bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Developing Applications for the Web
Authors: Russo Nancy L.
Published: May 2011

The use of the Internet, and the World Wide Web in particular, has grown at a phenomenal rate. The Internet, the world’s largest computer network, grew from approximately 25,000 connected networks with over 6.6 million computers worldwide in 1996 (Neubarth, 1996) to more than 50,000 networks and 16 million computers today (Conger & Mason, 1998). The fastest growing resource on the Internet is the World Wide Web (hereafter called the Web). Between 1994 and 1996, the Web grew from 100 sites to 100,000 sites housing more than a million Web pages (Neubarth, 1996), and as of January, 1999, an electronic survey of web hosts found over 43 million sites (Network Wizards, 1999). Over 80% of America’s Fortune 500 companies have some type of Web presence (The Economist, 1997).
Planning for Effectiveness Web-Based Commerce Application Development
Authors: Lu Ming-te , Yeung W. L.
Published: May 2011

An ever-increasing number of businesses have established Web sites to engage in commercial activities today, forming the so-called Web-based commerce. However, careful planning and preparation are needed for those businesses to achieve their intended purposes with this new channel of distribution. This chapter proposes a framework for planning effective Web-based commerce application development based on prior research in hypermedia and human-computer interfaces, and recent research on Web-based commerce. The framework regards Web application development as a type of software development projects. At the onset, the project’s social acceptability is investigated. Next, system feasibility is carried out. If the proposed project is viable, its Web-page interface is examined both from the functionality, contents, and navigability points of view. The use of the framework will contribute to more effective Web-based commerce application development.
Managing Web Technologies Acquisition, Utilization and Organization Change
Authors: Klempa Mathew J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a perspective on web technologies acquisition, utilization, organization change and transformation grounded in Gidden’s theory of structuration, i.e., a contextualist analysis. A contextualist analysis is processually based, emergent, situational, and holistic, marrying both theory and practice. This chapter’s paradigm affords a substantive analytical tool to the practitioner for understanding and managing not only web-based IT acquisition, utilization and organization change, but all IT-based recursive, organization changes and transformations. Organization change associated with IT acquisition and utilization is posited as concomitantly necessary. Organization change is recursive, dynamic, multilevel, and nonlinear, i.e., an “enacted” environment. Ever present organization opposing values are treated dialectically, i.e. as paradox, operating simultaneously. The nature of the resolution of such paradox enabled/inhibits reframing, i.e., organization transformation and change. The paradigm presented defines an organization change continuum, delineating four organization responses to contradiction and paradox. The chapter explicates organization culture and organization learning as systemic, multiplicative metaforce underpinnings of organization change and sociocognitively-based, recursive, structurational processual dynamics. The chapter discusses use of the IT acquisition and utilization paradigm for organization diagnosis as well as customization of organization change interventions. The chapter suggests further typologically-based research venues.
Viability through Web-Enabled Technologies
Authors: Vriens Dirk , Hendriks Paul
Published: May 2011

It is often claimed that the Internet and associated technologies have paved the way for new types of businesses, new types of consumer behavior, and new types of services (cf. Cameron, 1996; Cronin, 1996; Laudon and Laudon, 1997). The emergence of virtual, office-less organizations, enabled by similar technologies, will—so it is said—profoundly affect both the way we work and the structure and culture of organizations (e.g., Ciborra and Suetens, 1996). Communication technologies and applications have led to the globalization of businesses, opening up new markets as well as new competition, even for small businesses (e.g., Sterne, 1995). The new technologies, brought together under the common denominator of web-enabled technologies (WETs), seem to offer great opportunities for those who recognize them, and severe threats for organizations that have awakened too late. Simultaneously, more deliberate voices call for caution. Anderson (1997, p. 5), for instance, asserts that “few companies are as yet making any money on-line, but plenty are trying.” He points out that this is only one example of the fact that “practically everything that was predicted about electronic commerce three years ago has turned out to be wrong” (ibid., p. 4). According to Anderson, it is a major mistake to equate the market potential of the Internet with its sheer size. Partly because of its size, “today’s Internet is, far from being a perfect market, the high street from hell” (ibid.). Such contradictory signals are bound to puzzle organizations and leave them struggling with questions like: “Could WETs significantly improve our current way of doing business?”; “Could these technologies enable us to define a new business model?” or “Is it just hype and should it better be ignored?” In short, organizations are struggling with questions concerning the usefulness of WETs applied to their own situation. In a sense, this is nothing new since similar questions arise every time a new form of information and communication technology (ICT) is launched. For WETs the need for organizations to address this issue, however, may be more imperative, because their impact on organizations seems to be extremely diverse, highly complex and cannot be compared so easily to that of earlier forms of ICT.
Implementing Relational Database Systems
Authors: Serban Andreea M. , Malone Gregory A.
Published: May 2011

Traditionally, administrative computing has been the main, or often only, unit in a campus developing and maintaining the basic operating systems of an institution (McKinney et al., 1987). Information resources have been confined to an infrastructure, such as a mainframe computer or minicomputers, which processes registration, financial aid, and other services (Van Dusen, 1997). The advent of increasingly sophisticated software and hardware tools has challenged the centralization of the control and manipulation of information resources. Crow and Rariden (1993) describe an ideal information resource management model as follows: Powerful software tools are available that can essentially eliminate the technical expertise necessary to process either university-wide data or off-campus research databases. … Students, faculty, and administrators will be able to ask and answer their own data-related questions from their desks without the assistance or intervention of a computer center’s staff (p. 467). To date, no institution has achieved this ideal (Van Dusen, 1997). However, colleges and universities are making progress toward it. This chapter describes the experiences of two institutions, University of Redlands and Cabrillo College, as they implement similar relational database systems. It describes the effects of the implementation process on the institutional administrative cultures, and the implications for information resource management.
Risks and Rewards
Authors: Sechrist Scott R. , Finnegan Dorothy E.
Published: May 2011

One of the more often cited objectives found in university and college mission statements is the goal of promoting future good citizenship among students. Indeed, American higher education institutions have been improving society by educating its community leaders since the founding of Harvard in the early seventeenth century. Beyond the direct training of future leaders, college administrators also have recognized the societal need for volunteers to fill gaps that community resources cannot cover. Volunteers enable organizations to thrive beyond their means and their members to receive otherwise unavailable benefits. This case study describes the role of good citizenship that is performed by two technologically proficient faculty (techno-profs) who are approaching crucial career evaluations at Suburban State University (SSU), a public institution in the mid-eastern area of the United States. It explores the conundrum that faced the SSU Dean of the College of Arts and Letters as she speculated about the outcome of the evaluation of these two faculty members as a result of the existing promotion and tenure criteria. The case also considers the impact of the incorporation of technology into the contemporary role of faculty in a situation in which necessary resources are not provided by those who mandate changes in the existing reward structures in higher education. And, finally, this case study illustrates the existing and potential impact of these mandates on the careers of two techno-profs who act as good citizens for their organizations.
The International Negotiation Modules Project
Authors: Raby Rosalind Latiner , Kaufman Joyce P.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a case study of the International Negotiation Modules Project (INMP). The INMP utilized computer-assisted simulation is a tool to enhance teaching and learning strategies about international negotiations. Simulation in this context was more than merely playing a game or participating in a predefined exercise. Rather, it encompassed the entire class structure and affected all learning modalities. International topics that depicted real-life negotiation issues were incorporated into a simulation that was infused into a wide range of selected community college classes, including English, French Language, Math, and Psychology. The non-conventional pairing of disciplines, the non-traditional use of integrated technology, and the often diverse student bodies enhanced the overall quality of the simulation and the direct learning experience. Moreover, the INMP demonstrated a direct relevance for the use of information technology in community colleges. In total, a cross-section of 30 community college classes participated in the three-year pilot project. They represented both rural and urban areas across California, Hawaii, Maryland, New York, and Texas. This case addresses critical issues such as methods involved in implementing alternative instruction and information technology, effects of its implementation on the faculty and students, and problems associated with Internet technology access.
Fostering a Technology Cultural Change
Authors: Lim Dan
Published: May 2011

Many people in higher education wonder where the rapid changes in information technology are going to take them. Many more fear that the ongoing information technology explosion may eventually leave them behind. Due to entrenched mindsets and bureaucracy in higher education, fostering a technology cultural change requires paradigm shifts in all areas of administration, teaching, and research. A fundamental paradigm shift must happen in four areas before a technology cultural change can be set on a forward path. This chapter focuses on four essential components of a paradigm shift in technology and higher education at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC). This case describes how a paradigm shift model can help to promote a long-term technology cultural change in a higher education institution. The model consists of technology commitment, technology philosophy, investment priority, and development focus. It has been used at UMC to bring about a reengineering of the entire institution to support a ubiquitous laptop environment throughout the curriculum and campus. The model has helped UMC achieve an overwhelming success in utilizing laptop computing and other technology to enhance learning.
Building E-Commerce From the Ground Up
Authors: Gordon David , Skibo James E.
Published: May 2011

The selling of goods and services on the Internet has evolved from a hypothetical business concept into a thriving, multi-billion dollar industry which has prospects of sustained double-digit growth well into the first decade of the 2000s. This new market channel is estimated to achieve over $108 billion in sales transactions by 2003 (Business Week, Sept. 1999). There are various definitions regarding what is meant by “electronic commerce,” however for the purposes of this chapter, we will confine our definition of the term to that segment of the retail industry which comprises sales transactions for products and services consummated via the Internet. This is a critical distinction from the far more vast array of literature devoted to companies’ use of electronic commerce such as Electronic Data Interchange for the purpose of reducing operating costs by streamlining productivity and efficiency. In short, we will limit our view of e-commerce to the business of selling goods and services via the Internet. Within this realm of e-commerce, there are several critical issues that arise for companies seeking to open an e-commerce storefront. In this chapter, we will use the actual experiences of one retailer to highlight various approaches to those issues.
A Model of Internet Commerce Adoption (Mica)
Authors: Cooper Joan , Burgess Lois
Published: May 2011

The commercialisation of the Internet has led to widespread usage of on-line services and being connected to the Internet has become a high priority for both large and small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) (Wai-Pun, Farhoomard and Tunnainen, 1997). Internet usage around the world is doubling every 10 days, with the number of people on the Internet expected to increase ten-fold from 100 million to 1 billion by 2005 (Network Wizards, 1995). The biggest transformation is in the area of e-commerce, which is expected to boom from (US) $6 billion in 1997 to more than $300 billion in 2002 (NOIE, 1998b). There is no doubt that it will be an imperative for any business to be part of the global Internet commerce community. Doing business online provides new opportunities for business, as well as presenting new business opportunities, facilitating new forms of e-commerce across industries in both the business to consumer and business to business context. It also provides new one-one as well as the more traditional one-many customer relationships and greater opportunities for customer-supplier interaction (Rayport and Savioka, 1995). The result will be more open economies and a levelling of opportunities for all businesses. This will enable small companies to overcome the main advantages (such as economies of scale and greater access to resources) of their larger counterparts. The proliferation of e-commerce and the exponential growth of the Internet as a commercial medium has resulted in the development of a number of frameworks that seek to enable a better understanding of what businesses are doing on the Web.
Event Modeling
Authors: Baekgaard Lars
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss conceptual event modeling within a context of information modeling. Traditionally, information modeling has been concerned with the modeling of a universe of discourse in terms of information structures. However, most interesting universes of discourse are dynamic and we present a modeling approach that can be used to model such dynamics. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is based on the following notion of an event. “An event is a noteworthy occurrence that has location in time and space. It occurs at a point in time; it does not have duration. Model something as an event if its occurrence has consequences.” (Rumbaugh, Jacobsen et al. 1999). This definition emphasizes that an event occurs at a point in time and that its occurrence has noteworthy consequences. We characterize events as both information objects and change agents (Bækgaard 1997). When viewed as information objects events are phenomena that can be observed and described. For example, borrow events in a library can be characterized by their occurrence times and the participating books and borrowers. When we characterize events as information objects we focus on concepts like information structures. When viewed as change agents events are phenomena that trigger change. For example, when borrow event occurs books are moved temporarily from bookcases to borrowers. When we characterize events as change agents we focus on concepts like transactions, entity processes, and workflow processes.
Internet and E-Business Security
Authors: Siau Keng , Whitacre Kent
Published: May 2011

The Internet is one of the miracles happening in this century. Starting from a project known to a few hundred people, the Internet is now a global network and the hottest hype in the world. Its growth, however, has been slowed by the concern over Internet security. Internet security has been blamed as the stumbling block preventing the widespread acceptance of electronic business. Is Internet security really a problem? If so, what are the technologies available to alleviate this problem? How should management evaluate the existing technologies? This chapter looks at the issues surrounding e-business security. The chapter first discusses Internet security and then proposes a framework to help management evaluate existing security technologies.
Intelligent Software Agents
Authors: Kirn Stefan , Petsch Mathias , Lees Brian
Published: May 2011

For a new technology, such as that offered by intelligent agents, to be successful and widely accepted, it is necessary for systems, based on that technology, to be capable of maintaining security and consistency of operation when integrated into the existing infrastructure of an organisation. This paper explores some of the security issues relating to application of intelligent agents and the integration of such systems into existing organisations. First, existing information security issues for enterprises are considered. Then, a short introduction to the new technology of agents and agent systems is given. Following this, the special security problems of the new technology of software agents and the emerging risks for software and enterprises are discussed. Finally, a new security architecture for multi-agent systems is proposed, together with an explanation of how this multilevel architecture can help to improve the security of agent systems.
TelewerkForum Stimulates Telework in the Netherlands
Authors: de Bruin Kitty
Published: May 2011

Implementation of successful teleworking programs requires a cooperation among organizations, employees, governments and labor groups. This paper presents the model used in the Netherlands that can be adopted by any region, state or country to promote telecommuting for the good of society and the employees. The success of any telecommuting program relies on proactive communications, practical advice, and constant promotion of the concept to the public.
Organizational Compatibility as a Predictor of Telecommuting
Authors: Harrington Susan J. , Ruppel Cynthia P.
Published: May 2011

Innovation literature long has advocated that an innovation may be compatible or incompatible with an organization’s existing systems or resources. Compatibility of an innovation traditionally has meant that the innovation is compatible with the existing values, skills, and work practices of potential adopters. However, Tornatzky and Klein (1982) criticized this definition as too broad, noting that compatibility may refer to compatibility with the adopters’ values (value compatibility) or that it may represent congruence with the adopters’ existing practices (practical compatibility). Anecdotal evidence suggests both types influence telecommuting. Therefore, this study investigates compatibility and its relationship to IS personnel’s telecommuting. The organization’s ability to secure telecommuting (a dimension of practical compatibility) was found to be a major facilitator of the adoption and diffusion of telecommuting. Group values were found to be a major facilitator of diffusion and success, and practical compatibility was found to be a facilitator of success. Implications are discussed.
Distance Learning Alliances in Higher Education
Authors: Rayburn William E. , Ramaprasad Arkalgud
Published: May 2011

Consider the case of George Peabody College for Teachers and Vanderbilt University. The two private schools sat side by side in Nashville, Tennessee. Peabody trained generations of teachers across the United States. Vanderbilt was and remains a research university. For decades, the two schools maintained a partnership or alliance, and it functioned on many levels. Students at one school easily enrolled for classes at the other and transferred credits without trouble. The two schools shared library resources between themselves and a third, religious-oriented school. Athletes on Vanderbilt sports teams earned Peabody degrees. At times, Vanderbilt rented dormitory space from Peabody to house excess students. Separated only by a city street, the schools collaborated but remained distinct. Then in the late 1970s, they announced a merger. Peabody would become part of Vanderbilt. By the early 1980s, the merger was complete. The change was wrenching for Peabody. Many faculty left or were laid off. Tuition increased to match that of Vanderbilt. Today Peabody survives only as the name of the College of Education within Vanderbilt (Dorn, 1996).
The Web as a Learning Environment for Kids
Authors: Kamel Sherif
Published: May 2011

The Internet and the World Wide Web are demonstrating the growing influence of information and communication technologies in various aspects of the economy. Regardless of the barriers of time and distance, newly introduced information highways are linking the world countries together, their societies and cultures contributing effectively to globalization. One of the growing trends in societal development and growth is investment in people. Therefore, the learning process is a priority issue that information and communication technologies are serving trying to upgrade and leverage human resources to become more competitive as we approach the 21st century with all its challenges and opportunities. This chapter covers an initiative that was launched in Egypt in 1997 that targets the investment of Egypt’s young generation, the kids of the present and the leaders of the future. This initiative is part of a national plan that aims at leveraging the capacities of Egypt’s human resources. The focus of the chapter will be the learning process, the Internet and the presence of the first Egyptian Web site for children on the Internet “Little Horus.” With the introduction of the Internet since 1993 in Egypt, today there are around 250,000 Internet subscribers, among which are a growing community of schools, teachers and children. As the Internet grows in magnitude and capacity, perceived to reach over one million subscribers in the coming five years with an estimated 20 percent under the age of 16, the Internet and the World Wide Web could play an active role in the education process in Egypt. The chapter, therefore, will demonstrate the “Little Horus” initiative, the steps that were achieved so far, the plan for the future and the building blocks that represented the critical success factors for the realization of this initiative with relatively modest resources.
Internet Enabled Corporate Knowledge Sharing and Utilization
Authors: Tschaitschian Bidjan , Abecker Andreas , Hackstein Joachim , Zakaoui Jamel
Published: May 2011

Knowledge assets and the learning capacity of an organization are the main sources of competitive advantage (Argyris & Schon, 1978; Prahalad & Hamel, 1990). Therefore, there is a growing interest in knowledge management (KM) and corporate memories (CM). The objectives of KM are to promote preservation, communication, and growth of knowledge in the organization (Steels, 1993). According to Fischer et al.(1997), the problem is to deliver the right knowledge at the right time to the right person in the right way. KM is a very complex problem that can be tackled from several viewpoints: socio-organizational, financial and economical, technical, human, legal (Barthès, 1996). A CM is a tool to support KM. Van Heijst et al. (1996) define a CM as an “explicit, disembodied, persistent representation of knowledge and information in an organization.” It is important to consider the development of a CM not only from a technical viewpoint. In this work the human and socio-organizational aspects play a significant role. We will focus on the following (complex) requirement that must be fulfilled by a computer-based CM:
Adding Knowledge to Accounting Systems for Virtual Enterprises
Authors: Polovina Simon , Veneziano Vito
Published: May 2011

Any business organisation has always needed mechanisms to control its affairs, particularly how it optimises the economic resources at its disposal to meet its objectives. Accounting essentially provides a universally established basis for optimising these finite resources, thus has long become the ‘language of business’. Being highly numeric in nature, by using monetary measures as its basis, it was relatively easy to automate accounting information on computer. As well as providing businesses with much greater decision-making capability, capturing this information on computer has given them a key organisational memory that they can retain and build upon regardless of, say, employee turnover.
Big-Bang ERP Implementation at a Global Company
Authors: Pliskin Nava , Zarotski Marta
Published: May 2011

Dead Sea Works is an international multi-firm producer of Potash and other chemicals whose sales for 1998 were about $500 million. In 1996, the Information Systems group convinced top management to pursue a big-bang ERP implementation of SAP R/3. To reduce project risk, risk management was practiced. First, only modules that matched the functionality of the then-existing systems were targeted, avoiding as much as possible software modifications and process reengineering. Second, a steering committee was set up to handle conflict resolution and set priorities throughout the project and top users were given responsibility with implementing modules within their respective functions. R/3 went into production on July 1, 1998, six months ahead of schedule and without exceeding the $4.95 million budget.
An Innovative Adaptation of General Purpose Accounting Software for a Municipal Social Services Agency
Authors: Schiff Andrew , Mersha Tigineh
Published: May 2011

Organizations with unique characteristics and transaction processing requirements, such as government agencies, often satisfy these requirements by (a) acquiring software from vendors who have developed applications for that particular type of organization, or (b) developing software internally from scratch. When either of these approaches is taken, the development costs are spread over a relatively small number of organizations, and the resulting system can be very expensive. Also, due to the uniqueness of the application and the relatively small number of users, it may take a long time to identify and correct any processing errors. An alternative is to acquire general-purpose software that has been developed for a wide range of organizations, and to adapt it for the agency in which it will be installed. However, this alternative approach is frequently not undertaken because it is often believed that general-purpose software is unable to provide all of the information required by the organization. When the required information can be provided, though, general-purpose software can be less expensive and less time-consuming to implement.
Isobord's Geographic Information System (GIS) Solution
Authors: Neufeld Derrick J. , Griffith Scott
Published: May 2011

Isobord, a start-up company that is setting up a new strawboard production plant in Manitoba, Canada, is facing critical operational problems that threaten its future. Isobord’s product is a high quality particleboard substitute that uses straw, rather than wood, as the main raw manufacturing material. To achieve viability, Isobord must develop processes to carefully coordinate and manage its straw baling, stacking and hauling operations. Through effective information systems, Isobord has the potential to reduce the amount of equipment it needs to purchase to meet straw harvest requirements. A small investment in optimization technology could yield considerable cost savings if the efficiency of capital equipment can be improved. A geographic information system (GIS) / relational database management system (RDBMS) solution is being explored, but budget and time constraints, as well as organizational inexperience, seriously threaten the project. An information technology decision must be made immediately if there is to be any hope of implementing technology to manage the first year’s straw harvest.
Strategic Alignment for Electronic Commerce
Authors: Bauer Christian
Published: May 2011

