Aim/Purpose: The aim and purpose of this study is to understand why there is a dearth of faculty of color ascending to senior levels of leadership in higher education institutions, and to identify strategies to increase the representation of faculty of color in university senior administrative positions. Background: There is a lack of faculty of color in senior level academic administrative position in the United States. Although there is clear evidence that faculty of color have not been promoted to senior level positions at the same rate as their White colleagues, besides racism there has been little evidence regarding the cause of such disparities. This is becoming an issue of increased importance as the student bodies of most U.S. higher educational institutions are becoming increasingly more inclusive of people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Methodology: Qualitative interviews were used Contribution: This study adds to the research and information made previously available regarding the status of non-White higher educational members in the U.S. by contributing insights from faculty of color who have encountered and are currently encountering forms of discrimination within various institutions. These additions include personal experiences and suggestions regarding the barriers to diversification and implications of the lack of diversity at higher educational institutions. Given the few diverse administrative or executive leaders in service today in higher education, these personal insights provide seldom-heard perspectives for both scholars and practitioners in the field of higher education. Findings: Limited diversity among faculty at higher educational institutions correlates with persistent underrepresentation and difficulty in finding candidates for leadership positions who are diverse, highly experienced, and highly ranked. This lack of diversity among leaders has negative implications like reduced access to mentorship, scholarship, and other promotional and networking opportunities for other faculty of color. While it is true that representation of faculty of color at certain U.S. colleges and programs has shown slight improvements in the last decade, nationwide statistics still demonstrate the persistence of this issue. Participants perceived that the White boys club found to some extent in nearly all higher educational institutions, consistently offers greater recognition, attention, and support for those who most resemble the norm and creates an adverse environment for minorities. However, in these findings and interviews, certain solutions for breaking through such barriers are revealed, suggesting progress is possible and gaining momentum at institutions nationwide. Recommendations for Practitioners: To recruit and sustain diverse members of the academic community, institutions should prioritize policies and procedures which allocate a fair share of responsibilities between faculty members and ensure equity in all forms of compensation. In addition, institutional leaders should foster a climate of mutual respect and understanding between members of the educational community to increase confidence of people of color and allow for fresh perspectives and creativity to flourish. Where policies for diversification exist but are not being applied, leaders have the responsibility to enforce and set the example for other members of the organization. Assimilation of diverse members occurs when leaders create an inclusive environment for various cultures and advocate for social and promotional opportunities for all members of the organization. Recommendations for Researchers: Significant research remains on understanding barriers to the preparation of faculty of color for leadership in higher education. While this research has provided first-hand qualitative perspectives from faculties of color, additional quantitative study is necessary to understand what significant differences in underrepresentation exist by race and ethnicity. Further research is also needed on the compound effects of race and gender due to the historic underrepresentation of women in leadership positions. At the institutional and departmental level, the study validates the need to look at both the implicit and explicit enforcement of policies regarding diversity in the workplace. Future Research: Higher education researchers may extend the findings of this study to explore how faculty of color have ascended to specific leadership roles within the academy such as department chair, academic dean, provost, and president.

Aim/Purpose: This brief paper will provide preliminary insight into an institutions effort to help students understand the application of the scientific method as it applies to the business discipline through the creation of a dedicated, required course added to the curriculum of a mid-Atlantic minority-serving institution. In or-der to determine whether the under-consideration course satisfies designated student learning outcomes, an assessment regime was initiated that included examination of rubric data as well as the administration of a student perception survey. This paper summarizes the results of the early examination of the efficacy of the course under consideration. Background: A small, minority-serving, university located in the United States conducted an assessment and determined that students entering a department of business following completion of their general education science requirements had difficulties transferring their understanding of the scientific method to the business discipline. Accordingly, the department decided to create a unique course offered to sophomore standing students titled Principles of Scientific Methods in Business. The course was created by a group of faculty with input from a twenty person department. Methodology: Rubrics used to assess a course term project were collected and analyzed in Microsoft Excel to measure student satisfaction of learning goals and a student satisfaction survey was developed and administered to students enrolled in the course under consideration to measure perceived course value. Contribution: While the scientific method applies across the business and information disciplines, students often struggle to envision this application. This paper explores the implications of a course specifically purposed to engender the development and usage of logical and scientific reasoning skills in the business discipline by students in the lower level of an bachelors degree program. The information conveyed in this paper hopefully makes a contribution in an area where there is still an insufficient body of research and where additional exploration is needed. Findings: For two semesters rubrics were collected and analyzed representing the inclusion of 53 students. The target mean for the rubric was a 2.8 and the overall achieved mean was a 2.97, indicating that student performance met minimal expectations. Nevertheless, student deficiencies in three crucial areas were identified. According to the survey findings, as a result of the class students had a better understanding of the scientific method as it applies to the business discipline, are now better able to critically assess a problem, feel they can formulate a procedure to solve a problem, can test a problem-solving process, have a better understanding of how to formulate potential business solutions, understand how potential solutions are evaluated, and understand how business decisions are evaluated. Conclusion: Following careful consideration and discussion of the preliminary findings, the course under consideration was significantly enhanced. The changes were implemented in the fall of 2020 and initial data collected in the spring of 2021 is indicating measured improvement in student success as exhibited by higher rubric scores. Recommendations for Practitioners: These initial findings are promising and while considering student success, especially as we increasingly face a greater and greater portion of under-prepared students entering higher education, initiatives to build the higher order thinking skills of students via transdisciplinary courses may play an important role in the future of higher education. Recommendations for Researchers: Additional studies of transdisciplinary efforts to improve student outcomes need to be explored through collection and evaluation of rubrics used to assess student learning as well as by measuring student perception of the efficacy of these efforts. Impact on Society: Society needs more graduates who leave universities ready to solve problems critically, strategically, and with scientific reasoning. Future Research: This study was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, it is resuming in late 2021 and it is the hope that a robust and detailed paper, with more expansive findings will eventually be generated.

Aim/Purpose: Board of Directors seek to use their big data as a competitive advantage. Still, scholars note the complexities of corporate governance in practice related to information security risk management (ISRM) effectiveness. Background: While the interest in ISRM and its relationship to organizational success has grown, the scholarly literature is unclear about the effects of Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) leadership styles, the alignment of the governance of big data, and ISRM effectiveness in organizations in the West-ern United States. Methodology: The research method selected for this study was a quantitative, correlational research design. Data from 139 participant survey responses from Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) in the Western United States were analyzed using 3 regression models to test for mediation following Baron and Kenny’s methodology. Contribution: Previous scholarship has established the importance of leadership styles, big data governance, and ISRM effectiveness, but not in a combined understanding of the relationship between all three variables. The researchers’ primary objective was to contribute valuable knowledge to the practical field of computer science by empirically validating the relationships between the CTOs leadership styles, the alignment of the governance of big data, and ISRM effectiveness. Findings: The results of the first regression model between CTOs leadership styles and ISRM effectiveness were statistically significant. The second regression model results between CTOs leadership styles and the alignment of the governance of big data were not statistically significant. The results of the third regression model between CTOs leadership styles, the alignment of the governance of big data, and ISRM effectiveness were statistically significant. The alignment of the governance of big data was a significant predictor in the model. At the same time, the predictive strength of all 3 CTOs leadership styles was diminished between the first regression model and the third regression model. The regression models indicated that the alignment of the governance of big data was a partial mediator of the relationship between CTOs leadership styles and ISRM effectiveness. Recommendations for Practitioners: With big data growing at an exponential rate, this research may be useful in helping other practitioners think about how to test mediation with other interconnected variables related to the alignment of the governance of big data. Overall, the alignment of governance of big data being a partial mediator of the relationship between CTOs leadership styles and ISRM effectiveness suggests the significant role that the alignment of the governance of big data plays within an organization. Recommendations for Researchers: While this exact study has not been previously conducted with these three variables with CTOs in the Western United States, overall, these results are in agreement with the literature that information security governance does not significantly mediate the relationship between IT leadership styles and ISRM. However, some of the overall findings did vary from the literature, including the predictive relationship between transactional leadership and ISRM effectiveness. With the finding of partial mediation indicated in this study, this also suggests that the alignment of the governance of big data provides a partial intervention between CTOs leadership styles and ISRM effectiveness. Impact on Society: Big data breaches are increasing year after year, exposing sensitive information that can lead to harm to citizens. This study supports the broader scholarly consensus that to achieve ISRM effectiveness, better alignment of governance policies is essential. This research highlights the importance of higher-level governance as it relates to ISRM effectiveness, implying that ineffective governance could negatively impact both leadership and ISRM effectiveness, which could potentially cause reputational harm. Future Research: This study raised questions about CTO leadership styles, the specific governance structures involved related to the alignment of big data and ISRM effectiveness. While the research around these variables independently is mature, there is an overall lack of mediation studies as it relates to the impact of the alignment of the governance of big data. With the lack of alignment around a universal framework, evolving frameworks could be tested in future research to see if similar results are obtained.

Health Data collection is one of the major components of public health systems. Decision makers, policy makers, and medical service providers need accurate and timely data in order to improve the quality of health services. The rapid growth and use of mobile technologies has exerted pressure on the demand for mobile-based data collection solutions to bridge the information gaps in the health sector. We propose a prototype using open source data collection frameworks to test its feasibility in improving the vaccination data collection in Kenya. KenVACS, the proposed prototype, offers ways of collecting vaccination data through mobile phones and visualizes the collected data in a web application; the system also sends reminder short messages service (SMS) to remind parents on the date of the next vaccination. Early evaluation demonstrates the benefits of such a system in supporting and improving vaccination of children. Finally, we conducted a qualitative study to assess challenges in remote health data collection and evaluated usability and functionality of KenVACS.

Efficient knowledge and information management is essential for companies to prosper in the rapidly changing global environment. This article presents challenges of a large Finnish multinational company relating to their current knowledge and information management practices and systems. The focus is on New Product Introduction (NPI) process. The study is based on interviews and facilitated workshops in the Research and Development (R&D) and Production departments. Furthermore, the identified challenges are reflected to the findings presented in knowledge and information management literature. The results gained from the company case study were well in line with the findings in the literature. Three main topics, which can be generalized to cause challenges for knowledge and information management in most companies, were recognized: 1) Issues related to human behavior, individual characteristics and capabilities, different backgrounds, and professional vocabulary; 2) Codifying tacit knowledge into explicit information, which can be saved to company information system; 3) Lack of interoperability between different information systems. The study provides the management of the case company, and other similar organizations, focus points while seeking for better knowledge and information management. From a scientific perspective, the main contribution of this article is to give practical examples of how the theoretical findings presented in literature manifest themselves in real industrial practices.

Aim/Purpose: This work aims to understand why a disparity between the popularity of smart phones and the limited adoption of m-banking exists. Accordingly, this study investigates factors that affect a person’s decision to adopt m-banking services. Such an investigation seeks to determine if and to what extent customers’ mobile phone experience as well as their awareness of m-banking services influence their intention to use such services? Background: This study developed a conceptual model to determine the influence that users’ mobile phone experience as well as users’ awareness of m-banking services had on users’ behavioral intention to use m-banking in Saudi Arabia. Methodology: The quantitative method used to collect data was a survey questionnaire tech-nique. A questionnaire with non-structured (close-ended) questions was formulated. A random sample, targeting banking customers in Saudi Arabia, was selected. This study collected data using a cross-sectional survey. Of those surveyed, 389 provided valid responses eligible for data analysis. SPSS v.22 was used to analyze the data. Contribution: This study produced helpful results and a new m-banking conceptual model. The developed conceptual model focused integrally on users’ awareness and experience as antecedents of m-banking adoption and highlighted the im-portance of differentiating between measuring the users’ characteristics in adopting e-banking in general and m-banking services in particular. In addition, this type of model has the ability to synthesize new control variables as well as to study technology acceptance in developing countries. This study, based on an extended UTAUT model, set out to discover what factors might affect customers’ intentions to use m-banking in Saudi Arabia. Findings: The results show that service awareness has a direct effect on performance and effort expectancy, but not on perceived risk. Moreover, mobile phone experience fails to impact the relationships in the same hypothesized direction. As anticipated, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and perceived risk have direct and significant effects on behavioral intentions to use m-banking. However, customer awareness fails to impact the relationships of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and perceived risk on behavioral intentions to use m-banking. Recommendations for Practitioners: Banks should target customers by distributing useful information and applying measures to increase acceptance. Banks need to introduce something imaginative to convince bank customers to abandon existing service channels and adopt m-banking services. Banks should make m-banking services the easiest service for conducting bank transactions and/or help customers conduct transactions that they cannot do any other way. Recommendation for Researchers: Other factors, such as trust, culture, and/or credibility should be investigated along with user’s awareness and experience factors in m-banking services. There is a need to focus on a specific type of m-banking. Thus, it may be fruitful to study the adoption of different systems of m-banking services. Impact on Society: This study suggests that m-banking services should be designed and built based on a deep understanding of customers’ needs using extensive testing to assure that applications and sites function well in a mobile setting. Future Research: Future researchers should apply the conceptual model developed in this study in different settings, different countries, and to different technologies.

Aim/Purpose: Unified Communications (UC) is touted as a technology that will transform business communication. While positive claims abound, the factors of UC attributable to its success have yet to be identified. By examining how users perceive UC impacts productivity, this study aids organizations in making better decisions regarding investments in and usage of communications technologies. Background: Unified Communications integrates disparate communications and information sharing applications into a single platform. The promise of UC is that it will revolutionize the workplace by providing a more synchronized fit between the way people communicate and the technology they use. Methodology: Through case study research conducted within a large multinational corporation (the Hewlett Packard Company), this study investigated the impact of UC on productivity. Interview narratives were examined using an open coding technique to capture individual perceptions of productivity. Further, to assess the role UC plays in facilitating relationship building and its connection to productivity, participant responses were mapped to the key factors of technology that influence relationships within an organization as identified by Dillon and Montano (2005). Contribution: This research contributes to studies on the impact of UC on productivity in the workplace. Findings UC was found to increase personal productivity, remove communication barriers, and create a more positive work environment. Recommendations for Practitioners : The findings of this study will aid organizations in making investment decisions as they evolve their business communications strategy. Impact on Society: Unified Communications will play an increasingly important role as people adapt to the evolving digital world through which they communicate and collaborate. Future Research: Little research exists that examines the impact of UC within an organization. Additional research investigating the use of UC in a variety of business sectors is needed.

Aim/Purpose: This paper aims to discuss the activities involved in facilitating self-selecting teams for Agile software development projects. This paper also discussed how these activities can influence the successful expertise coordination in Agile teams. Background: Self-selecting teams enable Agile team members to choose teams based on whom they prefer to work with. Good team bonding allows Agile team members to rely on each other in coordinating their expertise resources effectively. This is the focal point where expertise coordination is needed in Agile teams. Methodology: This study employed Grounded Theory by interviewing 48 Agile practitioners from different software organizations mainly based in New Zealand. This study also carried out several sessions of observations and document analysis in conjunction with interviews. Contribution: This study contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying the way self-selecting teams support expertise coordination. Findings: Our findings indicated that the activities involved tend to influence the successful expertise coordination in Agile teams. Self-selecting teams are essential to supporting expertise coordination by increasing inter-dependencies between Agile team members, ensuring a diverse range of knowledge and skills in teams. Recommendations for Practitioners: The self-selecting team activities can be used as a guideline for Agile software organizations in forming self-selecting teams in the fastest and most efficient way. It is vital for management to facilitate the process of self-selecting teams in order to optimize successful expertise coordination. Recommendation for Researchers: There is potential for further Grounded Theory research to explore more activities and strategies involved in self-selecting teams. Impact on Society: Self-selecting teams in Agile software developments projects tend to boost the productivity of software development. Future Research: Several hypotheses can be tested through a deductive approach in future studies.

Aim/Purpose: Mobile commerce adoption is low in developing countries; hence, public servants may not consider mobile commerce and mobile payments. Understanding the factors that influence mobile commerce and mobile payments in their context will aid in promoting those services. Background: The study investigates the factors that influence public servants’ mobile commerce and mobile payments in Ghana. Hence, it provides some understanding of the various aspects of mobile commerce and mobile payments adoption, such as acceptance, use, and eventual adoption into the user’s daily life, and how that affects their behaviour. Methodology: The research was conducted by surveying the factors influencing public servants’ adoption of mobile commerce and payments in Ghana. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to put the research model to the test to measure the constructs and their relationships. Contribution: The study confirmed previous findings and created a new conceptual model for mobile commerce and mobile payment adoption and usage in the Ghanaian context. Findings: The variables of performance expectancy, trust, and facilitating conditions have a significant positive influence on behavioural intention. The factors of effort expectation and social influence have a significant negative impact. Price value and perceived reliability are latent variables that do not affect behavioural intention. Behavioural intention and facilitating conditions significantly influence the actual use behaviour of mobile commerce and mobile payment users. Recommendations for Practitioners: Mobile commerce is emerging as a new mode of transactions, with firms providing enabling platforms for users. Mobile commerce could become the most acceptable application for the next generation of mobile platform applications. This study offers insights into the fluidity of the mobile environment, with implications that spell out what will be effective mobile commerce services that will continue to be relevant. Mobile applications are attractive to people because they provide a better user experience. These mobile applications have been optimised to provide a fast, easy and delightful experience. Mobile commerce and mobile payment service providers can attract and retain more users if attention is paid to performance expectancy, trust, and facilitating conditions since they influence individuals’ decisions to adopt. Mobile technology is almost ubiquitous, influencing both online sales and in-store sales. With the right mobile commerce platform and features, businesses can expect to increase in-store and online sales, catering to a more extensive clientele. Mobile devices are the primary means that most customers use to look up information about products they see in stores, such as product reviews and pricing options. This study indicates that mobile commerce service providers can achieve a more extensive customer base by promoting performance expectancy, trust, and behavioural intentions. Recommendation for Researchers: Despite the numerous studies in the mobile commerce literature, few have used integrated models of perceived reliability, trust, and price value or methods to evaluate these factors in the emerging mobile commerce industry. Also, it combines mobile commerce and mobile payments, which very few that we know of have done. Impact on Society: Ghana is already in a cash-lite economy. Thus, the study is appropriate with the result of trust being a significant factor. It implies that people will begin using mobile commerce and mobile payments with a bit of drive to bring about this drive quickly. Future Research: Future research could further test the adapted model with moderating factors of age, gender, and education to delve deeper into the complexities of mobile commerce and mobile payments.

Aim/Purpose: Systematic literature reviews seek to locate all studies that contain material of relevance to a research question and to synthesize the relevant outcomes of those studies. The primary aim of this paper was to synthesize both research and practice reports on micro-credentials (MCRs). Background: There has been an increase in reports and research on the plausibility of MCRs to support dynamic human skills development for an increasingly impatient and rapidly changing digital world. The integration of fast-paced emerging technologies and digitalization necessitate alternative learning paradigms. MCRs offer time, financial, and space flexibility and can be stacked into a larger qualification, thereby allowing for a broader range of transdisciplinary competencies within a qualification. However, MCRs often lack the academic rigor required for accreditation within existing disciplines. Methodology: The study followed the PRISMA framework (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses), which offers a rigorous method to enhance reporting quality. The study used both academic research and practice reports. Contribution: The paper makes a theoretical contribution to the discourse about the need for innovation within existing educational paradigms for continued relevance in a changing world. It also contributes to the debate on the role of MCRs in bridging the gap between practice and academia despite the growing difference between their interests, and the role that MCRs play in the social-economic plans of countries. Findings: The key findings are that investments in MCRs are mainly in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Education sectors, and have taken place mainly in high-income countries and regions – contexts that particularly value practice-accredited MCRs. Low-income countries, by contrast, remain traditional and insist on MCRs that are formally accredited by a recognized academic institution. This contributes to a widening skills gap between low- and high-income countries or regions, which results in greater global disparities. There is also a growing divide between academia and practice concerning their interest in MCRs (a reflection of the rigor versus relevance debate), which partially explains why many global and larger organizations have gone on to create their own learning institutions. Recommendations for Practitioners: We recommend that educational mechanisms consider the critical importance of MCRs as part of innovative efforts for life-wide (different sectors) and life-long (same sector) learning, especially in low-income countries. MCRs provide dynamic mechanisms to fill skills gaps in an increasing ruthless international battle for talent. Recommendation for Researchers: We recommend focused research into skills and career pathways using MCRs while at the same time remaining responsive to transdisciplinary efforts and sensitive to global and local changes within any sector. Impact on Society: Work and society have transformed over time, and more so in the new digital age, yet academia has been slow in adapting to the changes, forcing organizations to create their own learning institutions or to use MCRs to fill the skills gap. The purpose of education goes beyond preparing individuals for work, extending further to creating an environment where individuals and governments seek their own social and economic outcomes. MCRs provide a flexible means for co-creation between individuals, education, organizations, and government that could stem global rising unemployment, social exclusion, and redundancy. Future Research: Future research should focus on the co-creation of MCRs between practitioners and academia.

Empowered by and tethered to ubiquitous technologies, the current generation of youth yearns for opportunities to engage in self-expression and information sharing online with personal disclosure no longer governed by concepts of propriety and privacy. This raises issues about the unsafe online activities of teens and young adults. The following paper presents the findings of a study examining the social networking activities of undergraduate students and also highlights a program to increase awareness of the dangers and safe practices when using and communicating, via social media. According to the survey results, young adults practice risky social networking site (SNS) behaviors with most having experienced at least one negative consequence. Further, females were more likely than males to engage in oversharing as well as to have experienced negative consequences. Finally, results of a post-treatment survey found that a targeted program that includes flyers, posters, YouTube videos, handouts, and in-class information sessions conducted at a Mid-Atlantic Historically Black College or University (HBCU) increased student awareness of the dangers of social media as well as positively influenced students to practice more prudent online behaviors.

Aim/Purpose: This study examines the impact of the Israeli National Program on pre-service teachers’ skills in the integration of ICT in teaching and discusses the influential factors of successful implementation of practices in the field. Background: In the current Information Age, many countries relate to education as an im-portant factor for national growth. Teacher education plays a significant role in coping with the challenge of educating a new generation of school students to compete in a technology-driven society. In 2011, the Israel Ministry of Education initiated the National Program for transforming teacher education colleges to meet the demands of the 21st century. Methodology: The study focuses on two research questions: (1) What was the impact of the National Program on pre-service teacher training concerning the integration of ICT in their teaching? (2) What are the predictors of the pre-service teachers’ practice of ICT integration in teaching? It is a quantitative study, based on data collected in two rounds two years apart that compares several indices of pre-service teachers’ preparation to teach with ICT. Contribution: The findings offer insights regarding influential factors of successful integration of ICT in education. Findings: Analyses showed a significant increase in most of the indices of teacher training according to the National Program, in particular in the number of ICT-based lessons that pre-service teachers taught in their teaching practice at schools. Predictors of ICT integration in teaching were modeling by faculty members and school mentor teachers, the number of ICT-based lessons taught by pre-service teachers, and pre-requisite conditions at schools and colleges. Recommendations for Practitioners: The current challenge is to promote innovative ICT-based teaching methods among teacher educators, school teacher mentors, and pre-service teachers. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings underscore the importance of modelling by the school mentors as well as pre-requisite conditions at schools. Impact on Society: Being acquainted with the most influential factors of successful integration of ICT in teaching by pre-service teachers can improve teacher education as well as the education system in educating future generations. Future Research: More research is needed to learn about the dissemination of innovative models of ICT integration in teaching by pre-service teachers and their educators.

Contribution: This study contributes to scientific literature by detailing the impact of specific factors on the privacy concerns of citizens living in an African city Findings: The findings reveal that the more that impersonal data is collected by the Smart City of Cape Town, the lower the privacy concerns of the digital natives. The findings also show that the digital natives have higher privacy concerns when they express a strong need to be aware of the security measure put in place by the city. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners (i.e., policy makers) should ensure that it is a legal requirement to have security measures in place to protect the privacy of the citizens while collecting data within the smart city of Cape Town. These regulations should be made public to appease any apprehensions from its citizens towards smart city implementations. Less personal data should also be collected on the citizens. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should further investigate issues related to privacy concerns in the context of African developing countries. Such is the case since the population of these countries might have unique cultural and philosophical perspectives that might influence how they perceive privacy. Impact on Society: Cities are becoming “smarter” and in developing world context like Africa, privacy issues might not have as a strong influence as is the case in the developing world. Future Research: Further qualitative studies should be conducted to better understand issues related to perceived benefits, perceived control, awareness of how data is collected, and level of privacy concerns of digital natives in developing countries.

Aim/Purpose: This paper presents the preliminary findings of a pilot survey that sought to examine the technology uses, backgrounds, needs, interests, career goals, and professional expectations of Generation Z students enrolled at a minority serving institution in the United States Mid-Atlantic region. Background: Students entering college today are part of Generation Z born in the late 90’s through 2016. Known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task, they already outnumber millennials and are the first true digital natives born during the age of smart phone. Methodology: In the fall of 2017, an online student perception survey was piloted with stu-dents enrolled at a mid-Atlantic minority serving institution. The survey included a combination of dichotomous, Likert-scaled, and ranking questions. The survey was administered electronically using the Survey Monkey system to students following completion of core computer concepts courses and explored their technology backgrounds, skills, perceived computing self-efficacy, and the role they predict technology will play in their future career. The data was subsequently exported to Microsoft Excel and SPSS where descriptive statistical analyses were conducted. Contribution: As Generation Z descends on college campuses, with their technology domi-nated backgrounds and different communications, learning, and social prefer-ences, it is important to better understand this generation whose needs and expectations will help shape the future of higher education. Additionally, this study also provides research on a population (first-generation minority college students) that is expanding in numbers in higher education and that the litera-ture, reports is impacted negatively by the digital divide and educational inequalities. This paper is timely and relevant and helps to extend our understanding of Generation Z. Findings: The findings show that Generation Z learners enrolled in a minority-serving institution enjoy computer classes, feel that using computers comes easy to them; and perceive themselves as experts in the use of social media, mobile operating systems, using a smart phone, searching the Web, and email. Participants also reported that they want to be more technologically literate, want to be more skilled in computer software applications, and are interested in learning about cyber security. In terms of the future, most respondents also believe that their career will require them to analyze information to inform decision making. Additionally, most stated that information security will be important to their future career. Finally, the results affirmed that college computing courses remain important and that college students recognize that technology will play a crucial role in their career with employers wanting to see job applicants with strong technology skills. Recommendations for Practitioners: Generation Z learners enrolled in higher education need, and want, a wide range of technology courses available to them in order to help them meet the rapidly evolving demands of tomorrow’s workplace. Students in this study overwhelmingly see the value in enhancing their technology skills especially in such areas as computer software applications, information management, and cyber security. Recommendation for Researchers: Institutions of higher education should invest in thorough and ongoing examinations of the information and technology literacy skills, needs, and perceptions of students. Impact on Society: Understanding the interests and needs of Generation Z learners is imperative to the future of higher education. Future Research: This survey is a work in progress that is part of a pilot study that is being used to help guide a much more sizable examination of Generation Z learners.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to discover usage differences in task performance by students of different cultures, by examining procrastination patterns from a national cultural perspective and exploring the effect of multicultural virtual teamwork on students’ individual procrastination. Background: This study aims to examine higher-education entrepreneurial learning in the context of multicultural virtual teamwork, as performed during participation on a Global Entrepreneurship course. Methodology: The methodology consists of quantitative comparative data analytics preceding and subsequent to intercultural team activities. This research is based on analyses of objective data collected by Moodle, the LMS used in the In2It project, in its built-in log system from the Global Entrepreneurship course website, which offers students diverse entities of information and tasks. In the examined course, there were 177 participants, from three different countries: United Kingdom, France and Israel. The students were grouped into 40 multicultural virtual (not face-to-face) teams, each one comprised of participants from at least two countries. The primary methodology of this study is analytics of the extracted data, which was transferred into Excel for cleaning purposes and then to SPSS for analysis. Contribution: This study aims to discover the effects of multicultural teamwork on individual procrastination while comparing the differences between cultures, as there are only a few studies exploring this relation. The uniqueness of this study is using and analyzing actual data of student procrastination from logs, whereas other studies of procrastination in multicultural student teams have measured perceived procrastination, collected using surveys. Findings: The results show statistical differences between countries in procrastination of individual assignments before team working: students from UK were the most procrastinators and Israeli students were the least procrastinators, but almost all students procrastinated. However, the outcome of the teamwork was submitted almost without procrastination. Moreover, procrastination in individual assignments performed after finishing the multicultural teamwork dramatically decreased to 10% of the students’ prior individual procrastination. Recommendations for Practitioners: The results from this study, namely, the decline of the procrastination after the multicultural virtual teamwork, can be used by global firms with employees all over the world, working in virtual multicultural teams. Such firms do not need to avoid multicultural teams, working virtually, as they can benefit from this kind of collaboration. Recommendation for Researchers: These results can be also beneficial for academic researchers from different cultures and countries, working together in virtual multicultural teams. Impact on Society: Understanding the positive effect of virtual multicultural teamwork, in mitigating the negative tendency of students from diverse cultures to procrastinate, as concluded in this study, can provide a useful tool for higher education or businesses to mitigate procrastination in teamwork processes. It can also be used as an experiential learning tool for improving task performance and teamwork process. Future Research: The relation between procrastination and motivation should be further examined in relation to multicultural virtual teams. Further research is needed to explore the effect of multicultural virtual teamwork during the teamwork process, and the reasoning for this effect.

The all-pervasive Internet has created serious problems, such as Internet overuse, which has triggered considerable debate over its relationship with addiction. To further explore its genetic susceptibilities and alternative explanations for Internet overuse, we proposed and evaluated four hypotheses, each based on existing knowledge of the biological bases of addiction, inattention, novelty-seeking, and harm-avoidance. Four genetic loci including DRD4 VNTR, DRD2 Taq1A, COMT Val158Met and 5-HTTLPR length polymorphisms were screened from seventy-three individuals. Our results showed that the DRD4 4R/4R individuals scored significantly higher than the 2R or 7R carriers in Internet Addiction Test (IAT). The 5-HTTLPR short/short males scored significantly higher in IAT than the long variant carriers. Bayesian analysis showed the most compatible hypothesis with the observed genetic results was based on attention (69.8%), whereas hypotheses based harm-avoidance (21.6%), novelty-seeking (7.8%) and addiction (0.9%) received little support. Our study suggests that carriers of alleles (DRD4 2R and 7R, 5-HTTLPR long) associated with inattentiveness are more likely to experience disrupted patterns and reduced durations of Internet use, protecting them from Internet overuse. Furthermore, our study suggests that Internet overuse should be categorized differently from addiction due to the lack of shared genetic contributions.

Group work can provide a valuable learning experience, one that is especially relevant for those preparing to enter the information system workforce. While much has been discussed about effective means of delivering the benefits of collaborative learning in groups, there are some problems that arise due to pragmatic environmental factors such as the part time work commitments of students. This study has identified a range of problems and reports on a longitudinal Action Research study in two universities (in Australia and the USA). Over three semesters problems were identified and methods trialed using collaborative tools. Several promising solutions are presented to the identified problems. These include the use of Google documents and color to ensure team contributions are more even.

Aim/Purpose: The year 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the first official definition of the term “transdisciplinarity.” This paper focuses on a critical analysis of the development of modern transdisciplinarity since its inception. Background: The article presents two main directions for the development of transdisciplinarity. It also shows its identification features, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as the significant role transdisciplinarity plays in science and education. Methodology: The methodology employed in this article is a content analysis of resolutions of international forums as well as articles on transdisciplinarity published from 1970 to 2019. Contribution: For one reason or the other, several of these authors did not quote the opinions of the original authors of transdisciplinarity. The subsequent use of those articles by other authors thus posed some ambiguities about the place and role of transdisciplinarity in science and education. The advent of e-databases has made it possible to access the original forum articles. This further made it possible to refine the original content of the term “transdisciplinarity” and to trace its development without mixing it with vague opinions. Based on these findings, the perception of transdisciplinarity as a marginal trend in science and education could be eliminated. Findings: This paper shows how modern transdisciplinarity is developing into two main directions: transdisciplinarity in science as well as transdisciplinarity in education. These orientations have individual goals and objectives. The transdisciplinarity of scientific research helps to complete the transformation of the potential for interdisciplinary interaction and the integration of disciplines. Whereas, in education, transdisciplinarity (meta-discipline) is about developing an international standard for transdisciplinary education and also describing the content of transdisciplinary competence for students of diverse disciplines at all levels of higher education (bachelor’s, master’s and postgraduate studies). Recommendation for Researchers: Transdisciplinary research involves the interaction of people with disciplinary knowledge plus a degree of scientific outlook. Since disciplinary knowledge domains remain in their disciplinary boxes, it is, therefore, advisable to generalize disciplinary knowledge rather than force them to interact. This is the basis for proposing the systems transdisciplinary approach—which provides a methodology for unifying and generalizing disciplinary knowledge. Future Research: As the research shows, the organizers of modern international forums do not take into account the division of transdisciplinarity development trends. To increase the effectiveness and significance of such forums, it is necessary to return to the practice of organizing special international forums on the transdisciplinarity of science and that of education.

Aim/Purpose: The integration of knowledge through the transdisciplinary method with the three concepts civilization, ideology, and geopolitics (CIG) enables the analysis of international relations in a new perspective and the informing strategists of countries, organizations, analysts, clients, etc. These three concepts express the transdisciplinarity that offers a new theoretical explanation and the informing science approach. Background: The integration of knowledge using the three concepts for the analysis of international relations has found adequate explanations from 1890 until the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan. Therefore, the CIG model theoretically and practically finds support for more than a century, as argued in the paper. Methodology: The present paper uses a mixed theory based on transdisciplinary methodology and informing science. The literature was reviewed to find and build the theoretical basis and provide appropriate examples. The theory is also based on the model used by Francis Fukuyama in his books on building and dissolution of states (middle-range theory). Contribution: This paper enables the rethinking of the limitations of research on a theoretical and practical basis that is done in many scientific circles, not to eliminate others but to enrich science even more. Findings: In the paper, the main findings are the following: Integrating the three CIG concepts according to the transdisciplinary method offers a new perspective to explain international relations using the IS method; The integration of the three concepts is worthwhile after 1980, when the model of cabinet governments falls, Bismarck falls, and public opinion starts to emerge; It was after 1980 that theories of civilization and geopolitics began to emerge along with ideologies to apply in practice; These three concepts offer explanations based on a CIG zone and in the periphery of the CIG zone. In the CIG zone the security sphere is more stable and long-term, while in periphery the cooperation is temporary and not long termed; The paper shows that the Cold War period is divided into two periods; The paper also finds that CIG explains with examples the events that happened after the Cold War and until present days; The paper also shows, based on the strategies of the superpowers, how they are extending their influence based on the CIG concepts. The paper also shows new patterns of cooperation and clashes between the superpowers’ security zones, which also provide an explanatory perspective for the USA withdrawal from Afghanistan. (We do not talk in the paper about the Afghanistan issue and USA withdrawal). Recommendation for Researchers: Scientific attributes in the integration of knowledge give researchers a more open and comprehensive perspective to make more accurate and practical analyses of international relations. According to this model, other theories are enriched that use the transdisciplinary method, IS, and the CIG as a model for the integration of knowledge. Future Research: Researchers and practitioners of this CIG model can find answers such as “Why did the USA fail in Afghanistan and why was it successful in Kosovo?” as well as other questions about finding a solution for Iraq, cooperation with China, etc.

This article is part of the 2024 BCLT-BTLJ-CMTL Symposium.  Angela R. Riley When my tribe, the Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma (CPN), established an Eagle Aviary to protect and care for injured eagles that could no longer survive in the wild, it did so with a few goals in mind. ...

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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.