The advent of the era of "e-Service," the provision of services over electronic networks like the internet, is one of the dominant business themes of the new millennium. It reflects the fundamental shift in the economy from goods to services and the explosive expansion of information technology. This book provides a collection of different perspectives on e-Service and a unified framework to understand it, even as the business community grapples with the concept. It features contributions from key researchers and practitioners from both the private and public sectors, as well leading scholars from the fields of marketing, information systems, and computer science. They focus on three key areas: the customer-technology interface; e-Service business opportunities and strategies; and public sector e-Service opportunities. The insights they offer will be equally useful to students, scholars, and practitioners.

The advent of the era of "e-Service," the provision of services over electronic networks like the internet, is one of the dominant business themes of the new millennium. It reflects the fundamental shift in the economy from goods to services and the explosive expansion of information technology. This book provides a collection of different perspectives on e-Service and a unified framework to understand it, even as the business community grapples with the concept. It features contributions from key researchers and practitioners from both the private and public sectors, as well leading scholars from the fields of marketing, information systems, and computer science. They focus on three key areas: the customer-technology interface; e-Service business opportunities and strategies; and public sector e-Service opportunities. The insights they offer will be equally useful to students, scholars, and practitioners.

The western economic and financial crisis began with the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 and led the European Union countries into recession. After this, governments started to implement austerity measures, such as cuts in public spending, including public subsidies and jobs, and rising prices. In this context, Europe started to experience a wave of protest movements. Individuals started to use the manifold interactive digital media environment to both fight against the austerity measures and find alternative ways of claiming their democratic rights. Inspired by the 2011 Arab Spring and the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York (USA), the Occupy LSX encampment in Central London (UK), The Outraged (Los Indignados)/ 15M encampment in Central Madrid (Spain), the Syntagma Square's Outraged movement in Athens (Greece) and the March 12th Movement in Lisbon (Portugal), although short-lived, epitomize an emerging alternative politics and participation via the media. This wave has promoted a debate on how the realm of politics is changing, as citizens broaden their ideas of what political issues and participation mean. Beyond the Internet examines the technological dimension of the recent wave of protest movements in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Ireland. Offering an opportunity to achieve a better understanding of the dynamics between society, politics and technology, this volume questions the essentialist attributes of the Internet that fuel the techno-centric discourse. The contributors illustrate how all these protest movements were active in the social media and garnered high levels of media attention and public visibility, in spite of their failure to achieve their political goals. As intra-elite dissent was pivotal in understanding the Arab uprisings, the coalition of national ruling elites with European institutions in terms of austerity strategy is essential in understanding the limits of media/technology power and, therefore, the dissociation between communication and representative power.

At a time when the popularity of Buddhism is at a peak in the west, both inside and outside the university setting, scholars and students alike are searching for guidance: How should Buddhism, a religion which is ultimately 'foreign' to western experience, be taught? How should one teach central Buddhist doctrines and ideas? Should one teach Buddhist practise; if so how? Until now, those interested in these and other related matters have been left with little guidance. Despite the wealth of scholarly publications on Buddhist traditions and the plethora of books about meditation and enlightenment, a serious lacuna exists in the sphere of teaching Buddhism.
This book fills this lacuna, by providing a series of thematically arranged articles written by contemporary scholars of Buddhism throughout North America. Some of the major themes covered are the history of teaching Buddhism in Europe and North America (Reynolds, Prebish), the problem of representations of Buddhism in undergraduate teaching (Lewis), the problem of crossing cultural and historical divides (Jenkins), the place of the body and mind in the Buddhist classroom (Waterhouse), alternative pedagogical methods in teaching Buddhism (Wotypka, Jarow, Hori, Grimes) and the use of the Internet as a resource, and metaphor for teaching Buddhism (Fenn, Grieder).

This book provides a source of inspiration and a manual for designers, entrepreneurs and professionals who are looking into the practical application of product configurators. In this growing profession, there is a need for a book which focuses on the configuration process from a design perspective. The book delves into the practical application of configurators using case studies of selected firms that present their most significant works. It offers the reader tips, suggestions, technical details and critical issues which need to be considered, from experienced actors and pioneers worldwide, which include: Unfold, Belgium In-flexions, France Nervous System, USA Okinlab, Germany SkimLab, France Twikit, Belgium INDG, The Netherlands ZeroLight, United Kingdom 3Dimerce, The Netherlands 3DSource, USA Bagaar, Belgium MyCustomizer, Canada Combeenation, Austria

This handy textbook covers all you need to know to begin to use databases such as Microsoft Access.Learning Made Simple books give readers skills without frills. They are matched to the main qualifications, and written by experienced teachers and authors to make often tricky subjects simple to learn. Every book is designed carefully to provide bite-sized lessons matched to learners needs. Building on the multi-million success of the previous series Made Simple Books, Learning Made Simple titles provide both a new colourful way to study and a useful adjunct to any training course. Using full colour throughout, and written by leading teachers and writers, Learning Made Simple books will help readers learn new skills and develop their talents. Whether studying at college, training at work, or reading at home, aiming for a qualification or simply getting up to speed, Learning Made Simple books will give readers the advantage of easy, well-organised training materials in a handy volume with two or four-page sections for each topic for ease of use.

While teaching Java programming at Minnesota State University, the authors noticed that engineering students were enrolling in Java programming courses in order to obtain basic programming skills, but there were no Java books suitable for courses intended for engineers. They realized the need for a comprehensive Java programming tutorial that offers basic programming skills that can be applied in the field of engineering. With this in mind, the authors developed Java Programming for Engineers in order to meet the needs of both engineers and engineering students.

The text uses the personal computer as a development platform and assumes no prior programming experience or knowledge. The only skills expected of the reader are basic keyboarding and user-level familiarity with the PC. Topics covered range from mathematical expressions to linear systems to engineering graphics. Chapters on problem solving skills and the designing of engineering applications walk readers through real word problems they might encounter.

Divided into two parts, Part 1 is a description of the Java language, of the fundamentals of object orientation, input and output operations, and error handling. Part 2 is about Java programming for engineers. It starts with computer number systems, fixed- and variable-precision numeric data, mathematical programming in Java as could be of interest to engineers, and concludes with an overview of Java Graphics.

The Hands-On Guide to Flash Video is a professional reference book written by industry experts that are currently helping professionals produce Web video and implement Flash Media Server. This book covers Flash Video production from soup to nuts, beginning with how to configure your camcorder and ending to advanced server techniques like bandwidth detection and FMS logging and reporting. Real word lessons from case studies of successful Flash Video deployments are also included. Supplemental files located at: www.flashvideobook.comBy reading this book, you'll learn to: Shoot high quality video for streaming Choose the best encoder and encoding techniques for producing Flash Video Deploy Flash Video via progressive download or via the Flash Media Server. Create and light a compression friendly set Deinterlace and preprocess your video prior to encoding Choose encoding parameters like data rate, resolution and frame rate Optimize encoding with Sorenson Squeeze, Flix Pro and the Adobe Flash Video Encoder Shoot and produce chromakey video for alpha channel delivery Customize a Flash player via skinning, and use Cue Points for navigation Setup, install, and maintain Flash Media Server

This book presents state of the art theoretical and empirical research on the ubiquitous internet: its everyday users and its economic stakeholders. The book offers a 360-degree media analysis of the contemporary terrain of the internet by examining both user and industry perspectives and their relation to one another. Contributors consider user practices in terms of internet at your fingertips-the abundance, free flow, and interconnectivity of data. They then consider industry's use of user data and standards in commodification and value-creation.

With Internet access for every school now a reality, teachers are beginning to explore the use of the Internet in the education of children with special needs. This book describes its benefits for children across the spectrum of special educational needs, from those with physical disabilities or sensory impairment to those with learning or social difficulties.
With contributions from leading practitioners in the field, this book addresses the huge range of possibilities the Internet and associated technology offer for these pupils. Combining current theory and debate with practical guidance and inspiring case studies, this book considers:
*how the Internet can be used to gather and publish information
*how to communicate effectively through technology
*policy and management issues for schools
*the continuing challenges for access and inclusion
This book will be of interest to all teachers involved in special education needs, in both mainstream and special schools.

Cybertypes looks at the impact of the web and its discourses upon our ideas about race, and vice versa. Examining internet advertising, role-playing games, chat rooms, cyberpunk fiction from Neuromancer to The Matrix and web design, Nakamura traces the real-life consequences that follow when we attempt to push issues of race and identity on-line.

In his original book on CyberUnions, Shostak presented a bold plan for unions to develop a more significant role in the 21st century by adopting four strategic aids -- futuristics, innovations, services, and traditions (F-I-S-T) -- knit together by cutting-edge InfoTech resources. The CyberUnion Handbook expands on the F-I-S-T model with practical, how-to information and advice on every aspect of using technology to advance Labor's interests. It looks at gains and setbacks in pioneering efforts to create CyberUnions, highlights relevant websites, and includes interviews with key CyberUnion advocates. The book also reviews overseas efforts for transferable lessons, and pays special attention to the AFL-CIO campaign to ensure Labor's advances in the use of InfoTech.

A contemporary look at the merger of technology and education This timely collection of analytical essays provides provocative discourse on the role technology will play in education in the 21st century. In this book, an esteemed panel of educators, information specialists, program designers, and researchers discusses issues, trends, and problems in online technology and its potential to re-energize the educational system. The Web's promise to provide unique opportunities for improved instruction is a given; how that promise can be fulfilled is the debate that fuels The Web in Higher Education. The Web in Higher Education offers detailed proposals for: designing Web-based programs designing online courses implementing Web-based course-management systems developing a community prototype for educators using the Web to enhance televised education A thoughtful look at the role of online technology in education, this insightful book is essential for educators and administrators. The Web in Higher Education serves as a reference point for the merger of teaching and technology that will likely define the educational process in the 21st century.

The Internet is changing the way we live and education has always played an important part in shaping our lives. It is now time for education to capitalise on the Internet's capabilities to create a new learning environment for tomorrow's students.
The Online Educator provides much needed straightforward advice on how to create a web-based education system. From Administrative planning and selecting resources to individual course development, it offers clear, novice-friendly information on the entire process of online learning. Key features include:
*clear definitions of common terms and concepts
*a practical 'how-to' approach with useful checklists
*a discussion of the issues for students and teaching staff
*links to useful websites and other resources
Based firmly on current distance learning research, yet accessible and very readable, this book will be indispensible to anyone interested in developing online education.

Related link: http://www.routledgefalmer.com/textbooks< /a>

The Internet is changing the way we live and education has always played an important part in shaping our lives. It is now time for education to capitalise on the Internet's capabilities to create a new learning environment for tomorrow's students.
The Online Educator provides much needed straightforward advice on how to create a web-based education system. From Administrative planning and selecting resources to individual course development, it offers clear, novice-friendly information on the entire process of online learning. Key features include:
*clear definitions of common terms and concepts
*a practical 'how-to' approach with useful checklists
*a discussion of the issues for students and teaching staff
*links to useful websites and other resources
Based firmly on current distance learning research, yet accessible and very readable, this book will be indispensible to anyone interested in developing online education.

Related link: http://www.routledgefalmer.com/textbooks< /a>