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Articles 1051 - 1080 of 1317

Full-Text Articles in Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering

A Framework For Describing And Classifying Multicriteria Portfolio Selection Problems: An Object-Oriented Approach, Heinz Roland Weistroffer, Charles H. Smith Jan 2005

A Framework For Describing And Classifying Multicriteria Portfolio Selection Problems: An Object-Oriented Approach, Heinz Roland Weistroffer, Charles H. Smith

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Many decisions require not a single solution alternative, but a set or portfolio of alternatives. For example, a business generally produces not a single product, but a portfolio of products, and a project is tackled not by a single individual, but by a team of individuals. Unfortunately, the portfolio selection problem has been largely neglected in the literature. Though many specific problem environments have been discussed using heuristic, ad hoc methods, no general methodology or theory has been developed. This paper proposes an object-oriented framework to provide a theoretical foundation for future research on the portfolio selection problem.

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Uml Activity Diagram Semantics And Automated Gui Prototyping, Nancy Winniford Ashley, Timothy E. Meehan, Norman Carr Jan 2005

Uml Activity Diagram Semantics And Automated Gui Prototyping, Nancy Winniford Ashley, Timothy E. Meehan, Norman Carr

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Extended Activity Semantics (XAS) is a notation which can be used with Unified Modeling Language (UML) activity diagrams to specify user interactions with a system and to automatically generate a prototype of the graphical user interface (GUI) that would be used in these interactions. XAS has been incorporated in a CASE tool, Guibot, which has been developed as a plug-in for Rational Rose, a leading UML tool. The notation and tool address a specific gap in UML – the inability to model user interaction.

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Internet Technology In 2010: The Issue Of Ipv6 Adoption In The U.S.A., Garry L. White, Jaymeen R. Shah, James R. Cook Jan 2005

Internet Technology In 2010: The Issue Of Ipv6 Adoption In The U.S.A., Garry L. White, Jaymeen R. Shah, James R. Cook

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Computer industry literature suggests that IPv4 Internet addresses are likely to have been depleted by the year 2010, and at least Asia and Europe will be using the new IPv6 Internet addresses. Literature also suggests that the U.S.A. is lagging behind Asia and Europe with the implementation of IPv6. Empirical data supporting the fact that the U.S.A. is lagging behind is not available in the literature. This paper presents the issues regarding IPv6, reasons why Asia and Europe are implementing IPv6, and why the U.S.A. is lagging behind. Empirical data is presented to support the literature’s suggestion that the U.S.A. …

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A Critical Time For Ultra-Wide Band, Gary F. Templeton, Mark B. Schmidt Jan 2005

A Critical Time For Ultra-Wide Band, Gary F. Templeton, Mark B. Schmidt

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a promising class of high-speed wireless communications applications that is projected to significantly change local and wide area network architectures. This article describes the technology, its probable application areas, the environmental forces that are constraining and enabling commercialization, and the prospects for short-term growth for UWB services. Commercial sale and distribution of UWB products has been approved, and widespread sale is expected by 2007.

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A Multi-Agent Approach For Solving Optimization Problems Involving Expensive Resources, Hoong Chuin Lau, H. Wang Jan 2005

A Multi-Agent Approach For Solving Optimization Problems Involving Expensive Resources, Hoong Chuin Lau, H. Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we propose a multi-agent approach for solving a class of optimization problems involving expensive resources, where monolithic local search schemes perform miserably. More specifically, we study the class of bin-packing problems. Under our proposed Fine-Grained Agent System scheme, rational agents work both collaboratively and selfishly based on local search and mimic physics-motivated systems. We apply our approach to a generalization of bin-packing - the Inventory Routing Problem with Time Windows - which is an important logistics problem, and demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our approach.

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Robust Temporal Constraint Networks, Hoong Chuin Lau, Thomas Ou, Melvyn Sim Jan 2005

Robust Temporal Constraint Networks, Hoong Chuin Lau, Thomas Ou, Melvyn Sim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we propose the Robust Temporal Constraint Network (RTCN) model for simple temporal constraint networks where activity durations are bounded by random variables. The problem is to determine whether such temporal network can be executed with failure probability less than a given 0 ≤ E ≤ 1 for each possible instantiation of the random variables, and if so. how one might find a feasible schedule with each given instantiation. The advantage of our model is that one can vary the value of ∊ to control the level of conservativeness of the solution. We present a computationally tractable and …

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Complex System Transformation: A System Of Systems Engineering (Sose) Perspective, Charles B. Keating, Andres Sousa-Poza, Samuel Kovacic Jan 2005

Complex System Transformation: A System Of Systems Engineering (Sose) Perspective, Charles B. Keating, Andres Sousa-Poza, Samuel Kovacic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to develop a perspective for complex system transformation from a System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) viewpoint. This is a first attempt to make explicit a SoSE viewpoint on complex system transformation. As such, the formulation is intended to escalate the dialog and integrate the current state of understanding with respect to the nature, utility, and implications of complex system transformation in SoSE terms. To achieve our purpose we will: (1) present a short introduction that provides an essential background for SoSE, (2) provide five fundamental systems concepts that underlie a SoSE perspective of complex …

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Corrective Maintenance Optimization In An Air Force, Hoong Chuin Lau, K. Y. Neo, W. C. Wan Nov 2004

Corrective Maintenance Optimization In An Air Force, Hoong Chuin Lau, K. Y. Neo, W. C. Wan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Successful military mission planning and execution depend critically on equipment serviceability and resupply. Due to the stochastic nature of demands, the forecast of optimal spares and resources needed to guarantee the level of serviceability is a complex problem, especially in a multi-echelon setting. In this paper, we propose a decision-support concept and software tool known as Corrective Maintenance Optimizer (CMO) that helps to optimize system availability, through proper allocation of spare parts, both strategically and operationally.

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Job Scheduling With Unfixed Availability Constraints, Hoong Chuin Lau, C. Zhang Nov 2004

Job Scheduling With Unfixed Availability Constraints, Hoong Chuin Lau, C. Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Standard scheduling theory assumes that all machines are continuously available throughout the planning horizon. In many manufacturing and service management situations however, machines need to be maintained periodically to prevent malfunctions. During the maintenance period, a machine is not available for processing jobs. Hence, a more realistic scheduling model should take into account machine maintenance activities. In this paper, we study the problem of job scheduling with unfixed availability constraints on a single machine. We first propose a preliminary classification for the scheduling problem with unfixed availability constraints based on maintenance constraints, job characteristics and objective function. We divide our …

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Logistics Network Design With Differentiated Delivery Lead Time: A Chemical Industry Case Study, Michelle Lee Fong Cheong, Rohit Bhatnagar, Stephen C. Graves Nov 2004

Logistics Network Design With Differentiated Delivery Lead Time: A Chemical Industry Case Study, Michelle Lee Fong Cheong, Rohit Bhatnagar, Stephen C. Graves

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Most logistics network design models assume exogenous customer demand that is independent of the service time or level. This paper examines the benefits of segmenting demand according to lead-time sensitivity of customers. To capture lead-time sensitivity in the network design model, we use a facility grouping method to ensure that the different demand classes are satisfied on time. In addition, we perform a series of computational experiments to develop a set of managerial insights for the network design decision making process.

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Two-Echelon Repairable Item Inventory System With Limited Repair Capacity Under Nonstationary Demands, Hoong Chuin Lau, Huawei Song Nov 2004

Two-Echelon Repairable Item Inventory System With Limited Repair Capacity Under Nonstationary Demands, Hoong Chuin Lau, Huawei Song

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We study a repairable item inventory system under limited repair capacity and nonstationary Poisson demands, motivated by corrective maintenance of military equipment. Our goal is to minimize the cost of both spare and repair resource allocation. We propose an efficient analytical model that combines optimization modeling and queuing theory.

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A Two-Level Framework For Coalition Formation Via Optimization And Agent Negotiation, Hoong Chuin Lau, Lei Zhang Sep 2004

A Two-Level Framework For Coalition Formation Via Optimization And Agent Negotiation, Hoong Chuin Lau, Lei Zhang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We present a two-level coalition formation approach based on a centralized optimization model on the upper level, and a distributed agent-negotiation model on the lower level. This approach allows us to balance agent self-interests against a high joint utility. Experimental results show that the two-level coalition formation mechanism will increase not only the overall utility of the coalition, but also the individual utility of most participating agents. The results also suggest it is better for the agents to be partially cooperative rather than either fully cooperative or self-interested in our setting.

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A Development Framework For Rapid Metaheuristics Hybridization, Hoong Chuin Lau, M. K. Lim, W. C. Wan, S. Halim Sep 2004

A Development Framework For Rapid Metaheuristics Hybridization, Hoong Chuin Lau, M. K. Lim, W. C. Wan, S. Halim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

While meta-heuristics are effective for solving large-scale combinatorial optimization problems, they result from time-consuming trial-and-error algorithm design tailored to specific problems. For this reason, a software tool for rapid prototyping of algorithms would save considerable resources. This work presents a generic software framework that reduces development time through abstract classes and software reuse, and more importantly, aids design with support of user-defined strategies and hybridization of meta-heuristics. Most interestingly, we propose a novel way of redefining hybridization with the use of the "request and response" metaphor, which form an abstract concept for hybridization. Different hybridization schemes can now be formed …

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Taking Dcop To The Real World: Efficient Complete Solutions For Distributed Event Scheduling, Rajiv Maheswaran, Milind Tambe, Emma Bowring, Jonathan Pearce, Pradeep Varakantham Jul 2004

Taking Dcop To The Real World: Efficient Complete Solutions For Distributed Event Scheduling, Rajiv Maheswaran, Milind Tambe, Emma Bowring, Jonathan Pearce, Pradeep Varakantham

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Distributed Constraint Optimization (DCOP) is an elegant formalism relevant to many areas in multiagent systems, yet complete algorithms have not been pursued for real world applications due to perceived complexity. To capably capture a rich class of complex problem domains, we introduce the Distributed Multi-Event Scheduling (DiMES) framework and design congruent DCOP formulations with binary constraints which are proven to yield the optimal solution. To approach real-world efficiency requirements, we obtain immense speedups by improving communication structure and precomputing best case bounds. Heuristics for generating better communication structures and calculating bound in a distributed manner are provided and tested on …

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Notes On Equilibria In Symmetric Games, Shih-Fen Cheng, Daniel M. Reeves, Yevgeniy Vorobeychik, Michael P. Wellman Jul 2004

Notes On Equilibria In Symmetric Games, Shih-Fen Cheng, Daniel M. Reeves, Yevgeniy Vorobeychik, Michael P. Wellman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In a symmetric game, every player is identical with respect to the game rules. We show that a symmetric 2strategy game must have a pure-strategy Nash equilibrium. We also discuss Nash’s original paper and its generalized notion of symmetry in games. As a special case of Nash’s theorem, any finite symmetric game has a symmetric Nash equilibrium. Furthermore, symmetric infinite games with compact, convex strategy spaces and continuous, quasiconcave utility functions have symmetric pure-strategy Nash equilibria. Finally, we discuss how to exploit symmetry for more efficient methods of finding Nash equilibria.

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Multi-Period Multi-Dimensional Knapsack Problem And Its Application To Available-To-Promise, Hoong Chuin Lau, M. K. Lim May 2004

Multi-Period Multi-Dimensional Knapsack Problem And Its Application To Available-To-Promise, Hoong Chuin Lau, M. K. Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper is motivated by a recent trend in logistics scheduling, called Available-to-Promise. We model this problem as the multi-period multi-dimensional knapsack problem. We provide some properties for a special case of a single-dimensional problem. Based on insights obtained from these properties, we propose a two-phase heuristics for solving the multi-dimensional problem. We also propose a novel time-based ant colony optimization algorithm. The quality of the solutions generated is verified through experiments, where we demonstrate that the computational time is superior compared with integer programming to achieve solutions that are within a small percentage of the upper bounds.

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Decision Analysis With Value Focused Thinking As A Methodology To Assess Air Force Officer Retention Alternatives, Sang-Ho Moon Mar 2004

Decision Analysis With Value Focused Thinking As A Methodology To Assess Air Force Officer Retention Alternatives, Sang-Ho Moon

Theses and Dissertations

Many countries realize the importance of the retention of qualified military personnel, and have tried to solve this problem using various methods. Nevertheless, the effects of those methods have not been determined or proven yet. The military retention problem is closely related to each individual's separation decision from the military. The characteristics of this decision are multi-objective and highly subjective. Accordingly, the effectiveness of various methods is heavily dependant on the value set of each individual. Decision Analysis (DA) using Value Focused Thinking (VFT) can be an excellent process to deal with this decision. Also, the data can reflect the …

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Value-Focused Thinking In The Presence Of Weight Ambiguity: A Solution Technique Using Monte Carlo Simulation, Timothy W. Porter Mar 2004

Value-Focused Thinking In The Presence Of Weight Ambiguity: A Solution Technique Using Monte Carlo Simulation, Timothy W. Porter

