Worldwide Information Systems Research Articles

Performance Enhancements for Database Transactions

Today’s evolution of the software development imposing demands and the ever-increasing competitivity between applications, considering not only their aesthetical appearance or ease of use, but also through continuously boosting their performance and suppressing their operation latency. This paper analyzes the resilience of architectural mechanisms for data persistence, to ensure the security of an information system against cyberattacks and preventing the disruption in the integrity and availability of the stored data. The study consists of a Fault Tree Analysis that underlines various design and implementation flaws, caused by the most common mistakes introduced by the software development teams in worldwide information systems. Solutions are proposed for every triggering event, minimizing the impact on the operations’ efficiency and decreasing transactions’ latency.

ПРАВОВА ПРИРОДА ІНТЕРНЕТ-ПРАВА

The article considers the legal nature of Internet law. The opinions of the scholars on the essence of Internet law are studied. It is established that the legal nature of Internet law is not comprehensively understood in the scientific literature. Internet law covers the rules of various branches of law as well as legislation of different countries, which govern relations on the Internet. It is concluded that the synonyms to Internet law are computer law, cybernetic law and virtual space law. It is also stated that the Internet does not have a single centralized administration and a single set of rules for use. Only technical rules for the use of the address space (Internet protocol, domain names) are centralized. It is proved that Internet law is a complex branch of law, a complex of legal norms contained in the international legal acts, as well as in the national legislation of different countries, other rules that regulate the relations between the participants that arise, change and terminate in the digital environment (on the Internet). In addition, it is argued that Internet law cannot be regarded solely as an institution of private law, because the rules of public law are considered also an important regulator of such relationships. It is established that Internet law contains rules from different branches of law as well as branches of legislation. It is emphasized that the Internet is a worldwide information system for general access, logically linked to the global address space and based on the Internet protocol defined by international standards. The following features of the Internet are highlighted: its technical character, universality, interoperability, availability of universal access for users regardless of location, availability of a logically linked global address space, based on Internet Protocol, the presence of an unrestricted large number of Internet users who seek information, post information on the Internet, exercising other rights on the Internet. Moreover, it is established that the principles of Internet law should include the freedom of expression on the Internet; non-compulsory intrusion into the personal sphere of life of individuals, as well as non-compulsion for misuse of technical knowledge and means of pursuing individual interests; respect for the results of intellectual property used on the Internet; non-competence in using digital media for the dissemination of ideas not permitted by the rest of the world. Consequently, it is argued that Internet law, when regulating relations, shall take into account the purpose of the Internet functioning. It is reported that the Internet performs informational, communication, advertising, commercial, entertaining, social, educational functions. The functions of the Internet determine the scope of the legal regulation of the relations under analysis, and have an indirect impact on the formation of Internet law.

ІНФОРМАЦІЙНО-КОМУНІКАЦІЙНІ ТЕХНОЛОГІЇ В СИСТЕМІ ПЕДАГОГІЧНОЇ ОСВІТИ: СКАНДИНАВСЬКИЙ ВИМІР

The main subject of the research is implementation of information and communication technologies in teacher education system of Nordic countries. The article offers a comparative analysis of the main stages in the ICT development in the professional teacher training systems of four developed countries in the Scandinavian region: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, which are world leaders in the impact of ICT on education and society and have gained a positive experience in creating their own strategies for reforming of all the important teacher education components based on the widespread use of modern information and communication technologies. The author considers that one of the key factors explaining Nordic innovation and digital literacy strength lies in the fact that the progress of using ICT in the system of professional teacher training has taken place in parallel with the processes of informatization, computerization, technological changes and prioritization of the 21-st century skills development in all countries of the Nordic region. Three essential stages of ICT implementation in Nordic educational environment were substantiated. The first is induction (or introductory) stage, connected with the gradual implementation of computer technologies into the educational process. The second is infusion (or partial use) stage, distinguished by joining all the educational institutions to the worldwide information systems. The third is incorporation (or systematic integration) stage, identified by the conceptualization of ICT-related teacher education. These three stages are characterized by the main similar and different principles of the information technologies use in the Nordic pedagogic dimension. The research findings may help to efficiently implement the information and communication technologies into the system of Ukrainian teacher education.

Forward looking needs systematised megatrends in suitable granularity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to inquire about the applicability of the concept of granularity to the necessity of future research or – as often called in the European Union – forward looking (FL). After theoretical deliberation, it uses a planned world-wide information system as a case study for applying the notion of granularity regarding economic sectors, time steps, geographic regions and correlations for energy, water, land use and several other drivers of global change. Design/methodology/approach – A planet-wide information system might optimally include areas such as human development indicators, water demand and supply and deforestation issues. A short literature analysis on “granularity” shows this concept to have a highly culturally determined and constructivist nature. Findings – The spatial, temporal and sectoral granularity of data presentation strongly impacts conclusions and considerations while looking forward. Hence, granularity issues are of key importance for the question of which megatrends are ultimately discerned as most relevant. Practical implications – These findings may impact the regular report on global megatrends authored by the European Environment Agency, as well as world-wide energy and emission scenarios and technological foresight, such as the “Global Change Data Base” as a next step of research. Social implications – In future research, the step from purely quantitative perceptions towards structural perceptions, pattern recognition and understanding of system transitions might be facilitated. The FL statements of larger companies might be diversified, enlarged in scope and use deeper structural understanding. Originality/value – Earlier databases tend to have been focused on one or several single disciplines; the present approach, however, attempts transdisciplinarity and a multiparadigmatic approach.

Control and Coordination of Information Systems in Multinational Corporations: An Empirical Examination of Subsidiary and Host Country Factors

In multinational corporations (MNCs), subsidiaries operate in environments separated, not only by geographical distances, but also by time, language, politics, and legal frameworks. Such heterogeneity of operating environments puts great demands on the management of information systems (IS) to control and coordinate the organization's worldwide IS operations. This study examines the factors influencing the integration of the IS function across subsidiaries in MNCs. Specifically, the impact of subsidiary strategic role, perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU), and host country IS resources on the use of formal and informal mechanisms of control and coordination is examined. Multiple regression models were run on matched sets of data collected from 54 headquarters-subsidiary pairs. The relationship between the strategic role of a subsidiary and the level of integration was found to be significant. Moderate support was also found for the hypothesized relationship between IS resources and integration, though not in the direction expected. There was no support for the predicted relationships involving perceived environmental uncertainty.

Management Styles And Cultural Differences: Bridging The Productivity Gap In The Implementation Of Information Technology

This research project reports on a study of cultural values (work values) of different nationalities around the world as it relates to the implementation of Information Technology. It is an on?going study of workers from several nations and what cultural/work values they bring to the work environment. For multinational corporations with worldwide information systems, this study provides them with realizations of what approaches to take in dealing with different nationals. At the same time, it is an attempt to develop and test a model for classifying nationalities based upon their cultural orientations and the type of orientation that they feel most comfortable working in: formal or informal.

The role of APS systems in Supply Chain Management: a theoretical and industrial analysis

Companies are engaged in developing integrated and worldwide information system. Therefore, ERP have been largely introduced and more recently, APS emerge for the supply chain planning function. This paper presents an analysis of the contribution of APS to Supply Chain Management. Do APS cover the whole supply chain and enable the integration of its activities? Are companies mature enough to exploit both vertical and horizontal integration? Based on academic works and industrial interviews, our findings reveal a good integration of supply chain activities, even if we notice a relatively partial use of APS, mainly for the upstream supply chain.

Data Use for School Improvement: School Practices and Research Perspectives

In The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman (2005) describes how decades pass between discoveries and the practical productivity gains from them. Two examples are illustrative: (1) the ability to generate and distribute electricity evolved in the 1890s, yet it was 30 years before electric motors produced widespread productivity increases, and (2) computer technologies began evolving in the 1940s toward the productivity gains given by our current worldwide information systems. In both cases, multiple vectors had to converge beyond the initial inventions in order to produce the vibrant U.S. economy of the twentieth century and the world economy of the twenty-first century. In the case of the ongoing productivity increases from the computer/information revolution, Friedman’s first “convergence” was of rapidly evolving computer hardware with the subsequent development of “work flow software.” This allowed businesses to move information much more rapidly. Friedman (2005, 177) notes that, while such a convergence can be valuable in isolation, “the big spurts in productivity come when a new technology is combined with new ways of doing business.” In the case of the information economy, these include the integrated use of sophisticated computers and the evolution of large, sophisticated data “warehouses” to “flatten” not only macro-level world businesses but also the work lives and productivity of an unexpectedly wide array of persons. He documents this spread of data use and subsequent increases in productivity in contexts ranging from the U.S. Army to Wal-Mart. Education has been relatively slow in coming to the rapidly evolving worlds

AFS and the Web

Over the last few years, the World-Wide Web [2] has risen to dominance as a mechanism for wide-area information access. Each day brings new reports of the growth of the Web, and this trend shows no signs of abating any time soon. To many people, the Web and the Internet are synonymous. Unfortunately, success has exposed many limitations of the Web such as its tendency to overload the network and servers, its limited ability to control access to sensitive data, its lack of mechanisms for data consistency, and its susceptibility to network and server failures. It is now widely recognized that these problems must be solved for the continued growth of the Web.With much less fanfare, another world-wide information system, AFS, has also been operational on the Internet. AFS was originally designed to support the file sharing needs of a campus-sized community of five to seven thousand workstations [11, 15]. In current parlance, AFS was conceived as an information sharing mechanism for the Intranet of an organization. Since then, AFS has been evolved to function effectively over the Internet [17, 21]. Many organizations have been part of a single distributed Unix file name space supported by AFS. As of 1994, this system spanned well over 100 organizations world-wide, with each organization typically containing many tens or hundreds of clients. Measurements reported in a recent paper [20] confirm that AFS does indeed function effectively at this scale.The goal of this paper is to critically compare these two mechanisms for world-wide information access. We begin by asking the following questions:• What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two mechanisms?• Which of these differences are superficial, and which are deep?• Why is the Web so much more visible and popular?In performing this comparison, it is important to keep in mind that the two mechanisms are not addressing precisely the same problem. While AFS has the relatively narrow and well-defined goal of provided distributed Unix file access, the goal of the Web is broader and less explicit. Further, AFS is now stable and mature while many aspects of the Web are still evolving. In spite of these caveats, we believe that a comparison of the two mechanisms will provide useful insights.Our comparison shows that the Web and AFS are not really competing technologies. Rather, they represent complementary technologies that may be used together for mutual advantage. We present real-life examples to confirm that this potential can indeed be realized in practice.

LIVING TEXTBOOK on the INTERNET: A Call to Collaborate

ABSTRACT The urgency to develop a world wide information system, replacing existing books and journals, is demonstrated. Its contents can be changed, commented and updated by everyone, under certain restrictions, and is therefore called a “LIVING TEXTBOOK.” According to the interest of the reader non-relevant information can be screened off. He can immediately find out what has already been done in a particular subject. The refereeing system becomes more democratic: The reader can choose the judgement of the referee of his choice.

Worldwide communications and information systems

The challenges facing providers of global communication and information systems are discussed. Globe-girdling systems are compared to more confined systems. Unique facets of global systems are illustrated using IBM's worldwide information system as an example of an integrated enterprise network. Progress is sketched in other uses, including travel reservation, banking and finance, military, research and education. It is concluded that global systems' evolution can be predicted, in large measure, from prior progress in shorter-reach applications.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Developing an Expert Systems Strategy

Bull HN Worldwide Information Systems planned and implemented an expert system that is being used for trouble-shooting the maintenance of its page printing system, a complex product akin to a printing press. Important aspects of the design and development of this expert system include stressing people skills, needing an expert willing to have his expertise cloned, and having a knowledge engineer able to translate the expert's experience into decision rules. This case study covers how the project was selected, how the benefits were determined, and how the implementation strategy has evolved, including future plans for enhancement and extension. Experience with this system serves as a base point of how a company can develop its own expert systems strategy, which includes searching for feasible applications, determining the resources required, and establishing the right organizational environment. Expert systems, although focused on a well-defined problem domain, can provide a company with competitive advantage.

Longer‐ term alternatives suggested by information technology

AbstractEven if we maintain a healthy skepticism about predictions for the future, information technology is sure to change our colleges and universities radically. WISDOM—a “Worldwide Information System for Omniscience in Man”—is a possibility.

Survey of multinational corporate computer-based information systems

Recent events internationally have shown how swiftly and completely the world business environment can be changed, suggesting the need for research on the information system interface between parent corporations and foreign subsidiaries in multinational corporations. The objective of this study was to develop an analytical framework for evaluating the nature of worldwide information systems, collect data about existing multinational corporate computer-based operations, conduct a comparative analysis of these actual operations, and discover significant variables and interactions. Each of the 101 corporations responding (in excess of 84% of the research space) was subjected to a profile analysis. A multilevel data analysis approach which included conditional probability and regression techniques was utilized to discover significant variables and interactions. An open ended questionnaire was distributed to all U.S. based multinational corporations with additional data collected through structured telephone interviews with the appropriate corporate executives. The main conclusions drawn from this research study are: 1. (1) In U.S. based multinational corporations, foreigh subsidiary computer-based information systems presently exist in a wide range of system structures from independent and autonomous to fully integrated worldwide. The data linkage is the critical process in the development of integrated worldwide systems and rests upon the data base content at the subsidiary level. Technical and communication considerations are secondary in importance. 2. (2) The development of an integrated worldwide system has been dependent upon the size and foreign position of the multinational corporation as well as the type of industrial activity. However, the cost of the information system does not depend upon the degree of integration of the system although it does vary with the industrial activity. 3. (3) The future direction is towards integrated systems. The design of these systems will be based upon distributed, dispersed processing power and segmented data bases, rather than centralized concepts.

Towards a World-Wide Information System of the Field of Populaiton. Study Prepared for the POPINS Interim Steering Committee by the Technical Task Force, and Report of the Interim Steering Committee to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Towards a World-Wide Information System of the Field of Populaiton. Study Prepared for the POPINS Interim Steering Committee by the Technical Task Force, and Report of the Interim Steering Committee to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Assessment of the world food situation-present and future.

The widespread bad harvests of 1972 in various regions of the world, the consequent reduction in grain reserves, the rapid rise in food prices almost everywhere and its impact on inflation, all have served to draw renewed attention to the problem of hunger which affects millions of human beings in the world today. During the 1974 United Nations World Food Conference many important matters relating to this problem were debated: the creation of international grain reserves; problems concerning world trade of foodstuffs; the current difficulties with certain key agricultural production factors, such as fertilizers; the necessity for organizing a worldwide information system on the situation; and prospects of various harvests and threats of famine in underdeveloped countries. It is often the case that discussion of the hunger problem does not correspond to the gravity of the crisis; true causes of the present situation are not examined, and measures are not adopted that will once and for all--for the first time--abolish hunger. In view of the prospect that the real issues are often ignored, the Transnational Institute provides this analysis in an attempt to clarify what must be done to abolish hunger in the belief that this is within the reach of humanity when and if we are determined to end the irrationalities of the present economic system and the relations of domination which some individuals and countries seek to continue.