This book highlights some of the most fascinating current uses, thought-provoking changes, and biggest challenges that Big Data means for our society. The explosive growth of data and advances in Big Data analytics have created a new frontier for innovation, competition, productivity, and well-being in almost every sector of our society, as well as a source of immense economic and societal value. From the derivation of customer feedback-based insights to fraud detection and preserving privacy; better medical treatments; agriculture and food management; and establishing low-voltage networks - many innovations for the greater good can stem from Big Data. Given the insights it provides, this book will be of interest to both researchers in the field of Big Data, and practitioners from various fields who intend to apply Big Data technologies to improve their strategic and operational decision-making processes.

This book presents the edited proceedings of the 16th IEEE/ACIS International Conference on Computer and Information Science (ICIS 2017), which was held on May 24-26, 2017 in Wuhan, China. The aim of this conference was to bring together researchers and scientists, businessmen and entrepreneurs, teachers, engineers, computer users, and students to discuss the various fields of computer science, share their experiences and exchange new ideas and information. The research results included relate to all aspects (theory, applications and tools) of computer and information science, and discuss the practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted to solve them. The work selected represents 17 of the most promising papers from the conference, written by authors who are certain to make further significant contributions to the field of computer and information science.

This book summarizes the results of Design Thinking Research Program at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, USA and the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany. Offering readers a closer look at design thinking, its innovation processes and methods, it covers topics ranging from how to design ideas, methods and technologies, to creativity experiments and creative collaboration in the real world, and the interplay between designers and engineers. But the topics go beyond this in their detailed exploration of design thinking and its use in IT systems engineering fields, and even from a management perspective. The authors show how these methods and strategies actually work in companies, and introduce new technologies and their functions. Furthermore, readers learn how special-purpose design thinking can be used to solve thorny problems in complex fields. Thinking and devising innovations are fundamentally and inherently human activities - so is design thinking. Accordingly, design thinking is not merely the result of special courses nor of being gifted or trained: it's a way of dealing with our environment and improving techniques, technologies and life. This edition offers a historic perspective on the theoretical foundations of design thinking. Within the four topic areas, various frameworks, methodologies, mindsets, systems and tools are explored and further developed. The first topic area focuses on team interaction, while the second part addresses tools and techniques for productive collaboration. The third section explores new approaches to teaching and enabling creative skills and lastly the book examines how design thinking is put into practice. All in all, the contributions shed light and provide deeper insights into how to support the collaboration of design teams in order to systematically and successfully develop innovations and design progressive solutions for tomorrow.

The field of enterprise systems integration is constantly evolving, as every new technology that is introduced appears to make all previous ones obsolete. Despite this continuous evolution, there is a set of underlying concepts and technologies that have been gaining an increasing importance in this field. Examples are asynchronous messaging through message queues, data and application adapters based on XML and Web services, the principles associated with the service-oriented architecture (SOA), service composition, orchestrations, and advanced mechanisms such as correlations and long-running transactions. Today, these concepts have reached a significant level of maturity and they represent the foundation over which most integration platforms have been built.

This book addresses integration with a view towards supporting business processes. From messaging systems to data and application adapters, and then to services, orchestrations, and choreographies, the focus is placed on the connection between systems and business processes, and particularly on how it is possible to develop an integrated application infrastructure in order to implement the desired business processes. For this purpose, the text follows a layered, bottom-up approach, with application-oriented integration at the lowest level, followed by service-oriented integration and finally completed by process-oriented integration at the topmost level. The presentation of concepts is accompanied by a set of instructive examples using state-of-the-art technologies such as Java Message Service (JMS), Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ), Web Services, Microsoft BizTalk Server, and the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL).

The book is intended as a textbook for advance undergraduate or beginning graduate students in computer science, especially for those in an information systems curriculum. IT professionals with a background in programming, databases and XML will also benefit from the step-by-step description of the various integration levels and the related implementation examples.

In Unmasking Project Management, Moraveck explores approaches to help managers implement successful information systems projects. Moraveck goes beyond traditional approaches to management of information systems (MIS) by introducing several types of principles, concepts, and research models that can be used for project management, and by presenting information about organizations in a new way.
Written from the perspective of an insider, Unmasking Project Management helps professionals in information technology (IT) and business identify successful approaches to MIS for their organizations and projects. Since IT managers and project managers face unique challenges, this book provides the knowledge to overcome these challenges by exploring business initiatives that drive changes, highlighting important project management essentials, examining the organization environment and real-world experiences of IT and project managers, reviewing MIS options and choices, and demonstrating how to get the emotional and peer support that managers need in order to complete their projects successfully.
In addition to being useful for IT and project managers, Unmasking Project Management is ideal for students and practitioners who need help making decisions about managing information systems.

This book describes in detail sampling techniques that can be used for unsupervised and supervised cases, with a focus on sampling techniques for machine learning algorithms. It covers theory and models of sampling methods for managing scalability and the "curse of dimensionality", their implementations, evaluations, and applications. A large part of the book is dedicated to database comprising standard feature vectors, and a special section is reserved to the handling of more complex objects and dynamic scenarios. The book is ideal for anyone teaching or learning pattern recognition and interesting teaching or learning pattern recognition and is interested in the big data challenge. It provides an accessible introduction to the field and discusses the state of the art concerning sampling techniques for supervised and unsupervised task. Provides a comprehensive description of sampling techniques for unsupervised and supervised tasks; Describe implementation and evaluation of algorithms that simultaneously manage scalable problems and curse of dimensionality; Addresses the role of sampling in dynamic scenarios, sampling when dealing with complex objects, and new challenges arising from big data. "This book represents a timely collection of state-of-the art research of sampling techniques, suitable for anyone who wants to become more familiar with these helpful techniques for tackling the big data challenge." M. Emre Celebi, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Computer Science, University of Central Arkansas "In science the difficulty is not to have ideas, but it is to make them work" From Carlo Rovelli

In scheduling theory, the models that have attracted considerable attention during the last two decades allow the processing times to be variable, i.e., to be subjected to various effects that make the actual processing time of a job dependent on its location in a schedule. The impact of these effects includes, but is not limited to, deterioration and learning. Under the first type of effect, the later a job is scheduled, the longer its actual processing time becomes. In the case of learning, delaying a job will result in shorter processing times. Scheduling with Time-Changing Effects and Rate-Modifying Activities covers and advances the state-of-the-art research in this area. The book focuses on single machine and parallel machine scheduling problems to minimize either the maximum completion time or the sum of completion times of all jobs, provided that the processing times are subject to various effects. Models that describe deterioration, learning and general non-monotone effects to be considered include positional, start-time dependent, cumulative and their combinations, which cover most of the traditionally used models. The authors also consider more enhanced models in which the decision-maker may insert certain Rate-Modifying Activities (RMA) on processing machines, such as for example, maintenance or rest periods. In any case, the processing times of jobs are not only dependent on effects mentioned above but also on the place of a job in a schedule relative to an RMA. For most of the enhanced models described in the book, polynomial-time algorithms are presented which are based on similar algorithmic ideas such as reduction to linear assignment problems (in a full form or in a reduced form), discrete convexity, and controlled generation of options.

With the proliferation of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) offerings, it is becoming increasingly important for individual SaaS providers to operate their services at a low cost. This book investigates SaaS from the perspective of the provider and shows how operational costs can be reduced by using "multi tenancy," a technique for consolidating a large number of customers onto a small number of servers. Specifically, the book addresses multi tenancy on the database level, focusing on in-memory column databases, which are the backbone of many important new enterprise applications. For efficiently implementing multi tenancy in a farm of databases, two fundamental challenges must be addressed, (i) workload modeling and (ii) data placement. The first involves estimating the (shared) resource consumption for multi tenancy on a single in-memory database server. The second consists in assigning tenants to servers in a way that minimizes the number of required servers (and thus costs) based on the assumed workload model. This step also entails replicating tenants for performance and high availability. This book presents novel solutions to both problems.

How can an organisation, public or private, ensure that it always operates in top form and, at the very least, meets the objectives for which it was established? The answer lies in the availability of factually correct, dependable and appropriate data. Obtaining such data is what this publication is about.

Introduction To Research offers a step-by-step approach to the fundamentals of research. Introduction To Research guides the novice researcher through the research process, including how to choose the appropriate research methodology and how to adhere to the standards for conducting ethical research. It provides a synopsis of the entire research process, including the formulation of a research proposal.

Introduction To Research is aimed at all students and researchers, across a variety of disciplines.

The objective of this book is to contribute to the development of the intelligent information and database systems with the essentials of current knowledge, experience and know-how. The book contains a selection of 40 chapters based on original research presented as posters during the 8th Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems (ACIIDS 2016) held on 14-16 March 2016 in Da Nang, Vietnam. The papers to some extent reflect the achievements of scientific teams from 17 countries in five continents. The volume is divided into six parts: (a) Computational Intelligence in Data Mining and Machine Learning, (b) Ontologies, Social Networks and Recommendation Systems, (c) Web Services, Cloud Computing, Security and Intelligent Internet Systems, (d) Knowledge Management and Language Processing, (e) Image, Video, Motion Analysis and Recognition, and (f) Advanced Computing Applications and Technologies. The book is an excellent resource for researchers, those working in artificial intelligence, multimedia, networks and big data technologies, as well as for students interested in computer science and other related fields.

Extensive research conducted by the Hasso Plattner Design Thinking Research Program at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, USA, and the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, has yielded valuable insights on why and how design thinking works. The participating researchers have identified metrics, developed models, and conducted studies, which are featured in this book, and in the previous volumes of this series. This volume provides readers with tools to bridge the gap between research and practice in design thinking with varied real world examples. Several different approaches to design thinking are presented in this volume. Acquired frameworks are leveraged to understand design thinking team dynamics. The contributing authors lead the reader through new approaches and application fields and show that design thinking can tap the potential of digital technologies in a human-centered way. In a final section, new ideas in neurodesign at Stanford University and at Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam are elaborated upon thereby challenging the reader to consider newly developed methodologies and provide discussion of how these insights can be applied to various sectors. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the mechanisms underlying design thinking at the individual and team levels. Design thinking can be learned. It has a methodology that can be observed across multiple settings and accordingly, the reader can adopt new frameworks to modify and update existing practice. The research outcomes compiled in this book are intended to inform and provide inspiration for all those seeking to drive innovation - be they experienced design thinkers or newcomers.

This book explores the impact of design science and design thinking on tourism planning, gathering contributions from leading authorities in the field of tourism research and providing a comprehensive and interconnected panorama of cutting-edge results that influence the current and future design of tourist destinations. The book builds on recent findings in psychology, geography and urban and regional planning, as well as from economics, marketing and communications, and explores the opportunities arising from recent advances in the Internet and related technologies like memory, storage, RFID, GIS, mobile and social media in the context of collecting and analyzing traveler-related data. It presents a broad range of insights and cases on how modern design approaches can be used to develop new and better touristic experiences, and how they enable the tourism industry to track and communicate with visitors in a more meaningful way and more effectively manage visitor experiences.

This book offers practical advice on managing enterprise modeling (EM) projects and facilitating participatory EM sessions. Modeling activities often involve groups of people, and models are created in a participatory way. Ensuring that this is done efficiently requires dedicated individuals who know how to organize modeling projects and sessions, how to manage discussions during these sessions, and what aspects influence the success and efficiency of modeling in practice. The book also includes a summary of the theoretical background to EM, although participatory modeling can also be used in conjunction with other methods that are not made for EM, such as those made for goal-oriented requirements engineering and information systems analysis. The first four chapters present an overview of enterprise modeling from various viewpoints (including methods, processes and organizational challenges), providing a background for those that need to refresh their basic knowledge. The next six chapters form the core of the book and detail the roles and competences needed in an EM project, typical stakeholder behaviors and how to handle them, tools and methods for managing participatory modeling and facilitation, and how to train modeling experts for these social aspects of modeling. Lastly, a concluding chapter presents a summary and an outlook on current research in participatory EM. This book is intended for anybody who wants to learn more about how to facilitate participatory modeling in practice and how to set up and carry out EM projects. It does not require any in-depth knowledge about specific EM methods and tools, and can be used by students and lecturers for courses on participatory modeling, and by practitioners wanting to extend their knowledge of social and organizational topics to become an experienced facilitator and EM project manager.

This edited book provides a conceptual framework of managing flexibility in the areas of people, process, technology and business supported by researches/case applications in various types of flexibilities in business. The book is organized into following five parts: (i) Managing Flexibility; (ii) People Flexibility; (iii) Process Flexibility; (iv) Flexibility in Technology and Innovation Management; and (v) Business Flexibility. Managing flexibility at the level of people, process, technology and business encompasses the requirements of both choice and speed. The need for managing flexibility is growing to cope with the developments and challenges in the global business environment. This can be seen from reactive as well as proactive perspectives. Flexibility is a major dimension of business excellence and deals with a paradoxical view point such as stability and dynamism, continuity and change, centralization and decentralization, and so on. It needs to be managed at the levels of people, process, technology and various business functions and it is important to create flexibility at the level of people to create and manage flexibility in processes and technologies in order to support flexible business requirements.

This book develops an interwoven framework for the strategic and financial valuation of digital business designs and platform companies which became game changers for a multitude of ecosystems in the 21st century. But, also incumbents of traditional industries are challenged by those digital natives and have therefore either to revitalize their business design or facing the risk to be marginalized. The business design twin of innovation is resilience to create lasting competitive advantage and capture value for the post-pandemic world of the 20s. The ultimate idea of the book rests on the hypothesis that only the combination of business design analytics - 10C Business Design and the 8 strategic levers of platform strength - with intense financial modeling - Reverse DCF - enables a true understanding of the competitive advantage and value of such business designs. Based on a tailored strategic-financial conceptual framework a set of high-profile, new case studies will highlight the working principles and application of the concept.

This book presents the latest developments and breakthroughs in fuzzy theory and performance prediction of queuing and reliability models by using the stochastic modeling and optimization theory. The main focus is on analytics that use fuzzy logic, queuing and reliability theory for the performance prediction and optimal design of real-time engineering systems including call centers, telecommunication, manufacturing, service organizations, etc. For the day-to-day as well as industrial queuing situations and reliability prediction of machining parts embedded in computer, communication and manufacturing systems, the book assesses various measures of performance and effectiveness that can provide valuable insights and help arrive at the best decisions with regard to service and engineering systems. In twenty chapters, the book presents both theoretical developments and applications of the fuzzy logic, reliability and queuing models in a diverse range of scenarios. The topics discussed will be of interest to researchers, educators and undergraduate students in the fields of Engineering, Business Management, and the Mathematical Sciences.

In this book the author aims to describe the path from Information Technology to Information Management and Information Governance. This path allows organizations to identify IT Business Value and take advantage of it. The book synthesizes the main approaches that have emerged in recent years, compares these approaches along multiple variables, and finally proposes an advanced and new approach to Information Governance, based on the concept of Organizational Absorptive Capacity. Furthermore, the book presents a new approach to Information Management: the SIGMA (Strategic Information Governance Modelling and Assessment) approach. The new approach is centered on information as a key factor allowing integration between IT applications, organizational capabilities and business strategy. In particular, the Absorptive Capacity concept is presented and discussed: this concept represents the ability of an organization to maintain and absorb the potential of information and IT investments. After having presented and discussed the model, we also provide the reader with a brief presentation of how the SIGMA approach should be applied in companies. The book adopts a scientific approach to ensure methodological rigour; however, it is also concrete and describes problems from the viewpoints of managers, adopting a clear and easy-to-understand language in order to capture the interest of top managers and graduate students.

Q: How many female CEOs does it take to break the glass ceiling?

A: That's the wrong question!

Numbers alone simply don't tell the real story of how women are doing in today's corporate world. Success on Our Own Terms does. It's filled with real stories — stories of ordinary women who are making an extraordinary difference in the way corporations work.

Success on Our Own Terms features women of different ages, ethnic backgrounds, and educational levels. Their combined experiences offer a fascinating portrait of how the corporate landscape has changed for women over the last few decades. This book is filled with the wisdom of these experiences, from important lessons on navigating corporate corridors and influencing the system to juggling work and personal life, helping local communities, and much more.

Exploring the multidimensional definition of success shared by these women, this book reveals how they are working hard to reach their goals, balance their lives, and make a positive contribution to society. It shows how they —and others like them —are transforming the organization from the inside out through their own unique management style, values, vision, and determination.

By designing, achieving, and owning their success, women are exploding conventional definitions of their progress in the workplace. The female voices in Success on Our Own Terms inform, encourage, and inspire us all.

"Wonderful, timely, and absolutely refreshing. Reading this book excited and inspired me, and reaffirmed my belief that the future will be a great place for women." —Sally Helgesen, author of The Female Advantage: Women's Ways of Leadership and Everyday Revolutionaries: Working Women and the Transformation of American Life

"Virginia O'Brien tells the real story —that 'we are entering a new phase in which women are becoming full participants with men in conducting the nation's business.'. . . It's a heartening read, and a good antidote to media tales of doom and gloom." —Caryl Rivers, coauthor of She Works, He Works: How Two Income Families Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off

"A must read to understand the multidimensional new values successful women bring to the marketplace of ideas. . . . [Readers] will find themselves, a friend, or a loved one on every page." —Carol R. Goldberg, President of the Avcar Group, Ltd. and former President and COO of Stop & Shop Companies, Inc.

"Insightful and informative. This excellent work brings the stories of successful women executives to the forefront." —Charles E. Rice, Chairman and CEO, Barnett Banks, Inc.

"These are inspiring stories, which I highly recommend." —Richard McCormick, Chairman and CEO, US West, Inc.

This book presents articles from the International Conference on Blockchain Technology (IC-BCT) 2019, held in Mumbai, India, and highlights recent advances in the field. It brings together researchers and industry practitioners to show case their ideas linked to business case studies, and provides an opportunity for engineers, researchers, startups and professionals in the field of Blockchain technology to further collaboration.

Correctly functioning evaluation systems directly influence the efficient and effective planning and implementation of projects and the achievement of organisational objectives. This book critically analyses the results of research dedicated to mixed intelligent systems for project evaluation, taking into account the current state of knowledge in the field of project management. It argues for the need to move away from classical concepts and deploy interdisciplinary research methods in the development of comprehensive project evaluation systems. Considering contemporary issues relating to project evaluation, the author deals with both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods and the problems surrounding systems that integrate them, before discussing the process of modelling mixed intelligent systems. Mixed Intelligent Systems makes a thought-provoking case for harnessing interdisciplinary methods and new ideas in project management research when developing evaluation systems.

The use of standards to optimize the interoperability of systems has become commonplace in the business world. Though once believed to limit innovation, it has been shown that standardization promotes organizational growth. Through defining norms for given technologies, managers open themselves to new opportunities and developments. Effective Standardization Management in Corporate Settings is a pivotal reference source that assesses the link between standards and efficiency in the business world. This innovative publication addresses the economic importance, global impacts, effective tools, and strategies employable across all levels of an organization. Ideal for managers, business owners, business students, and IT professionals, this progressive book highlights the best practices and procedures to bring standardization to the forefront of the contemporary business model.

The International Conference on Informatics and Management Science (IMS) 2012 will be held on November 16-19, 2012, in Chongqing, China, which is organized by Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Nanyang Technological University, University of Michigan, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, and sponsored by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The objective of IMS 2012 is to facilitate an exchange of information on best practices for the latest research advances in a range of areas. Informatics and Management Science contains over 600 contributions to suggest and inspire solutions and methods drawing from multiple disciplines including: Computer Science Communications and Electrical Engineering Management Science Service Science Business Intelligence

This book identifies and discusses the main challenges facing digital business innovation and the emerging trends and practices that will define its future. The book is divided into three sections covering trends in digital systems, digital management, and digital innovation. The opening chapters consider the issues associated with machine intelligence, wearable technology, digital currencies, and distributed ledgers as their relevance for business grows. Furthermore, the strategic role of data visualization and trends in digital security are extensively discussed. The subsequent section on digital management focuses on the impact of neuroscience on the management of information systems, the role of IT ambidexterity in managing digital transformation, and the way in which IT alignment is being reconfigured by digital business. Finally, examples of digital innovation in practice at the global level are presented and reviewed. The book will appeal to both practitioners and academics. The text is supported by informative illustrations and case studies, so that practitioners can use the book as a toolbox that enables easy understanding and assists in exploiting business opportunities involving digital business innovation.

Strategies and Policies in Digital Convergence is the authoritative reference source describing issues in business strategy and public policy rising from digital convergence. Cutting-edge descriptions of mobile communications, broadband networks, and digital multimedia broadcast services are provided. This Premier Reference Source presents new business opportunities generated by digital convergence, and raises governance issues caused by this union. It provides a comprehensive overview of the technological aspects of digital convergence and the resulting business strategies and public policies.

This edited three volume edition brings together significant papers previously published in the Journal of information Technology (JIT) over its 30 year publication history. The three volumes of Enacting Research Methods in Information Systems celebrate the methodological pluralism used to advance our understanding of information technology's role in the world today. In addition to quantitative methods from the positivist tradition, JIT also values methodological articles from critical research perspectives, interpretive traditions, historical perspectives, grounded theory, and action research and design science approaches. Volume 1 covers Critical Research, Grounded Theory, and Historical Approaches. Volume 2 deals with Interpretive Approaches and also explores Action Research. Volume 3 focuses on Design Science Approaches and discusses Alternative Approaches including Semiotics Research, Complexity Theory and Gender in IS Research. The Journal of Information Technology (JIT) was started in 1986 by Professors Frank Land and Igor Aleksander with the aim of bringing technology and management together and bridging the 'great divide' between the two disciplines. The Journal was created with the vision of making the impact of complex interactions and developments in technology more accessible to a wider audience. Retaining this initial focus, the JIT has gone on to extend into new and innovative areas of research such as the launch of JITTC in 2010. A high impact journal, JIT shall continue to publish leading trends based on significant research in the field.