bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application Service Providers
Authors: Mathiyalakan Sathasivam
Published: May 2011

Technological changes within the last decade have dramatically changed the business climate. The use of Internet by firms has lead to global production, consumption, and competition. Electronic commerce, or e-commerce, “is a modern business methodology that addresses the needs of organizations, merchants, and consumers to cut costs while improving the quality of goods and services and increasing the speed of service delivery” (Kalakota & Whinston, 1996, p. 1). The benefits of e-commerce include cost savings, direct and quick interaction with the (potential) customer, competitive advantage through business intelligence, digital production sales and distribution, collaborative development with partners, new product development, direct sales, marketing and advertising, publicity, customer service and enhanced customer relationship, and communication. Small businesses play an important role in the nation’s economy. They are the fastest growing segment of all business types. The importance of small businesses to the U.S. economy can be gauged from the following statistics provided by U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA): • Small businesses represent 99.7% of all employers, employ 50% of all private sector employees and account for 44.3% of total U.S. private payroll; • Small businesses generate 60 to 80% of net new jobs annually; and • Small businesses are employers of 39% of high-tech workers. Researchers have argued that the use of Internet has created a level playing field whereby a small business can compete effectively against larger competitors. Studies have shown that larger firms have made significant progress in e-commerce. But, the same cannot be said of small businesses. In a 2001 report, SBA noted that less than 2% of Internet use is directed at e-commerce. The lack of progress in e-commerce adoption by small businesses has been cited in several studies (Mathiyalakan, 2002, 2004). Small businesses face numerous e-commerce technology adoption barriers and as a result the pace of adoption has been slow. In addition to capital and access to latest technology, employees’ knowledge, expertise, and experience is an important determinant of technology adoption (Kwon & Zmud, 1987; Rogers, 1983). To overcome the technological and skill limitations identified above, several strategic options are available for small businesses. These include the use of external consultants, outsourcing, and the use of ASP amongst others. The focus of this article is on examining issues related to the use of ASP by small businesses. This article is organized in terms of five sections. After this introduction, we provide a background to ASP. Thereafter, we identify and discuss issues that are pertinent to the use of ASP by small business. This is followed by a discussion on future trends and our concluding remarks.
Clicks and Mortar
Authors: Bahn David L.
Published: May 2011

“Clicks and mortar” signifies the use of electronic commerce (clicks) in combination with traditional (brick-and-mortar) operations. In the domain of business strategy and operations, this has also been known as “bricks and clicks,” referring to the deployment of electronic commerce alongside conventional business operations in a manner that best utilizes the strengths of each channel in a complementary and synergistic manner (Stuart, 2000).
E-Banking Application and Issues in Abbey National Plc
Authors: Xu Mark X. , Wilkes Siobhan , Shah Mahmood H.
Published: May 2011

The financial service is facing a new delivery challenge in the shape of the Internet and e-commerce (Akamavi, 2005). The Internet as a channel for banking service delivery is fundamentally different from other channels such as branch networks, telephone banking, or automated teller machines (ATMs). The term e-banking is often used interchangeably with online banking, Internet banking, and PC banking. For example, Pikkarainen, Pikkarainen, Karjaluoto, and Pahnila (2004) define online banking as an Internet portal, through which customers can use different kinds of banking services ranging from bill payment to making investments. A bank’s Web site offering only information without possibility to conduct any transactions is not qualified as online banking. Lbbotson and Moran (2003) use the term “electronic forms of banking”, which includes telephone banking, PC banking, and Internet banking. In line with this definition, Lassar, Manolis, and Lassar (2005) refer e-banking as various formats or technologies, including telephone banking, direct bill payment, electronic fund transfer, PC banking, and online (Internet) banking. In this article, e-banking is referred to Internet banking or Online banking that it must enable Internet based transactions. This distinguishes e-banking from other electronic-based remote banking. E-banking can be carried out anywhere from a device with an Internet connection and it enables access to account information and conduct online transactions. E-banking brings up unique types of challenges and requires novel solutions (Shah & Gupta, 2005; Southard & Siau, 2004). This article reviews how e-banking has been developed in Abbey National PLC (Public Limited Company) with a focus on the important issues when implementing e-banking applications1.
eBay's Dominance in Internet Auctions
Authors: Park Sangin
Published: May 2011

Internet auctions began in 1995 and have been growing rapidly since. As of May 2001, the estimated total revenue of Internet auctions reaches $556 million. Since the beginning of Internet auctions, eBay has maintained a dominant leading position although the popular attention and the profitability of eBay induced entries of two biggest e-commerce firms, Yahoo!, in October 1998, and Amazon.com, in March 1999. An eBay vice president said in January 2000 that eBay’s market share in the Internet auctions market remained at approximately 90% (see Lucking-Reiley, 2000). As of fall 2001, it is believed to be more than 80%. Internet auction sites such as eBay and Yahoo!Auctions acts as listing agents, allowing individual sellers to register their items on their Web sites and running Web-based automatic auctions on their behalf. Actual exchanges including payment and shipment are worked out by the buyer and the seller on their own. The English auctions have been the most dominant format in Internet auctions. However, sellers usually have some control over these Web-based auctions, choosing a set of different parameters for each auction such as the duration days, an opening value, an optional secrete reserve price, and so forth. A variety of goods are auctioned in Internet auctions, but the largest category by far has been the collectibles. Each Internet auctions site has different categories, and there is usually no one top-level category that includes all the types of collectibles. Between September 27, 2001, and November 1, 2001, 59% of listings on eBay belonged to one of the categories such as antiques and art; collectibles; books, movies, music;,coins and stamps; dolls and doll houses; or toys, bean bag plush. During the same time period, 54% of listings of Yahoo!Auctions were included in one of the following categories: antique, art and collectibles; sports cards and memorabilia; toys and games and hobbies; or coins, paper money and stamps.
Information Integration for Relationship Management
Authors: Moore Robert S. , Warkentin Merrill , Moore Melissa
Published: May 2011

In the past 20 years, an explosion in the ability of firms to acquire and integrate vast amounts of electronic customer information has occurred. For example, in the early 1990s, Lotus Development Corporation introduced, then withdrew a software product called MarketPlace: Households from the market after widespread public concern. The $695 product had a searchable database of 120 million Americans, containing their names, addresses, estimated incomes, consumer preferences, and other personal details. Fast forward to 2005, and companies like ChoicePoint Inc. hold personal information on virtually every single American and sell it over the Internet. Though the ability to technologically acquire and manage information has been possible since the mid 1960s, it was not until the 1990s that the Internet allowed even the smallest of firms to collect, purchase, and integrate information about potential customers. This “interactive information integration” capability is a process of consolidating and managing customer information from all available sources. The recent proliferation of affordable client devices such as desktop computing combined with advances in telecommunication (broadband, mobile devices, etc.) in the early part of the 21st century has enabled this trend to continue and grow. Optimally, marketplace information is used to develop need-based offerings generated from specific individual-level data. These customized solutions can lead to long-term profitable relationships for both customers and firms. However, the level of acceptance of the collection and use of personal information varies among consumers, and the human and technological ability of firms to properly secure information is not perfect. Miscues, such as ChoicePoint’s report that personal data for more than 140,000 people had been stolen and Time Warner’s report that data tapes containing information on more than 600,000 past and present employees was lost (Perez & Brooks 2005), affect attitudes toward the collection and use of personal information, particularly in marketing communications.
Leveraging Customer Data Integration for Effective E-CRM Analytics
Authors: Van Dyke Thomas P. , Nemati Hamid R. , Barko Christopher D.
Published: May 2011

A holistic view of the customer is a desirable resource in many organizations today. The findings from a recent DMG Consulting study confirm this reality—possessing integrated customer information is a critical success factor in 11 of the 12 business challenges facing organizations (Kharbanda & Dasgupta, 2001). To achieve a single customer view in today’s marketplace often characterized by increasing global competition, shrinking product lifecycles, and decreasing customer loyalty, companies are considering customer analytical technologies to uncover previously unknown and valuable insights. These insights strengthen customer relationships through greater responsiveness and customization, thereby boosting customer loyalty. Many organizations now believe one of the fundamental instruments for creating competitive advantage is deploying information technology that supports and fosters one-to-one relationships with customers (Shoemaker, 2001). This type of customized service can be achieved through customer relationship management (CRM) and electronic CRM (e-CRM) technologies, which enable organizations to maximize their customer relationships and increase profits by leveraging people, processes, and technology for more effective acquisition, retention, and cross-selling/up-selling opportunities. However, a holistic and integrated customer view remains elusive within most companies. Many businesses still struggle with a basic understanding of who their customers are, what they want, and what they contribute to or cost the company. This is due to the myriad of systems typically found in organizations that contain some form of customer data—CRM and database marketing, legacy and ERP (enterprise resource planning), customer service, order management, financial, call center, and sales force automation systems. In addition, integration complexity grows as organizations add external sources such as customer survey, demographic, credit, and lifestyle data. Integrating relevant data to enable a holistic view of the customer requires overcoming many obstacles, which typically encompass duplicate data, incompatible and conflicting definitions, and ownership/political battles.
Managing E-Business Change
Authors: Ash Colin G. , Burn Janice M.
Published: May 2011

Kalakota and Robinson (1999) state that “the creation and implementation of an e-business project is inextricably linked to the management of change” (p. 60). This requires systematic attention to learning processes, organisational culture, technology infrastructure, people and systems thinking. E-business change (eBC) is defined as the processes surrounding the effective management of different stages of online business development and growth. Guha, Grover, Kettinger, and Teng (1997) view this as an organisational initiative designed as a business project “to achieve significant breakthrough improvements in business performance” (p. 121). For example; cost reductions, responsiveness and flexibility, customer satisfaction, shareholder value, and other critical” e-business measures. Planning and managing such systems requires an integrated and multi-dimensional approach to the development of new e-business processes (Kumar & Crooks, 1999; Scheer & Habermann, 2000). Sharma (2004) recommend “a change management framework for e-business solutions” (pp. 54-69). This article reports on the findings from multiple case studies of e-business projects in ERP enabled organisations. The summation of the findings from four case studies is captured into a pattern of generalisations for the components of an established research model. Various patterns are developed as indicators of success, trends and variance that have implications for both research and practice. This suggests an improved model of eBC management, refined in terms of the relationships between the elements of the model. Such a model would represent a comprehensive tool, for assisting managers in diagnosing the key facilitators and inhibitors of successful e-business projects for B2B interaction.
Secure Agent Fabrication, Evolution, and Roaming
Authors: Guan Sheng-Uei
Published: May 2011

Agent-based e-commerce is a promising novelty that performs tasks such as payment, mediation, interaction, and sales promotion in simple and intelligent manners. The agents can be endowed with attributes such as mobility, intelligence, and autonomy. Constructing appropriate architecture for agent systems in e-commerce is a fundamental consideration in facilitating agent-based transactions (Lee, Kang, & Lee, 1997). A practical way is to provide sites with methods to fabricate various agents according to the requirements of the clients. Due to the nature of e-commerce and the Internet, agents should be able to adapt to a changing environment automatically. Agents should therefore be able to evolve in terms of intelligence and also be able to roam so as to utilize the power of network computing (Guan & Yang, 1999; Yang & Guan, 2000). In order to meet the requirements discussed and to provide an environment for an in-depth research in e-commerce, this chapter proposes secure agent fabrication, evolution and roaming (SAFER) for e-commerce. DESCRIPTION OF SAFER Secure Agent Fabrication Evolution and Roaming (SAFER) is an infrastructure to serve agents in e-commerce and establish the necessary mechanisms to manipulate them. The goal of SAFER is to construct open and evolutionary agent systems for e-commerce. The SAFER architecture comprises different communities, as are described in Figure 1. Each community consists of the following components: Owner, Butler, Agent, Agent Factory, Community Administration Center, Agent Charger, Agent Immigration, Clearing House and Bank, which are illustrated in Figure 2. Each component will be elaborated in the following subsections.
Transformation of E-Fulfilment Industry Capabilities
Authors: Alexander Paul , Burn Janice M.
Published: May 2011

Over the last decade, organisations have been forced to re-examine the role of ICT as a support tool and accept that it has become a major driver for business change (Ash & Burn, 2003, pp. 297-308.). Indeed, new business opportunities have arisen solely based on e-business: e-fulfilment is one such example (Alexander & Burn, 2004, p.1). These services were estimated to be worth US$1,006 Trillion in the United States alone, or 10.1% of their GDP in 2000 (Rogers, 2002). Furthermore, 21% of all logistics transactions are expected to be online by 2005, with the long-term possibility that traditional freight companies will ultimately cease to exist (Homs, Meringer, & Rehkopf, 2001). This article explores the concepts which are encompassed in the term e-fulfilment, and presents a model of e-fulfilment activities. This model is then validated through the analysis of e-fulfilment capabilities of 48 UK based e-fulfilment companies. The findings from this analysis lead to an extension of the model and suggest a long term transformation model for the industry as a whole.
Unexpected Outcomes of Lean E-Collaboration
Authors: Kock Ned
Published: May 2011

Over the years, many theories have been used to understand e-communication and e-collaboration behavior (Kock, 2004; Markus, 2005). Arguably, the most widely used among those theories has been media richness theory (Daft & Lengel, 1986) even though there has been mounting evidence that its predictions do not hold in a number of situations (Markus, 1994).
Virtual Enterprises' Accounting Difficulties
Authors: Tahinakis Panayiotis , Muylonakis John , Protogeros Nicolaos , Ginoglou Dimitrios
Published: May 2011

The growth and expansion of enterprises into foreign markets presuppose the aggregation of financial information that includes non homogeneous elements. The purpose of this article is to present several accounting difficulties deriving from the establishment of virtual enterprises and consequently, to set some relevant management and cultural aspects. Emphasis is, also, given to the analysis of the accounting recognition and measurement difficulties deriving from recording accounting information in a virtual enterprise. In conclusion, although there are accounting, as well as, auditing problems of defined, measured and disclosed in a such a type of business, its importance will increase as the capital market grows.
Virtual Government in Singapore
Authors: Hin Leo Tan Wee , Subramaniam R.
Published: May 2011

Governments are a strategic necessity, as they provide the overarching administrative machinery to ensure that national (and citizens’) needs are taken care of. The need for the civil service to be more cognizant of citizens’ concerns has been reiterated in several recent studies (e.g., Tarabanis, Peristeras, & Koumpic, 2000; Janssen, Wagener, & Beerens, 2003). People interact with the government for a variety of needs, for example, payment of bills for utilities, seeking approvals for licenses, and so on. While this has served citizens well, there is a general perception that governments are generally lackadaisical in terms of response times. Citizens and businesses in today’s society have high expectations and demand that their governments be more responsive to their needs. Though upping of civil service head count and decentralizing of official machinery have met with a good degree of success, it has been at the expense of a cost factor which may not be that easy to justify or sustain in the future, especially when there are so many pressing sectors of the economy needing fiscal injections. Any productivity increments achieved in maximizing use of government manpower and resources through various enabling tools means that the savings realized can be deployed back into the economy. The emergence of the Internet has given governments an opportunity to act in this regard. This has given rise to what is known as e-government.
Web Portal Gateways
Authors: Tatnall Arthur
Published: May 2011

The term Web portal is overused and takes on a different meaning depending on the view of the author. This article will investigate the concept of a portal, the various types of portal, and how portals are currently being used. A Yahoo search of the Web in February 2004 revealed 85 million entries for the word portal, and even allowing for a considerable degree of overuse and overlap, portals are seen everywhere and span a bewildering range of topics and interest areas. It would be difficult to make any use of the Web without encountering one. In general terms, unrelated to the World Wide Web, the Macquarie Dictionary defines a portal as “a door, gate or entrance” (Macquarie Library, 1981, p. 1346). More specifically, a Web portal is seen as a special Internet (or intranet) site designed to act as a gateway to give access to other sites (Tatnall 2005a). A portal aggregates information from multiple sources and makes that information available to various users. In other words a portal is an all-in-one Web site whose prime purpose is to find, and to gain access to other sites, but also one that provides the services of a guide that can help to protect the user from the chaos of the Internet and direct them towards an eventual goal. More generally, however, a portal should be seen as providing a gateway, not just to sites on the Web, but to all network-accessible resources, whether involving intranets, extranets, or the Internet. In other words a portal offers centralised access to all relevant content and applications (Tatnall 2005b). Historically, the Web-portal concept probably developed out of search engine sites such as Yahoo!, Excite, and Lycos, which can now be classified as first-generation portals. These sites, however, quickly evolved into sites providing additional services such as e-mail, stock quotes, news, and community building rather than just search capabilities (Rao 2001). Eckerson (1999) outlines four generations of portals whose focus, in each case, is: generic, personalised, application, and role. The success of a portal depends on its ability to provide a base-site that users will keep returning to after accessing other related sites. As an entranceway onto the Web (or an intranet) it should be a preferred starting point for many of the things that a particular user wants to do there. A useful goal for those setting up a portal is to have it designated by many users as their browser start-up page.
The Management Conversation- It Still Needs to Make Sense
Authors: Andriole Stephen J.
Published: May 2011

Here’s what we’ll discuss here: • Measurement – or do you know where your computers, processes and skeletons are? Without benchmark data it’s impossible to converge anything: measure or fly blind. • The standardization of your computing and communications technology. If people want to buy non-standard, non-supported hardware or software make them pay for their own support. Watch three infrastructure levels: access, coordination and resource, and measure everything so you know what works and what doesn’t, and what things cost. • Outsourcing, or the love/hate relationship you should have with the people inside that are good/bad and the people you hire from the outside who are good/bad/expensive/cost-effective, and why you should outsource only to partners willing to share risk. • Funding, or figuring out who pays for what at your company, and dealing with the inevitable conflicts between the “enterprise” and business units. • Return-on-investment (ROI) and total-cost-of-ownership (TCO), the “I-see-no-compelling-reason-at-all-to-fund-this-project” twins – who really are your friends (so long as they stay on their medication).
A Case Study on the Selection and Evaluation of Software for an Internet Organisation
Authors: Van Staaden Pieter
Published: May 2011

The author conducted research to determine whether IT managers, IT auditors, users, management, etc. (all decision-makers) use a certain evaluation and selection process to acquire software to meet business objectives and the requirement of users. An argument was used that the more thorough the software evaluation and selection process, the more likely it would be that the organisation will chose software that meets these targets. The main objective of the research was therefore to determine whether Media24 uses evaluation methods and obtains the desired results. The results confirmed that Media24 uses suggested protocol as noted in the theory for software acquisition correctly during most stages.
The Customer-Focused Business Care
Authors: LeClair Craig
Published: May 2011

This chapter first describes challenges that software companies face in making a strong business case to prospective customers. These include a history of solutions falling short of projected business case expectations, the customer’s unique perspective of costs and the difficult issue of technology adoption. Secondly, a process for building the software company’s business case in the new era is discussed. The process uses strategic frameworks to estimate and validate strategic objectives. Lastly, we look at a case study of e-docs that developed a unique way to manage unpredictable technology adoption.
Public and Private Information Systems
Authors: Rocheleau Bruce
Published: May 2011

Information managers need to be aware of the fact that managing IT in the public sectorpresents different challenges than those faced in the private sector. However, there hasbeen little systematic attention given to these differences by IT researchers. The purposeof this chapter is to review these differences and to present some empirical informationconcerning the differences between IT management between the two sectors. I concludeby discussing the implications of these differences for managers involved in publicsector IT.
Planning for Information Technology in the Public Sector
Authors: Rocheleau Bruce
Published: May 2011

Experts agree that formal strategic IT plans should not only be done, but they should alsobe revised regularly at least on a yearly basis (Barrett & Greene, 2001). Reed (2003) citesdata from the Government Performance Project that high-performing governments tendto update their plans one or more times during a year. Raumer (2001) points out that withthe cutbacks in governmental budgets, IT projects are no longer rubber stamped but mustmake their business case and argues that the strategic planning process is needed to setsound priorities. The term business case refers to a case based on solid business reasonssuch as increased revenues and/or decreased costs that are expected to improve theeffectiveness and efficiency of the organization and may be contrasted with changes fornon-business reasons such as for prestige and “keeping up with technology.” Failureto plan adequately has led to serious problems. For example, Ward (2003) has argued thatorganizations must plan their intranets or the intranets will die. He cites examples ofintranets that have failed and have to be restructured frequently because they were done“on a whim” of management with no clear direction and became political “footballs.”In this chapter, I discuss the key issues and problems encountered in planning forinformation technology. In particular, I will focus on the logic behind prescriptions to doplanning and the challenges and complexities that occur in planning for IT. I also seekto explain why planning is often not done at all or not done according to the recommen-dations laid out by experts.
Evaluation and Information Technology
Authors: Rocheleau Bruce
Published: May 2011

It is important to evaluate information technology because if you don’t assess resultsfrom IT, research (e.g., Markus et al., 2000, p. 255) shows that you will not achieve thegoals you are pursuing. Moreover, investments in information technology hardware,software, and personnel have become a larger portion of the budgets of governments atevery level so it makes sense to determine whether these expenditures are paying off.More importantly, a well-designed evaluation program can provide feedback on how toimprove IT services. In this chapter, I review basic concepts of evaluation and apply themto the evaluation of information technology. I draw from research literature to identifymodels and approaches that have been employed in assessing the value and performanceof information technology. Finally I look at some actual evaluation measures used byvarious governments to assess their information technology function.
Critical Research on Gender and Information Systems
Authors: Trauth Eileen M. , Howcroft Debra
Published: May 2011

In 1991 Orlikowski and Baroudi published a seminal paper about the role of epistemological lenses in shaping information systems (IS) research. Citing Chua’s (1986) classification of research epistemologies they went on to describe the way in which each of three lenses—positivist, interpretive, and critical—influences the conduct of IS research. They concluded with the observation that whereas positivism dominated the IS research landscape, interpretive research was beginning to make an appearance. They also noted the dearth of critical IS research. Throughout the 1990s a few papers on critical research appeared. Myers’ (1997) paper on critical ethnography helped to bridge the understanding gap between interpretive and critical research. Ngwenyama and Lee (1997) used the critical lens to guide their approach to examining information richness theory. Doolin (1998) argued that a research approach based on critical theory is needed in order to view information technology within a broader context of social and political relations. However, in the 2000s there has been a significant increase in the focus on critical research, as evidenced in an increasing number of publications, conference streams, special issues, and academic electronic networks concerned with discussing critical IS1. It can be argued that the social nature of activities associated with the development, implementation, and use of IS and the management of people who carry out these activities leads naturally to considerations of social and political power. This consideration of power, in turn, encourages critical analysis. In the social sciences the term critical is used to describe a range of related approaches, including critical theory (Horkheimer, 1976), critical operational research (Mingers, 1992), critical ethnography (Forester, 1992), and critical management studies (Alvesson & Willmott, 1996). Despite some areas of commonality, critical researchers draw upon a broad range of social theories. These include, for example, the Frankfurt School of critical social theory (Horkheimer, 1976), actor-network theory (Latour, 1991), Marxism (Marx, 1974), feminist theory (Wajcman, 1991), and the work of Bordieu (1990), Dooyeweerd (1973), Foucault (1979), and Heidegger (1953).
Design and Women's Expectations of WWW Experience
Authors: Sadowska Noemi Maria
Published: May 2011

