bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Techniques for Visualizing Website Usage Patterns with an Adaptive Neural Network
Authors: Perotti Victor
Published: May 2011

At any given Website, the flow of users’ visitations represents a valuable source of information for Web professionals. However, the identification and interpretation of Web usage patterns is not necessarily an easy task. The sheer volume and complexity of the browsing patterns captured in the Website server logs makes understanding users a difficult, time-consuming task. The present chapter explores the use of an adaptive neural network to visualize the Website usage patterns. This visual representation supports the identification of clusters of Web pages that are frequently visited together by users. A Website designer can see, at a glance, the primary groups of Web pages that visitors browse. Further, the site structure can be readily compared to the usage clusters to measure how well the links at the Website support the actual use of the site.
Introducing Information Systems Students to Research with a Structured Group Project
Authors: McGill Tanya
Published: May 2011

This chapter reports on an approach to getting information systems research students started. The approach involves beginning research students undertaking a structured group research project in which the instructor is an active participant. The major purpose of this group project is to provide a gentle, supportive, structured introduction to information systems research. This approach benefits students by ensuring that they have participated in a complete research project before they have to assume complete responsibility for their first large individual project. The chapter discusses the use of this approach at an Australian university. In general, students have participated well, learning from their own experiences and the experiences of others in the group.
Supporting Creativity in Software Development
Authors: Aurum Aybüke , Handzic Meliha , Gardiner Adrian
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines the potential of the application of an individual creativity-enhancing technique (called SoloBrainstorming, or SBS) to improve the level of creativity of Information Technology (IT) students in performing information system (IS) requirements determination. Requirements determination, in the context of software development, involves gaining an understanding of the underlying issues related to a business problem, and also considering potential solutions. The chapter begins with a definition of creativity, followed by an overview of strategies suggested to enhance creativity. The SBS technique is then introduced, followed by a report of empirical results from its application. Finally, we offer advice for IT education in terms of incorporating creativity-enhancing techniques into the IT course curriculum.
Framing Leadership Issues for System Developers
Authors: Slauson Gayla Jo , Grabow Chad
Published: May 2011

This chapter combines the concepts of leadership through “framing,” as discussed in books such as “The Art of Framing,” published in 1996 and written by Gail Fairhurst and Robert Sarr, with the development of information systems. It provides a brief explanation of the frame theory of leadership and discusses how this theory relates to information systems. The authors propose that students in management information systems degree programs need to be made aware of the leadership potential of the information systems through which members of organizations communicate. Effective use of information systems to lead people in contemporary organizations is so far lacking in curricula, and the authors hope that this chapter may begin to remedy this situation.
How Do IT Students Stay Up to Date with Employers' Skill Requirements
Authors: McGill Tanya , Dixon Michael
Published: May 2011

The information technology industry is subject to rapid change. There have been concerns expressed in the literature about the ability of information technology professionals to keep up to date with developments, and it is likely that it is even more difficult for students to do so. New graduates require marketable skills in order to gain good employment, but the skills most in demand change regularly. This chapter reports on a project that investigated the channels of information that undergraduate and postgraduate telecommunications management and electronic commerce students use to keep up to date with employers’ needs. The role of instructors in this process is also discussed.
Assessing Computer Literacy
Authors: Easton George , Easton Annette
Published: May 2011

The ubiquity of the Internet in our daily lives and the pervasiveness of computer technology in K–12 education today suggest that incoming college students should be better prepared to use computer technology than their predecessors. This chapter presents the results of a study to determine the incoming computing skills levels of business students. The study also measured the difference between the students’ self-assessment of these computer skills and an actual assessment of their computer skills. In discovering what level of computer literacy our students actually have, and pinpointing areas where students lack proficiency, we can look to develop curriculum to address the weaknesses. Our goal would be to look at developing a curriculum model that provides flexibility in tailoring content to accommodate the evolving literacy of students, ultimately providing a richer educational experience for our students.
Information Technologies in Educational Organizations
Authors: Revercomb Pamela Lipe , Small Ruth V.
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, the collaborative design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a new interdisciplinary course being offered by Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies and School of Education are described. The course was offered to graduate students in response to the need to revise two master’s degree programs at Syracuse University and in order to satisfy new state competency standards for certification as Educational Technologists and School Library Media Specialists. The course development process, course objectives, course content and activities, and the results of a formative and summative evaluation conducted by the researchers are included, as well as recommendations for future implementation, including distance delivery.
Initial Exploratory Study
Authors: Ratnasingam Pauline
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we discuss an initial exploratory study conducted via a survey that aimed to examine the extent of e-commerce adoption in Australia and New Zealand. First, the chapter discusses the respondents’ profile followed by the key findings that pertained to potential versus achieved benefits, and potential versus perceived barriers and risks. Then we provide a comparison of the findings between Europe and Australia, and New Zealand. Finally, we conclude the chapter with characteristics of e-commerce adopters, namely leaders who have succeeded in e-commerce adoption versus followers who have not, leading to recommendations, lessons learned, and the future of e-commerce in Australia and New Zealand.
Application Layer
Authors: Targowski Andrew
Published: May 2011

The goals of the Application Layer of the Enterprise Information Infrastructure are: 1. To empower the organization (via enterprise computing-EC) in optimizing the use of resources, such as manpower, money, material, machines, management, and the marketplace in business, 2. To empower individuals (via end-user computing-EUC and enterprise computing (EC) - Figure 4-22) in gaining cognition about managed resources and processes in the business environment. The strategy of implementing these goals is based on the growing expansion of the applications’ integration across all business functions in the networked and Web-driven environment. The integration of business applications in an enterprise is the natural process that follows the pattern of reproduction processes in nature. The first stage in these processes is the growth by division of functional organs; and the next stage is the consolidation of these organs into a non-redundant wholeness. In such a way the evolution of nature takes place with feedback from the environment.
Becoming Knowledge-Powered
Authors: Pollard Dave
Published: May 2011

In this article, Dave Pollard, Chief Knowledge Officer at Ernst & Young Canada since 1994, relates the award-winning process his firm has used, and which many of the corporations that have visited the Centre for Business Knowledge in Toronto are adapting for their own needs, to transform the company from a knowledge-hoarding to a knowledge-sharing enterprise. The article espouses a five-phase transformation process: • Developing the Knowledge Future State Vision, Knowledge Strategy and Value Propositions • Developing the Knowledge Architecture and Determining its Content • Developing the Knowledge Infrastructure, Service Model and Network Support Mechanisms • Developing a Knowledge Culture Transformation Program • Leveraging Knowledge into Innovation The author identifies possible strategies, leading practices, and pitfalls to avoid in each phase. He also explores the challenges involved in identifying and measuring intellectual capital, encouraging new knowledge creation, capturing human knowledge in structural form, and enabling virtual workgroup collaboration.
An Intelligent Data Mining System to Detect Healthcare Fraud
Authors: Forgionne Giusseppi A. , Gangopadhyay Aryya , Adya Monica
Published: May 2011

The chapter begins with an overview of the types of healthcare fraud. Next, there is a brief discussion of issues with the current fraud detection approaches. The chapter then develops information technology based approaches and illustrates how these technologies can improve current practice. Finally, there is a summary of the major findings and the implications for healthcare practice.
Mobile Computing at the Department of Defense
Authors: Rodger James A. , Pendharkar Parag C. , Khosrow-Pour Mehdi
Published: May 2011

This chapter is designed to relate the rationale used by the Department of Defense, to utilize Telemedicine, to meet increasing global crises, and for the U.S. military to find ways to more effectively manage manpower and time. A mobile Telemedicine package has been developed by the Department of Defense (DOD) to collect and transmit near-real-time, far-forward medical data and to assess how this improved capability enhances medical management of the battlespace. Telemedicine has been successful in resolving uncertain organizational and technological military deficiencies and in improving medical communications and information management. The deployable, mobile Teams are the centerpieces of this Telemedicine package. These teams have the capability of inserting essential networking and communications capabilities into austere theaters and establishing an immediate means for enhancing health protection, collaborative planning, situational awareness, and strategic decision-making.
Information System Failures in Healthcare Organizations
Authors: Paustian Pamela E. , Slovensky Donna J. , Kennedy Jacqueline W.
Published: May 2011

Preparedness for response and continued operation of a health care facility following an information systems disaster must encompass two facets: continuation of patient care delivery and continuation of business processes. This chapter reports a root cause analysis following an information system failure that compromised the organization’s ability to capture clinical documentation for a 33-hour period.
Organizational and Implementation Issues of Patient Data Management Systems in an Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Mitev Nathalie , Kerkham Sharon
Published: May 2011

Since the National Health Service reforms were introduced, the NHS has moved towards a greater emphasis on accountability and efficiency of healthcare. These changes rely on the swift delivery of IT systems, implemented into the NHS because of the urgency to collect data to support these measures. This case study details the events surrounding the introduction of a patient data management system into an intensive care unit in a UK hospital. It shows that its implementation was complex and involved organisational issues related to the costing of healthcare, legal and purchasing requirements, systems integration, training and staff expertise, and relationships with suppliers. It is suggested that the NHS is providing an R&D environment which others are benefiting from. The NHS is supporting software development activities that are not recognised, and the true costs of this task are difficult to estimate. It is also argued that introducing PDMS crystallises many different expectations making them unmanageably complex. This could also be due to PDMS being a higher order innovation that attempts to integrate information systems products and services with the core business.
Benchmarking Data Mining Algorithms
Authors: Rajagopalan Balaji , Krovi Ravi
Published: May 2011

Data mining is the process of sifting through the mass of organizational (internal and external) data to identify patterns critical for decision support. Successful implementation of the data mining effort requires a careful assessment of the various tools and algorithms available. The basic premise of this study is that machine-learning algorithms, which are assumption free, should outperform their traditional counterparts when mining business databases. The objective of this study is to test this proposition by investigating the performance of the algorithms for several scenarios. The scenarios are based on simulations designed to reflect the extent to which typical statistical assumptions are violated in the business domain. The results of the computational experiments support the proposition that machine learning algorithms generally outperform their statistical counterparts under certain conditions. These can be used as prescriptive guidelines for the applicability of data mining techniques.
Efficient Query Processing with Structural Join Indexing in an Object Relational Data Warehousing Environment
Authors: Gopalkrishnan Vivekanand , Li Qing , Karlapalem Kamalakar
Published: May 2011

In an Object Relational Data Warehousing (ORDW) environment, the semantics of data and queries can be explicitly captured, represented, and utilized based on is-a and class composition hierarchies, thereby resulting in more efficient OLAP query processing. In this chapter, we show the efficacy in building semantic-rich hybrid data indexes incorporating Structural Join Index Hierarchy (SJIH) on the ORDW views. Given a set of queries, we use a hill-climbing heuristic algorithm to select (near) optimal SJIHs, thereby embedding query semantics into the indexing framework. Finally, by a cost model, we analyze the effectiveness of our approach vis-a-vis the pointer chasing approach.
IT Industry Success in Small Countries
Authors: Watson Rebecca , Myers Michael D.
Published: May 2011

Given the importance of the information technology industry in today’s global economy, much recent research has focused on the relative success of small countries in fostering IT industries. This article examines the factors of IT industry success in small developed countries, and compares two such countries, Finland and New Zealand. Finland and New Zealand are alike in many respects, yet Finland’s IT industry is more successful than New Zealand’s. Three major factors that impact on the development of a successful IT industry are identified: the extent of government IT promotion, the level of research and development, and the existence of an education system that produces IT literate graduates.
Web-Based Education
Authors: Aggarwal A. K. , Bento Regina
Published: May 2011

The Internet is changing the very nature of society in ways unparalleled since the industrial revolution. It is affecting local, national and global economies and their infrastructures. Information is available at any time from any place to any Internet user. This is creating tremendous opportunities for universities to provide a learning environment that is accessible to all. The “same time, same place, only some people” traditional educational environment is giving way to “anytime, anyplace and anybody” instructional models. For universities, the question becomes how to preserve and expand the desirable aspects of face-to-face teaching models when translating them into the new environment of Web-based education (WBE). This challenge is made even more complex when seen in the context of other trends in education: the transition from passive classroom lectures to hands-on, student-centered, interactive learning; the perception of students as “customers,” with increased control over the learning process; a higher education market where traditional universities have to compete with for-profit enterprises. This chapter examines Web-based education and argues that it can successfully simulate face-to-face teaching models, while adding some unique features made possible by the technology. To be successful, however, this simulation requires adjustments in many areas, including student assessment, faculty training and expectations, and student expectations and motivation. In addition, the chapter examines several critical aspects of Web-based education, including technological, administrative, quality and control issues that need to be addressed in order to create favorable environments for Web-based education.
Cognitive Effects of Web Page Design
Authors: Berry Louis H.
Published: May 2011

