Time-Interacting and Systems-of-Systems’ Evolving

The war in Ukraine is causing problematic disruptions far beyond the country’s national borders. Black Sea shipping routes have been disrupted to the extent the Ukrainian grain exports are being kept from global markets, thereby jeopardizing food security in some regions of the world. Introduction. As the war in Ukraine approaches its sixth month, the conflict appears to be threatening the supply of grain to several other nations, thereby endangering international food supplies. The disruption to Black Sea shipping routes as a result of the armed conflict not only hinders Ukrainian grain exports to other nations, but also impedes storage capacity for harvested grains since lack of exporting capability means silos remain full and unable to accept newer harvests. Discussion. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, has warned that the war in Ukraine will worsen food, energy and economic crises in poor countries (Bankova et al, 2022). “It threatens to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity followed by malnutrition, mass hunger and famine, in a crisis that could last for years (ibid)” Guterres said.

In today's world, globalization and digital technologies are significantly transforming the landscape of international trade. Digital transformation has become a critical aspect that determines the competitiveness of countries and businesses in the international arena. The study aims to identify the impact of the digitalization of international trade on the economic development of countries and their competitiveness based on technological innovations that determine the future of global competition at the country and company levels, affect trade processes, and identify and justify investment priorities to support digital transformation in Ukraine.The study analyzes the impact of the digitalization of international trade on the economic development of countries, which is caused by the digital divide between developed and least developed countries (LDCs). Developed countries are characterized by Internet coverage and access of more than 90%, as opposed to LDCs, where the corresponding figure is less than 20%. Given the current conditions of access to the Internet, the countries of the latter group are not able to be fully involved in e-commerce and cross-border trade in digital products. An additional barrier to developing digital commerce in certain regions of the world is the need for more legislation on various e-commerce trade issues.The impact of the war in Ukraine on the e-commerce market is determined: the e-commerce market declined 12 times in 2022 compared to the pre-war period and began to recover gradually in 2023. The market is expected to recover almost fully in Ukraine by the end of 2023 or early 2024. The main challenge for Ukraine will be to expand the scope of the existing free trade agreements to cover services, e-commerce, and investment. Ukraine should become a significant player in several global markets for services and digital products, given the availability of an updated regulatory framework on these issues. E-commerce is expected to grow rapidly after the end of the war in Ukraine.

The WPA Action Plan 2020-2023: an updated report.

Recently, the US and its allies have mobilized long‐standing international institutions to sanction Russia and repel its war in Ukraine. This mobilization is likely to change the world order, with long‐term effects on the birth, survival and growth of international new ventures. However, these effects will vary across different regions of the world.

Background -This study explores the utilization of information technology (IT) tools among healthcare professionals at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, Calabar, focusing on the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system and associated challenges. Objective -The objective was to assess the extent of IT tool utilization, identify specific EMR modules utilized, and explore challenges encountered by healthcare personnel.Methods -This study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design.Semi-structured questionnaires were distributed to a sample of healthcare professionals at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital, selected to ensure representativeness.Cochran's formula was used for sample size determination.The questionnaires gathered data on demographics, patterns of IT tool utilization, and perceived challenges.Data analysis employed descriptive statistics to summarize demographic information, as well as to explore IT tool usage and challenges faced by healthcare professionals.Thematic analysis was applied specifically to examine the types of different modules used within the IT system.Results -Results indicated that the majority of respondents were female (62.4%) and employed as civilians on a locum basis (68.8%).The primary IT tool utilized was the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, with modules such as patient information systems, laboratory management, and financial reporting.High utilization rates of IT tools were reported (72.8%), despite challenges including user resistance (47.99%) and increased workload (46.89%).These findings reveal the importance of addressing user concerns and optimizing IT infrastructure to enhance healthcare delivery. Conclusion -The study underscores the significant role of IT in enhancing healthcare processes at the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital and challenges that need to be addressed, such as improving technical support and infrastructure to optimize IT tool effectiveness.

Lithuanian case study on evaluating suitability, acceptance and use of IT tools by students – An example of applying Technology Enhanced Learning Research methods in Higher Education

The degree of neutrality of the Buddhist principle of the «Middle Way» in China’s foreign policy raises doubts, given its increasing role in global geopoliti- cal processes. The question arises as to how significantly a state, which is for- mally not involved in a war, can influence its outcome. The main issue lies in the potential strengthening of military-technical cooperation between Russia’s allied states, which could have unexpected consequences for the course of the Russia- Ukraine war, global security, and the redistribution of power in the world. The paper examines in detail the political and economic preconditions leading to this situation, forecasts possible scenarios for the further development of policy, and provides recommendations for minimizing risks to the international community. One of the key threats in this context is the transfer of technology and equipment from China to Russia, which could be used for military purposes. The political preconditions for this process involve a long history of cooperation between Rus- sia and China, based on both states’ desire to counter one of the leading world powers. Both countries show rapprochement based on shared undemocratic va- lues, aiming to strengthen their positions in a multipolar world. An important element is the mutual benefit from this cooperation: Russia potentially supports China in escalating conflicts of the 21st century, while China will help enhance Russia’s influence on the international stage. Economic preconditions for this process include active trade cooperation between Russia and China. Against the backdrop of Western sanctions, Russia increasingly relies on Chinese economic support. In addition to financial resources, Russia receives dual-use technology from China, which can be used for both civilian and military purposes. Such a situation poses potential challenges to international security, as the supply of technology could contribute to the escalation of conflicts and destabilization in various regions of the world. The study offers three possible scenarios for the development of the Russia-Ukraine war, emphasizing the global implications of this conflict. The war between Russia and Ukraine is not a local event; its conse- quences will have a broad impact on the entire international system.

This study examines the level of information sharing, information quality and usage of information technology (IT) tools among manufacturing companies located in the Northern region of Malaysia. A total of 250 questionnaires directed to the operations and procurement/purchasing managers were distributed through electronic mail. The results indicate that manufacturing firms recognized the importance of information sharing, information quality and IT tools usage in the context of supply chain management. The usage of IT tools is between moderate to high. Overall, the results provide insights into the types of information shared between manufacturers and suppliers, the aspects of information quality emphasized as well as the IT tools utilized by the manufacturing firms. Key words: Information sharing, information quality, information technology, Malaysian organizations.

Information technology tool use frequency in new product development: The effect of stage-specific use frequency on performance

The 21st century has seen several infectious disease outbreaks that have turned into epidemics and pandemics including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which began in Asia in 2003 (Poon, Guan, Nicholls, Yuen, & Peiris, 2004), followed by H1N1 that emerged in Mexico and the United States in 2009 (Belongia et al., 2010). Next came the lesser known Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) originating in Saudi Arabia in 2012 (Assiri et al., 2013), after which the Ebola outbreak in West Africa took place from 2014 to 2016, with a more recent occurrence in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2018 to 2019 (Malvy, McElroy, de Clerck, Günther, & van Griensven, 2019). To date, the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that started in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China, in late December 2019 seems to be eclipsing all of these previous infectious diseases in terms of its global reach and impact (Wang, Horby, Hayden, & Gao, 2020). After being declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a public health emergency on 30 January 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020c), it was elevated to a pandemic status on 11 March 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020d). As of 28 April 2020, there are more than 2.9 million cases and 202,597 deaths reported worldwide (World Health Organization, 2020b).

Collaboration is an essential element of new product development (NPD). This research examines the associations between four types of information technology (IT) tools and NPD collaboration. The relationships between NPD practices and NPD collaboration are also examined. Drawing on organizational information processing theory, we propose that the relationships between IT tools and NPD collaboration will be moderated differently by three project complexity dimensions, namely, product size, project novelty, and task interdependence, due to the differing nature of information processing necessitated by each project complexity dimension. Likewise, the moderation effects of the project complexity dimensions on the relationship between NPD practices and NPD collaboration will also be different. We test our hypotheses using data from a sample of NPD projects in three manufacturing industries. We find that IT tools are associated with collaboration to a greater extent when product size is relatively large. In contrast, IT tools exhibit a smaller association with collaboration when project novelty or task interdependence is relatively high. NPD practices are found to be more significantly associated with NPD collaboration under the contingency of high project novelty or high task interdependence. The findings provide insights about circumstances where several popular IT tools are more likely to facilitate collaboration, thus informing an NPD team's IT adoption and use decisions.

The role of IT for managing intellectual property – An empirical analysis

Currently, the economic situation of several states on the globe has taken on alarming shapes. The increase in economic vulnerability, against the background of the sharp increase in the cost of energy resources, the global pandemic, the economic crisis generated by the war in Ukraine, the increase in geopolitical tensions in several regions of the world, have led economic entities of different sizes to review their strategy economic development, including structural transformations and traditional markets through foreign trade. The transformations in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, affected by the regional crisis, marked by socio-economic instability, already for more than half a year, are significant. Among the common problems faced by the human settlements in both countries are: the permanent economic adaptation to the changes in the conjuncture, the adjustment of the way of capitalizing the spatial resources by these two administrative-territorial entities, the implementation of economic, administrative and spatial decentralization, etc. The comparative study carried out through this research is part of a larger research of two Romanian cities located in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, being the subject of the doctoral study.

In the context of global competition and technological progress, an increasing number of factors influence the economies of the world. With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, there have been dramatic changes in global investment trends. The war has repercussions far beyond its immediate surroundings, causing a cost-of-living crisis that affects billions of people around the world while rising energy and food prices depress real incomes and exacerbate debt tensions. Investor uncertainty and risk aversion could put significant pressure on FDI flow this year. The impact on investment flows to developing countries in 2022 and beyond is difficult to predict. The research aims to establish the regularity of the state of investment activity in the context of the global world crisis and to determine the features and prospects of investment activity development. This can be done by conducting a regression analysis to reflect the dependence of the impact of factors on the level of investment activity in 25 economies of the world according to the Global Outsourcing Attractiveness Index between the results of legal adaptability and corporate performance. To check the level of investment activity it is necessary to analyze the state of FDI flows by regions, economies, and countries. Research methods: method of information synthesis; regression analysis; systematization, generalization, comparative analysis. Results. It has been established that as a result of regression analysis, the value of the coefficient of determination indicates that the regression model explains 78% of the dependence of the level of investment activity in 25 economies of the world between the results of legal adaptability and corporate activity. This indicates that there are still a small number of other factors influencing the level of investment activity that is not included in the regression model. It has been determined that global FDI flows recovered to USD 972 billion in the first half of 2022. However, most of the increase was in the first quarter, while global FDI flows decreased by 22% in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the previous quarter. This was caused by rising inflation and interest rates, and rising energy prices, due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The study found that FDI flows recovered significantly in all regions of the world. It was found that FDI increased sharply in some European countries after the negative inflows recorded in the second half of 2022, the latter was also driven by significant growth in Australia, Germany, Mexico, Spain, and Sweden, whose FDI inflows increased by more than USD 15 billion. It has been revealed that the United States was the leading recipient and investor of FDI worldwide in 2021.

The article analyzes the evolution of theories of foreign investment, the impact of key socio-economic and geopolitical events of the 20th century on the formation of the views of economists on the mentioned economic phenomenon, the inheritance of the elements of previous theories and concepts by the latest paradigm of foreign investment. The necessity of scientific research in this direction is due to the new challenges that modernity poses to theoretical scientists and foreign investors-practitioners in connection with large-scale and systemic changes in the global system of economic cooperation. The growth of geopolitical tension, crises in the energy and food markets, the volatility of world commodity prices, together with the consequences of the war in Ukraine, have led to a distinct trend of fragmentation of international trade and capital flows. The set of these factors significantly changes the environment in which foreign investors have to operate. Increasing geopolitical turbulence is contributing to the appearance of new borders between certain regions of the world, which the management of international financial organizations considers a sign of approaching the Second Cold War, and foreign investors – a reason to reconsider their geographical preferences. Their access to certain markets, especially key resources, is limited based on the interests of national security and economic stability. Protectionist measures taken by national governments in response to global price volatility create additional barriers to international trade and investment. Global economic uncertainty due to the possibility of escalation of existing military conflicts and the threat of the emergence of new ones forces foreign investors to be more careful in choosing sectors and investment objects. Modern researchers have already discovered and emphasized the signs that the mentioned processes weaken global integration and contribute to the fragmentation of foreign investment. Based on this, the study of the history of the formation of the modern theory of foreign direct investment was chosen as the task of the research. For this, with the help of general scientific methods, a periodization of the evolution of theoretical developments in this area was carried out and an analysis of key modern concepts of direct foreign investment was carried out. The obtained results made it pos- sible to conclude that at the moment there is no single concept of direct foreign investment that would fully reflect its essence and the motivation of any investor in modern conditions. This is explained by the fact that most of the existing theories are based on the idea of globalization as an unchanging course of development of the international economic system, which makes it difficult to use them for the analysis of foreign direct investments in the conditions of the growing fragmentation of the world economy.