Imparting Global Software Development Experience Via an IT Project Management Course: Critical Success Factors

The rapid trend towards global sourcing of software development has put increased pressure upon U.S. educational institutions in order to provide such experience and relevant skill sets to their students. This presentation describes one such initiative between a Marquette University and Management Development Institute aimed at providing experience in global software development to their students. For others interested in undertaking such initiatives, this paper discusses some dos and dont’s

Work Alienation among IT Workers: A Cross-Cultural Gender Comparison

Information Technology (IT) has experienced a worrisome decline in female participation over two decades, much of which can be attributed to fewer women choosing IT careers. However, women IT professionals also demonstrate mid-career turnover for reasons such as work-life balance, work exhaustion, role ambiguity, role conflict, and growth needs. This study explores alienation among women IT professionals and examines factors that lead to work alienation and abandonment of IT careers. Such alienation appears to be less prevalent in Asian countries where women perceive IT careers to be more conducive to female participation. A comparison among women from American and Asian cultures is proposed

Government and Corporate Initiatives for Indian Women in IT

Education of women severely lags behind that of men in many developing nations. Fewer girls go to school, tend to drop out earlier than boys, do not receive the same level of education as their male counterparts, and often choose careers that are female predominant (Kelly, 1987). Without exception, India is quite representative of these gender-biased phenomena in education. However, the recent explosion of offshore outsourcing market in India has created a new recognition regarding the role of women in technological careers. The Indian IT sector has seen a trend contrary to what most western nations are experiencing—predominance of women in IT, particularly in IT-enabled services (ITES). India has acknowledged that extensive and intensive use of information and communications technologies (ICT) alone can help the nation develop its neglected human resources, emerge as a knowledge-based society, and participate competitively in the global trade and services. Consequently, the development of ICT has become a national issue with strong impetus from the union government in New Delhi (Choudhary, 1999). Explicit in this initiative is the recognition that to progress as an information society, women must be empowered as key players the IT sector. In parallel, two other trends have focused attention on women in the information society—a nationwide movement for women’s rights spearheaded by many non-government organizations (NGOs) and an increased awareness of corporate social responsibility. Consequently, over the last decade, there has been an increased emphasis on education and reskilling India’s female workforce. While many government efforts are targeted toward the overall upliftment of women, many grassroots level initiatives led by NGO’s and corporations emphasize technological training. This article highlights how the intertwining of grassroots and policy level efforts can increase the pace at which a nation’s female workforce can be reskilled and prepared for a technological world. The article also addresses concerns about such rapid development and potentially challenging outcomes while making recommendations for improvement

Data Mining in Health-Care: Issues and a Research Agenda

While data mining has become a much-lauded tool in business and related fields, its role in the healthcare arena is still being explored. Currently, most applications of data mining in healthcare can be categorized into two areas: decision support for clinical practice, and policy planning/decision making. However, it is challenging to find empirical literature in this area since a substantial amount of existing work in data mining for health care is conceptual in nature. In this paper, we review the challenges that limit the progress made in this area and present considerations for the future of data mining in healthcare

Factors Influencing girls\u27 choice of Information Technology careers

Many western nations have experienced declining numbers of women in the information technology (IT) workforce (Trauth, Nielsen, & von Hellens, 2003). Between 1996 and 2002, women in the U.S. IT workforce declined from 41% to 34.9% (ITAA, 2003). This can hamper diversity and reduce the talent pool that can address needs of diverse end-users (Florida & Gates, 2002). Why do women choose IT careers or reject them? Multidisciplinary research on career genderization reveals gender imbalance (Trauth, Nielsen, & von Hellens, 2003). Career decisions against math, science, and technology (MST) are often made as early as age 11 without understanding long-term implications (AAUW, 2000). We examine influences on girls’ choice of IT careers, modeling social, structural, and personal variables that affect IT career choice. Using Ahuja’s (2002) classification of social and structural influences on women’s IT careers, Beise, Myers, VanBrackle, and Chevli-Saroq’s (2003) model of women’s career decisions, and individual differences suggested by Trauth (2002), we extend literature to children and adolescents’ career choices. Social influences bias internal and external gender perceptions and stereotyping, role models, peers, media, and family. Institutional support such as teachers and counselors, access to technology, and same-sex versus coeducational schools are structural influences. While both can influence career decisions, social factors have the most influence on children’s early perceptions. Both factors can introduce gender-stereotyping effects on career choices. Gender stereotyping explains how girls perceive their role in society based on subtle societal cues. It can limit opportunities for both sexes. We also examine personality traits and external influences that make children unique. Their individual differences draw them to activities and content areas such as problem solving and interaction with people. Finally, ethnic culture can exert an influence on social and structural variables. Figure 1 from Adya and Kaiser (2005) presents our career choice model that is discussed in the next section

Early Determinants of Women in the IT Workforce: A Model of Girls’ Career Choices

Purpose – To develop a testable model for girls’ career choices in technology fields based on past research and hypotheses about the future of the information technology (IT) workforce. Design/Methodology/Approach – Review and assimilation of literature from education, psychology, sociology, computer science, IT, and business in a model that identifies factors that can potentially influence a girl’s choice towards or against IT careers. The factors are categorized into social factors (family, peers, and media), structural factors (computer use, teacher/counselor influence, same sex versus coeducational schools), and individual differences. The impact of culture on these various factors is also explored. Findings – The model indicates that parents, particularly fathers, are the key influencers of girls’ choice of IT careers. Teachers and counselors provide little or no career direction. Hypotheses propose that early access to computers may reduce intimidation with technology and that same-sex education may serve to reduce career bias against IT. Research Limitations/Implications – While the model is multidisciplinary, much of research from which it draws is five to eight years old. Patterns of career choices, availability of technology, increased independence of women and girls, offshore/nearshore outsourcings of IT jobs are just some of the factors that may be insufficiently addressed in this study. Practical Implications – A “Recommendations” section provides some practical steps to increase the involvement of girls in IT-related careers and activities at an early age. The article identifies cultural research as a limitation and ways to address this. Originality/value – The paper is an assimilation of literature from diverse fields and provides a testable model for research on gender and IT

