Richard G. Vedder

Security issues on the internet

The Internet is a collection of networks originally paid for by the U.S. Department of Defense. Its purpose was to provide a communications infrastructure more resilient to attack than the public communications channels in the event of war. When research became a priority in the 1960s and 1970s, money was given to the National Science Foundation, which became the de facto administrator of the network. The NSF ran the primary arteries of the Internet until the late 1980s. A substantial amount of funding was later added by the U.S. Congress when it decided to include the federal supercomputing facilities in the Internet. As universities tied into the network, they would pay to link a particular network, such as the Bitnet, with the Internet. [2]

The Client–Vendor Offshore Relationship: Success Factors

IT Offshoring has become a common strategic practice for many U.S. companies. Success offers access to technical expertise in emerging markets. This study recognizes the complexity of the IT offshoring relationship and examines social exchange factors difficult to address in contracts, and the relationship of these factors to a successful relationship. A recent survey of Fortune 500 CIOs found that a close relationship between client and vendor, characterized by trust and communication, is correlated with success.

Tools and Techniques for Use in Decision Support Systems

Managers at all levels find decision support systems (DSSs) difficult to understand and employ and often inconsistent with the primary functions of management. This article presents a selection of tools and techniques for use in afunctional DSS and identifies which tools best support each of the three levels of management — operational, tactical, and strategic

Offshoring and social exchange: a social exchange theory perspective on offshoring relationships

Social exchange theory deals with social behavior in the exchange of activities between organizations. The theory holds that the relationships experienced should be close but flexible.1 This study captures the social relationship factors from social exchange theory (trust, power, dependence, communication and shared values) that underlay the client-vendor relationship and presents empirical evidence for the effectiveness of a relational approach to offshoring. This is not an intuitive approach, especially when offshoring. It is an especially difficult approach to take in a time when wide spread offshoring failures are encouraging client companies engaged in offshoring to try and keep control with strict contracts that stifle flexibility and to limit their vulnerability by maintaining other boundaries that restrict relationships.2

IT personnel and corporate identification: corporate identification issues can jeopardize an organization's security

Commerce of today is characterized by an increase in corporation size and complexity. The computer has clearly become the backbone of todays business, simplifying much of that complexity as it performs all types of routine as well as special duties. Because of its potential for functional variety, the computer has been entrusted with data ranging from low level tasks such as company payroll to highly privileged strategic information. Although the computer has become a reliable servant for corporate use, it has also become the agent for a corporate identification problem, particularly with IT (Information Technology) personnel which can jeopardize a systems security. Corporate identification problems exist when employees identify more with their own skill set than with the company they work for.

Windows 8: What Educators Need to Know.

In October 2012, Microsoft will release the commercial version of its next operating system, presently called “Windows 8.” This version represents a significant departure from the past. Microsoft wants this operating system to meet user needs regardless of physical platform (e.g., desktop, notebook, tablet, mobile phone). As part of this mission, the company has created a new, touch-oriented user interface that has already appeared on new Windows phones. What will the release of this new operating system, which does not rely on mouse-clicks, mean for educators? How will the Windows 8 interface challenge teachers of information technology? This article will discuss these issues based on what is currently known about this new product. Schools do not need to upgrade, as there is no “killer application” forcing the use of Windows 8. Current Windows 7 software will run fine on most versions of Windows 8. Using a touch-screen display with Windows 8 is helpful, but not required.