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This study investigates students' mouse behavior during their interaction with a web-based experiential learning environment for Computer Science courses. The research focuses on the detection of correlations between the monitored mouse metrics and students' technology acceptance items of perceived usefulness and ease of use. Findings reveal several significant correlations; in particular, metrics of mouse clicks and hovers can be associated with students' perceived ease use and perceived usefulness. The findings of this work show an interesting research direction towards the analysis of learners' mouse behavior during their interaction with interactive and web-based tutoring systems.

This study investigates students' performance, perception and acceptance when experiential learning approaches are integrated in Computer Science courses. An experiential learning approach has been designed to assist students in web development courses. The proposed learning approach in based on real-world examples and the abstraction of terminology using a sequential wizard-based logic. A survey model has been constructed and an exploratory study is conducted on 54 under and post graduate students. Results demonstrated high degree of perception and acceptance, as well as high performance scores. No gender differences have been detected in the examined sample and several strong correlations have been found among the measured variables. In particular, perceived ease of use and usefulness are strongly correlated to each other as well as to self-efficacy, willingness to learn and satisfaction. Satisfaction and self-efficacy are not correlated to each other, while performance has not been affected by anyone of the measured variables.

This paper addresses the role of gender in End-User Development (EUD) environments and examines whether there are gender differences in performance and in correlations between performance and a set of behavioral attributes. Based on a review of the most prominent EUD-related behavioral Human Computer Interaction (HCI) theories, and the influence of gender on them, it attempts to classify all the gender related behavioral attributes influencing the end-users' performance. Then, it theoretically selects a subset of these attributes, namely "Risk-Perception," "Usefulness-Perception," "Learning Willingness," "Ease-of-Use-Perception," and "Self-Efficacy," presents an example application and conducts a basic evaluation testing. The proposed attributes (their initials form the word RULES) can form the basis for the design of EUD-oriented user modeling techniques for gender-neutral self-adaptive software EUD environments.

Byline: Nicolaos Protogeros, Panayiotis Tahinakis, John Mylonakis, Dimitrios Gagalis Supply chain management constitutes a relatively new and promising field of management science, affecting greatly the efficiency of Greek enterprises. The objective of this research is to detect the range of SCM applications in Greece; the trends and views of Greek enterprises in relation to efficiency, difficulties, costs, benefits and necessity, as these were generated from the implementation of one or more SMC applications. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has now proven to be an indispensable backbone for most Greek enterprises. Enterprises on the whole have stated that they have proceeded to a combination of ERP and Best of Bread systems. However, despite the valuable benefits featuring the selection of Application Service Providers - ASP (leasing of SCM applications), it has been found that this solution has not matured yet in the consciousness of Greek companies. The great majority considers it either unattractive or slightly attractive.

Byline: Panayiotis Tahinakis, John Mylonakis, Nicolaos Protogeros The taxation system exerts substantial influence to the economic activity. Taxes, among others, influence work, saving, investments and the undertaking of business activity. This paper constitutes a study with regard to the issue of the e-government and its evolutionary course during the new era of Information Technology (IT) and the internet, and more specifically the role that it plays in the modernisation of the Hellenic taxation system. Moreover, the influence of the e-government to the application of modern information systems that support direct and indirect taxation is examined and the respective tax controls procedures as well. Furthermore, certain proposals are outlined with regard to the technological reform of the taxation system and the transition to the digital era on the basis of the adoption of new methodologies and practices. The easy-to-use operation systems and the low-cost communication channels (internet), the function of electronic tax processes (TAXISnet) and the increased participation of taxpayers will create a socio-economic environment, which is predicted to satisfy both the tax administration and the taxpayers.

Byline: Nicolaos Protogeros, John Mylonakis, Panayiotis Tahinakis, Dimitrios Ginoglou This paper presents a formalised negotiation methodology for distributed sales schedule optimisation. The purpose is to solve the optimisation problem, taking into account constraints such as the salesmen capacity and income increase in a uniform way and the company's turnover increase. In this approach a sales schedule is developed dynamically by all of the concerned participants. The negotiation methodology used allows agents to negotiate with other agents in a certain geographical area based on their sales capacity, commission percentage and the area's sales turnover. A simulation model based on Repast3 has been developed to evaluate the algorithm accuracy and the system's convergence. By executing this prototype with various utility functions, interesting results have been achieved showing a convergence in total company's turnover, salesmen capacity and salesman income.

In the recent years in the End-User Development (EUD) research there is a shift from the study of tools that focus on desktop graphical applications, to the development of EUD for web environments. To this end mouse and eye tracking methodologies are used to implicitly monitor the end-user behavior in real time. In this paper we explore the potential correlation between eye movements and end-user perception and acceptance in modern web-based EUD environments. The aim is to find out whether end-users’ perception and acceptance attributes can be reflected on their eye behavior when interacting with a web-based, database-driven EUD system. To check out our research hypotheses we have conducted a field test using a prototype EUD tool based on a natural language approach (named ‘simple talking’), to assist end-users in creating database-driven mobile applications. The results of the field test show significant correlations between eye behavior and acceptance and perception. Self-Efficacy is correlated to fixations of any kind. Risk-Perception is correlated to the increment of the pupil size. Perceived Ease-of-Use is correlated to fixations that turned into clicks and to the increment of the pupil size. And Perceived Usefulness is correlated to fixation duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ubiquitous and cloud manufacturing systems have paved the way for the development of smart systems that can provide self-adaptive services to enhance quality of service and user experience, based on user and context awareness. However, current approaches to software adaptation have critical limitations when applied on software in a cloud environment, since cloud service engineers cannot be certain of the ‘nature’ of their users, regarding their needs and their evolution over time. This article proposes a user-centred framework that addresses self-adaptation of cloud services based on users’ distinct needs and requirements. It aims at leveraging existing human computer interaction approaches to explicitly and implicitly collect user-related data into the cloud. This collection later supports the delivery of adaptive cloud services, contextually relevant to users’ tasks and to their behavioural profiles. Such approaches have the potential to enhance the quality of cloud applications’ service and user experience in cloud-based manufacturing systems. A first prototype demonstration is also presented as a future platform composed of the first basic models (of the ones mentioned in this article) .Then, the platform will be further expanded for instantiation and evaluation in the context of cloud and ubiquitous computing environments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes an innovative Energy Consumption Management System (ECMS) that is aimed at rationalizing the end use of the electrical energy in tunnel lighting. It is based on agent technologies and Power Line Communications to achieve lowest consumption lighting conditions in an optimal way. Depending on the type of application, the system would lead also to reduced installation and running costs, especially as far as lighting systems are concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]