bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technical Concepts of Service Orientation
Authors: Cervantes Humberto , Hall Richard S.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents service-oriented concepts from a technological perspective. Before delving into service orientation, concepts in component orientation are introduced for a point of reference. After, service orientation is introduced via the service-oriented interaction pattern and the entities that participate in it, followed by a discussion of how these entities and service orientation, in general, relate to component orientation. The technical presentation is followed by a survey of several service-oriented platform technologies, including: CORBA Traders, JavaBeans Context, Jini, OSGi, and Web services. The purpose of this chapter is to present service-oriented concepts from a technological perspective, position them with respect to those present in component orientation, and illustrate how they are realized.
Peer-to-Peer Information Storage and Discovery Systems
Authors: Schmidt Cristina , Parashar Manish
Published: May 2011

This chapter investigates the current landscape of peer-to-peer (P2P) storage and discovery systems. A classification of existing P2P discovery systems, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each category, and surveying existing systems in each class, is presented. The design, operation and applications of Squid, a P2P information discovery system that supports flexible queries with search guarantees, are described.
"Let Me Know What You Know" ReachOut as a Model for a Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Sharing Network
Authors: Soroka Vladimir , Jacovi Michal , Maarek Yoelle S.
Published: May 2011

Peer-to-peer (P2P) technology has spread through the Web over the last few years through several incarnations, ranging from search for extraterrestrial intelligence to multimedia file sharing, or resource sharing in the general sense. Collaboration systems, expert finding systems and recommender systems are all examples of resource sharing tools where the basic resource is “knowledge,” yet they are not viewed as peer-to-peer due to their centralized architecture. We claim that the process of knowledge sharing in such systems is ofter P2P, regardless of their architecture. This chapter analyzes knowledge sharing and collaboration models through the prism of P2P technology. We propose a framework for determining when knowledge sharing systems follow a P2P model, review existing collaboration and knowledge sharing systems, and verify whether they qualify as P2P under the criteria we define. We then introduce our “Second-Degree Peer-to-Peer” model for knowledge sharing and illustrate it with ReachOut, a tool for peer support and community building developed at the IBM Haifa Research Lab.
Web Application Development Methodologies
Authors: Chen Jim Q. , Heath Richard D.
Published: May 2011

Web-based application development represents some unique challenges to the developers. There is a growing need for better development methodologies. The traditional system development methods for non-Web applications can still be effective, but need to be adapted and enriched in the new development environment. This chapter discusses the challenges and proposes a Modified Prototyping Method (MPM) for Web application development. MPM views Web applications as organic systems that are continually adapting to their environments. MPM places more emphasis on architectural decision for system scalability and proactive system maintenance. It suggests not only a process but also a set of design techniques at each stage. The method provides a balanced view of technology and management requirements in the Web application development process.
Web Cost Estimation
Authors: Mendes Emilia , Mosley Nile
Published: May 2011

Despite the diversity of Web application types, technologies employed, and the number of free templates available on the Web, we still have a considerable amount of Web companies bidding and competing for as many Web projects as they can accommodate. Bidding and winning a proposal does not mean that the project will be developed within time and budget. Cost estimation can help managers manage projects adequately and bid for projects based on realistic and feasible costs and deadlines. The objective of this chapter is to briefly introduce cost estimation principles, followed by a literature review of Web cost estimation. Then we compare this literature according to set criteria.
Design Principles and Applications of XRML
Authors: Lee Jae Kyu , Sohn Mye M.
Published: May 2011

XML has become the standard platform for structured data exchange on the Web. The next concern of the Semantic Web is the exchange and process of rules in markup language form. The rules should be represented in such a way as to allow software agents to process and browse them for human comprehension. For this purpose, we propose a language eXtensible Rule Markup Language (XRML). XRML is composed of rule identification, rule structure, and rule triggering markup languages. In XRML, a critical concern is how to extract the structured rules from the Web pages and keep consistency between the two. By using the XRML, the Web-based Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) can be integrated with rule-based expert systems. The advanced architecture with XRML can extend the application of KMS to automated form processing, preventive auditing, rule exchange and integration, and agent-based e-commerce.
Web-Based Organizing in Traditional Brick-and-Mortar Companies
Authors: Paauwe Jaap , Farndale Elaine , Williams Roger
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the notion of how old-economy brick-and-mortar firms are adapting their HRM policies and practices and the roles of their HR departments in light of newly introduced Web-based business-to-business transaction practices. It argues that the Internet has introduced three new business models in old-economy companies: the Internet as a marketplace, the Internet as a supply chain integrator, and the Internet as a catalyst for business model redefinition. These innovative ways of organizing are providing HR with opportunities to rise to new challenges and increase their added value to the firm.
Portals, Portals Everywhere
Authors: Tatnall Arthur
Published: May 2011

In general terms a portal is just a gateway, and a Web portal can be seen as a gateway to the information and services on the Web. This chapter explores the definition of the word “portal” and attempts a categorisation of the various types of Web portals. It outlines some of the many uses for portals and shows that the portal concept is equally useful for accessing corporate intranets as for the public Internet. In conclusion the chapter looks at the proposition that the portal is dead and finds that any announcement to this effect is very much premature. Portals are everywhere and are likely to grow to even greater importance in the future.
Portal Combat Revisited
Authors: Gallaugher John M. , Downing Charles E.
Published: May 2011

What determines a market leader when business models and technologies can be easily imitated? This work examines this question within the context of the market for free, consumer-oriented Web portals. Factors considered include the length of time a service has been offered, the brand-related make effects of various leading players, and product features that create virtual communities and other switching costs. This analysis demonstrates that there are strong make-related premiums among leading portal players, suggesting that brand value may be a critically important asset for industry players. The study also offers qualified support for the first-mover hypothesis and the benefits of chat and gaming features and notes a lack of significant benefit from leadership in various technology-based service innovations.
Functioning Portal Interfaces to Support Knowledge Enabling
Authors: Soutar Jan , Lloyd-Walker Beverley
Published: May 2011

Organising information in ways that encourage knowledge sharing turns information management into knowledge management or knowledge facilitation. This chapter investigates the role of portals in achieving this goal. A coordinated approach is required to achieve knowledge advantage (K-Adv) through the sharing of knowledge and diffusion of innovation through the organisation. Organisations, large and small and across industries, are now recognising that unless they take steps to establish the required information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure to support people to effectively use knowledge in their business activities, they will not gain the benefits which K-Adv offers.
Developing a Portal to Build a Business Community
Authors: Pliaskin Alex , Tatnall Arthur
Published: May 2011

In June 2000 the Western Region Economic Development Organisation (WREDO), a not-for-profit organisation sponsored by the six municipalities that make up the western region of Melbourne (Australia), received a government grant for a project to set up a business-to-business portal. This innovative project was to create a horizontal portal, Bizewest, which would enable the whole range of small to medium enterprises in Melbourne’s West to engage in an increased number of e-commerce transactions with each other. Although Bizewest ceased operations in June 2003, the portal project as a whole must be considered to be a considerable success as it produced substantial benefits in compiling a register of businesses in the region, interesting many small to medium enterprises in the benefits of e-commerce and training school students in the design of e-commerce Web pages.
Socio-Technical Aspects of ERP Implementation
Authors: Te’eni Dov
Published: May 2011

The development and appropriation of ERP is a collaborative effort that relies on communication for its success. This case study demonstrates how communication is affected by the organizational context and how communication affects ERP success. Actual incidents of communication breakdowns clarify the impacts of communication gaps and communication complexity on mutual understanding and on relationships between communicators. Furthermore, the case study shows how communication gaps affect critical success factors of ERP, such as commitment and involvement, user acceptance and monitoring and feedback. An important implication is that communication in ERP has to be structured and managed. The qualitative methodology employed relies on an analysis of the recorded communication between the actors so that for the researcher, communication also tells the story of the collaboration between the ERP actors. It appears that communication complexity and breakdowns can serve as diagnostic tools that should alert management to take corrective action.
Technology Innovation in a Small Rural Hospital
Authors: McGinnis Sheila K. , Wiggins Carla , Trimmer Kenneth , Pumphrey Lela
Published: May 2011

This case study illustrates how the leaders of a small, rural hospital were able to successfully introduce and institutionalize a strategic change in information technologies. Our work briefly reviews strategic change leadership and common theories of innovation and governance. We then present a case study investigating how a hospital’s top management team used managerial discretion to create and institutionalize a strategic information technology (IT) innovation.
Metaphorically Speaking, Does Culture Matter?
Authors: Beekhuyzen Jenine
Published: May 2011

