Communication Technology Industry Research Articles

The association between constant and new Internet use and depressive symptoms among older adults in China: The role of structural social capital

This study examines whether structural social capital mediates the association between constant and new Internet use and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults, and the potential rural/urban differences. This study considered 9642 participants aged over 60 years from the 2016 and 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Surveys. Structural equation models were used to examine the mediators of social networks and social participation as latent constructs of structural social capital in the association between constant and new Internet use and depressive symptoms. Constant and new Internet use showed significant total and direct effects on depressive symptoms, but only constant Internet use showed a significant indirect effect on depressive symptoms through structural social capital. The mediating role of social networks was stronger among the urban than rural older adults, and non-volunteering participation mediated the association between the rural Internet users and their depressive symptoms. Therefore, structural social capital mediates the association between Internet use and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults who are constant Internet users. New Internet users participate less in volunteering activities than non-users, and only join leisure activities to reduce depressive symptoms. The government, information and communications technology industries, health systems, and communities are recommended to increase the perceived ease and usefulness of Internet use, advocate for non-excessive online socializing of new users, and come up with specific policies of Internet use for rural and urban older adults.

한·일 ICT 산업의 대중국 무역 경쟁력 분석

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the trade structure and in terms of quality competitiveness of Koreaand Japan’s Information and communications technology(ICT) industry in comparison to that of China. Research design, data, and methodology: Indices such as Revealed Comparative Advantage(RCA) and RevealedSymmetric Comparative Advantage Index(RSCA) are used. Further, an Intra-Industry Trade (IIT) index is used to analyzequalitative changes in Intra-Industry trade of horizontal intra-industry trade, high-quality vertical items and low-qualityvertical items. Results: An analysis of export competitiveness through RSCA analysis showed that the Korean and Japanese ICTindustry’s competitiveness against China is strong, and its competitiveness is gradually improving. By classification, firstof all, in the case of Korea, it was found that parts, broadcasting apparatus, information apparatus, and communicationapparatus were in the order of competitiveness. In addition, the change in competitiveness in 2019 compared to2010 showed that the competitiveness of communication apparatus and information apparatus improved, but thecompetitiveness of broadcasting apparatus and parts weakened. In the case of Japan, the competitiveness of parts,broadcasting apparatus, and communication apparatus was found to be strong, but the competitiveness ofinformation apparatus was weak as they continued to show comparative inferiority. The change in competitiveness in2019 compared to 2010 showed that the competitiveness of information apparatus, communication apparatus, andparts improved, while only broadcasting apparatus weakened. Implications: This study has academic and political implications because it analyzes the changes in ICT tradecompetitiveness between Korea and Japan. However, there is a limitation of this study in that it did not considertrade competitiveness in terms of imports and the factors that determine trade.

E-waste: Growing environmental and health problems and its management alternatives in developing countries

The management of hazardous municipal waste is a challenge. Added to this burden is the management of huge and growing quantities of electrical and electronic waste, which is emerging as one of the most important environmental challenges and health problems in developing countries, particularly in Africa. This has been accelerated by rapid growth and development in the information and communication technology (ICT) industries. The growth in waste electrical and electronic equipment (e-waste) has brought several challenges including introducing effective management practices that are environmentally sound to reduce the negative impacts on human health and the environment. This review aimed to show the extent of e-waste as a growing issue to the environment and human health in developing countries where waste management problems pose immense challenges. Seven electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, DOAJ, JSTOR, and Google Scholar) were used to access published scientific articles. Systematic reviews, case studies, analytical cross-sectional studies, policy review papers, and available relevant studies were considered. The findings of this review show that the volume of electronic waste destined for developing countries is increasing from year to year. Most countries did not have specific policies on e-waste but relied on hazardous waste policies. Dumping and improper recycling and handling of e-waste cause problems such as contamination of soil and water, depletion of grazing land, health problems such as respiratory infections, various cancers, congenital disabilities, and other health issues that affect the brain and other vital organs.

Strengthening social regulation in the digital economy: comparative findings from the ICT industry

ABSTRACT National economies with different industrial relations and welfare state traditions are experiencing a similar digital transformation. This article examines how labour unions are seeking to influence digital strategies and investments in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, based on initial research findings in the US and Germany. These efforts can be divided into three action fields: campaigns focused on influencing state investment and data protection or AI regulation; efforts to extend legal or negotiated labour market protections to new groups of workers; and collective negotiations over new technologies at firm and workplace levels. All three can be seen as complementary in establishing the conditions for the social regulation of new digitally enabled markets.

Non-stationary time-varying vehicular channel characteristics for different roadside scattering environments

With the deep integration of wireless communication technology and automobile industry, vehicular communication has become one of the key technologies supporting the development of Internet-of-vehicle. Due to the high-speed mobility of vehicles and the rapid change of the propagation environments, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) wireless communication channels are generally non-stationary. Meanwhile, the variability of V2V channel characteristics is obvious in different scattering environments. Focusing on these research points, this paper presents the analysis and comparison of V2V channel characteristics for different scattering scenarios based on a series of 5.9 GHz channel measurements. The measurement data are collected from the iron bridge, the soundproof wall, and the road lamp scenarios. The stationary time and frequency are investigated on the basis of method of local scattering functions. The classical channel characteristics, including power delay profile, Ricean K-factor, root means square (RMS) delay spread and RMS Doppler spread are extracted following the propagation principle. Furthermore, considering the source and birth-death process of multi-path components (MPCs) in different scattering propagation environments, cluster identification and statistical results are presented and compared. The different values of the channel parameters and the different performance of the channel under different scattering environments can help us understand the V2V channel deeply. The research results can be used for the design and optimization of vehicular communication systems in different scattering environments.

Job Titles and Mobility of Knowledge Workers

How do job titles affect an employee’s propensity for outward mobility? In high-tech contexts, firms are constantly at risk of losing their high quality human capital, such as inventors, due to an increasingly significant threat of employee poaching. Recruiters seek for credible quality signals to assess candidates, and job titles are the first piece of information available. In this paper, we study the role of job title ambiguity for knowledge workers’ mobility. Specifically, we whether ambiguous job titles may create a barrier to outward mobility for knowledge workers in markets with high risk of poaching. Ambiguous job titles may confuse prospective recruiters when they scan poaching targets; they exert more cognitive effort to make sense of the value of those candidates and, thus, are less likely to contact them for mobility opportunities. We utilize the resumes and patent data of 12,719 corporate inventors employed at 172 US corporations in the Information and Communication Technology industry between 2000 and 2014 to test our hypothesis. Our results indicate that individuals holding job titles associated with a high ambiguity are less likely to leave the firm. The result is robust to different measurement techniques of titles’ ambiguity. Our study highlights how job titles as a form of symbolic cues can constitute a meaningful barrier to poaching that complements existing human capital retaining tactics.

Ruling with a velvet glove: The catalyzing role of humble leadership in transforming employees’ empowerment role identity into proactivity

Employees have always striven for a sense of empowerment while employers endeavor to forge a more proactive workforce that will strengthen organizations. However, the possible link between empowerment and proactivity, as well as the influence of other factors, has seldom been explored. This study fills this gap by examining how humble leadership can help employees with empowerment role identity to further strengthen their vitality and ultimately elicit proactive behavior. Using data collected from a sample of 326 employee-supervisor dyads in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in China, we argue that employees’ vitality mediates the positive correlation between their empowerment role identity and proactive behavior. In light of the Johnson-Neyman technique, this study further indicates that the relationship between empowerment role identity and employee vitality is significantly positive when humble leadership is rated above 5.195 on a 7-point Likert scale; however, this relationship turns negative when humble leadership drops below 1.429. Thus, humble leadership moderates the mediating role that vitality plays in helping employees with empowerment needs to achieve greater proactivity. These findings deepen our understanding of how subordinates with relatively high power demands and enthusiasm can be effectively motivated in the workplace.

A Reference Architecture for Data-Driven and Adaptive Internet-Delivered Psychological Treatment Systems: Software Architecture Development and Validation Study.

BackgroundInternet-delivered psychological treatment (IDPT) systems are software applications that offer psychological treatments via the internet. Such IDPT systems have become one of the most commonly practiced and widely researched forms of psychotherapy. Evidence shows that psychological treatments delivered by IDPT systems can be an effective way of treating mental health morbidities. However, current IDPT systems have high dropout rates and low user adherence. The primary reason is that the current IDPT systems are not flexible, adaptable, and personalized as they follow a fixed tunnel-based treatment architecture. A fixed tunnel-based architecture follows predefined, sequential treatment content for every patient, irrespective of their context, preferences, and needs. Moreover, current IDPT systems have poor interoperability, making it difficult to reuse and share treatment materials. There is a lack of development and documentation standards, conceptual frameworks, and established (clinical) guidelines for such IDPT systems. As a result, several ad hoc forms of IDPT models exist. Consequently, developers and researchers have tended to reinvent new versions of IDPT systems, making them more complex and less interoperable.ObjectiveThis study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate a reference architecture (RA) for adaptive systems that can facilitate the design and development of adaptive, interoperable, and reusable IDPT systems.MethodsThis study was conducted in collaboration with a large interdisciplinary project entitled INTROMAT (Introducing Mental Health through Adaptive Technology), which brings together information and communications technology researchers, information and communications technology industries, health researchers, patients, clinicians, and patients’ next of kin to reach its vision. First, we investigated previous studies and state-of-the-art works based on the project’s problem domain and goals. On the basis of the findings from these investigations, we identified 2 primary gaps in current IDPT systems: lack of adaptiveness and limited interoperability. Second, we used model-driven engineering and Domain-Driven Design techniques to design, develop, and validate the RA for building adaptive, interoperable, and reusable IDPT systems to address these gaps. Third, based on the proposed RA, we implemented a prototype as the open-source software. Finally, we evaluated the RA and open-source implementation using empirical (case study) and nonempirical approaches (software architecture analysis method, expert evaluation, and software quality attributes).ResultsThis paper outlines an RA that supports flexible user modeling and the adaptive delivery of treatments. To evaluate the proposed RA, we developed an open-source software based on the proposed RA. The open-source framework aims to improve development productivity, facilitate interoperability, increase reusability, and expedite communication with domain experts.ConclusionsOur results showed that the proposed RA is flexible and capable of adapting interventions based on patients’ needs, preferences, and context. Furthermore, developers and researchers can extend the proposed RA to various health care interventions.

A tango with a gorilla: An exploration of the microfoundations of open innovation partnerships between young innovative companies and multi-national enterprises

Our purpose is to clarify the microfoundations of open innovation (OI) in young innovative companies (YICs) in partnering with large multi-national enterprises (MNEs). Despite the progress in OI SME research, YICs remain understudied, and we know little about the nuances and complexity of how OI is managed. Through a qualitative research design, we explore four cases and twelve projects within the information communications technology (ICT) and medical device (MD) industries. Based on an analysis of primary and secondary data at the OI project level, we reveal five types of micro-foundations. These microfoundation types include YIC antecedent, YIC behaviour, MNE antecedent, MNE behaviour and joint action – which are found to influence the outcome of an OI project between an YIC and an MNE. These microfoundation types are deemed as either enabling (positive impact on the YIC OI project outcome) or limiting (negative impact on the YIC OI project outcome). The captured evidence asserts that is the lower-level activities both antecedents and behaviours that ultimately influence and shape the OI project and thus the innovation outcome. This study advances the OI literature and clarifies how the aggregation of this wide range of microfoundations – both antecedents and behaviours, shapes the OI project outcome. Our research illustrates that the deliberate management of microfoundations is a necessary constructive element in an OI project between an YIC and an MNE. Microfoundations provide a guiding rail for YICs to reflect, learn and create value.

A Study on the Relationship Between Government Regulations and Innovation Efficiency in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry

Although government regulations have a significant impact on innovation, research on the impact of government regulations on innovation efficiency has yet to be sufficiently uncovered. In this study, the effects of government regulations on innovation efficiency in ICT service industry are verified through tobit regression analysis after calculating innovation efficiency by DEA. Government policies are divided into 11 categories, and two different innovation efficiencies are calculated as the innovation process is divided into two stages: R&D efficiency and commercialization efficiency. The results prove that “regulations for small and medium-sized business” and “financial market regulation and separation of banking and commerce” have negatively effects on R&D efficiency.

Analysis of Symbols in Campaign Women Illustration of “The Beauty from Sabang to Merauke

The beauty of women who are very diverse is not limited to physical beauty, but there are many points of view that can be seen; therefore, women are the main target audience in the campaign. The trend of women's beauty is generally much influenced by the socio-cultural background of a society. As in the work of designer Nadya Noor who collaborated with Base, a beauty product company, by creating an illustration applied for campaign on clothing about beauty standardization, this work was inspired by the unique shapes of the big islands in Indonesia, as well as the diversity of women in Indonesia who very diverse. The research method using qualitative methods is to analyze the illustrations on clothes with the delivery of messages in the design. Through this work, the researcher examines the visual elements of fashion illustrations in campaigns with the messages conveyed through visuals in campaigns related to illustrations, colors, layouts, with data collection techniques through library research, documentation and interviews. The illustration can be symbols for Indonesian representation from all rases in Indonesia. The current study also would collaborate with international partner from School of Creative of Technology and Heritage Universiti Malaysia Kelantan. The expertise of the international partner regarding design creative visual issues would be beneficial to conduct the current study. More importantly, such expertise is required within the field of Communication Technology and Creative Industry contribute significantly within the literature, and to strengthen the international exposure of the current study. The research team from UMB would conduct the literature review, data collection, and data analysis. Meanwhile, the international partner from School of Creative of Technology and Heritage UMK would conduct the literature review, mainly on the creative industry construct. Finally, the output of this research is to publish the research result on International Journal of Art and Design Education, which is a indexed international journal.

The Impact of R&D and Advertising on Firm Performance in High-Tech Industries—Evidence from the U.S. Information and Communications Technology Industry

The Impact of R&D and Advertising on Firm Performance in High-Tech Industries—Evidence from the U.S. Information and Communications Technology Industry

Online reputation management with an Electronic word of mouth approach

Opportunities for managing e-reputation for organizations have now begun to be captured by business activists in the communication technology industry in Indonesia. Several corporations from various industries have tried this service to increase their reputation in the digital world, especially on social media. One of the service companies that started to run an e-reputation management business and became the subject of this research is PT S. PT S's managing e-reputation will be analyzed using six elements included in the Online Public Relations tactical thinking developed by Phillips & Young. This study uses a qualitative approach and the nature of descriptive research, using case study methods, and collecting data using interviews and observations. As a result, PT S has implemented six elements of tactical thinking in its e-reputation management business, namely proactive and initiative actions, monitoring, publishing, raising awareness, stimulating engagement, and responding to events and actions. The use of e-WOM, the presence of influencers, the selection of suitable social media, and attractive content planning also affect the e-reputation of the clients' organizations.

Impact of information, communication technology and housing industry on financial market development

The economic growth and development of a country are highly dependent on the performance of the capital market and its financial system, and to have a proper financial system, the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to reduce costs of transactions, as well as the proper functioning of the parallel markets such as housing sector economy is essential. The study aims to investigate the impact of the Information, Communication Technology (ICT), the housing market, and other macroeconomic variables including the inflation rate and exchange rate on the performance of the financial market to survive Iran economy, under economic sanctions and political crises during the years 1994–2020. For this purpose, Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method is used to estimate the research model and analyze the collected data. The results show that ICT and the inflation rate had positive effects, while the housing market development and the exchange rate had negative effects on the performance of the stock exchange financial market during the years of economic sanctions and political crises.

The Relation between Intellectual Property Management and Firm Performance of Vietnamese Firms in the Information and Communication Technology Industry (ICT)

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a core of the knowledge economy and among the most potential industries of Vietnam for the upcoming years. As in an industry with a high content of innovation and intellectual properties, ICT firms are required to have a wise intellectual property strategy to assure their preposition and sustainable development. Meanwhile, studies on intellectual property of Vietnam have hardly touched upon the management perspective, especially the firm management perspective. Therefore, this study examines the impacts of intellectual property management on firm performance in ICT industry of Vietnam. Intellectual property management is assessed through four levels, namely Awareness, Registration, Exploitation and Management, and Protection. Four measurements of firm performance are profitability, revenue growth, market share and the ability to maintain stable jobs and benefits for employees. Data obtained from 122 Vietnamese ICT firms indicates that each level of intellectual property management has a positive impact on firm performance. The findings provide a scientific basis for improving intellectual property management of ICT firms and Vietnamese firms in general.

Antecedents of employee retention in the Thai information technology industry

The information and communication technology industry is an industry that requires advanced knowledge and skills because of the intense competition. As a result, pressure and stress can create high employee turnover rate, leading to higher competition and higher costs. Therefore, the emphasis should be placed on retaining talented employees to continue working with the organization. The objectives of this research were to study: 1) levels of happiness at work, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and employee retention in the information technology industry in Thailand; 2)examine influences of happiness at work, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment on employee retention in the information technology industry in Thailand; and 3)develop a model for employee retention in the information technology industry in Thailand. This research employed a mixed research methodology combining quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative research part, the research sample consisted of 180 employees and executives in the information technology industry in Thailand. The sample size was determined based on the criterion of 20 times the observed variables. They were selected via stratified sampling. Data were analyzed with a structural equation model.

Antecedents of employee retention in the Thai information technology industry

The information and communication technology industry is an industry that requires advanced knowledge and skills because of the intense competition. As a result, pressure and stress can create high employee turnover rate, leading to higher competition and higher costs. Therefore, the emphasis should be placed on retaining talented employees to continue working with the organization. The objectives of this research were to study: 1) levels of happiness at work, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and employee retention in the information technology industry in Thailand; 2)examine influences of happiness at work, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment on employee retention in the information technology industry in Thailand; and 3)develop a model for employee retention in the information technology industry in Thailand. This research employed a mixed research methodology combining quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative research part, the research sample consisted of 180 employees and executives in the information technology industry in Thailand. The sample size was determined based on the criterion of 20 times the observed variables. They were selected via stratified sampling. Data were analyzed with a structural equation model.

Development and Characterization of Blue-Colored Mg2Si-Based Recycled Alloys Using Scrap Light Metals

Currently, major issues in the mobile and information and communications technology industries are consumer demands stimulated by emotion and environmental pollution issues. In the case of such consumer demand, many companies are using a demand increase model that involves the application of success stories through the convergence of design and technology, and a significant improvement has been realized. The environmental pollution caused by various dyes or resins used to realize a specific color of metal exterior materials to stimulate consumer sensibility has reached a serious level. In this study, we tried to minimize the environmental pollution that occurs due to external painting by realizing the color for the metal itself rather than through an external color coating. In addition, in the case of metal materials, the desired metal atomic ratio was similarly realized by utilizing waste scraps of the Al alloy ADC12 and the Mg alloy AZ91 that had already been used, and a study on realizing a specific color of the metal itself through recycling was conducted. Through this study, we tried to solve both environmental and consumer demand issues through recycling of metal waste materials and development of ecofriendly metal materials that do not use paint or resin.

Boundary resource interactions in solution networks

PurposeThis study aims to explore the interactions between two different and potentially complementary boundary resources in coordinating solution networks in a digital platform context: boundary spanners (those individuals who span interorganizational boundaries) and boundary interfaces (the devices that help coordinate interfirm relationships, e.g. electronic data interchanges, algorithms or chatbots).Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a multiple case study of three firms using digital platforms to coordinate solution networks in the information communication technology and lighting facility industries. Data were collected from 30 semi-structured interviews, which are complemented by secondary data.FindingsAs task complexity increases, smarter digital interfaces are adopted. When the intelligence level of interfaces is low or moderate, they are only used as tools by boundary spanners or to support boundary spanners’ functions. When the intelligence level of interfaces is high or very high, boundary spanners design the interfaces and let them perform tasks autonomously. They are also sometimes employed to complement interfaces’ technological limitations and customers’ limited user ability.Research limitations/implicationsThe industry contexts of the cases may influence the results. Qualitative case data has limited generalizability.Practical implicationsThis study offers a practical tool for solution providers to effectively deploy boundary employees and digital technologies to offer diverse customized solutions simultaneously.OriginalityThis study contributes to the solution business literature by putting forward a framework of boundary resource interactions in coordinating solution networks in a digital platform context. It contributes to the boundary spanning literature by revealing the shifting functions of boundary spanners and boundary interfaces.

A systematic literature review on outsourcing nearshoring practices on the information and communication technologies industry

A systematic literature review on outsourcing nearshoring practices on the information and communication technologies industry