resources and financial support. We advocate an alternate solution: a predictive approach to database evolution. In this approach, we anticipate future changes during the standard requirements analysis phase of schema development. Our approach enables potential future requirements to be planned for, as well as the standard, determining what data is to be stored and what access is required. This preparation contributes significantly in the ability of the database schema to adapt to future changes and to estimate their relative costs.
Profile of SMEs in Sweden, Australia, and the USA
Authors: MacGregor Robert , Vrazalic Lejla
Published: May 2011

The key aim of the study presented in this book is to determine how SMEs located in regional areas are going about e-commerce adoption. The study was undertaken over a period of three years in three highly developed nations all belonging to the OECD and with comparable per capita GDPs and levels of Internet penetration. These included Sweden, Australia, and the USA. In each country, one regional area was surveyed—Varmland (Sweden), Illawarra (Australia), and Salt Lake City (USA).
Leveraging the Benefits of Small Business Clusters
Authors: Merrilees Bill , Miller Dale , Herington Carmel
Published: May 2011

In terms of managing the cluster, emphasis is given to how the diverging and converging interests of members can be managed. A stakeholder framework is used as a means of theoretically unifying the common interests of group members, which at the same time recognizes that they are independent entities. In terms of marketing the cluster, a key issue addressed in this chapter is branding. Many clusters are obscure with limited awareness. We take the view that precincts of small business clusters need to be branded properly, and we develop a framework in order for this to be done. Branding principles guide this work. The chapter also explores how multiple clusters can be comarketed in one region, generally through e-commerce and specifically through e-malls.
Small and Medium Enterprises Clusters
Authors: Falcone Paola
Published: May 2011

Small and medium enterprise clusters can get consistent benefits from a specific joint marketing and communication strategy. This chapter intends to identify, describe, and interpret motivations and factors that influence a cluster-collective promotion strategy. It also identifies and describes possible operational tools that can be adopted by cluster metamanagement organizations with a specific focus on collective brands introduction and management.
Italian Industrial Districts
Authors: Falcone Paola
Published: May 2011

The high performance levels gained by firms of Italian industrial districts raised both the international economic and managerial scientific communities’ interest and stimulated the production of a series of research studies concerning the micro as well as the macro level of analysis. This chapter aims to identify, describe, and interpret the phenomenon of Italian industrial districts with a specific focus on the analysis of the sources and the forms of value creation in light of the last 30 years of scientific research
The Building Blocks for Creativity in Virtual Teams
Authors: Nemiro Jill
Published: May 2011

As the popularity of virtual teams continues to rise, those who manage and are part of virtual teams must be aware of how to enhance the effectiveness of and foster creativity in virtual teams. To provide assistance, this chapter presents a model that outlines five building blocks for enhancing and supporting creative work in virtual teams. The five building blocks are—design, climate, resources, norms and protocols, and continual assessment. By building and maintaining each of the five building blocks discussed in this chapter, virtual teams may move to higher levels of creativity and ultimately success. The chapter begins with a review of the relevant literature, including prominent models of virtual team performance, and factors necessary for creativity in teams in general. The second section in the chapter describes the methodology that guided the current research from which the five building blocks model emerged. The third section of the chapter offers a detailed description of each of the five building blocks for creativity in virtual teams. Lastly, an integrative model is proposed which links the five building blocks back to the earlier discussed models of virtual team performance. The chapter closes with a discussion of the current research’s limitations and ideas for future researchers of virtual team creativity.