Infosys v3n019 (July 4, 1996) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/infosys/infs-v3n019 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * INFOSYS: The Electronic Newsletter for Information Systems * * Volume 3, Number 19 ISSN: 1173-3764 July 4, 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 = 4,903 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From Edupage * * ANNOUNCEMENT - MIS Quarterly Best Articles of 1995 * * CONFERENCE - Assoc for Info Systems: Americas Conference (update) * * CONFERENCE - Method Engineering '96 * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Operations and Quantitative Management * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Accounting Information Systems * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Faculty Position, Information Systems * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From Edupage * * Dennis Viehland, Massey University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TECHNOLOGY AND AFRICA: Sub-Saharan Africa remains the least- connected place on earth, with almost nothing in the way of phone lines, personal computers and Internet connections. There is an average of one phone line for every 217 people, and 72 percent of the population lives in rural areas where, in some places like Chad, that statistic becomes one phone for every 800 people. Computers are almost nonexistent. A program director at the National Research Council says: "You find in Africa a total lack of computer culture. There are no spare parts. There are no magazines. There's no PC World you can subscribe to." And Larry Irving, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration says: "It's the same thing as not having a port in the 1600s, or a railroad in the 1900s. So if your economy isn't developing now, and you don't have access to the basic infrastructure of the information highway, you won't grow." (San Jose Mercury News Mercury Center 27 May 96) OECD REPORT TARGETS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ISSUES: A report recently released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development calls on member governments to support the principle of competition across various markets in the information sector, and to reduce national barriers preventing the diffusion of information technology across borders while respecting the importance of intellectual property rights. "There are few matters that can slow or distort the emerging global information society and create transnational frictions more than issues of security, privacy and intellectual property, including copyrights," says the report. It calls for convening an international conference to coordinate activities in cryptography and the protection of intellectual property, and to discuss issues such as jurisdiction in cyberspace, and the importance of maintaining linguistic and cultural diversity. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 28 May 96 A2) DEFINITELY DENSE DATA: Templex Technology Corp. is claiming a world record in data-storage density, using a yttrium aluminum garnet crystal treated with billions of ions from the rare-earth mineral thulium. The result is a crystal that theoretically can store up to 1 million bits of data, although in practice it's produced a density of only 8 gigabits per square inch so far. Still, Templex researchers note that that's six times the storage capacity of IBM's latest magnetic disk drive. (Business Week 3 Jun 96 p123) CHIP WARS: Texas Instruments says it will begin manufacturing a chip next year that will be 20 times more powerful than today's Pentium Pro chip from Intel. The new chips will be used in automatic teller machines that can recognize a user's face, wristwatch PCs, or laptop computers with longer memory life. TI's TImeline chip-making process will pack 125-million transistors onto a single chip, beating LSI Logic's prediction that it soon will make a 49-million transistor chip. "What they announced is no different from where every semiconductor company is headed toward," says an industry analyst. "The question is, is there some reason to believe they can do it faster than their competitors?" (St Petersburg Times 3 Jun 96) THE INFORMATION IMPERATIVE INDEX: International Data Corp. has come up with a new ranking system, taking into consideration how well different countries' citizens can access, adopt and absorb information and information technology. The top slot, dubbed "Roller-Bladers," was filled by the U.S. and Sweden. Further down in the second-tier "Striders" category were South Korea, Israel, Japan, the U.K., Canada and Australia. IDC describes their information technology attitudes as cautious, but dedicated and consistent. Last among the 55 countries ranked was China. IDC, working with World Times Inc. of Boston, used 20 factors, such as technology spending, computer use and telecommunications infrastructure to develop their rankings. The companies found a close correlation between technology success and the following five factors: secondary school enrollment, college enrollment, newspaper readership, press freedom and civil liberties. (Investor's Business Daily 5 Jun 96 A6) ELIMINATE PAPER, SAVE BIG BUCKS: E-commerce is coming -- it's just a matter of time, say the experts. U.S. companies already purchase $500 billion worth of goods a year