bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Passive vs Active Approaches in Particle Approximations of Reaction-Diffusion Computing
Authors: Jones Jeff
Published: February 2011

Reaction-diffusion computing utilizes the complex auto-catalytic and diffusive interactions underlying self-organizing systems for practical computing tasks – developing variants of classical logical computing devices, or direct spatial embodiments of problem representations and solutions. We investigate the concept of passive and active approaches to reaction-diffusion computing. Passive approaches use front propagation as a carrier signal for information transport and computation. Active approaches can both sense and modify the propagation of the underlying carrier signal. Using particle approximations of reaction-diffusion behaviors in chemical wavefront systems, and the plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum, we demonstrate the similarities and differences between the two concepts. We provide examples of how both methods can be used for complex spatially represented computational tasks. We show that the active approach results in second-order emergent behaviors, exhibiting complex quasi-physical properties such as apparent surface tension effects and network minimization which may have utility in future physical implementations of reaction-diffusion computing devices.
Shifting Paradigms
Authors: Targowski Andrew S. , Carey Thomas A.
Published: February 2011

This paper explores shifting business paradigms and presents a new informated business architecture for global competition. The paper explores four graphic models of paradigm shifts in the scope of shifting: power, strategic resources, enterprise structure, and management control. Finally a new set of post-modern business rules is offered. The playing field for business has increasingly expanded and now includes the electronic global village. The village is less polar and more driven by market demand rather than the military industrial complex. The key strategic resources are the knowledge workers who work locally but think and profit globally, within a borderless enterprise. The new paradigm requires imagination and applied knowledge within a vastly shorter time span. Business is effective only to the extent that its knowledge workers participate in the electronic global village.
Pricing Strategies and Technologies for On-Line Delivered Content
Authors: Bichler Martin , Loebbecke Claudia
Published: February 2011

Electronically traded On-line Delivered Content (ODC) is data, information, and knowledge traded on the Internet or through other on-line means. ODC includes on-line newspapers, magazines, music, education, searchable databases, consulting, and eventually expertise and ideas. This paper describes market structures and pricing strategies for ODC. So far businesses have been restricted to versioning and group pricing, when differentiating their offerings. New information technologies enable businesses to charge personalized prices on the Internet. A crucial precondition for this is detailed knowledge about a customer’s preferences. We describe the latest trends in electronic catalog technology and new ways how on-line merchants can learn about their customers on the Internet.
Digital News
Authors: Palmer Jonathan W. , Eriksen Lars B.
Published: February 2011

This paper examines the news product (newspapers, newsmagazines, and broadcast news) on the Internet. Analysis of 50 Web sites reveals digital news product content, delivery mechanisms, and revenue generation. Content reflects the producer’s original medium (e.g. print version or broadcast) although often augmented with a greater number of articles or additional media. Delivery is immediate and many digital news products are customizing content and delivery through search and retrieval mechanisms. Revenue is generated through traditional retail and classified advertisements, as well as through market intermediation. Few digital news products utilize a subscription-based fee, and are instead generating income through their archives. The paper suggests a new business model for digital news products that includes content-based revenue generation through personalization, archiving and versioning, cost savings though low cost reproduction, subscription and pay per use revenue approaches and three approaches to advertising, including retail, classified, and more highly targeted market intermediation.
Perceived Value and Technology Adoption Across Four End User Groups
Authors: Jurison Jaak
Published: February 2011

This paper explores the role end user perceptions in information technology adoption from the perspective of innovation diffusion theory. It is based on empirical data from a three-year longitudinal study of an information system implementation in an engineering organization. Data were collected on six different applications and their adoption by four categories of end users: engineering managers, project engineers, professionals, and secretaries. The data indicate a substantial variance across time, user categories, and applications in terms of adoption rates and perceptions of technology. The managerial implications of the results are that differentiated implementation strategies focused on specific end user categories are likely to be more successful than a single broadbrush strategy for all users. The results also suggest a framework for predicting technology adoption in the long run, based on initial adoption rates and user perceptions of technology.
VDT Health Hazards
Authors: Clark Carol
Published: February 2011

The proliferation of end user computing creates a host of management issues. One such issue involves the potential health hazards associated with video display terminal (VDT) use. Both managers and end users must address this issue. Managers must strive for a healthy and productive working environment for end users. Eliminating or reducing lost work days and improving worker productivity in turn relates to the organization’s profitability. VDT related health issues are important to end users, managers, and the organization as a whole. This article outlines major health issues (e.g., vision problems, musculoskeletal disorders, and radiation effects on pregnancy) associated with VDT use. It provides practical suggestions for both end users and managers to help eliminate or reduce the potential negative health effects of VDT use.
Nursing Staff Requirements for Telemedicine in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Qavi Tara , Corley Lisa , Kay Steve
Published: February 2011

This research gauged nursing staff acceptance of a videoconferencing system within a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and identified a set of recommendations to be integrated into system design to maximise usability of the system by nursing end users. Both qualitative and quantitative data was collected through interview and questionnaire methods, designed to elicit system requirements from the nursing staff perspective. It is argued that videoconferencing should not substitute the physical tradition in which neonatal infants are monitored, nor be seen as a replacement for face-to-face communication. However, videoconferencing may provide a workable alternative when face-to-face communication is not possible. In particular, clinical and medical staff should maintain control over the operation of video links at all times.
Scanning and Image Processing System (SIPS) for Medication Ordering
Authors: Chan Stephen L.
Published: February 2011

This paper presents a physician order entry system in the ward (for medication prescriptions) by using scanning and image processing. Important design and operational requirements are presented. Then the scanning and imaging processing system (SIPS) is described. SIPS integrates different information technologies including scanning, bar code and other marks recognition, intelligent image capturing, server database access and retrieval, and network communication and printing. SIPS uses specially designed order forms for doctors to write orders that are then scanned into the computer that performs recognition and image processing. The resulting orders, including doctor’s handwritten images and other order information, are transmitted to the destinations electronically. SIPS reduces human effort (and errors). We observe that SIPS is an innovative use of information technology to meet the needs of a hospital that requires paper-and-pen operations. SIPS can be extended to meet other operational needs as an alternate input method.
Experiences from Health Information System Implementation Projects Reported in Canada Between 1991 and 1997
Authors: Lau Francis , Hebert Marilynne
Published: February 2011

Canada’s Health Informatics Association has been hosting annual conferences since the 1970’s as a way of bringing information systems professionals, health practitioners, policy makers, researchers and industry together to share their ideas and experiences in the use of information systems in the health sector. This paper describes our findings on the outcome of information systems implementation projects reported at these conferences in the 1990s. Fifty implementation projects published in the conference proceedings were reviewed and the authors or designates of 24 of these projects were interviewed. The overall experiences, which are consistent with existing implementation literature, suggest the need for organizational commitment; resource support and training; managing project, change process and communication; organizational/user involvement and teams approach; system capability; information quality; and demonstrable positive consequences from computerization.
The Focus of Research in End User Computing
Authors: Powell Ann , Moore Jo E.
Published: February 2011

During the 1980s, end user computing was often the domain of early adopters or “techies.” But during the 1990s, the information technology (IT) revolution reached almost everyone in business organizations. Sophisticated and useful end user tools, lower costs of both computer hardware and software, continued improvements in performance, as well as a more computer-literate workforce have considerably extended end user computing (EUC). To assess the extent to which the focus of EUC research has expanded or shifted since the 1980s, the present paper reviews academic literature on EUC from the 1990s and maps it to a framework developed by Brancheau and Brown (1993). In addition, the present paper statistically compares the distribution of EUC research topics in the 1980s (as classified by Brancheau and Brown) to the distribution resulting from the present review of articles published in the 1990s. Issues identified as being in need of research at the close of the 1980s are revisited to determine if academic research in the 1990s has attempted to address them, and suggestions for future directions in EUC research are extended.
Virtual Reality, Involvement and the Consumer Interface
Authors: Gammack John , Hodkinson Christopher
Published: February 2011

Consumer purchasing online is considered, with interactivity highlighted as a critical end-user issue. Levels of user interactivity up to and including virtual reality environments are now realistic in e-tailing. Conceptualizing interactivity to recognize the relevance of perceptions to consumer engagement motivates a focus on the user interface. Aspects relating to trust, usability and involvement are identified, and examined in a series of linked studies focusing on hedonic and high-involvement products, particularly surfboards. Preliminary studies across a range of businesses and products indicated consumer willingness to purchase hedonic products online, but many businesses imposed a high workload on online purchasers. Despite successful web marketing of hedonic products such as CDs, we found that no contemporary providers of customized surfboards offered finished product e-tailing, nor used virtual reality technology to demonstrate performance. A real case study of online swimwear purchase demonstrated an improved purchase process. “Beachtown”, a virtual reality e-tailing environment related to a coastal tourism economy allowed further examination of apparel, surfboard and holiday purchase. Results indicate that an enhanced interactive virtual environment increases end user involvement and willingness to purchase.
Perceived Control in Information Systems
Authors: Morris Steven A. , Marshall Thomas E.
Published: February 2011

The importance of perceptions of control in explaining human behavior and motivation has been identified, investigated and found to be significant in several disciplines. This study reports on an exploratory investigation assessing perceived control within the information systems domain. A survey instrument was developed based on the research literature to assess perceived control as a multi-dimensional construct. The survey was administered to 241 subjects. The results were analyzed to produce a set of five factors that represent a user’s perceptions of control when working with an interactive information system: 1) timeframe, 2) feedback signal, 3) feedback duration, 4) strategy, and 5) metaphor knowledge.
Business Software Specifications for Consumers
Authors: Wang Shouhong
Published: February 2011

Commercialized business application software packages have been widely used to implement business information systems. In order to determine whether a software package meets the system needs, consumers must check the software specifications against the target system requirements. Since the commercial software industry does not have a standard format of software specifications for consumers, free-formatted descriptions of application software and ad hoc demos are commonly used in marketing software products, but are often too ambiguous for consumers to uncover the implemented capacity. This paper proposes a model of commercialized business software specifications for consumers. It suggests that software packages need to provide specifications for consumers in four aspects: business operations, user-computer interfaces, user-perceived inputs and outputs, and business rules. Using an example, the paper demonstrates the implementation of the model.
The Role of Internet Self-Efficacy in the Acceptance of Web-Based Electronic Medical Records
Authors: Ma Qingxiong , Liu Liping
Published: February 2011

The technology acceptance model (TAM) stipulates that both perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) directly influence the end user’s behavioral intention (BI) to accept a technology. Studies have found that self-efficacy is an important determinant of PEOU. However, there has been no research examining the relationship between self-efficacy and BI. The studies on the effect of self-efficacy on PU are also rare, and findings are inconsistent. In this study, we incorporate Internet self-efficacy (ISE) into the TAM as an antecedent to PU, PEOU, and BI. We conducted a controlled experiment involving a Web-based medical record system and 86 health care participants. We analyzed both direct and indirect effects of ISE on PEOU, PU, and BI using hierarchical regressions. We found that ISE explained 48% of the variation in PEOU. We also found that ISE and PEOU together explained 50% of the variation in PU, and the full model explained 80% of the variance in BI.
Effectiveness of Computer Training
Authors: Hasan Bassam
Published: February 2011

This study builds on recent findings in information systems (IS) research and training literature to develop and test a model of the impact of multilevel computer self-efficacy (CSE) on effectiveness of computer training. The proposed research model makes a clear distinction between general and application-specific CSE and hypothesizes that the two levels of CSE will have positive effects on perceived ease of use, near-transfer learning, and far-transfer learning, and a negative effect on computer anxiety. The results of a field experiment conducted to empirically test the hypothesized relationships revealed that general CSE had positive effects on far-transfer learning and perceived ease of use, whereas application-specific CSE demonstrated positive effects on near-transfer learning and perceived ease of use. The results also showed that general and application-specific CSE had negative effects on computer anxiety. This study provides better insights into the relationships between the two levels of CSE and computer training outcomes and offers valuable research and practical implications.
Educating Our Students in Computer Application Concepts
Authors: Mykytyn Peter P.
Published: February 2011

Colleges of business have dealt with teaching computer literacy and advanced computer application concepts for many years, often with much difficulty. Traditional approaches to provide this type of instruction, that is, teaching tool-related features in a lecture in a computer lab, may not be the best medium for this type of material. Indeed, textbook publishers struggle as they attempt to compile and organize appropriate material. Faculty responsible for these courses often find it difficult to satisfy students. This paper discusses problem-based learning (PBL) as an alternative approach to teaching computer application concepts, operationally defined herein as Microsoft Excel and Access, both very popular tools in use today. First, PBL is identified in general, and then we look at how it is developed and how it compares with more traditional instructional approaches. A scenario to be integrated into a semester-long course involving computer application concepts based on PBL is also presented. The paper concludes with suggestions for research and concluding remarks.
Combining Tailoring and Evolutionary Software Development for Rapidly Changing Business Systems
Authors: Eriksson Jeanette , Dittrich Yvonne
Published: February 2011

This article reports on a case study performed in cooperation with a telecommunication provider. The telecom business changes rapidly as new services are continuously introduced. The rapidly changing business environment demands that the company has supportive flexible software. The company’s continuous evolution of the IT-infrastructure makes it necessary to tailor the interaction between different applications. The objective of the case study was to explore what is required to allow end-users to tailor the interaction between flexible applications in an evolving IT-infrastructure. The case study followed a design research paradigm where a prototype was created and evaluated from a use perspective. The overall result shows that allowing end-users to tailor the interaction between flexible applications in an evolving IT infrastructure relies on, among other things, an organization that allows cooperation between users and developers that supports both evolution and tailoring.
Spreadsheet Errors and Decision Making
Authors: Caulkins Jonathan P. , Morrison Erica Layne , Weidemann Timothy
Published: February 2011

Spreadsheets are both ubiquitous and error-prone, but there is less evidence concerning whether spreadsheet errors frequently lead to bad decisions. We interviewed forty-five executives and senior managers / analysts in the private, public, and non-profit sectors about their experiences with spreadsheet errors and quality control. Almost all report spreadsheet errors are common. Most can report instances in which errors directly led to losses or bad decisions, but opinions differ as to whether the consequences of spreadsheet errors are severe. Quality control procedures are in most cases informal. A significant minority of respondents believe such ad hoc processes are sufficient because the “human in the loop” can detect any gross errors. Others thought more formal spreadsheet quality control could be beneficial.
Knowledge Management Systems Usage
Authors: Poston Robin , Speier Cheri
Published: February 2011

Humans often seek input from others when solving complex problems and knowledge management systems (KMSs) support this activity by providing a computer-mediated approach to information sharing. However, if the content provided by the KMS is obsolete or incomplete, end-users may need to exert greater effort to detect these problems or they risk relying on poor inputs leading to less accurate decisions. As a result, most KMSs include rating schemes as part of the user interface designed to help users identify high-quality content. Rating schemes depend on current users rating the quality of the existing content, guiding subsequent users in their future content searches. However, specific ratings may be low in validity and not reflect the true content quality (unintentionally or intentionally). This study examines how rating scheme validity influences how users trade-off search and evaluation effort for decision-making accuracy. Results demonstrate that rating validity differentially influences how KMS search and evaluation effort relates to decision accuracy. The research findings provide insight into KMS user interface design and how end-users efficiently and effectively use the knowledge in KMSs to make decisions.
Social and Usage-Process Motivations for Consumer Internet Access
Authors: Stafford Thomas F.
Published: February 2011

Differences between light and heavy users of America Online are investigated using theoretical expectations derived from recent research on uses and gratifications theory. Measures of Internet-usage-process gratifications and Internet socialization gratifications were utilized to test for differences between light and heavy Internet users in the consumer market, and it was expected that heavy users would be more socially motivated in their Internet use while light users would be more motivated by gratifications related to usage processes. However, results indicate that both heavy and light users are more motivated by usage factors, although the difference between usage and social motivation was more pronounced for heavy users. Heavy users are more socially motivated than light users, but both heavy and light users show a significant preference for process uses and gratifications as compared to social uses and gratifications for Internet use.
Thinking Outside of the Ballot Box
Authors: Lippert Susan K. , Ojumu Ekundayo B.
Published: February 2011

Electronic voting, or e-voting, is a relatively closed process that contains inherent risks associated with the potential for voting irregularities, translation errors, and inappropriate manipulation (Oravec, 2005). To develop a greater understanding of trust issues surrounding the use of e-voting, an investigation into the public trust and the relationship between trust and electronic voting technology were assessed. Men and women of various ethnicities, ages, educational backgrounds, technological experiences, political affiliations, and prior experience with e-voting participated in this study. Rogers’ (1995) taxonomy of adopters—innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards—was used to classify individuals based on their willingness to participate in e-voting. A principle-components factor analysis (PCFA) with separate tests for discriminant validity and multiple-regression analyses were used to confirm the hypotheses. The findings suggest that innovators and early adopters are more likely to trust technology and express an intention to use an e-voting system.
Ratings Scheme Bias in E-Commerce
Authors: Poston Robin S. , Royne Marla B.
Published: February 2011

There is growing evidence that end-users are influenced by Internet-based opinion mechanisms before making a purchase. One of the most popular mechanisms are the rating schemes found on Web sites such as eBay.com, expertcentral.com, bizrate.com, epinions.com, slashdot.net, moviefone.com, citysearch.com, and so forth. Rating schemes affect end-user productivity in their ability to search and find products and services on the Internet. Unfortunately, ratings schemes can offer misleading information because those submitting ratings have personal subjective opinions, or those submitting ratings try to manipulate other users’ behaviors. For example, an author may ask family and friends to rate his or her book highly and his or her competitors’ books poorly. This article delineates the sources of rating scheme bias and the potential effects of this bias on how users utilize ratings. Data were gathered from 73 upper-division undergraduates completing a preliminary survey with open- and closed-ended questions and 164 additional students completing an exploratory survey to support the preliminary survey results. Based on our findings, we offer preliminary insights and develop a set of propositions to encourage a more rigorous and in-depth examination of rating scheme bias by both practitioners and academicians.
Using Metaphors for Making Sense of End-User Attitudes and Behavior during Information Systems Development
Authors: Hussain Zahid , Hafeez Khalid
Published: February 2011

This paper describes our use of Morgan’s (1997) metaphors for making sense of end-user attitudes and behavior in an information systems development project, in a UK National Health Service hospital. We employ a case study approach, within which we elicit the attitudes using a questionnaire and infer the behavior using observations and interviews. We present the results in the form of a journey, tracking the metaphorical shift for each end-user, over the project duration. We show how individual journeys can be combined to capture organizations’ shift in metaphorical 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. We also found that this shift was due to organizational conditional factors.
An Empirical Study of Computer Self-Efficacy and the Technology Acceptance Model in the Military
Authors: Levy Yair , Green Bruce D.
Published: February 2011

The U.S. Navy continues to be a major developer and procurer of information systems (ISs), yet very limited research has been done to determine the factors that influence technology acceptance by naval personnel. Literature suggests that efforts to embrace information technology in improving decision making and reducing workload depend heavily on the use of such systems. Moreover, previous research has shown the validity of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and computer self-efficacy (CSE) to model technology acceptance in numerous environments. However, very little research was done specifically addressing such technology acceptance with military combat ISs. Thus, this study examines the applicability of the extended TAM with a CSE construct model to the U.S. Navy’s combat ISs. A survey sample of 237 sailors from five different U.S. Navy aircraft carriers was used to assess such an extended model on a U.S. Navy’s combat IS. Results indicate that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and CSE were valid antecedents of technology acceptance (as indicated by intention to use). Moreover, high Cronbach’s alpha was observed on all measures, indicating reliability of the measures in the context of military organizations.
Organizational Factors and Information Technology Use
Authors: Arsal Riza Ergun , Thatcher Jason Bennett , Zagenczyk Thomas J. , McKnight D. Harrison , Ahuja Manju K.
Published: February 2011

Studies of information technology (IT) use have focused on numerous antecedents to behavioral intent to use. Although some antecedents (such as subjective norms) reflect aspects of the organizational environment, most antecedents reflect beliefs or attitudes about the technology itself. Using TAM, social exchange theory, and social information processing theories as conceptual bases, we posit that general beliefs about the organizational environment influence IT use on the job. Specifically, we propose that affective commitment, autonomy, and team member trust will directly influence behavioral intent to use IT. However, TAM variables (perceived usefulness, subjective norm, and perceived ease of use) will mediate the effects of organizational variables on behavioral intent to use IT. The results provide initial evidence that organizational variables are related to behavioral intent to use IT, but only when IT is perceived to be useful, and subjective norms favor its use. We suggest that when introducing IT, managers need to pay attention not only to technology-related issues, but also to the broader organizational environment in which IT will be used. Implications for researchers and practitioners are offered.
Information in Fleeting Opportunities
Authors: Almojel Ibrahim , Matheson Jim , Canbolat Pelin
Published: February 2011

This paper focuses on the study of information in fleeting opportunities. An application example is the evaluation of business proposals by venture capitalists. The authors formulate the generic problem as a dynamic program where the decision maker can either accept a given deal directly, reject it directly, or seek further information on its potential and then decide whether to accept it or not. Results show well behaved characteristics of the optimal policy, deal flow value, and the value of information over time and capacity. It is presumed that the risk preference of the decision maker follows a linear or an exponential utility function. This approach is illustrated through several examples.
Integrating Projects from Multiple Open Source Code Forges
Authors: Squire Megan
Published: February 2011

Much of the data about free, libre, and open source (FLOSS) software development comes from studies of code forges or code repositories used for managing projects. This paper presents a method for integrating data about open source projects by way of matching projects (entities) across multiple code forges. After a review of the relevant literature, a few of the methods are chosen and applied to the FLOSS domain, including a comparison of some simple scoring systems for pairwise project matches. Finally, the paper describes limitations of this approach and recommendations for future work.
A Cost Model of Open Source Software Adoption
Authors: Russo Barbara , Succi Giancarlo
Published: February 2011

A limited budget for IT may lock public bodies in obsolete inefficient solutions slowing down their process of innovation. Various actions of estimating, controlling, and reducing IT costs have been already performed at national and European levels and Open Source Software (OSS) has been often pointed as a promising alternative that may also render public services and the underlying business processes more transparent and accessible to citizens. In this chapter, we propose a model of cost of a migration to OSS as a decision making instrument that helps public bodies being autonomous and independent in the IT adoption. The model is empirically validated in the real daily operations of more than 3,500 users. If adopted systematically our model might be a powerful tool to support transformational government and to establish an empirical open knowledge base on the economic advantages of OSS on which to found future strategies of OSS adoption.
Meeting Correlated Spare Part Demands with Optimal Transshipments
Authors: Çömez Nagihan , Stecke Kathryn E. , Çakanyildirim Metin
Published: February 2011

This paper studies spare part transshipments between two service part facilities whose demands are correlated. Transshipments are used to reduce severity of part stock outs. Facilities are run by an inventory manager (IM) who minimizes replenishment, transshipment, and inventory costs. We show that the optimal transshipment policy is an inventory hold-back type; if the part inventory at a facility is less than or equal to its hold-back level, a transshipment request made for that part by a stocked out retailer is rejected. The hold-back levels increase toward the next replenishment of partsThis implies that transshipment requests are initially accepted until a critical time and afterwards they are rejected. A heuristic is designed using this critical time as the single decision variable. It performs within 0.7-1.8% of the optimal cost. Heuristic policies of no inventory sharing and complete sharing, respectively, perform within 3% and 2% of the optimal cost. Since the computation of hold-back levels and implementation of the optimal transshipments, respectively, require limited resources and little IM oversight, we advocate for the use of the optimal transshipment policy.
Investigating Strategic Alternatives for Improving Service in an Inland Waterway Transportation System
Authors: Smith L. Douglas , Nauss Robert M.
Published: February 2011

A series of five locks form a transportation bottleneck in the upper Mississippi River navigation system. With optimizing models, statistical modeling and computer simulation, the authors explore the effects of alternative scheduling regimes and infrastructure changes to improve performance of an inland waterway transportation system. In this paper, the authors show the value of triangulating and integrating analysis with different research paradigms in order to explore the effects of alternative strategies for improving performance of a major transportation system.
A Comparison of Pairs, Triads and Quads in Multi-Attribute Decision Making
Authors: Iacovou Charalambos L. , Shirland Larry , Thompson Ronald
Published: February 2011

The pair-wise comparison technique is a common approach for completing multi-attribute evaluations. However, this approach has limitations, especially for larger attribute sets, where the use of the technique is time-consuming because it requires a relatively large number of comparisons. The authors conducted an experiment to test the efficacy of three alternative approaches for eliciting preferences, specifically pairs, triads and quads. Ninety-three subjects used one of the three approaches to rank the importance of fifteen items. The results indicate that those employing the pair-wise approach took significantly longer than those using the triad or quad approach. In addition, the triad technique yielded more accurate results (compared to the pair and quad methods). Finally, the quad approach generated fewer intransitivities than the pair-wise or triad approaches. No differences were observed across the three techniques with respect to reliability or perceived ease of use. Implications are provided for both practitioners and researchers.
Knowledge Sharing in Supply Chain
Authors: Ajmal Mian M. , Kristianto Yohanes
Published: February 2011

This paper examines knowledge sharing in supply chain by developing analytical models to minimize knowledge sharing uncertainty. Analogies from thermodynamics are used to describe the phenomenon in supply chain knowledge sharing. The study finds that distance and sender capacity are important to reduce knowledge sharing uncertainty. Furthermore, higher contact frequency between the sender and the receiver without considering sender capacity is proven to be insignificant to reduce uncertainty. This mechanism provides a new approach to explicate knowledge sharing in supply networks. It also serves as a deep-rooted opening point for supplementary empirical assessment. The mechanism facilitates managers to expand their understanding of composite circumstances embedded into global supply networks to share their knowledge. With enhanced understanding, managers can spotlight their actions, increasing their firms’ competitiveness. This study provides a deeper theoretical understanding of knowledge sharing in supply networks with a practical approach.
Technical Note
Authors: Braulke Michael , Schimmelpfennig Jörg
Published: February 2011

The vertical merger of railroads involves the integration of several suppliers offering perfectly complementary services into one single market for a service bundle. In this paper, the authors analyse the welfare consequences of such a merger and present a simple Pareto-superior regulation policy. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the economics of a merger of two vertical rail monopolies.
Assessment of Pollutant Loads of Runoff in Pretoria, South Africa
Authors: Adeyemo Josiah , Adeyemo Folasade , Otieno Fred
Published: February 2011

Pollutants in stormwater are detrimental to the receiving water bodies. The study of pollutants in stormwater is important to know the appropriate management techniques to remove these pollutants. This paper presents an explorative study of runoff in Pretoria, South Africa. Common pollutants in stormwater are studied to determine their correlation with total suspended solids found in four different sites in Pretoria. The metals are strongly correlated with total suspended solids. It is suggested that treatment of pollutants by treating or removing solids may be extended to other heavy metals and nutrients to improve stormwater quality. In this study, some contaminants are identified to be associated with traffic volume. In this paper, the authors suggest that efforts should be made nationally and internationally to redesign vehicular products to eliminate the traffic contaminants in stormwater.
Gathering Under a Green Umbrella
Authors: Rushforth Richard , Phillips Chester F.
Published: February 2011

The Parasol Club is a student-run, collaborative group focusing on sustainable resource use at the University of Arizona (UA), especially rainwater harvesting. The group’s fundamental idea is that, as a land-grant university in an arid environment, UA should serve as a learning laboratory for the development and demonstration of techniques for sustainable use of water and energy. Parasol’s success is due largely to its collaborative model in which students work closely with facilities staff, faculty, and administrators to identify sites, gather materials and labor, and bring projects to fruition. Completed projects serve as a testament to the effectiveness of the collaborative model. As the group has demonstrated the power of institutional collaboration at the university, its circle has widened to include members of several academic departments, additional facilities staff, and university administrators. New campus projects are planned, and the group has extended its reach to work with Tucson primary schools and neighborhood organizations on rainwater harvesting projects. This paper discusses Parasol’s model as an example for collaborative infrastructure and project development at an institutional level.
Case Study Reclaimed the Greener Way
Authors: Kaliski John , Booker Queen
Published: February 2011

Thanks to the strategic priorities of the current federal administration, discussions about green management are a popular trend in the business community. Increasing efficiency, limiting energy consumption, and reducing waste internally as well as along the supply chain has been one way that managers have addressed “going green.” Some examples include front-to-back printing and stringent recycling efforts. For the lumber industry, going green is not as easy as changing how employees print or recycle plastic bottles, especially since one of the main resources in the lumber industry is wood. In this regard, the authors discuss a proposed supply chain model to reduce intra-process shipments, improve raw material acquisition and usage, and improve production yields through repurposing of the wood by-product created during the manufacture of reclaimed, wood-based products. The proposed model also suggests that entrepreneurial efforts could lead the way in innovating how wood by-products can be used to create disruptive methods that could lead to new wood based businesses.
A Theoretical Framework for Estimating Swarm Success Probability Using Scouts
Authors: Rebguns Antons , Spears Diana F. , Anderson-Sprecher Richard , Kletsov Aleksey
Published: February 2011

This paper presents a novel theoretical framework for swarms of agents. Before deploying a swarm for a task, it is advantageous to predict whether a desired percentage of the swarm will succeed. The authors present a framework that uses a small group of expendable “scout” agents to predict the success probability of the entire swarm, thereby preventing many agent losses. The scouts apply one of two formulas to predict – the standard Bernoulli trials formula or the new Bayesian formula. For experimental evaluation, the framework is applied to simulated agents navigating around obstacles to reach a goal location. Extensive experimental results compare the mean-squared error of the predictions of both formulas with ground truth, under varying circumstances. Results indicate the accuracy and robustness of the Bayesian approach. The framework also yields an intriguing result, namely, that both formulas usually predict better in the presence of (Lennard-Jones) inter-agent forces than when their independence assumptions hold.
Innovation Managed and IT Infrastructure Capability
Authors: Huang Leelien Ken
Published: February 2011

Appropriate information technology (IT) infrastructure capability is critically needed for organizations when seeking effective adaptation to a dynamic market. This adaptation can be treated as a type of management of innovation in terms of Miles and Snow’s typology. Although many studies have explored IT infrastructure capability, it is still unclear how that capability can be diverse among innovation types managed. We use Miles and Snow typology as a surrogate to measure various innovation types and examine how IT infrastructure capability can be differentiated accordingly. Our results show that not all types of IT infrastructure capability are important for facilitating innovation managed and different types of innovation managed have their own IT infrastructure capability emphasized. For example, IT personnel’s technical skills (e.g., computer or systems) are not relatively important for any certain innovation type, but business skills (e.g., performance skill, business knowledge, and organizational skill) are key differentiators. Companies may foster their required IT infrastructure capability according to innovation managed. Implications are discussed.
Leveraging Communities for Sustainable Innovation
Authors: Coakes Elayne , Smith Peter A.C. , Alwis Dee
Published: February 2011

