bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceptual Data Hiding in Still Images
Authors: Barni Mauro , Bartolini Franco , De Rosa Alessia
Published: May 2011

The idea of embedding some information within a digital media, in such a way that the inserted data are intrinsically part of the media itself, has aroused a considerable interest in different fields. One of the more examined issues is the possibility of hiding the highest possible amount of information without affecting the visual quality of the host data. For such a purpose, the understanding of the mechanisms underlying Human Vision is a mandatory requirement. Hence, the main phenomena regulating the Human Visual System will be firstly discussed and their exploitation in a data hiding system will be then considered.
Digital Prepress
Authors: Snyder Mark
Published: May 2011

This chapter identifies changes that the printing industry has undergone during the past 25 years as a result of the digital revolution. It also provides a brief historical perspective of the printing industry and how it has evolved. It is undeniable that the computer has had an impact on the development of print media and today it is rare to find any prepress work done without the use of some digital technology. The workflow of a traditional printed piece is described from start to finish and is compared to a more modern digital workflow to familiarize readers with the processes and contrast the old with the new techniques. This chapter will identify common problems that occur in the preparation of print media using digital technologies. In particular, it will explore a variety of problems and solutions related to the use of digital prepress as well as identifying new innovations intended to improve prepress operations in the future.
Rethinking E-Commerce Security in the Digital Economy
Authors: Raisinghani Mahesh S.
Published: May 2011

The worldwide market for information security services will nearly triple to $21 billion by 2005, up from about $6.7 billion in 2000, according to International Data Corporation. This trend that focuses on information security stresses the translation of strategic business objectives and models into an information systems architecture that combines data process, workflow, financial and simulation models. E-commerce security is a process, not an end result. Managers need to understand how advanced technology creates more robust, scalable and adaptable information systems for the organization dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation. The key questions for assessing status quo and modus operandi are discussed, and some alternative solutions and recommendations are proposed as we look ahead in the digital economy.
Conclusions and Implications
Authors: Schelin Shannon H. , Garson G. David
Published: May 2011

The intended goal of this research is to illustrate the various factors that are critical to IT project success in the public and private sectors. Section I uses extant literature to summarize the importance of the 14 critical success factors, reviews the role of the chief information officer within the organization, and offers empirical data to attest to the hypothesized critical success factors. The concept of critical success factors was introduced by Daniel (1961) and popularized by Rockart (1978). In much of the literature, critical success factors refer to those few items that can make or break a project. Accordingly, the literature also indicates the relative importance of various critical success factors. By empirically testing an assortment of findings, this book offers a listing and ordering of 14 of the factors.
A Negotiation Agent System in E-Commerce
Authors: Chiu Chuan-Feng , Shih Timothy K.
Published: May 2011

Due to the growth of Internet and computing power of PCs, activities in the real world have been changed with the help of computers. Internet commerce became an interesting research area along with the change of this new computing environment. In a traditional commerce environment, negotiation was an interest topic in the past. In the new Internet commerce environment, computer-supported negotiation becomes interesting in academics. In this chapter, a computer-supported negotiation agent system on the Internet to help buyers to make decisions is then proposed. We believe that a negotiation problem does not focus only on one issue, but rather on multiple issues. Therefore, our negotiation mechanism is based on a multi-attribute utility theory. And, the negotiation strategy focuses on the weighting adjustment on multiple issues. On the other hand, software agent is a useful technology in this new computing environment and the technology has several advantages to solve different computing problems. In a negotiation process the user cannot handle the complex process individually. Also, the process is a time consuming task. Thus, we use the advantage of agent technology as the major system developed approach. With the help of the technology the system can be more efficient in many Internet commerce applications.
A Comparison of Implementation Resistance Factors for DMSS Versus Other Information Systems
Authors: Setzekorn Kristina , Sugumaran Vijayan , Patnayakuni Naina
Published: May 2011

Effective decision-making within and across organizations is of strategic importance as the global business environment becomes more complex. Business processes and their related computer based information systems (CBIS) must support integrated decision-making. While decision support systems (DSS), executive information systems (EIS), and knowledge-based systems (KBS) have been independently used to support problem solving and decision making activities, they are still not widely implemented and accepted by a broad spectrum of organizations. Identifying the reasons for the lack of widespread use, as well as integration of these technologies would enable organizations to better design and implement these support systems. Using 41 narratives, we have compared decision-making support systems (DMSS) resistance factors with those of other CBIS to better understand these factors and their impact on DMSS implementation.
Strategic Use of Virtual Organization
Authors: Lee Jinyoul , Eom Mike (Tae-In) , Kim Bonn-Oh
Published: May 2011

