bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrical resistivity tomography and induced polarization techniques applied to the identification of gypsum rocks
Authors: Guinea Ander , Playà Elisabet , Rivero Lluís , Himi Mahjoub
Published: May 2010

Gypsum deposits are the currently exploited sulphate rocks with industrial purposes. In addition to the expensive drilling projects, geophysical techniques can be considered to estimate the economical potential of these deposits.

An electrical resistivity tomography survey has been carried out in the Pira gypsum formation (SE of the Catalan margin of the Tertiary Ebro Basin, Spain). Additionally, a continuous coring drill was performed in order to support the study. Electrical imaging has been successfully applied to identify the gypsum deposits interlayered in lutite units. Nevertheless, the gypsum‐lutite boundaries are diffuse and uncertain in the tomographic lines. Comparison of the cores of the borehole and the electrical response shows a meaningful correlation between electrical resistivity and purity of gypsum. The electrical resistivity tomography profiles display a rather wide range of electrical resistivity value (from ) for the investigated gypsum facies. The highest values are attributed to sulphate layers with >90% of gypsum mineral. Lutite units display higher values than expected due to the presence of evaporite minerals within them (>10 ).

Additionally, induced polarization measures have been performed in order to study the chargeability of gypsum deposits. It has been evidenced that impure gypsum rocks (with important presence of lutites within) are slightly chargeable. This property has allowed distinguishing between lutite levels and clay‐rich gypsum rocks.

Electrical resistivity tomography lines are useful in the prospection of gypsum deposits. However, electrical imaging prospection should be supported by an accurate petrological study of the deposits, in order to properly interpret the resistivity profiles.
Effective Stakeholder Knowledge Sharing for Effective Organizational Memory
Authors: Robinson Nicholas P. , Ensign Prescott C.
Published: May 2010

This chapter argues that a trusting corporate culture predicated on values that emphasize sharing and encourage interactions amongst stakeholders at all levels spawns knowledge sharing activities and leads to the development of robust organizational memory reserves. The authors argue that the importance of knowledge management in the information age will make it essential that competitive companies inculcate stakeholders with the values necessary to encourage the production, sharing, and storage of knowledge for the benefit of the organization and its stakeholders. The authors demonstrate that having the proper systems and processes in place and fostering a culture that values sharing should help organizations to develop and use latent knowledge reserves. An experiential learning model is used to illustrate how mere data can be transformed into commercially viable knowledge.
Knowledge Transfer within Multinational Corporations
Authors: Haghirian Parissa
Published: May 2010

A growing interest in the various aspects of knowledge transfer within multinational corporations has been evidenced by a recent surge in empirical research. Despite the fact that the number of empirical studies investigating various aspects of knowledge transfer within multinational corporations has significantly increased, very few insights into the influence of culture on knowledge transfer, however, have come to light. In fact, the cultural aspects and the individuals involved in the transfer and communication of corporate knowledge within multinational corporations seemed to have been overlooked by researchers. This chapter attempts to fill this gap and investigates the impact culture has upon knowledge transfer processes within multinational corporations. It presents a comprehensive intercultural knowledge transfer model and identifies which aspects of national culture hinder and which aspects foster an effective transfer of knowledge.
Organizational Memory Challenges Faced by Non-Profit Organizations
Authors: Dalkir Kimiz
Published: May 2010

Research on how organizational memories can be created, preserved and made available for future reuse in NPOs is presented. An initial review of the existing literature on organizational memory research is summarized. Particular emphasis is placed on the technologies used to support organizational memories and cultural considerations, particularly with respect to incentives. Three case studies are then be described to illustrate the particular challenges faced by the NPO sector: the Second Start school for students with behavioral problems, La Centrale, an artist-run centre, and Oxfam Quebec, an international aid organization. The chapter concludes with a proposed typology that can be used to characterize organizational memory models and systems that are best suited to different types of NPOs, which will vary with respect to main features such as organizational maturity, size and complexity.
Creating and Sustaining Meta Organizational Memory
Authors: McIntyre Susan G.
Published: May 2010

The case study of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological-Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Research and Technology Initiative (CRTI), a Canadian government meta-organizational collaborative initiative, is presented. Multiple federal departments and agencies have a joint responsibility for creating a knowledge base and a national memory for the purposes of protecting the country against CBRNE threats posed by terrorists. The conditions of a meta-organization present particular opportunities and challenges for organizational learning and organizational memory. Organizational learning and knowledge management theory provide the premises for addressing these issues. An intentional knowledge management strategy has been instrumental in organizational learning, resulting in a knowledge base for a collective organizational memory. Ongoing challenges are being addressed by the strategy.
Understanding Organizational Memory
Authors: Jasimuddin Sajjad M. , Connell N.A.D. , Klein Jonathan H.
Published: May 2010

It is generally recognized that Walsh and Ungson (1991) “provided the first integrative framework for thinking about organizational memory” (Olivera, 2000, p. 813). Within the field of knowledge management (KM), there has been interest in a variety of issues surrounding organizational memory (OM), which is understood to involve processes of storage and retrieval of organizational knowledge of the past for use in both the present and the future. The recognition of the importance of OM has implications for practice. For example, Argote, Beckman, and Epple (1990) suggest that the effective use of OM can protect an organization from some of the negative effects of staff loss, while Stein (1995, p. 19) asserts that an appreciation of OM can facilitate the solution of problems associated with the retention and utilization of knowledge within organizations.
Introduction to Very Large IT Projects
Authors: Guah Matthew
Published: May 2010

This chapter classifies the purpose of project management in IT projects as a means of introducing the topics covered in the book and demonstrates how a successful project manager must simultaneously manage these four basic elements of a very large IT project (resources, time, money, and scope). It also explains the impact of very large IT projects on business and the wider society today.
Methodologies for Implementing VLITPs
Authors: Guah Matthew
Published: May 2010

Different VLITP methodologies are capable of solving various types of problems during a project life cycle. This chapter shows that effect of VLITP methodologies can be widespread, especially in regards to project phases, resource allocation, project monitoring, adjustment of project scope, correction activities, and so forth. It reviews several methodologies that are often used to implement VLITP.
IT Security
Authors: Guah Matthew
Published: May 2010

One area that has scarcely received attention in the IT security literature, is the role that individual compliance plays in preventing cyber-attacks. Specifically, how individuals take precautions, how they are motivated to take precautions, and the impact of corporate security policies on individual precaution-taking behaviour have not been extensively researched. Existing literature has underdeveloped conceptualizations of how these control systems work in the realm of information security. This chapter adds to the body of knowledge concerning the socio-organizational perspective for understanding IT security management in the organization that implement VLITP. It examines the VLITP implementation process for achieving IT security management BS 7799 Part 2 certification. The author also gives regards to the role of individual perceptions of the compulsion of controls as a significant part of the IT security process. Focusing more on behavioural aspects of security during the implementation of VLITP, this book considers Information security is to be different from computer security—which is the encompassing of information security in addition to the other aspects of security such as technical aspects, physical security, system security, networking issues, and so forth.. IT security risk considerations cause are capable of causing particular concern on the interdependence of IT systems and inject another element of complexity in the application of the policies governing VLITPs.
Ergonomics of Very Large IT Projects
Authors: Guah Matthew
Published: May 2010

Medical accidents, such as those that occur as a consequence of errors in medical systems, rarely happen because of a single failure. They are usually the consequence of a multiple breakdown in the system. This chapter explores the potential for risk and, demonstrates the need to improve design interventions in a VLITP context. It considers issues that range from the design, packaging and labelling of VLITP environment in which medical systems error might occur. The ergonomics systems approach to VLITP is an appropriate method for involving all key users and for addressing their needs. This requires generic issues to be considered. Such issues include: task design, interface analysis, communication interface, variation in user characteristics, and needs (including motivation and culture), training needs, work organizational issues, and the evaluation of interventions and current practice.
Service-Oriented Architecture
Authors: Guah Matthew
Published: May 2010

For centuries, organizations have been trying to exchange information between their applications by linking them together. However, such application integration has not been as successful as organizations have hoped. With the introduction of SOA, application integration is more successful than the previous integration techniques. SOA is a design philosophy in which resources are cleanly partitioned into remotely accessible software components performing self-contained functionalities, called services. The reinvention of SOA in recent times is attributed to the rise of Web Services, which has become commonly used in VLITP to expose services within the host organization. However SOA can also be implemented with other service exposing techniques. SOA is based on the concept of separation of concerns, realizing that no single entity can be best at everything. SOA is usually implemented using an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB). The ESB is responsible for routing, prioritizing, scheduling, monitoring, and controlling the flow of traffic between services and therefore forms the middleware for Service Orientation.
Business Process Management
Authors: Guah Matthew
Published: May 2010

The chapter seeks to advance the practice perspective of VLITP by drawing attention to individual, collective sub-teams and host organizational sense making. It reveals some of the inner workings of VLITP implementation strategies in practice today and attempts to form the theoretical bases for examining a case for BPM in VLITP implementation situations. The chapter looks at various BPM concepts including BPM practices in project management, since the mid 1990’s, though originating from the early 1920s. It introduces three waves of BPM throughout the years before providing a comprehensive definition of BPM in the VLITP situation.
Case Study II
Authors: Guah Matthew
Published: May 2010

VLITP can shift the direction of organizations by introducing new systems and emerging technologies that can serve as a trigger for change to the entire business strategy of an organization. Using VLITP simply for creating new possibilities, new markets, or enabling existing alternatives to be reachable can also trigger much needed change. The implementation of a new technology like RFID implies a direct relationship between business and IT—something that has become of increased importance in the last decade. Airlines are a vital part of the service industry, focusing on the transportation of people, their luggage, and goods from one point to another. RFID brought into the airline industry a system that tracks the location of passengers’ luggage, directly impacting the level of service an airline can provide its customer. RFID introduced new possibilities in luggage handling that are beginning to impact the entire airline industry. In the commercial airline industry, where fiercely competition has been well established, customer satisfaction and service level are important selection factors for passengers. Like its predecessor—the barcode system—RFID tracks luggage and is used to identify which baggage belongs to which customer but using a different technique to do so. RFID, being a lot more accurate then the barcode system, makes the decision by an airline to implement it a move to establish its critical performance indicator.
The Agile Manifesto and Open Source Software
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

The four main statements shared by all AMs are listed in the so-called Agile Manifesto: 1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools 2. Working software over comprehensive documentation 3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation 4. Responding to change over following a plan In this section, we review these statements to determine the extent to which they apply to OSS.
Values and Principles Practices in Agile and Open Source Development
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

Values are ideals that that a group of people embrace. They can be positive or negative, for example empowerment or control. These values are implicit in the personality or culture of a company. Values are often emotive; they represent driving forces behind people. The word principle stems from the Latin for leader or emperor, however in this context we mean it as a general law or essence, for instance principles of modern physics.
Testing
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

Software testing is the process that controls the quality of software (Myers, 1979). Software testing is comprised in any development process and every method of development applies practices for software testing (Burnstein, 2003; Kaner et al., 2002). Traditional methods of development, like the waterfall approach, allocate software testing in a given phase of the overall development process – e.g., toward the end of the software lifecycle. In modern methods, practices of software testing rather permeate the whole development process in an iterative and increasing way (Black, 2002; Spillner et al., 2007) – e.g., in XP.
Case Studies
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

AMs have been developed considering mainly environments that are limited such as companies. For instance, XP defines practices such as 40-hours per week and pair programming that make sense only inside companies. However, the basic principles and most of the related practices are not bounded to such environments and can be useful to organize Agile teams in different contexts such as in OS communities.
Improving Agile Methods
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

Apart from personal experience, anecdotal evidence and demonstrations are still the most prevalent and diffused methods on which software engineers have to base their knowledge and decisions. Although – by searching on line databases such as the ACM1 or IEEE2 libraries – we find numerous papers for example on software quality or cost estimation many of them either do not perform any empirical validation at all (they are mostly experience reports or base ideas more on personal opinion than hard data) or the performed validation has limited scientific value
Effort Estimation
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

As in more traditional development processes also in agile and iterative methodologies, estimation of development effort without imposing overhead on the project and the development team is of paramount importance. This analysis proposes a new effort estimation model aimed at iterative development environments, which are not suitable for description by traditional prediction methods. We propose a detailed development methodology, discuss a number of detailed architectures of such models (including a wealth of augmented regression models and neural networks) and include a thorough case study of XP carried out in two real semi-industrial projects.
Discontinous use of Pair Programming
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

Pair Programming (PP) has usually considered non effective for distributed teams, not working most of the time together (Williams et al., 2000; Baheti et al., 2002). In this chapter we discuss the effectiveness of PP at transferring knowledge and skills among students that met only occasionally and worked mostly independently. The effect of geographical distance between pair programmers has been already addressed by Baheti et al. (2002). They performed an experiment on a graduate class to assess whether it is feasible to use distributed PP to develop software. It turned out that distributed (i.e., geographically distant) pair programming teams can effectively develop software, that is, with productivity (in terms of LOC/hr) and code quality (in terms of grade awarded to the project developed) comparable to those of close-knit teams.
Project Management
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

Surveys covering over 8000 projects indicate that the major sources of software project failure lie less with shortfalls in formal methods skills and more with shortfalls in skills to deal with stakeholder value propositions (Johnson, 1999). Five of the top six reasons of failure do not deal with programming languages, development environment or hardware choices, but are related to communications among developers and customers (Boehm, 2002). Moreover, the updated Standish Group study, conducted in 2000, identified 10 software success factors. The second factor is user involvement and the third is experienced project manager. This means that most projects fail because of people and project management issues rather than technical issues (Thomsett, 1993). Several recent studies (Philips, 1998) indicate that project managers are learning how to become more successful at IT project management. To improve the software success, more highly skilled project managers are using improved management processes.
Open Source Assessment Methodologies
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

The evaluation of software is a critical task for corporations that are planning to use OSS components. The amount of OSS available is vast and often its quality is not appropriate to adoption for real business processes. Therefore, companies have to analyze the available solutions and chose the software that meets their functional needs and quality standards. Different Capability Maturity Models (CMM) for software assessment exist, however OSS is characterized by specific features that are not appropriately handled in standard software assessment methodologies.
Trust Elements in Open Source
Authors: Russo Barbara , Scotto Marco , Sillitti Alberto , Succi Giancarlo
Published: May 2010

The quality of a software development process is based on a large spectrum of various elements that must be identified and assessed. The majority of elements can be measured quantitatively and possibly using an automatic process. Some elements, however, are rather subjective and depend strongly on different opinions of people using or evaluating the software development process. An automatic measurement approach is difficult to achieve (for example by on-line questionnaires or surveys inserted inside software products or software development tools). The foundation for all assessments is a set of elements that will be at a certain point of development or use measured and evaluated.
The Network Society
Authors: Albert Sylvie , Flournoy Don , LeBrasseur Rolland
Published: May 2010

This book emphasizes the centrality of the human condition—those things that make individuals and communities uniquely human—in our vision of the networked community. It also emphasizes that, to achieve their goals, communities must pay attention to the measurement and evaluation of multiple dimensions. The topics covered in Chapter I include: • The nature of the Network Society; • Communities on the front line of the Network Society; • The change management framework that guides each chapter of this book; • The Intelligent Communities Forum (ICF) and its participating institutions; • Evaluation and measurement as a strategy—measuring with purpose.
Regulation and Policy Reforms
Authors: Albert Sylvie , Flournoy Don , LeBrasseur Rolland
Published: May 2010

This chapter examines the following ideas on regulation and public policy: • Information societies are enabled by regulations and public policies that support open communications; • Government, business and public sector collaboration is key to establishing policies that lead to economic and social development; • Open source applications, products and collaborative culture are accelerated by adopting universal technical standards; • To be sustained, accessibility to the Internet and keeping it free and open requires some vigilance; • Ways must be devised to assess the local impact of policy and regulations and to provide next steps.
Creating Applications and a Culture of Using
Authors: Albert Sylvie , Flournoy Don , LeBrasseur Rolland
Published: May 2010

Chapters I to IV have introduced the networked community and described its environment in terms of the Network Society, technology, telecommunication regulations and public policy, and the knowledge workforce. In this chapter, the focus shifts to the content specifics—the telecommunication and software applications found on the broadband networks. The usefulness of these applications can stimulate the creativity of users, leading to a continuum of use, otherwise known as a “culture of use”. The difficulty in benchmarking innovative applications is that they change minute by minute; what is exciting today will probably be common tomorrow. Nevertheless, even established network applications should be considered because they represent innovations that might serve as springboards to next-generation production, making communities more distinctive, competitive, and creative. Several types of worldwide community innovations in applications are described here. This chapter will deal with: • A description of applications and groupings of applications; • An overview of sector-specific applications and some international examples; • A discussion on technology adoption issues that should be considered in developing a culture of use; • Measurement and evaluation approaches.
Citizen Empowerment and Participation
Authors: Albert Sylvie , Flournoy Don , LeBrasseur Rolland
Published: May 2010

