Intelligent Agents to Support Information Sharing in B2B E-Marketplaces

This article proposes an architecture to support information and knowledge exchange between collaborating business partners. The focus is on knowledge representation and exchange by intelligent agents to support collaborative business functions through agents that exchange problem-specific information in standardized formats. The article then shows the application of the proposed architecture in the context of an infomediary-based B2B E-marketplace

Simulating Real World Experience Using Accumulative System Development Projects

Information technology has been recognized as an essential component of business strategy and major business processes in today’s business environment. In order to generate measurable business value, information system professionals must possess a set of capabilities that expand beyond technological areas. Many information system programs have incorporated system development projects in advanced technical courses, expecting that the experience students acquire through these projects would enable them to connect what they learn in class with the real world challenges that await them. These projects mostly are either based on hypothetical textbook cases or well-bounded, localized real world projects. They generally fall short in complexity and difficulty, compared with the kind of projects students have to deal with when they work in the real world. As a result, there is minimal pressure placed on students to exercise such important capabilities as critical thinking, creative thinking, strategic thinking, ethical thinking, and team-working abilities as they work on these projects. The challenge of preparing IS students for the new business environment is especially daunting as businesses in all sectors are now trying to transform their enterprises into innovative and adaptive organizational systems in the Internet era. This article describes an approach taken by a comprehensive university in Taiwan to address this challenge. These projects allow students to acquire serious experience in developing real world systems and running real businesses. The accumulative nature of the systems also provides opportunities for students to learn about system maintenance, an important capability usually ignored in other types of student project assignment

Improving Customer Value Co-creation through Customer Engagement and Requirements Engineering Practices in a Small Software Company

A small software company has startup thinking which is often short-term. This may negate requiring planning for long-term growth, and sustainability, which could have its impact on customer value. Customer engagement (CE) and requirements engineering (RE) practices are customer satisfaction and growth oriented; helping a small software company earn competitive edge, increase productivity, and grow while delivering on customer value. To address the stated problem, the research problem is stated thus: How do CE and RE practices impact customer value (CV) co-creation? An action research study was carried out to understand better CE and RE practices at the case company. For data collection triangulation of semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, participant observation, and work experience were used. Data analysis did use some grounded theory features — interpretative statements in gathering and organizing the data got. CE practices such as having dedicated customer co-creation platform, constantly learning from users, customer segmentation, and broadened view of customer were observed to have positive influence on customer value co-creation. RE practices that advance customer value included customer participation, face-to-face-communication, continuous planning, and requirements management. The level of success of these practices was influenced by differences in customer participation level, elicitation techniques scope, and selection of the techniques. Also, lack of dedicated user environment hinders user interaction and user-centered co-creation. Customer engagement strengthens RE practices through active interaction between provider and customer to positively influence CV co-creation. Such interaction could be amongst provider, customer and end-users. There are four CE practices and seven RE practices established at the case company. Understanding CE significantly, and some of its practices, coupled with RE practices that yield high- perceived value may significantly help improve customer CV co-creation. Practices like detailed documentation, use of prototype, change and requirements management, co-creation platform, and participation in the platform can be improved upon

Diffusion and Impacts of E-Commerce in the United States of America: Results from an Industry Survey

The paper provides baseline conditions of U.S. e-commerce in the post-dot.com era. The article examines the key factors that act as determinants of e-commerce diffusion. It is based on qualitative analysis of U.S. industry survey data, matched to a similar data and analyses from other countries. It presents data taken from one of the most comprehensive sample surveys of U.S. firm activity in e-commerce. The paper analyzes differences among three industry sectors, and between small/medium and large firms using both qualitative interpretations and direct observations from the survey data, as well as use of structural equation modeling of e-commerce diffusion and impacts. Some differences in e-commerce orientation and experience were found across the three industry sectors studied in the survey. These differences are related largely to the nature of the tasks done in the respective industries, and to prior industry-level investment and learning related to e-commerce. There were also differences found in e-commerce attitudes and experience between small/medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and large establishments. Only modest differences were found between U.S. and non-U.S. establishments. Quantitative analysis revealed significant regression relationships with their level of statistical significance. Results show that e-commerce adoption is path dependent (i.e., establishments follow earlier investment patterns), and that each industry\u27s market and institutional context play a significant role in adoption

E-COMMERCE IN AGRICULTURE: DEVELOPMENT, STRATEGY, AND MARKET IMPLICATIONS

Marketing,

The First 25 Years of the Bled eConference: Themes and Impacts

The Bled eConference is the longest-running themed conference associated with the Information Systems discipline. The focus throughout its first quarter-century has been the application of electronic tools, migrating progressively from Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) via Inter-Organisational Systems (IOS) and eCommerce to encompass all aspects of the use of networking facilities in industry and government, and more recently by individuals, groups and society as a whole. This paper reports on an examination of the conference titles and of the titles and abstracts of the 773 refereed papers published in the Proceedings since 1995. This identified a long and strong focus on categories of electronic business and corporate perspectives, which has broadened in recent years to encompass the democratic, the social and the personal. The conference\u27s extend well beyond the papers and their thousands of citations and tens of thousands of downloads. Other impacts have included innovative forms of support for the development of large numbers of graduate students, and the many international research collaborations that have been conceived and developed in a beautiful lake-side setting in Slovenia