This chapter investigates strategic use of virtual organizations in the context of the new premise, desocialization. Desocialization refers to the alternative way of socialization because traditional interaction with other human players become less frequent in virtual space and re-illuminates the meaning of ontological and epistemological existence of virtual organizations. Drawn from the literature review, the three-stage model of virtual organizations (lifecycle) is proposed to entail the ontological and epistemological meaning to virtual organization. Dynamic interactions between stages (dynamic view) are also described to intensify the importance of each stage for virtual organizations to mature as meaningful organizations. Then, the dynamic view of virtual organization is examined in terms of resource heterogeneity and immobility (VRIO analysis) to gain insight into how virtual organizations are developed to sustain competitive advantages. Implication and conclusion of our endeavor are discussed at the end.
E-School Administration Systems
Authors: Radaideh Moh’d A. , Horani Sharaf S. , Harmain Harmain M.
Published: May 2011

This chapter argues that traditional school administration systems should change and adopt more sophisticated electronic school administration systems. The past decade has seen several attempts to develop such systems. Some of these systems have found their way to the marketplace. However, these systems need to be scientifically studied and critically evaluated to improve their role in the education process. We present a survey of the widely available systems and describe their features and limitations. Our own e-School Administration System is also discussed. The main goal of our system is to bridge the gap between home and school. It comprises several modules such as a messaging center to overcome communication barriers; course system to adapt students’ learning styles; tools to handle notes, tutorials, assignments and quizzes; personal organizers to help users maximize their time planning; and a performance assessment system to help keep track of students’ grades. The implementation and evaluation of our system is presented and discussed, and some enhancements are proposed at the end of this chapter.
Optical Music Analysis for Printed Music Score and Handwritten Music Manuscript
Authors: Ng Kia
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes an optical document imaging system to transform paper-based music scores and manuscripts into machine-readable format and a restoration system to touch-up small imperfections (for example broken stave lines and stems), to restore deteriorated master copy for reprinting. The chapter presents a brief background of this field, discusses the main obstacles, and presents the processes involved for printed music scores processing; using a divide-and-conquer approach to sub-segment compound musical symbols (e.g., chords) and inter-connected groups (e.g., beamed quavers) into lower-level graphical primitives (e.g., lines and ellipses) before recognition and reconstruction. This is followed by discussions on the developments of a handwritten manuscripts prototype with a segmentation approach to separate handwritten musical primitives. Issues and approaches for recognition, reconstruction and revalidation using basic music syntax and high-level domain knowledge, and data representation are also presented.
Transition from Manual to IT-Based Documents Transacting Business Process
Authors: Banerjee Parthasarathi
Published: May 2011

A medium manufacturing firm had since beginning organized itself around quality-driven transactions in information documents. This learning in documents transaction helped it in scoring large gains in productivity, in cost-cutting, and in evolving a sound performance measurement system. This set the norms of work. However globalization opened up opportunities and threats. The old system had sufficient information technology (IT) backing but it failed in motivating employees adopting a global information challenge. In order to compete internationally through differentiated products with high quality, this firm then reengineered its manufacturing. Market information substituted quality as driver of information transactions. The goal of the project was to Web-enable the firm. The IT project had to define business transactions as the unit, which would define transactions in information in object language first and subsequently as transactions in documents. Changes were then brought at three levels: the first, essential level was based on business transactions among employees supporting the information system, which in turn generated business documents. Essential-level business transactions formed as a second level cared for the nuclei of business processes and could also constitute a new performance measurement system. Browser-enabled communication proved acceptable to employees who had previous learning in information transactions. The firm gained immensely through this novel mode of IT application.
Mindfulness
Authors: Fielden Kay
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, mindfulness as an essential quality of integrated wisdom within inquiring organizations is discussed. A holistic, rather than a scientific view, of knowledge is adopted. The discussion is also underpinned by a pragmatic approach that incorporates rational, emotional, psychological, and spiritual perspectives. While multiple worldviews are considered, the discussion is situated in an integrated participatory paradigm. A plan for developing mindfulness within organizations is described that includes consideration of multilayered development and ordered, unordered, and disordered organizational arenas. Complexities abound when both individual and group maturity levels on developmental layers diverge widely. Integrated wisdom is only achieved when consensual alignment is achieved. Integrated wisdom allows for this complex mix, is aware of the appropriate level and type of communication and or interaction required, and acts accordingly without prejudice or judgment. Implications for the future of mindfulness as a necessary skill for integrated wisdom are also explored.
Controlling Robots with Fractal Gene Regulatory Networks
Authors: Bentley Peter J.
Published: May 2011

Fractal proteins are a new evolvable method of mapping genotype to phenotype through a developmental process, where genes are expressed into proteins comprised of subsets of the Mandelbrot set. The resulting network of gene and protein interactions can be designed by evolution to produce specific patterns, which in turn can be used to solve problems. This chapter introduces the fractal development algorithm in detail and describes the use of fractal gene regulatory networks for learning a robot path through a series of obstacles. The results indicate the ability of this system to learn regularities in solutions and automatically create and use modules.
Classifying B2B Inter-Organizational Information Systems
Authors: Ilyoo B.
Published: May 2011

This paper aims at developing a framework for business-to-business (B2B) inter-organizational systems (IOSs), based on real-world IOS examples. Based upon two dimensions, role linkage and system support level, we propose a new framework that classifies IOSs into four basic types: (1) resource pooling, (2) operational cooperation, (3) operational coordination, and (4) complementary cooperation. We review select cases that fit into each category and consider the common characteristics of systems in each category. Then we draw implications for IOS planning and suggest a five-step process for creating an IOS plan. It is argued that each category of IOS needs to be linked with a specific business strategy, although each employs a common technical infrastructure.
Mapping Fuzzy EER Model Concepts to Relations
Authors: Galindo Jose , Urrutia Angelica , Piattini Mario
Published: May 2011

This chapter shows the transformation of the FuzzyEER model to a logical design by using relational databases. The FuzzyEER-to-Relational mapping algorithm is based on the “classical” EER-to-Relational mapping algorithm, published in Elmasri and Navathe (2000) and summarized in the first section of this chapter, but other versions are very similar (De Miguel, Piattini, & Marcos, 1999; Silverschatz, Korth, & Sudarshan, 2002). The FuzzyEER-to-Relational mapping algorithm includes additional rules for mapping fuzzy concepts. The following sections translate the FuzzyEER concepts, that is, the definitions in Chapter IV, to the FIRST-2 schema, which was exposed in Chapter V. Thus, this chapter relates Chapter IV with Chapter V, obtaining a fuzzy relational database. In addition, we need a comprehensive fuzzy database language with statements for data definition, query, and update. This language is FSQL (Fuzzy SQL), and we describe it in Chapter VII.
Customer Trust in Online Commerce
Authors: Koufaris Marios
Published: May 2011

While the number of Web users continues to grow very quickly worldwide, only a small percentage of them buy products or services online. The main reason for that is their lack of trust in the online companies and the Web in general as a safe place to make purchases. This chapter reviews and summarizes current research in the area of online customer trust. It discusses how customer perceptions about the company, its Web site, and the Web in general as well as individual customer characteristics affect how they develop trust in the online companies. In conclusion, a number of guidelines for companies are provided to help them increase their customers’ trust in them.
Cellular Solutions to Some Numerical NP-Complete Problems
Authors: Cordón-Franco Andrés , Gutiérrez-Naranjo Miguel A. , Pérez-Jiménez Mario J. , Riscos-Núñez Agustín
Published: May 2011

This chapter is devoted to the study of numerical NP-complete problems in the framework of cellular systems with membranes, also called P systems (Pun, 1998). The chapter presents efficient solutions to the subset sum and the knapsack problems. These solutions are obtained via families of P systems with the capability of generating an exponential working space in polynomial time. A simulation tool for P systems, written in Prolog, is also described. As an illustration of the use of this tool, the chapter includes a session in the Prolog simulator implementing an algorithm to solve one of the above problems.
A Reflective Meta-Model of Object-Process Methodology
Authors: Reinhartz-Berger Iris , Dori Dov
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we introduce a highly expressive, self-contained reflective meta-model of object-process methodology (OPM). OPM enables universal system modeling based on the notions of processes that transform objects. Extending the object-oriented approach, which views processes as residents of objects, OPM provides for the existence of stand-alone processes that can represent transformations in complex systems such as businesses, aircrafts or organisms. A system modeling and development methodology, which is a combination of a language for expressing the universal (or domain) ontology and an approach for developing systems that uses this language, can be expressed in OPM using objects, processes and links among them. Through the reflective OPM meta-model, we demonstrate the expressive power of OPM and its applicability as a universal tool for architecting systems that involve structure and dynamics in a highly, intertwined manner.
Using a Common-Sense Realistic Ontology
Authors: Kazmierczak Ed , Milton Simon
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines the following question: “How well do data models map the world?” Data modelling languages are used in today’s information systems engineering environments to model reality. Many have a degree of hype surrounding their quality and applicability with narrow and specific justification often given in support of one over another. We want to more deeply understand the fundamental nature of data modelling languages. We thus propose a theory, based on ontology, that should allow us to understand, compare, evaluate, and strengthen data modelling languages. We then introduce Chisholm’s ontology and apply methods to analyse some data modelling languages using it. We find a good degree of overlap between all of the data modelling languages analysed and the core concepts of Chisholm’s ontology, and conclude that the data modelling languages investigated reflect an ontology of commonsense-realism. Critical common-sense realism more generally due to its perspectival nature and its implicit recognition of institutional and social reality has the potential to dramatically improve our ability to better map the world.
An Overview of E-Commerce Security and Critical Issues for Developing Countries
Authors: Tiako Pierre F. , Tiako Irénée N.
Published: May 2011

Deficient information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure, lack of awareness on e-commerce issues, network payment and secure transaction services present enormous challenges to developing countries. For e-commerce to be a viable tool for trade in developing countries (DC), a “secure infrastructure” which makes possible the electronic exchange of financial transactions is a necessary prerequisite. There has been significant research on e-commerce security, although most of these studies have focused on developed countries. Less attention has been paid to underdeveloped countries that face different circumstances due to the above challenges. From technological perspectives, this work discusses important issues of e-commerce security for developing countries in regards to lack of fraud repression and justice in those countries.
HRM Strategies for Promoting Knowledge Sharing within Construction Project Organisations
Authors: Dainty Andrew R.J. , Qin Jidong , Carrillo Patricia M.
Published: May 2011

Construction projects present an extremely challenging context for exchanging knowledge, as information must flow across both project and professional interfaces. This chapter explores innovative solutions to encouraging knowledge sharing within a large construction company based in Hong Kong. The techniques used comprised a sophisticated combination of HRM approaches aimed at breaking down barriers to open communication and reciprocal knowledge exchange. These were supported by a bespoke intranet-based knowledge repository to allow access to knowledge as it was captured from employees’ project experiences. The case study demonstrates that, whilst all of the approaches could facilitate knowledge sharing and management within the construction project environment, to be effective they must be underpinned by a supportive culture, effective communication structures, and appropriate HRM practices. A policy framework is proposed which attempts to align reward and appraisal systems, work processes, and organisation design in a way that encourages knowledge sharing in other large construction firms.
An Empirical Investigation of Requirements Specification Languages
Authors: Kamsties Erik , von Knethen Antje , Philipps Jan
Published: May 2011

A well-known side-effect of applying requirements specification languages is that the formalization of informal requirements leads to the detection of defects such as omissions, conflicts, and ambiguities. However, there is little quantitative data available on this effect. This chapter presents an empirical study of requirements specification languages, in which two research questions are addressed: Which types of defects are detected by a requirements engineer during formalization? Which types of defects go undetected and what happens to those types in a formal specification? The results suggest looking explicitly for ambiguities during formalization, because they are less frequently detected than other types of defects. If they are detected, they require immediate clarification by the requirements author. The majority of ambiguities tend to become disambiguated unconsciously, that is, the correct interpretation was chosen, but without recurring to the requirements author. This is a serious problem, because implicit assumptions are known to be dangerous.
Integrating SAP Across the Business Curriculum
Authors: Fedorowicz Jane , Gelinas Ulric J. , Hachey George , Usoff Catherine
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the integration of the SAP R/3 system into courses across the undergraduate and graduate business curriculum at Bentley College. It argues that the integration of the SAP R/3 system into existing business courses, rather than creating standalone courses covering enterprise systems concepts, is a preferable way to immerse students in information technology issues and help them understand how enterprise systems have significantly transformed the workplace. The authors describe the processes used to train faculty, develop and test curriculum materials, and coordinate the integration effort. Learning objectives and SAP R/3 curricular content are described for MBA, accounting, and finance courses.
Ethical Dimensions in Collaborative Commerce
Authors: Wang Samuel H.S. , Rau Hsin , Hu Michael H.
Published: May 2011

This chapter deals with ethical dimensions in the environment of collaborative commerce. An ethical failure model is developed based upon failure concepts borrowed from the quality profession. Five types of collaborative commerce are presented, followed by a discussion of their typical flows and characteristics. In addition, four major business ethics issues and six potential ethical issues in collaborative commerce are delineated.
Virtuality and the Future of Organizations
Authors: Filos Erastos
Published: May 2011

