Showing papers on "Information sharing published in 2010"

Social Media Analytics and Intelligence

Abstract: In a broad sense, social media refers to a conversational, distributed mode of content generation, dissemination, and communication among communities. Different from broadcast-based traditional and industrial media, social media has torn down the boundaries between authorship and readership, while the information consumption and dissemination process is becoming intrinsically intertwined with the process of generating and sharing information. This special issue samples the state of the art in social media analytics and intelligence research that has direct relevance to the AI subfield from either an methodological or domain perspective.

Challenges and obstacles in sharing and coordinating information during multi-agency disaster response: Propositions from field exercises

Abstract: Although various scholars have researched issues regarding disaster management, few have studied the sharing and coordinating of information during disasters. Not much empirical data is available in this field and there is sparse insight into the factors that may impede or facilitate information sharing and coordination among stakeholders. In this paper, we provide an overview of the relevant obstacles and challenges by examining existing literature and then investigating a series of multi-agency disaster management exercises, using observations and a survey. Although all the people who took part in our study agree that sharing information is important, for the success of their own organization as well as the exercise as a whole, the extent to which information is actually being shared among organizations is often limited by a number of factors that can be attributed to the community, agency and individual level. We found that relief workers are often more concerned with receiving information from others than with providing information to others who may benefit. Incentives for sharing information, understanding each other's work-processes and the usability of information systems have shown positive effects on information sharing and coordination. The findings of our study have been formulated using six grounded propositions, which can be used by system designers and policy-makers upon validation in further research. We also provide directions for future research.

Supply chain collaboration: conceptualisation and instrument development

Abstract: Facing intensified global competition, firms strive for greater supply chain collaboration by leveraging the resources and knowledge of key suppliers and valued customers to reduce uncertainty, lower transaction costs, build core competence, capitalise on opportunities for learning and knowledge creation, and improve competitive position. This study examines the nature and characteristics of supply chain collaboration. Through an extensive literature review, it conceptualises supply chain collaboration as seven interconnecting elements: information sharing, goal congruence, decision synchronisation, incentive alignment, resource sharing, collaborative communication, and joint knowledge creation. It develops valid and reliable instruments to measure supply chain collaboration through rigorous empirical and statistical analysis including structured interviews, Q-sort, and a large-scale study. Predictive validity is evaluated by demonstrating a strong and positive relationship between a firm's level of suppl...

Incentive-Based Energy Consumption Scheduling Algorithms for the Smart Grid

Abstract: In this paper, we study Demand Response (DR) problematics for different levels of information sharing in a smart grid. We propose a dynamic pricing scheme incentivizing consumers to achieve an aggregate load profile suitable for utilities, and study how close they can get to an ideal flat profile depending on how much information they share. When customers can share all their load profiles, we provide a distributed algorithm, set up as a cooperative game between consumers, which significantly reduces the total cost and peak-to-average ratio (PAR) of the system. In the absence of full information sharing (for reasons of privacy), when users have only access to the instantaneous total load on the grid, we provide distributed stochastic strategies that successfully exploit this information to improve the overall load profile. Simulation results confirm that these solutions efficiently benefit from information sharing within the grid and reduce both the total cost and PAR.

Participatory Epidemiology: Use of Mobile Phones for Community-Based Health Reporting

Abstract: Clark Freifeld and colleagues discuss mobile applications, including their own smartphone application, that show promise for health monitoring and information sharing.

Smart-M3 information sharing platform

Abstract: We describe the concept, architecture and key design decisions of Smart-M3 interoperability platform. The platform is based on the ideas of space-based information sharing and semantic web ideas about information representation and ontologies. The interoperability platform has been used as the basis for multiple case studies.

Collaborative supply chain practices and performance: exploring the key role of information quality

Abstract: Purpose - This paper seeks to report the results of a study examining the importance of information quality for the efficacy of collaborative supply chain practices. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire was sent to procurement managers throughout the supply chain within the German automotive industry. Regression analyses illustrate the differences in performance of collaborative practices under high and low information quality scenarios. Findings - The study illustrates that the impact of collaborative supply chain practices (i.e. information sharing, incentive alignment, joint-decision making) on performance varies significantly depending on the quality of information that is exchanged throughout the supply chain. Specifically, whilst information sharing improves operational performance when low and high quality information is exchanged, incentive alignment and joint decision making only improve operational performance when the information is of high quality. Originality/value - Although research on the performance impact of collaborative supply chain practices has advanced over the past decade, there is still a scarcity of research acknowledging the multidimensional nature of collaboration. Additionally, the importance of information quality for the success of collaborative practices has not been firmly established. The paper addresses this void in the literature by reporting results of an empirical study examining collaborative supply chains and practices within the German automotive industry. The paper will thus be beneficial to supply chain managers considering collaborative practices and will support further empirical research work in the collaborative supply chain research field.

