bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validating the 28-Tender Joint Count Using Item Response Theory
Authors: SIEMONS LISETH , ten KLOOSTER PETER M. , TAAL ERIK , KUPER INA H. , van RIEL PIET L.C.M. , van de LAAR MART A.F.J. , GLAS CEES A.W.
Published: October 2011

Objective.

To examine the construct validity of the 28-tender joint count (TJC-28) using item response theory (IRT)-based methods.

Methods.

A total of 457 patients with early stage rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were included. Internal construct validity of the TJC-28 was evaluated by determining whether the TJC-28 fit a 2-measure logistic IRT model. As well, we tested whether the discrimination and difficulty parameters of the joints properly reflected the known left-right symmetry of joint involvement. External validity was evaluated by correlations with other established measures of disease activity, including pain, disability, general health, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and the 28-swollen joint count.

Results.

The TJC-28 showed a good fit with the 2-parameter logistic model, with no relevant differential item functioning across sex, age, and time and with excellent reliability. The 28 joints covered a reasonable range of disease activity, even though they were mainly targeted at patients with moderate or high disease activity levels. The joint parameters reflected the left-right symmetry of joint involvement for all pairs of joints except one. All disease activity measures, except ESR, were significantly correlated with the TJC-28. Most correlations were of the expected magnitude.

Conclusion.

The TJC-28 showed good internal and acceptable external construct validity for patients with early-stage RA. The IRT analyses did point to some potential limitations of the instrument, a major problem being its limited measurement range. Future research should examine whether instrument modifications might lead to a more robust assessment of disease activity in patients with RA.
Safety and Effectiveness of Rituximab in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Following an Inadequate Response to 1 Prior Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor: The RESET Trial
Authors: HARAOUI BOULOS , BOKAREWA MARIA , KALLMEYER IAN , BYKERK VIVIAN P.
Published: October 2011

Objective.

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of rituximab (RTX) in combination with methotrexate in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after failure of a single tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitor. Changes in patient-reported outcomes after primary treatment or retreatment with RTX and factors determining retreatment in clinical practice were also evaluated.

Methods.

In this phase 3b open-label, multicenter trial, patients received 2 slow infusions of RTX 1000 mg 14 days apart after premedication (primary treatment). Patients with a clinically relevant response could receive retreatment between 24 and 48 weeks. The primary endpoint was evaluation of safety. Secondary outcomes were safety of retreatment, effectiveness of primary treatment and retreatment, and changes in patient-reported outcomes after primary treatment or retreatment.

Results.

Of 120 patients enrolled at 36 centers and receiving primary RTX treatment, 77 received retreatment, 112 completed the 24-week primary treatment period, and 25 completed the 48-week primary treatment and retreatment period following a single course of RTX. The most common adverse events were mild to moderate nausea, vomiting, nasopharyngitis, and headache. No infections or infusion reactions were considered life-threatening. At 24 weeks, 58%, 27%, and 7% of patients achieved American College of Rheumatology 20, 50, and 70 improvements, respectively, and similar improvements were seen after retreatment.

Conclusion.

RTX was well tolerated, with a low incidence of infusion reactions and infections. Efficacy results, including enhanced response in rheumatoid factor-positive patients, were comparable to those reported in the literature. Based on its efficacy and safety profile and retreatment schedule, RTX is an attractive treatment option for patients that have not responded to a single TNF-α inhibitor.
Measuring Pain in Systemic Sclerosis: Comparison of the Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire Versus a Single-item Measure of Pain
Authors: EL-BAALBAKI GHASSAN , LOBER JANIE , HUDSON MARIE , BARON MURRAY , THOMBS BRETT D.
Published: October 2011

Objective.

Studies of pain in systemic sclerosis (SSc) have used a variety of measures, including single-item measures and the 15-item short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ-SF). The objective of our study was to compare the performance of the MPQ-SF to a single-item pain numerical rating scale (NRS) and determine whether the MPQ-SF effectively differentiates between sensory and affective components of pain in SSc.

Methods.

A cross-sectional, multicenter study of 1091 patients from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group Registry who completed the MPQ-SF and pain NRS. Correlations of MPQ-SF total scores and pain NRS scores with relevant outcome measures (disability, quality of life, depressive symptoms) were compared. To assess whether the MPQ-SF differentiated between sensory and affective factors, confirmatory factor analysis modeling was used, and correlations of sensory and affective factor scores with other outcome measures were compared.

Results.

MPQ-SF total score and the pain NRS correlated similarly with other outcome measures, as did the sensory and affective scores. MPQ-SF sensory and affective factors were highly correlated (0.92), and a single-factor model fit as well as a 2-factor (sensory and affective) model.

Conclusion.

The substantial overlap between sensory and affective subscales of the MPQ-SF and the similarity of the MPQ-SF and NRS pain measures compared to other patient-reported outcomes suggest that the 15-item MPQ-SF does not provide tangible advantages compared to the single-item pain NRS. These findings support recommendations to use a single-item NRS pain measure in SSc as it is less burdensome to patients than the MPQ-SF.
Relationship Between Smoking and Patient-reported Measures of Disease Outcome in Ankylosing Spondylitis
Authors: MATTEY DEREK L. , DAWSON SARAH R. , HEALEY EMMA L. , PACKHAM JONATHAN C.
Published: October 2011

Objective.

To investigate the relationship between smoking and disease activity, pain, function, and quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods.

Patients with AS (n = 612) from areas across the United Kingdom took part in a cross-sectional postal survey. Patient-reported outcome measures including the Bath AS Disease Activity Index, the Bath AS Functional Index (BASFI), a numerical rating scale (NRS) of pain, the AS quality of life questionnaire (ASQoL), and the evaluation of AS quality of life measures (EASi-QoL) were analyzed in terms of smoking status and relationship with pack-year history. The influence of potential confounding factors [age, sex, disease duration, and social deprivation (Townsend Index)] were tested in multivariate logistic regression analyses.

Results.

Median scores of BASFI, pain NRS, ASQoL, and the 4 EASi-QoL domains were all higher in the group that had ever smoked compared to those who had never smoked (p < 0.0001, p = 0.04, p = 0.003, p < 0.02, respectively). In stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses, high disease activity and more severe pain were associated primarily with current smoking, disease duration, and Townsend Index score, while decreased function and poor quality of life measures were associated more closely with increasing pack-year history, disease duration, and Townsend Index score. These associations were independent of age and sex.

Conclusion.

Smoking has a dose-dependent relationship with measures of disease severity in AS. The association with increased disease activity, decreased function, and poor quality of life in smokers was independent of age, sex, deprivation level, and disease duration.
Reengineering the Selling Process in a Showroom
Authors: Crnkovic J. , Petkovic G.
Published: October 2011

The case study describes a process of successful re-engineering small Yugoslavian showroom wholesale company (“Wissol”) during the period of economy in transition. Established organizational solution was not supported by the adequate IS support. It opens possibilities for designing IS prototype, and for planning future steps in IT and IRM.
Business Process Reengineering for the Use of Distance Learning at Bell Canada
Authors: Whalen T. , Wright D.
Published: October 2011

This case describes the Bell Online Institute (BOLI) which represents a radical change to the way Bell Canada provides internal training to its 35,000 employees. BOLI specializes in Web-based training, one type of technology-enabled (distance) learning.
Everyone's Watching
Authors: Kuechler W. L.
Published: October 2011

The case study describes the first four years of the radical reorganization of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. The primary focus is on the development of the IT system on which organizational restructuring depended. The case investigates several apparent contradictions of conventional systems development wisdom.
Identifying Business Processes for, and Challenges to, Electronic Supply Chain Management
Authors: Sinkkonen T.
Published: October 2011

This case examines the business practices of a small company in North-West Tasmania and identifies problems and challenges for electronic supply chain management (ESCM). The company is adopting ESCM to increase the speed of invoice production and to improve the accuracy of inventory control in its current supply chain management (SCM) system. The case study provides detailed analysis of the company, its merchandise and its experience of implementing ESCM. The analysis begins with an examination of current business practices, human resources, the information system, and issues related to customers, suppliers, products, and inventory control. Using this information, the case study examines how the company processes and fulfils sales orders, updates its inventory, and handles the receipt of ordered goods. The case concludes with a summary of the shortcomings of the company’s current SCM system and the main challenges the business faces in implementing ESCM. This study forms part of a larger ongoing investigation being conducted into SCM within small and medium-sized businesses in North-West Tasmania.
The Clinical Information System
Authors: Dhillon Gurpreet
Published: October 2011

The case study described in this chapter concerns the introduction of a new computer based integrated Clinical Information System (CIS) into a British National Health Services Trust-the Sunrise Trust. At the time of the study most of the system modules had been developed and were being tested largely for technical aspects. The system was being introduced during a period when the organization was experiencing significant changes. It was an environment where new structures were being created and the existing ones changed. Indeed, the case study was selected primarily because of these factors. The analysis of these structures, formal and informal, provides insight into the management of information systems. Various stakeholders in the Hospital Trust felt that a computer based information system would facilitate the change process. However the analysis and design of the system posed its own problems. The system turned out to be inflexible with respect to the core health care delivery process. It was also nonresponsive to the needs of the key stakeholders. Analysis of the case shows that clearly the formal methods adopted by the system analysts fell short of determining the rapid changes required for care. In particular this was an important issue, since the context of the British National Health Services posed pressures on individual trusts to be cost effective. This resulted in long term patients being moved out into the community. However, this richness in the context was overlooked by the analysts. They developed “logical” models of the system, which ended up in being “tidy pictures of reality” and were prescriptive and utterly inflexible. Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) was used as a modelling tool, which amplified the rational view of decision making and information technology (IT) applications (for more details on SSADM see Downs et al., 1988). The interpretations identified in the case show a clear mis-match between the formal models and perceptions of the system users who inevitably reflect a more informal and pragmatic approach to their own organizational realities. The analysis of the case poses a number of interesting issues. It questions the relationship between the complexity of the social relations and systems design. Furthermore it brings to the fore the paradoxical viewpoints of different stakeholders and the emergent concerns for a system analyst. The chapter also identifies the impact of an “overformalized” information system on the integrity of an organization. In doing so it evaluates the nature and significance of social power structures in systems analysis, design and implementation.
A Comprehensive Process Improvement Methodology
Authors: Paper David , Dickinson Steve
Published: October 2011

This case, coauthored by a process improvement manager, looks at business process reengineering (BPR) and discusses how it has received considerable attention from the management information systems (MIS) community. However, dramatic improvements touted by BPR advocates have failed to materialize in many organizations
Service-Dominant Logic
Authors: Lusch Robert F. , Vargo Stephen L. , Akaka Melissa Archpru
Published: October 2011

Organizations and people within organizations cling to traditions, industry practices, and managerial frameworks well beyond their usefulness. Perhaps this is just another way of stating the obvious that habits die slowly. One habit or tradition that is experiencing a slow death is the traditional marketing paradigm, referred to as the goods-dominant (G-D) logic paradigm. Essentially, traditional marketing practice is focused on the creation of units of output and their distribution to customers. Applying this framework, the firm attempts to study these exogenous customers and then uses its resources to shape a market offering, conceptualized as product, price, place, and promotion (what is known as the marketing mix or four Ps) in order to effectively position the offering for a targeted segment, thus capturing the customer to create a sale (economic exchange). Although this paradigm has been under assault for decades, it continues to survive and has changed only modestly over the last fifty years. Importantly, it is a paradigm (and practice) that continues to be presented in the leading marketing and marketing management textbooks used on college campuses and in executive education throughout the world.
E-Novation Collaboration
Authors: Conlin Michael
Published: October 2011

Research and analysis has revealed the issues, controversies, and problems related to collaborative communities and the role they play in e-novation. It has also revealed useful insight about, and solutions to, many of these challenges. Business leaders can benefit by learning from the insights offered by these pioneers. This chapter offers a process by which business leaders can leverage to add a community of their industry ecosystem. Harnessing e-novation through collaborative communities is now a strategic opportunity for any organisation.
Online Branding
Authors: Rowley Jennifer , Bird David
Published: October 2011

This chapter contributes to the active debate about the significance of branding in the online channel, by exploring the opportunities and challenges associated with online branding. A discussion of online branding objectives and how they might be achieved is complemented by an exploration of the unique facets of online branding. Case studies of successful brands with interesting approaches to branding in the online channel provide interesting illustration. Finally, some thoughts on the future of online branding conclude the chapter.
E-Novation Deployment
Authors: Dann Stephen
Published: October 2011

Space is the final frontier for e-marketing. Advances in storage space, digital data transmission, and infrastructure development have created a near limitless marketspace that exists over the contemporary physical marketplaces, and as an independent market of ideas, data, experience, and content. This chapter overviews a series of key issues in the use of the new “space” for e-novation with attention given to the rise of user generated content through prosumer activity. This chapter is based on exploring how companies and individuals are currently co-creating value in the dynamic marketplace of the new collaborative platforms, and how these new concepts such as the “home shopping channel”, digital rights management, and user generated distribution channels can factor in the future success on and offline for marketing.
The Design and Modeling of 2.4 and 3.5 GHz MMIC PA
Authors: Ang Chin Guek
Published: October 2011

This chapter discusses the design of MMIC power amplifiers for wireless application by using 0.15 µm GaAs Power Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor (PHEMT) technology with a gate width of 100 µm and 10 fingers at 2.4 GHz and 3.5 GHz. The design methodology for power amplifier design can be broken down into three main sections: architecture design, small-signal design, and large-signal optimization. For 2.4 GHz power amplifier, with 3.0 V drain voltage, the amplifier has achieved 17.265 dB small-signal gain, input and output return loss of 16.310 dB and 14.418 dB, 14.862 dBm 1-dB compression power with 12.318% power-added efficiency (PAE). For 3.5GHz power amplifier, the amplifier has achieved 14.434 dB small-signal gain, input and output return loss of 12.612 dB and 11.746 dB, 14.665 dBm 1-dB compression power with 11.796% power-added efficiency (PAE). The 2.4 GHz power amplifier can be applied for Wireless LAN applications such as WiFi and WPAN whereas 3.5 GHz power amplifier for WiMax base station.
Design of Medium Power Amplifier Using GaAs PHEMT Technology for Wireless Applications
Authors: Rasmi Amiza
Published: October 2011

This paper presents the design of single-stage and two-stage medium power amplifiers (MPAs) using GaAs PHEMT technology for the wireless applications. The single-stage MPA was designed using 0.15 µm GaAs PHEMT technology to be operated at 3.5 GHz whereas the two-stage MPA was designed using 0.5 µm GaAs PHEMT technology to be operated at 5.8 GHz. The MPAs employ a simple RC feedback in order to linearize the stages as well as to improve the circuit stability and to control the gain. In addition, the load-pull technique was used in order to define the optimum load and maximum output power. Therefore, the performance of the proposed amplifier in this paper is discussed in terms of stability, gain, power-added efficiency (PAE), and output power. The simulated data of the proposed MPAs is then compared with the measured data of the fabricated MPAs.
RF and Microwave Test of MMICs from Qualification to Mass Production
Authors: Mabrouk Mohamed
Published: October 2011

This chapter describes some basic characteristic responses that must be known for each Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits. The main parameters such Return Loss, Insertion Losses or Gain, Power at 1dB compression, InterModulation Products or Noise Figure are very important and have to be measured before using the device in final applications. Basic rules of Test and Measurement in RF and Microwaves, as well for characterization on benches as for high volume production using Automatic Test Equipments installed in test platforms, are summarized for helping today’s test engineers to develop their own test solutions. The device, that was characterized on bench and tested in production environment, is a monolithic, integrated low noise amplifier (LNA) and mixer usable in RF receiver Front-End applications for Personal Communications functioning on frequency wideband between 0.1 and 2.0 GHz.
Changing Approaches to Educational Environments
Authors: Sellers Warren , Souter Kay
Published: October 2011

Rather than seeing a student’s classroom, workroom, lecture hall, and lab as a singular person’s situation or place, the authors of this chapter propose seeing and thinking conceptually about spatial-dimensional multiplicities for identities. That is seeing various coextensive situations and sites both out and indoors (where ‘doors’ may also be ‘walls’) as activities and areas not pre-bounded or specified for particular individual purposes, and thinking about these by bringing different mind-views to conceptualising collaborative activities in spaces as complex knowledge generating affects.
Balancing Context, Pedagogy and Technology on Learning Space Designs
Authors: Fox Robert , Lam Paul
Published: October 2011

This chapter explores the changing needs for university learning spaces and the resultant designs to maximize opportunities for student learning, taking into account the special needs and learning culture of the local context and the changing curriculum needs of all higher education institutions in Hong Kong. The chapter outlines a study of these needs and an institution’s plans to better use space to support both flexible and interactive learning environments to enhance active student learning.
Experiential Space
Authors: Cheers Chris , Eng Chen Swee , Postle Glen
Published: October 2011

The description of learning environments as physical or virtual spaces focuses on the tools and infrastructure that support learning as opposed to the learning interactions. The authors of this chapter advocate the view that to maximise the potential of any learning environment, educators need to understand how students learn in the first instance and then design the learning environment based on these insights. Throughout this chapter, formal learning is conceived as an individualised experience within an organised learning community, and as such, it is suggested that this learning environment is described as an experiential space. Within this chapter, an approach to designing an experiential space that uses problem based learning to engage students and facilitate their active construction of knowledge is described. The Holmesglen built environment degree program is used as a case study to illustrate a particular solution to designing an experiential learning space.
Student Mentors in Physical and Virtual Learning Spaces
Authors: Kirkwood Keith , Best Gill , McCormack Robin , Tout Dan
Published: October 2011

This chapter explores the human element in the learning space through the notion that once a learning space is inhabited, it becomes a learning place of agency, purpose and community involving both staff and students. The School of Languages and Learning at Victoria University in Melbourne has initiated a multifaceted peer learning support strategy, ‘Students Supporting Student Learning’ (SSSL), involving the deployment of student peer mentors into various physical and virtual learning spaces. The chapter discusses the dynamics of peer learning across these learning space settings and the challenges involved in instituting the shift from teacher- to learning-centred pedagogies within such spaces. Both physical and virtual dimensions are considered, with the SNAPVU Platform introduced as a strategy for facilitating virtual learning communities of practice in which staff, mentors, and students will be able to engage in mutual learning support. The chapter concludes with calls for the explicit inclusion of peer learning in the operational design of learning spaces.
Reaching the Hard to Reach
Authors: Pheko Bolelang C.
Published: October 2011

Information Technology has become core in national development across the globe; hence, the government of Botswana decided to use ICTs to give rural people newer options of communicating, sourcing, and sharing information through the introduction of a project called Nteletsa 2. A village, Kaudwane, whose residents have relied on the word of mouth for so long, is now communicating through mobile phones as a result of this program. This project is done under the Rural Telecommunications Strategy with a goal of providing telecommunications services to rural areas in the most cost effective, efficient, logical, and transparent manner possible. The government works in partnership with Botswana Telecommunication Centre which provides mobile services with capability to deliver Internet, voice, and data. The project also uses Public Communications Centre (PUCC) now referred to as Dikitsong Center operated by communities in partnership with Mascom or Botswana Telecommunication Center. Services include provision of an Internet café, charging individual cellular phones at a fee, and selling airtime to both locals and visitors. The result is great: employment creation and easier communication amongst individuals and visitors. However, low literacy level of some villagers limits use. Also, there are high maintenance costs due to poor roads.
Innovative Use of ICT in Namibia for Nationhood
Authors: Asino Tutaleni I. , Wilder Hilary , Ferris Sharmila Pixy
Published: October 2011

Namibia was under colonizing and apartheid rule for more than a century. In 1990, the country declared its independence, and since that time, great strides have been made in linking its rural communities into a national communications Grid that was previously inaccessible to them, often leapfrogging traditional landline telephone technologies with universal cellphone service. In addition, one newspaper, The Namibian, has been innovatively using newer communications technologies to maintain its historic role of nation-building. This study explores the use of SMS via cellphone and a traditional national newspaper in creating a sense of national identity that transcends geographic distances and a legacy of economic/political barriers.. The cell phone messages made it possible for the rural communities who have been left out of discussion relating to issues of development to be included. Like the old slogan, “information is power,” this chapter illustrates that the lives of some rural area dwellers have improved a result of a technological gadget, the mobile phone.
Socio-Economic Empowerment Through Technologies
Authors: Modise Oitshepile MmaB , Lekoko Rebecca , Thobega Joyce Mmamaleka
Published: October 2011

The chapter presents a case of a community development project known as Lentswe La Oodi Weavers in a rural village, Oodi, in the Kgatleng district of Botswana with a goal of socio-economic empowerment for women operating it and for the community. The project reinforces sentiments that technology work best for local communities if it is compatible with their ways of life. The women who started the project almost 30 years ago did not have any formal education and achieved their dignity in their own communities as women who are independent and have empowered themselves for better livelihoods and sustainable income, meager as it may be. They use their natural talent of weaving and boost their productivity through compatible ICTs such as spinning wheel, Bobbin wheel, and flat looms. Short training is done to strengthen these natural skills. Their products are bought internationally. Challenges include lack of skills for proper management. They live in the world of bookkeeping and book auditing and their project is susceptible to problems if it does not go through such procedures. Thus, these women skill-needs are mostly in areas of management, marketing, and selling their produce; all of these could be said to need formal training.
ICT-Supported Education for Sustainable Development of South Korean Rural Communities
Authors: Joo K. P.
Published: October 2011

The rural communities in South Korea have faced serious challenges as the country has gradually opened the agricultural market and extended the conclusion of Free Trade Agreement with more and more countries. Moreover, due to the national socio-economic and political structures, South Korea has been undergoing the technological imbalance between rural and urban areas. In order to cope with these vital social challenges, the South Korean government has exerted considerable investment and effort in establishing ICT knowledge and skills as well as infrastructure in rural areas. Thus, conceptualizing ICT in the context of adult education, this chapter addresses three ICT-supported adult education programs oriented toward developing ICT skills and competencies of people in agricultural areas of South Korea. The South Korean cases of agricultural ICT education represent the vast and concentrated national efforts in integrating ICT across rural areas in this fast changing global situation.
Contrasting Approaches to Preparedness
Authors: Warren Lorraine , Fuller Ted
Published: October 2011

This chapter reflects on ongoing research in SMEs in the manufacturing and service sectors. It contrasts different approaches to the issue of preparedness from an organisational and social perspective, in two cases where new enterprise-wide business processes were implemented and integrated in different settings. In both cases, the emergence of new systems presented a huge challenge to companies hard-pressed to marshal the resources to mount effective change and implementation projects on this scale. The cases presented enable a comparison of different strategies used, one firm responding to organic growth, and the other to rapid industry-driven change. The chapter focuses not on the implementations per se, but instead on the issue of preparedness for change. The chapter concludes by drawing out general lessons concerning how to support and maintain organisational preparedness for enterprise wide change in different industry settings.
Information Technology Interventions for Growth and Competitiveness in Micro-Enterprises
Authors: Qureshil Sajda , Kamal Mehruz , Wolcott Peter
Published: October 2011

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have the potential to enable these businesses to grow through access to new markets and administrative efficiencies. However, the growth of the smallest of these SMEs which are micro-enterprises is hindered by their inability to adopt ICTs. This paper investigates how micro-enterprises can adopt ICTs to grow and achieve competitiveness. It investigates a set of seven micro-enterprises through an interpretive field study in which action research was used to diagnose and treat the micro-enterprises. This was done using interventions through a process called “Information Technology (IT) Therapy”. This process involved providing individualized IT solutions to pressing problems and opportunities. The increase in competitiveness of these micro-enterprises was assessed using the Focus Dominance Model and their growth through a modified model of micro-enterprise growth. This research contributes to assisting micro-enterprises achieve sustained growth and competitive advantage.
Aligning Systems, Structures and People
Authors: Boonstra Albert
Published: October 2011

This chapter focuses on how managers and sponsors of enterprise information system (EIS) projects can identify and manage stakeholders engaged in the project. This chapter argues that this activity should go beyond the traditional ideas about user participation and management involvement. Also suppliers, customers, government agencies, business partners, and the general public can have a clear interest in the ways that the system will be designed and implemented. This chapter proposes to apply identification, analysis, and intervention techniques from organization and management disciplines in the IS field to enhance the changes for the successfulness of enterprise information system implementations. Some of these techniques are combined in a coherent method that may help implementers of complex IS projects to identify and categorize stakeholders and to consider appropriate ways of involvement during the various stages of the project.
People-Oriented Business Processes
Authors: Bruno Giorgio
Published: October 2011

Current notations and languages do not emphasize the participation of users in business processes and consider them essentially as service providers. Moreover, they follow a centralized approach as all the interactions originate from or end in a business process; direct interactions between users cannot be represented. What is missing from this approach is that human work is cooperative, and that cooperation takes place through structured interactions called conversations. However, the problem of effectively integrating conversations and business processes is still open, and this chapter proposes a notation called POBPN (People-Oriented Business Process Notation) and a perspective, referred to as conversation-oriented perspective, for its solution.
Rule of Engagement
Authors: Gajadhar B. J. , deKort Y. A. W. , IJsselsteijn W. A.
Published: October 2011

This chapter presents an empirical study of social setting as a determinant of player involvement in competitive play. We conceptualize player experience as roughly comprising of components of involvement and enjoyment. Involvement relates to the attentional pull of games encompassing feelings of immersion, engagement, and flow. Enjoyment taps into the fun and frustration of playing. A few recent studies indicate that co-players boost player enjoyment, yet the effect on involvement is still largely unknown. In line with enjoyment, involvement could increase with the sociality of settings. On the other hand, the presence of others provides a potential distracter and threat to involvement in games. Results of an experiment where social setting was manipulated within groups indicated that players’ involvement remains constant or even increases with mediated or co-located co-players compared to solitary play. Hence, co-players do not break the spell of a game, but become part of the magic circle.
Visual Analyses of the Creation of Avatars
Authors: Black Erik W. , Ferdig Richard E. , DiPietro Joseph C. , Liu Feng , Whalen Baird
Published: October 2011

Video games are becoming more popular; there has been a particular rise in interest and use of massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs). These games utilize avatar creation; avatars can be seen as the technological instantiation of the real person in the virtual world. Little research has been conducted on avatar creation. Although it is has been anecdotally postulated that you can be anything you want online, there is a dearth of research on what happens when participants are told to create avatars, particularly avatars within given contexts. In this study, we used the Second Life avatar creation tool to examine what would happen when participants were told to create avatars as heroes, villains, their ideal self, and their actual self. Data analyses reveal that characters often refuse to change permanent aspects of their features, instead modifying only temporal aspects. This research has provided support for the quantitative review of avatar characteristics as predictors of vignette groupings.
E-Business Strategy and Firm Performance
Authors: Quan Jing
Published: October 2011

Electronic business (e-business) has been popularly lauded as “new economy.” As a result, firms are prompted to invest heavily in e-business related activities such as supplier/procurement and online exchanges. Whether the investments have actually paid off for the firms remain largely unknown. Using the data on the top 100 e-business leaders compiled by InternetWeek, this chapter compares the leaders with their comparable counterparts in terms of profitability and cost in both short-run and long-run. The authors find that while the leaders have superior performance based on most of the profitability measurements, such superiority is not observed when cost measurements are used. Based on the findings, this chapter offers managerial implications accordingly.
Conservation of Information and e-Business Success and Challenges
Authors: Tung Huilien , Kung Hsiang-Jui , Lawless Désirée S. , Sofge Donald A. , Lawless William F.
Published: October 2011

Guided by the authors’ theory of the (COI), which holds that the transformation pairs of information uncertainty between time and frequency remain constant (or alternately uncertainty for geospatial position and spatial frequency), they describe a case study on an international corporation based in Taiwan to demonstrate COI factors associated with the challenges and successes in the adoptions of e-business by the firm and by small and medium size enterprises in general.
Building Business Value in E-Commerce Enabled Organizations
Authors: Mahmood M. Adam , Gemoets Leopoldo , Hall Laura Lunstrum , López Francisco J.
Published: October 2011

This research attempts to identify critical e-commerce success factors essential for building business value within e-commerce enabled organizations. It is important to identify the critical success factors that organizations must pursue in order to facilitate a successful transformation from traditional brick-andmortar organizations to click-and-brick business models. Diffusion theory is used to demonstrate how these success factors create business value within an organization. The research model is fully grounded in information technology business value and productivity literature (e.g., Kauffman & Kriebel (1988), Mahmood, Gemoets, Hall, & Lopez (2008) Mahmood & Mann (1993), and Zhu (2004)). The manuscript utilizes an existing sample set consisting of a population of more than 550 company executives who are successfully implementing e-commerce strategies. The research examines constructs found in the literature and focuses on two importance dimensions of creating business value through e-commerce strategies: IT alignment to organizational strategies (ITOrS) and the quality and effectiveness of existing online systems (OnSQE). Critical success factors for e-commerce business success were found to include ITOrS (IT alignment to organizational strategies), IOrSA (Quality and effectiveness of online systems, OnSE (Online systems efficiency), and OnSQE (Online systems quality and effectiveness). The research produces empirical evidence that strategic decision making concerning implementation of e-commerce technologies and alignment with top management strategic planning is critical to the success of creating business value for e-commerce enabled organizations. The manuscript concludes with limitations of the research and implications for future research studies.
Enhancing the Preparedness of SMEs for E-Business Opportunities by Collaborative Networks
Authors: Duin Heiko , Thoben Klaus-Dieter
Published: October 2011

This chapter introduces virtual Organisations (VOs) as a special organisational form of collaborative networks of SMEs to conduct E-Business projects. VOs are normally not created from scratch, but instantiated from a strategic network or pool of enterprises. This enhances the preparedness of participating members when an E-Business opportunity occurs. The underlying strategic network acts as a breeding environment for the VOs. Therefore, it is called a VO Breeding Environment (VBE). Examples from the automotive industry are illustrating the development and needs of this concept. Strategic planning is important for such a network in order to increase chances of occurring business opportunities. The remainder of this chapter shows how scenario-oriented methods such as cross-impact analysis can be used to support a collaborative strategic planning in such networked organisations. The application of such methods allows long-term foresight and the anticipation of the right technological, financial and business oriented decisions.
Multi-Tier Design Assessment in the Development of Complex Organizational Systems
Authors: Dyehouse Melissa A. , Baek John Y. , Lesh Richard A.
Published: October 2011

This chapter describes a model for evaluating complex organizations or systems. The design assessment model the authors propose is a response to current notions of assessment. There are assumptions we make about learning and the functioning of complex systems such as academic programs that do not match assumptions that are inherent in traditional forms of assessment. The authors use a case study of Purdue University’s strategic planning process to provide the context for describing how design assessment takes place in a higher education setting. Based on interviews and observations, we identify areas problematic for some notions of assessment and distinguish several implications based on these findings. The design assessment model may be useful when assessing complex educational organizations or programs, such as when (a) educational entities at the university level need to assess new programs or curriculum materials; or (b) curriculum developers need to assess new software or tools for instruction.
MICA
Authors: Prause Christian R. , Jentsch Marc , Eisenhauer Markus
Published: October 2011

Thousands of small and medium-sized companies world-wide have non-automated warehouses. Picking orders are manually processed by blue-collar workers; however, this process is highly error-prone. There are various kinds of picking errors that can occur, which cause immense costs and aggravate customers. Even experienced workers are not immune to this problem. In turn, this puts a high pressure on the warehouse personnel. In this paper, the authors present a mobile assistance system for warehouse workers that realize the new Interaction-by-Doing principle. MICA unobtrusively navigates the worker through the warehouse and effectively prevents picking errors using RFID. In a pilot project at a medium-sized enterprise the authors evaluate the usability, efficiency, and sales potential of MICA. Findings show that MICA effectively reduces picking times and error rates. Consequentially, job training periods are shortened, while at the same time pressure put on the individual worker is reduced. This leads to lower costs for warehouse operators and an increased customer satisfaction.
On-Line Credit Card Payment Processing and Fraud Prevention for e-Business
Authors: Williams James G. , Premchaiswadi Wichian
Published: October 2011

As the volume of purchases for products and services on the Internet has increased and the chosen method of payment is a credit or debit card, e-commerce merchants must be capable of accepting such payment methods. Unfortunately, cyber-criminals have found ways to steal personal information found on credit cards and debit cards and fraudulently use this information to purchase products and services which costs merchants lost revenue and fees for chargebacks. This article discusses the process by which credit card payments are processed beginning with the e-commerce merchant’s web site to a credit card processor or service gateway to the credit card company’s network to the issuing bank’s network with an accept or decline response being returned to the merchant’s shopping cart system via the same networks. The article addresses the issue of credit card fraud in terms of how the cyber-criminals function and the potential solutions used to deter these attempts by the cybercriminals. A list of preventive measures that should be used by e-commerce merchants is provided.
Teleworker’s Security Risks Minimized with Informal Online Information Technology Communities of Practice
Authors: Powell Loreen Marie
Published: October 2011

The advancements of technology have altered the way many small businesses operate in the United States of America (USA) (Butcher-Powell, 2006). Small businesses have been forced to embrace technology or lose valuable employees and business. As such, many small businesses have merged to wireless networks and adopted various forms of telework. Today, it is estimated that more than 60% of the workforce are teleworkers (Butcher-Powell, 2006; DecisionOne, 2002). While moving to a remote workforce is good for small businesses, it also places a substantial amount of security risks upon the small business. Butcher-Powell (2006) documented some of the security risks associated with corporations employing a remote workforce, indicating that teleworker’s lack of information systems and security training can compromise the corporation’s network. The study investigates one particular method for aiding teleworker’s: informal information technology communities of practice in cyberspace. One hundred and forty four teleworker’s were surveyed on what sort of IT-related activities they devote time to, how much problem-solving they attempt via technology discussion groups with respect to those activities, and their perceived community and organizational benefits to participating in such discussion groups. The study found significant differences in perceived value of technology discussion groups among teleworkers.
City Boosterism through Internet Marketing
Authors: Huerta-Carvajal María Isabel , Luna-Reyes Luis Felipe
Published: October 2011

Local governments around the world are becoming aware of the importance of identifying and marketing their local assets to promote economic competitiveness. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have proven useful in supporting marketing activities in the private sector, but there is still little exploration on their use in the public sector. However, ICT effectiveness is constrained by institutional arrangements and the coordination of the marketing efforts with other government processes such as urban planning and strategy development. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the strategic scaffolding for ICT as a key component of a city’s marketing strategy using as an example the city of Puebla in Mexico. Although city marketing efforts and ICT use are still at its initial stages in the city, lessons from current efforts in Puebla are related to the key role of stakeholder networks, ICT interoperability, Geographic Information Systems, and government program continuity.
The ‘Knock-on’ Effect of E-Business upon Graphic Design SMEs in South Wales
Authors: Murphy Lyndon , Jones Joanna , Swayne Huw , Thomas Brychan
Published: October 2011

This chapter depicts the current findings of an ongoing longitudinal study pertaining to e-business and the graphic design industry. The research problem can be described as identifying the extent of engagement by graphic designers with e-business. The location of the study is Industrial South Wales: Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and the South Wales Valleys with the particular focus being Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs). For the purpose of the study, the European Commission definitions relating to SMEs have been utilised (last revised 2005).
The Critical Success Factors and Integrated Model for Implementing E-Business in Taiwan’s SMEs
Authors: Chen Te Fu
Published: October 2011

To date, identifying barriers and critical success factors (CSFs) and integrating business model in implementing e-business for SMEs, have not been systematically investigated. Few existing studies have derived their CSFs and business models from large companies’ perspectives, and have not considered the needs of integration for smaller businesses. This chapter is aimed to bridge this gap. Existing studies on CSFs and e-business models were reviewed and their limitations were identified. By integrating insights drawn from these studies, as well as adding some new factors, the author proposed a set of 18 CSFs which is believed to be more useful for SMEs. The importance of the proposed CSFs was theoretically discussed and justified. In addition, a case study was conducted to evaluate the extent of success of this proposition. The overall results from the case study assessment were positive, thus reflecting the appropriateness of the proposed CSFs and integrated models. The set of CSFs and integrated models can act as a list of items and an easy to follow model for SMEs to address when adopting e-business. This helps to ensure that the essential issues and factors are covered during implementation. For academics, it provides a common language for them to discuss, and study the factors crucial for the success of e-business in SMEs. This study is probably the first to provide an integrative perspective of CSFs and integrated model for implementing e-business in the SME sector. It gives valuable information, which hopefully will help this business sector to accomplish e-business visions.