Travelling North: The Differing Research Cultures of Australia and Germany

Summary: This invited paper discusses the discipline of Information Systems in Australia and German. Initially it describes the wide differences between the two academic cultures, endeavouring to identify the causes of these differences, as well as their implications. It then discusses the ways in which these two cultures handle the teaching of Information Systems and finally discusses the similarities and differences of the I.S. research cultures in Australia and Germany.<br /

EBanking adaptation and dot.com viability : a comparison of Australian and Indian experiences in the banking sector

With the advent of widely-accepted eBusiness activities, many banks have floated dot.com entities to create a presence on the Internet and take advantage of its power and reach. Like many other businesses, banks expected an increase in market capitalisation as a result of their dot.com floats, perceived broadly as a measure of growing profitability. Despite the negative publicity that the recent spate of dot.com crashes has generated, banks seem to continue floating online spin-offs. Our exploratory study investigates this phenomenon, studying the drivers for change in the evolution of the banking sector, and the move towards electronic banking. We focussed on two economies &ndash; Australia and India &ndash; to aggregate the major factors in this evolution from the perspective of two disparate economies. The paper describes our qualitative, document-based investigation of the Australian and Indian banking sectors, and subsequent quantitative analysis of the impact of dot.com floats on market capitalisation within this market sector. We then describe the effect of applying both Transaction Cost Economics to our findings, which indicates that the cost of transacting business has been reduced overall by the creation of dot.com entities; and &ldquo;catch-up, fall-behind, forge ahead&rdquo; theory to gain an economic perspective. The paper provides both practical assistance for banks in making decisions regarding e-portfolios, as well as for policy makers in the economies reviewed; and has the potential to contribute to academic research into eBanking more generally.<br /

Evolutionary diffusion theory and the exdoc community: greater explanatory power for e-commerce diffusion?

Improved understanding of the innovative technology uptake (ITU) problem is important for the further development of e-commerce and its integration into mainstream business activities. The discovery of a more effective explanatory theory thus presents exciting possibilities for improved understanding of issues affecting acceptance levels of new technologies in this area. This paper pioneers the application of Evolutionary Diffusion Theory (EDT) within an Information Systems context. The set of axioms the authors have derived from the literature of EDT is used to review the implementation of EXDOC, an online document delivery system introduced by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) to food exporters and successfully diffused across a number of industry sectors. The authors’ application of these EDT axioms to the EXDOC case study data demonstrates the theory’s explanatory depth for reviewing uptake of innovative technology – both as an instituted process and as a socially-embedded activity

Collective dynamics in phospholipid bilayers investigated by inelastic neutron scattering: Exploring the dynamics of biological membranes with neutrons

We present the first inelastic neutron scattering study of the short wavelength dynamics in a phospholipid bilayer. We show that inelastic neutron scattering using a triple-axis spectrometer at the high flux reactor of the ILL yields the necessary resolution and signal to determine the dynamics of model membranes. The results can quantitatively be compared to recent Molecular Dynamics simulations. Reflectivity, in-plane correlations and the corresponding dynamics can be measured simultaneously to gain a maximum amount of information. With this method, dispersion relations can be measured with a high energy resolution. Structure and dynamics in phospholipid bilayers, and the relation between them, can be studied on a molecular length scale

Supporting a Medication Management Model with Digital Documents

Medication management is an approach to addressing medication-related adverse patient events. We have formulated a model of essential medication-related information components to support pharmacists undertaking this task, because there is currently little technology to support such decision-making. We believe the system should identify necessary components but not mandate their presence because of the dilemma of missing information. A possible additional answer lies in supporting communication and acknowledging the contribution of knowledge, rather than attempting to provide all possible information. Our model underpinned a document-centric approach, using XML-based XForms, to develop a decision support tool. This allowed rapid development of a simple dynamic tool that shows promise for simple decision support in the health environment

INTEGRATING EDI INTO THE ORGANIZATION\u27S SYSTEMS: A MODEL OF THE STAGES OF iNTEGRATION

The growing importance of Electronic Data Interchange for the rapid transmission of intra- and interorganizational communications is becoming widely recognized. EDI itself is little more than a faster mail service: it is the opportunity to integrate EDI with internal application systems and organizational functions which separates it from other forms of electronic telecommunications - and makes EDI a truly strategic application, offering comparative advantage at the organizational national and international levels. This paper discusses the results of a series of case studies of Australian organizations involved with EDI, undertaken to determine whether integration with internal application systems can be defined as a series of comparatively standard and recurring stages. The results of the analysis indicate that while such integration does, indeed, occur in a relatively standard manner for a large class of EDI-using organizations, there are also three other classes of organization for each of which a different model is appropriate. Although these additional classes are small in terms of the number of organizations of which they are composed, they are significant in terms of their importance and influence on industry in general and on EDI penetration in particular

Adding value to online privacy for consumers : remedying deficiencies in online privacy policies with an holistic approach

consumers:  remedying deficiences in online privacy policies with an holistic approach,  in Proceeding

What\u27s in a Name? Conceptual Issues in Defining Electronic Commerce

Definitions of electronic commerce are many and varied. They indicate a lack of consensus about what electronic commerce is. ‘A ‘definition’ implies a direct and unproblematic correspondence between the phenomena and the way a researcher identifies it. However, electronic commerce presents a reality that is too complex for a mere definition to extract its true ‘essence’. Weber’s ‘ideal type’ provides a construct to interpret complex phenomena at a less simplistic level. The ideal type acts as a yardstick for assessing actual situations but is never seen as a direct definition of that reality. To provide an improved basis for theorising, we attempt to construct an ideal type for electronic commerce and use it to develop closer approximations to reality. We conclude that definitions provide a gauge of current conceptual problems in seeing what electronic commerce is. Once we have applied the ideal type methodology to electronic commerce, definitions provide us with a point of orientation for building features, developing and refining understanding of its complexities

EDMS, ERMS,ECMS or EDRMS : fighting through the acronyms towards a strategy for effective corporate records management

Records management has been receiving increased attention around the world over the last two decades as governments issue ever more laws and regulations about the management of corporate records. An electronic system to manage records effectively is the ultimate goal of every organisation in both the public private sectors &ndash; whether to support the development of E-Government or to conduct business legally. Such systems are not yet clearly defined, however, as the obvious confusion and inconsistency of nomenclature makes very clear. This paper highlights the problem and calls for research into this essential but currently ignored area.<br /