This chapter on citizen empowerment and public participation explores the following ideas and assumptions: • Internet collaboration and creation make possible global workforces and marketplaces that reach into every nation and community; • Community members fortunate enough to have broadband access and the skills to use them can form social and business partnerships that assure their needs are met faster and more effectively; • Democratizing production and distribution, and connecting supply and demand are the forté of the broadband Internet; • Even though a severe access gap keeps many citizens of the world from fully participating, user-generated traffic will continue to grow exponentially as two-way telecommunication networks become a basic utility at the community level; • Strategies are needed for benchmarking, measurement and evaluation of citizen empowerment and participation that demonstrate the extent to which communities benefit.
Leadership and Collaboration
Authors: Albert Sylvie , Flournoy Don , LeBrasseur Rolland
Published: May 2010

This chapter discusses several basic elements of leadership and collaboration in building networked communities. It includes: • The context for collaborating, that is, the new economy imperative of digital competition; • The continuum of goals in networked communities—from simple communication objectives to more complex economic development objectives; • The structures needed to encourage the widest community collaboration; • The leaders that are needed within organisations and across industries; • The leadership style adapted to the formation and performance phases of networks; • The recruitment and retention of leaders; • Evaluation of the leadership and collaborative environment of the networked community.
Demyth-ifying Feminism
Authors: Kirk Mary
Published: May 2010

One barrier to more people understanding the work of feminist scholars is a fallacious view of “feminism” that has transformed an entire area of scholarship into the “F” word. The term itself (as well as the purpose of feminist movement) is poorly understood, and in most cases misunderstood, even in academic circles. In Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics, renowned cultural critic and feminist theorist bell hooks (2000) describes her experience of conversing with people about her work. Although most people are excited to ask questions about her work as a cultural critic of mass media since they participate in popular culture, hooks describes how the tone of the conversation typically changes when she mentions feminism: I tend to hear all about the evil of feminism and the bad feminists: how ‘they’ hate men; how ‘they’ want to go against nature—and god; how ‘they’ are all lesbians; how ‘they’ are taking all the jobs and making the world hard for White men, who do not stand a chance. (hooks, 2000, p. vii)
Mass Media as Social Institution
Authors: Kirk Mary
Published: May 2010

Communication is generally understood as a two-part process consisting of messages that convey content and the interpretation of that content by the receiver. Meanings are conveyed through words, images, and symbols. In the U.S., mass media serve as one of the most significant social institutions shaping communication since media act as gatekeepers of information using stereotypes as one of the primary tools to communicate the values of the dominant culture (Creedon, 1993; Wood, 1999). As I discussed in Chapter II, stereotypes circumscribe the boundaries around where we “belong” and what is “possible” for us in our lives. We learn both about how to view each other (which teaches us to “discriminate” and rank by category), how to view ourselves (which teaches us to internalize views of being “less than” in relation to gender, race, class, and other systems of ranking), and how to organize our society (which teaches us who belongs where). These representations have a powerful influence on the possibilities that people perceive for themselves and impact the behaviors through which they manifest these possibilities. Contemporary mass media play a pivotal role in defining the “appropriate” cultural boundaries around such factors as gender, race, and class. In Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination (1992), Toni Morrison states: “Eddy is White, and we know he is because nobody says so” (p. 72). It is only necessary to “define” those who are outside of the dominant social center. In the end, every “aspect of our culturally mediated identity . . . is challenged or altered by the hypnotic power of mass media” (Miller, 2004, p. 2). This chapter explores these issues in the following sections: (1) mass media and its power to influence; and (2) and in-depth analysis of Wired magazine.
Language as Social Institution
Authors: Kirk Mary
Published: May 2010

Language as a social institution is the primary symbol system through which we teach/learn about our dominator culture. The assumptions, values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that are considered “normative” are deeply embedded in our language and communication style. The “language of domination” features “shoulds and musts, blame and criticism, [and] judgment and demand,” all of which privileges certain groups and suppresses others according to their “appropriate” social rank (Hart, 2004, p. 114). Language is also one of the powerful mechanisms for teaching and conveying stereotypes; the significant impact of which we have already explored. Further, without a great deal of mindful effort, the average person conforms to stereotypes of language and communication style without even being aware of it. Johnson (2006) describes how most of us learn to take the “path of least resistance” with regard to social expectations of ourselves and of others. This also points to the necessity for what feminist activists and scholars have called “consciousness raising.” Once we become conscious of the ways in which our language and communication style reflect dominator stereotypes that have taught us false models for how to think about ourselves and each other, we can make conscious choices to do things differently. This chapter explores the following concepts in an effort to chart the map down the “path of resistance” to a dominator social system: (1) why political correctness matters; (2) gendered communication style; (3) malecentered IT communication style and culture; and (4) dominance, violence, and sex metaphors in IT.
Partnership Language and Media
Authors: Kirk Mary
Published: May 2010

In Chapter IV, I discussed how language operates as a social institution to teach us the values, attitudes, and beliefs of our society. Our dominator legacy is deeply embedded in the language we use and the ways we have learned to communicate. Since language acts as such a powerful social institution, it is also a great place to begin to create a partnership culture. “We need a language that connects us to the heart of our human experience—our values, dreams, desires, and needs” (Hart, 2004, p. 115). We need language that liberates us from the limiting either/or perspectives of a dominator culture and inspires the unlimited both/and perspectives of a partnership culture. We need language (and styles of communication) that help us focus on the ways in which we are connected as human beings, more than the ways in which we are different (which serves the dominator values of ranking human beings). In Chapter V, I discussed how media teach us the values, attitudes, and beliefs of a dominator culture via the persistent use of stereotypical images and messages. To create the climate for partnership in IT, we need new representations of women and people of color in relation to technology in books, magazines, television, film, and advertising. We need to break free of the “geek” stereotype and show more complex human beings portrayed as developers, users, and beneficiaries of technology. We need to move outside of a narrow Amerocentric lens regarding the ways in which we think about and envision technology and its uses. Creating this kind of change may seem daunting, but it need not be. People often resist participating in change because they see society as a rigid mechanism that’s “always been this way” or “just the way things are.” However, we need to shift away from this dominator view of society as a machine in which people are “expendable cogs” (Eisler & Loye, 1990, p. 185); this attitude contributes to a lack of responsibility towards being part of the change. “If we deny our power to affect people, then we don’t have to worry about taking responsibility for how we use it or, more significant, how we don’t” (Johnson, 2006, p. 133). The truth is that individuals interact with the larger social institutions, and those social institutions can be changed by that interaction. To create a partnership society, you must adopt the view of society as a living organism that you are co-creating with others. This will make it easier to claim responsibility for your part in reifying our dominator system or moving towards partnership.
Partnership Science and Technology Education
Authors: Kirk Mary
Published: May 2010

Ultimately, creating lasting and long-term change in the participation of women as developers, users, and beneficiaries of technology necessitates addressing this change in all of our social institutions. However, as the social institution that is given explicit responsibility for teaching the next generation of citizens, education holds particularly significant potential to be a positive force for change. We need a fundamental shift in the culture of science and IT away from its dominator roots to a partnership perspective, and we all (i.e., teachers, students, parents, businessowners, and citizens) need to co-create this change together. In Tomorrow’s Children: A Blueprint for Partnership Education in the 21st Century, Riane Eisler (2000) calls for changes in content (what we teach—our curriculum), process (how we teach—our teaching methods), and structure (where we teach—our learning environments). In Chapter VI, I explored the first issue—what is missing from the content of our knowledge tradition. In Chapter III, I explored the second issue—process barriers that some learners face in due to the gendered philosophy of science and the ways in which certain learning styles are privileged over others. This chapter adds to the discussion of all three issues, but focuses primarily on the second and third—partnership methods of teaching and learning and how to create partnership learning environments. This chapter explores the following suggestions for shifting education (especially science and IT education) away from a dominator and towards a partnership model: (1) partnership ways of knowing; (2) considering the needs and perspectives of users and beneficiaries of science and IT in education; (3) educating teachers from kindergarten through college to better understand how our current system works as well as how to co-create partnership; (4) redefining student-teacher relationships in terms of partnership; (5) co-creating collaborative learning environments; (6) developing partnerships systems of testing, evaluating, and measuring learning; and (7) offering examples of partnership curricula and programs. In Chapter I, I contrasted the characteristics of dominator and partnership social systems. Table 1 describes the characteristics of partnership social systems that are particularly relevant to science and technology education as they relate to the topics covered in this chapter (Eisler, 1987, 2000, 2002, 2007; Eisler & Loye, 1990; Eisler & Miller, 2004).
The Efficiency of Different Search Patterns in Electronic Market
Authors: Lauraeus-Niinivaara Theresa , Saarinen Timo , Sunikka Anne , Öörni Anssi
Published: May 2010

Electronic markets are expected to facilitate consumer information search and product comparison to the extent that consumers are able to accumulate nearly perfect information. The authors present an analysis of search patterns based on a laboratory experiment on product search processes. They identified three types of search patterns in the experiment: sequential, agent search, and iterative search. They studied the factors affecting the choice and the outcome of agent search pattern compared to the other search patterns. The results show that the employed search pattern has an impact on search cost and the efficiency of search measured with purchase price and the time used for searching. Agent search seems to combine low search costs with high efficiency. Sequential search still emerged as the dominant search pattern even though it leads to the most expensive purchase. Iterative search pattern search pattern.
Evaluation of Fuzzy Models to Support Online-Trust Assessment
Authors: Akhter Fahim , Maamar Zakaria
Published: May 2010

Online trust is a critical element to the success of electronic commerce (e-commerce). Indeed it reduces the level of uncertainty that arises because of the lack of face-to-face interactions with vendors. In ecommerce purchaser-vendor interactions are subject to uncertainty, anonymity, and communication means reliability. This chapter discusses how some trust models have been developed to address these issues. Some models promote familiarity and competitiveness as part of the exercise of assessing online trust. This assessment uses fuzzy logic-based techniques.
Comparison-Shopping Channel Selection by Small Online Vendors
Authors: Wan Yun , Hu Nan
Published: May 2010

Comparison-shopping is becoming the mainstream marketing channel for B2C ecommerce. More and more small online vendors are using shopbots to bring in customers. There are mainly two types of shopbots: those general shopbots that provide product comparison cross multiple heterogeneous product categories (like shopping.com) and the specialized shopbots that provide comparison within a single or a few highly-related product categories (like addall.com on books and music CD). The effectiveness of shopbot selection strategy by small online vendors is the focus on this paper. By analyzing data from shopbots and online vendors, the authors found there is significant positive correlation between the number of shopbots an online vendor participates and its traffic rank, which indicates the general effectiveness of using shopbots as a marketing channel. They also found that for online vendors competing on a niche product like college textbook, participating specialized shopbots brings in higher traffic. For competing in mainstream market, there is less significant correlation between participating general shopbots and higher traffic rank for vendors. They conclude that using general shopbots is a reactive strategy for small online vendors while using proper specialized shopbots could provide an edge for small online vendors.
Multi-Channel Retailing and Customer Satisfaction
Authors: Warrington Patricia T. , Hagen Adam , Feinberg Richard
Published: May 2010

Customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction can occur at/after the store, on the telephone, on the internet, after a catalog purchase. Customer satisfaction leads to repurchase/loyalty. Customer dissatisfaction leads to lower repurchase/loyalty. However, no research has looked at how satisfaction/dissatisfaction (S/D) in one channel affects the repurchase/loyalty in the same or different channels and the same/different stores. While S/D will increase/decrease the S/D in the same channel it does not always affect S/D in other channels the same way. In addition, S/D in a channel in one retailer may affect S/D in that same channel but in a different retailer.
Evolution of Web-Based Shopping Systems
Authors: Kim Changsu , Galliers Robert D. , Yang Kyung Hoon , Kim Jaekyung
Published: May 2010

This article offers a theoretical analysis of evolutionary processes in WBSS strategies. For that purpose, we propose a research model that shows strategy patterns. Based upon the model, we identified several types of strategies. In our research model, WBSS are classified into four types: (1) general-direct-sales (GDS); (2) general-intermediary-sales (GIS); (3) specialized-direct-sales (SDS); and (4) specializedintermediary- sales (SIS). On the basis of these four categories of WBSS, we analyze the characteristics of WBSS and suggest five evolution strategies for WBSS, which have implications for both theory and practice. Amazon.com’s strategic movements, such as product line expansion through alliance and acquisition, provide an exemplary case of the evolution of WBSS strategy. We expect that this research will serve as a guide for Internet businesses and as a catalyst for new research agendas relevant to Web-based shopping and electronic commerce.
Examining Online Purchase Intentions in B2C E-Commerce
Authors: Ranganathan C. , Jha Sanjeev
Published: May 2010

Research on online shopping has taken three broad and divergent approaches viz, human-computer interaction, behavioral, and consumerist approaches to examine online consumer behavior. Assimilating these three approaches, this study proposes an integrated model of online shopping behavior, with four major antecedents influencing online purchase intent: Web site quality, customer concerns in online shopping, self-efficacy, and past online shopping experience. These antecedents were modeled as second-order constructs with subsuming first-order constituent factors. The model was tested using data from a questionnaire survey of 214 online shoppers. Statistical analyses using structural equation modeling was used to validate the model, and identify the relative importance of the key antecedents to online purchase intent. Past online shopping experience was found to have the strongest association with online purchase intent, followed by customer concerns, Web site quality, and computer self efficacy. The findings and their implications are discussed.
Can Web Seals Work Wonders for Small E-Vendors in the Online Trading Environment? A Theoretical Approach
Authors: Hu Xiaorui , Wu Yuhong
Published: May 2010

