Journal of Information Science

Name Search is an important search function in various types of information retrieval systems, such as online library catalogs and electronic yellow pages. It is also difficult, because of the high degree of fuzziness required in matching name variants. Previous approaches to name search systems use ad hoc combinations of search heuristics. This paper first discusses two approaches to name modeling - the natural language processing (NLP) and information retrieval (IR) models - and proposes a hybrid approach. The approach demonstrates a critical combination of complementary NLP and IR features that produces more effective fuzzy name matching. Two principles, position-as-attribute and position-transition-likelihood , are introduced as the principles for integrating the advantageous aspects of both approaches. They have been implemented in an NLP- and IR-hybrid model system called Friendly Name Search (FNS) for real world applications in multilingual directory searches on the Singapore Yellow pages website.

The technical structure of the Mexican science and technology literature was determined. A representative database of technical articles was extracted from the Science Citation Index for the year 2002, with each article containing at least one author with a Mexican address. Many different manual and statistical clustering methods were used to identify the structure of the technical literature (especially the science and technology core competencies), and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each technique. Each method is summarized, and its results presented.

This study investigated the effect of explicitness of navigational links on comprehension, perceptions of use, and browsing behaviour in an informational web site. The purpose was to determine whether link explicitness would assist users in overcoming cognitive overload and disorientation. Subjects took a pre-knowledge survey, browsed web pages in one of four link explicitness conditions, and took a post-browsing survey on comprehension and perceptions of use. Link explicitness differentially affected the outcome measures. Organizationally explicit navigational links resulted in lower scores on the post-comprehension survey. A combined condition of semantically and organizationally explicit links resulted in subjects reporting that they followed more embedded links. Traditional links and semantically/organizationally explicit links resulted in subjects exploring more of the study web site. These results, together with subjects’ comments and webserver log files, indicate that navigational link labels clearly affect user performance - ambiguous link labels degrade comprehension and constrain browsing; traditional navigational links and links that provide dual signaling encourage broader sampling of a web site.

This study proposes a behavioral complexity theory for media selection in global virtual teams. This theory captures multiple contingencies into one holistic approach to media selection. Unlike existing linear and mechanistic theories of media selection, this heuristic theory moves away from the universal models that were previously proposed. The behavioral complexity theory assumes ambiguity and complexity of the media selection process in a nonlinear, organic, and holistic way. Behavioral complexity theory of media selection emphasizes the role of media repertoire, the ability of individuals to differentiate situations according to multiple contingencies, and their flexibility to effectively use multiple media in any particular situation. This theory is examined in the context of an exploratory case study of global virtual teams’ media selection in one of the leading Fortune 500 corporations.

Context has long been considered very useful to help the user assess the actual relevance of a document. In web searching, context can help assess the relevance of a web page by showing how the page is related to other pages in the same web site, for example. Such information is very difficult to convey and visualize in a user friendly way. In this paper we present the design, implementation and evaluation of a graphical visualization tool aimed at helping users to determine the relevance of a web page by displaying the structure of the web site the page belongs to. The results of an initial evaluation suggest that this visualization technique helps the user navigate large web sites and find useful information in an effective way, without increasing the cognitive load of the user.

Recent concerns about the issue of knowledge management (KM) within an organization have accentuated the need for more efficient and effective knowledge sharing - that is, knowledge sharing plays an increasingly significant role in determining the outcomes of KM. Most scholars explore this issue from the economic perspective, while only a few research studies have focussed on organizational capabilities. Drawing from the theories of resource-based view and KM, this study aims to investigate the relationship between organizational knowledge capabilities (OKC) and knowledge sharing (KS). Using regression analysis with data from questionnaires collected in different industries with a valid response rate of 62.4%, the results show that OKC have a positive association with KS. Technical, structural, and human knowledge capabilities are significant for organizational knowledge sharing. Moreover, the effects of implementing KM on OKC and KS are also significant.