bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Applications of Omics Technologies and the Challenges of Ethics in Nutritional Sciences
Authors: Bhardwaj Minakshi
Published: May 2011

During the past two decades, there have been numerous developments in the genetic and genomic technologies enabling us to understand complex biological systems in an integrative manner through holistic approaches in research. Since the sequencing of the human genome, efforts are made to identify the number of the genes and their functions. The tools for determining the functionality of the genes are just beginning to appear. Initially the methodologies to identify functionality of the genes were largely based on comparative studies between model organisms. The very high number of genes with unknown functions demanded the need to develop new methods and technologies that may be helpful in assigning functions to the identified genes. Advancements in computing techniques and software opened the door for new technologies to be able to take an applied approach by studying biomolecules needed for proper functioning of the cell and take a holistic approach in biomedical research. Besides genomics, several other technologies are developed in the last decade that take an ‘omics’ approach, i.e., an integrated approach in the study of cell function. It is hoped that the applied integrative omics approaches may be helpful in establishing cause and effect relationships between genotype and phenotype. These ‘omics’ approaches include the integration of genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and other omic technologies to do the non-targeted studies of biomolecules involved in the proper functioning of the cells and their responses to environmental changes. The applications of these technologies have been also utilized in the field of nutrition for studies on how nutrients and other metabolites effect the proper functioning of the cell. With these emerging techniques to understand the molecular functioning of the body, it is envisaged that they might be helpful to give personalized medical care and dietary advice to people based on their individual genotypes in the future. Whilst nutritional genomics is a rapidly growing field in the nutritional sciences focusing on the diet-gene relationships, there is an increasing understanding that other technologies will also be crucial in understanding the whole biological processes involved in metabolism of food. In this chapter I wish to outline the use of contemporary technologies that are involved in establishing the intricate linkages between diet and the genes, and the ethical challenges they raise in their applications.
Beyond Informed Consent
Authors: de Castro Leonardo , Teoh Chin Leong
Published: May 2011

This chapter affirms the continuing relevance of requiring informed consent for health research in a context consisting of evolving genetic research methodologies and non-paradigmatic ways by which human beings become subjects of genetic research. The chapter also recognizes the special status of genetic materials and genetic data as subjects of research, as well as the different ways in which genetic materials and genetic data may be “owned.” Different senses of ownership necessitate variable ways of implementing informed consent and these have to be clarified and carefully matched. Taking into account the specific interests expressed by human participants in human tissue research,the authors can see that these can be best promoted by a kind of oversight function delegated to ethics committees. The idea of a “one-time” or absolute consent given at the time of recruitment sounds appealing in that it minimizes inconveniences to many stakeholders, including researchers and human subjects. However, there remain valid reasons to be wary lest the system allow some types of research (or use of human research materials) that subjects would disapprove of unless sufficient pertinent information could be provided at the moment of recruitment. Thus the authors present an option for something close to “one-time” or absolute consent with safety nets in the form of oversight functions “delegated” to oversight ethics committees. The exercise of oversight function should involve flexibility to negotiate specific instructions given by the subject(s), such as those that may have something to do with uses that could have a particular religious or cultural significance.
Genomics and Genetic Engineering
Authors: Daniel Varghese M
Published: May 2011

The hurricane growth of genomics and genetic engineering poses challenging ethical questions pertaining to the technological application in human life. Many secular and religious bioethicists observe that the new proposals of genetic engineering are described as “playing God.” The metaphor has evoked both optimistic and pessimistic perspectives among the scholars in bioethics. The American President’s Advisory Commission for Bioethics describes the ethical arguments in relation with this metaphor in many volumes. The negative renditions of “playing God” conclude that even though human beings are God’s creation they might still be able to play God, which could lead human beings and the entire cosmos to disaster. This perceptive proposes that modern genetic technologies and the researches in genomics could lead humanity into such a disaster. Contrary to this urging, some other bioethicists endorse that as an image of God, humans are called to play God. This chapter critically analyse the rationality of these arguments and its milieu in the context of Christian theology and verify its universal relevance in the context of bioethics.
Problems Associated with Computer-Mediated Communication Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience Perspectives
Authors: Yildirim Gülsen , Gökçay Didem
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, the authors examine some of behavioral problems frequently observed in computer-mediated communication and point out that a subset of these behavioral problems is similar to those of patients with brain lesions. The authors try to draw an analogy between the lack of affective features in text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) versus the functional deficits brought along by regional brain damage. In addition, they review the social psychological studies that identify behavioral problems in CMC, and merge the literature in these different domains to propose some requirements for initiating conceptual changes in text-based CMC applications.
Certification and Security Issues in Biomedical Grid Portals
Authors: Doukas Charalampos , Maglogiannis Ilias , Chatziioannou Aristotle
Published: May 2011

