Goal-based reasoning in the construction of taxonomies for COTS components

In a previous work, our research group GESSI has proposed the construction of a taxonomy for classifying COTS components by means of characterization attributes to arrange domains which COTS components belong to, and also grouping these domains into categories [4]. In this report we present our first applicability study of GBRAM (Goal Based-Requirements Analysis Method) as a goal-based reasoning method for the construction of taxonomies of COTS components; more concretely for exploring the “characterization attributes” that are used to browse the taxonomy through an example: the context of the Application Development Tools. We illustrate the main aspects of customizing GBRAM to this objective and remark the methodological aspect we want to achieve in our future work: to propose guidelines for the construction of any taxonomy of COTS components.Postprint (published version

A Study of Ethics in Crowd Work-Based Research

Crowd work as a form of a social-technical system has become a popular setting for conducting and distributing academic research. Crowd work platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) are widely used by academic researchers. Recent scholarship has highlighted the importance of ethical issues because they could affect the long-term development and application of crowd work in various fields such as the gig economy. However, little study or deliberation has been conducted on the ethical issues associated with academic research in this context. Current sources for ethical research practice, such as the Belmont Report, have not been examined thoroughly on how they should be applied to tackle the ethical issues in crowd work-based research such as those in data collection and usage. Hence, how crowd work-based research should be conducted to make it respectful, beneficent, and just is still an open question. This dissertation research has pursued this open question by interviewing 15 academic researchers and 17 IRB directors and analysts in terms of their perceptions and reflections on ethics in research on MTurk; meanwhile, it has analyzed 15 research guidelines and consent templates for research on MTurk and 14 published papers from the interviewed scholars. Based on analyzing these different sources of data, this dissertation research has identified three dimensions of ethics in crowd work-based research, including ethical issues in payment, data, and human subjects. This dissertation research also uncovered the “original sin” of these ethical issues and discussed its impact in academia, as well as the limitations of the Belmont Report and AoIR Ethical Guidelines 3.0 for Internet Research. The findings and implications of this research can help researchers and IRBs be more conscious about ethics in crowd work-based research and also inspire academic associations such as AoIR to develop ethical guidelines that can address these ethical issues

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

A Social Scientist's Perspective on the Potential Benefits of the Census of Marine Life

Over 300 natural scientists in 53 nations are taking part in the Census of Marine Life (CoML) to investigate what lived, what lives, and what will live in the oceans. The CoML is a scientific experiment that is exploring the limits of ocean science. The paper discusses the potential applications of CoML research and the mechanisms by which the potential benefits can be measured and preserved. I recommend developing and integrating policy advisory committees with the natural science activities to both maximize the benefits of the research and to avoid unintended consequences.biodiversity; marine policy

Moderating and mediating roles of human capital and competitive advantage on entrepreneurial orientation, social network and performance of SMEs in Nigeria

The main objective of this study is to examine the mediating role of competitive advantage (CA) and the moderating role of human capital (HC) on the relationships between entrepreneurial orientation (EO), social network (SN), and performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. Data were collected from the SMEs operating in North Western Nigeria using a quantitative survey design. The study adopted a systematic random sampling, selected respondents from the population of 8,286 SMEs in Kano State Nigeria, and questionnaires distributed through the postal method. A total of 283 usable questionnaires were returned, giving a response rate of 38.45%. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the study hypotheses. The findings revealed that EO, SN, HC and CA are important strategic orientations for the performance of SMEs in Nigeria. The findings also revealed that SME performance depends on the degree of EO, HC and SN of the firm. It further shows that EO, SN and HC positively influence performance, and human capital moderates the relationship between EO and firm performance, but the findings indicate that HC does not moderate the relationship between SN and SME performance. However, competitive advantage was found to mediate the relationships between EO, SN, and performance. The findings of this study provide important insights to owner/managers of SMEs, policy makers and researchers to further understand the effects of EO, SN, HC and CA on SME performance. SMEs should also be encouraged to improve their EO, SN and HC which may increase their performances. Finally, the study implications, limitations as well suggestions for future research are discussed

Understanding Technology Decision Making

Recent innovations have integrated information and communication technology (ICT) into the fabric of people’s daily lives. Wireless technology, with its constant presence and transcendence of geographical boundaries, has profoundly influenced people’s behavior and the consumption of technology and related services. During the past few years, wireless technologies have shifted from simple devices offering mobile phone calling to multipurpose devices that incorporate the capabilities of other devices. The multiple uses of these devices, coupled with the blurring of the work-home and utilitarianhedonic technology, creates the need for a new understanding of technology adoption and use...