Infosys v3n015 (May 29, 1996) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/infosys/infs-v3n015 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * INFOSYS: The Electronic Newsletter for Information Systems * * Volume 3, Number 15 ISSN: 1173-3764 May 29, 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 = 4,905 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From Edupage * * CONTENTS - Journal of Global IT Management, v4 n2 (Spring 1996) * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Lecturers, Information Systems * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Visiting Faculty, Decision and Info Sci * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Visiting Prof, Management Info Systems * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist Prof, Cmptr Sci and Info Systems * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Lecturer, Information Systems * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist Professor, Management Info Systems * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist Professor, Computer Info Systems * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Visiting Lecturers, Info Technology * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From Edupage * * Dennis Viehland, Massey University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES 2000: The Gartner Group in Stamford, Connecticut, says the federal government will spend about $30 billion to modify a massive number of computer programs in which years were coded simply as two-digit numbers (without identifying the century) and which will have to be fixed so that they can correctly calculate things like benefits payments. It is also estimated that by the time the year 2000 comes around only 70% of government computer programs will have been modified to deal with the problem. (Computerworld 22 Apr 96 p1) "I'D RATHER HAVE A PC": A Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association survey of teens and adults in households that own both PCs and video game machines shows that 54% of the teens polled spend more time with the PC. And if forced to choose between the two, 88% said they'd rather have the PC. About a quarter of the parents would allow their children "some influence" in selecting a computer. (Investor's Business Daily 23 Apr 96 A8) SHRINKING FLASH CHIPS: Intel and Sharp Corp have developed tiny 0.4-micron processing for 8-megabit flash memory chips, shrinking their size by almost half, and paving the way for even smaller cellular phones, digital cameras and laptop computers. Intel says it will begin sending out sample chips immediately, and plans call for mass production in September. Meanwhile, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric Corp are developing 16-megabit and even 64-megabit flash memory technology. "Flash memory chips may eventually be used in the place of hard disks on computers," says an Hitachi spokeswoman. (Investor's Business Daily 24 Apr A9) SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE: Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico is building a $46-million Intel supercomputer that will be touted as the world's fastest computer, capable of cracking the long-time goal of 1 teraflops -- a trillion calculations per second. "It's never been done before -- like the first moon shot," says the head of Intel's supercomputer division. In fact, researchers say the computer's peak speed could be almost double that -- 1.8 teraflops. Energy Dept plans call for investing $940 million in its Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative between now and 2002, with a 100-teraflops system possible by 2002 or 2003. (Business Week 29 Apr 96 p90) CHIP DEMAND ON THE RISE IN ASIA: Dan Klesken, an industry analyst with Robertson, Stephens & Co, is bullish on the long-term chip market: "If you look at the U.S. over the next 20 years, we're going to generate about 25 million new jobs. But if you look at Asia, including China, that region is going to generate about 250 million new jobs. Those new wage earners will be buying PCs, digital TVs, digital cellular phones, etc. The industry today will consume about 250 acres of silicon. But, by my calculations, it's going to be up around 1,600 acres in about 10 years' time." (Investor's Business Daily 29 Apr 96 A6) NEW LCD DISPLAYS: Researchers at Kent State University's Liquid Crystal Institute are working on a cheaper liquid-crystal display technology that produces clearer images using less energy. The new displays use a cholesteric liquid-crystal material that reacts differently to light than the material used in conventional displays. Rather than twisting the light so it can pass through a filter, one ray is reflected, and the other is transmitted -- electrifying the chemical turns it clear. Because the cholesteric LCDs reflect light without the need for polarizing filters, they can be bright and legible without being backlit, thus saving energy. The panels will be able to run about 10 times longer on batteries than is possible with conventional displays. (Scientific American May 96 p32) U.S. PC SHIPMENTS UP 14% TO 15%: Dataquest and International Data Corp both released estimates of 14% to 15% growth in U.S. personal computer shipments during the first quarter of 1996, indicating a worldwide increase of about 18%. The top five companies in terms of units sold were Compaq (for the second year in a row), Packard Bell, Hewlett-Packard (up from No. 7 last year), Apple and Gateway 2000. (Wall Street Journal 29 Apr 96 A3) HAS ISDN'S TIME COME AND GONE? "ISDN was a sort of a 'Field of Dreams' technology," says the chief technologist for Citicorp. "The thought was, 'Build it, and they will come.'" But it's been slow going, and with cable modems and ADSL (asynchronous digital subscriber lines) technology on the horizon, some are predicting ISDN's time is already past. "If they were serious about marketing ISDN, I would expect to see billboards