Aim/Purpose: This paper aims to describe how various Kanban elements can help alleviate two prominent types of challenges, communication and collaboration in Global Software Development (GSD). Background: Iterative and Lean development methodologies like Kanban have gained significance in the software development industry, both in the co-located and globally distributed contexts. However, little is known on how such methodologies can help mitigate various challenges in that occur in a globally distributed software development context. Methodology: The study was conducted using a single-case study based on a general inductive approach to analysis and theory development. Through the literature review, collaboration and communication challenges that GSD teams face were identified. Data collected through semi-structured interviews was then inductively analyzed to describe how the case-study teams employed various Kanban elements to mitigate communication and collaboration challenges they face during GSD. Findings: The study found that some Kanban elements, when properly employed, can help alleviate collaboration and communication challenges that occur within GSD teams. These relate to Inclusion Criteria, Reverse Items, Kanban Board, Policies, Avatars, and Backlog. Contribution: The paper contributes to knowledge by proposing two simple concept maps that detail the specific types of communication and collaboration challenges which can be alleviated by the aforementioned Kanban elements in GSD. Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper is relevant to GSD teams who are seeking ways to enhance their team collaboration and communication as these are the most important elements that contribute to GSD project success. It is recommended that relevant Kanban elements be used to that effect, depending on the challenges that they aim to alleviate. Future Research: Future research can investigate the same research questions (or similar ones) using a quantitative approach.

Aim/Purpose: This paper describes and information system for the maintenance and management of municipal lighting systems that also serves as a decision support tool for reducing power consumption on urban lighting. Background: Many municipalities are financially constrained and unable to invest in improving their lighting infrastructure. We propose a very efficient and inexpensive way to set up the database and provide city leaders with tools to improve their system efficiently. Methodology: An information database for the data management and an Integer Programming model for deriving the optimal investment plan. Contribution: This paper contributes to the fields of urban economics and sustainability. Findings: Informing management and workers about the status of the system and how to optimize it will reward the city with considerable savings and improve the service quality. Recommendations for Practitioners: The application of this model, even in a small scale such as a neighborhood can improve citizen’s quality of life without a heavy burden on the city budget. Recommendation for Researchers: There is a growing need for cost-effective means to improve urban management. Innovative ideas that meet these goals should be researched and developed. Impact on Society: First, it allows reduction in carbon emissions and light pollution by reducing power consumption and over-luminous lighting levels. Second, financially constrained municipalities can manage their systems at a very low cost. Future Research: A full scale application is needed in order to evaluate the city-wide benefits of the system.

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the interrelationship among the quality measures of information system success, including system quality, information, quality, and service quality, that eventually influence accounting information systems effectiveness. Background: It is generally believed that investment in an information system offers opportunities to organizations for business process efficiency and effectiveness. Despite huge investments in accounting information systems, banks in Nigeria have not realized the full potential benefits of using these systems because of persistent failures. Few studies have been conducted to address the problem. Methodology: A survey research design was used to collect data, and a total of 287 questionnaires were retrieved from respondents in the Nigerian banking sector. Contribution: This study contributes to the understanding of the most important antecedent factors of the quality measures, the interrelationship among the quality measures, and the influence of these measures on the accounting information systems effectiveness. Findings: The result of the study revealed that security, ease of use, and efficiency are key features of system quality, while the information quality dimension includes accuracy, timeliness, and completeness. The result of the study further revealed that information quality and system quality have significant influences on accounting information systems effectiveness. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study provides practitioners with important measures for evaluation of AIS effectiveness in the context of Nigerian banks. Recommendation for Researchers: Future researchers may build on the findings of current study to conduct fur-ther research in the area of AIS effectiveness in different contexts. Future Research: This study examines only three quality measures of Delone and Mclean model and antecedents of information and system quality measures, neglecting contingency factor. Therefore, future study should include other factors to the AIS effectiveness model to help in developing more specific theory in AIS domain.

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

Aim/Purpose: This paper identifies the antecedents that affect E-Banking (EB) adoption and investigates the relationship between the level of EB adoption and the performance of private banks. Background: Rapid technological advancement has transformed the business environment dramatically. These advancements particularly the Internet has reshaped the way businesses operate. Over the last decade, the banking industry has become highly complex and competitive and operates in a highly volatile and unpredictable global economy. With the increasing demand for electronic services, banks are harnessing EB technology to improve their products and services. Methodology: Quantitative research using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was carried out with a sample size of 211 by sending questionnaires to employees of six banks in Khartoum, Sudan. The study is based on different technology theories and models. Contribution: The study provides insights into the employees’ perception of EB adoption in their banking transactions. Findings: The results showed that four factors are significant in the adoption of EB in Sudan. However, training and user trust were insignificant in determining its adoption. Moreover, the level of adoption of EB significantly affected private bank performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Private banks in Sudan that are interested in EB might find these findings helpful in guiding their technology adoption and application initiatives. Recommendation for Researchers: To validate the research model, cross data from different countries are encouraged to apply the model to capture the differences and similarities among them. In addition, a longitudinal research could be conducted to gather data for adoption process over a longer period rather than one point of time, to investigate antecedents and bank performance outcomes by the end of the study period. Other antecedents and outcomes could possibly be included to improve the power of the study model. Impact on Society: This study provides a reference for banks with similar developing country backgrounds in adopting EB to enhance their performance. Moreover, knowledge of antecedents and outcomes of EB adoption could be positively reflected in service quality performance. Future Research: This research is limited to the employees’ perspective, and future research could consider the perception of customers from a developing country towards EB adoption.

Aim/Purpose: The wide use of online banking and technological advancement has attracted the interest of malicious and criminal users with a more sophisticated form of attacks. Background: Therefore, banks need to adapt their security systems to effectively stem threats posed by imposters and hackers and to also provide higher security standards that assure customers of a secured environment to perform their financial transactions. Methodology : The use of authentication techniques that include the mutual secure socket layer authentication embedded with some specific features. Contribution: An approach was made through this paper towards providing a more reliable and complete solution for implementing multi-level user authentication in a banking environment. Findings: The use of soft token as the final stage of authentication provides ease of management with no additional hardware requirement. Recommendations for Practitioners : This work is an approach made towards providing a more reliable and complete solution for implementing multi-level user authentication in a banking environment to stem cybercrime. Recommendation for Researchers: With this approach, a reliable system of authentication is being suggested to stem the growing rate of hacking activities in the information technology sector. Impact on Society :This work if adopted will give the entire populace confidence in carrying out online banking without fear of any compromise. Future Research: This work can be adopted to model a real-life scenario.

Aim/Purpose: This study empirically analyzed and examined the effectiveness of the online advocacy banners on customers’ reactions to make replacements with the similar products in their shopping carts. Background: When a product in a shopping cart is removed, it might be put back into the cart again during the same purchase or it may be bought in the future. Otherwise, it might be abandoned and replaced with a similar item based on the customer’s enquiry list or on the recommendation of banners. There is a lack of understanding of this phenomenon in the existing literature, pointing to the need for this study. Methodology: With a database from a Taiwanese e-retailer, data were the tracks of empirical webpage clickstreams. The used data for analyses were particularly that the products were purchased again or replaced with the similar ones upon the advocacy banners being shown when they were removed from customers’ shopping carts. Few pre-defined Apriori rules as well as similarity algorithm, Jaccard index, were applied to derive the effectiveness. Contribution: This study addressed a measurement challenge by leveraging the information from clickstream data – particularly clickstream data behavior. These data are most useful to observe the real-time behavior of consumers on websites and also are applied to studying click-through behavior, but not click-through rates, for web banners. The study develops a new methodology to aid advertisers in evaluating the effectiveness of their banner campaign. Findings: The recommending/advocating titles of “you probably are interested” and “the most viewed” are not significantly effective on saving back customers’ removed products or repurchasing similar items. For the banners entitled “most buy”, “the most viewed” might only show popularity of the items, but is not enough to convince them to buy. At the current stage on the host website, customers may either not trust in the host e-retailer or in such mechanism. Additionally, the advocating/recommending banners only are effective on the same customer visits and their effects fade over time. As time passes, customers’ impressions of these banners may become vague. Recommendations for Practitioners: One managerial implication is more effective adoption of advocacy/recommendation banners on e-retailing websites. Another managerial implication is the evaluation of the advocacy/recommendation banners. By using a data mining technique to find the association between removed products and restored ones in e-shoppers’ shopping carts, the approach and findings of this study, which are important for e-retailing marketers, reflect the connection between the usage of banners and the personalized purchase changes in an individual customer’s shopping cart. Recommendation for Researchers: This study addressed a new measurement which challenges to leverage the information from clickstream data instead of click-through rates – particularly retailing webpages browsing behavior. These data are most useful to observe the real-time behavior of consumers on websites and also are applied to studying click-through behavior. Impact on Society: Personalization has become an important technique that allows businesses to improve both sales and service relationships with their online customers. This personalization gives e-marketers the ability to deliver real effectiveness in the use of banners. Future Research: The effectiveness is time- and case-sensible. Business practitioners and academic researchers are encouraged to apply the mining methodology to longevity studies, specific marketing campaigns of advertising and personal recommendations, and any further recommendation algorithms.

Aim/Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effect of marketing knowledge management (MKM) on bank performance via the mediating role of the Fintech innovation in Jordanian commercial banks. Background: An extensive number of studies found a significant relationship between Marketing knowledge management and bank performance (e.g., Akroush & Al-Mohammad, 2010; Hou & Chien 2010; Rezaee & Jafari, 2015; Veismoradi et al., 2013). However, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the relationship between marketing knowledge management (MKM) and bank performance (BP). Furthermore, the linkage between MKM and BP is not straightforward but, instead, includes a more complicated relationship. Therefore, it is argued that managing marketing knowledge management assets and capabilities can enhance performance via the role of financial innovation as a mediating factor on commercial banks; to date, however, there is no empirical evidence. Methodology: Based on a literature review, knowledge-based theory, and financial innovation theory, an integrated conceptual framework has been developed to guide the study. A quantitative approach was used, and the data was collected from 336 managers and employees in all 13 Jordanian commercial banks using online and in hand instruments. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze and verify the study variables. Contribution: This article contributes to theory by filling a gap in the literature regarding the role of marketing knowledge management assets and capabilities in commercial banks operating in a developing country like Jordan. It empirically examined and validated the role of Fintech innovation as mediators between marketing knowledge management and bank performance Findings: The main findings revealed that marketing knowledge management had a significant favorable influence on bank performance. Fintech innovation acted as partial mediators in this relationship. Recommendations for Practitioners: Commercial banks should be fully aware of the importance of knowledge management practices to enhance their financial innovation and bank performance. They should also consider promoting a culture of practicing knowledge management processes among their managers and employees by motivating and training to promote innovations. Recommendation for Researchers: The result endorsed Fintech innovation’s mediating effect on the relationship between the independent variable, marketing knowledge management (assets and capabilities), and the dependent variable bank performance, which was not addressed before; thus, it needs further validation. Future Research: The current designed research model can be applied and assessed further in other sectors, including banking and industrial sectors across developed and developing countries. It would also be of interest to introduce other variables in the study model that can act as consequences of MKM capabilities, such as financial and non-financial performance measures

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of the front/back-office structure affecting new service development (NSD) performance and examine the role of knowledge transfer in the relationship between front/back-office structure and NSD. Background: The separation of front and back-office has become the prevailing trend of the organizational transformation of modern service enterprises in the digital era. Yet, the influence of front and back-office separation dealing with new service development has not been widely researched. Methodology: Building on the internal social capital perspective, a multivariate regression analysis was conducted to investigate the impact of front/back-office structure on the NSD performance through knowledge transfer as an intermediate variable. The data was collected through a survey questionnaire from 198 project-level officers in the commercial banking industry of China. Contribution: This study advances the understanding of front/back-office structure’s influence mechanism on new service development activity. It reveals that knowledge transfer plays a critical role in bridging the impact of front and back-office separation to NSD performance under the trend of digitalization of service organizations. Findings: This study verified the positive effects of front/back-office social capital on NSD performance. Moreover, knowledge transfer predicted the variation in NSD performance and fully mediated the effect of front/back-office social capital on NSD performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Service organizations should optimize knowledge transfer by promoting the social capital between front and back-office to overcome the negative effect organizational separation brings to NSD. Service and other organizations could explore developing an internal social network management platform, by which the internal social network could be visualized and dynamically managed. Recommendation for Researchers: The introduction of information and communications technology not only divides the organization into front and back-office, but also reduces the face-to-face customer contact. The impacts of new forms of customer contact to new service development and knowledge transfer between customer and service organizations call for further research. Along with the digital servitization, some manufacturing organizations also separate front and back-offices. The current model can be applied and assessed further in manufacturing and other service sectors. Impact on Society: The conclusion of this study guides us to pay attention to the construction of social capital inside organizations with front/back-office structure and implicates introducing and developing sociotechnical theory in front/back-office issue undergoing technological revolution. Future Research: As this study is based on the retail banking industry, similar studies are called upon in other service sectors to identify differences and draw more general conclusions. In addition, as the front and back-offices are being replaced increasingly by information technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), it is necessary to advance the research on front/back-office research with a new theoretical perspective, such as sociotechnical theory.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigated a model of mobile esports acceptance among urban citizens based on an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Background: Currently, esports are increasingly popular and in demand by the public. Supported by the widespread development of mobile devices, it has become an interactive market trend to play games in a new model, mobile esports. Methodology: This study collected data from 400 respondents and analyzed it using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Contribution: This study addresses two research gaps. The first gap is limited esports information systems studies, particularly in mobile esports acceptance studies. The second gap is limited exploration of external variables in online gaming acceptance studies. Thus, this study proposed a TAM extended model by integrating the TAM native variables with other external variables such as visual appeal, enjoyment, social interaction, and competition to explore mobile esports acceptance by urban citizens. Findings: Nine hypotheses were accepted, and four were rejected. The visual appeal did not affect the acceptance. Meanwhile, social interaction and enjoyment significantly affected both perceived ease of use and usefulness. However, perceived ease of use surprisingly had an insignificant effect on attitude toward using mobile esports. Moreover, competition significantly affected the acceptance, particularly on perceived usefulness. Recommendations for Practitioners: Fresh and innovative features, such as new game items or themes, should be frequently introduced to enhance players’ continued enjoyment. Moreover, mobile esports providers should offer a solid platform to excite players’ interactions to increase the likelihood that users feel content. On the other hand, the national sports ministry/agency or responsible authorities should organize many esports competitions, big or small, to search for new talents. Recommendation for Researchers: Visual appeal in this study did not influence the perceived ease of use or usefulness. However, it could affect enjoyment. Thus, it would be worth revisiting the relationship between visual appeal and enjoyment. At the same time, perceived ease of use is a strong driver for the continued use of most online games, but not in this study. It could indicate significant differences between mobile esports and typical online games, one of which is the different purposes. Users might play online games for recreational intention, but players would use mobile esports to compete, win, or even get monetary rewards. Therefore, although users might find mobile esports challenging and hard to use, they tend to keep playing it. Thus, monetary rewards could be considered a determinant of the continuation of use. Impact on Society: Nowadays, users are being paid for playing games. It also would be an excel-lent job if they become professional esports athletes. This study investigated factors that could affect the continued use of mobile esports. Like other jobs, playing games professionally in the long term could make the players tedious and tired. Therefore, responsible parties, like mobile esports providers or governments, could use the recommendations of this study to promote positive behavior among the players. They will not feel like working and still con-sider playing mobile esports a hobby if they happily do the job. In the long run, the players could also make a nation’s society proud if they can be a champion in prestigious competitions. Future Research: A larger sample size will be needed to generalize the results, such as for a nation. It is also preferable if the sample is randomized systematically. Future works should also investigate whether the same results are acquired in other mobile esports. Furthermore, to extend our knowledge and deepen our understanding of the variables that influence mobile esports adoption, the subsequent research could look at other mobile esports acceptability based on characteristics of system functionality and moderator effects. Finally, longitudinal data-collecting approaches are suggested for future studies since behavior can change over time.

Aim/Purpose: Currently, the world faces unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19, particularly concerning individuals’ health and livelihood and organizations and industrial performance. Indeed, the pandemic has caused rapid intensifying socio-economic effects. For instance, organizations are shifting from traditional working patterns toward telecommuting. By adopting remote working, organizations might mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on their workforce, explicitly concerning their safety, wellbeing, mobility, work-life balance, and self-efficiency. From this perceptive, this study examines the factors that influence employees’ behavioral intention to adopt telecommuting in the banking industry. Background: The study’s relevance stems from the fact that telecommuting and its benefits have been assumed rather than demonstrated in the banking sector. However, the pandemic has driven the implementation of remote working, thereby revealing possible advantages of working from home in the banking industry. The study investigated the effect of COVID-19 in driving organizations to shift from traditional working patterns toward telecommuting. Thereby, the study investigates the banking sector employees’ behavioral intention to adopt telecommuting. Methodology: The study employed a survey-based questionnaire, which entails gathering data from employees of twelve banks in Jordan, as the banking sector in Jordan was the first to transform from traditional working to telecommuting. The sample for this research was 675 respondents; convenience sampling was employed as a sampling technique. Subsequently, the data were analyzed with the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to statistically test the research model. Contribution: Firstly, this study provides a deep examination and understanding of facilitators of telecommuting in a single comprehensive model. Secondly, the study pro-vides a deeper insight into the factors affecting behavioral intention towards telecommuting from the employees’ perspective in the banking sector. Finally, this study is the first to examine telecommuting in the emerging market of Jordan. Thereby, this study provides critical recommendations for managers to facilitate the implementation of telecommuting. Findings: Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study highlights significant relationships between telecommuting systems, quality, organizational support, and the perceived usefulness and ease of use in telecommuting. Employees who perceive telecommuting systems to be easy and receive supervision and training for using these systems are likely to adopt this work scheme. The results present critical theoretical and managerial implications regarding employees’ behavioral intentions toward telecommuting. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study suggests the importance of work-life balance for employees when telecommuting. Working from home while managing household duties can create complications for employees, particularly parents. Therefore, flexibility in terms of working hours is needed to increase employees’ acceptance of telecommuting as they will have more control over their life. These increase employees’ perceived self-efficacy with telecommuting, which smooths the transition toward remote working in the future. In addition, training will allow employees to solve technical issues that can arise from using online systems. Recommendation for Researchers: This study focused on the context of the banking sector. The sensitivity of data and transactions in this sector may influence employers’ and employees’ willingness to work remotely. In addition, the job descriptions of employees in banks moderate specific factors outlined in this model, including work-life balance. For instance, executive managers may have a higher overload in banks in contrast to front-line employees. Thus, future studies should explore different contexts, including manufacturing and consultation, to understand the industry’s effect on remote working. Similarly, future research should concentrate on the influence of job descriptions on employees’ intentions toward telecommuting. Impact on Society: The COVID-19 pandemic created a sudden shift towards telecommuting, which made employees struggle to adopt new work schemes. Therefore, managers had to provide training for their employees to be well prepared and increase their acceptance of telecommuting. Furthermore, telecommuting has a positive effect on work-life balance, it provides employees with the flexibility to organize their daily schedule into more activities. Along the same line, the study highlighted the correlation between work-life balance and telecommuting. Such a relationship provides further evidence for the need to understand employees’ lifestyles in facilitating the adoption of telecommuting. Moreover, the study extends the stream of literature by outlining critical factors affecting employees’ acceptance of telecommuting. Future Research: Future studies should explore different contexts, including manufacturing and consultation, to understand the industry’s effect on remote working. Similarly, future research should concentrate on the influence of job descriptions on employees’ intentions toward telecommuting. Furthermore, the research team conducted the study by surveying 12 banks. Future research recommends surveying the whole banking industry to add more validation to the model.

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this research paper is to suggest a comprehensive model that incorporates the technology acceptance model with the task-technology fit model, information quality, security, trust, and managerial support to investigate the intended usage of big data analytics (BDA) in banks and insurance companies. Background: The emergence of the concept of “big data,” prompted by the widespread use of connected devices and social media, has been pointed out by many professionals and financial institutions in particular, which makes it necessary to assess the determinants that have an impact on behavioral intention to use big data analytics in banks and insurance companies. Methodology: The integrated model was empirically assessed using self-administered questionnaires from 181 prospective big data analytics users in Moroccan banks and insurance firms and examined using partial least square (PLS) structural equation modeling. The results cover sample characteristics, an analysis of the validity and reliability of measurement models’ variables, an evaluation of the proposed hypotheses, and a discussion of the findings. Contribution: The paper makes a noteworthy contribution to the BDA adoption literature within the finance sector. It stands out by ingeniously amalgamating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with Task-Technology Fit (TTF) while underscoring the critical significance of information quality, trust, and managerial support, due to their profound relevance and importance in the finance domain. Thus showing BDA has potential applications beyond the finance sector. Findings: The findings showed that TTF and trust’s impact on the intention to use is considerable. Information quality positively impacted perceived usefulness and ease of use, which in turn affected the intention to use. Moreover, managerial support moderates the correlation between perceived usefulness and the intention to use, whereas security did not affect the intention to use and managerial support did not moderate the influence of perceived ease of use. Recommendations for Practitioners: The results suggest that financial institutions can improve their adoption decisions for big data analytics (BDA) by understanding how users perceive it. Users are predisposed to use BDA if they presume it fits well with their tasks and is easy to use. The research also emphasizes the importance of relevant information quality, managerial support, and collaboration across departments to fully leverage the potential of BDA. Recommendation for Researchers: Further study may be done on other business sectors to confirm its generalizability and the same research design can be employed to assess BDA adoption in organizations that are in the advanced stage of big data utilization. Impact on Society: The study’s findings can enable stakeholders of financial institutions that are at the primary stage of big data exploitation to understand how users perceive BDA technologies and the way their perception can influence their intention toward their use. Future Research: Future research is expected to conduct a comparison of the moderating effect of managerial support on users with technical expertise versus those without; in addition, international studies across developed countries are required to build a solid understanding of users’ perceptions towards BDA.

Aim/Purpose: This study utilized a comprehensive framework to investigate the adoption of Business Analytics (BA) and its effects on performance in commercial banks in Jordan. The framework integrated the Technological-Organizational-Environmental (TOE) model, the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory, and the Resource-Based View (RBV). Background: The recent trend of utilizing data for business operations and decision-making has positively impacted organizations. Business analytics (BA) is a leading technique that generates valuable insights from data. It has gained considerable attention from scholars and practitioners across various industries. However, guidance is lacking for organizations to implement BA effectively specific to their business contexts. This research aims to evaluate factors influencing BA adoption by Jordanian commercial banks and examine how its implementation impacts bank performance. The goal is to provide needed empirical evidence surrounding BA adoption and outcomes in the Jordanian banking sector. Methodology: The study gathered empirical data by conducting an online questionnaire survey with senior and middle managers from 13 commercial banks in Jordan. The participants were purposefully selected, and the questionnaire was designed based on relevant and well-established literature. A total of 307 valid questionnaires were collected and considered for data analysis. Contribution: This study makes a dual contribution to the BA domain. Firstly, it introduces a research model that comprehensively examines the factors that influence the adoption of BA. The proposed model integrates the TOE framework, DOI theory, and RBV theory. Combining these frameworks allows for a comprehensive examination of BA adoption in the banking industry. By analyzing the technological, organizational, and environmental factors through the TOE framework, understanding the diffusion process through the DOI theory, and assessing the role of resources and capabilities through the RBV theory, researchers and practitioners can better understand the complex dynamics involved. This integrated approach enables a more nuanced assessment of the factors that shape BA adoption and its subsequent impact on business performance within the banking industry. Secondly, it uncovers the effects of BA adoption on business performance. These noteworthy findings stem from a rigorous analysis of primary data collected from commercial banks in Jordan. By presenting a holistic model and delving into the implications for business performance, this research offers valuable insights to researchers and practitioners alike in the field of BA. Findings: The findings revealed that various technological (data quality, complexity, compatibility, relative advantage), organizational (top management support, organizational readiness), and environmental (external support) factors are crucial in shaping the decision to adopt BA. Furthermore, the study findings demonstrated a positive relationship between BA adoption and performance outcomes in Jordanian commercial banks. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings suggest that Jordanian commercial banks should enforce data quality practices, provide clear standards, invest in data quality tools and technologies, and conduct regular data audits. Top management support is crucial for fostering a data-driven decision-making culture. Organizational readiness involves having the necessary resources and skilled personnel, as well as promoting continuous learning and improvement. Highlighting the benefits of BA helps overcome resistance to technological innovation and encourages adoption by demonstrating improved decision-making processes and operational efficiency. Furthermore, external support is crucial for banks to adopt Business Analytics (BA). Banks should partner with experienced vendors to gain expertise and incorporate best practices. Vendors also provide training and technical support to overcome technological barriers. Compatibility is essential for optimal performance, requiring managers to modify workflows and IT infrastructure. Complexity, including data, organizational, and technical complexities, is a major obstacle to BA adoption. Banks should take a holistic approach, focusing on people, processes, and technology, and prioritize data quality and governance. Building a skilled team, fostering a data-driven culture, and investing in technology and infrastructure are essential. Recommendation for Researchers: The integration of the TOE framework, the DOI theory, and the RBV theory can prove to be a powerful approach for comprehensively analyzing the various factors that influence BA adoption within the dynamic banking industry. Furthermore, this combined framework enables us to gain deeper insights into the subsequent impact of BA adoption on overall business performance. Impact on Society: Examining the factors influencing BA adoption in the banking industry and its subsequent impact on business performance can have wide-ranging societal implications. It can promote data-driven decision-making, enhance customer experiences, strengthen fraud detection, foster financial inclusion, contribute to economic growth, and trigger discussions on ethical considerations. Future Research: To further advance future research, there are several avenues to consider. One option is to broaden the scope by including a larger sample size, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis. Another possibility is to investigate the impact of BA adoption on various performance indicators beyond the ones already examined. Additionally, incorporating qualitative research methods would provide a more holistic understanding of the organizational dynamics and challenges associated with the adoption of BA in Jordanian commercial banks.

Aim/Purpose: Previous research has generally concentrated on identifying the variables that most significantly influence customer churn or has used customer segmentation to identify a subset of potential consumers, excluding its effects on forecast accuracy. Consequently, there are two primary research goals in this work. The initial goal was to examine the impact of customer segmentation on the accuracy of customer churn prediction in the banking sector using machine learning models. The second objective is to experiment, contrast, and assess which machine learning approaches are most effective in predicting customer churn. Background: This paper reviews the theoretical basis of customer churn, and customer segmentation, and suggests using supervised machine-learning techniques for customer attrition prediction. Methodology: In this study, we use different machine learning models such as k-means clustering to segment customers, k-nearest neighbors, logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, and support vector machine to apply to the dataset to predict customer churn. Contribution: The results demonstrate that the dataset performs well with the random forest model, with an accuracy of about 97%, and that, following customer segmentation, the mean accuracy of each model performed well, with logistic regression having the lowest accuracy (87.27%) and random forest having the best (97.25%). Findings: Customer segmentation does not have much impact on the precision of predictions. It is dependent on the dataset and the models we choose. Recommendations for Practitioners: The practitioners can apply the proposed solutions to build a predictive system or apply them in other fields such as education, tourism, marketing, and human resources. Recommendation for Researchers: The research paradigm is also applicable in other areas such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and churn prediction. Impact on Society: Customer churn will cause the value flowing from customers to enterprises to decrease. If customer churn continues to occur, the enterprise will gradually lose its competitive advantage. Future Research: Build a real-time or near real-time application to provide close information to make good decisions. Furthermore, handle the imbalanced data using new techniques.

Aim/Purpose: The research aims to investigate the factors that influence the continuous use of mobile banking applications to complete banking monetary transactions. Background: Despite a significant increase in the use of mobile banking applications, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, new evidence indicates that the use rate of mobile banking applications for operating banking monetary transactions has declined. Methodology: The study proposed an integrated model based mainly on the process virtualization theory (PVT) with other novel factors such as mobile banking application anthropomorphism and virtual process failure risk. The study model was empirically validated using structural equation modeling analysis on quantitative data from 484 mobile banking application users from Jordan. Contribution: The study focuses on continuing use or post-adoption behavior rather than pre-adoption behavior. This is important since the maximum and long-term viability, as well as the financial investment in mobile banking applications, depend on regular usage rather than first-time use or initial experience. Findings: The results indicate that process virtualizable and anthropomorphism have a strong positive impact on bank customers’ decisions to continue using mobile banking applications to complete banking monetary transactions. Meanwhile, the negative impact of virtualization process failure risk on continuous use has been discovered. The found factors explain 67.5% of the variance in continuous use. Recommendations for Practitioners: The study identified novel, significant factors that affect bank customers’ decisions to use mobile banking applications frequently, and these factors should be examined, matched, satisfied, or addressed when redesigning or upgrading mobile applications. Banks should provide users with clear directions, processes, or tutorials on how to complete monetary transactions effectively. They should also embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to improve their applications and products with anthropomorphic features like speech synthesizers, Chatbots, and AI-powered virtual bank assistants. This is expected to help bank customers conduct various banking services conveniently and securely, just as if interacting with real people. The study further recommends that banks create and publish clear norms and procedures, as well as promote tolerance and protect consumers’ rights when the process fails or mistakes occur. Recommendation for Researchers: The study provides measurement items that were specifically built for the context of mobile banking applications based on PVT notions. Researchers are invited to reuse, test, and modify existing measurement items, as well as submit new ones if necessary. The study model does not consider psychological aspects like trust and satisfaction, which would provide additional insight into factors affecting continuing use. Researchers could potentially take a different approach by focusing on user resistance and non-adoption. Impact on Society: Financial inclusion is problematic, particularly in underdeveloped nations. According to financial inclusion research, Jordanians rarely utilize mobile banking apps. Continuous usage of mobile banking applications will be extremely beneficial in closing the financial inclusion gap, particularly among women. Furthermore, it could help the country’s efforts to transition to a digital society. Future Research: The majority of study participants are from urban areas. Future studies should focus on consumers who live in rural areas. It was also suggested that the elderly be targeted because they may have different views/perspectives on the continued use of mobile banking applications.

Aim/Purpose: Significant urban digital divide exists in Nairobi County where low income households lack digital literacy skills and do not have access to the internet. The study was undertaken as an intervention, designed to close the digital divide among low income households in Nairobi by introducing internet access using the domestication framework. Background: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the potential to help reduce social inequality and have been hailed as critical to the achievement of the Sustainable Development goals (SDGs). Skills in use of ICTs have also become a prerequisite for almost all forms of employment and in accessing government services, hence, the need for digital inclusion for all. Methodology: In this research study, I employed a mixed methods approach to investigate the problem. This was achieved through a preliminary survey to collect data on the existence of urban digital divide in Nairobi and a contextual analysis of the internet domestication process among the eighteen selected case studies. Contribution: While there have been many studies on digital divide between Africa and the rest of the world, within the African continent, among genders and between rural and urban areas at national levels, there are few studies exploring urban digital divide and especially among the marginalized communities living in the low-income urban areas. Findings: Successful domestication of internet and related technologies was achieved among the selected households, and the households appreciated the benefits of having and using the internet for the first time. A number of factors that impede use of internet among the marginalized communities in Nairobi were also identified. Recommendations for Practitioners: In the study, I found that use of differentiated costs internet services targeting specific demographic groups is possible and that use of such a service could help the marginalized urban communities’ access the internet. Therefore, ISPs should offer special internet access packages for the low-income households. Recommendation for Researchers: In this research study, I found that the urban digital divide in Nairobi is an indication of social economic development problems. Therefore, researchers should carryout studies involving multipronged strategies to address the growing digital divide among the marginalized urban communities. Impact on Society: The absence of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) inclusion policy is a huge setback to the achievement of the SDGs in Kenya. Digital inclusion policies prioritizing digital literacy training, universal internet access and to elucidate the social-economic benefits of internet access for all Kenyans should be developed. Future Research: Future studies should explore ways of providing affordable mass internet access solutions among the residents of low-income communities and in eliminating the persistence urban digital divide in Kenya.

LaToya claimed self-defense, but Manassas, Virginia Prosecutor D. Burke Walker had other ideas and charged the woman with second-degree murder.

As if gun rights activists have not had enough winning for one week, with the landslide Trump election win.  Now, a major victory for gun rights advocates has unfolded in Illinois...

Federal District Judge Stephen P. McGlynn has ordered a permanent injunction against enforcement of the Illinois "assault weapon" and magazine ban on November 8, 2024. The order will probably be appealed to the Seventh Circuit.

IT is sickening to read about students and cadets in educational institutions or military academies being subjected to ragging and bullying, often resulting in grievous injuries and even deaths.

The archaic and pernicious practice of ragging, often referred to as fagging in elite boarding schools, or simply as ritualistic hazing in military academies, persists today as a toxic relic of colonial-era power structures.

This practice can be traced to the cloistered halls of upper-class English boarding schools. It is a ritual of bullying and humiliation that has long been wielded as a tool for enforcing hierarchical dominance and conformist obedience.

The prevalence of such practices, even in post-colonial, democratic societies like Malaysia, is not merely an anachronism but a stark contradiction to the principles of egalitarianism and care that should underpin modern educational systems.

I remember how it was so prevalent in the sixties when we were in sixth form as well as in the universities.

Origins of ragging/bullying: An elite tradition of oppression

Ragging finds its roots in the so-called prestigious institutions of Victorian England – Eton, Harrow and Winchester – where the upper classes refined a system of abuse disguised as character-building.

The concept of fagging emerged in these schools to establish a rigid social hierarchy among boys, where younger students were essentially forced into servitude by older ones.

The practice was framed as a means of instilling discipline and preparing young men for leadership roles.

In reality, it was a mechanism to perpetuate elitism, dominance and subservience – indoctrinating children into a culture of abuse under the guise of tradition.

When these elite practices were exported to colonial territories, they were often adopted by local institutions eager to emulate the supposed prestige of their British overlords.

In this way, ragging became an insidious form of cultural imperialism, embedding colonial power structures within the social fabric of post-colonial nations.

The toxic legacy in post-colonial societies

In countries like Malaysia and other former British colonies, ragging has been adopted and adapted, often becoming even more extreme and violent than its original form.

In military academies and universities, what began as a series of petty humiliations has escalated into physical, sexual and psychological abuse.

There is a perverse justification offered for this brutality: that it fosters camaraderie, resilience and esprit de corps. Yet the reality is far more disturbing.

The sheer brutality of these practices has led to multiple instances of severe injury, trauma and even death.

In Malaysia, there have been numerous cases of young cadets and students suffering injuries that have left them physically and emotionally scarred for life.

The veneer of tradition masks the fact that ragging is simply systematic bullying, an exercise in power and control that normalises the abuse of the vulnerable.

We have just seen yet another bullying case at the National Defence University where a 19-year-old cadet was allegedly stomped on by a senior, fracturing his spine and ribs.

Last month, a hot iron was pressed on the chest of a student at a military university, just months after courts handed the death penalty to six former students over the killing of a fellow cadet at the institution.

There have been other cases such as J. Soosaimanicckam, a 27-year-old navy cadet officer, who died of homicide at the KD Sultan Idris Lumut naval base on May 19, 2018.

Beyond universities, bullying is also on the rise in public schools.

Nearly 5,000 cases of bullying were reported over the first 10 months of 2023, according to the latest data from the Education Ministry, a sharp rise from 3,887 cases for the whole of 2022.

Failure of institutional accountability

The persistence of ragging is compounded by the complicity of educational institutions, which often turn a blind eye to the abuse, framing it as a rite of passage.

Administrators and faculty, many of whom are former students of the same institutions, perpetuate a culture of silence.

This lack of accountability only emboldens the perpetrators, creating an environment where victims feel powerless to speak out.

Military academies are notorious for their strict hierarchical structure, which leaves little room for dissent.

The emphasis on blind obedience and unquestioning discipline suppresses the voices of those who are most affected.

The rhetoric of “toughening up” young recruits masks the reality that many leave these academies with lifelong trauma, not strengthened resolve.

In this way, the very institutions tasked with building national character are guilty of undermining the values of respect, empathy and human dignity.

Call for cultural, institutional reform

It is both ironic and tragic that post-colonial nations like Malaysia, which fought for independence and the promise of a fair and just society, continue to perpetuate a colonial legacy that embodies the worst aspects of imperial rule.

Ragging and its equivalents are antithetical to the values that should define modern, democratic societies.

Instead of reinforcing outdated and oppressive traditions, Malaysia should be leading the way in promoting caring, compassionate and egalitarian values in its educational and military institutions.

A modern educational system should focus on mentorship, mutual respect and leadership through empathy rather than through intimidation and violence.

The true strength of a society lies not in its ability to produce individuals hardened by abuse but in its capacity to cultivate individuals who are resilient, confident and empathetic because they have been nurtured, not beaten down.

By fostering a culture of inclusivity and care, Malaysia can become a beacon of progress in a world where too many institutions are still mired in the shadows of a brutal, colonial past.

Conclusion

It is time to consign ragging to the dustbin of history where it belongs.

This practice, born of elitist arrogance and colonial condescension, has no place in the educational institutions of a modern, independent nation.

Instead of clinging to the trappings of colonial tradition, Malaysia should embrace its role as a leader in creating an educational environment that promotes equality, dignity and mutual respect.

By doing so, it can offer its youth something far more valuable than the scars of ritualistic abuse: the chance to learn and grow in an environment free from fear and filled with the promise of genuine support and solidarity.

It is time we banned this hideous practice in our institutions once and for all.

Kua Kia Soong is a former MP and director of Suaram. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

The Elephant Care Association of South Africa (ECASA) responds to Dr. Adam Cruise’s article, ‘Rules of Engagement: South Africa to ban captive wildlife interactions for tourists’ The Elephant Care Association of South Africa is deeply concerned by Dr Cruise’s article,...

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The National University Bulldogs ended their UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament on a high note after thwarting the top-seeded La Salle Green Archers, 63-54, Wednesday afternoon at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.

Fresh on the heels of a TiKtok ban, the US Government has banned Kapsery Software in the US due to its ties to the Russian Government. Ban Implementation Details On June 20, 2024, the https://www.reuters.com/technology/biden-ban-us-sales-kaspersky-software-over-ties-russia-source-says-2024-06-20/US government announced new restrictions on inbound sales of Kaspersky software in the US will come into effect on September 29, 2024, giving businesses 100 days to transition to alternative cybersecurity solutions. The ban will also apply to software up...

If you’ve sent kids to college, you’ve probably heard of FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). FAFSA offers federal government aid via loans, grants and work-study options. It determines how much financial aid your children will get for college based on your family’s income and assets. As a parent, that includes your income, investment […]

The post How Do I Avoid the Money in My Bank Disqualifying My Children From Financial Aid for College? appeared first on Clark Howard.

The best online banks charge you fewer fees and pay you more interest. If you don’t mind doing your banking digitally rather than in person, they’re an excellent option. In this article, I’ll explain the factors you should consider when comparing online banks. I’ll also list some of the online banks I recommend and tell […]

The post Best Online Banks: Free Checking and High-Interest Savings Accounts appeared first on Clark Howard.

Mother of two found dead in Karachi with signs of assault. Detained suspect says he had recently divorced the victim.

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This tutorial will show you how to manage banners in Shopify templates.

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As Techdirt stories attest, Wikipedia has been attacked in the past for publishing true information that somebody doesn’t like. As well as wanting articles to be censored, those behind such attacks often also demand the names of those who worked on the article. Something similar is now happening in India, where the Indian news agency […]

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