bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From Ledgers to ERP
Authors: Salim Ricardo , Ferran Carlos
Published: May 2011

The chapter narrates the history of the accounting needs of individuals and organizations and explains their successive technological solutions, up to today’s ERPs. The ledger, double-entry accounting, cost accounting, departmental accounting, material requisitions systems for production, human resources systems, and finally the enterprise-wide resource planning or management systems are analyzed in terms of how IT has?and has not?been able to “computerize” and integrate them. The main functionalities of ERPs are explained: the enterprise resource functionality and the planning functionality, as well as to what extent organizations need these functionalities and should pay its high prices. The expectations that have not yet been sufficiently satisfied by current systems, such as the ERP for SMEs, the transfer of “best practices,” the interconnection of supply chains via ERP, and the ERP for global organizations, are discussed.
Visual Notation Interpretation and Ambiguities
Authors: D’Ulizia Arianna , Patrizia Grifoni
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a classification of ambiguities in Visual Languages and discusses the ambiguities that occur in Spatial Visual Query Languages. It is adopted the definition of Visual Language, given in (Bottoni et al. 1995), as a set of Visual Sentence, each formed by an image, a description, an interpretation function and a materialization function. It is proposed a distinction between ambiguities produced by 1-n relationship between an image and its description, and ambiguities due to imprecision produced by the user’s behaviour during the interaction. Furthermore, the authors hope that this comprehensive classification of ambiguities may assist in the definition of Visual Languages, in order to allow the user to communicate through visual notations by avoiding to formulate sentences that have multiple interpretations.
Collaborating to Search Effectively in Different Searcher Modes Through Cues and Specialty Search
Authors: Agarwal Naresh Kumar , Poo Danny C.C.
Published: May 2011

Searchers generally have difficulty searching into knowledge repositories because of the quantity of data involved and because searcher mechanisms are not tailored to their differing needs at different points in time. Also, every searcher generally searches alone without taking into account other users with similar search needs or experience. While the Internet may have contributed to information overload, the connectivity it has provides the potential to different searchers to collaborate when looking for information. In this chapter, we 1) review concepts related to social information retrieval and existing collaborative mechanisms 2) discuss two collaborative mechanisms – cues and specialty search and 3) see cues and specialty search in the context of the changing needs of a searcher in one of four modes. A case study of an online portal for the Singapore education community is used to show how collaboration could enhance learning and search efficacy.
Metadata for Social Recommendations
Authors: Vuorikari Riina , Manouselis Nikos , Duval Erik
Published: May 2011

Social information retrieval systems, such as recommender systems, can benefit greatly from sharable and reusable evaluations of online resources. For example, in distributed repositories with rich collections of learning resources, users can benefit from evaluations, ratings, reviews, annotations, etc. that previous users have provided. Furthermore, sharing these evaluations and annotations can help attain the critical mass of data required for social information retrieval systems to be effective and efficient. This kind of interoperability requires a common framework that can be used to describe in a reusable manner the evaluation approach, as well as the results of the evaluation. This chapter discusses this concept, focusing on the rationale for a reusable and interoperable framework, that can be used to facilitate the representation, management and reuse of results from the evaluation of learning resources. For this purpose, we review a variety of evaluation approaches for learning resources, and study ways in which evaluation results may be characterised, so as to draw requirements for sharable and reusable evaluation metadata. Usage scenarios illustrate how evaluation metadata can be useful in the context of recommender systems for learning resources.
Inquiry Systems
Authors: Handzic Meliha
Published: May 2011

The book starts with an introduction to theoretical foundations of knowledge management concepts, proceeds with a series of empirical studies on the role of technology in knowledge management, followed by studies of socially orientated knowledge management solutions. The book ends with the discussion of major issues and challenges for knowledge management research and practice. With its integrated and systematic approach, the book makes a small but important step in helping individuals and organisations to get an objective and complete picture of the role of social and technical initiatives in knowledge management based on formal and sound empirical research. More importantly, the book shows that the impact of various initiatives is highly contingent upon the context in which the knowledge is generated, transferred, and used. This may help managers to choose more suitable solutions to turn their intangible assets into tangible outcomes.
Visualisation System
Authors: Handzic Meliha
Published: May 2011

