Nayna Patel

A case study of MMO2’s MADIC: a framework for creating mobile Internet systems

Mobile Internet applications on ubiquitous mobile networks allows real‐time, anywhere, anytime connectivity to services. Owing to its scalability and potential cost savings, mobile communication is being increasingly applied in the business and consumer communities to create innovative data and voice application, which run over the Internet infrastructure. This paper reports on a case study at an organisation that created an innovative approach to developing mobile applications developed by third party independent developers. A conceptual wireless reference model is presented that was used to define the various system constituents required to create effective mobile applications.

Business process re-engineering (BPR): The REBUS approach

Abstract: Many organisations undertake business process re-engineering (BPR) projects in order to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Although this approach can result in significant improvements and benefits, there are high risks associated with radical changes of business processes and the failure rate of BPR projects is reported to be as high as 70%. The Centre for Re-engineering Business Processes (REBUS) was established at Brunel University to provide a multidisciplinary environment for research into BPR and its success factors. This paper describes the REBUS approach to research concerning the success of BPR projects and presents examples of some of the projects carried out.

Work placements and academic achievement: undergraduate computing students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate and understand whether students who complete a work placement as part of their degree course achieve a better classification of degree than those students who do not include a placement.Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted by extracting the profiles of computing students from the database of a UK based university. Data collected included the marks and academic performance throughout the course of the students’ degree, educational background, age and gender. In total, the profiles of 290 students were analysed to understand the impact of a work placement on their degree.Findings – The results show that 58 per cent of those students who had been on a work placement achieved an upper second or first class degree, whereas only 37 per cent of non‐placement students achieved the same academic standards. Furthermore, this study also established that this result is not because work placement students are academically more capable to begin with...

A methodology for the selection of knowledge management (KM) tools

As a result of the increasing popularity of knowledge management numerous knowledge management tools have appeared on the software market. Therefore, selecting a tool that suitably meets their requirements is difficult and confusing for many organisations. Consequently a methodology is designed that describes the issues and factors that should be taken into consideration during the selection of a knowledge management tool.

Understanding the consumption process through in‐branch and e‐mortgage service channels

Purpose – The twin aims of this paper are to explore the differences in the consumption process between the traditional in‐branch and web‐based (e‐mortgage) service channels and how the differences relate to any problems identified in the electronic service environment, with respect to information search and product evaluation.Design/methodology/approach – A process‐oriented approach comparing the two service channels (in‐branch vs e‐mortgage) was conducted in two study phases. Data from the e‐mortgage process were collected using protocol analysis with 12 first‐time buyers (FTBs) applying on a website belonging either to a hybrid or to an internet‐only bank. Results of the e‐mortgage process were mapped on to stages of the in‐branch process, which was captured by observation of six FTB mortgage interviews to determine the level of correspondence and emergent issues.Findings – Support for the FTB in the e‐mortgage process was problematic and service provision was found to be product‐ rather than consumer‐...

The Display of Electronic Commerce within Virtual Environments

Abstract: In today’s competitive business environment, the majority of companies are expected to be represented on the Internet in the form of an electronic commerce site. In an effort to keep up with current business trends, certain aspects of interface design such as those related to navigation and perception may be overlooked. For instance, the manner in which a visitor to the site might perceive the information displayed or the ease with which they navigate through the site may not be taken into consideration. This paper reports on the evaluation of the electronic commerce sites of three different companies, focusing specifically on the human factors issues such as perception and navigation. Heuristic evaluation, the most popular method for investigating user interface design, is the technique employed to assess each of these sites. In light of the results from the analysis of the evaluation data, virtual environments are suggested as a way of improving the navigation and perception display constraints.