The advent of Web-based instruction, which relies upon hypertext models of interaction and design, reemphasizes the need for a clear understanding of how learners process and encode information presented in Web sites intended for instructional purposes. The unique nature of Web page design, mandated by constraints in the technology which limit student interactivity, and yet which support divergent exploration, necessitates a deeper consideration of how learners interact with various Web site design factors. The purpose of this chapter will be to address the cognitive implications of those factors. This chapter will not focus on specific graphic layout and design criteria or visual display specifications that have been extensively covered in the research literature on computer screen design. The intent, rather, is to review and discuss the major theoretical and design issues impacting contemporary instructional Web page design. It is essential however, to understand the basis for much of the Web page design that occurs currently, and that stems from much of the earlier work in computer screen design.
Online Student Practice Quizzes and a Database Application to Generate Them
Authors: Randolph Gary B. , Swanson Dewey A. , Owen Dennis O. , Griffin Jeffrey A.
Published: May 2011

Online practice quizzes are a popular way for students to test their readiness for a classroom exam. The authors have developed a quiz database application that stores potential test questions and exports selected subsets of questions to a web-based Javascript program. Feedback from students has been very positive. Students indicate that the question-feedback cycle helps them learn the material and prepare for the real exam. This paper will discuss how the database application works, explain how educators can obtain and use the application for use in their own classes, and provide general guidance for constructing quiz questions that make the quiz a positive learning experience.
A Comprehensive Approach to Teaching Visual Basic Programming
Authors: Wang Yun
Published: May 2011

Visual Basic (VB), a graphical user interface (GUI) application and object-oriented program, has been adopted as an entry-level programming course in computer information science curricula at many colleges. Compared with “C,” Pascal, or other traditional teaching programs, VB is rather a new subject in the field. Correspondingly, studying effective approaches to teaching VB has brought tremendous interest in academic communities. The author has primarily taught VB as a college course for several terms, and he began his new comprehensive VB teaching approach described by this article in 1998. After a three-semester trial period, the VB course outcome is encouraging. This article is dedicated to documenting the comprehensive VB teaching approach and serves as a summary report for future improvement. This article first introduces the background of the VB course taught in the author’s institution. Secondly, it briefly outlines previous teaching approaches and describes the newly implemented one in detail. Then it examines existing course questions and proposes future revisions by studying the results of this new teaching approach. Finally, a summary is given to call for more research.
Real-World Learning of Information Resource Managemetn
Authors: Lesjak Dusan , Rebernik Miroslav
Published: May 2011

The chapter describes an Information Resources Management course in a Small Business Management program at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Maribor, Slovenia that is based on real world learning principle. The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge and experience to deal with information technology and systems in small business from a managerial perspective. The theoretical part of the course is conducted in a classroom and the practical part is experienced in mentor firms. Thus, students have an opportunity to compare, combine and verify “theory” and “practice” instantly and develop capability to transfer the acquired knowledge and skills into practice.
Educating the Business Information Technologist
Authors: Mendonca John
Published: May 2011

The current business environment requires that all Information Technology (IT) professionals, not just managers, develop a strategic perspective toward their work. This chapter discusses the importance of that perspective for today’s business information technologist and proposes a framework for teaching strategic IT to non-managers.
Bridging the Industry-University Gap
Authors: Kock Ned , Auspitz Camille , King Brad
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses a course partnership involving Day & Zimmermann, Inc. (DZI), a large engineering and professional services company, and Temple University. The course’s main goal was to teach students business process redesign concepts and techniques. These concepts and techniques were used to redesign five business processes from DZI’s information technology organization. DZI’s CIO and a senior manager, who played the role of project manager, championed the course partnership. A Web site with bulletin boards, multimedia components and static content was used to support the partnership. The chapter investigates the use of Web-based collaboration technologies in combination with communication behavior norms and face-to-face meetings, and its effect on the success of the partnership.
Information Systems Curriculum Development as an Ecological Process
Authors: Tatnall Arthur , Davey Bill
Published: May 2011

The discipline of Information Systems (IS), in common with the other major branches of computing, is subject to constant and continuing change as new technologies appear and new methodologies and development techniques are devised. IS professionals working in the computer industry need to keep abreast of these changes to remain useful and, of necessity, curriculum in information systems must also undergo frequent revisions and changes. To those of us involved in research and teaching in information systems, it is clear that curriculum innovation and change in this area is complex, and anything but straightforward (Longenecker & Feinstein, 1990). Of course, all curriculum innovation is complex (Boomer, Lester, Onore, & Cook, 1992; Fullan, 1993; Fullan & Hargreaves, 1992; Kemmis & Stake, 1988) due to the involvement of a large number of human actors, but in information systems curriculum change, this is particularly so, due to the need also to consider the part played by such non-human actors (Latour, 1996) as the technology itself.
Implementation Management of an E-Commerce-Enabled Enterprise Information System
Authors: Sundarraj R. P. , Sarkis Joseph
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a case study of an overview of the efforts of Texas Instrument’s (TI’s) internal and external ERP implementation, with a focus on linking its ERP system in a global e-commerce setting. This linkage is especially important since it had been stated in TI’s strategic plan as an objective of this project to provide visibility of the ERP system to external constituents via Web linkages along with the objective of standardizing internal processes and important information technology systems to support market needs. Thus, its ERP system is central to managing its supply chain and B2B e-commerce linkages from both a customer and supplier perspective. Issues faced by TI are clearly outlined with future questions also posed in the final section.
Selecting and Implementing an ERP System at Alimentos Peru
Authors: Santana J. Martin , Serida-Nishimura Jaime , Morris-Abarca Eddie , Diaz-Baron Ricardo
Published: May 2011

The case describes the implementation process of an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system at Alimentos Peru, one of the largest foods manufacturing companies in Peru. It discusses the organization’s major concerns during the mid-1990s, including increasing competition, inefficiency of business processes, and lack of timely and accurate information. To address these concerns Alimentos Peru launched several projects, one of which involved the implementation of an ERP system. The case explains the criteria used to evaluate and select the system, as well as the main issues and problems that arose during the implementation process. More specifically, the case focuses upon a set of implementation factors, such as top management support, user participation, and project management. Finally, the case concludes with a discussion of the benefits obtained from the introduction of the system as well as the new organizational challenges.
Design and Evaluation of a Content-Based Image Retrieval System
Authors: Squire David , Muller Henning , Muller Wolfgang , Marchand-Maillet Stephane , Pun Thierry
Published: May 2011

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

Recently it is common for users to acquire through the World Wide Web a variety of multimedia documents. As the number of Web documents is dramatically increasing, we need to develop a multimedia document retrieval system that can support both structure-based retrieval and content-based retrieval. In order to support structure-based retrieval, we design efficient index structures (i.e., keyword, structure, element and attribute) and implement those by using the o2store storage system. For the content-based retrieval, we implement high-dimensional index structure for color and shape feature that is based on X-tree. Finally, we do the performance evaluation of our multimedia document retrieval system in terms of system efficiency, such as retrieval time, insertion time and storage overhead, as well as system effectiveness, such as recall and precision measures.
A Linguistically Sortable Bengali Coding System and Its Application in Spell Checking
Authors: Murshed M. Manzur , Syed Mahbubur Rahman , Kaykobad M.
Published: May 2011

By developing an inter-scheme text conversion utility, we have established in (Murshed et al., 1998) that use of non-lossy transformation instead of lossy transformation for sorting Bengali texts in linguistic order has some extra benefit. In this paper we discuss another very important application of non-lossy transformation by developing an efficient spell checking application for Bengali texts based on the internal coding scheme with non-lossy transformation. As usual, the handling of compound letters remains the key area where a Bengali text speller differs from its counterparts in other languages. Here we establish that using of the internal coding scheme in designing the dictionary and developing suggestion generating search engine not only provides a spell checking solution which is independent of any specific primary coding scheme but also assists in designing layered solution for efficient modularization and maintenance of coding. This chapter is organized as follows. In the next section we present the basic properties of Bengali script. For the sake of completeness, some results and algorithms on sorting Bengali texts in linguistic order, developed in (Murshed et al., 1998), are given in the third section. In the fourth section, we discuss various issues of developing an efficient primary coding scheme independent spell checking application based on our solution to linguistically sorting Bengali texts. The final section concludes the paper.
Signalling Intentions and Obliging Behavior Online
Authors: Backhouse James , Cheng Edward K.
Published: May 2011

