Infosys v3n001 (January 18, 1996) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/infosys/infs-v3n001 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * INFOSYS: The Electronic Newsletter for Information Systems * * Volume 3, Number 1 ISSN: 1173-3764 January 18, 1996 * * * * 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 = 5,047 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * * * * * * * * * * * EDITOR'S NOTE - Annual Acknowledgments * * NEWS - From Innovation * * CONTENTS - IS Research, Sept 1995 (v6 n3) and Dec 1995 (v6 n4) * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Financial Information Systems Conference * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Elec Comm, Trade Efficiency and Effectiveness * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Modeling Methods in Systems Analysis and Design * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Human-Computer Interface in Info System Design * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * EDITOR'S NOTE - Annual Acknowledgments * * Dennis Viehland, Massey University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The beginning of a new year and the first issue of volume 3 of INFOSYS is an excellent opportunity for me to acknowledge the contributions of others who help me publish INFOSYS. An electronic newsletter needs a mailing list server and fellow listowner Greg Welsh and Jim MacIntosh at American University insure that each issue is distributed without delay or problems. Other INFOSYS services such as the Calendar of Upcoming Events and archived back issues are also provided by American University. Peter Weiss is an INFOSYS listowner, Listserver guru and master of the Internet. INFOSYS readers who are listowners know that one of the most important, and time consuming, responsibilities of list management is keeping the mailing list up to date. Peter does that for INFOSYS and he does it better than anyone I know. INFOSYS is sponsored by boyd & fraser, publishers of educational materials for computer and information education. We are grateful for their sponsorship and hope INFOSYS readers will remember this when their b&f representative comes to call. Tell them you are an INFOSYS subsriber and that you appreciate their sponsorship. Back issues of INFOSYS are maintained by several individuals on several continents (see About INFOSYS at end for more information). The contributions of Robert McArthur, Eric Morgan and Brian Fitzgerald are sincerely appreciated. I am grateful to Bob O'Keefe and Hsiang-Jui Kung at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute for their efforts in establishing and maintaining the INFOSYS home page: http://www.rpi.edu/~okeefe/infosys/InfoSys/infosys.html Even though it is my name in the From: box of each issue, please remember that INFOSYS is a success only because there is a competent team who are there to back me up. I really, truly could not publish INFOSYS without their assistance. - - - - - - - - This is also an appropriate time to acknowledge and thank the editors of Edupage, Innovation, Flash Information and The Computists Communique for allowing me to extract items of interest to the global Information Systems community for republication in the NEWS articles in INFOSYS. If you like what you read in INFOSYS try a subscription using the instructions given below. The four electronic publications are: Edupage is a summary of news items on information technology provided three times each week as a service by Educom, a Washington, D.C.-based consortium of leading colleges and universities. To subscribe to Edupage send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu and in the body of the message type: subscribe edupage Barbara Rom (assuming that your name is Barbara Rom; if it's not, substitute your own name). Edupage is written by John Gehl (gehl@educom.edu) and Suzanne Douglas (douglas@educom.edu). Innovation offers a weekly summary of trends, strategies, and innovations in business and technology, giving you an executive briefing on ideas for the future. Innovation is published weekly, with individual subscriptions available at $15 a year. For a free six-week trial subscription to Innovation, type the word "subscribe" in the body (not subject!) of a message to: innovation- request@NewsScan.com. Innovation is written by John Gehl and Suzanne Douglas. Flash Information, a weekly electronic bibliographic/news bulletin, is produced and distributed by the Integrated Service for Information Resources (ISIR), the information centre of the Centre for Information Technology Innovation (CITI). The scope and content of Flash Information are focused on CITI's applied research programs which are: 1) Adaptive Information Systems; 2) Computer-aided Translation; 3) Networked Cultural Information Systems; 4) Performance Support Systems; 5) Technology and Society; and 6) Work and Technology. Suggestions, questions, subscriptions: flash@citi.doc.ca. Web site: http://www.citi.doc.ca The Computists' Communique is a weekly listing of events, positions, grants, and news in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Information Systems with personal observations and musings by editor Ken Laws at no extra charge :-). A subscription to TCC differs according to the discounts to which you are entitled, but a full moon subscription (one issue per month) is available for free from laws@ai.sri.com. Now....drum roll please....volume 3 of INFOSYS, the Electronic Newsletter for Information Systems. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From Innovation * * Dennis Viehland, Massey University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * VIRTUAL MARKETSPACE: Better information doesn't just help you play better: it changes the whole nature of the game. For example, Harvard Business School professors Jeffrey Rayport and John Sviokla say that "in today's world of overcapacity, in which demand, not supply, is scarce," there needs to be a shift from supply-side to demand-side thinking, and organizations need to "sense and respond" to customers' desires rather than simply to make and sell products or services. Executives need to understand the axioms of the virtual marketspace, such as the law of digital assets, which are not used up in consumption. Companies that create and manage digital assets will have an enormous advantage competing against companies whose products must be priced based on the consumption of the underlying materials, such as chemical-based processes. ("Exploiting the Virtual Value Chain," Harvard Business Review Nov/Dec 95 p75) ATTENTION WANDERING? TRY OUTSOURCING: In past years, outsourcing of "non-core" activities was used mainly when organizations were in trouble. Now the trend is to use outsourcing as a strategic management tool, and a Cooper & Lybrand study of 400 small firms found that two-thirds were using it. Another trend is to use a very generous definition of the term "non-core" -- and outsource not only peripheral activities but many functions that are critical to the organization's success. Just because they're important to you doesn't mean you're the one who should be doing them. The head of one management services company says: "Anything that isn't revenue- generating should be regarded as a distraction." (Nation's Business Dec 96 p18) HOW FAST DOES WORD TRAVEL? Whereas word of mouth used to travel at a comparatively leisurely pace when transmission systems were limited to print, telephone and fax, the advent of e-mail has sped the process up considerably. Some students at Middlebury College found that the process depends on several factors: how many people initially and eventually receive the message; how often people check their e-mail; and how many people are in the total population. For example, with a population of 1,600 users, each of whom checks e-mail twice a day, if one person sends a message to two people, and half of those forward three copies, in about six days half the population will have received the original message. (Inc. Technology No. 4 95 p24) A SOFTWARE SYSTEM IS THE SUM OF ALL ITS LICENSED PARTS: Policy expert Richard Nelson of Columbia University says that software is a "systems" technology and that almost all software programs involve a combination of subprograms that fit together. Since different parties tend to hold rights on different parts of the system, putting together a state-of-the-art system and using it may require a considerable deal of licensing, which may be difficult to obtain. Nelson says that the patent codes of several other countries contain a provision for compulsory licensing of technology when it is needed to enable a company to exploit own invention, and he asks: "Should something like this be considered in the U.S.A.?" (R.N. Nelson, "Why Should Managers Be Thinking About Technology Policy?", Strategic Management Journal v16 1995 p581) ONE-TO-ONE MARKETING MADE EASY: BroadVision Inc. has a new software package that enables Web marketers to customize their sales pitch, based on surveys that users fill out online. Currently, Web shoppers see the same static pages each time they log on, but BroadVision's One-to-One software allows a user interested in mountain biking to immediately see pages selling biking gear as soon as they enter a sports equipment site. "The product itself isn't rocket science, but it addresses something people have been talking about for a long time in terms of what's needed for electronic commerce," says one online seller. (Information Week 18 Dec 95 p110) COMPUTERS INVADE THE EXECUTIVE SUITE: A survey of 245 CEOs, CFOs and senior vice presidents at U.S. firms with annual sales of $250 million or more shows 84% reporting they now have a computer on their desk. Fifty-one percent of those use their computers for online access almost every day, but for 19%, the CPU serves basically as a high-tech paperweight -- they use it rarely or never. Not surprisingly, younger executives are more likely to have a computer on their desks, and to use it for communications, as are executives at Fortune 1,000 companies. (Investor's Business Daily 27 Dec 95 A6) DIRECTORY SERVICES POINT THE WAY TO SUCCESS: You may have the best collection of data in your industry on your corporate network, but unless you can find it all and make sense of it, it's useless. That's where directory services come in: "A comprehensive directory service is what companies need to get all the data under one structure -- that's where the key is," says the systems manager for J.P. Morgan & Co. And the larger the network, the more important the single structure is. A directory is a collection of information specific to a single application, such as user-login data and user- access rights, but a directory service coordinates that information with every other application on the network, making replication unnecessary. "Directory services are key to any kind of information tracking," says a Control Data Systems executive. "You'll use directory services to store electronic forms and use it as an information database for calendaring, scheduling and even workflow processes." As a Novell exec echoes: "Directory services is going to be the heart of the network, from the departmental LAN to global networks." (Information Week 1 Jan 96 p24) SCALABLE COMMUNICATIONS: VAX creator Gordon Bell, who's now a senior researcher at Microsoft, sees an accelerating trend toward scalable networks and platforms that "will allow users to enjoy one system in a worldwide network of computers -- with everything-to-everything connectivity on a global basis, unlike the more hierarchical client/server model." On the way: wireless computing to provide anywhere, anytime connections; convergence of local area and wide area networks; video delivered via a combination of telephony and cable networks, with video also adopted by the Internet; and the "revolutionary" impact of speech input. (CIO 1 Jan 96 p78) Editor's Note: Innovation offers a weekly summary of trends, strategies, and innovations in business and technology. This is an abbreviated list of news items of interest to the IS community from the December 4, 11, 18, 1995 and the January 1, 8, 15, 1996 issues. Subscriptions are available at $15 a year. For a trial copy of Innovation, type the word "subscribe" in the body (not subject) of a message to innovation-request@newsscan.com. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONTENTS - IS Research, Sept 1995 (v6 n3) and Dec 1995 (v6 n4) * * John King, Univ of California-Irvine * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ISR Issue 6:3, nominally scheduled to be out in September, was delayed due to production problems that we did not foresee. Many of you have only reeived this recently. We apologize for the delay, and will try to avoid such delays in the future. ISR 6:4 will not be similarly delayed; subscribers should have it soon. Contents of Information Systems Research, September 1995 (v6 n3) Sarma Nidumolu, The effect of coordination and uncertainty on software project performance: residual performance risk as an intervening variable Murlidhar V. Koushik and Vijay S. Mookerjee, Modeling coordination in software construction: an analytical approach. H. Rahgav Rao and Abhijit Chaudhury with M. Chakka, Modeling team processes: issues and a specific example Teresa M. Shaft and Iris Vessey, Research Report: The relevance of application domain knowledge: the case of computer program comprehension - - - - - - - - - Contents of Information Systems Research, December 1995 (v6 n4) R. Sabherwal and D. Robey, Reconciling Variance and Process Strategies for Studying Information System Development. V.S. Mookerjee, M.V. Mannino, and R. Gilson, Improving the Performance Stability of Inductive Expert Systems Under Input Noise T. Asahi, D. Turo, and B. Shneiderman, Using Treemaps to Visualize the Analytical Hierarchy Process. G. Walsham, The Emergence of Interpretivism in IS Research \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Financial Information Systems Conference * * Roger Debreceny, Southern Cross University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Third Annual Financial Information Systems Conference 4-5 June 1996 Novotel, Sheffield, UK The effective use of financial information systems is critical to the success of the business. These systems include accounting information systems, management information systems, decision support systems, enterprise information systems and knowledge-based systems. The continual evolution of such systems is ensured by: --management's quest for better quality information --the rapid advances in technology and software --the growing importance of global markets --the application of new management theories and techniques Conference objectives: --to discuss current and emerging issues and research within financial information systems --to share experiences of the application of computer-based systems to the provision of financial information --to encourage the collaboration of academics, practitioners and software houses in the development of case studies, computer- based simulations and courseware --to ensure that educational objectives and teaching methodologies are in line with developments in financial information systems Submission Dates Abstracts (400-600 words plus up to six key words) clearly outlining the focus of the paper and summarising any conclusions should be submitted by Friday 26 January 1996. The submission date for accepted papers is Friday 12 April 1996. Latest information about the conference can be found at: http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/fsl/fisconf/index.html Send abstracts, enquiries and requests for further information to: Lesley Richmond Sheffield Hallam University Conference and Short Course Centre Collegiate Crescent Campus Sheffield S10 2BP Voice: +44 (0)114 253 2511 Fax: +44 (0)114 253 2217 E-mail: l.ricmond@shu.ac.uk Conference Organisers: Tony Aykroyd (j.a.aykroyd@shu.ac.uk), Gillian Hill, Marilyn May \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Elec Comm, Trade Efficiency and Effectiveness * * Roger Clarke, Australian National Univ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Ninth International Conference on EDI-IOS "Electronic Commerce for Trade Efficiency and Effectiveness" June 10-13, 1996 Bled, Slovenia This conference attracts speakers and delegates from business, government, information technology providers and universities and is the major venue for researchers working in any aspect of Electronic Commerce. There will be a variety of keynote speakers from industry and academe, including Professor Niels Bjorn-Andersen from the Copenhagen Business School, Professor Milt Jenkins from the University of Baltimore who has been named "US Educator of the Year" and a representative from Lotus Development Corporation. The conference has a wide appeal, offering: --A Research Track, devoted to researchers in all aspects of Electronic Commerce, EDI and Inter-Organisational Systems --An Industry Track which attracts eminent business people from Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region --An Exhibition of Information Technology for Electronic Commerce --A one-day Graduate Student Consortium for students researching any aspect of Electronic Commerce. Details, including the full call for papers, are available at: http://ecom.fovref.uni-mb.si/ Important Dates Submission of papers: 2 February 1996 Notification of acceptance: 29 March 1996 Submission of final versions: 26 April 1996 For general details on The Ninth International EDI-IOS Conference contact the Conference Chair: Professor Joze Gricar Center for the Study of Electronic Commerce Faculty of Organizational Sciences University of Maribor Presernova 11 64000 Kranj Slovenia Phone: +386-64-222-804 Fax: +386-64-221-424 E-mail: gricar@uni-lj.si For details on the Research Track programme, contact the Research Track Programme Chair: Associate Professor Paula Swatman Monash University E-mail: pswatman@monash.edu.au For details on the Graduate Students Consortium and Educational Symposium, contact the Consortium Chair: Professor A. Milton Jenkins University of Baltimore E-mail: mjenkins@ubmail.ubalt.edu \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Modeling Methods in Systems Analysis and Design * * Keng Siau, Univ of British Columbia * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Workshop on Evaluation of Modeling Methods in Systems Analysis and Design May 20-21, 1996 Crete, Greece Numerous modeling methods are used in systems analysis. New paradigms (most notably the object-oriented approach) and new models within a paradigm (there are at least a dozen different OO modeling methods) are constantly being introduced. Clearly, not all methods are suitable for all situations. Systematic evaluation is needed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each modeling method and the appropriate contexts and tasks where it can be most suitably applied. This understanding is important for the use of existing methods and for the development of new methods. Three categories of evaluation techniques can be identified: purely theoretical (e.g., the use of ontological or linguistic framework), purely empirical (e.g., experimental comparison of methods), and a hybrid of the two (i.e., theoretical approach with empirical evidence). Although the need for such studies is well-recognized, there is a paucity of research in the area. Evaluation of modeling methods remains a challenge in information systems engineering. There is clearly a need for innovative, effective, and efficient techniques for such evaluation. The objective of this workshop is to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners interested in modeling methods in systems analysis and design to meet, present research results and experience reports, and exchange ideas on the subject. Relevant topics for this workshop include theoretical and/or empirical methods to study and evaluate modeling methods used in (not exhaustive): --Information systems analysis --Business process redesign --Object-oriented analysis --Requirement engineering --Enterprise modeling --Data/database modeling The workshop is interested in work on theoretical foundations, research methods, case studies and experience reports related to modeling. Important dates: --(Optional) Send an e-mail message of interest, preferably with a short abstract (to 150 words): February 10, 1996 --Complete paper to be received by March 1, 1996 --Notification of Acceptance: April 1, 1996 Four copies of manuscript should be submitted to Keng Siau (co- chairperson) at the following address: Keng Siau Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration The University of British Columbia 2053 Main Mall, Vancouver B.C. Canada V6T 1Z2 E-mail: klsiau@unixg.ubc.ca The author(s) can submit an abstract of up to 150 words (using e-mail) to the co-chairperson (e-mail: klsiau@unixg.ubc.ca) for comments and suggestions. All submissions should be double-spaced and using Times 12pt or equivalent fonts. Papers are limited to 2,500 words (excluding abstract, tables, figures and references). A separate cover sheet should be enclosed containing the title of the paper, the author(s) and affiliation(s), and the address (including e-mail address and fax number) to which correspondence should be sent. The number of words should be indicated on this page. The paper should also include an abstract (no more than 150 words). \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Human-Computer Interface in Info System Design * * Radhika Santhanam, Florida Intrnal Univ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Human-Computer Interface in Information System Design Special Issue of the DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems Information system designers have various options, such as, direct manipulation interfaces (DMI), graphical-user interfaces (GUI), natural language understanding parsers, object-based techniques, and multi-media devices, etc. to augment and enhance user's interaction with computers. Similarly, database designers have a choice of tools and techniques, among object-oriented, entity-relationship and traditional but still popular relational approaches. One of the major goals of utilizing these interface tools is to couple the power of technology with human information processing capabilities so as to maximize user's task performance. The extent to which these tools augment human performance will hinge upon what the designer knows about the tool, the task, the user and how to decide which tool is appropriate. The special issue of Data Base will focus on research that provides a better understanding of how the human- computer interface affects the user in performing tasks. It will include research that studies the impact of existing interface designs as well as research on user and task characteristics that provide clues on what new technologies might be appropriate. Topics, among others, could address the following issues: --Do newer technologies, such as virtual reality, hypertext management, and visual programming improve end-user productivity when compared to traditional tools? --Do object-oriented techniques improve designer's productivity? --To what extent can an intelligent interface provide task support? --Do some interface models inhibit task performance and how can they be remedied? --How can the interface be designed to match user's mental model of the task and the system? --How can the interface guide the user in task understanding and accomplishment? How can it assist in error recovery? --How can the interface be used as a training tool? --What is the extent of task learning that occurs from an interface? --What should be the nature and extent of on-line support that can improve task accomplishment? --What task criteria or user-criteria can help to decide on interface design? Preferred topics will thus cover a spectrum of issues that help us to choose and design interfaces that can provide effective user support. The review process will examine the quality, originality and significance of the research study and specifically evaluate how it fits with the theme of the special issue. Preference will be given to empirical studies or conceptual papers corroborated with detailed arguments. When submitting a manuscript, please follow the Instructions for Authors as published in the DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems. Six copies of your original manuscript, including camera- ready illustrations, should be submitted to one of the Special Issue Editors: Dr. Radhika Santhanam Department of Decision Sciences and Information Systems Florida International University Miami, Fl 33199 USA Voice: (305)-348-2160 Fax: (305)-348-4126 E-mail: santhana@solix.fiu.edu santhana@servms.fiu.edu Dr. Dinesh Batra Department of Decision Sciences and Information Systems Florida International University Miami, Fl-33199 Voice: (305)-348-3329 Fax: (305)-348-4126 E-mail: batra@servms.fiu.edu All submissions are due by May 1, 1996. Manuscripts sent via e-mail or fax will not be considered. Authors whose articles are provisionally accepted for the Special Issue will be asked to complete revisions in a timely manner. \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). 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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 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *