bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heuristic Genetic Algorithm for Product Portfolio Planning
Authors: Jiao Jianxin , Zhang Yiyang , Wang Yi
Published: May 2011

This chapter applies the Genetic Algorithm to help manufacturing companies plan their product portfolio. Product portfolio planning (PPP) is a critical decision faced by companies across industries and is very important in helping manufacturing companies keep their competitive advantage. PPP has been classified as a combinatorial optimization problem, in that each company strives for the optimality of its product offerings through various combinations of products and/or attribute levels. Towards this end, this chapter develops a heuristic genetic algorithm (HGA) for solving the PPP problem. The objective of this chapter is to develop a practical method that can find near optimal solutions and assist marketing managers in product portfolio decision-making.
A Tool for Assisting Group Decision-Making for Consensus Outcomes in Organizations
Authors: Afshar Faezeh , Yearwood John , Stranieri Andrew
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces an approach, ConSULT (Consensus based on a Shared Understanding of a Leading Topic), to enhance group decision-making processes within organizations. ConSULT provides a computer-mediated framework to allow argumentation, collection and evaluation of discussion and group decision-making. This approach allows for the articulation of all reasoning for and against propositions in a deliberative process that leads to cooperative decision-making. The chapter argues that this approach can enhance group decision-making and can be used in conjunction with any computational intelligence assistance to further enhance its outcome. The approach is particularly applicable in an asynchronous and anonymous environment.
On Web Structure and Digital Knowledge Bases
Authors: Caldas Alexandre
Published: May 2011

This chapter analyses the web as a complex system of interactions bridging online and offline communities in open science in order to discuss the transformation of communication and practices within scientific communities. It addresses the problem of mapping the structural linkages of research networks on the internet for purposes of identifying digital knowledge bases on electronic networks. Traditional (nonelectronic) research networks are likely to have a digital representation (web presence), whose boundaries and characteristics require a closer investigation. It is of special concern here to identify particular subsets of these digital networks whose properties are related to non-digital collaboration structures. Empirical evidence for electronic connectivity on the internet is discussed from a European Language and Speech Network, constituted by 141 research groups—the ELSnet network. We explore the possibility of identifying particularly intensive “Digital Knowledge Bases” on these electronic networks.
User Authentication and Academic Integrity in Online Assessment
Authors: Vilic Boris , Cini Marie A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews the issues surrounding user authentication and academic integrity in online assessment and offers a number of academic and technological solutions for dealing with student identification and plagiarism. It argues that even though violations of academic integrity are seemingly ubiquitous across all forms of educational delivery, the relative recency of online education has led to growing concerns among faculty and administrators. Although technological solutions for addressing the issues of user authentication and academic integrity are increasing in number, the chapter emphasizes the need for effective instruction and authentic assessment as the strongest means of deterring and reducing the number of academic integrity violations.
Teaching and Learning Wi-Fi Networking Fundamentals Using Limited Resources
Authors: Siringoringo Wilson , Sarkar Nurul I.
Published: May 2011

Wi-Fi networking has been becoming increasingly popular in recent years, both in terms of applications and as the subject of academic research papers and articles in the IT press. It is important that students grasp the basic concepts of both Wi-Fi networking and wireless propagation measurements. Unfortunately, the underlying concepts of wireless networking often intimidate students with their apparently overwhelming complexity, thereby discouraging the students from learning in-depth this otherwise exciting and rewarding subject. This chapter provides a tutorial on Wi-Fi networking and radio propagation measurements using wireless laptops and access points. Various hands-on learning activities are also discussed.
A Simulator for High-Performance Processors
Authors: Morris John
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes a Web-based modular, extensible processor simulator designed as an aid to teaching computer architecture. It is written entirely in Java, which allows it to be easily embedded in other Web-based course materials and to run anywhere. Users configure a collection of Java classes which model individual processor modules. Java’s dynamic class loading capability means that students in advanced classes are able to incorporate new modules by simply writing new classes and adding them to a configuration file which specifies the new modules’ connections to other modules. The modular structure means that it can be used for both introductory computer organization and more advanced processor architecture courses. For example, it can be used to demonstrate how (a) the data path of a modern processor is structured, (b) pipelining keeps multiple instructions in flight at any time, (c) hazards occur, and (d) resource conflicts are resolved. Processing modules follow a simple design pattern which correctly simulates the behavior of a complex synchronous processor. The design is simple, yet powerful enough to model complex data paths with extensive feedback capabilities. To manage complexity, the system being simulated may be specified as a hierarchy of models, each of which can be viewed in a separate window on demand. This provides a customizable level of detail to students studying processor operation.
Attack of the Rainbow Bots
Authors: Collins Samuel G. , Trajkovski Goran
Published: May 2011

Many in IT education—following on more than twenty years of multicultural critique and theory—have integrated “diversity” into their curricula. But while this is certainly laudable, there is an irony to the course “multiculturalism” has taken in the sciences in general. By submitting to a canon originating in the humanities and social sciences—no matter how progressive or well-intentioned—much of the transgressive and revolutionary character of multicultural pedagogies is lost in translation, and the insights of radical theorists become, simply, one more module to graft onto existing curricula or, at the very least, another source of authority joining or supplanting existing canons. In this essay, we feel that introducing diversity into IT means generating this body of creative critique from within IT itself, in the same way multiculturalism originated in the critical, transgressive spaces between literature, cultural studies, anthropology and pedagogy. The following traces our efforts to develop isomorphic critiques from recent insights into multi-agent systems using a JAVA-based, software agent we’ve developed called “Izbushka.”
Lessons Learned and Tips
Authors: Uden Lorna , Beaumont Chris
Published: May 2011

We have been applying PBL to learning by our students since 1996. Although many lessons have been learned, we are still continually learning and discovering new insights each year in our PBL process. Our desire is to find out and learn as much as we can about how students learn and how we can make the PBL process more effective for our students. We are very thankful to our students for their continuing support of our endeavors to make learning interesting, effective, and fun for them. Students continue to give us feedback and their input has shed much light on our PBL process. As a result of their feedback and honest discussion, we are continually striving to improve on our tutorial process. We must confess that our experiences with PBL were not easy ones to start with. There were times of encouragement and frustration, especially early in the course when students were facing a major change in their educational mindset, when motivation and encouragement were important. Above all, we have learned that implementing PBL is not easy! We have learned many insights during our experiences with PBL. It is our belief that some of these insights would help others to better understand the implementation of PBL. In this chapter, we share with readers some of the issues that we have learned are important to PBL implementation. For each of the issues discussed, we have also incorporated guidelines to help readers.
The Role of Assessment and Evaluation in Context
Authors: Matuga Julia M.
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this chapter is to facilitate discussion regarding the contextualization of assessment and evaluation within online educational environments. Three case studies will be used to frame questions, issues, and challenges regarding online assessment and evaluation that were influenced by pedagogical alignment and environmental affordances and constraints. These reflective case studies, highlighting the author’s experiences as a teacher, researcher, and instructional design team leader, will be used to illustrate assessment and evaluation within three very different educational contexts: an online K-12 public school, an undergraduate online course, and a learning community designing online graduate courses.
A Proposed Framework for Mobile Services Adoption
Authors: Troshani Indrit , Rao Hill Sally
Published: May 2011

Mobile services are touted to create a significant spectrum of business opportunities. Acceptance of these services by users is, therefore, of paramount importance. Consequently, a deeper insight is required to better understand the underlying motivations leading users to adopting mobile services. Further, enhanced understanding would also help designing service improvements and appropriate adoption strategies. Most of the existing theoretical acceptance models available originate from organisational contexts. As mobile services bring additional functional dimensions, such as hedonic or experiential aspects, using extant models for predicting mobile services acceptance by individuals may be inadequate. The aim of this chapter is to explore and critically assess the use of existing acceptance theories in the light of evolving mobile services. Constructs affecting adoption behaviour are discussed and relevant extensions are made which culminate with a framework for mobile services adoption. Managerial implications are explored and future research directions are also identified.
Wireless Security and Privacy Issues
Authors: Kamruzzaman Joarder
Published: May 2011

Security and privacy protection are very strong requirements for the widespread deployment of wireless technologies for commercial applications. The primary aim of this chapter is to present an overview of the security and privacy issues by highlighting the need to secure access to wireless networks and the loss that might accrue from the breach of a network. The vulnerabilities of the IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth networks are discussed, and a paradigm for secure wireless network is presented. The legal framework guiding the privacy issues in wireless communications is also presented.
Essential Mobile-Commerce Technology
Authors: Hu Wen-Chen
Published: May 2011

Without ways to conduct secure commercial information exchange and safe electronic financial transactions over mobile networks, neither service providers nor potential customers will trust mobile commerce. Various mobile security procedures and payment methods have been proposed and applied to mobile commerce, and this chapter attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of these approaches and the issues involved. A secure mobile commerce system must have the following properties: (i) confidentiality, (ii) authentication, (iii) integrity, (iv) authorization, (v) availability, and (vi) non-repudiation. A discussion of the security issues related to the three network paradigms, wireless local area networks, wireless wide area networks, and WAP, is also included. Among the many themes of mobile commerce security, mobile payment methods are probably the most important. A typical mobile payment process includes: (i) registration, (ii) payment submission, (iii) authentication and authorization by a content provider, and (iv) confirmation. This chapter also describes a set of standards for mobile payments.
Performance Testing
Authors: Subraya B. M.
Published: May 2011

Performance testing (PT) is not to be construed as features testing even though it has a definite link with the latter. In fact, PT begins from where the feature testing ends. It presupposes successful completion of features testing, meaning that all the desired functional requirements expected from the system are fully met. However, it is worth noting that conducting PT without features testing is often fraught with great difficulties. This is because the residual defects in the system, which otherwise would have been known in features testing, would give misleading results about the performance. Previous chapters emphasized the need for PT and various factors that have impact the performance of Web-based applications. This chapter provides an insight about the technology aspects, including the software languages, necessary for Web development. Needless to add, that technology as well as software languages have a critical impact on the performance of the system.
Application for Comprehensive E-Government
Authors: Mullner T.
Published: May 2011

E-government forms an essential part of the tendency toward administrative modernization as it embraces the optimization of intra-authority processes; the interface between the authority, citizens, and companies; and interauthority processes, thus leading to the realization of an e-driven informed society. The complexity of the theme results from the doing of authorities; their communication partners like citizens, companies, and other authorities; and the social and legal framework. The growing distribution and the increasing maturity of these e-government applications pose new issues calling for scientists and economists to deliver immediate solutions. Within the frame of the new public management strategy, the one-stop-shop principle—a central contact-oriented service aimed toward solving problems—has also been in the focus. The portal architecture serves to realize one-stop government for citizens, who are now able to access most various online services of different authorities from one single point to present their concerns. Apart from this, the interconnection between the internal (file) administration through online services rendered to citizens, companies, and other administrative facilities leads to an increased procedural transparency for citizens and companies and forms the basis for one-stop government.
Citizen Relationship Management
Authors: Schellong A.
Published: May 2011

Citizen relationship management (CiRM) refers to a cluster of management practices, channel, and IT solutions that seek to use private sector customer relationship management (CRM) in the public sector. Goals can be improving citizen orientation, better accountability, and changing the citizen government relationship. I begin with an overview of citizen orientation in government and the emergence of CiRM. The following section starts with a look at the underlying principles, goals, and components of customer relationship management. Accordingly, there is an in depth discussion and definition of citizen relationship management. Aspects such as the citizen government relationship, technology, public participation, and organizational changes are addressed. Finally, future trends and conclusions are drawn.
E-Government in the Information Society
Authors: Zacher L. W.
Published: May 2011

The information society (IS), which nowadays is the emerging form of the organization of advanced societies (see e.g., Castells, 1996; May, 2002; Zacher, 2000a, 2000b), is governed more and more by the use of electronic devices and systems. That is why the concept of e-government was introduced and practically implemented. (For a historical perspective, see the article on Historical Perspective of E-Government).
Parliament and E-Governance in Finland
Authors: Tiihonen P.
Published: May 2011

The Standing Committee for the Future in the Finnish Parliament has a motto: It is the duty of parliament to observe the changing world, analyse it, and take a view in good time on how Finnish society and its political actors should respond to the challenges of the future. Democracy cannot be realised simply by accepting changes that have already taken place. Indeed, parliaments have a role in e-governance all over the world, and this role will be discussed briefly in this article with a reference to the case of the Parliament of Finland.
Public Authorities and the Local Information Society
Authors: Inkinen T. , Jauhiainen J. S.
Published: May 2011

This article focuses on the role of public authorities in the creation of local information societies (LIS). The analysis is conducted with reference to strategies, policies, and actions of public authorities with the aim of promoting information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the local level. Although the article relates to broad issues relevant today throughout the western world, we narrow the empirical examples to Finland. To begin, we provide a brief account of documents that guide LIS policies. Our focus is on the discursive formation and strategic guidance of LIS. For example, several European Commission documents highlight the positive relationship between economic growth, competitiveness, and knowledge-intensity as a means for success in global competition. On the national level, we discuss the current Finnish government strategy for the promotion of the information society (Government of Finland, 2003). Second, we offer insights into how discursive strategies for the LIS are implemented through practical activities. Two examples discuss the relationship between public authorities and citizen, business and governance-oriented LIS. In particular, it is essential to consider the connections and disparities between written policy strategies and everyday practices. The first topic focuses on the Tampere Region, recounting a case of LIS promotion through enhancing interaction between citizens and public authorities. In the second case, we discuss the Multipolis technology network. It is an example of LIS policy targeted to support private-led technology development in the more remote localities of northern Finland.
Usenet and the Proactive Ombudsman
Authors: can Meeteren A. P.G.
Published: May 2011

There is hardly any interest in Usenet in governmental circles at the moment. That is not surprising, given that the government’s task is to organize society, while for Usenet, spontaneity is extremely important. However, it is still worth investigating whether government and Usenet can grow toward one another. Usenet can become a “public city park” of the Internet, as suggested by Stewart, Gil-Equi, and Pileggi (2004). They overlook this possibility, although Usenet meets a number of the basic conditions. It is an open, non-purposive space and “provides a place where different people cross paths, without necessarily interacting all the time” (Stewart, 2005, p. 356). The conversations in that city park can contribute to democratic decision-making or to administrative objectives, if they lead to anything. A system of order imposed from above will be suffocating. This article outlines a method of ensuring that those conversations are given a focus. Government itself can then ensure that Usenet conversations have a focus by providing and collecting information, while respecting other users, as an ordinary user.
A Closer Look to the Online Consumer Behavior
Authors: Markellou Penelope , Rigou Maria , Sirmakessis Spiros
Published: May 2011

Nowadays the Web comprises a significant advance in technology, and the rapidity of its acceptance has been remarkable. It is a powerful tool that has changed the way of conducting business, providing companies and customers with limitless options and opportunities. Online catalogs, 24/7 service availability, a cut down in transaction costs, reduction of customer service time, personalized features, and absence of paper and personalization features are only a few of the advantages. Companies, in an effort to stay competitive in the new global economy, are increasingly expanding their activities to this new communication channel, which features as a factor of major profit potential. As a direct consequence of e-commerce spreading, we are witnessing the emergence of a new consumer type, the online consumer or e-customer that uses the Internet for purchasing products/services (Solomon, 2001). The online consumer is empowered with new, exciting capabilities: he can search globally for products/services, compare available options, find additional information, read the opinion of other people who have bought the product/service, or proceed with the transaction. All these options are available from his office or home and can be used conveniently and fast, while all alternative e-shops are only a few clicks away. As in the case of trivial customers, ensuring e-customer satisfaction is not a simple task. To a certain degree, e-customers (expect to) behave online similarly to how they behave off-line (in traditional real-life shops); but in order to fully understand their behavior, one should explore issues like the reasons why people use the Internet for their purchases, the benefits/drawbacks of online buying, and the identification of clusters of customers who share common attitudes, behavior, and preferences online (Blackwell, Miniard, & Engel, 2000). According to Seybold and Marshak (1998), consumers prefer the Internet because it offers easier and faster shopping. Convenience, timesaving, moneysaving, greater options, and fun are among the top reasons, and this kind of knowledge is of great value for dictating efficient e-marketing strategies and motivating e-commerce use with twofold objective: turn non-shoppers into shoppers and increase shopping of current shoppers. This article presents the overall consumer purchase decision cycle and investigates the issues that affect Web users, from selecting a specific e-shop to the delivery of the product and the overall assessment of the shopping experience. This process has been divided into 13 states referring to customer behavior: outside the e-shop, inside the e-shop, and after sales. Special focus is set on identifying the potential abandonment factors thus leading to practical guidelines for all those whose decisions and objectives affect the online shopping experience (e-shop owners, marketing specialists, Web site designers, and developers).
Data Warehousing and Data Mining Lessons for EC Companies
Authors: Sethi Neerja , Sethi Vijay
Published: May 2011

Internet companies are now in the second stage of evolution in which the emphasis is on building brands (Campman, 2001) and retaining customers rather than just transactions. There is also an imperative for multidimensional Web performance monitoring (Earls, 2005) and a continual fine-tuning of sites for optimal navigation, increased stickiness and transactional efficiency. Such research as the relationship between customer profiles and navigational characteristics (Garatti, Sergio, Sergio, & Broccab, 2004) and techniques for seamlessly aggregating Web data with corporate data (Wood & Ow, 2005) also testify to the importance of holistic data analysis for knowledge discovery. The technologies that are becoming critical in this fight for customer retention are data warehousing, data mining and customer relationship management. This article presents two case studies, one on data warehousing and the other on data mining, to draw some very specific lessons about management support, organizational commitment and overall implementation of such projects. These lessons complement past recommendations that these technologies are more about organization change (Kale, 2004), about a single unified view of the business and, ultimately about building a shared data model of the enterprise. We start with a brief overview of data warehousing and data mining. The two cases are discussed next, using a similar analytical structure to facilitate comparison among them. In the conclusion, we describe the key lessons learned from the two cases and implication
Development and Deployment of Web Services
Authors: Jain Radhika , Ramesh Balasubramaniam
Published: May 2011

A Web service is an interface that describes a collection of operations that are network accessible through standardized XML (extensible markup language) messaging specifications such as SOAP, WSDL (Web service description language), and UDDI to provide open, XML-based mechanisms for application interoperability, service description, and service discovery (Kim & Jain, 2005). They are self-contained, modular units of application logic that provide business functionality to other applications via an Internet connection (Srivastava & Koehler, 2003). Although Web services are a relatively new concept, they provide a solution to the set of serious problems that have plagued enterprise systems using a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Web services address a similar set of problems that middleware technologies such as CORBA, RPC, COM, and RMI address by providing a tightly coupled and vendor-driven proprietary environment for implementing SOA.
Electronic Data Interchange
Authors: Whiteley David
Published: May 2011

The popular notion of e-commerce is a consumer interacting with a Web page to buy a book from Amazon or a ticket from Expedia. This is an important aspect of e-commerce, but the applications and technologies used in e-commerce are much wider than business-to-consumer e-commerce facilitated by the Internet and the World Wide Web. E-commerce is summarized by the phrase “doing business electronically,” and to that we should add the qualification that the business is conducted between the organization and some external party. E-commerce is defined by Wigland (1997, p. 5) as “…the seamless application of information and communications technology from its point of origin to its endpoint along the entire value chain of business processes conducted electronically and designed to enable the accomplishment of business goals.” This includes business-to-business transactions as well as business-to-consumer transactions, and does not presume the type of technology that is used to facilitate these transactions. There are authors that seek to define e-commerce in a way that limits the term to business transacted over the Internet, but this seems to be without merit: Did not transactions conducted using Minitel or Prodigy serve the same purpose as today’s Web-based transactions, and does not the development of m-commerce still come within the more general classifications of e-commerce and e-business? Whiteley (2000) suggests that e-commerce was facilitated by three technologies: electronic data interchange (EDI), electronic markets, and the Internet- (or e-shop) type facilities. EDI and electronic markets predate the e-shop model and, for the Encyclopedia of E-Commerce, E-Government, and Mobile Commerce, this article will concentrate on EDI.
Evolution of Trust in Business-to-Business E-Commerce
Authors: Ratnasingham Pauline
Published: May 2011

E-commerce is defined as a means of conducting business electronically via online transactions among trading partners. Forrester Research predicted that B2B (business-to-business) e-commerce could be worth $5.7 trillion by the end of 2004. This study aims to examine the evolution of e-technologies and its impact on trust. Trust refers to reliance on and confidence in one’s business partner (Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman, 1995). We discuss the evolution of e-technologies in light of the evolution of trust in technology trust (or transactional trust) and relationship trust or (relational trust). Electronic data interchange (EDI) was the prominent technology used in the 1970s and ’80s. As we approached the 21st century and with the advent of the Internet, businesses feared that the lack of presence on the Internet would hinder their competitive and strategic advantages. Internet competition in most industries is forcing businesses to search for ways to improve product quality, customer service, and operation efficiency in supply chain management (SCM) in order to remain competitive. Today e-commerce has moved beyond EDI via value-added networks (VANs) by leveraging into the Internet and extending into Web technologies. The Internet is transforming and reshaping the nature of interorganizational commerce by enabling new types of interorganizational relationships. The business benefits include lower costs and more flexible systems that provide a facilitating structure for virtual relationships, enabling the easier identification of suppliers and products and more integrated supply chain management (Dai & Kaufmann, 2000). The Internet has impacted the SCM e-commerce environment by creating a centralized, global business and management strategy (e.g., make to order, assemble to order, and make to stock), and online real-time, distributed information processing to the desktop, thereby providing total supply-chain information visibility and the ability to manage information not only within firms, but also across firms and industries. On the other hand, uncertainties, technical complexities, and concerns about trust have kept many firms from participating actively in B2B e-commerce. Uncertainties reduce the confidence both in the reliability of online B2B transactions and more importantly in the trading parties themselves. In a survey of 60 procurement trading partners involved in supply chain management at U.S. firms conducted by New York-based Jupiter Media Metrix Inc. in 2001, the findings indicated that 45% of the trading partners suggest a lack of trust prevented them from buying goods and trading online more frequently. In the next section we discuss the evolution of e-technologies, followed by its role in supply chain management and impact on trust.
Internet in a Commodity Mining Company
Authors: Foley Pat , Samson Danny
Published: May 2011

On August 16, 1999, the world’s first Internet commodity exchange-traded metals sale took place when WMC, an Australian resources company, sold five tons of cobalt at $18.25 a pound. Some metal traders had been buying and selling steel through Web sites, however, commodity exchange-traded metals had lagged behind the steel industry in the use of e-commerce, with most nonferrous companies and exchanges offering only information on products and services through the Web while continuing to trade using standard processes. WMC had introduced electronic commerce to one of the world’s oldest industries and became the first metal producer to use the Internet to support the marketing of nonferrous metals. This was only the beginning for WMC. In the mid- and late 1990s, high-technology e-stocks boomed. There were excited discussions about a new economy that was commonly presumed to be immune to the cyclical problems that confronted the resource sector. As the resource shares were declining, commentators were talking about an Internet gold rush. A new-economy gold fever had gripped investors. Mining companies were treated as relics of an old economy. They were seen as old-economy companies using rusting-edge practices that reflected their dinosaur-sized machinery. It seemed inconceivable that a mining company could sell a larger tonnage of product over the Internet than Amazon.com and make a profit that Amazon had not yet achieved
Semantics for E-Commerce Applications
Authors: Cardoso Jorge
Published: May 2011

A few years ago, e-commerce applications were mainly focused on handling transactions and managing catalogs. Applications automated only a small portion of the electronic transaction process, for example: taking orders, scheduling shipments, and providing customer service. E-commerce was held back by closed markets that could not use distributed services, due to the use of incompatible communication protocols. Recently, business needs are evolving beyond transaction support to include requirements for the interoperability and integration of heterogeneous, autonomous, and distributed service. Enabling technologies and business-centered design methodologies have addressed the shortcomings of contemporary e-commerce applications. New technological development such as Web services, Web processes, and semantics have allowed the creation of a new bread of e-commerce applications which can orchestrate cross-organizational and distributed services. Web services and processes refer to a set of technologies that can universally standardize the communication of applications in order to connect systems, services, business partners, and customers cost-effectively through the World Wide Web. Semantics provide an agreed understanding of information between and among Web services encouraging the development of interoperable systems that can help create and support new collections of services to better meet the demands and expectations of customers. In this article, we present seven reasons why semantics should be an integral part of Web services and Web processes technology managing e-commerce applications.
Service-Oriented Architectures and Virtual Enterprises
Authors: Protogeros Nicolaos
Published: May 2011

This article presents some trends in e-commerce technology and more specifically the service-oriented architectures (SOA) and its interoperability promise applied to innovative organization schemes such as virtual enterprises (VE). The evolution of software architectures from traditional to SOA is presented through comparison of characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, and problems and difficulties in applying the SOA, while also focusing on the compatibility between SOA and modern organizational structures. The main focus is on the SOA technology trends of modern organizational structures with regards their formation and integration. The comparison between SOA and traditional Architectures provides a clear path to their adoption in various cases.
Web Services Security
Authors: D’Aubeterre Fergle , Salam A. F.
Published: May 2011

Web services provide a standard architecture for heterogeneous systems to share and exchange information over the Internet (Iyer, Freedman, Gaynor, & Wyner, 2003). In this context, Web services are based on the building-block approach of using prior Internet protocols and standards as components of Web services. The building blocks include HTTP, adopted as the transport protocol, and XML, used as the format of the messages that are transferred between cooperating applications (Lim & Wen, 2003). For e-businesses to fully realize the benefits of Web services, security issues need to be addressed. Security has become a major concern for all enterprises exposing sensitive data and business processes as Web services (Bhatti, Bertino, Ghafoor, & Joshi, 2004). In this regard, this research proposes an integrated security approach for Web services architecture. The proposed approach, which is an addendum to the Web services security specifications, is built on XML-role-based access control (RBAC) for Web services business processes. Basically, it supports protocol-independent declarative security policies that can be enforced by Web service providers, and descriptive security policies that clients can use to access the services in a secure manner.
What Kinds of Organisations do We Want to Build in Africa with Information Communication Technology?
Authors: Klopper Rembrandt
Published: May 2011

In the first half of this contribution, the author focuses on what information communication technology (ICT) could be implemented in Africa in order to integrate the continent into the emerging global culture and associated economy. In the second half, he assesses the state of ICT implementation in Africa. The emergence of worldwide information and communications technology (ICT) networks in the last quarter of the 20th century has steadily effected vast and permanent changes with regard to how people in free market open societies communicate, work, do business, and spend their leisure time. In spite of the recent bursting of the dot com bubble and increasing strains experienced in the ICT manufacturing sector, advances in information technology and telecommunications (ICT) will continue to reshape the major institutions of society in the 21st century. This ought to lead to a more efficient way of life for at least some people. However, it is not clear whether this “progress” will actually be satisfactory for all. There are many more facets to the application of ICT than simple business efficiency. This chapter asks, “after 50 years of ICT, what kind of society do we want to create for ourselves, and what level of choices are available to individuals and corporate entities?” As was pointed out at the EU meeting in Lisbon in 2000, we need to be particularly aware of the potential for ICT to improve the lives of those who are disadvantaged.
The Use of IT in Small Business
Authors: Lubbe Sam
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses the effective use of information technology (IT) in small businesses. Worldwide it is regarded as a problem as was illustrated in the literature review. Small business owners need to calculate and plan proper use of IT in their businesses by aligning their strategic IT planning to the business plan. A computing grid is proposed with a proper structure and guideline to help the owners
Introduction to M-Business Applications
Authors: Chen Lei-da , Skelton Gordon W.
Published: May 2011

Leung and Antypas (2001) defined mobile business (m-business) as both “content delivery (notification and reporting) and transactions (purchasing and data entry) on mobile devices”. Another term often used for m-business is “wireless e-commerce”, as such business activities often leverage wireless and Internet technologies.m-business will grow to $200 billion worldwide by 2004, and the number of U.S. m-business users will grow to 29 million (Kelly, 2001).
Computer Skills, Technostress, and Gender in Higher Education
Authors: Gaither Shepherd Sonya S.
Published: May 2011

The creation of computer software and hardware, telecommunications, databases, and the Internet has affected society as a whole, and particularly higher education by giving people new productivity options and changing the way they work (Hulbert, 1998). In the so-called “information age” the increasing use of technology has become the driving force in the way people work, learn, and play (Drake, 2000). As this force evolves, the people using technology change also (Nelson, 1990). Adapting to technology is not simple. Some people tend to embrace change while others resist change (Wolski & Jackson, 1999). Before making a decision on whether to embrace technology or not, people may look at the practical and social consequences of accepting change. Therefore, the technology acceptance model, the accepting or resisting of technology is considered to be a form of reasoned behavior (Wolski & Jackson, 1999).
Discrimination and Hostility Toward Women and Minorities in the IT Work Force
Authors: Hoonakker Peter , Carayon Pascale , Schoepke Jen
Published: May 2011

There is substantial evidence for a critical shortage of skilled IT workers in the United States (Freeman & Aspray, 1999; ITAA, 2002). From 2000 to 2010, the occupation of computer specialists is projected to grow 69%, and the occupation of computer and information systems managers is projected to grow 48% (Hecker, 2001). Although demand for IT workers dropped in recent years (5% alone in 2001, ITAA, 2002), there is still a lack of qualified workers, referred to as the “gap” in IT workers. A large subset of this problem is the under representation of women and minorities in the IT workforce. It is possible that if women and minorities were represented in the IT workforce (ITWF) in proportion with their representation in the general population, the shortage of IT workers in the U.S. could be solved (CAWMSET, 2000; Freeman & Aspray, 1999). Some preliminary work has been done to identify barriers to the entrance and retention of women and underrepresented minorities in the ITWF (CAWMSET, 2000; ITAA, 2000), such as lack of role models and mentors, exclusion from informal networks, stereotyping and discrimination, an inhospitable atmosphere towards women, unequal pay scales and inadequate work/family balance (CAWMSET, 2000; ITAA, 2000; Panteli, Stack, Atkinson, & Ramsay, 1999).
Gender and Differences in Online Teaching Styles
Authors: Barrett Karinda Rankin
Published: May 2011

Researchers interested in the role gender plays in the educational environment have investigated differences in the teaching styles of men and women in the face-to-face classroom (Caplan, 1994; Clegg, Trayhurn, & Johnson, 2000; Proost, Elen, & Lowyck, 1997; Statham, Richardson, & Cook, 1991; Sullivan, 1999). In distance education, the differences between the teaching styles of men and women are similar to those noted in the face-to-face classroom (Barrett, 2004; Dupin-Bryant, 2004). In both educational settings, men and women prefer different teaching styles. In the face-to-face classroom, differences in the teaching styles of male and female faculty members have depicted women as leaning more towards a learner-centered style than men, even though men and women are exposed to similar experiences in their own educational endeavors (Moulton, 1992; Scotney, 1986; Statham et al., 1991; Stickney-Taylor & Sasse, 1990). The purpose of this discussion is to use research on teaching styles to provide more information about the online environment for those who will be teaching, learning, or administrating online distance education.
Gender and Discourse Styles in CMC Learning Groups
Authors: Lim Yong-Kwan , Lim John
Published: May 2011

The evolution of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies has brought about changes in the landscape of education. This availability of technologies corresponds with the educational paradigms that are shifting towards the collaborative constructive conceptions of learning (Anderson & Garrison, 1998). To support interaction and cooperative learning among learners, online discussion groups are increasingly being incorporated into the courses of educational institutions. Educators have deemed interaction as a vital component of collaborative learning (Sutton, 2001), and have provided an important framework comprising four types of interaction: learner-content, learner-instructor, learner-interface, and learner-learner (Hillman, Willis, & Gunawardena, 1994; Moore, 1989). Multiple studies have demonstrated interaction as a critical indicator of positive attitudes towards learning, higher achievement and increased motivation (e.g., Garrison, 1990; Fulford & Zhang, 1993). If successfully implemented, groupware technologies could support group activities by providing an environment that enables more effective and efficient group communication (Benbunan-Fich & Hiltz, 1999). Benefits associated with collaborative online learning include the availability of time lag which enables learners to reflect on their own perspectives and the opportunity to promote co-construction of knowledge among peers (Bullen, 1998). In order to facilitate effective construction of knowledge and interaction among learners using the CMC medium, it is critically important for researchers to understand what external factors would influence the interaction styles. In this regard, the current paper takes special note that the study of variations in gender discourse is an important area of research (Gunn, Mcsporran, Macleod, & French, 2003). To date, there has been a growing body of literature which examines the effects of gender on communication styles within an online learning environment. However, the results have been somewhat ambiguous and equivocal across the studies (e.g., Fahy, 2002; Savicki, Kelly, & Lingenfelter, 1996a), suggesting that the binary concept pertaining to gender may not be a useful basis for analysis of communication patterns among learners. The purpose of this article is to discuss the communication styles of gender and propose a framework which seeks to identify contextual factors that would moderate gender interaction patterns within online learning groups.
Gender Differences in an Austrian IT Manufacturing Plant
Authors: Korunka Christian , Hoonakker Peter , Carayon Pascale
Published: May 2011

Despite the gains women have made in the last three decades, a large body of research has recently emerged suggesting that major economic changes occurring on a global scale are having detrimental consequences for women’s labor-market position. At best, these developments are judged to likely limit further progress toward gender equality (Human Resources Development Canada [HRDC], 2002). While in industrialized countries the manufacturing and primary industries have declined, the service sector, where women have traditionally been concentrated, has grown quite substantially. The service sector is highly heterogeneous, encompassing both well-paid professional and technical occupations as well as low-skill, poorly paid occupations. A stratum of highly skilled, high-status workers has emerged, coupled with a large mass of technically semiskilled or unskilled workers who acquire their training on the job or in short courses lasting a few weeks (Standing, 1989). Wage polarization has accompanied the growing demand for highly skilled workers and declining demand for unskilled labor. Increasingly, the workforce is segmented into a primary labor market offering good wages, job security, and opportunities for advancement, and a secondary labor market of low-paid, contingent workers (Economic Council of Canada [ECC], 1991). Women, and especially visible minority women, remain overrepresented in the latter. Much of the literature on gender differences in the IT workforce has focused on the high-end IT jobs. Relatively little is known about low-end IT jobs and the role of gender. The IT industry is mainly a service-oriented industry. However, many of the tools used in these services have to be manufactured by IT manufacturers. In this study, we examine gender differences in the working conditions (job and organizational characteristics, and quality of working life [QWL]) of employees in a chip-manufacturing plant.