bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Language barriers, literature usage and the role of reviews: an international and interdisciplinary study
Authors: Gordon M.D. , Santman A.
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the languages in which primary and review literature is read by Dutch and UK Natural Scientists (Biochemists), Engineers (Numerical Control Production Engineers) and Social Scientists (the Study of Work and Occupations). The nature of the language barriers experi enced by each of these six groups is inter-compared, and the roles of translations and review articles in overcoming language barriers are investigated.

It is concluded that in subjects where important non- English language primary literatures exist, greater resources should be invested in the identification, translation and publi cation in English of good quality non-English review articles which give extensive coverage of non-English primary litera ture.
The modernization of information services in the People's Republic of China
Authors: Broadbent K.P.
Published: March 2007

China has suffered from over a decade of turmoil which has prevented the development of modern information ser vices. Present policy stresses the role of information storage and retrieval in national development. Apart from technical and political constraints, China faces a serious handicap with its unique written language, where the 5000 plus characters needed to express scientific and technical concepts are too large to be handled cost-effectively by present computers. This report outlines ways in which China is currently attempt ing to meet these problems and provide for modern informa tion services by the end of the decade.
The cooked and the raw
Authors: Hammarberg Robert
Published: March 2007

The notion of data and information being different in kind is based on the Foundationalist thesis that there exist raw, brute, facts which constitute the data that form the basis for information, and, ultimately, of knowledge. Foun dationalism fails, however, because if these data are really different in kind from information and knowledge, then no comparisons are possible between the former and the latter, and the notion of data (in the sense of raw, brute, fact) becomes useless. If, on the other hand, comparisons can be made between data and information or knowledge, the data would have to be of the same kind as the latter. Given that an Information Processing System (IPS) cannot process data except in terms of whatever representational language is inherent to it, data could not even be apprehended by an IPS without becoming representational in nature, and thus losing their status of being raw, brute, facts.

The representational language of the IPS provides the categories in terms of which the IPS 'views' reality, and thus this language will define what constitutes reality for the IPS in question. Consequently, this language will define what constitutes signals, signs, and information for the IPS, as well. Any definition of information must therefore be relative to a given IPS, and, in the case of a human IPS, what is regarded in common sense terms as linguistically encoded information cannot be independently characterized in purely physical terms.
Formalizing users' view modeling in a data base using semantic nets
Authors: De Prabuddha , Sen Arun
Published: March 2007

This paper presents an improved formalism for modeling users' external views. The formalism uses a semantic network where the nodes are data abstractions called concepts, and the edges are modeling functions between concepts. Four different modeling functions are used in the model. Each of these modeling functions comes with a set of integrity rules needed for updating the data.
Hunger for the poor? Some observations on information provision in India
Authors: Alston Ruth
Published: March 2007

A description is given of personal impressions gained dur ing a seven week research tour of India, studying User Educa tion in Indian academic and research institute libraries. The major purpose of the research was to discover the current practice of Indian libraries in this field, and the concomitant attitudes of senior librarians and information professionals. The scope for a greater use of library graphics is suggested; the gap between potential and achievement is delineated, and some factors which appear to affect this gap are explored. Ap propriate technology in this context is also discussed. Consider ation is given to the comparative roles of the Indian Central and State Governments, the obstacles facing national unity, and the resultant challenge to the information profession in India.
Methods for evaluating the number of relevant documents in a collection
Authors: Martin W.A.
Published: March 2007

Two essentially practical methods which do not rely on the uncertainties of the statistical approach are proposed. The method of limiting recall has been used with a document collection of over one million items; it requires test searches to be carried out independently by several groups. The use of a very new and powerful retrieval aid named ZOOM is also proposed as a form of super-search for each test question, the results of which can be assumed to be close to the total number of relevant documents. Used together, these two methods would provide cross-verification.
Modern technology and organisational communication implications for management
Authors: More E. , Laird R.K.
Published: March 2007

In the present era of rapid technological change, emotion will often rule reason in debates within organisations concern ing the introduction, usage and effects of modem computer and related technologies. Much literature in recent times has focused on the implications of modern technology for those organisational employees at levels other than management. There is no doubt that in an information-based economy, there is potential for organisational upheaval with the introduction and diffusion of new technologies. However, this will also significantly affect the managerial sector of the work force. The need to understand the implications of such technology in organisations, in terms of managing these innovations for those working at a management level, is an important concern. Without understanding and competent management the social upheaval many forecast as following in the wake of technologi cal innovation must be more likely to occur. This is an aspect of concern for business and management education, and needs to be emphasised now. In other words, there needs to be a balance of concern for the implications of modern technology, not only for the 'workers', but also for 'management'. The central aim of this paper is to briefly outline some technologi cal innovations relevant to large-scale 20th century organisa tions, and to assess the implications of some of these for managers. The authors place emphasis on one special area—that of organisational communication. It is intended that some outline be given of significant present day innovations in technologies which may affect organisational communication, followed by a discussion of some of the implications for management.
Costing management information—a more formal approach
Authors: Carter M.P.
Published: March 2007

With the increase in the use of Information Technology, management information is fast becoming a major product of many organisations. When Information is costed most organisa tions still treat it as a simple overhead cost. This paper is an attempt to formalise this approach to costing management information, so giving a more realistic approach. The paper deals with different types of cost and produces a procedure for developing more objective management information costs.
Documentary retrieval in education Part 1: c. 1920-1965
Authors: Roberts Norman
Published: March 2007

In the U.S.A. documentary retrieval in the field of educa tion was based upon conventional subject heading lists up to the early 1960s. The nature of the subject and its concepts, together with compiler autonomy, nonetheless ensured that lists produced to the same conventions were invested with a char actensing distinctiveness. During the 1960s an increasing volume of publications, largely the product of a substantial growth in Federally supported research, inspired a search for improved retrieval systems. This movement led to proposals and experiments which challenged the suitability of conven tional retrieval principles for the conceptual and terminological circumstances of education.
Commercial introduction of digital optical disk technology
Authors: Ledieu Jean
Published: March 2007

The accelerated growth of information and the rapid devel opment of digital coding techniques have given rise to a new need for greater information storage.

This has led to the expansion of the peripheral storage market which today represents one of the fastest growing sectors of the electronics industry.

The rise of commercial optical technology is creating dramatic increases in information storage capacity, particularly m the area of graphics storage.

This technology is presently being introduced to the high-end and midrange drives market but will be expanded to low-end and mass-storage systems production (i.e., 'juke boxes') as early as 1985.
Comparison of search techniques (printed and computerised) with specific reference to the RTECS databank
Authors: Costigan Anne , Wood Frances E. , Bawden David
Published: March 2007

A comparative evaluation of three implementations of a large databank, the NIOSH Registry of Toxic Effects of Chem ical Substances, has been carried out. The three implementa tions are: a printed index, a text searching computer system, and a computerised chemical databank system, with substruc ture searching facilities. Seven test queries were used, with the aim of drawing conclusions of general relevance to chemical databank searching.

The computer systems were shown to have advantages over printed indexes for several of the queries, including those involving an element of browsing. Substructure search facilities were especially advantageous. Aspects of indexing of data present, and the criteria for inclusion of types of data, were also highlighted.
A note concerning two ISBN-checking algorithms
Authors: Egghe L.
Published: March 2007

This note comments on a paper of G. McMurdo concerning two ISBN-checking algorithms. It is shown in a trivial way that both algorithms are exactly the same in all cases. So there was no need to check 2000 ISBN-numbers by computer as did McMurdo.
Electronic information systems analysis
Authors: Bell Simon
Published: March 2007

This paper is largely concerned with analysis of a question naire which was distributed to academics and information staff involved in Development Studies. The main concern is to look into current use of, and interest in, electronic information services, and also to gauge opinion on setting up a database concerned solely with development issues.

Section 1 gives a general background to the exercise and to key issues at present under discussion. The questionnaire's objective and distribution procedures are given in Section 2. Section 3 deals with the types of user group who responded. Section 4 deals with current access and Section 5 looks at the user—specified details of a future service. Finally, the paper presents some general conclusions and a list of specifications which emerge as being considered to be of value in any new system.
An evaluation of information sources in household product poisoning
Authors: Cassidy S.L. , Kostrewski B.J.
Published: March 2007

Little work has been published on the identification or comparison of information sources in the area of household chemical poisoning. Therefore, this study was set up to evaluate the performance of 11 sources in providing information to answer a selected set of 30 questions. The sources were: 2 on-line bibliographic databases: TOXLINE (TOXL), Excerpta Medica (EMED), one databank: Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS), 6 textbook sources and two National Poisons Information Service in-house databases (Poi sons Index, Clinical Case Reports File). The evaluation was made on the basis of completeness of information provided and search time. The retrieved references from TOXL and EMED were analysed for their relevance. The in-house data bases performed better than the other 9 sources in terms of speed of provision and completeness of information on household product poisoning. The search times (time taken to obtain original articles) using TOXL and EMED were high, although their information retrieval was as good as or better than that of the textbook sources. The RTECS databank provided no useful information. The needs of a poisons infor mation service are best served by a purpose-built in-house database, based on its own clinical case data, supplemented by external sources where necessary. The system would be im proved by computerization.
Effective text compression with simultaneous digram and trigram encoding
Authors: Wiśniewski Janusz L.
Published: March 2007

A new approach to data compression based on digram encoding is presented. Statistical analysis of the linguistic property of digram co-occurrence in textual material leads to a new, more effective simultaneous digram and trigram encoding technique. A combined list of digrams and trigrams eligible for encoding is constructed by an original scheme that replaces some of the frequently co-occurring encodable digrams with so-called master trigrams. Using Shannon's second order Markoff process approximation to English, conditions which the master trigrams should satisfy are formulated and then tested on four representative textual files. The performance of the proposed technique is experimentally examined and com pared with the performance of the conventional digram encod ing. It is found that the simultaneous digram and trigram encoding produces better results with regard to the measured compression ratios and use of processing time for encoding.
Europe as third world: U.S. perceptions of Continental science
Authors: Harrois-Monin Francoise
Published: March 2007

After considering the relative amounts of money and num bers of people involved in R&D in both Europe and the United States, the paper analyses the contents of those major European scientific publications intended for the general pub lic and the contents of comparable American magazines and newspapers. Both the type of stories covered and the source of information are examined. The comparison shows a dis crepancy in the reporting; while there is much emphasis in the European press on U.S.-based stories, many major European projects are ignored by the United States media. The paper attempts to determine the reasons for this disparate coverage.
The foreign language barrier: a study among pharmaceutical research workers
Authors: Thorp R.G. , Schur H. , Bawden D. , Joice J.R.
Published: March 2007

A survey of attitudes amongst a group of research workers in the UK pharmaceutical industry towards non-English material, and their various ways of dealing with it, is descnbed. It is concluded that there is indeed a 'language barrier', leading to underuse of this material, that this underuse is to some extent realised, but that there is an overall lack of appreciation of the value of information lost as a result. Japanese material is particularly important, and poses especial difficulties: the same situation may anse with Chinese in the future. Some practical approaches to these problems are outlined (22 references)
Regulation and deregulation of telecommunications: the economic and political realities. Part I: The United States
Authors: Philip George , Shao Hing Tsoi
Published: March 2007

Telecommunications in the information society has evolved into a multifaceted industry of great commercial value and significance. Indeed, it has become a multi-billion dollar in dustry with a projected worldwide turnover of over $540 billion by the year 1990. Telecommunications has also emerged as the obvious electronic highway for the transmission of information in a multiplicity of formats. Probably as a direct response to the commercial success and changing role of telecommunications, a number of developed countries includ ing Japan are either privatizing or liberalizing their respective telecommunication networks. Whilst deregulation is a new concept for most countries, the United States, as part of her policy of encouraging open competition and free enterprise, has traditionally operated the most deregulated telecommuni cations in the World. Despite this, her telecommunications industry was, until recently, dominated by AT&T which was probably the world's largest privately owned business. The divestiture of the company during the early eighties coupled with the trade concessions have enabled many of its rivals—notably MCI—to gain a significant foothold, particu larly in the lucrative long-haul sector. In the first part of this series of papers, we examine not only the theoretical issues in liberalization but also the benefits, politics, economics and consequences of deregulation in the light of the American experience. Obviously there are a number of lessons which the rest of the World can learn from the US and these are considered towards the end of the paper.
Use of COALDATA to help retrieve and estimate the physical properties of coals, coal liquids and coal chemicals
Authors: Hildebrandt L. , Langer H. , Eckermann R.
Published: March 2007

COALDATA, a factual databank of the properties of coal samples, coal liquids (distillation cuts from coal liquefaction products) and coal chemicals (pure chemical compounds con tained in the coal liquids) was developed. It contains data on:

(i) physical properties of coals, such as calonfic values, ash content, ash properties, maceral analyses, ultimate analyses.

(ii) thermophysical properties of coal liquids and coal chem icals, e.g. vapour pressures, vapour-liquid-equilibrium data, heat capacities, transport properties, surface ten sions, densities.

The databank is managed by DECHEMA's Data Retrieval System DEDARS, which stores numerical data as well as non-numerical data, such as bibliographic information. Data and substances are labelled by "tags" which characterize the kind of stored data and substances. All the information is organized in the form of documents. Each document refers, for example, to a scientific paper or book and is composed of a bibliographic part, a list of descriptors, an abstract, a compo nent description, numerical values and their units.

Besides literature data COALDATA contains recom mended property values. These are stored as regression coeffi cients and with the help of implemented correlation methods it is possible to calculate the properties.
Profiling the professors
Authors: Cronin Blaise , Davenport Lizzie
Published: March 2007

Citation and publication data on six UK chair holders in Information and Library Science are compared. The data paint a picture of a fragmented discipline. The six professors lead independent publishing lives, focussing on their particular areas of interest and addressing their particular constituencies. The lack of consensus as to what constitutes the field is in part explained by the extensive importation of ideas from other disciplines and the vaned disciplinary backgrounds of the chair holders themselves.
Towards data modelling in information retrieval
Authors: Agosti Maristella , Crestani Fabio , Gradenigo Girolamo
Published: March 2007

The diffusion of automated information retrieval (IR) ap plications and of applications which share many of the peculiarities of IR applications is increasing. The demand for these types of applications draws attention to the lack of methodologies available for IR data design. The data modell ing of an IR application, that is, the data modelling of the IR part of a complete information system, has not yet been approached and studied as a complete process and in a struc tured way.

The first part of this paper introduces the motivations and the scope of the DIRD (Design of Information Retrieval Data) project, which is devoted to the development of an environ ment for the design of advanced applications of IR.

The second part of the paper addresses the design of the IR part (or IR application) of an information system. The concep tual paradigm necessary for the design of advanced IR applica tions is investigated. The Entity Relationship (ER) approach is compared with that conceptual modelling paradigm and is examined as a candidate data model for the conceptual design of IR data. A new ER approach is then introduced: this new approach extends the constructs of the ER model to manage the complexity of IR data. Two design examples are given to present the use of the new ER approach in designing IR data.
An experimental study of GDSS support application effectiveness
Authors: Beauclair Renee A.
Published: March 2007

This study exammes the effect of two computerized appli cations, voting/rating and brainstorming, on small decision making groups. A review of the literature on Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) provides Justification and back ground for the study. A theoretical rationale for predictive hypotheses based on social psychological theories of small group interaction is developed, and an experimental design to test the hypotheses is presented.

Four sets of small groups receive different treatments. The "control" groups receive no computerized support, the second receive computerized voting/rating, the third computerized brainstorming, and the fourth a combination of the two. Group level dependent variables are decision time and quality of decision; individual level dependent variables are quality of interaction, proclivity to participate and attitude toward deci sion.

The individual dependent variables are analyzed using the MANOVA procedure and the group dependent variables using the Kruskal-Wallis procedure. There were no significant re sults on any of the analyses; alpha was set at 0.05. It concludes that this study helps build upon past studies by narrowing the scope of GDSS effectiveness and could be used as a guide for future GDSS research.
1992 and the information specialist 1
Authors: Haythornthwaite Jo
Published: March 2007

The background to the Single European Market is de scribed and the information implications are discussed. The European Commission Council Directive of 21 December 1988 will make it easier for UK information specialists to work abroad. If the British information professions are to take advantage of these new and challenging opportunities, the Institute of Information Scientists, the Library Association, the Schools of Library and Information Studies and individuals in the information world must take steps to ensure that these opportunities are not neglected.
The cognitive viewpoint in information science
Authors: Belkin Nicholas J.
Published: March 2007

The meaning of the cognitive view of information science is briefly summarized, and representative works which propose or use this viewpoint are reviewed. It is shown, by example, that considering problems of information science from this point of view has led to significant advances in a variety of areas of information science, including bibliometrics, user studies, the reference interview and information retrieval. This variety of applications suggests that the cognitive viewpoint may be a powerful framework for the general theoretical and practical development of information science.
Information, uncertainty and managerial decision quality: an experimental investigation
Authors: Iselin Errol R.
Published: March 2007

When an information professional (e.g. accountant or sys tems analyst) provides a decision maker with information, this normally changes the decision maker's uncertainty. The major objective of this research was to study the effects of uncer tainty on managerial decision quality in an unstructured finan cial decision task. The research was carried out within the complexity theory paradigm originally proposed by Schroder et al. [1-6]. Decision quality was operationalized to profit and decision time. Two other independent variables studied were decision experience and task learning. Experimental results showed that higher uncertainty produced higher decision time, and higher variation in profit. The mean profit was not af fected. The decision time effects were hypothesized from the ory. Higher learning resulted in higher profit and lower deci sion time. Higher expenence resulted in higher profit. These effects were also hypothesized. The experiment produced some effects which were not hypothesized. These require investiga tion in future research. The practical implications of the find ings for information professionals were considered. Implica tions for future research were also outlined.
Use of words and phrases from full text in abstracts
Authors: Craven Timothy C.
Published: March 2007

Comparison of 39 full texts of articles in the ONTAP Com puter database with their abstracts showed (1) no significant relationship between abstract length and full-text length, (2) a small, but significant, tendency for abstract words and phrases to concentrate at the beginning of the full text, (3) little use in abstracts of longer verbatim word sequences from full texts. Additional results using the RightWriter style checker are also reported.
Quality assurance (QA) and the management of information services
Authors: Brockman John R.
Published: March 2007

This report summarises the papers presented as fol lows. (1) The theory of quality assurance, by Norman Burgess. (2) Staff and services, by Clive Weeks. (3) Collection develop ment, by Sheila Edwards. (4) QA in practice: (4.1) QA in the sensitive area of health care, by Lydia Porter (4.2) QA and reference work, by G. Humphreys (4 3) The impact of BS 5750 on library/information practice and provision in a profes sional environment, by Susan Dawes. (4.4) Ensunng QA in the provision of a fee-based service, by Angela Abell. The papers discuss the history of QA, the reasons for its adoption, steps for implementation, the importance of standards, contractual aspects, training needs, the identification of user needs and user feedback, and the implications arising from the introduc tion of a QA programme.
Object-oriented data models: a perspective and comparative review
Authors: Bhalla Neelam
Published: March 2007

An object-oriented database management system supports complex objects with identity and allows arbitrary connectivity amongst objects The behavioural aspects of ob jects are incorporated into modelling formalisms by associating operations with classes of objects. These features favour data base modelling in application areas such as engineering design, office information systems and knowledge base management systems.

This paper reviews the research efforts in the area of object-oriented database modelling. The object-oriented para digm and abstraction mechanisms are briefly discussed. The conceptual schema and data operations in an object-oriented data model are described. Ongoing efforts in creating object- oriented DBMS are classified into three categories. (1) those that are directly based on the object-oriented paradigm; (2) exten sions to relational systems. (3) experimental toolkits (or stor age systems). A review of the salient features of some sample prototype efforts is presented. This is followed by a compan son of these prototype models on the basis of criteria essential to database modelling.
CD-ROM use and file interaction: An analysis of a sample of medical libraries
Authors: Miido H.
Published: March 2007

Analysis of data recorded in 626 questionnaires on the use of CD-ROM products by type of medical library showed that academic libraries used CD-ROM products to a greater degree than the other types of libraries responding to the survey (70% academic, 32% hospital, 36% industrial, 43% governmental, 32% institutional, and 27% medical centre). Medline was the predominant CD-ROM product consistently used by all types of libraries. Half of the academic libraries edited or further processed search results; only 22% to 44% of the other types of libraries performed this activity. Word- Perfect was the predominant editing software used by all types of libraries. Reference Manager and Procite were used equally to capture search results; Reference Manager was used more frequently to reformat search results. The same systems were used for telelcommunications by all types of libraries: Procomm and Smartcom were used more frequently by all types of libraries than other telecommunications soft ware.
The transition process to a free market economy: a case study of information resource units in East Germany
Authors: Herget Josef
Published: March 2007

The dramatic process of economic restructuring towards a free market economy in the new states of the Federal Republic of Germany is also affecting information resource units (IRUs). The IRUs clearly show signs of the decline of the economy, but also of a new beginning. A survey of IRUs in the new states was conducted in June 1991. The main data sought in a seven-page questionnaire were: struc tural data; problem areas; success factors, and costing meth ods. The questions canvassed distinguishing structural charac teristics such as organisational form/profit orientation; num ber of staff; range of services provided; and budget and turnover. The observed transition process in Eastern German IRUs can also be looked upon as a model with implications for the economic restructuring process in Eastern Europe as a whole. Thus it provides not only empirical data, but also a framework for the necessary action required to support suc cessful transition.
Integration of information retrieval and database management in support of multimedia police work
Authors: Hoogeveen Martijn J. , van der Meer Kees
Published: March 2007

DataBase Management Systems (DBMSs) are a major component of most information systems (ISs). The relational DBMS is nowadays by far the most widely accepted DBMS, although many large non-relational DBMSs are still in use, and Object Oriented DBMSs are developing. Besides, more and more DBMSs are supporting basic multi media storage and retrieval facilities. Nevertheless, advanced information retrieval facilities, especially for accessing large document and text databases, are still the almost exclusive domain of Information storage and Retrieval Systems (IRSs). A growing need is identified to integrate the facilities of a DBMS and an IRS in order to fully support work with multi ple data types, like multimedia police work. For Dutch police departments, a criminal investigation system is devel oped, fully integrating both types of facilities.
Some functions and properties of information
Authors: Scarrott Gordon G.
Published: March 2007

It can be observed that the essential function of information in nature is to control and thereby operate the organisation of life. Such organisation is recursively defined so that it refers to the operations of life at every scale, microscopic organisms, vital organs, animals, social groups of animals including commercial firms, interdependent species, and the entire biosphere. It follows that the natural structure and behaviour of sets of symbols used to represent information are characterised by the interplay of recursively defined order and intrinsic disorder arising from physical uncertainty in the behaviour of very small objects in the control mechanisms of life. Recognition and acceptance of such features of the nature of information offers useful guidance to information system designers in their selection of strategic objectives, e.g. to reduce the hazards of program development by minimising the gross multiplicity of details that must be correct for a program to operate as intended.
The controlled versus natural indexing languages debate revisited: a perspective on information retrieval practice and research
Authors: Rowley Jennifer
Published: March 2007

This article revisits the debate concerning con trolled and natural indexing languages, as used in searching the databases of the online hosts, in-house information retrieval systems, online public access catalogues and databases stored on CD-ROM. The debate was first formu lated in the early days of information retrieval more than a century ago but, despite significant advances in technology, remains unresolved. The article divides the history of the debate into four eras. Era one was characterised by the introduction of controlled vocabulary. Era two focused on comparisons between different indexing languages in order to assess which was best. Era three saw a number of case studies of limited generalisability and a general recognition that the best search performance can be achieved by the parallel use of the two types of indexing languages. The emphasis in Era four has been on the development of end-user-based systems, including online public access catalogues and databases on CD-ROM. Recent developments in the use of expert systems techniques to support the representation of meaning may lead to systems which offer significant support to the user in end-user searching. In the meantime, however, information retrieval in practice involves a mixture of natural and controlled indexing languages used to search a wide variety of different kinds of databases.
The role of information systems and technology (IS/IT) in investment banks
Authors: Grainger-Smith Neil , Oppenheim Charles
Published: March 2007

Based upon a survey of the literature and a small- scale case study, this paper considers the role of IS and IT within investment banks. Do investment banks receive value for money from their investment in IT, and how can IT be evaluated for their contribution to profitability? The paper concludes that failure to implement techniques for system atically identifying and quantifying IT costs and benefits has made it difficult for them to determine the level of added value resulting from such investment and the contribution of IT towards the bottom line. The paper also considers what role technology plays in the strategic management process, and if a distinct IT/IS strategy is necessary. The paper concludes that it is essential to incorporate both information and IT strategy into the strategic management process, to ensure that IT is concentrated in those areas in which it can add most value. Finally, the paper considers the potential for deriving competitive advantage from IT. The paper concludes that IT generally performs only a support function and does not generate long-term competitive advantage. The paper further concludes that senior management's lack of aware ness of, and belief in, the relevance of IT to corporate strategy, coupled with the failure to integrate IT strategy within the strategic management process, acts as a constraint upon realising the full potential of IT.
Designing and testing an interactive Ranked retrieval system for professional searchers
Authors: Keen E. Michael
Published: March 2007

Reports three explorations of Ranked system design. Two tests used a Cystic Fibrosis test collection with 100 queries. Experiment 1 compared a Boolean with a Ranked interactive system using a subject-qualified trained searcher, and reporting Recall and Precision results. Experiment 2 compared fifteen different Ranked match algo rithms in a batch mode using two test collections, and included some new proximate pairs and term weighting approaches. Experiment 3 is a design plan for an interactive Ranked prototype offering mid-search algorithm choices plus other manual search devices (such as obligatory and unwanted terms), as influenced by thinking-aloud comments from experiment 1.
On the association between journal circulation and impact factor
Authors: Peritz Bluma C.
Published: March 2007

The 'importance' of a scientific journal can be defined in several ways. One is its prestige, as measured by the impact factor, and another is the journal's visibility, as measured by its circulation. Since a journal's importance often has to be kept constant in citation analyses, this raises the issue of the association between these two variables.
The role of information in the strategic management process
Authors: Hayward Tim , Broady Judith E.
Published: March 2007

This paper is based on a literature review and small-scale empirical study, investigating the role of external informa tion in the strategic management of UK retail banks. The highly competitive nature of the banking world makes it necessary for institutions to gain an understanding of their environment, and thus the way in which they organise and use information is of crucial importance. The research explored the organisational role of departments concerned with environmental analysis, the character of business environment analysis and the nature of the information used. It suggested that the way in which information is collected and analysed to make strategic decisions appears directly linked to organisational structure and particularly to the extent of decentralisation. Such structures differ noticeably and it is unclear how far business units are involved with both environmental analysis and the supply of information to the centre.
Development of a soft systems model to identify information values, impact and barriers in a health care information system
Authors: Macias-Chapula Cesar A.
Published: March 2007

A case report of a health care system is presented, where soft systems methodology (SSM) was used to identify the value, impact and barriers to information access and use, as related to quality of health care.
National information policy: the Portuguese legal framework ( 1980-1992)
Authors: Amante Trigo Maria João , Correia Ana Maria Ramalho , Wilson Tom
Published: March 2007

This article discusses the most relevant characteristics of Portuguese information policy in terms of the national legis lation published in Diário da República: 1a série, from January 1980 to June 1992, and the main legal initiatives concerning national information policies. National infor mation policy goals and aspects that justify its formulation are also discussed.
The Net by numbers
Authors: McMurdo George
Published: March 2007

The question 'How big is the Internet?' can be answered in a variety of ways, depending on definitions of what the Internet in fact is, counting of full populations of computers connected to it, and estimating of user populations based on surveyed samples. Some sources of statistical and demo graphic information about the Internet and its users are identified. Data selected for presentation include the number of Internet hosts, World Wide Web servers, and estimates of the Internet's user population. The relatively recent expansion of the commercial Internet is also noted. Along with this commercial expansion have come pressures to interpret the Internet and its user population in terms of its potential as a marketing medium. One of the most recent surveys of Internet demography, by Nielsen Media Research, has attracted some debate about its sampling and definition of Internet users, and suggestions that published results are significantly inflated.
Contingency and Choice in Organization Theory
Authors: Schreyögg Georg
Published: March 2007

From reconstructing and reviewing the paradigm of contingency theory, its inherent economic determinism is rejected as being misleading. Supported by considerable evidence, 'scope of choice' is suggested to be crucial for the understanding of the nexus between environmental circumstances and organizational structure. Using the idea of 'scope of choice', consequences for further theorizing are outlined. An action-oriented approach is suggested which also allows for rational reasoning on normative issues. Some proposals for interpreting organizational structure as a subject of decision pro cesses are discussed. Special attention is given to the concept of strategic choice as a possible means of orienting organization research. Finally, issuing from the idea of 'scope of choice', normative questions are considered in an attempt to 'recall' the obligation of practical (normative) reasoning in organizational choice.
Industrial Democracy in Europe: Differences and Similarities Across Countries and Hierarchies
Authors: IDE International Research Group
Published: March 2007

This article attempts to present the focus, methodology, and preliminary results of an international collaborative research project on industrial democracy involving twelve countries in Europe including Yugoslavia and Israel. Rather than explaining variations in participation, power, and influence in terms of contingencies such as personal attributes and characteristics of participants, on the one hand, or structural and tech nological features of organization, on the other hand, the research looks at both de jure and de facto participation in terms of participative structure (PS), power distribution (PO), and their outcomes (O).

Initial findings with respect to differences and similarities across countries are presented. One of the main conclusions to be derived from the research is that, whereas all countries reveal a consistent hierarchy in the organizations studied, political and economic environments institutionally reflected in de jure participation can, however, significantly modify hierarchical patterns in organizations, but apparently not dissolve them as such. Another finding reported is that workers' satisfaction is unaffected by their own direct influence or that of their works council. But workers value representa tive participation for its own sake, the more their influence or involvement. Further democratization may require a change in national legal arrangements.
A Concept of Administrative Futures
Authors: Cabatoff Kenneth
Published: March 2007

The problems of development in new organizations are examined by considering a case study — Radio-Québec, the educational television authority of the Canadian province of Quebec.

The typical process of organizational growth and development is one wherein the initial confusion, uncertainties, and inefficiencies come to be replaced by a degree of goal certainty, efficiency in the performance of the organization's tasks, and more 'self- confidence' with respect to the organization's role in its operating environment.

Yet in Radio-Québec these 'normal' processes of bureaucratic growth and development seemed not to occur. Instead of development leading to less confusion in the perfor mance of organizational tasks, it led to a breakdown of internal consensus. The Radio-Québec managing elite was forced, in effect, to create an entirely 'new' organiza tion a second time.

The study demonstrates that growth of maturity may be accompanied by dysfunctions produced by attempts to bring about more rapid developments of the organization.
Social Structure and Bureaucracy: A Comparison of Organizations in the United States and Prerevolutionary Iran
Authors: Conaty Joseph , Mahmoudi Hoda , Miller George A.
Published: March 2007

This article evaluates a causal model of organizational structure using heterogeneous samples of organizations from the US and Iran. The results indicate that theoretical models of organizational structure are clearly relevant to the Third World, and the remarkable similarity of the causal estimates obtained suggests that organizational structure may well be 'culture free'. The most important differences in these data concern the effects of technology and the results suggest that technology may prove to be an essential determinant of organizational structure in many non-Western countries.
Structural Dimensions of University Departments and their Context: The Case of West Germany
Authors: Bresser Rudi K.
Published: March 2007

This study applies the Aston methodology for measuring formal organizational structures to a sample of 35 West German university departments. Three structural dimensions are developed, namely academic control, bureaucratic control, and nonworkflow proportion, and they differ considerably from the original Aston findings. The structural dimensions and many structural and contextual variables show score levels which differ across scientific fields. It is demonstrated that these differences can be explained by the varying levels of paradigm development represented by the departments analysed.
Democracy in Organizations: Membership Participation and Organizational Characteristics in U.S. Retail Food Co-operatives
Authors: Brown Leslie H.
Published: March 2007

In this paper we study one element of the problem of democracy and organization — how to obtain and sustain the participation of members in an organization. The research setting is the eighteen storefront food co-operatives in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, 1977-78. The general research question around which we orient our work asks: What is the relationship of selected aspects of ideology, structure, and process to participation in organizations in which participation is legitimate? Our analysis suggests not only that ideology, structures and processes affect scope of member participation, but that they are not independent in their effects. These findings indicate some possible directions towards the design of participatory-democratic organizations.
Recruitment, Selection, and Internal Labour Markets in Britain and Germany
Authors: Windolf Paul
Published: March 2007

Recruitment and selection policies of firms is a largely neglected, though important, research area which provides insights into the functioning of labour markets and the social reproduction of organizations. This article is based upon comparative research conducted in Britain and German firms situated in different local labour markets. For each firm, data on selection criteria for different groups of workers, on recruitment channels and on recruitment procedures has been collected. A typology of recruitment strategies is developed which shows how environmental conditions and organizational structures influence the recruitment strategy of a firm. Depending on their market power, professional expertise and decision-making structure, firms implement different recruitment strategies which influence the type of worker who is recruited. 'Discrimi nation' in the labour market is seen as a rational decision-making process of organiza tions. It is the specific outcome of a recruitment strategy which the firm has implemented over the years.
The Interaction of Size and Diversification as a Determinant of Divisionalisation — Grinyer Revisited
Authors: Donaldson Lex
Published: March 2007

The theory has been advanced that size and diversification jointly interact to determine divisionalisation. The present paper finds cross-sectional evidence in support of a version of such a model. However, diachronic analysis reveals that much of the apparent effect of size is spurious. The model is not supported in an empirical test. In view of other recent investigations of the size-divisionalisation thesis, the conclusion is drawn that the validity of theories of this type is open to question. The paper demonstrates the importance of using diachronic methods to study organizational development.
The Relationship between Time and Success in Administrative Automation Projects — A Study in Decision-Making
Authors: Vollering Jan. B. , Waarts Eric
Published: March 2007

This article is concerned with the relationship between time and success in the context of the procurement and implementation of administrative automation projects. It gives insight into the optimal thoroughness for user organizations to prepare themselves for the purchase of a new system. Interest in the subject stems from a contradiction found in the literature: on the one hand thorough (internal) planning and preparation of projects are recommended while on the other hand other authors state a plea for early (external) co-operation and negotiation with suppliers. Is a very thorough internal preparation a good pay-off or is it better to interact with potential suppliers after a restricted internal preparation? Results from this empirical research — which is part of a major study on marketing and purchasing of mainframe computer-systems — show that an optimum in thoroughness of internal preparation exists which is most effective regarding the quality of the project. A few important implications for user organizations are also mentioned.