Theses and Dissertations

When a Decision Maker is asked to provide his or her preferences, the response represents a snapshot in time. While their preference structure elicited at any given moment may represent their revealed preferences at that point in time, it may change over time. These changing preferences over time represent ambiguity in the decision maker's preferences. Other sources of ambiguity may exist. One weakness of many decision analysis techniques today is the inability to incorporate ambiguity into the basic decision model. The existence of the problem has been known and commented on for many years. This research addresses that problem. It …

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Developing Team Cohesion: A Quasi-Field Experiment, John F. Costello Mar 2004

Developing Team Cohesion: A Quasi-Field Experiment, John F. Costello

Theses and Dissertations

Within military organizations, research findings have lent support to the positive influence cohesion has on group performance in combat and non-combat areas, Beyond performance, research findings show that cohesion influences the job satisfaction, and health of military members, particularly under highly stressful conditions, such as those encountered in combat or extended deployments. The purpose of this research effort is to further analyze the strategies that should be used to develop cohesiveness among Air Force members. This was done by testing the extent to which cohesion changed when familiarization and challenging situations were coupled in a technical training course geared towards …

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Fee -Based Online Services : Exploring Consumers’ Willingness To Pay, L. Richard Ye, Yue Zhang, Dat-Dao Nguyen, James Chiu Jan 2004

Fee -Based Online Services : Exploring Consumers’ Willingness To Pay, L. Richard Ye, Yue Zhang, Dat-Dao Nguyen, James Chiu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Many online service businesses are beginning to charge fees for services that they used to provide for free. It is unclear whether consumers are ready to embrace this practice. This study explores consumer attitudes toward fee-based online services. The results of the study indicate that consumers’ willingness to pay for online services is likely to be influenced by their perceived value of convenience these services provide, and by the extent to which they utilize these services. While consumers appear more willing to pay for services that are qualitatively better than free services, there is also indication that the belief remains …

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Information Systems Service Quality Measurement: The Evolution Of The Servqual Instrument, Dwayne Whitten Jan 2004

Information Systems Service Quality Measurement: The Evolution Of The Servqual Instrument, Dwayne Whitten

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Due to the increasing service component of information technology, service quality measurement has become increasingly important as IS practitioners attempt to increase service quality to customers. The measurement of service quality in IS evolved from the research done in the marketing literature. The SERVQUAL instrument has evolved to become the most commonly used measurement instrument in both IS and marketing. Although commonly used, the SERVQUAL instrument is not without criticism. This paper describes the SERVQUAL instrument, its criticisms and support, and finally the SERVPERF instrument, a variation of the SERVQUAL instrument which is an attempt at improving upon the SERVQUAL …

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Empirical Evidence Of Diminishing Payoff From Successive Generations Of Information Systems, Gerald E. Evans, Neil Morton Jan 2004

Empirical Evidence Of Diminishing Payoff From Successive Generations Of Information Systems, Gerald E. Evans, Neil Morton

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Previous research has focused on a number of important variables that can influence the observed payoffs from information systems investments. In the current investigation conducted in the spring of 2002, personal, on-site interviews were conducted in 138 small and medium sized businesses. Vendor involvement in systems development was less related to systems cost than previously. Unfortunately, vendor involvement was unrelated to any of the four measures of systems success in the entire sample. Further analysis revealed a strong relationship between information system generation and payoffs. Specifically, there appeared to be a point of diminishing return with subsequent generations of information …

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Online Reverse Auctions: An Overview, Ching-Chung Kuo, Pamela Rogers, Richard E. White Jan 2004

Online Reverse Auctions: An Overview, Ching-Chung Kuo, Pamela Rogers, Richard E. White

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) is the fastest growing area in the U.S. economy with electronic procurement (e-procurement) being a major component, and online reverse auctions (ORAs) have emerged as a key e-procurement tool. Since the mid-1990s, ORAs have been gaining in popularity because of their potentially significant positive impact on the profitability of both the buyers and the sellers. Much has been written about the new purchasing paradigm and numerous stories have been reported recently. This paper is aimed at providing a critical review of ORAs by examining their historical developments, different forms, advantages, and disadvantages. In addition, 10 important factors …

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Building Data Warehouses Using The Enterprise Modeling Framework, Joseph O. Chan Jan 2004

Building Data Warehouses Using The Enterprise Modeling Framework, Joseph O. Chan

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This paper proposes an enterprise modeling framework for the deployment of data warehouses. The framework provides the information roadmap coordinating source data and different data warehouses across the business enterprise. The paper introduces a solution to address data warehousing issues at the enterprise level while avoiding the pitfalls of creating enterprise data warehouses and universal data marts. It further proposes a change of paradigm from point solutions focus to a methodology driven by enterprise requirements to meet the challenges of the new economy. The proposed framework emphasizes the separation of the conceptual construct from the physical and operational constructs of …

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The Ecology Of Interorganizational Information Sharing, Jane Fedorowicz, Janis L. Gogan, Amy W. Ray Jan 2004

The Ecology Of Interorganizational Information Sharing, Jane Fedorowicz, Janis L. Gogan, Amy W. Ray

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Increasingly, companies use interorganizational information systems to support business process partnerships, such as automatic replenishment systems and other supply chain initiatives, invoicing and payments, and insurance claims processing. Inter-firm networking in turn can increase the visibility of information generated and used by business partners. These business partners may experience intended and unintended impacts from the changes in the partnering relationship, in effect altering the ecology of the organization. Yet IT researchers rarely study an organization’s ecology, focusing instead on impacts upon internal processes. Our goal in this paper is to propose a definition of interorganizational information ecology, to provide IT …

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Web-Services – The Next Evolutionary Stage Of E-Business, Santosh S. Venkatraman Jan 2004

Web-Services – The Next Evolutionary Stage Of E-Business, Santosh S. Venkatraman

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Web-Services are a set of new technologies that promise to take “service-oriented” distributed computing to a whole new level, and eventually take e-business to the next evolutionary stage. Web-Services, in a nutshell, let organizations bridge communication gaps among their information systems, and build new software applications by “stitching” together existing ones. It is capable of integrating applications written in different programming languages, developed by different vendors, and running on different servers with dissimilar operating systems. Web- Services would enable companies to seamlessly connect their information systems and business processes with those of their partners and customers – thus ushering in …

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Customer Relationship Management (Crm): A Comparative Study Between U.S.A. And Spain, Jesus Garcia De Madariaga Jan 2004

Customer Relationship Management (Crm): A Comparative Study Between U.S.A. And Spain, Jesus Garcia De Madariaga

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This paper surveys the marketing executives of the top companies in Spain with more than 100 million euros on net sales and reports the status of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions in their companies. The results are compared with the U.S.A. status reported by a previous study developed by InformationWeek Research in 2000 with a sample based on Fortune 500. One hundred and thirty-six companies participated in this study. The data provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the CRM in Spain in comparison with USA. Some viable actions are recommended to improve the usage of CRM and to …

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A Conceptual Framework For E-Branding Strategies In The Non-Profit Sector, Horst Treiblmaier, Irene Pollach, Arne Floh Jan 2004

A Conceptual Framework For E-Branding Strategies In The Non-Profit Sector, Horst Treiblmaier, Irene Pollach, Arne Floh

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

E-branding provides non-profit organizations (NPOs) with new opportunities to communicate their missions, which is of paramount importance in a market segment that competes for donations and voluntary labor. Since successful e-branding is determined by both internal and external communication strategies, we developed a framework which explains the interdependency of these two factors in NPOs. Our findings are based on qualitative interview data and a website analysis of eleven Austrian NPOs. The NPOs' internal and external e-communication strategies are categorized into three successive levels each and combined in a two-dimensional grid, which shows how NPOs integrate their communication strategies.

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Xml: Gateway For Data Mobility And Universal Connectivity, Emmanuel Uzoma Opara Jan 2004

Xml: Gateway For Data Mobility And Universal Connectivity, Emmanuel Uzoma Opara

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Extensible Markup Language (XML) started as an effort to simplify the standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), which was the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) standard for defining data vocabularies. This study investigates XML technology as a substitute to SGML that would be Web friendly, and easy to learn and use while supporting a variety of applications for faster and more efficient data mobility on the Web. It describes several compelling reasons why XML is a useful technology for representing structured data mobility. XML is a markup language used for data structure in a textual form. A specific goal of XML …

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Extensible Markup Language (Xml) For Competitive Advantage, William P. Wagner, Ralph Hilken, Q B. Chung Jan 2004

Extensible Markup Language (Xml) For Competitive Advantage, William P. Wagner, Ralph Hilken, Q B. Chung

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

eXtensible Markup Language (XML) has received much attention in the popular press lately as a new technology designed to facilitate information sharing among business entities. One of the biggest problems that companies are experiencing today with XML is that many executives do not understand what XML is and why it is important, nor do they understand what its potential impact on their information strategy might be. In this paper, we present an overview of XML and a framework for generating IS strategic alternatives, which was introduced in its original form in the 1980s. This framework is adapted to suit the …

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