bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Java 3D Overview
Authors: Ko Chi Chung , Cheng Chang Dong
Published: May 2011

In the last chapter, a brief introduction on the creation of 3D content through the use of Java 3D and other programming methodologies for virtual reality applications has been Given .Before giving details on the various Java 3D classes and functions in subsequent s, we will now discuss the basic Java 3D program structure in this . Specifically, JDK installation, programming and compiling tools, as well as the difference between Java 3D applet and application will be explained. Originated from Sun Microsystems, the Java 3D API is made up of a few packages (Java platform API specification, 2006), which in turn contain the classes of some related components and elements. Specifically, the package javax.media.j3d (Package javax.media.j3d, 2006) contains the most basic classes, often referred to as core classes, which are needed to create a Java3D program. Note, however, that a complete application will often use many other packages and classes as well. As an example, if there is a need to use vectors, points and matrices to draw the virtual universe, the package javax.vecmath (Package javax.media.j3d, 2006) has to be imported. Another important package is java.awt (AWT stands for Abstract Windowing Toolkit), which include classes to create a window to display the rendering. Associated with each class is a variety of methods to aid the programmer in creating the application. Together, these classes and methods give the programmer the basic tools to construct a simple rotating cube system to a 3D virtual city. An important concept in Java 3D programming is that the program and the programming objects created has a tree like structure. Thus, a Java3D program will create and instantiate Java 3D objects and places them in a virtual world through the use of a tree like scene graph. This will be explained in greater detail in subsequent sections
Geometry Objects
Authors: Ko Chi Chung , Cheng Chang Dong
Published: May 2011

To create 3D graphics, we have to build graphics or visual objects and position them appropriately in a virtual scene. In general, there are three possible approaches for doing this (Java 3D geometry, 2006). One approach is to make use of geometry utility classes to create basic geometric shapes or primitives. The basic shapes are boxes, spheres, cones, and cylinders. Another approach is to employ commercial modeling tools, such as 3D studio max, and have the results loaded into Java 3D. Lastly, custom geometrical shapes or objects can also be created by defining their vertices. While using utility classes or commercial modeling tools may be simpler and less time consuming, creating objects based on specifying vertices corresponds to the most general method. From a certain angle, the latter can in fact be regarded as the foundation from which the other approaches are based. The main thrust in this chapter will thus be on how objects can be built from their vertices, with some brief discussion on using utility classes presented toward the end of the chapter.
Navigation, Input Devices, and Collision
Authors: Ko Chi Chung , Cheng Chang Dong
Published: May 2011

One of the most useful and important advantages of 3D graphics rendering and applications is that there is the possibility for the user to navigate through the 3D virtual world in a seamless fashion. Complicated visual objects can be better appreciated from different angles and manipulation of these objects can be carried out in the most natural manner. To support this important function of navigation, the user will often need to use a variety of input devices such as the keyboard, mouse, and joystick in a fashion that befits a 3D scenario. Also, collision handling is important as it will be unnatural if the user can, say, walk through solid walls in the virtual world. The functionality of navigation therefore has a close relationship with input devices and collision detection, all of which can be handled in Java 3D through a variety of straightforward but not so flexible utility classes as well as more complicated but at the same time more flexible user defined methods. The main requirement of navigation is of course to handle or refresh changes in the rendered 3D view as the user moves around in the virtual universe (Wang, 2006). As illustrated in Figure 1, this will require a modification of the platform transform as the user changes his or her position in the universe. Essentially, as will be illustrated in them next section, we will first need to retrieve the ViewPlatformTransform object from the SimpleUniverse object.
Introduction
Authors: Michael Katina , Michael M.G.
Published: May 2011

This study is concerned with the automatic identification (auto-ID) industry which first came to prominence in the early 1970s. Auto-ID belongs to that larger sector known as information technology (IT). As opposed to manual identification, auto-ID is the act of identifying a living or nonliving thing without direct human intervention. Of course, the process of auto-ID data capture and collection requires some degree of human intervention, but the very act of authenticating or verifying an entity can now be done automatically. An entity can possess a unique code indicating personal identification or a group code indicating conformity to a common set of characteristics. Some of the most prominent examples of auto-ID techniques that will be explored in this book include bar code, magnetic-stripe, integrated circuit (IC), biometric and radio-frequency identification (RFID). The devices in which these techniques are packaged include a variety of form factors such as labels and tags, card technologies, human feature recognition, and implants. Generally the devices are small in size, not larger than that of a standard credit card. There has been a visible trend towards miniaturization through the development of mini-cards and tiny RFID tags (some even as minute as pinheads).
Learning with New Media at the University
Authors: Mamede-Neves Maria Apparecida , Da Fonseca Ribeiro Flavia Nizia
Published: May 2011

The following chapter aims at discussing the possible uses of new media for teacher work at universities based on an analysis of data collected from research carried out at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro’s Department of Education in Brazil. Such research looks at the level of insertion of university students into the computer society and at the representations they make of the new medium. In the first section, responses from students are analyzed, mainly from young scholarship holders from less favored communities in Rio de Janeiro in contrast with other students’ responses. A second section comparatively analyzes the social representations of the book, television, and the Internet made by the students as means to gain information and knowledge. This chapter concludes that one must acknowledge both how youths value new media and the importance of relating presential culture to cyberculture in teaching, as well as the need for a change in mentality on the part of teachers and for their effective training to adopt new media in their pedagogical practice.
Creative Remixing and Digital Learning
Authors: Hobbs Renee , Rowe Jonelle
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores how media literacy education may continue to be responsive and relevant to the continually changing nature of popular culture through the development of innovative online multimedia educational programs. Because preadolescent and adolescent girls are actively involved in the consumption of popular music, competitive performance television programs like American Idol as well as online social networks, it is important to examine the constructed nature of these new types of messages and experiences. My Pop Studio (www.mypopstudio.com), a creative play experience for girls ages 9 to 14, was developed by the authors to address the need for media literacy skills among this group. We present a model for assessing the impact of the program on learning that incorporates the dimensions of pleasure, a sense of mastery, participation in an online community, media literacy skills, and other outcomes. Online games that use creative remixing techniques may promote metacognition, reflection, and critical analysis skills. Girls need opportunities to strengthen critical thinking skills about mass media and popular culture and the use of online learning environments may support the development of adolescents’ media literacy skills.
Controlling Plagiarism
Authors: Eriksson Erik J. , Sullivan Kirk P.H.
Published: May 2011

Plagiarism is viewed as increasing problem in the academy. When plagiarism is discussed it is often in personal negative terms that refer to the ‘lazy’ modern student. Previous studies have suggested that the largest cause of plagiarism is ignorance on the part of the student. This paper examines lecturers’ knowledge of, and attitude to, plagiarism, how they pass their knowledge on to students and the lecturers’ knowledge of disciplinary procedures. This examination teases out the lecturers’ responsibility for continuing student plagiarism. It was found that academics are unsure of their definitions of plagiarism, have varied attitudes towards different types of plagiarism and do not effectively teach how to work with a text to avoid plagiarism. We suggest a wider discussion of plagiarism in the academy, extending beyond how to deter and catch plagiarists, and the writing of policy statements, to preventing plagiarism though education of both student and academic
Working Together to Educate Students
Authors: Wilson Frankie , Ippolito Kate
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a descriptive case study of how a UK University has addressed the problem of plagiarism through collaboration between academic staff, student support professionals, and the students’ union. It outlines the developmental process undergone in devising, piloting, evaluating and implementing the programme designed to educate students about plagiarism. Specific details of the tools and techniques used to achieve the intended pedagogical aims are included. The chapter identifies aspects of the institutional culture operating within our universities, such as discipline specific conceptions of knowledge and the diversity of students’ and staff’s previous educational experiences, which make tackling plagiarism problematic. Findings indicate that the approaches described are valued by students and staff but that barriers to achieving University-wide adoption persist. Suggestions for ways forward for any institution interested in tackling plagiarism are offered. It is anticipated that this chapter will stimulate discussion and inspire learning support professionals, including academics, by the success a collaborative approach can bring – not just a system of detecting and punishing plagiarism, but a method of educating students about what it is, why it is wrong, and how it can be avoided.
Substantial, Verbatim, Unattributed, Misleading
Authors: Decoo Wilfried
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines how to measure textual plagiarism more precisely, using as basis the four criteria of the American-based Office of Research Integrity’s definition of plagiarism: to what extent is the reuse of someone else’s text substantial, (nearly) verbatim, unattributed and misleading? Each of these criteria is studied in its variables, leading to the proposal of a scale. Next the implications for the verdict are discussed. This criterion-based approach does not claim to offer an easily workable solution in all cases, but at least stresses the need to achieve greater consensus and impartiality in assessing alleged plagiarism. Indeed, such cases are often handled very differently in terms of disclosure, assessment, and decision-making. For the sake of fairness, an allegation as serious as plagiarism requires the establishment and acceptance of more solid criteria.
Enterprise and Technology Architectures
Authors: Chew Eng K. , Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

The role of integrated enterprise architecture in IT strategy and strategic alignment is explained in Chapter V. This chapter describes in detail the principles and methods for developing a business-aligned enterprise architecture that will define the roadmap to attain the future state of the enterprise envisioned by the business strategy and guide the IT investment portfolio necessary for the state change.
Implementing Negative Correlation Learning in Evolutionary Ensembles with Suitable Speciation Techniques
Authors: Duell Peter , Yao Xin
Published: May 2011

Negative correlation learning (NCL) is a technique that attempts to create an ensemble of neural networks whose outputs are accurate but negatively correlated. The motivation for such a technique can be found in the bias-variance-covariance decomposition of an ensemble of learner’s generalization error. NCL is also increasingly used in conjunction with an evolutionary process, which gives rise to the possibility of adapting the structures of the networks at the same time as learning the weights. This chapter examines the motivation and characteristics of the NCL algorithm. Some recent work relating to the implementation of NCL in a single objective evolutionary framework for classification tasks is presented, and we examine the impact of two speciation techniques: implicit fitness sharing and an island model population structure. The choice of such speciation techniques can have a detrimental effect on the ability of NCL to produce accurate and diverse ensembles and should therefore be chosen carefully. This chapter also provides an overview of other researchers’ work with NCL and gives some promising future research directions.
Teaching OOP and COP Technologies via Gaming
Authors: Xu Chong-wei
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces an innovative pedagogical method for teaching object-oriented programming (OOP) and component-oriented programming (COP) via gaming. Going through the evolution of the three-layer gaming framework, we clearly illustrate that gaming covers almost all core features of OOP and COP technologies. Teaching OOP and COP technologies via game development not only engages students’ efforts, but also opens an opportunity for involving students with industry-level projects and enhancing students’ ability to brainstorm and solve real-world problems. Furthermore, gaming may play an important role in developing other applications, especially those that feature visualization and animation.
Experience, Cognition and Video Game Play
Authors: DiPietro Meredith
Published: May 2011

There is current interest from the field of education into the value of video games to support learning. Research investigating outcomes associated with video game play has just begun to scratch the surface of their educational potential. Further exploration needs to focus on the internal processes of the play, specifically the relationship between the utilization of cognitive skills, the learning process, and a player’s experience with playing video games. Drawing support from the field of expertise, the research presented in this chapter looks at this relationship by comparing the processes used by video game players based on their level of experience. Results from this study add to the understanding of the relationship between experience, cognition, and learning from video game play. The results of this research also have implications for educational game design and the pedagogical techniques used to make effective learning opportunities available to all learners.
Interaction with MMOGs and Implications for E-Learning Design
Authors: Zaharias Panagiotis , Papargyris Anthony
Published: May 2011

E-learning is emerging as one of the fastest organizational uses of the Internet as a supplementary or alternative mode for corporate training. However its effectiveness is questioned and most of e-learning courses and applications have been accused of being quite static, non-authentic and superficial, poorly designed, and thus non-motivating. Their philosophical assumption views learning as an isolated phenomenon, a static knowledge in a can that could be transmitted to the learners. In this chapter it is argued that many useful lessons for e-learning designers can be learned from game design and especially from the design of massive multi-player online games (MMOGs). A review on instructional quality of games and design elements of MMOGs is conducted under the perspective of adult learning, in order to identify, adapt, and propose design implications for e-learning design.
Developing Enjoyable Second Language Learning Software Tools
Authors: Ang Chee Siang , Zaphiris Panayiotis
Published: May 2011

This chapter attempts to examine computer game theories — ludology and narratology — that explain computer games as play activities and storytelling media. Founded on this theoretical explanation, a game model that incorporates gameplay and narratives is presented. From the model, two aspects of learning in the game environment are identified: gameplay-oriented and narrative-oriented. It is believed that playing computer games involves at least one of these types of learning; thus, this game’s nature can be used in designing engaging educational software. In addition, based on Malone’s theoretical framework on motivational heuristics, there are two methods of applying computer games in language learning: extrinsic and intrinsic, depending on the integration of game designs and learning materials. Then, two cases of language-learning games are scrutinized, using the game model, in order to demonstrate the use of computer games in language learning.
Learning While Playing
Authors: Jegers Kalle , Wiberg Carlotte
Published: May 2011

This chapter reports on the initial results of a study conducted in the project FunTain. The main purpose was to identify general guidelines/implications for edutainment games, in order to guide designers of such games as they often lack in design guidelines. Usability evaluations were conducted on an edutainment game in order to find usability problems. These findings were analyzed and used as input in focus group meetings, held with joint teams of game designers and HCI experts. The outcome of the focus groups was a proposal of a list of ten general design guidelines. Findings indicate that users had problems in understanding the underlying model for the game as well as identifying the knowledge related content. Experts, further, gave comments about feedback problems and different types of consistencies. Some of the implications from the findings are guidelines for earning and loosing points, scoring and performance feedback and game object characteristics.
The E-Mode of Brand Positioning
Authors: Kumar S. Ramesh
Published: May 2011

Brand positioning is a crucial strategy to any brand’s strategy. Given the rapid development of technology and it impact on online strategies, changing lifestyles of consumers and the consumer interaction required as a part of contemporary brand strategy, there may be need for brands to synergize their positioning strategies with online positioning strategies. This would enable brands to adapt to an environment which is increasingly becoming digital. The paper after taking into consideration the published literature on brand positioning, attempts to formulate online positioning strategies using different aspects of brand positioning, price, customer interactivity and consumer community orientation. Implications for marketing managers are provided.
Power Saving in Wireless Multimedia Streaming to Mobile Devices
Authors: Muntean Gabriel-Miro , Adams Janet
Published: May 2011

Wireless networks are becoming a part of everyday life for many people. When a mobile device has wireless LAN capability, multimedia content can be streamed over a wireless network to that device. However, a major disadvantage of all mobile devices is their limited battery lifetime. Multimedia streaming puts extra pressure on the battery, causing it to discharge faster. In some cases, streaming tasks cannot be completed purely because the battery of the device becomes fully discharged, which causes significant user dissatisfaction. This chapter describes adaptive buffer power save mechanism (AB-PSM), a novel power saving wireless communication solution that enables an increase in battery lifetime during mobile multimedia streaming.
Strength of Privacy Policy Statements and Consumer Trust
Authors: Peterson Dane K. , Meinert David B. , Criswell II John R. , Crossland Martin D.
Published: May 2011

Privacy policy statements are one of the more commonly used techniques to alleviate consumers’ concerns about information privacy which is generally considered to be one of the primary obstacles to the success of e-commerce. This exploratory study examined the willingness of individuals to provide various types of personal information given varying degrees of protection offered by privacy policy statements. The results demonstrated that the willingness to provide information to web merchants increased as the level of privacy guaranteed by the statements increased. More interestingly, increasing levels of privacy promised by the statements had the greatest influence on individuals with prior familiarity with policy statements. The results also demonstrated that while most individuals were aware of privacy policy statements, less than half of the respondents had ever read a privacy statement.
The Role of Culture in Knowledge Management
Authors: Leidner Dorothy , Alavi Maryam
Published: May 2011

Knowledge management approaches have been broadly considered to entail either a focus on organizing communities or a focus on the process of knowledge creation, sharing, and distribution. While these two approaches are not mutually exclusive and organizations may adopt aspects of both, the two approaches entail different challenges. Some organizational cultures might be more receptive to the community approach whereas others are more receptive to the process approach. Although culture has been widely cited as a challenge in knowledge management initiatives and many studies have considered the implications of organizational culture on knowledge sharing, few empirical studies address the influence of culture on the approach taken to knowledge management. Using a case-study approach to compare and contrast the cultures and knowledge management approaches of two organizations, the study suggests the ways in which organizational culture influences knowledge management initiatives as well as the evolution of knowledge management in organizations. Whereas in one organization the KM effort became little more than an information repository, in the second organization, the KM effort evolved into a highly collaborative system fostering the formation of electronic communities.
Applying Collaboration Theory for Improving ERP System-User Interaction
Authors: Lucas Wendy , Babaian Tamara , Topi Heikki
Published: May 2011

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems automate business processes and provide access to data from worldwide operations. These systems remain difficult to learn and use, however, despite the vast resources devoted to employee training and the reams of documentation provided by their manufactures. Oftentimes, even well trained employees will appeal to more knowledgeable users for help or will augment their system use with other software, such as spreadsheet or database applications. The need for such practices has a negative impact on employee performance and the ability of companies to reap the full benefits afforded by ERP systems. To enhance their usability, and thereby increase their usefulness to organizations, we propose the application of collaboration theory to ERP system design. Conceptualizing the relationship between the user and the system as one in which the system works in partnership with the user provides a development framework targeted at helping users achieve their system-related goals.
Motivational Aspects of Legitimate Internet File Sharing and Piracy
Authors: Smith Alan D.
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines potential and active customers’ intrinsic and extrinsic values associated with selected legal, ethical, and economic impacts of file sharing, especially in relationship to potential impacts on customer relationship management (CRM). The pros and cons of file sharing are highlighted in a conceptual model and empirically tested through graphical and statistical analysis through hypothesis testing, via factor analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) techniques. Recommendations on the potential growth of file-sharing industry, through the lens of price, competition, increased selection, and regulation, are included. These file sharing topics, issues, and concerns will have a variety of impact on potential and active customers, businesses, and strategic leveraging of CRM. The success of the P2P industry will depend on several important issues: copyright protection, communications infrastructure, and innovative pricing and payments strategies.
The Regulation of New Forms of Electronic Fund Transfers in Japan Focusing on Electronic Money
Authors: Nakazaki Takashi
Published: May 2011

In this article, after surveying existing Japanese public laws that regulate the transfer of funds via the Internet, and focusing on electronic money in particular, I would like to discuss how these existing regulations may apply to new electronic payment methods that may not have been accounted for when these regulations were established, whether the regulations are sufficient to both provide convenience to the user and protect their safety, and whether these regulations are desirable as business conditions for developing electronic money. Through these discussions, I would like to develop certain objectives which should be taken into account when developing regulations in Japan on the transfer of funds via the Internet. Also, this article discusses anti-money laundering regulations applicable to transfers of funds on the Internet, focusing on electronic money, and will examine how Japanese money laundering regulations may apply to cross-border transfers of funds using overseas electronic money services. Through this examination, the article will attempt to suggest desirable money laundering regulations on domestic electronic money in the near future. Furthermore, this article discusses real money trade and point-rewarded programs in view of function of payment or transferring funds electronically in extended research sections, and closes by predicting future research directions.
Commodity Based Digital Currency
Authors: Meow Hoong Evelyn Lim
Published: May 2011

Financial innovations bring new challenges and new risks besides advantages to the world of finance in cyberspace and in the real world. These innovations evolve alongside the development of cyberspace creating more e-business opportunities. One such innovation is digital currency. As cyberspace develops, this financial innovation allows more and more players into a formerly closed market of providing a medium of intrinsic purchasing power which was generally supplied by a nation’s central bank in the form of money. What, then, is the legal status of this digital currency in a nation?
Consumer Protection in Cross-Border E-Commerce Markets
Authors: Uenuma Shino
Published: May 2011

Due to the development of the Internet, global e-commerce markets are growing greatly. From the viewpoint of consumers, cross-border transactions involve some difficulties in obtaining redress from problematic businesses. In e-commerce markets, consumers have also experienced other kinds of difficulty. To increase consumer protection in global e-commerce markets, various attempts have been made by the private and public sectors. This paper gives an overview of current attempts, and considers the possibility of future methods to achieve effective consumer protection in cross-border e-commerce markets.
Markets, Hierarchies, and the Evolving Nature of Interorganizational Cooperation
Authors: Lee Wonyoung , Aggarwal Praveen , Shin Hyonkil , Cha Taihoon , Kim Seunghan
Published: May 2011

The decreasing cost of IT has encouraged organizations to seek new ways of cooperating with members of the supply chain and other key strategic partners. This increased cooperation is giving rise to a new type of interorganizational system (IOS). Before the advent of the Internet, IS integration required significant investments on the part of organizations participating in an IOS. Such heavy investments, in turn, necessitated close strategic cooperation in the non-IS domain as well. Thus, IS integration went hand-in-hand with non-IS (relational) integration in the pre-Internet era. However, advances in Internet technology have commoditized IS integration to a significant extent, thereby allowing the uncoupling of IS integration and relational integration. It is now possible for organizations to have IS integration without developing strong non-IS linkages. We propose a framework to account for this recent shift and present a typology for classifying interorganizational systems based on the segregation of IS and relational integration. We also verify the typology in case studies of four large firms.
Metering and Accounting for Service-oriented Computing?
Authors: Kumar Arun , Agarwal Vikas
Published: May 2011

Distributed Systems of today have evolved from tightly coupled architectures such as CORBA and DCOM to loosely coupled service-oriented architectures such as Web Services. The success of such architectures depends upon availability of supporting functions such as security, systems management, service level agreements and development environments with associated tooling. An important management component of such an infrastructure is the metering and accounting for service usage which is essential for successful deployments in commercial environments. This paper explores the problem space and presents an architecture that addresses this need. We start by defining taxonomy of services from the perspective of usage metering, charging and business models. We discuss how service usage can be measured, aggregated and communicated in a uniform way. Finally, we report on a prototype design and implementation.
The Influence of Familiarity and Security on Decision Making Processes in E-Commerce
Authors: Akhter Fahim , Hui Wendy
Published: May 2011

