bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emerging Legal Challenges in Offshore Outsourcing of IT-Enabled Services
Authors: Paiu Arjun K. , Basu Subhajit
Published: May 2011

The practice of information systems/information technology (IS/IT) outsourcing is a major issue which has received much attention, as shown by the extensive literature on the topic. However, most works on outsourcing have focused on theoretical topics, and there are but a few empirical, quantitative studies. This chapter presents an empirical study of IS/IT outsourcing in Spain, which has been conducted along the lines of prior research carried out in different countries, and which focuses on the types, functions and targets of outsourcing contracts. We also attempt to examine the influence that this practice may have on the organizations’ management structure. A survey carried out on 530 Spanish firms has shown that 50% of Spanish large firms have outsourced part of their IS/IT, whereas outsourcing is practiced by 20% of medium-sized enterprises. Finally, it has been observed that the most frequently outsourced activities in Spain are hosting and Internet-related services.
From Planning Tools to Intelligent Assistants
Authors: Lamonova Nataliya , Ito Kimihito , Tanaka Yuzura
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces an approach for creating Web application capable of operating in complex environments is introduced. The approach shows how Meme Media technologies combined with other technologies can be used for solving deferent kinds of problems in particular related to Therapy Planning in clinical trials. Combination of logic programming and fuzzy logic for creating Web applications is also introduced.
Evolution of the Euro and Currency Competition in the Global ICT Age
Authors: Takaya Sadayoshi
Published: May 2011

This chapter focuses on the function of international currencies as foreign exchange vehicles, which has a character of the network externality. On January 1999, the euro was introduced in Europe where the functions of the euro are limed as a currency. After January 2002, the euro had perfect functions, while the competition between the euro and the U.S. dollar was keen as the dominant international currency. We present the currency competition model with a decreasing transaction cost that reflects the character of the network externality, to investigate the competition between the euro and the dollar. We suggest the impact of introduction of the euro is the determinant for competition winner between the euro and the dollar.
Co-Integration of the International Capital Markets with the Use of Information Technology
Authors: Volis Argyrios
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this study is to explore the “revolution” that was caused by the rapid spread of information technology towards the development and co-integration of financial markets, especially capital markets. The main issue is that the IT progress and facilities enabled the last years the overreaction of the capital markets, and this phenomenon had as a result to offer to the investors a variety of investment choices. The study shall focus on the European capital markets and the impact of information technology to the key activities the capital markets implement: the structure of the trading platforms, the cross-border cooperation of the markets and the financial intermediaries, at a theoretical and practical framework.
The Roles of IT in the Conduct of Modern Monetary Policy
Authors: Atchariyachanvanich Waranya , Atchariyachanvanich Kanokwan
Published: May 2011

This chapter reviews the roles of information technology (IT) from two perspectives. First, from the macroeconomic perspective, the IT revolution induced output growth and new financial innovations such as asset-backed securities and electronic money. However, these phenomena complicate the conduct of monetary policy, but they will not totally demise its effectiveness. Second, from the operational level, IT applications currently take roles in enhancing operational efficiency, decision-making process and innovative practice of monetary authorities in central banks throughout the world. The degree of implementing IT applications in the conduct of monetary policy, in turn, may become another determinant of monetary policy framework in the future.
Legal Concerns Against Auctions and Securities Conventions
Authors: Kubota Takashi
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the two newly emerging issues in the C2C and B2B area in the Japanese IT laws: (a) anti-fraud measures in Internet auctions and (b) treatment of the Hague Securities Convention. An auction provider’s liability for a tenant’s fraud beyond the freedom of contracts is not clear. If consumers bear risk, adequate disclosure should be promoted. In addition, as this issue is complex, several measures including advertisement regulations against the small business consumers and development of escrow payment techniques, should be promoted. Regarding the Hague Securities Convention, the United States pushes other countries to ratify it but the EU questions to ratify it. This chapter considers that the ratification of the Hague Convention for unifying the conflict of laws and the UNIDROIT Convention for unifying the substantive laws should be done at the same time, in order to avoid some side effects.
Mobile E-Health
Authors: Archer Norm
Published: May 2011

Health care is an industry with a diverse set of stakeholders: governments, private health care providers, medical practitioners (physicians, nurses, researchers, etc.), home health care providers and workers, and last but not least, clients/patients and their families. Overlapping and interacting environments include hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, primary care providers, homes, and so forth, involving acute, emergency, chronic, primary, and outpatient care. Patient transitions between these environments are often unnecessarily dif?cult due to an inability by providers to access pre-existing patient records. Mobile/wireless solutions can play an important role in supporting health care by providing applications that access health care records and reduce paperwork for clinical physicians, nurses, and other workers, community health care practitioners and their patients, or mobile chronically ill patients such as diabetics. This chapter makes the case for mobile health care and its solutions in the non-acute community health care environment, where critical issues include usability, adoption, interoperability, change management, risk mitigation, security and privacy, and return on investment. A proposed community health care application demonstrates how these issues are addressed.
The State of Mobile Government in Turkey
Authors: Yildiz Mete
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents the current state and future prospects of, and policy issues related to the mobile (m-) government in Turkey at both national and local government levels with a special emphasis to mobile phones. To this end, ?rst, the historical development and major actors of Turkey’s mobile technology market are examined. Following this framework, the current state of government information and services provided by the help of mobile technologies (m-government) is analyzed. Third, several issues related to m-government policy such as health problems that are thought to be caused by mobile phone use and the proximity of mobile phone masts to housing units; the risky behavior of talking via mobile phones while driving and the problems caused by this reckless behavior; problems related to stolen and unregistered mobile phones; and ?nally, the blurring of public and private spheres because of mobile phone use in public places are discussed. Proposed and enacted national legislation on these topics are summarized and discussed. The ?nal section evaluates the future prospects of m-government and integration of electronic government and mobile goverment efforts in Turkey. This section also assesses the possibility of using m-government as a tool for bridging the digital divide in Turkey.
The Prospects of Mobile Government in Jordan
Authors: Abu-Samaha Ala M. , Samad Yara Abdel
Published: May 2011

This chapter aims to assess the viability of mobile governmental services in Jordan as a precursor to embracing mobile government as a complementing medium of communication. Re?ecting on Jordan’s experience with electronic governmental services, it is evident to say that the ?rst wave of electronic governmental services was delivered through the Web as the sole communication channel. Despite the success of a number of governmental entities to utilise such a communication channel, the penetration of the Internet in the Jordanian society is very low which dampens such limited cases of success. Currently, the e-government initiative is considering mobile phones for the future waves of its electronic service delivery on a multi-channel platform. This chapter articulates the concerns and issues surrounding the viability of mobile government in terms of availability of bandwidth and reach. The chapter will provide a number of statistics and other qualitative reviews concerning previous experiences in the Jordanian electronic government initiative.
Success Factors and Performance Indicators for Enterprise Application Integration
Authors: Schwinn A.
Published: May 2011

The effectiveness and efficiency of information systems are closely related to the degree of integration between applications. In order to support the management of application integration, five success factors are analyzed. For each success factor, appropriate performance indicators are proposed. Since the analysis indicates that the success factors are closely interrelated, these dependencies are discussed and hypotheses are derived.
Using a Standards-Based Integration Platform for Improving B2B Transactions
Authors: Ciganek A. , Haines M. , Haseman W. , Ngo-Ye L.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a specific case in which a company explores the use of XML Web services in conjunction with an integration broker. Several business-to-business (B2B) approaches are developed to provide insight into the ability of modern integration technology to improve B2B interactions and to allow a broader group of businesses to participate. Furthermore, technical details and integration methodology principles are presented that can be used as points of reference for scenarios in which the same or a similar set of technologies is applied to advance the efficiency and effectiveness of B2B transactions. An evaluation of the B2B approaches is presented accompanied by a discussion of several key lessons. This chapter then ends with some concluding remarks.
Enterprise Application Integration from the Point of View of Agent Paradigm
Authors: Yoo M.
Published: May 2011

The agent paradigm in general underlines the interaction phenomenon in a collaborative organization while respecting the autonomy and self-interested features of individual components. Relevant use of the agent paradigm will be one of the key factors to success in application integration projects in the near future. This chapter describes the basic notions of intelligent agents and multiagent systems, and proposes possible types of their application to enterprise integration. The agent-based approaches to enterprise application integration are considered from three points of view: (a) using an agent as a wrapper of applications or services, (b) constructing a multiagent organization within which agents are interacting and providing emergent solutions to enterprise problems, and (c) using the agent as an intelligent handler of heterogeneous data resources in an open environment.
Application Integration
Authors: Lee S. , Lam W.
Published: May 2011

This case describes a pilot project to implement a financial portfolio system (FPS) within Jwon Bank. (The case is based on a real-life organisation, although the identity of the organisation has been disguised at the organisation’s request.) A strategic IT review of Jwon Bank’s IT systems and architecture revealed that a lack of integration between IT systems was hampering the bank’s capability to meet its business vision. A key recommendation from the review was the development of an FPS that would enable customers to manage all their financial assets and access financial services from a single place. However, creating an FPS meant that Jwon Bank had to develop a strategic solution to meet the integration needs across the entire bank. Jwon Bank examined enterprise application integration (EAI) tools, and embarked on a pilot project to develop a prototype FPS and test the robustness of an EAI solution. The case highlights some of the management issues relating to integration projects of this nature, including strategic planning for integration, EAI tool selection and evaluation, and understanding of business process flow across divisional silos.
ePortfolios as Learning Construction Zones
Authors: O’Brien Kathleen
Published: May 2011

ePortfolios can be more than storage devices of the learner’s best work when faculty develop a curriculum that integrates them across each student’s academic career. This chapter describes how one version of an ePortfolio, designed using faculty-held learning principles and assumptions, helps students explore and extend their learning in a developmental manner. It also describes how a provost sees the ePortfolio system fulfilling an often neglected CAO responsibility: improving the educational effectiveness of faculty. The author also outlines other educational goals that can be met with a developmental ePortfolio system. Finally, the author comments on the downside of using such a system, but suggests that the benefits outweigh the deficits.
A Flexible Component-Based ePortfolio
Authors: Cotterill S. J. , Aiton J. F. , Bradley P. M. , Hammond G. R. , McDonald A. M. , Struthers J. , Whiten S.
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides case studies of embedding the ePortfolio in the curricula of two medical schools in the UK, one of which is outcomes based, while the other uses a series of patient scenarios to inform the teaching of clinical skills within a curriculum that emphasises the scientific basis of medicine. These case studies describe the implementation, evaluation, and process of embedding the portfolio within the respective curricula. They also illustrate the flexibility of a component-based ePortfolio to serve different pedagogic requirements. Research and evaluation issues are discussed, including an action-research approach with “fine-tuning” of technical features and pedagogy during the evaluation phase.
Using ePortfolios to Facilitate Professional Development Among Pre-Service Teachers
Authors: Ring Gail , Foti Sebastian
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine an electronic portfolio project as it was implemented in a teacher education program in a College of Education to determine how these electronic teaching portfolios affect a student’s professional development. Much of the recent portfolio research discusses portfolio implementation in an anecdotal manner, focusing on studies undertaken in a single class, or with a small population of pre-service teachers. This study investigated the implementation of an electronic portfolio project throughout a four-year period, collecting data from students enrolled in the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education programs. It explored the impact the development of an ePortfolio had on the professional growth of these students.
Psychology and ePortfolios Enhance Learning, Assessment, and Career Development
Authors: Stephens Benjamin R. , Moore DeWayne
Published: May 2011

The authors evaluated psychology program assessment measurements derived from self-report and electronic portfolios in the psychology undergraduate major. Their new introductory and senior laboratory courses have been specifically created to provide student-centered learning experiences that lead to ePortfolio construction. This chapter describes the initial stage of an evaluation of our assessment strategy, which centers on the new laboratories. In the lab courses, each student’s abilities were evaluated using several measures of achievement derived from national learning outcomes. ePortfolio and non-portfolio-based measures demonstrate promising reliability and validity. ePortfolio laboratories seem to enhance student learning and career planning. These early observations encourage collection of assessment data yearly, from undergraduate majors in each class, to provide longitudinal evaluation of their ePortfolio learning and career planning assessment strategy.
A Framework Based on Design Patterns
Authors: Albert Manoli , Ruiz Marta , Munoz Javier , Pelechano Vincente
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes a framework based on design patterns to implement UML association, aggregation, and composition relationships. To build the framework, we propose a semantic interpretation of these concepts that avoids the ambiguities introduced by UML. This interpretation is achieved by using a set of properties that allows us to characterize these kinds of relationships. Once the semantics of the relationships have been defined, we propose a framework based on design patterns for the systematic generation of a software representation. The framework is based on the properties that characterize the relationships. It provides a high-quality solution and introduces important benefits with regard to other existing implementation approaches. This work proposes an implementation strategy that defines a set of mappings between the conceptual abstractions and the proposed framework. This strategy enables the automatic instantiation of the framework. Finally, to validate the proposal, we present a C# implementation of a collaboration pattern. Collaboration patterns are analysis patterns constituted by two classes that are related by an association, an aggregation or a composition relationship.
Automatic Verification of OOD Pattern Applications
Authors: Flores Andreas , Cechich Alejandra , Ruiz Rodrigo
Published: May 2011

Object-oriented patterns condense experimental knowledge from developers. Their pragmatic benefits may involve a reduction on the effort impact of the maintenance stage. However, some common problems can be distinguished as well. For instance, some design patterns are simply too difficult for the average OO designer to learn. A pattern-based design process could be enhanced by the provision of an automatic support for modeling and verification with a proper formal foundation. In this chapter we show how formal specifications of GoF patterns have been helpful to develop that tool support, where we have adopted the well-known Java language upon its portability facet. Thus, we are changing the object-oriented design process by the inclusion of pattern-based modeling and verification steps. The latter involving checking design correctness and appropriate pattern application through the use of the supporting tool, called DePMoVe (Design and Pattern Modeling and Verification).
A Survey of Object-Oriented Design Quality Improvement
Authors: Olmedilla Juan José
Published: May 2011

The use of object-oriented (OO) architecture knowledge such as patterns, heuristics, principles, refactorings and bad smells improve the quality of designs, as Garzás and Piattini (2005) state in their study; according to it, the application of those elements impact on the quality of an OO design and can serve as basis to establish some kind of software design improvement (SDI) method. But how can we measure the level of improvement? Is there a set of accepted internal attributes to measure the quality of a design? Furthermore, if such a set exists will it be possible to use a measurement model to guide the SDI in the same way software process improvement models (Humphrey, 1989; Paulk, Curtis, Chrissis, & Weber, 1993) are guided by process metrics (Fenton & Pfleeger, 1998)? Since (Chidamber & Kemerer, 1991) several OO metrics suites have been proposed to measure OO properties, such as encapsulation, cohesion, coupling and abstraction, both in designs and in code, in this chapter we review the literature to find out to which high level quality properties are mapped and if an OO design evaluation model has been formally proposed or even is possible.
Strategic Purchasing Management
Authors: Quayle Michael
Published: May 2011

Purchasing is at the heart of any supply chain. Purchasing needs to be strategic to facilitate an effective supply chain. Within this chapter, I will explore corporate planning, purchasing planning and strategies, corporate and environmental factors and how to go about the strategy and planning process. I will also explore buying decisions, ethical purchasing, and procurement agencies.
Purchasing Policy
Authors: Quayle Michael
Published: May 2011

In this chapter I will cover purchasing and procurement policy, definition and structure, centralisation vs. decentralisation, consortia and associated issues, possible departmental structures, and benchmarking. In addition to the various strategies described in the previous chapter, there are several policy issues that can influence the operations of the purchasing department. A typical exemplar of a procurement business strategy can be found at the end of this chapter. The exemplar will place this chapter in context. Policies regarding reciprocal trade, intracompany, and purchasing ethics should be established as part of the plan for purchasing management. Allied to selecting the policies, the structure of the purchasing function, centralise or decentralise activity and interface with materials management, sourcing policy are all relevant to effective purchasing and supply chain management.
Physical Distribution
Authors: Quayle Michael
Published: May 2011

We have, so far, looked at the operation of stores and stockyards, transport operation, and the various samples of legislation with which the stores manager must comply. We need now to consider the methods of achieving effective planning and control of the distribution of goods, to customers, stores and warehouses. Without effective distribution, the supply chain is doomed
Music and Neural Networks
Authors: Buzzanca Giuseppe
Published: May 2011

This chapter pertains to the research in the field of music and artificial neural networks. The first attempts to codify human musical cognition through artificial neural networks are taken into account as well as recent and more complex techniques that allow computers to learn and recognize musical styles, genres, or even to compose music. Special topics covered are related to the representation of musical language and to the different systems used for solving them, from classic backpropagation networks to self-organizing maps and modular networks. The author hopes that this chapter will disclose some significant information about this emerging but nonetheless important subfield of AI and at the same time increase some interest and allow for a better understanding of this complex field.
Representation of Web Application Patterns in OWL
Authors: Kamthan Pankaj , Pai Hsueh-Ieng
Published: May 2011

Patterns are distilled forms of knowledge from past experience and expertise in solving recurring problems in a domain. The Semantic Web provides an environment where the knowledge inherent in patterns can be adequately represented to be broadly accessible and be reasoned with. This chapter describes the process of creating OWAP, an ontology in the language OWL for Web Application Patterns. The problems faced in each phase and steps taken to resolve them are given. The significance and limitations of tools during OWAP design, implementation, and testing are outlined. The lessons learned in engineering OWAP are cast as an aggregated list of guidelines. Finally, some directions for future enhancements of OWAP are pointed out.
Ontology Management for Large-Scale Enterprise Systems
Authors: Lee Juhnyoung , Goodwin Richard , Akkiraju Rama
Published: May 2011

Semantic markup languages such as RDF (Resource Description Framework) (RDF, 1999) and OWL (Web Ontology Language) (OWL, 2004) are increasingly being used to externalize metadata or ontologies about data, software and services in a declarative form. Such externalized descriptions in ontological format are used for purposes ranging from search and retrieval to information integration and to service composition (RDF Projects, 2004; OWL Tools, 2004). Ontologies could significantly reduce the costs of deploying, integrating, and maintaining enterprise systems. The barrier to more widespread use of ontologies for such applications is the lack of support in the currently available middleware stacks used in enterprise computing. This chapter presents our work on developing an enterprise-scale ontology management system that will provide APIs and query languages, and scalability and performance that enterprise applications demand. We describe the design and implementation of the management system that programmatically supports the ontology needs of enterprise applications in a similar way to a database management system supporting the data needs of applications. In addition, we present a novel approach to representing ontologies in relational database tables to address the scalability and performance issues. The state of the art ontology management systems are either memory-based or use ad-hoc solutions for persisting data, and so provide limited scalability.
A Comparison of Semantic Annotation Systems for Text-Based Web Documents
Authors: Reeve Lawrence , Han Hyoil
Published: May 2011

The Semantic Web promises new as well as extended applications, such as concept searching, custom Web page generation, and question-answering systems. Semantic annotation is a key component for the realization of the Semantic Web. The volume of existing and new documents on the Web makes manual annotation problematic. Semi-automatic semantic annotation systems, which we call platforms because of their extensibility and composability of services, have been designed to alleviate this burden for text-based Web documents. These semantic annotation platforms provide services supporting annotation, including ontology and knowledge base access and storage, information extraction, programming interfaces, and end-user interfaces. This chapter defines a framework for examining semantic annotation platform differences based on platform characteristics, surveys several recent platform implementations, defines a classification scheme based on information extraction method used, and discusses general platform architecture.
Translating the Web Semantics of Georeferences
Authors: Winter Stephan , Tomko Martin
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a review of the ways of georeferencing in Web resources, as opposed to the georeferencing of other information communities, specifically in route directions for wayfinders. The different information needs of the two information communities, reflected by their different semantics of georeferences, are identified. In a case study, we investigate the possibilities of translating the semantics of georeferences in Web resources to landmarks in route directions. We show that interpreting georeferences in Web resources enhances the perceivable properties of described features. Finally, we identify open questions for future research.
IT Portfolio Management
Authors: Cameron Brian H.
Published: May 2011

Information Technology Portfolio Management (ITPM) is a topic of intense interest in the strategic management of IT. In ITPM, IT synchronization with corporate business strategy is operationalized by the application of the principles of financial portfolio management to IT investments. This perspective is crucial to the continual alignment of business strategy and IT investments. Portfolio management is the discipline of managing projects together as a portfolio that meets stated corporate goals and objectives (Combe & Githens, 1999). It facilitates the optimization of resource allocation and development investment across multiple projects. This chapter investigates current techniques and issues for managing IT project portfolios and aligning those portfolios with the strategy of the business. The models and concepts presented are regarded as a starting point for dialogue and further research among IT project researchers and practitioners.
A Security Blueprint for E-Business Applications
Authors: Du Jun , Jiao Yuan-Yuan , Jiao Jianxin (Roger)
Published: May 2011

This chapter develops a security blueprint for an e-business environment taking advantage of the three-tiered e-business architecture. This security blueprint suggests best practices in general. It involves (1) security control by layers — from physical access, to network communication, to operating systems, to applications, and (2) different stages of the management process, including planning, deployment, administration, and auditing. Also reported is a case study of the implementation of the proposed security blueprint in a Singapore multinational corporation. Such issues as security control analysis, management process analysis, and cost-benefits analysis are discussed in detail.
High Assurance Products in IT Security
Authors: Vaugh Rayford B.
Published: May 2011

Corporate decisions concerning the purchase of security software and hardware appliances are often made based simply on the recommendations of the technical staff, the budget process (return on investment arguments), and/or a sales presentation and assertions. This chapter addresses the notion of trusted products and assurance in those products (i.e., confidence in the correct operation of a product) and how assurance is gained through independent review and testing. Early attempts to measure assurance in trusted products are described (some products today still refer to these procedures). Modern approaches to measuring assurance will be discussed in the context of ISO Standard 15408 (the Common Criteria (CC)). Current U.S. federal government policy concerning the use of evaluated products is presented, as well as a discussion of why industrial organizations may wish to consider such products.
Intrusion Detection and Response
Authors: Dampier David A. , Siraj Ambareen
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the notion of intrusion detection and introduces concepts associated with intrusion detection and methods used to respond to intrusions. It presents information about different forms of intrusions and how they are recognized. It introduces methods for detecting intrusions and then discusses possible responses to those intrusions. It is hoped that this information will make the readers more aware of the possibility of intrusions and how they might develop a process for detecting and responding to these intrusions.
Privacy Management Architecture Privacy Technologies
Authors: Korba Larry , Song Ronggong , Yee George
Published: May 2011

There have been a number of recent developments in architectures for privacy management. These architectures may be applied to the development of e-services. This chapter describes some driving forces and approaches for the development and deployment of a privacy architecture for e-services and reviews several architectures that have been proposed or developed for managing privacy. The chapter offers the reader a quick tour of ideas and building blocks for creating privacy-protection enabled e-services and describes several privacy information flow scenarios that can be applied in assessing any e-service privacy architecture. The chapter concludes with a summary of the work covered and a discussion of some outstanding issues in the application of privacy architectures to e-services.
Cultural Diversity Challenges
Authors: Huang Haiyan , Trauth Eileen A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses cultural diversity challenges in globally distributed software development and the implications for educating and managing the future global information technology workforce. It argues that the work practices of global software development are facing a variety of challenges associated with cultural diversity, which are manifested in and can be analyzed from three dimensions: the work environment of global software development, the globally distributed knowledge workers, and the global software development work. It further articulates how cultural diversity is manifested in these three dimensions. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of developing cultural awareness and cultural diversity understanding as important skills for the future information technology workforce.
A Prototype E-Business Model to Create a Competitive Advantage in SMEs
Authors: Pavic S. , Simpson M. , Koh S. C.L.
Published: May 2011

This study explores new ways for SMEs to create a competitive advantage through the use of e-business. It examines the level of ICT use in SMEs and identifies the drivers and barriers which owners/managers face in adopting e-business. Furthermore, it explores the degree of awareness amongst SMEs of the opportunities available to them for developing their employees, their business strategies, and their attitudes toward the range of initiatives and options, on the use of e-business. Industry behaviour and organisational culture in relation to the creation of competitive advantage through e-business also are explored. Case studies and literature review are used to collect information from and about SMEs in the UK. The results of these are employed to propose a prototype business model, named CATE-b – “Competitive Advantage Through e-business.”
Assesing Web-Enabled Interactivity
Authors: Marcolin Barbara , Coviello Nicole , Milley Roger
Published: May 2011

As business models evolve to integrate technology with organizational strategy and marketing, the application of Web technology to facilitate end-user interactions, or what we call Web-enabled interactivity, has become increasingly important to customer relationships. This article develops and introduces the Web-enabled Interactivity Self-Evaluation tool (referred to as WISE). Two case studies are used to illustrate how managers can use WISE to develop a thorough, easily communicated profile of their Web-enabled interactivity capabilities upon which competitive positioning assessments can also be made. The information generated by the audit process is intended to help firms enhance their interactive communication with Web site users in a market-oriented manner.
The Role of Internet Self-Efficacy in Acceptance of Web-Based Electronic Medical Records
Authors: Ma Qingxiong , Liu Liping
Published: May 2011

The technology acceptance model (TAM) stipulates that both perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) directly influence the end user’s behavioral intention (BI) to accept a technology. Studies have found that self-efficacy is an important determinant of PEOU. However, there has been no research examining the relationship between self-efficacy and BI. The studies on the effect of self-efficacy on PU are also rare, and findings are inconsistent. In this study, we incorporate Internet self-efficacy (ISE) into the TAM as an antecedent to PU, PEOU, and BI. We conducted a controlled experiment involving a Web-based medical record system and 86 healthcare subjects. We analyzed both direct and indirect effects of ISE on PEOU, PU, and BI using hierarchical regressions. We found that ISE explained 48% of the variation in PEOU. We also found that ISE and PEOU together explained 50% of the variation in PU, and the full model explained 80% of the variance in BI.
The Effectiveness of Online Task Support vs. Instructor-Led Training
Authors: Mao Ji-Ye , Brown Bradley R.
Published: May 2011

This study investigates the effectiveness of online task support (the wizard type in particular) relative to instructor-led training, and explores the underlying cognitive process in terms of the development of mental models. Ninety-two novice users of Microsoft Access were either trained by an experienced instructor or performed exercises with online task support, and then completed a variety of performance-based tests. Analysis shows that users of online task support tended to outperform instructor-trained individuals on high-level tasks, whereas the performance difference on low-level tasks was not significant. The cognitive processes underlying the difference are also noteworthy. Task support users were more likely to develop conceptual mental models as opposed to procedural ones, which accounted for their better high-level performance. Mental model completeness was also found to be closely associated with performance on both low and high-level tasks. These findings offer support for increased use of online task support.
Perceptions of End Users on the Requirements in Personal Firewall Software
Authors: Hazari Sunil
Published: May 2011

Information security is usually considered a technical discipline with much attention being focused on topics such as encryption, hacking, break-ins, and credit card theft. Security products such as anti-virus programs and personal firewall software are now available for end-users to install on their computers to protect against threats endemic to networked computers. The behavioral aspects related to maintaining enterprise security have received little attention from researchers and practitioners. Using Q-sort analysis, this study used students as end users in a graduate business management security course to investigate issues affecting selection of personal firewall software in organizations. Based on the Q-sort analysis of end users in relation to seven variables identified from review of the information security literature, three distinct group characteristics emerged. Similarities and differences between groups are investigated, and implications of these results to IT managers, vendors of security software, and researchers in information security area are discussed.
Toward a Greater Understanding of End-Users' Acceptance of ERP Systems
Authors: Nah Fiona F. , Tan Xin , Teh Soon E.
Published: May 2011

Despite huge investments made by organizations in ERP implementation, maintenance, and user training, ERP implementation failures and less than expected productivity improvements are not uncommon. End users’ reluctance to use newly implemented ERP systems is often cited as one of the main reasons for ERP failures. To understand the lack of end-user acceptance of ERP systems, we examined end users’ attitude toward system use and symbolic adoption; the latter refers to users’ voluntary mental acceptance of a system. Four instrumental beliefs—perceived usefulness,perceived ease of use, perceived compatibility, and perceived fit—were modeled as the antecedents. The research model was tested using a survey on end users’ perceptions in adopting and using a newly implemented ERP system. The findings show that perceived compatibility and perceived ease of use have both direct and indirect effects (mediated by attitude) on symbolic adoption, while perceived fit and perceived usefulness influence symbolic adoption via attitude. The study provides managerial implications for organizations in engendering positive user acceptance of enterprise systems and applications.
Design Considerations in the Development of an Online Course in E-Business
Authors: Lam Wing
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes how U21 Global (U21G), an e-university formed by a consortium of traditional brick-and-mortar universities, approached the design of MBA650, its online course in e-business. MBA650 is a core course in U21G’s MBA program. Gagne’s theory (Little, 2001), a pedagogical framework taken from the literature, is used to frame and explain the rationale for the design of MBA650. Gagne’s theory identifies a number of instructional events including the identification of learning objectives, presentation of content, provision of learner guidance, feedback, and performance assessment. An evaluation of MBA650 based on student feedback is presented. Finally, several key design considerations in the development of e-business courses are discussed such as including attention to learning outcomes, the student audience, syllabus, key messages, theory vs. practice, team working, and the use of case studies.
E-Recruiting System Development and Architecture
Authors: Lee In
Published: May 2011

At this time of hyper-competition and rapid environmental changes, one of the most critical sources of competitive advantage is to attract and retain talented workers. Erecruiting is one of the most rapidly growing e-commerce areas. Since the mid-1990s, a number of e-recruiting methods such as job boards, corporate career Web sites, and e-recruiting consortia have been introduced into the labor market. Recruiting through corporate career Web sites has been touted as the most efficient and cost effective recruiting method. While most of large- and medium-sized organizations have deployed corporate career Web sites, many of them have failed to achieve the maximum benefits because they do not have the appropriate architecture and business practice in place. While e-recruiting methods have been widely used since the mid-1990s, no formal classification system has been developed for a wide variety of e-recruiting sources. This study proposes six categories of e-recruiting sources and presents the architecture of the next-generation, holistic e-recruiting system. This architecture consists of eight distinct yet interrelated subsystems: (1) applicant tracking management subsystem; (2) job requisition management subsystem; (3) job agent management subsystem; (4) prescreening/self-assessment management subsystem; (5) e-recruiting performance analysis subsystem; (6) candidate relationship management subsystem; (7) workflow management subsystem; and (8) database management subsystem.
Unified Citation Management and Visualization Using Open Standards
Authors: Ginsburg Mark
Published: May 2011

Scientific research is hindered when there are artificial barriers preventing the efficient and straightforward sharing of bibliographic information. In today’s computing world, the barriers take the form of incompatible bibliographic formats and constraining operating-system and vendor dependencies. These incompatible platforms isolate the respective camps. In this chapter, we demonstrate and discuss a new approach to unify citation management: the Open Citation System (OCS). OCS uses open XML standards and Java-component technologies. By providing converter tools to migrate citations to a centralized hub in BiblioML format (an XML tag set based on the UniMARC standard), we then make use of XML topic maps to provide an extensible framework for visualization. We take as an example the ACM classification code and show how the OCS system displays citations in a convenient focus and context hyperbolic tree interface. We conclude by discussing future directions planned to extend the OCS system and how open citation management can supply an important piece in our inexorable march toward a worldwide digital library.
In Pursuit of Interoperability
Authors: Moseley Scott , Randall Steve , Wiles Anthony
Published: May 2011

Traditionally, conformance testing has been the domain of the telecommunications industry, while interoperability testing has mainly been limited to the Internet world. Many see these as either/or solutions, ignoring the fact that recent experience shows that both approaches have their strengths when used wisely. This paper discusses the merits and shortcomings of each approach and shows how they can usefully be combined to maximise the effectiveness of the testing process. This is especially relevant where testing is being treated as a potential branding issue by various fora. This paper is based on many years of practical experience of writing test specifications at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). It presents ETSI standardisation activities on testing, including the development of a generic interoperability testing methodology and the work being done by the Technical Committee Methods for Testing and Specification (MTS), the ETSI Protocol and Testing Competence Centre (PTCC), and the ETSI PlugtestsTM service.
Practical Lessons from Four Years of Using an ARS in Every Lecture of a Large Class
Authors: Cutts Quintin
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores pedagogical and logistical issues arising from the extension, using an audience response system (ARS), of an existing module based on traditional 1-hour lectures, over a period of 4 years. The principal issues involve the limited time for equipment setup; the significant time taken to present each ARS question, and hence, the need to maximise the learning gain from each question asked; the importance of considering the pedagogical rationale for using the ARS; the complexity of remediation and the acknowledgement that not all student misunderstandings highlighted by the ARS can be addressed effectively within the lecture. The chapter offers suggestions on the following aspects of ARS use: the setting up in theatres, and distribution to students of ARS equipment; a range of pedagogical rationales underpinning question design; guidelines on session format and question structure; remediation issues both within and outside the lecture context.
Selected and Constructed Response Systems in Mathematics Classrooms
Authors: Pelton Leslee F. , Pelton Timothy
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines two types of response technologies (selected and constructed) available to support discussion and participation in the classroom, and describes our experiences using and observing them in a variety of mathematics, science, and computer science classes at various educational levels. Selected response systems (a.k.a., clickers) display multiple-choice questions, and then collect and analyze student responses, and present distribution summaries to the class. Constructed response systems allow students to use handheld computers to generate free-form graphical responses to teacher prompts using various software applications. Once completed, students submit their responses to the instructor’s computer wirelessly. The instructor may then select and anonymously project these authentic student work samples or representations to promote classroom discussion. We review the purpose, design, and features of these two types of response systems, highlight some of the issues underlying their application, discuss our experiences using them in the classroom, and make recommendations.
Theorizing the Transformed Classroom
Authors: Penuel William R. , Abrahamson Louis , Roschelle Jeremy
Published: May 2011

This paper explores the theoretical framework needed to explain observed effects of classrooms in which instructors use audience response systems. We consider how current theories of audience response systems cannot adequately explain students’ initial resistance to the introduction of response systems, or the emergence of a sense of classroom community. We propose a sociocultural reinterpretation of the networked classroom in which learning is described as a process of transforming participation in classroom activities. We use sociocultural theory to help explain students’ changing motivations for participation in class, and the development of scientific concepts through discussion. Finally, we propose some initial hypotheses and approaches to studying audience response systems in higher education within a sociocultural framework.