User authentication and data security are very important aspects for the deployment and proper function of biomedical grid portals, since both sensitive data issues and controlled access to grid resources must be addressed. This chapter discusses certification and security issues in biomedical grid portals and presents the security infrastructure of GRISSOM (Grids for In Silico Systems biology and Medicine) platform. The platform consists of a web-based portal and a Web Service that enables statistical analysis of microarray cDNA data with the use of EGEE Grid infrastructure. The security infrastructure addresses user authentication and access issues, data encryption, Grid secure access and Web Service Security. The appendix of the chapter contains code snapshots on how to implement secure authentication in Web Services and create user SSL certificates on demand.
Password Sharing and How to Reduce It
Authors: Ferreira Ana , Correia Ricardo , Chadwick David , Santos Henrique M.D. , Gomes Rui , Reis Diogo , Antunes Luis
Published: May 2011

Password sharing is a common security problem. Some application domains are more exposed than others and, by dealing with very sensitive information, the healthcare domain is definitely not exempt from this problem. This chapter presents a case study of a cross section of how healthcare professionals actually deal with password authentication in typical real world scenarios. It then compares the professionals’ actual practice with what they feel about password sharing and what are the most frequent problems associated with it. Further, this chapter discusses and suggests how to solve or minimize some of these problems using both technological and social cultural mechanisms.
ACEnet
Authors: Van Slyke Craig , Belanger France , Kittner Marcy
Published: May 2011

With the advent of Web-based electronic commerce (e-commerce), businesses of all sizes rushed to take advantage of the potential of e-commerce technologies. While large organizations often have ready access to the resources necessary to implement e-commerce strategies, smaller organizations may lack some or all of these resources. Conversely, the increased reach facilitated by e-commerce may allow some small businesses to be viable in areas where limited access to customers might otherwise prevent success. This increased reach may be particularly beneficial in economically depressed rural areas, which may stand to gain greatly from the economic development potential of small businesses. Small businesses in general, and rural small businesses in particular, face a number of hurdles that must be overcome if they are to benefit from e-commerce. This case describes how a not-for-profit agency, the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet), facilitates the use of e-commerce by rural small businesses as a part of an overall strategy for spurring economic development through small businesses. ACEnet provides a number of resources that help small businesses take advantage of e-commerce; including computer labs, Web site hosting, consultative services, and technical and business training. This case illustrates how these services help rural small businesses overcome many of the barriers to successful implementation of e-commerce.
An Expectation of Privacy
Authors: Urbaczewski Andrew , Rikala Juho
Published: May 2011

This case presents the ethical dilemma of an IT staff member at an academic university. The IT staffer was caught in the middle of a squabble between the dean of the business school and the associate dean, also of the business school. Professional differences spilled over into personal differences, and the Dean was seeking methods of retribution against the associate dean while the associate dean was on sabbatical. E-mail is an extensively used tool at this university, and the dean suspected that the associate dean was sending personal messages on the university’s server. The dean asked the IT staffer to intervene in two ways: 1) remove her from the staff e-mail list; and 2) forward all of her e-mail to both the dean and the dean’s secretary. He hoped that there would be evidence of misuse of government resources, giving him just cause to terminate her. While this case is based on real events in a real organization, we have changed the names of organizations and participants involved. We regret having to make changes to even the nation in which the program is located, but the tightness of the community compelled the players involved to require absolute anonymity before they gave their consent to publish.
Life After a Disastrous Electronic Medical Record Implementation
Authors: Wager Karen A. , Wickham Lee Frances , White Andrea W.
Published: May 2011

The majority of users of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) at a family medicine clinic located in a small city in the western United States are currently quite dissatisfied with the system. The practice experienced a disastrous implementation of the EMR in 1994 and has not recovered. Although the level of dissatisfaction varies among the practice employees, several influential physicians are pushing to “pull the plug” and start over with a brand new system. The authors of this case studied this practice during a more comprehensive qualitative study of the impact of an EMR system on primary care. The practice’s negative experience was particularly noteworthy, because the other four practices in the larger study were satisfied with the EMR system. As with most system failures, there are multiple organizational and other factors that have contributed to the frustrations and dissatisfactions with the use of EMR within this practice.
Reality of Use and Nature of Change in Small Business
Authors: Wojtkowski Wita , Hardesty J. Craig
Published: May 2011

Through this case we ponder an inescapable issue faced by all small businesses. Of interest are both the positive and negative roles information technology plays when affecting organizational change. We tell a story of a small successful business that is evolving into a larger organization. While this subject brings with it myriad facets, we evaluate the actions taken in terms of technology, staff, and procedures. What learning difficulties did this enterprise face? How did management address these challenges? Why the original entrepreneur did not want to let go when the next generation attempted to implement support mechanisms? What was the outcome? Our case concerns a small service enterprise located in the western United States. There are numerous organizational issues presented in this case. • Case Industry: Temporary Staffing and Service Business, OTI • Major Technical Issue: Appropriate use of database technology • Major Strategic Issue: Sustainable expansion when undergoing technological change • Major Players/Leaders: CEO-owner (CO), Operational Manager (OM), IT technical Manager (TM) • Case Conclusion/ Recommendation: Inefficient compromise may result when small businesses employ IT to meet an increasingly competitive business environment.
SAFECO®
Authors: Chatterjee Debabroto , Jessup Leonard M.
Published: May 2011

The Internet and World Wide Web present significant business opportunities and threats, particularly for business organizations that are knowledge-based and/or that offer primarily information-based services. For these types of firms, the Web offers opportunities that range from exchanging information with partner organizations, the delivery of existing services to customers, and the creation of new services. The potential threats include choosing the wrong strategies for adopting Web technologies, poor implementation of Web technologies, entering late into the realm of Electronic Commerce and thus losing market share, or worse, ignoring the use of the Web altogether and potentially being replaced by more nimble rivals. The majority of large organizations in a variety of industries have slowly, cautiously begun deploying Web technologies. This is perhaps not surprising considering the implementation challenges and risks posed by this new technological innovation. It is not yet clear how large organizations, particularly those that are knowledge-based and provide primarily information-based services, should strategize about, adopt, and implement Web technologies. The purpose of this study is to understand how SAFECO, a large corporation in the insurance and financial services industry, is strategizing for and implementing technologies to exploit the Web. SAFECO was recently ranked as one of the leading innovative users of the Web technology in its industry. This further legitimizes the selection of the company as an appropriate case study site.
Introduction to Ubiquitous Computing
Authors: Mühlhäuser Max , Gurevych Iryna
Published: May 2011

The term ubiquitous computing was coined and introduced by the late Mark Weiser (1952-1999). He worked at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC, now an independent organization). PARC was more or less the birthplace of many developments that marked the PC era, such as the mouse, windows-based user interfaces, and the desktop metaphor (note that Xerox STAR preceded the Apple Lisa, which again preceded Microsoft Windows), laser printers, many concepts of computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and media spaces, and much more. This success is contributed (among other reasons) to the fact that PARC managed to integrate technology research and humanities research (computer science and “human factors” in particular) in a truly interdisciplinary way. This is important to bear in mind since a considerable number of publications argue that the difference between UC and Ambient Intelligence was the more technology/ networks-centered focus of the former and the more interdisciplinary nature of the latter that considered human and societal factors. We do not agree with this argument, in particular due to the nature of the original UC research at PARC—and the fact that quite a number of UC research labs worldwide try to follow the PARC mindset. Indeed, Mark Weiser concentrated so much on user aspects that quite a number of his first prototypes were mere mockups: during corresponding user studies, users had to imagine the technology side of the devices investigated and focus on use cases, ideal form factors and desired features, integration into a pretend intelligent environment, and so forth.
The Arab World, Culture and Information Technology
Authors: El Louadi Mohamed
Published: May 2011

In 801, Harun Rashid offered Charlemagne a water clock, the like of which was inexistent in all of Europe at that time; the King’s court thought that a little devil was hidden inside the clock. In the 1930s, King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia had to convince his people that the radio was not the making of the devil and that it could in fact be used to broadcast and spread the Quran. In 2003, the Arab region is found to be still lagging in modern technologies adoption (UNDP, 2003). Thus, in a little more than 11 centuries, the Arabs were transformed from leaders to adopters, then to late adopters as far as technologies are concerned. The Arab world is taken to mean the 22 members of the Arab League, accounting for more than 300 million people with an economy of 700 billion dollars. Although most Arabs practice Islam, they represent less than one third of all Muslims. The Arab world is often thought of as economically prosperous due to its oil resources; yet its total GDP is lower than that of Spain (UNDP, 2003). Arab countries share language and culture but differ in size, geography, demographics, government type, etc. In terms of spending in and use of IT, statistics portray the Arab world as far from being up-to-date (UNDP, 2003). This article raises the question of whether existing research models are appropriate to explain this delay. If certain characteristics proper to the Arab culture play an important role in explaining the delay in IT adoption, then we anticipate the answer to be that no existing model is able to adequately study the IT adoption phenomena in the Arab world.
Human-Centric Evolutionary Systems in Design and Decision-Making
Authors: Parmee I.C. , Abraham J. R. , Machwe A.
Published: May 2011

