bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virtual Corporations
Authors: Arjonilla-Domínguez Sixto Jesús , Medina-Garrido José Aurelio
Published: October 2011

At the end of the 20th century, many authors tried to predict what new structures companies would be likely to adopt in the 21st century. Now, in the 21st century a clear tendency is emerging: the virtual organization (Agrawal & Hurriyet, 2004; Alsop, 2003; Bekkers, 2003; Camarinha-Matos & Afsarmanesh, 2005; Heneman & Greenberger, 2002; Lee, Cheung, Lau, & Choy, 2003; Talukder, 2003; Vakola & Wilson, 2004). This type of organization offers the most promising response to an increasingly complex business reality. In this respect, current organization theory is beginning to change its focus to new, flexible, and virtual organizational forms. This article is organized as follows: The background section defines different concepts of virtual organization. The first model equates the virtual corporation to a temporary network of firms that quickly comes together to exploit temporary market opportunities. The second model focuses on the manufacture of virtual products by means of stable and trusting relationships with suppliers and customers. The third model of virtual corporation tries to turn the fixed workforce costs into variable costs. The third section points out the shared characteristics of this type of organization and the role of the manufacturing function, information and information technology, the network structure, and a new type of worker. The final sections discuss future trends and our conclusions.
Collaborative Enterprise Architecture for Municipal Environments
Authors: Anthopoulos Leonidas G.
Published: October 2011

E-government evolves according to strategic plans with the coordination of central Governments. This top-down procedure succeeds in slow but sufficient transformation of public services into e-Government ones. However, public agencies adapt to e-Government with difficulty, requiring holistic guidance and a detailed legal framework provided by the Government. The setting up of common Enterprise Architecture for all public agencies requires careful analysis. Moreover, common Enterprise Architecture could fail to cover the special needs of small or municipal agencies. The chapter uses data from various major e-Government strategies, together with their enterprise architectures, in order to introduce a development model of municipal Enterprise Architecture. The model is based on the experience collected from the Digital City of Trikala, central Greece, and results in “Collaborative Enterprise Architecture”.
Semantic Competence Pull
Authors: Colomo-Palacios Ricardo
Published: October 2011

Despite its considerable growth and development during the last decades, the software industry has had to endure several significant problems and drawbacks which have undoubtedly had negative effects. One of these aspects is the lack of alignment between the curricula offered by Universities and other kinds of education and training centres and the professional profiles demanded by companies and organizations. This problem defines the objective of this work: to provide a set of mechanisms and a solution to allow companies to define and express their competency gaps and, at the same time, allow education centres to analyse those gaps and define the training plans to meet those needs.
Model on Knowledge-Governance
Authors: Bueno Campos Eduardo
Published: October 2011

The aim of this chapter is to deepen the concept of ‘Communities of Practice’ (CoPs) from the understanding of a reference framework for knowledge governance, stressing the grey area which distinguishes such governance from the traditional term ‘Knowledge Management,’ since knowledge governance means not just the management of such assets but also their creation and development, which generates a richer and more appropriate meaning or sense. Without entering into exhaustive referential analyses, we attempt to offer the reader a practical approach which allows structuring an action plan that, in this case, will be explicated for the field of CoPs. Identification and measurement of assets based on information and knowledge and the processes carried out towards its improvement create the convergence of the dynamic of intellectual capital and the afore-mentioned knowledge governance as complementary subjects for an appropriate exploitation and monitoring of the impact which the organizational fostering of this strategic-reality has on business.
Designing Digital Marketplaces for Competitive Advantage
Authors: Rathi Dinesh , Given Lisa M.
Published: October 2011

In today’s digital world the majority of companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large firms, aim to have an online presence. However, SMEs differ from large-sized companies in terms of financial and staffing resources, which have implications for the development of e-business strategies. Thus, SMEs must not only overcome these barriers but must also take care of critical success factors (CSFs), including developing a good website and ensuring that their websites are listed among the top search engine results. This chapter discusses three elements (i.e., design principles, web usability and search engine optimization), which are vital to the effective design of a successful digital marketplace. The chapter discusses the importance of integrating these three elements in website design especially for SMEs.
Fuzzy Modelling for Integrated Strategic Planning for Information Systems and Business Process Design
Authors: Kardaras Dimitris K. , Karakostas Bill
Published: October 2011

Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) has been a continuing top concern for IS/IT management, since the mid 1980’s. Responding to the increasing interest in SISP, researchers have developed a large number of SISP methodologies and models. However, when organisations embark on planning for their information systems, they face difficulties and usually fail to gain the expected benefits. Strategic alignment and the identification of the business areas where the IT contribution is strategically important for the organisation are the most difficult problems in SISP. None of the existing SISP methodologies and models offers a complete solution. The approach presented in this chapter, utilises a Fuzzy Cognitive Map in order to align strategic objectives with IS opportunities that exist at the level of business processes. This chapter exemplifies fuzzy cognitive mapping in SISP, and illustrates how the strategic alignment between the business and IT domains can be realised.
E-Business Perspectives through Social Networks
Authors: Raisinghani Mahesh , Marques Elon
Published: October 2011

This chapter is focused on some of the current research being conducted in the field of social network theory. The importance of studying the social network concepts is attached to a better understanding of individuals and how and why people interact with each other, as well as how technology and the Internet can affect this interaction. The social network theory field has grown significantly in the last years, and the use of the Internet and advanced computing technology has contributed to new research in this growing area. The first aspect to be covered is the social network theory and some applications for social networks. Also virtual communities, as well as the control over communications tools through social networks will be discussed. Finally, the technology side of social networks will be presented, as mobile social networks, internet social networking systems and e-business correlation, social network software and future trends of social networks. The main objective of this research is to illustrate the correlation between electronic (e-) business (of which e-government is a subset) and social networking.
Data Mining in Franchising
Authors: Chen Ye-Sho , Hua Grace , Justis Bob
Published: October 2011

Franchising has been a popular approach given the high rate of business failures (Justis & Judd, 2002; Thomas & Seid, 2000). Its popularity continues to increase, as we witness an emergence of a new business model, Netchising, which is the combination power of the Internet for global demand-andsupply processes and the international franchising arrangement for local responsiveness (Chen, Justis, & Yang, 2004). For example, Entrepreneur magazine—well known for its Franchise 500 listing—in 2001 included Tech Businesses into its Franchise Zone that contains Internet Businesses, Tech Training, and Miscellaneous Tech Businesses. At the time of this writing, 40 companies are on its list. Netchising is an effective global e-business growth strategy (Chen, Chen, & Wu, 2006), since it can “offer potentially huge benefits over traditional exporting or foreign direct investment approaches to globalization” and is “a powerful concept with potentially broad applications” (Davenport, 2000, p. 52). In his best seller, Business @ the Speed of Thought, Bill Gates (1999) wrote, “Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without talking about the other” (p. 6). Gates’ point is quite true when one talks about data mining in franchise organizations. Despite its popularity as a global e-business growth strategy, there is no guarantee that the franchising business model will render continuous success in the hypercompetitive environment. This can be evidenced from the constant up-and-down ranking of the Franchise 500. Thus, to see how data mining can be “meaningfully” used in franchise organizations, one needs to know how franchising really works. In the next section, we show that (1) building up a good “family” relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee is the real essence of franchising, and (2) proven working knowledge is the foundation of the “family” relationship. We then discuss in the following three sections the process of how to make data mining “meaningful” in franchising. Finally, future trends of data mining in Netchising are briefly described.
Risk Assessment in Virtual Enterprise Networks
Authors: Panayiotou Nikolaos A. , Oikonomitsios Stylianos , Athanasiadou Christina , Gayialis Sotiris P.
Published: October 2011

In today’s business environment, supply chains involve a number of autonomous organizations. Agility, effectiveness and efficiency of these supply chains can be achieved by forming virtual enterprise networks. The nature of supply chain processes with inter-organizational activities, involving different enterprises in a virtual enterprise network, increases the need for control in a well-designed and structured manner. Internal Audit activities and controls can help virtual organizations to improve and operate in a more efficient manner. This chapter proposes a methodological approach for the design of the Internal Audit function for risk assessment and control identification of inter-organizational supply chain processes, using business process modelling techniques and an internal audit–oriented enterprise modelling tool. A case study in the auditing of the supply chain processes in a virtual enterprise network demonstrates the application of the suggested methodology and tool.
eInsurance
Authors: Ahonen Aki , Salonen Jarno , Järvinen Raija , Kivistö-Rahnasto Jouni
Published: October 2011

The chapter introduces an innovative organizational logic for developing and designing electronic services especially in the context of financial services, such as insurance. Furthermore, a novel electronic insurance service concept for consumers is introduced in the chapter. The authors argue that development of electronic service solutions for the use of financial sector formerly rather conducted in an organization may well be executed through a multi-organizational project-based working logic. In fact the chapter establishes that the multi-organizational project-based logic results in a more creative outcome. Hence, the authors hope that the chapter encourages both academics and especially practitioners within the insurance business sector to take steps towards more collaborative working practices in order to generate more creative electronic service solutions for customers.
Adoption and Success of E-HRM in European Firms
Authors: Galanaki Eleanna , Panayotopoulou Leda
Published: October 2011

