Internet-based experiential learning in international marketing: the case of Globalview.orgIlan Alon; Nancy Cannon
2000 Online Information Review
doi: 10.1108/14684520010357284
The paper discusses a unique Internet‐based learning forum, Globalview.org (www.globalview. org), which involves the construction of international business plans for real companies seeking internationalisation. The purpose of global cases is to link student teams in international collaborative learning projects by empowering students to participate in setting learning goals and learning processes, and enabling instructors to be closer to the students in the learning process. This article reports on the experience of one college using Globalview.org, and discusses likely outcomes that may emerge from using Internet‐based experiential projects in the classroom.
Should scientific journals be printed? A personal viewDavid Goodman
2000 Online Information Review
doi: 10.1108/14684520010357293
Although the widely appreciated advantages of electronic journals in the sciences would indicate that they should be the preferred form of publication, they persist in print as well. The data on the relative use of bound and unbound journals in an academic biology library suggest that almost all of the journals studied are suitable as electronic only; only a very few are reasonable choices in both print and electronic formats. Most scientific articles might be better suited for publication not in journals at all, but rather in a suitable Internet‐based repository.
Access to distributed environmental databases with ICIx technologyOtmar Görlitz; Ralf Neubert; Wolfgang Benn
2000 Online Information Review
doi: 10.1108/14684520010357301
The Internet has become a favoured medium for the presentation and exchange of environmental and chemical data. To search for relevant information, the user either has to know the direct address of the Internet site, or has to use search engines and meta information repositories. In the latter case, the desired resource is described by a number of keywords, or descriptors. However, if too few descriptors are given, the answer set is immensely large. If too many or too specific descriptors are given, valuable information might be sorted out, because it lacks a particular descriptor. The Intelligent Cluster Index (ICIx) technology can remedy this situation. It generates a clustering of documents by their content characteristics. Applied in the described scenario this results in a grouping of Internet resources with comparable content. ICIx offers a similarity search facility based on the clustering. It allows the search for an arbitrary combination of descriptors. If an exact match is required, the result contains only documents matching all descriptors. In the similarity search, documents with comparable content – identified by the similarity clustering – can be included in the result set, even if they do not match all descriptors. Thus ICIx offers a wider range of relevant information in the answer than standard full text search provides.
Using Reuters 3000 Xtra system for financial information educationLewis G. Liu; Richard Holowczak
2000 Online Information Review
doi: 10.1108/14684520010357310
Reuters 3000 Xtra is a real‐time and interactive global news and financial information service that covers the equity market, bond market, foreign currency and money market, and various derivative markets. While there are hundreds of business schools in the USA, only a handful of schools have established real‐time financial and trading services for educational purposes. Currently only six schools are equipped with such services in the USA. The Subotnick Financial Services Center at the Zicklin School of Business of the City University of New York is the only real‐time trading facility for education in New York City. Given the many advantages of educating and training students using simulation of real‐time trading, the number of business schools that are considering acquiring such services is bound to increase. The emerging issue is how to use services such as Reuters 3000 Xtra to provide financial information education for students, faculty members, and potential traders. This article covers some important features of Reuters 3000 Xtra and illustrates how it may be used to provide financial information education. This article specifically discusses the use of Reuters Instruction Code (RIC), Speed Guide, Model Browser, and PowerPlus Pro to access, retrieve, organise, display, and analyse real‐time data. Furthermore, this article demonstrates taking advantage of the real‐time data feed to test the portfolio diversification theory by developing a diversified portfolio in the equity market. It is our hope that students, faculty members, business librarians, business information specialists and financial portfolio managers who are involved in Reuters 3000 Xtra training and teaching will benefit from this article.
Use of the Internet for reference services in Malaysian academic librariesKaba Abdoulaye; Shaheen Majid
2000 Online Information Review
doi: 10.1108/14684520010357338
The integration of the Internet has affected all functions of the library, particularly reference services. In the reference department, this integration has led to the utilisation of new tools and methods for providing information to library users. This study investigates the effect of the Internet on reference services in Malaysian academic libraries. The objective of the study was to find out how the integration of the Internet has affected reference professionals and services. The study also investigated respondents’ perceptions of the importance of the Internet in reference work. A total of 40 library professionals working in the reference department of nine Malaysian academic libraries participated in the study. Respondents felt that the Internet has contributed positively to reference work and has enhanced their effectiveness and efficiency. However, a majority of them disagreed that the Internet should completely replace traditional reference tools. Respondents also felt that reference librarians should possess good computing and Internet use skills for providing effective reference services.