Aim/Purpose: The first goal is to develop a decision support system for pricing and production amounts for a firm facing high levels of product returns. The second goal is to improve the management of the product returns process. Background: This study was conducted at a food importer and manufacturer in Israel facing a very high rate of product returns, much of which is eventually discarded. The firm’s products are commonly considered to be a low-cost generic alternative and are therefore popular among low-income families. Methodology: A decision support module was added to the plant’s business information system. The module is based on a supply chain pricing model and uses the sales data to infer future demand’s distribution. Ergonomic models were used to improve the design of the returns warehouse and the handling of the returns. Contribution: The decision support system allows to improve the plant’s pricing and quantity planning. Consequently, it reduced the size of product returns. The new design of the returns process is expected to improve worker’s productivity, reduces losses and results in safer outcomes. This study also demonstrates a successful integration and of a theoretical economical model into an information system. Findings: The results show the promise of incorporating pricing supply chain models into informing systems to achieve a practical business task. We were able to construct actual demand distributions from the data and offer actual pricing recommendations that reduce the number of returns while increasing potential profits. We were able to identify key deficiencies in the returns operations and added a module to the decisions support system that improves the returns management and links it with the sales and pricing modules. Finally, we produced a better warehouse design that supports efficient and ergonomic product returns handling. Recommendations for Practitioners: This work can be replicated for different suppliers, manufacturers and retailers that suffer from product returns. They will benefit from the reduction in returns, as well as the decrease in the losses associated with these returns. Recommendation for Researchers: It is worthwhile to research whether decision support systems can be applied to other aspects of the organizations’ operations. Impact on Society: Product returns is a lose-lose situation for producers, retailers and customers. Moreover, mismanagement of these returns is harmful for the environment and may result in the case of foods, in health hazards. Reducing returns and improving the handling improves sustainability and is beneficial for society. Future Research: The decision support system’s underlying pricing model assumes a specific business setting. This can be extended using other pricing models and applying them in a similar fashion to the current application.

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 present study examines the effect of perceived organisational and co-worker support on the adjustment of repatriates and its impact on their intention to transfer knowledge in multinational companies (MNCs). It also examines the relationship between perceived organisational support, co-worker support, and knowledge transfer through the mediating role of repatriate adjustment. Background: The ability of acquiring and utilising international knowledge is one of the core competitive advantages of MNCs. This knowledge is transferred by MNCs across their subsidiaries efficiently through repatriates, which will result in superior performance when compared to their local competitors. But in MNCs the expatriation process has been given more emphasis than the repatriation process; therefore, there is limited knowledge about repatriation knowledge transfer. Practically, the knowledge transferred by repatriates is not managed properly by the MNCs. Methodology: The proposed model was supported by Uncertainty Reduction Theory, Organisational Socialisation Theory, Organisational Support Theory, and Socialisation Resource Theory. The data were gathered from 246 repatriates working in Indian MNCs in the manufacturing and information technology sectors who had been on an international assignment for at least one year. The data obtained were analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using AMOS 21 software. Contribution: The present study expands prior research on repatriate knowledge transfer by empirically investigating the mediating role of repatriate adjustment between perceived support and repatriate knowledge transfer in MNCs. The present study also highlights that organisational and co-worker support during repatriation is beneficial for repatriate knowledge transfer. It is important that MNCs initiate support practices during repatriation to motivate repatriates to transfer international knowledge. Findings: The results revealed that both perceived organisational and co-worker support had a significant role in predicting repatriate adjustment in MNCs. Furthermore, the results also revealed that perceived organisational and co-worker support increases repatriate knowledge transfer through repatriate adjustment in MNCs. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study indicates the role of management in motivating repatriates to transfer their knowledge to the organisation. The management of MNCs develop HR policies and strategies leading to high perceived organisational support, co-worker support, and repatriate adjustment. They need to pay particular attention to the factors that affect the repatriates’ intention to share knowledge with others in the organisation. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers can use the validated measurement instrument which could be essential for the advancement of future empirical research on repatriate knowledge transfer. Impact on Society: The present study will assist MNCs in managing their repatriates during the repatriation process by developing an appropriate repatriation support system. This will help the repatriates to better adjust to their repatriation process which will motivate them to transfer the acquired knowledge. Future Research: Future research can adopt a longitudinal style to test the different levels of the adjustment process which will help in better understanding the repatriate adjustment process. Additionally, this model can be tested with the repatriates of other countries and in diverse cultures to confirm its external validity. Furthermore, future research can be done with the repatriates who go on an international assignment through their own initiative (self-initiated expatriates).

Aim/Purpose: In this study, we aim to investigate the impact of an important characteristic of textual reviews – the diversity of the review content on review helpfulness. Background: Consumer-generated reviews are an essential format of online Word-of-Month that help customers reduce uncertainty and information asymmetry. However, not all reviews are equally helpful as reflected by the varying number of helpfulness votes received by reviews. From consumers’ perspective, what kind of content is more effective and useful for making purchase decisions is unclear. Methodology: We use a data set consisting of consumer reviews for laptop products on Amazon from 2014 to 2018. A topic modeling technique is implemented to unveil the hidden topics embedded in the reviews. Based on the extracted topics, we compute the text diversity score of each review. The diversity score measures how diverse the content in a review is compared to other reviews. Contribution: In the literature, studies have examined various factors that can influence review helpfulness. However, studies that emphasized the information value of textual reviews are limited. Our study contributes to the extant literature of online word-of-mouth by establishing the connection between the diversity of the review content and consumer perceived helpfulness. Findings: Empirical results show that text diversity plays an important role in consumers’ evaluation of whether the review is helpful. Reviews that contain more diverse content tend to be more helpful to consumers. Moreover, we find a negative interaction effect between text diversity and the text depth. This result suggests that text depth and text diversity have a substitution effect. When a review contains more in-depth content, the impact of text diversity is weakened. Recommendations for Practitioners: For consumers to quickly find the informative reviews, platforms should incorporate measures such as text diversity in the ranking algorithms to rank consumer reviews. Future Research: Future study can extend the current research by examine the impact of text diversity for experienced goods and compare the results with search goods.

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 aims to create customer segmentation who use Online Travel Agent (OTA) mobile applications in Indonesia throughout their hotel booking journey. Background: In the context of mobile hotel booking applications, research analyzing the customer experience at each customer journey stage is scarce. However, literature increasingly acknowledges the significance of this stage in comprehending customer behavior and revenue streams. Methodology: This study employs a mixed-method and exploratory approach by doing in-depth interviews with 20 participants and questionnaires from 207 participants. Interview data are analyzed using thematic analysis, while the questionnaires are analyzed using descriptive statistics. Contribution: This study enriches knowledge in understanding customer behavior that considers the usage of mobile apps as a segmentation criterion in the hotel booking journey. Findings: We developed four user personas (no sweat player, spotless seeker, social squad, and bargain hunter) that show customer segmentation based on the purpose, motivation, and actions in each journey stage (inspiration, consideration, reservation, and experience). Recommendations for Practitioners: The resulting customer segmentation enables hospitality firms to improve their current services by adapting to the needs of various segments and avoiding unanticipated customer pain points, such as incomplete information, price changes, no social proof, and limited payment options. Recommendation for Researchers: The quality and robustness of the customer segment produced in this study can be further tested based on the criteria of homogeneity, size, potential benefits, segment stability, segment accessibility, segment compatibility, and segment actionability. Impact on Society: This study has enriched the existing literature by establishing a correlation between user characteristics and how they use smartphones for tourism planning, focusing on hotel booking in mobile applications. Future Research: For future research, each customer segment’s demographic and behavioral factors can be explored further.

Aim/Purpose: Blockchain technology (BCT) has emerged as a potential catalyst for transforming government institutions and services, yet the adoption of blockchain in governments faces various challenges, for which previous studies have yet to provide practical solutions. Background: This study aims to identify and analyse barriers, potential solutions, and their relations in implementing BC for governments through a systematic literature review (SLR). The authors grouped the challenges based on the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework while exercising a thematic grouping for the solutions, followed by a comprehensive mapping to unveil the relationship between challenges and solutions. Methodology: This study employs the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 methodology, combined with the tollgate method, to improve the quality of selected articles. The authors further administer a three-level approach (open coding, axial coding, and selective coding) to analyse the challenges and solutions from the articles. Contribution: The authors argue that this study enriches the existing literature on BC adoption, particularly in the government context, by providing a comprehensive framework to analyse and address the unique challenges and solutions, thus contributing to the development of new theories and models for future research in BC adoption in government settings and fostering deeper exploration in the field. Findings: The authors have unveiled 40 adoption challenges categorised using the TOE framework. The most prevalent technological challenges include security concerns and integration & interoperability, while cultural resistance, lack of support and involvement, and employees’ capability hinder adoption at the organisational level. Notably, the environmental dimension lacks legal and standard frameworks. The study further unveils 28 potential solutions, encompassing legal frameworks, security and privacy measures, collaboration and governance, technological readiness and infrastructure, and strategic planning and adoption. The authors of the study have further mapped the solutions to the identified challenges, revealing that the establishment of legal frameworks stands out as the most comprehensive solution. Recommendations for Practitioners: Our findings provide a big picture regarding BC adoption for governments around the globe. This study charts the problems commonly encountered by government agencies and presents proven solutions in their wake. The authors endeavour practitioners, particularly those in governments, to embrace our findings as the cornerstone of BC/BCT adoption. These insights can aid practitioners in identifying existing or potential obstacles in adopting BC, pinpointing success factors, and formulating strategies tailored to their organisations. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers could extend this study by making an in-depth analysis of challenges or solutions in specific types of countries, such as developed and developing countries, as the authors believe this approach would yield more insights. Researchers could also test, validate, and verify the mapping in this study to improve the quality of the study further and thus can be a great aid for governments to adopt BC/BCT fully. Impact on Society: This study provides a comprehensive exploration of BC adoption in the government context, offering detailed explanations and valuable insights that hold significant value for government policymakers and decision-makers, serving as a bedrock for successful implementation by addressing roadblocks and emphasising the importance of establishing a supportive culture and structure, engaging stakeholders, and addressing security and privacy concerns, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of BC adoption in government institutions and services. Future Research: Future research should address the limitations identified in this study by expanding the scope of the literature search to include previously inaccessible sources and exploring alternative frameworks to capture dynamic changes and contextual factors in BC adoption. Additionally, rigorous scrutiny, review, and testing are essential to establish the practical and theoretical validity of the identified solutions, while in-depth analyses of country-specific and regional challenges will provide valuable insights into the unique considerations faced by different governments.

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the factors that affect the repurchase intentions of Generation Z consumers in India’s online shopping industry, focusing on combining the Expectation-Confirmation Model (ECM) and Extended Technology Acceptance Model (E-TAM). The aim is to understand the intricate behaviors that shape technology adoption and sustained usage, which are essential for retaining customers in e-commerce. Background: Social media and other online platforms have significantly influenced daily life and become essential communication tools owing to technological advancements. Online shopping is no exception, offering a range of product choices, information, and convenience compared with traditional commerce. Indian retailers recognize this trend as an opportunity to promote their brands through e-shopping platforms, leading to increased competition. Generation Z comprises 32% of the world’s population and is a significant emerging customer base in India. Numerous studies have been conducted to study customers’ repurchase intention in the online shopping domain, but few studies have explicitly focused on Generation Z as a customer base. This study aims to comprehensively understand the topic and investigate the variables that impact consumers’ online repurchase intention by examining their post-adoption behavioral processes. Methodology: The study employed a quantitative research design with structural equation modeling using AMOS to analyze responses from 410 participants. This method thoroughly examined hypotheses regarding factors affecting repurchase intention (security, ease of use, privacy, and internet self-efficacy) and the mediating role of e-satisfaction. Contribution: This study makes a unique contribution to the field of e-commerce by focusing on Generation Z in India, a rapidly growing demographic in the e-commerce industry. The results on the mediating role of e-satisfaction have significant implications for e-retailers seeking to enhance customer retention strategies and gain a competitive edge in the market. Findings: The research findings underscore the significant influence of security, ease of use, and internet self-efficacy on repurchase intentions, with e-satisfaction playing a pivotal role as a mediating factor. Notably, while privacy concerns did not directly impact repurchase intentions, they displayed considerable influence when mediated by e-satisfaction, highlighting the intricate interplay between these variables in the context of online shopping, which is the unique finding of this study. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study has several significant implications for practitioners. Effectively addressing computer-related individual differences, such as computer self-efficacy, is crucial for boosting online customers’ repurchase intention. For instance, if an e-retailer intends to target Generation Z customers, they should collaborate with IT professionals and develop various computer literacy programs on online streaming platforms, such as YouTube. These programs will enhance target customers’ confidence in online shopping portals and increase their online repeat purchases. Additionally, practitioners should strive to improve the online shopping experience by making the portal user-friendly. Generation Z is accustomed to a fast Internet experience, so they prefer that the process of completing online transactions is swift with fewer clicks. The search for products, payments, and redress should not be tedious. Furthermore, the primary objective of the e-retailer should be to satisfy customers, as satisfied customers repeat their purchases and increase overall profitability. Recommendation for Researchers: The current study was conducted in the Delhi-NCR region of India, and its findings could serve as a basis for future research. For instance, the scale devised in this study could be utilized to examine the impact of cash-on-delivery as a payment method on purchase intention across the country. Alternatively, a comparative analysis could be conducted to compare cash-on-delivery effects in various countries. Impact on Society: The study’s findings enable stakeholders in the online shopping industry to comprehend the post-adoption behavior of Generation Z users and augment existing literature by establishing a correlation between determinants that impact repurchase intention and e-satisfaction, which serves as a mediator. Future Research: This study examines the factors that impact the propensity of Generation Z shoppers to engage in repeat online purchases. This study focuses on India, where the Generation Y (millennial) customer base is also substantial within the online shopping market. Future research could compare the shopping habits of Generation Z and Generation Y customers, as the latter may place greater importance on privacy and security. Additional studies could broaden the scope of this research and explore the comparative viewpoints of both generations. Also, it would be advantageous to conduct in-depth interviews and longitudinal studies to acquire a more in-depth comprehension of the evolving digitalization of shopping.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to explore the use of mobile health applications (mHealth apps) by lay users in Kuwait. Specifically, it seeks to: (i) identify and highlight the impact of factors that contribute to their use of mHealth apps and (ii) validate a model of these users’ usage of mHealth apps. Background: The advancement of information technologies has paved the way for efficiency and effectiveness in healthcare sectors in developed countries. Kuwait has attempted to revolutionise healthcare systems through mobile applications of information technology solutions to educate users on better methods of receiving customised health services. However, end-user usage of mHealth apps remains in the infancy in developing countries, including Kuwait. Lay users are often vulnerable and frequently overlooked by researchers and health technology providers. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 225 lay users of mHealth apps in Kuwait using an online questionnaire to achieve the study objectives. A purposive sampling method utilising convenience and snowballing sampling techniques was used in which all the respondents were lay users. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses were employed to analyse the collected data. Contribution: The study contributes to the extant literature on health informatics and mHealth by providing a comprehensive understanding of how technological, social, and functional factors are related to mHealth apps in the context of developing countries. It identifies key drivers of mHealth app use, suggests expanding the TAM model, and facilitates comparisons with developed countries, addressing gaps in mHealth research. Findings: Four factors (i.e., perceived trust (PT), perceived ease of use (PEU) and behaviour control (PBC), perceived usefulness (PU), and subjective norms (SN)) were identified that influence the use of mHealth apps. These four identified factors also contributed to lay users’ use of these mHealth apps. Among these four factors, perceived trust (PT) was the main contributor to lay users’ use of these mHealth apps. Recommendations for Practitioners: Based on the empirical results, this study provides feasible recommendations for the government, healthcare providers, and developers of mHealth apps. The findings urge developers to enhance app functionality by prioritising privacy and security to build user trust while outlining guidelines for future development focused on user-centric design and compliance with data privacy regulations. Additionally, the government should establish supportive policies and funding, ensure regulatory oversight, and promote public awareness to foster trust. Healthcare providers should integrate mHealth apps into their services, train staff for practical use, gather users’ feedback, and collaborate with developers to create tailored healthcare solutions. Future Research: Additional research is required to apply probability sampling techniques and increase the sample size to generate more reliable and generalisable findings. Additionally, the young age segment must be considered here, and research must be extended to consider the moderating role of demographic factors like age, gender, and educational levels to better understand the adoption of mHealth apps.

Aim/Purpose: This research utilized a learn-to-rank algorithm to provide medical recommendations to prescribers. The algorithm has been utilized in other domains, such as information retrieval and recommender systems. Background: Ranking the possible medical treatments according to diagnoses of the medical cases is very beneficial for doctors, especially during the coding process. Methodology: We developed two deep learning pointwise learn-to-rank models within one prediction pipeline: one for predicting the top possible active ingredients from disease features, the other for ranking actual medicines codes from diseases and the ingredients features. Contribution: A new learn-to-rank deep learning model has been developed to rank medical procedures based on datasets collected from insurance companies. Findings: We ran 18 cross-validation trials on a confidential dataset from an insurance company. We obtained an average normalized discounted cumulative gain (NDCG@8) of 74% with a 5% standard deviation as a result of all 18 experiments. Our approach outperformed a known approach used in the information retrieval domain in which data is represented in LibSVM format. Then, we ran the same trials using three learn-to-rank models – pointwise, pairwise, and listwise – which yielded average NDCG@8 of 71%, 72%, and 72%, respectively. Recommendations for Practitioners: The proposed model provides an insightful approach to helping to manage the patient’s treatment process. Recommendation for Researchers: This research lays the groundwork for exploring various applications of data science techniques and machine learning algorithms in the medical field. Future studies should focus on the significant potential of learn-to-rank algorithms across different medical domains, including their use in cost-effectiveness models. Emphasizing these algorithms could enhance decision-making processes and optimize resource allocation in healthcare settings. Impact on Society: This will help insurance companies and end users reduce the cost associated with patient treatment. It also helps doctors to choose the best procedure and medicines for their patients. Future Research: Future research is required to investigate the impact of medicine data at a granular level.

Aim/Purpose: This research aims to design a website-based group decision support system (DSS) user interface to support an integrated and sustainable waste management plan in Jagatera. The main focus of this research is to design a group DSS to help Jagatera prioritize several waste alternatives to be managed so that Jagatera can make the right decisions to serve the community. Background: The Indonesian government and various stakeholders are trying to solve the waste problem. Jagatera, as a waste recycling company, plays a role as a stakeholder in managing waste. In 2024, Jagatera plans to accept all waste types, which impacts the possibility of increasing waste management costs. If Jagatera does not have a waste management plan, this will impact reducing waste management services in the community. To solve this problem, the group DSS assists Jagatera in prioritizing waste based on aspects of waste management cost. Methodology: Jagatera, an Indonesian waste recycling company, is implementing a group DSS using the soft system methodology (SSM) method. The SSM process involves seven stages, including problem identification, problem explanation using rich pictures, system design, conceptual model design, real-life comparison, changes, and improvement steps. The final result is a prototype user interface design addressing the relationship between actors and the group DSS. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method prioritized waste based on management costs. This research obtained primary data from interviews with Jagatera management, a literature review regarding the group DSS, and questionnaires to determine the type of waste and evaluate user interface design. Contribution: This research focuses on determining waste handling priorities based on their management. It contributes the DSS, which uses a decision-making approach based on management groups developed using the SSM and AHP methods focused on waste management decisions. It also contributes to the availability of a user interface design from the DSS group that explains the interactions between actors. The implications of the availability of DSS groups in waste recycling companies can help management understand waste prioritization problems in a structured manner, increase decision-making efficiency, and impact better-quality waste management. Combining qualitative approaches from SSM to comprehend issues from different actor perspectives and AHP to assist quantitative methods in prioritizing decisions can yield theoretical implications when using the SSM and AHP methods together. Findings: This research produces a website-based group DSS user interface design that can facilitate decision-making using AHP techniques. The user interface design from the DSS group was developed using the SSM approach to identify complex problems at waste recycling companies in Indonesia. This study also evaluated the group DSS user interface design, which resulted in a score of 91.67%. This value means that the user interface design has met user expectations, which include functional, appearance, and comfort needs. These results also show that group DSS can enhance waste recycling companies’ decision-making process. The results of the AHP technique using all waste process information show that furniture waste, according to the CEO, is given more priority, and textile waste, according to the Managing Director. Group DSS developed using the AHP method allows user actors to provide decisions based on their perspectives and authority. Recommendations for Practitioners: This research shows that the availability of a group DSS is one of the digital transformation efforts that waste recycling companies can carry out to support the determination of a sustainable waste management plan. Managers benefit from DSS groups by providing a digital decision-making process to determine which types of waste should be prioritized based on management costs. Timely and complete information in the group DSS is helpful in the decision-making process and increases organizational knowledge based on the chosen strategy. Recommendation for Researchers: Developing a group DSS for waste recycling companies can encourage strategic decision-making processes. This research integrates SSM and AHP to support a comprehensive group DSS because SSM encourages a deeper and more detailed understanding of waste recycling companies with complex problems. At the same time, AHP provides a structured approach for recycling companies to make decisions. The group DSS that will be developed can be used to identify other more relevant criteria, such as environmental impact, waste management regulations, and technological capabilities. Apart from more varied criteria, the group DSS can be encouraged to provide various alternatives such as waste paper, metal, or glass. In addition to evaluating the group DSS’s user interface design, waste recycling companies need to consider training or support for users to increase system adoption. Impact on Society: The waste problem requires the role of various stakeholders, one of which is a waste recycling company. The availability of a group DSS design can guide waste recycling companies in providing efficient and effective services so that they can respond more quickly to the waste management needs of the community. The community also gets transparent information regarding their waste management. The impact of good group DSS is reducing the amount of waste in society. Future Research: Future research could identify various other types of waste used as alternatives in the decision-making process to illustrate the complexity of the prioritization process. Future research could also identify other criteria, such as environmental impact, social aspects of community involvement, or policy compliance. Future research could involve decision-makers from other parties, such as the government, who play an essential role in the waste industry.

Aim/Purpose: In this study, we developed a recommendation system model designed to support decision-makers in identifying consumers eligible for pay-later options via consensus-based decision-making. This approach was chosen due to the high and complex risks involved, such as delayed payments, challenges in reaching consumers, and issues of bad credit. Background: The “pay-later” option, which allows consumers to postpone payment for e-commerce purchases, offers convenience and flexibility but also introduces several challenges: (i) by enabling payment deferral, merchants face financial risks, including potential delays or defaults in payment, adversely affecting their cash flow and profitability; and (ii) this payment delay can also heighten the risk of fraud, including identity theft and unauthorized transactions. Methodology: This study initiated a risk analysis utilizing the ROAD process. Considering contemporary economic developments and advancements in neural networks, integrating these networks into risk assessment has become crucial. Consequently, model development involved the amalgamation of three deep learning methods – CNN (Convolutional Neural Networks), RNN (Recurrent Neural Networks), and LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) – to address various risk alternatives and facilitate multi-stage decision-making recommendations. Contribution: Our primary contribution is threefold. First, our study identified potential consumers by prioritizing those with the smallest associated problem consequence values. Second, we achieved an optimal recall value using a candidate generator. Last, we categorized consumers to assess their eligibility for pay-later rights. Findings: The findings from this study indicate that our multi-stage recommendation model is effective in minimizing the risk associated with consumer debt repayment. This method of consumer selection empowers policymakers to make informed decisions regarding which consumers should be granted pay-later privileges. Recommendations for Practitioners: This recommendation system is proposed to several key parties involved in the development, implementation, and use of pay-later systems. These parties include E-commerce Executive Management for financial analysis and risk evaluation, the Risk Management Team to assess and manage risks related to users utilizing Pay-Later services, and Sales Managers to integrate Pay-Later services into sales strategies. Recommendation for Researchers: Advanced fraud detection mechanisms were implemented to prevent unauthorized transactions effectively. The goal was to cultivate user confidence in the safety of their financial data by ensuring secure payment processing. Impact on Society: Ensuring consumers understand the terms and conditions of pay-later arrangements, including interest rates, repayment schedules, and potential fees, is crucial. Providing clear and transparent information, along with educating consumers about their financial responsibilities, helps prevent misunderstandings and disputes. Future Research: Our future development plans involve the ongoing assessment of the system’s performance to enhance prediction accuracy. This includes updating models and criteria based on feedback and changes in economic or market conditions. Upholding compliance with security and data privacy regulations necessitates the implementation of protective measures to safeguard consumer information. The implementation of such a system requires careful consideration to ensure fairness and adherence to legal standards. Additionally, it is important to acknowledge that algorithms and models may evolve over time through the incorporation of additional data and continuous evaluations.

Aim/Purpose: This research aims to develop a smart agricultural knowledge management framework to empower emergent farmers and extension officers (advisors to farmers) in developing countries as part of a smart farming lab (SFL). The framework utilizes knowledge objects (KOs) to capture information and knowledge of different forms, including indigenous knowledge. It builds upon a foundation of established agricultural knowledge management (AKM) models and serves as the cornerstone for an envisioned SFL. This framework facilitates optimal decision support by fostering linkages between these KOs and relevant organizations, knowledge holders, and knowledge seekers within the SFL environment. Background: Emergent farmers and extension officers encounter numerous obstacles in their knowledge operations and decision-making. This includes limited access to agricultural information and difficulties in applying it effectively. Many lack reliable sources of support, and even when information is available, understanding and applying it to specific situations can be challenging. Additionally, extension offices struggle with operational decisions and knowledge management due to agricultural organizations operating isolated in silos, hindering their access to necessary knowledge. This research introduces an SFL with a proposed AKM process model aimed at transforming emergent farmers into smart, innovative entities by addressing these challenges. Methodology: This study is presented as a theory-concept paper and utilizes a literature review to evaluate and synthesize three distinct AKM models using several approaches. The results of the analysis are used to design a new AKM process model. Contribution: This research culminates in a new AKM process framework that incorporates the strengths of various existing AKM models and supports emergent farmers and extension officers to become smart, innovative entities. One main difference between the three models analyzed, and the one proposed in this research, is the deployment and use of knowledge assets in the form of KOs. The proposed framework also incorporates metadata and annotations to enhance knowledge discoverability and enable AI-powered applications to leverage captured knowledge effectively. In practical terms, it contributes by further motivating the use of KOs to enable the transfer and the capturing of organizational knowledge. Findings: A model for an SFL that incorporates the proposed agricultural knowledge management framework is presented. This model is part of a larger knowledge factory (KF). It includes feedback loops, KOs, and mechanisms to facilitate intelligent decision-making. The significance of fostering interconnected communities is emphasized through the creation of linkages. These communities consist of knowledge seekers and bearers, with information disseminated through social media and other communication integration platforms. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners and other scholars should consider implementing the proposed AKM process model as part of a larger SFL to support emergent farmers and extension officers in making operational decisions and applying knowledge management strategies. Recommendation for Researchers: The AKM process model is only presented in conceptual form. Therefore, researchers can practically test and assess the new framework in an agricultural setting. They can also further explore the potential of social media integration platforms to connect knowledge seekers with knowledge holders. Impact on Society: The proposed AKM process model has the potential to support emergent farmers and extension officers in becoming smart, innovative entities, leading to improved agricultural practices and potentially contributing to food security. Future Research: This paper discusses the AKM process model in an agrarian setting, but it can also be applied in other domains, such as education and the healthcare sector. Future research can evaluate the model’s effectiveness and explore and further investigate the semantic web and social media integration.

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: This study examined the use of Social Media Applications (SMAs) for accessing health-related information within a heterogeneous population in Jordan. The objective of this study was therefore threefold: (i) to investigate the usage of SMAs, including WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, for accessing health-related information; (ii) to examine potential variations in the use of SMAs based on demographic and behavioral characteristics; and (iii) to identify the factors that can predict the use of SMAs. Background: There has been limited focus on investigating the behavior of laypeople in Jordan when it comes to seeking health information from SMAs. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population in Jordan using an online questionnaire administered to 207 users. A purposive sampling technique was employed, wherein all the participants actively sought online health information. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression analyses were utilized to analyze the collected data. Contribution: This study adds to the existing body of research on health information seeking from SMAs in developing countries, with a specific focus on Jordan. Moreover, laypeople, often disregarded by researchers and health information providers, are the most vulnerable individuals who warrant greater attention. Findings: The findings indicated that individuals often utilized YouTube as a platform to acquire health-related information, whereas their usage of Facebook for this purpose was less frequent. Participants rarely utilized Instagram and WhatsApp to obtain health information, while Twitter and Snapchat were very seldom used for this purpose. The variable of sex demonstrated a notable positive correlation with the utilization of YouTube and Twitter for the purpose of finding health-related information. Conversely, the variable of nationality exhibited a substantial positive correlation with the utilization of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Consulting medical professionals regarding information obtained from the Internet was a strong indicator of using Instagram to search for health-related information. Recommendations for Practitioners: Based on the empirical results, this study provides feasible recommendations for the government, healthcare providers, and developers of SMAs. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should conduct separate investigations for each application specifically pertaining to the acquisition of health-related information. Additionally, it is advisable to investigate additional variables that may serve as predictors for the utilization of SMAs. Impact on Society: The objective of this study is to enhance the inclination of the general public in Jordan to utilize SMAs for health-related information while also maximizing the societal benefits of these applications. Future Research: Additional research is required to examine social media’s usability (regarding ease of use) and utility (comparing advantages to risks) in facilitating effective positive change and impact in healthcare.

With the continuous growth and importance of data, the need for strong data protection becomes crucial. Encryption plays a vital role in preserving the confidentiality of data, and attribute-based encryption (ABE) offers a meticulous access control system based on attributes. This study investigates the integration of Fernet encryption with initialisation vector (IV) and ABE, resulting in a hybrid encryption approach that enhances both security and flexibility. By combining the advantages of Fernet encryption and IV-based encryption, the hybrid encryption scheme establishes an effective and robust mechanism for safeguarding data. Fernet encryption, renowned for its simplicity and efficiency, provides authenticated encryption, guaranteeing both the confidentiality and integrity of the data. The incorporation of an initialisation vector (IV) introduces an element of randomness into the encryption process, thereby strengthening the overall security measures. This research paper discusses the advantages and drawbacks of the hybrid encryption of Fernet and IV with ABE.

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.

The current rapid technological changes confront researchers of learning technologies with the challenge of evaluating them, predicting trends, and improving their adoption and diffusion. This study utilizes a data-driven discourse analysis approach, namely culturomics, to investigate changes over time in the research of learning technologies. The patterns and changes were examined on a corpus of articles published over the past decade (2006-2014) in the proceedings of Chais Conference for the Study of Innovation and Learning Technologies – the leading research conference on learning technologies in Israel. The interesting findings of the exhaustive process of analyzing all the words in the corpus were that the most commonly used terms (e.g., pupil, teacher, student) and the most commonly used phrases (e.g., face-to-face) in the field of learning technologies reflect a pedagogical rather than a technological aspect of learning technologies. The study also demonstrates two cases of change over time in prominent themes, such as “Facebook” and “the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) program”. Methodologically, this research demonstrates the effectiveness of a data-driven approach for identifying discourse trends over time.

As a result of the rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the growing interest in Internet-based tools for language classroom, it has become a pressing need for educators to locate, evaluate and select the most appropriate language-learning digital resources that foster more communicative and meaningful learning processes. Hence, this paper describes a mixed research project that, on the first hand, aimed at proposing a Checklist for evaluating language websites built on the principles of the Communicative Approach, and on the second hand, sought to strengthen the teachers’ Knowing-how-to-do skill as part of their digital competence. To achieve these goals, a four-phase research procedure was followed that included reviewing relevant literature and administering qualitative and quantitative research methods to participants (i.e., language teachers, an expert in the Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) field and a college professor) in order to gain insights into problematic issues and, thereafter, to contribute to the creation and validation of the Checklist model and the Study Guide. The findings revealed that: (a) evaluating language websites leads to the enhancement of the teachers’ practical skills and their knowledge of the technological language; and (b) having an assessment instrument allows educators to choose the materials that best meet their communicative teaching purposes.

Aim/Purpose: As online video lectures rapidly gain popularity in formal and informal learning environments, one of their main challenges is student retention. This study investigates the influence of adding interactivity to online video lectures on students’ attention span. Background: Interactivity is perceived as increasing the attention span of learners and improving the quality of learning. However, interactivity may be regarded as an interruption, which distracts students. Furthermore, adding interactive elements to online video lectures requires additional investment of various resources. Therefore, it is important to investigate the impact of adding interactivity to online video lectures on the attention span of learners. Methodology: This study employed a learning analytics approach, obtained data from Google Analytics, and analyzed data of two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that were developed by the Open University of Israel in order to make English for academic purposes (EAP) courses freely accessible. Contribution: The paper provides important insights, based on quantitative empirical research, on: integrating interactive elements in online videos; the impact of video length; and differences between two groups of advanced and basic learners. Furthermore, it demonstrates how learning analytics may be used for improving instructional design. Findings: The findings suggest that interactivity may increase the attention span of learners, as measured by the average online video lecture viewing completion percentage, before and after the addition of interactivity. However, when the lecture is longer than about 15 minutes, the completion percentages decrease, even after adding interactive elements. Recommendations for Practitioners: Adding interactivity to online video lectures and controlling their length is expected to increase the attention span of learners. Recommendation for Researchers: Learning analytics is a powerful quantitative methodology for identifying ways to improve learning processes. Impact on Society: Providing practical insights on mechanisms for increasing the attention span of learners is expected to improve social inclusion. Future Research: Discovering further best practices to improve the effectiveness of online video lectures for diverse learners.

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.

Aim/Purpose: The research work investigated the information seeking process of undergraduates in a specialised university in Nigeria, in the course of a group assignment. Background: Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process (ISP) model is used as lens to reveal how students interact with information in the affective, cognitive and physical realms. Methodology: Qualitative research methods were employed. The entire seventy-seven third year students in the Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas and their course lecturer were the participants. Group assignment question was analysed using Bloom’s Taxonomy while the information seeking process of the students was garnered through dialogue journaling on WhatsApp Messenger. Contribution: The research explicates how students’ information seeking behaviour can be captured beyond the four walls of a classroom by using a Web 2.0 tool such as WhatsApp Messenger. Findings: The apparent level of uncertainty, optimism, and confusion/doubt common in the initiation, selection, and exploration phases of the ISP model and low confidence levels were not markedly evident in the students. Consequently, Kuhlthau’s ISP model could not be applied in its entirety to the study’s particular context of teaching and learning due to the nature of the assignment. Recommendations for Practitioners: The study recommends that the Academic Planning Unit (APU) should set a benchmark for all faculties and, by extension, the departments in terms of the type/scope and number of assignments per semester, including learning outcomes. Recommendation for Researchers: Where elements of a guided approach to learning are missing, Kuhlthau’s ISP may not be employed. Therefore, alternative theory, such as Theory of Change could explain the poor quality of education and the type of intervention that could enhance students’ learning. Impact on Society: The ability to use emerging technologies is a form of literacy that is required by the 21st century work place. Hence, the study demonstrates students’ adaptation to emerging technology. Future Research: The study is limited to only one case site. It would be more helpful to the Nigerian society to have this study extended to other universities for the purpose of generalisation and appropriate intervention.

Aim/Purpose: Following the widespread use of social networking applications (SNAs) by children, adolescents, and young adults, this paper sought to examine the usage habits, sharing, and dangers involved from the perspective of the children, adolescents, and young adults. The research question was: What are the usage habits, sharing, drawbacks, and dangers of using SNAs from the perspective of children, adolescents, and young adults? Background: Safety has become a major issue and relates to a range of activities including online privacy, cyberbullying, exposure to violent content, exposure to content that foments exclusion and hatred, contact with strangers online, and coarse language. The present study examined the use of social networking applications (SNAs) by children, adolescents, and young adults, from their point of view. Methodology: This is a mixed-method study; 551participants from Israel completed questionnaires, and 110 respondents were also interviewed. Contribution: The study sought to examine from their point of view (a) characteristics of SNA usage; (b) the e-safety of SNA; (c) gender differences between age groups; (d) habits of use; (e) hazards and solutions; and (f) sharing with parents and parental control. Findings: Most respondents stated that cyberbullying (such as shaming) happens mainly between members of the group and it is not carried out by strangers. The study found that children’s awareness of the connection between failures of communication in the SNAs and quarrels and disputes was lower than that of adolescents and young adults. It was found that more children than adolescents and young adults believe that monitoring and external control can prevent the dangers inherent in SNAs, and that the awareness of personal responsibility increases with age. The SNAs have intensified the phenomenon of shaming, but the phenomenon is accurately documented in SNAs, unlike in face-to-face communication. Therefore, today more than ever, it is possible and necessary to deal with shaming, both in face-to-face and in SNA communication. Recommendations for Practitioners: Efforts should be made to resolve the issue of shaming among members of the group and to explain the importance of preserving human dignity and privacy. The Internet in general and SNAs in particular are an integral part of children’s and adolescents’ life environment, so it can be said that the SNAs are part of the problem because they augment shaming. But they can also be part of the solution, because interactions are accurately documented, unlike in face-to-face communication, where it is more difficult to examine events, to remember exactly what has been said, to point out cause and effect, etc. Therefore, more than ever before, today it is possible and necessary to deal with shaming both in face-to-face and in the SNA communication, because from the point of view of youngsters, this is their natural environment, which includes smart phones, SNAs, etc. Recommendations for Researchers: The study recommends incorporating in future studies individual case studies and allowing participants to express how they perceive complex e-Safety situa-tions in the use of social networking apps. Impact on Society: Today more than ever, it is possible and necessary to deal with shaming, both in face-to-face and in SNA communication. Future Research: The study was unable to find significant differences between age groups. Fur-ther research may shed light on the subject.