The chapter introduces the concept of user-centric evolutionary design and decision-support systems, and positions them in terms of interactive evolutionary computing. Current research results provide two examples that illustrate differing degrees of user interaction in terms of subjective criteria evaluation; the extraction, processing, and presentation of high-quality information; and the associated improvement of machine-based problem representation. The first example relates to the inclusion of subjective aesthetic criteria to complement quantitative evaluation in the conceptual design of bridge structures. The second relates to the succinct graphical presentation of complex relationships between variable and objective space, and the manner in which this can support a better understanding of a problem domain. This improved understanding can contribute to the iterative improvement of initial machine-based representations. Both examples complement and add to earlier research relating to interactive evolutionary design systems.
Design Methods for Experience Design
Authors: Jefsioutine Marie , Knight John
Published: May 2011

The following chapter describes an approach to Web design and evaluation where the user experience is central. It outlines the historical context in which experience design has evolved and describes the authors’ experience design framework (EDF). This is based on the principles of user-centred design (UCD) and draws on a variety of research methods and tools to facilitate the design, development, and evaluation of user experiences. It proposes that to design usable, accessible, engaging, and beneficial Web sites, effort needs to focus on visceral, behavioural, reflective, and social factors, while considering contexts such as the who and why; what and how; when and where; and with what of Web site use. Research methods from a variety of disciplines are used to support exploration, communication, empathy, and speculation. Examples of the application of the EDF, to various stages of the Web design process, are described.
Socio-Cognitive Engineering
Authors: Sharples Mike
Published: May 2011

Socio-cognitive engineering is a framework for the systematic design of socio-technical systems (people and their interaction with technology), based on the study and analysis of how people think, learn, perceive, work, and interact. The framework has been applied to the design of a broad range of human-centered technologies, including a Writer’s Assistant (Sharples, Goodlet, & Pemberton, 1992), a training system for neuroradiologists (Sharples et al., 2000), and a mobile learning device for children (Sharples, Corlett, & Westmancott, 2002). It has been adopted by the European MOBIlearn project (www.mobilearn. org) to develop mobile technology for learning. It also has been taught to undergraduate and postgraduate students to guide their interactive systems projects. An overview of the framework can be found in Sharples et al. (2002).
Social Networking Theories and Tools to Support Connectivist Learning Activities
Authors: Pettenati M. C. , Cigognini M. E.
Published: May 2011

This article considers the affordances of social networking theories and tools to build new and effective e-learning practices. We argue that “connectivism” (social networking applied to learning and knowledge contexts) can lead to a reconceptualization of learning in which formal, nonformal, and informal learning can be integrated as to build potentially lifelong learning activities to be experienced in “personal learning environments.” In order to provide a guide in the design, development, and improvement both of personal learning environments and in the related learning activities, we provide a knowledge flow model highlighting the stages of learning and the related enabling conditions. The derived model is applied in a possible scenario of formal learning in order to show how the learning process can be designed according to the presented theory.
Augmenting Collaboration with Personalization Services
Authors: Evangelou Christina E. , Tzagarakis Manolis , Karousos Nikos , Gkotsis George , Nousia Dora
Published: May 2011

Collaboration is considered as an essential element for effective learning since it enables learners to better develop their points of view and refine their knowledge. Our aim being to facilitate communities of practice members as learners, we argue that collaboration tools should provide personalization features and functionalities in order to fit the specific individual and community learning requirements. More specifically, we propose a framework of services supporting personalization that being embedded in collaboration tools, can act as catalysts for individual and community learning. The proposed set of services has derived after the careful consideration of a generic learner profile, developed to formalize human actors in settings where learning takes place.
Context-Aware Service Discovery in Ubiquitous Computing
Authors: Guo Huaqun , Zhang Daqing , Ngoh Lek-Heng , Zheng Song , Wong Wai-Choong
Published: May 2011

The decreasing cost of networking technology and network-enabled devices is driving the large scale deployment of such networks and devices so as to offer many new and innovative services to users in ubiquitous computing. For example, when you carry your mobile laptop or personal digital assistant (PDA) around, or drive on the road, various services have been made available, ranging from finding a local printer to print a file, to instantaneously knowing about the traffic situation from traffic-cameras and other sensors along a highway. To achieve the above, every participating network- enabled end-device must solve an interesting technical problem, i.e., to locate a particular network service or device out of hundreds of thousands of accessible services and devices. Such service advertising and discovery is important as mobile devices and mobile wireless devices proliferate on networks. For this reason, a service discovery and advertising protocol is an important tool to help these devices find services on the network wherever they connect, and to let other network users know about the services they are offering. Context-aware service discovery, on the other hand, would help users to find services that are most appropriate based on fast-changing client conditions, such as location. For example, most laptops are statically configured to print to dedicated office printers. With the help of the context-awareness, a laptop could find the nearest accessible printer attached to the network that the laptop is currently plugged into.
Mobility and Multimodal User Interfaces
Authors: Pavlovski Christopher J. , Mitchell Stella
Published: May 2011

Traditional user interface design generally deals with the problem of enhancing the usability of a particular mode of user interaction, and a large body of literature exists concerning the design and implementation of graphical user interfaces. When considering the additional constraints that smaller mobile devices introduce, such as mobile phones and PDAs, an intuitive and heuristic user interface design is more difficult to achieve. Multimodal user interfaces employ several modes of interaction; this may include text, speech, visual gesture recognition, and haptics. To date, systems that employ speech and text for application interaction appear to be the mainstream multimodal solutions. There is some work on the design of multimodal user interfaces for general mobility accommodating laptops or desktop computers (Sinha & Landay, 2002). However, advances in multimodal technology to accommodate the needs of smaller mobile devices, such as mobile phones and portable digital assistants, are still emerging. Mobile phones are now commonly equipped with the mechanics for visual browsing of Internet applications, although their small screens and cumbersome text input methods pose usability challenges. The use of a voice interface together with a graphical interface is a natural solution to several challenges that mobile devices present. Such interfaces enable the user to exploit the strengths of each mode in order to make it easier to enter and access data on small devices. Furthermore, the flexibility offered by multiple modes for one application allows users to adapt their interactions based on preference and on environmental setting. For instance, handsfree speech operation may be conducted while driving, whereas graphical interactions can be adopted in noisy surroundings or when private data entry, such as a password, is required in a public environment. In this article we discuss multimodal technologies that address the technical and usability constraints of the mobile phone or PDA. These environments pose several additional challenges over general mobility solutions. This includes computational strength of the device, bandwidth constraints, and screen size restrictions. We outline the requirements of mobile multimodal solutions involving cellular phones. Drawing upon several trial deployments, we summarize the key designs points from both a technology and usability standpoint, and identify the outstanding problems in these designs. We also outline several future trends in how this technology is being deployed in various application scenarios, ranging from simple voice-activated search engines through to comprehensive mobile office applications.
Wikis as Tools for Collaboration
Authors: Klobas Jane
Published: May 2011

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, envisioned it as a place where “people can communicate … by sharing their knowledge in a pool … putting their ideas in, as well as taking them out” (Berners-Lee, 1999). For much of its first decade, the Web was, however, primarily a place where the majority of people took ideas out rather than putting them in. This has changed. Many “social software” services now exist on the Web to facilitate social interaction, collaboration and information exchange. This article introduces wikis, jointly edited Web sites and Intranet resources that are accessed through web browsers. After a brief overview of wiki history, we explain wiki technology and philosophy, provide an overview of how wikis are being used for collaboration, and consider some of the issues associated with management of wikis before considering the future of wikis. In 1995, an American computer programmer, Ward Cunningham, developed some software to help colleagues quickly and easily share computer programming patterns across the Web. He called the software WikiWikiWeb, after the “Wiki Wiki” shuttle bus service at Honolulu International Airport (Cunningham, 2003). As interest in wikis increased, other programmers developed wiki software, most of it (like WikiWikiWeb) open source. Although wiki software was relatively simple by industry standards, some technical knowledge was required to install, maintain and extend the “wiki engines.” Contributors needed to learn and use a markup language to edit pages, and even if the markup languages were often simpler than HTML, non-technical users did not find these early wikis compelling. In the early years of the twenty-first century, a number of developments led to more widespread use of wikis. Wiki technology became simpler to install and use, open source software was improved, and commercial enterprise-grade wiki software was released. The not insignificant issues associated with attracting and managing a community of people who use a wiki to share their knowledge were discussed in forums such as MeatballWiki (http://www.usemod.com/cgibin/ mb.pl?action=browse&id=MeatballWiki&ol did=FrontPage). The public’s attention was drawn to wikis following the launch, in January 2001, of the publicly written Web-based encyclopedia, Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org). And wiki hosting services and application service providers (ASPs) were established to enable individuals and organizations to develop wikis without the need to install and maintain wiki software themselves. By July 2006, nearly 3,000 wikis were indexed at the wiki indexing site www.wikiindex. org, popular wiki hosting services such as Wikia (www.wikia.org) and seedwiki (www.seedwiki. org) hosted thousands of wikis between them, and Wikipedia had more than four and a half million pages in over 100 languages. Moreover, wikis were increasingly being used in less public ways, to support and enable collaboration in institutions ranging from businesses to the public service and not-for-profit organizations.
Academic Weblogs as Tools for E-Collaboration Among Researchers
Authors: Luzón María José
Published: May 2011

