Special Issue on the AMCIS 2001 Workshops: Speech Enabled Information Systems: The Next Frontier

Speech technologies are coming of age. They are applied in an increasing number of mobile, call-center, home and office settings. They challenge the established Graphical User Interface metaphor and promise to fundamentally alter the way humans conceptualize and interact with computers. This change leads to new requirements for the development of information systems. It also provides new research issues and opportunities for the academic community. In this article, the main elements of speech technologies will be presented and their applications will be discussed. The article does not focus on technical aspects of speech technologies but is concerned with the business aspects of applying such technologies. The article is based on a workshop at the Americas Conference on Information Systems 2001 in Boston

Academic Knowledge Management Infrastructure: Information Systems Cybrarium

In what ways are advances in information technology likely to affect the processes of scientific research and publication? To study the issues we have developed a web-based knowledge management infrastructure which supports the creation, synthesis and application of scientific knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to present this infrastructure, which we call Cybrarium , and to highlight core issues such as approaches for the organization of scientific knowledge and likely changes to established publishing processes in an electronic environment

Advancing CASE Productivity by Using Natural Language Processing and Computerized Ontologies: The ACAPULCO system

We present a new approach to software engineering which reduces the knowledge gap between user and development methodology by explicitly supporting concepts expressed in natural language. The tool uses a natural language description of a business process as input and transforms it into a process model. The system recognizes actors, objects, locations, relationships etc. referred to in the description and distinguishes different types of actions and conditions. The system uses multi-pass parsing and disambiguation NLP techniques and relies upon a custom-built dictionary of 23.000 English root words. The dictionary includes information about syntactic (e.g. noun, verb...) and semantic categories as well as word frequency. Currently 15 different semantic categories such as \u27tangible object\u27, \u27person\u27, \u27event\u27, etc. are distinguished. The ACAPULCO prototype, which runs on a standard PC under Windows 3.1 with 16 Mbytes of RAM, demonstrates a) that natural language processing for software engineeringis feasible, b) that this approach has potential of redefining the interaction and relationships between users, analysts and developers and c) that this approach is a powerful extension to traditional methods because it uses explicit knowledge about real-world business concepts

Finding Information Just for You: Knowledge Reuse Using Collaborative Filtering Systems

In todayís networked business environment, with the endless increase in available information, relevant information is becoming more and more difficult to find. Collaborative filtering (CF) generates recommendations for users based on othersí evaluations. CF has great potential to improve information search and knowledge reuse. Previous studies have mostly focused on the improvement of CF algorithms. Little research has been done on the effect of users and types of product domains on the performance of CF systems. In this study, four factorsóproduct domain, user characteristics, userís search mode, and number of usersó that are expected to affect the accuracy of CF systems were identified and investigated. The effects of the four factors were tested using data collected from two experiments in two different product domains: movies and research papers. It was shown that CF systems work better for knowledge-intensive domains than consumer product domains. The accuracy of CF systems is affected by usersí search mode and knowledge in a domain. This study demonstrates that CF systems have great potential in information search and customization. It also shows that a successful CF system needs to be designed to handle multiple modes of search, even within a domain and user group

Why is Open Source Software Viable? A Study of Intrinsic Motivation, Personal Needs and Future Returns

Traditional business models for software development are currently being challenged by the phenomenon of open source software where communities of programmers leverage the Internet to develop free software without receiving any direct compensation. To understand the success and the prospects of open source software it is necessary to examine the motivation of the participants in open source projects. This paper presents a theoretical model to study the three main factors leading to participation in open source projects: intrinsic motivation, personal need and expectation of future returns. Implications of the model are derived and their significance discussed. We conclude that open source software will be an enduring alternative to traditional software development and that it is possible to combine aspects of both development approaches

Emerging Web-Based Knowledge-Bases: Categories, Trends and Implications for the IS Research Community

The number of electronic knowledge bases on the world wide web is exploding. Organizations and individuals are investing time and resources to build and maintain knowledge bases. However, they have currently have minimal guidance in this effort. Identifying the underlying characteristics of existing knowledge bases and different paths they take for the creation, synthesis and organization of knowledge, is the first step towards determining the best model for designing knowledge bases in the future. In this paper we present an analysis of electronic knowledge bases which have a presence on the WWW and are related to information technology. This work is a preliminary effort in the development of a knowledge base design theory. A total of 38 such knowledge bases were identified and then categorized along two dimensions: Mode of Interaction and Approach for Knowledge Organization . The results show that the majority of current knowledge bases focus on low levels of interaction and give little thought to the organization of their knowledge. At the same time, several knowledge bases with innovative approaches are identified. Taken together, they can serve as models for building more effective web-based knowledge bases which not only capture and disseminate knowledge but leverage information technology to improve the process of knowledge creatio

Knowledge Reuse - Insights from Software Reuse

We are moving towards an economy where competitive advantage will be determined by knowledge. In their knowledge management strategies, many companies currently aim to encourage knowledge reuse. In this paper, we examine insights drawn from a related field — software reuse — for their relevance to the emerging field of knowledge reuse. We first examine different types of reuse: components, patterns, frameworks and general principles. We then evaluate different kinds of reuse activities. Finally, we discuss lessons from cultural issues in software reuse

Business Process Reengineering -Do Software Tools Matter?

As the number of business process reengineering (BPR) projects increase in industry, there seems to be a large potential to reduce cost and increase quality through the use of software tools. Currently, more than 50 BPR tools are available, but there has been little research to determine which features of BPR tools are important for BPR success and how important BPR tools are in BPR projects. Research in the related area of tools for computer-aided software engineering (CASE) shows that software tools are not always likely to improve productivity.To answer the questions raised above, we developed a model and tested it with a survey. As a first step, literature dealing with BPR procedures and BPR features was reviewed to elicit important features of BPR tools. Simultaneously literature regarding CASE tools failure was investigated to identify potential causes of failure of BPR tools. As a result, a framework of BPR tool features that can guide selection of BPR tools was developed. We also developed a BPR success model and a questionnaire to test the model. The questionnaire was distributed to BPR practitioners through electronic media.The analysis of data shows that process visualization and process analysis features are key features for the success of BPR tools which is termed as BPR tools competence in this research. Organizational factors such as user support and change of work are also important for a successful use of BPR tools. One interesting result is that change of work caused by BPR tools has a positive effect on BPR tools competence which is opposite to CASE tools. A significant relationship between BPR tools competence and effectiveness of BPR projects was observed, while no significant relationship was observed between BPR tools competence and efficiency of the projects. The result implies that BPR tools are different from CASE tools in many aspects, and what managers should expect from BPR tools is improved quality of project rather than productivity