Services for Content Creation and Presentation in an Iconographical Digital Library

Content creation and presentation are key activities in a multimedia digital library (MDL). The proper design and intelligent implementation of these services provide a stable base for overall MDL functionality. This paper presents the framework and the implementation of these services in the latest version of the “Virtual Encyclopaedia of Bulgarian Iconography” multimedia digital library. For the semantic description of the iconographical objects a tree-based annotation template is implemented. It provides options for autocompletion, reuse of values, bilingual entering of data, automated media watermarking, resizing and conversing. The paper describes in detail the algorithm for automated appearance of dependent values for different characteristics of an iconographical object. An algorithm for avoiding duplicate image objects is also included. The service for automated appearance of new objects in a collection after their entering is included as an important part of the content presentation. The paper also presents the overall service-based architecture of the library, covering its main service panels, repositories and their relationships. The presented vision is based on a long-term observation of the users’ preferences, cognitive goals, and needs, aiming to find an optimal functionality solution for the end users.

Towards understanding IT value co-creation in crowdsourcing:the multiple stakeholders' perspective research-in-progress paper

Contemporary business environment involves IT being invested and shared by multiple stakeholders in collaborative, platform-based, and relational arrangements where the objective is to co-create value. Traditional IT enabled business value therefore has been extended towards IT value co-creation that involves multiple stakeholders. In this paper, we present a conceptual development of IT-based value co-creation in the context of online crowdsourcing. Based on the existing literature, we have distinguished multiple crowdsourcing types (models) by analyzing attributes of crowd, the roles of the client, the platform and the crowd that act as key stakeholders in the value co-creation process, and describe the major interactions between the main stakeholders. Our conceptual development is suggesting different combinations of value co-creation layers to be evident in different crowdsourcing models.

Web designers, social e-value creation and e-business planning:understanding resistance from conflicting demands

This chapter investigates the conflicting demands faced by web designers in the development of social e-atmospherics that aim to encourage e-value creation, thus strengthening and prolonging market planning strategies. While recent studies have shown that significant shifts are occurring concerning the importance of users’ generated content by way of social e-communication tools (e.g. blogs), these trends are also creating expectations that social and cultural cues ought to become a greater part of e-atmospherics and e-business strategies. Yet, there is growing evidence that organizations are resisting such efforts, fearing that they will lose control of their e-marketing strategy. This chapter contributes to the theory and literature on online cross-cultural understanding and the impact website designers (meso-level) can have on improving the sustainability of e-business planning, departing from recent studies that focus mainly on firms’ e-business plans (macro-level) or final consumers (micro-level). A second contribution is made with respect to online behavior regarding the advancement of technologies that facilitate the development and shaping of new social e-atmospherics that affect users’ behavior and long term e-business strategies through the avoidance of traditional, formal decision making processes and marketing strategy mechanisms implemented by firms. These issues have been highlighted in the literature on the co-production and co-creation of value, which few organizations have thus far integrated in their strategic and pragmatic e-business plans. Drawing upon fifteen online interviews with web designers in the USA, as key non-institutional actors at the meso-level who are developing what future websites will be like, this chapter analyzes ways in which identifying points of resistance and conflicting demands can lead to engagement with the debate over the online co-creation of value and more sustainable future e-business planning. A number of points of resistance to the inclusion of more e-social atmospherics are identified, and the implications for web designers’ roles and web design planning are discussed along with the limitations of the study and potential future research for e-business studies.

Tudáshasználat és sikeresség- tudásteremtés és -használat a magyarországi borvidékeken (Knowledge-use and success – Knowledge-creation and use on the Hungarian wine-districts)

A cikkben a magyarországi borágazatra vonatkozóan vizsgáljuk a tudáshasználat és sikeresség összefüggését. Magyarország az elmúlt évtizedben elmaradt a magasabb tudást megtestesítő prémium- és szuperprémium- borok irányába mutató világpiaci trendtől. Ennek hátterében vizsgálataink szerint a szőlő- és borágazatban elengedhetetlen és állandóan fejlődő tudás nem eléggé intenzív használata is meghúzódhat. Noha a tudás használata és terjedése ugyan jelentős tényező a különféle vállalkozások sokféleségének magyarázatában, de nem egyértelműen szignifikáns a többféle módon mért sikeresség alakításában. Ugyanakkor azt is megállapíthatjuk, hogy a magyar vállalkozások a tudás saját berken belüli gondozásával és adekvát felhasználásával piaci sikereket érhetnek el. _____ The paper examines the relationship between the use of specific knowledge and success among the Hungarian grape growers and wine makers. In the recent decade Hungary has been left behind by the world trends represented increasing share of premium and superpremium wines (which materialise higher knowledge) in export development. According to the authors’ survey there might be in behind the non-appropriate use and management of knowledge and skills which would be ‘condition sine qua non’ for wine making. However the use and spread of skills is a basic component in explaining the differences of variation among the companies, it is not unambiguous in formulating the business success measured in different indicators. At the same time the authors can conclude that the Hungarian wine enterprises – keeping the idea generation as well as its further development, elaboration and adequate use within the frame of the company – can achieve market success.

Értékteremtés e-kereskedelemmel – kitörési lehetőség a recesszió sújtotta magyar kiskereskedelemben? (Value creation of e-commerce – Chance to break out for the recession-hit Hungarian retail sector?)

Kimutatható-e az e-kereskedelem hatása a vállalati teljesítményre a recesszióval küzdő magyar kiskereskedelmi piacon? A hagyományos bolti értékesítés vagy on-line kereskedelem vezet hazánkban jobb pénzügyi teljesítményhez? Ezekre a kérdésekre a magyar IKT (infokommunikációs technológiai) kiskereskedők 187 elemű mintáján igyekeznek a szerzők választ keresni, az adatgyűjtést újszerű módon részben automatizált webpókokra bízva, következtetéseiket pedig elsősorban klaszterelemzési technikákra építve. Megállapítják, hogy bár a legjobb bolti kereskedők többnyire valamivel nagyobb és stabilabb profitrátákkal jellemezhetők a válság éveiben is, a piac megtartása és növelése terén már egyértelműen az e-kereskedők jeleskedtek. Eredményeik szerint az e-kereskedelem hozzásegítheti a kiskereskedőket a munkaerő-hatékonyság növeléséhez is, ám ha gyors rendelkezésre állással vagy alacsony árakkal csábítják vevőiket, akkor a profittöbblet egy részét felőrölheti a magasabb készlettartási igény vagy az árverseny. _____ The study examines whether e-commerce has a significant impact on corporate performance on the Hungarian retail market struggling with the effects of economic downturn. Is it brick-and-mortal retail or e-commerce that leads to a better financial performance? Using the innovative data gathering tools of automotive web crawlers the authors seek answers to these questions on a sample of 187 Hungarian ICT retailers. Based on cluster analysis they conclude that while the best traditional retailers have somewhat higher and more stable profitability ratios even during the years of recession, e-tailers are more successful in retaining and increasing their market share. E-commerce is also associated with higher human resource productivity, but the possible profit surplus originating from this advantage could be jeopardized in the long run as new electronic traders typically attract their customers by shorter service time or lower prices.

Dematerializálódás az értékteremtésben (Demate value creation)

Napjainkra az értékteremtés tényezőiben hangsúlyeltolódás ment végbe a korábban túlnyomó részben tárgyalt tárgyiasult elemekről a tudásalapú, kézzel megfoghatatlan, immateriális elemek felé. Az értékteremtés forrását alkotó erőforrások dematerializálódása, azaz az immateriális erőforrások szerepének növekedése már az 1990-es évek második felétől ismertté vált a nemzetközi szakirodalomban, azonban az érték és az értékteremtési folyamat immateriális elemeiről csak a XXI. században kezdődött vita. A szerző vizsgálatának középpontjában az értékteremtés koncepciója és az ebben fellelhető immateriális elemek állnak, kihangsúlyozva a dematerializálódást. _____ Nowadays we can realize a shift in the focus of value creation from the formerly well discussed tangible factors to the knowledge-intensive, immaterial, intangible factors. The dematerialization of resources, which is the phenomena of growing importance of intangible resources, is known from the second half of 1990’s in the literature, but the discussion from the intangible elements of value creation began only in the beginning of the 21st century. The concept of value creation and its intangible elements are in the focus of the paper as the emphasis of dematerialization.