This chapter is a qualitative research case study discussing the use of metaphors to analyze the organizational culture of a university department involved in a Human Resources Academic Administration Information Systems Implementation. The new system is part of a larger university-wide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation. Current literature suggests that organizational culture is impacted by information systems implementation and it is argued that the impact of the enterprise systems can result in a major cultural transformation that resets organizational values, meanings and beliefs. The metaphor of “organizations as cultures” is used to enable a better understanding of the department’s culture and the staff’s cultural attitudes toward the newly implemented ERP system. This investigation indicated that as a result of the implementation, the culture within the department did need to change to accommodate the new system and this is reflected through culturally symbolic artifacts, roles, values and beliefs (see Beekhuyzen, 2001 for more discussion of these topics). The metaphorical analysis of these culturally symbolic elements is presented in this chapter.
Exploring the Power and Politics of a PeopleSoft Implementation
Authors: Randolph Cherilyn , Main Rebecca
Published: May 2011

The implementation of an enterprise wide system has far reaching effects on an organization. The distribution of power is one aspect that is often disturbed. End users who perceive a loss of power may use political behavior to resist and obstruct the implementation. A case study of the implementation of PeopleSoft at an Australian university is used to explore resistance and obstructive behavior and explain these by looking at the implications of the system design for the organizational power balance. The authors believe that more understanding of the role of power and politics during an enterprise wide system implementation will enable teams to avoid user reactions that can threaten the success of the project.
Declarative Planning and Knowledge Representation in an Action Language
Authors: Eiter Thomas , Faber Wolfgang , Pfeifer Gerald , Polleres Axel
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces planning and knowledge representation in the declarative action language K. Rooted in the area of Knowledge Representation & Reasoning, action languages like K allow the formalization of complex planning problems involving non-determinism and incomplete knowledge in a very flexible manner. By giving an overview of existing planning languages and comparing these against our language, we aim on further promoting the applicability and usefulness of high-level action languages in the area of planning. As opposed to previously existing languages for modeling actions and change, K adopts a logic programming view where fluents representing the epistemic state of an agent might be true, false or undefined in each state. We will show that this view of knowledge states can be fruitfully applied to several well-known planning domains from the literature as well as novel planning domains. Remarkably, K often allows to model problems more concisely than previous action languages. All the examples given can be tested in an available implementation, the DLVK planning system.
Coordination in Multi-Agent Planning with an Application in Logistics
Authors: Valk Jeroen , de Weerdt Mathijs , Witteveen Cees
Published: May 2011

Multi-agent planning comprises planning in an environment with multiple autonomous actors. Techniques for multi-agent planning differ from conventional planning in that planning activities are distributed and the planning autonomy of the agents must be respected. We focus on approaches to coordinate the multi-agent planning process. While usually coordination is intertwined with the planning process, we distinguish a number of separate phases in the planning process to get a clear view on the different role(s) of coordination. In particular, we discuss the pre-planning coordination phase and post-planning coordination phase. In the pre-planning part, we view coordination as the process of managing (sub) task dependencies and we discuss a method that ensures complete planning autonomy by introducing additional (intra-agent) dependencies. In the post-planning part, we will show how agents can improve their plans through the exchange of resources. We present a plan merging algorithm that uses these resources to reduce the costs of independently developed plans. This (any-time) algorithm runs in polynomial time.
Interjurisdictional Law Enforcement Data Sharing Issues
Authors: Leipnik Mark R. , Albert Donald P.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to create and disseminate geospatial data among multiple law enforcement agencies in the same metropolitan area, county, region, state and nation. Cooperation between different agencies of government, such as between a municipal police department and a comprehensive-planning, information technology or public works department, with GIS expertise will be discussed. The benefits derived from sharing human and technical resources, from using a common set of geospatial data and a common crime records database schema, and from the centralization of activities, such as geocoding, will be emphasized. Issues impeding interjurisdictional use of GIS, such as technical issues of interoperability, confidentiality concerns and cost-sharing problems, are presented. Multiple examples drawn from the United States and several other countries illustrate the universality of interjurisdictional issues and the value of using GIS to facilitate data sharing and cooperation among multiple law enforcement and government agencies.
Single Incident Geographical Profiling
Authors: Gore Richard Z. , Tofiluk Nikolas J. , Griffiths Kenneth V.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the results obtained by using simulation software to determine the ability to rank the suspects of a single incident based on the geographic information derived from arrest records. The current software uses three different geographic filters. These geographic filters were based on the standard distance decay curve (DDC), an incident based distance decay curve (IBDDC) and the incident-based offender residence probability surface (IBORPS). These filters were rated on their ability to order suspect lists. Boundary effects due to the crude core-periphery population gradient characteristic of cities and sub-areal heterogeneities were found to be associated with the standard DDC analysis. The results indicated a definite utility value in these filters, which tends to support crime theories based on the premise that criminal activity patterns are systematically influenced by an offender’s geographic setting. These results also have strategic significance in the formulation of policies that prescribe the assembly and processing of suspect lists and serve as the basis for geographic profiling based on a single incident.
Measuring Crime in and around Public Housing Using GIS
Authors: Holzman Harold R. , Hyatt Robert A. , Kudrick Tarl Roger
Published: May 2011

For many people, the phrase “public housing” conjures up images of serious violent crime. However, the neighborhood surrounding public housing may be a greater factor in crime than the housing itself. Because most police departments do not routinely keep statistics on small parcels of land like public housing developments or neighborhoods, measuring the incidence of crime in public housing has proved difficult. Consequently, there is little hard evidence with respect to whether public housing is more or less crime-ridden than the neighborhoods that surround it. This chapter explores the application of geographic information systems (GIS) technology in measuring reported crime levels in and around public housing developments. GIS technology was used to extract crime counts from police data bases of reported incidents for (1) public housing developments and (2) the surrounding neighborhoods. Rates of reported Part I crimes in public housing developments are compared with those in the surrounding neighborhoods and in the respective municipal jurisdictions. Odds ratios are used to compare the risk of victimization in public housing with that in the respective neighborhood and municipal catchment zones. The GIS-based analysis of reported crime in and around public housing communities reveals that risk of falling victim to aggravated assault in public housing communities is much higher than in the surrounding neighborhoods or in the parent jurisdictions as whole. Conversely, risk of property crimes such as burglary, larceny and car theft appears to be much lower. These crime patterns are discussed in the context of routine activity theory.
The Ethics of Hacking and Computer Abuse
Authors: Warren Matthew , Leitch Shona
Published: May 2011

Organisations spend large sums of money to ensure that they are protected against the risks associated with external threats. The perceived threats against organisations are well known, and the losses can be quantifiable. The perceived threat considered here is that associated with hackers. Much is known about hackers, their rationale, and their ethical views. However, it is harder to quantify what computer abuse is and what the associated losses are. This chapter focuses on hackers, computer abuse, and ethical issues.
Negotiating Workplace Surveillance
Authors: Zirkle Brian L. , Staples William G.
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we explore the ways that employees at a large, corporate retail store consent to and challenge the in-store video surveillance system they confront in their workplace and how these negotiations are shaped by and incorporated into the workers local “idioculture”. Our analysis highlights several important themes, including how workers perceive the use of surveillance and how they respond to new surveillance technologies. We focus on how these aspects of worker idioculture are, in part, a product of what employees believe to be morally acceptable uses of technology and their experiences with the older system they had come to know. In addition, we examine the ways that employees negotiate around the edges of store surveillance and, in some cases, actually use the system to reinforce the idiocultural norms of the “productive worker”.
What Do Employees Think about Electronic Surveillance at Work?
Authors: Botan Carl , Vorvoreanu Mihaela
Published: May 2011

This chapter focuses on the unintended effects that accompany the use of information technology for surveillance in the workplace, in particular the negative (panoptic) effects. The extent and nature of electronic surveillance in the workplace are outlined, and the metaphoric and theoretic grounds for the study of panoptic effects are summarized. Data about the meanings that employees derive from the practice of electronic surveillance and about the feelings they have about it are presented and discussed.
Electronic Surveillance in the Workplace
Authors: Hongladarom Soraj
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes a new way of coping with the problem of electronic surveillance, which is derived from Buddhist teaching. Many dominant Western ethical systems try to propose a set of rules that specify normative conditions under which matters can be judged as right or wrong. The chapter argues that such rule-based systems are in the end not totally effective in bringing about a condition where workers and managers work together in harmony without the need for one to be in constant vigilance of the other. This may not be conducive to optimal productivity in the long run. The chapter proposes that the Buddhist perspective offered here is more effective in promoting mutual trust and respect among all concerned parties, and describes a way toward dissolution of any need for surveillance in the first place.
Universal Human Rights and Employee Privacy
Authors: Coleman Stephen
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the monitoring of employee e-mail and Internet usage in the context of the international nature of most modern business. Its three main aims are: (1) to highlight the problems involved in discussing an essentially philosophical question within a legal framework, and thus to show that providing purely legal answers to an ethical question is an inadequate approach to the problem of privacy on the Internet; (2) to discuss and define what privacy in the medium of the Internet actually is; and (3) to apply a globally acceptable ethical approach of international human rights to the problem of privacy on the Internet, and thus to answer the question of what is and is not morally permissible in this area. It concludes that the monitoring of an employee’s e-mail and Internet usage is, in the vast majority of cases, an unjustified infringement of the employee’s right to privacy.
Evidence-Based Medicine
Authors: Wickramasinghe Nilmini , Sharma Sushil K. , Reddy Harsha P.
Published: May 2011

