Search

Purpose: In the digital age, emerging technologies have affected every industry. Information and communications technology and digital technologies have transformed traditional supply chains into smart and more resilient ones, enabling effective management of challenges. Given the importance of the two topics, namely sustainable supply chain management and Industry 4.0 in supply chain management, on the one hand, and the dearth of theoretical research performed in this area on the other, this study aims to propose a conceptual model on a sustainable digital supply chain management in manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilized a qualitative approach. First, an in-depth review of the relevant literature was done. Then, following a multi-grounded theory methodology, relevant data were gathered by reviewing 92 papers and conducting nine semi-structured interviews with industry experts. These data were analyzed using the MAXQDA software. Findings: A total of 41 concepts, ten sub-components and three main components (dimensions) were extracted, and the proposed conceptual model was presented. Finally, based on this conceptual model, three propositions were suggested. Research limitations/implications: Considering that the present study was performed in the context of Iranian manufacturing companies, caution should be exercised in relation to the generalizability of the obtained results. Also, due to the problems in the digital technology infrastructure and the limited use of these technologies by manufacturing companies (emphasized by the interviewees), this study focused on the theoretical dimension of using digital technologies by these companies. Practical implications: The proposed comprehensive model can help academicians as well as practitioners to focus better and explore the variables and constructs of the model, paving the way toward successful implementation of digital technologies in the manufacturing supply chain. Originality/value: To the best knowledge of the authors, this study is among the first of its kind which presents a holistic and comprehensive digital supply chain model aimed at guiding companies to consider sustainability from all the main dimensions and their relevant indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital transformation (DT) introduces strategy-oriented and customer-centric changes, based on innovative usage of emerging information and communication technology (ICT), to implement improved or new processes in modern organizations. This paper provides insights into academic publishing trends and offers an analysis of scientific fields in which researches were made followed by a brief analysis of the most influential articles. Paper also identifies and discusses key determinants and influence factors of DT and some emerging trends and technologies, in order to explain organizational and technological context of DT. For better understanding of this mix of business and ICT related concepts, a framework of concepts on DT was developed and called Digital transformation playground (DTP). Its purpose is to get better understanding of what are the mainstream concepts of today, what other and emerging ICT or digitalization concepts in the context of DT arise, and how these technology elements impact business related concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper talks about the diverse issues that emerge in conjunction with the improvement of smart glasses e.g., Google Glass. It is an applied and hypothetical study that talks about whether smart glasses will be utilized and how they may be utilized. It exhibits how diverse issues should be tended to soon, e.g., problems with social connection, mental issues, innovation improvement, legitimate and eye issues and inquiries of retail. It additionally closes by laying out the upsides and downsides of smart glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Information and Communication Technologies are driving the improvement of industrial processes. According to the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigm, digital systems provide real-time information to humans and machines, increasing flexibility and efficiency in production environments. Based on the I4.0 Design Principles concept, Virtual Assistants can play a vital role in processing production data and offer contextualized and real-time information to the workers in the production environment. This systematic review paper explored Virtual Assistant applications in the context of I4.0, discussing the Technical Assistance Design Principle and identifying the characteristics, services, and limitations regarding Virtual Assistant use in the production environments. The results showed that Virtual Assistants offer Physical and Virtual Assistance. Virtual Assistance provides real-time contextualized information mainly for support, while Physical Assistance is oriented toward task execution. Regarding services, the applications include integration with legacy systems and static information treatment. The limitations of the applications incorporate concerns about information security and adapting to noisy and unstable environments. It is possible to assume that the terminology of Virtual Assistants is not standardized and is mentioned as chatbots, robots, and others. Besides the worthy insights of this research, the small number of resulting papers did not allow for generalizations. Future research should focus on broadening the search scope to provide more-significant conclusions and research possibilities with new AI models and services, including the emergent Industry 5.0 concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-governance has become as a crucial dimension of contemporary public administration in delivering government services to citizens electronically with the aid of information and communication technology. It also increases the efficiency of the management, by improving the citizens' democracy and participation regarding other impactful topics in governance. By adopting a systematic review approach, the researcher utilizes secondary data from more than 150 available sources, comprising literature, policy documents, case studies, and other relevant literature. In this report 70 research papers published between the years 2015 and 2024 were used to provide updated information to the readers. The researchers analyzed the current status, prospects, and challenges of e-governance in Bangladesh under the vision of 'Digital Bangladesh'. Egovernance intends to form a technically progressive nation with technologically effective, efficient, and social economic services providing transparency of process with the help of ICT integration. The research findings reveal that obstacles like the digital divide, infrastructure gaps, digital literacy, data privacy, resistance to change, and regulatory constraints deter the implementation of e-governance. However, this paper contributes to the existing literature with the identification of how e-governance should be governed for the sake of development in Bangladesh. The analysis calls for many comprehensive policy reforms, enhanced cyber security measures, capacity building, and bridging of the digital divide. It will then be much easier to realize the dream of a fully digital Bangladesh and facilitate economic growth, innovations, and the improvement of public service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some 35 years after the United Nations published its Brundtland report [Brundtland Commission. (1987). Our common future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Geneva, UN-Dokument A/42/427. Retrieved December 24, 2022, from ] on the many threats our planet is under due to over- and underdevelopment, we are still struggling with how to make our world sustainable. Today we have the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) to guide us, but they have been largely criticized just like their predecessors. The debate in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) mainly concerns to which extent Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may contribute to the SDGs. This editorial offers a historic overview of the different development goals that the UN has offered and eight papers that offer a view into the discussion of the challenges facing the SDGs, but also examples of experimental strategies on how ICTs can be used in realizing, or undermining, these goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The authors critically examine the paper by Samiee (2019, this issue) "International marketing and the Internet: A research overview and the path forward" and offer an appraisal of its merits as well as thoughts for further development of research on advanced information and communication technologies (ICTs) in international marketing. Design/methodology/approach: This paper approaches its purpose via a reflexive review of Samiee's paper and continues by offering a content analysis of a broader body of literature which includes internationally oriented papers in international business (IB), international marketing (IM), general management, marketing and strategy (GMS) as well as information systems (IS). The underpinning question is whether and which particular ICT concepts have successfully been adopted in the IM literature and what the inclusion or exclusion of these phenomena may imply for future research. Findings: The Internet and internationalization implications of the technology have been studied excessively in the domain; however, newer developments such as dimensions of Industry 4.0 or advanced manufacturing, have not yet been widely considered in IB and marketing work. The ramifications for future research are significant in that the understudied modern industrial organization of the contemporary firm in the digital world needs much concerted research focus to be adequately understood. Research limitations/implications: This paper and the literature review is limited to "international" studies. While this is an appropriate limitation for the purposes of this IM-oriented review, some work in the GMS domain as well as the IS domain will have significant ramification for international firms and IM thinking, despite these papers limited to noninternational firms. Practical implications: The notion of advanced ICTs, builds on the underpinning Internet technology, and has transformative effects on the way in which (international) firms are organized, studied and performed. The pervasive shifts triggered by advanced ICTs and the reconfiguration of firms to platform providers and system integrators need to be well understood, in order to stay legitimate and as performant in contemporary markets. Originality/value: Rather than looking at only IM papers, this paper reviews Internet/advanced ICT papers in multiple related fields. Significant novelty in this area comes from IS, by including this discipline in the review, the authors see real diffusion of novel thinking and potential research areas for IM scholars at the interface of ICT and IM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Learning & Technology is the property of Canadian Network for Innovation in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Emergency situations associated with falls are a serious concern for an aging society. Yet following the recent development within ICT, a significant number of solutions have been proposed to track body movement and detect falls using various sensor technologies, thereby facilitating fall detection and in some cases prevention. A number of recent reviews on fall detection methods using ICT technologies have emerged in the literature and an increasingly popular approach considers combining information from several sensor sources to assess falls. The aim of this paper is to review in detail the subfield of fall detection techniques that explicitly considers the use of multisensor fusion based methods to assess and determine falls. The paper highlights key differences between the single sensor-based approach and a multifusion one. The paper also describes and categorizes the various systems used, provides information on the challenges of a multifusion approach, and finally discusses trends for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is quite surprising that studies on the relationship between technology competency and technology management skills are still rather scarce. There is a particular lack of studies of technology competency in the specific context of technology management. This paper aims to fill this gap and offers a literature review to examine the technology competency based on the management and technology capabilities of manufacturing enterprises. To begin integrating these various aspects of technology management into a new and systematic framework, joint research-review perspective is considered to prepare an infrastructure to identify competencies of technology for small and medium-sized enterprises. This literature review investigates to define dimensions and decision criteria of technology competency analysis based on seven main perspectives; technology management, technology roadmapping, technological innovation, technology evaluation and entrepreneurship, information and communication technologies, innovation management, knowledge management. This study also contributes to the literature on technology management by examining technology competency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are a key player in the food services and restaurants sector; thus, the aim of this work consists in studying the previous research on ICTs in food services and restaurants in the context of tourism and hospitality through a systematic literature review. Design/methodology/approach: The systematic literature review is performed on full papers published in journals included in the Journal Citation Report of the WoS in the category of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism. A total of 165 articles from 28 journals are analyzed, following different criteria, such as the research methods, perspectives, statistical techniques, geographical focus, topics, technologies, authors and universities. Findings: The restaurant sector is more and more based on the creation of experiences and ICTs, through their multiple possibilities, can undoubtedly contribute to adding value to the simple meal and create and recreate experiences to attract and retain customers who are increasingly sophisticated and hooked on ICTs. ICTs are basic for managers taking decision at the highest level in food services and restaurants, so ICTs should not be seen as a technical tool but as an essential element for top management. Research limitations/implications: This paper examined articles from very well-known tourism and hospitality journals, leaving aside others as well as different publication formats such as books or papers presented at conferences. Originality/value: A significant contribution made with this paper is the availability of a list of topics in the context of ICTs in food services and restaurants. These topics are classified into three areas (Consumers, Suppliers and Environment and Tendencies) that can serve as a future research framework. The paper also provides useful information to restaurant managers about ICTs, to researchers for their future projects and to academics for their courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite massive digitization efforts, the German economy has experienced a marked slowdown in its productivity growth. This paper empirically analyzes three prominent explanations for this development. First, using a novel quarterly utilization-adjusted total factor productivity measure for the German economy, we find that the slowdown in U.S. productivity growth since the mid-2000s had only a negligible impact on the German productivity trend. Second, the structural shift towards services in the German economy explains a sizeable share of the weaker aggregate productivity gains. This transformation process is associated with a strong labor market performance. And third, employing a novel identification procedure, we show that technological progress in the German information and communication technology (ICT) producing sector stimulates both, aggregate output and employment growth. Its effect on aggregate productivity is, however, small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data centers consume significant amounts of energy, contributing indirectly to environmental pollution through greenhouse gas emissions during electricity generation. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, information and communication technologies and networks account for roughly 10% of global energy consumption. Reducing power consumption in Data Center Networks (DCNs) is crucial, especially given that many data center components operate at full capacity even under low traffic conditions, resulting in high costs for both service providers and consumers. Current solutions often prioritize power optimization without considering Quality of Service (QoS). Services such as video streaming and Voice over IP (VoIP) are particularly sensitive to loss or delay and require QoS to be maintained below certain thresholds. This paper introduces a novel framework called QoS-Aware Power-Optimized Path Selection (Q-PoPS) for software-defined DCNs. The objective of Q-PoPS is to minimize DCN power consumption while ensuring that an acceptable QoS is provided, meeting the requirements of DCN services. This paper describes the implementation of a prototype for the Q-PoPS framework that leverages the POX Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controller. The performance of the prototype is evaluated using the Mininet emulator. Our findings demonstrate the performance of the proposed Q-PoPS algorithm in three scenarios. Best-case: Enhancing real-time traffic protocol quality without increasing power consumption. midrange-case: Replacing bottleneck links while preserving real-time traffic quality. Worst-case: Identifying new paths that may increase power consumption but maintain real-time traffic quality. This paper underscores the need for a holistic approach to DCN management, optimizing both power consumption and QoS for critical real-time applications. We present the Q-PoPS framework as evidence that such an approach is achievable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in-depth participation and application of new-generation information and communication technologies, such as big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc., in the field of smart cities have promoted their abilities in urban fine governance, public services, ecological livability, scientific and technological innovation, etc. Smart cities are gradually becoming recognized as the best solution to "urban problems". Smart city construction drives urban innovative development, accumulates kinetic energy for economic growth, strengthens social support functions, enhances the effectiveness of the ecological environment, and promotes the convergence and integration of urban green development and high-quality development. This paper constructs a difference-in-differences model based on propensity score matching. Additionally, fiscal science and technology investment is introduced as mediating variables to further explain the mechanism through which smart city pilot policy impacts urban green and high-quality development. This research uses panel data from 156 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019 to empirically test that the construction of smart cities has a significant positive effect on urban green and high-quality development. The mediation effect model shows that an increase in the level of local government's fiscal science and technology investment enhances the positive effect of smart city construction on urban green and high-quality development. This research concludes with policy recommendations: the government should seize the development opportunity presented by smart city pilot policy, providing necessary policy support and financial incentive for the construction of smart cities. This will optimize the local economic structure, transform the driving forces of urban development, and assist cities in achieving green and high-quality development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting evaluations during unpredictable times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, requires additional effort to respond effectively and efficiently to the situation. Apart from standardized approaches and processes, it is important to adjust them properly without compromising the quality of the evaluation. Travel and field mission restrictions during COVID-19 obliged practitioners to transform their ways of working and completely rely on innovative ICT-based solutions. This paper aims to present the modalities of data collection and analysis methods used in performing remote impact evaluation and the importance of relying on ICT-based solutions. The questions this paper aims to address are: Can evaluators rely on ICT, and to what extent? Will it constitute credible evidence of stakeholder representation? Can the impact of context be measured, and how? The recommendations are based on theoretical analysis of the literature and practical examples of the impact evaluation of the Media Literacy Project from remote data collection, evidence synthesis through case studies and its impact, lessons learned presenting the reflection of the evaluator, use of meta-analysis, and the use of evidence-based assessment combined with key informant interviews and targeted literature to produce analysis and make policy recommendations. The paper concludes with recommendations on the model's potential for replication and further development to prevent limitations arising from such an approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to collect, process and discuss data, literature review and primary information using questionnaires, regarding the reasons for use by the Primary Education teachers in order to make use of digital skills, computers and other technological means in their workplace. The statistical techniques mentioned in this paper are those of descriptive statistical analysis, the display of averages in relevant questions of the questionnaire and the use of inductive methods in order to verify the verification of the research questions or not. The methods of the aforementioned statistical analysis belong to the statistical program of SPSS No.23 and whose results are shown in the results. The 33.8% of the interviewed parents stated that ICT is used in educational teaching for their children as students, for the production of teaching material to a very large extent, 25.6% to a moderate extent, 18% to a small extent, and the remaining 17.3% to a very large extent, the 36.3% of the interviewed parents stated that ICT is used in educational teaching for their children as students, to search for information via the Internet to a very large extent, 34.8% to a very large extent and 20% to a moderate extent degree and the 29% of the parents interviewed stated that they do not use ICT at all for their children as students, to manage e-mail, 26.7% use it to a small extent for this purpose, 19.8% moderately degree and another the same percentage, to a very large extent. The majority of respondents would describe their technological / digital skills as quite satisfactory. Accordingly, the vast majority of interviewed teachers stated that ICT can be used in all subjects of the educational process. The main problems faced by teachers regarding the use of technology in the educational process are the inappropriateness of the infrastructure, connectivity problems, the non-supportive environment from the Director and the lack of resources to upgrade the existing computers. Therefore, a future research could focus on the factors that are set as obstacles for the use of ICT regarding the reasons for use by the Primary Education teachers in order to make use of digital skills, computers and other technological means in their workplace, both by teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, new means of information and communication technologies have become an important tool for many countries in terms of expanding political rights and freedoms, forming a rule-of-law state, and achieving the ideals of a democratic society. The paper aims to study trends and carry out a qualitative assessment of the interdependence of the media and social platforms and political culture of citizens of three Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. This work aims to fill the existing theoretical gap regarding the issues of mutual influence of political culture and media in the states above. The study reveals the factors of public political participation in the three countries examined through the prism of comparing indicators of public participation in political processes in the context of the development and emergence of new types of media and social network platforms. The paper analyses the essential features of each country’s development of democratic institutions and civil dialogue, considering the role of traditional media and social networks as implementation tools. Based on the experience of the three countries examined, the results of the study give reason to say that the media (including social networks and media platforms) do not have a decisive influence on the formation of political culture. Transformation processes in the sphere above of these countries are fragmentary, affecting to a greater extent issues of individual perception of political processes, as a rule, without significant external manifestation. The findings of the study provide grounds to assert that the theoretical comprehension of political culture in the examined countries is scarcely distinguishable from the concept of political awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the intensity and success of the digitalization process, by measuring the efficiency of the use of information and communication technologies in business in the Republic of Serbia (RS) in the period from 2006 to 2019. Design/methodology/approach: The data envelopment analysis method is applied and due to the sensitivity of the results to measurement errors, the robustness analysis of the obtained values of average efficiency is performed, using the bootstrapping method. Findings: The results show an intensive, expansive and relatively efficient process of digital business transformation in the RS. The results indicate inefficient use of software packages, While the efficiency of e-commerce in companies in most years is over 80%. Research limitations/implications: The research is limited to the RS, so the conclusions cannot be generalized in a broader context. Practical implications: The biggest problem in the implementation of digital business transformation in the RS is the understanding of management and employees in organizations that digital business transformation will take place only if software solutions are purchased and installed, with less attention paid to their proper application and low use of their maximum capabilities. Originality/value: Digital transformation measurement is the subject of a very small number of studies. Through a review of the literature, the authors of this paper do not find the use of data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency of digital business transformation in the way they present it in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of cloud computing (CC) on supply chain management (SCM). Design/methodology/approach: The paper is conceptual and based on a literature review and conceptual analysis. Findings: Today, digital technology is the primary enabler of supply chain (SC) competitiveness. CC capabilities support competitive SC challenges through structural flexibility and responsiveness. An Internet platform based on CC and a digital ecosystem can serve as "information cross-docking" between SC stakeholders. In this way, the SC model is transformed from a traditional, linear model to a platform model with the simultaneous cooperation of all partners. Platform-based SCs will be a milestone in the evolution of SCM – here conceptualised as Supply Chain 3.0. Research limitations/implications: Currently, SCs managed holistically in cyberspace are rare in practice, and therefore empirical evidence on how digital technologies impact SC competitiveness is required in future research. Practical implications: This research generates insights that can help managers understand and develop the next generation of SCM with the use of CC, a modern and commonly available Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tool. Originality/value: The paper presents a conceptual basis of how CC enables structural flexibility of SCs through easy, real-time resource and capacity reconfiguration. CC not only reduces cost and increases flexibility but also offers an effective solution for disruptive new business models with the potential to revolutionise current SCM thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the offline shopping preferences of millennial women and strategies to enhance their shopping experience in malls. The study begins with an overview of offline shopping, defining shopping malls, in-store experiences, and the evolving landscape of offline shopping. It also characterizes millennial women and their unique preferences. The literature review identifies three main factors influencing offline shopping: socio-cultural, psychological, and environmental. These factors are analysed separately to understand their impact on millennial women's shopping behaviours. Additionally, the paper examines various mall strategies aimed at increasing millennial women's intention to shop offline, categorized into development, environment, and marketing & promotion. The conceptual framework integrates these factors and strategies, providing a comprehensive understanding of their interplay. Discussions highlight theoretical and practical implications while acknowledging limitations and suggesting areas for future research. This framework aims to guide retailers in effectively enhancing the offline shopping experience for millennial women and offers a foundation for further academic inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of Distributed Energy Resources utilizing Renewable Energy Sources, Energy Storage Systems, and Information and Communication Technologies is transforming traditional energy systems into adaptable, flexible, and sustainable systems, with the Smart Grid concept playing a pivotal role. This paper surveys intelligent techniques and methods applied in various markets and applications, particularly focusing on their potential adaptation for negotiation processes in Smart Grid contexts. The negotiation mechanisms, crucial for prosumers who engage in real-time transactions, are analyzed with a focus on fuzzy logic tools, specifically q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Sets. These tools are evaluated for their capability to handle negotiation tasks and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making problems. The paper proposes a negotiation schema for healthcare buildings, especially hospitals, given their significant environmental impact, providing insight for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to assess the quality of the planning and implementation of the evaluations of programs for gifted students, the findings obtained, and their validity. We conducted a thorough investigation and an international comparative analysis of foreign content starting points in the field of evaluation of programs of gifted education programs, in which we have presented modern didactic mechanisms that strive to renew the evaluation of program implementation, based on the tendency to improve the situation in the case of implementation of programs, for the gifted students. The literature search identified 713 documents (program evaluation), of which 485 were substantively relevant (evaluation of gifted programs). In the meta-analysis, the descriptive method was supplemented by a content analysis of the gifted programs. The evaluation found that coordinators are dissatisfied with the approach to identifying gifted students and that they have difficulty interpreting policy requirements and respond very pragmatically, and that the implementation of curriculum adaptations is poor. Based on the research findings, four suggestions were made: (i) increase the use of differentiated instruction and personalized learning, (ii) clearly define expectations for instruction for gifted children and align these expectations with the roles and responsibilities of gifted coordinators, teachers, and principals; (iv) develop and implement a plan for clear and regular communication with parents and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of Industry 4.0, the manufacturing sector is moving from automation towards intelligence. The application of new generation information and communication technologies (ICTs) improves the interconnection and transparency of intelligent manufacturing (IM) systems, which will change how information interacts and work is done, thus changing how work should be managed. These changes require the following characteristics for IM production and operations management (POM): integration, flexibility and networking, autonomous and collaborative decision-making, learning-based operations management, self-optimisation and adaptability, and proactive decision-making. This paper presents the state of the art, current challenges, and future directions of IM-related POM research from the perspectives of these characteristics through a systematic literature review. Descriptive and thematic analyses of 208 research articles published between 2005 and 2020 are provided. The review and discussions focus on five research themes, i.e. value creation mechanisms, resource configuration and capacity planning, production planning, scheduling, and logistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing utilization of virtual teams—driven by advancements in information and communication technology and the forces of globalization—has spurred significant growth in both theoretical and empirical research. Based on the smart literature review framework, this study harnesses artificial intelligence techniques, specifically natural language processing and topic modeling, to extensively analyze the trends in virtual team research spanning the last four decades. Analyses of a dataset comprising 2,184 articles from Scopus-indexed journals discern 16 distinct topics, encompassing critical areas such as communication, leadership, and trust. The trajectory of research topics in this field has witnessed increasing diversification over time. Key subjects such as learning, communication, trust, and leadership have consistently maintained their presence among the ten most frequently explored topics. In contrast, emerging areas such as agile development and patient care have recently become some of the most prominent themes. Employing the state-of-the-art topic modeling technique, BERTopic, this study furnishes a comprehensive and dynamic panorama of the evolving landscape within virtual team research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technology has evolved dramatically, and now the majority of people are using internet and sharing their opinion more openly, which has led to the creation, collection and circulation of hate speech over multiple platforms. The anonymity and movability given by these social media platforms allow people to hide themselves behind a screen and spread the hate effortlessly. Online hate speech (OHS) recognition can play a vital role in stopping such activities and can thus restore the position of public platforms as the open marketplace of ideas. To study hate speech detection in social media, we surveyed the related available datasets on the web-based platform. We further analyzed approximately 200 research papers indexed in the different journals from 2010 to 2022. The papers were divided into various sections and approaches used in OHS detection, i.e., feature selection, traditional machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL). Based on the selected 111 papers, we found that 44 articles used traditional ML and 35 used DL-based approaches. We concluded that most authors used SVM, Naive Bayes, Decision Tree in ML and CNN, LSTM in the DL approach. This survey contributes by providing a systematic approach to help researchers identify a new research direction in online hate speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) by Cameroonians has brought changes in citizen's needs and demands and has raised expectations on how services should be provided. Citizens need to carry out transactions (transactional services) conveniently and obtain accessible, reliable, and sustainable information (information services) from their local government. Unfortunately, this is still far from the reality in some selected local councils in Cameroon, given that they use ICT mainly for administrative and not service delivery purposes. Therefore, this paper's main objective is to establish a link between ICT usage and the empowerment of local councils in the application of e-governance strategies for information and transaction services delivery. The theoretical framework used in the paper included Technology Acceptance, Wider Dissemination, and e-governance Models. The stratified purposive and systematic random sampling techniques were employed to obtain needed data from the Bamenda I, II, and III municipalities in the North West Region. The findings of this paper revealed that a significant number of local councils are already using their ICTs to provide information services. However, none of them so far are using ICT for transactional service delivery purposes. Also, we observed a gap between citizen expectations and local council provision of information and transactional services. This paper found that the use of ICT to apply e-governance strategies would improve local council service delivery in terms of accessibility to information by citizens and sustainability of council information services, also promote transparency in transactions between the council and the citizens, and ease transactions between citizens and local councils in terms of time and cost. Thus, this paper recommends that local councils digitalize manual service delivery processes through their operational IT units. Also, for the Cameroon government to achieve the goals stated in the NDS30 Plan for a Digital Cameroon, it must consider effectively involving local councils in the national digitalization initiatives. This can be done by encouraging them to adapt their information and transactional service delivery procedures to more ICT-based strategies despite the challenges involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Research indicates that sexual and gender minority youth [SGMY] may engage more with information communication technologies [ICTs] more than their non-SGMY counterparts Craig SL et al. 2020. While scholarship generally explores youth's use of ICTs, there are gaps in scholarship that connect SGMY, their ICT engagement and influences to mental health. This scoping review will synthesize the literature that connects these core concepts in order to better understand the influence ITCs have on the mental health of SGMY and to develop a more fulsome understanding of this emerging area of literature. Methods and analysis: Following the scoping review framework of Arksey and O'Malley, the search will be conducted in the PsycINFO [Ovid interface, 1980-], MEDLINE [Ovid interface, 1948-], CINAHL [EBSCO interface, 1937-], Sociological Abstracts [ProQuest interface, 1952-], Social Services Abstracts [ProQuest interface, 1979-], and Scopus. Descriptive summaries and thematic analysis will summarize the articles that meet the inclusion criteria using an extraction table. Ethics and dissemination: The review outlined in this paper provides an overview of information that exists on the technology use of SGMY, ICTs and the interconnection with mental health. Results will be disseminated through peer reviewed journals and national and international conferences. As information collected for this paper as is retrieved from publicly available sources, ethics approval is not required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Kyrgyzstan e-justice is in its developing phase. Digital transformation of justice was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The impact of Covid-19 on courts was the rapid increase in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to maintain some functioning during lockdown and in its aftermath. The implemented ICT in courts must align with principles of law. The paper presents development of existing e-justice systems in Kyrgyzstan. The main objective of the paper is to analyse the evaluation that main actors in the judicial proceedings give to the effects of the development of e-justice concerning some relevant dimensions including access to justice, the right to a fair trial, the right to an effective remedy, data privacy, the rule of law and main judicial values. In addition, the paper conducts analysis of risks of e-justice implementation, and determines areas of improvement from technological, legal, organisational, human resources and educational perspectives. The main challenges of e-justice systems are identified in the study. The methodology of this paper includes an analysis of national legislation, public information about e-justice complemented by an exploratory empirical study based on ten semi-structured interviews with judges, court staff, advocates and an online survey of twenty-one advocates. The study provides 'points of attention' on how to improve e-justice in Kyrgyzstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explored the factors influencing the leadership strategies of school principals in rural primary schools regarding the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the process of teaching and learning in their schools. School principals are responsible for ensuring that there is ICTs integration in their schools' teaching and learning processes. Embedded within the theory of learning-centred leadership (LCL), school principals have a responsibility to lead, foster, manage, and support the learning process for teachers and learners in their schools. Thus, school principals need to be well acquainted with innovative technologies for teaching and learning amidst the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is global, complex, and fast-paced, to lead learning through ICT integration. Underpinned by the interpretive qualitative approach and using a multiple case study as a research design, this study generated data from three selected South African rural primary schools through face-to-face interviews with the three school principals. Data were analysed thematically. Findings revealed that school principals' leadership strategies are influenced by their attitudes towards ICT integration into teaching and learning, their exposure to ICT workshops, and their own judgements of their abilities in using ICT. The paper recommends customised in-service training for school principals and teachers to alter and improve their exposure to, attitudes, perceptions toward ICT integration in teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper focusses on the intrapersonal vs environmental barriers to women's career advancement to the top leadership positions in the information and communication technology (ICT) business and envisages the individual, organisational as well as societal practices for overcoming such barriers in the given sector. Design/methodology/approach: The study relies on the qualitative research method of expert interviews with top-level women managers in the leading ICT companies in Lithuania. The study allowed identifying and structuring the key barriers to women's careers and three-level practices for overcoming them. Findings: The research has shown that the key intrapersonal barriers are related to the lack of self-confidence and perceived glass ceiling. The main environmental barriers are male domination and socially gendered professions. The practices for overcoming women's career barriers can be categorised into three levels – individual, organisational and societal. The study has shown that the most important individual practices are the ability to continuously self-educate and self-affirmation. On the organisational level, the following key practices can be applied: mentorship and inclusive company culture. The societal practices for improving women's career advancement in ICT are mainly represented by the visibility of successful leaders as role models and initiatives increasing awareness for an inclusive society. Research limitations/implications: The research limitations are largely related to the research sample selected for the qualitative research (interviews). The respondents are already established in the top leadership positions, so may only have a retrospective view on the obstacles to the respondents' careers. A larger sample could provide a more generalisable data, whilst a larger number of interview participants for preselected categories, like company category or tenure in a position, would provide insights on the different stages of career growth and company's influence for the individual's growth. The authors encourage extending research to other sectoral and national contexts. Practical implications: The research sets out the key barriers that can be overcome with the help of individual, organisational and societal practices. This provides a comprehensive list of practices that can be adopted by the organisations (in the ICT and beyond), as well as the policy makers on the societal level. Social implications: Addressing the issues of gender balance and women's career advancement in one of the fastest growing industries (ICT) has profound social implications. Qualitative research has shown how the barriers can be overcome at different levels of the social system. Originality/value: The paper marks one of the first attempts to introduce a three-level approach to addressing the intrapersonal and environmental barriers to the advancement of women's careers with a particular focus on the ICT sectoral context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the practices of information and communication technology (ICT) in modernizing the courts. In this context, this paper focuses on the usage of ICT in the Nepali judiciary system involving both judicial and court administration to automate judicial activities. Design/methodology/approach: A narrative case study was conducted to identify the current status of technology in the judiciary system concerning court automation and administration. The information was gathered from justice, case registration officer, bench officer and admin personnel. Findings: This study shows that technological intervention is made in the Nepali judiciary to automate judicial activities. The judicial activities, such as case registration, case automation, case hearing, the decision of cases and cause list, are of high priority and are managed through case management software. Furthermore, it demands an innovative learning environment within the judiciary to strengthen the capacity of the employees of the judiciary in the field of ICT. Research limitations/implications: This study anticipates the participant's perception and practical aspects of technology to modernize the courts to provide better and more effective service to its stakeholders. This study carried out the perceptions of the justice, bench officer, case registration officer and admin personnel. The voice of the other stakeholders was not carried out. Practical implications: This paper establishes the practical aspects of ICT in modernizing the courts to provide better services to its stakeholders. It also replicates the status of ICT in the Nepali judiciary. Originality/value: This paper tries to establish the practical implications of ICT along with its importance in the judiciary of Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strategic role of integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) when teaching indigenous languages continues to become increasingly apparent within language planning and policy discourse. The integration of ICT in teaching African languages is a complex and diverse research area, making it challenging to identify common factors that define fundamental methods. The argument put forth is that higher education institutions should invest in implementing continuous and intensive awareness-raising seminars about the value of linguistics, language technology, and practice. This paper aims to investigate a comprehensive plan for emerging digital practices and learning design expertise to enable digital democracy in South African higher education by exploring the various opportunities for integrating technology and African languages. Descriptive themes are developed after an intensive existing literature review and analysis. The Language Management Theory (LMT) guides the paper. The author highlight suggestions to ensure that South Africa meets the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which aims to provide inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning, primarily using ICTs. By presenting various ICT-based models for education as a transformational approach towards integrating ICTs in teaching African languages, the higher education sector will be revolutionized in the African continent and all developing countries that lack understanding of the power of incorporating technology in teaching and developing native languages. Practice recommendations are also made to ensure successful adaptation to the 4th Industrial Revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper exponents the concept of virtual learning as an alternative mode of learning within the context of Nigerian University System (NUS). The paper extrapolates the beginning of higher education in Nigeria with a view to situating the developments that have taken place from the post-independence to date. The suitability or otherwise of the in-person mode in the context of the current reality (virtual learning) is critically examined with a view to identifying the challenges. The paper, while making use of some secondary data, clinically hazards the challenges militating against the thriving of Electronic Learning in the NUS arising from the challenge of corona virus in the year 2020. Gleaning from lack of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), poor attitude and policy deficit challenges, the paper paper makes some recommendations which could impact on policy development in the NUS. The paper, therefore, strongly advocates the need to make NUS at par with what obtains in global virtual conclave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of the 5.0 industry, the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) has increased. The data generates from sensors through IoT industrial systems, any fault in those systems affects their performance and leads to real disaster. Protecting them from any possible attacks is an essential task. to secure any system, it needs to predict in the first place possible attacks and faults that could happen in the future. Predicting and initiating the attack type and the accuracy of these predictions can be done with machine learning models nowadays on the datasets produced with IoT networks. This paper classifies several attacks type based on several criteria and techniques to enhance the performance of machine learning (ML) models such as Voting techniques beside six ML models; Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic regression (LR), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) using Enriching IoT dataset [1]. The results showed that 100% accuracy was achieved in estimating process with the XGBoost model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polish Statistician / Wiadomości Statystyczne is the property of State Treasury - Statistics Poland and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the multidisciplinary nature of information and communication technology (ICT) for development, the introduction of a computer-based antiretroviral therapy information system in Ethiopia and the business practices of small enterprises.

This JSAC special issue is covering four emerging areas in communications: Area 1 ? e-Health; Area 2 ? Peer-to-Peer Networking; Area 3 ? Vehicular Networks and Telematics Applications; and Area 4 ? Social Networks. This is the first issue of a brand new series in JSAC focusing on "Emerging Technologies in Communications." These emerging technical areas were selected from ComSoc's Technical Committees and Technical Sub-Committees. (The second issue will be published later in 2013 on the following areas: Area 5 ? Applications of Nanotechnologies in Communications; Area 6 ? Autonomic Communications; Area 7 ? Fiber Wireless Integration; and Area 8 ? Nanoscale and Molecular Networking.) The papers selected are briefly summarized. For this issue, 55 regular papers were selected for publication out of 197 open-call submissions. Also included are three overview (invited) papers. It is devoted to reporting on cutting-edge research achievements covering the following four emerging technical areas in communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Universal Design principles have been adopted in many areas to ensure that products and services are usable for the broadest possible diversity of users, there is still an open area when it comes to the emergency management domain. This article aims at providing a systematic overview of the current state of the emerging research field of Universal Design of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Emergency Management, and to highlight high-impact research opportunities to ensure that the increasing introduction of ICT in Emergency Management can contribute to removing barriers instead of adding more barriers, in particular for the elderly and people with disabilities. A systematic review on relevant literature on Universal Design, ICT and Emergency Management between 2008 and 2020 was employed using predefined frameworks, to answer the following questions: (1) Who are the target audiences (stakeholders) in research on Universal Design of ICT in Emergency Management in the different categories of Emergency Management ICT tools, and to what degree is Human-Centred Design and Universal Design taken into account? (2) What are the most important challenges and gaps in research on Universal Design of ICT in Emergency Management? We identify a set of gaps in the literature, indicating that there are some challenges where Universal Design is still limitedly addressed in technology development. We also derive promising future research topics based on areas that are missing in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]