Journal articles on the topic 'Business systems in context not elsewhere classified'

In this article, we analyse how legacy media organizations in six countries are adapting to the changing business of news. We focus on how similarities and differences in their responses to digital developments are shaped by the interplay between organizational legacy and national context. The study draws on media sociology and comparative media systems research and is based on 54 interviews with senior editors and managers at 25 newspapers and commercial broadcasters in Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK. We find that organizations within the same medium respond to change in similar ways (newspapers versus broadcasters), and that these responses are surprisingly similar across different countries. We argue that factors related to the medium-specific legacy shape media adaptation more than do structural differences between national media systems because news organizations faced with a changing and uncertain environment imitate the strategies adopted by peer organizations elsewhere.

As a result of the study, the concept of digitalization of a business organization is defined as a set of tools, the process of adding digital technologies to physical space and transferring information into a digital format to improve the efficiency and increase the profit of a business organization. Digitalization is a process and a tool, not the ultimate goal, and it should improve the interaction between people and technology. Digitalization has been classified into two types: process digitalization and product digitalization. Process digitalization is the classic understanding of this term in the context of business processes, and product digitalization is the additions of digital technologies to an existing product to improve it. Any type of digitalization should lead to an increase in the profit of a business organization directly or indirectly because this is one of the most important goals of any business. Digitalization tools have been defined as digital technologies and methods of their implementation in business processes or additions to products. Examples of such tools have been provided. It has been determined that one of the most important tools of digitization is digital data management. Digital data management includes digitization as one of the first stages and may include the use of CRM systems, cloud technologies and artificial intelligence. The use of these tools is possible not only in the context of data management, but as a method of creating a digital infrastructure or making decisions. The advantages of using various digitalization tools have been determined. Digital data management (including CRM systems, cloud technologies and artificial intelligence in this context) gives the ability to store, analyse and use large volumes of data, allows quick and easy access to information, reliability, and confidentiality, ensuring statistics, etc. Also, the use of digitalization tools allows improving interaction with consumers and creating a comfortable and efficient infrastructure both within the company and for consumers. Other digitalization tools have been listed: mobile technologies, ERP systems, automation, robots, IoT platforms, and GPS systems. It has been found that all these tools can be used to digitize the process, and only artificial intelligence GPS, and cloud technologies can be used to digitize the product.

Nowadays, many organizations take Business Intelligence (BI) systems to improve their decision-making processes. Although many organizations have adopted BI systems, not all of these implementations have been successful. This paper seeks to identify critical success factors (CSFs) that impact on successful implementation of BI systems in organizations. So, at first, through literature review, 26 CSFs were identified. Following that, a questionnaire was developed and then filled out by domain experts who had at least three years of experience in BI implementation projects in Iran. Robust Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was run for data analysis, which finally classified 26 CSFs into four distinct groups termed as “organizational”, “human”, “project management”, and “technical”. The results of this study provide a very useful reference for scholars and managers to identify the relevant issues of BI projects in Iran.

With the development of information-sharing techniques via the Internet, there are many benefits for beneficiaries, customers and users of public sector information services. On the other hand, entities providing electronic information via the Internet appear to be able to significantly reduce transaction costs of conducted financial transactions and electronic data transfer. On the other hand, the process of making information available via the Internet generates a number of risks associated with identity theft, hacker hacking of classified data, and money scams in electronic banking systems. In response to these threats, individual entities including public sector bodies are developing security systems for remote access to information and transactions made via the Internet. Companies operating in Poland in pursuit of market and business success try to build their competitive advantage by implementing new IT solutions to their business. More and more companies and financial institutions use business intelligence on their IT platforms for Business Intelligence solutions. Business Intelligence analysis makes it easy for realtors to perform real-time analysis of large collections of businessrelated data. Consequently, the opinion that Business Intelligence solutions are becoming more and more useful in organizational management processes.

Business intelligence (BI) helps organizations to make better and quicker decisions. The primary requirement, as per previous studies, for any successful BI implementation in an organization and its' stakeholders, is to understand and pay heed to the vital issues and factors governing it. The objective of this study is, thus, to analyze the various critical success factors (CSF’s) for Business Intelligence Implementation, in context to the Indian sub-continent. In this qualitative study, the CSF’s for BI implementation are classified, through the review of the literature and to identify the relationship among the CSF's, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) is applied along with MICMAC classification method. The ISM approach's outcome shows that management support and business goal alignment are the most significant driving factors for implementing BI. These findings may help recognize the crucial facts that affect the firms adopting BI in India and give some insights for other countries

This paper aims to identify the dynamic capabilities required for electrical energy service providers to transform toward a digital and platform-based business models in the context of the current energy transition. The paper contributes to two fields: Information systems in the domain of platforms ecosystems and digital services innovation through the usage of dynamic capabilities theoretical lens and the field of energy informatics in the domain of digital business models and service innovation. Through the case study approach we investigate the case of Norwegian electrical energy provider TrønderEnergi and how the company is moving toward a fully digital business model and how the company build the dynamic capabilities required for the digitalization era. Through semi-structured interviews, the study managed to identify several activities related to each capability and then classified these activities under three main activities, which are: sensing, seizing, and transforming, and then classified them into sub-capabilities and identified activities related to each sup capability. The paper concludes with managerial implications for practitioners and initiates an empirical extension for the dynamic capabilities theoretical lens.

This paper interprets the experience of a sample of 60 clinicians becoming involved in formal management, mainly at hospital unit level, in the historical context of changing health service organisation. This includes the introduction of managerialism and the evolution of the NHS into a structured network based around purchaser/provider relationships. The conclusion is that these clinicians are becoming involved in management, and making the personal and social adjustments necessary for this, but in a way that leaves medical culture, and their allegiance to it, at the present largely intact. This is achieved largely through the organisational mechanism of clinical directorates, which promise to function as professional groups from the clinical point of view and as business units from the managerial perspective. An argument is put forward, based on a theoretical view compatible with the data from the clinicians' experience, that this mode of medical involvement in management may operate without undue conflict in the longer term if: (a) clinicians accept the degree of local professional regulation that this model applies; and (b) the conflict between medical need and available resource can be dealt with elsewhere in the system without passing it back to hospitals and clinical directorates. On the other hand it is possible that conflict will increase if the consequences of management control systems and objectives percolate down through the management hierarchy and cross into the medical domain, via clinical directorates.

The implementation of Product-Service Systems (PSS) calls for the modification of existing business models. The goal of the paper is to work out an analysis and a classification of PSS design methods used in the development of new business models. Using a systematic review method, we identified 60 PSS design methods. Following the examination of the major business model templates, we selected the Business Canvas Model for further studies. Then, coding rules were adopted to specify what elements of the Business Model Canvas impacts individual PSS design methods and an analysis was performed. In the final stage, methods were broken down by Business Model Canvas domains. Various PSS design methods presented in the literature address different areas of Business Model Canvas. The available PPS methods can be classified into three main groups: Group 1—including infrastructure and offering; Group 2—including infrastructure, offering and customers; and Group 3—including infrastructure, offering, customers and finance. Very few methods consider areas such as Key Partners, Customer Segments, Cost Structure and Revenue Streams. Nevertheless, there is no PPS design method that would address all of Business Model Canvas building blocks. The paper discusses PSS design in business model context. Classification of PSS design methods was proposed together with new possibilities to develop business models based on this classification. The proposed approach illustrates the combination of PSS design methods applied in food processing and agricultural machines industry.

Research on the multinational corporation (MNC) is increasingly concerned with the alleged evolution of companies towards a more standardized and rationalized global organization. Only recently, this field has been informed by alternative approaches which generate a more differentiated picture and consider the influence of divergent national institutional contexts on the multinational organization. This paper makes a contribution to this debate from a comparative institutionalist perspective by focusing on manufacturing organization within MNCs. It argues that organization structures and processes in MNCs are sector specific and influenced by national institutional features of the home and host countries. Drawing on data from a specific industrial sector, it identifies the crucial role of home country and host country embeddedness in the (re)organization of manufacturing tasks and work systems. The key question is how actors shape the interaction of these institutional pressures and, hence, manufacturing approaches, location choices and work system designs. Research in British and German subsidiaries of three MNCs suggests that, particularly at subsidiary level, MNCs apply a ‘cherrypicking’ strategy of selected use of work system elements, shaped by the host country business system. It is shown that manufacturing strategies of MNCs originating from highly coordinated business systems are highly context specific and difficult (if not impossible) to transfer elsewhere. Moreover, ‘cherrypicking’ strategies in subsidiaries embedded in such contexts turned out to be highly problematic, especially when managers attempt to combine them with group-wide standardizing work systems.

The authors reveal fundamental tendencies of banks financial intermediation especially in the sphere of shadow banking and off-balance writes-off. Substantial transformations of financial system structure caused by liberalization of financial legislation, invention of brand new financial instruments and special risk-transferring schemes (special purpose entities via special investment vehicles) and the gradual process of banking universalization specifically the approximation of business models conducted by traditional commercial and investment banks created grounds for the review of current approaches to financial systems classification. The objective of the study is to identify operative patterns and specifics of financial systems in the context of global structural transformations of business models in the bank sector. Methodology. The methodological basis of the study is formed by theoretical works of foreign and domestic experts on issues related with financial systems worldwide, and the statistical data on the operation of banks in various countries, normative documents of prominent international economic institutions. The general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, abstraction, quantitative and qualitative comparisons, descriptive analysis, analysis of the current performance of the financial system are used in elaborating theoretical and methodological framework for the typology of national financial systems by position and role played by banks in the financial system. Results. The central objective of the financial system is to transfer temporarily free financial resources from its actors that have their surplus to the ones that feel the deficit of funds. National financial systems can, therefore, be classified by the way domestic companies raise funds they need.

In the last few years, business firms have substantially invested into the artificial intelligence (AI) technology. However, according to several studies, a significant percentage of AI projects fail or do not deliver business value. Due to the specific characteristics of AI projects, the existing body of knowledge about success and failure of information systems (IS) projects in general may not be transferrable to the context of AI. Therefore, the objective of our research has been to identify factors that can lead to AI project failure. Based on interviews with AI experts, this article identifies and discusses 12 factors that can lead to project failure. The factors can be further classified into five categories: unrealistic expectations, use case related issues, organizational constraints, lack of key resources, and technological issues. This research contributes to knowledge by providing new empirical data and synthesizing the results with related findings from prior studies. Our results have important managerial implications for firms that aim to adopt AI by helping the organizations to anticipate and actively manage risks in order to increase the chances of project success.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review three international frameworks, including the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), in relation to one country’s higher professional and vocational education system. Design/methodology/approach The frameworks were examined in the context of English higher work-related education, and areas of mismatch identified. These were investigated to identify the extent to which they were due to weaknesses in the national system or to limiting assumptions contained in the frameworks. Findings Assumptions based on stages of education are problematic in the context of lifelong higher and professional education, while more open, lifelong-learning oriented assumptions can be too skeletal to aid comparisons between systems of initial vocational education and training. Particular problems are identified with assumptions contained in the ISCED that do not reflect the reality of professional education. Practical implications International frameworks need to take account of patterns of learning that take place outside of formal institutions and throughout life, but which lead to equivalent outcomes. Nevertheless, it is not adequate to substitute assumptions based only on the level of achievement. Social implications The assumptions underpinning the ISCED in particular mean that equivalent achievements in different systems can be classified differently, leading to under-reporting of individual achievements, a lack of comparability in international statistics, and potential for policy distortion. Originality/value The paper builds on the work of Hippach-Schneider et al. by providing additional evidence, from a different national context, for issues relating to the ISCED in the context of higher professional and vocational education, and extends this analysis to the two major European frameworks.

The importance of electronic healthcare has caused numerous changes in both substantive and procedural aspects of healthcare processes. These changes have produced new challenges for patient privacy and information secrecy. Traditional privacy policies cannot respond to rapidly increased privacy needs of patients in electronic healthcare. Technically enforceable privacy policies are needed in order to protect patient privacy in modern healthcare with its cross-organizational information sharing and decision making. This paper proposes a personal information flow model that proposes a limited number of acts on this type of information. Ontology-classified chains of these acts can be used instead of the “intended business purposes” in the context of privacy access control. This enables the seamless integration of security and privacy into existing healthcare applications and their supporting infrastructures. In this paper, the authors present their idea of a Chain-Based Access Control (ChBAC) mechanism and provide a comparative analysis of it to Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). The evaluation is grounded in the healthcare domain and examines a range of typical access scenarios and approaches.

Evaluating students' learning experiences outcomes cannot be considered a simple task. This paper aims at investigating students' overall performance and the discriminating power of particular tests' items in the context of business courses. The purpose of this paper is to contribute with this issue while analyzing it, with scientific approach, from an accounting information systems standpoint: two experiments based on a database management system (DBMS) undergraduate course, involving 66 and 62 students (experiments E1 and E2, respectively). The discriminant analysis generated discriminant functions with high canonical correlations (E1= 0.898 and E2= 0.789). As a result, high percentages of original grouped cases were correctly classified (E1= 98.5% and E2= 95.2%) based on a relatively small number of items: 7 out of 22 items from E1 (multiple-choice), and 3 out of 6 from E2 (short-answer). So, with only a few items from the analyzed instruments it is possible to discriminate "good" or "bad" academic performance, and this is a measure of quality of the observed testing instruments. According to these findings, especially in business area, instructors and institutions, together, are able to analyze and act towards improving their assessment methods, to be of minimum influence while evaluating students' performance.

PurposeThe paper's purpose is to present qualitative findings describing entrepreneurial differentiations between non‐profit organisations along a social economic continuum. The paper aims to focus on those non‐profit organisations classified as “social” and those more entrepreneurial behaving organisations classified as “social commercial”.Design/methodology/approachThe data were taken from recent research examining current classification systems and performance measurement indicators applied to not‐for‐profit and for‐profit organisations in an Irish regional context. Having reviewed the extant literature on classification systems and measurement indicators for non‐profit organisations, the social economic continuum model and theoretical measurement framework were developed. In order to test the models, the study employed a pragmatist mixed methodological approach; employing quantitative surveys and in‐depth interviews.FindingsThe paper presents key entrepreneurial differentiating themes between “social” and “social commercial” organisations, and discusses the triggers that produce a “hologram” effect or style of management in the third sector.Practical implicationsThe identification of entrepreneurial themes allows for the analysis of the non‐profit organisations from overly social in their activities and presentation, to overly economic in their behaviour. It allows for a greater understanding of the management processes employed by non‐profit organisations to create social value and meet their social aims and purpose.Originality/valueThe paper carries out a unique inter‐sector comparison of non‐profit organisations to determine entrepreneurial differentiations amongst non‐profit businesses employing entrepreneurial methodologies and behaviours to achieve social good.

We have analyzed the phenomenon of polysemy in the Ukrainian term system of museum business, described the main types of ambiguity of synthetic terms of professional language of museum officers, classified ambiguous terms units by different criteria and identified specifics of their semantic structure. In the modern terminology of museum work, there is a clear tendency to unambiguous terms. However, we have a significant number of units that can nominate several concepts in this term system that was identified also in many others. The ambiguous units include exhibition, gallery, museum, museology, index, restoration, etc. The group of three-digit terms consists of the following units: museography, sudok, etc. The four-digit terms in museology occur in isolated cases, e.g. act, etc. Three types of polysemy were identified in the studied terminological system based on the analysis of the semantic structure of the multivalued terminological units present in the terminological system. They are: intrasystemic (it could appear as a result of metonymic transfers of names in the terminology of the museum case («collection of something – institution that keeps such a collection»: herbarium, etc .; device – a building that has such a device”: planetarium, etc.) and metaphorical nomination (office – a room in the house or apartment for classes, business conversations, etc. / variety of museum furniture, etc.), intersystem (intersectoral) (deposit (in museology, economics), exposition (in museology, geography), shield (in museology, geology), etc.), and externally systemic (donation, dating) polysemy. According to the structural composition, the derivative and non-derivative term units are distinguished among the multi-valued synthetic terms of the professional language of museology. They are: a) terms – root units: act, gallery, legend, museum, shield, etc .; b) derived terms – units formed by suffixation or prefixation: exhibition, subtext, etc.; c) complex terms: gallery-museum, lecturer-guide, museology, museography, etc. The analysis of ambiguous synthetic terms of museum business indicates their distribution in this terminology, despite the fact that polysemy is an undesirable phenomenon for term systems in general, that was evidenced by the requirements for «ideal» terms.

Aim. The presented study aims to develop and describe a contract management system for FMCG chain retailing companies in the context of the digital transformation of the economy.Tasks. The authors examine the specific aspects of developing a contract management system for chain retailing companies; develop a classification of contracts by sector of activity and outline the landscape of the contract management process; create and describe a system for managing contracts.Methods. The methodological basis of this study includes conceptual representations of the contract management system, which make it possible to apply a systems approach, generalization, grouping, methods of formal system representation, and socio-economic experimentation.Results. The study examines the specific aspects of developing a contract management system for chain retailing companies in the context of the digital transformation of the economy, describing the major types of contracts used by these companies. The contracts are classified by sector of activity, and the landscape of the contract management process is outlined. Its individual units correspond to the Deming cycle and represent a cyclically repeating decision-making process.Conclusions. As a result, a contract management system for chain retailing companies is proposed, and the relationship between the management subsystem and the system of requirements for the architecture of business services in the field of contract management is determined. It is shown that successful implementation of an efficient contract management system requires preliminary work to identify requirements for the architecture of business services. Taking into account these requirements in the modeling of architectural solutions and integrating them into the business architecture will ensure high-quality contract management through the optimization of the company’s resources and highly efficient regulation of the relationship between the stakeholders and counterparties of chain retailing companies.

PurposeThe process of supply chain digitalization (SCD) through enterprise and inter-enterprise information systems (EIIS) is a challenging task. Understanding and studying barriers of SCD adopting EIIS are essential for better management of supply chains (SCs) in the long run. This paper analyses the key EIIS adoption barriers affecting the process of SCD.Design/methodology/approach Fifteen key EIIS barriers of SCD in the context of an electronic SC were identified from existing literature and in consultation with experts from industry and academia. Grey-based decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) methodology is used to identify cause–effect relationship and extent of the strength of relationship amongst EIIS barriers. Sensitivity analysis is done to verify the robustness of the study.Findings EIIS barriers were classified into seven major cause factors and eight effect factors. This study provides a structural framework of key EIIS adoption barriers to decision makers by classifying barriers into cause and effect groups for effective SCD and better management.Originality/value This study contributes to SC literature by exploring key EIIS barriers affecting the process of SCD. These findings will also help the practitioners in effective decision making for digitalization.

The online-to-offline (O2O) business model is rapidly growing among organizations, yet current knowledge on O2O adoption is predominantly individual focused, with little research on organizational adoption and the factors driving adoption. To address this gap, underpinned by the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, this study collected qualitative data (24 semistructured interviews), which were analyzed using content analysis techniques. We found that offline service quality and social network prosperity are some of the factors driving O2O adoption. Surprisingly, inefficient offline marketing was also found to drive O2O adoption, which indicates new challenges posed by the growing online business environment. We found that not all factors can be categorically classified as facilitating or impeding adoption, as some factors (such as operational challenges and costs) could play dichotomous roles of facilitating or impeding in the context of peculiar circumstances. For example, we found cost to be an impeding factor, yet the results also indicated the benefits of cost reduction resulting from O2O adoption, thereby rendering cost a contentious issue. This study extends the application of DOI theory to the O2O adoption stage, and identifies a number of new factors associated with internal/external organizational characteristics, as postulated in the DOI. Managerial implications are discussed.

Blockchain has completely changed how business is performed today, thus making it one of the most disruptive technologies in recent times. However, it is a challenging task to adopt and implement blockchain technologies in different services and industries. Therefore, this study introduces a framework for investigating critical factors influencing the successful adoption of blockchain technologies in different applications and prioritizes them using the hierarchical Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique. First, it provides fourteen critical success factors with the help of the extant literature and further classifies them into three categories: technological, organizational, and environmental. In addition, a set of sixteen key performance indicators (KPI) of successful blockchain adoption is introduced and classified into five categories: overall performance, system robustness, data robustness, accessibility, and overall cost. Then, the fourteen success factors are ranked based on their degree of prominence and relationships. It is concluded that environmental factors are the most critical factors for successful blockchain adoption, and law and policies and competitive pressure are the top two factors needed for blockchain adoption. In the technological context, only blockchain scalability is ranked among the top significant factors for blockchain adoption. On the other hand, adequate resources, top management support, and financial constraints are highly ranked in the organizational context.

In an era ruled by data and information, engineers need new tools to cope with the increased complexity of industrial operations. New architectural models for industry enable open communication environments, where workflows can play a major role in providing flexible and dynamic interactions between systems. Workflows help engineers maintain precise control over their factory equipment and Information Technology (IT) services, from the initial design stages to plant operations. The current application of workflows departs from the classic business workflows that focus on office automation systems in favor of a manufacturing-oriented approach that involves direct interaction with cyber-physical systems (CPSs) on the shop floor. This paper identifies relevant industry-related challenges that hinder the adoption of workflow technology, which are classified within the context of a cohesive workflow lifecycle. The classification compares the various workflow management solutions and systems used to monitor and execute workflows. These solutions have been developed alongside the Eclipse Arrowhead framework, which provides a common infrastructure for designing systems according to the microservice architectural principles. This paper investigates and compares various solutions for workflow management and execution in light of the associated industrial requirements. Further, it compares various microservice-based approaches and their implementation. The objective is to support industrial stakeholders in their decision-making with regard to choosing among workflow management solutions.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that examines an under-researched area, the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) in Australian home-based businesses (HBB). Design/methodology/approach – HBB constitute a large part of the economy, yet little is known of how they use ICT to improve their business operations. The study involved a case study comprising interviews with 30 business operators in the Western region of Melbourne, a major Australian city. The findings were analysed using a unique approach to Rogers’ (2003) Diffusion of Innovations, employing the innovation-decision process as a lens for the analysis. Findings – The study findings suggest that ICT application adoption in HBB participants is not uniform, with adoption of applications such as e-mail differing from adoption of newer applications, such as social networking. ICT use needs to be considered according to individual ICT applications and explained in the context of particular HBB. The study contributes to studies of innovation adoption, particularly in relation to the use of ICT applications in HBB. Research limitations/implications – It should be remembered that this study involved interviews with a broad selection of 30 HBB in the Western region of Melbourne, Australia. The results should be considered in the context of hypothesis generation in regards to HBB rather than hypothesis testing that can occur with larger samples. The authors feel that this study would be representative of the practices of ICT adoption in many such groupings of HBB in cities of major Western countries, but hesitate to claim that similar, specific uses of ICT applications would be matched elsewhere. Practical implications – This study has a number of practical implications. The results suggest that researchers should consider adoption of individual ICT applications in HBB. Further, policy makers looking to support the use of ICT by HBB should consider that the HBB in this study had adopted different ICT applications and were at different stages of ICT adoption. This is worth considering when deciding upon policies relating to how to suppzort the HBB sector (such as provision of training support and so forth). Originality/value – The paper introduces a unique means to assess the adoption of ICT applications by examining their level of penetration, level of maturity and usefulness to HBB.

Purpose With the developments of e-commerce markets, novel recommendation technologies are becoming an essential part of many online retailers’ economic models to help drive online sales. Initially, the purpose of this paper is to undertake an investigation of apparel recommendations in the commercial market in order to verify the research value and significance. Then, this paper reviews apparel recommendation techniques and systems through academic research, aiming to acquaint apparel recommendation context, summarize the pros and cons of various research methods, identify research gaps and eventually propose new research solutions to benefit apparel retailing market. Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes empirical research drawing on 130 academic publications indexed from online databases. The authors introduce a three-layer descriptor for searching articles, and analyse retrieval results via distribution graphics of years, publications and keywords. Findings This study classified high-tech integrated apparel systems into 3D CAD systems, personalised design systems and recommendation systems. The authors’ research interest is focussed on recommendation system. Four types of models were found, namely clothes searching/retrieval, wardrobe recommendation, fashion coordination and intelligent recommendation systems. The forth type, smart systems, has raised more awareness in apparel research as it is equipped with advanced functions and application scenarios to satisfy customers. Despite various computational algorithms tested in system modelling, existing research is lacking in terms of apparel and users profiles research. Thus, from the review, the authors have identified and proposed a more complete set of key features for describing both apparel and users profiles in a recommendation system. Originality/value Based on previous studies, this is the first review paper on this topic in this subject field. The summarised work and the proposed new research will inspire future researchers with various knowledge backgrounds, especially, from a design perspective.

The study is using a qualitative strategy to describe the HR perspective towards the Role of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in Thailand by using the pervious instrumental study review. Then, the data was classified into three parts: Part I: MNCs in developing countries; Part II: Overview the context of Thailand; Part III: Review the Role of MNCs in Thailand from the HR Perspective. As Thailand is a developing country which takes into account of globalization activities, hence, MNCs play an important role to enhance the level of economic growth. The developing countries must improve their infrastructure and skilled workers to be reach the competitive advantage among region and attractive to foreign direct investments. The result of the study showed the characteristics in social context in Thailand, how the beliefs of Thai society impact ethical behavior, attitude in business and implications of HR practices. Thai political context is identified the situation of replacement employees. The study describe that the qualification require has go to foreigners rather than Thai workers. Thai labor laws has identified the inequality of Social Security Circumstances between private sector, agricultural workers, and public employees. and the role of MNCs in Thailand from the HR perspective. It shows that HRD systems must be able to enhance and build a quality program to put people to work.

El talento humano juega un papel fundamental dentro de la estructura operativa, táctica y estratégica de las organizaciones, las cuales están apuntando a contar con personal mejor cualificado y capaz de hallar soluciones a los problemas y retos que enfrenta para el sostenimiento de su ventaja competitiva. En este contexto, el aprendizaje organizacional y la universidad corporativa, como herramientas, tienen una tendencia de aplicación cada vez mayor. El presente trabajo realiza un estado del arte sobre dichos conceptos, mostrando sus tendencias de acuerdo a una escala de clasificación definidaPalabras clave: Universidad corporativa, aprendizaje organizacional, entornos virtuales de aprendizaje, competenciasCorporate university and organizational learning: a theoretical frameworkAbstract: Human talent plays a key role in the operational, tactical and strategic structure of organizations, which are targeting to have a better qualified staff who find solutions to problems and face challenges to sustain its competitive advantage. In this context, Organizational Learning and Corporate University, as tools, have a trend of increasing application. In this vein, this paper aims to give the readers a conceptual framework about the application and state of the art on Corporate Universities and Organizational Learning. Applying the methodology of classification proposed by Lage and Godinho (2010) in their research, different sources were analyzed and classified in order to develop a theoretical framework. In particular, the papers were classified according to seven topics: a) Geographical location in which the research was developed, which refers to the place where its subject of study was located (America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East and/or Oceania); b) Sector in which the research was conducted, that is, the sector where the Corporate University was created, taking into account sub-levels of classifications (textile, automobile and metal-mechanical industries, healthcare industry and educational sector); c) Main topic of research, which was divided into five (5) categories (Integral organizational learning systems, Virtual learning environments, Corporate university, Enterprise-university programs and Information Technologies (IT’s) used); d) Educational strategy, which represents all educational strategies raised in the research related to the topics under study, using sub-categories as Training Programs, Virtual Education programs, Classroom programs in higher education and Hybrid educational development programs; e) Related information technologies, which deals with the use of ICT in the process of educational development and using subcategories used for this topic: Virtual Platforms, Implemented programs on the intranet and Platforms on the cell phone; f) Competency-based approach, considering whether or not the program was made based on competencies and g) Results obtained, which refers to the successfully achievement of the results expected when the research was planned. The consulted literature was classified under the previous mentioned criteria, in order to show the readers the impact of Corporate University and Organizational Learning. The findings of this study and the theoretical framework are shown at the end of this paper. Researchers and practitioners will find this synthesis useful since it can be considered an important aid to analyze the rationale under these approaches for staff developing in the current context of organizations. Finally, the results show that there is extensive research about virtual learning environments, continuing progress in corporate universities and there is an open and growing field toward integrated learning systems in organizations. It was found that Corporate Universities show a major growing trend, and it is expected that they could be compared in size with traditional universities in the long term since they have the advantage of offering specific and applied solutions to those problems organizations face day by day.Keywords: Corporate University, Organizational Learning, Virtual Learning Environments, Competencies

The transition to a circular economy is gaining notoriety as society demands alternative forms of production and consumption. In this context, Product-Service Systems have the potential to reconcile economic and socio-environmental development. However, the implementation of Product-Service Systems has limitations, such as poor understanding of the system, difficulties in monitoring and establishing relationships with stakeholders. In order to guarantee guarantee a successful implementation of Product-Service Systems, there is a need to understand these organizational challenges and to present opportunities to mitigate these barriers. The goal of this paper is to identify facilitators and construct guidelines, capable of minimizing barriers in the implementation of a Product-Service System. To achieve this goal, a systematic literature review was conducted, contemplating bibliometric and content analysis (57 papers were read in full). The results of the bibliometric analysis point to the need to expand business proposals to different economic and cultural contexts, since they are mainly concentrated in developed countries. The content analysis presented a framework with guidelines, subguidelines, and facilitators, classified according to the PSS dimensions: provider, offer, and consumer. Thus, 111 facilitators were identified, and 26 subguidelines and 11 guidelines were built, demonstrating the contribution of the Circular Economy for the minimization of barriers in the implementation of the Product-Service System. The research highlights that approximately 73% of the facilitators correspond to the provider dimension, emphasizing the need to promote organizational changes and to adapt business proposals, adding value to the solution or to the results. However, the research highlights the need for the involvement of all stakeholders, where the customer must also promote changes in habits and an awareness of sustainable development. Finally, it is emphasized that this research provides a theoretical basis for the development of empirical studies, applying and expanding the knowledge of the interrelationship between Circular Economy and Product-Service Systems.

Purpose This paper aims to introduce ten studies included in this themed issue that illustrate from multifaceted angles some critical management issues and context-specific challenges on strategy and innovation facing the State and enterprises during China’s socio-economic transition. Instead of focusing on topics from the literature, this special issue (SI) pays more attention to characterising unique Chinese business practices in the transformation period. Design/methodology/approach The ten manuscripts were selected for this SI so that readers can compare how scholars used different research designs and multiple analytical and statistical approaches to draw conclusions. Findings These studies involve a wide range of aspects, as well as diversified perspectives demonstrating some critical management issues and context-specific phenomenon associated with the development of strategy and innovation in contemporary China. The results show that while pollution-related issues have had a damaging effect on China’s business environment, the Chinese government has to enact and enforce stricter environmental laws to promote technology innovation in a healthier manner; moreover, Chinese firms should pay greater attention to the trade-off between the increasing of resource consumption for growth and the reducing of energy use for the sake of the planet. In response to the grand innovation challenges Chinese manufacturing is confronted with, these papers suggest that policy support may not always be beneficial but sometimes detrimental to independent innovation, and that Chinese manufacturers may ultimately get access to the key and core technology of forerunners by forming a R&D strategic alliance in periphery knowledge/technology first. Overall, the outcomes of these studies provide a bigger picture and intriguing implications that may inspire practitioners, policymakers and academics to further ponder relevant issues in a more comprehensive way. Originality/value All ten studies based on original data were not reported elsewhere and demonstrated results that have not been addressed in prior research. This paper enriches one’s understanding of how Chinese firms have been deliberately seeking their own distinctive trajectories of developing strategy and innovation dissimilar to those of advanced economy companies, given the peculiar cultural background and institutional systems. Future research trends and opportunities are also outlined.

Russian economy is characterised by raw materials dependence, the impossibility of using the latest achievements of the sixth technological mode, rapid digital development, internationalisation of scientific and technological progress, the impact of technological shifts on structural transformations. These aspects lead to the implementation of an innovative scenario for the development of regions in the context of neo-industrial challenges, which is necessary for identifying and consolidating the most effective tools for innovating the modern Russian economy. This problem primarily affects regional economic systems with a set of innovative economic entities. To solve the problem, we analysed and generalised the scientific-theoretical, methodological framework, and practical aspects of regional innovative development, taking into account current trends and key parameters of neo-industrialisation. Considering neo-industrialisation in regional economic systems, the innovative development path increasingly depends on such critical parameters as human capital, intersectoral interaction, and technological modernisation processes. The paper presents scientific and theoretical substantiation of the possibilities of regional innovative development in the context of current trends of neo-industrialisation. Research methodology and tools include systemic, categorical, structural, and functional analysis, conceptual modelling. We identified and described objective factors, trends, and problems of ensuring the long-term regional innovative development. Further, we defined and classified the current trends of innovative development of the regional economy, as well as substantiated the key parameters of neo-industrialisation. Then, we created a model of regional innovative development. To explain the discrepancies between the actual and the desired level of the development of neo-industrialisation parameters, we presented an algorithm that allows identifying bottlenecks, forming a roadmap, and implementing a mechanism for strengthening the potential of regional innovative development. Additionally, we specified key aspects of the innovative development path of regions, considering the current state of the real sector. The obtained theoretical results can be used for forecasting the most important economic challenges and identifying strategic factors for the regional innovative development in the context of neo-industrialisation.

The motivation of this study is to provide empirical evidence of service companies’ performance regarding nine dimensions in a total quality management model during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nine dimensions highlight strategic company activities, and it allows a comparative analysis of the overall effect of having a QMS such as ISO 9001:2015 on Peruvian service companies. A total of 630 Peruvian service companies were surveyed for this study. The questionnaire included 35 Likert-scale items that were further classified into nine (9) dimensions. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to estimate any significant differences between the ISO 9001 certified and non-certified companies. Our findings showed that the performance of ISO 9001:2015 certified companies was significantly higher than that of non-certified companies in all dimensions. Moreover, our findings showed that managers in ISO 9001:2015 certified companies effectively implemented the nine dimensions of the model. The originality of this study lies in proving the positive effect of having a QMS in service companies in a context of slow economic growth and decline of consumer demand such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings might encourage service companies, especially those in developing countries, to allocate the necessary resources to obtain a QMS such as the ISO 9001:2015.

The widespread adoption of real-time location systems is boosting the development of software applications to track persons and assets in hospitals. Among the vast amount of applications, real-time location systems in operating rooms have the advantage of grounding advanced data analysis techniques to improve surgical processes, such as process mining. However, such applications still find entrance barriers in the clinical context. In this paper, we aim to evaluate the preferred features of a process mining-based dashboard deployed in the operating rooms of a hospital equipped with a real-time location system. The dashboard allows to discover and enhance flows of patients based on the location data of patients undergoing an intervention. Analytic hierarchy process was applied to quantify the prioritization of the dashboard features (filtering data, enhancement, node selection, statistics, etc.), distinguishing the priorities that each of the different roles in the operating room service assigned to each feature. The staff in the operating rooms (n = 10) was classified into three groups: Technical, clinical, and managerial staff according to their responsibilities. Results showed different weights for the features in the process mining dashboard for each group, suggesting that a flexible process mining dashboard is needed to boost its potential in the management of clinical interventions in operating rooms. This paper is an extension of a communication presented in the Process-Oriented Data Science for Health Workshop in the Business Process Management Conference 2018.

Background: The dynamics of supply chain networks have changed due to increasing complexities. Global expansions and knowledge transfer in supply chain networks bring efficiency and effectiveness to companies. However, the probability of supply chain complexity has also been seen increasing. The barriers to sustainable supply chain networks need to be tackled in an effective manner as they impact business operations. Therefore, it is essential to eliminate and reduce the supply chain complexities, as it will facilitate the process of knowledge transfer and increase the implementation of sustainable practises in supply chain networks. In the previous research, four supply chain complexity drivers were identified. Previous research identified four supply chain complexity drivers by conducting a systematic review. This study investigates which of the four complexity drivers impacts knowledge transfer in the context of the food supply chain sector. Methods: In this research, knowledge transfer is therefore examined from the perspective of sustainable food supply chains. Thirty exploratory qualitative interviews were conducted in this study and analysed using Nvivo (v12) software. This study utilised thematic analysis techniques for the evaluation of the interviews to gather results. Results: The results illustrated six main factors classified under broad categories: integration of Knowledge Transfer, incorporation of technological advancements in supply chain networks, supply chain complexity solutions, supply chain complexity drivers, sustainable supply chain networks, and capability to reduce supply chain complexity. The findings of this study highlight that process complexity significantly influences the process of knowledge transfer in food supply chain networks. The research findings contribute to both academic and practical domains. This study contributes to the aggregation of supply chain complexity and its impact on Knowledge Transfer. Additionally, the findings support supply chain networks, which strive to achieve efficient Knowledge Transfer to attain sustainable value in business operations. Conclusion: This study has proven that robust knowledge transfer reduces supply chain complexity as it makes supply chain systems more resilient and well-coordinated in many potential ways.

While previous research on application adoption has partly advanced our understanding of factors affecting the adoption of mobile applications, less attention has been given to the whole process of application development, from idea characteristics to the supportive activities after launch. In particular, less is known about these factors in the context of developing countries, where mobile applications are gaining increasing popularity. In this vein, this paper, adopting a grounded theory approach, aims to identify factors influencing the adoption of entertainment mobile application from the developer's points of view focusing on different phases of application development in the novel context of Iran. The authors' in-depth semi-structured interviews with experts in mobile application development firms indicate 15 factors classified within four categories based on the application development process, entailing idea characteristics, design, marketing communications and supportive activities. The implications of these findings provides valuable insight into why some mobile applications are more successful than others.

At the present stage of transformational transformations, the problems of managing the relationship with consumers of enterprises of different types of economic activity are extremely important. And especially these issues are relevant in the context of the rapid development of the digital economy. In view of this, the purpose of this study is to substantiate the feasibility of applying a comprehensive approach to the transformation of customer service in the system of logistics management of enterprises in the context of digitalization. The article performs a statistical analysis of indicators that characterize the level of use of information and communication technologies in the organization of logistics activities at Ukrainian enterprises. The key barriers that hinder the digital transformation of customer service have been identified, which are conditionally classified into 4 groups: market, marketing, information, organizational. The expediency of applying a comprehensive approach to the transformation of customer service in the system of logistics management of enterprises using information systems and digital technologies is substantiated. The issue of the need to develop and implement a digital strategy for managing partnerships with consumers, the implementation of which will provide a synergistic effect, including economic, social and environmental. Intensity of information systems and digital technologies, digitalization in the organization of logistics processes, increasing e-commerce, personalization of logistics services, accelerating the integration of new users to the Internet require the search for fundamentally new approaches to transforming customer service in logistics management. As a result of the research it is established that in modern business conditions it is expedient to develop and implement a digital strategy of partnership management with consumers based on the evolutionary paradigm of institutional theory and information economy, the concept of interaction marketing, network theories and stakeholders: - use of information tools and digital channels (types of CRM-systems, electronic platforms, software products, different versions of digital channels); - formation of a qualitatively new culture of marketing communications (integration of CRM-systems into the IT-architecture of companies; integration of digital channels of marketing communication into a single system); - analysis of the situation and development of the general concept of digital transformation; - directions of improving the quality of customer service (formation of customer-oriented thinking; reorientation to the customer in the development of products and services; comprehensive modernization of business processes; digitalization, machine learning and robotics to increase the speed and efficiency of logistics processes; optimization of organizational structure; models of customer behavior, creating a digital customer profile, which is managed in the Customer Data Platform; - creation of a "smart" chatbot based on artificial intelligence; retargeting optimization); - formation of omnichannel environment (integration of all digital channels, retail outlets and back-office into a single information space, ie the use of omnichannel as a key tool of customer-oriented model of partnerships with consumers).

The researcher partner recommendation system plays a crucial role in fostering academic collaboration in universities, where a challenge for new users is finding suitable research partners. In addressing the limitations of Naïve Bayes classifiers, this article introduces an innovative approach in the form of a non-linear sigmoid activation function. We highlight the urgency of this solution, detail its implementation steps, and describe its substantial contribution to research partner recommendations. This article not only identifies existing obstacles but also proposes revolutionary solutions to enhance the effectiveness of consultation systems in academic environments. A gap in this research is the manual input method for data retrieval, creating weaknesses, susceptibility to human errors, and reduced efficiency in collecting journal data. We propose SPARRING, a researcher recommendation system connected to Google Scholar, in the context of higher education. This approach uses a dataset of faculty members from the Faculty of Information Technology and Business at a private university in Indonesia. The results from Google Scholar extraction, with topic keywords determined by Latent Dirichlet Allocation, are then classified using the Naïve Bayes algorithm. Additionally, we integrate web scraping tools, particularly SerpAPI, to access data from Google Scholar. Through the integration of SerpAPI, the proposed web-based system is capable of providing more accurate recommendations, especially for new users with limited collaboration experience. By incorporating SerpAPI, the proposed web-based system can offer more accurate recommendations, particularly for new users without extensive collaboration experience.

Context: Smart Energy is a disruptive concept that has led to the emergence of new energy policies, technology projects, and business models. The development of those models is driven by world capitals, companies, and universities. Their purpose is to make the electric power system more efficient through distributed energy generation/storage, smart meter installation, or reduction of consumption/implementation costs. This work approaches Smart Energy as a paradigm that is concerned with systemic strategies involving the implementation of innovative technological developments in energy systems. However, many of the challenges encountered under this paradigm are yet to be overcome, such as the effective integration of solutions within Smart Energy systems. Edge Computing is included in this new technology group. Objective: To investigate developments that involve the use of Edge Computing and that provide solutions to Smart Energy problems. The research work will be developed using the methodology of systematic mapping of literature, following the guidelines established by Kitchenham and Petersen that facilitate the identification of studies published on the subject. Results: Inclusion and exclusion criteria have been applied to identify the relevant articles. We selected 80 papers that were classified according to the type of publication (journal, conferences, or book chapter), type of research (conceptual, experience, or validation), type of activity (implement, validate, analyze) and asset (architecture, framework, method, or models). Conclusion: A complete review has been conducted of the 80 articles that were closely related to the questions posed in this research. To reach the goal of building Edge Computing architectures for Smart Energy environments, several lines of research have been defined. In the future, such architectures will overcome current problems, becoming highly energy-efficient, cost-effective, and capacitated to process and respond in real-time.

Cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) has become an imperative mode for global trade. Research on cross-border e-commerce historically focuses mainly on the customer's behavior intention to purchase on a CBEC platform. However, B-buyers are more important compared with C-buyers for CBEC platforms. This is because B-buyers can contribute more gross merchandise volume (GMV) in a CBEC platform, and thus more margin for the firm. The authors apply trust transfer theory, perceived risk, and alternative website quality to study repurchase intention, focusing on B-buyers. The results show that perceived risk, trust in provider, and trust in the website affect repurchase intention significantly, where trust in website is found to be the most important factor. In addition, the authors found that the dimensions of perceived risk in CBEC context can be classified as the following: customer duties risk, confiscation risk, delivery risk, financial risk, and privacy risk. The contributions of the study are addressed lastly.

Abstract Background and Purpose: Management Commitment to Service Quality (MSCQ) has been found to positively predict employee’s service quality and service behaviors in different service industries. In the context of sharing economy, the relationship between company and service providers is different from traditional employment relationship. For car-hailing service, drivers are mainly classified as contractors rather than employees. It is, therefore, necessary to understand whether MSCQ influences drivers’ service quality in a car-hailing context. Design/Methodology/Approach: Data were collected from 214 GrabCar drivers in Vietnam using online and offline survey. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. Results: The findings suggest that three dimensions of MCSQ, namely reward system, technology support and organizational support exert significant direct impact on drivers’ service behaviors. In addition, job involvement plays an intermediary role in the relationship between MCSQ and service behaviors. Conclusion: This study expands previous research on MCSQ to the car-haling service and confirms the role of job involvement as an important mechanism to improve service quality provided by drivers. Due to the characteristics of the company-service providers’ relationship in the sharing economy, the mechanisms through which MCSQ influences providers’ service performance need to be investigated in further details.

Companies have realized the importance of “big data” in creating a sustainable competitive advantage, and user-generated content (UGC) represents one of big data’s most important sources. From blogs to social media and online reviews, consumers generate a huge amount of brand-related information that has a decisive potential business value for marketing purposes. Particularly, we focus on online reviews that could have an influence on brand image and positioning. Within this context, and using the usual quantitative star score ratings, a recent stream of research has employed sentiment analysis (SA) tools to examine the textual content of reviews and categorize buyer opinions. Although many SA tools split comments into negative or positive, a review can contain phrases with different polarities because the user can have different sentiments about each feature of the product. Finding the polarity of each feature can be interesting for product managers and brand management. In this paper, we present a general framework that uses natural language processing (NLP) techniques, including sentiment analysis, text data mining, and clustering techniques, to obtain new scores based on consumer sentiments for different product features. The main contribution of our proposal is the combination of price and the aforementioned scores to define a new global score for the product, which allows us to obtain a ranking according to product features. Furthermore, the products can be classified according to their positive, neutral, or negative features (visualized on dashboards), helping consumers with their sustainable purchasing behavior. We proved the validity of our approach in a case study using big data extracted from Amazon online reviews (specifically cell phones), obtaining satisfactory and promising results. After the experimentation, we could conclude that our work is able to improve recommender systems by using positive, neutral, and negative customer opinions and by classifying customers based on their comments.

In this paper, we will first examine the intelligence theory, which is the basis of the cultural intelligence theory. Research on the theory of human intelligence, which began with IQ, has expanded and deepened the scope and depth of research over time, exploring the essence of intelligence. The cultural intelligence theory borrows these intelligence research contents and systems, and we want to find out about them. In particular, we would like to pay attention to the importance of acquired factors for intelligence that the intelligence theory tells us. The theory of cultural intelligence as a human intelligence necessary in the context of cultural diversity considers the problem of prejudice as an obstacle important. Therefore, we will examine the categorization process that humans learn while growing up and the category bias resulting from it. Next, we will examine texts and media that directly or indirectly affect category bias. We would like to think about how texts represented by nouns and media represented by images can reinforce prejudices and stereotypes. Lastly, we analyzed the psychological research achievements that have been made in relation to human bias. More than one hundred theories have been accumulated as a result of long time research. Among them, theories that are judged to be very important in relation to the theory of cultural intelligence have been selected and examined, and the prejudice in the form of emphasizing the human individual and the form of prejudice that occurs between groups are classified and considered.

In the last three decades, the concept and implementation of component-based architectures have been promoted in software systems creation. Increasingly complex demands are placed on the software component systems, in particular relating to the dynamic properties. The emergence of such requirements has been gradually enforced by the practice of development and implementation of these systems, especially for information systems software.Just the information systems (robust IS) of different types require that target software meets their requirements. Among other things, we mean primarily the adaptive processes of different domains, high distributives due to the possibilities of the Internet 2.0, acceptance of high integrity of life domains (process, data and communications integrity), scalability, and flexible adaptation to process changes, a good context for external devices and transparent structure of the sub-process modules and architectural units.Of course, the target software of required qualities and the type robust cannot be a monolith. As commonly known, development of design toward information systems software has clearly come to the need for the software composition of completely autonomous, but cooperating architectural units that communicate with each other using messages of prescribed formats.Although for such units there were often used the so called subsystems and modules, see (Jac, Boo, Rumbo, 1998) and (Arlo, Neus, 2007), their abstraction being gradually enacted as the term component. In other words, the subsystems and modules are specific types of components.In (Král, Žeml, 2000) and (Král, Žeml, 2003) there are considered two types of target software of information systems. The first type – there are SWC (Software Components), composed of permanently available components, which are thought as services – Confederate software. The second type – SWA (Software Alliance), called semi Confederate, formed during the run-time of the software system and referred to as software alliance.In both of these mentioned publications there is delivered ​​deep philosophy of relevant issues relating to SWC / SWA as creating copies of components (cloning), the establishment and destruction of components at software run-time (dynamic reconfiguration), cooperation of autonomous components, programmable management of components interface in depending on internal components functionality and customer requirements (functionality, security, versioning).Nevertheless, even today we can meet numerous cases of SWC / SWA existence, with a highly developed architecture that is accepting vast majority of these requests. On the other hand, in the development practice of component-based systems with a dynamic architecture (i.e. architecture with dynamic reconfiguration), and finally with a mobile architecture (i.e. architecture with dynamic component mobility) confirms the inadequacy of the design methods contained in UML 2.0. It proves especially the dissertation thesis (Rych, Weis, 2008). Software Engineering currently has two different approaches to systems SWC / SWA. The first approach is known as component-oriented software development CBD (Component based Development). According to (Szyper, 2002) that is a collection of CBD methodologies that are heavily focused on the setting up and software components re-usability within the architecture. Although CBD does not show high theoretical approach, nevertheless, it is classified under the general evolution of SDP (Software Development Process), see (Sommer, 2010) as one of its two dominant directions.From a structural point of view, a software system consists of self-contained, interoperable architectural units – components based on well-defined interfaces. Classical procedural object-oriented methodologies significantly do not use the component meta-models, based on which the target component systems are formed, then. Component meta-models describe the syntax, semantics of components. They are a system of rules for components, connectors and configuration. Component meta-models for dynamic and mobile architectures also describe the concept of rules for configuration changes (rules for reconfiguration). As well-known meta-models are now considered: Wright for static architecture, SOFA and Darvin for dynamic architecture and SOFA 2.0 for mobile architecture, see (Rych, Weis, 2008).The CBD approach verbally defines the basic terms as component (primitive / composite), interface, component system, configuration, reconfiguration, logical (structural) view, process view (behavioral), static component architecture, dynamic architecture, mobile architecture (fully dynamic architecture), see (IEEE Report, 2000) and (Crnk, Chaud, 2006).The CBD approach also presents several ​​ADL languages (Architecture Description Languages) which are able to describe software architecture. The known languages ​​are integration ACME and UML (Unified Modeling Language), see (Garl, Mon, Wil, 2000) and (UNIFEM, 2005).The second approach to SWC / SWA systems is formed on SOA, but this article does not deal with it consistently.SOA is a philosophy of architecture. SOA is not a methodology for the comprehensive development of the target software. Nevertheless, SOA successfully filled the role of software design philosophy and on the other hand, also gave an important concept linking software components and their architectural units – business services. SOA understands any software as a Component System of a business service and solved life components in it. The physical implementation of components is given by a Web services platform. A certain lack of SOA is its weak link to the business processes that are a universally recognized platform for business activities and the source for the creation of enterprise services.This paper deals with a specific activity in the CBD, i.e. the integration of the concept of component-based system into an advanced procedural, object-oriented methodology (Arlo, Neust, 2007), (Kan, Müller, 2005), (​​Krutch, 2003) for problem domains with double-layer process logic. There is indicated an integration method, based on a certain meta-model (Applying of the Component system Development in object Methodology) and leading to the component system formation. The mentioned meta-model is divided into partial workflows that are located in different stages of a classic object process-based methodology. Into account there are taken the consistency of the input and output artifacts in working practices of the meta-model and mentioned object methodology. This paper focuses on static component systems that are starting to explore dynamic and mobile component systems.In addition, in the contribution the component system is understood as a specific system, for its system properties and basic terms notation being used a set and graph and system algebra.

PurposeThis paper presents a reclassification of markers for mixed reality environments that is also applicable to the use of markers in robot navigation systems and 3D modelling. In the case of Augmented Reality (AR) mixed reality environments, markers are used to integrate computer generated (virtual) objects into a predominantly real world, while in Augmented Virtuality (AV) mixed reality environments, the goal is to integrate real objects into a predominantly virtual (computer generated) world. Apart from AR/AV classifications, mixed reality environments have also been classified by reality; output technology/display devices; immersiveness as well as by visibility of markers.Design/methodology/approachThe approach adopted consists of presenting six existing classifications of mixed reality environments and then extending them to define new categories of abstract, blended, virtual augmented, active and smart markers. This is supported with results/examples taken from the joint Mixed Augmented and Virtual Reality Laboratory (MAVRLAB) of the Ulster University, Belfast, Northern Ireland; the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy and Santasco SrL, Regio Emilia/Milan, Italy.FindingsExisting classification of markers and mixed reality environments are mainly binary in nature and do not adequately capture the contextual relationship between markers and their use and application. The reclassification of markers into abstract, blended and virtual categories captures the context for simple use and applications while the categories of augmented, active and smart markers captures the relationship for enhanced or more complex use of markers. The new classifications are capable of improving the definitions of existing simple marker and markerless mixed reality environments as well as supporting more complex features within mixed reality environments such as co-location of objects, advanced interactivity, personalised user experience.Research limitations/implicationsIt is thought that applications and devices in mixed reality environments when properly developed and deployed enhances the real environment by making invisible information visible to the user. The current work only marginally covers the use of internet of things (IoT) devices in mixed reality environments as well as potential implications for robot navigation systems and 3D modelling.Practical implicationsThe use of these reclassifications enables researchers, developers and users of mixed reality environments to select and make informed decisions on best tools and environment for their respective application, while conveying information with additional clarity and accuracy. The development and application of more complex markers would contribute in no small measure to attaining greater advancements in extending current knowledge and developing applications to positively impact entertainment, business and health while minimizing costs and maximizing benefits.Originality/valueThe originality of this paper lies in the approach adopted in reclassifying markers. This is supported with results and work carried out at the MAV Reality Laboratory of Ulster University, Belfast–UK, the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste-Italy and Santasco SrL, Regio Emilia, Milan–Italy. The value of present research lies in the definitions of new categories as well as the discussions of how they improve mixed reality environments and application especially in the health and education sectors.

In this issue of Journal of Disaster Research, we introduce nine papers on societal responses to recent catastrophic disasters with special focus on long-term recovery processes in Japan and the United States. As disaster impacts increase, we also find that recovery times take longer and the processes for recovery become more complicated. On January 17th of 1995, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the Hanshin and Awaji regions of Japan, resulting in the largest disaster in Japan in 50 years. In this disaster which we call the Kobe earthquake hereafter, over 6,000 people were killed and the damage and losses totaled more than 100 billion US dollars. The long-term recovery from the Kobe earthquake disaster took more than ten years to complete. One of the most important responsibilities of disaster researchers has been to scientifically monitor and record the long-term recovery process following this unprecedented disaster and discern the lessons that can be applied to future disasters. The first seven papers in this issue present some of the key lessons our research team learned from the studying the long-term recovery following the Kobe earthquake disaster. We have two additional papers that deal with two recent disasters in the United States – the terrorist attacks on World Trade Center in New York on September 11 of 2001 and the devastation of New Orleans by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina and subsequent levee failures. These disasters have raised a number of new research questions about long-term recovery that US researchers are studying because of the unprecedented size and nature of these disasters’ impacts. Mr. Mammen’s paper reviews the long-term recovery processes observed at and around the World Trade Center site over the last six years. Ms. Johnson’s paper provides a detailed account of the protracted reconstruction planning efforts in the city of New Orleans to illustrate a set of sufficient and necessary conditions for successful recovery. All nine papers in this issue share a theoretical framework for long-term recovery processes which we developed based first upon the lessons learned from the Kobe earthquake and later expanded through observations made following other recent disasters in the world. The following sections provide a brief description of each paper as an introduction to this special issue. 1. The Need for Multiple Recovery Goals After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the long-term recovery process began with the formulation of disaster recovery plans by the City of Kobe – the most severely impacted municipality – and an overarching plan by Hyogo Prefecture which coordinated 20 impacted municipalities; this planning effort took six months. Before the Kobe earthquake, as indicated in Mr. Maki’s paper in this issue, Japanese theories about, and approaches to, recovery focused mainly on physical recovery, particularly: the redevelopment plans for destroyed areas; the location and standards for housing and building reconstruction; and, the repair and rehabilitation of utility systems. But the lingering problems of some of the recent catastrophes in Japan and elsewhere indicate that there are multiple dimensions of recovery that must be considered. We propose that two other key dimensions are economic recovery and life recovery. The goal of economic recovery is the revitalization of the local disaster impacted economy, including both major industries and small businesses. The goal of life recovery is the restoration of the livelihoods of disaster victims. The recovery plans formulated following the 1995 Kobe earthquake, including the City of Kobe’s and Hyogo Prefecture’s plans, all stressed these two dimensions in addition to physical recovery. The basic structure of both the City of Kobe’s and Hyogo Prefecture’s recovery plans are summarized in Fig. 1. Each plan has three elements that work simultaneously. The first and most basic element of recovery is the restoration of damaged infrastructure. This helps both physical recovery and economic recovery. Once homes and work places are recovered, Life recovery of the impacted people can be achieved as the final goal of recovery. Figure 2 provides a “recovery report card” of the progress made by 2006 – 11 years into Kobe’s recovery. Infrastructure was restored in two years, which was probably the fastest infrastructure restoration ever, after such a major disaster; it astonished the world. Within five years, more than 140,000 housing units were constructed using a variety of financial means and ownership patterns, and exceeding the number of demolished housing units. Governments at all levels – municipal, prefectural, and national – provided affordable public rental apartments. Private developers, both local and national, also built condominiums and apartments. Disaster victims themselves also invested a lot to reconstruct their homes. Eleven major redevelopment projects were undertaken and all were completed in 10 years. In sum, the physical recovery following the 1995 Kobe earthquake was extensive and has been viewed as a major success. In contrast, economic recovery and life recovery are still underway more than 13 years later. Before the Kobe earthquake, Japan’s policy approaches to recovery assumed that economic recovery and life recovery would be achieved by infusing ample amounts of public funding for physical recovery into the disaster area. Even though the City of Kobe’s and Hyogo Prefecture’s recovery plans set economic recovery and life recovery as key goals, there was not clear policy guidance to accomplish them. Without a clear articulation of the desired end-state, economic recovery programs for both large and small businesses were ill-timed and ill-matched to the needs of these businesses trying to recover amidst a prolonged slump in the overall Japanese economy that began in 1997. “Life recovery” programs implemented as part of Kobe’s recovery were essentially social welfare programs for low-income and/or senior citizens. 2. Requirements for Successful Physical Recovery Why was the physical recovery following the 1995 Kobe earthquake so successful in terms of infrastructure restoration, the replacement of damaged housing units, and completion of urban redevelopment projects? There are at least three key success factors that can be applied to other disaster recovery efforts: 1) citizen participation in recovery planning efforts, 2) strong local leadership, and 3) the establishment of numerical targets for recovery. Citizen participation As pointed out in the three papers on recovery planning processes by Mr. Maki, Mr. Mammen, and Ms. Johnson, citizen participation is one of the indispensable factors for successful recovery plans. Thousands of citizens participated in planning workshops organized by America Speaks as part of both the World Trade Center and City of New Orleans recovery planning efforts. Although no such workshops were held as part of the City of Kobe’s recovery planning process, citizen participation had been part of the City of Kobe’s general plan update that had occurred shortly before the earthquake. The City of Kobe’s recovery plan is, in large part, an adaptation of the 1995-2005 general plan. On January 13 of 1995, the City of Kobe formally approved its new, 1995-2005 general plan which had been developed over the course of three years with full of citizen participation. City officials, responsible for drafting the City of Kobe’s recovery plan, have later admitted that they were able to prepare the city’s recovery plan in six months because they had the preceding three years of planning for the new general plan with citizen participation. Based on this lesson, Odiya City compiled its recovery plan based on the recommendations obtained from a series of five stakeholder workshops after the 2004 Niigata Chuetsu earthquake. <strong>Fig. 1. </strong> Basic structure of recovery plans from the 1995 Kobe earthquake. <strong>Fig. 2. </strong> “Disaster recovery report card” of the progress made by 2006. Strong leadership In the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake, local leadership had a defining role in the recovery process. Kobe’s former Mayor, Mr. Yukitoshi Sasayama, was hired to work in Kobe City government as an urban planner, rebuilding Kobe following World War II. He knew the city intimately. When he saw damage in one area on his way to the City Hall right after the earthquake, he knew what levels of damage to expect in other parts of the city. It was he who called for the two-month moratorium on rebuilding in Kobe city on the day of the earthquake. The moratorium provided time for the city to formulate a vision and policies to guide the various levels of government, private investors, and residents in rebuilding. It was a quite unpopular policy when Mayor Sasayama announced it. Citizens expected the city to be focusing on shelters and mass care, not a ban on reconstruction. Based on his experience in rebuilding Kobe following WWII, he was determined not to allow haphazard reconstruction in the city. It took several years before Kobe citizens appreciated the moratorium. Numerical targets Former Governor Mr. Toshitami Kaihara provided some key numerical targets for recovery which were announced in the prefecture and municipal recovery plans. They were: 1) Hyogo Prefecture would rebuild all the damaged housing units in three years, 2) all the temporary housing would be removed within five years, and 3) physical recovery would be completed in ten years. All of these numerical targets were achieved. Having numerical targets was critical to directing and motivating all the stakeholders including the national government’s investment, and it proved to be the foundation for Japan’s fundamental approach to recovery following the 1995 earthquake. 3. Economic Recovery as the Prime Goal of Disaster Recovery In Japan, it is the responsibility of the national government to supply the financial support to restore damaged infrastructure and public facilities in the impacted area as soon as possible. The long-term recovery following the Kobe earthquake is the first time, in Japan’s modern history, that a major rebuilding effort occurred during a time when there was not also strong national economic growth. In contrast, between 1945 and 1990, Japan enjoyed a high level of national economic growth which helped facilitate the recoveries following WWII and other large fires. In the first year after the Kobe earthquake, Japan’s national government invested more than US$ 80 billion in recovery. These funds went mainly towards the repair and reconstruction of infrastructure and public facilities. Now, looking back, we can also see that these investments also nearly crushed the local economy. Too much money flowed into the local economy over too short a period of time and it also did not have the “trickle-down” effect that might have been intended. To accomplish numerical targets for physical recovery, the national government awarded contracts to large companies from Osaka and Tokyo. But, these large out-of-town contractors also tended to have their own labor and supply chains already intact, and did not use local resources and labor, as might have been expected. Essentially, ten years of housing supply was completed in less than three years, which led to a significant local economic slump. Large amounts of public investment for recovery are not necessarily a panacea for local businesses, and local economic recovery, as shown in the following two examples from the Kobe earthquake. A significant national investment was made to rebuild the Port of Kobe to a higher seismic standard, but both its foreign export and import trade never recovered to pre-disaster levels. While the Kobe Port was out of business, both the Yokohama Port and the Osaka Port increased their business, even though many economists initially predicted that the Kaohsiung Port in Chinese Taipei or the Pusan Port in Korea would capture this business. Business stayed at all of these ports even after the reopening of the Kobe Port. Similarly, the Hanshin Railway was severely damaged and it took half a year to resume its operation, but it never regained its pre-disaster readership. In this case, two other local railway services, the JR and Hankyu lines, maintained their increased readership even after the Hanshin railway resumed operation. As illustrated by these examples, pre-disaster customers who relied on previous economic output could not necessarily afford to wait for local industries to recover and may have had to take their business elsewhere. Our research suggests that the significant recovery investment made by Japan’s national government may have been a disincentive for new economic development in the impacted area. Government may have been the only significant financial risk-taker in the impacted area during the national economic slow-down. But, its focus was on restoring what had been lost rather than promoting new or emerging economic development. Thus, there may have been a missed opportunity to provide incentives or put pressure on major businesses and industries to develop new businesses and attract new customers in return for the public investment. The significant recovery investment by Japan’s national government may have also created an over-reliance of individuals on public spending and government support. As indicated in Ms. Karatani’s paper, individual savings of Kobe’s residents has continued to rise since the earthquake and the number of individuals on social welfare has also decreased below pre-disaster levels. Based on our research on economic recovery from the Kobe earthquake, at least two lessons emerge: 1) Successful economic recovery requires coordination among all three recovery goals – Economic, Physical and Life Recovery, and 2) “Recovery indices” are needed to better chart recovery progress in real-time and help ensure that the recovery investments are being used effectively. Economic recovery as the prime goal of recovery Physical recovery, especially the restoration of infrastructure and public facilities, may be the most direct and socially accepted provision of outside financial assistance into an impacted area. However, lessons learned from the Kobe earthquake suggest that the sheer amount of such assistance may not be effective as it should be. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, economic recovery should be the top priority goal for recovery among the three goals and serve as a guiding force for physical recovery and life recovery. Physical recovery can be a powerful facilitator of post-disaster economic development by upgrading social infrastructure and public facilities in compliance with economic recovery plans. In this way, it is possible to turn a disaster into an opportunity for future sustainable development. Life recovery may also be achieved with a healthy economic recovery that increases tax revenue in the impacted area. In order to achieve this coordination among all three recovery goals, municipalities in the impacted areas should have access to flexible forms of post-disaster financing. The community development block grant program that has been used after several large disasters in the United States, provide impacted municipalities with a more flexible form of funding and the ability to better determine what to do and when. The participation of key stakeholders is also an indispensable element of success that enables block grant programs to transform local needs into concrete businesses. In sum, an effective economic recovery combines good coordination of national support to restore infrastructure and public facilities and local initiatives that promote community recovery. Developing Recovery Indices Long-term recovery takes time. As Mr. Tatsuki’s paper explains, periodical social survey data indicates that it took ten years before the initial impacts of the Kobe earthquake were no longer affecting the well-being of disaster victims and the recovery was completed. In order to manage this long-term recovery process effectively, it is important to have some indices to visualize the recovery processes. In this issue, three papers by Mr. Takashima, Ms. Karatani, and Mr. Kimura define three different kinds of recovery indices that can be used to continually monitor the progress of the recovery. Mr. Takashima focuses on electric power consumption in the impacted area as an index for impact and recovery. Chronological change in electric power consumption can be obtained from the monthly reports of power company branches. Daily estimates can also be made by tracking changes in city lights using a satellite called DMSP. Changes in city lights can be a very useful recovery measure especially at the early stages since it can be updated daily for anywhere in the world. Ms. Karatani focuses on the chronological patterns of monthly macro-statistics that prefecture and city governments collect as part of their routine monitoring of services and operations. For researchers, it is extremely costly and virtually impossible to launch post-disaster projects that collect recovery data continuously for ten years. It is more practical for researchers to utilize data that is already being collected by local governments or other agencies and use this data to create disaster impact and recovery indices. Ms. Karatani found three basic patterns of disaster impact and recovery in the local government data that she studied: 1) Some activities increased soon after the disaster event and then slumped, such as housing construction; 2) Some activities reduced sharply for a period of time after the disaster and then rebounded to previous levels, such as grocery consumption; and 3) Some activities reduced sharply for a while and never returned to previous levels, such as the Kobe Port and Hanshin Railway. Mr. Kimura focuses on the psychology of disaster victims. He developed a “recovery and reconstruction calendar” that clarifies the process that disaster victims undergo in rebuilding their shattered lives. His work is based on the results of random surveys. Despite differences in disaster size and locality, survey data from the 1995 Kobe earthquake and the 2004 Niigata-ken Chuetsu earthquake indicate that the recovery and reconstruction calendar is highly reliable and stable in clarifying the recovery and reconstruction process. <strong>Fig. 3.</strong> Integrated plan of disaster recovery. 4. Life Recovery as the Ultimate Goal of Disaster Recovery Life recovery starts with the identification of the disaster victims. In Japan, local governments in the impacted area issue a “damage certificate” to disaster victims by household, recording the extent of each victim’s housing damage. After the Kobe earthquake, a total of 500,000 certificates were issued. These certificates, in turn, were used by both public and private organizations to determine victim’s eligibility for individual assistance programs. However, about 30% of those victims who received certificates after the Kobe earthquake were dissatisfied with the results of assessment. This caused long and severe disputes for more than three years. Based on the lessons learned from the Kobe earthquake, Mr. Horie’s paper presents (1) a standardized procedure for building damage assessment and (2) an inspector training system. This system has been adopted as the official building damage assessment system for issuing damage certificates to victims of the 2004 Niigata-ken Chuetsu earthquake, the 2007 Noto-Peninsula earthquake, and the 2007 Niigata-ken Chuetsu Oki earthquake. Personal and family recovery, which we term life recovery, was one of the explicit goals of the recovery plan from the Kobe earthquake, but it was unclear in both recovery theory and practice as to how this would be measured and accomplished. Now, after studying the recovery in Kobe and other regions, Ms. Tamura’s paper proposes that there are seven elements that define the meaning of life recovery for disaster victims. She recently tested this model in a workshop with Kobe disaster victims. The seven elements and victims’ rankings are shown in Fig. 4. Regaining housing and restoring social networks were, by far, the top recovery indicators for victims. Restoration of neighborhood character ranked third. Demographic shifts and redevelopment plans implemented following the Kobe earthquake forced significant neighborhood changes upon many victims. Next in line were: having a sense of being better prepared and reducing their vulnerability to future disasters; regaining their physical and mental health; and restoration of their income, job, and the economy. The provision of government assistance also provided victims with a sense of life recovery. Mr. Tatsuki’s paper summarizes the results of four random-sample surveys of residents within the most severely impacted areas of Hyogo Prefecture. These surveys were conducted biannually since 1999,. Based on the results of survey data from 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2005, it is our conclusion that life recovery took ten years for victims in the area impacted significantly by the Kobe earthquake. Fig. 5 shows that by comparing the two structural equation models of disaster recovery (from 2003 and 2005), damage caused by the Kobe earthquake was no longer a determinant of life recovery in the 2005 model. It was still one of the major determinants in the 2003 model as it was in 1999 and 2001. This is the first time in the history of disaster research that the entire recovery process has been scientifically described. It can be utilized as a resource and provide benchmarks for monitoring the recovery from future disasters. <strong>Fig. 4.</strong> Ethnographical meaning of “life recovery” obtained from the 5th year review of the Kobe earthquake by the City of Kobe. <strong>Fig. 5.</strong> Life recovery models of 2003 and 2005. 6. The Need for an Integrated Recovery Plan The recovery lessons from Kobe and other regions suggest that we need more integrated recovery plans that use physical recovery as a tool for economic recovery, which in turn helps disaster victims. Furthermore, we believe that economic recovery should be the top priority for recovery, and physical recovery should be regarded as a tool for stimulating economic recovery and upgrading social infrastructure (as shown in Fig. 6). With this approach, disaster recovery can help build the foundation for a long-lasting and sustainable community. Figure 6 proposes a more detailed model for a more holistic recovery process. The ultimate goal of any recovery process should be achieving life recovery for all disaster victims. We believe that to get there, both direct and indirect approaches must be taken. Direct approaches include: the provision of funds and goods for victims, for physical and mental health care, and for housing reconstruction. Indirect approaches for life recovery are those which facilitate economic recovery, which also has both direct and indirect approaches. Direct approaches to economic recovery include: subsidies, loans, and tax exemptions. Indirect approaches to economic recovery include, most significantly, the direct projects to restore infrastructure and public buildings. More subtle approaches include: setting new regulations or deregulations, providing technical support, and creating new businesses. A holistic recovery process needs to strategically combine all of these approaches, and there must be collaborative implementation by all the key stakeholders, including local governments, non-profit and non-governmental organizations (NPOs and NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and the private sector. Therefore, community and stakeholder participation in the planning process is essential to achieve buy-in for the vision and desired outcomes of the recovery plan. Securing the required financial resources is also critical to successful implementation. In thinking of stakeholders, it is important to differentiate between supporting entities and operating agencies. Supporting entities are those organizations that supply the necessary funding for recovery. Both Japan’s national government and the federal government in the U.S. are the prime supporting entities in the recovery from the 1995 Kobe earthquake and the 2001 World Trade Center recovery. In Taiwan, the Buddhist organization and the national government of Taiwan were major supporting entities in the recovery from the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake. Operating agencies are those organizations that implement various recovery measures. In Japan, local governments in the impacted area are operating agencies, while the national government is a supporting entity. In the United States, community development block grants provide an opportunity for many operating agencies to implement various recovery measures. As Mr. Mammen’ paper describes, many NPOs, NGOs, and/or CBOs in addition to local governments have had major roles in implementing various kinds programs funded by block grants as part of the World Trade Center recovery. No one, single organization can provide effective help for all kinds of disaster victims individually or collectively. The needs of disaster victims may be conflicting with each other because of their diversity. Their divergent needs can be successfully met by the diversity of operating agencies that have responsibility for implementing recovery measures. In a similar context, block grants made to individual households, such as microfinance, has been a vital recovery mechanism for victims in Thailand who suffered from the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami disaster. Both disaster victims and government officers at all levels strongly supported the microfinance so that disaster victims themselves would become operating agencies for recovery. Empowering individuals in sustainable life recovery is indeed the ultimate goal of recovery. <strong>Fig. 6.</strong> A holistic recovery policy model.

Abstract: The paper aims to propose an Expert System to predict the failure of onshore pipelines. Knowledge Management supports expertise sharing throughout the organization. The Expert System Prototype Model proposed is classified as Empirical Descriptive Research, and may support maintenance management. The findings evidence that Expert System proposed grounded in employee knowledge may be considered a promising solution to support Industry 4.0 implementation. The Expert System facilitates the decision-making of the experts so that the employees’ expertise can be better used in the implementation of Industry 4.0 and to face the new challenges related to the daily work in the organization. In this context, the Expert System can be considered as an innovative approach to manage maintenance processes and supporting reliable, consistent decisions during I.4 implementation.

The absence of logical reasoning in the implementation of anti-corruption measures has exerted a significant influence, leading to misguided anti-corruption endeavours in nations such as Nigeria. The objective of this study is to discern the underlying rationale behind anti-corruption systems and ascertain their impact on the occurrence of corruption in the context of project planning and execution (PPE) within Nigeria. The research formulated a theoretical framework that classified the anti-corruption measures into three distinct systems and elucidated their underlying rationale. The model postulates that anti-corruption measures that exhibit a significant influence on corruption in the realm of PPE are those that prioritise the enhancement of reputation and remuneration. The hypotheses were extracted from the model and subjected to testing through the utilisation of multiple linear regression (MLR). The efficacy of all the classifications of anti-corruption systems was determined to be inadequate in mitigating the occurrence of bribery, fraud, and substandard documentation. The empirical findings indicate that the expansion of information access exhibits a robust logical framework and exerts a substantial influence on the prevalence of corruption within the realm of PPE in Nigeria. The results of this study propose a potential strategy for an anti-graft campaign and provide insights into the importance of consolidation.

AbstractThis paper aims to identify and classify the challenges and issues faced by the energy sector in digitizing distributed energy operation and services using digital platforms. It contributes to two fields: information systems (IS) in the domain of platforms ecosystems and digital services innovation and the field of energy informatics in the domain of digital business models and service innovation. Through a systematic literature review, we investigate current research on digitalization and digital platforms in the context of electrical energy services and identify challenges and areas for future research. The key challenges are then classified into two categories, each with three subcategories: Architectural challenges, including aspects of design, ecosystem management, and agility and openness; and business and regulatory challenges, including contracts and relationship management, business models, and standards. The main limitation of this study is that it does not focus on a specific geographic domain, which means that the results are somewhat general and may not be applicable to certain countries or regions. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research directions in the digitalization and platformization of the energy sector in all six-sub-areas.

How does a mature business develop new growth markets, assuming it already has new products? That was the challenge facing The Coca-Cola Company and its global system of bottlers in the 2000s when demand for its core line of carbonated soft drinks flattened. The Australian bottler, Amatil, pinned its hopes on energy drinks, a fast-growth, youth-oriented category that was capturing headlines and share away from traditional products. To wrest control from the upstart brands that originated them, Amatil was targeting the retail context where young people congregated and formed their preferences, in pubs, nightclubs, healthclubs, and sporting events. This international case explores the challenges encountered when a mature company with considerable distribution assets, well-honed systems, and entrenched operating procedures attempts to sell into an underserved retail channel with requirements quite unlike those of the company's mainstream buyers. How does it attract market interest? How does it develop new routes-to-market without undercutting the cost efficiencies and delivery value that have earned it dominant position elsewhere? How does it win over what could be its core customers of the future without alienating today's faithful? These are just some of the questions that Amatil management was determined to solve.Understand issues related to retail channel strategy development in fast-changing international consumer markets, and the challenges of adapting legacy routes-to-market systems to changing consumer demands.

Purpose China has emerged as an undisputed leader of global business and as a preferred hub for global value chains. However, recent threats of the trade war, the allegation of violation of intellectual property rights and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to have dampened China’s attractiveness. Multinational corporations may be contemplating diversifying their dependence on China – a strategy known as “China-Plus-One”. What could be possible destinations in Asia for such a diversification strategy? Design/methodology/approach Towards understanding the “China-Plus-One” phenomenon, the authors use a methodology of arriving at an aggregate ranking of the major economies of emerging Asia. This is built on a few standard indices such as World Bank's Logistic Performance Index; World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Indicator; World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index; Economic Complexity Index of the Harvard University; Economist Magazine’s Country Rating of Financial Strength; and Corruption Perception Index compiled by the Transparency International. Accordingly, the authors rank seven countries (namely, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Bangladesh) next to China as possible destinations for selecting the “Plus one” country. Findings In the aggregate ranking, China ranks first followed by Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and then Bangladesh. This sequence gives some pointers on the possible shifts from China as potential hubs of global value chains. The authors observe the following: first, it is challenging to move away from China in the short run; second, corporations could pursue a “China-plus-One” strategy, whereby they may move marginally from China and relocate part of their supply chain elsewhere; third, in looking for alternative locations, corporations may look for the following countries in emerging Asia, namely, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Bangladesh. Originality/value The aggregate ranking method applied in this paper is one of the first applications in the context of ranking developing Asian economies based on economic, logistics, supply chain, financial and corruption metrics. It is one of the first conceptual works in the domain of identifying possible diversification options for the “China-Plus-One” strategy that can be extended to include many context-specific rankings.

The dynamic shifts associated with urban growth or decline significantly influence both municipal and national economic policies. Urban expansion often necessitates substantial land resources allocation, whereas in regions with limited land availability or geographical restrictions, a innovative approach to urban planning is mandated. Key land value factors have been determined and classified. Each direct and indirect land prices key economic impact factor had been summarized and used to build information system model. Among these factors financial and economic data combined with geo-spatial information are considered the main input data sources for the digital information systems solution. An eight steps algorithm was constructed to enable information system output for economical assessment of land plot objects. The presented equations for economical assessment of a single land plot object can be used to calculate important parameters for the information system. Going one step further, a pyramid-shaped diagram denotes four stages of general economical valuation for prospective land object in context of investment opportunities. The price of each individual land slot can be efficiently calculated using an information system that relies upon pre-processed data, price impact factors and general land slot information. The findings underscore the necessity for adopting a more comprehensive approach towards the modeling of land prices in urbanized territories. This approach should adequately reflect the current delineation of urban and suburban boundaries, incorporate data pertinent to urban zones, and consider the spatial distribution of most significant industrial sites and business districts within larger urban zone (metropolitan region).

Facebook mentions to scholarly outputs are important data source for scholarly communication and altmetrics. However, little is known about who are producing these mentions. With statistical analysis of over 1.5 million records, this study has revealed scientific Facebook users’ geographic distribution and productivity distribution. Furthermore, via coding analysis based on random sampling strategy and stratified sampling strategy, their identities are recognised and classified in a systematic way. Results show the following. (1) Scientific Facebook users are widely distributed around the world but highly concentrated, presenting a different pattern compared with general Facebook users. (2) Productivity distribution is highly skewed towards the lowly productive scientific Facebook users. (3) Identities of scientific Facebook users are very diversified, and are proposed to be classified into 6 basic types and 30 specific types, verifying that various stakeholders other than scholars are engaged with scholarly outputs on Facebook. (4) Organisational scientific Facebook users (percentage > 80%) are dominant. Meanwhile, public users (percentage = 55%) have surpassed researcher users (percentage = 32%) as the major type. Among public users, various business organisations (percentage = 26%) and social organisations (percentage = 19%) are playing an important role. (5) Level of activeness has strong connection with users’ identities. There is clear increasing pattern regarding percentage of public users with decreasing level of activeness. These results indicate that Facebook mentions can measure interactions with scholarly outputs from much broader categories of users other than scholars and user’s context information needs to be considered when using Facebook mention counts for evaluative purpose.

The article examines the conceptual foundations of the formation of strategic directions for the development of agrarian enterprises in the conditions of digitalization of the economy. It is indicated that digitalization is used by agricultural enterprises to change the business model, which provides the formation of new revenues and opportunities for the creation of a new type of value chains. It is emphasized that a characteristic feature of digitalization is that it is the foundation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and is one of the main currents of the third wave of globalization processes. It has been proven that digital technologies provide many opportunities and perspectives for the creation of smart agriculture, giving their consumers a great impetus to transform their activities. It is indicated that in agriculture, digital technologies can modernize the industry, facilitating the implementation of innovations in agribusiness and creating new opportunities for agricultural enterprises in areas such as the biological sector, ecosystem sustainability, etc. It is noted that among the innovative technologies used by agribusiness entities are: the introduction of precision farming systems, aerial photography for the purpose of monitoring the quality of crops, keeping the history of fields for choosing the optimal crop, laboratory studies of the soil to obtain information about the biochemical composition. Digital technologies, classified by the degree of influence on the development of agricultural enterprises, are highlighted. The basic and auxiliary conditions of digitalization of agricultural production have been studied. Groups of risk analysis tasks during the formation of strategic intentions of an agrarian enterprise are given. The key aspects of the sustainable development of an agricultural enterprise are proposed. It was concluded that the digitalization of the agricultural sector is one of the main components of the digital policy of the state and a determining factor in the growth of the economy in general, in particular, the digital industry itself as a technology producer. The introduction of digital technologies is a positive trend not only for agricultural enterprises of Ukraine, because at this stage of digitalization, it is extremely important to apply a whole set of measures from the state for the development of digitalization in our country.