An Analysis of Using Expert Systems and Intelligent Agents for the Virtual Library Project at the Naval Surface Warfare Center-Carderock Division

The Virtual Library Project1 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center/Carderock Division (NSWC/CD) is being developed to facilitate the incorporation and use of library documents via the Internet. These documents typically relate to the design and manufacture of ships for the U.S. Navy Fleet. As such, the libraries will store documents that contain not only text but also images, graphs and design configurations. Because of the dynamic nature of digital documents, particularly those related to design, rapid and effective cataloging of these documents becomes challenging. We conducted a research study to analyze the use of expert systems and intelligent agents to support the function of cataloging digital documents. This chapter provides an overview of past research in the use of expert systems and intelligent agents for cataloging digital documents and discusses our recommendations based on NSWC/CD’s requirements

Indian sugar industry - a strong industrial base for rural India

Indian sugar industry, second largest agro-based processing industry afte the cotton textiles industry in country, has a lion's share in accelerating industrialization process and bringing socio-economic changes in under developed rural areas. Sugar industry covers around 7.5% of total rural population and provides employment to 5 lakh rural people. About 4.5 crore farmers are engaged in sugarcane cultivation in Inda. Sugar mills (cooperative, private, and public) have been instrumental in initiating a number of entrepreneurial activities in rural India. Present paper is an attempt as to review progress of sugar industry in India, understand it's problems and challenges in context of ongoing liberalization process. Indian sugar industry can be a global leader provided it comes out of the vicious cycle of shortage and surplus of sugarcane, lower sugarcane yield, lower sugar recovery, ever increasing production costs and mounting losses. It needs quality management at all levels of activity to enhance productivity and production. Attention is required on cost minimization and undertaking by product processing activities.Indian Sugar industry , Sugar , Adya Prasad Pandey

Rule Based Forecasting [RBF] - Improving Efficacy of Judgmental Forecasts Using Simplified Expert Rules

Rule-based Forecasting (RBF) has emerged to be an effective forecasting model compared to well-accepted benchmarks. However, the original RBF model, introduced in1992, incorporates 99 production rules and is, therefore, difficult to apply judgmentally. In this research study, we present a core rule-set from RBF that can be used to inform both judgmental forecasting practice and pedagogy. The simplified rule-set, called coreRBF, is validated by asking forecasters to judgmentally apply the rules to time series forecasting tasks. Results demonstrate that forecasting accuracy from judgmental use of coreRBF is not statistically different from that reported from similar applications of RBF. Further, we benchmarked these coreRBF forecasts against forecasts from (a) untrained forecasters, (b) an expert system based on RBF, and (c) the original 1992 RBF study. Forecast accuracies were in the hypothesized direction, arguing for the generalizability and validity of the coreRBF rules

Labour management relation: A radical deal for industrial peace

In the rapid programme of industrial development of India, trade unions have come to occupy a critical position in the success of industrial relations in the country. Trade Unionism in India has been undergoing rapid changes due to socio-economic transformation. The term industrial relation or labour – management relation, refers to industry and relations, ‘industry’ means ‘any productive activity in which an individual is engaged’ and ‘relations’ means ‘the relations that exist in the industry between the employer and his workmen’. The concept of industrial relation is a developing and dynamic concept and does not limit itself merely to the complex of relations between the unions and management but also refers to the general web of relationship normally obtaining between employees. A web is much more complex than the simple concept of labour capital conflict. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) “Industrial relations deals with either the relationship between the state, employers' and workers organization or the relation between the occupational organization themselves.” Modern industrialism has not been an unmixed but has created a yawning gulf between management and labour because of the absence of workers ownership of the means of production. Power is concentrated in the hands of a few entrepreneurs, while the majority has been relegated to the insignificant position of merge wage-earners. The workers have now come to realize that most of their demands can be satisfied if they resort to concerted and collective action; while the employers are aware of the fact that they can resist these demands. This denial or refusal to meet their genuine demands has often led to dissatisfaction on the part of the workers, to their distress, and even to violent activities on their part, which have hindered production and harmed both the workers and the employees. In order to analyse the cause of labour – management relations we have to go into the various aspects related with industrial production and productivity. Hence in the present paper the researcher adopted the random sampling technique for the purpose and interviewed with the help of questionnaire. The whole universe has been classified into three groups, - viz. workers, executives and trade union leaders/office bearers of Bokaro Steel Plant. The research proposed to select nearly 160 workers, 70 executives and 70 trade union office bearers/leaders of Bokaro Steel Plant. Thus a total of 300 respondents in all were selected for study. The present study has been divided in IV parts Ist part is introductory whereas the IInd part deals with various segments of labourmanagement relations. The IIIrd part analyses the various aspects of the industrial relations concerning to trade unions on the basis of primary datas of Bokaro Steel Plant. The last partconcludes the study.Labour Management, Industrial Peace, Radical Deal , Adya Prasad Pandey