Distributed Model Management Systems: A Proposal for an Ontology-Based Approach

While managers in today’s global business environments are thrusting for swifter, more flexible, and scalable decision support, technical challenges pertaining to model sharing arise due to the limited capabilities of current model representation techniques. In this research, we propose that ontologies can improve model representation and thus support sophisticated model management capabilities such as model integration and composition in distributive collaborative environments. The proposed solution extends SMML and builds upon previous literature in the semantic web to provide a model representation language that is capable of capturing model structure as well as semantics

A Risk Assessment Framework for Inter-Organizational Knowledge Sharing

Internet-based Information, Communication and Collaboration technologies are making it easier for organizations and knowledge workers to collaborate across organizational boundaries. However, it is necessary for organizations to monitor, regulate and build appropriate security mechanisms in collaboration systems to prevent loss of strategic knowledge and competitive advantage. In this paper, we present a risk assessment framework that can help organizations identify valuable knowledge assets exposed through collaboration technologies, and assess the risk of knowledge loss, intellectual property leakage, and the subsequent loss of competitive advantage so that appropriate security mechanism can be designed to prevent such a loss. We present an illustrative scenario to demonstrate the feasibility of the framework, and describe a prototype decision support system for automating the risk assessment process

A Framework for Assessing Knowledge Sharing Risks in Interorganizational Networks

Collaboration technologies are making it easier for organizations and knowledge workers to collaborate across organizational boundaries. However, it is necessary for organizations to monitor, regulate and build appropriate security mechanisms in collaboration systems to prevent loss of strategic knowledge and competitive advantage. In this paper, we present a risk assessment framework that can help organizations identify valuable knowledge assets that can be exposed through collaboration technologies, and help prioritize security strategies that can be used to secure the collaboration systems to prevent the loss of valuable knowledge assets. We present an illustrative case to demonstrate the feasibility of the framework, and discuss issues for future research

Developing a semantic web-based distributed model management system: Experiences and lessons learned

Distributed model management systems (DMMSs) are decision support systems with a focus on managing decision models throughout the modeling lifecycle and across the extended enterprise. The advent and proliferation of web services and semantic web technologies offers the possibilities of sharing and reusing models in a distributed setting. This paper presents the design and implementation of a semantic web-based DMMS. Key lessons learned, technical and organizational issues encountered are summarized and directions for future research have been outlined. From a technical perspective, future research will need to explore the viability of tools specifically designed to facilitate the semantic annotation of models, specify and validate SA-SMML, and extend the white-box approach presented in this paper to other model types not amenable to structured modeling. From an organizational perspective, further research is needed in the areas of adoption issues and business models that would ensure the sustainable support for of such systems in the service enterprise

Combating Infant Mortality in Rural India: Evidence from a Field Study of eHealth Kiosk Imlementations

The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals listed high infant mortality rates as a major problem in developing countries, especially in rural areas. Given the powerful information dissemination capabilities, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been suggested as interventions to build infant care awareness and to modify healthcare behaviors. We examine how the use of one ICT intervention—specifically, eHealth kiosks disseminating authenticated and accessible medical information—can alleviate the problem of high infant mortality in rural India. We investigate how mothers’ social networks affect their use of eHealth kiosks, seeking professional medical care for their infants and, ultimately, infant mortality. Drawing on the social epidemiology and social networks literatures, we focus on advice and hindrance from both strong and weak ties as the conduit of social influence on mothers’ health-related behaviors for the care of their infants. Over a period of 7 years, we studied 4,620 infants across 10 villages where the eHealth kiosks were implemented along with support resources for proxy use. The results revealed that (1) eHealth kiosk use promotes seeking professional medical care and reduces infant mortality, (2) mothers are especially vulnerable to hindrance from both strong and weak ties as they choose to maintain the status quo of traditional infant healthcare practices (e.g., reliance on untrained personnel, superstitions, fatalism) in villages, and (3) advice from both strong and weak ties offers the potential to break down misplaced beliefs about infant healthcare practices and to develop literacy on seeking professional medical care. In contrast, in a comparative group of 10 neighboring villages, the reduction in infant mortality was not as pronounced and the effect of professional medical care in reducing infant mortality was lower. Our findings suggest that an ICT intervention can effectively address one of society’s most important problems (i.e., infant mortality) even in parts of the world with limited resources and deep suspicion of technology and change. Overall, we believe such an ICT intervention will complement other investments being made, including the facilitation of use (proxy use) and provision of professional medical facilities to reduce infant mortality

IT Use and Job Outcomes: A Longitudinal Field Study of Technology Contingencies

As information technology (IT) continues to be an integral yet evolving component in work settings, organizations need to ensure that they realize value from IT. Prior studies examining the post-adoption consequences of IT use in terms of employee job outcomes have been inconclusive with respect to the magnitude and direction of these impacts—i.e., the positive, negative, and nonsignificant impacts of IT use on job outcomes. The question of under what conditions IT use leads to favorable job outcomes over time thus remains largely unanswered. We develop a model of IT-related contingencies that integrates core constructs from the IT adoption research with two key job outcomes: job satisfaction and job performance. We hypothesize that in the post-adoption phase, technology-job fit is a key moderator of the relationships between IT use for supporting sales operations and job outcomes. Further, we suggest a theoretical extension of the classical predictors of IT adoption—perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use—as we expect them to moderate the effect of IT use on job performance over time. We tested our model in a longitudinal field study among 295 field sales personnel over a 24-month period. We found that although IT use had a negative effect on job satisfaction during the post-adoption phase, this effect was moderated by technology-job fit such that the negative effect was significantly attenuated by technology-job fit. We also found that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and technology-job fit enhanced the positive effect of IT use on job performance. Our findings offer insights into the mechanisms and conditions related to the post-adoption impacts of IT use on key job outcomes

An Ontology-based Approach for Model Representation, Sharing and Reuse

Although Decision Support Systems (DSS) play a dominant role in organizing data and models, its capability in supporting decision makers in collaborating distributed environments is still limited when it comes to the selection, sharing, and re-use of models. For mathematical models to be shared and reused, mechanisms are needed for understanding, implementing, modifying, discovering, selecting, engaging, and composing models. At a fundamental level, model representation will need to extend beyond model structure to include model semantics as well. This research leverages advances in Semantic Web technologies and ontologies to enable sharing and re-using of decision models by providing enriched semantics in collaborative decision making environments. The proposed approach builds on structured modeling (SM) as an underlying modeling formalism and is illustrated using the Web Ontology Language (OWL). A case study demonstrates the viability of the approach for capturing model semantics models using ontologies

Leveraging Technologies to Make Patients as Partners in Their Healthcare

Incidents that jeopardize patient safety and costs that are associated with managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to drain resources in the healthcare industry. Although recent initiatives emerged to make patients as partners in healthcare through technology and ultimately control many sources of costs, healthcare providers are still struggling with developing and deploying interventions for engaging patients. Relevant research leaves a lot to be explored from the patient perspective, which is understandable given the nascency of the patient role as an active participant rather than passive recipient of healthcare services relative to other stakeholders, such as healthcare providers and insurance companies. This dissertation focuses on understanding the role of patients in the healthcare industry through two main technology-enabled approaches: information sharing at the hospital level and active management of health conditions through mHealth at the patient level. The dissertation makes important contributions to research on (a) healthcare IT payoff by identifying important healthcare complementarities that involve existing evidence-based medical practices and the patient as a provider and recipient of health information and (b) mHealth by providing a fine-grained view of feature use and beliefs about health and technology. The dissertation also offers guidance to hospitals and healthcare providers who currently invest or intend to invest in technology-enabled interventions by (a) identifying sources of value in technology investments from the patient perspective at the hospital level and (b) identifying profiles for patients who are likely to advance in their health management based on a combination of beliefs about health and technology and use of mHealth features