Information sharing and collaboration practices in reverse logistics

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate how the use of information technology (IT) and supply chain management initiatives (information sharing and collaboration) impact a company's performance in reverse logistics (RL).Design/methodology/approach – A survey based on a previous exploratory research and literature review was sent out to 600 US companies having substantial activities in RL. Issues addressed in the survey, such as IT types deployed, IT operational attributes, information sharing, and collaboration, involve multiple parties in multi‐tier RL networks, extending beyond a simple buyer‐supplier dyad.Findings – The results revealed that the type of IT used per se did not have a differential impact on a company's performance in RL. However, IT operational attributes positively affected RL performance and information sharing and collaboration are critical to RL performance.Practical implications – Investment in IT alone cannot improve a company's performance; managers should take full ...

Rethinking location sharing: exploring the implications of social-driven vs. purpose-driven location sharing

Abstract: The popularity of micro-blogging has made general-purpose information sharing a pervasive phenomenon. This trend is now impacting location sharing applications (LSAs) such that users are sharing their location data with a much wider and more diverse audience. In this paper, we describe this as social-driven sharing, distinguishing it from past examples of what we refer to as purpose-driven location sharing. We explore the differences between these two types of sharing by conducting a comparative two-week study with nine participants. We found significant differences in terms of users' decisions about what location information to share, their privacy concerns, and how privacy-preserving their disclosures were. Based on these results, we provide design implications for future LSAs.

Web 2.0 and Internet Social Networking: A New tool for Disaster Management? - Lessons from Taiwan

Abstract: Internet social networking tools and the emerging web 2.0 technologies are providing a new way for web users and health workers in information sharing and knowledge dissemination. Based on the characters of immediate, two-way and large scale of impact, the internet social networking tools have been utilized as a solution in emergency response during disasters. This paper highlights the use of internet social networking in disaster emergency response and public health management of disasters by focusing on a case study of the typhoon Morakot disaster in Taiwan. In the case of typhoon disaster in Taiwan, internet social networking and mobile technology were found to be helpful for community residents, professional emergency rescuers, and government agencies in gathering and disseminating real-time information, regarding volunteer recruitment and relief supplies allocation. We noted that if internet tools are to be integrated in the development of emergency response system, the accessibility, accuracy, validity, feasibility, privacy and the scalability of itself should be carefully considered especially in the effort of applying it in resource poor settings. This paper seeks to promote an internet-based emergency response system by integrating internet social networking and information communication technology into central government disaster management system. Web-based networking provides two-way communication which establishes a reliable and accessible tunnel for proximal and distal users in disaster preparedness and management.

Information Sharing in a Long-Term Supply Chain Relationship: The Role of Customer Review Strategy

Abstract: In this paper, we study the practice of forecast sharing and supply chain coordination with a game-theoretical model. We find that in a one-shot version of the game, forecasts are not shared truthf...

Evaluating the cross-efficiency of information sharing in supply chains

Abstract: Supply chain management integrates the intra- and inter-corporate processes as a whole system. Through information technology, companies can efficiently manage the product flow and information related to the issues such as production capacity, customer demand and inventory at lower costs. Information sharing can significantly improve the performance of the supply chain, how the different combination of information sharing affects the performance is not yet understood. This study designs different information-sharing scenarios to analyze the supply chain performance through a simulation model. Since there are not only desirable measures but also undesirable measures in supply chains, the usual data envelopment analysis (DEA) model allows measuring performance for complete weight flexibility. In this paper, a cross-efficiency DEA approach is applied to solve this problem. We identify the most efficient scenario and estimate the each efficiency of information-sharing scenarios. Contrary to the previous findings in the literature suggesting sharing as much as information possible to increase benefits, the results of this study show that the scenario of demand information sharing is the most efficient one. In addition, sharing information on capacity and demand, and full information sharing in general are good practices. Sharing only information on capacity and/or inventory information, without sharing information on demand, interferes with production at manufacturers, and causes misunderstandings, which can magnify the bullwhip effect.

Sharing location in online social networks

Abstract: Online social networks (OSNs) have become important media for information sharing among Internet users. In particular, several OSNs provide mechanisms to facilitate sharing of the users' location, which is gaining increased popularity due to the growth of GPS-equipped smartphones. These location-based OSNs (LSNs) bridge users' physical and social worlds, allowing users to know where their friends are and enabling location-based information access and user interactions. In this article we first introduce several LSNs and compare their location-sharing related features. A user's location, however, is sensitive and personal information that may raise significant privacy concerns. To understand real-world users' location-sharing behavior, we collected 21 months of data traces from a commercial LSN and analyzed its users' location-sharing updates. We found that the characteristics of the users' privacy protection behavior is correlated with their age, gender, mobility, and geographic region. In addition, friends tend to have similar privacy protection patterns. To the best of our knowledge, this article is the first large-scale empirical study of a modern LSN.

Introduction to Privacy-Preserving Data Publishing: Concepts and Techniques

Abstract: Gaining access to high-quality data is a vital necessity in knowledge-based decision making. But data in its raw form often contains sensitive information about individuals. Providing solutions to this problem, the methods and tools of privacy-preserving data publishing enable the publication of useful information while protecting data privacy. Introduction to Privacy-Preserving Data Publishing: Concepts and Techniques presents state-of-the-art information sharing and data integration methods that take into account privacy and data mining requirements. The first part of the book discusses the fundamentals of the field. In the second part, the authors present anonymization methods for preserving information utility for specific data mining tasks. The third part examines the privacy issues, privacy models, and anonymization methods for realistic and challenging data publishing scenarios. While the first three parts focus on anonymizing relational data, the last part studies the privacy threats, privacy models, and anonymization methods for complex data, including transaction, trajectory, social network, and textual data. This book not only explores privacy and information utility issues but also efficiency and scalability challenges. In many chapters, the authors highlight efficient and scalable methods and provide an analytical discussion to compare the strengths and weaknesses of different solutions.

Review of agricultural extension in India: Are farmers' information needs being met?

Abstract: Despite a wide range of reform initiatives in agricultural extension in India in the past decades, the coverage of, access to, and quality of information provided to marginalized and poor farmers is uneven. This paper aims to ascertain why farmers are not accessing information and where information gaps exist, despite the variety of extension approaches in India. Using information provision and access as the basis for analysis, the paper reviews some of the major agricultural extension programs in India by considering their ability to provide information and facilitate information sharing and use in farming communities. The review gives a broad overview of the current extension scene in India while providing a synthesis of recent debates and the observations of various authors as well as working groups in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Planning Commission. The paper examines the challenges and constraints of each agricultural extension approach as it attempts to provide farmers with access to information that is relevant to their farm enterprises. As a result of this analysis, opportunities are identified for increasing extension services' effectiveness and efficiency in reaching smallholder farmers. Research gaps are also identified. The review concludes that there is an increasing need to work in partnership and to share knowledge and skills in order to provide locally relevant services that meet the information needs of marginal and smallholder farmers in India.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Thing to Do When Sharing Information: Revealing, Concealing and Lying Depend on Social Motivation, Distribution and Importance of Information

Abstract: Research on information sharing in group decision-making has widely assumed a cooperative context and focused on the exchange of shared or unshared information in the hidden profile paradigm (Stasser & Titus, 1985, 1987), thereby neglecting the role of information importance. We argue that information sharing is a mixed-motive conflict setting that gives rise to motivated strategic behavior. We introduce a new research paradigm that combines aspects of the traditional information sample paradigm with aspects of a public good dilemma: The information pooling game. In three experiments, we show that information sharing is strategic behavior that depends on people's prosocial or proself motivation, and that people consider not only information sharedness, but also information importance when deciding whether to reveal, withhold, or falsify their private or public information. Prosocial individuals were consistently found to openly and honestly reveal their private and important information, while selfish individuals strategically concealed or even lied about their private and important information.

Privacy, Social Network Sites, and Social Relations

Abstract: With the growth of the Internet comes a growth in a ubiquitous networked society. Common Web 2.0 applications include a rapidly growing trend for social network sites. Social network sites typically converged different relationship types into one group of “friends.” However, with such vast interconnectivity, convergence of relationships, and information sharing by individual users comes an increased risk of privacy violations. We asked a small sample of participants to discuss what friendship and privacy meant to them and to give examples of a privacy violation they had experienced. A thematic analysis was conducted on the interviews to determine the issues discussed by the participants. Many participants experienced privacy issues using the social network site Facebook. The results are presented here and discussed in relation to online privacy concerns, notably social network site privacy concerns and managing such information.

Spare parts management : a review of forecasting research and extensions

Abstract: Spare parts are very common in many industries and forecasting their requirements is an important operational issue. In recent years, there have been advances in forecasting methods for spare parts, demand information sharing strategies and the design of forecast support systems. Some work has also been done on the value of judgemental adjustment of statistical forecasts. In this paper, these developments are reviewed and avenues for further research are explored.

Information Acquisition and Sharing in a Vertical Relationship

Abstract: Manufacturers can acquire consumer information in a sequential manner and influence downstream retail behavior through sharing the acquired information. This paper examines the interaction between a manufacturer's optimal information acquisition and sharing strategies in a vertical relationship, capturing the impacts of both the flexibility to sequentially control information collection and the flexibility in ex post voluntary sharing. We show that when information acquisition is sequential, the manufacturer may not acquire perfect information even if it is costless to do so. This self-restriction in information acquisition follows from the manufacturer's motivation to strategically influence retail behavior. When information acquisition is inflexible and constrained to be either zero or perfect information, the manufacturer acquires less more information under mandatory voluntary sharing. Moreover, voluntary sharing unambiguously leads to more information being generated, because the manufacturer has the option to strategically withhold the acquired information that turns out to be unfavorable. Finally, the conditions under which the manufacturer ex ante prefers a particular sharing format are examined.

Information sharing with key suppliers: a transaction cost theory perspective

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain variations in discretionary information shared between buyers and key suppliers. The paper also aims to examine how the extent of information shared affects buyers' performance in terms of resource usage, output, and flexibility.Design/methodology/approach – The data for the paper comprise 221 Finnish and Swedish non‐service companies obtained through a mail survey. The hypothesized relationships were tested using partial least squares modelling with reflective and formative constructs.Findings – The results of the study suggest that (environmental and demand) uncertainty and interdependency can to some degree explain the extent of information shared between a buyer and key supplier. Furthermore, information sharing improves buyers' performance with respect to resource usage, output, and flexibility.Research limitations/implications – A limitation to the paper relates to the data, which only included buyers. A better approach would have been to collect dat...

Information sharing behaviour on blogs in Taiwan: Effects of interactivities and gender differences

Abstract: Although blog service providers have developed and promoted various interactive functions of their blog platforms, effects of the interactivities on posting behaviour are still vague. Based on past literature, we proposed an information sharing behaviour model involving three types of interactivities, flow and satisfaction. A survey of 586 blog owners demonstrated strong support for the model. The results indicated that flow and satisfaction were positively affected by various types of interactivities and influenced the information sharing behaviour. Furthermore, gender differences in the relationships among interactivities, flow and satisfaction were found. Finally, the implications of this research were discussed.

RFID utilization and information sharing: the impact on supply chain performance

Abstract: Purpose – The paper's aim is to theorize and assess a structural model that incorporates radio frequency identification (RFID) technology utilization and supply chain information sharing as antecedents to supply chain performance.Design/methodology/approach – Data from a sample of 155 manufacturing sector and service sector organizations were collected and the model was assessed following a structural equation methodology.Findings – RFID technology utilization does not directly impact supply chain performance. Adoption of RFID technology, however, leads to improved information sharing among supply chain members, which in turn leads to improved supply chain performance.Research limitations/implications – RFID technology utilization is in the introductory and growth stages of the technology utilization life cycle. Interpretation of the results should be tempered in light of this early stage of adoption.Practical implications – Practitioners can expect improved customer satisfaction through the implementatio...

Information-Sharing in Academia and the Industry: A Comparative Study

Abstract: This paper investigates how scientists decide whether to share information with their colleagues or not. Detailed data on the decisions of 1,694 bio-scientists allow detecting similarities and differences between academia-based and industry-based scientists. Arguments from social capital theory are applied to explain why individuals share information even at personal cost. In both realms, the results suggest that the likelihood of sharing decreases with the competitive value of the requested information. Factors related to social capital - expected reciprocity and the extent to which a scientist’s community conforms to open science - either directly affect information-sharing or moderate competitive interest considerations.