and placards on buses," says a Forrester Research analyst. "They'd offer free installation, discount coupons in hardware packages, and bundled Internet access service." Instead, ISDN installation is expensive, and its speed still unimpressive for activities such as Web browsing, where cable modems' and ADSL's much greater downstream capacity is a big advantage. (Information Week 22 Apr 96 p65) REMOTE ACCESS. Analog modems have reached their maximum speed (28.8 Kbps), even though some vendors are trying to push it up to 33.6 Kbps. The real option for faster connections is now the 128-kbps digital modem, or ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). Prices have dropped (about US$500) and service is easier to obtain. Moreover, as opposed to other solutions (cable modems; ADSL, an alternative phone-line technology), ISDN hardware and software are available now. Digital modems can download a 359K file from a web site in 32 seconds, about one-quarter the time of a 28.8-Kbps analog modem. "Connecting at quad speed," PC World 14 (5) May 1996, 48-51. ONLINE ADVERTISING: Proctor & Gamble has raised the ire of online services by limiting payment for some of its ads on the World Wide Web to the number of people who actually seek additional information rather than everyone who sees the ads. Advertising Age magazine reports Web directory service Yahoo! has agreed to accept ads from P&G, one of the United States' major advertisers, on a "click-through" rather than an "eyeball" basis. (Ottawa Citizen 29 Apr 96 A10) PENTIUM PRO PC PRICES POISED TO PLUNGE: A senior Intel official predicts deep cuts in prices for computers powered by Intel's top-of-the-line Pentium Pro microprocessor, from an average of $4,000 now to about $2,500 by the end of the year. This trend is expected to spark a new round of corporate upgrading, augmented by new Intel motherboard and chip set technology that are both cheaper and easier to maintain than current models. The new technology, called Desktop Management Interface, uses hardware and software standards designed to facilitate remote diagnosis of PC problems and reduce repair and maintenance costs. (Wall Street Journal 3 May 96 B4) "THE FLOPPY IS OBSOLETE TECHNOLOGY": Kim Edwards, CEO of removable-disk-drive-maker Iomega, says the days of the floppy drive are over: "We believe that the floppy disk is essentially obsolete technology. It isn't big enough to do anything with, and it's very, very slow. Software is all shipped on CD-ROM. In fact, it's really shipped on the hard drive. Gateway 2000 Inc., for example, preconfigures their machines with software right on the hard drive. Microsoft Corp. has announced that they're going to stop providing software on floppies. I think that's a huge signal. But to make the Zip the floppy for the multimedia age, we're going to have to do more than just sell the drive as an external box. We've got to get inside the computers." The Zip drive, which sells for $200, uses special removable disks that hold 100 megabytes of data, compared with 1.4 megabytes on a conventional floppy. Iomega's Jaz drive stores one gigabyte on each disk. (Investor's Business Daily 6 May 96 A6) DOES INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY? Economics Nobel Prize laureate Robert M. Solow suggests that claims of increased productivity from information technology are highly exaggerated: "The hype about productivity has been much greater than the performance. Maybe we have gotten so good at hype that the information revolution seems bigger to us than the electric motor seemed when it was invented. But the electric motor had a big impact on how many shirts you could sew in a day." (New York Times 12 May 96 Sec4 p1) CIO CONTROL FREAKS ARE COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE: A Forrester Research report says that businesses that force workers to give up their favorite software tools in order to conform to a company technology standard may be shooting themselves in the foot. "Out in the business trenches, people need to solve problems yesterday. They will grab the tools that work to get the job done. Flexibility and responsiveness are more important than a corporate-wide infrastructure policy," says the report's author. He warns CIOs to go slow in adopting technology standards, particularly when it comes to the Internet, because "no one knows how the Internet market is going to shake out." (Investor's Business Daily 15 May 96 A6) 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 April 23, 25, 28, 30, May 2, 5, 12, and 16, 1996 issues. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONTENTS - Journal of Global IT Management, v4 n2 (Spring 1996) * * Prashant Palvia, University of Memphis * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Journal of Global Information Technology Management Spring 1996 Vol.4 No.2 Editor in Chief: Prashant C. Palvia Publisher: Idea Group Publishing "Global Information Technology Utilization Trends: A Wide or Narrow Road toward the Future?" by Tor Larsen (editorial preface) "Using Information Technology to Coorde Transnational Service Operations" by Barry Shore "The Progress of ISDN in Germany and Beyond" by Lai, Reeh and Guynes "The Role of the Information Systems Organization in ISO 9000 Registration" by Towell, Lauer and McFadden Interview with Alfred M. Zeien, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Gillette Company by Dorothy Dologite (Expert's Opinion). Book review of "Global Information Technology and Systems Management: Key Issues and Trends" edited by Palvia, Palvia and Roche (Ivy League Publishing) review by Karen Loch \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Lecturers, Information Systems * * Guy Gable, Queensland Univ of Technology * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * School of Information Systems Queensland University of Technology Brisbane, Australia Vacancies exist for Lecturers in the School of Information Systems, within the Faculty of Information Technology, located at the Gardens Point (city) campus. The faculty consists of three Schools: Information Systems, Computing Science and Data Communications and five research centres: Information Systems Management, Cooperative Information Systems, Information Security, Neurocomputing and Programming Languages and Systems. The appointees will be responsible to the Head of School for teaching, research and academic and professional leadership within the discipline of Information Systems. Up to three positions are available for three years. Qualifications/skills: Applicants must have a doctoral or masters qualification in Information Systems, preferably a PhD. It is expected that the applicant will also have practical experience in one or more of the following areas: information management, information systems project management, business process reengineering, electronic commerce, systems analysis and design, database systems or CASE systems. The University recognises that appointments may be made without a masters/doctoral degree within this area. Salary: $43,042 to $51,114 pa. Further informaiton: Duty statement and selection criteria are available from: Human Resources Department Voice: (07) 3864 5985/3105 E-mail: m.paddy@qut.edu.au For further information about the positions: Associate Professor Guy Gable Voice: (07) 3864 1125 E-mail: g.gable@qut.edu.au Reference: 96313 Position closes: 31 May 1996 \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Visiting Faculty, Decision and Info Sci * * Thomas Lauer, Oakland University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Oakland University's Decision and Information Science Department invites applications for two visiting positions in MIS. Applicants should possess a doctoral degree or be close to completion of the degree. Preference will be given to candidates with research and teaching interests in the database or telecommunication areas. Responsibilities of this position include teaching five courses (3-2) during the academic year. Oakland University is a public institution with 13,000 students. The School of Business Administration has 1600 undergraduate and 350 MBA students. All Business programs are AACSB accredited. The University is adjacent to the Oakland Technology Park and is convenient to the many social, cultural, and recreational activities in the metropolitan Detroit area. Please send applications to: Thomas W. Lauer Decision and Information Science Dept. School of Business Administration Oakland University Rochester, MI 48309-4401 Voice: (810)370-3283 \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Visiting Prof, Management Info Systems * * William McHenry, Georgetown Univ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The School of Business at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, seeks a visiting professor (any rank) for Fall semester 1996. The visitor will be responsible for teaching three sections of the undergraduate required course, Management Information Systems. Prior experience teaching an undergraduate survey course of this nature is highly desirable. Salary is negotiable based on rank. Applications should include a current vita, a description of relevant courses taught, and evidence of teaching effectiveness. Please send your application by June 7, 1996 to: Ms. Virginia Flavin Director, Faculty Services G-04 Old North School of Business Georgetown University Washington, DC 20057-1008 Questions may be directed to: William McHenry E-mail: mchenryw@gunet.georgetown.edu \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist Prof, Cmptr Sci and Info Systems * * Catherine Beise, Kennesaw State * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Kennesaw State College, a progressive metropolitan college in the University System of Georgia, invites applications for a temporary, full-time assistant professor position in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems. The CSIS department offers undergraduate degrees in Computer Science and Information Systems. Particular needs are in the areas of data communications and object-oriented programming and systems development. Located on an attractive campus northwest of Atlanta, the college enrolls 12,000 students in a broad array of high quality undergraduate and graduate programs. Qualifications: PhD in Information Systems, Computer Science or related field is preferred; ABD or Master's degree required. Primary Responsibility: Teach fifteen quarter-hours of undergraduate courses in the Computer Science and Information Systems programs, per quarter. Salary and Rank: Salary and rank are commensurate with experience and qualifications. Position Available: September, 1996. Application Instructions: To ensure consideration, please send a letter of application, a vita, three letters of recommendation, and all graduate transcripts to: CSIS Search Committee CSIS Department Kennesaw State College 1000 Chastain Road Kennesaw, GA 30144-5591 Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Lecturer, Information Systems * * Tony Cornford, London School of Economics * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * London School of Economics and Political Science Department of Information Systems Lecturer in Information Systems (Ref A042) The Department of Information Systems proposes to make an appointment to a temporary lecturship in information systems. The post will be for a fixed duration of two years from September 1996. The Department offers a rich research environment with activities across a range of areas including information systems management, systems development, multimedia, information systems security, and aspects of information society. The appointed person will be expected to make a teaching contribution principally within the undergraduate programme of the Department. This requires an ability to teach courses that relate to some of the following topics: the use of information technology tools within the disciplines of the social sciences, information systems development, information systems management, and modern desk-top information technology. There will also be opportunities to contribute to more specialist courses at the Graduate level. For application form and job description, please send SAE to: Personnel Services London School of Economics Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE U.K. quoting reference A042 E-mail for application materials: recruitment@lse.ac.uk quoting reference A042 Closing date: Friday 21 June, 1996 For further information on the post please contact: Dr Tony Cornford Voice: +44 171 955 7337 E-mail: t.cornford@lse.ac.uk \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist Professor, Management Info Systems * * Ajay Vinze, Texas A&M University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Assistant Professor (MIS - Tenure Track) Department of Business Analysis and Research College of Business Administration Graduate School of Business Texas A&M University College Station, Texas Position responsibilities: This is a tenure track position that requires commitment to teaching, research and service. Preferred teaching interest should include at least one of the following areas: --Data communication --Systems analysis and design --Information systems project management Candidates should demonstrate strong research potential. Candidates with interest in qualitative research methodologies would be desireable, but expertise with this method is not required. Service responsibilities initially would be minimal, consistent with the high research expectations of a tenure track position in a major research institution. A doctoral degree in Management Information Systems is required. Candidates should have completed doctoral degree requirements prior to September 1, 1997. The starting date is Fall 1997 Preliminary interviews will be conducted by the search committee at the AIS Conference (Aug 16-18) in Phoenix. Candidates should send in their letter of interest together with a copy of their Resume and 3 Reference letters by August 1, 1996. Applications will however be accepted till this position is filled. Candidates should forward their resumes to: ATTN: Karen Bundage Department of Business Analysis and Research BA/GSB Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-4217 Voice: (409)845-1616 Fax: (409)845-5653 E-mail: kjb@wcba-nt.tamu.edu \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist Professor, Computer Info Systems * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Position Description: Full-time, one-year, temporary appointment in Computer Information Systems beginning August 19, 1996. The selected individual will have primary responsibility for teaching in an undergraduate Computer Information Systems curriculum. Courses will be taught in one or more of the following areas: telecommunication, Novell NetWare, C or C++ programming, BASIC programming, Unix, expert systems, system analysis and design, or microcomputer applications using Windows95. Qualifications: Masters degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, or related area is required. A doctorate is preferred. Three years of recent and relevant industrial or teaching experience is preferred. Must have permanent residency or U.S. Citizenship. Starting Date: August 19, 1996. Salary: $40,000 - 50,000, commensurate with qualifications. Program: The Computer Information Systems program is one of seven programs in the College of Applied Science and Engineering Technology and serves approximately 130 undergraduate students. Class size in major courses is limited to 25-35 students providing a rich environment for quality teaching and extensive student and faculty interaction. The primary emphasis within the program is teaching. Teaching loads average between nine and twelve credit hours per semester. Closing date for applications: Open until filled. Screening will begin on June 15, 1996. Applications: A complete application will include a letter of application, a resume, unofficial transcripts (official transcripts may be required later), names, titles, addresses, and phone numbers of three references. Send all information to: Dr. John Borton Chair, ASET Search Committee University of Southern Colorado 2200 Bonforte Blvd. Pueblo, CO 81001-4901 \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Visiting Lecturers, Info Technology * * Gavin Finnie, Bond University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The School of Information Technology at Bond University has several posts available for suitable qualified individuals who would be interested in teaching a one-semester (13 week) course in one or more of the following topics: --Introductory and Advanced Programming --Object-Oriented Programming --Databases --Software Engineering --Information Systems Analysis and Design --Software Quality & Standards The position would suit someone on sabbatical leave who is looking for a pleasant environment in which to do research as well as earn some extra income. The posts are available for third semester (September to December 1996). Bond University is situated on Australia's Gold Coast in sunny Queensland with great outdoor recreation. If interested please contact Dr. Gavin Finnie (gfinnie@bond.edu.au). \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.thomson.com/bf.html 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 * * * * The INFOSYS home page on the World Wide Web can be found at: * * http://www.rpi.edu/~okeefe/infosys/InfoSys/infosys.html * * * * INFOSYS readers who want access to IS information on the Web are * * advised to consult ISWorld Net at the following mirror sites: * * USA: http://www.isworld.org/isworld.html * * Australia: http://www.dis.unimelb.edu.au/isworld.html * * Ireland: http://http://smagal.ucd.ie/isworld.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *