ee Antecedents and Adoption of E-Banking in Bank Performance: The Perspective of Private Bank Employees By Published On :: 2018-10-18 Aim/Purpose: This paper identifies the antecedents that affect E-Banking (EB) adoption and investigates the relationship between the level of EB adoption and the performance of private banks. Background: Rapid technological advancement has transformed the business environment dramatically. These advancements particularly the Internet has reshaped the way businesses operate. Over the last decade, the banking industry has become highly complex and competitive and operates in a highly volatile and unpredictable global economy. With the increasing demand for electronic services, banks are harnessing EB technology to improve their products and services. Methodology: Quantitative research using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was carried out with a sample size of 211 by sending questionnaires to employees of six banks in Khartoum, Sudan. The study is based on different technology theories and models. Contribution: The study provides insights into the employees’ perception of EB adoption in their banking transactions. Findings: The results showed that four factors are significant in the adoption of EB in Sudan. However, training and user trust were insignificant in determining its adoption. Moreover, the level of adoption of EB significantly affected private bank performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Private banks in Sudan that are interested in EB might find these findings helpful in guiding their technology adoption and application initiatives. Recommendation for Researchers: To validate the research model, cross data from different countries are encouraged to apply the model to capture the differences and similarities among them. In addition, a longitudinal research could be conducted to gather data for adoption process over a longer period rather than one point of time, to investigate antecedents and bank performance outcomes by the end of the study period. Other antecedents and outcomes could possibly be included to improve the power of the study model. Impact on Society: This study provides a reference for banks with similar developing country backgrounds in adopting EB to enhance their performance. Moreover, knowledge of antecedents and outcomes of EB adoption could be positively reflected in service quality performance. Future Research: This research is limited to the employees’ perspective, and future research could consider the perception of customers from a developing country towards EB adoption. Full Article
ee The Role of Knowledge Management Process and Intellectual Capital as Intermediary Variables between Knowledge Management Infrastructure and Organization Performance By Published On :: 2018-09-24 Aim/Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the interrelationships among knowledge management infrastructure, knowledge management process, intellectual capital, and organization performance. Background: Although knowledge management capability is extensively used by organizations, reaching their maximum financial and non-financial performances has not been fully researched. Therefore, organizations need to optimize their performance by exploiting knowledge management capability through the accumulation of intellectual capital, where the new competitiveness is shifting from tangible to intangible resources. Methodology: This study adopted a positivist philosophy and deductive approach to accomplish the main goal of this research. Moreover, this research employed a quantitative approach since this study is concerned with causal relationship between variables. A questionnaire-based survey was designed to evaluate the research model using a convenience sample of 134 employees from the food industry sector in Jordan. Surveyed data was examined following the structural equation modeling procedures. Contribution: This study highlighted the potential benefits of applying the knowledge management capabilities, intellectual capital, and organizational performance to the food industrial sector in Jordan. Future research suggestions are also provided. Findings: Results indicated that knowledge management infrastructure had a positive effect on knowledge management process. In addition, knowledge management process impacted positively intellectual capital and organization performance and mediated the relationship between knowledge management infrastructure and intellectual capital. However, knowledge management infrastructure did not positively associate to organization performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: The current model is designed to help managers and decision makers to improve their management capabilities as well as their organization financial and non-financial performance through exploiting the organizational knowledge management infrastructure and intellectual capital approaches. Recommendation for Researchers: Our findings can be used as a base of knowledge to conduct further studies about knowledge management capabilities, intellectual capital, and organization performance following different criteria and research procedures. Impact on Society: The designed model highlights a significant organizational performance approach that can influence Jordanian food industrial sector positively. Future Research: The current designed research model can be applied and assessed further in other sectors including banking and industrial sectors across developed and developing countries. Also, we suggest that in addition to focusing on knowledge management process and intellectual capital as mediating variables, future research could test our findings in a longitudinal study and examine how to affect financial and non-financial performance. Full Article
ee The Relationship between Ambidextrous Knowledge Sharing and Innovation within Industrial Clusters: Evidence from China By Published On :: 2019-04-28 Aim/Purpose: This study examines the influence of ambidextrous knowledge sharing in industrial clusters on innovation performance from the perspective of knowledge-based dynamic capabilities. Background: The key factor to improving innovation performance in an enterprise is to share knowledge with other enterprises in the same cluster and use dynamic capabilities to absorb, integrate, and create knowledge. However, the relationships among these concepts remain unclear. Based on the dynamic capability theory, this study empirically reveals how enterprises drive innovation performance through knowledge sharing. Methodology: Survey data from 238 cluster enterprises were used in this study. The sample was collected from industrial clusters in China’s Fujian province that belong to the automobile, optoelectronic, and microwave communications industries. Through structural equation modeling, this study assessed the relationships among ambidextrous knowledge sharing, dynamic capabilities, and innovation performance. Contribution: This study contributes to the burgeoning literature on knowledge management in China, an important emerging economy. It also enriches the exploration of innovation performance in the cluster context and expands research on the dynamic mechanism from a knowledge perspective. Findings: Significant relationships are found between ambidextrous knowledge sharing and innovation performance. First, ambidextrous knowledge sharing positively influences the innovation performance of cluster enterprises. Further, knowledge absorption and knowledge generation capabilities play a mediating role in this relationship, which confirms that dynamic capabilities are a partial mediator in the relationship between ambidextrous knowledge sharing and innovation performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: The results highlight the crucial role of knowledge management in contributing to cluster innovation and management practices. They indicate that cluster enterprises should consider the importance of knowledge sharing and dynamic capabilities for improving innovation performance and establish a multi-agent knowledge sharing platform. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could further explore the role of other mediating variables (e.g., organizational agility, industry growth) as well as moderating variables (e.g., environmental uncertainty, learning orientation). Impact on Society: This study provides a reference for enterprises in industrial clusters to use knowledge-based capabilities to enhance their competitive advantage. Future Research: Future research could collect data from various countries and regions to test the research model and conduct a comparative analysis of industrial clusters. Full Article
ee The Effect of Rational Based Beliefs and Awareness on Employee Compliance with Information Security Procedures: A Case Study of a Financial Corporation in Israel By Published On :: 2020-07-02 Aim/Purpose: This paper examines the behavior of financial firm employees with regard to information security procedures instituted within their organization. Furthermore, the effect of information security awareness and its importance within a firm is explored. Background: The study focuses on employees’ attitude toward compliance with information security policies (ISP), combined with various norms and personal abilities. Methodology: A self-reported questionnaire was distributed among 202 employees of a large financial Corporation Contribution: As far as we know, this is the first paper to thoroughly explore employees’ awareness of information system procedures, among financial organizations in Israel, and also the first to develop operative recommendations for these organizations aimed at increasing ISP compliance behavior. The main contribution of this study is that it investigates compliance with information security practices among employees of a defined financial corporation operating under rigid regulatory governance, confidentiality and privacy of data, and stringent requirements for compliance with information security procedures. Findings: Our results indicate that employees’ attitudes, normative beliefs and personal capabilities to comply with firm’s ISP, have positive effects on the firm’s ISP compliance. Also, employees’ general awareness of IS, as well as awareness to ISP within the firm, positively affect employees’ ISP compliance. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study can help information security managers identify the motivating factors for employee behavior to maintain information security procedures, properly channel information security resources, and manage appropriate information security behavior. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers can see that corporate rewards and sanctions have significant effects on employee security behavior, but other motivational factors also reinforce the ISP’s compliance behavior. Distinguishing between types of corporations and organizations is essential to understanding employee compliance with information security procedures. Impact on Society: This study offers another level of understanding of employee behavior with regard to information security in organizations and comprises a significant contribution to the growing knowledge in this area. The research results form an important basis for IS policymakers, culture designers, managers, and those directly responsible for IS in the organization. Future Research: Future work should sample employees from another type of corporation from other fields and should apply qualitative analysis to explore other aspects of behavioral patterns related to the subject matter. Full Article
ee China’s Halal Food Industry: The Link Between Knowledge Management Capacity, Supply Chain Practices, and Company Performance By Published On :: 2021-07-20 Aim/Purpose: The study attempts to analyse the influences of knowledge management capacity on company performance and supply chain practices. It also examines whether supply chain practices significantly and positively impact company performance. Background: Knowledge management capacity is an essential tactical resource that enables the integration and coordination among supply chain stakeholders, but research examining the link between knowledge management capacity and supply chain practices and their impacts on company performance remains scarce. Methodology: The study uses correlation analysis and factor analysis to confirm the theoretical framework’s validity and structural equation modelling to test hypotheses. The data are obtained from 115 halal food firms in China (with a response rate of 82.7%). Contribution: This study’s findings contribute to the Social Capital Theory by presenting the impacts of different supply chain practices on company performance. The findings also suggest the impact of intangible resources on enhancing company performance, contributing to the Resource-based View Theory. These results are a crucial contribution to both academicians and corporate managers working in the Halal food industry. Managers can apply these findings to discover and adopt knowledge management capacity with practical anticipation that these concepts will align with their company strategies. Also, the research motivates managers to concentrate their knowledge management on enhancing companies’ supply chain practices to achieve improved company performance. Findings: This study is an initial effort that provides empirical evidence regarding the relationships among supply chain, knowledge management, and company performance from the perspective of China’s halal food industry. The results prove that knowledge management capacity is the supply chains’ primary success determinant and influencer. Besides, knowledge management capacity positively influences company performance, and supply chain practices directly influence company performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Managers can apply these study findings to determine and increase knowledge management capacity with practical anticipation that these concepts will align with their company strategies. Also, the research motivates managers to concentrate their knowledge management on enhancing companies’ supply chain practices to achieve improved company performance. Recommendation for Researchers: The study presents a new theoretical framework and empirical evidence for surveying halal food businesses in China. Impact on Society: These results are a significant contribution to the research field and industry focusing on halal foods. Future Research: First, this research focuses only on halal food businesses in China; thus, it is essential to re-examine the hypothesized relations between the constructs in other Chinese business segments and regions. Next, the effect of variables and practices on the theorized framework should be taken into account and examined in other industries and nations. Full Article
ee The Nexus Between Learning Orientation, TQM Practices, Innovation Culture, and Organizational Performance of SMEs in Kuwait By Published On :: 2021-04-16 Aim/Purpose: This paper aimed to examine the impact of learning orientation on organizational performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) via the mediating role of total quality management (TQM) practices and the moderating role of innovation culture. Background: SMEs’ organizational performance in developing countries, particularly in Kuwait, remains below expectation due to increasing competition and inadequate managerial practices that negatively impact their performance. Although several studies had revealed a significant effect of learning orientation on SMEs’ performance, the direct impact of learning orientation on their performance is still unclear. Thus, the link between learning orientation and organizational performance remains inconclusive and requires further examination. Methodology: This study adopted a quantitative approach based on a cross-sectional survey and descriptive design to gather the data in a specific period. The data were collected by distributing a survey questionnaire to the owners and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Kuwaiti SMEs using online and on-hand instruments with 384 useable data obtained. Furthermore, the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis was performed to test the hypotheses. Contribution: This study bridged the significant gap in the role of learning orientation on SMEs’ performance in developing countries, specifically Kuwait. In this sense, a conceptual model was introduced, comprising a learning orientation, TQM practices, innovation culture, and organizational performance. In addition, this study confirmed the significant influence of TQM practices and innovation culture as intermediate variables in strengthening the relationship between learning orientation and organizational performance, which has not yet been verified in Kuwait. Findings: The results in this study revealed that learning orientation had a significant impact on organizational performance of SMEs in Kuwait. It could be observed that TQM practices play an important role in mediating the relationship between learning orientation and performance of SMEs, as well as that innovation culture plays an important moderating role in the same relation. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study provided a framework for the decision-makers of SMEs on the significant impact of the antecedents that enhanced the level of organizational performance. Hence, owners/CEOs of SMEs should improve their awareness and knowledge of the importance of learning orientation, TQM practices, and innovation culture since it could significantly influence their performance to achieve success and sustainability when adopted and managed systematically. The CEOs should also consider building an innovation culture in the internal environment, which enables them to transform new knowledge and ideas into innovative methods and practices. Recommendation for Researchers: The results in this study highlighted the mediating effect of TQM practices on the relationship between learning orientation (the independent variable) and organizational performance (the dependent variable) of SMEs and the moderating effect of innovation culture in the same nexus. These relationships were not extensively addressed in SMEs and thus required further validation. Impact on Society: This study also influenced the management strategies and practices adopted by entrepreneurs and policymakers working in SMEs in developing countries, which is reflected in their development and the national economy. Future Research: Future studies should apply the conceptual framework of this study and assess it further in other sectors, including large firms in developing and developed countries, to generalize the results. Additionally, other mechanisms should be introduced as significant antecedents of SMEs’ performance, such as market orientation, technological orientation, and entrepreneurial orientation, which could function with learning orientation to influence organizational performance effectively. Full Article
ee The Relationship Between Critical Success Factors, Perceived Benefits, and Usage Intention of Mobile Knowledge Management Systems in the Malaysian Semiconductor Industry By Published On :: 2022-10-03 Aim/Purpose: This study examined the relationship between critical success factors (CSFs), perceived benefits, and usage intention of Mobile Knowledge Management Systems (MKMS) via an integrated Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Information Systems Success Model (ISSM). Background: This study investigates the CSFs (i.e., Strategic Leadership, Employee Training, System Quality, and Information Quality) that impact the usage intention of KMS in mobile contexts which have been neglected. Since users normally consider the usefulness belief in a system before usage, this study examines the role of perceived benefits as a mediator between the CSFs and usage intention. Methodology: A survey-based research approach in the Malaysian semiconductor industry was employed via an integrated model of TAM and ISSM. At a response rate of 59.52%, the findings of this study were based on 375 usable responses. The data collected was analyzed using the Partial Least Squares with SmartPLS 3.0. Contribution: This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the areas of mobile technology acceptance and knowledge management. Specifically, it helps to validate the integrated model of TAM and ISSM with the CSFs from knowledge management and information system. In addition, it provides the would-be adopters of MKMS with valuable guidelines and insights to consider before embarking on the adoption stage. Findings: The findings suggest that Employee Training and Information Quality have a positive significant relationship with Perceived MKMS Benefits. On the contrary, Strategic Leadership, System Quality, and Perceived User-friendliness showed an insignificant relationship with Perceived MKMS Benefits. Additionally, Employee Training and Information Quality have an indirect relationship with MKMS Usage Intention which is mediated by Perceived MKMS Benefits. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings are valuable for managers, engineers, KM practitioners, KM consultants, MKMS developers, and mobile device producers to enhance MKMS usage intention. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers would be able to conduct more inter-disciplinary studies to better understand the relevant issues concerning both fields – knowledge management and mobile computing disciplines. Additionally, the mediation effect of TAM via Perceived Usefulness (i.e., perceived MKMS benefits) on usage intention of MKMS should be further investigated with other CSFs. Future Research: Future studies could perhaps include other critical factors from both KM and IS as part of the external variables. Furthermore, Perceived Ease of Use (i.e., Perceived User-friendly) should be tested as a mediator in the future, together with Perceived Usefulness (i.e., perceived MKMS Benefits) to compare which would be a more powerful predictor of usage intention. Moreover, it may prove interesting to find out how the research framework would fit into other industries to verify the findings of this study for better accuracy and generalizability. Full Article
ee NOTICE OF RETRACTION: The Influence of Ethical and Transformational Leadership on Employee Creativity in Malaysia's Private Higher Education Institutions: The Mediating Role of Organizational Citizenship Behaviour By Published On :: 2022-01-06 Aim/Purpose: ************************************************************************ After its investigation, the Research Ethics, Integrity, and Governance team at RMIT University found that the primary author of this paper breached the Australian Code and/or RMIT Policy and requested that the article be retracted. ************************************************************************** This paper aimed to examine the influence of ethical and transformational leadership on employee creativity in Malaysia’s private higher education institutions (PHEIs) and the mediating role of organizational citizenship behavior. Background: To ensure their survival and success in today’s market, organizations need people who are creative and driven. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of ethical leadership in fostering employee innovation and good corporate responsibility. Research on ethical leadership and transformational leadership, in particular, has played a significant role in elucidating the role of leadership in relation to organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). In this study, we have focused on ethical and transformational leadership as an antecedent for enhancing employee creativity. Despite an increase in leadership research, little is known about the underlying mechanisms that link ethical leadership and transformational leadership to OCB. Because it sheds light on factors other than ethical leadership and transformational leadership that influence employees’ extra-role activity, this research is relevant theoretically. OCB may have a mediating function between ethical leadership and transformational leadership style and employee creativity because it is associated with the greatest outcomes, but empirical research has yet to prove this. So, one of the study’s goals is to add to the hypotheses about how ethical leadership style and transformational leadership affect employee creativity by using an important mediating variable – OCB. Methodology: This study adopted a quantitative approach based on a cross-sectional survey and descriptive design to gather the data in a specific period. A convenient sampling approach was used to gauge 275 employees from Malaysia’s PHEIs. To test the hypotheses and obtain a conclusion, the acquired data was analyzed using the partial least square technique (PLS-SEM). Contribution: The study contributes to leadership literature by advancing OCB as a mediating factor that accounts for the link between ethical and transformational leadership and employee creativity in the higher education sector. Findings: According to the research, OCB has a substantial influence on the creativity of employees. Furthermore, ethical leadership boosted OCB and boosted employee creativity, according to the research. OCB and employee creativity have both been demonstrated to benefit greatly from transformational leadership. Further research revealed that OCB is a mediating factor in the link between leadership styles and creative thinking among employees. Recommendations for Practitioners: Higher education institutions should focus on developing leaders who value transparency and self-awareness in their interactions with followers and who demonstrate an inner moral perspective in addition to balanced information processing to ensure positive outcomes at the individual and organizational levels. Higher education institutions should place a priority on hiring leaders that exhibit ethical and transformational traits to raise awareness of these leadership styles among employees. Recommendation for Researchers: The new study also adds significantly to the body of knowledge by examining the relationship between ethical and transformational leadership and the creativity of the workforce. It aimed to identify the relationship between transformational leadership style and individual creativity in higher education by examining the mediating influence of OCB. Impact on Society: Higher education institutions should devise strategies for developing ethical and transformative leaders who will assist boost OCB and creativity within their workforce. Students and faculty in higher education can benefit from these leadership methods by learning to think in more diverse ways and by developing thought processes that lead to a larger pool of innovative ideas and solutions. As a consequence, employees who show creative behavior may be effectively managed by leaders who utilize ethical and transformational leadership styles and motivate them to show OCB that allow them to solve creative problems creatively. Future Research: A mixed-methods approach should be used in future research, and this should be done in public institutions in developing and developed nations to put the findings to use and generalize them even further. Future research will be able to examine other mediators to learn more about how and why ethical and transformational leadership styles affect PHEI employees’ creativity. Full Article
ee The Perspectives of University Academics on Their Intention to Purchase Green Smartphones in Sri Lanka By Published On :: 2023-07-09 Aim/Purpose: Most people use their phones for work and communication. Businesses today require sustainable mobile phones to limit the environmental impact of mobile phones. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a green product uses less energy. Green smartphones need low radiation emission, are made from recyclable materials, and are designed to last longer than typical smartphones. Further, the manufacturing process needs to have a low environmental impact. The present study aims to identify the influence of variables (such as Green Awareness, Environmental Concern, Altruism, and Willingness to Pay) on green smartphone purchase intention among academics in the Sri Lankan higher education sector. Background: With the swift technological advances, almost everyone has begun to use smartphones. Simultaneously, smartphone manufacturers have begun to release cutting-edge smartphone models to the general public. As a result, it has generated a significant amount of e-waste for the environment. As a result, therefore, the sustainability of green smartphones has become a major societal concern in the developed world, but this is not yet true in the developing world Methodology: The study used a qualitative research method in which the authors attempted to acquire primary data by conducting in-depth interviews with academics from the Sri Lankan higher education sector using a semi-structured interview guide. Eight interviews were conducted, audio recorded, and word-to-word transcribed for content analysis. Researchers used content analysis to determine the presence, meanings, and linkages of specific words, themes, or concepts. Contribution: The findings provide important environmental insights for smartphone makers and society, such as introducing waste reduction programs and energy-saving practices and creating awareness among people to change their consumption patterns. The study will provide valuable insights into the green smartphone phone purchasing intentions of academics in a developing country, especially helping green smartphone producers and marketers construct effective tactics with the insight of the current study based on university faculty members’ viewpoints. Findings: The current study’s findings revealed that academics acknowledge the need for environmental protection with an awareness of the green concept and environmental concerns. According to the interviews, most participants intended to move from their present smartphone to an ecologically friendly phone, as they explained on altruism. This implies that even academics in underdeveloped countries are worried about environmental issues and have shown a more robust understanding of these issues and how environmentally aware individuals’ activities may assist the earth’s sustainability. Further, academics have a willingness to pay for a green smartphone. Recommendations for Practitioners: Academics prioritize environmental conservation when making purchases. This implies that manufacturers and enterprises should focus on developing and in- novating more environmentally friendly products. Recommendation for Researchers: Using only academics as a sample approach is severely limited if the study’s population comprises people with various qualities. Nevertheless, this study presented only four independent variables, and more factors impacting green smartphone purchasing intention may exist. As a result, it is proposed that future research consider other factors. Impact on Society: It was discovered that most participants displayed altruism in their product purchases, implying that policymakers must strengthen the moral practice of concern for the welfare and happiness of other humans, even in developing countries. Future Research: A further in-depth study focusing on many perspectives such as limits and motivations for purchasing green products in various socioeconomic groups with varying moderating factors such as gender, education, rural-urban, and so on would be advantageous. Individual (emotions, habits, perceived behavioral control, trust, values, personal norm, knowledge) and situational (availability, product attributes, subjective norm, brand, eco-labeling) variables should be included in future research. Full Article
ee The Influence of COVID-19 on Employees’ Use of Organizational Information Systems By Published On :: 2023-06-27 Aim/Purpose. COVID-19 was an unprecedented disruptive event that accelerated the shift to remote work and encouraged widespread adoption of digital tools in organizations. This empirical study was conducted from an organizational-strategic perspective, with the aim of examining how the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak affected employees’ use of organizational information systems (IS) as reflected in frequency. Background. To date, only a limited effort has been made, and a rather narrow perspective has been adopted, regarding the consequences of the adoption of new work environments following COVID-19. It seems that the literature is lacking in information regarding employee use of organizational IS since the outbreak of the pandemic. Specifically, this issue has not yet been examined in relation to employees’ perception about the organization’s digital efforts and technological maturity for remote work. The present study bridges this gap. Methodology. The public sector in Israel, which employs about a third of the Israeli work-force, was chosen as a case study of information-intensive organizations. During the first year of COVID-19, 716 questionnaires were completed by employees and managers belonging to four government ministries operating in Israel. The responses were statistically analyzed using a Chi-Square and Spearman’s Rho tests. Contribution. Given that the global pandemic is an ongoing phenomenon and not a passing episode, the findings provide important theoretical and practical contributions. The period prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the period of the pandemic are compared with regard to organizational IS use. Specifically, the study sheds new light on the fact that employee perceptions motivated increased IS use during an emergency. The results contribute to the developing body of empirical knowledge in the IS field in the era of digital transformation (DT). Findings. More than half of the respondents who reported that they did not use IS before COVID-19 stated that the pandemic did not change this. We also found a significant positive correlation between the perception of the digital efforts made by organizations to enable connection to the IS for remote work and a change in frequency of IS use. This frequency was also found to have a significant positive correlation with the perception of the organization’s technological maturity to enable effective and continuous remote work. Recommendations for Practitioners. In an era of accelerating DT, this paper provides insights that may support chief information officers and chief digital officers in understanding how to promote the use of IS. The results can be useful for raising awareness of the importance of communicating managerial messages for employees regarding the organizational strategy and the resilience achieved through IS not only in routine, but also in particular in emergency situations. Recommendations for Researchers. Considering that the continual crisis has created challenges in IS research, it is appropriate to continue researching the adaptation and acclimation of organizations to the “new normal”. Impact on Society. The COVID-19 pandemic created a sudden change in employment models, which have become more flexible than ever. The research insights enrich the knowledge about the concrete consequences of this critical change. Future Research. We suggest that researchers investigate this core issue in other sectors and/or other countries, in order to be obtain new and complementary empirical insights on a comparative basis. Full Article
ee A New Model for Collecting, Storing, and Analyzing Big Data on Customer Feedback in the Tourism Industry By Published On :: 2023-05-07 Aim/Purpose: In this study, the research proposes and experiments with a new model of collecting, storing, and analyzing big data on customer feedback in the tourism industry. The research focused on the Vietnam market. Background: Big Data describes large databases that have been “silently” built by businesses, which include product information, customer information, customer feedback, etc. This information is valuable, and the volume increases rapidly over time, but businesses often pay little attention or store it discretely, not centrally, thereby wasting an extremely large resource and partly causing limitations for business analysis as well as data. Methodology: The study conducted an experiment by collecting customer feedback data in the field of tourism, especially tourism in Vietnam, from 2007 to 2022. After that, the research proceeded to store and mine latent topics based on the data collected using the Topic Model. The study applied cloud computing technology to build a collection and storage model to solve difficulties, including scalability, system stability, and system cost optimization, as well as ease of access to technology. Contribution: The research has four main contributions: (1) Building a model for Big Data collection, storage, and analysis; (2) Experimenting with the solution by collecting customer feedback data from huge platforms such as Booking.com, Agoda.com, and Phuot.vn based on cloud computing, focusing mainly on tourism Vietnam; (3) A Data Lake that stores customer feedback and discussion in the field of tourism was built, supporting researchers in the field of natural language processing; (4) Experimental research on the latent topic mining model from the collected Big Data based on the topic model. Findings: Experimental results show that the Data Lake has helped users easily extract information, thereby supporting administrators in making quick and timely decisions. Next, PySpark big data processing technology and cloud computing help speed up processing, save costs, and make model building easier when moving to SaaS. Finally, the topic model helps identify customer discussion trends and identify latent topics that customers are interested in so business owners have a better picture of their potential customers and business. Recommendations for Practitioners: Empirical results show that facilities are the factor that customers in the Vietnamese market complain about the most in the tourism/hospitality sector. This information also recommends that practitioners reduce their expectations about facilities because the overall level of physical facilities in the Vietnamese market is still weak and cannot be compared with other countries in the world. However, this is also information to support administrators in planning to upgrade facilities in the long term. Recommendation for Researchers: The value of Data Lake has been proven by research. The study also formed a model for big data collection, storage, and analysis. Researchers can use the same model for other fields or use the model and algorithm proposed by this study to collect and store big data in other platforms and areas. Impact on Society: Collecting, storing, and analyzing big data in the tourism sector helps government strategists to identify tourism trends and communication crises. Based on that information, government managers will be able to make decisions and strategies to develop regional tourism, propose price levels, and support innovative programs. That is the great social value that this research brings. Future Research: With each different platform or website, the study had to build a query scenario and choose a different technology approach, which limits the ability of the solution’s scalability to multiple platforms. Research will continue to build and standardize query scenarios and processing technologies to make scalability to other platforms easier. Full Article
ee Improving the Accuracy of Facial Micro-Expression Recognition: Spatio-Temporal Deep Learning with Enhanced Data Augmentation and Class Balancing By Published On :: 2024-10-22 Aim/Purpose: This study presents a novel deep learning-based framework designed to enhance spontaneous micro-expression recognition by effectively increasing the amount and variety of data and balancing the class distribution to improve recognition accuracy. Background: Micro-expression recognition using deep learning requires large amounts of data. Micro-expression datasets are relatively small, and their class distribution is not balanced. Methodology: This study developed a framework using a deep learning-based model to recognize spontaneous micro-expressions on a person’s face. The framework also includes several technical stages, including image and data preprocessing. In data preprocessing, data augmentation is carried out to increase the amount and variety of data and class balancing to balance the distribution of sample classes in the dataset. Contribution: This study’s essential contribution lies in enhancing the accuracy of micro-expression recognition and overcoming the limited amount of data and imbalanced class distribution that typically leads to overfitting. Findings: The results indicate that the proposed framework, with its data preprocessing stages and deep learning model, significantly increases the accuracy of micro-expression recognition by overcoming dataset limitations and producing a balanced class distribution. This leads to improved micro-expression recognition accuracy using deep learning techniques. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners can utilize the model produced by the proposed framework, which was developed to recognize spontaneous micro-expressions on a person’s face, by implementing it as an emotional analysis application based on facial micro-expressions. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers involved in the development of a spontaneous micro-expression recognition framework for analyzing hidden emotions from a person’s face are playing an essential role in advancing this field and continue to search for more innovative deep learning-based solutions that continue to explore techniques to increase the amount and variety of data and find solutions to balancing the number of sample classes in various micro-expression datasets. They can further improvise to develop deep learning model architectures that are more suitable and relevant according to the needs of recognition tasks and the various characteristics of different datasets. Impact on Society: The proposed framework could significantly impact society by providing a reliable model for recognizing spontaneous micro-expressions in real-world applications, ranging from security systems and criminal investigations to healthcare and emotional analysis. Future Research: Developing a spontaneous micro-expression recognition framework based on spatial and temporal flow requires the learning model to classify optimal features. Our future work will focus more on exploring micro-expression features by developing various alternative learning models and increasing the weights of spatial and temporal features. Full Article
ee Adopting Green Innovation in Tourism SMEs: Integrating Pro-Environmental Planned Behavior and TOE Model By Published On :: 2024-10-16 Aim/Purpose: This study investigated factors influencing the intention to engage in green innovation among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism sector, using an integrated approach from the pro-environmental planned behavior (PEPB) and technology organization environment (TOE) models. Background: Green innovation is a long-term strategy aimed at addressing environmental challenges in the Indonesian tourism sector, especially those related to SMEs in culinary, accommodation, transportation, and creative industries. While prior research primarily focused on innovation characteristics and various behavioral intentions towards new technologies, this study pioneered an approach to understanding green innovation practices among SMEs by examining behavioral intention and the influence of internal organizational and external environmental factors. This was achieved through the PEPB model, which extends the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by incorporating perceived authority support and perceived environmental concern and integrating it with the TOE model. This comprehensive approach was crucial for understanding SME motivations, needs, and challenges in adopting green innovation, thereby supporting environmental sustainability. Methodology: Data were collected through offline and online questionnaires and interviews with 405 SMEs that had implemented green innovation as respondents. The theoretical model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with top-level constructs. Contribution: This research contributed to the development and validation of an integrated model for green innovation in SMEs, offering insights and recommendations for all stakeholders in the tourism sector to formulate effective green innovation strategies. Findings: This research revealed that the integrated model of pro-environmental planned behavior and technology organization environment successfully explained 71% of the factors influencing the intention to engage in green innovation for SMEs in the tourism sector. Perceived authority support emerged as the strongest factor, while perceived behavioral control was identified as a weaker factor. Recommendations for Practitioners: The research findings recommended that SMEs in the tourism sector focus on customer satisfaction and operational efficiency and optimize the recruitment and training processes of resources to maximize success in adopting environmentally friendly innovations. Meanwhile, for the government, providing support, incentives, and stringent environmental regulations could encourage sustainable business practices. Recommendation for Researchers: The research findings recommended that SMEs in the tourism sector focus on customer satisfaction and operational efficiency and optimize the recruitment and training processes of resources to maximize success in adopting environmentally friendly innovations. Meanwhile, for the government, providing support, incentives, and stringent environmental regulations could encourage sustainable business practices. Impact on Society: Examining the factors influencing the intention to engage in green innovation among SMEs in the tourism sector carried significant social implications. The findings contributed to recommending strategies for businesses and stakeholders such as the government, investors, and tourists to collectively strive to minimize environmental damage in tourist areas through the implementation of green innovation. Future Research: There are several promising avenues to explore to enhance future research. Expanding the scope to include diverse regions and industries and using additional approaches, such as leadership theory and management commitment theories, can increase the R-squared value. Additionally, broadening the profile of interviewees to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the intention to engage in green innovation should be considered. Full Article
ee Investigating Intention to Invest in Online Peer-to-Peer Lending Platforms Among the Bottom 40 Group in Malaysia By Published On :: 2024-09-20 Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the intention to invest in online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms among the bottom 40% (B40) Malaysian households by income. Background: The B40 group citizens earn less than USD 1,096.00 (i.e., RM 4,850.00) in monthly household income, thereby possessing relatively small capital investments suitable for online P2P lending. Methodology: Drawing on the technology acceptance model (TAM), this research developed and tested the relevant hypotheses with data collected from 216 respondents. The partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was employed to analyse the collected data. Contribution: This study contributes to the body of knowledge on financial inclusion by demonstrating the relevance of modified TAM in explaining the intention to invest in online P2P lending platforms among investors with lower disposable income (i.e., the B40 group in Malaysia). Findings: The findings revealed that information quality, perceived risk, and perceived ease of use are relevant to B40 investment intention in P2P online lending platforms. However, contrary to expectations, trust and financial literacy are insignificant predictors of B40 investment intention. Recommendations for Practitioners: The P2P lending platform operators could enhance financial inclusion among the B40 group by ensuring borrowers provide sufficient, relevant, and reliable information with adequate security measures to minimise risk exposure. The financial regulators should also conduct periodic audits to ensure that the operators commit to enhancing information quality, platform security, and usability. Recommendation for Researchers: The intention to invest in online P2P lending platforms among the B40 group could be enhanced by improving information quality and user experience, addressing perceived risks, reassessing trust-building strategies and financial literacy initiatives, and adopting holistic, interdisciplinary approaches. These findings suggest targeted strategies to enhance financial inclusion and investment participation among B40 investors. Impact on Society: The study’s findings hold significant implications for financial regulators and institutions, such as the Securities Commission Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia, commercial and investment banks, and insurance companies. By focusing on these key determinants, policymakers can design targeted interventions to improve the accessibility and attractiveness of P2P lending platforms for B40 investors. Enhanced information quality and ease of use can be mandated through regulatory frameworks, while effective risk communication and mitigation strategies can be developed to build investor confidence. These measures can collectively promote financial growth and inclusion, supporting broader economic development goals. Future Research: Future research could expand the sample size to consider older B40 individuals across different countries and use a longitudinal survey to assess the actual investment decision of the B40 investors. Full Article
ee The Relationship Between Electronic Word-of-Mouth Information, Information Adoption, and Investment Decisions of Vietnamese Stock Investors By Published On :: 2024-08-13 Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between Electronic Word-of-Mouth (EWOM), Information Adoption, and the stock investment of Vietnamese investors. Background: Misinformation spreads online, and a lack of strong information analysis skills can lead Vietnamese investors to make poor stock choices. By understanding how online conversations and information processing influence investment decisions, this research can help investors avoid these pitfalls. Methodology: This study applies Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate how non-professional investors react to online information and which information factors influence their investment decisions. The final sample includes 512 investors from 18 to 65 years old from various professional backgrounds (including finance, technology, education, etc.). We conducted a combined online and offline survey using a convenience sampling method from August to November 2023. Contribution: This study contributes to the growing literature on Electronic Word-of-Mouth (EWOM) and its impact on investment decisions. While prior research has explored EWOM in various contexts, we focus on Vietnamese investors, which can offer valuable insights into its role within a developing nation’s stock market. Investors, particularly those who are new or less experienced, are often susceptible to the influence of EWOM. By examining EWOM’s influence in Vietnam, this study sheds light on a crucial factor impacting investment behavior in this emerging market. Findings: The results show that EWOM has a moderate impact on the Information Adoption and investment decisions of Vietnamese stock investors. Information Quality (QL) is the factor that has the strongest impact on Information Adoption (IA), followed by Information Credibility (IC) and Attitude Towards Information (AT). Needs for Information (NI) only have a small impact on Information Adoption (IA). Finally, Information Adoption (IA) has a limited influence on investor decisions in stock investment. We also find that investors need to verify information through official sites before making investment decisions based on posts in social media groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings suggest that state management and media agencies need to coordinate to improve the quality of EWOM information to protect investors and promote the healthy development of the stock market. Social media platform managers need to moderate content, remove false information, prioritize displaying authentic information, cooperate with experts, provide complete information, and personalize the experience to enhance investor trust and positive attitude. Securities companies need to provide complete, accurate, and updated information about the market and investment products. They can enhance investor trust and positive attitude by developing news channels, interacting with investors, and providing auxiliary services. Listed companies need to take the initiative to improve the quality of information disclosure and ensure clarity, comprehensibility, and regular updates. Use diverse communication channels and improve corporate governance capacity to increase investor trust and positive attitude. Investors need to seek information from reliable sources, compare information from multiple sources, and carefully check the source and author of the information. They should improve their investment knowledge and skills, consult experts, define investment goals, and build a suitable investment portfolio. Recommendation for Researchers: This study synthesized previous research on EWOM, but there is still a gap in the field of securities because each nation has its laws, regulations, and policies. The relationships between the factors in the model are not yet clear, and there is a need to develop a model with more interactive factors. The research results need to be further verified, and more research can be conducted on the influence of investor psychology, investment experience, etc. Impact on Society: This study finds that online word-of-mouth (EWOM) can influence Vietnamese investors’ stock decisions, but information quality is more important. Policymakers should regulate EWOM accuracy, fund managers should use social media to reach investors, and investors should diversify their information sources. Future Research: This study focuses solely on the stock market, while individual investors in Vietnam may engage in various other investment forms such as gold, real estate, or cryptocurrencies. Therefore, future research could expand the scope to include other investment types to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how individual investors in Vietnam utilize electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM) and adopt information in their investment decision-making process. Furthermore, while these findings may apply to other emerging markets with similar levels of financial literacy as Vietnam, they may not fully extend to countries with higher financial literacy rates. Hence, further studies could be conducted in developed countries to examine the generalizability of these findings. Finally, future research could see how EWOM’s impact changes over a longer period. Additionally, a more nuanced understanding of the information adoption process could be achieved by developing a research model with additional factors. Full Article
ee Barriers of Agile Requirements Engineering in the Public Sector: A Systematic Literature Review By Published On :: 2024-03-28 Aim/Purpose: The objective of this study is to summarize the challenges of Agile Requirements Engineering (Agile RE) in the public sector in republican and constitutional monarchy nations. Additionally, it offers recommendations to address these challenges. Background: Failure of IT projects in the public sector results in financial losses for the state and loss of public trust, often attributed to issues in requirements engineering such as prioritization of user needs and excessive scope of requirements. IT projects can have a higher success rate with Agile RE, but there are also drawbacks. Therefore, this study holds significance by presenting a thorough framework designed to pinpoint and overcome the challenges associated with Agile RE to increase the success rate of IT projects. Methodology: This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) protocol in the field of software engineering or related domains, which consists of three main phases: planning the review, conducting the review with a snowballing approach, and reporting the review. Furthermore, the authors perform open coding to categorize challenges based on the Agile methodologies adoption factor model and axial coding to map potential solutions. Contribution: The authors assert that this research enriches the existing literature on Agile RE, specifically within the public sector context, by mapping out challenges and possible solutions that contribute to creating a foundation for future studies to conduct a more in-depth analysis of Agile adoption in the public sector. Furthermore, it compares the barriers of Agile RE in the public sector with the general context, leading to the discovery of new theories specifically for this field. Findings: Most challenges related to Agile RE in the public sector are found in the people and process aspects. Project and organizational-related are subsequent aspects. Therefore, handling people and processes proficiently is imperative within Agile RE to prevent project failure. Recommendations for Practitioners: Our findings offer a comprehensive view of Agile RE in the public sector in republican and constitutional monarchy nations. This study maps the challenges encountered by the public sector and provides potential solutions. The authors encourage practitioners to consider our findings as a foundation for adopting Agile methodology in the public sector. Furthermore, this study can assist practitioners in identifying existing barriers related to Agile RE, pinpointing elements that contribute to overcoming those challenges, and developing strategies based on the specific needs of the organizations. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers have the potential to expand the scope of this study by conducting research in other countries, especially African countries, as this study has not yet encompassed this geographic region. Additionally, they can strengthen the evidence linking Agile RE challenges to the risk of Agile project failure by performing empirical validation in a specific country. Impact on Society: This research conducts a comprehensive exploration of Agile RE within the public sector, serving as a foundation for the successful adoption of Agile methodology by overcoming obstacles related to Agile RE. This study highlights the importance of managing people, processes, projects, and organizational elements to increase the success of Agile adoption in the public sector. Future Research: In the future, researchers should work towards resolving the limitations identified in this study. This study has not provided a clear prioritization of challenges and solutions according to their significance. Therefore, future researchers can perform a Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (F-AHP) to prioritize the proposed solutions. Full Article
ee IRNN-SS: deep learning for optimised protein secondary structure prediction through PROMOTIF and DSSP annotation fusion By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-11-08T23:20:50-05:00 DSSP stands as a foundational tool in the domain of protein secondary structure prediction, yet it encounters notable challenges in accurately annotating irregular structures, such as β-turns and γ-turns, which constitute approximately 25%-30% and 10%-15% of protein turns, respectively. This limitation arises from DSSP's reliance on hydrogen-bond analysis, resulting in annotation gaps and reduced consensus on irregular structures. Alternatively, PROMOTIF excels at identifying these irregular structure annotations using phi-psi information. Despite their complementary strengths, previous methodologies utilised DSSP and PROMOTIF separately, leading to disparate prediction methods for protein secondary structures, hampering comprehensive structure analysis crucial for drug development. In this work, we bridge this gap using an annotation fusion approach, combining DSSP structures with beta, and gamma turns. We introduce IRNN-SS, a model employing deep inception and bidirectional gated recurrent neural networks, achieving 77.4% prediction accuracy on benchmark datasets, outpacing current models. Full Article
ee Optimisation with deep learning for leukaemia classification in federated learning By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-11-08T23:20:50-05:00 The most common kind of blood cancer in people of all ages is leukaemia. The fractional mayfly optimisation (FMO) based DenseNet is proposed for the identification and classification of leukaemia in federated learning (FL). Initially, the input image is pre-processed by adaptive median filter (AMF). Then, cell segmentation is done using the Scribble2label. After that, image augmentation is accomplished. Finally, leukaemia classification is accomplished utilising DenseNet, which is trained using the FMO. Here, the FMO is devised by merging the mayfly algorithm (MA) and the fractional concept (FC). Following local training, the server performs local updating and aggregation using a weighted average by RV coefficient. The results showed that FMO-DenseNet attained maximum accuracy, true negative rate (TNR) and true positive rate (TPR) of 94.3%, 96.5% and 95.3%. Moreover, FMO-DenseNet gained minimum mean squared error (MSE) and root mean squared error (RMSE) of 5.7%, 9.2% and 30.4%. Full Article
ee Scoping and Sequencing Educational Resources and Speech Acts: A Unified Design Framework for Learning Objects and Educational Discourse By Published On :: Full Article
ee Decoupling the Information Application from the Information Creation: Video as Learning Objects in Three-Tier Architecture By Published On :: Full Article
ee Validation of a Learning Object Review Instrument: Relationship between Ratings of Learning Objects and Actual Learning Outcomes By Published On :: Full Article
ee A Systems Engineering Analysis Method for the Development of Reusable Computer-Supported Learning Systems By Published On :: Full Article
ee The Effect of Varied Visual Scaffolds on Engineering Students’ Online Reading By Published On :: Full Article
ee Aptness between Teaching Roles and Teaching Strategies in ICT-Integrated Science Lessons By Published On :: Full Article
ee Keeping an Eye on the Screen: Application Accessibility for Learning Objects for Blind and Limited Vision Students By Published On :: Full Article
ee Analyzing Associations between the Different Ratings Dimensions of the MERLOT Repository By Published On :: Full Article
ee On-Line Project-Based Peer Assessed Competitions as an Instructional Strategy in Higher Education By Published On :: Full Article
ee What are the Relationships between Teachers’ Engagement with Management Information Systems and Their Sense of Accountability? By Published On :: Full Article
ee Bridging the Gap between the Science Curriculum and Students’ Questions: Comparing Linear vs. Hypermedia Online Learning Environments By Published On :: Full Article
ee Distance Learning: Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary Course in Speech Pathology and Dentistry By Published On :: 2015-08-18 Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of distance learning courses for the purpose of interdisciplinary continuing education in Speech Pathology and Dentistry. Methods: The online course was made available on the Moodle platform. A total of 30 undergraduates participated in the study (15 from the Dentistry course and 15 from the Speech Pathology course). Their knowledge was evaluated before and after the course, in addition to the user satisfaction by means of specific questionnaires. The course was evaluated by 6 specialists on the following aspects: presentation and quality of the content, audio-visual quality, adequacy to the target public, and information made available. To compare the obtained results in the pre- and post-course questionnaires, the test Wilcoxon was carried out, with a 5% significance level. Results: the teaching/learning process, including the theoretical/practical application for the interdisciplinary training, proved to be effective as there was a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post- course evaluations (p<0.001), the users’ satisfaction degree was favorable and the specialists evaluated the material as adequate regarding the target public, the audio-visual information quality and the strategies of content availability. Conclusion: The suggested distance-learning course proved to be effective for the purpose of Speech Pathology and Dentistry interdisciplinary education. Full Article
ee Cheating and Feeling Honest: Committing and Punishing Analog versus Digital Academic Dishonesty Behaviors in Higher Education By Published On :: 2016-12-26 This study examined the phenomenon of academic dishonesty among university students. It was based on Pavela’s (1997) framework of types of academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and facilitation) and distinguished between digital and “traditional”- analog dishonesty. The study analyzed cases of academic dishonesty offenses committed by students, as well as the reasons for academic dishonesty behaviors, and the severity of penalties for violations of academic integrity. The motivational framework for committing an act of academic dishonesty (Murdock & Anderman, 2006) and the Self-Concept Maintenance model (Mazar, Amir, & Ariely, 2008) were employed to analyze the reasons for students’ dishonest behaviors. We analyzed 315 protocols of the Disciplinary Committee, at The Open University of Israel, from 2012-2013 that represent all of the offenses examined by the Committee during one and a half years. The findings showed that analog dishonesty was more prevalent than digital dishonesty. According to the students, the most prevalent reason for their academic dishonesty was the need to maintain a positive view of self as an honest person despite violating ethical codes. Interestingly, penalties for analog dishonesty were found to be more severe than those imposed for digital dishonesty. Surprisingly, women were penalized more severely than men, despite no significant gender differences in dishonesty types or in any other parameter explored in the study. Findings of this study shed light on the scope and roots of academic dishonesty and may assist institutions in coping effectively with this phenomenon. Full Article
ee Greek Nursery School Teachers’ Thoughts and Self-Efficacy on using ICT in Relation to Their School Unit Position: The Case of Kavala By Published On :: 2016-03-16 The purpose of this research is the exploration of the opinions and level of self-efficacy in the usage of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) of teachers in Greek pre-schools in the learning process and administration of nurseries. By using the term “usage and utilisation of ICTs in the learning process” we mean the utilisation of the capabilities that new technologies offer in an educationally appropriate way so that the learning process yields positive results. By using the term “self-efficacy” we describe the strength of one’s belief in one’s own ability to use the capabilities he or she possess. In this way, the beliefs of the person in his or her ability to use a personal computer constitute the self-efficacy in computer usage. The research sample consists of 128 pre-school teachers that work in the prefecture of Kavala. Kavala’s prefecture is a representative example of an Education Authority since it consists of urban, suburban, and rural areas. The approach that is deemed to be the most appropriate for the exploration of such research questions is content analysis methodology and correlation analysis. The main findings of the study have shown statistically significant differences regarding the opinions and stances of the pre-school teachers for the introduction of the ICTs in the administration and the usage and utilisation of ICTs in the administration and preparation of teaching. Lastly, there were statistically significant differences between the opinions and stances of the pre-school teachers for the usage and utilisation of ICTs in the learning process. Instead, there were no statistically significant differences regarding the level of self-efficacy of the pre-school teachers in the usage and utilisation of the ICTs in the learning process. The research results could be used in the educational field as well as by Greek Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs in order to take any corrective action, after the effort of Greek Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, to integrate ICT in the learning process with training courses since 2006. Full Article
ee The Impact of e-Skills on the Settlement of Iranian Refugees in Australia By Published On :: 2017-04-12 Aim/Purpose: The research investigates the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on Iranian refugees’ settlement in Australia. Background: The study identifies the issues of settlement, such as language, cultural and social differences. Methodology: The Multi-Sited Ethnography (MSE), which is a qualitative methodology, has been used with a thematic analysis drawing on a series of semi-structured interviews with two groups of participants (51 Iranian refugees and 55 people with a role in assisting refugees). Contribution: The research findings may enable the creation of a model for use by the Aus-tralian Government with Iranian refugees. Findings: The findings show the vital role ICT play in refugees’ ongoing day-to-day life towards settlement. Recommendations for Practitioners: The results from this paper could be generalised to other groups of refugees in Australia and also could be used for Iranian refugees in other countries. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers may use a similar study for refugees of different backgrounds in Australia and around the world. Impact on Society: ICT may assist refugees to become less isolated, less marginalized and part of mainstream society. Future Research: Future research could look into the digital divide between refugees in Australia and main stream Australians. Full Article
ee Making Sense of the Information Seeking Process of Undergraduates in a Specialised University: Revelations from Dialogue Journaling on WhatsApp Messenger By Published On :: 2017-01-18 Aim/Purpose: The research work investigated the information seeking process of undergraduates in a specialised university in Nigeria, in the course of a group assignment. Background: Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process (ISP) model is used as lens to reveal how students interact with information in the affective, cognitive and physical realms. Methodology: Qualitative research methods were employed. The entire seventy-seven third year students in the Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas and their course lecturer were the participants. Group assignment question was analysed using Bloom’s Taxonomy while the information seeking process of the students was garnered through dialogue journaling on WhatsApp Messenger. Contribution: The research explicates how students’ information seeking behaviour can be captured beyond the four walls of a classroom by using a Web 2.0 tool such as WhatsApp Messenger. Findings: The apparent level of uncertainty, optimism, and confusion/doubt common in the initiation, selection, and exploration phases of the ISP model and low confidence levels were not markedly evident in the students. Consequently, Kuhlthau’s ISP model could not be applied in its entirety to the study’s particular context of teaching and learning due to the nature of the assignment. Recommendations for Practitioners: The study recommends that the Academic Planning Unit (APU) should set a benchmark for all faculties and, by extension, the departments in terms of the type/scope and number of assignments per semester, including learning outcomes. Recommendation for Researchers: Where elements of a guided approach to learning are missing, Kuhlthau’s ISP may not be employed. Therefore, alternative theory, such as Theory of Change could explain the poor quality of education and the type of intervention that could enhance students’ learning. Impact on Society: The ability to use emerging technologies is a form of literacy that is required by the 21st century work place. Hence, the study demonstrates students’ adaptation to emerging technology. Future Research: The study is limited to only one case site. It would be more helpful to the Nigerian society to have this study extended to other universities for the purpose of generalisation and appropriate intervention. Full Article
ee Work-Based Learning and Research for Mid-Career Professionals: Two Project Examples from Australia By Published On :: 2018-02-17 Aim/Purpose: Most research on work-based learning and research relates to theory, including perspectives, principles and curricula, but few studies provide contemporary examples of work-based projects, particularly in the Australian context; this paper aims to address that limitation. Background: The Professional Studies Program at University of Southern Queensland is dedicated to offering advanced practice professionals the opportunity to self-direct organizational and work-based research projects to solve real-world workplace problems; two such examples in the Australian context are provided by this paper. Methodology: The paper employs a descriptive approach to analyzing these two work-based research projects and describes the mixed methods used by each researcher. Contribution: The paper provides examples of work-based research in (a) health, safety, and wellness leadership and its relation to corporate performance; and (b) investigator identity in the Australian Public Service; neither topic has been examined before in Australia and little, if anything, is empirically known about these topics internationally. Findings: The paper presents the expected outcomes for each project, including discussion of the ‘triple dividend’ of personal, organizational, and practice domain benefits; as importantly, the paper presents statements of workplace problems, needs and opportunities, status of the practice domain, background and prior learning of the researchers, learning objectives, work-based research in the practice domain, and lessons learned from research which can be integrated into a structured framework of advanced practice. Recommendations for Practitioners: This is a preliminary study of two work-based research projects in Australia; as these and other real-world projects are completed, further systematic and rigorous reports to the international educational community will reveal the granulated value of conducting projects designed to change organisations and concordant practice domains. Recommendation for Researchers: While introducing the basic elements of research methods and expected out-comes of work-based projects, examples in this paper give only a glimpse into the possible longer-term contributions such research can make to workplaces in Australia. Researchers, as a consequence, need to better understand the relationship between practice domains, research as a valuable investigative tool in workplaces, and organizational and social outcomes. Impact on Society: Work-based learning and research have been developed to not only meet the complex and changing demands of the global workforce but have been implemented to address real-world organizational problems for the benefit of society; this paper provides two examples where such benefit may occur. Future Research: Future research should focus on the investigation of triple-dividend outcomes and whether they are sustainable over the longer term. Full Article
ee Work-Based Learning and Research for Mid-Career Professionals: Professional Studies in Australia By Published On :: 2018-02-17 Aim/Purpose: Work-based learning has been identified in the literature, and is established in academia and in the global worlds of work; however, an examination of work-based research, particularly at the doctoral level, has been less well articulated. Moreover, a paucity of published literature on either work-based research or Professional Studies means little is known about the dynamics and drivers of these domains. This study aims to begin addressing the shortfall in literature on work-based research and Professional Studies programs, using the program at University of Southern Queensland as an example Background: This paper examines work-based research in the context of the Professional Studies program at University of Southern Queensland in Australia, with which the authors are affiliated. Methodology: Analysis of work-based research includes discussion of ‘messy’ research environments and the changing nature of workplaces, along with the opportunities and challenges such environments pose for action researchers. Contribution: In addition to addressing a shortfall in the published literature on work-based research, the paper also contributes insight into the mechanisms used to promote reflective practice and the generation of professional artefacts. Findings: Often driven by altruism, work-based research as implemented in the Professional Studies program results in a so-called ‘triple dividend’, designed to benefit the individual researcher, work environment, and community of practice. Recommendations for Practitioners: To be successful contributors to work-based research, practitioners need to reflect carefully and deeply on experience, planning and outcomes, using what in this paper we call ‘micro-reflective’ (personal) and ‘macro-reflective’ (program) cycles of reflection. Recommendation for Researchers: In addition to generating new knowledge and expanding the frontiers of workplaces, work-based research is often motivated by complicated and wide-reaching imperatives; work-based researchers therefore need to consider the goals, objectives, priorities and vision of their work environments, as well as understand issues related to bias, ethical practice and the nature of insider research. Impact on Society: Work-based learning and research address the complexities, challenges and future demands of Australian workplaces along with the work, mobility and personal development needs of mid- to senior-career professionals. Future Research: In addition to the multitude of action research programs possible in work-places in Australia, more research is needed to understand higher education work-based learning and its relation to, and impact on, work-based research, particularly when applying mixed methods research to work environments. Full Article
ee Matching Office Information Systems (OIS) Curriculum To Relevant Standards: Students, School Mission, Regional Business Needs, and National Curriculum By Published On :: Full Article
ee Training Facilitators for Face-to-Face Electronic Meetings: An Experiential Learning Approach By Published On :: Full Article
ee Do We Need to Impose More Regulation Upon the World Wide Web? -A Metasystem Analysis By Published On :: Full Article
ee Teaching Information Management to Honors Degree Students: The Information Challenges Approach By Published On :: Full Article
ee Salvaging Information Engineering Techniques in the Data Warehouse Environment By Published On :: Full Article
ee Differences in Stage of Integration between Business Planning and Information Systems Planning according to Value Configurations By Published On :: Full Article
ee Comprendiendo Nuestras Politicas: The Need for an Effective C&IT Policy for a Nation’s Development, The Venezuelan Case By Published On :: Full Article
ee To Speak or Not to Speak: Developing Legal Standards for Anonymous Speech on the Internet By Published On :: Full Article
ee Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Home Internet Usage Patterns in Central Queensland By Published On :: Full Article
ee The Importance of Addressing Accepted Training Needs When Designing Electronic Information Literacy Training By Published On :: Full Article
ee Introduction to the Special Series of Papers on Informing Each Other: Bridging the Gap between Researcher and Practitioners By Published On :: Full Article