Digital Expertise Research Articles

DIFFICULTIES IN IMPLEMENTING THE HALAL TRACEABILITY SYSTEM AMONG IMPORTED HALAL MEAT SUPPLIERS

Nowadays, a lot of halal related issues arouse a bad image to religion and many parties includes halal industry players and consumers, directly or indirectly. The meat cartel scandals issuehas shocked Malaysia in the previous year. In conjunction to the issue, many Muslim consumers had lost their confidence towards the consumption of halal meat imports. The unfolding scandal over fake halal documentation, fake halal logos, and fake halal meat has really affected the halal meat import industry since consumer confidence is decreasing and honest businesses are working hard to convince customers of their compliance with halal requirements. Transparency in the implementation of a halal traceability system on the meat import supply chain helped prevents any violations or fraudulent cases. The aims of this studyis to discover the challenges of implementing a halal traceability system among halal meat import suppliers. This research adopts a qualitative method and the data was collected through a semi-structured interview. The thematic analyses was conducted on transcribed and coded data interview. The results of the study showed that time consumption, cost implementation, and lack of digital expertise have become challenges for halal meat import suppliers in implementing a halal traceability system.

Impact of CEO's Digital Technology Orientation and Board Characteristics on Firm Value: A Signaling Perspective

Integrating signaling research with the institutional perspective on capital markets, we argue that, in conditions of radical technological change, investor perceptions about firm value are enhanced by the CEO's orientation toward digital technologies that exceeds the firm's industry peers. This base relationship is moderated by board characteristics so that the board members’ digital expertise and knowledge diversity enhance the effect of the CEO's relative digital technology orientation on firm value. Furthermore, the monitoring power of independent board members who do not have digital expertise negatively moderates our baseline hypothesis, whereas board monitoring exerted by independent board members with digital expertise has a positive moderating effect. To test our theory, we use advanced natural language processing techniques to develop the CEO's relative digital technology orientation construct combined with a unique, hand-collected set of measures associated with board members’ digital expertise and knowledge diversity in a sample of S&P 500 companies. Our article offers novel insights on how technology-related signals associated with the CEO's communications to shareholders interact with board characteristics in determining investor perceptions of the firm's value in conditions of high technological uncertainty.

Evaluate and identify the competencies of the future workforce for digital technologies implementation in higher education

In recent years, both information technology (IT) labor demand and IT job characteristics have been significantly influenced by the advent of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and the digital age. The higher education sector is expected to upgrade itself with such progress and train graduates capable of meeting the new industry requirements. However, due to the present demand gap, universities are seeking to identify the skills new digital workers are expected to have. As we live in the digital age, the literature has failed to address the questions of the consequences for individual workers adequately. Considerable scientific efforts should be made to design certain curricula and training programs that could nurture digital competencies (DC). There is a need to construct an inclusive framework of the term. In addition, different options exist for studying the DC of the workforce in relation to human resources management (HRM). The current paper attempts to fill the gap by developing an integrated decision-making framework. The paper aims to introduce an innovative discrimination measure and discuss its elegant properties. A Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to the COmpromise Solution (MARCOS) framework for evaluating the MCDM problem on a fuzzy set has been developed based on it. On the other hand, the new methodology of the PF-entropy-RS weight technique is used to compute the criteria weights or significance degrees of criteria. Then, the MARCOS method is a new elegant approach to handle the MCDM problems. Thus, in this study, we have developed a new approach to the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method using the PF-entropy-RS and PF-MARCOS methods and further implemented for the evaluation of the competencies of the future workforce for digital technologies implementation in higher education. It helps to calculate the objective/subjective weights of criteria to evaluate the competencies of the future workforce for digital technologies implementation in higher education; then, the approach is used to assess the preferences of higher education institutes over different competencies of the future workforce for digital technologies implementation in higher education. An empirical case study is carried out in this paper for the evaluation of the most important competencies of the future workforce for digital technologies implementation in higher education. In addition, to evaluate the performance quality of the proposed framework, this study also involves some comparison and sensitivity analyses. This study found that data and information processing has emerged as the most important competencies of the future workforce for digital technologies implementation in higher education. The ability to interact with modern interfaces is the second most important competency of the future workforce for digital technologies implementation in higher education. In conclusion, the workforce responsible for implementing digital technologies in higher education will significantly impact students’ learning experiences. As technological advancements continue, higher education institutions will require skilled professionals with diverse digital expertise to manage and integrate these technologies successfully.

Exploring gender imbalances in innovation and entrepreneurship: evidence from a global south country

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the gender diversity within innovation and entrepreneurship teams and the perceptions of gender imbalance in digital skills among team members in Kazakhstan, a Central Asian country belonging to the Global South.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were collected from ten leading firms in Kazakhstan's manufacturing, construction and oil and gas sectors, which have international connections or perspectives. The members of the research and development (R&D) departments of these firms completed an online, structured closed-question questionnaire anonymously. A total of 169 completed responses were analyzed using regression analysis, controlling for company size and sector, with gender as the independent variable.FindingsThe gender diversity within innovation teams is not as high as anticipated, even though there is a substantial representation of women in the scientific workforce across many firms. Similarly, there is a gender gap in entrepreneurship teams involved in business innovation, although it is slightly less pronounced. Female employees report a greater disparity compared to their male counterparts. Surprisingly, over 60% of both male and female respondents agree that women lack the same level of digital expertise and knowledge as men.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this research should be interpreted in light of the fact that they are based on a perception-based survey. Local firms exhibit skepticism toward external researchers due to privacy concerns, making their participation challenging. However, it is noteworthy that the survey targeted front-line workers in the innovation and entrepreneurship field, providing informed perspectives that strengthen the study's outcomes.Originality/valueThis study reveals that while women form a considerable proportion the scientific workforce, gender diversity in innovation and entrepreneurship teams is lacking in a Global South country. Gender imbalance in innovation and entrepreneurship is thus present in both developing and developed countries, highlighting the need for interventions to promote gender diversity at the firm level.

Regulating Big Tech expansionism? Sphere transgressions and the limits of Europe’s digital regulatory strategy

ABSTRACT The increasing power of Big Tech is a growing concern for regulators globally. The European Union has positioned itself as a leader in the stride to contain this expansionism; first with the GDPR and recently with a series of proposals including the DMA, the DSA, the AI Act, and others. In this paper we analyse if these instruments sufficiently address the risks raised by Big Tech expansionism. We argue that when this phenomenon is understood in terms of ‘sphere transgressions’ – i.e., conversions of advantages based on digital expertise into advantages in other spheres of society – Europe’s digital regulatory strategy falls short. In particular, seen through the lens of sphere transgressions, Big Tech expansionism raises three risks in addition to well-known privacy and data protection risks, which this regulatory strategy does not properly address. These are: non-equitable returns to the public sector; the reshaping of sectors in line with the interests of technology firms; and new dependencies on technology firms for the provision of basic goods. Our analysis shows that this mismatch may be inherent to Europe’s digital strategy, insofar as it focusses on data protection – while data is not always at stake in sphere transgressions; on political and civil rights – while socio-economic rights may be more at risk; and on fair markets – while the sectors being transgressed into by Big Tech, such as health and education, are not markets that require fairer competition, but societal spheres which need protection from market (and digital) logics.

Digital Evidence in Police Investigation: A Comparative Analysis of Challenges Faced in India, the UK and the United States

This research explores the challenges posed by the use of digital evidence in criminal investigations, particularly in the context of fair trial and the presumption of innocence. The article identifies three key issues that could compromise the impartiality and presumption of innocence in investigations, namely, improper and inconsistent use of technology, outdated procedural assurances and a lack of reliability testing in practice. The findings highlight the need for legislative intervention, enforcement of standards and implementation of validation procedures for digital evidence to protect innocent individuals and all parties involved in criminal proceedings. The article also examines how digital evidence practices adhere to fair trial standards and how technology-assisted investigations affect criminal procedures. The study draws on data obtained from a project conducted by the Economic and Social Research Council on the application of digital forensics in police forces in England and the United States. The research provides insights into the evolving nature of investigations in connection to the rising demand for digital expertise and the distribution and coordination of related resources in the police forces.

Investigating the implementation of immersive technologies within on-site construction safety processes

Purpose The benefits of integrating immersive technologies (ImTs) within a construction safety context are acknowledged within the literature; however, its practical application on construction sites remains low. Whilst research into the integration of ImTs within the construction industry is underway, most have viewed this from a broader adoption context or within educational settings, and not specifically from a practical on-site safety perspective. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to address the contributing factors to its integration within on-site safety processes, using the experiences of active construction professionals. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative approach. Data was collected through online focus groups involving UK based construction professionals with experience in using ImTs, recruited using selective sampling. Data sets were subsequently analysed using inductive thematic analysis and are presented within key themes. Findings The results showed that among the experienced construction professionals, the use of ImTs specifically for on-site safety applications (including inductions/training/workshops) was rare on projects. The findings identified various contributing factors related to the integration of ImTs, including the potential improvements in on-site safety practices such as enhanced communication of hazards, safety planning, engagement during training and more accurate risk assessment. Critical challenges, concerns and frustrations included a lack of engagement from senior level management, inadequate leadership, limited investment, a need for digital expertise, fear of complacency and the acceptance of ImTs within existing safety processes from the wider project team. Originality/value This study provides a fresh perspective to this field by using practical accounts from active and experienced on-site construction professionals. This study supports the integration of ImTs within the construction industry, presenting key contributing factors influencing its integration within on-site safety processes. These factors can be considered by industry adopters, and includes the rationale, challenges and potential on-site benefits of ImTs.

The impacts of the use of data analytics and the performance of consulting activities on perceived internal audit quality

PurposeThis research paper aims to investigate the effects of internal audit’s (IA) use of data analytics and the performance of consulting activities on perceived IA quality.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment among upper and middle managers where the use of data analytics and the performance of consulting activities by internal auditors are manipulated.FindingsResults highlight the importance of internal auditor use of data analytics and performance of consulting activities to improve perceived IA quality. First, managers perceive internal auditors as more competent when the auditors use data analytics. Second, managers perceive internal auditors’ recommendations as more relevant when the auditors perform consulting activities. Finally, managers perceive an improvement in the quality of relationships with internal auditors when auditors perform consulting activities, which is strengthened when internal auditors combine the use of data analytics and the performance of consulting activities.Research limitations/implicationsFrom a theoretical perspective, this research builds on the IA quality framework by considering digitalization as a contextual factor. This research focused on the perceptions of one major stakeholder of the IA function: senior management. Future research should investigate the perceptions of other stakeholders and other contextual factors.Practical implicationsThis research suggests that internal auditors should prioritize the development of the consulting role in their function and develop their digital expertise, especially expertise in data analytics, to improve perceived IA quality.Originality/valueThis research tests the impacts of the use of data analytics and the performance of consulting activities on perceived IA quality holistically, by testing Trotman and Duncan’s (2018) framework using an experiment.

The future of industry 4.0 and supply chain resilience after the COVID-19 pandemic: Empirical evidence from a Delphi study

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major supply chain disruptions and unveiled the pressing need to improve supply chain resilience (SCRES). Industry 4.0 (I4.0) is a promising lever; however, its future in supply chain risk management (SCRM) is highly uncertain and largely unexplored. This paper aims to evaluate I4.0′s potential to improve SCRES in a post-COVID-19 world. Based on current literature and multiple workshops, 13 future projections on potential I4.0 application areas in SCRM were developed. A two-round Delphi study among 64 SCRM experts with digital expertise was conducted to evaluate and discuss the projections regarding their probability of occurrence until 2030, their impact on SCRES, and their desirability. A fuzzy c-means algorithm was applied to cluster the projections based on the expert assessments. The expert evaluations led to three clusters on I4.0 application in SCRM: Four projections on generating data, increasing visibility, and building digital capabilities received considerable approval and are reliable to improve SCRES in 2030. Four projections enabling data sharing and processing were predominantly supported and demonstrated realization potential for 2030. Finally, five projections that require major supply network adaptations were deemed unlikely to improve SCRES in 2030. This paper answers several research calls by presenting empirical evidence on the pathway of I4.0 implementation in SCRM following the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it evaluates a holistic set of technologies and indicates prioritization potentials to achieve SCRES improvements.

Non‐family shareholder governance and the digital transformation of family firms: Evidence from China

AbstractResearch Question/IssueWe investigate the influence of non‐family shareholder governance on Chinese family firms' digital transformation strategies.Research Findings/InsightsWe use the socioemotional wealth theory to examine the impact of non‐family shareholder governance on family firms' digital transformation. We find that the influence of non‐family shareholder governance by appointing directors can significantly promote the implementation of digital transformation strategies through their capital and human effects in family firms. In contrast, non‐family shareholders only play a positive role in family firms' digital transformation when they are blockholders. In addition, non‐family shareholder governance plays a significant role in promoting the digital transformation of family firms with entrepreneurship and a high degree of industry competition. Regarding external digital development, the Broadband China policy complements family firms' digital transformation strategies. The characteristics of the appointed directors suggest that the introduction of appointed directors, an excess of appointed directors, and the inclusion of appointed directors with digital expertise can effectively promote the digital transformation of family firms. The characteristics of controlling families show that socioemotional wealth can further optimize the relationship between non‐family shareholder governance and digital transformation.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsWe not only verify the rationality and effectiveness of non‐family shareholder governance in combination with digital transformation strategies but also further observe the impact of the heterogeneity of directors appointed by non‐family shareholders on family firms' digital transformation strategies. Thus, our study tests the influence of non‐family shareholder governance on digital transformation and enriches the literature on non‐family shareholder governance and family firms' strategies.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsThis study offers insights to family firms regarding how to effectively promote non‐family shareholders' participation in corporate governance and help family firms to achieve the goal of “everlasting foundation.”

Effects of using educational technology tools to enhance EFL students' speaking performance.

Educational speaking technology is a digital expertise used to enhance speaking performance. This research examined the effects of using educational speaking technology tools: FORVO, YouGlish, and OALD 8th ed. to enhance students' speaking performance. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest two groups design was used. Test, questionnaire, interview, and teacher-log were used to gather the data from 82 first-year Information communication and Technology (IT) students selected through comprehensive sampling. The experimental group students had learned speaking skills through educational speaking technology tools while the control group students learned using the conventional method. When the quantitative data were analyzed through independent samples T-test, the qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of the study uncovered that there was a statistical difference between the experimental and control group students in their speaking performance. Accordingly, the learners who had learned through educational speaking technology have enhanced their speaking performance compared to the students that learned conventionally. Predominantly, students who learned through educational speaking technology were fluent, coherent, and accurate in their speech, rich in lexical resources, used a variety of grammatical ranges, and better in pronunciation. Besides, the students' have positive perceptions towards using educational speaking technology tools. Consequently, this study recommends researchers, teachers, and students to make the use of educational technology and to go in line with the state of the art.

Literacy in the Digital Age and Pakistani Youth

Digital and information technologies are being extensively used in education, and the market for ICT-enabled education is expanding. In the present study the impacts of digital technology on the general ability of students (15-24 years old) to perceive knowledge has been explored. The current generation is highly technologically literate. The expansion of technology in education has been facilitated by recent technical advancements and the rise in literacy. The present study focuses on research objectives; to access the impact of digital technology on literacy among Pakistani youth, to address the scope of digital expertise to improve the academic learning among students, to examine the obstacles being posed by excessive exposure to digital technology in the promotion of literacy. Purposive sampling was used to draw sample from the population. The population comprised the students of B.S & M.S/M.Phill. A sample of 110 students (n=110) was selected randomly from 5 Universities and in-depth interviews were conducted to structure results of the study. Results of the study revealed that digital tools have significant influence on the perceptive skills. It enhanced the confidence level in youth by developing communication and research skills. Academic performance of the students has improved to an extent but certain consequences are needed to be reconsider to acquire the significant impacts.

Clients’ digitalization, audit firms’ digital expertise, and audit quality: evidence from China

PurposeThis study aims to examine whether clients’ degree of digitalization and audit firms’ expertise in information technology (IT) influence audit quality (AQ).Design/methodology/approachData of Chinese A-share firms listed on the primary board of the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2011 to 2019 are taken as the sample. All the data are obtained from the China Stock Market and Accounting Research. Clients’ digitalization is determined using the keywords “AI technology,” “blockchain,” “cloud computing,” “big data technology” and “digital technology.” Auditor firm’s digital expertise is determined by the proportion of higher IT expertise. As the proxy for AQ, this study uses audit fees, given that its quantum reflects the effort auditors expend that in turn affects the AQ.FindingsA fixed-effect regression model shows that clients with high digitalization attain AQ. This study also finds a significant and positive coefficient of audit fees, indicating that AQ is high in the same situation if an audit firm’s IT is mature and developed. Furthermore, results confirm the moderating effect of clients’ digitalization and auditors’ expertise and on AQ. Auditors’ expertise in IT mitigates the audit risk and increase AQ.Originality/valueFindings can enhance AQ and corporate governance literature by clarifying how external audits must evolve through digitalization and incorporating newly developed digital tools such as big data, analytics, artificial intelligence and robotic process automation. This study also provides important insights regarding how the development of new digital tools allow the audit profession to perform as a corporate governance mechanism.

Open and Cost-Effective Digital Ecosystem for Lake Water Quality Monitoring.

In some sectors of the water resources management, the digital revolution process is slowed by some blocking factors such as costs, lack of digital expertise, resistance to change, etc. In addition, in the era of Big Data, many are the sources of information available in this field, but they are often not fully integrated. The adoption of different proprietary solutions to sense, collect and manage data is one of the main problems that hampers the availability of a fully integrated system. In this context, the aim of the project is to verify if a fully open, cost-effective and replicable digital ecosystem for lake monitoring can fill this gap and help the digitalization process using cloud based technology and an Automatic High-Frequency Monitoring System (AHFM) built using open hardware and software components. Once developed, the system is tested and validated in a real case scenario by integrating the historical databases and by checking the performance of the AHFM system. The solution applied the edge computing paradigm in order to move some computational work from server to the edge and fully exploiting the potential offered by low power consuming devices.

Retaining Marketing Professionals in Foreign MNC Subsidiaries: The Role of Learning Opportunities

Skilled marketing professionals are of strategic importance for foreign MNC subsidiaries because they understand the particularities of local customers and can balance them with the MNC’s global marketing strategies. However, the factors keeping them from leaving for other career opportunities are hardly understood. We reason that MNC subsidiaries are more likely to retain marketing professionals if they can offer valuable learning opportunities. We suggest that these arise when subsidiaries have digital expertise that enables professionals to deploy digital technologies in a creative way for innovative marketing. Integrating the learning opportunities from digital expertise for innovative marketing with strategic hu-man capital mechanisms explaining retention, we argue that digital expertise creates non-monetary incentives and hence voluntary mobility constraints for marketing professionals. Moreover, we argue that the retention effect from digital expertise is stronger than for a subsidiary’s R&D expertise and in subsidiaries specialized in marketing activities. We test and support all hypotheses using employer-employee data for 5181 marketing professionals working for 539 foreign MNC subsidiaries in Denmark from 2010 to 2012. Our findings have important implications for the persistence of marketing capabilities in MNC subsidiaries and the effect of digital expertise for the retention of skilled subsidiary employees.

The Corporate Governance of Digital Transformation: The CEO’s Digital Orientation and Board Impact

Building on the sociology-grounded perspective on capital markets we argue that in conditions of technological change, investor perceptions about firm value are enhanced by the CEO’s orientation towards digital technologies. This base relationship is moderated by the extent to which boards allow and support experimentation with, and implementation of, new technologies. To test our theory, we focus on the early phases of the so-called “digital transformation” (2003 to 2016). We test our hypotheses using a sample of S&P 500 companies and a unique, hand-collected, set of measures associated with digital technology orientation by the CEO, as well as board members’ digital expertise. We suggest that: (a) board monitoring power is not always positively perceived by investors as widely implied in the extant agency-grounded literature; and (b) effective board monitoring is associated with complementarities between digital expertise of independent directors and the knowledge requirements underpinning CEO’s strategic orientation.

From Buzzword to Theory - Defining Digital Mindset

The digital transformation not only imposes new demands on companies but also on employees. First scientific and practical studies point to the relevance of a digital mindset in this context, but without creating construct clarity. Addressing the fuzziness of mindset theories, we take a grounded theory approach to shed light on digital mindset. Our analysis of 28 interviews with experts from different industries suggests that digital mindset is an essential capacity for dealing with the complexity and power of digitalization. It includes screening available information through a digital filter and exploiting arising opportunities. Furthermore, we identify three elements underlying digital mindset: digital consciousness, digital expertise, and digital entrepreneurship. Those elements co-occur in different strengths and combinations. While all three indicate digital mindset, we interpret paired elements as roles individuals can take in their organization and provide definitions. Our systematical conceptualization of digital mindset provides orientation for researchers by rigorously defining the term, affiliating the concept with the social psychology and leadership mindset-stream, and identifying elements crucial to the emergence of digital mindset. By drawing upon these elements, organizations can identify candidates and members with strong digital mindsets and thereby individuals complementing the overall organizational digital mindset.

Environmental dynamism, Digital Expertise of the Board and Strategic Change of the Firms

With the advent of recent environmental dynamics, firms are forced to change their strategies to survive. We examine the relationship between such environmental dynamism and method and scope of strategic change in a sample of 2527 listed US firms. Furthermore, since managers play a pivotal role in shaping the firm strategy, we also examine the professional background of the board by investigating the relationship between digital expertise and strategic change of the firms. Using resource dependence theory (RDT), we argue that internal factors of the firms can respond to the conditions of the external environment by determining the strategic change. Relying on dynamic managerial capabilities perspective, we conjecture that board expertise can impinge on the decision to change strategy. Our findings indicate that environmental dynamism and digital expertise of the board increase the strategic change, assessed through method and scope. However, such effect is likely to be attenuated by the digital expertise of the board. Our study advances research on strategic change by jointly using RDT and dynamic managerial capabilities theories and by shedding light on the determinants of strategic change. We then discuss the managerial and policy implications of our findings.

Integrating the biophilia physiognomies in the context of Neom smart city in Saudi Arabia

Motives: As the number of research studies of people in urban areas grows in terms of the criteria impacting the health and effectiveness of individuals, the detrimental effects caused by living apart from natural elements become more visible. There is inadequate data for a program that integrates both biophilic design and smart cities tactics. Smart city concerned about energy and resource utilization and utilize digital technologies to adjust resource consumption. It seldom discusses environmental sustainability. However, the biophilic design seeks to provide people with better life quality through a functional interconnection with nature. Digital expertise may prompt biophilic retorts via simulated methods. Aim: The study reconnoiters the significance of the biophilic ideologies to the city’s development. It integrates biophilic urban design in Neom city to overcome gaps in ecosystems’ health associated with traditional urban design. Result: The study proposes integrating biophilic elements at small and large scales. It explains each element within proposed projects and examples of Neom city’s design schemes to incubate these elements.

Event Management Skills in the Post-covid-19 World: Insights from China, Germany, and Australia

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused the event industry and providers of tertiary event management courses to reflect on the nature of future events and the form they will take. With hybrid, virtual, and innovative events being foreseen for the coming years, skills taught in the relevant programs and courses also need to be reassessed and restructured. Using qualitative, semistructured interviews, this research explores the viewpoints on requisite future skills from three groups of event stakeholders—professionals, lecturers, and students—across three countries: China, Germany, and Australia. The results show agreement on what event management skills will be needed, among which technical and digital expertise, communication, innovation, and leadership are seen as the most important.