Most recent issue published online for the International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations. International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations 09/01/2010 12:20 AM A task-resource dependency perspective on partner selection during the formation of networked business constellations The organisational forms of networked business constellations in general are often interpreted as the new organisational forms of the 21st century. As far as such forms consist of multiple collaborating businesses, partner selection during the formation phase of a networked business constellation is a crucial task for successful operation in the future. We propose to choose the appropriate business partners by applying concepts from coordination theory. In particular, we decompose an identified business opportunity, usually an innovative product or service, into its embracing tasks and resources. These represent the competencies needed for meeting the business opportunity. The methodological approach for partner selection is discussed from a task-resource dependency perspective and the benefits for the networked business context are highlighted. The research in this paper is accompanied by an argumentation-based validation, as well as by an evaluation of sustainability. 09/01/2010 12:20 AM Virtual worlds in higher education: a policy simulation The purpose of this paper is to explore whether virtual worlds can provide a setting for a rewarding learning experience for college students. The paper describes a policy-making simulation conducted within a virtual world and the results of an analysis conducted to assess its learning effectiveness. Our analysis, drawn from eight 'learning principles' advanced by Gee (2003), indicates that the levels of enthusiasm and learning that take place within a virtual world can differ considerably for different students: while some prefer traditional online methods, others are more enthusiastic about virtual world settings. Of the eight principles we considered, we found evidence to support 'identity and self knowledge', 'active learning', 'psychological moratorium' and 'content' principles. The 'affinity', 'transfer' and 'exploration' principles were not as well supported. In conclusion, we recommend that instructors give serious consideration to using virtual worlds as a tool to support interactive activities of students such as simulations. 09/01/2010 12:20 AM A case study of transport protocols to improve the execution of applications in virtual organisations utilising multicluster network configurations Distributed team-based collaboration is an established trend in modern organisations. Commodity-off-the-shelf cluster architectures have become common in providing computational resources for a large number of complex applications. Clusters are often gathered into multicluster network configurations within and among organisations. These configurations can be considered as grid environments, where computational resources are scattered over a wide area network. These grid environments face a number of well-known challenges, including the heterogeneity of computational resources (e.g., different utilisation policies, diverse operating systems and processor architectures), different programming paradigms and network protocols. Network protocols are especially important, because these have a significant impact on the execution of distributed global applications. However, network configurations in many organisations do not utilise protocols aimed at ensuring the performance of these global applications. In this paper we present a case study of the performance impact of three important transport protocols on the execution of applications within real Virtual Organisations (VOs) when utilising multicluster network configurations. We report on the performance of these three different protocols in the context of throughput, latency and number of flows. 09/01/2010 12:20 AM Information security-enabled business process architecture for mobile CRM: the role of technology, planning, training and process This paper presents mobile Customer Relationship Management (mCRM) business architecture considering information security measures. The paper presents the importance of technology, process, planning and training as key factors for the proper implementation of mCRM in the organisation. All of us are aware that the information transferred through the mobile medium will likely be threatened by unauthorised users. The customer data reveal hidden and personal information. Private information demands the use of Information Security (IS) measures to enable the secure transmission of customer information. The architecture considers IS of primary concern while implementing mCRM in organisations. The paper also justifies the extensive use of technology innovation for the proper implementation of mCRM. 09/01/2010 12:20 AM Prospective analysis of the mobile health information systems in China With the rapidly growing Chinese economy in the past few decades, the people of mainland China are now enjoying increasingly more economic benefits than ever before. Out of the many growing technologies, mobile devices, especially cell phones, have been gaining popularity throughout the country. According to the latest statistics from 2007, more than one-third of Chinese citizens have cell phones. In addition to the basic uses of voice communication, cell phones have many other promising applications. In particular, as a pervasive technology, mobile devices offer a great opportunity to deliver health information directly to people at an affordable cost. This paper analyses the potential of mobile health information systems in China. This prospective analysis will be conducted from four important perspectives: technology, market demand, a business model and government policy. 09/01/2010 12:20 AM Innovative web 2.0 implementation: a case study of a web 2.0 technology proliferation within a university setting This study examines the chronological use of web 2.0 technologies within a university setting with the goal of strengthening the level of community communication, interaction and collaboration. We provide an analysis of the structural potential of web 2.0 technologies, and their practical usage as a key determinant of the technology's impact on a specific organisation, as well as an analysis of its significance pertaining to Information Systems (IS) research. The role of web 2.0 usage to bring about organisational change is analysed through the lens of Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST).