ICT Sector Research Articles

TEACHING REQUIREMENTS OF A DIGITISED PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The digitisation of public sector ICT is driven by a number of factors: Increased self- service via the Internet, the Internet of Things (IoT), real-time business intelligence and the advent of integrated information systems as the “backbone” of organisational ICT. This is accentuated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper presents an implemented university level teaching programme that covers the topics of integrated information systems for the environment described above. The paper also deals with the research question of how to embed such a programme in a conventional, public sector-oriented university course programme. It details the didactic specificities and analyses the feedback from the roll out and the prior knowledge required from students and the changes in other elements of a public administration course programme necessitated by digitisation orientation. It finally summarises the experience made and illustrates the necessity for further research.

Transformation of Polish ICT Enterprises after the COVID 19

The COVID-19 epidemic has disrupted the development of the global economy. Virtually all sectors experienced a negative impact, which forced the transformation of many enterprises. In the case of the ICT sector, new environmental conditions pose a threat but also a development perspective, which forces ICT enterprises to introduce cross-cutting changes within their activities. These changes are not limited to the ICT sector but affect other economic sectors.

The Impact of Hybrid Workplace Models on Intangible Assets: The Case of an Emerging Country

As part of a safety-first principle during the COVID-19 pandemics, the vast majority of companies have enabled flexible working environments, reducing the number of employees in the premises. The global best practices have firstly been recorded among the ICT companies which offered teleworking to their employees, empowering safety and flexibility through remote work policies and flexible working hours. Although hybrid working models might become a standard in many industries, only a paucity of papers has examined the relationship between novel working environments and various classes of intangible assets. The aim of this paper is to present the effects of hybrid working models (telework and flexible working hours) on intangible assets (human, relational, structural and intellectual capital). While the existing hybrid work principles have already shown mixed effects on corporate outcomes, its impact on intangible assets remains unrevealed. To address this research gap, we conducted an empirical study. Primary data were collected in the Serbian ICT sector (N=122) using a structured questionnaire developed for this purpose. Data was analyzed with the OLS regression. The results confirm the positive effects of the hybrid working model on intangible assets of ICT companies, which could further propel the financial success of these companies. In general, these results imply that hybrid working models, which are becoming a standard for many industries, would not jeopardize the creation of intangible assets – the ultimate resource of modern companies © 2021, Amfiteatru Economic. All Rights Reserved.

The Impact of the Digitalization Process and Investment on the Structural Changes of the Economy

This article analyzes the impact of digitalization on the structural changes of the economy on the example of Uzbekistan. The degree of effectiveness of the investment factor in such circumstances is also considered. The research work of a number of scientists has been studied and the necessary aspects for research have been presented. The main factor determining the level of digitalization is the gross value added of the digital economy to GDP. The next factor influencing structural change is the inflow of investment in fixed assets. An econometric analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the factors and a conclusion was drawn based on the results. The study was conducted for the period 2016-2020 of the Uzbekistan’s economy. The article also theoretically explores and analyzes structural changes in the economy, its impact on economic development, factors influencing structural changes, and the impact of investment flows on the economy and structural changes. The study found a strong correlation between GDP and gross value added in the ICT sector. In addition, the analysis found that investment has a positive effect on structural changes, as a result of increased investment in fixed assets increases both the volume of GDP and the level of structural change.

EParticipation in Neighbourhood Development

Public involvement in urban planning is not new, but with recent innovations in the ICT sector and their rapid uptake by society, urban planners and public authorities have access to new digital means to facilitate it. The article focuses on the potential of digital solutions for stakeholder participation during the whole lifecycle of the urban neighborhood, such as participatory maps, 3D-visualisation, augmented reality, and virtual reality, and emphasizes their specifics. The article draws on diverse project experiences in Germany, but the authors argue its relevance for other cases in Europe and worldwide.

The factors "business environment"and "industry focus" in sustainable development of the region

The vector of sustainable development imposes a complex of new requirements on the management of enterprises, the implementation of which implies the con-sistent introduction of innovative digital technologies. In these conditions, the management of modern enterprises needs to assess not only the future costs, the prospects of the implemented ICT technologies, the susceptibility of the produc-tion potential to this ICT technology, but the future potential and the cumulative effect of the costs incurred. With the use of the cost-benefit method, the correla-tion dependence of labor productivity indicators and costs of investments in in-formation and communication technologies was revealed. It has been confirmed that for regions with a high level of industrial development, fixed capital expendi-tures have a cumulative (cumulative) effect. Territories with a predominance of agricultural enterprises and manufacturing industries are characterized by a high susceptibility of the regional economy to the introduction of highly efficient standardized technologies in the field of ICT. And for regions with an extensive type of economic development (forestry and chemical industries), there is a low sensitivity of labor productivity to the level of investment proceeds in the ICT sec-tor. Using the methods of strategic analysis: SWOT - analysis, PEST - analysis, the main factors for identifying the investment potential of the technologies being introduced have been identified.