electronically, and that's just a fraction of their total purchases, says a researcher at Giga Information Group. Once companies figure out how much money dealing electronically saves them, it will be much, much more. For example, a simple automobile parts purchase order is estimated to cost $150 to process -- doing it electronically could cut costs to $25. "I really see the Internet as an explosion of electronic commerce. This is the most exciting sea change to hit commerce globally in the last 100 years," says the president and CEO of General Electric Information Services. (Business Week 10 Jun 96 p110) THE UNGAME: Irvine, California-based DVD Software has a new product that automatically deletes games from networked computers, freeing up limited computing resources for students and business folks. Oregon State University's business school manager says, "I had a problem with games," noting that some students spent hours playing games while others were waiting their turn at the keyboard to complete assignments. UnGame scans the hard drive for any of 4,600 games every time the computer is turned on or logged on to the network. The list of games is updated every month. More than 20 colleges and universities are using the software now. (Chronicle of Higher Education 7 Jun 96 A24) NEW ANGLE ON LCD TECHNOLOGY: In an effort to make liquid crystal displays readable from more angles and in a greater variety of lighting situations, scientists at ROLIC Ltd. in Basel, Switzerland have developed a new method of liquid crystal patterning. Current technology uses a velvet cloth to rub the polymer material that encases the magnetic material on either side, thereby aligning the molecular pattern of the liquid crystals. The new method uses ultraviolet light instead of velvet, varying the liquid crystals' angle of orientation, making it easier to see from a wider range of viewpoints and lighting types. (Science News 1 Jun 96 p348) OUTSOURCING BOOM: A recent study by California research firm Input predicts Internet-related outsourcing services will grow from less than $1 billion last year to $9 billion by 2000. Included in the Net outsourcing services were such things as Internet and intranet server management, firewall security services, and maintenance of Web page content. The overall market for information technology outsourcing is expected to rise from $19 billion last year to $42 billion by 2000. (Investor's Business Daily 19 Jun 96 A6) HITACHI BOASTS WORLD'S FASTEST SUPERCOMPUTER: The Hitachi Corporation's SR2201 has been pronounced by Oak Ridge Labs and University of Tennessee computer scientist Jack Dongarra to be the fastest supercomputer in the world, using 1,024 microprocessors linked through "massively parallel computing" to reach computing speeds of more than 220 billion floating point operations per second. Intel is developing a $45 million massively parallel computer, to be located at Sandia National Laboratories, and which will use 9,000 Pentium Pro microprocessors to reach teraflop speeds (a trillion floating point operations per second). (New York Times 22 Jun 96 p18) FIREFLY AGENTS DELIVER SERENDIPITY, TOO: "The problem with agents that simply learn and narrow down the information they give you is that there isn't any element of serendipity. It's hard to find out about new topics," says one of the founders of Agents, Inc., an outgrowth of MIT's Media Lab. Agents is working to solve that problem with its Firefly technology, which delivers value-added information by allowing Firefly agents to "talk" with each other to find out what other agents working for owners with similar interests have found. The inquiring agent then weighs each response according to how reliable that particular agent's responses have been in the past. If the reliability score is high, the inquiring agent will pass more information on to its owner. (Forbes 1 Jul 96 p79) DEVELOPING NATIONS SEE BRIGHT FUTURE IN SMART CARDS: When it comes to full-scale trials of smart card technology, developing countries such as Zambia and Thailand are way ahead of the U.S. The new payment systems are finding greater acceptance in countries where traditional banking practices are not so firmly entrenched. "No one's in a hurry for a new payment system here because our system already works," says a U.S. programmer who designed Zambia's smart card system. "Our country is expanding, and we don't have enough banks and no automated teller machines... The lines are very long," says a spokesman for the Zambian embassy in Washington. And smart cards provide valuable access to other technological advances: "Developing nations are using smart cards to leapfrog the need to build telecommunications infrastructures," says a Visa VP. (Investor's Business Daily 25 Jun 96 A8) HE/SHE SALARIES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Computerworld reports a 1995 survey of information systems professionals showing that the IS population was 70% male and 30% female, with men's salaries ranging from less than $45,000 (29%), $45-55,000 (30%), and more than $55,000 (41%), compared to a distribution for women's salaries: less than $45,000 (62%), $45-55,000 (25%), and more than $55,000 (13%). (Computerworld 24 Jun 96 p84) SIZING UP COMPUTER MONITORS: The July issue of Consumer Reports points out that the actual image displayed by a computer