Informatica Economica Vol. 17 No. 2/2013

Issue Topic: Mobile Environments Trends

Issue Editor: Octavian DOSPINESCU, PhD

CONTENTS

In Memoriam: Ion Gh. ROȘCA (1949 – 2013)
Florin Gheorghe FILIP 5

Does ICT Participate in Economic Convergence among Asian Countries: Evidence from Dynamic Panel Data Model
Bilal MEHMOOD, Parvez AZIM 7
Conventional Convergence models usually oversee the role of information and communications technology (ICT) as a determinant of convergence. This paper introduces ICT as a factor contributing towards economic convergence in Asian countries. In addition to ICT, other factors like demographic traits, level of human development and electricity consumption are used as regressors. System GMM technique is used to estimate convergence regression for se-lected Asian countries for data of time span 2001-2010. Support for ICT-augmented conver-gence is found, implying that ICT has the tendency to participate in convergence process. Suitable demographic features, human development and electricity consumption are also found to contribute to economic convergence in the sample countries of Asia. Findings of this paper indicate the need to complement the favorable demographic endowments in Asian economies with economically productive usage of ICT to proceed towards economic convergence in Asian Region.
Keywords: Convergence Models, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), System Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM), Human Development Index (HDI), Electricity Consumption

Web Services in Mobile Applications
Octavian DOSPINESCU, Marian PERCA 17
Information and communication technologies are designed to support and anticipate the con-tinuing changes of the information society, while outlining new economic, social and cultural dimensions. We see the growth of new business models whose aim is to remove traditional barriers and improve the value of goods and services. Information is a strategic resource and its manipulation raises new problems for all entities involved in the process. Information and communication technologies should be a stable support in managing the flow of data and support the integrity, confidentiality and availability. Concepts such as eBusiness, eCommerce, Software as a Service, Cloud Computing and Social Media are based on web technologies consisting of complex languages, protocols and standards, built around client-server architecture. One of the most used technologies in mobile applications are the Web Services defined as an application model supported by any operating system able to provide certain functionalities using Internet technologies to promote interoperability between various appli-cations and platforms. Web services use HTTP, XML, SSL, SMTP and SOAP, because their stability has proven over the years. Their functionalities are highly variable, with Web services applications exchange type, weather, arithmetic or authentication services. In this article we will talk about SOAP and REST architectures for web services in mobile applications and we will also provide some practical examples based on Android platform.
Keywords: Mobile Web Services, Mobile Applications, SOA, SOAP, REST

Cloud-Based Mobile Learning
Alexandru BUTOI, Nicolae TOMAI, Loredana MOCEAN 27
As the cloud technologies are largely studied and mobile technologies are evolving, new di-rections for development of mobile learning tools deployed on cloud are proposed.. M-Learning is treated as part of the ubiquitous learning paradigm and is a pervasive extension of E-Learning technologies. Development of such learning tools requires specific development strategies for an effective abstracting of pedagogical principles at the software design and implementation level. Current paper explores an interdisciplinary approach for designing and development of cloud based M-Learning tools by mapping a specific development strategy used for educational programs to software prototyping strategy. In order for such instruments to be user effective from the learning outcome point of view, the evaluation process must be rigorous as we propose a metric model for expressing the trainee’s overall learning experience with evaluated levels of interactivity, content presentation and graphical user interface usability.
Keywords: M-learning, Quality Metrics, Cloud Computing, Software design, Mobile Learning

NoSQL and SQL Databases for Mobile Applications. Case Study: MongoDB versus PostgreSQL
Marin FOTACHE, Dragos COGEAN 41
Compared with “classical” web, multi-tier applications, mobile applications have common and specific requirements concerning data persistence and processing. In mobile apps, database features can be distinctly analyzed for the client (minimalistic, isolated, memory-only) and the server (data rich, centralized, distributed, synchronized and disk-based) layers. Currently, a few lite relational database products reign the persistence for client platforms of mobile applications. There are two main objectives of this paper. First is to investigate storage options for major mobile platforms. Second is to point out some major differences between SQL and NoSQL datastores in terms of deployment, data model, schema design, data definition and manipulation. As NoSQL movement lacks standardization, from NoSQL products family MongoDB was chosen as reference, due to its strengths and popularity among developers. PostgreSQL serves the position of SQL DBMSs representative due to its popularity and conformity with SQL standards.
Keywords: Mobile Applications, NoSQL, SQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB

Methodology Approaches Regarding Classic versus Mobile Enterprise Application Development
Vasile-Daniel PĂVĂLOAIA 59
In the nowadays enterprise computerized context, there is a trend that shifts the business ap-plications to the new mobile environments. In the light of this information, it is highly important to be knowledgeable about the software development methodologies available in order to make the right choice when it comes to developing a mobile application. The current research aims to presenting the methodological approaches regarding the development cycle of classic enterprise software versus mobile apps. In the first part of the paper a brief literature review regarding the mobile apps is made, for the purpose of justifying the current research theme. The most consistent part of the article puts face-to-face the “classical” and the new development methodologies adapted to the requirements of the new mobile environment trends. The paper also presents the challenges and limitations of mobile applications as well as few of the future trends in the researched domain.
Keywords: Application’s Lifecycle Models, Agile Models, Mobile Environment, Mobile Apps

Mobile Technology: Binding Social and Cloud into a New Enterprise Applications Platform
Luminita HURBEAN, Doina FOTACHE 73
Nowadays, the IT industry is revolving around the build-out and adoption of a new platform, characterized by mobility, cloud-based application and service delivery, and value-generating overlays of social business and pervasive analytics. The paper explores the convergence of mobile, cloud, and social, as well as the effects for the enterprise and the emergence of the new enterprise application platforms. In the beginning we set the stage, while showing the ex-pansion of the mobile, cloud, and social in the business information system, as they were found in the literature. We then look over the IT trends, especially the consumerization of IT, as reasons and basis for the information systems embracing of mobile. Afterwards, we present a mobility roadmap for the enterprise and illustrate the reconfiguration of the enterprise ap-plication platform.
Keywords: Mobile Technology, Cloud Computing, Social Networking, Enterprise Applications

SOA based Data Architecture for HTML5 Web Applications
Cătălin STRÎMBEI 84
Web Services based architectures have already been established as the preferred way to integrate SOA specific components, from the front-end to the back-end business services. One of the key elements of such architecture are data-based or entity services. In this context, SDO standard and SDO related technologies have been confirmed as a possible approach to aggregate such enterprise-wide federation of data services, mainly backed by database servers, but not limited to them. In the followings, we will discuss an architectural purpose based on SDO approach to seamlessly integrate presentation and data services within an enterprise SOA context. This way we will outline the benefits of a common end-to-end data integration strategy. Also, we will try to argue that using HTML5 based clients as front end services in conjunction with SDO data services could be an effective strategy to adopt the mobile computing in the enterprise context.
Keywords: SDO-Service Data Objects, Data Access Services, HTML5, Web Services, Cloud Computing, SQL, Data Integration, Mobile Computing

Syncing Mobile Applications with Cloud Storage Services
Paul POCATILU, Cătălin BOJA, Cristian CIUREA 96
Cloud data storage is an option available almost on any mobile platform. Nowadays, there are multiple solutions for syncing data in mobile applications. The aim of the paper is to analyze mobile application developers’ possibilities for syncing content using major free cloud storage providers. The paper describes the cloud computing in mobile context and highlights cloud providers APIs. Experimental results are analyzed in order to identify the best cloud storage solution for syncing mobile applications, depending on the operating system on which they are implemented.
Keywords: Cloud Computing, Mobile Application, Data Synchronization, Application Programming Interface, REST, OAuth

Reasons, Circumstances and Innovative Trends in Mobile Environments
Alin ZAMFIROIU, Mihai Liviu DESPA 109
In this paper are presented the reasons why the sale of mobile devices has greatly increased in the last period. It is presented the evolution of mobile devices sales in the last 20 years. The main types of applications used today and how it will evolve in the near future. Development and using trends in mobile computing are presented. Key aspects of quality assurance in mo-bile application development projects are presented. Factors that influence the management process of a project are highlighted. A comprehensive analysis of the positive or negative im-pact that these factors exerts on the quality of the project is performed. Tools and methods used in the quality assurance process for mobile applications development are presented. The importance of quality assurance testing process is underlined.
Keywords: Mobile Applications, Trends, Mobile Environment, Development, Quality Assur-ance, Innovative

Forecasting Demand for Automotive Aftermarket Inventories
Ovidiu DOBRICAN 119
Management decisions regarding the resource allocation in the automotive aftermarket in-volves a good understanding of it. This includes a better understanding of the participants in this market, the supply chains, specificities products and demand for these products. A useful instrument to anticipate the latter is the use of simulation methods, one of them being the Monte Carlo method, which, in this paper, is used to create various scenarios of supply.
Keywords: Inventory Management, Aftermarket, Demand, Monte Carlo Simulation

The Prediction of Successful Probability of CSR and Sustainable Development Strategy Implementation within “Roşia Montană Project” using Fuzzy Logic
Lucian SÎRB 130
This article aims to develop a methodology to forecast the probability of success regarding to the implementation of the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and of the strategy of sustainable development in a mining company of exploitation of mineral resources. It is well known that in the modern period we are witnessing ever more to increased demands in terms of corporate responsibility towards the environment, in the area which can include economic, social, cultural and ecological environment. As a consequence of this fact, it increases the uncertainty of decisions to be adopted by companies, uncertainty that may arise from several aspects such as incompleteness, inconsistencies or inaccuracies in information or simply due to the subjective nature of human reasoning which often is expressed in words, through linguistic values. Thus, for modeling this vagueness of decision or prediction process there is a particularly effective tool, represented by the fuzzy logic through triangular fuzzy numbers. By multiplying the importance weight of factors that influencing the adoption of CSR and sustainable development policy with values resulting from evaluation of the possibility of successful implementation of this policy with respect to each factor, there it results a probability that suggests us if the action of implementation of CSR and of sustainable development strategy will have the overall expected effect and in the case the result is not properly there it will require remedial measures. The proposed methodology is applied in a case study concerning the Romanian mining company Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC) from Rosia Montana, Romania and also concerning the community in which it operates.
Keywords: CSR, Sustainable Development, Fuzzy Logic, Prediction

Comparative Analysis of the Main Business Intelligence Solutions
Alexandra RUSANEANU 148
Nowadays, Business Intelligence solutions are the main tools for analyzing and monitoring the company’s performance at any organizational level. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the most powerful Business Intelligence solutions using a set of technical features such as infrastructure of the platform, development facilities, complex analysis tools, interactive dashboards and scorecards, mobile integration and complex implementation of performance management methodologies.
Keywords: Performance Management, Business Intelligence, Mobile Integration, OLAP, Scorecard

Increasing Distributed IT&C Application Security
Ion IVAN, Catalin Alexandru TĂNASIE 157
The development of distributed IT & C applications – DIA is presented alongside their main characteristics and the actors involved in activities through-out their lifecycle are identified in the before-mentioned scope. Aspects pertaining security risks, as well as methods of enhancing security, are detailed by DIA architectural features. The analysis includes risk elements, vulnerabilities, means of enhancing the behavior of the system, as well as a hierarchical feature dependency model based on a qualitative assessment of DIA security features, obtained through an inquiry in the common means of protection used by Romanian professionals, as well as their prioritization in the context of limited resources. A graph-based model of feature interactions is built. The last section deals with the ways of improving risk detection methods, as derived from the answers and features presented.
Keywords: Distributed IT&C Applications, Security, Development, Questionnaire, Assessment

Extensions of the SVM Method to the Non-Linearly Separable Data
Luminita STATE, Catalina COCIANU, Cristian USCATU, Marinela MIRCEA 173
The main aim of the paper is to briefly investigate the most significant topics of the currently used methodologies of solving and implementing SVM-based classifier. Following a brief introductory part, the basics of linear SVM and non-linear SVM models are briefly exposed in the next two sections. The problem of soft margin SVM is exposed in the fourth section of the paper. The currently used methods for solving the resulted QP-problem require access to all labeled samples at once and a computation of an optimal solution is of complexity O(N2). Several ap-proaches have been proposed aiming to reduce the computation complexity, as the interior point (IP) methods, and the decomposition methods such as Sequential Minimal Optimization – SMO, as well as gradient-based methods to solving primal SVM problem. Several approaches based on genetic search in solving the more general problem of identifying the optimal type of kernel from pre-specified set of kernel types (linear, polynomial, RBF, Gaussian, Fourier, Bspline, Spline, Sigmoid) have been recently proposed. The fifth section of the paper is a brief survey on the most outstanding new techniques reported so far in this respect.
Keywords: Support Vector Machines, Soft Margin Support Vector Machines, Kernel functions, Genetic Algorithms

Publishing Guide for Authors 183

INFOREC Association 185