Adaptive Collaborative Work and XML Web Services

In this chapter, we discuss XML Web services, which integrates different systems and applications into one comprehensive system. XML Web services connects different entities such as corporations, governmental bodies, and nonprofit organizations, enabling the adaptive collaboration work (ACW) which is essential to promptly meet the increasingly diverse needs and kaleidoscopic changes in the economy. ACW is critical in the ubiquitous society where constant improvement of business processes and cooperation and collaboration with both existing and new systems are required. We propose the advanced application of XML Web services based on the ACW would enable a variety of organizations to collaborate with each other on the Internet and ultimately increase their productivity and efficiency. XML Web services effectively strengthens business management as it enables organizations to share personnel information across the board, therefore, organizations can unify management of their human resources. In the ubiquitous society, whether it is public or private, organizations need to develop and cultivate human resources capable of planning integrative strategy with information and communications technologies (ICT), designing and developing systems, managing hardware and software, and operating/maintaining systems.XML Web services based on the ACW gives suggestions on tactical solutions for these emerging agendas.

Concerns

As evidence relating the reality and basic features of the application service provider (ASP) market continues to grow, there begins to be less concern about confirming that any structural economic shift has continued historically, and more concern about understanding how the ASP industry is performing, and its impacts on productivity, investment, corporate capital formation, labor force composition, and competition. The relationship between the traditional outsourcing and the “latest wave” e-sourcing on the one hand, and Internet investment productivity on the other, is at the centre of the IT strategic problem confronting corporate management in the 21st century.

Conclusions

This chapter recaps the strategic direction of Internet-based business models over the last decade and points organizations to modify and rethink their business strategies and organization management after the dot.com era. It also reiterates a few implications for an organization’s decision to invest in Web services and looks at the issues involved in managing transitions to Web services. This is followed by a look at Web services as a form of challenge to new organizational arrangement. The chapter concludes with factors to consider when implementing and evaluating a successful Internet strategy.

Future Trends

Now that we have seen what organizations are doing with Web services, the rest of this book will look at how Web services will affect Internet strategies in the next decade and possibly beyond. This chapter begins with financial forecasts from the professionals and later warns that organizations must first be in the position to refine their business models, crystallize their value propositions and strengthen the quality and management strategies of their services.

A 21st-Century Tool for Intelligent Enterprises

This chapter suitably summarizes all the points covered in this book by applying them to 21st-century intelligent enterprises. By addressing the business issues and management concerns of a 21st-century intelligent enterprise, we hope this chapter points medium- and large-sized businesses in the proper direction, to manage application service provider (ASP) resources and strategies to their competitive advantage. With the phenomenon of ASP in its infancy, we draw from works of IS pioneers Markus, Porter, Checkland, and others. Their intellectual contributions, plus findings from research work at CSIS, provide a framework for discussion. ASP delivers personal productivity software and professional support systems, assisting an intelligent enterprise in processing information, solving business problems, developing new products, and creating new knowledge. The need to exploit ASP capabilities to preserve and enhance organizational knowledge is clearly defined by this chapter.

A Theoretical Approach to Evaluate Online and Traditional Trading on th NASDAQ Stock Exchange

The aim of this chapter is to discuss current online and traditional trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange using theoretical approach. The paper aims to derive future trends for the online stock trading. The following are objectives of this paper: (1) To describe the current state of online trading; (2) To compare the execution of quality trades between market makers and electronic communications networks (ECNs)

From ASP to Web Services

Value creation from e-business for customers in healthcare is an important topic in academic and practitioner circles. This chapter reports the findings from a two-year research study, which found that disappointing results from the much-hyped application service provider (ASP) business model is currently being replaced by perceived new opportunities from Web services. Yet past failings from ASP do not guarantee future success with Web services models, particularly as evidence shows that accruing value-added benefits from e-business initiatives is often fraught with difficulty. Healthcare is no exception, and is likely to pose more problems given the complexity of the organizational structures, processes, procedures, and activities within this vertical sector. This research studycalls for a more rigorous approach in identifying and evaluating key performance areas and indicators from new e-business initiatives involving emerging technologies and platforms such as Web services. Yet the measures and metrics used for healthcare may differ from those adopted in other sectors. Healthcare professionals will therefore need to develop context specific key performance areas (KPAs) and KPIs, and caution against accepting at “face value” the value proposition devised by Web service providers.

Reducing the Costs of Doing Business

One of management objectives when dealing with Web services (or related Internet strategies) is to cut business costs. Information systems (IS) literature has to date focussed primarily on research related to direct costs, that is, costs that occur in IS budgets (Bannister & Remenyi, 1999). IS research into strategic planning on the other hand has underestimated the expenditure of hidden costs as part of the adoption of new information technology systems within organisations. One of the difficulties regularly faced by IS investment planners is the identification, and thus management of, hidden indirect costs, for example, human indirect costs (Mohamed & Irani, 2002). This chapter addresses the increasing need to identify the “critical indirect human costs” associated with IS adoption as a fundamental part of the cost estimation of strategic planning when adopting IS. The research adopts an indirect human cost taxonomy proposed by Mohamed, Irani, and Baldwin (2002) associated with management, employee, finance, and maintenance divisions of an organisation.

Considering the Impact of Broadband on the Growth and Development of B2C Electronic Commerce

Internet connectivity has a profound impact on almost all aspects of human lives including social interaction and individual behaviour. The impacts may further foster due to the availability and access of broadband Internet connection. This paper focuses on evaluating the impact of broadband on the growth and development of business-to-consumer (B2C) electronic commerce. The research data was collected from a total of 104 respondents and subjected to both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The results indicate a significant impact of broadband use on transforming consumer behaviour towards adoption of B2C electronic commerce. The paper illustrates how broadband use has an influence on off-line purchase behaviour, online B2C electronic commerce and overall online experience. The conclusions drawn are that broadband adoption and use is encouraging the adoption of B2C electronic commerce.

Recommendations

After looking at a few concerns we have about Web services, this chapter suggests a number of ways to approach the Web services business model. It reminds strategists to consider a more holistic approach to IT management rather than supporting their decisions with economies of scale or cost displacement alone. The chapter uses Porter’s classic theories of competitive advantage to review Web services adoption process within organizations.