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Data modeling is the sine quo non of systems development and one of the most widely researched topics in the database literature. In the past three decades, semantic data modeling has emerged as an alternative to traditional relational modeling. The majority of the research in data modeling suggests that the use of semantic data models leads to better performance; however, the findings are not conclusive and are sometimes inconsistent. The discrepancies that exist in the data modeling literature and the relatively low statistical power in the studies make meta-analysis a viable choice in analyzing and integrating the findings of these studies.

Unified Modeling Language (UML) is adopted by the Object Management Group as a standardized general-purpose modeling language for object-oriented software engineering. Despite its status as a standard, UML is still in a development stage and many studies have highlighted its weaknesses and challenges - including those related to human factor issues. Further, UML has grown considerably more complex since its inception. This paper traces the history of Unified Modeling Language (UML) from its formation to its current state and discusses the current state of the UML language. The paper first introduces UML and its various diagrams, and discusses its characteristics and features. The paper then looks at UML's strengths, challenges, and possible future development. The human factor issues with using UML are discussed and elaborated. Potential research questions related to UML are also highlighted.

One of the most successful and useful implementations of 3D virtual worlds is in the area of education and training. This paper discusses the use of virtual worlds in education and describes an innovative 3D visualization design project using one of the most popular virtual worlds, Second Life. This ongoing project is a partnership between IBM and three universities in the United States: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State University, and Wright State University. More than 400 MBA students have participated in this project by completing a creative design project that involves co-creation and collaboration in Second Life. The MBA students from the three universities worked in pairs to create designs to represent concepts related to IBM Power Systems, a family of IBM servers. The paper discusses observations and reflections on the 3D visualization design project. The paper concludes with a discussion of future research directions in applying virtual worlds in education.

Information systems development (ISD) is a complex process involving interconnected resources, stake holders, and outcomes. Understanding factors contributing to ISD success has attracted keen interest from both researchers and practitioners, and many research studies have been published in this area. However, most studies focus on one or two factors affecting ISD success. A holistic view of factors impacting ISD success is missing. This paper synthesizes past research on the topic and proposes a unified model on ISD success through a systematic and comprehensive literature review. The unified model highlights that ISD is a complex and interactive process involving individual, team, and organization factors, as well as ISD methodology. These factors impact the ISD process as well as its success.

Failure rates for systems development projects are estimated to approach 50% (Hirsch, 2002). In such an environment, a growing number of developers propose the use of so-called agile methodologies as one means of improving the systems developed while simultaneously decreasing failure rates. Agile proponents insist that adherence to The Agile Manifesto will improve the entire systems development process. This chapter begins by describing some of the agile methodologies, follows that with an overview of current research in the area, and closes with thoughts on possibilities for future applied research into the agile methodologies that could provide evidence supporting or disputing the many claims for success emerging from the field.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have been used to enhance services and improve the efficiency of government operations. To further improve the e-government operations, understanding e-government development and studying factors that affect e-government development are important research topics. The purpose of this research is to investigate factors influencing e-government development through a social development lens. Based on growth and regional development theories, this chapter hypothesizes that income level, development status, and region are three factors that differentiate e-government development in various countries. Group comparison tests are conducted using secondary data from the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme. The results support the hypotheses that significant differences in e-government development exist between countries with respect to the three categorical variables mentioned. In addition, the paper applies planned post hoc tests to further investigate the differences in e-government development between different groups of countries (e.g., countries with low income vs. countries with high income). The results of this research are valuable to e-government scholars and practitioners. As the research involves data from countries all over the world, it contributes to understanding e-government development factors on a global scale.

Service-oriented architecture (SOA), Web services, and service-oriented computing (SOC) have become the buzz words of the day for many in the business world. It seems that virtually every company has implemented, is in the midst of implementing, or is seriously considering SOA projects, Web services projects, or service-oriented computing. A problem many organizations face when entering the SOA world is that there are nearly as many definitions of SOA as there are organizations adopting it. Further complicating the issue is an unclear picture of the value added from adopting the SOA or Web services paradigm. This article attempts to shed some light on the definition of SOA and the difficulties of assessing the value of SOA or Web services via return on investment (ROI) or nontraditional approaches, examines the scant body of evidence empirical that exists on the topic of SOA, and highlights potential research directions in the area.

What would you do if I told you that I could read your mind? Given that I am not a psychic, but a Web site administrator, you would probably not believe me. There are organizations that maintain databases of almost every consumer in the United States and even the world. One organization claims to have a database that encompasses 90% of all US consumers. Once an organization was given the name of a man and was told he lived in the US. In less than 48 hours they found where he worked, where he lived, who he was married to, how many times he was married, the contents of his financial portfolio, what credit cards he had, and what he bought at grocery stores. Amazingly, this information was obtained legally from various Web sites. The fact that you use a computer at home does not ensure your anonymity. You are being tracked in more ways than you could possibly think. As you surf the Net, facts are compiled about you. These pieces of information can range from the places or sites you visit and how long you stayed there to where you come from. These issues concerning trust, security, and privacy in cyberspace must be addressed in the near future and are critical to the growth of electronic business (Siau & Whitacre, 2001; Keen et al., 2000; Turban et al., 2000; Fingar et al., 2000; Kaufman et al., 1995; Ford & Baum, 1997).

Drawing on social network theories and previous studies, this research examines the dynamics of social network structures in Open Source Software (OSS) teams. Three projects were selected from Source- Forge.net in terms of their similarities as well as their differences. Monthly data were extracted from the bug tracking systems in order to achieve a longitudinal view of the interaction pattern of each project. Social network analysis was used to generate the indices of social structure. The finding suggests that the interaction pattern of OSS projects evolves from a single hub at the beginning to a core/periphery model as the projects move forward.

Unified Modeling Language (UML) has emerged as the software industry’s dominant modeling language. It is the de facto modeling language standard for specifying, visualizing, constructing, and documenting the components of software systems. Despite its prominence and status as the standard modeling language, UML has its critics. Opponents argue that it is complex and difficult to learn. Some question the rationale of having nine diagramming techniques in UML and the raison d’être of those nine techniques in UML. Others point out that UML lacks a comprehensive methodology to guide its users, which makes the language even more convoluted. A few studies on UML can be found in the literature. However, no study exists to provide a quantitative measure of UML complexity or to compare UML with other object-oriented techniques. In this research, we evaluate the complexity of UML using complexity metrics. The objective is to provide a reliable and accurate quantitative measure of UML complexity. A comparison of the complexity metrical values of UML with other object-oriented techniques was also carried out. Our findings suggest that each diagram in UML is not distinctly more complex than techniques in other modeling methods. But as a whole, UML is very complex–2-11 times more complex than other modeling methods.

Information modeling is the cornerstone of information systems analysis and design. Information models, the products of information modeling, not only provide the abstractions required to facilitate communication between the analysts and end-users, but they also provide a formal basis for developing tools and techniques used in information systems development. The process of designing, constructing, and adapting information modeling methods for information systems development is known as method engineering. Despite the pivotal role of modeling methods in successful information systems development, most modeling methods are designed based on common sense and intuition of the method designers with little or no theoretical foundation or empirical evidence. Systematic scientific approach is missing! This chapter proposes the use of cognitive psychology as a reference discipline for information modeling and method engineering. Theories in cognitive psychology are reviewed in this chapter and their application to information modeling and method engineering is discussed.

Three-dimensional virtual world environments are providing new opportunities to develop engaging, immersive experiences in education. These virtual worlds are unique in that they allow individuals to interact with others through their avatars and with objects in the environment, and can create experiences that are not necessarily possible in the real world. Hence, virtual worlds are presenting opportunities for students to engage in both constructivist and collaborative learning. To assess the impact of the use of virtual worlds on education, a literature review is conducted to identify current applications, benefits being realized, as well as issues faced. Based on the review, educational opportunities in virtual worlds and gaps in meeting pedagogical objectives are discussed. Practical and research implications are also addressed. Virtual worlds are proving to provide unique educational experiences, with its potential only at the cusp of being explored.

This chapter presents the basic ideas underlying Service Oriented Architecture as well as a brief overview of current research into the phenomena also known as SOA. SOA is defined, and principal components of one proposed SOA framework are discussed. The more relevant historical background behind the move toward SOA is presented, including SOA antecedents such as Web Services, SOAP, and CORBA, and enabling technologies such as XML and EJB. A basis for understanding SOA is presented, based on Krafzig, Banke, and Slama’s (2005) three-level hierarchical perspective. The common SOA components including UDDI, Application Programming Interface, Service Bus, Service Contract, Interface, Implementation, Data, and Business Logic are also presented. Finally, relevant research in four categories is presented, including implementation strategies, patterns and blueprints, tool development, standards proposals, or modifications (including middleware), and ontological or meta-model development or modification.

Three-dimensional virtual world environments are providing new opportunities to develop engaging, interactive experiences in education. These virtual worlds are unique in that they allow individuals to interact with others through their avatars and with objects in the environment, and can create experiences that are not necessarily possible in the real world. To assess the impact that these virtual worlds are currently having on education, a literature review is conducted to identify current applications, benefits being realized, as well as issues faced. Based on this review, virtual world capabilities, experiences, and factors associated with educational opportunities are presented as well as gaps in meeting pedagogical objectives. Practical and research implications are then addressed. Virtual worlds are proving to provide unique educational experiences, with its potential only at the cusp of being explored.

An on-going and major problem faced by information systems developers and business users alike is reaching a clear and consensual understanding of the system by both groups. This can be difficult because the businesses are (typically) process driven, while the systems are (increasingly) object-oriented. Enter modeling. Modeling is one way of presenting complex information in a way that enhances or eases understanding. But, even models can be extremely complex, and the underlying tools and modeling languages are not any less complex. This chapter investigates the possibility that modeling languages can be simplified by considering that not all of the “words” in the language are used all of the time. If theoretical (maximum) represents all the words in a modeling language, then this chapter suggests that there might exist a more use-based (we name it practical complexity) subset that represents an easier to learn and use subcomponent of the language.

In this paper, we summarize the discussions of the panel on “Advances in Data Modeling Research,” held at the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) in 2005. We focus on four primary areas where data modeling research offers rich opportunities: spatio-temporal semantics, genome research, ontological analysis and empirical evaluation of existing models. We highlight past work in each area and also discuss open questions, with a view to promoting future research in the overall data modeling area.

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) represents a significant milestone in the evolution of software methods, since it provides the first ?industry standard? object oriented modeling notation, supported by a fairly comprehensive meta-model. It has enjoyed rapid take up by practitioners and tool vendors alike. Initial enthusiasm has been tempered by the experience of implementation and application. In Q3 of 1998, a Task Group was formed under IFIP 8.1 to promote critical review and research into the improvement and extension of UML and related processes. HICSS 34 provides an excellent forum for international discussion related to this topic. Consequently, the mini track was motivated and approved. The topic elicited much interest. Abstracts and drafts underwent a rigorous review process. Ten high quality papers were selected, representing the work of 24 authors from eight countries on three continents. The program begins with two technically oriented papers. ?On Transformations from UML Models to Object Relational Databases? by Wai Yin Mok and David P Paper discusses the transformation of UML models to usable and reliable object-relational schemas with static structures as well as dynamic behavior derived from state charts. ?Transforming the OOram Three-Model Architecture into a UML-Based Process? by Jesus Garcia Molina, Maria Jose Ortin IbaNez, BegoNa Moros Valle, Joaquin Nicolas Ros and Ambrosio Toval Alvarez proposes a method for marrying the three layer architecture with UML inspired by OORAM and IDEA methods. ?Problem and Design Spaces during Object-Oriented Design: An Exploratory Study? by Sandeep Purao, Ashley Bush and Matti Rossi exposes subtle human processing characteristics and differences of behavior depending upon task focus while ?UML: An Evaluation of the Visual Syntax of the Language? by Stephen Morris and George Spanoudakis is critical of the UML visual syntax and highlights several flaws, but also suggests remedies.B Henderson-Sellers, G Collins and I Graham in ?UML Compatible Processes?, contrast the Rational Unified Process and OPEN, both of which make use of the UML notation. RUP's lack of support for the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and iterative incremental development come in for criticism. The paper highlights the many elements beyond notation, which a competent process must address. Next, attention is focused on the UML Meta Model, its shortcomings and suggestions for improvement in: ?Metamodelling Approaches for the UML? by Ansgar Schleigher and Bernhard Westfechtel and ?Some problems with the UML v1.3 metamodel? by Brian Henderson-Sellers. Strong suggestions are made for how the meta model should develop going forward into subsequent versions of UML. Of particular interest is the proposal of the first paper for a robust meta model extension capability to support domain specific extensions in a standard way.Terry Halpin, of ORM fame, then suggests ?Augmenting UML with fact Orientation?, which can enhance the expressiveness of models and allow the concise and unambiguous representation of business rules and domain knowledge. Verbalization and validation with user communities are promoted. ?How to Make Apples from Oranges in UML? by Petri Selonen, Kai Koskimies and Markku Sakkinen discusses transformation (semi-automated) between various UML models, with a view to supporting reverse and forward engineering. Finally, Luciano Baresi, Franca Garzotta and Paulo Paulini address a very topical issue in ?Extending UML for Modeling Web Applications? where they borrow from Hypermedia Design Model (HDM) to address the design of dynamic hyperlinked web sites and provide an example.Taken together, the papers present a fascinating insight into how UML is being used, where it could be improved or extended, what some of the alternatives are and how development can be taken forward.The mini-track will encourage a high degree of interaction from attendees and a slot has been reserved at the end for expected lively discussion flowing from the content of the program. We trust that the body of research represented here will flow into the larger UML revision debate and fuel the work of the OMG task force as well as giving interested researchers and practitioners much food for thought. Many thanks to all authors, reviewers and my co-chairs for their very worthwhile efforts.

The paper discusses current and future applications of information technology within the health care industry. It presents some broad strategies for approaching information technology investments and various tools available. It also discusses how information technology can support the medical providers' competitive strategy.

This minitrack hosts three papers covering different aspects of e-commerce development methodologies from different corners of the world. These papers display the widely different concerns and perspectives that are being used by researchers from around the globe in the area of e-commerce systems development methodologies. The first, 'Interoperability for Accessing DBs by E-commerce Applications' by D.N. Jutla, P. Bodorik and U. Cai of Canada presents a framework for encapsulating the important task of database access from web storefronts. As e-commerce applications proliferate, maintaining the integrity of links from the storefronts to the backend databases becomes important. The work from Jutla, Bodorik and Cai suggests an approach to isolate these links to maintain their integrity. The second, 'Scenario Methods for Viewpoint Integration for e-Business Requirements Engineering' by Jaap Gordijn, Hans de Bruin and Hans Akkermans outlines an innovative approach to address the important task of testing commercial and technical feasibility of new business ideas using scenarios. With the advent of the web, the generation of new ideas has accelerated. The work by Gordijn, de Bruin and Akkermans suggests a high-level approach to testing these ideas using multiple stakeholder perspectives. The third, 'Defining EDI Transactions with UML' by C. Huemer of Austria revisits the now familiar UML technique and the Rational Unified Process for application in the context of EDI Transactions. As the emphasis on business-to-business commerce increases, this work should find application in several instances.

