The significance of ICTs in supporting socio-economic development in developing countries is inevitable. As academics of information systems in developing countries, we cannot ignore the need for teaching and building the capacity of our students to become knowledgeable and skilled in Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) practice and discourse. Furthermore, it is vital to equip our students with the ability to apply their discipline knowledge in addressing some of the ICT discrepancies in current ICT4D practice in their own context. I introduced and teach the ICT4D module to the Honours level course at my university in South Africa. This paper explores the factors that have influenced and shaped the development of the ICT4D module curriculum in the South African context I teach in, using a qualitative ethnographic lens and theoretical study. This provides a practice lens to motivate for and support the introduction of an ICT4D module in tertiary curricula in developing countries.

The study involved student teachers enrolled in early childhood teaching at a teacher training institute in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Seventy-four students participated in flipped classroom activities during their first semester of study. Students were told to learn from online videos related to using image editing software in their own time and pace prior to the next class. When they met in class, they were asked to apply their recently acquired editing knowledge to edit an image of their own choice related to the theme of their group project. At the end of the activity, students were asked to complete an online questionnaire. It was found that students had rated all five questions relating to generic skills highly, with self-study skills rated the highest. They particularly enjoyed the flexibility of learning on their own time and pace as a benefit of the flipped classroom. Data collected from students’ project pages show they had used average of 3.22 editing features for the theme images for their project. Most groups had inserted text followed by using the filter function. It is possible that these two functions are more noticeable than other editing functions. In conclusion, students were able to apply their self-learnt knowledge in a real-life situation and they had also developed their generic skills via the flipped classroom pedagogy.

Aim/Purpose: Student dropout in higher education institutions is a universal problem. This study identifies the characteristics of dropout. In addition, it develops a mathematical model to predict students who may dropout. Methodology: The paper develops a mathematical model to predict students who may dropout. The sample includes 555 freshmen in a non-profit private university. The study uses both descriptive statistics, such as cross tabulation, and a binary regression model to predict student dropout. Contribution: There are two major contributions for the paper. First, it identifies the dropout rates of each group, a finding that may be used to better allocate resources at higher education institutions. Second, it develops a predictive model that may be used in order to predict the probability of a student dropping out and take preventive actions. Findings: This study compared dropout rates of one and a half year of enrollment among Traditional Undergraduate Students. Two major findings are the following: (1) Some of the resources designed to assist student are misallocated, and (2) Predictive models can be used to calculate the probability of a student dropping out. Recommendations for Practitioners: The study recommends that institutions must create initiatives to assist freshmen students and have annual assessment to measure the success of the initiatives. Recommendation for Researchers: Two, mathematical models may be used to predict dropout rates, the paper includes a model that predicted with 66.6% accuracy students who will dropout.

Aim/Purpose: Bring your own device (BYOD) provides opportunities for both the organization and employees, but the adoption of BYOD also introduces risks. This case study of an organization’s BYOD program identifies key positive and negative influences on the adoption decision. Background: The consumerization of IT introduced the BYOD phenomenon into the enterprise environment. As mobile and Internet technologies improve employees are opting to use their personal devices to access organizational systems to perform their work tasks. Such devices include smartphones, tablets and laptop computers. Methodology: This research uses a case study approach to investigate how business priorities drive the adoption of BYOD and how resulting benefits and risks are realized and managed by the organization. Primary empirical data was collected using semi-structured interviews with 15 senior employees from a large South African financial services organization. Policy documents from the organization were analyzed as secondary data. Contribution: Thematic analysis of the data revealed six major themes: improving employee mobility; improving client service and experience; creating a competitive industry advantage; improving business processes; information security risks; and management best practices. Findings: The themes were analyzed using the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, showing the key positive and negative influences on the adoption decision. Recommendations for Practitioners: Organizations need to clearly understand the reasons they want to introduce BYOD in their organizations. The conceptual framework can be applied by practitioners in their organizations to achieve their BYOD business objectives. Recommendations for Researchers: BYOD remains an important innovation for organizations with several aspects worthy of further study. The TOE framework presents a suitable lens for analysis, but other models should also be considered. Impact on Society: The findings show that organizations can use BYOD to improve client service, gain competitive advantage, and improve their processes using their digital devices and backend systems. The BYOD trend is thus not likely to go away anytime soon. Future Research: The applicability of findings should be validated across additional contexts. Additional models should also be used.

Aim/Purpose: The flipped classroom approach is one of the most popular active learning approaches. This paper explores the effectiveness of a new pedagogy, known as FOCUSED, for postgraduate students. Background: The flipped classroom approach is a trendy blended learning pedagogy which capitalizes on the flexibility of online learning and the stimulating nature of face-to-face discussion. This article describes a pilot study involving post-graduate students who experienced the flipped classroom approach in one of their courses. Methodology: In additional to online activities, students adopted a newly learned approach to solve a related problem that was given by another group of students during classes. Quantitative data were collected from pre- and post-tests for both self-learned online materials and group discussion during classes so that the effectiveness of the flipped classroom pedagogy could be examined from the perspective of a holistic learning experience. Findings: It was found that the average scores for the post-test for the self-learned online video were much higher than for pre-test, even though the post-tests for both online and face-to-face learning were higher than the respective pre-tests. The qualitative data collected at the end of the flipped classroom activities further confirmed the value of the flipped classroom approach. Even though students could self-learn, more students valued peer interactions in the classroom more than the flexibility of online learning.

This paper explores the issues facing digital forensics in South Africa. It examines particular cyber threats and cyber threat levels for South Africa and the challenges in addressing the cybercrimes in the country through digital forensics. The paper paints a picture of the cybercrime threats facing South Africa and argues for the need to develop a skill base in digital forensics in order to counter the threats through detection of cybercrime, by analyzing cybercrime reports, consideration of current legislation, and an analysis of computer forensics course provision in South African universities. The paper argues that there is a need to develop digital forensics skills in South Africa through university programs, in addition to associated training courses. The intention in this paper is to promote debate and discussion in order to identify the cyber threats to South Africa and to encourage the development of a framework to counter the threats – through legislation, high tech law enforcement structures and protocols, digital forensics education, digital forensics skills development, and a public and business awareness of cybercrime threats.

Aim/Purpose: In this research, we examined the influence of the information system (IS) quality dimensions proposed by Wixom and Todd on reading satisfaction of online newspaper readers in Bangladesh, especially the readers’ intention to revisit and recommendations through electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Background: We identified the top 50 most visited websites, of which 13 were online newspapers, although their ranking among Bangladesh online newspapers varies from month to month. The literature illustrates that, despite the wide availability of online news portals and the fluctuations in frequency of visits, little is known about the factors that affect the satisfaction, word-of-mouth, and frequency of visits of readers. An understanding of reader satisfaction will help to gain richer insights into the phenomenon of readers’ intention to revisit and recommendation by eWOM. Stakeholders of online newspapers can then focus on those factors to increase visits to their websites, which will help them attract online advertisements from different organisations. Methodology: Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, from 217 people who responded to the survey. We used SmartPLS 3 to analyze the data collected, as it is based on second-generation analysis, which in turn is based on structural equation modeling (SEM). Contribution: This research explores the impacts of technological dimensions on readers’ satisfaction, as most of the previous research has focused on cultural or social dimensions. Findings: The results supported all of the hypothesized relationships between technological dimensions and reader satisfaction with online newspapers, except for one. The first, information, was predicted with accuracy and completeness, while the second object-based belief, system quality, was predicted by its accessibility, flexibility, reliability, and timeliness. Overall, quality factors influencing readers’ satisfaction were shown to lead to word-of-mouth revisit intentions. Our proposed model was empirically tested and has contributed to a nascent body of knowledge about readers’ revisit intentions and eWOM recommendations regarding online newspapers. It was also shown that strong satisfaction leads to higher revisit intention and eWOM. Recommendations for Practitioners: To keep the users satisfied, online newspapers need to focus on improving information quality (IQ) and system quality (SQ). If they do this well, they will be rewarded with higher revisit intention and recommendations by eWOM. Recommendation for Researchers: This study extends Oh’s customer loyalty model by integrating the Wixom-Todd model. This study reinforces an alternative rationale of the construct satisfaction. Future Research: We ignored negative stimulus like technostress, which can have an impact on satisfaction. In future, we will test the relationship between technostress and its impact on online newspaper reading.

Aim/Purpose: This paper explored the factors (enablers and barriers) that affect Bitcoin adoption in South Africa, a Sub-Saharan country with the high potential for Bitcoin adoption. Background: In recent years, Bitcoin has seen a rapid growth as a virtual cryptocurrency throughout the world. Bitcoin is a protocol which allows value to be exchanged over the internet without a central bank or intermediary. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are technological tools that arguably can contribute to reducing transactions costs. This paper explored the factors that affect Bitcoin adoption in South Africa, a Sub-Saharan country with the high potential for Bitcoin adoption, as little is known about the factors that affect Bitcoin adoption and the barriers to adoption. Methodology: A quantitative questionnaire was distributed to South African virtual communities where Bitcoin is a topic of interest, and 237 quantitative responses were received, along with 212 open-ended comments. Contribution: This research contributes to the body of knowledge in information systems by providing insights into factors that affect Bitcoin adoption in South Africa. It raises awareness of incentives and barriers to Bitcoin adoption at a time when financial literacy is a crucial issue both in South Africa and worldwide. Findings: The results indicate that perceived benefit, attitude towards Bitcoin, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control directly affected the participants’ intentions to use Bitcoin. Perceived benefit, usefulness, ease of use, and trust-related risk were found to indirectly affect intention to use Bitcoin. Further, it emerges that the barriers to Bitcoin adoption in South Africa consist of the complex nature of Bitcoin and its high degree of volatility. Recommendations for Practitioners: Bitcoin can contribute to reducing transactions costs, but factors that affect adoption and the barriers to adoption should be taken into consideration. These findings can inform systems and software developers to develop applications that make managing Bitcoin keys and transacting using Bitcoin less complex and more intuitive for end users. Recommendation for Researchers: Bitcoin adoption in South Africa is a topic that has not been previously researched. Researchers could research similarities or differences in the various constructs that were used in this research model. Impact on Society: South African Bitcoin users consider it as a universal currency that makes cross-border payments cheaper. A large number of refugees and workers in South Africa make regular payments across borders. Bitcoin could reduce the costs of these transfers. Future Research: Future research could explore Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies) adoption in other developing countries. Researchers could look at factors that influence cryptocurrency adoption in general. The factors affecting adoption of other cryptocurrencies can be compared to the results of this study, and similarities and differences can thus be identified.

Aim/Purpose: This study seeks to investigate if participation in business association’s programs through the traditional and new media platforms influences family businesses in South Eastern Nigeria to diversify into similar or different businesses. Background: Before the advances in information and communication technology, businesses were carried on via the traditional media. The application of these advances has changed the way business communications and transactions are conducted globally in both family and non-family businesses. Businesses are adapting to today’s turbulent environment by opening similar or different businesses in the same or different locations that are hinged on the traditional and new media platforms. Nigerians are largely involved in social network through the traditional (face-to-face contact) and new media (e.g., Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram). Moreover, in spite of the commonplaceness of family businesses in Nigeria, these businesses still experience weak diversification, bankruptcy and loss of socio-emotional wealth. Consequent upon the foregoing, this paper specifically investigates if involvement in social network via the traditional media (i.e., participation in business association’s meetings, workshops, seminars) and the new media (i.e., participation in the business association’s interactive sessions on trending business issues through the association’s online social platform like WhatsApp, Twitter), influence family businesses in South Eastern Nigeria to diversify into similar or different businesses. Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative methodology. The qualitative data were generated via interview involving 30 purposively selected businesses from South Eastern Nigeria. This comprises 15 family businesses each that have respectively adopted related and unrelated diversification strategies. Two respondents (i.e., the business owner and a top level manager) each were drawn from the selected businesses. In all, 60 respondents were interviewed. Since the unit of analysis is the family business, the interview transcriptions from all the respondents were subjected to thematic content analysis on the basis of the family businesses. Contribution: Active involvement and participation in all the meetings, discussions, workshops and seminars of the social network via the traditional and new media platforms facilitates the adoption of related or unrelated diversification in family businesses. Moreover, the adoption of similar social network platforms like WhatsApp and Twitter in all the relationships among and between employees and managers, and the transactions of the businesses is one of the key factors for achieving successful related or unrelated diversification in family businesses. Findings: In spite of the risky nature of the business environment, the adoption of related diversification strategies is significantly influenced by resources such as business consultancy services garnered through the traditional and new media platforms of the social network. Also, family businesses that are actively involved in a social network where the actors interact through the traditional and new media are influenced by the resources acquired to consider adopting unrelated diversification. These resources include: better understanding of the nature of business challenges, environments and experiences; and different lines of businesses. Thus, the traditional and new media platforms are complementary in their roles. Recommendations for Practitioners: Family business owner-managers could use the findings to develop related or unrelated strategies for diversifying into existing or new markets. This can be through the localization of manufacturing plant, improvement of product packaging, sitting of sales outlet closer to the consumers, introduction of lower prices for products/services, introduction of new and better ways of service delivery, or development of more compelling promotion strategies. Recommendation for Researchers: As a veritable guide, this study could guide future researchers in the formulation of their objectives, selection of instrument for data collection and respondents, and adoption of method of data analysis. Impact on Society: Successful diversification suggests the establishment of new or more businesses. Consequently, these new or more family businesses are expected to translate to more employment opportunities and by extension reduction in unemployment and poverty rates in the society. Future Research: Further studies should be carried out to enhance the development of family businesses, contribute to the existing literature and ensure the generalization of the findings.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between knowledge sharing process and innovation success with specific emphasis on tacit knowledge. Based on the literature review, we hypothesised that knowledge donating and collecting have a positive relationship with innovation success. Methodology: The hypotheses were empirically tested using the partial least square path modelling with data collected from twelve state-owned public organisations operating in Southern Nigeria. Contribution: The research made distinct empirical contributions to the burgeoning literature on knowledge sharing and innovation from the public sector and developing country context. Findings: Knowledge donating and collecting contribute to innovation success positively and significantly. Knowledge donating effect on innovation success was found to be more significantly positive than the effect of knowledge collecting on innovation success. Recommendations for Practitioners: Public organisations should promote a supportive culture to spur innovation through the frequent share of experiences, information and skills among the various knowledge actors. Public managers should convey the importance of knowledge sharing and its value to knowledge users in clear terms and attend to creating conditions or contexts that encourage people to share knowledge freely and willingly with others. It is apt to improve organisational commitment and support for knowledge sharing activities such as mentorship programs, workshops, conferences, seminars and other related training and development programs in order to provide opportunities for employees to develop innovation competencies from the transfer of tacit knowledge developed over time from experience. To optimise innovation outcomes from knowledge sharing practices, knowledge sharing should be in tandem with the industry or global best practices. Future Research: Future studies should add interviews to provide depth in terms of insights and substance to the questionnaire, and may extend to public organisation with different ownership structure.

Aim/Purpose: This study forms part of the World IT Project, which aims to gain a deeper understanding of individual, personal and organisational factors influencing IT staff in a modern, work environment. The project also aims to provide a global view that complements the traditional American/Western view. The purpose of this study is to investigate and report on some of these factors, in particular, the role that job satisfaction has in turnover intention (i.e., changing jobs within the IT industry) and turn-away intention (i.e., moving to another industry other than IT) in South Africa. Background: Several studies have reported on the importance of an employee’s job satisfaction to organisation success, and the various factors that influence it. Most studies on job satisfaction adopted a Westernised and not a global view. Very few empirical studies have been conducted on job satisfaction of IT workers in South Africa. This paper reports on the individual, personal and organisational factors that influence the job satisfaction of IT staff in South Africa. Methodology: The study uses statistical analysis of survey data acquired through the World IT Project. Both online and paper based questionnaires were used. A sample size of 301 respondents was obtained from the survey, which was conducted over a period of 6 months during 2017. The factors that influence IT job satisfaction were analysed using correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis and discriminant analysis. The factors investigated were employee and organisational demographics, aspects of occupational culture, and various job-related individual issues. Contribution: This paper presents the only study focused specifically on turnover and turn-away intention amongst IT staff in South Africa. The final proposed model, grounded in the empirical dataset, clearly shows job satisfaction as a strong mediating construct explaining most of the variance in the IT professional’s intention to leave the organisation (i.e. their turnover intention) and the industry (i.e. their turn-away intention). Findings: The findings revealed that there was a significant correlation between job satisfaction and turnover intention as well as between job satisfaction and turn-away intention of IT staff. Perceived professional self-efficacy, strain and experience were also highly correlated with turnover intention. Professional self-efficacy was also significantly correlated with turn-away intention. Based on the analyses that were conducted, a research model is presented that shows the relationships between the various antecedents of turnover and turn-away intention. Recommendations for Practitioners: Managers in organisations dealing with the shortage of IT skills can use the model to plan interventions to reduce IT staff turnover rates by focussing on addressing the identified individual issues such as strain, job (in)security and work load as well as the personal value and IT occupational culture issues. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers in the field of IT staff recruitment and management can find value for their research in the proposed refined model of IT job satisfaction and turnover intention. Future research could possibly replicate the study in other countries or could focus on different factors. Impact on Society: IT skills play a crucial role in society today and are therefore in high demand. However, this demand is not being satisfied by the current rate of supply. Research into what factors influence IT staff to leave the organisation or the industry can assist managers with improving their employee relations and job conditions so as to reduce this turnover and increase organisations’ and society’s competitiveness and economic growth. Future Research: It would be interesting to determine if the findings are similar for a sample of smaller organisations and/or younger IT employees since this study focussed on larger organisations and more experienced staff. Future research could also compare the findings of South African organisations with those in other countries.

Aim/Purpose: The paper’s objective is to examine the challenges of using the mobile phone to mine location data for effective contact tracing of symptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and asymptomatic individuals and the implications of this technology for public health governance. Background: The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented need for contact tracing across South Africa, requiring thousands of people to be traced and their details captured in government health databases as part of public health efforts aimed at breaking the chains of transmission. Contact tracing for COVID-19 requires the identification of persons who may have been exposed to the virus and following them up daily for 14 days from the last point of exposure. Mining mobile phone location data can play a critical role in locating people from the time they were identified as contacts to the time they access medical assistance. In this case, it aids data flow to various databases designated for COVID-19 work. Methodology: The researchers conducted a review of the available literature on this subject drawing from academic articles published in peer-reviewed journals, research reports, and other relevant national and international government documents reporting on public health and COVID-19. Document analysis was used as the primary research method, drawing on the case studies. Contribution: Contact tracing remains a critical strategy in curbing the deadly COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa and elsewhere in the world. However, given increasing concern regarding its invasive nature and possible infringement of individual liberties, it is imperative to interrogate the challenges related to its implementation to ensure a balance with public governance. The research findings can thus be used to inform policies and practices associated with contact tracing in South Africa. Findings: The study found that contact tracing using mobile phone location data mining can be used to enforce quarantine measures such as lockdowns aimed at mitigating a public health emergency such as COVID-19. However, the use of technology can expose the public to criminal activities by exposing their locations. From a public governance point of view, any exposure of the public to social ills is highly undesirable. Recommendations for Practitioners: In using contact tracing apps to provide pertinent data location caution needs to be exercised to ensure that sensitive private information is not made public to the extent that it compromises citizens’ safety and security. The study recommends the development and implementation of data use protocols to support the use of this technology, in order to mitigate against infringement of individual privacy and other civil liberties. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should explore ways of improving digital applications in order to improve the acceptability of the use of contact tracing technology to manage pandemics such as COVID-19, paying attention to ethical considerations. Impact on Society: Since contact tracing has implications for privacy and confidentiality it must be conducted with caution. This research highlights the challenges that the authorities must address to ensure that the right to privacy and confidentiality is upheld. Future Research: Future research could focus on collecting primary data to provide insight on contact tracing through mining mobile phone location data. Research could also be conducted on how app-based technology can enhance the effectiveness of contact tracing in order to optimize testing and tracing coverage. This has the potential to minimize transmission whilst also minimizing tracing delays. Moreover, it is important to develop contact tracing apps that are universally inter-operable and privacy-preserving.

Aim/Purpose: This paper identified and explored the factors influencing Bitcoin adoption and use in South Africa. Background: Since its introduction in 2008, the value and popularity of Bitcoin has risen exponentially. Captivating the eyes of the world, from regulators to economists, Bitcoin promises to revolutionize the digital currency space. Despite being over 10 years old, the concept of cryptocurrency is fairly new in South Africa, a developing country. South African’s interest in Bitcoin continues to grow with the country constantly ranking within the top 10 in online searches for “Bitcoin” and “cryptocurrency” on Google. The primary objective of this research was to identify adoption factors amongst South African citizens, an area that has not received much research focus in the past. In addition to this, the study aimed to identify how Bitcoin is primarily used in South Africa. Methodology: A survey-based questionnaire was utilized to obtain responses from adopters of Bitcoin in South Africa. The quantitative survey was completed by 204 respondents. Contribution: This research contributes to the body of knowledge relating to Bitcoin adoption, specifically from a developing country. Adoption factors are identified that can be utilized by businesses that intend to adopt cryptocurrency, to strategically prepare for the potential risks or opportunities brought about by Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general. Findings: The findings of this study indicate that while perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norms, and facilitating conditions positively influence intention to adopt Bitcoin, trust was the only construct that is statistically significant and hence is the greatest driver of adoption in South Africa. In terms of its primary use in South Africa, the study revealed that Bitcoin is used as a speculative instrument for short-term trading in South Africa followed by being used as a long-term investment in the crypto-asset class. No respondent indicated that they utilize Bitcoin as a payment method in South Africa. Recommendations for Practitioners: When developing crypto-based investment products, custodians of assets must ensure that a minimum-security protocol is followed to safeguard these assets. This will enhance the trust that potential investors and customers have in their systems and products. Recommendation for Researchers: This study focused on adoption factors for South African citizens. Future studies should be conducted to identify adoption factors by businesses in South Africa. Impact on Society: Bitcoin offers an alternate trading instrument and investment option, with the possibility of large gains over a relatively short period. Bitcoin also presents the possibility of cross-border transactions at a significantly lower cost compared to traditional cross-border transfers of funds. Future Research: Studies should be conducted to explore the factors influencing the adoption of altcoins to determine if the technological differences influence the adoption of one currency over the other. Research should also be conducted comparing the taxation of cryptocurrency in various countries around the world.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between Electronic Word-of-Mouth (EWOM), Information Adoption, and the stock investment of Vietnamese investors. Background: Misinformation spreads online, and a lack of strong information analysis skills can lead Vietnamese investors to make poor stock choices. By understanding how online conversations and information processing influence investment decisions, this research can help investors avoid these pitfalls. Methodology: This study applies Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate how non-professional investors react to online information and which information factors influence their investment decisions. The final sample includes 512 investors from 18 to 65 years old from various professional backgrounds (including finance, technology, education, etc.). We conducted a combined online and offline survey using a convenience sampling method from August to November 2023. Contribution: This study contributes to the growing literature on Electronic Word-of-Mouth (EWOM) and its impact on investment decisions. While prior research has explored EWOM in various contexts, we focus on Vietnamese investors, which can offer valuable insights into its role within a developing nation’s stock market. Investors, particularly those who are new or less experienced, are often susceptible to the influence of EWOM. By examining EWOM’s influence in Vietnam, this study sheds light on a crucial factor impacting investment behavior in this emerging market. Findings: The results show that EWOM has a moderate impact on the Information Adoption and investment decisions of Vietnamese stock investors. Information Quality (QL) is the factor that has the strongest impact on Information Adoption (IA), followed by Information Credibility (IC) and Attitude Towards Information (AT). Needs for Information (NI) only have a small impact on Information Adoption (IA). Finally, Information Adoption (IA) has a limited influence on investor decisions in stock investment. We also find that investors need to verify information through official sites before making investment decisions based on posts in social media groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings suggest that state management and media agencies need to coordinate to improve the quality of EWOM information to protect investors and promote the healthy development of the stock market. Social media platform managers need to moderate content, remove false information, prioritize displaying authentic information, cooperate with experts, provide complete information, and personalize the experience to enhance investor trust and positive attitude. Securities companies need to provide complete, accurate, and updated information about the market and investment products. They can enhance investor trust and positive attitude by developing news channels, interacting with investors, and providing auxiliary services. Listed companies need to take the initiative to improve the quality of information disclosure and ensure clarity, comprehensibility, and regular updates. Use diverse communication channels and improve corporate governance capacity to increase investor trust and positive attitude. Investors need to seek information from reliable sources, compare information from multiple sources, and carefully check the source and author of the information. They should improve their investment knowledge and skills, consult experts, define investment goals, and build a suitable investment portfolio. Recommendation for Researchers: This study synthesized previous research on EWOM, but there is still a gap in the field of securities because each nation has its laws, regulations, and policies. The relationships between the factors in the model are not yet clear, and there is a need to develop a model with more interactive factors. The research results need to be further verified, and more research can be conducted on the influence of investor psychology, investment experience, etc. Impact on Society: This study finds that online word-of-mouth (EWOM) can influence Vietnamese investors’ stock decisions, but information quality is more important. Policymakers should regulate EWOM accuracy, fund managers should use social media to reach investors, and investors should diversify their information sources. Future Research: This study focuses solely on the stock market, while individual investors in Vietnam may engage in various other investment forms such as gold, real estate, or cryptocurrencies. Therefore, future research could expand the scope to include other investment types to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how individual investors in Vietnam utilize electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM) and adopt information in their investment decision-making process. Furthermore, while these findings may apply to other emerging markets with similar levels of financial literacy as Vietnam, they may not fully extend to countries with higher financial literacy rates. Hence, further studies could be conducted in developed countries to examine the generalizability of these findings. Finally, future research could see how EWOM’s impact changes over a longer period. Additionally, a more nuanced understanding of the information adoption process could be achieved by developing a research model with additional factors.

Aim/Purpose: This study explored teachers’ data-driven decision-making processes during routine and emergency remote teaching, as experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: Decision-making is essential in teaching, with informed decisions promoting student learning and teachers’ professional development most effectively. However, obstacles to the use of data have been identified in many studies. Methodology: Using a qualitative methodology (N=20), we studied how teachers make decisions, what data is available, and what data they would like to have to improve their decision-making. We used an inductive approach (bottom-up), utilizing teachers’ statements related to decision-making as the unit of analysis. Contribution: Our findings shed an important light on teachers’ Data-Driven Decision-Making (DDDM), highlighting the differences between routine and Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). Findings: Overall, we found that teachers make teaching decisions in three main areas: pedagogy, discipline-related issues, and appearance and behavior. They shift between making decisions based on data and making decisions based on intuition. Academic-related decisions are the most prominent in routine teaching, and during ERT, they were almost the only area in which teachers’ decisions were made. Teachers reported collecting data about students’ academic achievements and emotional state and considered the organizational culture, consultation with colleagues, and parents’ involvement before decision-making. Recommendations for Practitioners: Promote a culture of data-driven decision-making across the education system; Make diverse and rich data of different types accessible to teachers; Increase professional and emotional support for teachers. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers have the potential to expand the scope of this study by conducting research using other methodologies and in different countries. Impact on Society: This study highlights the importance of teachers’ data-driven decision-making in improving teaching practices and promoting students’ achievement. Future Research: Additional research is required to examine data-driven decision-making in diverse circumstances.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to identify the characteristics of YouTube video reviews that consumers utilize to evaluate review helpfulness and explores how they process such information. This study aims to investigate the effect of argument quality, review popularity, number of likes, and source credibility on consumers’ perception of YouTube’s video review helpfulness. Background: Video reviews posted on YouTube are an emerging form of online reviews, which have the potential to be more helpful than textual reviews due to their visual and audible cues that deliver more vivid information about product features and specifications. With the availability of an enormous number of video reviews with unpredictable quality, it becomes challenging for consumers to find helpful reviews without consuming significant time and effort. In addition, YouTube does not provide a specific feature that indicates a review helpfulness similar to the one found on e-commerce websites. Consequently, consumers have to examine the characteristics of video reviews that are readily available on YouTube, evaluate them, and form a perception of whether a review is helpful or not. Despite the increasing popularity of YouTube’s video reviews, video reviews’ helpfulness received inadequate attention in the literature. The antecedents of the helpfulness of online video reviews are still underinvestigated, and more research is needed to identify the characteristics that consumers depend upon to assess video review helpfulness. Furthermore, it is important to understand how consumers process the information they gain from these characteristics to form a perception of their helpfulness. Methodology: Following an extended investigation of the relevant literature, we identified four key video characteristics that consumers presumably utilize to evaluate review helpfulness on YouTube (i.e., review popularity, number of likes, source credibility, and argument quality). By employing the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), we classified these characteristics along the central and peripheral routes. The central route characteristics require a high cognitive effort by consumers to process the review’s message and reach a logical decision. In contrast, the peripheral route assumes that consumers judge the review’s message based on superficial qualities without substantial cognitive effort. A research model is introduced to investigate the effect of central and peripheral cues and their corresponding video review characteristics on review helpfulness. Accordingly, argument quality is proposed in the central route of the model, while review popularity, number of likes, and source credibility are proposed in the peripheral route. Furthermore, the study investigates how consumers process the information they obtain from these routes jointly or independently. To empirically test the proposed model, a convenient sample of 361 YouTube users was obtained through an online survey. The partial least squares method was used to investigate the effect of the proposed characteristics on video review helpfulness. Contribution: This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, it is one of the few studies that investigate online video reviews’ helpfulness. Second, this study identifies several unique characteristics of YouTube’s video reviews that span peripheral and central routes, which potentially contribute to review helpfulness. Third, this study proposes a conceptual model based on the ELM to explore the effect of central and peripheral cues and their corresponding review characteristics on review helpfulness. Fourth, the research findings provide implications for research and practice that advance the theoretical understanding of video reviews’ helpfulness and serve as guidelines to create more helpful video reviews by better understanding the consumer’s cognitive processes. Findings: The results show that among the four characteristics proposed in the research model, argument quality in the central route is the strongest determinant factor affecting video review helpfulness. Results also show that review popularity, source credibility, and the number of likes in the peripheral route have significant effects on video review helpfulness. Altogether, our results show that the effect of the peripheral route adds up to 0.463 compared to 0.430, which is the impact magnitude of the argument quality construct in the central route. Based on the comparable effect magnitude of the central and peripheral routes of the model on video review helpfulness, our results indicate that both peripheral and central cues significantly affect consumers’ perception of video review helpfulness. The two routes are not mutually exclusive, and their cues can be processed in parallel or consecutive ways. Recommendations for Practitioners: The study recommends creating a dedicated category for reviews on YouTube with a specific feature for consumers to indicate the helpfulness of a video review, similar to the helpful vote button in textual reviews. The study also recommends that reviewers deliver more appealing and convincing argument quality, work toward improving their credibility, and understand the factors that contribute to video popularity. Impact on Society: Identifying the characteristics that affect video review helpfulness on YouTube helps consumers access helpful reviews more efficiently and improves their purchase decisions. Future Research: Future research could look into different types of data that could be extracted from YouTube to investigate the helpfulness of online video reviews. Future studies could employ machine learning and sentiment analysis techniques to reach more insights. Future research could also investigate the effect of product types in the context of online video reviews.

In this paper, two hypothetical frameworks are proposed through the application of quality function deployment (QFD) to integrate the current institutional level and program level student learning focus areas with the relevant institutional and program specific stakeholder expectations. A generic skillset proficiency expected of all the graduating students at the institutional level by the stakeholders is considered in the first QFD application example and a program specific knowledge proficiency expected at the program level by the stakeholders is considered in the second QFD application example. Operations management major/option is considered for illustration purposes at the program level. In addition, an assurance of learning based approach rooted in continuous improvement philosophy is proposed to align the stakeholder expectations with the relevant student learning outcomes at different learning tiers.

This paper aims to share the author's vision on possible research directions for big knowledge-based AI. A renewed definition of big knowledge (BK) and big knowledge systems (BKS) is first introduced. Then the first BKS model, called cloud knowledge social intelligence (CKEI) is provided with a hierarchy of knowledge as a service (KAAS). At last, a new semantics, the big-and-broad step axiomatic structural operational semantics (BBASOS) for applications on BKS is introduced and discussed with a practical distributed BKS model knowledge graph network KGN and a mini example.

Prediction of route based on historical trip observation of users is widely employed in location-based services. This work concentrates on building a route prediction system using Lempel-Ziv technique applied to a historical corpus of user travel data. Huge continuous logs of historical GPS traces representing the user's location in past are decomposed into smaller logical units known as trips. User trips are converted into sequences of road network edges using a process known as map matching. Lempel-Ziv is applied on road network edges to build the prediction model that captures the user's travel pattern in the past. A two-phased model is proposed using a map reduce framework without losing accuracy and efficiency. Model is then used to predict the user's end-to-end route given a partial route travelled by the user at any point in time. The objective of the proposed work is to build a Route Prediction system in which model building and prediction both are horizontally scalable.

Implementing inquiry in the outdoors introduces many challenges for teachers, some of which can be dealt with using mobile technologies. For productive use of these technologies, teachers should be provided with the opportunity to develop relevant knowledge and practices. In a professional development (PD) program in this design-based research, 24 teachers were involved in adaptation of a learning environment supporting inquiry in the outdoors that included the use of mobile technologies. They first experienced the learning environment as learners, then adapted it for their own use, and finally, enacted the adapted environment with peers. We examined the scope and character of teacher involvement in adaptation, and the consequent professional growth, by analyzing observations, questionnaires, interviews and the adapted learning-environments. Findings indicate that all teachers demonstrated change processes, including changes in knowledge and practice, but the coherence of the learning environments decreased when substantial adaptations were made. Some teachers demonstrated professional growth, as reflected by their implementation of ideas learned in the PD program in their daily practice, long after the PD program had ended. This study demonstrates how the Teachers as Designers approach can support teacher learning and illustrates productive use of scaffolds for teacher growth and professional development.

Creative computing is one of the rapidly growing educational trends around the world. Previous studies have shown that creative computing can empower disadvantaged children and youth. At-risk youth tend to hold a negative view of self and perceive their abilities as inferior compared to “normative” pupils. The Implicit Theories of Intelligence approach (ITI; Dweck, 1999, 2008) suggests a way of changing beliefs regarding one’s abilities. This paper reports findings from an experiment that explores the impact of a short intervention among at-risk youth and “normative” high-school students on (1) changing ITI from being perceived as fixed (entity view of intelligence) to more flexible (incremental view of intelligence) and (2) the quality of digital self-representations programmed though a creative computing app. The participants were 117 Israeli youth aged 14-17, half of whom were at-risk youth. The participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control conditions. The experimental group watched a video of a lecture regarding brain plasticity that emphasized flexibility and the potential of human intelligence to be cultivated. The control group watched a neutral lecture about brain-functioning and creativity. Following the intervention, all of the participants watched screencasts of basic training for the Scratch programming app, designed artifacts that digitally represented themselves five years later and reported their ITI. The results showed more incremental ITI in the experimental group compared to the control group and among normative students compared to at-risk youth. In contrast to the research hypothesis, the Scratch projects of the at-risk youth, especially in the experimental condition, were rated by neutral judges as being more creative, more aesthetically designed, and more clearly conveying their message. The results suggest that creative computing combined with the ITI intervention is a way of developing creativity, especially among at-risk youth. Increasing the number of youths who hold incremental views of intelligence and developing computational thinking may contribute to their empowerment and well-being, improve learning and promote creativity.

This is a five-year study conducted with junior high school students studying in a 1:1-laptop program in order to test the effects of the program on various measures related to the students: their attitudes, motivation, perceived school norms, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention towards learning with laptops, according to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). These variables were tested at two dimensions: ‘duration of learning’ – the effect of learning in the program on the same students; ‘duration of program in school’ – the effect of the program on different students in different school years. Participants (N=770) answered a questionnaire structured according to motivational and TPB variables. Findings show that attitudes changed over time, but differently for each dimension. For the ‘duration of learning’, attitudes declined between 7th to 9th grade. Structural equation modeling analysis showed that students’ attitudes and self-efficacy explain part of their intention to learn with laptops, therefore ways of maintaining positive attitudes, self-efficacy, and strengthening school norms should be considered. However, for the ‘duration of program in school’, students’ attitudes increased over the years: The attitudes of students who started the program at a later stage were more positive than those who began earlier. This may indicate that students who experience the program at an advanced stage are better prepared, with more realistic expectations. Findings can assist teacher trainers and policymakers with the implementation of similar programs.

Soft skills are becoming increasingly important and will be critical for success in the Information Systems profession. Employers complain about a lack in soft skills among graduates from tertiary education institutions. No agreement exists about what these skills actually are, which are of importance, and how acquiring these soft skills should be approached in higher education. The aim of this paper is to research the perceptions of lecturers, industry, and students on soft skills development of students and to identify important soft skills that need to be developed. The paper starts with a problem statement emphasizing the importance of soft skills and the possible lack thereof. This is followed by a literature review, a description of the methodology followed for this research, the results, conclusion, and the references. The research was done at a university in South Africa. Questionnaires consisting of open questions were distributed to lecturers, industry, and students respectively, and qualitative analysis was done on the results. Results show that stakeholders feel that soft skills of students are not developed adequately, that there is some uncertainty about who should be responsible for developing soft skills, and that the development of soft skills is seen as a difficult task. A list is compiled of the most important soft skills according to literature, lecturers, industry, and students. This list can be used in further research on the soft skills of IT-students. Recommendations are made for the teaching and learning of soft skills.

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

Aim/Purpose: In the modern world, simulation has become a new phenomenon in education, which conveys new and innovative ideas of curriculum, instruction, and classroom management. It makes certain of Aristotle’s words when he said that “The things we have to learn before we do them, we must learn by doing them”. One might think that simulation in education is one of these technologies. This study examined preservice and new teachers’ perceptions about the con-cept of conflict and educational conflict management in a simulation workshop conducted at the Academic Arab College’s Simulation Center in Haifa, Israel. Background: Simulation engages learners in “deep learning” and empowers their understanding. In other words, simulation provides an alternative real world experience. As part of our work at the Educational Simulation Center in the Arab Academic College in Haifa, Israel, we examined the performance and contribution of educators who visit the center and participate in educational conflict management simulation workshops. Methodology: A mixed methods study was conducted. A total of 237 participants of preservice teachers from diverse professions were divided into 15 groups to examine the research question: How does the experience of participating in a simulation workshop affect preservice teachers’ perception about the concept of conflict? Contribution: This study seeks to contribute to simulation and conflict management in education. This contribution to the body of literature can help researchers, scholars, students, and education technology professionals to advance simulation research studies. Findings: The study findings indicate that there is a high degree of satisfaction (more than 90%) among preservice teachers in participating in the workshop. It also indicates a positive and significant change in participants’ perceptions of the concept of conflict and the management of conflict situations. Recommendations for Practitioners: In light of the study findings, it is recommended that new teachers be exposed to simulation workshops with a variety of scenarios dealing with different conflict situations. This exposure could contribute to their professional development and conduct in a more efficient and convenient manner in schools.

Aim/Purpose Information Technology students’ learning outcomes improve when teaching methodology moves away from didactic behaviorist-based pedagogy toward a more heuristic constructivist-based version of andragogy. Background There is a distinctive difference, a notable gap, between the academic community and the business community in their views of the level of preparedness of recent information technology program graduates. Understanding how Information Technology curriculum is developed and taught along with the underpinning learning theory is needed to address the deficient attainment of learning outcomes at the heart of this matter. Methodology The case study research methodology has been selected to conduct the inquiry into this phenomenon. This empirical inquiry facilitates exploration of a contemporary phenomenon in depth within its real-life context using a variety of data sources. The subject of analysis will be two Information Technology classes composed of a combination of second year and third year students; both classes have six students, the same six students. Contribution It is the purpose of this research to show that the use of improved approaches to learning will produce more desirable learning outcomes. Findings The results of this inquiry clearly show that the use of the traditional behaviorist based pedagogic model to achieve college and university IT program learning outcomes is not as effective as a more constructivist based andragogic model. Recommendations Instruction based purely on either of these does a disservice to the typical college and university level learner. The correct approach lies somewhere in between them; the most successful outcome attainment would be the product of incorporating the best of both. Impact on Society Instructional strategies produce learning outcomes; learning outcomes demonstrate what knowledge has been acquired. Acquired knowledge is used by students as they pursue professional careers and other ventures in life. Future Research Learning and teaching approaches are not “one-size-fits-all” propositions; different strategies are appropriate for different circumstances and situations. Additional research should seek to introduce vehicles that will move learners away from one the traditional methodology that has been used throughout much of their educational careers to an approach that is better suited to equip them with the skills necessary to meet the challenges awaiting them in the professional world.

Aim/Purpose: This article takes ‘tourism decision-making behavior’ as an entry point, and deeply analyzes the factors influencing the travel decision-making of Chinese ‘American Travel’ tourists and their degree of influence, so as to provide a reference for the development of Chinese outbound tourism. Background: With the development of China’s economy and the improvement in people’s level, the outbound tourism market of Chinese residents has developed rapidly. The United States has become an important tourism destination country for Chinese residents’ outbound tourism, and China has also become one of the important tourist source countries of American tourism. However, the rapid development of ‘American tourism’ has also caused competition problems in China’s tourism industry. For example, prices and tourism products have become a means of competition among tourism enterprises. As the main body of consumption, tourists’ decision-making behavior will be affected by various factors. Methodology: Drawing lessons from previous scholars’ research results on tourism decision-making behavior, the influencing factors of tourism decision-making behavior are summarized. A theoretical model and index system of factors influencing tourism decision-making behavior of Chinese residents ‘Travel in the United States’ are established, research hypotheses are put forward, questionnaire data are collected, and SPSS and Amos are used to analyze and verify the theoretical model. Contribution: This research expands the literature on topics related to tourism decision-making in research and practice. It establishes a theoretical model and index system for the factors that influence the decision-making behavior of Chinese residents’ ‘American Travel’ tourism. In addition, we propose countermeasures for tourism products, enterprises, and the government. Findings: Prior knowledge and external information have a positive influence on tourism perception and value perception, and a negative influence on risk perception. Risk perception value perception has a positive and negative influence on tourism decision-making and tourism motivation, respectively. Tourism motivation has a positive influence on tourism decision-making and has a positive impact. Recommendation for Researchers: According to the research conclusions of this article, the following counter-measures and suggestions are put forward from three aspects of tourism: products, enterprises, and governments. On the basis of existing tourism products, relevant operating companies should pay more attention to the upgrading and transformation of tourism, leisure and entertainment products in scenic spots to increase the willingness of tourists to travel. When considering corporate marketing and promotion plans, tourism companies operating related businesses should increase the weight of their marketing budgets in online marketing, increase investment in online marketing, and develop mobile applications that meet the preferences of Chinese residents in the United States. Do a good job in the timely publication of safety reminders and local information. Safety is an important foundation for tourism development and the core concern of many tourists. Future Research: Due to the important research on the impact of tourism activities, the influencing factors are many and complex, and the psychological process of tourism decision-making is carried out directly. There are still unconsidered factors that need to be studied in depth. In the future, it is possible to compare multiple resource-featured themes, and increase the characteristics of potential tourists, and the factors affecting the selection behavior of regional cultural tourists, and so forth, in order to make the research more applicable and practical instructive significance.

Aim/Purpose: This paper aimed to explore the impact of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the general population during the pandemic. Background: The paper has attempted to explore compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the population at large, especially during the pandemic. This area has not been explored as yet. Methodology: A simple random sample of 98 males and 88 females was collected anonymously through a Google form survey. Part A collected demographic data and Part B comprised of 15 statements with 5 each for compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out, adapted from a Compassion Fatigue/Satisfaction Self-Test. ANOVA single factor was employed for the three variables of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out using a 0.05 significance level. Correlations among the variables were also analyzed. Contribution: The present paper contributes to covering the research gap of investigating the presence of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out among the population at large comprising the age group of 18 to 60+ and from different professions. Findings: The findings revealed significant differences in the levels of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out in the population at large during the pandemic. Future Research: The findings can be further strengthened by extending it to a larger sample size across different nations and, specifically, studying gender differences during such adverse pandemic situations.