E-commerce can enhance its acceptance among users through fostering online trust, which is vital for decision-making process. The perception and computation of trust is crucial for vendors and users for the success of e-commerce. The calculation and measurement of trust antecedent involves complex aspect such as presence of security controls and familiarity within the website. Most companies are acquiring ‘security technology’ because everybody else is doing the same, but not because there has been a proper assessment of its association with trust. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of trust antecedents such as security, and familiarity when they are used collectively to do online transactions. Trust, in general, is an important factor in conducting e-transaction, which revolve around uncertainty and ambiguity. The Fuzzy logic approach provides a means for coping with this uncertainty and vagueness that are present in e-commerce. Therefore, the fuzzy logic approach is been deployed to develop scales to measure the effects of users’ familiarity and perception of security in an online business-to-consumer (B2C) context. This research provides guidelines to vendors on how they could ascertain the trust level of their business and ways of mitigate the negative impact on the trust level.
Security for Ubiquitous Computing
Authors: Straub Tobias , Heinemann Andreas
Published: May 2011

Taking typical ubiquitous computing settings as a starting point, this chapter motivates the need for security. The reader will learn what makes security challenging and what the risks predominant in ubiquitous computing are. The major part of this chapter is dedicated to the description of sample solutions in order to illustrate the wealth of protection mechanisms. A background in IT security is not required as this chapter is self-contained. A brief introduction to the subject is given as well as an overview of cryptographic tools.
Multimodal and Federated Interaction
Authors: James Frankie , Gurram Rama
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the concepts of multimodal and federated interaction. Because multimodality means, simply, the combination of multiple modalities (or types of input and output), the authors first introduce some of the various modalities available for computer interaction. The chapter then discusses how multimodality can be used both in desktop and mobile computing environments. The goal of the chapter is to familiarize scholars and researchers with the range of topics covered under the heading “multimodality” and suggest new areas of research around the combination of modalities, as well as the combination of mobile and stationary computing devices to improve usability.
Integrity and Authentication
Authors: Mogollon Manuel
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, methods that can check if a message was modified are explained; this includes the Message Authentication Code (MAC), hash functions, and the Keyed-Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC). Also discussed are ways to verify a sender’s identity by using digital signatures.
Intellectual Assets and Knowledge Vitality in Urban Regions
Authors: Martinez-Fernandez Cristina , Sharpe Samantha
Published: May 2011

Recent studies have shown that universities and similar public sector research institutions differ in their relationships with user organizations both in relation to the type of new knowledge transferred and to the mechanisms of such transfer. Both the relationships and knowledge transfer are critically affected by the level of sophistication of the receiving companies. The creation of ‘urban knowledge’ has many dimensions, which means that spatial proximity to the sources of new knowledge does not automatically encourage firms to take advantage of what is on offer. Thus, the knowledge generated by universities has a critical function on the availability of local and international knowledge to the city and region where it is located, but much needs to be done for this knowledge to become relevant and absorbed in its geographical area. To show these dual processes, this chapter analyzes the region of Western Sydney at two levels: the knowledge demanded and the knowledge produced and transferred. Ultimately, the answer to the question of how universities can best contribute to the intellectual vitality of the place where they are located and which knowledge is relevant.
Challenges to Digital Governance
Authors: Inkinen Tommi
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses a local effort to generate a citizen-centered knowledge society. The empirical evidence is from the city of Tampere, Finland. Particular interest of the chapter is focused on the fiveyear information society initiative “eTampere,” which was implemented between 2001 and 2005. The program was targeted to combine technology-, business-, and citizen-driven features of informational city development. The empirical evidences include two citizen surveys and the final evaluation, including results of a stakeholder survey. Obtained results suggest that technological development and enhancement of local governance requires recognition of the social conditions underlying the access, skill, and motivation of citizens to beneficially use the provided digital services. These issues are related to the whole of society whose scope of change is much longer than it is for that of technological development. The chapter argues that successful and purposeful development of digital governance is thus a question of integrating technology into a social structure.
ICT as a Public Good
Authors: O’Bryant Richard L.
Published: May 2011

The presence of information and communication technologies, in particular the Internet, has the potential to be leveraged to address some of society’s most persistent social challenges. This chapter, through the case study of Internet use at Camfield Estates, a low-income housing development in Boston, Massachusetts, argues that public policy should view information and communication technology access as a public good for community building and self-sufficiency. The chapter examines U.S. historical policy efforts to assist low-income individuals and families. It takes on the social–antisocial debate and effects of Internet use for community building. It also presents some of the findings from the Camfield Estates–MIT Creating Community Connections Project and analyzes its meaning for nearly 40 low-income families that were equipped with a personal computer and two years of high-speed Internet connectivity.
A Bi-Criteria DSS Dedicated to Location Problems
Authors: Captivo Maria Eugénia , Clímaco João , Fernandes Sérgio
Published: May 2011

In location problems we want to determine the best way to serve a set of clients, or communities, whose location and demand are known. This implies to decide the number and location of the facilities, the size or capacity of each facility, and the allocation of the demand points to the open facilities in order to optimize some objective function. The type of optimality criterion depends on the nature of the activities or of the equipment to be installed. Most location models deal with desirable facilities, such as warehouses, service and transportation centers, emergency services, and so forth, which interacts with the customers and where usually travel is involved. The typical criteria for such decisions include minimizing some function of the distances between facilities and/or clients. However, during the last two or three decades, those responsible for the areas overall development, where the new equipment is going to be located (i.e., central government, local authorities) as well as those living there, are showing an increasing interest in preserving the area’s quality of life.
Classification and Ranking Belief Simplex
Authors: Beynon Malcolm J.
Published: May 2011

The classification and ranking belief simplex (CaRBS), introduced in Beynon (2005a), is a nascent technique for the decision problems of object classification and ranking. With its rudiments based on the Dempster- Shafer theory of evidence—DST (Dempster, 1967; Shafer, 1976), the operation of CaRBS is closely associated with the notion of uncertain reasoning. This relates to the analysis of imperfect data, whether that is data quality or uncertainty of the relationship of the data to the study in question (Chen, 2001). Previous applications which have employed the CaRBS technique include: the temporal identification of e-learning efficacy (Jones & Beynon, 2007) expositing osteoarthritic knee function (Jones, Beynon, Holt, & Roy, 2006), credit rating classification (Beynon, 2005b), and ranking regional long-term care systems (Beynon & Kitchener, 2005). These applications respectively demonstrate its use as a decision support system for academics, medical experts, credit companies, and governmental institutions.
Decision Making by a Multiple-Rule Classifier
Authors: Bruha Ivan
Published: May 2011

A rule-inducing learning algorithm yields a set of decision rules that depict knowledge discovered from a (usually large) dataset; therefore, this topic is often known as knowledge discovery from databases (KDD). Any classifier (or, expect system) then can utilize this decision set to derive a decision about given problems, observations, or diagnostics. The decision set (induced by a learning algorithm) may be either of the form of an ordered or unordered set of rules. The latter seems to be more understandable by humans and directly applicable in most expert systems, or generally, any decision- supporting one. However, classification utilizing the unordered-mode decision set may be accompanied by some conflict situations, particularly when several rules belonging to different classes match (are satisfied by, “fire” for) an input to-be-classified (unseen) object. One of the possible solutions to this conflict is to associate each decision rule induced by a learning algorithm with a numerical factor, which is commonly called the rule quality (An & Cercone, 2001; Bergadano et al., 1988; Bruha, 1997; Kononenko, 1992; Mingers, 1989; Tkadlec & Bruha, 2003). This article first briefly introduces the underlying principles for defining rules qualities, including statistical tools such as contingency tables and then surveys empirical and statistical formulas of the rule quality and compares their characteristics. Afterwards, it presents an application of a machine learning algorithm utilizing various formulas of the rule qualities in medical area.
A Decision Support System for Evaluation of Investments in a Computer-Integrated Production System
Authors: Kivijärvi Hannu , Tuominen Markku
Published: May 2011

Investments in new manufacturing systems are vital for the well-being of the company as they are means of achieving the objectives and goals the company is aiming at. Both long-term corporate success and short-term profitability are based on the company’s investments. Managerial decision making is, however, becoming more difficult due to worldwide competition and the rapidly changing and increasingly complex environment. A growing concern is that the selection of investment alternatives (manufacturing systems) that in the long run enhance the company’s competitive position or other strategic goals cannot any longer be based on conventional financial analysis only. These financial analysis techniques do not provide the decision maker with sufficient support because they do not integrate the investments into the company’s strategy sufficiently. Furthermore, the conventional investment planning based on these techniques does not fully respond to the way the investment decisions are actually made. The shortages of the conventional justification techniques include insufficient benefit analysis, a short-term focus, and misassessment of the appropriate discount rate. Therefore, conventional financial analysis techniques alone are not appropriate to justify more strategic investments, but a strategy-oriented investment justification is needed as well.
Exploring the Risks That Affect Community College Decision Makers
Authors: Wood Margaret W. , Rine David C.
Published: May 2011

