While international companies increasingly invest in analytics to achieve a competitive edge, a major challenge is the underutilisation of this data, especially by offline retail businesses. The research underscores t...
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While international companies increasingly invest in analytics to achieve a competitive edge, a major challenge is the underutilisation of this data, especially by offline retail businesses. The research underscores the disparity between abundant literature on e-commerce Big Data Analytics (BDA) utilisation and the need for more studies concerning South African offline retail organisations. Adopting the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, the study utilised a comprehensive qualitative approach by interviewing various information Technology experts in an offline retail organization. Findings revealed that organisational factors, especially top management support and structure, are primary challenges to BDA adoption. The study also illuminates technological and environmental challenges specific to the case, such as recurring power outages and regulatory complexities. In conclusion, while BDA presents transformative potential for the retail sector, its successful implementation necessitates context-specific strategies, infrastructure investment, and upper-level managerial commitment.
The Covid-19 destruction cannot be undone but the pandemic also created novel opportunities. Digitization of teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the introduction of digital platforms ...
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The Covid-19 destruction cannot be undone but the pandemic also created novel opportunities. Digitization of teaching and learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the introduction of digital platforms like Learning Management Systems (LMS) received unprecedented attention and funding. However, the developmental gains depend on the LMS's continued use by both lecturers and students. The utilization of LMSs for teaching and learning by lecturers in Ghanaian HEIs is low and related research is limited. Therefore, this paper reports on an investigation into the factors influencing the usage of LMSs by lecturers in Ghana using a qualitative interpretive approach to improve LMS adoption. Data was collected through focus group discussions with lecturers across four HEIs and analyzed thematically using ***. When compared with LMS adoption factors from literature the findings revealed previously unidentified contextual factors affecting the use of LMSs among lecturers. This study contributes to addressing the gap in LMS studies on Ghana and makes a novel contribution by highlighting the influence of environmental and financial factors onLMSusage and the implications of students' financial status, physical location, classroom infrastructure, and accommodating diversity in religious traditions as factors influencing LMS use. These findings highlight digital technology's potential to distribute access more equitably but also to increase inequality. Therefore, an understanding of contextual factors and policy implications' impact on the inclusiveness of digital transformation in the Global South is critical. Attention to these factors could improve the use of LMSs towards harnessing the developmental benefits as intended.
Social media has become part of the risk communication strategy of governments all over the world. However, the information posted on social media is not validated and may contribute to the problem of misinformation. ...
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Social media has become part of the risk communication strategy of governments all over the world. However, the information posted on social media is not validated and may contribute to the problem of misinformation. In South Africa, one of the causes of vaccine hesitancy during the Covid-19 pandemic was attributed to misinformation on socialmedia. The aim of this study is to investigate what type of information was posted using the #VaccineRolloutSA on Twitter that may influence vaccine hesitancy. A total of one hundred tweets with the hashtag #VaccineRollOutSA were harvested from Twitter (X) and thematically analysed. Using the Motivational Theory of Role Modelling and Health Belief models, the tweets were categorised according to the Twitter users' opinions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. The categories identified included Inspirational, Misinformation, Informative, Political, and Poll. Eighteen percent of the tweets were found to be misinformation. The recommendation of the study is that governments must be aware of misinformation on social media and incorporate strategies to mitigate this risk in the risk communication plan.
This contribution introduces an educational Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) curriculum suitable for undergraduate and young professionals, which enables a graduation as Master of Science. The main goal is to increa...
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This contribution introduces an educational Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) curriculum suitable for undergraduate and young professionals, which enables a graduation as Master of Science. The main goal is to increase the accessibility of valuable PLM content for educational purposes and to introduce students to the productive "hands on" features of PLM by developing an international, interdisciplinary and online-based program. This program focusses on a fundamental PLM understanding, the usability of available software systems and an industrial PLM integration and application. A highly professional cooperation between five technical universities from Turkey, Spain, Germany and Austria, international experts designed interactive online classes, which are suitable for distance learning. Sharing technology for international educational platform enables students, professors and partners from industry to share their PLM expertise with students and improve the common and different understandings. This new PLM program shows the usability of the applications, which were implemented and tested in a pilot training course. The results are very promising and further suggestions and feedback for improvement will be taken into account. Student feedback and the exceptional motivation of the whole project team shows that interdisciplinary online education has a promising future in international academic PLM education integrating practical use cases.
[Context] At the cusp of Industry 4.0 and against a backdrop of fierce competition, manufacturing companies must design and manufacture increasingly complex and cost-effective products. Human resources must therefore ...
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[Context] At the cusp of Industry 4.0 and against a backdrop of fierce competition, manufacturing companies must design and manufacture increasingly complex and cost-effective products. Human resources must therefore preserve and maintain their knowledge and the intellectual heritage of their experts. [Problem] In the next few years, there will be a lack of skilled resources in the manufacturing industry due to retirements. Let's also mention the turnover of consultants working within these companies. It is essential to implement solutions today in order to protect the intellectual heritage of tomorrow. This paper ambition to answer to how can the knowledge of these experts be captured and used, and how knowledge graph could be a suitable tool to achieve this objective. [Proposal] This article proposes a methodology for implementing KBE (Knowledge Based Engineering) solutions. This methodology called KARMEN (Knowledge Access Request for Manufacturing and Engineering by Network graph) is based on an FBS type ontology (Function, Behavior, Structure) as well as on the exploitation of Knowledge Graphs. A use case of redesigning a mechanical part for metal additive manufacturing will be presented. Besides, an experimental protocol will be specified to capture the knowledge of business experts within a graph-oriented database built on Neo4J. Finally, it will demonstrate that navigation within a knowledge graph can be a powerful tool for knowledge transfer and support in designing novice profile.
This paper investigates the challenges in information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) initiatives, wherein they face difficulties when advancing beyond their initial phases, particularly when bein...
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This paper investigates the challenges in information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) initiatives, wherein they face difficulties when advancing beyond their initial phases, particularly when being deployed across diverse geographical regions. The paper focuses on the interplay among technological integration, local contextual nuances, community engagement, and governmental regulatory frameworks, identifying these as pivotal determinants for ICT4D endeavors. This notion offers value for both scholars and practitioners seeking to enhance the effectiveness of these projects and drive socio-economic advancements within marginalized communities.
The integration of smart home IoT devices into households promises to improve users' living experiences and increase convenience, but raises manifold privacy and security concerns. This study conducts 11 interview...
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The integration of smart home IoT devices into households promises to improve users' living experiences and increase convenience, but raises manifold privacy and security concerns. This study conducts 11 interviews with expert users in Germany, employing qualitative content analysis to unveil prevalent privacy and security concerns. The objective is to survey smart home usage behavior and user knowledge to identify the need for solutions that educate users on potential threats, and aid them in securing their smart home. The findings illuminate the evolving dynamics of user perspectives within the rapidly advancing smart home landscape of IoT devices and the need for open-source solutions that provide recommendations and data flow control in smart home devices. Although knowledgeable in general, it can be observed that even expert users lack awareness of information flows in smart homes, calling for more education and the creation of software and hardware-based solutions to mitigate threats in the future.
Phishing attacks continue to thrive despite continued efforts to inform citizens about their dangers and how to enact protective behaviours. Demonstrations have been shown to help enhance student learning in various d...
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Phishing attacks continue to thrive despite continued efforts to inform citizens about their dangers and how to enact protective behaviours. Demonstrations have been shown to help enhance student learning in various disciplines, yet these have not been explored in a security context with lay individuals. We designed and delivered a Breach and Attack Demonstration (BAD) of spear phishing to 10 lay younger adults (18-24) to explore their perceptions of this method as an awareness tool and to capture any long-lasting impressions. Based on semi-structured interviews and survey responses 6 months after the demonstrations, we found that participants were surprised at how simple spear phishing attacks were to enact and this impression persevered 6 months following the BAD. We discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using BADs as an interactive awareness tool, concluding with recommendations for the design of such demonstrations for lay individuals.
Gig work presents a promising prospect for youth in developing countries by offering a flexible and economically viable alternative in the face of high unemployment rates. This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) looks...
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Gig work presents a promising prospect for youth in developing countries by offering a flexible and economically viable alternative in the face of high unemployment rates. This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) looks to uncover practical strategies and best practices to facilitate the creation of gigwork opportunities for youth in developing countries. It poses two research questions, namely: What gig work opportunities exist for youth in a developing country context, and what practices and strategies facilitate the creation of these opportunities? The SLR identifies a number of gig work jobs and groups them into five categories including online consulting, gig work, online micro-tasking, and social media content production. Eleven strategies and two practices for fostering the creation of gig work opportunities in developing countries are identified from the 20 articles included in the study. The strategies range from providing training, improving infrastructure, enacting legislation, raising awareness, to governments creating gig work opportunities by putting tasks on these platforms or creating their own platforms. Consequently, the SLR calls for future research to evaluate the outcomes of strategies and practices implemented to unlock gigwork opportunities for youth in developing countries. The SLR also suggests further research into better mapping the exact type of skills necessary to take advantage of the promising gig work opportunities available.
The European plastics industry is in transition to meet its 2050 net zero and circularity targets. In 2020, the overall European recycling rate for post-consumer plastics packaging reached 46%. The European Union set ...
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The European plastics industry is in transition to meet its 2050 net zero and circularity targets. In 2020, the overall European recycling rate for post-consumer plastics packaging reached 46%. The European Union set a target for recycling 50% of plastic packaging by 2025 and 55% by 2030. These targets can only be achieved by increasing the use of recycled materials in packaging. Therefore, it is required to design new plastic packaging products, production processes and recycling processes with a focus on easy recyclability and reduced environmental footprint. This publication points out possible benefits, opportunities and challenges of using the well-known Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology for plastic packaging products. First steps towards the development of reduced LCA-based models, which can be used to support the development of plastic packaging products, are presented. One example is a generic recycling process model, which can be used for different packaging materials and provides the basis for further analysis. Another example is the development of an assessment template for current plastic recycling processes. The publication concludes with the identification of open research questions.
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