bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment
Authors: Uden Lorna , Beaumont Chris
Published: May 2011

Assessment probably has a more important effect on student learning than anything else. For the student, high grades and good qualifications signify success and open better opportunities in life. The converse is also true; so it is no wonder assessment drives student behaviour. Ramsden (1992, p. 187) expresses it succinctly: “From our students’ point of view, assessment always defines the actual curriculum.” When you add to this the consideration that assessment results are not only important to students, but also to teachers, departments, and whole institutions that are also judged on the results of their students, assessment becomes a hot topic. Thus, whatever we say we value, however well we design PBL cases and facilitate tutorials, at the end of the day the assessment is the key driver for student learning. What we value must be reflected in what we assess. In this chapter we explore a number of issues connected with assessment of PBL. PBL raises some particular difficulties, but in many ways it can quite naturally provide a constructively aligned system for teaching, learning, and assessment (Biggs, 1999). There are five fundamental questions we need to answer when considering assessment. Why are we assessing? What is the purpose of the assessment? What are we going to assess? How do we decide which learning outcomes will be assessed? How do we assess them? How do we develop the assessment tasksand grading criteria? When are we going to perform the assessment and, finally, who will do the assessing? In this chapter we will consider these in turn.
Evaluating Content-Management Systems for Online Learning Programs
Authors: Schnipke Deborah L. , Becker Kirk , Masters James S.
Published: May 2011

Creating quality assessments typically requires the involvement of many people who require access to the item and test information, which is stored in repositories called item banks or, more appropriately, content-management systems, since they store many kinds of content used in the test development process. This chapter discusses the types of options that are available in content-management systems and provides guidance about how to evaluate whether different content-management systems will meet an organization’s test development and delivery needs. This chapter focuses on online, fully Internet-enabled applications, since those applications have the most features.
Metacognition and Learners' Interactions with a Web-Based CALL Grammar Exercise
Authors: Chan Wai Meng
Published: May 2011

The nature of learners’ interactions with the computer has received thus far relativelylittle attention in computer assisted language learning (CALL) research. In particular,few studies have investigated the role of metacognition, acknowledged in cognitiveand constructivist learning theories as an important factor contributing to thelearning outcome, in the processing of CALL tasks. This chapter reports on a qualitativestudy that examined the relationship between subjects’ metacognition and theirinteractions with a German language CALL grammar exercise. The data collected seemto indicate that the effective use of interactive aids is dependent on the extent oflearners’ metacognitive knowledge. Conversely, it was observed that interactive aidshad a positive effect on learners’ metacognition by supporting their strategy use andhelping them build new metacognitive knowledge. Excerpts from subjects’ think-aloudreports and retrospective interviews will be presented to illustrate these insights.
Bioterrorism, Pregnancy, and Old White Men
Authors: Curtis Andrew , Leitner Michael
Published: May 2011

By the title you might think this chapter is a departure from the general theme of this book. I beg your indulgence as I plead my case, because pregnant women as a cohort have been tragically forgotten in the hazards and disaster literature. Although mapping of vulnerable populations is a recognized approach, I argue (and frequently have) that we need to reconsider our disaster mitigation, response, and recovery plans, directing attention toward neighborhoods with high proportions of high-risk pregnant mothers. I will argue my case over the course of this chapter and at the same time suggest a potential funding strategy that can tap into Homeland Security funding. This chapter will focus on one particular disaster, a bioterrorist (BT) attack, and suggest how community health units could leverage funding to start their own GIS in the form of a syndromic surveillance system.
Rural Health Issues and Their Investigation in a GIS Environment
Authors: Mills Jackie
Published: May 2011

The previous chapters have provided a background in factors related to infant and maternal health and the various ways these individual and neighborhood characteristics can be studied in a GIS environment. Though rich in information for approaching investigations in urban areas, this book has yet to delve into these issues from a rural perspective, wherein some of the salient variables differ and certainly these data require additional understanding for use with GIS. Therefore, this chapter introduces some of the topics that could be included in health investigations in rural areas, along with some of the caveats for working with and interpreting the GIS results.
The Target Business Environment
Authors: Fioravanti Fabrizio
Published: May 2011

During the last few years, whoever has been involved in software development and management has noticed that two different kind of projects have arisen: very large projects carried on by large companies over long periods of time (i.e., 1 to 3 years) and small to medium projects developed in a shorter period (generally less than 1 year) by small companies. The second type of project deals mainly with recent technologies; these projects are usually Internet-related and are subject to change often and deeply in the specification (Boehm, 2000; Cusumano, 1999; Kroeker, 1999; Miranda, 2002). Moreover, since the latest technologies are on the edge and change quickly in their specifications, the technologies adopted during the project lifetime are subject to modification, and therefore, the code usually has to deal with deep modifications. The second part of this book is focused mainly on this second type of project that is often described as rapidly changing. In the following chapters, I will offer suggestions on how to manage and develop such projects in an environment that continuously changes and how to adapt to user modified needs and deal with technologies drift.
ADPD and SW-CMM
Authors: Fioravanti Fabrizio
Published: May 2011