monitor is about an inch less than its nominal size (an example was the NEC MultiSync XV17+ whose active viewing area measured only 15.3 inches diagonally), thanks to the fact that monitors, unlike TV sets, aren't covered by a federal rule governing the way screen sizes can be advertised. The publication suggests taking a tape measure with you when you shop, and after testing a multitude of 15- and 17-inch screens, the group concludes: "A 15-inch monitor is the best choice for a new computer unless the work you do (or your eyesight) requires a large image or more information on the screen at once; then, a 17-incher may make the most sense." (Consumer Reports Jul 96 p30) 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 May 28, 30, June 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 20, 23, 25, 30, July 2, 1996 issues. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENT - MIS Quarterly Best Articles of 1995 * * Bob Zmud, Florida State University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I am pleased to announce the selection of the best article (actually, "articles"!) published in MIS Quarterly for the 1995 volume year. Actually, two articles "tied" this year as they received essentially the same number of nominations and votes from the members of the Quarterly's editorial board. Mukhopadhyay, Kekre & Kalathur, "Business Value of Information Technology: A Study of EDI," (19,2), June 1995 Leidner and Jarvenpaa, "The Use of IT to Enhance Management School Education: A Theoretical View," (19, 3), September 1995. These two articles, though very different in topics and styles, truly are important contributions to the information systems field. If you haven't read them, I strongly encourage you to do so. If you did read them when they initially appeared, you may wish to take another look. Congratulations are certainly in order for each of the authors. Bob Zmud, Editor-in-Chief, MIS Quarterly \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONFERENCE - Assoc for Info Systems: Americas Conference (update) * * Reagan Ramsower, Baylor Univ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Advanced Program of the 1996 AIS America's Conference is now available at the conference web site: http://hsb.baylor.edu/html/ramsower/ais.ac.96/ Three views of the Advanced Program are available to assist you with looking through the extensive program: --The Complete Advanced Program contains all the program information and can be searched with your web browser to find a particular author or paper. Click on PROGRAM or type: http://hsb.baylor.edu/html/ramsower/ais.ac.96/ais/program.htm --The Advanced Program Schedule lists the titles of all program sessions sorted by day and time. Click SCHEDULE or type: http://hsb.baylor.edu/html/ramsower/ais.ac.96/ais/schedule.htm --The Advanced Program Guide lists the the title of all program sessions sorted by program track or mini-track. Click GUIDE or type: http://hsb.baylor.edu/html/ramsower/ais.ac.96/ais/tracks.htm All papers submitted to the conference are now being placed online and the complete online proceedings should be available shortly. Three conference newsgroups have been established to help attendees make conference arrangements: --ais.travel can be used making travel sharing arrangements --ais.lodging can be used for making lodging sharing arrangements --ais.misc can be used for making other arrangements of posting comments about the conference in general. To read and post messages to these group, go the the conference home page http://hsb.baylor.edu/html/ramsower/ais.ac.96/ and follow the links to the news groups. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONFERENCE - Method Engineering '96 * * Sjaak Brinkkemper, University of Twente * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Method Engineering '96 Principles for Method Construction and Tool Support 25-28 August, 1996 Atlanta, Georgia USA Formal methods and methodologies continue to play a significant role in the development of information systems, guiding the who, what, where, why and when issues which arise as information systems are developed and evolved. System development methods, once taken to mean monolithic, cradle-to-grave, one-size-fits-all methodologies, are increasingly viewed as "method frameworks" which, in turn, are adapted to the specific development situation. How such frameworks should be built, selected, supported, and deployed is the main subject of this conference. The conference itself is an outgrowth of the IFIP Taskgroup on Method Engineering and several preceding summer workshops held on this subject. The conference will be the first "formal" gathering by IFIP. It is intended to provide substantive insights for both the researcher and practitioner into the current state-of-the-field, and to further engage a community of scholars and practitioners interested in this subject and its ramifications. Keynote Lectures: --A Primer to Method Engineering by James Odell, USA --Information Systems Development: A Broader Perspective by David Avison (UK) Panels: --Reengineering Method Engineering? with panelists: Siau, Introna, McLeod, Parsons, Wand --Method Engineering: Experiences in Practice with panelists: Hidding, Odell, Parkinson, Wijers 17 Papers on the themes: Organizational issues, Computer-Aided Method Engineering Tools, Experiences with Method Composition, Method Modelling, Alternative Construction Paradigms, Generation and Evaluation of Tools, Methodological Frameworks. The conference also includes: --Scientific meeting IFIP WG8.1/8.2 Taskgroup on Method Engineering --Poster presentations --Social Programme with Welcome Reception, Southern-style BBQ, and conference dinner Full program information is available from: http://www.cis.gsu.edu/ME-96 http://www.cs.utwente.nl/~dmrg/ Method Engineering '96 is sponsored by The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Working Group 8.1 and 8.2 (Design and Evaluation of Information Systems, The Interaction of Information Systems and the Organization) Registration: By August 10: US$295 After August 10: US$345 Information requests about the conference and questions about registration, reservation, payment, etc. should be directed to the Conference Secretary: Ms. Carol Carter Computer Information Systems Department College of Business Administration Georgia State University PO Box 4012 Atlanta, GA 30302-4015 USA Voice: +1.404.651.3871 Fax : +1.404.651.3842 E-mail: ccarter@gsu.edu \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Operations and Quantitative Management * * A. K. Aggarwal, Univ of Baltimore * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The University of Tasmania Department of Accounting and Finance Lectureship/Senior Lectureship (Level B/C) The Department of Accounting and Finance consists of 21 full-time academic staff operating across the Hobart and Launceston campuses. The Department offers courses leading to Bachelors, Honours, Masters and Ph.D. degrees and pursues a vigorous research program in Accounting, Finance and Accounting Information Systems. Applications are invited for appointment to a Lectureship or Senior Lectureship which is available on a tenurable basis, based at the Hobart campus. Teaching responsibilities may extend occasionally to the Launceston campus. The field of expertise required is in accounting information systems. Undergraduate units currently offered by the Department in this field include Business Information Systems, Accounting Information Systems and Decision Support Systems. Honours and postgraduate coursework units are also offered. The appointee is expected to make a significant contribution to teaching and research in Accounting Information Systems in the Department. Applicants should have a higher degree (or substantial progress toward completion) in accounting or accounting information systems and have demonstrated the ability to conduct high quality teaching and research in accounting or accounting information systems. Applicants for a Senior Lectureship must hold a higher degree (preferably a Ph.D) in accounting or accounting information systems and are expected to demonstrate an active record of scholarly achievement in their field. Commencing salary will be within the range $42,198 - $50,111 p.a. - Level B or $51,692 - $59,605 p.a. - Level C, with excellent superannuation benefits and a pleasant working environment. For further information about academic aspects of the position, please contact the Head of Department: Professor Stewart Leech Voice: (002) 20 2266. For an application package please phone Nicki on (002) 20 2013 or fax on (002) 20 2751 and quote ref no HA 72/96. The closing date for receipt of applications is 19 July 1996 \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Faculty Position, Information Systems * * David Tegarden, Virginia Tech * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Virginia Tech's Department of Accounting invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in information systems starting August 16, 1997. Applicants should have strong research interests in technical or behavioral issues related to the use of information technology in organizations. Research interests could include issues in human computer interaction, software engineering management, distributed databases, telecommunications, visualization or other relevant technical areas. The successful candidate will instruct undergraduate and graduate students in information systems. Candidates should have completed doctoral requirements by Summer 1997 and also be able to present demonstrable prospects for conducting scholarly research and excellence in teaching. Primary teaching responsibilities will be in computer networking, data management, and/or computer architecture and organization. Applications will be accepted until January 15, 1997, or until position is filled. Applications and nominations should be sent to: Wayne E. Leininger Department of Accounting 3007 Pamplin Hall Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061-0101 Virginia Tech has a strong commitment to the principle of diversity and, in that spirit, seeks a broad spectrum of candidates including women, people of color, and people with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities desiring accomodations in the application process should notify Dr. Wayne E. Leininger at the above address by the application deadline. Additional information about Virginia Tech (http://www.vt.edu/) and the Department of Accounting (http://acctserver.cob.vt.edu/) can be obtained from our home page. \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 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *