bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Manipulating search engine algorithms: the case of Google
Authors: Bar‐Ilan Judit 
Published: October 2007

PurposeTo investigate how search engine users manipulate the rankings of search results. Search engines employ different ranking methods in order to display the “best” results first. One of the ranking methods is PageRank, where the number of links pointing to the page influences its rank. The “anchor text,” the clickable text of the hypertext link is another “ingredient” in the ranking method. There are a number of cases where the public challenged the Google's ranking, by creating a so‐called “Google bomb” – creating links to pages they wanted to be highly ranked for given query. Google is chosen as the search engine, because it is currently by far the most popular search engine.Design/methodology/approachPageRank, one of the major parameters of Google's ranking algorithm is described, and the author explains how this algorithm is exploited by communities of users to promote a certain web page for a specific query. This process is called “Google bombing.” Recent reaction of Google to this phenomenon is also described.FindingsSpecific examples of “accomplished Google bombs” show that the public is able to manipulate search results.Originality/valueGoogle, instead of being an unobtrusive information retrieval tool has become highly influential in the web scenery. Some users pay for search engine optimization, while others utilize the power of the crowd to influence Google's rankings. This paper supports the claims of Introna and Nissenbaum regarding the power of search engines.
Information needs of North American immigrants to Israel
Authors: Shoham Snunith , Kaufman Strauss Sarah 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThe main goals of this study are identifying the information needs of new North American immigrants to Israel and to ascertain which channels of information are used by the immigrants before and after immigration to try to satisfy their information needs.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was used for this study. Qualitative interviews were implemented as the primary strategy for data with the application of the grounded theory method for analysis.FindingsGeneral information needs categories included: housing, schooling, health, banking and finances, drivers licenses, government‐related issues, legal issues and practical information. Personal information needs related to problems of “split” or prior immigration, changing over professional licenses, starting a business, children with special needs, and alternative medicine. Many of these needs were satisfied either prior to immigration or during the absorption process while others were left open leaving the immigrants with gaps in their knowledge, feelings of uncertainty and, at times, anxiety. During the preparations for immigration the greatest source of information came from the internet. After immigration, during the absorption process, word‐of‐mouth and personal contacts (social networks) were the main sources for the immigrants to satisfy their information needs.Research limitations/implicationsAdditional research regarding immigration and immigrants from all different backgrounds is needed. Such research will help us learn more about other specific group's information needs and information seeking behavior.Practical implicationsBy learning and studying the information needs of immigrant's governments and immigration organizations can have a better understanding of how to assist immigrants have a successful integration into their new society.Originality/valueProspective immigrants, governments and immigration organizations can gain a deeper understanding of immigrant information needs and the channels used to satisfy those needs.
The Future Center as an empowering ecology
Authors: Dvir Ron , Lettice Fiona , Webb Carol , Schwartzberg Yael 
Published: October 2007

PurposeTo present a generic empowerment ecology framework to guide the operation of Future Centers and to empower Future Center visitors to respond to the challenges facing them and develop and implement innovative solutions.Design/methodology/approachAn in‐depth case study was conducted in Be'er Sheva PISGA Future Center in the educational sector in Israel. Visits to a further 20 Future Centers around the world and a literature review helped to generalize the key findings and develop and validate the framework further.FindingsAlthough empowerment is not always explicitly discussed in Future Centers, it is an important underlying philosophy. The framework developed in this research helps to ensure empowerment issues are systematically addressed and contains four perspectives: operating principles; resources; supporters and processes. These combine to form the empowerment ecology.Research limitations/implicationsThe empowerment ecology framework has been developed from observation predominantly in one Future Center. It should now be more fully tested and validated in other Future Centers.Practical implicationsThis paper provides a framework to help Future Center practitioners and other future oriented working environments stakeholders to explicitly address empowerment issues.Originality/valueThis paper provides a detailed description of the operation of a regionally focused Future Center in the educational sector. The paper presents a novel empowerment ecology framework for use in facilitated user‐centered collaborative working environments, such as Future Centers.
Fictional reality or real fiction: how can one decide?
Authors: Jucquois‐Delpierre Monique 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThis paper aims to examine information and communication science, knowledge and power in relation to a TV “docu‐fiction”. In particular, it will look at the decision‐making processes of individuals and groups.Design/methodology/approachCore information behaviour such as selection and evaluation are examined.FindingsSome concepts from the fields of information or communication studies are critically examined, e.g. “gatekeeper” or “classification” and re‐analysed in a TV and multi‐channel broadcasting environment.Practical implicationsPositive conclusions show the possible impact of expanding information culture, competence and selection skills, whereby attention is paid to the ethical consequences of information mise en scène.Originality/valueThe obvious, popular and close example of the RTBF “docu‐fiction” can be a model to re‐think and reflect many information programmes and narratives.
Paradoxical effects of the Internet from a consumer perspective
Authors: Penz Elfriede 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the Internet's paradoxical nature from the perspective of consumers.Design/methodology/approachFirst, it is discussed that negotiations between companies and consumers about their respective shares of power lead to different models of consumer power. Second, the paradoxical effects of technology on social relations and an individual's sense of identity and responsibility are discussed. These changes have altered not only consumer behaviour but also the relationship between producers and customers, in the sense that power shifts to consumers. The case of the international music industry is used as an example. This case embodies many of the studied aspects of the paradox concept and proves useful in the development of implications for companies and their strategies.FindingsThe paper finds that while negotiations between companies and consumers about their share of power lead to different models of consumer power, the effects of technology on social relations and individuals' sense of identity and responsibility lead to changes in consumption behaviour.Practical implicationsThe paper identifies how business practices have changed in response to the changes in intellectual property matters and the power constellations between companies and consumers. The theoretical models presented in this paper represent different positions that companies and consumers can take and are helpful in explaining the current power struggles, such as file sharing activities, which on a more individual level also correspond to paradoxical effects of the Internet (social relations, deindividuation effects).Originality/valueThis paper takes a fresh look at the Internet's paradoxical nature from a consumer point of view. It is argued that some of the Internet's paradoxical effects stem from socio‐political and socio‐cultural changes, for example, a power shift from companies to consumers, and normative and anti‐normative behaviours.
The economic paradox of the “freebies” phenomena
Authors: Rudzki Romuald E.J. , Li Shaomei 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThe paper aims to report the findings of a research study into the “freebies” phenomena – the provision of free goods and services by companies. Such activities are seemingly an economic paradox because they should not occur in a profit‐based organization – either privately owned or publicly owned where there is a fiduciary duty to maximise the return for the shareholders.Design/methodology/approachExamples of freebies are given and used to construct a typology together with the underlying motivation or rationales for the provision of the freebies, as well as a determination of who pays for the freebies.FindingsA major step forward in understanding the concept of “freebies” is achieved with the construction of the BIGI Model which identifies the four main reasons for freebies provision being Brand building (including new product launch), income generation, government legislation and information gathering.Practical implicationsThis paper provides substantial insight into how “freebies” can be effectively utilized as a direct marketing tool and, alternatively, common errors to avoid when employing the use of “freebies”.Originality/valueWhile the use of free samples of products has been widely employed by firms over a number of years, there has been no real systematic evaluation of the process in terms of its efficiency as a direct marketing tool.
Tools vs toys: does your technology work for you or play with you?
Authors: Keillor Bruce D. 
Published: October 2007

PurposeOne of the most important decisions any firm can make is the adopting of new technology. This paper aims to propose ten guidelines for “best practices” in adopting new technology.Design/methodology/approachUsing first‐hand business experience, the author presents and discusses common mistakes to avoid when considering the purchase of both new hardware and software technology.FindingsMany firms mistake “new” for “better” and overlook the impact, explicit and implicit, technology changes can have on their organizations, partners, suppliers, customers, and employees.Practical implicationsThe paper gives a foundational guideline for firms seeking to purchase new technology that will make them both more effective and efficient.Originality/valueIn the context of direct marketing, few experts have directly addressed the issues of effectively adopting new technology rather than effectively implementing the technology post‐purchase.
Managerial performance of Palestinian local authorities
Authors: Rashid Sabri Nidal , Yaser Jaber Rania 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThis study aims to analyze major concerns facing the Palestinian local governments in order to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency in managing local governments.Design/methodology/approachA special questionnaire was developed to collect the perception of the municipalities' officials; thus qualitative data analysis has been done to analyze the answers.FindingsThe study found that the efficiency of local government is still limited in the Palestinian municipalities, including the absence of an internal auditor, the absence of written job descriptions for municipality functions, the weakness participation of the public. The study pointed out that the major‐managerial problems are similar to other experiences of emerging countries such as the undefined local‐central relation, the low participation and involvement of citizens in municipalities' activities and plans, and the lack of existing transparency aspects.Practical implicationsThere is a need for open public‐official sessions of municipal councils and the need for periodical meetings for senior officials with the Mayer of the municipality; in addition, there is a need to conduct annual periodical evaluation for measuring the performance of municipal employees.Originality/valueThis paper presented the features of the local‐government performance in Palestine in order to enhance the management efficiency of local governments and enhance the contribution of the related groups of communities.
Establishing a framework for eGovernment research: project VIEGO
Authors: Elliman Tony , Irani Zahir , Jackson Paul 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory research project to determine the needs for future eGovernment research. The project aimed particularly at getting relevant stakeholder views as a contrast to the received academic wisdom or political rhetoric.Design/methodology/approachThe Virtual Institute for Electronic Government Research used a series of five consultation workshops spread around the UK, to acquire data which were subsequently analysed using a grounded theory approach.FindingsThe paper finds that full achievements of eGovernment have yet to been determined. Stakeholders are not eager to develop more novel IT but among their primary concerns are the need to understand how to manage constant change, the need for flexibility and the need to coordinate and integrate policy and practice.Research limitations/implicationsThere are still many unanswered questions and the future research agenda will require a multi‐disciplinary approach involving a combination of social, technological and organisational issues.Practical implicationsLack of an agreed concept of social value and poor co‐ordination is holding back progress.Originality/valueThis paper outlines the need for such fieldwork and discusses the methodology adopted to elicit the stakeholders' views without influencing the debate. It also presents schemas showing the interaction of research issues around the main findings.
Is electricity deregulation beneficial to Israel?
Authors: Tishler Asher , Woo Chi‐Keung 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThe objective of the paper is to analyse the economic justification of introducing deregulation to Israel's regulated electricity market and infer whether such a policy change makes sense for the country.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs an analytical model of electricity market equilibrium under regulation and deregulation. It considers two technologies – coal‐fired generators and combined cycle gas turbines, and two time‐of‐day prices – peak and off‐peak. It analyzes pricing, revenues, profits and consumer surplus both for the regulated industry and the deregulated industry where firms compete, during the peak and off‐peak periods, according to the Cournot conjecture. The model is then applied to the Israeli case.FindingsThe analysis shows that a workably competitive electricity market with financially viable firms does not improve net benefits to Israeli society. A deregulated market is likely to yield smaller net benefits than a regulated market, and certainly a smaller consumer surplus. This happens since efficiency improvements in generation costs under deregulation will not be sufficient to compensate for the reduction in consumer surplus due to higher electricity prices under deregulation.Research limitations/implicationsThe simplifications used in the analytical model for ease of analysis and presentation could have influenced some results.Practical implicationsThe findings of the paper would have significant relevance for electricity sector deregulation in Israel and other regions that currently have a regulated electricity sector (e.g. Hong Kong, Africa, and many parts of North America).Originality/valueThe value of the paper lies in its ability to demonstrate the inherent weaknesses of the deregulation policy through an analytical model.
Sensitivity analyses in multi‐attribute decision support for off‐site nuclear emergency and recovery management
Authors: Bertsch Valentin , Treitz Martin , Geldermann Jutta , Rentz Otto 
Published: October 2007

PurposeEmergency situations may differ in many ways but they share some common characteristics, such as the sudden onset and the need to transparently evaluate various usually conflicting objectives. In nuclear power generation, however, emergency situations constitute a special challenge. The focus of this paper is to highlight the role of multi‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in nuclear emergency and recovery management on the basis of a hypothetical case study.Design/methodology/approachMulti‐attribute value theory as one field of research within MCDA is introduced. Special emphasis is placed on the modelling of the decision makers' preferences which is a crucial part in any multi‐criteria analysis. A central aim is to facilitate the preference elicitation in group decision processes.FindingsThe management of emergency situations in nuclear power generation necessitates the consideration of technical, economic, environmental, socio‐psychological and political aspects. Furthermore, various stakeholder and expert groups with diverse background knowledge and different views, responsibilities and interests are involved in such a decision‐making process. MCDA can help to take into account various incommensurable aspects and the subjective preferences of the decision makers and thus contribute to transparency and traceability of decision‐making processes. Since the preference parameters are inherently afflicted with uncertainties, thorough sensitivity analyses are important to visualise the impact of the uncertainties in an understandable way.Originality/valueA new approach to sensitivity analysis is proposed, allowing one to comprehensibly visualise and communicate the impact of the uncertainties associated with the subjective preference parameters on the results of the decision analysis.
The governance of oil supply: an institutional perspective on NOC control and the questions it poses
Authors: Boscheck Ralf 
Published: October 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer an appreciation of the role of national oil companies (NOCs) which control roughly 90 percent of the global hydrocarbon reserves, and whose operating and investment decisions affect prices, demand adjustments as well as their countries' policy options. Given that the role of NOCs is poorly understood largely due to prevailing economic and political clichés that substitute for analysis, this paper takes an institutional economics perspective to analyse the issue of NOC governance and related issues.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts an integrative approach. First, it introduces the language of institutional economics to broadly structure a review of NOC governance. It then links the theoretical discussion to an assessment of the macro‐economic imperatives to which the NOC and its governance may need to respond. Finally, an audit trail is used for assessing cases in their particular institutional, cultural and physical conditions. Any simple comparisons — across highly variable contexts – would not only be contentious but also run counter to institutionalist methodology.FindingsThe paper shows that NOCs need not be treated as black boxes. They constitute an institutional response to failing market coordination with international oil companies and a means for producer countries to align political and economic interests. Yet, overriding the market and creating powerful stand‐alone, state‐owned, state‐run enterprises raise efficiency and broader regulatory concerns. The paper shows how institutional economics offers a conceptual apparatus to identify options for regulating NOCs at interrelated levels of control and suggests the need for case‐by‐case assessment.Research limitations/implicationsApplying the conceptual apparatus outlined in the paper may allow future research to systematically discuss particular features of NOC governance, generate more general pattern models, and thereby improve the base for decisions on NOC's strategies and regulation.Originality/valueThe originality of the paper lies in its integrated approach of analysis and employing the institutional economics approach to the case studies to reveal the role of NOCs in the energy scene.
Evaluation of electricity rates through characterization and forecasting of energy consumption
Authors: Di Silvio Bruna , Cesarotti Vittorio , Introna Vito 
Published: October 2007

PurposeLiberalisation of the European electricity sector has allowed the industrial consumers to freely choose their electricity suppliers. Proliferation of different contract proposals for such supply means that all proposals need to be carefully evaluated for correct supplier renewal choice. The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology for the evaluation of heterogeneous proposals of electricity supply that would help industrial consumers to be ready to face supply contractors.Design/methodology/approachThe method relies on a three‐stage analysis: characterisation of electricity consumption in the industrial process; demand forecasts based on energy drivers and consumption characterisation; and finally a detailed tariff analysis. The method is illustrated through a case study of a renewal contract of an Italian industrial plant with a 20 percent incidence of electrical energy cost on the final product. The investigation also includes a sensitivity analysis on combustible basket price and the distribution of daily working load.FindingsThe evaluation of 14 proposals for the case study was carried out and the best offer for the case study company was selected. However, the overall price variation is 4 percent among different proposals and the electrical energy price shows an increase of 12 percent compared with the previous year. This suggests limited effectiveness of the competitive market in the Italian context.Practical implicationsThe method can be considered as a practical guide for the electrical energy contract renewal process of any industrial consumer that would help minimize its cost.Originality/valueThe proposed method is based on an innovative investigation of the consumption characterisation of the industry based on energy drivers. This approach allows the industries to develop their own strategies for the contract renewal. The analysis presented here could be expanded to include more specific supply clauses for a more comprehensive analysis.