Development of the World Wide Web (WWW) prompted a flurry of research investigating women’s participation in the creation, production, and use of online technologies. Initial studies focused on trends in female users’ participation rather than investigating the role of design in these processes (Pattanaik, 1999). Web design practice was rarely a focus. This article presents findings from my PhD research, which applies feminist and design theory to critique Web design. Focusing on a commercial UK based women’s portal, BEME.com, I examine the value of Web design practice to female users and their expectations of online interaction. I describe the type of experience BEME.com intended for its female users, as outlined by the design team during interviews. Interviews with the production team were conducted two years after the design was completed, making them reflective in nature. Alongside interviews with the intended target audience, the aim is to highlight disparities between design intentions and female users’ expectations.
Engendering Universal Access to ICT in Rural Areas
Authors: Jorge Sonia N.
Published: May 2011

The concept of community access to information and communication technologies (ICT) has gained widespread attention as a strategically vital response to the perpetual lack of affordable access to ICT and ICT services in the developing world, particularly in rural and peri-urban1 poor areas. Community access is not in itself a new idea; however, it provides an encouraging policy approach to overcoming the wide disparities of access and, as such, to provide opportunities for developing societies and historically disadvantaged regions and populations to participate in the newly emerging social and economic orders. This article focuses on community access centers as essential to facilitate access to ICT for women in rural areas in the developing world.
Environmental Context and Women in the IT Workforce
Authors: Trauth Eileen M. , Quesenberry Jeria L. , Yeo Benjamin
Published: May 2011

The rise of the network society involves a transformation of employment, in which power relations shift with the flow of capital, leading to downsizing, subcontracting and networking of labor. These processes facilitate flexibility and individualization of contractual arrangements in information work. As a whole, there is an increase in self-employment, temporary work, and part-time work, particularly for women (Castells, 1996). This transformation of employment brings heightened consideration about the characteristics of the labor force. Thus, one need is to examine environmental context and the possible connections between economic and cultural factors of a region and the experience of women in the IT workforce. This article summarizes an empirical study presented in greater detail in Trauth, Quesenberry, and Yeo (2005) that explored the influence of environmental context on women in the IT workforce by using the Individual Differences Theory of Gender and IT (Trauth, 2002; Trauth, Huang, Morgan, Quesenberry, & Yeo, 2006; Trauth, Quesenberry, & Morgan, 2004).
Funding Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology in Ireland
Authors: Richardson Ita
Published: May 2011

In the mid-1990s, I was one of a number of women who recognised the importance of having an on-campus child-care facility for staff and students at the University of Limerick.1 Up until our child-care facility, Silver Apples, opened in November 1999, we had no on-campus child care available to us. The facility opening was due mainly to the efforts of a small group of women who used many opportunities to talk to management about the issue we had. As a direct result of this lobbying, the University of Limerick applied for and received funding; this would partly fund the building of the facility. More recently, the facility’s management, in conjunction with our local primary school (first level), opened a purpose-built after-school club, the first of its kind in Ireland. This anecdote is an indicator of how Irish society saw the need for child care 10 years ago: It was not high on the political, educational, or business agenda. During local elections at this time, I spoke with politicians about the issue of child care. Many of them had not come across this as an issue previously, or else they chose to ignore it. Things have changed! One of the current hot political topics in Ireland is the provision of child care to all sectors of employees. It is discussed in the media and in political circles. Questions are being asked as to how this will be funded: whether working parents can claim tax allowances or the government will make direct payments to the facilities providing child care. This change in attitude has come about not solely because of lobbying, but also because the demand for child-care provision in Ireland has grown significantly. In recent years, the workforce demographic has changed. Women are staying in or returning to the workforce, and this is being encouraged at the highest levels within our government. The changing child-care situation is an indicator of this. In Ireland, the economy performed very well throughout the 1990s. This improving economy has given an opportunity to women to return to the workforce. In 1990, less than 36% of women aged 15 and over were employed; in 2004, this statistic increased to 45% (Central Statistics Office, http://www.cso.ie). Women return to the workplace after becoming mothers and so take maternity leaves and/or parental leaves, which may be as short as 4 months and as long as 2 years. Furthermore, women who broke their career paths to become full-time parents, which may have extended to 20 years, are also returning to work.
Gender and ICT Policies and Programmes in an Indian State
Authors: Subramanian Malathi , Saxena Anupama
Published: May 2011

The development and use of information and communication technologies have stimulated huge changes in the life of people globally, leading to a process of transition from the industrial to the information society. The ultimate aim of the information society should be the empowerment and development of all its citizens through equal access to and use of information (Goulding & Spacey, 2002).
Gender Differences in Defining Technology
Authors: Buche Mari W.
Published: May 2011

There is an alarming trend in the information technology (IT) career field: fewer women than in the past are entering the IT educational pipeline (Camp, 1997; Cukier, Shortt, & Devine, 2002; Whitaker, 2000; Woszczynski, Myers & Beise, 2004). Researchers have discovered a number of possible causes for this dearth including lack of female role models (Ahuja, 2002; Trauth, 2002), the “nerd” image (Braham, 1992; Menagh, 1998; Van Brussel, 1992), and family distractions (Ahuja, 2002; Trauth, 2002). With approximately 50% of the general workforce comprised of women in the United States, this statistic is alarming. At the same time, the IT skills shortage is rapidly becoming a global concern (Cukier et al., 2002; Trauth, 2002; Verton, 2004). The message is clear: something radical needs to be done now to attract and retain qualified, talented women to the IT field. The general understanding of IT can be seen as an obstacle to attracting job candidates. When junior and senior high school students were asked about their perceptions of IT workers, the majority responded with terms like “weird”, “nerd”, and “geek (Menagh, 1998; Van Brussel, 1992). The derogatory tone is unmistakable since socialization practices of young girls influence their career choices long before they enter universities (Ahuja, 2002). The basic definition of IT learned through industry and government agencies invokes the areas of computer science and engineering (Cukier et al., 2002). The lack of a concise definition of IT precludes development of a deeper understanding of the problem (Woszczynski et al., 2004). In the past, technology workers have been required to possess strong mathematical and technical skills to create algorithms and to program in tedious computer languages (Weinberg, 1971). This practice ignores the multidimensional nature of IT work. Many workers enter the IT field through paths other than computer science or engineering education programs. So, why is the definition of IT so narrowly focused on these two areas? The purpose of this article is to explore the influence of gender on perceptions of technology. Next, relevant literature from the information systems field is reviewed, followed by a comparison of definitions found in academic articles, textbooks, and practitioner journals. The next section describes the methods and results of a 2004 study on definitions of technology of undergraduate students (Buche, 2005). Themes extracted from their definitions are compared based on gender. Following the results, a first attempt at a gender-sensitive definition is proposed. The article ends with future trends and conclusions for managers and academics.
Gender Inclusion in the Information Society
Authors: Faulkner Wendy , Lie Merete
Published: May 2011

Strategies of Inclusion Gender and the Information Society (SIGIS) was a European study exploring initiatives to include more women in the information society.1 This article summarises its main conclusions. The work started from the premise that overall more women than men are excluded from the information society, both as users and as designers of new information and communications technologies (ICTs). Our literature review (Sørensen & Stewart, 2002) confirmed that there is still a gender gap in terms of ownership of some ICT products and, to a lesser extent, in terms of access and use. Gender cuts across other dynamics in the digital divide—income, occupation and age being generally more significant than gender—with other factors (e.g., ethnic minorities, lone parent families) also intervening. Although the trend with respect to the use of ICT products is one of a closing gender gap, it is clear that diffusion alone is not sufficient to close the gap all together; inclusion efforts are still warranted in this area. By contrast, the literature review revealed a persistent and sizeable gender gap within computer specialisms and professions designing ICTs. The proportion of women entering computer science and engineering courses in most countries is static or in decline, in spite of sustained inclusion efforts. So, the overall picture across Europe is a contradictory one: optimistic with respect to what we call women and ICT (users), and pessimistic with respect to women in ICT (professionals).
Gendered Attrition at the Undergraduate Level
Authors: Katz Sandra
Published: May 2011

As Camp showed in her widely cited papers on the “incredible shrinking pipeline” (Camp, 1997; Camp, Miller, & Davies, 2000), women have continuously lagged behind men in earning Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in computer science (CS) at four-year post-secondary U.S. institutions, despite the fact that the percentage of women earning CS degrees has kept pace with trends in the total number of CS degree recipients. This pattern is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, which are based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics (National Center for Education Statistics, 2003, Table 282). Our goal is to summarize the proposed causes of, and solutions for, female attrition at the undergraduate level. In times like the present, when the U.S. is experiencing an overall decline in enrollment in undergraduate CS programs (Zweben, 2005), it becomes increasingly important to retain good students—both men and women.
Girls, Games, and Intrepid Exploration on the Computer
Authors: Denner Jill , Bean Steve
Published: May 2011

One way to increase women’s participation in technology is to create more female independent problem solvers on the computer, or what Sherry Turkle (cited in Margolis & Fisher, 2002) calls “intrepid explorers.” Studies of students who persist in computer science have shown the importance of being “intrepid”—having the desire to explore without fear of breaking the computer, and the confidence to solve problems and deal with setbacks (Margolis & Fisher, 2002). An intrepid explorer is creative and fearless about trying new things on the computer. However, how do people become intrepid explorers? How can learning environments support them? This article addresses these questions by describing ways to support girls to explore intrepidly on computers. These strategies are grounded in previous research as well as our own research on an after school program for middle school girls.
The Glass Ceiling in IT
Authors: Haynes Amanda
Published: May 2011

The term “glass ceiling,” first coined in 1986, is a metaphor for “those artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organization into management-level positions.” (U.S. Department of Labor, 1991, p. 1). In has been noted in a number of publications that information technology (IT) is a particularly enlightening field for the study of gender inequalities, such as the glass ceiling. For example, Ramsay (2000) noted that while inequalities in more established industries might be considered a historical leftover of obsolete gender stereotypes, the newness of computing presents researchers with the chance to examine how gender relations develop in an industry apparently less fettered by tradition. IT presents an exemplar case study for those who wished to examine “… whether the dynamics of disadvantage have their roots as deeply in today’s employment settings …” (Ramsay, 2000, p. 215). Research indicates that IT has, however, developed to reflect precisely the same forms of gendered inequalities that have been documented in older industries (Suriya, 2003). The metaphor of the glass ceiling is equally applicable to IT. Panteli, Stack, and Ramsay (2001), in a comment on the United Kingdom (UK), which nonetheless resonates internationally, state, “The growth in IT should have opened up new possibilities for women to enter these occupations. However, its growth so far has been used to construct and maintain gender differences and to sustain male hierarchies” (p. 15).
Government and Corporate Initiatives for Indian Women in IT
Authors: Adya Monica
Published: May 2011

Education of women severely lags behind that of men in many developing nations. Fewer girls go to school, tend to drop out earlier than boys, do not receive the same level of education as their male counterparts, and often choose careers that are female predominant (Kelly, 1987). Without exception, India is quite representative of these gender-biased phenomena in education. However, the recent explosion of offshore outsourcing market in India has created a new recognition regarding the role of women in technological careers. The Indian IT sector has seen a trend contrary to what most western nations are experiencing—predominance of women in IT, particularly in IT-enabled services (ITES). India has acknowledged that extensive and intensive use of information and communications technologies (ICT) alone can help the nation develop its neglected human resources, emerge as a knowledge-based society, and participate competitively in the global trade and services. Consequently, the development of ICT has become a national issue with strong impetus from the union government in New Delhi (Choudhary, 1999). Explicit in this initiative is the recognition that to progress as an information society, women must be empowered as key players the IT sector. In parallel, two other trends have focused attention on women in the information society—a nationwide movement for women’s rights spearheaded by many non-government organizations (NGOs) and an increased awareness of corporate social responsibility. Consequently, over the last decade, there has been an increased emphasis on education and reskilling India’s female workforce. While many government efforts are targeted toward the overall upliftment of women, many grassroots level initiatives led by NGO’s and corporations emphasize technological training. This article highlights how the intertwining of grassroots and policy level efforts can increase the pace at which a nation’s female workforce can be reskilled and prepared for a technological world. The article also addresses concerns about such rapid development and potentially challenging outcomes while making recommendations for improvement.
How Gender Dynamics Affect Teleworkers' Performance in Malaysia
Authors: Ching Chong Sheau , Krishnan Usha
Published: May 2011

eHomemakers (http://www.ehomemakers.net), also known as Mothers for Mothers when it was first formed in 1998 in Malaysia, is a network of mothers and working-at-home persons from multiethnic communities. They are of various ages and are involved in networking activities to develop and promote the concept of working at home. The network believes that through ICT, homemakers, especially mothers, can earn an income without having to leave their homes or sacrifice their family responsibilities in the Malaysian social context. ICTs allow women to balance home and work life, thus enabling them to have the best of both worlds (Yip, 2000). In 2003, eHomemakers was a testing partner of the Association of Progressive Communications’ (APC, n.d.) worldwide Gender Evaluation Methodology, and an evaluation plan titled “How Gender Dynamics Affect Teleworkers’ Performance in Malaysia” was written. eHomemakers aims to use the evaluation results to promote the creation of telecommuting opportunities and the establishment of virtual offices to the Malaysian government and the corporate sector. The findings are especially valuable to organisations that have tried telecommuting unsuccessfully. They also serve as a performance guide for teleworkers and would-be teleworkers who juggle child care, household chores, and paid work at the same time. The study was also used as a guide for eHomemakers to launch a special national campaign to advocate the promotion of teleworking for women.