Infosys v2n032 (October 16, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/infosys/infs-v2n032 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * INFOSYS: The Electronic Newsletter for Information Systems * * Volume 2, Number 32 ISSN: 1173-3764 October 16, 1995 * * * * Editor: Dennis W. Viehland, Massey University, New Zealand * * Listowners: Greg Welsh, American University, Washington DC * * Peter M. Weiss, Penn State * * Sponsor: boyd & fraser publishing, Danvers, Massachusetts * * * * Current Subscribers = 4,076 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * * * * * * * * * * * EDITOR'S NOTE - Corrections to Special Issue; /EAOs, article #s * * NEWS - From Edupage * * ANNOUNCEMENT - Computing and Social Responsibility (WWW site) * * ANNOUNCEMENT - Exhibit Space at Info Industry Assoc Convention * * REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE - Virtual Learning Environment Project * * CONFERENCE - Information Systems Education Conference * * CONFERENCE - NII for Social and Economic Development in Asia * * CALL FOR PAPERS - On-line Technology in Management Track at IABD * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist/Assoc Prof of Mgmt Info Systems * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * EDITOR'S NOTE - Corrections to Special Issue; /EAOs, article #s * * Dennis Viehland, Massey University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The publication of the INFOSYS Special Issue (revised Welcome Message) caused quite a few subscribers to request deletion of duplicate addresses, a sharp increase in requests for the Calendar of Upcoming Events, and some promotion in IS-oriented e-mail lists. Two minor corrections were also brought to my attention: First, the gopher address for the INFOSYS Calendar of Upcoming Events should be: --Gopher: gopher to listserv.american.edu; choose INFOSYS Second, I failed to acknowledge that both InfoSys Junction (home of the INFOSYS home page) and the ISWORLD e-mail list are part of ISWorld Net.The following paragraph has been added: InfoSys Junction is part of ISWorld Net, an initiative for the development of an international information infrastructure for creating, disseminating, and applying knowledge in Information Systems. ISWNet is located at http://www.isworld.org/isworld.html On a related note, if you are unaware of ISWorld Net or if you have not visited recently I suggest you check it out. ISWorld Net is constantly evolving and new initiatives such as an on-line faculty directory and a Professional Activities page should be of interest to many INFOSYS subscribers. ISWorld Net is a WWW resource all IS professionals should be accessing regularly. Finally, something new: INFOSYS is now available to Amiga computer users in the AmigaGuide format. To subscribe or get more information contact Jeff Doan at jdoan@capaccess.org. The Welcome Message on the listserver has been updated to include these changes. INFOSYS readers can obtain a revised copy by sending the following command to listserv@american.edu: send infosys welcome Regards my proposal to drop the \EOA markers, eight subscribers wrote to say that they use them to read or archive INFOSYS. That is good enough for me so they stay. No one wrote to say the article numbers were essential and, as I suggested, they are a bit of a pain to track and insert. Accordingly, this is the first issue of INFOSYS that does not include article numbers. Thanks to all who submitted comments. Coming in the next issue: INFOSYS promotion. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From Edupage * * Dennis Viehland, Massey University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MANAGING A WEALTH OF DIGITIZED INFORMATION: Nobel laureate economist Herbert Simon points out: "What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it." University of California, Berkeley Dean Hal Varian predicts the emergence of "information managers" who provide a value-added filtering process in sifting and managing information to make it meaningful to the rest of society. Varian calls for a balance in intellectual property protection and a rewrite of existing copyright laws in order to reap the fullest benefit from the cornucopia of information at our digital fingertips. (Scientific American Sep 95 p200) Editor's Note: The Sept 1995 issue of Scientific American is a special issue on "Key Technologies for the 21st Century." Includes articles on future of microprocessors, AI, VR, robotics, digital literacy, the information economy and much more outside of IS. I consider it to be essential reading for IS professionals who expect their careers to extend into the next century. WOMEN AND TECHNOLOGY -- PLUS AND MINUS: At the UN Women's Conference in Beijing, New York University professor Pamela Fraser-Abder said that information technology has various positive benefits for women, including a decrease in the need for child care: "You can work at home earning income. Women on maternity leave can carry on working and keep in touch." But UK Labour MP remained skeptical: "Care for the children, be a housewife, and a high-powered woman at home is a myth. Part of the joy of work is colleagues and of leaving home and operating in a different way." (Financial Times 14 Sep 95 p4) LSI LOGIC SQUEEZES MORE TRANSISTORS ONTO CHIP LSI Logic Corp. has figured out a way to fit as many as 49 million transistors onto a silicon chip -- five times more than current technology. The company's G10 process can inscribe lines about 0.25 micron wide, compared with 0.5 using its earlier process. "We think this puts them about two years ahead of the pack," says the president of International Business Strategies. (Wall Srt Journal 18 Sep 95 B9) INTERNET -- THE NETWORKER'S NETWORK: Netscape CEO Jim Clark thinks eventually the Internet will supersede private networks: "...With cryptography you would have virtual private networks on the public Internet. Why lease your own lines and put in your own POPs and all of this stuff to build a network when the Internet's already there? All you have to do is use the software to make it secure. Which is exactly what they (Microsoft) are doing and which is what I have been arguing to America Online and CompuServe and Prodigy that they should do. They've got years of investment and can't make a sudden switch to something new. But that's what they've got to go toward, because it's a better way." (Upside, Oct 95 p28) ORACLE PLANS INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE TO NETSCAPE: Oracle will soon offer a set of client-server development tools for building applications on the Web. Its Oracle Web Browser is touted as the intelligent alternative to Netscape's Navigator. "The browsers on the market are really dumb. They don't allow you to validate information or take advantage of the client-server paradigm," says Oracle's VP of client-server systems. "Our browser will let users do both." Netscape is planning to retaliate with similarly intelligent software later this year, and Next Computer Inc. recently debuted its own set of tools for writing Internet applications. Steve Jobs remains skeptical about Oracle's ability to compete: "I think it's great Oracle is getting into the fray, and there's no doubt they will be a player. But they're on their first-generation product." (Information Week 25 Sep 95 p101) INTEL'S P6 RE-CHRISTENED "PENTIUM PRO": Intel has decided to call its next-generation P6 chip the "Pentium Pro," building on the name recognition established by its current Pentium chip. The new chip will begin shipping sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, and is geared toward running 32-bit applications on 32-bit operating systems such as Windows NT. Users with 16-bit applications will not see dramatic improvements in operating speed. The company predicts the Pentium Pro will become the chip standard by 1997, but its success will be directly linked to how fast consumers and businesses switch over to 32-bit systems. (Wall Street Journal 20 Sep 95 B8) INFO SYSTEMS BUDGETS ON THE RISE: A recent survey by Computer Economics Inc. found that information systems budgets were up at least 10% over the previous year at 87% of the 350 large companies and government organizations polled. At the same time, average IS budgets fell to 2.32% of overall company revenue, compared with 2.39% for the same period. (Information Week 25 Sep 95 p20) NEW ONLINE SERVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE AT&T, Dun & Bradstreet, General Electric and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have banded together to offer an online service geared toward the needs of businesses engaging in international trade. IBEX, the International Business Exchange, will allow companies to post anonymous requests for goods and services on a BBS, and companies interested in bidding would then respond electronically, with the negotiation process taking place over the network. "The way people conduct international trade today is they look at directories, they get on airplanes and they receive unsolicited letters. This system allows businesses to locate, qualify and negotiate with business partners around the world from your PC," says the CEO of the Global Business Alliance, which manages IBEX. The service will cost $250 to join and $5 per transaction. (Wall Street Journal 26 Sept 95 B6) TEACHERS STILL LAG ON TECHNOLOGY TRAINING: California's superintendent of public instruction says schools are still woefully behind other industries in preparing their employees to use technology: "Nationwide, Fortune magazine reported that last year businesses spent well over $2 billion training their employees on the use of technology, but 90% of the teachers in America reported that they were 100% self-taught. Everyone has to understand that if you do not have the ability to use computer technology in the 21st century, you will be as competitively disadvantaged as if you couldn't read at the turn of the last century. The failure to give kids these tools amounts to economic insanity." (Investor's Business Daily 28 Sep 95 A8) BREAK-INS COMMON, SAYS COMPUTER SECURITY INSTITUTE: A survey of 320 large organizations shows 20% experienced some type of computer break-in over the past year, but many security experts say those figures are low due to companies' reluctance to admit there's a problem. "Twenty percent -- you've got to be kidding me," says the president of one security consulting firm. "It's more like 98%." An analyst at the Computer Security Institute, which conducted the survey, says the real number's more like 50%: "Many who responded 'no' are simply in denial. Others don't know they're being penetrated." (Information Week 9 Oct 95 p98) NETSCAPE TO PURCHASE COLLABRA: Netscape Communications will acquire groupware supplier Collabra Software Inc. for $108 million in Netscape stock. "Netscape has the potential to become a very legitimate competitor in the workgroup computing space," says an analyst at Gartner Group. "This acquisition will give it more complex server processes and the ability to exploit the replication engine and message features of Collabra. I think Netscape is trying to establish a universal interface in electronic information sharing." New versions of Netscape Navigator browser and Netscape servers, available early next year, will incorporate Collabra Share groupware capabilities. (Information Week 9 Oct 95 p86) PC REPLACES TV AS AFTER-SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT: A new study from FIND/SVP shows parents in nearly two-thirds of PC households reporting that their children watch less TV as a direct result of using the family computer. That figure rises to almost three- quarters in homes with CD-ROM-equipped PCs. Young girls (up to 6th grade) actually use the PCs more than boys, but that trend reverses itself among older groups of children. (The American Household Survey, FIND/SVP) Editor's Note: Edupage, a summary of news items on information technology, is a service of Educom. This is an abbreviated list of news items of interest to the IS community from the September 14, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28, October 5, and 12 issues. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENT - Computing and Social Responsibility (WWW site) * * Simon Rogerson, De Montfort University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility announces the launch of CCSR's new home page at: http://www.cms.dmu.ac.uk/CCSR Our aim is to establish this as a major reference site for both academics and practitioners concerned with the sensitive application of the information technologies. New information and new links to other sites will be added regularly, these being highlighted for ease of use. If you know of other relevant home pages that would be worth linking to please let us have the details. We are in the process of building a multilingual bibliography for computer ethics which will be made available in the future. If you have any items that you would like to include in this bibliography please e-mail the details. Such contributions will be acknowledged. In conjunction with the Research Center on Computing and Society at Southern Connecticut State University, we are establishing a global consortium of centres to promote the work of computer ethics on an international basis. If you are interested in being involved in this work please contact us. I hope you enjoy visiting our home page and please let us have your suggestions as to how we can make it even better! Simon Rogerson Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility School of Computing Sciences De Montfort University The Gateway Leicester LE1 9BH UK Voice: +44 116 255 1551 extn 8511 Fax: +44 116 254 1891 E-mail: ccsr@dmu.ac.uk \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENT - Exhibit Space at Info Industry Assoc Convention * * Serge I. Obolensky, Information Industry Assoc * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Information Industry Association Annual Convention and Exhibition October 22-25, 1995 Toronto, Canada For 27 years, IIA has been recognized as the leading organization addressing issues pertinent to information content providers worldwide. IIA's expanding membership encompasses the entire information industry spectrum comprising some of the best known publishers, leading builders of tomorrow's infrastructure, and innovative developers of technologies. If you sell to the information industry, IIA's Annual Convention delivers the information experts who buy your products and services. The theme for the 1995 convention is "Romancing the Nets -- Profit Strategies for the Electronic Marketplace" and reflects an IIA vision of the changing market environment for information services and the business opportunities that are emerging as a result. The conference program will draw the "who's who" of the information industry from the United States, Canada, and around the world. The Eighth Special Working Meeting of GAIIA Senior Representatives brings together an expanding network of information industry associations working collectively to forge new patterns of business relations in building the global information infrastructure. This year's convention will also mark the second meeting of the World Financial Information Conference (WFIC). To reserve your space, or get information contact: Andrea Peterson Information Industry Association 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W. Suite 800 Washington, D.C. 20001 Voice: 202-639-8262 Fax: 202-638-4493 E-mail: sobolen@msn.com \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE - Virtual Learning Environment Project * * Beata M. Lobert, Texas Christian University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 100 Texas-based MBAs Looking for Partners to Get Virtual During Spring 1996 If you or your colleagues are interested in having your students work in virtual teams while learning about (and on!) the InfoSuperhighway, then this project will be of interest to you. Educational goals of the project: --active learning in diverse virtual teams that develops an appreciation of electronic media, team interaction and learning- to-learn issues --critical/ integrative knowledge building in the areas of electronic commerce, electronic communities and virtual organizations, including the enabling role of IT --learning about the Internet's capabilities for retrieving and communicating information as well as providing resources to support creative and decision making processes. Tools utilized: --e-mail, listserv, ftp, irc, browsers --web-based decision support tools and creativity resources --videoconferencing (optional) Student qualifications: --enrollment in an MBA program during Spring 1996 semester --fluency in English --individual e-mail account with access to the Internet, including the World-Wide-Web --access to a videoconferencing facility (optional) Team structure: --team size: 5 to 10 (depending on the number of partners) --team members with diverse backgrounds and competence (some possibly enrolled in other than MIS classes) --team members with different types of electronic communication media available to them (text vs text and audio/video) Task (tentative): --development of a business plan for a service-oriented virtual organization based on each team's unique competence that creates an innovative business on the Net. --creation of a common electronic document and a short presentation using either presentation software (PowerPoint, Freelance, etc), VHS, or HTML. For more information or to register your interest contact: Beata M. Lobert, PhD Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems M.J. Neeley School of Business Texas Christian University Box 32868 Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA Voice: (817) 921 7122 Fax: (817) 921 7227 E-mail: b.lobert@tcu.edu \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONFERENCE - Information Systems Education Conference * * Eli Cohen, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Information Systems Education Conference November 3-5, 1995 Charlotte, North Carolina USA The Information Systems Education Conference offers over 40 sessions, including keynote addresses by Milt Jenkins, Paul Gillin (Editor, Computerworld), and Steve Gilbert (Am Assoc for Higher Ed). Further information on the conference and registration can be found at http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/isecon95 (case sensitive) or by contacting the conference chair at eli_cohen@acm.org. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONFERENCE - NII for Social and Economic Development in Asia * * Malulee Pornchockchai * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * International Conference on National Information Infrastructure for Social and Economic Development in Asia: Government Management, Electronic Commerce, Health Care, and Education November 28-30, 1995 Bangkok, Thailand The purpose of the conference is to promote the application of information services and information networks for economic and social development in Asia, through the sharing of experiences and lessons learned on important issues such as applications of IT in public services, education, health care, as well as private sector's contribution in IT development, etc. In addition, it will provide a forum for discussion on how Asia will cope with the information infrastructure challenge and any common agenda to be addressed, both nationally and regionally. Key Issues Addressed --public-private sector collaboration as a means to achieve the information infrastructure --re-engineering government administration with information technology --the role of information infrastructure in human resource development --improving health care service delivery and management through information infrastructure --international cooperation in the development of the Asia-Pacific Information Infrastructure Sessions --Achieving Information Infrastructure through Public/ Private Sector Collaboration --Government Services and Electronic Commerce: Cornerstones of an Information Infrastructure --Government Administration: Re-engineering with Information Infrastructures --Enabling Health Care with Information Infrastructure --Human Resources Development and Information Infrastructure --Ensuring Adequate Telecommunications Access and Services for APII Registration Information The fee for this 2 1/2 day-conference is US$300 (THB 7,500) For more information including a more complete program, transportation, accommodations and a registration form: Sophawan Saengchai, NECTEC NII Conference Secretariat NECTEC, Ministry of Science Technology and Environmen Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand Voice: (662) 248-8078-84 ext. 623-627 Fax: (662) 247-1335, 644-6653 E-mail: nii_conf@nwg.nectec.or.th http://www.nectec.or.th/bureaux/nitc/nii_conf.html \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - On-line Technology in Management Track at IABD * * Marsha Woodbury, Univ of Illinois - Urbana-Ch * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The International Academy of Business Disciplines (IABD) Eighth Annual Meeting "A Strategic Approach to Globalization Through Technology and Diversity" April 11-14, 1996 Rockville, Maryland USA This conference is unique for its diversity in attendees and topics. Tracks range from advertising, marketing, and management to research We are looking for your research papers in On-line Technology in Management. For more information about submitting a paper contact: Dr. Marsha Woodbury, Track Chair for On-line Technology in Management 310 W. Iowa Urbana, IL 61801 Fax: 217-356-7050 E-mail: marsha-w@uiuc.edu For further details about the conference contact: Pravat K. Choudhury (202-806-1554) or Dr. Cecil G. Howard (202-806-1537) Howard University, Washington DC Conference registration fee is $100 if paid before March 10, 1996. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist/Assoc Prof of Mgmt Info Systems * * J P Shim, Mississippi State Univ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Department of Management and Information Systems Mssissippi State University The Department of Management and Information Systems invites tenure- track applications for positions with specialities in management information systems. Mississippi State University offers an MIS major through its undergraduate program, an MIS major through its MSBA (Master's) program, an MIS Concentration through its MBA program, and an MIS major in the DBA (Doctoral) program. The Department has nineteen faculty (13 Management and 6 MIS). New Position (1): Rank available: Assistant Professor or Associate Professor Average annual teaching load: 18 hours US citizen required: No Permanent Residency required: Yes Start date: August 1996 Annual salary: open Teaching Requirements: undergraduate and graduate MIS courses Research Requirements: strong research interest PhD or DBA in MIS Refereed journal pubs To apply, send letter of application, vita, and names, addresses, and phone numbers of three references to: Dr. Garry Smith, Head Department of Management and Information Systems P.O. Box 9581 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS 39762 (601) 325-3928 (Department Secretary) \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ABOUT INFOSYS * * INFOSYS is an electronic newsletter for faculty, students, and * * practitioners in the field of Information Systems. INFOSYS * * publishes news items, requests for assistance, calls for papers * * announcements of professional meetings and conferences, position * * announcements, journal table of contents, and other items of * * interest to the Information Systems community. * * * * INFOSYS is published biweekly, more frequently if volume requires * * it. INFOSYS operates as an electronic mailing list on listserv * * software at American University in Washington, DC. The editor is * * Dennis W. Viehland . * * * * INFOSYS is sponsored by boyd & fraser, publishers of educational * * materials for computer and information education. Contact Bill * * Lisowski or visit http://www.bf.com/bf.html * * or gopher.bf.com for more information about boyd & fraser. * * * * To subscribe to INFOSYS send the following one-line e-mail * * message to listserv@american.edu: subscribe infosys yourfirstname * * yourlastname (e.g., subscribe infosys John Smith). You will * * receive a welcome letter that will tell you more about INFOSYS * * and listserv. To cancel your subscription send the following * * message to listserv@american.edu: unsubscribe infosys * * * * Guidelines for submitting articles to INFOSYS are published in * * the Welcome message each new subscriber receives (or e-mail "get * * infosys welcome" to listserv@american.edu). Send articles to * * infosys@american.edu or d.viehland@massey.ac.nz. * * * * The INFOSYS Calendar of Upcoming Events is updated fortnightly * * and can be obtained in the following ways: * * --E-mail: send the following one-line message to * * listserv@american.edu: get infosys calendar * * --FTP: anonymous FTP to ftp.american.edu; file is pub/infosys/ * * infosys.calendar * * --Gopher: gopher to listserv.american.edu; choose INFOSYS * * --WWW: forthcoming * * * * INFOSYS Back Issues are archived by Robert McArthur at: * * AUSTRALIA: http://www.fit.qut.edu.au/~mcarthur/infosys/ * * by Eric Morgan (N Carolina State Univ) at: * * USA: ftp://ftp.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/infosys/ * * USA: wais://wais.lib.ncsu.edu/infosys * * USA: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/infosys-index.html * * by Brian Fitzgerald (University College Cork) at: * * EUROPE: http://www.ucc.ie/htbin/infosys * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *