bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
E-Government Implementation
Authors: Lim Chee-Wee , Tan Eric T.K. , Pan Shan-Ling
Published: May 2011

As e-government becomes increasingly pervasive in modern public administrative management, its influence on organizations and individuals has become hard to ignore. It is therefore timely and relevant to examine e-governance—the fundamental mission of e-government. By adopting a stakeholder perspective and coming from the strategic orientation of control and collaboration management philosophy, this study approaches the topic of e-governance in e-government from the three critical aspects of stakeholder management: (1) identification of stakeholders, (2) recognition of differing interests among stakeholders, and (3) how an organization caters to and furthers these interests. Findings from the case study allow us to identify four important groups of stakeholders known as the Engineers, Dissidents, Seasoners, and Skeptics who possess vastly different characteristics and varying levels of acceptance of and commitment towards the e-filing paradigm. Accordingly, four corresponding management strategies with varying degrees of collaboration and control mechanisms are devised in the bid to align these stakeholder interests such that their participation in e-government can be leveraged by public organizations to achieve competitive advantage.
Information Use-Control in E-Government Applications
Authors: Mana Antonio , Yague Mariemma , Karnouskos Stamatis , Abie Habtamu
Published: May 2011

Within the process of globalization and the permeation of all areas of life by technology, electronic government (e-government) is becoming a powerful tool that will effectively integrate and manage the huge amount of existing information, as well as seamlessly integrating citizen interaction with its services (Abie et al., 2004). E-government is the use of ICTs in public administration in combination with organizational changes and the development of new skills, in order to improve public services and democratic processes, and to strengthen support for public policies. The concept of mobile government (m-government) refers to the use of mobile wireless communication technology within government administration and in its delivery of services and information to citizens and firms (Ostberg, 2003). Digital government is a general term which includes e-government and m-government. In this digital world the management and protection of digital information content, and the rights associated with this, from unauthorized access, use, and dissemination has been a matter of concern for many rights holders. Moreover, the protection of privacy has been a matter of great concern for many citizens.
Accessibility of E-Government Web Sites
Authors: Huang C. James
Published: May 2011

The Internet has emerged as one of the most prevalent forms of communication. The gathering and sharing of electronic information are becoming essential elements of modern life. Therefore, it is important to ensure that people, especially those with disabilities, have equal opportunities to benefit from the Web, especially from online public services. While many people describe the Web as a low cost, all encompassing, and far-reaching medium (Parker, 1997), it is really not accessible to everyone. The proportion of people with disabilities in society has been increasing due to the demographic trends long documented by many researchers (Barth, McNaught, & Rizzi, 1993; West, 1998). Nevertheless, government leaders have paid little attention to the needs of people with disabilities when planning and implementing Web projects, and hence many critical online public activities and customer services are not readily available to the disabled. In short, a critical challenge facing all governmental agencies is how to make the massive volume of information being published on public sector Web sites accessible to every citizen they serve.
E-Governance in Australian Local Government
Authors: O’Toole Kevin
Published: May 2011

Local government in Australia is under pressure to modernize its structures in the new public management environment, as well as respond to increasing demands from its local electorates for better delivery of services and greater levels of participation in the democratic process. This article analyzes local government’s response to these pressures through its use of information communication technologies (ICT) to execute its broad range of tasks. I begin by discussing e-governance in the light of Chadwick and May’s (2003) three basic models of interaction between the state and its citizens: managerial, consultative, and participatory. Using data collected from an analysis of 658 local government Web sites in Australia together with existing survey research, I analyze the extent to which local government sites fit into the three models. The article then concludes with a discussion of the issues and problems faced by local government in its attempt to develop e-governance, as both an extension of its administrative as well as democratic functions.
Local E-Governement in Japan
Authors: Kubo Sadaya , Shimada Tatsumi
Published: May 2011

This paper explains the actual state of digital readiness of the local governments in Japan, and describes the stages of achievement in digitalization and the direction of digitalization. The items being analyzed are the digitalization of governmental administration, services to residents, and information security. Further, in order to clarify the direction of digitalization, we propose stages of progress of the digitalization of the local governments.
Web Services in Government Policy
Authors: Guah Matthew W.
Published: May 2011

The public sector accounts for a greater proportion of United Kingdom’s information technology (IT) spending, but cutting edge success stories in government IT are suddenly reported in popular press. As a result of the electronic delivery of government services (i.e. the National Health Service, Defence and Criminal Justice systems) becomes more commonplace, the public sector is becoming increasingly dependent on technology. This chapter reports on a three years research, which looks at the application of Web Services into United Kingdom healthcare as a fulfilment of numerous semi- and unsuccessful IT projects, that fell-short of delivering any tangible benefits. The author looks at the National Health Service’s current IS strategy—fully dependent on Web services application—with the criteria of successful implementation, return on investment, increased productivity, innovation and user benefits.
Development and Use of the World Wide Web by U.S. Local Governments
Authors: Scavo Carmine
Published: May 2011

San Carlos, California (www.cityofsancarlos.org) claims to have developed one of the earliest local government Web sites in the world, posted on May 10, 1994 (San Carlos, 2006). From this early effort, United States (U.S.) cities moved rapidly onto the Web. Norris and Moon (2002), for example, report that some 4.4% of U.S. cities in a 2000 survey by the International City Management Association (ICMA) reported developing Web sites before 1995; 27.1% reported developing their Web sites in the 1995-’96 time period, and 68.5% reported their Web site developed after 1997. San Carlos’ original Web site comprised one page; its current Web site now contains some 8,000 pages and uses some of the Web’s most modern technology available, such as really simple syndication (RSS) and Flash Paper.1 This article uses the example of San Carlos’ Web site, along with two surveys of local government Web sites in the U.S., to illustrate the experience that U.S. local governments have had in developing and using Web sites in the pursuit of bettering governance. The article examines four local government Web applications—bulletin boards, promotions, service delivery and citizen input—and assesses their use by U.S. local governments. The article then addresses current issues of outsourcing Web site design and maintenance, and future issues of privacy, security, the digital divide and the possible effects of increased local government Web sites on U.S. civil society.
A Dynamic Two-Phase Commit Protocol for Adaptive Composite Services
Authors: Yu Weihai , Pu Calton
Published: May 2011

Next-generation applications based on Web services impose additional requirements on the use of coordination protocols with various optimizations, such as the two-phase commit protocol (2PC). This article analyses the well-known 2PC optimizations “presumed commit” and “presumed abort,” and presents an improved 2PC that is suitable for Web-service-based applications. More specifically, the protocol allows every individual service provider to choose dynamically the most appropriate presumption for any distributed transaction. This new capability is especially useful when a composite Web service is integrating component services that make different presumptions in their commit protocols. The protocol does not introduce extra overhead to the previous 2PC variants in terms of number of messages and log records, and it is easy to understand and realize. Our simulation shows that the choice of appropriate presumption has significant influence on system performance, and that in some heterogeneous settings, combining different presumptions in individual transactions outperforms adopting only one single presumption.
E-Auctioning by The U. S. Federal Communications Commission
Authors: Roycroft Trevor R.
Published: May 2011

Market economies rest on a foundation of the private ownership of resources. Certain resources, however, have been managed outside of the market mechanism, even in the United States’ decidedly pro-free-market economy. The management of radio frequencies, or spectrum, is a prime example of government control of a valuable resource. Spectrum management is practiced by governments around the globe, and the experience of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides a valuable illustration of how management of this resource may be improved through the use of electronic resources.
Business Models for M-Government Services
Authors: Peinel Gertraud , Rose Thomas
Published: May 2011

This chapter reports on experiences gained in the sustainable implementation of mobile e-government services. Sustainable operations require appropriate business models and partnerships for the implementation and provision of services. The lessons learned are based on experiences gained in major European research projects for the implementation of information services for environmental information and for the provision of mobile services. This chapter will brie?y present the mobile services provided in these projects and then turn to the speci?c dimensions of interest: added values materialized by the combination of m-government, business models, and, in particular, revenue models for ?nancing the services. Speci?c attention will be devoted to public-private partnerships for implementing, maintaining, and operating the services. Each dimension will be discussed in terms of pros and cons. The section on business models will be completed by a summary of speci?ed experiences gained with different stakeholders.
Citizen Relationship Management
Authors: Schellong Alexander
Published: May 2011

Citizen relationship management (CiRM) refers to a cluster of management practices, channel, and IT solutions that seek to use private sector customer relationship management (CRM) in the public sector. Goals can be improving citizen orientation, better accountability, and changing the citizen government relationship. I begin with an overview of citizen orientation in government and the emergence of CiRM. The following section starts with a look at the underlying principles, goals, and components of customer relationship management. Accordingly, there is an in depth discussion and definition of citizen relationship management. Aspects such as the citizen government relationship, technology, public participation, and organizational changes are addressed. Finally, future trends and conclusions are drawn.
A Prototype Study on Electronic Rulemaking
Authors: Lau Gloria T. , Law Kincho H.
Published: May 2011

The making of government regulations represents an important communication between the government and citizens. During the process of rulemaking, government agencies are required to inform and to invite the public to review the proposed rules. Interested and affected citizens participate by submitting comments accordingly. Electronic rulemaking, or e-rulemaking in short, redefines this process of rule drafting and commenting to effectively involve the public in the making of regulations. The goal of the e-rulemaking initiative is to integrate agency operations and technology investments; for instance, the electronic media, such as the Internet, is used as the means to provide a better environment for the public to comment on proposed rules and regulations. Based on the review of the received public comments, government agencies revise the proposed rules. With the proliferation of the Internet, it becomes a growing problem for government agencies to handle the comments submitted by the public. Large amounts of electronic data (i.e., the public comments) are easily generated, and they need to be reviewed and analyzed along with the drafted rules. As such, part of e-rulemaking involves a non-trivial task of sorting through a massive volume of electronically submitted textual comments. For example, the Federal Register (2003) documented a recent case where the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) received over 14,000 comments in seven months, majority of which are e-mails, on a flavored malt beverages proposal. The call for public comments by the TTB included the following statement: All comments posted on our Web site will show the name of the commenter but will not show street addresses, telephone numbers, or e-mail addresses. (2003, p. 67388) However, due to the “unusually large number of comments received,” the Bureau announced later that it is difficult to remove all street addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses “in a timely manner” (2003, p. 67388). Instead, concerned individuals are asked to submit a request for removal of address information as opposed to the original statement posted in the call for comments. The example shows that an effortless electronic comment submission process has turned into a huge data processing problem for government agencies. Fortunately, the advance in information and communication technology (ICT) can help alleviate some of the barriers in e-rulemaking. This article will discuss a prototype of a comment analysis system, which classifies public comments according to related provisions in the drafted regulations. The automated relatedness analysis system can potentially save rule makers significant amount of time in reviewing public comments in regard to different provisions in the drafted regulations.
The European Commission's E-Government Initiatives and Public Participation
Authors: Hunold Christian
Published: May 2011

According to the European Commission (2003), increased networking of local, regional, and national administrations across the European Union (EU) is creating “a more integrated ‘European public space’ for EU citizens and businesses” (p. 6). This emerging public space owes its existence chiefly to improvements in information and communication technology (ICT). The Commission (2002) believes that e-government initiatives will help to build a more robust European public space capable of engendering in the public’s mind a sense of democratic ownership of European institutions and policies: “E-government is helping to establish a more open, inclusive and productive public sector, in line with good governance” (p. 7). E-government as defined by the Commission (2005) as “the use of information and communication technologies, combined with organisational change and new skills, to improve public services, increase democratic participation and enhance public policy making.” Echoing the literature on e-democracy (Gibson, Rommele, & Ward, 2004), the Commission (2002) contends that e-government can improve EU democratic processes and public support for EU policies in two ways: by giving citizens greater access to information from authorities, which empowers citizens by improving the transparency and accountability of European institutions; and by fostering direct communication between citizens and policy makers, which enables improved mutual accommodation of needs and interests. This article analyzes Commission e-government initiatives, with special emphasis on the Consultation, the European Commission and Civil Society (CONECCS) directory, the interactive policy making (IPM) initiative, and the i2010: European Information Society 2010 initiative. IPM seeks to enable the Commission to collect feedback directly from citizens, consumers, and businesses via a single Internet access point for consultations (Your Voice in Europe). i2010 is a five-year strategy launched in 2005 to boost Europe’s digital economy and includes proposals to enhance e-participation in Europe’s emerging public space. Such proposals, I argue, will be more likely to succeed if the Commission were to move from managerial and consultative to participatory models of public involvement (Chadwick & May, 2003).
Hot-Spot Geoinformatics for Digital Governance
Authors: Patil G. P. , Acharya R. Modarres , Myers W. L. , Rathbun S. L.
Published: May 2011

Geoinformatic surveillance for spatial and temporal hot-spot detection and prioritization is crucial in the 21st century. A hot spot may be any unusual phenomenon, anomaly, aberration, outbreak, elevated cluster, or critical area. Government agencies require hot-spot delineation and prioritization for monitoring, etiology, management, or early warning. Responsible factors may be natural, accidental, or intentional, with relevance to both infrastructure and security. This article describes multidisciplinary research based on novel methods for hot-spot detection and prioritization, driven by a diverse variety of case studies of interest to agencies, academia, and the private sector. These case studies concern critical societal issues, such as public health, ecosystem health, biodiversity and threats to biodiversity, emerging infectious disease, water management and conservation, carbon sources and sinks, persistent poverty, environmental justices, crop pathogens, invasive-species management, biosurveillance, biosecurity, disease biogeoinformatics, social networks, sensor networks, hospital networks and syndrome surveillance, video mining, early warning, tsunami inundation, remote sensing, and disaster management. Our approach has involved an innovation of the popular circle-based spatial scan statistic. In particular, it employs the notion of an upper level set (ULS) and is accordingly called the upper level set scan statistic system, pointing to the next generation of sophisticated analytical and computational systems, effective for the detection of arbitrarily shaped hot spots along spatiotemporal dimensions. It also involves a novel prioritization scheme based on multiple indicators and stakeholder criteria without having to reduce indicators to a single index using Hasse diagrams and partially ordered sets. It is accordingly called the poset prioritization and ranking system (see Patil & Taillie, 2004a, 2004b). The following Web sites have additional information. 1. http://www.stat.psu.edu/hotspots/ 2. http://www.stat.psu.edu/~gpp/ 3. http://www.digitalgovernment.org/news/stories/2004/1104/1104_hotspots_heyman.jsp
Bureaucratic Discretion and Deliberative Democracy
Authors: Hunold Christian , Peter B. Guy
Published: May 2011

Administrative discretion is both a strength and a weakness of contemporary political systems. Governments could not govern without the capacity to fill in legislation with detailed administrative regulations. Further, these regulations tend to reflect far more substantive information about the subjects being regulated than would most legislation coming from the legislature or decisions reached by the courts. The weakness of using discretion in rulemaking is the lack of legitimacy of these rules. Bureaucracies have a less than positive image in most industrialized democracies, and it is often assumed that their decisions are made to aggrandize their own institutional interests, or to serve “special interests” rather than the public. Thus, in order to make rulemaking more legitimate, effective means of oversight and participation for the public as a whole are required. We argue that many of the existing means of oversight are not as effective asthey once may have been. This is true largely because of the volume and complexity of rulemaking activity. In addition, the demands of the public in most democracies for more opportunities for effective participation mean that rulemaking that is done without the opportunity for the public to involve itself is suspect. The deliberative turn in thinking about participation, especially within public administration, may provide the public with opportunities for greater direct oversight, and perhaps also greater legitimacy for the rules adopted.
State of the Art in E-Gov Research
Authors: Gronlund Åke
Published: May 2011

This article assesses the maturity of the e-government (e-gov) field by examining the nature of 170 papers published at three major e-gov conferences using a straightforward maturity model. Papers were examined mainly for rigor but, to some extent, also for relevance. It was found that theory generation and theory testing are not frequent, while case stories (no theory, no structured data collection) and product descriptions (no analysis or test) are. Also, claims beyond what is reasonable, given the method used, are frequent. As for relevance, only a few of the cases where theories are either tested or generated concern the role and nature of government and governance; most concern general organizational issues that could well find a place within traditional IS conferences. On the positive side, involvement of various pertinent disciplines appears relevant, and global outreach goes far beyond the Atlantic shores. It is concluded that e-gov conferences need to address quality criteria, both rigor- and relevance-oriented, if e-gov is to develop into a mature research field.
Palming the Future
Authors: Symonds Judith
Published: May 2011

Trans Training is a tertiary education organisation concerned with the provision of quality driving training for the commercial road transport, logistics, distribution, warehousing, ports and stevedoring industry sectors. At present much of their service delivery to agents, clients and trainees is administered manually. This process is slow, inefficient and allows many opportunities for errors to creep into the enrolment process. eGovernment offers the Industry Training Organisation the potential for improved service delivery and client and trainee satisfaction as well as several interesting value-adding opportunities. However, there are several challenges to adopting an eGovernment strategy including security concerns, privacy concerns and acceptance of coordination of technological investments. Many of the challenges for eGovernment strategy occur at the point where theory is applied by individual organisations and this is not covered by the literature. Readers are given the opportunity to explore some of the realities of eGoverment strategy in this case study.
Factors Influencing the Lifetime of Telecommunication and Information Technology Standards
Authors: Blind Knut
Published: May 2011

This article presents the results of an explorative study for the lifetimes and survival rates of formal standards in telecommunication and information technology. The analysis reveals that the survival rate depends on the dynamic development of technologies and on country-specific characteristics. In a second step, we tried to identify factors influencing the lifetimes of standards. In general, standards replacing an already existing document have an expected survival time compared to documents without a predecessor. Standards with a successor document have, as anticipated, a shorter expected lifetime. Finally, the increased speed of technological change reduces the lifetimes of standards. Based on these first insights, we derive the following recommendations. First, standardisation bodies should adapt their standard maintenance according to the specific requirements of technologies and the related markets, but should also harmonise their processes at the international level in order to avoid frictions for the development of technologies and markets.
Biographical Stories of European Women Working in ICT
Authors: Birbaumer Andrea , Tolar Marianne , Wagner Ina
Published: May 2011

There is a deep gender imbalance in information and communication technology (ICT) professions which are only about 17% female (compare Valenduc et al., 2004, p. 19) and, simultaneously, an unsatisfied demand for ICT professionals at intermediate and high levels. Although varying in different sectors and countries, a gender imbalance and a skills shortage are common features of the ICT labour market in Europe. This is an obstacle to the development of the knowledge economy and the achievement of social cohesion. The project WWW-ICT1 implements an integrated approach to the various aspects and dimensions of gender gaps in ICT professions, covering explicative factors linked to education and training, working and employment conditions, professional and technical culture. Most existing studies have limitations and gaps. They are often limited to classical computer professions, while WWW-ICT intends to encompass new professions linked to new communication technology, also taking into account the vocational training system. Studies of the shortage of ICT professionals are mostly centred on the demand/supply relation, while we focus more on the role of professional models and professional trajectories as a factor of integration or exclusion. In general terms, employment in the ICT sector has been growing very markedly across the EU in recent years. The sector is increasingly dominated by specialist firms, which have taken over the provision of computing services for client companies. Computer services in the EU are dominated by SMEs; the majority of computer services businesses are micro-businesses employing less than ten employees (Björnsson, 2001). Despite the predominance of micro-businesses, there is a huge concentration of employment in bigger companies. This is the context within which women are employed in ICT.
The Beijing World Conference on Women, ICT Policy, and Gender
Authors: Dumas J. Ann
Published: May 2011

The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, China, addressed gender equality issues in many areas of global society, including information, communication, and knowledge exchange and the associated technologies. The Beijing Declaration called for action to promote gender equality in human rights, economic autonomy, domestic responsibility sharing, participation in public life and decision making, access to health services and education, and the eradication of poverty and all forms of violence against women. The Beijing Platform for Action contained strategic objectives and actions for governments and others to implement to increase gender equality in 12 critical areas, including Section J, Women and the Media. Article 234 of the Beijing Platform Section J acknowledged the important need for gender equality in information and communication technology: advances in information technology have facilitated a global network of communications that transcends national boundaries and has an impact on public policy, private attitudes and behaviour, especially of children and young adults. Everywhere the potential exists for the media to make a far greater contribution to the advancement of women. (United Nations [UN], 1995, p. 133) Section J defined two strategic objectives that address issues of access to and participation in ICT and media development. J.1. Increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision making in and through the media and new technologies of communication. J.2. Promote a balanced and nonstereotyped portrayal of women in the media. (United Nations, 1995, pp. 133-136) Governments agreed to implement the Beijing Platform for Action and use gender-disaggregated data to report national progress on objectives during Beijing +5 United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) in 2000 and Beijing +10 in 2005. This article reviews progress reported on ICT-related Section J strategic initiatives and trends for ICT and gender between 1995 and 2005.
Enabling Strategy Formulation by ICT
Authors: Vriens Dirk , Achterbergh Jan
Published: May 2011

In this chapter the role of ICT for competitive intelligence is approached from the perspective of strategy formulation. The authors hold the view that competitive intelligence can be seen as knowledge necessary for the process of strategy formulation. To determine the role of ICT, it is proposed to examine (1) the process of strategy formulation, (2) the knowledge relevant for the process of strategy formulation and (3) the knowledge processes in which the intelligence relevant for the process of strategy formulation is produced and processed. If these three elements are clear, the role of ICT for competitive intelligence can be reformulated as the support of ICT for the knowledge processes, producing and processing the necessary intelligence for strategy formulation. In the chapter, the process of strategy formulation and the knowledge it requires will be described by using the Viable Systems Model of Stafford Beer. It results in an “ICT-architecture” for supporting the knowledge processes, producing the relevant knowledge for strategy formulation.
A Taxonomy of Stakeholders
Authors: Alexander Ian F.
Published: May 2011

Systems engineers have often paid too little attention to the nature of the so-called “users” of products under development. These are better called stakeholders, as many roles are involved, and few of those are in direct contact with the developed products. A simple and robust conceptual framework for classifying development stakeholders — a taxonomy — is proposed. The taxonomy is product centric, with concentric “circles” denoting broad categories of stakeholders. Within these, generic “slots” describe typical classes of stakeholders; these are subdivided into “roles,” which are expected to vary at least in name with the domain. Examples are given, and a popular template is reanalysed using the framework. The taxonomy has immediate value in identifying and validating stakeholder roles in requirements elicitation, helping to ensure that key viewpoints are not missed, and hence reducing the risk of instability and failure during development.
A Framework for Ontology-Based Tourism Application Generator
Authors: Jakkilinki Roopa , Sharda Nalin
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides an overview of tourism ontology and how it can be used for developing e-tourism applications. The Semantic Web is the next generation Web; it uses background knowledge captured as an ontology and stored in machine-processable and interpretable form. Ontologies form the core of the Semantic Web and can be used to develop intelligent applications. However, generating applications based on ontology still remains a challenging task. This chapter presents a framework that provides a systematic process for developing intelligent e-tourism applications by using a tourism ontology.
The Transformation Model
Authors: King Kathleen P.
Published: May 2011

The journey of transformation is a model of professional development developed, grounded in research of 205 educators, and based on a framework of adult learning begun in 1997. Trans-formative learning is a theory that describes the experience and cognitive process by which adults critically evaluate previously unexamined beliefs, values, or assumptions; try new beliefs, values, and assumptions to determine the fit for themselves; and then develop a dramatically new perspective of their worldview (Mezirow, 1978). This article describes how the author developed a mixed quantitative and qualitative tool to more broadly gather and analyze data about this experience. The work focuses on two major groups of traditional adult learners: English as second language learners and adult basic education learners. The journey of transformation represents a refinement of the 10-stage transformative learning theory model, one which is dy-namic and interactive among the stages. The model emphasizes an environment of support for technology learning and encourages a role for practice and experimentation with technology that recognizes the fluid, nonlinear process of such learning.
The Nearest Some of Us Will Ever Come to Information Heaven
Authors: Ngubane Buyile
Published: May 2011

This study addresses the needs for a community computer centre (telecentre) for the community of Emkhambathini. This study was part of the information systems research exercise that was conducted by students. The problem that the researcher experienced was that Emkhambathini has no access to information and a need exists to ensure that this community joins the 21st century. The telecentre will also serve as a community upliftment tool. The data was collected using a questionnaire, it was collated and analysed using SPSS. The conclusion was that gender or employment does not play a role when there is a real need to access information.
Clustering Dynamics of the ICT Sector in South Africa
Authors: Moodley Sagren
Published: May 2011

Both the production and use of ICT are unevenly distributed across countries and regions. While this is typical of emerging and fast evolving technologies, there are particularly significant spatial differences in the patterns of ICT production. Traditional explanations for these differences include distinct factor endowments, technologies and policies. Regions with originally similar characteristics may develop in very different directions. Hence, the locational patterns of ICT cannot be explained in terms of factor endowments and policy regimes only (Barrow, 2001).
Diffusion of Educational Technology and Education Reform
Authors: Robinson LeAnne K.
Published: May 2011

This study examines educators’ perceived barriers to technology integration and the relationship to education reform. Educators and administrators from four elementary schools in Washington State were interviewed in their classrooms during a three month period. The schools differed in size, location and social economic status and reported variances in their Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) scores. While all of the schools reported similar barriers to the use of educational technology, distinct differences appeared between those schools that had done long range planning during the reform process and those that had not. Specifically, staff in the two schools that coordinated curricula, performance standards and a variety of assessment tools while simultaneously allowing teachers the flexibility to alter the curricula were more likely to state personal responsibility for student learning, and they were also more likely to have overcome barriers to the use of technology.
A New Generation Gap? Some Thoughts on the Consequences of Early ICT First Contact
Authors: Madden Andrew D. , Baptista Nunes J. Miguel , McPherson M.A. , Ford Nigel , Miller David , Rico M.
Published: May 2011

One possible consequence of information and communication technology’s rapid rise will be a new ‘generation gap’ arising from differing perceptions of the learning technologies. The nature, causes, and consequences of this gap are of interest to educational practitioners and policymakers. This article uses data from an ongoing project, together with a synopsis of research, to describe the ICT-based generation gap that currently exists between students and their teachers and parents. It is argued that this gap may exist between students differing in age by as little as five years. Results from a related project exploring Networked Information and Communication Literacy Skills (NICLS) are used to introduce a discussion on the nature of any skills gap that must be addressed in light of this generation gap.
Behavior Change through ICT Use
Authors: Verheijden Marieke W.
Published: May 2011

New communication technologies have made an impact on several areas of our everyday life, including the areas of health and health promotion. The Internet provides opportunities for personalized interactive health communication at a much larger scale than is possible in face-to-face communication. It has been suggested that only interactive health-behavior-change Web sites that advise, assess, assist, provide anticipatory guidance, and arrange follow-up have the potential to lead to successful behavior change. Additional factors that may affect the success rate of behavior-change programs are the reach of and the exposure to such programs. This chapter elaborates on all of these factors.
Differential Impacts of Social Presence on the Behavior Modeling Approach
Authors: Chen Charlie C. , Olfman Lorne , Harris Albert
Published: May 2011

The continued and increasing use of online asynchronous learning (OAL) environments for training raises the question whether and to what extent behavior modeling, the most effective training method in live instruction, will prove to be effective in OAL environments. This article analyzes the effect of applying behavior modeling training in an OAL environment. Behavior modeling training can be delivered in three modes: face-to-face, videotaped, and scripted. Each behavior modeling mode expresses social presence to a different degree, which could impact both learning performance and the willingness of students to take online asynchronous training. This study reports on the effect of behavior modeling mode on these variables in an OAL environment. Nine hypotheses were proposed. Four hypotheses were supported and five were not. This research found that the face-to-face environment is not significantly more effective than an OAL environment.
Digital Opportunities, Equity, and Poverty in Latin America
Authors: Cecchini Simone
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines the digital divide that exists within Latin American countries. It argues that information and communication technology is creating new opportunities that can be seized to support human development and poverty-reduction strategies. However, it also clarifies that ICT on its own cannot leapfrog the old institutional and organizational weaknesses of Latin American economies and societies. The author hopes that understanding the deep-rooted inequalities that underlie ICT access in Latin America will not only inform researchers on the challenges for the development of the information society in the region, but also assist policy makers in the preparation and implementation of appropriate public policies.
ICT and the Orang Asli in Malaysia
Authors: Ooi Pauline Hui Ying
Published: May 2011

Orang Asli means the “Original People” in the Malay language. Nowadays, they are classified into three large groups: Senoi, Negrito and proto-Melayu, which further break down into various tribes. Although many still live in the rural areas, some youth have been fortunate enough to venture life in the city by pursuing higher education or seeking employment. A few information technology undergraduates from the Orang Asli community of Malaysia were interviewed via e-mail on the subject of information and communication technology (ICT) among the local indigenous peoples.
Impact of Organisational Intranets on Profitability in Organisations
Authors: Averweg Udo Richard
Published: May 2011

Organisations are being forced to invest heavily in the deployment of information systems (IS) to obtain value and benefit in the new knowledge-based environment. Organisational intranets are being used as the platform for developing and deploying critical business applications to support business operations and managerial decision-making across the Internet-worked enterprise. Executive Information Systems (EIS) grew out of the information needs of executives. Web-based technologies are causing a revisit to existing information technology (IT) implementation models, including those for EIS. Some technologies include intranet, Internet, extranet, e-commerce business-to-business (B2B), e-commerce business-to-consumer (B2C), wireless application protocol (WAP), including other mobile technologies. The author conducted a survey of 31 well-established organisations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which successfully implemented EIS. A validated survey instrument was administered to an EIS stakeholder in each organisation surveyed to rank Web-based technologies in order of their perceived impact on EIS implementation in organisations surveyed. The author reports that an organisational intranet has the highest level of impact on EIS implementation in organisations surveyed in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Given this impact, justifying investment in such IS and IT should be carefully evaluated and quantified.
CareerQuesting
Authors: White Karen F. , Wasburn Mara H.
Published: May 2011

This paper develops an educational strategy to foster the interest and persistence of middle school girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers using existing websites. Criteria are specified that enable middle school teachers to evaluate websites that can serve as supplemental learning activities within prescribed curricula. In particular, these criteria help evaluate sites that provide materials appealing to both boys and girls. This allows teachers to adopt them without concern that they are providing an unfair advantage to girls.
E-Commerce and Small Tourism Firms
Authors: Braun Patrice
Published: May 2011

Today’s networked economy is a strategic combination of many factors, with electronic platforms and relationships underpinning competitive advantage. Enabled and driven by information and communication technologies (ICT) and connectivity, the networked economy is challenging the fundamental bases of established government frameworks, conventional business practices, and traditional marketing disciplines. To achieve business success in this techno-economic paradigm requires new ways of thinking for all.
Women Entrepreneurs in Finnish ICT Industry
Authors: Pietilainen Tarja , Lehtimaki Hanna , Keso Heidi
Published: May 2011

The Nordic countries—Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden—offer interesting material to investigate gendering processes. In these societies, gender equality policy has long traditions and many propagated goals have been researched: women and men participate in paid work almost to the same extent; women make a significant contribution to family income, because it rests on a dual income model; public, low cost day-care is available to all children over one year of age; women’s level of education is exceeding that of men’s. Yet, the labour market is notoriously segregated both horizontally, meaning that men and women work in different occupations, and vertically meaning that men hold high ranking positions in public and private organisations. The focal phenomenon of this article, entrepreneurship shows even more profound segregation with women and men enterprising in different lines of business and within the same lines of business in different branches (Kovalainen, 1995; Spilling & Berg, 2000). Nordic experience shows that gaining access to men-only spaces does not bring the same prestige, make women equally influential, and powerful as men. Thus, the question remains what are the processes which hinder women entrepreneurs from achieving a significant position? The article offers one possible answer by reporting a study by Pietiläinen (2002) who set out to investigate what kinds of spaces for entrepreneurial action women business owners are offered in the Finnish information and communication technology (ICT) industry.
Creating an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Authors: Hynes Briga , Richardson Ita
Published: May 2011

Change in the structure and profile of the industrial base in Ireland emphasises the importance of the small firm sector in certain growth sectors. One such sector is the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, which now demands a more enterprising graduate. This chapter emphasises the importance of third-level1 education in preparing students for their career, either as employee or entrepreneur. We discuss how entrepreneurship education, through its broad and integrative philosophy accommodates the changing workplace demands. It links together the synergy of enterprising activity and the small firm ICT sector through education courses, specifically entrepreneurship education. This is achieved through the adoption of the process framework for ICT entrepreneurship education. Describing how they can be modified to facilitate and encourage the more creative and enterprising mindset in the ICT student, we present two courses that have been successfully implemented at the University of Limerick.
ICT, Work Organisations, and Society
Authors: Bradley Gunilla
Published: May 2011

The present fourth period, the network period, is characterised by a convergence of three main technologies (computer technology, telecommunication technology, and media technology) into information and communication technology (ICT). ICT are embedded in many things and the invisible microcomputerisation that once took off with the chips is enhanced through nanotechnology, biotechnology, and wireless technology—often entitled ubiquitous computing. The author presents ongoing changes in work life and presents a rtheoretical model: The convergence theory on ICT and psychosocial life environment. The convergence model reflects some main ongoing processes in the network society encompassing various spheres of life (professional, private, and public). Sociological theories on the Information Society are discussed in this context as well as theories from the information systems (IS) community. In the Future Trends section the new international collaboration is addressed where research and policy (including politics) develop goals and strategies to deal with societal and psychosocial changes related to the development, introduction, and use of ICT.
From Information Society to Global Village of Wisdom? The Role of ICT in Realizing Social Justice in the Developing World
Authors: Hellsten Sirkku Kristiina
Published: May 2011

This chapter is about the role of ICT in global justice. It will analyze, firstly, the epistemological relationship between new information, knowledge and wisdom. Secondly, it examines the ethical relationship between information technology and the values and ideals that are attached to its use and applications. Thirdly, the chapter studies theoretical and practical obstacles that have prevented the developing countries, particularly in Africa, from fully benefiting from the enormous possibilities provided by the new ICT in relation to realizing human capabilities, well-being and better standards of living and social justice. The analysis applies Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum’s capability approach to the distribution and use of the ICT in global context. Finally the chapter examines how global and the local inequality is maintained by the international information and technology markets, and how the distorted international markets as well as misguided local policies tend to create further division between ‘information rich’ and ‘information poor’.