bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Distance Learning System for Teaching the Writing of Chinese Characters Over the Internet
Authors: Sun K. T. , Feng D. S.
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for teaching students to write Chinese characters over the Internet. Since each Chinese character is like a picture, knowing the correct stroke orders can enable a person to write characters more easily. Accordingly, primary schools in Taiwan teach the correct orders in which strokes should be made when writing Chinese characters. In the proposed system, students can use a pen (or drag the mouse) to write Chinese characters on a digital board through a browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. For realizing the situation of student’s writing behavior, a neuron-based student model was designed to learn the writing style of each student. When a wrong stroke order is used, a short animated cartoon is displayed to show the error to the student, and the reason for the error will be explained. An intelligent tutoring module selects a Chinese character that is similar to the character written with the wrong stroke order, to teach the student again. Several databases and rule-bases are used to store important information such as the correct stroke orders and the structure of each Chinese character, the screen positions of each stroke, the writing behavior of each student, the rules of inference by which training characters are selected, and the error codes (types). This system has been in development since 1996, and includes 2734 Chinese characters (taught in primary schools). It has been used in elementary schools, and by thousands of students. Educational research reveals that over 82% of primary school students had some problems in using the correct stroke orders when writing Chinese characters, and the improvement exhibited by the experimental group was significant (F = 25.331, p < .005). The proposed system has been verified as being of high value in teaching students to write Chinese characters.
Building an Ethical Framework for Decision Making
Authors: Kizza Joseph , Migga Kizza Florence
Published: May 2011

We closed the last chapter on a note about building a good ethical framework and its central role in securing the information infrastructure. A good ethical framework is essential for good decision making. Decision making is a staple for human beings. As we get more and more dependent on computer technology, we are slowly delegating the right to make rational decisions and the right to reason. In so doing, we are abdicating our responsibilities as human beings. Human autonomy, the human ability to make rational decisions, is the essence of life. If you cannot make personal decisions, based on the principle of duty of care, for your day-to-day living, you may as well be called the living dead. We are focusing on decision making in this chapter and how character education, that is ethics education, and codes of conduct help in creating an ethical framework essential for good decision making.
Security, Anonymity, and Privacy
Authors: Kizza Joseph , Migga Kizza Florence
Published: May 2011

All recent social, economic, and technological advances can be attributed to the dramatic advances in availability of information and the ability to access it easily and quickly. The increasing demand for information has driven the need for easier access to it. This almost obsessive demand for information together with the abundance of it on almost any topic have created privacy and security challenges. The value of information in our information-driven economies has made it into a valuable commodity so that having it means having superior intellectual, economic, and social status. It has become a vital resource in this information age. Along with it, we have to face the security and privacy challenges it has created.
Introduction
Authors: Hsu Wynne , Lee Mong Li , Wang Junmei
Published: May 2011

Temporal databases capture time-related attributes whose values change with time, for example, stock exchange data. Temporal data mining is an important extension of data mining as it can be used to mine the activity rather than just states, and thus, infer relationships of contextual and temporal proximity, some of which may also indicate a cause-effect association.
Mining Sequence Patterns in Evolving Databases
Authors: Hsu Wynne , Lee Mong Li , Wang Junmei
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we analyze and improve the I/O performance of the GSP algorithm (Agrawal & Srikant, 1996). We also study the problem of incremental maintenance of frequent sequences.
Transactional Control in Traditional Institutional Learning
Authors: Dron Jon
Published: May 2011

This book offers an exploration of the ways that a learning trajectory is determined, and, in particular, how an online learning environment can affect that trajectory. It provides suggestions about how, primarily through technologies that underlie what is vulgarly known as “Web 2.0,” networked learning environments should be constructed to give control to learners if they need it, as they need it, and when they need it.
Electronic Publication
Authors: Dron Jon
Published: May 2011

This book offers an exploration of the ways that a learning trajectory is determined, and, in particular, how an online learning environment can affect that trajectory. It provides suggestions about how, primarily through technologies that underlie what is vulgarly known as “Web 2.0,” networked learning environments should be constructed to give control to learners if they need it, as they need it, and when they need it.
Finding Good Stuff
Authors: Dron Jon
Published: May 2011

This book offers an exploration of the ways that a learning trajectory is determined, and, in particular, how an online learning environment can affect that trajectory. It provides suggestions about how, primarily through technologies that underlie what is vulgarly known as “Web 2.0,” networked learning environments should be constructed to give control to learners if they need it, as they need it, and when they need it.
Social Software in E-Learning
Authors: Dron Jon
Published: May 2011

This book offers an exploration of the ways that a learning trajectory is determined, and, in particular, how an online learning environment can affect that trajectory. It provides suggestions about how, primarily through technologies that underlie what is vulgarly known as “Web 2.0,” networked learning environments should be constructed to give control to learners if they need it, as they need it, and when they need it.
Collaborative Sensemaking Support
Authors: Nosek John T.
Published: May 2011

Sensemaking involves incomplete discovery, inaccurate interpretation, and imperfect action that will fail in someway and likely alter the situation in some unknowable way. Sensemaking demands intense, deep collaboration with participating agents, who many times are physically distributed and come from different groups and organizations. Incorporating collaboration functionality in a piece-meal approach in different ways as add-ons within a portal-based architecture can place heavy demands on users to learn, organizations to train, and ultimately limit the potential of collaboration technology to achieve organizational goals. It is proposed that individual and group sensemaking is a better starting point from which to build architectures to mitigate socio-cognitive limitations of participating agents collaborating to make sense of things. Three levels of Collaboration Envelopes™ are presented and architectural considerations presented to guide development of technology to better support collaborative sensemaking.
A Meta-Analysis of Group Size Effects in Electronic Brainstorming
Authors: Dennis Alan R. , Williams Michael L.
Published: May 2011

Electronic brainstorming (EBS) has been a focus of academic research since the 1980s. The results suggest that in most—but not all—cases, groups using EBS produce more ideas than groups using verbal brainstorming. In contrast, the results comparing groups using EBS to groups using nominal group brainstorming have been mixed: sometimes EBS group produce more ideas, while in other cases, nominal groups produce more. This article examines the effects of group size on EBS, verbal brainstorming, and nominal group brainstorming. We found that group size is a significant factor in predicting the performance of EBS relative to verbal brainstorming, and nominal group brainstorming. As group size increases, the relative benefit of EBS increases. EBS groups outperform verbal groups when group size reaches four people. EBS groups outperform nominal groups when group size reaches 10 people.
Deceptive Communication in E-Collaboration
Authors: George Joey F. , Marett Kent
Published: May 2011

Much research within the field of MIS has been devoted to the use of collaborative technology by decision makers and the impact computer-mediated communication (CMC) has on collaborative work. Yet, there may be some unintended consequences for users of CMC, if someone involved in the joint effort decides to take the opportunity to deceive the others involved. In this chapter, we posit that CMC offers would-be deceivers advantages that otherwise do not exist with more traditional, richer media, using past research and established theories to help explain why. We review some of the findings from our ongoing research effort in this area and explain how difficult it is for computer users to detect deception, when it occurs. Finally, we discuss how the art of deception in computer-mediated collaboration potentially can affect both the current effort and future efforts of those involved, and we offer our thoughts on some of the factors CMC practitioners should consider when trying to combat computer-mediated deception.
Implementing a Data Mining Solution for an Automobile Insurance Company
Authors: Yeo Ai Cheo , Smith Kate A.
Published: May 2011

The insurance company in this case study operates in a highly competitive environment. In recent years it has explored data mining as a means of extracting valuable information from its huge databases in order to improve decision making and capitalise on the investment in business data. This case study describes an investigation into the benefits of data mining for an anonymous Australian automobile insurance company.1 Although the investigation was able to demonstrate quantitative benefits of adopting a data mining approach, there are many practical issues that need to be resolved before the data mining approach can be implemented.
Moving Personal Tax Online
Authors: Chamberlain Jeff , Castleman Tanya
Published: May 2011

In exploiting the capabilities of online technologies, governments have developed policies and launched projects to conduct transactions and deliver their services through the Internet. The motivations for this include cost cutting, efficiency improvements, service enhancements, and leadership in business transformation. However, these diverse goals are not necessarily consistent, especially in the early stages of implementation. The e-government initiative discussed in this case study (E-Tax) provided an additional service to individual Australian taxpayers by enabling them to file their tax returns online. This case study provides an analysis of the E-Tax implementation in the first three years of its operation. Data on E-Tax use compared to other filing methods show that the package worked well technically, was favorably received by users, and was consistent with policy on e-government. However, adoption levels in the early stages did not meet government targets. The analysis suggests that impediments to a greater level of E-Tax use included entrenched patterns of filing, the nature of the taxation system, and political sensitivities. The E-Tax case demonstrates how complex e-government projects can be and the need to take contextual factors into account in planning and evaluating e-government implementation.
E*Trade Securities, Inc., Poineer Online Trader, Struggles to Stay on To
Authors: Elegant Adam T. , Montealegre Ramiro
Published: May 2011

E*Trade revolutionized the securities brokerage industry by “creating” Internet trading. E*Trade’s original strategy was to deliver cost savings to customers while amortizing fixed costs over a greater number of accounts. In 1997, several competitors established Internet sites and E*Trade was dethroned as the price leader. Its management team introduced a strategic initiative to transform the company into a financial, one-stop shop for investors. The initiative included expanding its information technology, improving its marketing and advertising program, and developing new strategic alliances. By early 1999, E*Trade had established a popular Web site offering the convenience and control of automated stock, options, and mutual fund order placement at low commission rates. E*Trade’s success pleased management but was challenged by fierce competition and emerging ethical and operational problems.
Building an Online Grocery Business
Authors: Yousept Irene , Li Feng
Published: May 2011

This chapter uses the case of ASDA.com, ASDA’s home-shopping arm, to demonstrate the challenges in building and developing an online grocery business in the UK. To set the stage, the initial implementation and learning from phone/catalogue home-shopping in ADS is outlined to demonstrate why e-commerce was seen as most economically suitable to conduct a grocery home-shopping business. Then the chapter illustrates the development stages and critical aspects of ASDA.com’s Web shop. Particularly, it delineates the operational aspects of B2C e-commerce in the grocery business: fulfillment center and fulfillment process. The case will also describe ASDA’s efforts in overcoming problems with their home-shopping fulfillment model and present important elements of ASDA.com’s virtual store and its operation. The chapter concludes with the challenges that ASDA.com has been facing, their current status, and future prospects.
Assessing the Introduction of Electronic Banking in Egypt Using the Technology Acceptance Model
Authors: Kamel Sherif , Hassan Ahmed
Published: May 2011

The developments taking place in information and communication technology are increasing competition in financial institutions worldwide. Thus, the deployment of advanced technologies is essential to achieve a competitive edge. Recently, the banking industry was highly affected by the technology evolution that transformed the way banks deliver their services, using technologies such as automated teller machines, phones, the Internet, credit cards, and electronic cash. In line with global trends, retail banking in Egypt has been undergoing many changes. In the past, banks faced significant uncertainty regarding investments in advanced technologies, but recently, banks have been investing heavily in technology to maintain a competitive edge. However, to better forecast the future, banks need to understand the different factors influencing customers’ choice between traditional and unconventional banking instruments. This case covers the introduction and diffusion of retail banking in Egypt and the development in electronic delivery channels and payment systems in its marketplace. The case represents a model for the application of advanced information and communication technology in the context of a developing nation.
Information Management in Higher Education Administration
Authors: Edirisooriya Gunapala
Published: May 2011

This case explores the underutilization of information technology in higher education administration and looks at whether higher education administration is ready for the new information age.
Student Laptop Ownership Requirement and Centralization of Information Technology Services at a Large Public University
Authors: Newby Gregory B.
Published: May 2011

A large, highly ranked public university implemented a requirement for all incoming undergraduates to own a laptop computer starting in fall, 2000. To control increased expenditures for information technology, this requirement has shifted some of the cost of technology to students by decreasing the need for centralized general-purpose computing laboratories. At the same time, a shift towards centralized academic computing support occurred. This shift was away from information technology resources, services and support based in individual departments. This shift, engineered by the newly formed office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), was envisioned to generate cost savings through economies of scale. The educational impact of the laptop requirement is starting to be felt, but adoption is not widespread in daily classroom use. Envisioned cost savings have not yet become apparent. However, laptop ownership has enabled some new classroom activities and helped to reinforce the leading-edge image of the university.
Adoption and Implementation of IT in Developing Nations
Authors: Tarafdar Monideepa , Vaidya Sanjiv D.
Published: May 2011

This case describes challenges in the adoption and implementation of IT in two public sector enterprises in the postal and distribution businesses respectively, in India. In spite of similarities in the scale of operations and the general cultural contexts, the IT adoption processes and outcomes of the two organizations were significantly different. While one failed to implement IT in its crucial processes, the other responded effectively to changes in external conditions by developing and using IT applications for critical functions. The case illustrates how differences in organizational factors such as top management commitment, unions, middle management participation, capabilities of IS professionals and specific aspects of organization culture resulted in such differences. The case is interesting and significant because it is representative of experiences of many government-aided organizations in India, which have undertaken IT modernization as a response to external changes and government mandates. The findings can also be generalized across similar organizations in other developing countries.
Enterprise-Wide Strategic Information Systems Planning for Shanghai Bell Corporation
Authors: Long Yuan , Nah Fiona Fui-Hoon , Zhu Zhanbei
Published: May 2011

In response to increasing competition and technological advancement, Shanghai BellCo., Ltd., a leading telecommunications enterprise located in Shanghai, China, carried out a major initiative to develop its next generation information technology/information systems (IT/IS) strategic plan. The initiative was prompted by limitations of its current enterprise application systems where the systems were neither able to keep up with the evolving needs due to organizational change nor satisfy the increasing demands for information sharing and data analysis. This case describes the environmental and organizational context of Shanghai Bell Corporation, and the problems and challenges it encountered in developing an enterprise-wide strategic IT/IS plan. The issues covered include alignment of IT strategy with evolving business needs, application of a methodology to develop the strategic IT/IS plan, and evaluation of strategic planning project success.
Managing the NICS Project at the Royal Canadian University
Authors: Iacovou Charalambos L.
Published: May 2011

This case describes the installation of an IBM mainframe computer at the Royal Canadian University. The goal of the described project was to establish a Numerically Intensive Computing Service (NICS) in order to provide “first-class” computing facilities to the researchers. Due to a number of factors, NICS failed to meet its objectives and the university abandoned the project within the first two years of its operations. The factors that contributed to its failure include: advancements in computing technology and changes in the computing style of end users; political and other non-technical considerations in selecting the system; and the weak and adversarial relationship between the computer center staff and the senior university administrators. These factors, with a special emphasis on organizational issues, are discussed throughout the case. At the end of the case, the reader is invited to provide solutions for managing the current failure situation and minimizing its negative consequences.
Leveraging IT and Business Network by a Small Medical Practice
Authors: Poon S. , May D.
Published: May 2011

This case discusses how a small specialist medical clinic (named ECS) tries to stay competitive by applying innovations through information technology and the Web. The barriers to success include the lack of financial and human resources but through forming strategic alliances, it managed to implement some systems prototypes.
Systems Design Issues in Planning and Implementation
Authors: Raisinghani M. S.
Published: May 2011

The case study describes the process of planning and implementation of an integrated software designed to automate the sales schedule process. The application was released with numerous software, hardware and network problems. The effects on the customer community, the information systems department, and other stakeholders were sharp and far reaching.
Evolving Organizational Growth through Information Technology
Authors: Yermish Ira
Published: May 2011

This case study describes the gradual evolution of the use of information technology, first to support basic transaction processing, and ultimately to support the strategic issues that such an operation faces The Service Employees International Union, Local 36 Benefits Office, provides service to over 3,500 union members in Pennsylvania’s Delaware Valley area by the Service Employees International Union, Local 36 Benefits Office, which provides service to over 3,500 union members.
Life After a Disastrous Electronic Medical Record Implementation
Authors: Wagner K. A.
Published: May 2011

This case describes how a majority of users of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) at a family medicine clinic located in a small city in the western United States are currently quite dissatisfied with the system. The practice experienced a disastrous implementation of the EMR in 1994 and has not recovered.
ACEnet
Authors: Van Slyke Craig , Belanger France , Kittner Marcy
Published: May 2011

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

A province-wide network of Community Access Internet sites was supported during the summers of 1996 and 1997 by Wire Nova Scotia (WiNS), a government funded program to provide staffing, training and technical support for these centers. The program was managed remotely from an office in Sydney, Nova Scotia (Canada) using a variety of Internet-based technologies, including e-mail, a Web site, conference boards, real-time chat, and mailing lists. Remote management enabled the efficient and low-cost operation of a program involving 67 sites with field placements, plus six regional coordinators and the technical and administrative staff at the hub in Sydney. Effectiveness of remote management was enhanced when employees participated in an initial face-to-face regional training workshop. This training not only familiarized the employees with the communications technologies, but, perhaps more importantly, put a human face and personality to the messages that later came electronically over the Intranet.
Globe Telecom
Authors: LaBrie Ryan C. , Vinzé Ajay S.
Published: May 2011

This case examines the role and implications of deregulation in the telecommunications sector on an IT-based services organization in the Philippines. Reports from international lending institutions suggest that investments in the telecommunications sector typically produce up to a 30-fold impact on the economy. Predictions like these have caused several of the emerging economies throughout the world to deregulate their telecommunications infrastructure in an attempt to leverage this economic potential. This case study specifically examines the actions of Globe Telecom from just prior to the 1993 Philippine deregulation through the present. Globe has continued to succeed despite the competition against the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, which at one time controlled over 90% of the telephone lines in the Philippines. Globe has been able to do this through strategic partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions. Furthermore, Globe has developed into a leading wireless provider by its effective use of modern information technology.
Information Technology & FDA Compliance in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Authors: Papp Raymond
Published: May 2011

Given the recent profitability of and demand for pharmaceuticals, from prescription antibiotics and analgesics like Ciproflaxin™ and OxyContin™ and men’s health drugs such as Viagra™ and Vardenafil™ to over-the-counter Senokot™ laxatives and Betadine™ antiseptics, the rush to develop and market new pharmaceuticals has never been greater. The current process is complex and it often takes several years for a drugto reach the market due to the myriad of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Furthermore, the recent FDA guidelines mandating that all New Drug Applications (NDA) be submitted in electronic (paperless) format by the end of 2002is a catalyst for change in the pharmaceutical industry (FDA proposes first requirement for electronic submission, 2002; New Drug Application [NDA], 2001). Bayer Pharmaceutical, like its competitors Purdue Pharma and Boots Healthcare, has begun to take steps to assure that its use of information technology will allow it to not only meet FDA guidelines, but achieve its corporate goals of improved efficiency and reduced operating costs.
Theories of the Firm
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

In this book, we need to develop a general understanding of business firms to en-able strategic IS/IT planning. In this chapter, we will present the resource-based theory of the firm, the activity-based theory of the firm, and the firm in terms of its value configuration.
The Changing Role of CIO to CEO
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

Both the CIO and the CEO are practicing leadership. One of the defining charac-teristics of leadership is the ability to develop and implement appropriate responses to a variety of problem situations. Leaders must solve an array of problems includ-ing resource allocation, interdepartmental coordination, interpersonal conflict, and subordinate morale to name a few. In order to effectively solve such problems, leaders must draw on a body of knowledge gained from formal education, advice from other leaders, and personal experience (Hedlund et al., 2003).
A Survey on Ontology Creation Methodologies
Authors: Cristani Matteo , Cuel Roberta
Published: May 2011

In the current literature of knowledge management and artificial intelligence, several different approaches to the problem have been carried out of developing domain ontologies from scratch. All these approaches deal fundamentally with three problems: (1) providing a collection of general terms describing classes and relations to be employed in the description of the domain itself; (2) organizing the terms into a taxonomy of the classes by the ISA relation; and (3) expressing in an explicit way the constraints that make the ISA pairs meaningful. Though a number of such approaches can be found, no systematic analysis of them exists which can be used to understand the inspiring motivation, the applicability context, and the structure of the approaches. In this paper, we provide a framework for analyzing the existing methodologies that compares them to a set of general criteria. In particular, we obtain a classification based upon the direction of ontology construction; bottom-up are those methodologies that start with some descriptions of the domain and obtain a classification, while top-down ones start with an abstract view of the domain itself, which is given a priori. The resulting classification is useful not only for theoretical purposes but also in the practice of deployment of ontologies in Information Systems, since it provides a framework for choosing the right methodology to be applied in the specific context, depending also on the needs of the application itself.
A Layered Model for Building Ontology Translation Systems
Authors: Corcho Oscar , Gómez-Pérez Asunción
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we present a model for building ontology translation systems between ontology languages and/or ontology tools, where translation decisions are defined at four different layers: lexical, syntax, semantic, and pragmatic. This layered approach provides a major contribution to the current state of the art in ontology translation, since it makes ontology translation systems easier to build and understand and, consequently, to maintain and reuse. As part of this model, we propose a method that guides in the process of developing ontology translation systems according to this approach. The method identifies four main activities: feasibility study, analysis of source, and target formats, design, and implementation of the translation system, with their decomposition in tasks, and recommends the techniques to be used inside each of them.
Querying the Web Reconsidered
Authors: Bry François , Koch Christoph , Furche Tim , Schaffert Sebastian , Badea Liviu
Published: May 2011

A decade of experience with research proposals as well as standardized query languages for the conventional Web and the recent emergence of query languages for the Semantic Web call for a reconsideration of design principles for Web and Semantic Web query languages. This chapter first argues that a new generation of versatile Web query languages is needed for solving the challenges posed by the changing Web: We call versatile those query languages able to cope with both Weband Semantic Web data expressed in any (Web or Semantic Web) markup language. This chapter further suggests that well-known referential transparency and novel answer-closedness are essential features of versatile query languages. Indeed, they allow queries to be considered like forms and answers like form-fillings in the spirit of the query-by-example paradigm. This chapter finally suggests that the decentralized and heterogeneous nature of the Web requires incomplete data specifications (or incomplete queries) and incomplete data selections (or incomplete answers); the form-like query can be specified without precise knowledge of the queried data, and answers can be restricted to contain only an excerpt of the queried data.
Semantic E-Business
Authors: Singh Rahul , Iyer Lakshmi , Salam A. F.
Published: May 2011

We define semantic e-business as “an approach to managing knowledge for coordination of e-business processes through the systematic application of Semantic Web technologies.” Advances in Semantic Web-based technologies offer the means to integrate heterogeneous systems across organizations in a meaningful way by incorporating ontology — a common, standard, and shareable vocabulary used to represent the meaning of system entities; knowledge representation, with structured collections of information and sets of inference rules that can be used to conduct automated reasoning; and intelligent agents that collect content from diverse sources and exchange semantically enriched information. These primary components of the Semantic Web vision form the foundation technology for semantic e-business. The challenge for research in information systems and e-business is to provide insight into the design of business models and technical architecture that demonstrate the potential of technical advancements in the computer and engineering sciences to be beneficial to business and consumers. Semantic e-business seeks to apply fundamental work done in Semantic Web technologies to support the transparent flow of semantically enriched information and knowledge — including content and know-how — to enable, enhance, and coordinate collaborative e-business processes within and across organizational boundaries. Semantic e-business processes are characterized by the seamless and transparent flow of semantically enriched informationand knowledge. We present a holistic view of semantic e-business that integrates emergent and well-grounded Semantic Web technologies to improve the current state of the art in the transparency of e-business processes.
An Investigation of the Existence of Levels of Enterprise Integration
Authors: Grant Delvin , Tu Qiang
Published: May 2011

A primary objective of ERP is to integrate the various parts of a company. The chapter discusses six levels of enterprise integration and the ability of ERP to satisfy each of them. We analyzed six case studies that included IBM, Cisco, Tecktronic, Vandelay, China Holdings, and APD Manufacturing. We found evidence to support the existence of the six levels of integration. APD and China Holding did not exhibit evidence of global integration while the others did. System-User (Level–II) integration was missing from all except APD. Islands-of-Technology integration is no longer the dominant integration issue it was in the 80’s. The dominant integration issues are functional integration, customer relationship management, and supply chain management.
Analyzing Different Strategies to Enterprise System Adoption
Authors: Newell Sue , Cooprider Jay , David Gary , Edelman Linda , Logan Traci
Published: May 2011

The literature on enterprise systems (ES) adoptions suggests that companies use different strategies; some opting to re-engineer business processes up-front, while others employ a quick deployment strategy on the assumption that organizational change will follow. In this chapter, we explore how these two different strategies play out in practice and also consider the factors that influence which approach is taken. We use exploratory data from interviews with consultants from XYZ who have been involved in multiple ES implementations in external companies as well as interviews with project members involved in an internal ES implementation in XYZ. Analysis of the data suggests that some level of re-engineering is an inevitable outcome of ES implementation. However, attempts to re-engineer up-front is difficult and can be problematic. Much of this stems from how the ES is actually used versus its envisioned (or planned) use. The implications for post-implementation exploitation opportunities are explored.
Algorithm Education Using Structured Hypermedia
Authors: Müldner Tomasz , Shakshuki Elhadi , Kerren Andreas
Published: May 2011

Understanding of algorithms is one of the most challenging aspects of the study of computer science. Over two decades of research has been devoted to improving techniques to learn and teach algorithms. In this work, we present a new approach for explaining algorithms that aims to overcome various pedagogical limitations of the current visualization systems. The main idea is that, at any given time, a learner is able to focus on a single problem. This problem can be explained, studied, understood, and tested before the learner moves on to study another problem. The structured hypermedia algorithm explanation (SHALEX) system is the system we designed and implemented to explain algorithms at various levels of abstraction. In this system, each abstraction is focused on a single operation from the algorithm using various media, including text and an associated visualization. The explanations are designed to help the user to understand basic properties of the operation represented by this abstraction, for example its invariants. SHALEX allows the user to traverse the graph-based algorithm model, using a top-down (from primitive operations to general operations) approach, a bottom-up approach, or a mix of these two approaches. Since the system is implemented using a client-server architecture, it can be used both through distance education and in the classroom setting. To aid and monitor the leaner, we also developed an agent in SHALEX that provides help and monitors the completion rate.
An Agent-Based Framework for Personalized Learning in Continuous Professional Development
Authors: Fok Apple W.P. , Ip Horace H.S.
Published: May 2011

In order to stay competent and update in the fast changing landscape of technological advances, professionals nowadays are expected to continuously upgrade themselves of professional knowledge and expertise in their respective fields. Many professional organizations stipulate that their members should take part in a minimum number of hours or training units of continuous professional development (CPD) activities in order to stay qualified for their membership. The requirements of CPD for modern day professionals who are very much mobile and work within tight schedules point to the need of an asynchronous learning environment that provides a learner-centered approach and offers learners greater flexibility and choices. In this chapter we argue that “personalization learning” (PL) that exploits the abundance of information and e-learning materials on the Web can be harnessed effectively to serve the diversity of CPD training needs. Moreover, we specialize in the concept of PL to Personalized CPD Learning and highlight the emerging technologies that are relevant to the development of personalized learning for CPD. We further proposed an agent-based architectural and conceptual framework for a personalized CPD learning portal (Personalized-CPD) which integrates these technologies to provide supportive functions for professionals to conduct CPD activities in a personalized manner.
Development and Evaluation of a Keyword-Accessible Lecture Video Player and Lecture Video Contents
Authors: Yoshida Takahiro , Hangai Seiichiro
Published: May 2011

It is desirable to build up a lecture video library to enable students to view past lectures at any time and from anywhere on their PCs. For this purpose, we developed a lecture video player/maker system (Yoshida, 2002, 2003). In developing this system, we considered the usability for students and operability for teachers. The player includes a keyword access function, which enables the student to jump to scenes where one of the registered keywords was spoken. For this purpose, the lecture video maker realizes automatic index generation after continuous speech recognition of the whole lecture stream. In this paper, we discuss the structure and the functions of an ideal lecture video player, and the importance of the index corresponding to the scenes in which the related keywords are spoken. We will also present experimental results regarding keyword extraction from three lecture streams. Evaluations of the lecture videos and the player by students are discussed, and the desirable style of lecture videos for students is surveyed.
Aligning Knowledge and Business Strategies within an Artificial Ba Context
Authors: Kivijarvi Hannu
Published: May 2011

Knowledge is the capability to make decisions and the primary resource for all organizational transformations. It allows strategic decision making, the planning and control of organizational activities, the management of everyday business operations as well as our personal behaviour. Knowledge exists at various levels, not only at the personal level but also at group and organizational levels. Organizational knowledge is a special type of knowledge, ‘collective understanding’, that is valid in a specific organizational context. The focus and contribution of this chapter is first to provide a theoretical basis for a knowledge strategy called artificial Ba and, secondly, to develop a concrete, artificial Ba that supports the alignment of knowledge and business strategies. The proposed system is a complete ‘artifact’, a supportive environment in which knowledge accumulates and is shared, a system that is built to activate existing knowledge and to support the creation of valuable new knowledge in an organization.
Shape Analysis in Archaeology
Authors: Barceló Juan A.
Published: May 2011

In order to be able to acquire visual information, our automated “observer” is equipped with range and intensity sensors. The former acquire range images, in which each pixel encodes the distance between the sensor and a point in the scene. The latter are the familiar TV cameras acquiring grey-level images. That is to say, what the automated archaeologist “sees” is just the pattern of structured light projected on the scene (Trucco, 1997). To understand such input data is the spatial pattern of visual bindings should be differentiated into sets of marks (points, lines, areas, volumes) that express the position and geometry of perceived boundaries, and retinal properties (color, shadow, texture) that carry additional information necessary for categorizing the constituents of perception.
Augmented WebHelix
Authors: Subramanian Nary , Whitson George
Published: May 2011

Process is an important element in the success of any information systems development project, especially in academia where typically an undergraduate term project needs to go through the development phases within the space of a semester. Traditionally academic processes have been adapted versions of well-known industrial processes with one major exception—lack of customer feedback in the process. This omission of customer feedback results in students completing “toy” projects without significant real-world experience; efforts to incorporate artificial customer interactions have not been very successful either. It is our opinion that the industry processes cannot be simply copied in academia; what is required is a process that will better equip the students to face real-world challenges. WebHelix has been recently introduced as a practical process for Web engineering that helps students gain valuable real-world experience without sacrificing project and product management phases. In this chapter we propose the Augmented WebHelix process that augments the WebHelix in three ways: provides an option at the end of each slice of the helix to both release the current version and continue to the next slice of development; provides a qualitative evaluation framework, called the project evaluation framework (PEF), that provides a systematic approach for evaluating the status of the project; and the ability to evaluate the project at the end of each phase in a slice of the helix. The first augmentation provides the ability to release and continue which is more practical than the go/no-go approach adopted by WebHelix; the second augmentation, the PEF, allows different factors besides the return-on-investment as in WebHelix to be considered for evaluating the current phase and status of the project, and the third augmentation provides the ability to ensure the project is on track. In this chapter we describe the augmented WebHelix process and demonstrate its applicability to both academia and industry with examples.
Testing for Web Applications
Authors: Mills David L.
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the concepts and challenges behind testing Web applications, and explores the latest testing techniques and best practices. As our reliance on the Internet grows, the quality and reliability of online resources become critical. Unfortunately, significant research shows that the current approaches to modern Web development are woefully inadequate. It is important that there are processes in place and best practices established to ensure that the development of Web applications can take place with an assurance of quality. In addition to offering an initiation to some of the modern testing methods and tools, the authors hope to motivate readers to consider testing as a multi-purpose tool to be used throughout all stages of development.
Media and Familiarity Effects on Assessing Trustworthiness
Authors: Fuller Mark A. , Mayer Roger C.
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the role media effects and familiarity play in the development of trust in CMC environments. As team members interact with one another via technology, each team member assesses information and makes assessments about the trustworthiness of their teammates. Such trustworthiness assessments are known to influence trust, a factor which has been established to have significant effects on the functioning of teams. This research uses media synchronicity theory and the concept of interpersonal familiarity to examine virtual team interactions and the formation of trust. Implications are drawn for researchers and managers as they seek to understand how teams operate in virtual environments.
Antecedents of Consumer Trust in B2C Electronic Commerce and Mobile Commerce
Authors: Kim Dan J.
Published: May 2011

Despite the importance of trust in electronic commerce including mobile commerce, there is insufficient theory and model concerning the determinants of consumer trust in business-to-consumer electronic commerce. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to: i) identify the major antecedents of a consumer’s trust in electronic commerce and mobile commerce contexts through a large-scale literature review, ii) develop an integrative trust antecedent reference model summarizing the antecedents of consumer trust, and iii) finally discuss six categories of mobile applications as future trends of technologies and key issues related to consumer trust area in electronic commerce. In addition, to provide the validity of the proposed reference model, this chapter also proposes a research model derived from the reference model and discusses the constructs of the proposed model in detail. The chapter concludes that building trust is not simply an issue related to consumer-technology-buyer, but it is a complex issue that involves the interactions of key elements (buyer, seller, third-party, technology, and market environment) at least.
When Trust Does Not Matter
Authors: Latusek Dominika
Published: May 2011

The chapter focuses on the dynamics of trust and distrust through presenting a qualitative field study of interorganizational collaboration between customers and providers in the Polish IT industry that illustrates practices of communication between parties engaged in collaboration within IT projects. The chapter is intended to merge two perspectives: the academic viewpoint on the theorizing of trust and distrust, and the practitioners’ reflections on the reality of relationships in business. The author hopes that the study may further our understanding of the process of cooperation in project work, provide an interesting insight into the role of trust in cooperation; and offer a reflective account of actual practice of cooperation in a distrustful environment.