The paper introduces a novel Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) concept and prototype system. The system’s objective is to aid life-long-learning, resourcefulness, creativity, and teamwork of individuals throughout their academic and professional life and as contributors and beneficiaries of organizational and societal performance. Such a scope offers appealing and viable opportunities for stakeholders in the educational, professional, and developmental context. To further validate the underlying PKM application design, the systems thinking techniques of the transdiscipline of Informing Science (IS) are employed. By applying Cohen’s IS-Framework, Leavitt’s Diamond Model, the IS-Meta Approach, and Gill’s and Murphy’s Three Dimensions of Design Task Complexity, the more specific KM models and methodologies central to the PKMS concept are aligned, introduced, and visualized. The extent of this introduction offers an essential overview, which can be deepened and broadened by using the cited URL and DOI links pointing to the available resources of the author’s prior publications. The paper emphasizes the differences of the proposed meme-based PKM System compared to its traditional organizational document-centric counterparts as well as its inherent complementing synergies. As a result, it shows how the system is closing in on Vannevar Bush’s still unfulfilled vison of the ‘Memex’, an as-close-as-it-gets imaginary ancestor celebrating its 70th anniversary as an inspiring idea never realized. It also addresses the scenario recently put forward by Levy which foresees a decentralizing revolution of knowledge management that gives more power and autonomy to individuals and self-organized groups. Accordingly, it also touches on the PKM potential in terms of Kuhn’s Scientific Revolutions and Disruptive Innovations.

This paper identifies areas in the design science research (DSR) subfield of the information systems (IS) discipline where a more detailed consideration of practitioner audiences of socio-technical design artifacts could improve current IS DSR research practice and proposes an initial conceptualization of these audiences. The consequences of not considering artifact audiences are identified through a critical appraisal of the current informing science lenses in the IS DSR literature. There are specific shortcomings in four areas: 1) treating practice stakeholders as a too homogeneous group, 2) not explicitly distinguishing between social and technical parts of socio-technical artifacts, 3) neglecting implications of the artifact abstraction level, and 4) a lack of explicit consideration of a dynamic or evolutionary fitness perspective of socio-technical artifacts. The findings not only pave the way for future research to further improve the conceptualization of artifact audiences, in order to improve the informing power – and thus, impact on practice and research relevance – of IS DSR projects; they can also help to bridge the theory-practice gap in other disciplines (e.g. computer science, engineering, or policy-oriented sociology) that seek to produce social and/or technical artifacts of practical relevance.

The impact that Facebook and Twitter usage has on the creation and maintenance of university student’s cognitive social capital was investigated on students in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Facebook and Twitter were selected as part of the research context because both are popular online social network systems (SNSs), and few studies were found that investigated the impact that both Facebook and Twitter have on the cognitive social capital of South African university students. Data was collected from a survey questionnaire, which was successfully completed by over 100 students from all 5 universities within the Western Cape. The questionnaire was obtained from a previous study, allowing comparisons to be made. Analysis of the results however, did not show a strong relationship between the intensity of Facebook and Twitter usage, and the various forms of social capital. Facebook usage was found to correlate with student’s satisfaction with university life; which suggests that increasing the intensity of Facebook usage for students experiencing low satisfaction with university life might be beneficial.

Certain trends in scientific research have important relevance to bioethics theory and practice. A growing stream of literature relates to increasing transparency and inclusivity of populations (stakeholders) in scientific research, from high volume data collection, synthesis, and analysis to verification and ethical scrutiny. The emergence of this stream of literature has implications for bioethics theory and practice. This paper seeks to make explicit these streams of literature and to relate these to bioethical issues, through consideration of certain extreme examples of scientific research where bioethical engagement is vital. Implications for theory and practice are derived, offering useful insights derived from multidisciplinary theory. Arguably, rapidly developing fields of citizen science such as informing science and others seeking to maximise stakeholder involvement in both research and bioethical engagement have emerged as a response to these types of issues; radically enhanced stakeholder engagement in science may herald a new maximally inclusive and transparent paradigm in bioethics based on lessons gained from exposure to increasingly uncertain ethical contexts of biomedical research.

In the fast changing global economic landscape, the cultivation of sustainable entrepreneurial ventures is seen as a vital mechanism that will enable businesses to introduce new innovative products to the market faster and more effectively than their competitors. This research paper investigated phenomena that may play a significant role when entrepreneurs implement creative ideas resulting in successful technology enabled start-ups within the South African market place. Constant and significant changes in technology provide several challenges for entrepreneurship. Various themes such as innovation, work experience, idea generation, education and partnership formation have been explored to assess their impact on entrepreneurship. Reflection and a design thinking approach underpinned a rigorous analysis process to distill themes from the data gathered through semi structured interviews. From the findings it was evident that the primary success influencers include the formation of partnership, iterative cycles, and certain types of education. The secondary influencers included the origination of an idea, the use of innovation. and organizational culture as well as work experience. This research illustrates how Informing Science as a transdisicpline can provide a philosophical underpinning to communicate and synthesise ideas from constituent disciplines in an attempt to create a more cohesive whole. This diverse environment, comprising people, technology, and business, requires blending different elements from across diverse fields to yield better science. With this backdrop, this preliminary study provides an important foundation for further research in the context of a developing country where entrepreneurial ventures may have a socio-economical impact. The themes that emerged through this study could provide avenues for further research.

The privacy of personal information is an important area of focus in today’s electronic world, where information can so easily be captured, stored, and shared. In recent years it has regularly featured as a topic in news media and has become the target of legislation around the world. Multidisciplinary privacy research has been conducted for decades, yet privacy remains a complex subject that still provides fertile ground for further investigation. This article provides a narrative overview of the nature of information privacy, describing the complexities and challenges that consumers and organizations face when making decisions about it, in order to demonstrate its importance to both groups. Based on this work, we present a transdisciplinary view of information privacy research linking the consumer and organization. It illustrates areas of concern for consumers and organizations together with the factors that influence the decisions they make about information privacy. By providing such a view we hope to encourage further cross-disciplinary research into this highly pertinent area.

This research aims to suggest key design characteristics that are necessary for developing usable e-commerce websites in the Arab world. A comprehensive usability evaluation of four leading Arab e-commerce websites was conducted using the heuristic evaluation method. The results identified major and minor usability problems and major and minor good design characteristics on the selected websites. Based on the results, 51 key design characteristics were suggested. The recommended key design characteristics comprised two levels according to their priority: level one which includes mandatory key design characteristics and level two which includes supplementary design characteristics. The key design characteristics in each level were categorized under specific pages and areas that can be found on any e-commerce website. Such categorizations could direct website evaluators and designers to important pages and areas that should be considered to improve the overall usability of e-commerce websites. The results of this research are particularly important to developing countries which are still facing challenges that may affect the design and accessibility of usable and useful websites. These relate to low speed of accessing the Internet and a lack of website designers who have experience in customers’ needs and websites’ usable design characteristics.

Based on the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory (Rogers, 2003), the uses and gratifications (U&G) theory, and trust theory, this study investigated the factors that influence the use of Twitter among the Kuwaiti community. The study surveyed Twitter users in Kuwait. A structured online questionnaire was used to collect data, and 463 respondents who provided complete answers participated. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the effect of three theoretical perspectives on Twitter usage. The result of the analysis showed that Twitter usage is better explained by DOI constructs than by U&G constructs. The findings indicated that the perceived relative advantage from DOI, and the need for information, need to pass time, and need for interpersonal utility from the U&G approach, have a direct positive significant effect on the use of Twitter. None of the trust theory constructs was found to be significant in predicting the general use of Twitter. The study results help Twitter providers and users in individual or organizational contexts to understand what factors generally affect the usage of the Twitter service.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to provide a better understanding of individual acceptance of enterprise resource (ERP) systems. Based on the uses and gratifications theory (UGT) and informing science theory, the study developed and empirically tested a research model to explain the effects of ERP characteristics (specifically, informativeness and enjoyment) on ERP acceptance and use. Background: Individual acceptance of ERP systems is crucial for achieving the benefits associated with ERP systems. Unfortunately, little research has focused on acceptance of ERP systems at the individual level. This study attempts to fill this void. Methodology: A survey questionnaire was distributed to ERP users to collect data to empiri-cally test the research model developed in this study. In addition to demographic and background information question, the survey contained instruments to measure the study variables. Contribution: The empirical results show that UGT provides a sound theoretical framework for explaining users’ gratifications, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward adopting and using an ERP. These results support the view that subsumes information systems and other fields that endeavor to inform their audience. Findings: Individuals’ perceptions of the informativeness and entertainment of ERP systems demonstrated strong direct effects on attitude toward using and satisfaction with ERP systems. In turn, satisfaction with ERP systems showed a direct significant impact on intention to use an ERP system. Recommendations for Practitioners: Maintaining a favorable environment and designing training workshops that highlight the information and enjoyment aspects of an ERP can boost users’ perceptions of ERP informativeness and enjoyment and, eventually, improve their attitude and satisfaction with an ERP. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should test the proposed research model with other types of ERP systems and in different environments to enhance the generalizability of the results to other systems and settings. Impact on Society: The results of is study can be used as a foundation on which to develop plans and design strategies to enhance individual acceptance of ERP systems and realize the benefits associated with these systems. Future Research: Future research should extend the research model by integrating other personal and technology variables to provide further insights into what influences individuals to accept or reject an ERP system.

Aim/Purpose: Climate change mitigation is a global challenge, in which academia and business have a role to play. This research explores ways to develop a freely-available information system that would enable small businesses to identify and reduce their environmental footprint. Background: While large organizations have the resources to track emissions and other pertinent data, small businesses may not, despite intentions to be more environmentally responsible. Freely available applications to track emissions focus on the carbon footprint of things, whereas activities are a more meaningful unit of analysis for business managers. Methodology: Using a design science research approach, we conducted a study of a collaborative project that investigated how a low-cost, freely-available online wiki could be developed by group of students, under the guidance of university scholars and business owners. In the project, different student groups were tasked to create the wiki, input content and design a dashboard interface for managers to find data relevant to their business. The research takes an information systems view of the project, relying on the holistic notion of activity from activity theory and taking a design science approach to the study. Contribution: The paper contributes to the practices of green information systems, climate change, and small business. Theoretically it provides new insights into the linear view of design science in resource poor, collaborative projects. Findings: The research demonstrates the viability of an online system to track the envi-ronmental footprint of business activities. It reveals the challenges from a design science perspective of attempts to create online systems using freely available products and labor. Recommendations for Practitioners: Meaningful information systems to assist small businesses to manage their environmental footprint should focus on activities not things, be low cost and easy to use. Recommendation for Researchers: Complex nonlinear design science frameworks may be needed to build community-based green information systems projects. Impact on Society: This paper examines the role that university-community partnerships can play in mitigating climate change. Future Research: We should now investigate ways to ensure the viability and sustainability of systems developed by groups of university students.

Aim/Purpose: The media and research have made significant noise about young people’s addictions to technology, however the American Psychological Association (APA) has reserved judgment on the clinical diagnosis of technology addiction. Research to understand technology addiction is important to the future of information systems development and behavioral usage understanding. Background: Addiction implies that there is a problem from which an IS client needs to try to recover, further implying a negative impact on life. Multiple defini-tions and outcomes of addictions have been studied in the information systems discipline, with virtually no focus on quality of life of the IS client. Methodology: This research employs a survey of students at a large southwestern United States university. Measures were adopted from previously validated sources. The final sample includes 413 usable responses analyzed using PLS. Contribution: This research broadens theoretical and practical understanding of SNS IS client perceptions by relating technology addiction to a broader impact on an individual’s life. By doing so, it provides guidance on society’s understanding of frequent technology use, as well as the development of new systems that are highly used. Findings: This research indicates diminished impulse control, distraction, social influence and satisfaction are all highly correlated with technology addiction; specifically, 55% of the variance in addiction is explained by these four indicators. However, the model further shows addiction has no significant relationship with overall satisfaction of life, indicating that IS clients do not correlate the two ideas. Recommendations for Practitioners: Heavy technology use may indicate a paradigm shift in how people inter-act, instead of a concern to be addressed by the APA. Recommendation for Researchers: Research needs to clearly define technology dependence, addiction, and overuse so that there is a strong understanding of what is meant. These findings help guide assumptions about the dark side of Information Technology. Impact on Society: While technology use is increasing, younger generations may find the use to be acceptable and less of a problem then older generations. Future Research: Future research should replicate these findings on other technology artifacts and other technology addiction definitions. In the future, there is also opportunity to delve deeper into the outcome variable of satisfaction with life.

Aim/Purpose: This paper aims to investigate how Kuwaiti Academic Libraries (KALs) have responded to the rapidly evolving Smartphone-Apps (SP-Apps) environment, as well as exploring the level of electronic services provided in these libraries. Background: This study can illustrate whether the governmental, academic libraries in the State of Kuwait have already benefited from the mobile services provided by smart phones or not. Methodology: In this study, the researchers use both qualitative and quantitative methods. Therefore, questionnaires and interviews are used in order to collect in-depth data in this field. The questionnaire sample was 400 respondents. They divided in two KALs: Kuwait University Library (KUL) and Public Authority of Applied Education Training Library (PAAETL), while eight individual interviews were conducted one-to-one in this research. Contribution: This paper may be important for academic libraries to identify shortcomings in the smartphones’ content and services they provide and in highlighting efforts by libraries to address their users’ needs in this area. Findings: The findings show that most participants expressed the need to introduce an SP-App to their library. They also confirmed that there are many difficulties in creating an SP-App including lack of budget, lack of awareness of library management, lack of clarity about library management strategic objectives, and vision for an SP-App. Recommendations for Practitioners: Designing SP-Apps that have reliable content and user interface that is easy to use is a considerable challenge. For this reason, the study highly recommends introducing SP-Apps for KALs as soon as possible. Future Research: The recommendations proposed are relevant to Kuwait. Further research may be useful in this field in other developing countries, in order to test or develop the suggested strategy.

Aim/Purpose: The main aim of the research is to examine the performance of second language English speaking students enrolled in the Business Statistics course and to investigate the academic performance of students when taught under the constructivist and non-constructivist approaches in a classroom environment. Background: There are different learning theories that are established based on how students learn. Each of these theories has its own benefits based on the different type of learners and context of the environment. The students in this research are new to the University environment and to a challenging technical course like Business Statistics. This research has been carried out to see the effectiveness of the constructivist approach in motivating and increasing the student engagement and their academic performance. Methodology : A total of 1373 students were involved in the quasi-experiment method using Stratified Sampling Method from the year 2015 until 2016. Contribution: To consider curriculum adjustments for first year programs and implications for teacher education. Findings: The t-test for unequal variances was used to understand the mean score. Results indicate students have high motivation level and achieve higher mean scores when they are taught using the constructivist teaching approach compared to the non-constructivist teaching approach. Recommendations for Practitioners: To consider the challenges faced by first year students and create a teaching approach that fits their needs. Recommendation for Researchers: To explore in depth other teaching approaches of the Business Statistics course in improving students’ academic performance. Impact on Society : The constructivist approach will enable learning to be enjoyable and students to be more confident. Future Research: The research will assist other lectures teaching Business Statistics in creating a more conducive environment to encourage second language English speaking students to overcome their shyness and be more engaged.

Aim/Purpose: Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) has been envisaged as a crucial tool for the growing creative class of knowledge workers, but adequate technological solutions have not been forthcoming. Background: Based on former affordance-related publications (primarily concerned with communication, community-building, collaboration, and social knowledge sharing), the common and differing narratives in relation to PKM are investigated in order to suggest further PKM capabilities and affordances in need to be conferred. Methodology: The paper follows up on a series of the author’s PKM-related publications, firmly rooted in design science research (DSR) methods and aimed at creating an innovative PKM concept and prototype system. Contribution: The affordances presented offer PKM system users the means to retain and build upon knowledge acquired in order to sustain personal growth and facilitate productive collaborations between fellow learners and/or professional acquaintances. Findings: The results call for an extension of Nonaka’s SECI model and ‘ba’ concept and provide arguments for and evidence supporting the claims that the PKM concept and system is able to facilitate better knowledge traceability and KM practices. Recommendations and Impact on Society: Together with the prior publications, the paper points to current KM shortcomings and presents a novel trans-disciplinary approach offering appealing opportunities for stakeholders engaged in the context of curation, education, research, development, business, and entrepreneurship. Its potential to tackle opportunity divides has been addressed via a PKM for Development (PKM4D) Framework. Future DSR Activities: After completing the test phase of the prototype, its transformation into a viable PKM system and cloud-based server based on a rapid development platform and a noSQL-database is estimated to take 12 months.

Aim/Purpose: The objective of this paper is to review the vast literature of user-centric in-formation science and inform about the emerging themes in information behaviour science. Background: The paradigmatic shift from system-centric to user-centric approach facilitates research on the cognitive and individual information processing. Various information behaviour theories/models emerged. Methodology: Recent information behaviour theories and models are presented. Features, strengths and weaknesses of the models are discussed through the analysis of the information behaviour literature. Contribution: This paper sheds light onto the weaknesses in earlier information behaviour models and stresses (and advocates) the need for research on social information behaviour. Findings: Prominent information behaviour models deal with individual information behaviour. People live in a social world and sort out most of their daily or work problems in groups. However, only seven papers discuss social information behaviour (Scopus search). Recommendations for Practitioners : ICT tools used for inter-organisational sharing should be redesigned for effective information-sharing during disaster/emergency times. Recommendation for Researchers: There are scarce sources on social side of the information behaviour, however, most of the work tasks are carried out in groups/teams. Impact on Society: In dynamic work contexts like disaster management and health care settings, collaborative information-sharing may result in decreasing the losses. Future Research: A fieldwork will be conducted in disaster management context investigating the inter-organisational information-sharing.

Aim/Purpose: This paper describes the regulatory affairs discipline as a useful case in the study of both inter- and transdisciplinary science and dynamics related to communication across multiple boundaries. We will 1) outline the process that led to the development of transnational competencies for regulatory affairs graduate education, 2) discuss how the process highlights the transdisciplinary character of regulatory affairs, 3) provide implications for how to communicate the influence of this characterization to future healthcare professionals, and 4) draw conclusions regarding how our lessons-learned might inform other programs of study. Background: In the past few decades, the regulatory affairs profession has become more internationalized. This prompted the need for new competencies grounded in the transnational and cross-disciplinary contexts in which these professionals are required to operate. Methodology: A convenience sample of experienced regulatory affairs professionals from multiple disciplines contributed to the development of transnational competencies for a master’s program in regulatory affairs using a transdisciplinary framework. Contribution: An applied exemplar in which to understand how transdisciplinary characteristics can be communicated and applied in higher education. Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper recommends how competencies developed from a regulatory affairs program can serve as exemplars for other applied transdisciplinary higher education programs. Impact on Society: This framework provides a seldom-used reflective approach to regulatory affairs education that utilizes cross-disciplinary theory to inform competence-based formation of professionals.

Aim/Purpose: This paper introduces a Social Machine for collaborative sensemaking that the developers have configured to the requirements and challenges of transdisciplinary literature reviews. Background: Social Machines represent a promising model for unifying machines and social processes for a wide range of purposes. A development team led by the author is creating a Social Machine for activities that require users to combine pieces of information from multiple online sources and file types for various purposes. Methodology: The development team has applied emergent design processes, usability testing, and formative evaluation in the execution of the product road map. Contribution: A major challenge of the digital information age is how to tap into large volumes of online information and the collective intelligence of diverse groups to generate new knowledge, solve difficult problems, and drive innovation. A Transdisciplinary Social Machine (TDSM) enables new forms of interactions between humans, machines, and online content that have the potential to (a) improve outcomes of sensemaking activities that involve large collections of online documents and diverse groups and (b) make machines more capable of assisting humans in their sensemaking efforts. Findings: Preliminary findings suggest that TDSM promotes learning and the generation of new knowledge. Recommendations for Practitioners: TDSM has the potential to improve outcomes of literature reviews and similar activities that require distilling information from diverse online sources. Recommendation for Researchers: TDSM is an instrument for investigating sensemaking, an environment for studying various forms of human and machine interactions, and a subject for further evaluation. Impact on Society: In complex areas such as sustainability and healthcare research, TDSM has the potential to make decision-making more transparent and evidence-based, facilitate the production of new knowledge, and promote innovation. In education, TDSM has the potential to prepare students for the 21st century information economy. Future Research: Research is required to measure the effects of TDSM on cross-disciplinary communication, human and machine learning, and the outcomes of transdisciplinary research projects. The developers are planning a multiple case study using design-based research methodology to investigate these topics.

Aim/Purpose: The complexity of scientific problems has spurred the development of transdisciplinary science, in which experts are brought together to collaborate across disciplinary and practice boundaries. These knowledge diverse teams can produce novel solutions, but they often fail to achieve their potential. Background: Leaders have a crucial role to play in enabling effective collaboration among these diverse experts. We propose that a critical predictor of whether a newly formed interdisciplinary team will perform well is the leader’s multidisciplinary breadth of experience, which we define as a leader’s possession of significant experience in multiple areas of research and practice. We suggest that these leaders will have the capability to skillfully manage the interactions within the team. Methodology: We test our prediction in a sample of 52 newly formed interdisciplinary medical research teams. We also observe and examine the communication patterns in a subset of these teams. Contribution: There is a lack of systematic study of the impact leaders have on newly formed interdisciplinary science teams whose members have little or no prior collaborative experience with each other, possess specialized knowledge, and have limited overlapping expertise. This study combines quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the effect of leader multidisciplinary experience on team communication patterns and innovation. Findings: Our study finds that teams are more innovative when their leader has a moderate breadth of multidisciplinary expertise. Exploration of team communication patterns suggests that leaders with moderate multidisciplinary breadth of experience actively stimulated information sharing across expert domains by choosing cross-cutting topics and drew individuals’ attention to the knowledge and approaches of others in the team. Recommendations for Practitioners: Insights from this work can have practical implications regarding how to best select and train leaders to facilitate cross-boundary collaboration in transdisciplinary science. This study elucidates a variety of communication strategies that leaders can to enhance the team innovativeness. Recommendation for Researchers: Further investigation into the underlying psychological states that these communication strategies elicit is needed. Future research should investigate psychological mediators such as knowledge consideration, perspective taking, and cognitive flexibility. Impact on Society: Transdisciplinary science is needed to solve society’s most complex problems. The more insight we gather about factors that can help these knowledge diverse teams to be successful, but more society will benefit. Future Research: More research is needed on team formation, leader experience, and team outcomes in transdisciplinary science teams in a variety of contexts.

Aim/Purpose: The paper provides general background on the who, what, when, and why of deception. Methodology: It uses a naturalistic observational methodology. Whenever possible, the paper provides examples. Contribution: The research cited in this paper comes from a large variety of disparate fields of study. As such, it is one of the few multidisciplinary attempts to understand de-ception Findings: The research uncovered general principles for conducting deception and tactics that support these principles. Recommendation for Researchers: The authors hope that this paper’s finding will shed light on the topic of fake news as well as misinformation and disinformation, particularly in politics.

Aim/Purpose: In this paper, we address the theoretical challenges today’s scientific community faces to precisely draw lines between true and false pictures. In particular, we focus on problems related to the hidden wonders of science and the shiny images produced for scientific papers or to appeal to wider audiences. Background: As rumors (hoaxes) and false news (fake news) explode across society and the current network, several initiatives using current technology have been launched to study this phenomena and limit the social impact. Over the last two decades, inappropriate scientific behavior has raised more questions about whether some scientific images are valid. Methodology: This work is not about analyzing whether today’s images are objective. Instead, we advocate for a general approach that makes it easier to truly believe in all kinds of knowledge, scientific or otherwise (Goldman, 1967; Goldman, & Olson, 2009). This need to believe is closely related to social order (Shapin, 1994). Contribution: We conclude that we must ultimately move away from older ideas about truth and objectivity in research to broadly approach how science and knowledge are represented and move forward with this theoretical approach when communicating science to the public. Findings: Contemporary visual culture suggests that our world is expressed through images, which are all around us. Therefore, we need to promote the reliability of scientific pictures, which visually represent knowledge, to add meaning in a world of complex high-tech science (Allamel-Raffin, 2011; Greenberg, 2004; Rosenberger, 2009). Since the time of Galileo, and today more than ever, scientific activity should be understood as knowledge produced to reveal, and therefore inform us of, (Wise, 2006) all that remains unexplained in our world, as well as everything beyond our senses. Recommendation for Researchers: In journalism, published scientific images must be properly explained. Journalists should tell people the truth, not fake objectivity. Today we must understand that scientific knowledge is mapped, simulated, and accessed through interfaces, and is uncertain. The scientific community needs to approach and explain how knowledge is represented, while paying attention to detail. Future Research: In today’s expanding world, scientific research takes a more visual approach. It is important for both the scientific community and the public to understand how the technologies used to visually represent knowledge can account for why, for example, we know more about electrons than we did a century ago (Arabatzis, 1996), or why we are beginning to carefully understand the complexities and ethical problems related to images used to promote knowledge through the media (see, i.e., López-Cantos, 2017).

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this paper is to propose an ensemble learners based classification model for classification clickbaits from genuine article headlines. Background: Clickbaits are online articles with deliberately designed misleading titles for luring more and more readers to open the intended web page. Clickbaits are used to tempted visitors to click on a particular link either to monetize the landing page or to spread the false news for sensationalization. The presence of clickbaits on any news aggregator portal may lead to an unpleasant experience for readers. Therefore, it is essential to distinguish clickbaits from authentic headlines to mitigate their impact on readers’ perception. Methodology: A total of one hundred thousand article headlines are collected from news aggregator sites consists of clickbaits and authentic news headlines. The collected data samples are divided into five training sets of balanced and unbalanced data. The natural language processing techniques are used to extract 19 manually selected features from article headlines. Contribution: Three ensemble learning techniques including bagging, boosting, and random forests are used to design a classifier model for classifying a given headline into the clickbait or non-clickbait. The performances of learners are evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall, and F-measures. Findings: It is observed that the random forest classifier detects clickbaits better than the other classifiers with an accuracy of 91.16 %, a total precision, recall, and f-measure of 91 %.

Aim/Purpose: To discuss the Design Science Research approach by comparing some of its canons with observed practices in projects in which it is applied, in order to understand and structure it better. Background: Recent criticisms of the application of the Design Science Research (DSR) approach have pointed out the need to make it more approachable and less confusing to overcome deficiencies such as the unrealistic evaluation. Methodology: We identified and analyzed 92 articles that presented artifacts developed from DSR projects and another 60 articles with preceding or subsequent actions associated with these 92 projects. We applied the content analysis technique to these 152 articles, enabling the preparation of network diagrams and an analysis of the longitudinal evolution of these projects in terms of activities performed and the types of artifacts involved. Contribution: The content analysis of these 152 articles enabled the preparation of network diagrams and an analysis of the longitudinal evolution of these projects in terms of the activities and types of artifacts involved. Evidence was found of a precedence hierarchy among different types of artifacts, as well as nine new opportunities for entry points for the continuity of DSR studies. Only 14% of the DSR artifacts underwent an evaluation by typical end users, characterizing a tenth type of entry point. Regarding the evaluation process, four aspects were identified, which demonstrated that 86% of DSR artifact evaluations are unrealistic. Findings: We identified and defined a set of attributes that allows a better characterization and structuring of the artifact evaluation process. Analyzing the field data, we inferred a precedence hierarchy for different artifacts types, as well as nine new opportunities for entry points for the continuity of DSR studies. Recommendation for Researchers: The four attributes identified for analyzing evaluation processes serve as guidelines for practitioners and researchers to achieve a realistic evaluation of artifacts. Future Research: The nine new entry points identified serve as an inspiration for researchers to give continuity to DSR projects.

Aim/Purpose: There is ample evidence that team processes matter more than the characteristics of individual team members; unfortunately, very few empirical studies have examined communication process variables closely or tied them to team outcomes. Background: The University of Miami Laboratory for Integrated Knowledge (U-LINK) is a pilot funding mechanism that was developed and implemented based on empirically-established best practices established in the literature on the Science of Team Science (SciTS). In addition to addressing grand societal challenges, teams engaged in processes designed to enhance the process of “teaming”. This study uses the Inputs-Mediator-Outputs-Inputs (IMOI) model as a blueprint for an investigation into how team communication processes (shared communication, shared leadership, formal meetings, informal meetings) influence intermediary team processes (goal clarity, role ambiguity, process clarity, trust) and team outcomes (team satisfaction, team productivity). Methodology: Monte Carlo methodologies were used to explore both longitudinal self-report (survey of communication and team outcome variables) data and objective data on scholarly productivity, collected from seventy-eight members of eleven real-world intact interdisciplinary teams to explore how team communication processes affect team outcomes. Contribution: This study is among the few that centers communication practice and processes in the operationalization and measurement of its constructs and which provides a test of hypotheses centered on key questions identified in the literature. Findings: Communication practices are important to team processes and outcomes. Shared communication and informal meetings were associated with increased team satisfaction and increased research productivity. Shared leadership was associated with increased research productivity, as well as improved process and goal clarity. Formal meetings were associated with increased goal clarity and decreased role ambiguity. Recommendation for Researchers: Studying intact interdisciplinary research teams requires innovative methods and clear specification of variables. Challenges associated with access to limited numbers of teams should not preclude engaging in research as each study contributes to our larger body of knowledge of the factors that influence the success of interdisciplinary research teams. Future Research: Future research should examine different team formation and funding mechanisms and extend observation and data collection for longer periods of time.

Aim/Purpose: The article is designed to contradict the existing opinion that “transdisciplinarity is a marginal direction of contemporary science.” Background: The difficulties of implementing transdisciplinarity into science and education are connected with the fact that its generally accepted definition, identification characteristics, and methodological features are still missing. In order to eliminate these disadvantages of transdisciplinarity, its prime cause and initial idea had to be detected. Then an attempt was made to analyze correspondence of the existing opinions about transdisciplinarity with the content of its prime cause and initial ideas. Methodology: The bibliometric content analysis of the literature reviews on the subject of transdisciplinary was used in order to determine correspondence of the opinions about transdisciplinarity with the meaning of its prime cause and initial ideas, as well as to generalize these opinions. This method allowed detecting and classifying opinions into 11 groups including 39 stereotypes of transdisciplinarity. For substantiation of transdisciplinary approaches consistency with the approaches of the contemporary science C.F. Gauss random variables normal distribution was used. The “Gauss curve” helped to show the place of transdisciplinary and systems transdisciplinary approaches in the structure of academic and systems approaches. The “Gauss curve” demonstrated the step-by-step broadening of the scientific worldview horizon due to sequential intensification of synthesis, integration, unification, and generalization of the disciplinary knowledge. Contribution: Based on rethinking the results from bibliometric content analysis of the literature reviews, the generalized definition of transdisciplinarity could be formulated, as well as the definition for the transdisciplinary and systems transdisciplinary approaches could be given. It was shown that transdisciplinarity is a natural stage for development of contemporary science and education, and the transdisciplinary approaches were capable to suggest the methods and tools to solve the complex and poorly structured problems of science and society. Findings: Many existing stereotypes of transdisciplinarity do not meet its prime cause and initial ideas. Such stereotypes do not have deep philosophic and theoretical substantiation, as well as not suggesting the transdisciplinary methods and tools. Thus, the authors of such stereotypes often claim them to be transdisciplinary or suggest perceiving them as transdisciplinarity. This circumstance contributed to the fact that many disciplinary scientists, practitioners, and initiators of higher education view transdisciplinarity as a marginal direction of contemporary science. Based on the generalized definition of transdisciplinarity, as well as its prime cause and initial ideas, we managed to show that transdisciplinarity is presented in contemporary science in the form of two different approaches: the transdisciplinary approach and the systems transdisciplinary approaches. The objective of the transdisciplinary approach is ensuring science development at the stage of synthesis and integration of disciplinary knowledge. The objective of the systems transdisciplinary approach is ensuring solving of modern society problems using unification and generalization of disciplinary knowledge. Recommendation for Researchers: The researchers should consider that within the limits of the transdisciplinary approach the disciplinary specialists are managed. Within the limits of the systems transdisciplinary approach the disciplinary knowledge is managed. Thus, the transdisciplinary approach is efficient for organization and research with participation of the scientists of complementary disciplines. An example for such research can be a team of researchers of medical disciplines and complimentary disciplines from chemistry, physics, and engineering. The systems transdisciplinary approach is efficient for organization and performance of research with participation of scientists of non-complementary disciplines, for example, economics, physics, meteorology, chemistry, ecology, geology, and sociology. Future Research: In terms of the main initial idea, transdisciplinarity is formed as a global approach. The global approach should have a traditional institutional form: it should be a science discipline (meta-discipline) and have carriers with the transdisciplinary worldview. Training for such carriers can be organized by the universities within the limits of the systems transdisciplinarity departments and Centers of Systems Transdisciplinary Retraining for Disciplinary Specialists. Thus, it is reasonable to initiate discussion for the idea to reform the disciplinary structure of the universities considering creation of such departments and centers.

Aim/Purpose: Developing Digital Platform Ecosystems (DPE) to transform conventional Knowledge Management Systems (KM/KMS) scenarios promises significant benefits for individuals, institutions, as well as emerging knowledge economies. Background: The academic entrepreneurship project presented is aiming for such a KMS-DPE configuration. Having consolidated this author’s own and external re-search findings, realization is currently commencing with a start-up in a business incubator. Methodology: Design science research applying mixed one-sample case study and illustrative scenario approach focusing on conceptual analysis and entrepreneurship. Contribution: Although (academic) entrepreneurship is a young research area with recently growing interest, publications focusing on this transitional stage between maturing research and projected commercial viability of digital technologies are rare. Findings: A roadmap looking beyond the immediate early-start-up perspective is out-lined by integrating recent development-stage-related DPE-research and by addressing stakeholders diverse informing needs essential for system realization. Recommendations for Practitioners and Researchers: As this transdisciplinary perspective combines KM, informing, design science, and entrepreneurial research spaces, it may assist other researchers and practitioners facing similar circumstances and/or start-up opportunities. Impact on Society: The article advances the understanding of how DPE communities may serve members with highly diverse skills and ambitions better to gainfully utilize the platform’s resources and generative potential in their personal and local settings. Future Research: As the entrepreneurial agenda will complement (not substitute) the academic research, research priorities have been highlighted aligned to three future stages.

Aim/Purpose: This paper examines the impact of the transformational, servant, and paternalistic leadership styles on employee performance at the middle and senior levels. Background: Transdisciplinary research promotes the integration and development of various sciences. It provides more choices for leaders to adopt ways and practical activities to promote enterprise development. Complexity leadership theory emphasizes that effectively functioning organizations need distinct forms of leadership to work together. Leaders rely on different leadership practices in an emergent collaborative context, and finding an optimal balance is challenging. Many scholars have attempted to explore which leadership styles have a more significant impact on employees by distinguishing and defining types of leadership styles and explaining the process by which they influence employee behavior and performance. Various scholars have further explored and empirically demonstrated the impact of these three types of leadership styles (transformational, servant, paternalistic)on employee performance. While transformational and servant leadership have their roots in the West, paternalistic leadership has roots in China. Few scholars have conducted comparative studies on their positive impact on employee performance. How do these three leadership styles affect employee performance at the middle and senior levels in the Chinese context? Which combination of middle and senior leadership styles performs best? These are the second area that this paper will attempt to explore. Methodology: This study constructs a three-tier model at the senior, middle, and grassroots levels. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data. SPSS 22.0 and Amos were used for data analysis. Contribution: Through its construction of a three-tier model (senior, middle, and grassroots levels), the paper explores the combined effect of three leadership styles (transformational, servant, and paternalistic) on grassroots employees. It explores the impact of senior leaders across levels on grassroots employee performance, which is expected to provide a valuable addition to theories on leadership styles. It is also instructive to examine which leadership style performs better and what middle and senior leadership configurations are more conducive to driving beneficial employee behavior and, ultimately, corporate growth. Findings: The transformational, servant, and paternalistic leadership styles, both at the top and middle levels, have a significant positive relationship with employee performance; the middle leadership style plays a positive mediating role between the top leadership style and employee performance. In terms of impact on employee performance, transformational leadership shows the best results at both the top and middle levels, with paternalistic leadership second and servant leadership at the same level. Regarding which middle and senior leadership style pairing is the best, the sample is relatively small, and the gap between various pairing combinations is not evident from the data. If the sample size is enlarged, the coefficient will likely expand year-on-year. Therefore, we can assume that the pairing effect of top servant leadership and middle transformational leadership is the best, top paternalistic leadership and middle transformational leadership is the second-best, and the combination of top paternalistic leadership and middle-level servant leadership leaders is the weakest. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper extends the study of top and middle leadership’s combined effect on employee performance as a positive response to the call for multi-layer or cross-layer analysis in leadership research. The findings further enrich the literature on leadership style-related theories. The middle leadership style plays a positive mediating role between the top leadership style and employee performance. The trickle-down effect is further verified, i.e., the top leadership will have a permeating influence on employees through the middle leadership, and the top’s influence on the middle is generally more significant than the influence on grassroots employees. However, the difference between the influence of the middle leadership on the grassroots and that of the top on the grassroots is not apparent, which is inconsistent with the trickle-down effect that the middle leadership communicates more with the grassroots and has more influence on the grassroots, and further verification is needed. All three types of leaders positively affected employee performance, with the best being transformational leadership, paternalistic leadership, and servant leadership. This finding is consistent with some scholars and inconsistent with some scholars. The interested scholars can do further research. The better performance of diverse pairings in middle and senior leadership combinations is consistent with previous research suggesting that leadership styles have their own strengths and can be complementary. This paper further provides a comparative study of multiple leadership styles to validate the recognition and adaptability of leadership styles and further explain the complex relationship between leadership styles and employee job performance. Scholars can conduct comparative research on other leadership styles, and there may be different results. Future Research: Because of the cross-sectional data taken, the findings’ generalizability still needs further validation. There are many types of leadership styles, and there are other types of leadership styles that can be explored comparatively, perhaps leading to different findings. From another point of view, various leaders have their strengths, and they are not mutually hindering. More research is needed on team formation in a variety of contexts. Organic organizational structure enables knowledge creation and integration through the process of organizational learning through deep and continuous social interaction or dialogue. So we can further examine the influence process of leaders on employees from how to give full play to their advantages, such as improving shared leadership and shared communication.

Aim/Purpose: This paper aimed to explore the impact of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the general population during the pandemic. Background: The paper has attempted to explore compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the population at large, especially during the pandemic. This area has not been explored as yet. Methodology: A simple random sample of 98 males and 88 females was collected anonymously through a Google form survey. Part A collected demographic data and Part B comprised of 15 statements with 5 each for compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out, adapted from a Compassion Fatigue/Satisfaction Self-Test. ANOVA single factor was employed for the three variables of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out using a 0.05 significance level. Correlations among the variables were also analyzed. Contribution: The present paper contributes to covering the research gap of investigating the presence of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the population at large comprising the age group of 18 to 60+ and from different professions. Findings: The findings revealed significant differences in the levels of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out in the population at large during the pandemic. Future Research: The findings can be further strengthened by extending it to a larger sample size across different nations and, specifically, studying gender differences during such adverse pandemic situations.

Aim/Purpose This paper aims to illustrate, through an exploratory ideographic case study, how a Complex Thinking framework can inform the design of scientific events and the facilitation of scientific Inter and Transdisciplinary groups towards positive emergent outcomes, both at the level of the functioning of the group and the collective complexity of their thinking. Moreover, it aims to show how the choice of facilitation strategies can contribute to positive emergent outcomes in the context of a fully online event, with its inherent constraints. Finally, this study aims to conduct an exploratory qualitative evaluation of the participants’ experiences during School, with a focus on the processes and how they relate to the aims of the School and the goals of the facilitation. Background Science needs to embrace modes of knowing capable of generating more complex (differentiated, integrated, recursively organized, emergent), ecologically fit, and creative responses, to meet the complexity of the world’s challenges. New formats and strategies are required that attend to the facilitation of Inter and Transdisciplinary scientific events and meetings, towards creative and complex outcomes. A Complex Thinking framework provides suggestions for the facilitation of Inter and Transdisciplinary meetings and events through targeting key properties which may lead to the emergence of complex and creative outcomes. Methodology We adopt an ideographic case study approach to illustrate how a complex systems approach, in particular a Complex Thinking framework, grounded in an enactive view of cognition, guided the design choices and the facilitation strategies of an online Inter and Transdisciplinary Advanced Training School (Winter School). We aim to illustrate how the facilitation strategies were selected and used to promote deep and creative interactions within the constraints of an online environment. We adopt an exploratory qualitative approach to investigate the participants’ reports of their experiences of the School, in light of the principles and goals that guided its design and facilitation. Contribution This paper opens a new area of theoretical and applied research, under the scope of a Complex Thinking framework, focused on the facilitation of Inter and Transdisciplinarity at scientific events, meetings, and discussions towards complex and creative outcomes. Findings The results of the exploratory qualitative analysis of the participants’ experiences regarding the event suggest a critical role of its methodology in fostering rich, deep, and constructive interactions, in leading to the emergence of a collective group experience, to the integration of ideas, and in facilitating transformative personal experiences, under the effects of the emergent group processes. It suggests that the strategies employed were successful, anticipating and overcoming the particular constraints of an online event. Recommendations for Practitioners This case study suggests that a Complex Thinking framework can fruitfully guide the design of facilitation strategies and activities for scientific events and meetings, activating a number of key relational processes that contribute to or boost the emergence of positive group experiences and the production and integration of novel ideas. Recommendations for Researchers This study calls for action-oriented and applied research focused on the developmental evaluation of innovations, regarding the facilitation of scientific creativity and integration, within the scope of a Complex Thinking approach. Impact on Society This paper calls for new modes of organization and formats of scientific activities, suggesting that Inter and Transdisciplinary events and meetings may benefit from intentional management and facilitation of interactions between participants to produce transformative impacts. It demonstrates the importance of the organizational principles used to plan and run events that engage multiple and various societal agents, from academics to practitioners and social activists, towards enhancing their richness and relevance to complex real-world challenges. Future Research This study highlights the need for process-focused systematic case study research using complex systems-informed designs to explore how and which facilitation strategies may promote which (interaction of) properties of Complex Thinking and associated processes and how, and under which conditions, these lead to more complex and creative outcomes.

Aim/Purpose: The focus on human well-being has attracted the attention of consumers, organizations, and marketers to understand the various facets of Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL). This study examines the overall research trends in the FPONL domain and identifies the new research areas. Background: FOPNL is becoming increasingly popular and its influence has been widely examined. Different label schemes have been introduced across different regions in the world. Nevertheless, such interventions are limited in developing economies. Methodology: This study uses bibliometric analysis methods to explore Front of Pack Nutrition Labelling (FOPNL) trends using 602 articles published in selected business journals. Contribution: The paper identifies the new FOPNL research avenues. The study indicates that FOPNL has become a crucial research area, and more research is needed at the organization, managerial, and policy levels. Findings: The study identifies four themes. The first theme identified is the effect of harmful nutrients on health and the role of FOPNL nutrition in changing eating habits. The second theme focused on the government's policy and implementation of FOPNL nutrition labeling regulations. The third theme is dedicated to the work on attention, perception, understanding, and influence of multiple traffic light schemes. The fourth theme relates to the Health Star Rating, Nutri Score, and Healthier Choice FOPNL nutrition labeling schemes. Overall, the paper informs consumers, manufacturers, and regulators about the recent trends in the FOPNL research. Recommendation for Researchers: Though FOPNL has been widely examined in the health and nutrition domain, however, limited research has been done in the marketing domain. Research using neuroscientific methods (e.g. eye tracking) should provide more robust findings. Future Research: There is limited research on FOPNL from emerging economies. Future research can examine how FOPNL may influence people, policy, and private entities.

Aim/Purpose: In this article, the subjective perspectives of young people in Ghana on the use of digital media are elaborated. The aim is to make the positions of young people visible in the often adult-dominated discourse on digital media and to overcome adult-centered considerations in academic and public debates. In addition, the focus on young people from the Global South is intended to help make their underrepresented voices present in this discourse. Background: Digital media devices and Internet access are conditional on people’s social, economic, and educational participation. Many people in the Global South in particular are not yet granted such access. For children and young people worldwide, the educational opportunities offered by digital media are associated with potential threats to mental health and well-being. However, young people’s views on digital media are rarely addressed, especially in the Global South. Methodology: Based on a qualitative thematic analysis of responses to open-ended questionnaire questions, young Ghanaians’ views on smartphone use and how it affects academic success are examined. Contribution: By focusing on the subjective perspectives of young people, especially from the Global South, voices that have hardly been heard in the discourse on digital media are made audible. This should help overcome the dominant adult-centered perspectives in this discourse. Findings: For young people in Ghana, digital media are part of their everyday lives and often necessary to succeed at school. At the same time, they are concerned about the dangers, e.g., from overuse or cybercrime, for which they have few strategies to deal with. In their answers, they refer to socio-culturally specific discourses and values as well as to generational hierarchies that they perceive and deal with, which go far beyond the topic of digital media use. This makes clear the social tensions in which the debate about digitalization is embedded. Recommendation for Researchers: Young people’s knowledge of and perspectives on digital media is an important resource for learning to use them in an emancipated way. Future Research: Future research should recognize young people as experts in their own right on the issue, explore ways to include their perspectives in the discourse on digital media use and work with them to harness the future potential of the technology and avoid risks.

Aim/Purpose: This study builds upon existing research by investigating the elements contributing to or buffering the onset of burnout symptoms. We examine the relationship between empowering leadership and burnout, considering the concurrent mediation effects of interpersonal workplace conflict, work-home conflict, and support from coworkers. Background: Burnout is a phenomenon that has been widely considered in the scientific literature due to its negative effect on individual and organizational well-being, as well as implications for leadership, coworker support, and conflict resolution. A deeper understanding of burnout prevention strategies across various professional contexts is paramount for enhancing productivity and job satisfaction. Methodology: Using a survey-based cross-sectional design, we employed a combination of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to investigate the direct and indirect influences of empowering leadership on four dimensions of employee burnout, mediated by coworker support, interpersonal conflict at work, and work-home conflict. Contribution: This study provides initial insights into the direct and indirect influences of empowering leadership on various dimensions of burnout, highlighting the complex interplay with coworker support, work-home conflict, and workplace interpersonal conflicts. Ultimately, the study provides a comprehensive approach to understanding and mitigating burnout. Findings: Empowering leadership and coworker support can significantly reduce burnout symptoms, while high levels of work-home conflict and interpersonal conflict at work can exacerbate them. Our findings underscore the paramount role of interpersonal conflict in predicting burnout, urging organizations to prioritize resolving such issues for burnout prevention. Recommendation for Researchers: Following our findings, organizations should (a) promote empowering leadership styles, (b) foster coworker support and work-life balance, and (c) address interpersonal conflicts to reduce the likelihood of employee burnout while ensuring that these strategies are tailored to the specific context and culture of the workplace. Future Research: Future research should broaden the exploration of leadership styles’ effects on burnout, identify additional mediators and moderators, expand studies across sectors and cultures, examine differential impacts on burnout dimensions, leverage advanced analytical models, and investigate the nuanced relationship between work contract types and burnout.

Aim/Purpose: Embitterment comprises a stress-related response to unjust life experiences. Studies have found that it can have a toll on employees’ well-being. However, research on this matter is still in its infancy. Background: Within the scope of the present study, Ι sought to investigate how embitterment relates to burnout – the prolonged consequence of stress. This study further explored whether breaches of psychological contracts can trigger embitterment. Methodology: The study employed a cross-sectional design where two hundred and eight (N = 208) participants from the general population completed an online survey. Contribution: Findings suggest that the toll of embitterment might be much more than what research has suggested so far. Those who experience embitterment can become emotionally exhausted and cynical and these findings can be especially useful when identifying embitterment. Findings: It was found that embitterment related to higher burnout levels and more specifically emotional exhaustion and cynicism. No significant findings were revealed for the relationship between professional inefficacy and embitterment. Also, psychological contract breach was found to be a significant predictor of embitterment, supporting further the notion that perceptions of injustice can trigger feelings of embitterment. Results also showed that embitterment mediated the relationship between psychological contract breach and burnout. Recommendation for Researchers: The study highlights the notion that fairness is a key precursor of embitterment, and this finding is essential when developing interventions to prevent embitterment from arising. Future Research: Future research could use a longitudinal study design to unravel whether burnout represents a precondition or the consequence of embitterment. Future research should also include more objective measures. For example, it would be useful to pair self-report data with more objective measures on embitterment (e.g. clinical interviews).

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this qualitative study is to explore social workers’ representations of hate speech (HS), the effects it has on the community, and socio-educational actions aimed at combating it. Background: Hate speech is any form of communication that promotes discrimination, hostility, or violence towards individuals or groups based on their identity. Although its spread is facilitated by particular characteristics of the online environment (such as anonymity and ubiquity), HS has pervasive consequences even in offline reality. In the last year, several community-based projects involving social workers have been implemented to address the problem. Professionals who work with the community play a crucial strategic role in the fight against HS. Therefore, it is imperative to begin by considering their perspective to gain a better understanding of HS and how it can be controlled. Methodology: Following a psycho-sociological perspective, six focus groups were conducted with 42 social workers (19 females and 23 males) belonging to associations or organizations of a different nature, such as NGOs, local social promotion organizations, universities, private social organizations, whose mission included the theme of countering hate speech. Contribution: There are no studies in the literature that consider the views of operators working to counter hate speech within communities. Our study contributes to deepening the knowledge of the phenomenon and identifying the most suitable strategies to combat it, starting from an approach that does not only focus on the online or offline dimension but on an integrated “onlife” approach. The study offers an outline of how hate speech affects the daily lives of the communities in the cities of Torino, Palermo, and Ancona. Additionally, it proposes a grassroots strategy to address hate speech. Findings: The results suggest that strategies effective in countering hate speech in offline contexts may not be effective in online environments. The technological revolution brought about by social media has significantly expanded the potential audience while weakening traditional communities. Addressing hate speech in the present context requires efforts to rebuild fragmented communities, gaining a thorough understanding of how the new virtual public space operates, and prioritizing hate speech as a specific concern only after these initial steps. Recommendation for Researchers: Hate speech represents a violation of human rights and a threat to freedom of expression. The spread of hateful messages has a significant impact on society, as it can negatively influence social cohesion, diversity, and inclusion. Understanding the causes and consequences of hate speech can help develop effective strategies to prevent and counter it, which is a crucial challenge for both research and society as a whole. Studying hate speech should involve the use of interdisciplinary methodologies. Future Research: Future research should focus on comparative analysis at the European Union level to assess the ability of civil society in other countries to develop effective strategies against hate speech.

Aim/Purpose: To explore the incidence of addiction potential within the Iranian public working population, describing how many Iranian public employees fall within the diagnostic categories of low, moderate, and high addiction potential. Also, to investigate the predicting role of occupational variables such as perceived stress, job security, and job satisfaction on addiction potential and belonging to low, moderate, and high addiction potential diagnostic categories. Background: Substance addiction among employees can lead to several negative consequences at the individual and organizational levels. Also, it is the fourth cause of death in Iran. However, few studies have been conducted on the topic among employees, and non among Iranian employees. Methodology: The study participants were 430 employees working in governmental offices of the North Khorasan province, Iran. Descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to explore the incidence of addiction potential within the analyzed population and to investigate whether occupational variables such as perceived stress, job security, and job satisfaction predicted low, moderate, or high addiction potential. Contribution: This paper suggests that perceived stress might act as a risk factor for developing addiction, whereas job security and job satisfaction might be protective factors against the likelihood of addiction development. Findings: More than half of the sample showed moderate to high addiction potential. Perceived stress was positively related to addiction potential. Job security and job satisfaction were negatively related to addiction potential. Recommendation for Researchers: When addressing the topic of substance addiction, researchers should focus on the preventative side of investigating it; that is, addiction risk rather than already unfolded addiction. Also, researchers should be mindful of the cultural context in which studies are conducted. Future Research: Future research might investigate other relevant occupational predictors in relation to employee addiction potential, such as leadership style, work-life balance, and worktime schedule, or expand on the relevant causal chain by including personality traits such as neuroticism.

Aim/Purpose: Parasocial relationships are today established on social media between influencers and their followers. While marketing effects are well-researched, little is known about the meaning of such relationships and the psychological mechanisms behind them. This study, therefore, explores the questions: “How do followers on Instagram interpret explicit fiction cues from influencers?” and “What does this reveal about the meaning of parasocial attachment?” Background: With a billion-dollar advertising industry and leading in influencing opinion, Instagram is a significant societal and economic player. One factor for the effective influence of consumers is the relationship between influencer and follower. Research shows that disclosing advertisements surprisingly does not harm credibility, and sometimes even leads to greater trustworthiness and, in turn, willingness to purchase. While such reverse dynamics are measurable, the mechanisms behind them remain largely unexplored. Methodology: The study follows an explorative approach with in-depth interviews, which are analyzed with Mayring’s content analysis under a reconstructive paradigm. The findings are discussed through the lens of critical psychology. Contribution: Firstly, this study contributes to the understanding of the communicative dynamics of influencer-follower communication alongside the reality-fiction-gap model, and, secondly, it contributes empirical insights through the analysis of 22 explorative interviews. Findings: The findings show (a) how followers rationalize fiction cues and justify compulsive decision-making, (b) how followers are vulnerable to influences, and (c) how parasocial attachment formation overshadows rational logic and agency. The findings are discussed with regard to mechanisms, vulnerabilities, rationalizations and cognitive bias, and the social self, as well as the ethics of influencer marketing and politics. Recommendation for Researchers: The contribution is relevant to relationship research, group dynamics and societal organizing, well-being, identity, and health perspectives, within psychology, sociology, media studies, and pedagogy to management. Future Research: Future research might seek to understand more about (a) quantifiable vulnerabilities, such as attachment styles, dispositions, and demographics, (b) usage patterns and possible factors of prevention, (c) cognitive and emotional mechanisms involved with larger samples, (d) the impact on relationships and well-being, and (e) possible conditions for the potential of parasocial attachment.

Aim/Purpose: The amount of information published has increased dramatically due to the information explosion. The issue of managing information as it expands at this rate lies in the development of information extraction technology that can turn unstructured data into organized data that is understandable and controllable by computers Background: The primary goal of named entity recognition (NER) is to extract named entities from amorphous materials and place them in pre-defined semantic classes. Methodology: In our work, we analyze various machine learning algorithms and implement K-NN which has been widely used in machine learning and remains one of the most popular methods to classify data. Contribution: To the researchers’ best knowledge, no published study has presented Named entity recognition for the Kikuyu language using a machine learning algorithm. This research will fill this gap by recognizing entities in the Kikuyu language. Findings: An evaluation was done by testing precision, recall, and F-measure. The experiment results demonstrate that using K-NN is effective in classification performance. Recommendation for Researchers: With enough training data, researchers could perform an experiment and check the learning curve with accuracy that compares to state of art NER. Future Research: Future studies may be done using unsupervised and semi-supervised learning algorithms for other resource-scarce languages.

Aim/Purpose: This paper examines the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on professional skills in organizations and explores strategies to address the resulting challenges. Background: The rapid integration of AI across various sectors is automating tasks and reducing cognitive workload, leading to increased productivity but also raising concerns about job displacement. Successfully adapting to this transformation requires organizations to implement new working models and develop strategies for upskilling and reskilling their workforce. Methodology: This review analyzes recent research and practice on AI's impact on human skills in organizations. We identify key trends in how AI is reshaping professional competencies and highlight the crucial role of transversal skills in this evolving landscape. The paper also discusses effective strategies to support organizations and guide workers through upskilling and reskilling processes. Contribution: The paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by examining recent trends in AI's impact on professional skills and workplaces. It emphasizes the importance of transversal skills and identifies strategies to support organizations and workers in meeting upskilling and reskilling challenges. Our findings suggest that investing in workforce development is crucial for ensuring that the benefits of AI are equitably distributed among all stakeholders. Findings: Our findings indicate that organizations must employ a proactive approach to navigate the AI-driven transformation of the workplace. This approach involves mapping the transversal skills needed to address current skill gaps, helping workers identify and develop skills required for effective AI adoption, and implementing processes to support workers through targeted training and development opportunities. These strategies are essential for ensuring that workers' attitudes and mental models towards AI are adaptable and prepared for the changing labor market. Recommendation for Researchers: We emphasize the need for researchers to adopt a transdisciplinary approach when studying AI's impact on the workplace. Given AI's complexity and its far-reaching implications across various fields including computer science, mathematics, engineering, and behavioral and social sciences, integrating diverse perspectives is crucial for a holistic understanding of AI's applications and consequences. Future Research: Looking ahead, further research is needed to deepen our understanding of AI's impact on human skills, particularly the role of soft skills in AI adoption within organizations. Future studies should also address the challenges posed by Industry 5.0, which is expected to bring about even more extensive integration of new technologies and automation.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of pre-listening activities on Arabic-speaking EFL learners’ comprehension of spoken texts. Background: This study aims to contribute to the current research and to increase our understanding about the effectiveness of pre-listening activities. Specifically, this study seeks to clarify some of the research in this area that seems to be incongruent. Methodology: The study investigates two widely implemented activities in second language (L2) classrooms: vocabulary preteaching and content previewing. Ninety-three native-Arabic speaking EFL learners, whose proficiently levels were beginner, intermediate, or advanced, were randomly assigned to a control group or one of three experimental groups: the vocabulary-only (VO) group, content-only (CO) group, or vocabulary + content (VC) group. Each of the experimental groups received one of the treatments to determine which pre-listening activity was more effective and whether additional pre-listening activities yield additional comprehension. Listening comprehension of the aural text was measured by a test comprising 13 multiple-choice and true-false questions. Contribution: The present study provided additional explanations regarding the long-standing contradicting results about vocabulary preteaching and content previewing. Findings: The results showed that pre-listening activities had a positive impact on Arabic-speaking EFL learners’ listening comprehension, with the VO group significantly increasing their scores on the posttest compared to those of the control or other groups. Vocabulary preteaching was particularly beneficial for more advanced learners. With regard to which pre-listening activity contributed the most to better listening comprehension, vocabulary preteaching was the most effective. Content previewing did not increase comprehension for the CO group and had no additional benefit for the VC group. Recommendation for Researchers: This paper recommends that researchers explore new pre-listening activities that have never studied. Future research should be extended to include other nations and contextual situations to extend our knowledge about the effect of pre-listening activities. As far as listening comprehension can only be achieved when listeners are attentive and engaged, the listening text should be interesting and the lexical coverage of the listening text should be appropriate for all participants. Future Research: The results are to be interpreted carefully because they are limited by the students’ L2 proficiency, demographic, and cultural backgrounds (i.e., first language (L1) proficiency, age, gender, Middle Eastern culture). Results might be quite different if the study was conducted with different populations who have different life and language learning experiences (Vandergrift & Baker, 2015). Therefore, the results of this study indicate there is much room for improvement and a need for further research.

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this paper is to examine Gen Z students located in a representative region of the United States when it comes to technology use, news and information gathering behaviors, civic engagement, and social concerns and whether differences exist based on institutional type. The purpose is to report this information so that academics can better understand the behaviors, priorities, and interests of current American students. Background: This paper investigates the mindset of Generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. Through the lens of the Theory of Generations, Uses and Gratifications Theory, and Intersectional Theory, this study aims to examine the Gen Z group and compare findings across populations. Methodology: An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2022. The survey included a combination of multiple responses, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open-ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by content and methodological experts to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. The survey was pilot-tested in 2018 before implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly before widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors, all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Contribution: This paper provides insight into the mindset of Generation Z students living in the United States, which is helpful to members of academia who should be informed about the current generation of students in higher education. Studying Generation Z helps us understand the future and can provide insight into the shifting needs and expectations of society. Findings: According to the findings, Gen Z are heavy users of digital technologies who use social media as their primary source for gathering news about current events as well as information for schoolwork. The majority of respondents considered themselves to be social activists. When institutional type was considered, there were notable differences with the students at the Historically Black College or University (HBCU), noting the greatest concern with a number of pressing issues, including racial justice/Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, gun violence, immigration reform, and human trafficking. Less significance across groups was found when LGBTQIA+ rights and climate change were considered. Recommendation for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate in daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. In other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Future Research: Future research will explore the role that influencers have in opinion formation and the information-gathering habits of Gen Z.

Aim/Purpose: The rise of virtual communication technologies and hybrid work contexts has brought significant changes to leadership dynamics, highlighting the need for effective management of teams operating in both face-to-face and virtual settings, known as hybrid teams. Background: This systematic review examines leadership models utilized in face-to-face and virtual teams, factors contributing to leadership emergence in these contexts, and effective strategies for leading hybrid teams. Methodology: In this study, three scientific databases were searched, resulting in the retrieval of 1,707 studies. These studies were then subjected to a review process following the PRISMA guidelines, ultimately leading to the inclusion of 15 research contributions in the final review. Contribution: Given the results, key strategies for practitioners include the development of strong communication skills, providing constructive feedback, and implementing efficient remote management techniques. Findings: The findings emphasize three prominent leadership models – transformational leadership, leader-member exchange (LMX), and shared leadership – all of which play crucial roles in hybrid team settings. Personality factors drive leadership emergence in face-to-face settings, while virtual settings benefit more from task-related behaviors. Recommendation for Researchers: This review informs researchers seeking to enhance leadership efficacy in modern group settings, aiding leaders in navigating the complexities of hybrid team environments.

Aim/Purpose: This review paper aims to unveil some underlying machine-learning classification algorithms used for political election predictions and how stack ensembles have been explored. Additionally, it examines the types of datasets available to researchers and presents the results they have achieved. Background: Predicting the outcomes of presidential elections has always been a significant aspect of political systems in numerous countries. Analysts and researchers examining political elections rely on existing datasets from various sources, including tweets, Facebook posts, and so forth to forecast future elections. However, these data sources often struggle to establish a direct correlation between voters and their voting patterns, primarily due to the manual nature of the voting process. Numerous factors influence election outcomes, including ethnicity, voter incentives, and campaign messages. The voting patterns of successors in regions of countries remain uncertain, and the reasons behind such patterns remain ambiguous. Methodology: The study examined a collection of articles obtained from Google Scholar, through search, focusing on the use of ensemble classifiers and machine learning classifiers and their application in predicting political elections through machine learning algorithms. Some specific keywords for the search include “ensemble classifier,” “political election prediction,” and “machine learning”, “stack ensemble”. Contribution: The study provides a broad and deep review of political election predictions through the use of machine learning algorithms and summarizes the major source of the dataset in the said analysis. Findings: Single classifiers have featured greatly in political election predictions, though ensemble classifiers have been used and have proven potent use in the said field is rather low. Recommendation for Researchers: The efficacy of stack classification algorithms can play a significant role in machine learning classification when modelled tactfully and is efficient in handling labelled datasets. however, runtime becomes a hindrance when the dataset grows larger with the increased number of base classifiers forming the stack. Future Research: There is the need to ensure a more comprehensive analysis, alternative data sources rather than depending largely on tweets, and explore ensemble machine learning classifiers in predicting political elections. Also, ensemble classification algorithms have indeed demonstrated superior performance when carefully chosen and combined.

Labor pain and its relieving methods is one of the anxieties of mothers having a great impact on the quality of care during delivery as well as the patients' satisfaction. The propensity of using non-medicinal pain relief methods is increasing. The present study aimed to compare the effect of Acupressure at two GB-21 and SP06 points on the severity of labor pain. In this quasi-experimental single blind study started on December 2010 and ended on June 2011 in which 150 primiparous women were divided into three groups of Acupressure at GB-21 point, Acupressure at SP-6 point and control group. The intervention was carried out for 20 min at 3-4 and 20 min at 7-8 cm dilatation of Cervix. The pain severity was measured by Visual Analog Scale before and immediately, 30 and 60 min after the intervention. Then, the data were statistically analyzed. No significant difference was found among the 3 groups regarding the pain severity before the intervention. However, the pain severity it was reduced at 3-4 and 7-8 cm dilatation immediately, 30 and 60 min after the intervention in the two intervention groups compared to the control group (p<0.001). Nonetheless, no statistically significant difference was observed between the two intervention groups (p = 0.93). The results of the study showed that application of Acupressure at two GB-21 and SP-6 points was effective in the reduction of the severity of labor pain. Therefore, further studies are recommended to be performed on the application of Acupressure together with non-medicinal methods.

Friday, September 27 | 9:30 a.m. (PT) | Online Event Details and Recoding Here  Join us for Race, Rights, and Innovation: Cultivating Equity in the Digital World, a thought-provoking event exploring the intersection of race, technology, and legal frameworks. We’ll delve into the historical treatment of minority creators in copyright ...

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This article is part of the 2024 BCLT-BTLJ-CMTL Symposium.  Blake E. Reid I am grateful to the BTLJ and BCLT for the opportunity to participate in this symposium’s panel on race, Internet platforms and Section 230. It’s a fortunate and timely opportunity to discuss Spencer Overton’s and Catherine Powell’s critical ...

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[Meg O’Neill] 00:08 Hello and welcome to the Berkeley Technology Law Journal podcast. My name is Meg O’Neill and I am one of the editors of the podcast. Today we are excited to share with you a conversation between Berkeley Law LLM student Franco Dellafiori, and Professor Bertrall Ross. Professor ...

The post Berkeley Technology Law Journal Podcast: Will ChatGPT Tell Me How to Vote? Democracy & AI with Professor Bertrall Ross appeared first on Berkeley Technology Law Journal.

COVID-19 created a surge in e-commerce usage, leading to fierce channel competition between the manufacturer's online sales and the offline retailer. Hence, the imperative need for effective and innovative optimisation strategies to mitigate channel competition. Manufacturer-coupons are widely practiced in market, yet research on the importance they play in coordinating channel competition to achieve optimisation in channel distributions is scarce. This research addresses this gap by examining the effectiveness of manufacturer-coupons on the coordination of the manufacturer's online sales and offline retailer's sales. The findings indicate that issuing a manufacturer-coupon to the customers who buy from the offline retailer reduces the competition in the different channel distributions, but cost sharing of the retailer coupon is a better strategy. We thus examine if profit sharing is an effective strategy to facilitate the use of manufacturer-coupon in the market. After comparing different scenarios, we conclude that advanced profit-sharing can be effective in making manufacturer-coupon prevalent in the market and thus alleviate channel competition effectively.

This paper studies a dual-channel supply chain consisting of one risk-averse manufacturer and one risk-averse retailer with stochastic demand. Herein, the manufacturer provides value-added services to enhance channel demand. First, the optimal pricing and service decisions of the channel members are investigated under different settings, i.e., the cooperative game, Bertrand game, and manufacturer Stackelberg (MS) game models. Second, the effects of channel members' risk aversion on optimal channel prices and expected utilities are analysed under the assumption that the manufacturer service is a decision variable and an exogenous variable, respectively. Third, sensitivity analysis and numerical simulation are performed to verify our propositions consistently and seek more managerial implications. The findings suggest that the manufacturer's value-added services in their direct channel will improve the direct price while decreasing the retail price. Consumers' channel loyalty degree has a great influence on the optimal price decisions and the performance of the channel members. The direct price increases while the retail price decreases in the manufacturer's value-added services. The retailer's risk aversion has a greater influence on price decisions than that of the manufacturer.

Yuan LI,Tingting HU,Ryuji FUCHIKAMI,Takeshi IKENAGA, Vol.E107-D, No.11, pp.1396-1407
1 millisecond (1-ms) vision systems are gaining increasing attention in diverse fields like factory automation and robotics, as the ultra-low delay ensures seamless and timely responses. Superpixel segmentation is a pivotal preprocessing to reduce the number of image primitives for subsequent processing. Recently, there has been a growing emphasis on leveraging deep network-based algorithms to pursue superior performance and better integration into other deep network tasks. Superpixel Sampling Network (SSN) employs a deep network for feature generation and employs differentiable SLIC for superpixel generation. SSN achieves high performance with a small number of parameters. However, implementing SSN on FPGAs for ultra-low delay faces challenges due to the final layer’s aggregation of intermediate results. To address this limitation, this paper proposes an aggregated to pipelined structure for FPGA implementation. The final layer is decomposed into individual final layers for each intermediate result. This architectural adjustment eliminates the need for memory to store intermediate results. Concurrently, the proposed structure leverages decomposed layers to facilitate a pipelined structure with pixel streaming input to achieve ultra-low latency. To cooperate with the pipelined structure, layer-partitioned memory architecture is proposed. Each final layer has dedicated memory for storing superpixel center information, allowing values to be read and calculated from memory without conflicts. Calculation results of each final layer are accumulated, and the result of each pixel is obtained as the stream reaches the last layer. Evaluation results demonstrate that boundary recall and under-segmentation error remain comparable to SSN, with an average label consistency improvement of 0.035 over SSN. From a hardware performance perspective, the proposed system processes 1000 FPS images with a delay of 0.947 ms/frame.
Publication Date: 2024/11/01

Product innovation has become a crucial part of the sustainability of the coconut agro-industry in Indonesia, covering upstream and downstream sides. To overcome this challenge, it is necessary to create several model stages using a hybrid method that combines machine learning based on multiple criteria decision making and mass balance analysis. The research case study was conducted in Tembilahan district, Riau province, Indonesia, one of the primary coconut producers in Indonesia. The analysis results showed that potential products for domestic customers included coconut milk, coconut cooking oil, coconut chips, coconut jelly, coconut sugar, and virgin coconut oil. Furthermore, considering the experts, the most potential product to be developed was coconut sugar with a weight of 0.26. Prediction of coconut sugar demand reached 13,996,607 tons/year, requiring coconut sap as a raw material up to 97,976,249.