Welcome to the HICSS-33 minitrack on Electronic Commerce Systems Development -- Modeling Methods and Methodologies. This is the first time we organize this new minitrack on electronic commerce systems development. The flexibility, scalability, user-friendliness, privacy, security, intuitiveness, and other important characteristics of electronic commerce systems make the systems development process of such systems very multifaceted and complex. Today, most electronic commerce systems are built based on intuition and rule of thumbs.Many practitioners have the misconception that there is no need for a systematic modeling and design technique for these systems. The lack of appropriate methods and methodologies to support electronic commerce systems development is another stumbling block. Most of the widely used methods are weak in supporting the modeling of user interface, non-traditional data types (e.g. multimedia), security, and access control that are so important for electronic commerce systems. New modeling methods and methodologies need to be engineered to address this new breed of electronic commerce systems development projects.The field is still in its infancy. Innovative ideas and new systems development methods and methodologies are only starting to emerge. One thing, however, is sure. Electronic commerce systems development is a critical new area and will get more even more important as electronic commerce continues to grow and expand.We would like to take this opportunity to thank Eileen Dennis, track administrator, and Alan Dennis, track chair for Internet and the Digital Economy track, for their support. We also like to express our gratitude to the group of reviewers for this minitrack.If you have any comments or suggestions that will help us improve the minitrack, please do let us know. Have a great time in Hawaii and do keep in touch.

This minitrack hosts six papers covering different aspects of electronic and mobile commerce development methodologies. This is the fifth year we are chairing this minitrack at HICSS. We have observed the field evolving over time, and this year’s accepted papers represent a relatively mature view of e-commerce systems development. The six papers in this minitrack look at these issues in from perspectives of a development project, a system analyst, an organization, and users of the services. The papers for the mini-track were selected after a thorough reviewing process. Together, these papers present a snapshot of emerging issues relevant to the field. The first paper “Implementing Rule-Based Monitors within a Framework for Continuous Requirements Monitoring” by William N. Robinson presents an implementation of rule-based monitors, which are derived from systems requirements. In the second paper, “Towards a Model of Fault Tolerance Technique Selection in Static and Dynamic Agent-Based Inter-Organizational Workflow Management Systems” Jason Nichols, Haluk Demirkan and Michael Goul develop a model for comparing the effects of two fault tolerance techniques: local and remote checkpointing. “Analyzing the Quality of Domain Models Developed by Novice Systems Analysts” by Felix Leung and Narasimha Bolloju reports results form analyzing the class diagrams produced by teams of novice systems analysts as part of different e-business requirements specifications. Aleksi Horsti, Virpi Kristiina Tuunainen and Jyrki Tolonen survey the most essential critical success factors that affect success of EC business models in “Evaluation of Electronic Business Model Success: Survey among Leading Finnish Companies”. In the fifth paper, “Asynchronous Adoption Patterns of Mobile Services” by Christer Carlsson, Kaarina Hyvonen, Petteri Repo and Pirkko Walden look at how consumers pick up the use of mobile services by comparing the results from two studies of the Finnish consumer market for mobile service. The sixth paper, “Developing Software Products for Mobile Markets: Need for Rethinking Development Models and Practices” by Anu Marianne Vainio, Tuure Tuunanen and Pekka Abrahamsson reviews the marketrelated New Product Development discussion and show that this perspective could offer valuable insights for refining the knowledge and information management of the developments process for mobile products.

Information modeling methods are key to the success of IS development projects. The problem in the software engineering field is not the lack of modeling methods but the proliferation of modeling methods with little theoretical foundation and empirical evidence to support their usefulness. Evaluation techniques are therefore necessary to compare and contrast these modeling methods. In this chapter, we suggest an evaluation approach based on the human information processing paradigm and the theory of equivalence of representations. This evaluation approach proposes that modeling methods can be evaluated and compared using two criteria: informational and computational equivalence.

The evaluation of information systems development methodologies is becoming increasingly important. Some researchers propose their own criteria for conceptual evaluations. But such criteria are often constrained by the limitation of the researcher’s view toward and experience with development methodologies. Furthermore, existing evaluation criteria are either not practical for direct measurement or not tested for validity and reliability. The lack of a generally acceptable, practically valid, and reliable set of criteria for evaluation hinders the development of knowledge in this area. Our study is a step toward developing a systematic process to evaluate information systems development methodologies. We captured the opinions of a group of twenty-eight researchers and practitioners who are experienced in information systems development methodologies. Through a systematic content analysis, the authors classified these criteria into three categories: (1) methodology design, (2) methodology use, and (3) methodology deliverables. The three categories of criteria are not totally separate in that they represent the means and goals of information systems development methodologies. Appropriate criteria should be applied depending on the stages when evaluation is performed.

A guiding premise of academic scholarship is that knowledge gained from first-hand research experience is disseminated to students via the classroom. However, that valuable connection is lost when professors are not researching what they teach. In this paper, we explore issues of mismatch between teaching and research in the Information Systems (IS) discipline. Specifically, while systems analysis and design (SAD particularly in the leading mainstream IS journals. We characterize the gap between teaching and research in SA&D, offer possible explanations for this gap, suggest avenues to better understand and enhance SA&D research via the design science paradigm, list a number of areas in SA&D in which there is ample need and opportunity for high quality research, and show through an example how a research mindset can be incorporated in a graduate level SA&D course.

This paper explores new challenges and possible approaches for developing mobile information systems, with an emphasis on model-based approaches on the conceptual and logical levels. Over the last few years, we have experienced these new challenges through our involvement in several research and industrial projects on mobile solutions, usability and model-based approaches. We summarise the main challenges of how model-based approaches can support the development of mobile information systems that are to be used together with other types of systems in a primarily professional setting and indicate upcoming research issues in this very dynamic area.

This paper discusses new challenges and possible approaches for developing and evolving mobile information systems, with focus on model-based approaches on the conceptual and logical level. We have experienced these new challenges through several research and industrial projects on mobile solutions, usability and model-based approaches over the last years. We summarize the main challenges on how model-based approaches can support the development of mobile information systems that are to be used together with other types of systems, primarily in a professional setting and indicate upcoming research issues in this very dynamic area. We argue that this research area is also timely, because the underlying technological infrastructure are just becoming sufficiently mature to make feasible research on conceptual and logical, and not only on technical issues.

Creativity, most people tend to assume, is inborn, mysterious, unanalyzable, and unteachable. Psychologists have been trying to understand this phenomenon for decades. The literature is overwhelmed with inconsistent theories and hypotheses. Lately, development in artificial intelligence has provided researchers with another means of analyzing the creative process. In this chapter, we review some of the work in this area and discuss some approaches for e-creativity.

Information mediation is one of the major approaches to solve interoperability problems related to heterogeneous information integration. This paper first discusses the concept of information mediation and typical mediation architecture. Two major mediation research projects, TSIMMIS and MIX, and their limitations, are discussed. Meta-model, a way for exchanging meta-data, is then introduced for the purpose of improving information mediation. Finally, a meta-model based mediation approach is proposed.

This minitrack hosts three papers covering different aspects of e-commerce development methodologies from different corners of the world. These papers display the widely different concerns and perspectives that are being used by researchers from around the globe in the area of ecommerce systems development methodologies. The first, ‘Interoperability for Accessing DBs by Ecommerce Applications’ by D. N. Jutla, P. Bodorik and U. Cai of Canada presents a framework for encapsulating the important task of database access from web storefronts. As e-commerce applications proliferate, maintaining the integrity of links from the storefronts to the backend databases becomes important. The work from Jutla, Bodorik and Cai suggests an approach to isolate these links to maintain their integrity. The second, ‘Scenario Methods for Viewpoint Integration for eBusiness Requirements Engineering’ by Jaap Gordijn, Hans de Bruin and Hans Akkermans outlines an innovative approach to address the important task of testing commercial and technical feasibility of new business ideas using scenarios. With the advent of the web, the generation of new ideas has accelerated. The work by Gordijn, de Bruin and Akkermans suggests a high-level approach to testing these ideas using multiple stakeholder perspectives. The third, ‘Defining EDI Transactions with UML’ by C. Huemer of Austria revisits the now familiar UML technique and the Rational Unified Process for application in the context of EDI Transactions. As the emphasis on business-to-business commerce increases, this work should find application in several instances.