Electronic commerce has the potential to deliver goods and services to customers more quickly, cheaply, and conveniently than ever before. But before performance the obligations have to be created. This paper explores the semiotic and legal aspects of online contracts. It reviews speech act theory from philosophers such as Austin and Searle to explain how words and actions can create legal obligations. It then examines English contract law and its requirements to find an abstract basis upon which contract creation can be modeled. Using semiotics and law, the paper thereafter creates a model of the contract creation process and applies it to electronic commerce in intangible goods. Since electronic commerce is so pervasive and extends beyond any particular jurisdiction, the need is destined to increase for high-level abstraction and for a model for comparison and cross reference.
Customer Loyalty and Electronic Banking
Authors: Tomiuk Daniel , Pinsonneault Alain
Published: May 2011

In this paper, we present a conceptual framework that helps to better understand and assess the impacts of information technology on customer loyalty in retail banking. To do so, we define the concept of customer loyalty and identify its antecedents. A conceptual framework describing the impacts of information technology on loyalty is developed based on the literature in marketing, social psychology, and communication. The framework suggests that electronic banking might have different effects on loyalty depending on the type of customer. Research in social psychology indicates that customers can be either communally-oriented or exchange-oriented. Loyalty is thus likely to be generated differently in each case: for communally-oriented customer loyalty is likely to be generated based on social and personal interactions, whereas for exchange-oriented customers, loyalty is enhanced by service efficiency and reliability. Because it reduces the amount of face-to-face interactions customers have with bank personnel, electronic banking is likely to lead to lower levels of loyalty for communally-oriented customers and to higher levels of loyalty for exchange-oriented customers.
Approaches to a Decentralized Architecture for an Electronic Market - A Study for the Air Cargo Business
Authors: Bodendorf Freimut , Reinheimer Stefan
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes a decision support model for electronic markets using software agents. The model is based on the value chain concept applying to interorganizational information technology (IT), and the consideration of new coordination mechanisms to increase the efficiency of business processes. The proposed framework is used to design an electronic air cargo market. Companies involved in air cargo have lagged in recent years to adapt to the needs of their customers. Our framework suggests the decentralized implementation of software agents to support the transaction process. These autonomous software agents will support users to accomplish the various phases involved in a business transaction from information gathering to negotiation.
Multi-Dimensional B2B Auctions for Electronic Commerce
Authors: Griffin Marilyn T. , Belanger France , Van Slyke Craig
Published: May 2011

Since the early days of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), many business-to-business (B2B) models of electronic commerce have been developed. Currently, the fastest growing segment of e-commerce is the B2B Web-based marketplace (Wilder, 2000). The dynamic nature of this business environment is driving major changes in business strategies and models, marketing, and information systems development. In order for new companies to compete in this extremely competitive environment, they must understand the nature of the market, and the vast commitment of resources necessary to establish a presence in that market.
The Cost of Email within Organizations
Authors: Jackson Thomas W. , Dawson Ray , Wilson Darren
Published: May 2011

A pilot exercise on the cost-benefit analysis of the use of internal email was performed at the Danwood Group. This forms part of a larger exercise to evaluate computer communication to help enhance performance throughout the organisation. The chapter has resulted in the creation of an internal email costing process showing when it starts to become a more efficient means of communication. In this study, the times taken to read, write and perform other functions with email were measured for a sample of employees. The email content was also monitored to determine which emails were business related. It was found that nearly two thirds of all emails were non-business related at the start of the research, but this decreased to a consistent 43% towards the end.
A Method of Ease Schema Evolution
Authors: Wedemeijer Lex
Published: May 2011

Maintenance on the Conceptual Schema of a database is necessary when the current data structure can’t meet changed functional requirements. An additional requirement, not expressed in the demand for change, is to minimize the impact of change. The problem of minimizing impact of change on the data is often postponed to the implementation phase when data have to be migrated into the new structure. We propose a method to address the problem of Conceptual Schema evolution in an earlier phase, and introduce the notion of Majorant Schema to support the application of the method. The advantage of the approach is that a more graceful schema evolution is ensured because a broader range of design alternatives is investigated. Other benefits are the early attention for the impact of change, and a better preparation of the data migration effort. Experiences show that the method is primarily suited to minor changes.
Modeling of Coordinated Planning and Allocation of Resources
Authors: Bulatov Alexey , Kurt Atakan
Published: May 2011

The chapter proposes a method for the formal description of enterprises as complex human-technical systems. In distinction from other methods this approach is aimed at the analysis of parallel planning and allocation of resources from different points of view. The method is valid for every hierarchical level of enterprise subdivision. It allows the design of decision making systems for various tasks of coordinated planning and allocation of resources. The optimal decisions are made in parallel for different subdivisions and subsystems, then the generalised decision for the global task is determined.
Representing and Reasoning with Scenarios within Information Systems Modeling
Authors: Yi Choong-ho
Published: May 2011

Recent research in systems engineering shows the community’s interest in scenarios. Advantages of using scenarios have been reported in wide range of contexts within the area. Recalling that any systematic, and eventually, automated management of scenarios presupposes firm formal ground, research on formal theories for scenarios is highly motivated. However, only little work has been reported for that purpose, e.g. Hsia, Samuel, Gao, Kung, Toyoshina and Chen (1994). This chapter presents a formal approach to managing scenarios, using first order temporal logic extended with basic set theory, in the context of information systems modelling (ISM). In our framework scenarios are dealt with from two formal points of view, namely representation and reasoning.
From Object-Oriented Modeling to Agent-Oriented Modeling
Authors: Park Sooyong , Sugumaran Vijayan
Published: May 2011

The use of intelligent agents is on the rise, fueled by the unprecedented growth in the internet and web based applications. Consequently, agent-oriented software is becoming large and complex. To support a systematic development of such software, an agent-oriented software development methodology is necessary. This chapter focuses on the modeling phase of agent-oriented software life cycle and, presents an approach for agent modeling consisting of Agent Elicitation, Intra, and Inter Agent modeling methods. Agent Elicitation deals with identifying and extracting agents from “classes” in the real world. Intra Agent Modeling involves expressing agent characteristics æ Goal, Belief, Plan and Capability æ whereas, Inter Agent modeling incorporates agent mobility and communication in a multi- agent system.
Informationbase - A New Information System Layer
Authors: Kovach Dragan , Fertalj Kresimir
Published: May 2011

In the paper, the concept of informationbase (IB) is described. The IB is a top layer of the information system (IS). The IB layer uses information systems database and existing application programs to provide a structured set of reports and graphs, directly and permanently available to the user. The informationbase described in the article acts as an intelligent and very agile information manager. At appropriate times, it activates predefined options for report generation, supplies the reports with parameters, stores generated information into a well-organized database and manages the authorization of information retrieval.
A Comparison of Stochastic Models for the Interarrival Times of Packets in a Computer Network
Authors: Guster Dennis , Litvinov Semyon , Richardson Mary , Robinson David
Published: May 2011

Because of the complexity and over-subscription of today’s networks, the importance of valid simulation techniques to aid in determining sound network design is paramount. A number of studies have shown that the theoretical exponential packet interarrival rates are not appropriate for many network installations. This chapter compares two other modeling techniques: the power law process and Markov chains to the exponential and actual data taken from a ten-minute segment. The results reveal that the exponential and power law models are a poor match to the actual data. The Markov chain model, although not perfect, yielded some promising results.
Human Factors in Interface Design
Authors: Chen Qiyang , Sharma Vinai
Published: May 2011

This paper discusses the issues of human factors that affect interface design. It addresses the challenges that system analysts may face. It presents the strategies of incorporating human factor engineering into the process of system analysis and design. The user performance and their mental models are also discussed.
Cultural Problems in Applying SSM for IS Development
Authors: Moores Trevor T. , Gregory Frank H.
Published: May 2011

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is a general problem structuring approach that seeks to incorporate multiple stakeholder views in the analysis of a given problem. When applied to IS development, the method requires negotiation and debate between the stakeholders when exploring the feasibility of developing an information system. The applicability of this approach depends, however, on the willingness of participants to enter into such an open discussion. This paper reports on a case study that highlights the problems of applying such a confrontational method in an Eastern culture, such as Hong Kong. Three main problems were identified: Group discussions were avoided; Interviews were conducted in multiple languages; and, High staff turnover made it difficult to develop and maintain mature stakeholder views.
Between Individuals and Teams
Authors: Finnegan Pat , Murray John
Published: May 2011

