Web-based Support Systems (WSS) are an emerging multidisciplinary research area in which one studies the support of human activities with the Web as the common platform, medium and interface. The Internet affects every aspect of our modern life. Moving support systems to online is an increasing trend in many research domains. One of...

The consumption of functional foods has emerged as a major consumer-driven trend, based on the needs of an ever-growing health conscious population that wants to exercise greater control over its health. Focusing on an important sector of this rapidly growing field, Asian Functional Foods discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of...

When asked whether I’d be interested in writing a book about the Google phone, I immediately jumped at the offer. Although I’ve been a dyed-in-the-wool iPhone user since June 2007 (the day it came out), the Google phone has piqued my interest from the fi rst day that I heard about it. Since the early rumors of a Google...

Television is a mature mass media with close to eight decades of regular broadcasts since its beginnings in Germany, the UK and the USA. Today, despite the spectacular growth of the Internet and social networks, television is still the leading medium for entertainment and information across the world, exerting an unparalleled influence on...

Open Source BI solutions have many advantages over traditional proprietary software, from offering lower initial costs to more flexible support and integration options; but, until now, there has been no comprehensive guide to the complete offerings of the OS BI market. Writing for IT managers and business analysts without bias toward any BI...

Reverend Bill Blunden tells all: who’s going offshore, who’s helping them do it, and why. In addition to presenting the pro-globalization stance of corporate America, Reverend Blunden gives voice to dissenting opinions that have largely been ignored by the media. This book offers an enlightening, detailed analysis...

Kernel smoothing is a flexible nonparametric curve estimation method that is applicable when parametric descriptions of the data are not sufficiently adequate. This book explores theory and methods of kernel smoothing in a variety of...