This chapter aims at drawing a picture of how organizations are likely to develop in the context of “virtuality,” i.e., following the impact of technologies relevant to the information society. Organizations will expand their traditional boundaries to form new organizational patterns that will allow them to adapt to the changing environment of the information society as well as to exploit the opportunities of a digital economy. The chapter, therefore, shows how research, in particular research that was supported under the European Commission’s R&D programs, has played a significant role in shaping these developments. The research aimed at developing the underpinning information and communication technologies as well as at understanding the business processes and the socioeconomic impact of virtual organizations. Although many of the features of this new organizational paradigm are still not fully understood, there is hope that organizations in the future will be smart in various respects and will develop in a way that maximizes the leveraging of knowledge and innovation.
Collaborative Industrial Automation
Authors: Colombo Armando W. , Schoop Ronald
Published: May 2011

This chapter summarizes our latest results concerning the development and the industrial application of the emerging “collaborative industrial automation” technology and its powerful meaning for facilitating the integration of a dynamic reconfigurable shop floor into a virtual factory. It argues, in this respect, that having a conglomerate of distributed, autonomous, intelligent, fault-tolerant, and reconfigurable production units, which operate as a set of cooperating entities, is one promising platform to achieve both local and global manufacturing objectives. Furthermore, the authors hope that understanding the underlying scientific and technological background through the development and industrial application of the collaborative automation paradigm will not only inform the academic, research, and industrial world of an emerging control and automation paradigm, but also assist in the understanding of a new vision of the manufacturing system of the 21st century [a mix of collaborative units, i.e., people, software systems, processes, and equipment (hardware), integrated into a virtual factory].
Relational Online Collaborative Learning Model
Authors: Moreno Antonio Santos
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes an instructional online collaborative learning model that addresses the phenomenon from a systemic human relations and interaction perspective. Its main purpose is to aid students in their social building of knowledge when learning in a CSCL environment. The model argues that knowledge building in a networked environment is affected by the communication conflicts that naturally arise in human relationships. Thus, the model is basically proposing a way to attend to these communication conflicts. In this line, it proposes a set of instructional strategies to develop the student’s meta-communication abilities. The concepts and instructional suggestions presented here are intended to have a heuristic value and are hoped to serve as a frame of reference to: 1) understand the complex human patterns of relationships that naturally develop when learning in a CSCL environment, and 2) suggest some basic pedagogical strategies to the instructional designer to develop sound online networked environments.
Toward a User-Centered Method for Studying CVEs for Learning
Authors: Economou Daphne , Pettifer Steve
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses one of the challenges the collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) research community faces which is the lack of a systematic approach to study social interaction in CVEs, determine requirements for CVE systems design, and inform the CVE systems design. It does this by presenting a method for studying multi-user systems in an educational context. The method has been developed as part of the Senet project, which is investigating the use of virtual actors in CVEs for learning. Groupware prototypes are studied in order to identify requirements and design factors for CVEs. The method adopts a rigorous approach for organizing experimental settings, collecting and analysing data, and informing CVE systems design. The analysis part of the method shares many of the Interaction Analysis foci and expands on it by providing a grid-based method of transforming rich qualitative data in a quantitative form. The outcome of this analysis is used for the derivation of design guidelines that can inform the construction of CVEs for learning. The method is described by a third phase of work in the Senet project.
Classification on Top of Data Cube
Authors: Fu Lixin
Published: May 2011

Currently, data classification is either performed on data stored in relational databases or performed on data stored in flat files. The problem with these approaches is that for large data sets, they often need multiple scans of the original data and thus are often infeasible in many applications. In this chapter we propose to deploy classification on top of OLAP (online analytical processing) and data cube systems. First, we compute the statistics in various combinations of the attributes known as data cubes. The statistics are then used to derive classification models. In this way, we only scan the original data once, which improves the performance of classification significantly. Furthermore, our new classifier will provide “free” classification by eliminating the dominating I/O overhead of scanning the massive original data. An architecture that integrates database, data cube, and data mining is given and three new cube-based classifiers are presented and evaluated.
Strategic Success Factors for Selling Content Online
Authors: Butscher Stephan A. , Luby Frank , Hofer Markus B.
Published: May 2011

In this chapter the authors provide an overview of strategic success factors for sustainable and profitable business with online content. Based on the practical experience of the authors gained in numerous consulting projects in this field, the chapter reveals that business success will depend fundamentally on the providers’ ability to develop compelling and convenient new content forms of high quality that are easy to find and to buy. Another key factor is a sound integration of the product “content” in the overall business model, including realistic expectations regarding revenue streams. Furthermore, the conquest of new target markets is essential. Finally, they need to develop a sophisticated pricing strategy. The practical implications of the identified strategic success factors are illustrated by means of the case study, Selling Music Online, and are summarized in concrete action guidelines.
Ontology-Supported Web Content Management
Authors: Jo Geun-Sik , Jung Jason J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the ontology-supported Web content management. Since the Web was regarded as one of the most important tools for searching relevant information, many studies have been attempting to develop efficient and accurate management of Web content and resources. We have been focusing on how to exploit the ontology to support semantic conceptualization of information on the Web. Especially, the emergence of semantic Web emphasizes the importance of the ontological processes. In this chapter, we will mention content management systems on the semantic Web, and then, we will introduce two applications from viewpoints of personalized content and electronic commerce as case studies.
Competitive Dynamics of General Portals
Authors: Sieber Sandra , Valor-Sabatier Josep
Published: May 2011

The arrival of the Internet offers both opportunities for incremental efficiency gains and complete industry redefinition, presenting new value propositions and hence leading to the emergence of new businesses and industries. One particular case is that of the general portal industry, consistently the most visited sites on the Web. Nevertheless, and despite the ongoing concentration of the market, overall profitability remains low. In this chapter we argue that, although the industry has great potential for value creation, value appropriation in information-based businesses remains problematic. Still, interest in this industry is huge, which is understandable if one analyzes the industry within its online value network. As we show, the horizontal portal constitutes a critical link in this network as it provides a way of organizing content, which seems to be the king of the future, and can capture and canalize the incoming traffic of the Internet service providers. Still, they face a number of hurdles to capture the value they generate and become profitable.
Tele-Medicine
Authors: Al-Qirim Nabeel A.Y.
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews the strategic planning of health information systems in New Zealand. This step is deemed necessary to identify the main accelerators and/or impediments that influence technology adoption and diffusion in health organisations in New Zealand. This research introduces the tele-medicine technology as one possible solution to provide continuous, quality, and immediate medical care to rural patients and to encourage networking among the different hospitals in New Zealand. This research suggests that in order to realise tele-medicine benefits in health care delivery in New Zealand, certain issues need to be addressed such as implementing comprehensive cost-benefit analysis and identifying the benefits sought from adopting the tele-medicine technology. The New Zealand context is unique and this perspective with respect to tele-medicine adoption and success is addressed in this research.
Images of Mind
Authors: Fox John
Published: May 2011

he idea of “mind” did not spring fully formed into human consciousness. On the contrary, it has been articulated slowly through the millennia, drawing upon countless metaphors and images in different cultures at different times. In the last 50 years, the concepts of conventional science and technology have provided the primary images that we employ in the discussion of mental processes. Unfortunately, there are many competing perspectives, each of which is incomplete when it comes to explaining mental phenomena, and most are inconsistent. In this chapter, four prominent images that have influenced cognitive science in the last half-century are considered. These distinguish structure and process theories of mind developed in psychology, from the epistemic and “pathic” theories of mental states emerging in artificial intelligence (AI). A critical challenge is to construct a theory of cognition in which these different images of mind can be seen to be complementary views of a single system. The chapter closes with an example of such a theory.
Building a Learning Community Online
Authors: Owens Tessa , Luck Petra
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews a pilot e-learning project at Liverpool Hope University Col-lege. It will illustrate an approach to online learning aimed at students working inthe early years education and care sector and attempts to demonstrate the devel-opment of a “community of practice.” This chapter will discuss how the contextinformed the rationale for the approaches taken by the staff team and providescommentary from student evaluations highlighting their experiences.
Responsible Technologies and Literacy
Authors: Buchanan Elizabeth A. , Lipinski Tomas A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a case study of research conducted in the state of Wisconsin, USA, on the awareness of and knowledge surrounding ethical and legal uses of technology by primary teachers, administrators, and technology coordinators. The authors use the term responsible technologies to define the concept of ethical and legal awareness; the chapter reports on the findings from the pre- and post-in-service surveys, and makes recommendations for greater awareness of the ethical and legal implications surrounding technology use in general, and surrounding copyright in particular.
Re-Schooling and Information Communication Technology
Authors: Austin Roger , Anderson John
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines the place of information communication technology (ICT) in re-schooling; the authors discuss what re-schooling means and use Northern Ireland as a case study to explore how an entire school system is starting to be transformed through a combination of political change, curriculum development, and the integration of a managed ICT service. They argue that where ICT is being used to build social cohesion and social capital in addition to developing pupils’ employability and academic performance, it is helping schools to become learning organisations. The authors provide an analysis of the social, economic, and political context of Northern Ireland, but argue that the lessons that have been learned about the relationship between ICT and re-schooling have resonance on a global scale.
Technology as a Classroom Tool
Authors: Barron Ann E. , Harmes J. Christine , Kemker Katherine J.
Published: May 2011

Laptops and other ubiquitous devices in the classroom provide powerful opportunities to integrate technology as a classroom tool that supports student learning. However, effectively using laptops to achieve learning outcomes can be a daunting task for teachers and students—at least initially. This chapter examines the research on one-to-one computers and outlines learning outcomes that can be achieved when technology is used as a classroom tool. Sample lesson plans are provided to illustrate specific learning outcomes and highlight technology literacy issues, for both teachers and students participating in wireless classrooms. The integration of laptop computers into the curriculum can create collaborative, student-centered learning environments and increase student and teacher technology literacy.
A VR-Based Virtual Agent System
Authors: Shih Timothy K. , Wang Ying-Hong , Chen Yung-Hui
Published: May 2011

Agent technology can be used to represent individuals participating in a virtual university. Avatars are virtual actors on behalf of students and instructors navigating in a three-dimensional (3D) virtual campus. This chapter presents a system based on virtual reality (VR) technology as well as agent technology that enables online discussions via different real-time communication channels. The system has a generic interface, which includes five scenes of a virtual university, as well as a set of plug-and-play communication agent tools. Each user is maintained by an intelligent agent that controls the navigation behavior based on a rule-based computation. Behaviors of each student are restricted and guided by intelligent agents. The system can be extended for the construction of any virtual university with 3D campus and online communication facilities.
Knowledge Management Technologies for E-Learning
Authors: Cao Jinwei , Zhang Dongsong
Published: May 2011

Nowadays, many technologies that have been traditionally used for knowledge management are used in e-learning systems. This chapter explores some fundamental knowledge management technologies that have been applied to e-learning systems, including collaboration technologies, Semantic Web, information retrieval, and information visualization. The focus of this chapter, however, is the Semantic Web and its related topics such as metadata and ontology, since it is now a new trend of the e-learning market. Instead of simply listing these technologies, this chapter provides an in-depth analysis and comparison among them. We hope that after reading this chapter, you will understand the major knowledge management technologies used in e-learning and will be able to choose the proper technologies for different contexts or requirements.
Maturing Requirements Engineering Process Maturity Models
Authors: Sawyer Pete
Published: May 2011

The interest in Software Process Improvement (SPI) in the early 1990s stimulated tentative work on parallel models for Requirements Engineering (RE) process improvement in the late 1990s. This chapter examines the role of SPI and the implications of the exclusion of explicit support for RE in the most widely used SPI models. The chapter describes the principal characteristics of three RE-specific improvement models that are in the public domain: the Requirements Engineering Good Practice Guide (REGPG), the Requirements Engineering Process Maturity Model (REPM), and the University of Hertfordshire model. The chapter examines the utility of these models and concludes by considering the lessons learned from industrial pilot studies.
Extreme Interviewing to Find Team Oriented Programmers
Authors: Boebel Clement J. , Sheridan Richard , Meloche Thomas
Published: May 2011

Many software development hires fail to add significantly to the team’s overall productivity. The typical response is to increase the number of interviews and prepare an examination of sophisticated technical questions for the candidates. But what if your most important hiring goal was to find new technical employees with good teaming skills? One organization decided to create an immersion interview experience that provided candidates with the opportunity to demonstrate their teaming skills.
Developing a Distributed Web Publishing System at CSU Sacramento Library
Authors: Rodriguez Juan Carlos , Osburn Andy
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the steps that were undertaken at the California State University, Sacramento Library in moving from a centrally managed, static, and disjointed Web site to a efficient, collaboratively managed, database-driven Web site utilizing an easy-to-use customized Web content management system developed by the library. It discusses the decisions and actions taken during the various stages throughout the design and implementation of this Web publishing system. The authors introduce the methods and some of the Web-based technologies used, and present the issues encountered and how they were addressed during the development and implementation of the locally created Web publishing system.
Audio Analysis Applications for Music
Authors: Dixon Simon
Published: May 2011

The last decade has seen a revolution in the use of digital audio: The CD, which one decade earlier had taken over the home audio market, is starting to be replaced by electronic media which are distributed over the Internet and stored on computers or portable devices in compressed formats. The need has arisen for software to manage and manipulate the gigabytes of data in these music collections, and with the continual increase in computer speed, memory and disk storage capacity, the development of many previously infeasible applications has become possible.
Business Model Application of UML Stereotypes
Authors: Brandon Jr. Daniel
Published: May 2011

The UML (Unified Modeling language) has become a standard in design of object-oriented computer systems (Schach 2004). UML provides for the use of stereotypes to extend the utility of its base capabilities. In the design and construction of business systems, the use of stereotypes is particularly useful stereotypes, and this article defines and illustrates these.
Contract-Based Workflow Design Patterns in M-Commerce
Authors: Murthy V. K. , Krishnamurthy E. V.
Published: May 2011

This overview describes an object-based workflow paradigm to support long and short duration transactions in a mobile e-commerce (or m-commerce) environment. In this environment, the traditional transaction model needs to be replaced by a more realistic model, called a “workflow model” between clients and servers (peers) that interact, compete and cooperate, realizing an intergalactic client-server program. The various types of task patterns that arise in m-commerce, for example, reservation, purchasing, require a “what if” programming approach consisting of intention and actions for trial-error design before an actual commitment is made. Such an approach enables us to take care of the unpredictable nature of connectivity of the mobile devices and the networks and also provide for the trial and error program design required in m-commerce.
Cooperation of Geographic and Multidimensional Databases
Authors: Pourabbas Elaheh
Published: May 2011

In recent years, the enormous increase of independent databases widely accessible through computer networks has strongly motivated the interoperability among database systems. Interoperability allows the sharing and exchange of information and processes in heterogeneous, independent, and distributed database systems. This task is particularly important in the field of decision support systems. These systems through the analysis of data in very large databases identify the unusual trends in particular applications for creating opportunities for new business or for forecasting production needs.
Critical Strategies for IS Projects
Authors: Peterson Dane , Kim Chung S.
Published: May 2011

Despite enormous progress in the methodologies and technologies used in the development and implementation of information systems (IS), the failure to achieve IS success on a consistent basis continues to plague the efforts of many companies (Clegg et al., 1997). The success or failure of an IS has been defined in a variety of ways depending on a number of factors, such as the nature of the system and the perspective of the various stakeholders (i.e., IS developers, users, and management). In general, IS success is often subjectively assessed on the basis of how well the system achieves strategic, informational, and transactional benefits for the organization (Mirani & Lederer, 1998).
E-Government Interoperability
Authors: Werth Dirk
Published: May 2011

The rise of the Internet has structurally changed not only the business area, but also governments and administrative authorities. The usage of information and communication technologies (ICT) influenced the organizational behavior and the daily work of public administrations. In parallel, a new management paradigm has grown in governments and administrations: The New Public Management (NPM) aims to a new orientation on the impact of public activities and on the benefit of public services for its customers, namely citizens and businesses (Barzelay, 2001). It puts the administration and its activities in the triangular relationship between politics, administration and citizens (Osborne & Gaebler, 1992). Within this “ecosphere”, decentralized steering models (Reichard, 2002) as well as market mechanisms are introduced and emphasized (Pollitt & Bouckaert, 2000).
Flexible Job-Shop Scheduling Problems
Authors: Kacem Imed
Published: May 2011

Planning and scheduling problems in various industrial environments are combinatorial and very difficult. Generally, it is extremely hard to solve these types of problems in their general form. Scheduling can be formulated as a problem of determining the best sequence to execute a set of tasks on a set of resources, respecting specific constraints like precedence or disjunctive constraints (Carlier & Chrétienne, 1988). They consist generally in a simultaneous optimization of a set of non-homogeneous and conflicting goals. Therefore, the exact algorithms such as branch and bound, dynamic programming, and linear programming are not suitable for such problems and need a lot of time and memory to converge.
Mobile Transaction Models Framework
Authors: Coratella Andrés , Felder Miguel , Hirsch Roberto , Rodriguez Eduaurdo
Published: May 2011

Currently, mobile technology is undergoing a high growth stage, allowing for an increasing plethora of mobile devices (handheld PCs, handsets, etc.) and daily access to distributed resources and information.
Organizational Hypermedia Document Management Through Metadata
Authors: Suh Woojong , Kim Garp Choong
Published: May 2011

Web business systems, the most popular application of hypermedia, typically include a lot of hypermedia documents (hyperdocuments), which are also called Web pages. These systems have been conceived as an essential instrument in obtaining various beneficial opportunities for CRM (customer relationship management), SCM (supply chain management), e-banking or e-stock trading, and so forth (Turban et al., 2004). Most companies have made a continuous effort to build such systems. As a result, today the hyperdocuments in the organizations are growing explosively.