The dynamic nature and flexibility of electronic commerce increases the importance of the alignment of business strategy and information technology further. This chapter presents an extension of the strategic alignment model with an integration of the external domains of business and information technology strategy, thus keeping the focus on the competitive environment and shifting the responsibility for information technology to top management level. The application of the proposed hypothesis through a framework of the competitive environment is demonstrated within the context of the retail banking industry.
Optimization of the Knowledge Discovery Process in very Large Databases
Authors: Owrang O. M. Mehdi
Published: May 2011

Current database technology involves processing a large volume of data in order to discover new knowledge. The high volume of data makes the discovery process computationally expensive. In addition, real-world databases tend to be incomplete, redundant and inconsistent which could lead to discovery of redundant and inconsistent knowledge. We propose use of domain knowledge to reduce the size of the database being considered for discovery and to optimize the hypothesis (representing the pattern to be discovered) by eliminating implied, unnecessary and redundant conditions from the hypothesis. The benefits can be greater efficiency and the discovery of more meaningful, non-redundant, non-trivial and consistent rules. Experimental results are provided and analyzed.
Toward a Framework for Advanced Query Processing
Authors: Yoon Suk-Chung
Published: May 2011

The contribution of our approach is that we develop a framework for processing and answering queries flexibly by applying data mining techniques. In addition, we suggest strategies to reduce the computational complexity of the advanced query answer generation process. We believe that our approach enhances user-machine interfaces significantly to conventional databases with additional features. This chapter is structured as follows. The next section introduces motivating examples to show the advantages of advanced query processing. Following that we survey related works on intelligent query processing. Then we present our approach to process different types of queries using data mining techniques. The final section discusses our conclusions and possible extensions of our work for future research.
Security in Database Systems
Authors: Fernandez-Medina Paton Eduardo , Piattini Mario G.
Published: May 2011

Rapid technological advances in communications, transport, banking, manufacturing, medicine and other fields are demanding more sophisticated information requirements in organizations worldwide. As a result, large quantities of data must be handled, while a high level of security must be maintained in order to ensure information needs are met. The alarming growth in electronic crime is forcing organizations to take a look at how information systems can maintain security while meeting the technological needs of real-time systems in a global market. It is important therefore, that in information systems analysis and design, security requirements are taken into account.
Using Cost Benefit Analysis for Enterprise Resource Planning Project Evaluation
Authors: Murphy Kenneth , Simon Steven John
Published: May 2011

The goal of this chapter is to demonstrate how cost benefit analysis can be applied to large-scale ERP projects, and that these methods can incorporate the intangible benefits, e.g., user satisfaction. Detailed information on the business case utilized by a large computer manufacturer in their decision to implement the SAP system R/3 is presented. We illustrate how this organization utilized techniques to include intangibles in the implementation project’s cost benefit analysis. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the state of valuing ERP projects and questions to be answered in the future.
Courseware and its Possible Evolution through the Use of Agent Technology
Authors: Darbyshire Paul , Lowry Glenn
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the potential for the application of agent technology to evolve an information system. In particular, the use of agents to evolve an educational subject management application is viewed in relation to an on-going project. Such software forms part of a courseware information system currently in use, and being further developed at Victoria University. Agent software is an emerging technology that has its roots in artificial intelligence research. With the recent proliferation of “agent” applications in areas such as e-commerce and Internet marketing, many agent applications fall squarely in the domain of Information Systems. Although there is little consensus at present regarding the nature and capabilities of software agents, agent technology may have the potential to advance Web-based subject management courseware to a further evolutionary stage.
Information Systems Development and the Need for Computer Aided Method Engineering
Authors: Dahanayake Ajantha
Published: May 2011

The business issues of today are global in nature, for instance, organizational objectives may be as varied as increasing profits, obtaining faster product life cycles, or increasing the competition at a global level. To get more value out of a business, people tend to re-engineer the business process. Development of information systems today is mostly the process of bringing improvements to the existing system, as part of a large business change initiative, and systems development efforts that do not address these problems tend to be incomplete or inefficient. As a result, the introduction of various applications and architectures is becoming increasingly common. New and different technologies such as telecommunication, artificial intelligence, image processing, multimedia, object orientation, as well as various applications such as batch or on-line transaction processing, process control, decision support, and work flow support are increasingly being introduced to improve the performance of business processes. Information systems development is changing, and the types of systems being built are much more varied and complex.
Supporting Modeling Structured Analysis and Design
Authors: Dahanayake Ajantha
Published: May 2011

The first case study focuses on evaluating the capability of the CAME environment of supporting a problem area that requires a structured analysis and design method. The specific problem lies in the financial and administration sector of the example problem, Dutch flower auction (see Chapter 3). Financial administration is an activity that is required frequently within organizations, and the analysis, design, and development of such an information system are normally supported by a structured analysis and design method. This case investigates the modeling process and techniques required for a popular structured analysis and design method known as the YOURDON method. The financial and administration sector’s problem is used as the problem area of this case study based on the following considerations: a problem preferably of a general nature, meaning that development of similar information systems is common, is the object of investigation. The Dutch flower auction’s financial and administration sector’s problem is one of a typical data processing nature, and this is clearly a frequently occurring problem area in information systems development. The problem area has to be such that a structured analysis and design method would be adopted during information systems analysis and design. Otherwise it could not be considered to be information systems modeling support according to a structured analysis and design method. The YOURDON method (Yourdon, 1989) is particularly well known for its support of the problem area of data processing and real-time systems analysis and design. This means all clones of the YOURDON method described in literature include the real-time analysis and design. The selection of the YOURDON method to investigate this particular problem is based on the preference of students who worked with this particular example problem based on the course “Information Systems Analysis and Design Methodologies” at Delft University of Technology. The various versions of the YOURDON method give varying interpretations of its modeling techniques Data Flow Diagram (DFD), Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD), and State Transition Diagram (STD). The automated support must provide not only the required modeling techniques, but also the different variations of these techniques as required to deal with the problem area.
Building an Infrastructure to Manage Electronic Services
Authors: Gronlund Ake
Published: May 2011

For an organization to be able to deliver electronic services efficiently and professionally requires a “service infrastructure” including organizational solutions for logistics and customer (citizen) interactions. This chapter reviews a study covering three years of efforts by nine cities in eight European countries in developing such solutions. Generally, Web projects were seen as technical projects; though in fact issues pertaining to users and organization were most important, they were largely neglected. We found 12 distinct “challenges,” situations where the setting changed and the process was found in a stage of improvisation until new stability was achieved. The challenges fall into four categories, concerning users (4 challenges), organization (6), economy (1) and technology (1). We found that the overall process was largely unstructured and improvised. Stabilizing factors were central government policies (national, European Union), the general technical development, market demands and a cadre of Web agents” fostered within the organizations over years of Web projects. There was typically a missing infrastructure link, a body competent of managing the whole process of bundling services from different service providers and publishing them in a coherent fashion, providing support to service providers during the process of inventing, refining and evaluating services, improving operations and conducting the necessary but typically ignored activities of analysis of service quality and policy making. Our conclusion is that there is a great lack of strategic leadership in the field of electronic services in local governments in Europe. This is a big problem considering the importance of that sector and the challenges it is facing.
The Impact of Deregulation on the Quality of IDD Services
Authors: Yan Xu , Thong James Y.L.
Published: May 2011

The introduction of deregulation in IDD service with effect from January 1999 triggered a round of extremely fierce competition in Hong Kong’s IDD market. In response, both the incumbent operator and the new entrants had to adopt aggressive strategies to defend or gain market share. This chapter reports on an intensive experiment of the quality of IDD services provided by the major IDD operators in Hong Kong. An innovative research methodology was designed and 240 members of the public participated in the controlled experiment. Based on 1,790 successful IDD calls to the 10 most popular destinations from Hong Kong, the IDD quality of the major operators was benchmarked. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first large-scale experiment of its kind that had ever been conducted. The experiment revealed some interesting findings. First, the monopoly control of the international gateway by the incumbent operator puts pressure on the other IDD operators to devise an appropriate strategy balancing tariffs against the quality of the IDD line. Second, when competition becomes mature, all IDD operators must place more emphasis on quality. Finally, the full benefits of quality improvement in telecommunications service in a specific region are also subject to the level of development of telecommunications infrastructure in its counterpart economies.
The Role of New Connectivity Options in Information Infrastructure Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Yahaya Fola
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines innovative telecommunications connectivity options, in particular fiber optic submarine cable and satellite systems, emerging on the African continent and asks how they can contribute not only to improved telecommunications, but also to the broader development of information infrastructure within the region. It is argued that if less developed countries and regions are to implement telecommunication networks and information services that will serve their interests, they must prioritize development objectives that rest firmly in their particular economic, political, cultural and social context.
Online Marketing Strategies in the Information Economy
Authors: Rao Bharat , Minakakis Louis
Published: May 2011