ADPD has been discussed in the previous chapter and introduced as an Agile methodology, but focused on reaching the Level 3 of SW-CMM (Paulk, Curtis, Chrissis, & Weber, 1993; Paulk, Weber, Garcia, Chrissis, & Bush, 1993). In this chapter, all the relationships between ADPD and SW-CMM at Level 3 will be discussed in order to verify how it is possible to adopt an Agile methodology and at the same time be compliant with standard methods such as the SW-CMM. In the chapter not related to Agile methodologies, a short introduction to SW-CMM has been reported, but in order to have clear detail of the matching between SW-CMM Level 3 and ADPD, it is necessary to describe in more detail the CMM Key Process Areas (KPAs) related to Levels 2 and 3. In Table 1, the KPAs for the target maturity levels are reported. KPA 2.4 will not be addressed in this discussion, since the target environment discussed in Chapter VII does not include the case in which subcontracting exists and since subcontracting requires a development method that is more structured; therefore, it is difficult to achieve by the ADPD or Agile methodologies, in general. Subcontracting can be considered for the sake of simplicity as COTS (components off the shelf); all the other KPAs must be addressed and satisfied. Paulk (2001) examines the relationships between XP and SW-CMM, evidencing if the KPAs are addressed totally, partially, or not at all.
Application Service Provision
Authors: Guah Matthew W.
Published: May 2011

This chapter not only defines the application service provision phenomenon, but also details the issues surrounding its emergence as an Internet strategic module. It reports on several studies that concentrated on the application service provision module impact on the day-to-day operation of a business.
Adaptive Collaborative Work and XML Web Services
Authors: Hori Mayumi , Ohashi Masakazu
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we discuss XML Web services, which integrates different systems and applications into one comprehensive system. XML Web services connects different entities such as corporations, governmental bodies, and nonprofit organizations, enabling the adaptive collaboration work (ACW) which is essential to promptly meet the increasingly diverse needs and kaleidoscopic changes in the economy. ACW is critical in the ubiquitous society where constant improvement of business processes and cooperation and collaboration with both existing and new systems are required. We propose the advanced application of XML Web services based on the ACW would enable a variety of organizations to collaborate with each other on the Internet and ultimately increase their productivity and efficiency. XML Web services effectively strengthens business management as it enables organizations to share personnel information across the board, therefore, organizations can unify management of their human resources. In the ubiquitous society, whether it is public or private, organizations need to develop and cultivate human resources capable of planning integrative strategy with information and communications technologies (ICT), designing and developing systems, managing hardware and software, and operating/maintaining systems.XML Web services based on the ACW gives suggestions on tactical solutions for these emerging agendas.
Future Trends
Authors: Guah Matthew W.
Published: May 2011

Now that we have seen what organizations are doing with Web services, the rest of this book will look at how Web services will affect Internet strategies in the next decade and possibly beyond. This chapter begins with financial forecasts from the professionals and later warns that organizations must first be in the position to refine their business models, crystallize their value propositions and strengthen the quality and management strategies of their services.
Conclusions
Authors: Guah Matthew W.
Published: May 2011

This chapter recaps the strategic direction of Internet-based business models over the last decade and points organizations to modify and rethink their business strategies and organization management after the dot.com era. It also reiterates a few implications for an organization’s decision to invest in Web services and looks at the issues involved in managing transitions to Web services. This is followed by a look at Web services as a form of challenge to new organizational arrangement. The chapter concludes with factors to consider when implementing and evaluating a successful Internet strategy.
Introduction to Mobile Multimedia Communications
Authors: Karmakar Gour C. , Dooley Laurence S. , Mathew Michael
Published: May 2011

In order to meet the ever increasing demand by people using mobile technology and its associated services based on multimedia elements in addition to voice, mobile communication technologies has since evolved from analog to digital and 1G to 4G. This chapter presents a contemporary review of all generations of mobile communication technologies, including their standards. 1G to 3G mobile communication technologies are mainly optimised for voice communication, using circuit switched networks. To provide high transmission mobile services at low cost in all levels of networks—personal, home, and cellular—it is imminent to exploit the merits of all existing technologies such as Bluetooth, WLAN, and HiperLAN, and use IP as a backbone network in 4G mobile communication standards. The key research challenges for mobile terminals, systems, and services for 4G networks are also presented in this chapter.
OFDM Transmission Technique
Authors: Rohling Hermann
Published: May 2011

The orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) transmission technique can efficiently deal with multi-path propagation effects especially in broadband radio channels. It also has a high degree of system flexibility in multiple access schemes by combining the conventional TDMA, FDMA, and CDMA approaches with the OFDM modulation procedure, which is especially important in the uplink of a multi-user system. In OFDM-FDMA schemes carrier synchronization and the resulting sub-carrier orthogonality plays an important role to avoid any multiple access interferences (MAI) in the base station receiver. An additional technical challenge in system design is the required amplifier linearity to avoid any non-linear effects caused by a large peak-to-average ratio (PAR) of an OFDM signal. The OFDM transmission technique is used for the time being in some broadcast applications (DVB-T, DAB, DRM) and wireless local loop (WLL) standards (HIPERLAN/2, IEEE 802.11a) but OFDM has not been used so far in cellular communication networks. The general idea of the OFDM scheme is to split the total bandwidth into many narrowband sub-channels which are equidistantly distributed on the frequency axis. The sub-channel spectra overlap each other but the sub-carriers are still orthogonal in the receiver and can therefore be separated by a Fourier transformation. The system flexibility and use of sub-carrier specific adaptive modulation schemes in frequency selective radio channels are some advantages which make the OFDM transmission technique a strong and technically attractive candidate for the next generation of mobile communications. The objective of this chapter is to describe an OFDM-based system concept for the fourth generation (4G) of mobile communications and to discuss all technical details when establishing a cellular network which requires synchronization in time and frequency domain with sufficient accuracy. In this cellular environment a flexible frequency division multiple access scheme based on OFDM-FDMA is developed and a radio resource management (RRM) employing dynamic channel allocation (DCA) techniques is used. A purely decentralized and self-organized synchronization technique using specific test signals and RRM techniques based on co-channel interference (CCI) measurements has been developed and will be described in this chapter.
Basics of Ubiquitous Networking
Authors: Park Kevin , Gutierrez Jairo A.
Published: May 2011

Networking is no longer a luxury but rather has reached a stage where it could be regarded as a commodity, if not a necessity. Improvements in networking technologies and devices have resulted in many services and facilities that were considered a dream just a decade ago. The demands of users and organizations are driving networks to provide four “A’s” networking, or the “anytime, anywhere, by anything and anyone” networking, referred to as “ubiquitous networking”. This chapter provides an overview of ubiquitous networking, commencing with a discussion on how ubiquitous networking environments will change our lives, followed by a section on the importance of networking infrastructure, along with the applications and services necessary to maximise the benefits of a ubiquitous networking environment. Furthermore, this chapter addresses the global evolution of ubiquitous networking including some of New Zealand’s attempts in this increasingly important field.
Mobile World Wide Web Content
Authors: Hu Wen-Chen
Published: May 2011

As handheld computing is a fairly new computing area, there is as yet no generally accepted formal definition. For the purposes of this book, therefore, it will be defined as follows: Handheld computing is the use of handheld devices such as smart cellular phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) to perform wireless, mobile, handheld operations such as personal data management and making phone calls. As explained earlier, handheld computing can take one of two forms: server- and client- side handheld computing, which are defined as follows: • Server-side handheld computing: Here, handheld devices are used to perform wireless, mobile, handheld operations that require the support of a server. Examples of such applications include: (a) instant messages, (b) mobile web content, (c) online video games, and (d) wireless telephony. • Client-side handheld computing: This refers to the use of handheld devices to perform handheld operations that do not need the support of a server. Examples of these applications include: (a) address books, (b) standalone video games, (c) note pads, and (d) to-do-lists. The terms “computing” and “programming” are sometimes confusing and often misused. It is important to remember that “handheld programming,” defined as programming for handheld devices, is different from “handheld computing” and is made up of two kinds of programming: • Server-side handheld programming: This includes the design and development of handheld software such as CGI programs that reside on servers. • Client-side handheld programming: This refers to the design and development of handheld software such as Java ME programs that reside on the handheld devices themselves. Server-side handheld computing and programming usually involve complicated procedures and advanced programming such as TCP/IP network programming. Here we will focus on the most popular server-side handheld application, mobile web content design and development, which can be conveniently considered in terms of three themes: • WML (Wireless Markup Language), which will be discussed in Chapters VI and VII, • WMLScript, which will be explained in Chapter VIII, and • database-driven mobile web content development, which will be covered in Chapter IX. Other kinds of server-side handheld applications, such as instant messaging, are related to advanced network programming such as TCP/IP and readers may refer to other technical reports or books for more information. The rest of this chapter describes the background and discusses system setup for server-side handheld computing and programming. A case study, adaptive mobile web browsing using web mining technologies, is given at the end of this chapter.
Java ME (Java Platform, Micro Edition) Programming
Authors: Hu Wen-Chen
Published: May 2011

Most client-side handheld programming uses either Java or C/C++. This chapter introduces Java ME (previously known as J2ME), which is a version of Java (Sun Microsystem Inc., 2004). Java ME is a collection of technologies and specifications used to develop a platform that fits the requirements of mobile devices such as consumer products, embedded devices, and advanced mobile devices. It creates a complete Java runtime environment tailored to fit the specific requirements of a particular device or market. Java ME includes user interfaces, security, built-in network protocols, and support for networked and offline applications that can be downloaded dynamically. Compared to other client-side handheld programming languages, Java ME is light-weight and easy to learn, although this also means that Java ME may not contain as many features as other languages. Advanced Java ME programming will be discussed in the next chapter. Chapters 13 and 14 will discuss Palm OS programming, which uses C/C++.
Forward!
Authors: Nissen Mark E.
Published: May 2011

This chapter includes guidance for learning from the book and for continuing to develop new knowledge about principled organizational knowing and learning. We first summarize the principles developed in Section I of the book. The discussion turns then to applying such principles to harness knowledge dynamics in your organization. We summarize in turn the leadership mandates induced in Section II of the book. The chapter concludes with our outline of the critical research agenda in the area of knowledge flows and principled organizational knowing and learning.
Introduction
Authors: Sankar Chetan , Rau Karl-Heinz
Published: May 2011

• Identify why Enterprise Resource Systems (ERP) have emerged as a critical success factor for companies • Understand that the market for ERP systems is growing rapidly • Know that skills to effectively implement ERP systems are valued by industry • Understand the rationale supporting the selection of case methodology for this book • Know how to use individual preparation, small group discussion, and large group discussion to analyze the case study • Understand the organization of the book
Multinational Companies
Authors: Sankar Chetan , Rau Karl-Heinz
Published: May 2011

• Understand different organization structure of multinational corporations • Apply the organization structure models to analyze the global organization structure of Robert Bosch GmbH • Analyze the regional organization structure for Robert Bosch US • Obtain an overview of the theoretical models of business strategies used by multinational firms
Robert Bosch SAP R/3 Implementation
Authors: Sankar Chetan , Rau Karl-Heinz
Published: May 2011

• Understand changes to the organization during 2000-2004 • Discuss the status of SAP R/3 implementation for RBUS • Understand the status of SAP R/3 implementation for RB GmbH • Discuss future directions for the IT division at RB GmbH
Another Example of Use of ERP Systems in a Multinational Company
Authors: Sankar Chetan , Rau Karl-Heinz
Published: May 2011

• Discuss how an ERP system was implemented at Sidler GmbH • Address the decision-making process in selecting SAP as a company’s new ERP system, and managing continuing problems with its implementation • List lessons in implementing ERP systems by studying this case study
Conclusions
Authors: Sankar Chetan , Rau Karl-Heinz
Published: May 2011

• Summarize the SAP R/3 implementation experience of Robert Bosch GmbH and Robert Bosch US • Review the inventory of skills that you improved by analyzing the case study • Identify skills that IT personnel will need to possess in future business environments • List lessons in implementing ERP systems that could be applicable to your future career • Acquire an in-depth understanding of ERP implementation by analyzing the implementation of SAP R/3 systems at Robert Bosch RB GmbH during 1992-2004 • Analyze the change management processes adopted by Robert Bosch using the change management life cycle theories for the periods 1992-1999 and 2000-2004
Offshoring as an Ethical Issue
Authors: Schultz Robert A.
Published: May 2011

Removal of jobs from one country to another to exploit lower paid workers tends to raise objections from those whose jobs are removed. However, historically, such jobs have tended to be low-wage, low-skill jobs, and the people holding them have typically not been able to mount effective resistance. Recently, highly skilled, highly paid IT jobs have begun to be exported from the United States, and although some of the questions raised are the same as for the earlier low-wage jobs, there are some different considerations. What are the relevant ethical considerations involved in exporting jobs to exploit lower wages? In certain circumstances, there seems to be nothing wrong with this practice. If, for example, the currency exchange rate makes work done in the U.S. cheaper than work done in France, but otherwise the standards of living of the workers in the two countries are comparable, it is hardto see an ethical issue here. This seems to be a form of arbitrage on labor prices. “Arbitrage” is defined as buying the currently relatively low-priced commodity and selling the currently relatively high-priced commodity in the expectation that the market will correct one or both prices. In liquid markets, it serves a scavenger function to even out price disparities. For example, New York-London gold arbitrage is a recognized function performed by some firms. They buy the cheaper gold and sell it into the more expensive market. The net effect is to reduce or eliminate price disparities. It is a sort of benign communication function in a market economy, helping to even out prices consistently throughout markets. Although offshoring has some of the features of arbitrage, it does not seem to have all the relevant features that make arbitrage a benign, healthy function of a market economy. The most important difference is that the “commodity” subject to arbitrage in offshoring is labor. In a true arbitrage situation, the commodity’s location does not change the nature of the commodity, and this is why price differences in gold are simply fluctuations due to market functioning. But it makes a big difference where labor is located. The whole point of offshoring jobs is precisely that we don’t want to move laborers from India or China to the United States, because then we would have to pay them prevailing U.S. wages. For offshoring to work, we must take advantage of a social context with prevailing lower wages. Offshoring is in fact a new ethical problem brought about by the availability-at-any-location feature of information technology. By the use of IT, we can take advantage of social contexts with prevailing lower wages when the relevant features of the job can be performed great distances away.
The Future of E-Business and E-Partnerships
Authors: Zhao Fang
Published: May 2011

As demonstrated in this book, e-partnerships have significantly improved the efficiency of e-businesses and the supply chain. The collaboration between e-partners has reduced operating costs, shortened lead time of the supply chain, enhanced customer service levels and helped eliminate transaction errors in the entire supply chain, thus adding significant value to the supply chain and other businesses. Kafka et al. (2000) predicted that in spite of the misfortunes of e-marketplaces over the past few years, from an international perspective, the demand for e-marketplaces worldwide will grow steadily from US$2.5 billion in 1999 to US$15 billion in 2004. The overall improvement of economic conditions worldwide in 2003 and 2004 and the recovery of investors’ confidence in high-tech and e-business industries have refueled the growth of e-businesses, including e-marketplaces. Indeed, the public interest in Google’s IPO launched in August 2004 is an indicator of the recovery. After two days trading, Google’s share price jumped 27%, and the company’s value (around US$29 billion) now equals that of the Ford Motor Company. According to the projection made by Forrester Research, online sales will grow at a year-over-year pace of 19% to US$225.9 billion in 2008 in the United States. Further, the number of online shoppers will also increase significantly, and nearly 5 million new United States households will shop online every year (TechWeb News, 2003). The mega-economic environment entails a positive and promising future for e-business, although there are many challenges and hurdles that need to be surmounted. So, what will be the landscape of tomorrow’s e-business and e-partnership? This chapter attempts to answer this question. This chapter is bifurcated, speculating the future trends of e-business and e-partnership extrapolated from current development and formulating overall conclusions based upon the research of the book.
Adopting and Implementing Telehealth in Canada
Authors: Jennett P. A. , Smith E. R.
Published: May 2011

Canada spans 9,976,140 square kilometers and has an approximate population of 32 million people (Statistics Canada, 2001). More than 90% of Canada’s geography is considered rural or remote (Government of Canada, 2001). Despite the highly dispersed population, and, indeed, because of it, Canada is committed to the idea that a networked telehealth system could provide better access and equity of care to Canadians. Growing evidence of the feasibility and affordability of telehealth applications substantiates Canada’s responsibility to promote and to develop telehealth. Telehealth is the use of advanced telecommunication technologies to exchange health information and provide healthcare services across geographic, time, social, and cultural barriers (Reid, 1996). According to a systematic review of telehealth projects in different countries (Jennett et al., 2003a, 2003b), specific telehealth applications have shown significant socioeconomic benefits to patients and families, healthcare providers, and the healthcare system. Implementing telehealth can impact the delivery of health services by increasing access, improving quality of care, and enhancing social support (Bashshur, Reardon, & Shannon, 2001; Jennett et al., 2003a). It also has the potential to impact skills training of the health workforce by increasing educational opportunities (Jennett et al., 2003a; Watanabe, Jennett, & Watson, 1999). Therefore, telehealth has a strong potential to influence improved health outcomes in the population (Jennett et al., 2003a, 2003b). Fourteen health jurisdictions—one federal, 10 provincial, and three territorial—are responsible for the policies and infrastructure associated with healthcare delivery in Canada. This article presents a telehealth case study in one of Canada’s health jurisdictions—the province of Alberta. The rollout of telehealth in Alberta serves as an example of best practice. Significant milestones and lessons learned are presented. Progress toward the integration of the telehealth network into a wider province-wide health information network also is highlighted.
Alive and Interactive through Streaming Media
Authors: Lassila M. A.
Published: May 2011

The advent of new technologies in organizations has created unprecedented challenges for professionals and managers alike to explore several cost-effective technology solutions aimed at improving communications among their target audiences. One such technology, which is gaining popularity, is streaming media. Streaming media has been around for approximately 10 years, but only now is becoming the fastest growing IT sector, with real revenues and a bright future (Alanko, 2004). Streaming media is a delivery technology that has great potential for enhancing the way people communicate and share information. The evolution of streaming media has made huge strides in the world of the Internet, from a medium which delivered unstable video streamed very slowly through inadequate networks, to one today that rivals the reach in some cases of small cable television channels and local market radio stations. The use of streaming media is becoming a mainstream communications tool in the public sector. It has the ability to enhance communications both internally and externally (i.e., important announcements, bulletins, community outreach, online learning, training, etc.). Many government departments have started offering live and archived Webcasting of numerous government meetings and programs via the Internet. Whereas outreach has previously been strictly limited to certain individuals, information is now being made available to a wider audience through the use of streaming media.
Applications of Geographical Information System in E-Government
Authors: Yongling Y.
Published: May 2011

Geographical information system (GIS) is one kind of information system that handles spatial data. It is difficult to give one definitive definition about GIS (Heywood, Cornelius, & Carver, 2002; Maguire, Goodchild, & Rhind, 2001). This variety of definitions can be explained by the fact that any definition of GIS will depend on who is giving it, and their background and viewpoint (Pinkles, 2002). The complete definition of GIS is selected here as: “a set of tools for collecting, storing, retrieving at will, transforming, and displaying spatial data from the real world for a particular set of purposes”(Burrough, 1986, p. 6). As an important part of e-government, is that it has functions of cartography, manages spatial data and spatial analysis.
Call Centre Evolution in the Digital Government
Authors: Ambriola V.
Published: May 2011

Public administration is undergoing a radical transformation. Citizens, rather than administrative documents, will be the primary and active subjects of the process of service supply. A new attitude toward administrative service is emerging. Citizens interact with public administration through new channels such as unified administrative counters, multifunction administrative counters, citizen liaisons offices, and Internet. Furthermore, having in mind the goals of shortening the distance between citizens to public administration and improving efficiency and efficacy of public bodies, the use of call and contact centres is quickly spreading out. It is worth to recall the recent case of Allô Service Public, the unified call centre of the French public administration, which on its first day of activation has been contacted by more than 100,000 people, more than any optimistic expectation. For a public administration, a call centre represents a simple way for interacting with citizens. Call centres provide many advantages such as improved efficiency, increased hours of operation, and reduced costs. The main advantage for citizens is that call centres can provide the information they need, as fast as possible and reducing waiting time. Call centres and contact centres are based on an innovative use of the phone channel, on one side, and on multi-channel strategies of access to service and information, on the other side. The combination of these two aspects allows public administration to develop and activate new modes of managing interaction with citizens. A phone-based information service is often the first channel chosen by citizens that want to get in touch with a public body. Call centres, on the other hands, have a relevant role for implementing the link between front-office and back-office services.
Community-Based Information Networking in Developing Countries
Authors: Rahman H.
Published: May 2011

The information era refers to a period in this globalized world when economies, social dimensions, and demography are largely dominated and driven by information, in contrast to the previously industrial development driven society. Information society, information network, and digital divide are terms inducted in very recent days. The key element in this periphery, is the information, and it is the easy and free flow of information to the demand routes. Because of the information-based nature of the modern economy, the globalization of the telecommunication industry, and the interdependent global environment, the value of the global network grows and more users are interlinked. The information society is driven by information, similar to the industrial society. This society is produced by a reliance on information as the most significant factor in the terms of production. Hence, it relies on the information economy to produce products, services, employment, wealth, and lifestyle on which the community depends. Ultimately the whole community of a country can be benefited by optimum utilization of information to be flown into each territory of the society. Given the right incubation, a community based information network molded by information can accelerate the pace of development. Rapid advancements and convergence of information and communications technologies (ICTs) have a deep and far-ranging impact on economic, social, and political life. The increase in the speed of and variations in communication flows is catalyzing an unprecedented growth in the exchange of ideas, goods, and services. Government, organizations and businesses that ignore this development and lag behind in adaptation risk themselves becoming uncompetitive, marginalized and out of the game (ABDI, 2002). Efforts have been given to accommodate propositions on fabricating nationwide information networks through utilization of the existing information backbones especially in developing countries, and a centrally driven content repository may eventually be established.
Configurable Reference Process Models for Public Administration
Authors: Becker J.
Published: May 2011

For the last couple of years public administrations increasingly face a modernization and performance gap which they try to close by reorganizing their processes. Reference models can provide added value in improving those processes and procedures. Their main characteristics, the storage for domain knowledge and their universal validity, create a high potential for reuse and therefore allow for the exploitation of synergies and the reduction of unnecessary tasks and redundancies. In order to reduce the amount of resources for adapting reference models to regional specifics the application of configurable reference models is especially useful and proposed in this article.
Coordinating Cross-Agency Business Processes
Authors: Gortmaker J.
Published: May 2011

A big challenge for governments from all over the world is to improve the service provisioning to their clients, citizens, and businesses. This is partly motivated by the aim to reduce the administrative burdens for citizens and businesses (e.g., Dutch Government, 2003, 2004), but also demanded by its clients, who expect the public sector to increase its attention on customer service just as businesses have done as a result of the rise of Internet technologies (Donnelly, Wisniewski, Dalrymple, & Curry, 1995; McIvor, McHugh, & Cadden, 2002). Due to the fragmented nature of governments (Wimmer, 2002), the activities that make up the service-delivery processes of many governmental services are often performed by different governmental agencies (Castellano, Pastore, Arcieri, & Summo, 2004; Contenti, Termini, Mecella, & Baldoni, 2003; Gortmaker & Janssen, 2004). Managing these service-delivery processes that span multiple agencies requires adequate coordination between the different subprocesses and different agencies. The trend of moving toward electronic service delivery makes the need of coordinating cross-agency service-delivery processes even more apparent, as citizens and business expect fast responses and customer-centric service provisioning. A complication is that information systems are also largely fragmented, which gives rise to a whole new range of coordination issues that need to be solved. A promising technology that offers many advantages to the problem of automating cross-agency processes is Web service orchestration (Gortmaker, Janssen, & Wagenaar, 2004). However, there is a lack of experience reports, literature, and case studies concerning the potential of Web service orchestration (van Hillegersberg, Boeke, & van den Heuvel, 2004). Moreover, orchestration should be viewed on at least two different levels: on a technical, and an organizational level (Gortmaker & Janssen, 2004). On a technical level, Web-service orchestration makes use of the potential of Web-service technology to orchestrate different Web services into one overall service-delivery process. On an organizational level, orchestration can be viewed as performing process orchestrator roles aimed at managing the interdependencies between various subprocesses performed by multiple agencies. This article investigates research issues concerning the application of Web-service orchestration technology and process orchestrator roles for coordinating cross-agency business processes. These research issues need to be resolved in order to be able to use process orchestrators in an efficient and effective way to coordinate governmental cross-agency service-delivery processes. First, we present the background of both Web-service orchestration and process orchestrators. Thereafter, we investigate a case study and use this case study to demonstrate the research issues that should be addressed for automating cross-agency processes using Web-service orchestration and process orchestrators. Finally, further trends are presented and conclusions are drawn.
Corruption, Transparency, and E-Government
Authors: Ostermann H.
Published: May 2011

Regarded from a historical perspective, the appearance of corruption is not a new phenomenon at all. It can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of China, Egypt, Greece, India, Israel, and Rome, which all provide evidence of widespread illegality and corruption. In spite of its long history, corruption increasingly became a political issue in the 1990s: corruption scandals contributed substantially to the resignation of governments in Ecuador, Brazil, India, and Italy and unsettled well-established ruling parties in Japan and Mexico (Lash, 2004; Sen, 1999). According to Sen (1999), “the prevalence of corruption is rightly regarded as one of the major stumbling blocks in the path to successful economic progress, for example in many Asian and African countries” (p. 275). Dudley (2000) estimates that 30% of the money spent annually for international development loans are diverted from productive pursuits because of corruption. Additionally, countries perceived as being corrupt suffer from lower (private) capital inflows, as foreign investors are deterred by corruption and its associated phenomena, which include bureaucratic red tape, mismanagement and the lack of secure property rights (Transparency International (TI), 2004). Overall, the cost of corruption represents 5% of the volume of total global output or more than 1.5 trillion dollars a year according to “rough, but conservative” World Bank estimates (United Nations, 2003c). Table 1 aims to illustrate the scale of political corruption by presenting estimates of the funds allegedly embezzled by 10 notorious (but not necessarily the most corrupt) leaders of the last 20 years.
Design of Government Information for Access by Wireless Mobile Technology
Authors: Ally M.
Published: May 2011

As the world becomes mobile, the ability to access information on demand will give individuals a competitive advantage and make them more productive on the job and in their daily lives (Satyanarayanan, 1996). In the past, government information was presented by government employees who verbally communicated with citizens in order to meet their information needs. As print technology improved, government information was, and still is in many countries, communicated to citizens using paper as the medium of delivery. Because of the cost of printing and mailing printed documents and the difficulty of updating information in a timely manner, governments are moving to electronic delivery of information using the Web. Currently, governments provide digital service to their citizens using the Web for access by desktop or notebook computers; however, citizens of many countries are using mobile devices such as cell phones, tablet PCs, personal digital assistants, Web pads, and palmtop computers to access information from a variety of sources in order to conduct their everyday business and to communicate with each other. Also, wearable mobile devices are being used by some workers for remote computing and information access in order to allow multitasking on the job. It is predicted that there will be more mobile devices than desktop computers in the world in the near future (Schneiderman, 2002). The creation of digital government will allow the delivery of government information and services online through the Internet or other digital means using computing and mobile devices (LaVigne, 2002). Also, there will be more government-to-citizen and government-to-business interactions. Digital government will allow citizens, businesses, and the government to use electronic devices in order to communicate, to disseminate and gather information, to facilitate payments, and to carry out permitting in an online environment (Wyld, 2004). Digital government will allow citizens to access information anytime and anywhere using mobile and computing devices (Seifert & Relyea, 2004).
The Digital Citizen
Authors: Papacharissi Z.
Published: May 2011

The objective of this article is to sketch out the profile of the digital citizen. The premise for this article rests upon utopian views that embrace new media technologies as democratizers of postindustrial society (e.g., Bell, 1981; Johnson & Kaye, 1998; Kling, 1996; Negroponte, 1998; Rheingold, 1993) and cautionary criticism that questions the substantial impact new media could have on reviving a dormant public sphere (e.g., Bimber & Davis, 2003; Davis, 1999; Hill & Hughes, 1998; Jankowski & van Selm, 2000; Jones, 1997; Margolis & Resnick, 2000; Scheufele & Nisbet, 2002). Concurrently, declining participation in traditional forms of political involvement and growing public cynicism (e.g., Cappella & Jamieson, 1996, 1997; Fallows, 1996; Patterson, 1993, 1996) position the Internet and related technologies as vehicles through which political activity can be reinvented. Still, conflicting narratives on civic involvement, as articulated by the government, politicians, the media, and the public, create confusion about the place and role of the citizen in a digital age. The digital citizen profile, therefore, is defined by historical and cultural context, divided between expectation and skepticism regarding new media, and presents hope of resurrecting the public sphere and awakening a latent, postmodern political consciousness. This article outlines these conditions, reviews perceptions of the digital citizen, and proposes a digital citizen role model for the future.
Digital Divides and Grassroots-Based E-Government in Developing Countries
Authors: Hossain F.
Published: May 2011

Once properly managed, e-governance can add tremendous dynamism in reforming public administration and can change the mode of interaction between the state and its citizens. However, concerns regarding digital divides and the challenges of e-governance in the developing states of Africa, Asia, and Latin America are growing. If the factors contributing to digital divides are not carefully identified and properly solved, there is a growing risk that in the coming years digital resources might become the preserve of the “haves,” while ignoring the plight of the “have-nots” as they seek access to resources in developing countries. The current Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan (2000) provided the insight that new information and communications technologies are bringing people together, and bringing decision-makers unprecedented new tools for development. At the same time, however, Mr. Annan added, the gap between information “haves” and “have-nots” is widening, and there is a real danger that the world’s poor will be excluded from the emerging knowledge-based global economy. E-governance in this article could be referred to as the use of digital devices, usually by public authorities, when dealing with their public, private and non-profit stakeholders. E-governance comprises a practice, process, or activities through digital means and could equally be practiced by different stakeholders in managing public affairs. While in contrast “e-government” is defined by Shafritz and Russel (2003) as conducting any aspect of government business operations over the Internet—from providing information by government to paying bills to the government. This article examines and analyzes the current status of emerging electronic and Web-based governance (e-governance) in developing countries. In doing so, the article outlines the market model, participatory state model, flexible government model, and the deregulated government model presented by Professor Guy Peters for reforming governance. In light of the above, the article brings forward the emerging issues of governance, e-governance, and the possibility of shared governance. Emerging e-governance is reshaping the process of administrative reforms in developing countries—which requires fresh academic research and a scholarly contribution.
Digital Morality and Ethics
Authors: Danielson P.
Published: May 2011

While “digital morality” and “digital ethics” may sound strange, the technologies that drive digital government and democracy operate as well in these less formal areas of social regulation. Information technologies can affect morality and ethics at several levels: facilitating compliance with moral rules, altering the formation of norms and rules, and aiding the ethical assessment of rules. This article sketches an account of ethical decision-making which lets us explore some threats and opportunities of the emerging technologies of digital morality and ethics.