Fairly recently numerous technological applications have emerged, claiming to cover nearly every “traditional” human resources management (HRM) activity; not only complementing it, but often even substituting it (Martin, Alexander, Reddington, & Pate, 2006). In order to meet the demands of today’s knowledge-based economy, companies must maximize the potential and productivity of their employees, a goal towards which HRM information systems in general and e-HRM in particular could help. Some of these applications even claim that they can achieve synergies that were not possible before, by integrating all the HRM functions under one software suite, and combining results and feedback from all their different applications. In this article, we study the adoption of e-HRM in Europe, looking at three mail elements: the extent of e-HRM deployment, the characteristics of the companies that adopt e-HRM, and the level of satisfaction from the system.
Exploring the Relation between the Use of HRIS and their Implementation in Spanish Firms
Authors: Fernández-Sánchez José Antonio , de Juana-Espinosa Susana , Valdés-Conca Jorge
Published: October 2011

An information system (IS) is “a set of people, procedures, and resources that collects, transforms, and disseminates information in an organization. A system that accepts data resources as input and processes them into information products as output” (O’Brien & Marakas, 2005). Likewise, the definition of human resource information Systems (henceforth HRIS) can be expressed as an IS that deals only with information related directly to the human resource management (HRM) area (Tannenbaum, 1990). Initially, computerized HRIS were only useful for administrative purposes. However, in the course of the last decade, that tendency has changed markedly and a strategic re-orientation of these applications is nowadays considered desirable and necessary for companies competing in today’s uncertain, complex and ever-developing environment. This phenomenon has turned HRIS into a major strategic means, capable of providing information about the actual capacity of the firm, its potential, and the potential of its competitors. This research paper aims to provide an in-depth analysis of HRIS usage as a tool for assisting in recruitment decisions. This was carried out in accordance with the empirical findings of a quantitative research on selection and recruitment processes in Spanish firms. This paper reports and evaluates the major results of this current study and discusses its theoretical and practical implications with a view to increasing the effectiveness of HRIS usage for its recruitment processes.
The Diffusion of HRITs Across English- Speaking Countries
Authors: Olivas-Luján Miguel R. , Florkowski Gary W.
Published: October 2011

From an historical perspective, human resource (HR) activities rarely captured the respect of line executives who often view this area as “staff chores” rather than high value-added business. This, coupled with the large amount of complex information required to execute personnel tasks, partially explains why HR departments did not tend to be early adopters of information technologies (ITs). The situation has changed radically over the last decade, as personnel departments increasingly seek to offload paper-intensive, compliance-oriented processes to technology-supported flows so that they are better able to support and evolve the company’s strategy to achieve competitive advantage in an era of increased global competition. Little is known, though, about the process by which HR-related software applications and services spread from firm to firm, and ultimately country to country. In response, we draw upon a set of geographically diverse practitioner surveys and early findings of our ongoing research program (Florkowski & Olivas-Luján, 2006) to examine the diffusion of HRITs across nations. We also include suggestions for future research and definitions of terms that aid in understanding this increasingly important phenomenon.
Management Information System in Higher Education
Authors: Kettunen Juha
Published: October 2011

The communication and implementation of a strategic plan is typically based on various measures in educational institutions. The balanced scorecard approach has in the 1990s attained an important role worldwide in private and public sector organisations. Large organisations have different organisational levels, where it is useful to apply the balanced scorecard. This emphasises the need for the automation of the measuring system. The information is typically collected from various data sources. These characteristics underline the need to plan a management information system (MIS) to support the management process. Strategic management is bridge building between the perceived present situation and the desired future situation (West-Burnham, 1994; Wheale, 1991). Strategic management involves taking stock of the educational policy, local economy, and other factors in the organisation’s environment. It adapts the organisation to its environment but, on the other hand, tries to exert a positive effect on the development of its local community (Bush & Coleman, 2000; Kettunen, 2003; Middlewood & Lumby, 1998).
Business Relationships and Organizational Structures in E-Business
Authors: Zhao Fang
Published: October 2011

In today’s e-business, context, technology, customers, competitors, and partners can change rapidly. Technology can become obsolete in the blink of an eye and customers can appear and disappear with a keystroke. There are practically no barriers to new entrants (competitors) in an e-business world. Likewise, e-business partnerships and virtual organizations become ephemeral and opportunistic in nature. This article explores the dynamics of the changing nature, process, and practice of business relationships and network form of organizations in the cyberspace. It also identifies and discusses a series of management issues raised in the processes of e-partnerships and virtual organizations.
Understanding the Use of Business-to-Employee (B2E) Portals in an Australian University through the Employee Lens
Authors: Rahim Md Mahbubur , Quaddus Mohammad , Singh Mohini
Published: October 2011

The focus of the existing body of e-business literature is primarily directed at Business-to-Consumers (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) forms of e-business. In contrast, Business-to-Employee (B2E) is relatively less highlighted in the scholarly literature. Despite the lack of attention given to B2E systems, it represents an emerging area which has the potential to have a major impact on organisations. In general, B2E systems use intra-business networks allowing organisations to provide useful services, information, or products to their disperse employees (Turban et al., 2008). By providing easy access to relevant information, services, and products, B2E systems help in creating satisfied workforce that is expected to be more loyal to organisations (Dube, 2005). These systems also help organisations in reducing their administrative costs by streamlining employee related process (Singh, 2005) and eliminating expenses related to paperwork, postage, printing and travel (Killen Associates Report, 2001). Adoption of B2E e-business systems can even assist organisations in outperforming competitors by connecting their employees together (Hansen and Deimler, 2001).
Optimizing the Configuration of Development Teams Using EVA
Authors: Baumeister Alexander , Floren Alexander
Published: October 2011

Resource constrained software development projects are likely to exceed the planned duration as well as the originally planned budget. As variances arise, the revision of team-task-assignments and a resource reallocation might be advisable to avoid a project escalation. In doing so, the development management has to consider the impact on team expertise and possible productivity losses if team members are shifted to other work packages than originally planned. This paper proposes the use of a modified Earned Value Analysis based on new resource-based performance measures, which provides information on the performance effects of adjustment alternatives. Furthermore, it will be demonstrated how these figures can support the decision which human resources should be shifted if a delay exists in one work package that belongs to the critical chain. In this regard, the idea of the knapsack problem is transformed into the challenging task of shifting resources to find the work package that should release the resources to minimize an overall performance decrease. A case study clarifies the implementation.
Strategising Impression Management in Corporations
Authors: Kamau Caroline
Published: October 2011

Impression management is a powerful psychological phenomenon with much unexplored potential in corporate settings. Employees or corporations can deploy impression management strategies in order to manipulate others’ perceptions of them. Cultural knowledge is powerful capital in impression management, yet this has not been sufficiently explored in previous literature. This chapter argues that impression-motivated employees or corporations need to perform a three-step knowledge audit: (i) knowing what their impression deficits are; (ii) knowing what impression management strategy is needed to address that deficit, based on the taxonomy of impression management strategies tabulated here; (iii) knowing what societal (e.g. collectivist culture or individualist culture) or organization-specific cultural adjustments are needed. A cultural knowledge base can thus be created through cross-cultural training of and knowledge transfer by expatriates. Multinational corporations can also benefit from utilising the knowledge presented in this chapter in their international public relations efforts.
Contributions of Social Capital Theory to HRM
Authors: Burakova-Lorgnier Marina
Published: October 2011

The philosophic premises of the social capital theory (SCT) number centuries of years. However, the term itself became explicit only in the second half of the 20th century. Emerged as a theoretical framework in sociology, it was soon adopted by community studies and management sciences. The concept of social capital (SC) has been criticized for recycling well-known fundamental theories and propounding a common sense truth. At the same time, more and more numerous testimonies stand for its recognition as a persuasive explanatory framework for various human resources (HR)-related issues. The present article outlines theoretical discussions around the SCT, as well as its quantifiability and contribution to the further improvement of human resources management (HRM).
Global Issues in Human Resource Management and Their Significance to Information Organizations and Information Professionals
Authors: Munde Gail
Published: October 2011

This chapter examines global challenges identified in contemporary human resource management literature, and discusses selected challenges as they relate to information organizations and information professionals. The challenges include skills shortages, talent management, shifting demographics, work/life balance, and managing intergenerational and intercultural work groups. Approaches to these challenges are discussed as reported in the literature of human resource management, library management, and information technology, as well as those suggested by the author. The chapter may be of interest to employers, managers and supervisors of information professionals; emerging, entry-level and senior information professionals at all career levels and in all types of information organizations; human resource managers in all types of information organizations.
Holland’s Vocational Theory and Personality Traits of Information Technology Professionals
Authors: Lounsbury John W. , Studham R. Scott , Steel Robert P. , Gibson Lucy W. , Drost Adam W.
Published: October 2011

Drawing on Holland’s (1985, 1996) vocational theory and based on a sample of 9,011 IT professionals, two research questions were investigated. On what personality traits do IT professionals differ from other occupations and which of these are also related to their career satisfaction? Five traits met both these criteria—Emotional Resilience, Openness, Tough-Mindedness, and Customer Service—for which IT professionals had higher scores, and conscientiousness, for which they had lower scores. IT career satisfaction was also positively related to E xtraversion, Agreeableness/Teamwork, Assertiveness, Optimism, Tough-Mindedness, Work Drive, and Visionary Style. Results are discussed in terms of the fit of these traits with IT work and the value of these insights for personnel-management functions like selection, training, professional development, and career planning.
Do Insecure Systems Increase Global Digital Divide?
Authors: Siddiqi Jawed , Alqatawna Ja’far , Btoush Mohammad Hjouj
Published: October 2011

This chapter surveys the issues concerning the digital divide facing developing nations. The authors assert that “insecurity” and the “digital divide” are highly dependent on each other and as insecurity increases so does the digital divide. Therefore, the authors propose to extend the concept of the digital divide to include information security features by putting forward a new model or paradigm of security that is multi-faceted and is able to assist in bridging the digital divide gap. They argue that a lack of attention to security reduces the access to and use of resources with which to attack the digital divide. In particular, for e-business, the authors conclude that in developing countries having security issues at the forefront would encourage engagement with e-initiatives, or restrain it if there is an absence of security.
Against Strong Copyright in E-Business
Authors: Wittkower D. E.
Published: October 2011

As digital media give increasing power to users—power to reproduce, share, remix, and otherwise make use of content—businesses based on content provision are forced to either turn to technological and legal means of disempowering users, or to change their business models. By looking at Lockean and Kantian theories as applied to intellectual property rights, we see that business is not justified in disempowering users in this way, and that these theories obligate e-business to find new business models. Utilitarian considerations support disempowering users in this way in some circumstances and for the time being, but also show that there is a general obligation to move to new business models. On these moral bases, as well as on practical bases, e-business ought to refrain from using the legally permitted strong copyright protections, and should instead find ways of doing business which support, value, and respect the technical capabilities that users have gained.
Optimizing and Managing Digital Telecommunication Systems Using Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery Approaches
Authors: Al Rabea Adnan I. , El Emary Ibrahiem M. M.
Published: October 2011

This chapter is interested in discussing and reporting how one can be benefited by using Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery techniques in achieving an acceptable level of quality of service of telecommunication systems. The quality of service is defined as the metrics which is predicated by using the data mining techniques, decision tree, association rules and neural networks. Digital telecommunication networks are highly complex systems and thus their planning, management and optimization are challenging tasks. The user expectations constitute the Quality of Service (QoS). To gain a competitive edge on other operators, the operating personnel have to measure the network in terms of QoS. In current times, there are three data mining methods applied to actual GSM network performance measurements, in which the methods were chosen to help the operating staff to find the essential information in network quality performance measurements. The results of Pekko (2004) show that the analyst can make good use of Rough Sets and Classification and Regression Trees (CART), because their information can be expressed in plain language rules that preserve the variable names of the original measurement. In addition, the CART and the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) provide effective visual means for interpreting the data set.
Embracing Guanxi
Authors: Zhang Jilong , Pimpa Nattavud
Published: October 2011

Guanxi is deeply ingrained in Chinese society and business etiquette; therefore, it is critical to understand and appreciate it to gain a commercial foothold in China. This paper explores the fundamental differences between Chinese and Western approaches to business dealings, to identify the factors that make it difficult for Western managerial practises to adopt guanxi. The authors identify the differences in the perception of trust in both societies and how this ultimately leads to clashes in cultures. However, there is also a need for Western practices to be more flexible and appreciate guanxi and its implications if multinational corporations are to succeed in China. The paper concludes by suggesting a possibility for both approaches to co-operate well, given the relative success of each approach in their respective cultures.
The Berlin SPARQL Benchmark
Authors: Bizer Christian , Schultz Andreas
Published: October 2011

The SPARQL Query Language for RDF and the SPARQL Protocol for RDF are implemented by a growing number of storage systems and are used within enterprise and open Web settings. As SPARQL is taken up by the community, there is a growing need for benchmarks to compare the performance of storage systems that expose SPARQL endpoints via the SPARQL protocol. Such systems include native RDF stores as well as systems that rewrite SPARQL queries to SQL queries against non-RDF relational databases. This article introduces the Berlin SPARQL Benchmark (BSBM) for comparing the performance of native RDF stores with the performance of SPARQL-to-SQL rewriters across architectures. The benchmark is built around an e-commerce use case in which a set of products is offered by different vendors and consumers have posted reviews about products. The benchmark query mix emulates the search and navigation pattern of a consumer looking for a product. The article discusses the design of the BSBM benchmark and presents the results of a benchmark experiment comparing the performance of four popular RDF stores (Sesame, Virtuoso, Jena TDB, and Jena SDB) with the performance of two SPARQL-to-SQL rewriters (D2R Server and Virtuoso RDF Views) as well as the performance of two relational database management systems (MySQL and Virtuoso RDBMS).
Enabling Scalable Semantic Reasoning for Mobile Services
Authors: Steller Luke Albert , Krishnaswamy Shonali , Gaber Mohamed Methat
Published: October 2011

With the emergence of high-end smart phones/PDAs there is a growing opportunity to enrich mobile/pervasive services with semantic reasoning. This paper presents novel strategies for optimising semantic reasoning for realising semantic applications and services on mobile devices. We have developed the mTableaux algorithm which optimises the reasoning process to facilitate service selection. We present comparative experimental results which show that mTableaux improves the performance and scalability of semantic reasoning for mobile devices.
Linked Data
Authors: Bizer Christian , Heath Tom , Berners-Lee Tim
Published: October 2011

The term “Linked Data” refers to a set of best practices for publishing and connecting structured data on the Web. These best practices have been adopted by an increasing number of data providers over the last three years, leading to the creation of a global data space containing billions of assertions— the Web of Data. In this article, the authors present the concept and technical principles of Linked Data, and situate these within the broader context of related technological developments. They describe progress to date in publishing Linked Data on the Web, review applications that have been developed to exploit the Web of Data, and map out a research agenda for the Linked Data community as it moves forward.
A Framework to Analyze User Interactions in an E-Commerce Environment
Authors: Thomas Manoj A. , Redmond Richard
Published: October 2011

As e-commerce applications proliferate the Web, the cognitive load of sifting through the copious volumes of information in search of relevance has become formidable. Since the nature of foraging for information in digital spaces can be characterized as the interaction between internal task representation and the external problem domain, we look at how expert systems can be used to reduce the complexity of the task. In this chpater, we describe a conceptual framework to analyze user interactions in an e-commerce environment. We detail the use of the ontology language OWL to express the semantics of the representations and the use of SWRL rule language to define the rule base for contextual reasoning. We illustrate how an expert system can be used to guide users by orchestrating a cognitive fit between the task environment and the task solution.
Semantic Web Services Composition with Case Based Reasoning
Authors: Thakker Dhavalkumar , Osman Taha , Al-Dabass David
Published: October 2011

Web service development is encouraging scenarios where individual or integrated application services can be seamlessly and securely published on the Web without the need to expose their implementation details. However, as Web services proliferate, it becomes difficult to matchmake and integrate them in response to users requests. The goal of our research is to investigate the utilization of the Semantic Web in building a developer-transparent framework facilitating the automatic discovery and composition of Web services. In this chapter, we present a Semantic Case Based Reasoner (SCBR) framework that utilizes the case based reasoning methodology for modelling dynamic Web service discovery and composition. Our approach is original as it considers the runtime behaviour of a service resulting from its execution. Moreover, we demonstrate that the accuracy of automatic matchmaking of Web services can be further improved by taking into account the adequacy of past matchmaking experiences for the requested task. To facilitate Web services composition, we extend our fundamental discovery and matchmaking algorithm using a light-weight knowledge-based substitution approach to adapt the candidate service experiences to the requested solution before suggesting more complex and computationally taxing AI-based planning-based transformations. The inconsistency problem that occurs while adapting existing service composition solutions is addressed with a novel methodology based on the Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP).
A Transaction-Oriented Architecture for Structuring Unstructured Information in Enterprise Applications
Authors: Polovina Simon , Andrews Simon
Published: October 2011

As 80-85% of all corporate information remains unstructured, outside of the processing scope of enterprise systems, many enterprises rely on Information Systems that cause them to risk transactions that are based on lack of information (errors of omission) or misleading information (errors of commission). To address this concern, the fundamental business concept of monetary transactions is extended to include qualitative business concepts. A Transaction Concept (TC) is accordingly identified that provides a structure for these unstructured but vital aspects of business transactions. Based on REA (Resources, Events, Agents) and modelled using Conceptual Graphs (CGs) and Formal Concept Analysis (FCA), the TC provides businesses with a more balanced view of the transactions they engage in and a means of discovering new transactions that they might have otherwise missed. A simple example is provided that illustrates this integration and reveals a key missing element. This example is supported by reference to a wide range of case studies and application areas that demonstrate the added value of the TC. The TC is then advanced into a Transaction-Oriented Architecture (TOA). The TOA provides the framework by which an enterprise’s business processes are orchestrated according to the TC. TOA thus brings Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and the productivity of enterprise applications to the height of the real, transactional world that enterprises actually operate in.
Determinants of E-Commerce Adoption Among Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Malaysia
Authors: Hua Sim Chia , Rajesh Modapothala Jashua , Theng Lau Bee
Published: October 2011

With a major proportion of research on Electronic Commerce (EC) undertaken on large corporations, and focused primarily on developed countries, little is known about the determinants of EC in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) of developing nations. This chapter explores the extent of EC use by SMEs, and provides some empirical evidence of how internal factors of firm and owner are influencing EC adoption among smaller businesses in Malaysia. The methodology and results of this study may be applicable to other developing countries. Findings confirm the low level of participation in EC by SMEs. The age of enterprise, as well as the owner’s gender and education were found to be significant in determining the level of EC adoption. Though some of the results contradict those of previous studies, they may have a greater implication for government authorities in drawing up guidelines, approaches, and formulating more effective frameworks to promote EC use among SMEs in developing countries.
Exploring the Potential of e-CRM in SME Marketing Practice
Authors: McMahon Fiona , O’Donnell Aodheen
Published: October 2011

Despite such constraints, it is posited that by exploring the components of e-CRM in the unique context of SME business and marketing practice that a natural synergy exists between e-CRM and SME marketing in the creation of value propositions. Specifically this is addressed through the two contributing constructs of SME marketing; namely entrepreneurial marketing and network marketing (Carson & Gilmore, 2000).
Model for Understanding Consumer Adoption of Online Technologies
Authors: Amoroso Donald L. , Hunsinger Scott
Published: October 2011

This research reviews studies using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to create a modified model and instrument to study the acceptance of Internet technology by consumers. We developed a modified TAM for the acceptance of Internet-based technologies by consumers. We retained the original constructs from the TAM and included additional constructs from previous literature including gender, experience, complexity, and voluntariness. We developed a survey instrument using existing scales from prior TAM instruments and modified them where appropriate. The instrument yielded respectable reliability and construct validity. The findings suggest that the modified TAM is a good predictor of consumer behavior in using the Internet. We found that attitude toward using the Internet acts as a strong predictor of behavioral intention to use, and actual usage of Internet technologies. Future researchers can use the resultant instrument to test how consumers adopt and accept Internet-based applications.
Federated PKI Authentication in Computing Grids
Authors: Pala Massimiliano , Cholia Shreyas , Rea Scott A. , Smith Sean W.
Published: October 2011

One of the most successful working examples of virtual organizations, computational Grids need authentication mechanisms that inter-operate across domain boundaries. Public Key Infrastructures (PKIs) provide sufficient flexibility to allow resource managers to securely grant access to their systems in such distributed environments. However, as PKIs grow and services are added to enhance both security and usability, users and applications must struggle to discover available resources-particularly when the Certification Authority (CA) is alien to the relying party. This chapter presents a successful story about how to overcome these limitations by deploying the PKI Resource Query Protocol (PRQP) into the grid security architecture. We also discuss the future of Grid authentication by introducing the Public Key System (PKS) and its key features to support federated identities.
An Ontology-Based P2P Network for Semantic Search
Authors: Gu Tao , Zhang Daqing , Pung Hung Keng
Published: October 2011

This article presents an ontology-based peer-to-peer network that facilitates efficient search for data in wide-area networks. Data with the same semantics are grouped together into one-dimensional semantic ring space in the upper-tier network. This is achieved by applying an ontology-based semantic clustering technique and dedicating part of node identifiers to correspond to their data semantics. In the lower-tier network, peers in each semantic cluster are organized as Chord identifier space. Thus, all the nodes in the same semantic cluster know which node is responsible for storing context data triples they are looking for, and context queries can be efficiently routed to those nodes. Through the simulation studies, the authors demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed scheme.
Economic Freedom and the Impact of Technology on Productivity
Authors: Robin Ashok , Tribunella Thomas
Published: October 2011

A well-developed body of literature has detected positive effects of technology investments on economic growth. We contribute to this literature by studying the joint effects of technology and economic freedom on economic growth. Using two different time points, 1990 and 2000, and a sample of over 100 countries, we find that economic freedom enhances the effect of technology on economic growth. In fact, we find that the standalone effect of freedom is not as large as its interactive effect with technology.
User Evaluation of E-Government Systems
Authors: Zhang Nan , Guo Xunhua , Chen Guoqing , Chau Patrick Y.K.
Published: October 2011

Based on Information Technology adoption theories and considering Chinese cultural characteristics, this chapter proposes a user centric IT/IS evaluation model composed of three determinants, namely perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived fit, for investigating the e-government systems application and management in China. By empirically validating the model with survey data, it is demonstrated the perceived fit has significant impacts on the end users’ evaluation towards e-government systems, due to the special element of Hexie in the Chinese culture. The results also indicate that the reasons for failures in e-government systems application in China largely lie in the lack of fit, which may root in the long power distance characteristic of the Far Eastern culture.
Managing Knowledge Transfer in Offshore Software Development
Authors: Aman Aini , Nicholson Brian
Published: October 2011

The aim of this article is to examine the role of copresent interaction and the extent to which this can be supplanted by information and communication technology-based interaction for managing knowledge transfer in distributed settings. This study draws on two case studies of small UK firms sourcing software development from India and Bangladesh. Using Nonaka and Konno’s knowledge creation theory, the role of copresent and ICT-based interactions in managing knowledge transfer is explained. The article contributes an extension of the concepts of knowledge creation theory by providing evidence of the role of copresent and ICT-based interaction for knowledge transfer in the context of offshore software development.
The Influence of Content and Trust on Consumers’ Intention to Accept Mobile Advertisements
Authors: Westerlund Mika , Rajala Risto , Tuunanen Tuure , Salo Jari
Published: October 2011

A new model for investigating consumers’ behavioral intention in mobile advertising is developed and related to mobile marketing theory and practice. Hypotheses are tested about the hierarchical structure and the effects of the factors that precede consumers’ acceptance of mobile advertisement. The results suggest that attractive content and trust in advertisers are key predictors of mobile device users’ behavioral intention towards mobile advertising. The findings lead to a modification and extension of Fishbein’s behavioral intention model and its application in the research on advertising effectiveness.
Aligning Six Sigma and ITIL to improve IT Service Management
Authors: Chan Peter C. , Durant Shauntell R. , Gall Verna Mae , Raisinghani Mahesh S.
Published: October 2011

The framework in our exploratory research has been built upon a deductive study which has been developed through a literature review and synthesis and an exploratory inductive research which has been developed using a qualitative case study. It makes the case for leveraging ITIL and Six Sigma with ITSM in practice and opportunities for future research.
Designing ECAs to Improve Robustness of Human-Machine Dialogue
Authors: Mencía Beatriz López , Pardo David D. , Trapote Alvaro Hernández , Gómez Luis A. Hernández
Published: October 2011

One of the major challenges for dialogue systems deployed in commercial applications is to improve robustness when common low-level problems occur that are related with speech recognition. We first discuss this important family of interaction problems, and then we discuss the features of non-verbal, visual, communication that Embodied Conversational Agents (ECAs) bring ‘into the picture’ and which may be tapped into to improve spoken dialogue robustness and the general smoothness and efficiency of the interaction between the human and the machine. Our approach is centred around the information provided by ECAs. We deal with all stages of the conversation system development process, from scenario description, to gesture design and evaluation with comparative user tests. We conclude that ECAs can help improve the robustness of, as well as the users’ subjective experience with, a dialogue system. However, they may also make users more demanding and intensify privacy and security concerns.
Building a Social Conversational Pedagogical Agent
Authors: Gulz Agneta , Haake Magnus , Silvervarg Annika , Sjödén Björn , Veletsianos George
Published: October 2011

This chapter discusses design challenges encountered when developing a conversational pedagogical agent. By tracing the historical roots of pedagogical agents in Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS), we discern central developments in creating an agent that is both knowledgeable and fosters a social relationship with the learner. Main challenges faced when attempting to develop a pedagogical agent of this kind relate to: i) learners’ expectations on the agent’s knowledge and social profile, ii) dealing with learners’ engagement in off-task conversation and iii) managing potential abuse of the agent. We discuss these challenges and possible ways to address them, with reference to an ongoing Research & Development project, and with a focus on the design of a pedagogical agent’s visual embodiment and its conversational capabilities.
Affective Conversational Agents
Authors: Callejas Zoraida , López-Cózar Ramón , Ábalos Nieves , Griol David
Published: October 2011

In this chapter, we revisit the main theories of human emotion and personality and their implications for the development of affective conversational agents. We focus on the role that emotion plays for adapting the agents’ behaviour and how this emotional responsivity can be conveniently modified by rendering a consistent artificial personality. The multiple applications of affective CAs are addressed by describing recent experiences in domains such as pedagogy, computer games, and computer-mediated therapy.