On-line marketers are fast pushing the boundaries of the field through a combination of creative content, the use of in-depth market knowledge, and the deployment of interactive and analytical technological tools. Targeted on-line marketing has emerged as a viable form of reaching customers on the Internet. In addition to providing a cheap and effective way of reaching qualified and interested end customers, it offers several other advantages in the way marketers can establish long-term customer relationships, leading ultimately to retention and loyalty. In this paper, we offer an introduction to the phenomenon and describe typical business models for targeted marketing online. We do this through a comparative case analysis of Netcentives, Inc., a leading integrator of interactive media technology; Agency.com, a leading interactive media agency and NetPerceptions, Inc., a provider of collaborative filtering software. We then outline some of the challenges and opportunities in this new medium going forward, including issues related to consumer privacy and the changing nature of intellectual property.
Leveraging Online Information to Build Customer Relationships
Authors: Bauer Christian , Scharl Arno
Published: May 2011

Collecting and analyzing the available information about customers is at the core of building customer relationships. This chapter categorizes potential sources of online customer information and presents examples for their utilization in an Internet business context. Methods to gather and analyze customer preferences and expectations as well as to visualize the actual behavior of Web Information Systems users are identified and categorized according to information source. In analogy to customer tracking in traditional retailing outlets, the chapter demonstrates the need to capture and visualize how users approach and navigate through Web Information Systems in order to maximize the customer delivered value in global electronic commerce.
Media Content Management
Authors: Dimitrova Nevenka , Rui Yong , Sethi Ishmar K.
Published: May 2011

The production of multimedia content has grown overwhelmingly in recent years due to decreasing hardware costs, inexpensive storage and ubiquitous high-bandwidth networks. In addition, the introduction of digital video is completely changing the landscape of the entire video value chain. The easy access and increased availability of multimedia is posing new challenges to manage the data. Image and video archives in broadcast studios, corporate archives of multimedia collaborative sessions, video conferencing sessions and educational videos all require tools for quickly locating video segments of desired content with transparent access. The market for such tools, known as media asset-management tools, has been growing rapidly. In this chapter we will discuss the general architecture and the tools for media content management. We will survey some of the techniques that employ methods of data management beyond traditional databases. We will discuss existing research prototypes and some commercially available systems. These systems enable applications that facilitate effective access, interaction, browsing and display of complex and inhomogeneous information consisting of images, video and audio.
Design and Evaluation of a Content-Based Image Retrieval System
Authors: Squire David , Muller Henning , Muller Wolfgang , Marchand-Maillet Stephane , Pun Thierry
Published: May 2011

The growth in size and accessibility of multimedia databases has changed our approach to information retrieval. Classical text-based systems show their limitations in the context of multimedia retrieval. In this chapter, we address the problem of conceiving and evaluating a content-based image retrieval system. First, we investigate the use of the query-by-example (QBE) paradigm as a base paradigm for the development of a content-based image retrieval system (CBIRS). We show that it should be considered as a complement to the classical textual-based paradigms. We then evaluate the capabilities of the most up-to-date computer vision techniques in contributing to the realisation of such a system. Further, beyond the necessity of accurate image understanding techniques, we show that the amount of the data involved in the process of describing image content should also be considered as an important issue. This aspect of our study is largely based on the experience acquired by the text retrieval (TR) community, which we adapt to the context of CBIR. Similarly, the text retrieval community has also developed significant experience in evaluating retrieval systems, where judgements include subjectivity and context dependency. Extending this experience, we study a coherent framework for performing the evaluation of a CBIRS. As a practical example, we user our Viper CBIR system, using a novel communication protocol called MRML (Multimedia Retrieval Markup Language) to pinpoint the importance of the sharing of resources in facilitating the evaluation and therefore the development of CBIRS.
Semantic Content-Based Retrieval for Video Documents
Authors: Al-Safadi Lilac , Getta Janusz
Published: May 2011

The advancement of multimedia technologies has enabled electronic processing of information to be recorded in formats that are different from the standard text format. These include image, audio and video formats. The video format is a rich and expressive form of media used in many areas of our everyday life, such as in education, medicine and engineering. The expressiveness of video documents is the main reason for their domination in future information systems. Therefore, effective and efficient access to video information that supports video-based applications has become a critical research area. This has led to the development of, for example, new digitizing and compression tools and technology, video data models and query languages, video data management systems and video analyzers. With applications of a vast amount of stored video data, such as news archives and digital television, video retrieval became, and still is, an active area of research.