The concept of using future innovation to achieve “right to market” (R2M) (Koudal & Coleman, 2005) is the focus of this paper. This paper discusses the relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation and posits that they form a system where innovation is optimised when these capabilities are closely linked. The authors contend that innovation activities are best ‘managed’ by an organization’s entrepreneur(s) and that part of this role is to identify Innovation Champions and facilitate their innovation-related activities. The authors also explore the social and community interaction necessary for innovation to flourish and explain the role of entrepreneurs in forming Communities of Innovation (CoInv) based on innovation champions and their networks. This paper argues that CoInv are essential to ensure that each separate innovation has commercial potential and is operationally accepted with support diffused throughout the organisation. The authors demonstrate these assertions through a case discussion and conclude with some final comments on the future of this research.
Adaptive Computation Paradigm in Knowledge Representation
Authors: Gavrilova Marina L.
Published: February 2011

The constant demand for complex applications, the ever increasing complexity and size of software systems, and the inherently complicated nature of the information drive the needs for developing radically new approaches for information representation. This drive is leading to creation of new and exciting interdisciplinary fields that investigate convergence of software science and intelligence science, as well as computational sciences and their applications. This survey article discusses the new paradigm of the algorithmic models of intelligence, based on the adaptive hierarchical model of computation, and presents the algorithms and applications utilizing this paradigm in data-intensive, collaborative environment. Examples from the various areas include references to adaptive paradigm in biometric technologies, evolutionary computing, swarm intelligence, robotics, networks, e-learning, knowledge representation and information system design. Special topics related to adaptive models design and geometric computing are also included in the survey.
Protoforms of Linguistic Database Summaries as a Human Consistent Tool for Using Natural Language in Data Mining
Authors: Kacprzyk Janusz , Zadrozny Slawomir
Published: February 2011

We consider linguistic database summaries in the sense of Yager (1982), in an implementable form proposed by Kacprzyk & Yager (2001) and Kacprzyk, Yager & Zadrozny (2000), exemplified by, for a personnel database, “most employees are young and well paid” (with some degree of truth) and their extensions as a very general tool for a human consistent summarization of large data sets. We advocate the use of the concept of a protoform (prototypical form), vividly advocated by Zadeh and shown by Kacprzyk & Zadrozny (2005) as a general form of a linguistic data summary. Then, we present an extension of our interactive approach to fuzzy linguistic summaries, based on fuzzy logic and fuzzy database queries with linguistic quantifiers. We show how fuzzy queries are related to linguistic summaries, and that one can introduce a hierarchy of protoforms, or abstract summaries in the sense of latest Zadeh’s (2002) ideas meant mainly for increasing deduction capabilities of search engines. We show an implementation for the summarization of Web server logs.
Motivational Gratification
Authors: Mariappanadar Sugumar
Published: February 2011

Researchers in the field of information system (IS) endorse the view that there is always a discrepancy between the expressions of client’s automation requirements and IS designers understanding of such requirement because of difference in the field of expertise. In this article an attempt is taken to develop a motivational gratification model (MGM) from the cognitive informatics perspective for the automation of employee motivation measurement, instead of developing a motivation theory from a management perspective and expecting the IS designers to develop a system based on the understanding of the theory that is alien to his/her field of expertise. Motivational Gratification is an integrated work motivation model which theoretically explains how employees self-regulate their effort intensity for ‘production’ or ‘reduction’ of motivational force towards future high performance, and it is developed using taxonomies of system approach from psychology and management. The practical implications of MGM in management and IS analysis and design are discussed.
System Uncertainty Based Data-Driven Knowledge Acquisition
Authors: Zhao Jun , Wang Guoyin
Published: February 2011

In the three-layered framework for knowledge discovery, it is necessary for technique layer to develop some data-driven algorithms, whose knowledge acquiring process is characterized by and hence advantageous for the unnecessity of prior domain knowledge or external information. System uncertainty is able to conduct data-driven knowledge acquiring process. It is crucial for such a knowledge acquiring framework to measure system uncertainty reasonably and precisely. Herein, in order to find a suitable measuring method, various uncertainty measures based on rough set theory are comprehensively studied: their algebraic characteristics and quantitative relations are disclosed; their performances are compared through a series of experimental tests; consequently, the optimal measure is determined. Then, a new data-driven knowledge acquiring algorithm is developed based on the optimal uncertainty measure and the Skowron’s algorithm for mining propositional default decision rules. Results of simulation experiments illustrate that the proposed algorithm obviously outperforms some other congeneric algorithms.