Trust is a major issue in e-markets. It is an even more prominent issue when online shoppers trade with small, less-established e-vendors. Empirical studies on Web seals show that small e-vendors could promote consumers’ trust and increase Web sales by displaying Web seals of approval. This article takes a theoretical approach to examine online trading when seals are used in e-markets. We establish an online shopper’s decision-making model to reveal the online shopper’s decision-making criteria. Criteria include when to trade with a well-established e-vendor and when to trade with a small, less-established e-vendor, with or without a Web seal. Based on our analysis of the research results, we reveal the price effect, the seal effect, the reputation effect, and their impact on a shopper’s decision-making process. Meanwhile, a social welfare analysis is conducted to further demonstrate the positive impact of Web seals on small, less-established e-vendors.
Exchanging E-Learning Materials, Modules, and Students
Authors: Leung Samuel , Martin David , Treves Richard , Duke-Williams Oliver
Published: May 2010

In contrast to other Web-based resources, e-learning materials are not always exchangeable and shareable. Although transferring electronic documents between networked computers has become almost effortless, the materials may often require careful design and a great deal of adaptation before they can be reused in a meaningful manner. This process involves consideration of pedagogic issues such as course curricula, learning outcomes, and intended audience, as well as technological factors including local institutional virtual learning environments (VLE) and any relevant learning technology standards. This chapter illustrates how these issues have been addressed resulting in the successful exchange of e-learning resources at three levels: (1) at content level, where learning nuggets are created and packaged in a standards-compliant format to guarantee interoperability; (2) at the user level, whereby learners or tutors, rather than the resources, are transferred between VLEs; (3) at a higher system level, where the emerging Web Single Sign-On technology of federated access management is being used to enable truly cross-institutional authentication allowing learners to roam freely in different learning environments.
Collaborative Learning Activity Design
Authors: Durham Helen , Arrell Katherine , DiBiase David
Published: May 2010

Collaborative learning activity design (CLAD) is a multi-institution approach to the creation of e-learning material from the design phase through the development stage and onto the embedding of learning activities into existing modules at higher education institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. This was the approach taken by a group of academic and e-learning material developers at the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Leeds to develop a series of learning activities to support the use and understanding of the global positioning system (GPS). Aided by concept mapping, a Guidance Toolkit and Web conferencing facilities, the group worked seamlessly at producing a series of e-learning resources, including the basics of turning on a GPS unit and obtaining a spatial location, GPS data properties and GPS components, differential correction, and sources of GPS error and error correction. This chapter reflects on the success of this project, which, authors believe, hinged on the following: a clear vision in defining the learning outcomes of the collaborative resources; appropriate tools and technologies to support and facilitate the collaboration; excellent communication and a high level of trust between collaborators; and the identification of a robust iterative methodology to produce reusable e-learning resources.
Census and Population Analysis
Authors: Martin David , Rees Philip , Durham Helen , Matthews Stephen A.
Published: May 2010

This chapter presents the development of a series of shared learning materials prepared to facilitate teaching in human geography. The principal focus of this work has been on how to use census data to understand socio-demographic phenomena such as ethnic segregation or neighborhood profiles. In this area, students are required to address a combination of substantive and methodological issues that are particularly well suited to blended learning. Much of the information describing population characteristics is itself published online and it is therefore necessary to engage with external online data resources in order to obtain and analyze information for specific study areas. Our teaching exemplars include those designed to develop students’ understanding of the data collection process, for example through the use of an online census questionnaire; analysis methods, through the provision of visualization tools to show demographic trends through time; and substantive examples, by comparison between urban social geographies in the USA and UK. Particular challenges are presented by the different nature (format, content, detail) and licensing arrangements for the census data available for student use in the UK and USA. In the UK students and researchers access census data via a research council funded program of data support units, which provides access to data from four successive censuses. In the USA open access to extensive data holdings is provided by the national statistical agency, the U.S. Census Bureau. However, the UK National Statistics offices are providing an ever-larger portfolio of datasets online and available to all, facilitating international collaboration and the types of data being provided are developing rapidly to fill the gaps between censuses.