Although scientific research has always been a social activity, in recent years the adoption of Internet- based communication tools by researchers (e.g., e-mail, electronic discussion boards, electronic mailing lists, videoconferencing, weblogs) has led to profound changes in social interaction and collaboration among them. Research suggests that Internet technologies can improve and increase communication among noncollocated researchers, increase the size of work groups, increase equality of access to information by helping to integrate disadvantaged and less established researchers, help to coordinate work more efficiently, help to exchange documents and information quickly (Carley &Wendt, 1991; Nentwich, 2003). There is abundant research on new forms of group work originated from the use of computer technologies. Carley and Wendt (1991) use the term extended research group to refer to very large, cohesive, and highly cooperative research groups that, even being geographically dispersed, are coordinated under the supervision of a single director. The term collaboratory is also used to refer to similar groups (Finholt, 2002). Although there is much research on how Internet technologies are used by unified and cohesive work groups to collaborate (e.g., Moon & Sproull, 2002; Walsh & Maloney, 2002), less attention has been paid to how the Internet facilitates collaboration among researchers outside these highly cohesive groups. Weblogs (blogs) can become a useful tool for this type of collaboration and for the creation of virtual groups. Weblogs are frequently updated Web pages, consisting of many relatively short postings, organized in reverse chronological order, which tend to include the date, and a comment button so that readers can answer (Herring, Scheidt, Bonus, & Wright, 2004). They enable users to communicate with a worldwide nonrestricted community of people in similar fields, which leads to several forms of collaboration. The purpose of this article is to present a brief overview of the uses of weblogs as tools for research e-collaboration. Defining the concept of “research e-collaboration” precisely is extremely difficult. Here we assume that members of a virtual community engage in research e-collaboration when they use e-collaborating technologies in order to share information and discuss issues which contribute to advancing knowledge in a specific area.
Tangible User Interfaces as Mediating Tools within Adaptive Educational Environments
Authors: Loi Daria
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes that, as approaches to human computer interaction (HCI), tangible user interfaces (TUIs) can scaffold rich classroom experiences if they are coupled and generated within multi-pedagogical frameworks that adopt concepts such as Multimodality, Multisensoriality, and Multiliteracies. It overviews some necessary conditions for these tools to be effective, arguing that tangible user interfaces and multi-pedagogies are efficient when they are conceptualized as part of adaptive educational environments—teaching and learning ecologies where learners and teachers are seen as co-creators of content and of new ways of interacting with such content.
The Online Effect
Authors: Mawson-Lee Kym
Published: May 2011

This case centres on a request management system that was developed and implemented in response to the growing requests to the Information Technology (IT) unit for assistance. Primarily, this assistance was with a core corporate application called WorkDesk, a back office processing system. The request management system, an IT unit initiative, was designed in collaboration with representatives of the organisation’s business units. The initial development project lasted for approximately two months and upon implementation was well received by the organisation. This first implementation turned out to be a proof of concept for a much larger system called the Request System that has been developed and implemented as a single online channel to manage all requests made of the IT unit. The Request System has greatly increased the ability of the IT unit to strategically manage IT and its support across the organisation. The core benefit of this case is the discussion of the successful development of an online task management system and its 10 key functions. This system effectively manages all requests made to the IT unit and introduced accountability for its completion. The system described can be easily repurposed based upon the knowledge demonstrated in this case study for a wide range of task management purposes. The situation described in this case resulted in the organisation’s maturing in terms of IT understanding, an issue with which many organisations are struggling and one that, if understood, will assist students to have a positive impact on similar organisations.
Enhancing E-Collaboration Through Culturally Appropriate User Interfaces
Authors: Cyr Dianne
Published: May 2011

