Vanesa Tennant

Work in Progress: Performance and Reliability of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Library System

The literature has indicated that libraries in developed countries are fast growing early adopters of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The other sector of early adopters is distributors who use the technology primarily in the supply chain. The literature abounds with studies on perceived and expected problems with RFID in the supply chain but is sparse on performance and reliability of the technology in library environments. This has prompted researchers to suggest that there is a need for investigation of RFID in library environments. The study will measure performance of RFID library system at a university library by examining factors, namely tag placement, reader orientation sensitivity, read rate, reading distance, and metal and electromagnetic interference. Test procedures will be created to record accuracy rate, which will be further analyzed with a spectrum analyzer to understand the behavior of RFID tag reader communication in the library environment. The findings will help to determine best practices to optimize the performance of the technology.

The taste of LIME: competitive dynamics and strategies in the telecommunications industry

Cable and Wireless, Jamaica (C&WJ) operated in Jamaica under an exclusive license that made it a virtual monopoly. In 1999, the Government of Jamaica decided to renegotiate the license and liberalize the telecommunications industry. Early in the liberalization process, new companies entered the market and C&WJ struggled to cope with the new, competitive dynamics of the market. Although dominant in the landline market, C&WJ found it difficult to compete in the cellular market, lagging behind relatively new entrant Digicel. The recent entry of América Móvil, operating under the brand name Claro, into the market has intensified the competition and is threatening the relegation of C&WJ into third place. In response, C&WJ in 2008 embarked on a new, high-risk transformation strategy that included corporate rebranding and a change of its name to LIME (Landline, Internet, Mobile and Entertainment). This case chronicles the problems faced by LIME in adjusting to a telecommunications industry paradigm.

Performance characterisation for two radio frequency identification inventory readers within a university library environment

Performance testing is an integral aspect of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) application, with users’ anticipation of near 100% accuracy rate. A review of a number of academic research databases has shown sparse empirical research on RFID testing in a library environment. This study investigates factors that may affect the read rate of an inventory reader in a library. The factors investigated in this study were read distance, tag location, number of sweeps and sweep direction. This methodology applied a systematic approach to investigate the performance of two inventory readers using design of experiment. A 2k–1 fractional factorial experiment, where k is the number of factors investigated, was used to determine the relationship between independent factors (k = 5) and the performance of the RFID reader, measured by the read rate. It is anticipated that the findings may help researchers and library practitioners to understand and further investigate methods to optimise the performance of the reader and spur the need for investigation of other factors.