As the software engineering field has developed, much attention has focused on improving the associated technology and processes. Comparatively little thought has been given to the issue of human resource management. Some see it as central to productivity and software quality. However, little empirical research has explored the required nature of such management. This paper examines human resource management practices in the software industry in Ireland: An economy that is heavily dependent on the software sector, with a high level of foreign multinational investment. A survey of the 100 largest software organisations reveals the nature of human resource practices, and the relative unimportance attached to the management of human resources. Two of the organisations studied are selected as examples of preferred and poor practice, and more in-depth data was gathered from these companies. The authors consider that this comparative analysis reveals a difference that is central to the design of human resource strategies in the software sector: One company managed software engineers as individuals within groups, while the other focused on the management of teams.
Organizational Actions, Computer Attitudes and End-User Satisfaction in Public Organizations
Authors: Aladwani Adel M.
Published: May 2011

This paper reports the results of a field study that investigated the relationship among organizational actions (management advocacy and internal computing support), computer attitudes, and end-user satisfaction in public organizations. The results show that computer attitudes have a positive direct influence on end-user satisfaction. The findings also reveal that management advocacy has positive direct effects on computer attitudes and end-users’ satisfaction. Internal computing support, however, failed to show a significant effect on both computer attitudes and end-user satisfaction. We discuss these results and suggest directions for practice and future research.
ICT Diffusion and Strategic Role within Italian SMEs
Authors: Buonanno Giacomo , Gramignoli Stefano , Ravarini Aurelio , Tagliavini Marco , Sciuto Donatella
Published: May 2011

Information System literature is rich in studies concerning the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on organizations. This chapter, however, focuses on a specific context: small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). It presents an up-to-date picture of the ICT employed and of the activities ICT support within Italian SMEs. Moreover, it provides results regarding the relationship between ICT and SME strategy. Data were collected through a survey on IT managers of 143 SMEs placed in Northern Italy. Research results highlighted relevant differences on how small and medium size organizations employ ICT in order to influence or support their strategy.
Leapfrogging an IT Labor Force
Authors: Trauth Eileen M.
Published: May 2011

Throughout the world countries recognizing the economic benefits of IT are rapidly developing information sectors. Advanced industrialized nations have been moving gradually from industrial to post-industrial work while newly industrializing nations are leapfrogging directly from agrarian to information-intensive work. At the close of the twentieth century some interesting tensions result from these two types of nations moving in the same direction. An important issue for both advanced industrialized countries and newly industrializing nations is the human resource issue. Managers at multinational firms as well as policy makers in newly industrializing countries recognize the need for developing qualified IT personnel. The Irish IT sector provides a valuable setting for studying human resource issues associated with the rapid development of an information sector because it affords the opportunity to explore both the multinational and the indigenous viewpoints. Two key human resource issues for the global IT sector are explored in this paper: ensuring a supply of qualified IT workers in the host country and managing IT workers in a cross-cultural work environment. This paper is based upon an ethnographic study of the information sector in Ireland. The issues that are raised represent the experiences of American and Irish managers, Irish policy makers and Irish IT workers.
User Developed Applications
Authors: McGill Tanya J.
Published: May 2011

Organizations rely heavily on applications developed by end users yet lack of experience and training may compromise the ability of end users to make objective judgments about the quality of their applications. This study investigated the ability of end users to assess the quality of applications they develop. The results confirm that there are differences between the system quality assessments of end user developers and independent expert assessors. In particular, the results of this study suggest that end users with little experience may erroneously consider the applications they develop to be of high quality. Some implications of these results are discussed.
The Effects of Collaborative Technologies
Authors: Kock Ned
Published: May 2011

As discussed in previous chapters, one of the main reasons why such explosion of information flow is taking place is the specialization of knowledge. As more and more knowledge is produced on a global scale, the scope of knowledge that is possessed by individuals becomes increasing narrower. Individuals strive to hold in-depth knowledge in a very limited number of fields and subjects, or, in other words, they specialize. Specialization is an involuntary phenomenon, and follows from human cognitive and, most importantly, time limitations. In the information era, those who do not specialize tend to become less competitive, because they do not have the time to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to compete with others in specific fields of knowledge. If you do not believe me, try to think of anyone who could be a top criminal lawyer and, at the same time, an internationally renowned brain surgeon. Even if we are talking about a super-genius here, time constraints will prevent this from happening, as both specialties require years and years of study and focused practice.