The ongoing tension between certainty over uncertainty is the main force that is driving the evidence-based medicine movement. The central philosophy of this practice lies in the idea that one can never take for granted one’s own practice, but by using a structured, problem-based approach, practitioners can logically manoeuvre their way through the obstacle course of clinical decision-making. Attending postgraduate educational events and reading various science journals are no longer sufficient to keep healthcare practitioners aware of all the new developments in practice. To gain this knowledge they need to accept that there are questions they have to ask about their practice. Having posed a number of questions, answers should be found to the most important, practitioners should appraise the quality of the resulting evidence and, if appropriate, practitioners should implement change in response to that new knowledge.
Realizing Knowledge Assets in the Medical Sciences with Data Mining
Authors: Fadlalla Adam , Wickramasinghe Nilmini
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides insight into various areas within the medical field that strive to take advantage of different data mining techniques in order to realize the full potential of their knowledge assets. Specifically, this is done by discussing many of the limitations associated with conventional methods of diagnosis and showing how data mining can be used to improve these methods. Comparative analyses of different techniques associated with various areas within the medical field are outlined in order to identify the right technique for particular medical specialties. Furthermore, suggestions are provided to appropriately utilize the various data mining techniques thereby leading to effective and efficient knowledge management and knowledge utilization. In this chapter we highlight the potential of data mining in improving the exploratory as well as the predictive capabilities of conventional diagnostic methods in medical science.
Knowledge Strategic Management in the Hospital Industry
Authors: Marimon da Cunha Ana Karina , Paiva Ely Laureano
Published: May 2011

This work examines the role of knowledge in the strategic process in the hospital industry. The research method consists of multiple case studies with eight hospitals located in Brazil. We analyzed the relationship among information, knowledge and capability creation. The cases shown that knowledge dissemination is a current management practice. Nevertheless, just one case presented a clear idea of the strategic role of knowledge management. Based on this evidence, we propose a three-step theoretical model related to the strategic management of knowledge. Most of the cases analyzed are in the first stage of the proposed model. On the other hand, the hospital in the third stage presented the following characteristics: a clear strategic focus related to knowledge access, dissemination and application, a mix of formal and informal practices related to knowledge creation, and a propitious internal environment in order to develop its capabilities.
A Framework for Managing Consistency of Evolving UML Models
Authors: Mens Tom , Van Der Straeten Ragnhild , Simmonds Jocelyn
Published: May 2011

As the standard for object-oriented analysis and design, the UML (Unified Modeling Language) metamodel, as well as contemporary CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering) tools, must provide adequate and integrated support for all essential aspects of software evolution. This includes version control, traceability, impact analysis, change propagation, inconsistency management, and model refactorings. This chapter focuses on the latter two aspects, and shows how tool support for these aspects can be provided. First, we extend the UML metamodel with support for versioning. Second, we make a classification of the possible inconsistencies of UML design models. Finally, we use the formalism of description logics, a decidable fragment of first-order predicate logic, to express logic rules that can detect and resolve these inconsistencies. We also show how the logic rules are used to propose model refactorings. As a proof of concept, we report on the results of initial experiments with a prototype tool we developed for this approach.
UML- and XML-Based Change Process and Data Model Definition for Product Evolution
Authors: Jiang Ping , Mair Quentin , Newman Julian , Huang Josie
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a software architecture and implementation to support in-service product configuration management applicable to both the automotive and aerospace industries. In both these industry sectors it is now feasible, with emerging technologies such as telematic systems and OSGi, to implement a distributed and integrated information system to support product evolution over its entire life cycle. For this area we demonstrate the definition of an exchangeable multidomain enterprise data model defined as an XML DTD. We also present a UML process model for configuration change management defined using a familiar industry-standard tool and develop a framework to show how exported XMI definitions can be translated into WfMC XPDL, whilst preserving the process model’s semantics. The chapter goes on to describe an evolution process for in-service embedded software using the OSGi Framework.
Developing Software Testing Ontology in UML for a Software Growth Environment of Web-Based Applications
Authors: Zhu Hong , Huo Qingning
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the concept of software growth environments to support sustainable long-term evolution of Web-based application systems. A multiagent prototype system is designed and implemented with emphasis on software testing. In this environment, software tools are agents that cooperate effectively with each other and human testers through communications at a high level of abstraction. New tools can be integrated into the system with maximal flexibility. These are achieved through the design and utilisation of an ontology of software testing that represents the knowledge of software engineering and codifies the knowledge for computer processing as the contents of an agent communication language. The ontology is represented in UML (Unified Modeling Language) at a high level of abstraction so that it can be validated by human experts. It is also codified in XML (Extensible Markup Language) for computer processing to achieve the required flexibility and extendibility.
Abstracting UML Behavior Diagrams for Verification
Authors: del Mar Gallardo María , Martinez Jesús , Merino Pedro , Pimentel Ernesto
Published: May 2011

UML (Unified Modeling Language) and XML (Extensible Markup Language) related technologies have matured, and at present many novel applications of both languages are frequently appearing. This chapter discusses the combined use of both UML and XML in the exciting application domain of software abstraction for verification. In particular, software development environments that use UML notations are now including verification capabilities based on state exploration. This method is effective for many realistic problems, although it is well known that it is affected by the state explosion problem for many complex systems and that some kind of abstraction is needed. This is the point where XML can be used as a powerful technology, due to its features for program transformation. We describe how to use XML-related standards like dom or xmi in order to extend UML verification tools with automatic abstraction.
E-Government
Authors: Homburg Vincent
Published: May 2011

Increasingly, governments are using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to communicate internally, with citizens, and with corporations. The electronic interactions between governments, citizens, and/or corporations are usually referred to as e-government. E-government as such attempts to increase the efficiency of government operations and of service delivery (i.e., “reduce red tape”), but also to increase citizens’ trust in public administration. Some authors even foresee democratic renewal, in conjunction with a drastically reengineered government apparatus. This chapter explores the normative, managerial, and technological antecedents of e-governments and explores the manifestation of e-government. It does so by focusing on goals, visions, and beliefs (“rhetorics”) at national and supranational policy levels (i.e. the American and European e-government policies) and by analyzing the technological and managerial problems encountered at the shop floor of municipal e-government initiatives (“reality”).
Knowledge Management of E-Business Initiatives Within Two Global Organizations
Authors: Raisinghani Mahesh S. , Proffit Pegi , Barham Jonathan , McCurdy Michael
Published: May 2011

The concept of Knowledge Management concerns the creation of structures that combine the most advanced elements of technological resources and the indispensable input of human response and decision making. This chapter addresses a very interesting topic—Knowledge Management (KM) and e-business initiatives within global organizations. It compares and contrasts the experiences of two global corporations as they have conceived and implemented KM initiatives. After in-depth secondary research on the subject, both companies developed their own KM in e-business strategy. The two case studies discussed in this chapter highlight Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Consumer (B2C), and Business-to-Employee (B2E) initiatives at these two global organizations. This provides concepts and viewpoints related to the drivers of KM, the hurdles to KM in an organization, the elements of KM philosophy and process, how KM can come to be understood as a critical part of a company’s competitive strategy, and how to deploy a sustainable KM system that suits the business needs of an organization.
Evolution of a Collaborative Undergraduate Information Literacy Education Program
Authors: Sasso Maureen D.
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines the evolution of information literacy as a distinct concept incorporating critical thinking, and research and communication skills. It describes Duquesne University’s efforts to develop its current information literacy program during a period of rapid technological change and evolving accreditation standards, and briefly addresses the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) information literacy research agenda. Duquesne’s librarians and disciplinary faculty have collaborated to introduce information literacy into the curriculum. All freshmen and transfer students receive instruction geared toward establishing baseline competency in computer and information literacy skills. Collaboration among faculty, librarians, and campus computing staff has resulted in improved instruction and adoption of course management software to facilitate management of over a thousand students per semester, as well as sharing of course texts and assignments among instructors in the Schools of Business, Education, and Music, the College of Liberal Arts, and the library.
Mentoring and Technology Integration for Teachers
Authors: Yamamoto Junko , Linaberger Mara , Forbes Leighann S.
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses the acquisition of technology literacy skills through the use of a variety of mentoring programs for educators. A case is made for mentoring all individuals in an institution in order to improve the overall integration of technology in a variety of settings. The chapter also provides concrete examples of three models of technology mentoring: Technology Champions, Technology Collaborators, and Technology Cohorts. Characteristics of effective mentoring are discussed as well as future trends in mentoring through the use of online technologies. The authors believe that through coming to an understanding of the factors influencing implementation of mentoring plans and the benefits and drawbacks of several mentoring models, the reader will be able to select an appropriate mentoring model to meet organizational and individual training needs.
Information Systems Education for the 21st Century
Authors: Lowry Glenn , Turner Rodney
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we consider how information systems educators might revise curriculum content and adopt student-centered/active learning pedagogical approaches to achieve a better fit between the workplace and the university ‘studyplace’. In considering What to Study, numerous research findings suggest a repertoire of ‘soft’ skills that are seen as essential to success for new IS professionals. The research findings discussed in this chapter present evidence that traditional business subjects such as Marketing, Economics, or Finance do not equate to the ‘other’ or soft business skills that employers of IS graduates are seeking in new hires. Soft skills are cultivated elements of professionalism that derive from example, reflection, imitation, and refinement of attitudes, personal capabilities, work habits, and interpersonal skills. Soft skills are seldom taught in dedicated subjects in tertiary information systems curricula. Somehow, the soft areas such as teamwork, communication skills, ability to accept direction, and others are expected to be picked up along the way through an unspecified, osmotic process. Turning to How to Study, a critical and contentious issue is determining the appropriate learning environment to best help new graduates develop soft skills and higher order thinking. Course delivery paradigms may be characterized as traditional, passive ‘teacher-centered learning’ and active ‘student-centered learning’. We argue that student-centered/active learning approaches may be more effective in helping students to cultivate and refine soft skills than those currently in use. The chapter concludes with a discussion of IS curriculum reform issues and strategies for reducing confusion, overcoming tradition and inertia, finding resources, and neutralizing vested interests, to meet the educational needs of students.
Virtual Reality, Telemedicine, and Beyond
Authors: Orsucci Franco , Sala Nicoletta
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces virtual reality and telemedicine as instruments inserted in a path of medicine. It argues that virtual reality, combined with communication technologies, offers potential help to doctors and psychiatrists in overcoming physical and geographic barriers, and examining patients in remote locations. The authors describe two examples for better health and therapy. They hope that understanding these technologies and their use in the field of the medicine will help doctors use them in their future work.
Parachemistry of Mind
Authors: Adamatzky Andy
Published: May 2011

We portray mind as an imaginary chemical reactor, where discrete entities of emotions and beliefs diffuse and react as molecules. We discuss two models of mind: a doxastic solution where quasi-chemical species represent knowledge, ignorance, delusion, doubt, and misbelief; and an affective solution, where reaction mixtures include happiness, anger, confusion, and fear. Using numerical and cellular-automaton techniques, we demonstrate a rich spectrum of nontrivial phenomena in the spatiotemporal dynamic of the affective and doxastic mixtures. This paradigm of nonlinear medium-based mind will be used in future studies in developing intelligent robotic systems, designs of artificial organic creatures with liquid brains, and diffusive intelligence of agent collectives.
Managing Goals and Resources in Dynamic Environments
Authors: Gordon Elizabeth , Logan Brian
Published: May 2011

A key problem for agents is responding in a timely and appropriate way to multiple, often conflicting goals in a complex, dynamic environment. In this chapter, we propose a novel goal-processing architecture that allows an agent to arbitrate between multiple conflicting goals. Building on the teleo-reactive programming framework originally developed in robotics, we introduce the notion of a resource that represents a condition that must be true for the safe concurrent execution of a durative action. We briefly outline a goal arbitration architecture for teleo-reactive programs with resources that allow an agent to respond flexibly to multiple competing goals with conflicting resource requirements.
A Constructivist View of Knowledge Management in Open Source Virtual Communities
Authors: Sowe Sulayman K. , Karoulis Athanasis , Stamelos Ioannis
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses a learning environment that is manifested in the domain offree/open source software development. It provides the base for the emergence,development, interactions, and management of a novel learning environment bytaking a constructivist view of knowledge management. The learning activities ofan online collaborative effort of a loosely and geographically disperse communityof individuals is explored by looking at the interactions between members of thecommunity, the tools used to communicate, and the interactions between the mem-bers of the community and the virtual learning context. The learning context asenvisaged here refers to the free/open source software development environment inwhich learning actually takes place. The main focus is on the resources and pur-poseful activities that promote collaborative learning in this context, as well as thetransfer of learning from the virtual setting to the real-life situation by involving ina collaborative activity.
Does 'Public Access' Imply 'Ubiquitous' or 'Immediate'? Issues Surrounding Public Documents Online
Authors: Miller David W. , Urbaczewski Andrew , Salisburg Wm. David
Published: May 2011

In the information age, various entities (e.g., citizens or business concerns) are now able to access and gather large amounts of publicly available information online, which has obvious benefits. However, there are perhaps unfavorable consequences to this information gathering, and little attention has been paid to these. This chapter highlights the various issues that are created by having unfettered access to documents online, as well as the ability of citizens and investigators to compile databases of personal information on individuals. We cite existing laws to support the position of having limits on the freedom of access, and we propose several strategies for consideration in balancing the rights of the public to access public information while yet protecting and celebrating individual privacy. While the majority of this paper deals with American laws and history, international examples are also noted. In the post-9/11 world, a great deal of reasonable concern has been raised by governmental information gathering. We suggest that equal attention should be paid to ubiquitous access to public records, even by individuals and non-government agencies, and potential concerns for individual privacy that this access might raise.
Ethics of "Parasitic Computing"
Authors: Barger Robert N. , Crowell Charles R.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the ethics of a proof-of-concept demonstration of “parasitic computing.” A “parasite” computer attempts to solve a complex task by breaking it up into many small components and distributing the processing of these components to remote computers that perform this processing without the knowledge or consent of those owning the remote computing resources. This is achieved through the use of the TCP/IP Internet protocol and, in particular, the checksum function of this protocol. After a discussion of similar exploits, the ethical issues involved in this demonstration are analyzed. The authors argue that harm should be the standard for determining if parasitic computing is unethical.They conclude that a revised notion of the rights of ownership is needed when dealing with the shared nature of the Internet. Suggestions for future research are offered.
Balancing Individual Privacy Rights and Intelligence Needs
Authors: Hartzel Kathleen S. , Deegan Patrick E.
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores how individuals using different justice perspectives to evaluate the appropriateness of the USA PATRIOT Act will logically arrive at different views on the fairness of the legislation. Some pundits believe the USA PATRIOT Act creates an increased risk for the privacy rights of US citizens. Excerpts from both Department of Justice and ACLU documents concerning the USA PATRIOT Act are presented. An analysis of these excerpts suggests that the Department of Justice applies a procedural justice perspective to demonstrate the fairness of the Act in terms of the way the law will be applied. The ACLU applies an outcome-based justice perspective that focuses on the potential for the Act to disproportionately penalize specific demographic groups. Different justice perspectives lead to different fairness judgments.
Technological Literacy, Perspectives, Standards, and Skills in the USA
Authors: Berrett Jared V.
Published: May 2011

This chapter is written to provide a framework for understanding perspectives on technology literacy and how it might be taught in the K-12 setting. Numerous U.S. governmental reports, initiatives, definitions, and professional standards are reviewed. Though there are many fields interested in technological literacy, the argument is made that technology educators may prove to be an excellent resource in meeting the challenge of creating a technologically literate citizenry. A case study of exemplary practice is introduced as a point of investigating how one technology teacher is being successful in teaching technological literacy. It is up to the reader and all those concerned with technological literacy to continue to evaluate and search for best teaching practices for teaching technological literacy in K-12 schools.
Internet Chatrooms
Authors: Kapitzke Cushla
Published: May 2011

This chapter uses Ulrich Beck’s (1992) concept of Risk Society to contextualize the current ‘youth problem’ and the emergence of the techno-genre, Internet relay chat (IRC), in advanced capitalist societies. It argues that unsympathetic social policies combined with increased levels of surveillance in physical environments have contributed to the uptake of virtual space and online chatrooms as a means of social contact and engagement for youth. To the uninitiated, ‘chat’ is an ungovernable space of indecipherable codes, virtual skulking, and suspect subcultures. The chapter begins with a description of the rhetorical conventions of chat and a review of extant literature on it. It examines adult responses to teen chat through investigation of their representation in newspapers and compares this with text from 100 chatrooms. The purpose of this was to investigate whether adult prohibitions about chat are justified. Data showed that chat is a discursive space with highly regulated protocols and social mores, and that its delegitimation can be construed as an exercise in social control and governance over the textualities and sexualities of youth.