For leaders, decision making is a charge that cannot be escaped. For those who prefer to avoid this responsibility, the startling truth is that not making a decision is a decision. Executives, including those who lead community colleges, have critical accountability to build a support network with easy access to pertinent information that carries out decisions as intended. Decision making’s impending risks—particularly in this age of “I need it yesterday”—are amplified by the likelihood of misunderstanding and miscommunication. The man-hours of gathering, analyzing, and prioritizing information behind a good decision can be thwarted without a clear-cut strategy for how to make a decision with that information. This chapter provides insights as to why a United States community college organization’s leadership faltered as a result of decision making. For this domain, this long-neglected dynamic of identifying operational risks was explored using a tailored risk management methodology developed by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). Community colleges, federal agencies, and small businesses have similar concerns about institutionalizing effective decision making; this chapter addresses those complexities specifically within community colleges and provides an understanding of managerial decision making at the executive level.
An Extended Model of Decision Making
Authors: Sammon David
Published: May 2011

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) packages can be described as the most sought after means of organisational transformation and IT innovation since the mid 1990s. Over the past decade, ERP packages have become a major part of the organisational landscape and form the cornerstone of IS architectures for an ever increasing percentage of organisations. Despite the strong push toward enterprise-wide ERP systems in the wider organisational community and the experience accumulated over 20 years of large scale integrated systems implementations, there is, in relation to ERP deployment, a lack of understanding of the specific project management required to counter the difficulties that can arise when organisations fail to ensure that all the required factors of success are present in their projects. Therefore, novel ideas to help managers and project managers to better prepare for enterprise-wide ERP projects are badly needed. This entry presents a method of practical relevance for organisational decision-makers by introducing the concept of a devil’s advocate workshop—reminiscent of Klein’s premortem sessions (Klein, 1993, 2002), but tailor-made for large scale Information Systems projects—which leverages the concept of sense-making, in introducing a preplanning “intelligence” phase in any enterprise-wide ERP project life-cycle.
A Federative Approach of Decision-Making Aid in Urban Development
Authors: Kouamou G. , Pettang C.
Published: May 2011

The interest in urban planning and development is a major preoccupation in the two last decades. In fact, the urban development is the act of improving living conditions, which are necessary for rest and for labour, for the health and education facilities, for the various exchanges and provisioning, for the moving of the population between their dwellings and their working place. However, the cities of the developing countries know serious problems of urbanization due not only with the non application of the urban guide (SDAU) when it exists, but also with the inadequacy of the policies of management of the city needed by the populations. That is why the proliferation of unstructured quarters around the cities, without the urban services necessary for their operation like drinking water network, electricity, and roadway system. Facing these failures, the urban development is not any more the only fact of the municipal authorities. The populations through associations and the non governmental organisations are more implied, these activities are carried out under the impulse of the multilateral backers that support and finance the actions of the different actors. In order to propose new approaches of the urban development, we started by defining a characterization of the city for better apprehending its morphology and its operation (Pettang, Kouamou, & Mbumbia, 1997). This characterization permits to deal with the land question, since the soil is the beginning of any installation (Pettang & Kouamou, 1999).
Fuzzy Decision Trees
Authors: Beynon Malcolm J.
Published: May 2011

The first (crisp) decision tree techniques were introduced in the 1960s (Hunt, Marin, & Stone, 1966), their appeal to decision makers is due in no part to their comprehensibility in classifying objects based on their attribute values (Janikow, 1998). With early techniques such as the ID3 algorithm (Quinlan, 1979), the general approach involves the repetitive partitioning of the objects in a data set through the augmentation of attributes down a tree structure from the root node, until each subset of objects is associated with the same decision class or no attribute is available for further decomposition, ending in a number of leaf nodes. This article considers the notion of decision trees in a fuzzy environment (Zadeh, 1965). The first fuzzy decision tree (FDT) reference is attributed to Chang and Pavlidis (1977), which defined a binary tree using a branch-bound-backtrack algorithm, but limited instruction on FDT construction. Later developments included fuzzy versions of crisp decision techniques, such as fuzzy ID3, and so forth (see Ichihashi, Shirai, Nagasaka, & Miyoshi, 1996; Pal & Chakraborty, 2001) and other versions (Olaru & Wehenkel, 2003).