bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting Ambulance Diverson
Authors: Kuruvilla Abey , Alexander Suraj M.
Published: May 2011

The high utilization level of emergency departments in hospitals across the United States has resulted in the serious and persistent problem of ambulance diversion. This problem is magnified by the cascading effect it has on neighboring hospitals, delays in emergency care, and the potential for patients’ clinical deterioration. We provide a predictive tool that would give advance warning to hospitals of the impending likelihood of diversion. We hope that with a predictive instrument, such as the one described in this article, hospitals can take preventive or mitigating actions. The proposed model, which uses logistic and multinomial regression, is evaluated using real data from the Emergency Management System (EM Systems) and 911 call data from Firstwatch® for the Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust (MAST) of Kansas City, Missouri. The information in these systems that was significant in predicting diversion includes recent 911 calls, season, day of the week, and time of day. The model illustrates the feasibility of predicting the probability of impending diversion using available information. We strongly recommend that other locations, nationwide and abroad, develop and use similar models for predicting diversion.
Multi-Agent Systems in Developing Countries
Authors: Yergens Dean , Hiner Julie , Denzinger Joerg
Published: May 2011

Developing countries are faced with many problems and issues related to healthcare service delivery. Many factors contribute to this, such as a lack of adequate medical resources, a shortage of skilled medical professionals, increasing clinical demands due to infectious diseases, limited technological systems and an unreliable telecommunications and electrical infrastructure. However, the potential for multi-agent systems and multi-agent simulations to address some of these issues shows great promise. Multi-agent simulations have already been applied to modeling infectious diseases such as HIV and Avian Flu in the developing world. Furthermore, groups of smart agents, by their very design, can function autonomously and act as a distributed service, which greatly enables them to successfully operate in the kind of environments encountered in developing countries.
Ageing, Chronic Disease, Technology, and Smart Homes
Authors: Soar Jeffrey
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores ageing, chronic disease, technology and social change. Healthcare has been transformed through medical technology but there is much still to be done to enable seamless exchanges between all carers, which is expected to improve safety, quality and efficiency. There is massive potential for technology to transform the experience of ageing including assisting with the management of chronic disease, coordinated care and guided self-care for consumers. Innovative technologies are increasingly available to assist in maintaining health and independent living. This includes telecare, telehealth, assistive technologies, robots and smart homes. A challenge is in providing access to and support in the use of technologies where there are clear benefits to consumers, carers, providers and funders of healthcare. The chapter also reports on the Queensland Smart Home Initiative which is one of several organisations internationally that share a mission of assisting people to be supported through these technologies.
Operationalizing the Science
Authors: Kannry Joseph L.
Published: May 2011

Healthcare IT (HIT) has failed to live up to its promise in the United States. HIT solutions and decisions need to be evidence based and standardized. Interventional informatics is ideally positioned to provide evidence based and standardized solutions in the enterprise (aka, the medical center) which includes all or some combination of hospital(s), hospital based-practices, enterprise owned offsite medical practices, faculty practice and a medical school. For purposes of this chapter, interventional informatics is defined as applied medical or clinical informatics with an emphasis on an active interventional role in the enterprise. A department of interventional informatics, which integrates the science of informatics into daily operations, should become a standard part of any 21st century medical center in the United States. The objectives of this chapter are to: review and summarize the promise and challenge of IT in healthcare; define healthcare IT; review the legacy of IT in healthcare; compare and contrast IT in healthcare with that of other industries; become familiar with evidence based IT: Medical informatics; differentiate medical informatics from IT in healthcare; distinguish medical, clinical, and interventional informatics; justify the need for operational departments of interventional informatics.
Supporting Knowledge-Based Decision Making in the Medical Context
Authors: Anselma Luca , Bottrighi Alessio , Molino Gianpaolo , Montani Stefania , Terenziani Paolo , Torchio Mauro
Published: May 2011

Knowledge-based clinical decision making is one of the most challenging activities of physicians. Clinical Practice Guidelines are commonly recognized as a useful tool to help physicians in such activities by encoding the indications provided by evidence-based medicine. Computer-based approaches can provide useful facilities to put guidelines into practice and to support physicians in decision-making. Specifically, GLARE (GuideLine Acquisition, Representation and Execution) is a domain-independent prototypical tool providing advanced Artificial Intelligence techniques to support medical decision making, including what-if analysis, temporal reasoning, and decision theory analysis. The paper describes such facilities considering a real-world running example and focusing on the treatment of therapeutic decisions.
TACMIS
Authors: Cassim M.
Published: May 2011

TACMIS is an inclusive solution to the management of health care and medical information and its design is based on a detailed process analysis of patient journeys and the pathways of clinical care of stroke patients as they progress from acute care, through rehabilitation to discharge and independent living, often with a residual disability. The findings are the work of a team based in the Discovery Research Laboratory at Ritsumeikan University in Japan. The clinical analysis was conducted at King’s College Hospital in London and in several care institutions for the disabled and the aged in Japan.
eHealth and Ethics
Authors: Whitehouse Diane , Duquenoy Penny
Published: May 2011

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is increasing rapidly in many spheres of contemporary life in Europe. The ethical use of ICT in all areas of its application is of growing importance. This is especially evident in the field of healthcare. The regional, national, and Europe-wide electronic aspects of health services and systems are related fundamentally to these two developments. This chapter explores the relevance of ethics to eHealth generally. It outlines two main contrasting ideas that have influenced ethical thought: Kantian ethics and consequentialism. It investigates the ways in which teaching and practice for ICT professionals and trainees can be enhanced and extended to increase the awareness of ethical issues in eHealth. It takes as examples two technological applications that are in increasing use in the eHealth field: electronic health records and radio frequency identification devices. The chapter ends with a brief discussion and conclusions about how this ethical awareness can be expanded beyond ICT professionals to other stakeholder groups, and to other eHealth technologies or applications.
Trust and Clinical Information Systems
Authors: Shibl Rania , Fielden Kay , Bissett Andy , Pain Den
Published: May 2011

Our study of the use of clinical decision support systems by general practitioners in New Zealand reveals the pervasive nature of the issue of trust. “Trust” was a term that spontaneously arose in interviews with end users, technical support personnel, and system suppliers. Technical definitions of reliability are discussed in our chapter, but the very human dimension of trust seems at least as significant, and we examine what is bound up in this concept. The various parties adopted different means of handling the trust question, and we explain these. Some paradoxical aspects emerge in the context of modern information systems, both with the question of trust and with the provision of technical or organisational solutions in response to the existence of trust. We conclude by considering what lessons may be drawn, both in terms of the nature of trust and what this might mean in the context of information systems.
A Treatise on Rural Public Health Nursing
Authors: Sneed Wanda
Published: May 2011

Nursing informaticists can be leaders in promoting prevention of illness and diseases in the 21st century. Developing an infrastructure for application of preventive and predicative models in healthcare delivery is paramount. This chapter stresses the need for rural regions to develop paradigmatic models for incorporating all aspect of the human ecology domain. While movement in public health nursing is contingent on improvement in public health interconnectivity, nurse informaticists need to develop a classification system for public health nursing, develop databases for evidence–based practice, and incorporate the rural culture in their work. Incorporation of genomics in daily nursing practice will soon be a reality. As consumer-driven healthcare becomes the reality, the platform for healthcare delivery will change. A change to care delivery in a variety of community sites with electronic information exchanges and personal health records will require robust work by informaticists. Remote monitoring devices in clients’ homes are another arena which will require a new set of skills for nursing interventionists.
The Use of Virtual Reality in Clinical Psychology Research
Authors: Renaud Patrice , Chartier Sylvain , Fedoroff Paul , Bradford John , Rouleau Joanne L.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents research that is laying a foundation for new simulation applications that promise learning-oriented treatments for mental health conditions. After presenting background on their technologies and measurement techniques, the authors describe experimental applications of this approach. Analysis of negative and positive responses to virtual reality (VR) stimuli, as well as their complex composites, can lead to a better understanding of patient responses, including fundamental perceptual and cognitive causal relationships. Measuring patients’ dynamic parameters in VR simulations can possibly lead to new treatment approaches for psychopathologies The biological and behavioral feedback obtained by virtual mediation, based on parameters of the perceptivo-motor dynamics such those described in this chapter, represents a promising avenue for future investigation.
Visualization and Modelling in Dental Implantology
Authors: Pongracz Ferenc
Published: May 2011

Intraoperative transfer of the implant and prosthesis planning in dentistry is facilitated by drilling templates or active, image-guided navigation. Minimum invasion concept of surgical interaction means high clinical precision with immediate load of prosthesis. The need for high-quality, realistic visualization of anatomical environment is obvious. Moreover, new elements of functional modelling appear to gain ground. Accordingly, future trend in computerized dentistry predicts less use of CT (computer tomography) or DVT (digital volume tomography) imaging and more use of 3D visualization of anatomy (laser scanning of topography and various surface reconstruction techniques). Direct visualization of anatomy during surgery revives wider use of active navigation. This chapter summarizes latest results on developing software tools for improving imaging and graphical modelling techniques in computerized dental implantology.
Patient Journey Record Systems (PaJR) for Preventing Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions
Authors: Martin Carmel M. , Biswas Rakesh , Sturmberg Joachim P. , Topps David , Ellaway Rachel , Smith Kevin
Published: May 2011

This chapter articulates key considerations for the translation of the concept of the Patient Journey Record Systems (PaJR) into real world systems. The key concept lies in the ‘discovery’ of the use of patient narratives to locate the phase of illness in a patient journey. We describe our developmental framework of in the context of Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC) for older patients with multiple morbidity, who are at a high risk of hospitalizations and other adverse health outcomes. The framework addresses the feasibility and usability of an information technology based solution to avert adverse outcomes of hospitalization when this is potentially avoidable by activities in primary care. Key considerations in the PaJR knowledge systems are the design and implementation of robust expert knowledge and data support systems. The patient, caregiver, physician and care team perspectives drive clinical usability and functionality requirements. Experts from computer science domains in artificial intelligence, expert systems, and decision support systems ensure the requirements for the functionality of underlying systems architecture are met. We explore this transdisciplinary perspective and ways in which coherence might be achieved among the many practitioners and expert domains involved in a developmental framework for PaJR. We make a case for the implementation of PaJR systems as part of a universal move to electronic user driven health care.
Definition and analysis of a Fixed Mobile Convergent architecture for enterprise VoIP services
Authors: Penhoat Joel , Le Grand Olivier , Salaun Mikael , Lemlouma Tayeb
Published: May 2011

Fixed Mobile Convergence is an important challenge for telecommunication operators given the heterogeneity of access networks technologies and the variety of terminals. Fixed Mobile Convergence, which introduces the concept ’Being always best connected’, is considered to be the next step in the evolution of telecommunication networks and should increase the operators’ revenues. In order to enforce the concept ’Being always best connected’, this paper presents and analyzes an architecture for enterprises, named ’Business Zone’. After defining the Business Zone, we present its architecture and we analyze its main components while limiting our study to the transport of VoIP flows. Then we present two methods that we have patented: the first method authorizes a VoIP flow to be transmitted according to the available resources in the Business Zone; the second method enhances the decision process during a handover.
Fast Vector Quantization Encoding Algorithms for Image Compression
Authors: Swilem Ahmed
Published: May 2011

Vector quantization (VQ) is a well-known compression method. In the encoding phase, given a block represented as a vector, searching the closest codeword in the codebook is a time-consuming task. In this paper, two fast encoding algorithms for VQ are proposed. To reduce the search area and accelerate the search process, the first algorithm utilizes three significant features of a vector that are, the norm, and two projection angles to two projection axes. The second algorithm uses the first two features as in the first algorithm with the projection value of the vector to the second projection axe. The algorithms allow significant acceleration in the encoding process. Experimental results are presented on image block data. These results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
A Fast Image Encoding Algorithm Based on the Pyramid Structure of Codewords
Authors: Radwan Ahmed A. , Swilem Ahmed , Gomaa Mamdouh M.
Published: May 2011

This article presents a very simple and efficient algorithm for codeword search in the vector quantization encoding. This algorithm uses 2-pixel merging norm pyramid structure to speed up the closest codeword search process. The authors first derive a condition to eliminate unnecessary matching operations from the search procedure. Then, based on this elimination condition, a fast search algorithm is suggested. Simulation results show that, the proposed search algorithm reduces the encoding complexity while maintaining the same encoding quality as that of the full search algorithm. It is also found that the proposed algorithm outperforms the existing search algorithms.
FCVW
Authors: Tomek Ivan , Shakshuki Elhadi
Published: May 2011

Pervasiveness of Internet and increasing geographical dispersal of work teams result in continuously growing importance of groupware - software that supports collaboration within groups. Numerous applications have been developed to address collaboration needs and many are widely used but don’t fully satisfy work team requirements and the Internet potential. This paper surveys several groupware products and describes FCVW (Federated Collaborative Virtual Workspace), an experimental project designed to explore certain groupware aspects that are not sufficiently addressed by existing products.
Human-Computer Interaction and Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Peres Sarajane Marques , Boscarioli Clodis , Bidarra Jorge , Fantinato Marcelo
Published: May 2011

Nowadays, efforts in computer game development have been concerned to overcome entertainment objectives. In fact, there has been much effort aiming at finding, in Computer Science, resources to improve games in order to allow their application into education, business or politics processes. The effective introduction of these products in society requires that they are designed as accessible as possible to all individuals, including those ones belonging to minorities with special needs. In order to reach accessibility requirements, it is desirable to attend adaptability and usability requirements to provide products with higher quality and acceptance rate. In this chapter, we discuss the potential of combining the Human-Computer Interaction and the Artificial Intelligence areas aiming at promoting accessibility in games and, as a result, making them more democratic and useful for society, particularly for people who depend on the assistive technology resources.
Building Customer Relationship through Game Mechanics in Social Games
Authors: Hamari Juho , Järvinen Aki
Published: May 2011

The results provide several game mechanics that are located in the union of game design and business planning. Moreover, the results imply a new approach to game design in general by exemplifying how the traditional way of thinking about game design is no longer sufficient when the design of engaging mechanics needs to meet with business goals.
Business Process Management in the Computer Games Industry
Authors: Belfo Fernando
Published: May 2011

Computer games conceptualization and development are processes that have particular features with significant complexity. The life cycle at computer games development should attend the dynamism, the challenge and the opportunities of the game market. Business process management (BPM) pretends to give an alternative perspective of management to the departmental and hierarchical one. Game firm’s business should be seen with an integrated attitude, incentivising employees from different departments to work together in the same process with a common mission and persecuting same objectives. The importance of integrating the strategic level plans and the task level deployment is crucial for increased alignment and so, organizational performance. This can be better done if there is a process strategy definition, which links strategic initiatives with all needs of a process infrastructure. The processes´ standardizing tendency opens the chance to outsource parts of them bringing possible benefits to game firm and customers. The definition of a clear framework at the strategic level allows lower processes description and global business process architecture specification. Other important aspects of business process management approach at computer games industry should include ownership clarification, performance measurement mechanisms and obviously the identification and activation of improvement opportunities. Author elects business processes customization, integration of flows between firm and its supply chain partners and superior user interfaces using specialized workflow tools as being three improvement opportunities at games industry. In addition to those components, three additional extra concepts are considered critical to have a complete understanding of BPM. They are the conscious process management, the macro process management and the centrality of process. This chapter is going to follow these vectors in order to understand possible opportunities powered by BPM to gain competitive advantages in computer game industry.
Computer Games and Intellectual Property Law
Authors: Pina Pedro
Published: May 2011

In the present chapter, the author briefly studies the particular tension between the current copyright paradigm, based on the dichotomy active creator – passive consumer, and the control over creative transformative usages of digital works in the field of computer games, such as mods or add-ons, and exposes some reactions that go from voluntary licensing schemes, such as copyleft licenses, to compulsory licenses.
Computer Games and Libraries
Authors: Coelho Helena
Published: May 2011

This text consists of a review of available literature on these topics. It addresses the role of computer games in the teaching and learning process and aims at discussing its possible use as training tools for promoting information literacy in libraries.
Games and Simulations in Distance Learning
Authors: Bidarra José , Rothschild Meagan , Squire Kurt
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the selection and potential use of electronic games and simulations in distance learning supported by an operational model called AIDLET. After analyzing the different approaches to the use of games and simulations in education, and discussing their benefits and shortcomings, a framework was developed to facilitate the selection, repurposing, design and implementation of games and simulations, with focus on the practical aspects of the processes used in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). Whereas traditional learning is based on knowledge memorization and the completion of carefully graded assignments, today, games, simulations and virtual environments turn out to be safe platforms for trial and error experimentation, i.e. learning by doing/playing. New instructional models may require that rich interactive processes of communication are supported, that assignments are structured as game-like projects, and that a culture of interaction, collaboration, and enablement drives learning and personal development. In this context, the AIDLET model was set out and verified against a taxonomy representing the main categories and genres of games to meet the requirements of distance education teachers, instructional designers and decision-makers.
The Educational Value of Digital Games
Authors: Correia Ana Castro , Oliveira Lia Raquel
Published: May 2011

The use of digital games in educational contexts encourages active, critical, autonomous and participated learning processes, overcoming some of the limitations presented in more ‘conventional’ methods, engaging players in non-passive forms of acquiring knowledge and skills. Aiming to demonstrate how digital games make the learning process possible by allowing the development of critical thinking, outlined during the act of playing, we will proceed to a critical analysis of Spore, a game created by Electronic Arts in 2008, demonstrating how the player places himself in an active learning situation which is self controlled and self regulated, facilitating the comprehension of phenomena that are not a part of formal teaching.
When Control Education Is the Name of the Game
Authors: Pessoa de Magalhães António , Riera Bernard , Vigário Bruno
Published: May 2011

This chapter is about a serious game named ITS PLC, an interactive simulation tool aimed at control systems education and training that includes the latest technologies from the video and computer games industry; namely, real-time 3D graphics, physics and sound. The goal of the game is to make five virtual industrial plants work correctly by using an external and real programmable logic controller (PLC) running the proper software, which the trainee must develop. The main purpose of the chapter is to testify the excellent properties of ITS PLC as an educational tool throughout a collection of three success stories: the first one shows how virtual scenarios can be used to investigate real problems; the usage of ITS PLC in an “edutainment” scenario is the theme of the second story; the third case testifies the benefits of ITS PLC in introductory automation programs.
Web Portals Research
Authors: Tatnall Arthur
Published: May 2011

The topic of Web Portals, despite appearing to cover quite a narrow area, is an extremely diverse one. Amongst other things, it covers the technology of portals, how portal software is implemented and the many and varied applications and business uses to which portals can be put. This chapter investigates various approaches to portals research, concentrating on research related to the human aspects of portals and portal applications. It also introduces the idea that as a portal must be adopted before it can be used a worthwhile approach is to consider the portal as an innovation. The chapter then distinguishes between inventions and innovations and argues that there is nothing automatic about adoption of an innovation, and that this adoption can best be investigated through the lens of innovation theory. In particular, the chapter looks at how innovation translation, from actor-network theory, can be used in this regard and offers examples of how this can be done.
Adaptation and Recommendation in Modern Web 2.0 Portals
Authors: Nauerz Andreas , Thompson Rich
Published: May 2011

In this paper, we propose a generic recommender framework that allows transparently integrating different recommender engines into a Portal. The framework comes with a number of preinstalled recommender engines and can be extended by adding further such components. Recommendations are computed by each engine and then transparently merged. This ensures that neither the Portal vendor, nor the Portal operator, nor the user is burdened with choosing an appropriate engine and still high quality recommendations can be made. Furthermore we present means to automatically adapt the Portal system to better suit users needs.
Practitioner Case Study
Authors: Brewer Daniel , Adamson Greg
Published: May 2011

This interview-based case study describes current portal project practices based on a diverse set of projects, including B2B, B2C, B2E, E2E and mobile. Since 2000 portals have increased their functionality, and widespread availability of portal software has encouraged organisations to install and experiment with them. Portals are adding value by drawing applications together, particularly through search, and assembling existing tools for a user in a way that enhances their value. Operational challenges include support and security. Success has depended on beginning with support and security frameworks based on similar industry experience. Performance has been the key project success factor, and project sponsors are beginning to understand non-functional requirements: portability, scalability, availability, reliability and security. SOA principles are only partially applied, due to investment in existing systems. A recent trend is Microsoft SharePoint’s rapid market growth through ease of implementation.
Creating Successful Portals with a Design Framework
Authors: Lamantia Joe
Published: May 2011

Portal practitioners face the difficulties of creating effective information architectures for portals, dashboards, and tile-based information environments using only flat portlets. This article introduces the idea of a system of standardized building blocks that can effectively support growth in content, functionality, and users over time. In enterprise and other large scale social settings, using standardized components allows for the creation of a library of tiles that can be shared across communities of users. It then outlines the design principles underlying the building block system, and the simple guidelines for combining blocks together to create any type of tile-based environment.
Copyright and Ethical Issues in Emerging Models for the Digital Media Reporting of Sports News in Australia
Authors: Wyburn Mary
Published: May 2011

The chapter examines the copyright and ethical issues raised by emerging models for the digital media reporting of sports news in Australia. In particular, it explores the use by news organisations of a defence in copyright law that provides protection against an infringement action for the reporting of news and the use by sports organisations of journalist accreditation to limit, by way of contract, the uses made of copyright material generated at sports events. It briefly outlines some proposed responses to these issues, including amending copyright law or establishing an industry code of conduct for the accreditation of news organisations accessing and reporting on sports events in the digital media. These matters were raised in a 2009 Senate inquiry. The inquiry attracted submissions from international news organisations concerned that a more restricted access regime established by sports organisations in Australia might influence the terms negotiated in other countries. The conflicts arising in this industry sector are a small part of a much larger international landscape in which new digital communications technologies are offering greater business opportunities but at the same time challenging existing commercial relationships.
Security Technologies and Policies in Organisations
Authors: Falkner Nickolas J. G.
Published: May 2011

The ability to perform actions that were previously impossible or unfeasible has been one of the most challenging aspects that has accompanied the introduction of electronic systems for data management. This, in turn, has required a rethinking of a number of behaviours that had apparently been driven by a strong ethical code but now appear to have been more strongly controlled by the impossibility of the action. This chapter proposes a hybrid ethical approach to address the complex issues surrounding modern computer systems, having first identified the reasons why a simplistic approach is insufficient.
Effective Infrastructure Protection through Virtualization
Authors: Guster Dennis , Lee Olivia F.
Published: May 2011

In this current digital era, organizations are increasingly aware of the need to protect their computer infrastructure to maintain continuity of operations. This process involves a number of different concerns including: managing natural disasters, equipment failure, security breaches, poor data management, inadequate design, and complex/impractical design. The purpose of this chapter is to delineate how virtualization of hosts can be used to address the concerns above resulting in improved computer infrastructure that can easily be restored following a natural disaster and which features fault tolerant hosts/components, isolates applications security attacks, is simpler in design, and is easier to manage.
Firewall Rulebase Management
Authors: Chapple Michael J. , Striegel Aaron , Crowell Charles R.
Published: May 2011

The network firewall serves as one of the foundational network components for modern day computer security. A key challenge with respect to firewalls is the on-going maintenance of the rules of the various firewall devices, namely how does one keep the firewall at maximum security effectiveness in the face of changing security threats and enterprise application needs? To that end, this chapter focuses on contributions in two key areas with respect to the practice of firewall rulebase management. First, the chapter presents a general model for the auditing and analysis of installed firewalls that ensures compliance with security policy requirements and technical specifications. Second, the chapter provides insight for the proactive identification of rules that possess a high likelihood of becoming orphaned in the future based upon their similarity to previously orphaned firewall rules.
Defining Trust and E-Trust
Authors: Taddeo Mariarosaria
Published: May 2011

The paper provides a selective analysis of the main theories of trust and e-trust (that is, trust in digital environments) provided in the last twenty years, with the goal of preparing the ground for a new philosophical approach to solve the problems facing them. It is divided into two parts. The first part is functional toward the analysis of e-trust: it focuses on trust and its definition and foundation and describes the general background on which the analysis of e-trust rests. The second part focuses on e-trust, its foundation and ethical implications. The paper ends by synthesising the analysis of the two parts.
Organizational Communication
Authors: Olanira Bolanle A.
Published: May 2011

Significant research has focused on e-mail, face-to-face (FTF), and other asynchronous mediated communication as the communication media of choice within organizations. Modern organizations, however, have other unconventional tools at their disposal. While the economy of scale has made videoconferencing an affordable medium of choice because it precludes travel and is accessible on demand, the suitability of the videoconferencing for organizational meetings is scarce in the literature. As such, this paper explores and presents an account of videoconferencing use in a governmental organization and address implications for meetings and general communication process.
Usability in the Context of e-Learning
Authors: Zaharias Panagiotis
Published: May 2011

The issue of e-learning quality remains prominent on end users’ (the learners’) agenda. It is no surprise that many non-motivated adult learners abandon prematurely their e-learning experiences. This is attributed in a great extent to the poor design and usability of e-learning applications. This paper proposes a usability framework that addresses the user as a learner and extends the current e-learning usability practice by focusing on the affective dimension of learning, a frequently neglected issue in e-learning developments. Motivation to learn, a dominant affective factor related with learning effectiveness, has been similarly neglected. Usability and instructional design constructs as well as Keller’s ARCS Model are being employed within the framework proposed in this work upon which new usability evaluation methods can be based. This framework integrates web usability and instructional design parameters and proposes motivation to learn as a new type of usability dimension in designing and evaluating e-learning applications.
Does Self-Efficacy Matter?
Authors: Kim Young Hoon , Kim Dan J.
Published: May 2011

In this study, we propose a research model examining how self-efficacy affects consumer trust in web vendors, and how self-efficacy and consumer trust influence online consumers’ intentions to purchase from a certain web vendor. In particular, we separate the concept of self-efficacy into two types, general self-efficacy and domain-specific self-efficacy (i.e., online transaction self-efficacy), and we examine whether they play different roles as antecedents of trust in the realm of B2C e-commerce. The results show that online transaction self-efficacy plays an important role in consumer’s trust building while general self-efficacy does not. Online transaction self-efficacy is also an important determinant of perceived risk and a consumer’s intention to purchase. Although general self-efficacy does not play the same role as online self-efficacy, it is a key determinant of domain-specific self-efficacy (i.e., online transaction self-efficacy). This study provides a focused picture of trust-building and reinforcement of purchase intention in e-commerce, from the separated angle of self-efficacy. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed.
Delivery and Payment Options as Antecedents to Enhanced Online Retailing
Authors: Shanahan Kevin J. , Ross-Wooldridge Barbara , Hermans Charles M.
Published: May 2011

We first measure attitudes toward a product and attitudes toward product quality when an unknown brand is associated with a well-known and trusted co-brand in the form of payment and delivery options; employing a classic co-branding strategy. Theory suggests that association with a trusted brand should lead to improved positive assessment of an unknown brand. Results suggest the popular belief that trusted brands improve respondents’ assessments of unknown brands through a co-branding strategy may not be supported when there is a restriction on choice of payment and delivery options. That is, when including only a limited number of co-brands, brand associations may give the perception of restricted choice, leading to a lessened level of trust in the co-brand. We then repeat the study using a known branded product and known branded delivery and payment methods. Results show no difference in consumer perceptions between no cobrand and a full complement of cobrands. However, a restricted set of payment and delivery options leads to a more negative attitude toward the product and product quality.
An End-User’s Journey of System Use
Authors: Hussain Zahid , Hafeez Khalid
Published: May 2011

Using a new information system is a journey that end-users follow, sometimes by choice and at other times by obligation. This journey changes their attitudes and behavior as they explore the system and discover its workings. In this chapter we map such a journey using Morgan’s (1986, 1997) metaphors by tracking a change in end–user attitudes and behavior. We use a longitudinal case study approach to follow this journey, report the direction and any shifts in end-users’ conceptual position. Our results show that within a space of eighteen months the organization’s overall metaphorical stance shifted from the organism to the machine metaphor. This reflects the end-user’s initial optimism for the change to enable ease of working to that of efficiency dictated by the senior management towards the end. This shift was due to organizational conditional factors, such as the ISD methodology.
Capturing and Comprehending the Behavioral/Dynamical Interactions within an ERP Implementation
Authors: Burns James R. , Jung Don G. , Hoffman James J.
Published: May 2011

The behavioral and dynamic implications of an ERP deployment are, to say the least, not well understood. Getting the switches set to enable the ERP software to go live is tedious. But the difficult part is understanding all of the dynamic interactions that accrue as a consequence. Connectionist and causal models are proposed in this article to facilitate an understanding of the dynamics and to enable control of the information-enhanced processes to take place. The connectionist model facilitates the understanding of the dynamic behavioral implications of the larger ERP implementation installation per se. The underlying connectionist model will observe and detect information transfers and workflow. Once maps of the total infrastructure are determined by the models, an analyst can suggest improvements. The models become decision support aids for process analysts in situations where ideal process flows/information transfers are sought.
Analysis of User Involvement and Participation on the Quality of IS Planning Projects
Authors: Sridhar Varadharajan , Nath Dhruv , Malik Amit
Published: May 2011

The process of information systems planning is critically dependent on the users of the system. The involvement and participation of these users and its impact on the effectiveness of IS planning has not been studied in the literature. In this article we address the effect of user involvement and participation on the quality of IS planning projects. This was done through an exploratory quasi-experiment study conducted in an academic setting. We studied the effects of user involvement using two sets of teams doing IS planning exercises, one in which the user was involved as part of the project team and the other where the user was outside the project team, but was involved in interviews and reviews of project artifacts. We also measured the extent of user participation through a survey of participants engaged in the IS planning projects. Results indicate that user involvement has significant positive effect on user participation, as well as on the quality of IS planning projects. However the effect of user participation on the quality of projects is mixed and needs further research.
Assessing the Dimension of Magnitude in Computer Self-efficacy
Authors: Downey James P. , Rainer R. Kelly
Published: May 2011

Computer Self-efficacy (CSE) has been used in many studies as a predictor of individual competence or performance, usage behavior, and a variety of attitudes. Although CSE has been effective in explaining a variety of human computing interactions, there have been a number of studies in which the relationship was weak or nonexistent. One reason for such findings concerns how CSE is operationalized in extant instruments. Many (if not most) leading cognitive theorists (Bandura, 1997; Gist & Mitchell, 1992; Marakas et al., 1998) rather emphatically state that actual tasks must be used to most accurately determine an individual’s perception of ability (i.e., self-efficacy) for some task or domain. They suggest that using tasks, of incremental difficulty level within the intended domain, most accurately presents an individual’s self-efficacy and leads to stronger relationships with outcomes such as competence or performance. Yet one of the most utilized measures of self-efficacy uses levels of assistance (GCSE of Compeau & Higgins, 1995a), and not specific tasks. This study examines which methodology provides a stronger relationship with competence and performance. Using a sample of 610, self-efficacy (using both methodologies) and competence or performance were measured for six different computer application domains. Results indicate that for domains in which individual’s had lower ability, actual tasks were superior. For domains of higher ability, however, levels of assistance yielded stronger relationships. This study clarifies the relationship between self-efficacy and performance as an individual moves from low to high ability in a computing domain as a result of training or experience. Implications and suggestions for further study are included.
A Theoretical Investigation and Extension of a Model of Information Technology Architecture Maturity
Authors: Bradley Randy V. , Byrd Terry A.
Published: May 2011

Organizations that lack a coherent strategy for managing and evolving their IT platform and resources end up with fragmentation within the organization. Because the need for data sharing and systems integration is not always limited to the internal organization, the boundaries between the organization and its customers, vendors, suppliers, and partners are often blurred. It appears to be evident that organizations must have a clear idea of where they stand in regards to their own Information Technology Architecture (ITA) before preparing to adopt a new, shared ITA. This paper applies the reach and range concept and theory associated with strategic information systems planning to conceptually position ITA as a concept that provides convergence of a variety of frameworks related to IT and business alignment.
Collaborative Journalism
Authors: Chattopadhyay Saayan
Published: May 2011

Journalists’ responsibility has an intrinsic relation with the economic and socio-political institutions within which they work. To bring the notion of collaboration into the discussion of journalism and news media organization— irrespective of whether it is technological or social— would thus broaden its conventional intention of studying the social dynamics by which news is produced within key social institutions, and ultimately to propose a method for correlating the changing facets due to collaborative Web with established theories of the relationship between discourse, professional practices, and economic endeavors. What this chapter argues is that collaboration does not hinge only between a professional and an amateur, or trained reporters and common citizens, or perhaps more commonly, different kinds of media; rather, it is a much greater transformation since it is a collaboration between society and technology with its palpable economic implications. In this context, this chapter attempts to understand the emergence of “network entrepreneur” and his/her engagement with the multiple discursive and institutional networks. By referring to various mainstream and alternative news media organizations in India and beyond, this chapter questions in what way news media and journalistic practices are reconfiguring to accommodate a more collaborative platform that embraces participatory, networked, hypermediated journalism.
Dynamic Co-opetitive Network Organization Supported by Multi Agent Architecture
Authors: Renna Paolo
Published: May 2011

The emergence of institutional or informal networks, formed by cluster groups appears to be a major new feature of the contemporary industrial economy. The focus of this chapter is the development of a Multi Agent Architecture to support a network of enterprises that collaborate in a co-opetition relationships environment. The research concerns the investigation of a life cycle of the network in which the partners change dynamically. In particular, the enterprises that participate in the network can exit or continue to participate, while the enterprises that operate outside the network can evaluate to participate in the network. A simulation environment is developed to implement and test the proposed Multi Agent Architecture. The simulation tool allows to evaluate the proposed approach in a co-opetitive network during the operational activities. The simulation results show that the proposed approach is a very promising tool to support the plant’s participation decision.
The Influence of Collaborative Web on Knowledge Management, Organizational Structure and Culture in Knowledge-Intensive Companies
Authors: Kirchner Kathrin , Cudanov Mladen
Published: May 2011

Knowledge-intensive companies are quickly changing, involving many people working in different activities. Knowledge in such companies is diverse and its proportions immense and steadily growing. The distribution of knowledge across project teams, communities of practice, and individuals is therefore an important factor. With collaborative Web, tools like wikis, blogs, or social networks are used for collaboration and knowledge sharing. In this chapter, we question what influence these tools have on knowledge management, organizational structure, and culture of knowledge-intensive companies. As a result of our interviews and surveys done in Serbia, we found that with collaborative Web, organizational structure, culture, and knowledge management change is perceived among employees and that employee’s loyalty changes from company orientation toward virtual community orientation.