Prior to the Internet, forms of social expression, communication, and collaborative behavior are known to be sensitive to cultural nuances. According to researcher Geert Hofstede (1991), a widely used definition of culture is proposed where “Every person carries within him or herself patterns of thinking, feeling, and potential acting which were learned through their lifetime” (p. 4). Hofstede referred to such patterns as mental programs or “software of the mind.” It is expected that such mental programming related to cultural differences will affect perceptions of the electronic medium as well (Raman & Watson, 1994). Related to the topic of this volume, culture has a place in the consideration of e-collaboration when individuals come together to work toward a common goal using electronic technologies. This may include various domains including e-business, e-learning, distributed project management, working in virtual teams of various forms, to name a few. While there is little work to date on the explicit topic of culture and e-collaboration, there is evidence that creating culturally appropriate user interfaces (Cyr & Trevor-Smith, 2004) contributes to a better perception of the interface (Kondratova & Goldfarb, 2005), and indeed to enhanced levels of Web site trust and satisfaction (Cyr, 2006). In e-commerce settings, Web sites that are perceived as appropriate to the user have also resulted in greater commitment (Oliver, 1999). In this article, and building on previous work in related areas, it is argued that the development of culturally appropriate electronic interfaces can enhance user involvement, ultimately resulting in enhanced e-collaboration. In the following sections, culture as a context for e-collaboration is outlined followed by considerations of the Web used as a communication tool, and how trust and satisfaction are related to the online collaborative process. The article ends with concluding remarks.
Technology and Culture
Authors: Sharma Ramesh C. , Mishra Sanjaya
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the deployment of e-learning technologies in the context of how they are helping towards preserving and disseminating knowledge on Indian cultural heritage. An analysis has also been offered as regards how the technologies like e-learning initiatives have their impact on sociocultural settings within Indian context. This chapter attempts to understand and frame Indian culture and experiences through ICT and e-learning practices, and how the differentiated learning needs of multicultural society can be addressed.
Linguistics of Computer-Mediated Communication
Authors: Tarsiero Rosanna
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the embodied metaphor as a means of studying the multifaceted relationship between computer-mediated communication (CMC) and culture. It argues that the embodied metaphor offers a more reliable framework, as opposed to both deterministic and dispositional perspectives, in that it provides a way to understand, explain, and frame the user’s adaptive response to CMC. Furthermore, it also argues that culture has the potential to shape interactions by influencing the way metaphors are enacted. The author hopes that the aforementioned approach will provide a new understanding of the interplay between CMC and culture, informing future study design and bridging the existing gap between qualitative and quantitative research through action science.
Exploring "Events" as an Information Systems Research Methodology
Authors: Greenhill Anita , Fletcher Gordon
Published: May 2011

In this article we build upon existing research and commentary from a variety of disciplinary sources, including information systems, organisational and management studies, and the social sciences that focus upon the meaning, significance and impact of “events” in the information technology, organisational and social context. Our aim is to define how the examination of the event is an appropriate, viable and useful information systems methodology. The line of argument we pursue is that by focusing on the “event” the researcher is able to more clearly observe and capture the complexity, multiplicity and mundaneity of everyday lived experience. An inherent danger of existing traditional “event” focused studies and “virtual” ethnographic approaches is the micromanagement of the research process. Using the notion of “event” has the potential to reduce methodological dilemmas such as this without effacing context (Peterson, 1998, p. 19). Similarly, in this article we address the overemphasis upon managerialist, structured and time-fixated praxis that is currently symptomatic of information systems research. All of these concerns are pivotal points of critique found within event-oriented literature regarding organisations (Gergen & Thatchenkery, 2004; Peterson, 1998).
Culture's Impact on Technology Mediated Learning
Authors: Hornik Steven , Tupchiy Anna
Published: May 2011

The horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism are an important characteristic of cultures. These dimensions have many implications for the ways in which individual learners use and respond to interactive technologies. This article reports on a study that investigated the impact of culture, specifically horizontal individualism (HI), vertical individualism (VI), horizontal collectivism (HC), and vertical collectivism (VC) on the effectiveness of technology mediated learning. Results indicate that the four dimensional patterns have differing effects on the use of TML communication capabilities, feelings of sense of community, satisfaction with the TML experience, perceived learning, and declarative knowledge acquisition.
Product Customization on the Web
Authors: Bharati Pratyush , Chaudhury Abhijit
Published: May 2011

Choiceboards are Web-based systems that allow consumers to customize their orders. The study investigated factors that affect consumers’ intention to use choiceboards. The research is based on Masons’ theory and DeLone and McLean’s model of information system use. It was found that intention to use is affected by overall satisfaction. In turn, these two factors are positively impacted by factors such as system quality and information quality. In spite of support from theory, the evidence for the factor, information presentation was weak.
Distributed Deception
Authors: Boyle Randall J. , Kacmar Charles J. , George Joey F
Published: May 2011

This research examines the impact of computermediated communication, distributed communication, and knowledge of prior baseline behavior on an individual’s propensity to make veracity judgments. This study found that more detection confidence can come from knowledge of a person’s prior baseline behavior, being proximally located, the type of communication media used, and perceived relational closeness. These factors indirectly lead to less deception detection through more detection confidence and reliance on the truth bias, a fundamental belief in the truthfulness of others, even in a compute- mediated environment.
Managerial Careers, Gender, and Information Technology Field
Authors: Aaltio Iiris
Published: May 2011

Careers are organizational and institutional, and they have know-how-based contexts. Managerial careers from a gender perspective, gendered “blind spots” in organizations and the invisibility of women in management have been an object of study since the 1970s. Gender is a part of socially constructed individual identity. Gendered identities in organizations are defined and redefined in relationships as people become socially constructed through work groups, teams and interactions. Because of this social construction, femininity and masculinity grow into human behavior and outlook. Understanding gender as an activity and a term in the making (Calás & Smircich, 1996), it is a constitution of an activity, even when institutions appear to see woman and man as a stable distinction (Korvajärvi, 1998). Beyond work-life and organizations, there are multiple institutional and gendered structures. The information technology (IT) industry and companies are also an institutional construction with gendered dimensions, and they also participate on the creation of femininity and masculinity. Career can be seen as a conceptual artefact that reflects a culture and rhetorical context in its use. It is a kind of window to a network of values, institutions and functions, where actual careers are made. Usually, the formal organization is based on neutrality and equality, but a closer look reveals the deeper social structures that make it different to women and men. There is a concept of an abstract and neutral worker, and this worker is supposed to be highly competent, work-oriented and available, committed to work-life without any knit to private life. These characteristics support a good career climb in an organizational hierarchy, and many of these characteristics better suit men than women (Metcalfe & Altman, 2001). For instance, home responsibilities make often working hours less flexible for women than men. The notion of an essential person with no gender characteristics does not recognize these issues, whereas taking gender as a research topic shows that work-life as a context differs between women and men.
Social Networking and Knowledge Transfer in Collaborative Product Development
Authors: Ala-Rämi Katariina
Published: May 2011

Software product development requires connecting of specialized information and knowhow. Therefore, planning and production are widely done in networked projects. This chapter studies inter-firm collaboration to explore the role of face-to-face meetings and information and communication technology in knowledge transfer in product development by using case studies of software companies in Oulu, Finland. Clusters are important in forming trust and mutual understanding. Thus, a compact city region and effective social networks are beneficial for inter-firm collaboration. However, information and communication technology is very valuable for routine communication and documentation, but also in distance collaboration. Geographical distance affects inter-firm collaboration in terms of practical arrangements, such as working hours, yet cultural differences bring additional challenges. This chapter considers and scrutinizes social networking in collaborative product development, and the role of clusters and information and communication technology in such development, as among the key success factors.
Managing Socio-Technical Integration in Iterative Information System Development Projects
Authors: Bygstad Bendik , Lind Mikael
Published: May 2011

The challenges of information systems (IS) development have changed significantly in the past 15 years. From a situation where the main problem was to build stable systems based on a requirements specification, the IS project manager now faces challenges of integration; for example: how to integrate a new information system into large existing information infrastructures and unstable business processes? Building on a socio-technical perspective, four types of integration were identified and analyzed: external and internal stakeholder integration, and internal and external technical integration. A longitudinal case study of an e-business development project in the airline industry identified and highlighted some managerial challenges of integration. Findings include: Internal technical and (to some extent) stakeholder integration is well supported by traditional project management techniques and software engineering frameworks, such as the Rational Unified Process (RUP). However, the challenges of external stakeholder and technical integration is underrated in IS development research, and not well supported in RUP.
Human Factors for Networked and Virtual Organizations
Authors: Lasnik Vincent E.
Published: May 2011

One of the central problems and corresponding challenges facing the multi-disciplinary field of networked and virtual organizations has been in the construction of theory-grounded, researchbased taxonomies for prescribing what particular strategies and approaches should be employed when, how, and in what combination to be most effective and efficient for specific business domains, organizational structures, and enterprise-wide performance objectives.