Advances in wireless technology increase the number of mobile device users and give pace to the rapid development of e-commerce using these devices. The new type of e-commerce, conducting transactions via mobile terminals, is called mobile commerce. Due to its inherent characteristics such as ubiquity, personalization, flexibility, and dissemination, mobile commerce promises business unprecedented market potential, great productivity, and high profitability. This paper presents an overview of mobile commerce development by examining the enabling technologies, the impact of mobile commerce on the business world, and the implications to mobile commerce providers. The paper also provides an agenda for future research in the area.

Hundreds of modeling methods are in existence today, yet practitioners and researchers are zealously "producing" new modeling methods. The "blooming" of modeling methods is not the problem; the lack of standardized techniques for evaluating them is. To further complicate the matter, most of the modeling methods are introduced based on common sense and intuition. Theoretical foundations and empirical evidence are severely lacking. With the current state of affairs, evaluation of modeling methods has become necessary. Comparing modeling methods provides us with the necessary knowledge and understanding on the strengths and weaknesses of each method. This knowledge can also guide us in our quest for new modeling methods. This paper reviews the various evaluation techniques used by researchers and practitioners. The evaluation techniques are categorized into non-empirical and empirical techniques.

Although the benefits of ERP are obvious, the risks and costs associated with it are very high. Some problems in implementing ERP system are documented, but the real challenge comes from the Internet and E-business. ERP is an enterprise wide system whose purpose is to achieve internal efficiency, while E-business cuts across different enterprises and extends the individual value chain into an Internet based, dynamic process aimed at maximizing external efficiency. To survive the E-business challenge, the arguably single, and also the best, solution for ERP systems is to integrate with E-business applications, which we call ERP II. By properly resolving the issues of integration via newly emerged technologies, and embracing the extended function of mobile-commerce, ERP II will continue to flourish in the next century.

Component-based software development (CBD) is a potential breakthrough for software engineering. Unified Modeling Language (UML) can potentially facilitate CBD design and modeling. Although many research projects concentrate on the conceptual interrelation of UML and CBD, few incorporate actual component frameworks into the discussion, which is critical for real-world software system design and modeling. This paper reviews component-based development, including the use of UML for modeling CBD. The paper then discusses the means by whi ch UML extension mechanisms can be used to better support the popular component framework -- CORBA. Two other important component frameworks, DCOM and Web Services, are also discussed.

Information modeling is the cornerstone of information systems analysis and design. Information models, the products of information modeling, not only provide the abstractions required to facilitate communication between the analysts and end users, but they also provide a formal basis for developing tools and techniques used in information systems development. The process of designing, constructing, and adapting information modeling methods for information systems development is known as method engineering. Despite the pivotal role of modeling methods in successful information systems development, most modeling methods are designed based on common sense and intuition of the method designers with little or no theoretical foundation or empirical evidence. Systematic scientific approach is missing! This paper proposes the use of cognitive psychology as a reference discipline for information modeling and method engineering. Theories in cognitive psychology are reviewed in this paper and their application to information modeling and method engineering are also discussed.

This research seeks to advance understanding of information as a source of value creation in the digital economy. It therefore focuses on the nature of information itself as a resource, the effective management of which may be used to create products and services of economic value. Implicit in this assertion is the belief that the mere possession of information technology is a necessary but not sufficient condition. Hence, we focus not on the management of information technology, but on the ways that different types of information may be used to create value. The reader should note that our use of the term “products” refers to both tangible and intangible offerings. The convergence of information, physical products and services is becoming a particularly powerful driver of value creation in the form of fusion products that embody all three elements (Berryman et al., 1988; Goldman et al., 1995). Toward this end we develop a classification of information types based on the rate at which information changes and the degree to which information can be combined with other types of information to create value. We then use the classification scheme to describe the types of information that underpin four Internet business models. The reader should note that we do not purport to describe all extant business models. The Internet is a technologically dynamic, fast changing environment. It is virtually a certainty that other models will arise.

An edited collection of contributions from industry and academia, forming an examination of the Unified Modelling Language (UML). It illustrates how UML can be used successfully in practice, and identifies various problematic aspects of UML, suggesting possible solutions.