Adoption Gap Research Articles

Adoption Gap in Scientific Fish Production Practices Among Fish Farmers in Tripura

Aquaculture is an important economic activity in Tripura, both from an economic and nutritional point of view. The current level of fish production in the state is not able to meet the burgeoning demand and hence large amount of fish is being brought from other states of India. Therefore to identify the adoption gap of improved production practices of carp among the farmers, this study was conducted out using ex-post facto research design in the purposively selected districts of South Tripura and West Tripura. Total two hundred fish farmers were seleeted for the study. The overall adoption index in the study area was found 59.74. Non adoption was more in five practices such as the use of aerators, feeding, liming, water exchange and quality monitoring and stocking. Majority of the fish farmers (20%) practiced the 5 species ratio of rohu+catla+mrigal+common carp+silver carp on the average ratio of 26.72:23.45:14.28:18.45:17.1. Non adoption was more observed in use of aerators (54.25%) to control the oxygen deficiency in the pond. This was followed by supplementary feeding (51.15%), liming (43.31%), water exchange and quality monitoring (40.37%) and stocking (39.65%). The adoption score and index were not encouraging as both were low, which suggests that there are a lot of scope for extension system with regard to empowering the farmers educationally. Farmers may be encouraged for formation of farmer-group.

Gender-disaggregated analysis of sustainable intensification practices adoption: A case of northern Ghana

Agricultural productivity has remained low in Africa, especially among smallholder farmers. Women often suffer resource constraints and access to certain technologies needed to increase productivity relative to men. This study analyzes the effect of gender on the adoption of selected sustainable intensification practices (SIPs) in northern Ghana using a sample of 463 farmers involved in maize and cowpea production. Probit regression analysis revealed that age, membership of a farmer-based organisation (FBO), and perception of ease of adoption (PEC) would likely influence the decision of females to adopt SIPs. FBO membership and ease of adopting technologies affect both male and female farmers to adopt SIPs positively. SIPs adoption decisions by males are influenced by many factors relative to those of females, thus highlighting the complexities involved in agricultural technology adoption. These findings have implications for policymakers and development practitioners working to bridge the gender gap in agricultural productivity, particularly in developing countries. The article makes an empirical contribution to the innovation and technology adoption literature, especially in terms of the factors that drive gender-transformative processes. Strengthening FBOs and utilizing the concept of technology parks to deepen farmers’ perceptions and understanding of SIPs could help bridge the gender gap in technology adoption and improve productivity.

Solar panel adoption among Mexican small and medium-sized commercial and service businesses

We analyze the determinants of adoption of distributed solar photovoltaic systems, focusing on small and medium-sized commercial and service firms. We use monthly billing data that are perfectly matched with data from a novel survey that gathers information on electricity consumption, stock of electric equipment, and a rich set of firm characteristics in the Metropolitan Area of Aguascalientes, Mexico. Using an econometric model, we find evidence that a set of explanatory variables such as business characteristics, the economic sector, ownership status, stock and usage of equipment and appliances, presence of other solar technologies, and views about the use of renewable energy are important determinants of the probability of adoption of solar panel systems. Furthermore, using machine learning methods to identify the best predictors of solar adoption, we indirectly validate the theory-driven empirical model by assessing a large set of explanatory variables and selecting a subset of these variables. In addition, we investigate relevant cases where a priori solar panel adoption seems to be cost-effective but structural adoption barriers and adoption gaps might coexist for certain groups of electricity users. We also calculate the social cost savings and the avoided CO2 emissions. Finally, based on our results, we provide several policy implications and recommendations.

Cultivating Agricultural Evolution: Revolutionizing Farming Through The Power of AI And Technology

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the current and potential role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the agricultural sector. We aim to analyze the adoption and impact of AI solutions in farming, identify challenges, and discuss the prospects for its future integration.
 Method: We conducted a comprehensive review of existing literature and ongoing research projects related to AI applications in agriculture. We also examined case studies, technological developments, and AI pioneers in the field.
 Results: Our analysis reveals that while AI solutions are being researched and applied in agriculture, there is a gap in widespread industry adoption. Large-scale research projects are underway, and some AI applications are available in the market. However, the development of predictive solutions to address real farming challenges is in the early stages. AI's influence extends across various sectors, contributing to the advancement of technologies such as big data, robotics, and the Internet of Things.
 An illustrative example is the styrofoam container device, which utilizes machine learning and computer vision to detect and categorize "safety occurrences." Although not all-encompassing, this technology gathers significant data, such as driver behavior, speed, and surroundings. IFM's system promptly alerts supervisors to safety breaches, enhancing both safety and productivity.
 Conclusion: The future of AI in agriculture hinges on the widespread adoption of AI solutions. The agricultural industry remains underserved in terms of AI integration, and the development of predictive solutions is in its early stages. However, AI's impact across sectors underscores its importance. Pioneers like IFM and IBM's patent statistics demonstrate the expanding scope of AI innovation.

Practice Patterns Regarding Female Reproductive Organ-Sparing and Nerve-Sparing Radical Cystectomy Among Urologic Oncologists in the United States.

Female reproductive organ-sparing (ROS) and nerve-sparing radical cystectomy (RC) techniques have been shown to be oncologically safe and to improve sexual function outcomes among select patients with organ-confined disease. We sought to characterize practice patterns regarding female ROS and nerve-sparing RC among US urologists. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of members of the Society of Urologic Oncology to assess provider-reported frequency of ROS and nerve-sparing RC in premenopausal and postmenopausal patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer that failed intravesical therapy or clinically localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Among 101 urologists, 80 (79.2%) reported that they routinely resect the uterus/cervix, 68 (67.3%) the neurovascular bundle, 49 (48.5%) the ovaries, and 19 (18.8%) a portion of the vagina when performing RC in premenopausal patients with organ-confined disease. When asked about changes to approach in postmenopausal patients, 71 participants (70.3%) reported that they were less likely to spare the uterus/cervix, 44 (43.6%) were less likely to spare the neurovascular bundle, 70 (69.3%) were less likely to spare the ovaries, and 23 (22.8%) were less likely to spare a portion of the vagina. We identified significant gaps in adoption of female ROS and nerve-sparing RC techniques for patients with organ-confined disease, despite evidence that ROS and nerve-sparing techniques are oncologically safe and can optimize functional outcomes in select patients. Future efforts should improve provider training in and education about ROS and nerve-sparing RC to improve postoperative outcomes among female patients.

Study of Gaps in Adoption of Improved Orange Production Technologies in Maharashtra, India

Orange is the second most important fruit crop of Maharashtra. However, the productivity of fruit is found to be dwindling which might be due to the gaps in adoption of recommended technical know-how. Therefore, the study was undertaken to assess the adoption gaps of recommended orange technologies and the influence of socio-economic characteristics on the adoption gaps. The average gap was to the tune of 31.89 per cent. As far as the association and influence of profile characteristic are concerned, it was found that size of land, source of credit, annual income, experience in farming and knowledge level of the orange growers, knowledge of GAP practices, mass media exposure and socio-economic status had negative correlation with adoption gaps (P= .01) whereas size of land holding and knowledge level, knowledge of GAP practices and annual income had negative influence on adoption gaps (P= .01). The study recommends that the proper extension and communication strategies should be developed for the dissemination of orange production technologies in state. Also, the public and private extension support systems are needed to be reoriented so that they can act more efficiently to provide necessary information about orange cultivation. The present study was conducted in Amravati and Nagpur districts of Maharashtra. An ‘ex post facto’ research design was used for the study. A sample of 200 orange growers was selected through stratified random sampling method for the study. The results of the study shows that most of the orange growers had gap in application of micro nutrient (44.76 %) followed by fruit drop measures (43.16 %) and plant protection measures (42.75%). The average gap was to the tune of 31.89 per cent. As far as the association and influence of profile characteristic are concerned, it was found that size of land, source of credit, annual income, experience in farming and knowledge level of the orange growers, knowledge of GAP practices, mass media exposure and socio-economic status had negative correlation with adoption gaps (P= .01) whereas size of land holding and knowledge level, knowledge of GAP practices and annual income had negative influence on adoption gaps (P= .01). The study recommends that the proper extension and communication strategies should be developed for the dissemination of orange production technologies in state. Also, the public and private extension support systems are needed to be reoriented so that they can act more efficiently to provide necessary information about orange cultivation.

ANALYSIS OF CONSTRAINING FACTORS REGARDING ADOPTION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES IN THE POTHOHAR, PUNJAB

The current study was conducted at Institute of Agri. Extension, Education and Rural Development, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad in 2022. Rawalpindi district was selected purposively as it receives maximum rainfall. Four out of seven tehsils of Rawalpindi were selected purposively based on maximum numbers of farmers. A sample size of 381 respondents was drawn using surveysystem.com. Proportionate sampling technique was used to interview 214, 104, 32 and 31 farmers from tehsil Gujar Khan, Rawalpindi, Kotli Satiyan and Kahuta respectively. Mix methods research design was used to conduct the study. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using well-structured interview schedule and a comprehensive interview guide respectively. Research findings revealed that awareness and adoption level of farmers regarding various soil and water conservation practices was unsatisfactory. High level adoption gap was found regarding different soil and water conservation practices: crop rotation (92.4%), intercropping (99.7%), cover cropping (99.8%), terracing (96.1%), broad bed and furrow system of land configuration (96.6%), sowing drought resistant varieties (86.3%), contour farming (85%) and mulching (97.9%). It was concluded that farmers were not only deprived of the advisory services but also the required trainings and technical assistance regarding adoption of conservation measures. Therefore, provision of trainings and demonstration facilities were strongly recommended to educate the farmers regarding basic soil and water conservation measures. Moreover, farmers should also be provided with financial assistance in form of subsidized input supply.

Study of Gaps in Adoption of Improved Tasar Silkworm (Antheraea mylitta D) Rearing Technologies

Maharashtra contributes paltry 0.76 per cent of the total production of tasar silk in the country, with 23 MT but the production of tasar silk in the state is found to be dwindling which might be due to the gaps in knowledge and adoption of improved tasar silkworm rearing technologies. Therefore, present investigation was undertaken to assess the gaps in adoption of tasar silkworm rearing technologies and constraints faced by the tasar farmers in adopting the recommended technologies. The study was conducted in Bhandara, Gondia and Gadchiroli districts of Maharashtra. The “Ex-post facto” research design was used for the study. A total 120 tasar silkworm rearing farmers were randomly selected for the study from those selected districts. The data was analyzed using SPSS software. The results showed that the major gaps in adoption were seen the practices such as Integrated Pest Management for the control of gall disease (91.67%), application of Farm Yard Manure (FYM) or vermi-compost @4 kg/plant or 2kg/plans twice in a year (87.50%) and foliar spraying of 1.5% urea twice @ 15 days’ interval before 30 days of rearing (78.33%) and these were ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The average gaps in adoption were 52.71 per cent. Similarly, non-availability of quality seeds/Dfls for rearing, non availability of disease resistance/tolerant silkworm races, non-enhancement of seed cocoon/reelable cocoon prices due to non-availability of formal and fair market, no hand holding support during the crop failure from the government, outbreak of diseases due to weather fluctuation and difficulty in adoption of recommended package of practices due to insufficient fund were the major constraints experienced by the tasar silkworm rearers. Thus, proper research, extension, communication and training strategies are needed to be formulated so that the constraints faced in adoption will be removed and the gaps in adoption could be bridged in order to accelerate the rate of adoption of modern tasar silkworm technologies in state and, thus, increasing the scope for boosting the tasar silk production of the state in the years to come.

Identification and Prioritization of Challenges in Accessing ICT Tools by Agricultural Extension Professionals in Northern Districts of West Bengal

The potential of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for agriculture in the form of various knowledge management portals has been harnessed by various agricultural developmental organizations and so on. But still, there is a gap in the rural community's adoption and access to such technology. There are many reasons for this adoption lag, in the case of identifying such focused issues in accessing the ICTs, will be the key to addressing those challenges. In such a resilient backdrop, this article investigates by identifying and prioritising the challenges in accessing ICT tools for sustainable agriculture by agricultural system actors in the northern districts of West Bengal. The present study was conducted in two northern districts of West Bengal viz. Cooch Behar and Alipurduar districts. Two hundred respondents included from these two districts were selected randomly for the present study. The sample includes 60 percent of the farmers and 40 percent of extension personnel including scientists from State Agriculture University, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Assistant directors of State Department of Agriculture, input dealers and grassroots-level extension professionals working in various farmers, clubs and NGOs. These respondents were interviewed through a structured, pre-tested interview schedule developed to measure the extent of ICTs usage designed with the help of the online Google forms and offline interview schedule. The obtained data were processed with the help of statistical tools like frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and Rank Based Quotient (RBQ). The constraints identified were, ‘lack of training and practical exposure towards ICTs’ (64.8%), followed by ‘high cost of ICT tools (64.55%), ‘insufficient local language information’ (62%), ‘low network connectivity’ (60.90%), ‘unavailability of different ICT tools’ (60.60%), ‘lack of skill in handling ICTs’ (58.65%), ‘lack of confidence in operating ICTs’ (55.40%), ‘high cost of repairing for ICT devices’ (49.40%), ‘irregular power supply’ (37.95%), and ‘lack of awareness of benefits of ICTs’ (36.40%).

Analysis of Challenges faced during Adoption of ICT by Small and Medium Enterprises in India

Purpose: This review article concentrates on the issue of SMEs' slower adoption of ICT. The review begins with the nature and characteristics of SMEs and their importance, moving on to the challenges in the implementation of ICT by SMEs. The potential use and drivers of ICT in SMEs, their conceptual framework, and the reduction of a gap in ICT adoption are discussed. ICT evaluation strategies in Indian SMEs and other developed countries are analyzed. Finally, before going into the future of ICT in SMEs, the tools used for the analysis of challenges in ICT are reviewed. Methodology: This paper explores the papers and articles available on challenges to the adoption of ICT to analyze various parameters in SMEs. Findings/Results: ICT adoption can assist SMEs in reducing costs by enhancing internal procedures and strengthening their business through better consumer interaction. SMEs appear to be delayed in adopting and using ICT in comparison to other sectors, despite the aforementioned knowledge and the relevance of ICT has long been acknowledged as a sector catalyst for other industries and economic prosperity. While large corporations have increased their use of ICT to obtain a competitive advantage, SMEs, who continue to confront restricted accessibility to markets and information, have shown little interest. Research Limitation: Though the review article has reviewed more than 200 papers, the work is based on literature rather than empirical findings, limiting the current work and paving way for future empirical research on the same. Originality/Value: Based on the findings ABCD analysis and research into the barriers to SMEs adopting ICT and other aspects detailed in this review are warranted. Paper Type: Literature review paper

Will adoption occur if a practice is win-win for profit and the environment? An application to a rancher's grazing practice choices

Rotational grazing has the potential to provide both economic and environmental benefits; however, the set of ranchers that adopts is much smaller than the set that regards rotational grazing as a win-win practice. To investigate this adoption gap and learn about adoption decisions and motivations, we survey 874 ranchers on the U.S. Great Plains. We find that a large proportion of surveyed ranchers who view rotational grazing as win-win for both profit and the environment do not adopt the practice. We also find that win-win non-adopters are a constrained group for most potential challenges to rotational grazing adoption, especially regarding high initial costs, water resource limitations, and ranch conditions. Some of these impediments could be relieved by capital to which, however, win-win non-adopters have limited access. Win-win non-adopters are more likely to adopt rotational grazing than others when a one-time subsidy is offered, suggesting that win-win non-adopters hold promise as a target group for subsidies to reduce the cost of adoption. Our analysis shows the importance of understanding the specifics of an adoption gap when making and implementing policies.

The Return of Decentralization Greek Local Government Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the greatest crisis faced by humanity. It had a significant negative impact that affected public health, the society, the economy, and the performance of public administration. Although national administrative system's response to COVID-19 pandemic was set up, the performance and the resilience of strategic management patterns at national and local level was also initiated. This paper focuses on identifying and evaluating the strategies and models adopted by Greek local government to build resilience during the COVID-19 crisis. The results of the research are based on an empirical survey conducted in 27 municipal authorities in Greece, which showed that despite the various government policy initiatives and funding provided during the last decade and the formal introduction of crisis management and resilience focused planning models, urban resilience is downgrading due to the continuation of important implementation and compliance gaps in strategic planning and performance measurement adoption from the municipal authorities and the lack of an effective model of multi-level coordination among policy’s stakeholders.

