DO WEB SERVICES FOSTER SPECIALIZATION? AN ANALYSIS OF WEB SERVICE DIRECTORIES

Web service technologies are expected to foster the creation of networks of specialists which expose their digital services over the internet for the dynamic discovery of services by other organizations. Although the idea of a global Web service directory, which was considered a key enabler of e-commerce in the dot.com era, has failed with the shutdown of the Universal Business Registry in 2006, the vision of an open market for Web services has regained popularity lately in the context of the SOA and Web 2.0 concepts. Given these latest developments, the interesting question is whether there is empirical evidence of an emerging market for Web services. Based on a longitudinal study of Web services directories, this paper aims at analyzing the evolving offering and market structure of B2B Web services. The study suggests that commercial Web services which enable companies to out-task discrete, repetitive tasks to specialized service providers continue to be relatively scarce. However, Web services specialists emerge in specific domains, such as compliance, online validation and alerting. In addition, Web services directories are extending their scope beyond service discovery and evolve into either ‘real’ electronic marketplaces or infomediaries

Staphylinidae from Under Bark and at Sap of Trees, a Preliminary Survey of Species Possibly Beneficial to Forestry (Coleoptera)

Two hundred and one species of Staphylinidae known to be found under bark or at sap of trees are listed. The possibility of these insects being important elements in the population dynamics of forest pests is discussed. An indication is given of the distribution and habitat of each species

Understanding the manifold forms of B2B integration - A transaction cost perspective

The need for collaboration within value chains is rapidly increasing and drives enterprise to align and electronically integrate their business processes with their business partners. As technologies evolve, manifold forms of B2B integration have emerged – from e-mail communication to customer or supplier portals, the exchange of EDIFACT- to XML documents, and Web Services. Although serviceoriented architectures (SOA) are considered the future of inter-organizational linkages, no empirical studies have been found which surveyed the impact of SOA on B2B integration costs and benefits. From a research perspective, we still lack a systematic analysis that explains how a specific B2B integration technology impacts the effectiveness of B2B integration. Building on transaction cost theory, this research analyzes the different forms of B2B integration with regard to their impact on connectivity and coordination costs. Based on a field study from the automotive industry, it demonstrates that there is economic rationale for preferring supplier portals to machine-to-machine integration based on EDIFACT or XML messages. Compared to prior technologies, SOA reduces the costs of external integration by eliminating separate B2B integration infrastructures and improving connectivity of internal applications. However, we find that prior literature tends to overestimate the impact of open Internet and Web service technologies on connectivity costs

Internal markets as a sourcing option for the delivery of IS services: Improving outsourcing and insourcing

The need for collaboration within value chains is rapidly increasing and drives enterprise to align and electronically integrate their business processes with their business partners. As technologies evolve, manifold forms of B2B integration have emerged – from e-mail communication to customer or supplier portals, the exchange of EDIFACT- to XML documents, and Web Services. Although serviceoriented architectures (SOA) are considered the future of inter-organizational linkages, no empirical studies have been found which surveyed the impact of SOA on B2B integration costs and benefits. From a research perspective, we still lack a systematic analysis that explains how a specific B2B integration technology impacts the effectiveness of B2B integration. Building on transaction cost theory, this research analyzes the different forms of B2B integration with regard to their impact on connectivity and coordination costs. Based on a field study from the automotive industry, it demonstrates that there is economic rationale for preferring supplier portals to machine-to-machine integration based on EDIFACT or XML messages. Compared to prior technologies, SOA reduces the costs of external integration by eliminating separate B2B integration infrastructures and improving connectivity of internal applications. However, we find that prior literature tends to overestimate the impact of open Internet and Web service technologies on connectivity costs

Inevitable or Avoidable? How the Illegal Wildlife Trade Is Facilitating the Spread of Zoonotic Diseases and How the Next Pandemic Can Be Avoided

On February 1, 2020, Patricia Dowd called her brother to cancel plans to attend a funeral later in the week because she had fallen ill with what seemed like the flu.1 Only five days later, Dowd suddenly collapsed and died of what appeared to be a heart attack while standing in her kitchen.2 A subsequent flu test returned a negative result, baffling the coroner.3 Further test results confirmed that the otherwise healthy fifty-seven-year-old woman had been infected with a strain of the coronavirus, now coined Covid-19, demonstrating that it had made its way to the United States much earlier than previously thought.4 The virus had weakened Dowd’s heart muscle, ultimately causing it to rupture.5 Dowd had not recently traveled to China; thus, her death signified the start of community transmission and the beginning of a global pandemic.6 In November 2019, Covid-19 emerged in Wuhan, China.7 The focus of the virus moved to Europe in March 2020 before turning to the United States in April.8 On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Covid-19 a pandemic.9 At the time, the virus had infected over 118,000 individuals and spread to over 110 countries and territories.10 As of January 2021, more than 93 million individuals have been infected and over 2 million have died worldwide.11 Over 22 million of those cases belong to the United States with nearly 400,000 deaths.12 Tens of thousands of new cases are being reported each day in the United States alone.1