bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting Automobile Insurance Losses Using Artificial Neural Networks
Authors: Kitchens Fred L. , Johnson John D. , Gupta Jatinder N.D.
Published: May 2011

The core of the insurance business is the underwriting function. As a business process, underwriting has remained essentially unchanged since the early 1600’s in London, England. Ship owners, seeking to protect themselves from financial ruin in the event their ships were to be lost at sea, would seek out men of wealth to share in their financial risk. Wealthy men, upon accepting the risk, would write their name under (at the bottom of) the ship’s manifest, hence the name “underwriters.” The underwriters would then share in the profits of the voyage, or reimburse the ship’s captain for his losses if the ship were lost at sea. This practice lead to the founding of Lloyd’s of London, the most recognized name in the insurance business today (Gibb, 1972; Golding & King-Page, 1952).
Using Neural Networks to Discover Patterns in International Equity Markets
Authors: Malliaris Mary E. , Salchenberger Linda
Published: May 2011

The use of neural networks represents a new approach to how this type of problem can be investigated. The economics and finance literature is full of studies that require the researcher to prespecify the exact nature of the relationship and select specific variables to test. In this study, we use a multistage approach that requires no prespecification of the model and allows us to look for associations and relationships that may not have been considered. Previous studies have been limited by the nature of statistical tools, which require the researcher to determine the variables, time frame, and markets to test. An intelligent guess may lead to the desired outcome, but neural networks are used to produce a more thorough analysis of the data, thus improving the researcher’s ability to uncover unanticipated relationships and associations.
Personal Information Privacy and the Internet
Authors: Szewczak Edward J.
Published: May 2011

Personal information privacy is arguably the most important issue facing the growth and prosperity of the Internet, especially of e-commerce. Protecting personal information privacy has ignited a debate that pits privacy advocates against technology growth enthusiasts. This chapter explores personal information privacy on the Internet in terms of the social and legal issues surrounding it, and the technological challenges to personal information privacy facing individuals, businesses, and government regulators. Representative solutions to resolving the debate are presented, though at present the debate over personal information privacy continues and may have to be resolved by governments and the courts.
Problem-Based Learning in Information Systems Analysis and Design
Authors: Bentley John , Sandy Geoff , Lowry Glenn
Published: May 2011

The critical question challenging information systems educators in the new millennium is how university information systems courses can add enough value to students that they will choose to study in higher education for a full degree rather than opt for a one-year certification course leading to similar economic and status outcomes in the short term. This chapter assesses the feasibility and desirability of achieving a better match between delivery of information systems education and the professional workplace through Problem-Based Learning (PBL). A brief introduction to cognitive and learning principles is followed by a discussion of PBL and its potential to help to achieve a better fit between student aspirations and employer requirements. The chapter concludes with an illustration of the use of PBL in a systems analysis and design course.
Teaching or Technology
Authors: Mitchell Geoffrey C. , Hope Beverley G.
Published: May 2011

Fuelled by the increasing connectivity afforded by the Internet and the flexibility offered by Web technologies, the use of technology in education has become increasingly common. However, despite claims that the Web will revolutionise education, many attempts at Web-based education simply reinforce current ‘poor’ teaching practices or present more of the same disguised in updated packaging. We argue that this occurs because of differing pedagogical assumptions and a limited understanding of how flexible learning differs from traditional approaches. In particular, we argue that flexible learning demands an increased focus on constructivism and the sociological aspects of teaching and learning. This chapter presents two frameworks that situate our approach to flexible learning with respect to more traditional offerings and discusses the implications for educational technology design.
Unique Challenges for Small Business Adoption of Information Technology
Authors: Hunter M. Gordon , Diochon Monica , Pugsley David , Wright Barry
Published: May 2011

The global nature of product and service markets, technology and competition has increased business requirements for flexibility, quality, cost-effectiveness and timeliness. As a key resource for meeting these requirements, information technology (IT) has been revolutionizing business practice. While there has been considerable research into the way in which large businesses use this technology, there has been far less attention paid to the adoption of information technology among small businesses. This is surprising considering that the innovative capacity of a nation’s economy to meet changing demands in the global economy has been linked to the flexibility and responsiveness of small businesses.
Factors Inhibiting the Collaborative Adoption of Electronic Commerce Among Australian SMEs
Authors: Lawrence Kristy
Published: May 2011

While Electronic Commerce has been touted as the new way in which businesses around the world will operate, there is little research that focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises and the effects that such radical transformation of traditional business processes and practices will have on these small entities. This chapter reports on a practical study undertaken within Australia that focused on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The specific focus of the study was born out of numerous government reports, which emphasized the advantages of Electronic Commerce and the potential of collaborative, or industry-based practices, to encourage the adoption of Electronic Commerce technologies among these enterprises. The Tasmanian wine sector was investigated in order to identify issues that may inhibit the development of collaborative, industry-wide Electronic Commerce adoption programs. Three issues of significance to these small and medium organizations were identified as: 1) Strategic Orientation and Alignment of members of the sector; 2) Industry Responsibility exhibited by members of this sector; and 3) The Business Case for technology integration.
The Myth of Integration
Authors: Alvarez Rosio
Published: May 2011

This research examines the implementation process of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and shows that implementation cannot be viewed solely in instrumental terms—that is, organizations do not simply select systems based on information requirements so that proper “fit” can be achieved. Instead, this research suggests that the activities of selecting and implementing a new ERP become the medium for (re-)constructing or (re-)constituting the organization’s values. Theorists have described such activities as a “myth-making” process. A case study of an implementation at a large non-profit organization is presented to demonstrate how myth-making served to construct an ERP system as an “integrated” system and at the same time served to elaborate existing organizational values. The myth functioned as a vehicle of consensual organizational reality, serving to align the acquisition of an ERP system with the organizational values, thereby garnering widespread support for a complex, expensive and relatively unknown technology.
Introduction to Database Integrity
Authors: Doorn Jorge H. , Rivero Laura C. , Ferraggine Viviana E.
Published: May 2011

Data properties should be seen from the point of view of being as independent as possible from the representation model. In this way, data properties can be analyzed from two different perspectives: from the real world and the database world. A real world data property of a given class may be mapped into a different database class of properties due to materialization issues. This depends on the database paradigm and on the adhesion of the DBMS to that paradigm.
Preserving Relationship Cardinality Constraints in Relational Schemata
Authors: Cuadra Dolores , Nieto Carlos , Martinez Paloma , Castro Elena , Velasco Manuel
Published: May 2011

This chapter is devoted to the study of the transformation of conceptual into logical schemata in a methodological framework focusing on a special ER construct: the relationship and its associated cardinality constraints. The section entitled “EER Model Revised: relationships and cardinality constraint” reviews the relationship and cardinality constraint constructs through different methodological approaches to establish the cardinality constraint definition that will be followed in next sections. The section “Transformation of EER Schemata into Relational Schemata” is related to the transformation of conceptual n-ary relationships (n³2) into the relational model following an active rules approach. Finally, several practical implications as well as future research paths are presented.
Managing Knowledge for Strategic Advantages in the Virtual Organization
Authors: Burn Janice M. , Ash Colin
Published: May 2011

This chapter looks at the virtual organisation and suggests that the basic concepts of virtual management are so poorly understood that there are likely to be very few such organisations gaining strategic advantage from their virtuality. The authors begin by providing some clear definitions of virtual organisations and different models of virtuality which can exist within the electronic market. Degrees of virtuality can be seriously constrained by the extent to which organisations have preexisting linkages in the marketplace and the extent to which these can be substituted by virtual ones, but also by the intensity of virtual linkages which support the virtual model. Six virtual models are proposed within a dynamic framework of change . In order to realise strategic advantage, virtual organisations must align their virtual culture with the virtual model for structural alignment. This paper further proposes a model for virtual organisational change which identifies the factors internal to the virtual organisation that need to be managed . Critical to this is the role of knowledge management. The authors develop this concept within a framework of virtual organising and relate this to organisations using ERP in an Internet environment. Specific examples will be used relating such developments to organisations employing SAP and illustrating strategic advantage.
Information Quality and Its Interpretative Reconfiguration as a Premise of Knowledge Management in Virtual Organizations
Authors: Diemers Daniel
Published: May 2011

The general objective of this chapter is the attempt to develop solid epistemological foundations for discussions around the subject of knowledge management and virtual organizations. For this purpose the rich and encompassing theoretical complex of the interpretative paradigm in social sciences is adopted and a specific transfer is made from the newer sociology of knowledge, as introduced by Alfred Schutz, Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann. The main thrust of the chapter opens with a discussion of information quality in the context of knowledge management and develops accordingly the concept of common interpretative spaces and a tripartite model of the transformational process, which are both standing at the very heart of any approach to knowledge management in virtual organizations.
Interactive Digital Television
Authors: Pagani Margherita
Published: May 2011

Interactive television (iTV) can be defined as the result of the process of convergence between television and the new interactive digital technologies (Pagani, 2000). Interactive television is basically domestic television boosted by interactive functions that are usually supplied through a “back channel” and/or a modern terminal. The distinctive feature of interactive television is the possibility that the new digital technologies give the user1 the opportunity to interact with the content that is offered. The evolution towards interactive television has not an exclusively technological, but also a profound impact on the whole economic system of digital broadcasting—from offer types to consumption modes, and from technological and productive structures to business models. This chapter attempts to analyse how the addition of interactivity to television brings fundamental changes to the broadcasting industry. The chapter first defines interactive transmission systems and classifies the different services offered according to the level of interactivity determined by two fundamental factors such as response time and return channel band. After defining the conceptual framework and the technological dimension of the phenomenon, the chapter considers the impact generated by interactive digital technologies on the whole broadcaster economic system. Some dimensions of the economic sub-system of reference are considered such as new types of interactive services offered and new competitive system emerging. The Interactive Digital Television (iDTV) value chain will be discussed to give an understanding of the different business elements involved. The results of the present section allow for an understanding of the impact of interactive television on the whole economic system, together with the significant changes in the market, operator types, and distributive systems. There are many problems that management has to deal with as a result of the changing behaviour of the audience, the status of the viewer, and the nature of the medium and its function. Technological, organisational, and service innovation is undoubtedly the key for understanding the behaviour of firms and institutions in the development of interactive television.
Conclusions
Authors: Pagani Margherita
Published: May 2011

Interactive multimedia and the so-called information highway, and its exemplar the Internet, are enabling a new economy based on the networking of human intelligence. In the digital frontier of this economy, the players, dynamics, rules, and requirements for survival and success are all changing. The difficulties in sustaining the business models, which have been recently created worldwide, makes this topic extremely relevant in order to understand the sustainability of competitive advantage in the television environment. How will the market for digital interactive television develop? We are going to be consuming more communication, both broadcast and narrowcast, and at least for the immediate future this communication will take digital forms. Costs and prices are falling because of technological progress in processing and transmission, and because of increased supplies of spectrum from the government, not merely for economies of scale in sharing pipelines. Conventional television seems to satisfy a demand for which interactive television is not a very good substitute. Many studies in the economic literature of leisure time use (Robinson & Goeffrey Godbey, 1997) shed light on the demand issue, and they affirm that part of the allure of television is freedom of choice and interactive television may actually be less appealing to people if they must invest more energy and imagination. Managers must not forget that the final player of the iTV value chain is obviously the end user, whose behaviour and preferences are critical factors determining the success of the other players and of the whole industry. Future demand and penetration of interactive TV is expected to grow very fast. Forecasts assert that Europe’s iTV penetration will reach 44% of European households by 2007, up from only 11% in 2002,1 with four countries (UK, France, Spain, and Italy) driving the growth and accounting for 70% of Europe’s iTV households. When considering these projections it is useful to remember the “crossing the chasm”2 paradigm in the technology-adoption lifecycle model. Crossing the chasm is jumping that empty area between the innovators’ segment and the early majority. The early adopters are iTV enthusiasts and are always looking forward to experience technology innovations. Being the first, they are also prepared to bear with the inevitable bugs that accompany any innovation just coming to market. By contrast, the early majority is looking to minimise the discontinuity with the old ways, and they do not want to debug somebody else’s product. By the time they adopt it, they want it to work properly and to integrate appropriately with their existing technology base. Visionary early adopters and the pragmatist early majority have completely different frames of mind about technology; because of these incompatibilities, early adopter surveys don’t help to really understand and to predict accurately how consumer behaviour might change as a response to the introduction of the new technology.
Identifying Key Factors of Motivation to Share and Re-Use Pedagogical Documents
Authors: Fernandes Emmanuel , Holzer Fabrice , Forte Maia Wentland , Zaerpour Bahram
Published: May 2011

Lots of efforts (ARIADNE, Dublin Core, IMS, eBioMED.ch, IEEE-LTSC, CEN-CENELEC, Medline Mesh tree, SCORM, etc.) have been invested in defining a proper indexation schema, resulting in an appropriate descriptor or header for describing pedagogical documents. The difficulty stems from the following paradox: the header should be as detailed as possible to get, when querying the knowledge pool, an adequate set of documents, and as light as possible to make sure that indexation will be performed. So whatever the international standard might be, it will achieve its aim of fostering share-and-reuse only if the majority of the involved persons accept to use it! The question therefore is: “How do you convince an author to index a document?” To try and answer this question, we are investigating the key factors of motivation for an author.
Preparation for E-Learning
Authors: Stein Andrew
Published: May 2011

University students require considerable computer literacy to enter and then succeed at their studies. Many courses, whether technology focused or not, are using advanced Web technology to deliver digital content via e-learning. This chapter explores the changing nature of information and communication technology (ICT) literacy of university students and explores whether gender and age factors affect student’s ICT literacy and Web usage. The primary focus of this chapter is to ascertain if transition or freshman students are prepared for the e-learning regimes they will encounter in higher education. Main findings show that there is a significant difference in how females and males use the Web and first-year (transition) students come to university with advanced ICT and Web literacy.
Great Plans - Little Planning
Authors: Martin R. Keith
Published: May 2011

This case describes the near disintegration of a company due to uncontrolled growth, inadequate information systems and ineffective (or perhaps incompetent) decision making. Selesian Manufacturing Company, Inc., grew from a small, privately held operation doing business only in the United States, to a publicly held company with operations in several foreign countries. As the company’s business expanded, the inadequacies of the founder/president’s management competencies, and the lack of effective corporate information systems, resulted in serious organizational and operational problems. The case illustrates the problems that can develop quickly when an organization does not have defined goals, effective management and supporting information systems.
Creating Intranets for Management and Collaboration in Federal Agencies
Authors: Mahler Julianne G. , Regan Priscilla M.
Published: May 2011

This chapter briefly examines government interest in intranets, describes the experiences of six federal government agencies in developing agency-wide intranets, and identifies and analyzes trends in intranet use, sources of growth, and impediments to further development. The six agencies are: the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, the General Services Administration, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Justice. The case studies reveal six overall trends in intranet use and development including the importance of upper management support in planning and launching and the importance of marketing in ensuring staff use. The authors conclude that intranets offer more potential for enhancing communication and management and that further development of intranets is likely.
Teaching Technology for Community
Authors: Jessup E. R.
Published: May 2011

Technology for Community is an undergraduate computer science course taught at the University of Colorado under the auspices of the Institute for Women and Technology’s Virtual Development Center. In the course, students use computers to do community service. More specifically, they work with local community service agencies, building computational solutions to problems confronting those agencies. Student projects are developed following the method of task-centered design and are evaluated by the students and the users according to three formal methods. In this chapter, we describe in detail the content of the course and review the design and evaluation methods we use.
Information Resources Development in China
Authors: Maosheng Lai , Xin Fu , Liyang Zhang
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the history and current situation of information resources development in China, with emphasis on the introduction of various initiatives underway and the initial impact of some information resources development policies of the Chinese government. It also analyzes problems in China’s information resources development and raises possible solutions.
E-Business Development Issues in UK SMEs
Authors: Meikle Fiona , Willis Dianne
Published: May 2011

Using a case-study approach, this chapter aims to assess the development issues for e-business within small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in differing regions across the UK. The research documents the issues faced by three SMEs as they have embarked upon an e-business delivery. All of the case studies are SMEs that come from different industry sectors, but all have established an e-commerce service in the last 18 months. Our definition of e-commerce aligns with those principles set out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) working party on Indicators for the Information Society WPIIS. The outcome is an evaluation and discussion of the underlying factors influencing each company’s progress within a regional UK framework. Issues raised in the study include lack of training and awareness in SMEs, the need for government-funded initiatives, reliance on personal networks, and a lack of clarity about funding sources and schemes.
Using the Web for Enhancing Decision-Making
Authors: King David
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the use of the Internet to improve the reliability of information supplied to the United Nations (UN) from official sources in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). The focus of the chapter is that aid project failures in SSA need efficient project management, effective communication, and information openness to achieve socio-economic growth. The use of the Internet’s potential(s) in a way that will benefit society at large and in particular vulnerable groups needs critical examination within a wider framework of the actual needs and existing facilities of these communities. An interpretive evidence data collection method is used through questioning and interviews with stakeholder groups, validated by observation where possible. The importance of aid project performance, assessment, and monitoring in SSA is emphasised. The significance of public participation in decision-making processes is explored. This research also highlights the pragmatics of giving local people an international voice.
Knowledge-Based Personalization
Authors: Babaian Tamara
Published: May 2011

We present a novel method for software personalization. Personalization is understood broadly as a set of mechanisms by which an application is tailored to a particular end user and his or her task. The presented method outlined here is motivated by and remedies a few widely recognized problems in the way customization is carried out. The proposed method has been used in a collaborative system called Writer’s Aid. It relies on a declarative specification of preconditions and effects of system’s actions and applies artificial intelligence, automated reasoning, and planning framework and techniques to dynamically recognize the lack or availability of the personal information at the precise time when it affects a system action and initiates an interaction with the user aimed at eliciting this information in case it has not yet been specified.
Customizing Digital Storefronts Using the Knowledge-Based Approach
Authors: Chan Fiona Y. , Cheung William K.
Published: May 2011

The concept of personalization has long been advocated to be one of the edges to improve the stickiness of on-line stores. By enabling an on-line store with adequate knowledge about the preference characteristics of different customers, it is possible to provide customized services to further raise the customer satisfaction level. In this paper, we describe in detail how to implement a knowledge-based recommender system for supporting such an adaptive store. Our proposed conceptual framework is characterized by a user profiling and product characterization module, a matching engine, an intelligent gift finder, and a backend subsystem for content management. A prototype of an on-line furnishing company has been built for idea illustration. Limitations and future extensions of the proposed system are also discussed.
Implementing the Shared Event Paradigm
Authors: Trossen Dirk , Molenaar Erik
Published: May 2011

Shared collaboration between distributed users gains more importance due to the globalization of organizations and institutions. Besides exchanging audiovisual data, sharing spreadsheets or graphics is of utmost importance, especially in scenarios for tele-working or tele-education. Although the Internet has gained more ground in our daily work, most applications nowadays are not prepared for shared collaboration, and it is expected that this non-awareness of distribution will remain persistent for most of the applications. For that, application-sharing technologies have been developed to encounter the problem sharing these kinds of applications among a set of distributed users. Two different paradigms to realize application sharing can be distinguished, namely sharing the application’s output or the application’s evolving state. In this chapter, the realization of an application-sharing service is presented, based on the latter paradigm, which is mostly suited for closed development or teaching scenarios. The requirements for the service as well as its realization are outlined, together with the lessons we learned from this realization.
Asynchronous and Distributed Multi-Criteria Decision Making Using a Web-Based Group Support System
Authors: Zahir Sajjad , Dobing Brian
Published: May 2011

A detailed model for designing a Web-based Multi-Criteria Group Support System (MCGSS) is presented. The model is based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and uses the intensity of preferences of group members rather than simple voting procedures. This approach offers several advantages over simple voting mechanisms, including a much richer picture of both individual and group positions and more equitable decision-making. A prototype system, with a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI), has been developed and used to analyze an experimental group decision process over the Internet. This permits a wider range of users, including those with limited typing skills, asynchronous communication across many time zones, and a larger number of participants than conventional systems. An agenda for further research is outlined.
Publishing Model for Web Applications
Authors: Paiano Roberto , Mangia Leonardo , Perrone Vito
Published: May 2011

This chapter defines a publishing model for Web applications starting from the analysis of the most well-known modeling methodology, such as HDM, OOHDM, WebML, Conallen’s method and others. The analysis has been focused to verify the state of art about the modeling of Web application pages. In particular, the different types of elements that compose the Web page in the above models are taken into consideration. This chapter describes the evolution of the HDM methodology starting from the first approach based on the definition of a LP concept up to the more structured and complex Conceptual page, based on the influence of “operations” on the modeling of the dynamics of navigation between pages.
Impact on Society
Authors: Sims Ian M. , Standing Craig
Published: May 2011

This chapter explains the need for a new dimension in the evaluation of the benefits of information technology where the technology has impact is on the broader society rather than just on the organization that implements it. In the early 1990s, when DeLone and McLean (1992) developed their framework, the benefits described were intra-organizational. A decade later, many major IT systems directly impact on the society within which they function. This is the especially true of systems designed to provide the interface between government and the private sector. Additionally, the procurement environment is increasingly becoming more complex for practitioners with new e-marketplace developments. This case illustrates specific peculiarities and constraints on public sector use of e-marketplaces. It provides an evaluation framework that can be used by public sector organizations when examining the adoption and evaluation of e-marketplace procurement that emphasizes the experimental nature of many e-commerce related projects.
Analysis of the Cross-Cultural Dimensions of National Web Portals
Authors: Zahir Sajjad , Dobing Brian , Hunter M. G.
Published: May 2011

When new technologies become available and cultures adopt them, the result can be convergence or divergence when cultures adopt technology in different ways that maintain or even further accentuate their differences. An analysis of full-service national web portals from different countries, typically offering a search engine, directories of links on a set of selected topics, news items (including weather, sports, entertainment, and stock market results), advertisements and shopping, and free e-mail, shows evidence of both trends. While most national portals closely resemble the basic structure of Yahoo!, the original free full-service portal, there are also differences in appearance and features offered that can be attributed to cultural variations based on Hofstede’s framework.
A Framework for Narrowing the Digital Divide
Authors: Osterwalder Alexander , Rossi Mathias , Dong Minyue
Published: May 2011

The bridging of the so-called digital divide is an important issue in today’s development efforts of international and non-governmental organizations and developing countries. This does not only concern access to new information and communication technology (ICT) such as the Internet, but also access to the knowledge how to use these technologies for economic development. This chapter outlines the business model framework and the business model handbook that shall help to develop a knowledgeable class of e-entrepreneurs that are able to use ICT and to detect the opportunities of the Internet era.
The Leapfrog Effect
Authors: Fleming Stewart T.
Published: May 2011

Developing countries have special needs for information and communication. In the rush towards globalization of economies and communications, there is a danger that developing nations will get left behind. If we are to close the gap between the “information rich” and “information poor,” then we must take these specific needs into account. This chapter gives an account of some development problems and current initiatives and describes ways in which advancing technology can be manipulated by the developing world to gain social advantage. The term “leapfrog effect” is introduced to explain how advancement can be made in a revolutionary fashion, not incrementally. The chapter draws on the author’s direct experiences in Papua New Guinea, but many of the examples given and lessons learnt are applicable to many other developing nations.
The Perception of Managers on the Impacts of the Internet in Brazilian Hotels
Authors: Filho Luiz A.M.M. , Ramos Anatália S.M.
Published: May 2011

The present study has an exploratory nature and aims to analyze the perception of managers on the efficiency, access importance, use as a communication tool, benefits and difficulties of Internet use in Brazilian hotels and also its effects according to the facilities rank and property size plus managers’ age and experience time. It has been used as a questionnaire to collect data from the managers of 35 hotels in the city of Natal, RN, Brazil. By using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey test, results showed that there is almost no significant difference on the perception of managers on the impact of Internet use in hotels. However, those variables that were different show that for younger and less experienced managers and luxurious hotels with more than 50 rooms, there is a more favorable perception on the impacts of the Internet.
A Forensic Computing Perspective on the Need for Improved User Education for Information Systems Security Management
Authors: Broucek Vlasti , Turner Paul
Published: May 2011

This chapter is divided to two parts. Part one identifies common security and privacy weaknesses that exist in e-mail and WWW browsers and highlights some of the major implications for organisational security that result from employees’ online behaviours. This section aims to raise awareness of these weaknesses amongst users and to encourage administrators to mitigate their consequences through enhanced security and privacy-focused user education and training. Part two makes recommendations for improved user education as a component of information systems security management practices. These recommendations have been generated from a forensic computing perspective that aims to balance the complex set of issues involved in developing effective IS security management policies and practices. From this perspective these policies and practices should improve security of organisation and the privacy of employees without compromising the potential need for future forensic investigation of inappropriate, criminal, or other illegal online behaviours.
Biometrics
Authors: Fleming Stewart T.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the current state of the art of biometric systems. The use of biometrics is an important new part of the design of secure computer systems. However, many users view such systems with deep suspicion and many designers do not carefully consider the characteristics of biometrics in their system designs. This chapter aims to review the current state of the art in biometrics, to conduct detailed study of the available technologies and systems and to examine end-user perceptions of such systems. A framework is discussed that aims to establish guidelines for the design of interactive systems that include biometrics.
A Generic Framework for Defining Domain-Specific Models
Authors: Solberg Arnor , Oldevik Jon , Jensvoll Audun
Published: May 2011

How do you tailor a general-purpose system development methodology to appropriately fit the specific needs of your company and the actual domain or product-family you are working with? Moreover, how do you alter a general-purpose methodology to utilize the domain knowledge possessed by your company? This chapter describes a generic framework for tailoring general-purpose, model-based methodologies in order to deliver domain-specific models.
Specification of Business Components Using Temporal OCL
Authors: Conrad Stefan , Turowski Klaus
Published: May 2011

Compositional, plug-and-play-like reuse of black box components requires sophisticated techniques to specify components, especially when combined with third party components that are traded on component markets to individual customer’s business application systems. As in established engineering disciplines, like mechanical engineering or electrical engineering, formal documentation of business components that become part of contractual agreements are needed. With this initial problem, we explain the general, layered structure of software contracts for business components and show shortcomings of common specification approaches. Furthermore, we introduce a formal notation for the specification of business components that extends the Object Constraint Language (OCL) and allows for a broader use of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) with respect to the layered structure of software contracts for business components.
Negotiating Early Reuse of Components - A Model-Based Analysis
Authors: Sykes J. A.
Published: May 2011

Unless existing components are considered during formulation of a system specification, the amount of component reuse that is possible may be limited. In order to increase the amount of reuse, it may be necessary to alter the functionality or performance of the system from that originally envisioned. Tension between stakeholders thus exists. Reuse of components also significantly changes the specification activity because it must now deal with component specifications as input models, which is not necessarily the case when reuse is not the goal. These issues are investigated using a modeling framework based on semiotic theory. The nature of modeling abstractions that could support the negotiation between stakeholders is also explored. Two scenarios are examined: one based on the idea of functional abstractions that can be composed and the other one using structural abstractions of the kind available in the UML as the basis of component composition. Even though at this stage, there are no good examples of functional abstractions that can be composed, it is concluded that functional abstractions are the best prospect for supporting collaboration and negotiation.
Specification and Checking of Dependency Relations between UML Models
Authors: Pons Claudia , Giandini Roxana , Baum Gabriel , Garbi Jose L. , Mercado Paula
Published: May 2011

During the object-oriented software development process, a variety of models of the system is built. All of these models are not independent; they are related to each other. Elements in one model have trace dependencies to other models; they are semantically overlapping and together represent the system as a whole. It is necessary to have a precise definition of the syntax and semantics of the different models and their relationships since the lack of accuracy in definition can lead to wrong model interpretations and inconsistency between models. In this chapter, we classify relationships between models along three different dimensions and propose a formal description of them. The goal of the proposed formalization is to provide formal foundations for tools that perform intelligent analysis on models thereby assisting software engineers throughout the development process. In this direction, we discuss the construction of a tool based on the formalization and support the verification of traces between requirement and analysis models specified in the Unified Modeling Language.
A Theoretical Framework for Measuring the Success of Customer Relationship Management Outsourcing
Authors: Gupta Babita , Iyer Lakshmi S.
Published: May 2011

Dramatic growth of e-commerce has increased the bargaining power of customers requiring changes in strategies for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) development and implementation on the part of firms. Success of CRM implementations is thus critical for firms to survive in the 21st century. Because of the complex technologies involved in CRM, companies are choosing to outsource to vendors that specialize in CRM. In this study, we propose a theoretical framework that examines the CRM outsourcing success. Based on prior literature, we propose that CRM outsourcing success is influenced by degree of CRM outsourcing, partnership quality between the outsourcing firm and the vendor, organizational factors of the outsourcing firm, and the service quality of the vendor.
Information Technology Strategic Alignment
Authors: Laurindo Fernando J.B. , de Carvalho Marly M. , Shimizu Tamio
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a study about the effectiveness of Information Technology (IT) applications in Brazilian companies. IT has been considered a strategic issue for successful companies. On the other hand, the discussion about the results of Information Technology (IT) applications considering the return over the investments and the effectiveness of their management still remains controversial. Effectiveness evaluation allows strategic alignment between IT and company business visions and should be analyzed as a continuous process. In order to discuss these issues, in this chapter, a comparative analysis about IT strategic impacts is performed using different theoretical models. The study is based on multiple cases: financial services, telecommunications, and building materials companies. Interviews with the main actors from different levels of the organization hierarchy have been done.
E-Business Experiences with Online Auctions
Authors: Rumpe Bernhard
Published: May 2011

Online auctions are among the most influential e-business applications. Their impact on trading for businesses, as well as consumers, is both remarkable and inevitable. There have been considerable efforts in setting up market places, but, with respects to market volume, online trading is still in its early stages. This chapter discusses the benefits of the concept of Internet marketplaces, with the highest impact on pricing strategies, namely, the conduction of online business auctions. We discuss their benefits, problems and possible solutions. In addition, we sketch actions for suppliers to achieve a better strategic position in the upcoming Internet market places.
Factors Influencing Users' Adoption of Mobile Computing
Authors: Zhu Wenli , Nah Fiona Fui-Hoon , Zhao Fan
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a model that identifies factors influencing users’ adoption of mobile computing. It extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by identifying system and user characteristics that affect the perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of mobile computing, which are two key antecedents in TAM. Furthermore, it incorporates two additional constructs, trust and enjoyment, as determinants in the model, and proposes specific factors that influence these two constructs. The long-term goals of this work are to gain an increased understanding of adoption issues in mobile computing, and to explain how specific HCI design issues may affect adoption by users.
Challenging the Unpredictable
Authors: Berlak Joachim , Deifel Bernhard
Published: May 2011

This chapter deals with the changeability of order management systems (OMS). OMS are here referred to complex commercial off-the-shelf software (CCOTS) used, for example, for enterprise resource planning (ERP). Due to turbulent conditions in the business environment, a permanent need for change is the defining challenge for enterprises. However, far too often the rigidity of today’s CCOTS-OMS does not allow users to implement the intended changes in the business organization. In order to deal with this challenge, a cybernetic model of order management is presented in this chapter. Additionally, a decision oriented software engineering and architectural design for CCOTS-OMS is sketched. The authors are convinced that these approaches enhance the changeability of the development and operation of CCOTS-OMS as well as their co-operation with a business organization.
The Effects of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Implementation on Job Characteristics
Authors: Grant Gerald , Uruthirapathy Aareni
Published: May 2011

As organizations undertake the deployment of integrated ERP systems, concerns are growing about its impact on people occupying jobs and roles in those organizations. The authors set out to assess the impact of ERP implementation on job characteristics. Using the Hackman and Oldham Job Characteristics Model as a basis, the study assesses how ERP affected work redesign and job satisfaction of people working in several Canadian federal government organizations.
Toward an Integrative Model of Application-Software Security
Authors: Raghavan Vijay V.
Published: May 2011

Populist approaches to studying information systems security include architectural, infrastructure-related and system-level security. This study focuses on software security implemented and monitored during systems development and implementation stages. Moving away from the past checklist methods of studying software security, this study provides a model that could be used in categorizing checklists into meaningful clusters. Many constructs, such as principle of least privilege, execution monitoring, social engineering and formalism and pragmatism in security implementations, are identified in the model. The identification of useful constructs to study can form the basis of evaluating security in software systems as well as provide guidelines of implementing security in new systems developed.
A Framework for Intelligent Service Discovery
Authors: Bram Robert , Dospisil Jana
Published: May 2011

The claim of improved efficiency and reliability of networking technology provides for a framework of service discovery, where clients connect to services over the network based on a comparison of the client’s requirements with the advertised capabilities of those services. Many service directory technologies exist to provide this middleware functionality; each with their own default set of service attributes that may be used for comparison and each with their own default search algorithms. Because the most expressive search ability might not be as important as robustness for directory services, the search algorithms provided are usually limited when compared to a service devoted entirely to intelligent service discovery. This paper proposes a framework of intelligent service discovery running alongside a service directory that allows the search service to have available a range of search algorithms. The most appropriate algorithm may be chosen for a search according to the data types found in the search criteria. A specific implementation of this framework will be presented as a Jini service, using a constraint satisfaction problem-solving architecture that allows different algorithms to be used as library components.
Website Interactivity and Amusement
Authors: Gao Yuan
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews recent studies in the use of Website presentation techniques for commercial Websites. In particular, it examines theoretical relationships between interactivity features and amusement techniques and their potential effects on enhanced visitor experience — more informative and entertaining Websites. Based on literature spanning research in traditional advertising media, Web advertising, user interface design, and human computer interaction, it proposes several theoretical relationships between the use of direct interactive techniques and perceived informativeness and entertainment, and between the use of amusement and humor features and perceived informativeness and entertainment. It suggests multiple future research directions and advocates further explorations that go beyond observational studies to uncover potential causal effects of certain hypermedia presentation techniques, and the combination thereof, on attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.