Constraints in Rice Fallow Pulses Production in Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh

Rice fallow cultivation constitutes the major portion of pulse production particularly black gram and green gram in Srikakulam district of A.P. Farmers are reaping lower yields of 3.75-5.00 q/ha against 15.0-20.0 q/ha of its potential. Keep this in view an extension study was conducted on the study of constraints and reasons for low productivity in Pulses in Srikakulam District. Ex-post-facto research design was used for the study with a total sample size of 60. Results revealed that the low soil fertility was the major constraint in pulses production (100%), the incidence of yellow vein mosaic virus (93.33), labour scarcity and incidence of low temperatures and fog during the flowering period i.e., the first fort night of January (88.33%), weed infestation particularly vicia, cuscuta. xanthium and Echinochloa (86.67%). Lack of YVMV resistant varieties and suitable varieties (83.33%) and lack of a regulated market (96.67%) were the major technical or situational constraints. Non-adoption of irrigation management (93.33%), non-adoption of seed treatment (91.67%), non -adoption of proper sowing (way of broadcast) method and seed rate (90.00), non-adoption of weed management practices (88.33%), non- adoption of foliar nutrient management in rice fallow pulses (86.67%) were the adoption gaps perceived as constraints. There is a need to conduct more Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) in the farmer fields, more training programmes to the farmers and timely supply of inputs or make available to the farmers prior to the season.

Developing an MCDM Model for the Benefits, Opportunities, Costs and Risks of BIM Adoption

Building information modeling (BIM) offers various deterministic and uncertain benefits and costs. Although there are similarities between such costs and benefits in developed and developing countries, these factors should be analyzed carefully for each region/country due to differences in economic and technical status as well as available policies and regulations. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits and shortcomings of BIM adoption around the globe; however, there is scarce comprehensive research focusing on Iran with unique financial circumstances. The aim of this research is to investigate the benefits, opportunities, costs and risks (BOCRs) offered by BIM implementation in Iran as a developing country with high potential in but less adoption of BIM in construction projects. After identifying the BOCRs of BIM adoption from the literature, the Interval-Valued Fuzzy Delphi Method was used to identify the BOCRs while a novel multi-criteria decision-making approach (i.e., fuzzy parsimonious analytic hierarchy process) was employed to analyze BOCRs, respectively. The results showed that 4 out of 46 BOCRs gathered from the literature were not significant for Iran and should be omitted from further analysis, while one cost factor was added to the list. Also, it was revealed that “Facilitates project communication among stakeholders”, “Integrating life-cycle assessment dimensions to the decision-making process”, “Cost/efforts required to personnel training” and “Lack of national standard, procedures and guidelines” were the most significant BOCRs, respectively. These findings contributed to filling the research gap in BIM adoption in Iran using a novel methodology that provides deep insights into BIM adoption for practitioners and can be used as a basis for developing theoretical and conceptual research frameworks. The findings of this study are built upon the opinions of experts within the context of Iran and should be considered as a snapshot of the BOCRs of the adoption of BIM in Iranian construction projects while these are not futureproofed.

California's early transition to electric vehicles: Observed health and air quality co-benefits

The transition to electric vehicles is projected to have considerable public health co-benefits, but most evidence regarding air quality and health impacts comes from projections rather than real-world data. We evaluated whether population-level respiratory health and air quality co-benefits were already detectable at the relatively low levels of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs: battery electric, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle) adoption in California, and evaluated the ZEV adoption gap in underserved communities. We conducted a zip code-level ecologic study relating changes in annual number of ZEVs (nZEV) per 1000 population from 2013 to 2019 to: (i) annual average monitored nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations and (ii) annual age-adjusted asthma-related emergency department (ED) visit rates, while considering educational attainment. The average nZEV increased from 1.4 per 1000 population in 2013 (standard deviation [SD]: 2.1) to 14.7 per 1000 in 2019 (SD: 14.7). ZEV adoption was considerably slower in zip codes with lower educational attainment (p < 0.0001). A within-zip code increase of 20 ZEVs per 1000 was associated with a − 0.41 ppb change in annual average NO2 (95 % confidence interval [CI]:-1.12, 0.29) in an adjusted model. A within-zip code increase of 20 ZEVs per 1000 population was associated with a 3.2 % decrease in annual age-adjusted rate of asthma-related ED visits (95 % CI:-5.4, −0.9). Findings were supported by a variety of sensitivity analyses. Observational data on the early phase ZEV transition in California provided a natural experiment, enabling us to document the first real-world associations between increasing nZEV and changes in air quality and health. Results suggest co-benefits of the early-phase transition to ZEVs but with an adoption gap among populations with lower socioeconomic status which threatens the equitable distribution of possible co-benefits.

Taking stock of gender gaps in crop production technology adoption and technical efficiency in Ghana

ABSTRACT There is a strong linkage between agricultural performance and economic growth in developing countries. However, the gain from agriculture disproportionately trickles down to the poor which can be partly reduced by addressing gender differences in production. Historically, the validity of gender statistics has been questioned as the way researchers and policymakers describe gender differences also affects how they perceive and address them. Amid these antecedents, we apply a meta-stochastic frontier to pooled cross-sectional population-based surveys that represent three decades (1987–2017) of the production history for twelve crops in Ghana to assess the dynamics of gender gaps in technology gaps and technical efficiency (TE). Results indicate that female farmers exhibit technology gap and TE scores of 25 and 76% while their male counterparts exhibit scores of 20 and 73%. The TE gap of 4% against male farmers has remained relatively steady over the three decades while the technology adoption gap against females has reduced from 18% in 1997/98 to 3% in 2016/17. All farmers operate at 60% of the potential possible given the overall crop production technology in Ghana. Over the three decades, the estimated crop production gap of 5.94% against females shifted to a gap estimated at 9.24% against males.

An analysis of extend of adoption vis-à-vis technological gaps in adoption of recommended practices of maize in district Ganderbal- J and K

An analysis of extend of adoption vis-à-vis technological gaps in adoption of recommended practices of maize in district Ganderbal- J and K

Developing an Organizational e-Learning Usage Model: A Qualitative Study on the Case of Lebanon

The study aims to investigate the factors that impact e-learning adoption among employees in Lebanese corporations. While prior research has mainly focused on developed countries, this study aims to fill the gap in understanding e-learning adoption in the context of Lebanon. A qualitative exploratory study was carried out with 12 employees and managers from four organizations using e-learning solutions. The study identified several key factors that influence positive attitudes towards e-learning, including management support, recognition, access to resources, and more. A model based on the Technology Acceptance Model 3 was then proposed to better understand e-learning usage within Lebanese corporations and provide guidance on improving e-learning adoption rates. To enhance e-learning adoption among employees, it is recommended that Lebanese corporations prioritize management support and recognition, establish regular monitoring practices, improve communication, provide relevant and quality content, implement user-friendly and interactive platforms, incorporate gamification elements and recognition tools, reduce barriers, and emphasize the personal and professional benefits of e-learning. It is important for corporations to continuously monitor and adapt their e-learning strategies to fit the subjective norms and social environment of their employees. This study offers valuable insights and practical guidance for corporations looking to implement e-learning solutions and improve adoption rates among their employees. It serves as a reference for future research on e-learning adoption in Lebanon and highlights the need to understand the factors that influence e-learning adoption to improve the success of e-learning programs and enhance organizational performance and employee development.

CYBER SECURITY IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs)

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) has provided immense benefits for the sustainability of businesses, with many businessesutilising websites to sell their products and services internationally. Cybersecurity has nonetheless emerged as one of the most significant global challenges posed by this new digitization trend. Currently, more than sixty percent of commercial transactions are conducted online or via digital wallets, necessitating exceptional security for transparent and secure transactions. Individuals are unable to maintain the security of their private data because of these evolving technologies, and cybercrime is on the rise. Information security is one of the most complex issues currently. Cybercrimes, which are increasing at an alarming rate, are the first thing that comes to mind when we think about cyber security. Consequently, numerous governments and corporations are enhancing their cybersecurity tools to combat cybercrime. Despite numerous precautions, cyber threats remain a major concern not only for government and large businesses, but also for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMEs) companies. This paper examines the challenges and solutions faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in relation to cyber security issues. In addition, it also examines the Malaysian context that may hinder the cybersecurity adoption gap for risk mitigation and high security in operational and development business environments.

ICT impact and firm size: Empirical results from Vietnam

This paper examines the effect of firm size on firms’ ICT adoption and productivity impact by running models for four size groups of 11,709 Vietnamese firms. The results reveal two main points. Firstly, the application of basic ICT is relatively comparable among firms of different sizes; however, there exists a considerable adoption gap in more advanced ICT solutions and employees’ ICT skills between medium-large firms and micro-small firms. Secondly, although ICT applications positively impact the productivity of Vietnamese firms in the whole sample, the impact of each group of ICT applications varies among firms of different sizes. Basic ICT applications can increase the productivity of micro firms while they cannot do the same for larger firms. In contrast, the application of sophisticated software solutions and employees’ ICT skills can push productivity for medium and large firms while having an insignificant impact on micro and small ones. Models running for a sub-sample of manufacturing firms confirm the results. These results provide implications for business executives and policymakers who regard the digital economy as a strategy for economic development.