192,371 research outputs found
Notes on Cloud computing principles
This letter provides a review of fundamental distributed systems and economic
Cloud computing principles. These principles are frequently deployed in their
respective fields, but their inter-dependencies are often neglected. Given that
Cloud Computing first and foremost is a new business model, a new model to sell
computational resources, the understanding of these concepts is facilitated by
treating them in unison. Here, we review some of the most important concepts
and how they relate to each other
Cooperation and Contagion in Web-Based, Networked Public Goods Experiments
A longstanding idea in the literature on human cooperation is that
cooperation should be reinforced when conditional cooperators are more likely
to interact. In the context of social networks, this idea implies that
cooperation should fare better in highly clustered networks such as cliques
than in networks with low clustering such as random networks. To test this
hypothesis, we conducted a series of web-based experiments, in which 24
individuals played a local public goods game arranged on one of five network
topologies that varied between disconnected cliques and a random regular graph.
In contrast with previous theoretical work, we found that network topology had
no significant effect on average contributions. This result implies either that
individuals are not conditional cooperators, or else that cooperation does not
benefit from positive reinforcement between connected neighbors. We then tested
both of these possibilities in two subsequent series of experiments in which
artificial seed players were introduced, making either full or zero
contributions. First, we found that although players did generally behave like
conditional cooperators, they were as likely to decrease their contributions in
response to low contributing neighbors as they were to increase their
contributions in response to high contributing neighbors. Second, we found that
positive effects of cooperation were contagious only to direct neighbors in the
network. In total we report on 113 human subjects experiments, highlighting the
speed, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness of web-based experiments over those
conducted in physical labs
Marketing in Online Businesses:The Case of Migrant Entrepreneurial Businesses in the UK
The study presents an empirical investigation of the marketing activities undertaken by online businesses owned by migrant entrepreneurs and is framed by the theoretical lens of entrepreneurial marketing. Key informant interviews are undertaken with 22 entrepreneurs operating online businesses in the UK and augmented by other sources of data. The study finds that the resources available to the entrepreneurs are shaped by their migrant heritage and that they draw on these resources to market their online businesses. The study also finds that, consistent with notions from entrepreneurial marketing, the online nature of their businesses allow the entrepreneurs to meet their own needs and preferences, which are also shaped by their migrant heritage. The study is important since it provides empirical evidence and a theoretically grounded understanding of how online businesses offer migrant entrepreneurs the opportunity to break out of the low growth, low margin, vacancy chain openings and enter high growth, high margin, post-industrial sectors
Current Practices for Product Usability Testing in Web and Mobile Applications
Software usability testing is a key methodology that ensures applications are intuitive and easy to use for the target audience. Usability testing has direct benefits for companies as usability improvements often are fundamental to the success of a product. A standard usability test study includes the following five steps: obtain suitable participants, design test scripts, conduct usability sessions, interpret test outcomes, and produce recommendations. Due to the increasing importance for more usable applications, effective techniques to develop usable products, as well as technologies to improve usability testing, have been widely utilized. However, as companies are developing more cross-platform web and mobile apps, traditional single-platform usability testing has shortcomings with respect to ensuring a uniform user experience. In this report, a new strategy is proposed to promote a consistent user experience across all application versions and platforms. This method integrates the testing of different application versions, e.g., the website, mobile app, mobile website. Participants are recruited with a better-defined criterion according to their preferred devices. The usability session is conducted iteratively on several different devices, and the test results of individual application versions are compared on a per-device basis to improve the test outcomes. This strategy is expected to extend on current practices for usability testing by incorporating cross-platform consistency of software versions on most devices
JISC Preservation of Web Resources (PoWR) Handbook
Handbook of Web Preservation produced by the JISC-PoWR project which ran from April to November 2008.
The handbook specifically addresses digital preservation issues that are relevant to the UK HE/FE web management community”.
The project was undertaken jointly by UKOLN at the University of Bath and ULCC Digital Archives department
Designs on the Web: A case study of online learning for design students
The De Montfort University Electronic Campus initiative started in September 1999. Web‐based learning resources and support have been provided for over 3,000 students via a portfolio of thirty projects ranging across all levels of the university and within every faculty. This paper focuses on one aspect of this initiative: the development of online teaching and learning materials to support first‐year IT modules for students of art and design. An undergraduate module has been converted from traditional, face‐to‐face, delivery to a hybrid combination of Web‐based and studio‐based work in accordance with Laurillard's conversational framework. In the first year of use all the new material has been made available on a pilot basis to a group of 440 students in parallel with conventional lectures and seminars. All the students have had access to the online resources; some students have used them, but some have not. Data on student expectations collected prior to starting on the module are compared with student feedback gathered at the end of the module and student performance data across the two mode's of presentation are compared to establish the relative effectiveness of each approach. In addition the paper reviews the resource implications of developing, delivering and supporting online learning and discusses some of the barriers to implementation that were encountered and overcome
Information Outlook, April 2007
Volume 11, Issue 4https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_io_2007/1003/thumbnail.jp
Information Outlook, April 2003
Volume 7, Issue 4https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_io_2003/1003/thumbnail.jp
The Benefits of Uniform Checking Account Disclosures: Testing Consumer Understanding
This brief summarizes the results of a Pew-commissioned experiment that tested the effect of uniform versus dissimilar disclosure formats on participants' ability to compare accounts. Half of the nationally representative sample of adults viewed summary boxes that were uniformly formatted and worded, and the other half received disclosure forms with differing layouts and language. The experiment found that uniform disclosures:Made it easier for participants to compare account terms and conditions.Increased participants' confidence in their understanding of practices and fees.Decreased the time users needed to identify account information.Increased participants' understanding of account fees and practices.These findings demonstrate the benefit of uniform disclosure for consumers and align with previous Pew research showing that 78 percent of checking account holders say that requiring banks to provide a one-page summary of key information about their accounts' terms, conditions, and fees would be an improvement. Accordingly, Pew urges the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to mandate clear, concise, and uniform disclosures for checking accounts -- as it has proposed for general purpose reloadable prepaid cards
Click Here for Change: Your Guide to the E-Advocacy Revolution
Describes how organizations are using state-of-the-art technology to engage supporters and improve their advocacy efforts. Includes case studies and lessons on how to incorporate electronic approaches in campaign strategies
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