The book starts with an introduction to theoretical foundations of knowledge management concepts, proceeds with a series of empirical studies on the role of technology in knowledge management, followed by studies of socially orientated knowledge management solutions. The book ends with the discussion of major issues and challenges for knowledge management research and practice. With its integrated and systematic approach, the book makes a small but important step in helping individuals and organisations to get an objective and complete picture of the role of social and technical initiatives in knowledge management based on formal and sound empirical research. More importantly, the book shows that the impact of various initiatives is highly contingent upon the context in which the knowledge is generated, transferred, and used. This may help managers to choose more suitable solutions to turn their intangible assets into tangible outcomes.
Rough Set Analysis and Formal Concept Analysis
Authors: Yao Yiyu
Published: May 2011

Rough set analysis (RSA) and formal concept analysis (FCA) are two theories of intelligent data analysis. They can be compared, combined and applied to each other. In this chapter, we review the existing studies on the comparisons and combinations of rough set analysis and formal concept analysis and report some new results. A comparative study of two theories in a unified framework provides a better understanding of data analysis.
Probabilistic Indices of Quality of Approximation
Authors: Sant’Anna Annibal Parracho
Published: May 2011

A new index of quality of approximation, called the index of mutual information, is proposed in this chapter. It measures the mutual information between the relations respectively determined by condition and decision attributes. Its computation is based on the comparison of two graphs, each one representing a set of attributes. Applications in the context of indiscernibility as well as in the context of dominance relations are considered. The combination of the new measurement approach with the transformation into probabilities of being the preferred option is also explored. A procedure to select the most important attributes is outlined. Illustrative examples are provided.
Monocular Vision System that Learns with Approximation Spaces
Authors: Peters James F
Published: May 2011

This paper introduces a monocular vision system that learns with approximation spaces to control the pan and tilt operations of a digital camera that is tracking a moving target. This monocular vision system has been designed to facilitate inspection by a line-crawling robot that moves along an electric power transmission line. The principal problem considered in this chapter is how to use various forms of reinforcement learning to control movements of a digital camera. Prior work on the solution to this problem was done by Chris Gaskett using neural Q-learning starting in 1998 and more recently by Gaskett in 2002. However, recent experiments have revealed that both classical targets tracking as well as other forms of reinforcement learning control outperform Q-learning. This chapter considers various forms of the Actor Critic (AC) method to solve the camera movement control problem. Both the conventional AC method as well as a modified AC method that has a built-in run-and-twiddle (RT) control strategy mechanism is considered in this article. The RT mechanism introduced by Oliver Selfridge in 1981 is an action control strategy, where an organism continues what it has been doing while things are improving (increasing action reward) and twiddles (changes its action strategy) when past actions yield diminishing rewards. In this work, RT is governed by measurements (by a critic) of the degree of overlap between past behaviour patterns and a behavior pattern template representing a standard are carried out within the framework provided by approximation spaces introduced by Zdzislaw Pawlak during the early 1980s. This paper considers how to guide reinforcement learning based on knowledge of acceptable behavior patterns. The contribution of this article is an introduction to actor critic learning methods that benefit from approximation spaces in controlling camera movements during target tracking.
Partial Dispersion
Authors: Higuchi Toru , Troutt Marvin
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we discuss the partial dispersion of manufacturing facilities and offshore production. It is better to locate most suppliers and manufacturers in close proximity at the beginning of the life cycle. However, as time passes, companies start locating assembly facilities in the other advanced countries for sales promotion and, sometimes, cost cutting. It becomes desirable for the manufacturers to avoid trade friction and to penetrate foreign markets quickly. The standardization of the product including the modularity of the parts makes it possible to do so. The partial dispersion at the standardized stage of the VCR industry is demonstrated in the latter part of this chapter.
Understanding the Organisational Impact and Perceived Benefits of Bluetooth-Enabled Personal Digital Assistants in Restaurants
Authors: Scornavacca Eusebio
Published: May 2011

The hospitality industry, more specifically restaurants, has recently started to exploit the benefits of mobile technologies. This research explores the perceived benefits of using Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) in a restaurant in a B2E context. The findings indicated that the most common perceptions are increased efficiency, speedier service, better usability and ease of use, enhanced reputation/image and increased accuracy. Most of the negative perceptions were related to the technical shortcomings of the technology such as unreliable transmission of data, system crashes, short battery life, and limited durability of the devices. The paper concludes with recommendations for future practice and research.
The Implementation of Wi-Fi Technology in Higher Education in the United States
Authors: Cao Xubin , Lu Eric Y. , Ma Hongyan
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the implementation of Wi-Fi technology in higher education of the United States. It includes Wi-Fi standards, security, the adoption of the technology, Wi-Fi to support teaching and learning, and challenges of Wi-Fi implementation. The last section is a case study of Wi-Fi at Ohio University. Although Wi-Fi technology has a great promise in higher education, institutions are still at the beginning stage of adoption. Institutions need to make a long-term sustainable plan to develop instructional strategies, successful practices, and technology supports to improve teaching and learning using Wi-Fi technology
Scope and Timing of Deployment
Authors: West Joel , Dedrick Jason
Published: May 2011

Here we present a qualitative study of how organizations do (or do not) adopt a new computer server platform standard; namely, Linux using PC-compatible hardware. While discussions of Linux typically focus on its open source origins, our respondents were interested primarily in low price. Despite this relative advantage in price, incumbent standards enjoyed other advantages identified by prior theory; namely, network effects and switching costs. We show when, how, and why such incumbent advantages are overcome by a new standard. We find that Linux adoption within organizations began for uses with a comparatively limited scope of deployment, thus minimizing network effect and switching costs disadvantages. We identify four attributes of information systems that potentially limit the scope of deployment: few links of the system to organizational processes, special-purpose computer systems, new uses, and replacement of obsolete systems. We also identify an organizational level variable—internal standardization— which increases scope of deployment and, thus, the attractiveness of the incumbent standard.
Should Buyers Try to Shape IT Markets Through Nonmarket (Collective) Action? Antecedents of a Transaction Cost Theory of Network Effects
Authors: Reimers Kai , Li Mingzhi
Published: May 2011

This chapter develops a transaction cost theoretic model of network effects and applies it to assessing the chances of users to influence, through collective action, the range of technological choices available to them on IT markets. The theoretical basis of the model is formulated through a number of empirically refutable propositions that overcome some conceptual and empirical difficulties encountered by the traditional interpretation of network effects as (positive) network externalities. The main difference between our model and modeling network effects as network externalities is that network effects are seen as caused by the costs of purchasing and marketing new technology, that is, transaction costs, rather than by the benefits of using a new technology. A first application of the model suggests that users can significantly improve the chances of replacing an established technology with a new, potentially superior one if they set up an organizational structure that serves as a conduit of information exchange and knowledge sharing. This, however, would call for a rather different type of collective user action than exists today in the form of user groups.
Market Response to ISO 9000 Certification of Software Engineering Processes
Authors: Fuller G. Keith , Vertinsky Ilan
Published: May 2011

A very large proportion of software projects are deemed to be failures. In most business sectors, this situation would be dealt with by improving quality assurance processes, frequently including certification of the business processes to standards such as ISO 9000. However, in the field of software engineering, there is controversy over whether or not certification of software engineering processes is a cost-effective response to quality issues. The value of certification in software engineering is examined in the present research by applying event-study methodology to examine the market response to announcements of certification of software engineering processes. The findings support the hypothesis that certification of software engineering processes leads to increased profits for companies that are primarily focused on developing products. Subsequent exploratory analysis suggests that the knowledge of the certification may leak out to the marketplace before the official announcement.
The Value of Web Design Standards for Mobile Computing
Authors: Germonprez Matt , Avital Michel , Srinivasan Nikhil
Published: May 2011

The multiple and ever-evolving standards that govern mobile computing result in multilayered heterogeneous environments of mobile devices and services. Thus, as mobile computing becomes more prevalent, it is important that designers build systems that support as many unique, in-use, and userdefined characteristics as possible. This study explores the related effects of two existing standardized technologies: hypertext markup language (HTML) and cascading style sheets (CSS). Furthermore, whereas we investigate the impact of the CSS standard in the context of computing in general and mobile computing in particular, we also focus on two emerging roles of this standard: device independence and usability. Our findings suggest that the application of the CSS standard can improve data delivery across independent devices with varied bandwidth and resource availability, thereby providing device independence and improved usability respectively. We demonstrate that through their effect on device independence and usability, CSS plays an important role in the evolution, expansion, and openness of mobile computing.
High-Tech Workers, Management Strategy, and Globalization
Authors: Folz Jasmine
Published: May 2011

Based on qualitative interviews with Seattle area high-tech workers, this chapter explores their positioning within and reaction to globalization processes. Looking especially as cost-cutting labor strategies of contingent employment, importation of foreign workers, and the outsourcing of professional high-tech work, it is argued that these are essentially restrictive employment strategies that benefit employers at the expense of employees. While some of the interviewees more or less approved of these practices as logical from the corporate perspective, and were confident that their jobs were too complex to be at risk, most are questioning these processes and some were actively trying to organize in an effort to halt or at least slow down such trends. How and why high-tech workers accommodate or resist management policies and practices they disagree with is analyzed with attention to the impact of ideology.
Old and New Timings in a High-Tech Firm
Authors: Gleadle Pauline
Published: May 2011

We use a lens of organizational time and timings in a recent historical study of high-tech engineers in one leading U.S. firm, Techco. Our aim is to arrive at a nuanced account of whether such engineers emerge as being either highly privileged knowledge workers or as being “caught in the middle” between management and labor with no shelter from the harshest dynamics of capitalism. At the time being studied, senior management had introduced a range of measures, the effect of which was to disrupt existing organizational timings and so to threaten both the work and the self-identity of engineers. However, we argue that such disruption does not originate solely from management action. Instead the speed of technological change itself threatens to swamp the engineers, the very architects of such progress at the same time as new notions of organizational space render them more visible to senior management gaze.
Social Relations and Knowledge Management Theory and Practice
Authors: Legault Marie-Josée
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes a new hypothesis to the refusal to cooperate from qualified professionals and supports it with five arguments drawn from the fields of sociology of work and professions. The management of knowledge (KM) is based, among other things, on a system for pooling knowledge to which employees must contribute. Nevertheless, the experts of KM persistently note the relative failure of knowledgepooling practices, particularly among the highly qualified professionals. Some experts have little to say about this issue and the scarce explanations they provide are highly unsatisfactory sociologically speaking and inspired by a folk psychology discourse. Sociology of work and professions, particularly, provide the grounds for alternative and more solid analysis of the phenomenon.
Critical Insights into NHS Information Systems Deployment
Authors: Chowdhury Rajneesh , Nobbs Alan
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses a systems methodology called strategic assumption surfacing and testing (SAST) that was used to understand the design and deployment of information systems in the healthcare context. It is based on the experiences of conducting SAST with a group of healthcare professionals, working in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. This application of SAST in the NHS setting highlighted deep politico-cultural concerns in the organizational setting, and it helped towards the conception of a normative inclusive approach for health informatics design and deployment. This approach introduces the understanding that the development of information systems in healthcare is a complex agenda, the success of which demands the active involvement of all stakeholders through all the key stages of the process. Critical perspectives on SAST have also been considered and the assumptions fostered towards arriving at the conclusions, have been highlighted.
Self-Entrepreneurial Careers
Authors: Kelan Elisabeth K.
Published: May 2011

With the changes in the new economy, careers are said to be in flux. Although employees were for a long time at the mercy of organizations to make a career, this has supposedly changed in recent times as now careers are often said to be in the hands of individuals. This trend is called self-entrepreneurial careers. In this chapter, management practices of careers in information communication technology (ICT) work in Switzerland are analyzed and it is explored in how far ICT careers follow a self-entrepreneurial career pattern. It is shown that there are divergent career patterns in Swiss ICT work. The career patterns in two ICT companies are analyzed and it is highlighted that in one company the concept of increasing responsibility was predominant while in the other one network like careers were more common. It is argued that both companies reflect and support the idea of self-entrepreneurial careers.
Disciplining Innovation? Mobile Information Artefacts in a Telco Innovation Center
Authors: Russell Chris
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the pattern of bargains with the devil as a means of examining the adoption and use of mobile information artefacts. It argues that, in contrast to other attempts to impose discipline on innovation work practices, the introduction of mobile information artefacts is requested by knowledge workers. Vendor advertising plays a tempting role: proclaiming that the artefact is a consumer good for the knowledge-worker and a productivity tool for the employer. This enlightenment--and deception- -results in knowledge workers persuading their employer by appropriating the productivity discourse of the vendor. There follows a honeymoon phase of play and pleasure for these “techies.” But this is the prelude to destruction, as the knowledge-worker faces demands for their promised productivity. The artefact disciplines their innovation work, even erodes it; thus the situation of the employment relationship within relations of consumption results in the knowledge-worker (and their employer) being exploited by the vendor.
Determining Requirements for Management Support Systems
Authors: Carlsson Sven A.
Published: May 2011

The nature of managerial work makes the design, development, and implementation of Management Support Systems (MSS) a major challenge. The MSS literature suggests that determining MSS requirements and specification of MSS are the most critical phases in MSS design and development. We present a methodology that can be used as a guide for MSS design, with a primary focus on MSS requirements determination and how requirements can be fulfilled using information and communication technologies (ICT). The methodology builds on Quinn and associates’ competing values model (CVM) of organizational effectiveness and current MSS knowledge. The methodology can guide MSS designers in designing MSS that support different managerial roles, i.e. the development of MSS that support managerial cognition and behavior.
New Software Methodologies and Techniques for Business Models with Evolutionary Aspects
Authors: Fujita Hamido
Published: May 2011

This chapter outlines a number of issues on enterprise design architectures suitable for applications that need flexibility and change in their design. Better understanding of user requirements is needed to reflect the best performance of the system towards its users. Verifying the requirements elicited for best system performance is an essential task for enterprise systems design. The requirements elicited should reflect the user intention, as he/she has demanded. This chapter presents some of the international Lyee project’ results led by Fujita (Fujita 2001) and is structured into two parts: one part reflects the collaborative intention outcome and the other part is related to legacy software outcome. The 1st part shows the impact of correct requirements on enterprise design architectures; it also enlists some of the results achieved by our project. The 2nd part shows the impact of Legacy software using new techniques extracted from an intention-oriented tool, namely Lyee builder. This second part also contributes in showing new techniques for handling legacy software, an issue that is important for handling essential problems related to old generation software, which is our current interest. We have succeeded to build a software diagnosis tool based on the Lyee framework, which is currently used in business practices to diagnose programs written in imperative languages.
Consumer Perceptions of Mobile Advertising
Authors: Jih Wen-Jang ("Kenny") , Lee Su-Fang , Tsai Yuan-Cheng
Published: May 2011

A two-stage approach is employed to examine the influencing factors of consumer behaviors in the context of mobile advertising. The first stage of the study evaluates the correlation relationship of consumer motives for receiving mobile advertising and their attitudes toward mobile advertising. The relationship between consumer intentions for receiving advertisements on their cellular phones and their subsequent actions upon receiving the mobile advertising is also investigated. A negative sentiment was revealed of cellular phone users toward mobile advertising. This represents a warning signal indicating that current practices of mobile advertising generally are ineffective and are in need of a careful reevaluation on the part of mobile commerce firms.The second stage of the research applies Fishbein and Ajzen’s theory of reasoned action model to examine consumer behavior regarding mobile advertising. We found that positive actions on the received advertisements are significantly influenced by strong intentions, strong intentions are significantly influenced by favorable attitudes, and favorable attitudes are significantly influenced by strong motives. Implications for e-commerce application developers and marketers are discussed.
The Progression of Client-Vendor Relationships in Offshored Applications Development
Authors: Mirani Rajesh
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents an evolutionary framework for the establishment and progression of client-vendor relationships in the context of offshored applications development. It is argued that such a relationship typically begins as a cost-reduction exercise, with the client contracting out simple, structured applications to one or more offshore vendors. Over time, the client assigns increasingly complex applications to selected vendors, and cultivates loose, trust-based, network-like relationships with them. As offshored applications continue to evolve and become business-critical, the client may seek to regain control by establishing a command-based hierarchy. This may be achieved through part- or full-ownership of a vendor organization, or by starting a captive offshore subsidiary. Thus, the initial client objective of cost reduction is ultimately displaced by one pertaining to risk control. Pertinent prior research is used to justify the proposed framework. This is followed by a case study that describes how a specialty telecommunications company is pursuing just such an evolutionary path.
The Impact of Communication Medium on Virtual Team Group Process
Authors: Andres Hayward P.
Published: May 2011

Organizations must provide appropriate work group structures and communication technologies in order for work groups to function effectively and efficiently. This study investigated the hypotheses that team structure (e.g., fully collocated teams vs. virtual teams) and communication mode (i.e., face-toface vs. videoconferencing) will impact virtual team group processes (e.g., team orientation, workload sharing, proclivity to seek and exchange information) that evolve. Furthermore, these group processes will dictate team member information exchange patterns (e.g., across all team members vs. only within collocated subgroups), which subsequently impact team productivity (i.e., accuracy and timeliness) and group process satisfaction. Four-person teams worked in either face-to-face (i.e., fully collocated group) or videoconferencing (i.e., dispersed subgroups) settings to develop detailed design documentation for specified enhancements to a hypothetical university information system. Results indicated that the dispersed subgroups exhibited more within subgroup collective behaviors and engaged greater within subgroup information exchange as compared to fully collocated teams, where more teamwide collective behaviors and information exchange were observed. Furthermore, greater team collective behaviors gave rise to greater information exchange and activation among team members. Finally, information exchange and activation were associated positively with productivity and process satisfaction.
The Role of Impulsiveness in a TAM-Based Online Purchasing Behavior Model
Authors: Zhang Xiaoni , Prybutok Victor R. , Koh Chang E.
Published: May 2011

This chapter investigates consumer online purchasing behavior using an augmented technology acceptance model. Particularly, we posit that Web use leads to intention to purchase online. Impulsiveness, Web use, and subjective norm are included in the model to test several hypotheses concerning online consumer beliefs, intentions, and the effect of psychological traits. We developed a survey instrument to collect data and used structural equation modeling to validate the research model. All of our hypotheses were confirmed except the one that links subjective norm and online buying behavior. The positive relationship between consumer impulsiveness and online purchasing behavior suggests that online stores should design their Web sites to attract impulse purchases.
Using Logic Programming and XML Technologies for Data Extraction from Web Pages
Authors: Badica Amelia , Badica Costin , Popescu Elvira
Published: May 2011

The Web is designed as a major information provider for the human consumer. However, information published on the Web is difficult to understand and reuse by a machine. In this chapter, we show how well established intelligent techniques based on logic programming and inductive learning combined with more recent XML technologies might help to improve the efficiency of the task of data extraction from Web pages. Our work can be seen as a necessary step of the more general problem of Web data management and integration.
How Can We Trust Agents in Multi-Agent Environments? Techniques and Challenges
Authors: Kolomvatsos Kostas , Hadjiefthymiades Stathes
Published: May 2011

The field of Multi-agent systems (MAS) has been an active area for many years due to the importance that agents have to many disciplines of research in computer science. MAS are open and dynamic systems where a number of autonomous software components, called agents, communicate and cooperate in order to achieve their goals. In such systems, trust plays an important role. There must be a way for an agent to make sure that it can trust another entity, which is a potential partner. Without trust, agents cannot cooperate effectively and without cooperation they cannot fulfill their goals. Many times, trust is based on reputation. It is an indication that we may trust someone. This important research area is investigated in this book chapter. We discuss main issues concerning reputation and trust in MAS. We present research efforts and give formalizations useful for understanding the two concepts.
The Concept of Autonomy in Distributed Computation and Multi-Agent Systems
Authors: Nowostawski Mariusz
Published: May 2011

The concept of autonomy is one of the central concepts in distributed computational systems, and in multi-agent systems in particular. With diverse implications in philosophy, social sciences and the theory of computation, autonomy is a rather complicated and somewhat vague notion. Most researchers do not discuss the details of this concept, but rather assume a general, common-sense understanding of autonomy in the context of computational multi-agent systems. In this chapter, we will review the existing definitions and formalisms related to the notion of autonomy. We re-introduce two concepts: relative autonomy and absolute autonomy. We argue that even though the concept of absolute autonomy does not make sense in computational settings, it is useful if treated as an assumed property of computational units. For example, the concept of autonomous agents facilitates more flexible and robust architectures. We adopt and discuss a new formalism based on results from the study of massively parallel multi-agent systems in the context of Evolvable Virtual Machines. We also present the architecture for building such architectures based on our multi-agent system KEA, where we use an extended notion of dynamic and flexibly linking. We augment our work with theoretical results from chemical abstract machine algebra for concurrent and asynchronous information processing systems. We argue that for open distributed systems, entities must be connected by multiple computational dependencies and a system as a whole must be subjected to influence from external sources. However, the exact linkages are not directly known to the computational entities themselves. This provides a useful notion and the necessary means to establish an autonomy in such open distributed systems.
Using Fuzzy Segmentation for Colour Image Enhancement of Computed Tomography Perfusion Images
Authors: Tabakov Martin
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a methodology for an image enhancement process of computed tomography perfusion images by means of partition generated with appropriately defined fuzzy relation. The proposed image processing is used to improve the radiological analysis of the brain perfusion. Colour image segmentation is a process of dividing the pixels of an image in several homogenously- coloured and topologically connected groups, called regions. As the concept of homogeneity in a colour space is imprecise, a measure of dependency between the elements of such a space is introduced. The proposed measure is based on a pixel metric defined in the HSV colour space. By this measure a fuzzy similarity relation is defined, which next is used to introduce a clustering method that generates a partition, and so a segmentation. The achieved segmentation results are used to enhance the considered computed tomography perfusion images with the purpose of improving the corresponding radiological recognition.
Information and Communication Technology and Economic Development in Malaysia
Authors: Aslam Mohamed
Published: May 2011

Since the early 1990s the government has emphasised the information and communication technology (ICT) sector as a new engine of growth and development. The Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) which was developed in 1996 was regarded as a main vehichle and catalyst for ICT sector development. Since there were many new institutions established by the government, it some how had complicated and decreased efficiency in expanding the industry. ICT related courses at public and private institutions were not developed well enough to meet the market demand. Consequently, the human factor, which was a major component for ICT development, was not fully utilised in research and development, therefore reliance on foreign technology remained a critical issue. These have slowed the progress of ICT development. This paper will discuss the ICT sector development policy in a broad view and try to analyse critically to what extent the development of ICT sector has contributed to economic development in Malaysia.
Key Drivers of Internet Banking Adoption
Authors: Navarré Carlos Lassala , Mafé Carla Ruiz , Blas Silvia Sanz
Published: May 2011

The objective of this chapter is to provide students and managers with a holistic view into the different factors that influence online banking adoption and to use the study’s findings to develop strategies for managers on how to maximize the rate of Internet banking adoption. Research done with a sample size of 450 Spanish Internet users, has highlighted that Internet banking adoption is more likely in young, highly educated and high-income consumers. Internet affinity, online use experience and some perceived benefits are also key drivers of online financial services pur chase decision-making. Perceived financial, social and psychological risk negatively influences the use of online-banking services.
The Influence of New Information and Communication Technologies on Transaction Costs of Micro-, Small- and, Medium-Sized Enterprises
Authors: Dornberger Utz , Bernal Vera Luis E. , Noreña Alejandro Sosa
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the relationship between the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and transaction costs within micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The fundamental problem in this relationship is the asymmetric distribution of information. This asymmetry leads to problems such as “adverse selection” and “moral hazard”. Thus, the links between ICTs and the improvement of the economic performance can be explained based on the capability of these technologies in reducing information asymmetries and therefore increasing the firms’ competitiveness. In the case of MSMEs, implementing new ICTs help diminish their frequent lack of information. However, the reduction of transaction costs and their better performance depend not only on the use of ICTs but also on the integration of these technologies in the strategies and day-to-day activities of the MSMEs. For this reason, the training of the personnel and the management is crucial when implementing ICTs in these firms.
Information Technology and Environment
Authors: Meng Zhao , Fahong Zheng , Lei Lu
Published: May 2011

The development of science and technology enhance the economic increase. But it also takes many environment problems. In China, as a developing country, the concentration of population in cities causes several things. The first is an ecological crisis caused by the environment problems. On the other hand, with the help of the IT, we can monitor the environment at real-time on-line. IT provides so many methods to analyze the data and to control the pollution. So many environmental information systems on environmental impact assessment and environment management have been developed. Making mathematic models to simulate the environment change, such as simulate the diffusion of gas in the air, is very helpful for environment impact assessment and environment protection. The information technology is very helpful to handle the environmental information.
A Study of the Relationships between Economic Climates, National Culture, and E-Government Readiness
Authors: Ifinedo Princely
Published: May 2011

As information communication and technologies (ICT-) enabled services such as e-government initiatives diffuse globally, it is becoming clear that some nations are not faring as well as others. Yet, the notion of e-government stands to benefit the sorts of countries that are lagging behind the most. Here, we examine the relationships between economic climates and national cultural factors, on the one hand, and e-government readiness, on the other. Our results showed significant relationships between nations’ economic climates, some cultural dimensions, and e-government readiness. We discussed our findings in the context of three relevant socio-economic theories. We also highlighted the study’s implications for researchers, policy-makers, and governments.
The Significance of the Existence of Women's Colleges and Their Entry into Science-Related Fields
Authors: Nishio Akiko
Published: May 2011

This paper discusses the importance of increasing the number of women who are active in science-related fields, especially in science and technology, because of the micro-level profit that will be derived by individual women and the macro-level benefit stemming from the effective use of human resources in society. Further, it considers whether women’s colleges could play a key role in training and educating capable women in these fields. The paper also stipulates the significance of women’s colleges and their entry into science-related fields and investigates the educational practices adopted by such colleges. The conclusion drawn from the discussion is that it is essential for women’s colleges that have entered into these fields to ensure that the significance of their existence is recognized, that their educational practices are based on this recognition, and that such a coherent and meaningful practice will enable these colleges to produce capable women who will play an active role in and contribute to society.
Strategies for Cultural Economic Development in Kamakura
Authors: Kishino Sachiko , Andres Frederic
Published: May 2011

Over recent years, the circumstances surrounding regional cultural assets have been significantly changed. A series of IT promotion projects implemented by the national government since the early 2000s have intensified regional initiatives in managing digital contents of cultural assets. Behind this, there has been a growing expectation toward regional development through wide dissemination and proactive use of cultural information resources. In reality, though, many challenges still remain to become a driving force of regional economy. This means, in practice, a more strategic approach should be taken in the management of human, financial, and information resources. Using Kamakura as a case-study, we present an integrated model that develops underlying value of cultural assets into regional economic strength.
Solving Machine Loading Problem of FMS
Authors: Prakash Anoop , Shukla Nagesh , Shankar Ravi , Tiwari Manoj Kumar
Published: May 2011

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to intelligence artificially realized through computation. AI has emerged as one of the promising computer science discipline originated in mid-1950. Over the past few decades, AI based random search algorithms, namely, genetic algorithm, ant colony optimization, and so forth have found their applicability in solving various real-world problems of complex nature. This chapter is mainly concerned with the application of some AI based random search algorithms, namely, genetic algorithm (GA), ant colony optimization (ACO), simulated annealing (SA), artificial immune system (AIS), and tabu search (TS), to solve the machine loading problem in flexible manufacturing system. Performance evaluation of the aforementioned search algorithms have been tested over standard benchmark dataset. In addition, the results obtained from them are compared with the results of some of the best heuristic procedures in the literature. The objectives of the present chapter is to make the readers fully aware about the intricate solutions existing in the machine loading problem of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) to exemplify the generic procedure of various AI based random search algorithms. Also, the present chapter describes the step-wise implementation of search algorithms over machine loading problem.
Swarm Intelligence in Production Management and Engineering
Authors: Das Swagatam , Konar Amit
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores the scope of biologically inspired swarm intelligence (SI) into production management with special emphasis in two specific problems of vehicle routing and motion planning of mobile robots. Computer simulations undertaken for this study have also been included to demonstrate the elegance in the application of the proposed theory in the said real-world problems. Possible directions of future research and industrial applications have also been appended at the end of the chapter.
Modeling and Analysis for Production Performance
Authors: Mandal Purnendu , Venta Enrique ("Henry")
Published: May 2011

Modeling is a great approach to analyze long-term consequences of policy options in manufacturing. In this chapter two modeling approaches are discussed for understanding the intertwined relationships among factors which influence the performance and competitiveness of manufacturing: the system dynamics approach and the quantitative survey approach. The system dynamics approach is used to develop a conceptual model of the strategic issues that influence the performance and competitiveness of manufacturing, and the results of a quantitative survey are used to understand the actual extent of the influences of various factors in the current situation.
Visualization of Criminal Activity in an Urban Population
Authors: Bruer Alex , Hursey Joshua J. , Verma Arvind
Published: May 2011

Crime is a multidimensional, complex, and dynamic activity. In order to understand its nature one has to comprehend not only its spatio-temporal dimensions, but also the nature of crime, the victim-offender relationship, role of guardians and history of similar previous incidents. This is a formidable task due to the limitations of present visualization methods. Both for the police department and criminal justice researcher the need to visualize a vast amount of data is a prerequisite to the task of dealing with the crime phenomenon. This chapter presents an interactive visualization intended to present the viewer with an accurate and intuitive view of the criminal activity in a cityscape. The technique employs many different visualization elements, which taken together presents a useful methodology that can be used to visualize many of the associated factors of crime. The chapter also presents the software technique and discusses points for future investigation.
Simulating Urban Dynamics Using Cellular Automata
Authors: Li Xia
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the concepts of cellular automata (CA) which have been increasingly used for simulating urban dynamics. Simulation and prediction of urban evolution can provide the useful inputs to crime models. However, calibration of urban cellular automata is crucial for simulating realistic cities. Simulation of multiple land use changes using CA is difficult because numerous spatial variables and parameters have to be utilized. The incorporation of neural networks with CA can alleviate the calibration problems. This chapter illustrates how complex land use dynamics can be simulated by the integration of CA and neural networks.
Development of an Intelligent Patrol Routing System Using GIS and Computer Simulations
Authors: Szakas Joseph , Trefftz Christian , Ramirez Raul , Jefferis Eric
Published: May 2011

Patrolling in a nonrandom, but focused manner is an important activity in law enforcement. The use of geographic information systems, the emerging real-time data sets (spatial and nonspatial) and the ability via global positioning systems to identify locations of patrol units provide the environment to discuss the concept and requirements of an intelligent patrol routing system. This intelligent patrol routing system will combine available data utilizing Map Algebra and a data structure known as a Voronoi diagram to create a real-time updatable raster surface over the patrolling area to identify destination locations and routes for all patrol units. This information system will allow all patrol units to function “in concert” under a coordinated plan, and make good use of limited patrolling resources, and provide the means of evaluating current patrol strategies. This chapter discusses the algorithmic foundation, implications, requirements, and simulation of a GIS based intelligent patrol routing system.