Informatica Economica Vol. 14 No. 3/2010

Issue Topic: Mobile Applications

Issue Editor: Paul POCATILU, PhD

CONTENTS

WiFi Hot Spot Service Business for the Automotive and Oil Industries: A Competitive Analysis
L-F PAU, M.H.P. OREMUS 5
While you refuel for gas, why not refuel for information or upload vehicle data, using a cheap wireless technology as WiFi? This paper analyzes in extensive detail the user segmentation by vehicle usage, service offering, and full business models from WiFi hot spot services delivered to and from vehicles (private, professional, public) around gas stations. Are also analyzed the parties which play a role in such services: authorization, provisioning and delivery, with all the dependencies modelled by attributed digraphs. Account is made of WiFi base station technical capabilities and costs. Five year financial models (CAPEX, OPEX), and data pertain to two possible service suppliers: multi-service oil companies, and mobile service operators (or MVNOs). Model optimization on the return-on-investment (R.O.I.) is carried out for different deployment scenarios, geographical coverage assumptions, as well as tariff structures. Comparison is also being made with public GPRS and 3G data services, as precursors to HSPA/LTE, and the effect of WiFi roaming is analyzed. Regulatory implications, including those dealing with public safety, are addressed. Analysis shows that due to manpower costs and marketing costs, suitable R.O.I. will not be achieved unless externalities are accounted for and innovative tariff structures are introduced. Open issues and further research are outlined. Further work is currently carried out with automotive electronics sector, wireless systems providers, wireless terminals platform suppliers, and vehicle manufacturers. Future relevance of this work is also discussed for the emerging electrical reloading grids for electrical vehicles.
Keywords: WiFi, Fuel Stations, Business Models, Oil Company, Mobile Operator, WiFi Services, Regulations, Professional Vehicles

The Determinants of the Global Mobile Telephone Deployment: An Empirical Analysis
Sheikh Taher ABU, Masatsugu TSUJI 21
This study aims to analyze the global mobile phones by examining the instruments stimulating the diffusion pattern. A rigorous demand model is estimated using global mobile telecommu-nications panel dataset comprised with 51 countries classified in order to World Bank income categories from 1990-2007. In particular, the paper examines what factors contribute the most to the deployment of global mobile telephones. To construct an econometric model, the number of subscribers to mobile phone per 100 inhabitants is taken as dependent variable, while the following groups of variables (1) GDP per capita income and charges, (2) competition policies (3) telecom infrastructure (4) technological innovations (5) others are selected as independent variables. Estimation results report the presence of substantial disparity among groups. Additionally GDP per capita income and own-price elasticity comprised with call rate, subscription charges, are reported. The analysis of impulse responses for price, competition policies, and technological innovations such as digitalization of mobile network, mobile network coverage indicates that substantial mobile telephone growth is yet to be realized especially in developing countries. A new and important empirical finding is that there are still many opportunities available for mobile phone development in the world pro-poor nations by providing better telecom infrastructure.
Keywords: Mobile Phone Adoption, 3G, Technological Innovations, Competition Policy, Panel Data Analysis, Digital Divide

Audit Process during Projects for Development of New Mobile IT Applications
Marius POPA 34
This paper presents characteristics of the computer audit process during software development life cycle focused on specific aspects of the mobile IT applications. There are highlighted specific features of the distributed informatics systems implemented in wireless environments as hardware components, wireless technologies, classes of wireless systems, specialized software for mobile IT applications, quality characteristics of the mobile IT applications, software development models and their specific stages and issues aspects of the computer audit during software development life cycle of the distributed informatics systems customized on mobile IT applications. In the computer audit process, tasks of the computer auditors and what controls they must implement are also presented.
Keywords: Audit Process, Mobile It Applications, Software Development Life Cycle, Project Management

Secure Architecture for M-Learning Bluetooth Services
Cătălin BOJA, Lorena BATAGAN, Alin ZAMFIROIU 47
The paper describes a secure architecture for an M-Learning system that uses Bluetooth wireless networks to offer services for mobile devices. The solution is implemented on the Java ME platform using SATSA-CRYPTO. The access to these services is made possible by using Bluetooth capabilities of a mobile device that is part of a distributed system. The paper analyzes the security aspect of accessing the Bluetooth service from the confidentiality, integrity and authenticity, point of view. There are described the security options implemented by the Bluetooth Protocol, as described in JSR 82, for the Java ME platform. The proposed secure architecture solution authenticates users and their devices, using cryptographic techniques, without using devices IMEI, International Mobile Equipment Identity.
Keywords: Bluetooth services, M-learning, security, mobile devices, Java ME

Mobile and Social: Ten Best Practices for Designing Mobile Applications
Liviu LICA 60
This paper gives ten best practices for designing mobile applications that have social-networking functions. The need for such an approach is given by the rapid growth in impor-tance of both social networks and mobile applications. In order to make it easy to follow where the best practices come from, the paper starts with a look at why social networks are more than just a buzz word and at how the field of mobile applications is evolving. It also shows how and why the two fields go together so well. To further make the point, there is a case study of four interesting mobile applications that are textbooks examples of successful applications. The best practices are based on research done for this article and on the extensive knowledge of the author.
Keywords: Mobile Applications, Social Networks, Best Practices, Application Design

Project Management Methodology for the Development of M-Learning Web Based Applications
Adrian VISOIU 75
M-learning web based applications are a particular case of web applications de-signed to be operated from mobile devices. Also, their purpose is to implement learning as-pects. Project management of such applications takes into account the identified peculiarities. M-learning web based application characteristics are identified. M-learning functionality covers the needs of an educational process. Development is described taking into account the mobile web and its influences over the analysis, design, construction and testing phases. Ac-tivities building up a work breakdown structure for development of m-learning web based ap-plications are presented. Project monitoring and control techniques are proposed. Resources required for projects are discussed.
Keywords: Software Project Management, M-Learning Applications, Web Applications, Me-thodology

The Development of a Mobile Application in a Collaborative Banking System
Cristian CIUREA 86
This paper presents a taxonomy of mobile applications with accent on collaborative mobile applications. The development of mobile applications is described in comparison with the other types of informatics applications. Collaborative banking systems are presented in order to create the context in which the Collaborative Multicash Servicedesk (CMS) application will be integrated. The mobile applications are analyzed as auto-adaptive applications in order to reveal their advantages. Some metrics are built for evaluating the security and quality of Collaborative Multicash Servicedesk application.
Keywords: Mobile Application, Collaborative System, Banking, Agents, CMS, Development

Consuming Web Services on Mobile Platforms
Alin COBARZAN 9
Web services are an emerging technology that provides interoperability between applications running in different platforms. The Web services technology provide the best approach to Service Oriented Architecture envision of component collaboration for better business re-quirements fulfilment in large enterprise systems. The challenges in implementing Web services consuming clients for low-resources mobile devices connected through unreliable wireless connections are delimited. The paper also presents a communication architecture that moves the heavy load of XML-based messaging system from the mobile clients to an external middleware component. The middleware component will act like a gateway that lightly com-municates with the device in a client-server manner over a fast binary protocol and at the same time takes the responsibility of solving the request to the Web service.
Keywords: Web Services, SOA, Mobile Computing, Mobile Devices

Developing Mobile Learning Applications for Android using Web Services
Paul POCATILU 106
The evolution of today's mobile devices increases the number of mobile applications developed, and among them the mobile learning applications. Mobile hardware and software platforms allow running of faster and richer applications. This paper presents the main steps in development of a distributed mobile learning application for Android. The client application communicates with the server using Web services. The prototype developed includes the testing module.
Keywords: Mobile Application, Android Operating System, Web Service

Personalized Training in Romanian SME's ERP Implementation Projects
Iuliana DOROBAT, Floarea NASTASE 116
Many practitioners and IS researchers have stated that the overwhelming majority of Enter-prise Resource Planning (ERP) systems implementations exceed their training budget and their time allocations. In consequence many Romanian SMEs that implement an ERP system are looking to new approaches of knowledge transfer and performance support that are better aligned with business goals, deliver measurable results and are cost effective. Thus, we have begun to analyze the training methods used in ERP implementation in order to provide a so-lution that could help us maximize the efficiency of an ERP training program. We proposed a framework of an ERPTraining module that can be integrated with a Romanian ERP system and which provides a training management that is more personalized, effective and less ex-pensive.
Keywords: ERP Systems, Training Methods, Blended Learning

A Survey on Potential of the Support Vector Machines in Solving Classification and Regression Problems
Luminiţa STATE, Catalina COCIANU, Doina FUSARU 128
Kernel methods and support vector machines have become the most popular learning from examples paradigms. Several areas of application research make use of SVM approaches as for instance hand written character recognition, text categorization, face detection, pharmaceutical data analysis and drug design. Also, adapted SVM’s have been proposed for time series forecasting and in computational neuroscience as a tool for detection of symmetry when eye movement is connected with attention and visual perception. The aim of the paper is to investigate the potential of SVM’s in solving classification and regression tasks as well as to analyze the computational complexity corresponding to different methodologies aiming to solve a series of afferent arising sub-problems.
Keywords: Support Vector Machines, Kernel-Based Methods, Supervised Learning, Regression, Classification

Design of an Interface for Page Rank Calculation using Web Link Attributes Information
Jeyalatha SIVARAMAKRISHNAN, Vijayakumar BALAKRISHNAN, Ehtesham A. HAZARIKA 140
This paper deals with the Web Structure Mining and the different Structure Mining Algorithms like Page Rank, HITS, Trust Rank and Sel-HITS. The functioning of these algorithms are discussed. An incremental algorithm for calculation of PageRank using an interface has been formulated. This algorithm makes use of Web Link Attributes Information as key parameters and has been implemented using Visibility and Position of a Link. The application of Web Structure Mining Algorithm in an Academic Search Application has been discussed. The present work can be a useful input to Web Users, Faculty, Students and Web Administrators in a University Environment.
Keywords: HITS, Page Rank, Sel-HITS, Structure Mining

Quantitative Techniques used for the Informal Economy Analysis at National and Regional Level
Tudorel ANDREI, Andreea Iluzia IACOB, Stelian STANCU, Bogdan OANCEA 153
The main issues in the informal economy domain are related to its definition, quantification, its position at the level of national economy and the application of econometric models to quantify its effects on economic and social development, at national and regional level. In order to evaluate the informal economy is presented the Ahumada’s model (2007). Using data series from the official statistics we made estimations of the informal economy for Romania for 2000-2009 time period. The obtained results for the ratio between cash transactions from the informal economy and the ones from the formal economy indicate that this one is situated between 24 and almost 41%. The parameter estimation for the applied regression models was realized using EViews software.
Keywords: Informal Economy, Econometric Models, Regional Economy

Algorithms for Extracting Frequent Episodes in the Process of Temporal Data Mining
Alexandru PIRJAN 165
An important aspect in the data mining process is the discovery of patterns having a great influence on the studied problem. The purpose of this paper is to study the frequent episodes data mining through the use of parallel pattern discovery algorithms. Parallel pattern discovery algorithms offer better performance and scalability, so they are of a great interest for the data mining research community. In the following, there will be highlighted some parallel and distributed frequent pattern mining algorithms on various platforms and it will also be presented a comparative study of their main features. The study takes into account the new possibilities that arise along with the emerging novel Compute Unified Device Architecture from the latest generation of graphics processing units. Based on their high performance, low cost and the increasing number of features offered, GPU processors are viable solutions for an optimal implementation of frequent pattern mining algorithms.
Keywords: Frequent Pattern Mining, Parallel Computing, Dynamic Load Balancing, Temporal Data Mining, CUDA, GPU, Fermi, Thread

Collaborative Solution Architecture for Developing a National Interoperability Framework in Romania
Bogdan GHILIC-MICU, Marinela MIRCEA, Codrin NISIOIU, Catalin SILVESTRU, Marian STOICA 179
Interoperability framework is a set of standards and guidelines that describe how organizations have established or will establish to interact. The framework is not static, but one that adapts to the change of standards, administrative requirements and technology. It can be adapted to the socio - economic, political, cultural, linguistic, historical and geographical purposes and to a specific context or situation. The article aims to clarify the essential concepts necessary for outlining Romanian national interoperability framework and to propose collaborative solution architecture for its development, updating and maintaining.
Keywords: Interoperability Framework, National Interoperability Framework, European In-teroperability Strategy, Collaborative Solution Architecture

Business Process Management in Service-Oriented Companies
Simona KLEINHEMPEL, Stefan Ioan NITCHI , Lucia RUSU 189
This paper presents the business model of a call center company including human resource management features. Starting from several approaches of business model definitions, we adopted a model for a service-oriented company. Based on the system objective, function, component modules and key indicators of Telmar software we analyzed a call centre company, using aggregated data from this software and determined human resource dynamics for past three years and key management indicators in two campaigns.
Keywords: Business Process Monitoring, Key Management Indicators, Efficiency Of Human Resource Management

Multicriterial Methods used in Expert Systems for Business Decision Making
Cornelia MUNTEAN, Mihaela I. MUNTEAN 199
Many organizations are in front of most competitive economic environments, where, in order to survive, they must reduce costs all the time and adopt the most intelligent business strategies. In most decision making activities the manager has to decide which variant is the most advantageous, taking into account a multitude of criterions. Expert systems use the expert's knowledge and problem solving skills in a particular subject area throughout an organization, and can propose the optimal variant to be chosen. In this paper we have outlined the role of multicriterial methods in programming expert systems to decide in favor of the most eligible variant between a multitude of possibilities. We also made a case study and designed the prototype of an expert system for choosing the most profitable offer among many, in the prenegotiation stage, for a company, in order to organize the negotiation processes accor-dingly. In this respect, we tried to highlight the usefulness of multicriterial mathematical me-thods in three negotiation processes of a Romanian negotiation team with foreign negotiation teams for the acquisition of an equipment.
Keywords: Business Decision Making, Expert Systems, Multicriterial Methods

The Tenth International Conference on Informatics in Economy IE 2011 206

Publishing Guide for Authors 207

Inforec Association 209