The purpose of this study was to determine registered nurses' attitudes related to intent to use computers in the hospital setting as a predictor of their future behavior. The study was further aimed at identifying the relationship between these attitudes and selected sociological, professional, and personal factors and to describe a research model integrating these various factors. The study was based on the theory of planned behavior. A random sample of 411 registered nurses was selected from a single large medical center in Israel. The study tool was a Likert-style questionnaire. Nine different indices were used: (1) behavioral intention toward computer use; (2) general attitudes toward computer use; (3) nursing attitudes toward computer use; (4) threat involved in computer use; (5) challenge involved in computer use; (6) organizational climate; (7) departmental climate; (8) attraction to technological innovations/innovativeness; (9) self-efficacy, ability to control behavior. Strong significant positive correlations were found between the nurses' attitudes (general attitudes and nursing attitudes), self-efficacy, innovativeness, and intentions to use computers. Higher correlations were found between departmental climate and attitudes than between organizational climate and attitudes. The threat and challenge that are involved in computer use were shown as important mediating variables to the understanding of the process of predicting attitudes and intentions toward using computers.

Purpose -The main goals of this study are identifying the information needs of new North American immigrants to Israel and to ascertain which channels of information are used by the immigrants before and after immigration to try to satisfy their information needs. Design/methodology/approach -A qualitative research approach was used for this study. Qualitative interviews were implemented as the primary strategy for data with the application of the grounded theory method for analysis. Findings -General information needs categories included: housing, schooling, health, banking and finances, drivers licenses, government-related issues, legal issues and practical information. Personal information needs related to problems of "split" or prior immigration, changing over professional licenses, starting a business, children with special needs, and alternative medicine. Many of these needs were satisfied either prior to immigration or during the absorption process while others were left open leaving the immigrants with gaps in their knowledge, feelings of uncertainty and, at times, anxiety. During the preparations for immigration the greatest source of information came from the internet. After immigration, during the absorption process, word-of-mouth and personal contacts (social networks) were the main sources for the immigrants to satisfy their information needs. Research limitations/implications -Additional research regarding immigration and immigrants from all different backgrounds is needed. Such research will help us learn more about other specific group's information needs and information seeking behavior. Practical implications -By learning and studying the information needs of immigrant's governments and immigration organizations can have a better understanding of how to assist immigrants have a successful integration into their new society. Originality/value -Prospective immigrants, governments and immigration organizations can gain a deeper understanding of immigrant information needs and the channels used to satisfy those needs.

PurposeThis paper seeks to describe and discuss a tagging experiment involving images related to Israeli and Jewish cultural heritage. The aim of this experiment was to compare freely assigned tags with values (free text) assigned to predefined metadata elements.Design/methodology/approachTwo groups of participants were asked to provide tags for 12 images. The first group of participants was asked to assign descriptive tags to the images without guidance (unstructured tagging), while the second group was asked to provide free‐text values to predefined metadata elements (structured tagging).FindingsThe results show that on the one hand structured tagging provides guidance to the users, but on the other hand different interpretations of the meaning of the elements may worsen the tagging quality instead of improving it. In addition, unstructured tagging allows for a wider range of tags.Research limitations/implicationsThe recommendation is to experiment with a system where the users provide both the tags and the context of these tags.Originality/valueUnstructured tagging has become highly popular on the web, thus it is important to evaluate its merits and shortcomings compared to more conventional methods.

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During the last decade, the higher education sector has experienced many pressures and changes (Hanna, Educause Review, 38(4), 25-34, 2003; Scott, Educause Review, 38, 64-80, 2003; Waterhouse, The power of e-learning: The essential guide for teaching in the digital age, 2005). Universities around the world are facing the need to adapt to a rapidly changing educational and social landscape, in which technology is both the main cause of change and a tool for dealing with the change. This study examines the organization-wide technological changes that have infiltrated every aspects of life at all universities that are part of the higher education system in Israel during the last 7 years: the introduction of on-line instruction, e-learning and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology for university work processesThe research findings show that there is a mechanism for managing organization-wide technological changes at Israeli universities but it is not a rational one. This study proposes a model for managing organization-wide technological changes in universities on the basis of the existing mechanism, using knowledge management strategies for the purpose of change management:KM-M-CM (Knowledge Management as a Mechanism for Change Management) Implementation of this model will make it possible to realize the challenge of transforming the university from a ''knowledge institution'' to a ''learning institution.'' It will come life to the extent that the higher education system in Israel, its leaders and decisionmakers understand the need for a permanent mechanism to manage change and adopt this rational model in order to establish it.

This paper addresses the link between effective knowledge management in an organization and the organization as a complex adaptive system, which is required to deliver a rapid and high-quality response to social, media-related and technological changes in the environment. In an organization that possesses the characteristics of a complex adaptive system, it is legitimate for each employee and manager (as a fractal) to operate individually in the face of demands and changes in the environment; at the same time, constant processes of integration are at play among the employees and vis-a`-vis the managers. The research hypothesis was that the combination of the employee's independence as a fractal and a self-activated integration between the fractals is essential for maintaining effective knowledge management processes in the organization. The study was performed using qualitative research, enabling investigation of behavior within the organizational reality as it occurs, analyzing interviews and observation sessions conducted with about 60 employees at six private, government and public organizations. The study analysis relied on five criteria based on the functioning of the complex system and included synchronization of the goals of each employee as a fractal with the system as a whole, the ability to cope with the environment, decentralization of resources, work processes and knowledge transfer, and self-development of each fractal. The findings indicate that managers were perceived by employees and by themselves as leaders of organizational processes and as the parties responsible for synchronizing the resources, and not as the owners of specific 'knowledge'. Employees were perceived as specific knowledge owners and as bearing direct responsibility for the process of updating employees and managers and keeping abreast of the organizational information. This was found to be a condition for the employee becoming a fractal/knowledge worker. The conclusion of the study is that organizations that possess the characteristics of a complex adaptive system will achieve proven knowledge management capabilities, while improving the processes of knowledge performance and integration between employees. These organizations will be better able to respond correctly and quickly to dynamic changes in the environment.

T he content of 2,050 messages on a virtual forum for d/Deaf and hard of hearing people in Israel was analyzed. Interactions and behavior were monitored to determine if behavior on the forum expressed social support, and whether the community was an entirely virtual community or a real community whose members also met in other venues. Subjects discussed in messages included technical difficulties, coping with difficulties presented by hearing loss, adjusting to assistive devices, difficulties at school and work, accessibility issues, difficulties communicating with the hearing world, and rights. Messages were also used to initiate a range of social activities. Classification of behaviors per the Social Support Behavior Code (Cutrona & Suhr, 1992) showed that most were in the category of informational support . Other types of support in the model, tangible assistance, emotional support, social network support, and esteem support, were evident in fewer messages.

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