The Role of Digitalization in the Target Scenario of Russian Economic Development.

—The article considers the contribution of the ICT sector to the medium- and long-term development of the Russian economy. The target scenario of Russian economic development and the conditions necessary for its implementation are analyzed. The necessity of completing the ICT Ecosystem to full cycle is substantiated. The strategies of fostering “national champions” are analyzed, and a target strategy is defined.

RAQAMLI IQTISODIYOT SHAROITIDA TARKIBIY O‘ZGARISHLARNI CHUQURLASHTIRISH VA UNGA INVESTITSIYA OMILINING TA’SIRINI BAHOLASH

The article reviews the importance of structural changes in digitalization of the economy on the example of Uzbekistan. The degree of effectiveness of the investment factor in such circumstances is also taken into account. The research work of a number of scientists has been studied and relevant aspects of the research have been presented. The main factor which determines the level of digitalization is the gross value added of the digital economy to GDP. The next factor affecting the structural changes is the inflow of investments in fixed assets. Econometric analysis was carried out to determine the relationship between the factors, and the conclusion made was based on the results. The study was carried out for the period 2016-2020 of the economy of Uzbekistan. The article theoretically investigates and analyzes structural changes in the economy, their impact on economic development, factors influencing structural changes, as well as the impact of investment flows on the economy and structural changes. The study found a strong correlation between GDP and gross value added in the ICT sector. In addition, the analysis showed that investment has a positive effect on structural changes that increase both the volume of GDP and the rate of structural changes as a result of increased investment in fixed assets.

The core – the periphery in global capitalism: from hegemony to multipolar order

The article analyzes the present order, called neoliberal globalization. It serves American corporations from the arms, mining, financial and ICT sectors to accumulate the capital. They made Wall Street the financial center of the world where the surplus of Europe, Japan and Latin American is transformed into the American bonds. This order is embedded in the institutions created and steered by the American state. The competitive advantage in this phase of the evolution of capitalism is given not only by control over so-called intellectual property but also by conquering a possibly large market. That is the reason for the competition between huge mega-corporations such as American GAFA or Chinese BATX. Capitalism is affected by the planetary crisis. A decline of the economic growth rate will take place as a result of natural limits from 3% to the anticipated 1%, including a decreased productivity of the computer revolution. Mechanisms of the functioning of the world economy will change: reconstruction of energy industry and transport, pressure on recycling of minerals, transformation of the labour market together with the use of robotics and artificial intelligence, the end of consumptionism. The daily issues include the problem of supplementing economic globalization with a political control mechanism and including a new civilizational power, which China is becoming. The latter opt for a multipolar order, where local civilizations will preserve their separate character and where they will be able to create a system of supplying their economies with deficit raw material and outlets but without military bases and without following the USA in recognizing certain areas to be the “zones of vested interests”. The world will be different but will it be worse?

Home office effects on the motivation of ICT companies' employees

Restricted measures for social isolation taken as precautions in the fight against pandemic due to the COVID-19 virus, have changed dramatically the normal business and professional life. Companies in all sectors have to be adaptive and flexible in order to survive in this complex and hardly unpredictable business environment. At first glance ICT sector is not so severely and visibly affected by the COVID-19 economic crisis. Due to numerous reasons companies from the sector have so far shown an enviable level of flexibility and adaptability to the rapid changes in business environment conditions. As a response to the anti-epidemiological requirements, most often used tool from ICT companies is to transform working processes from office to home, following the line of social isolation. In this regard the major objective of the current article is to reveal the specifics of home office work in ICT companies and its impact on the employees' motivation in terms of their perceptions and level of commitment to the achievement of companies goals. For this purpose we used questionnaire survey among employees working in different job positions in ICT companies in Bulgaria (n=158). Our findings reveal that majority of employees (almost 80% of responders) have positive attitude to the home office as a working measure in social isolation conditions. On the other hand, home office does not significantly impact on the level of employees' motivation and their engagement to the achievement of the company's goals. Based on analysis of collected data, we propose divers measures for improving the employees satisfaction and motivation in specific context of home office work during stress crisis situation, such the pandemic is.

Standard setting organizations and open source communities: Partners or competitors?

Standardization serves a as a means to improve overall quality of life through the economies of scale gained from the pervasive adoption of technical solutions. It enables competition by facilitating interoperability between products of different vendors. The wider open source community develops free and open source software (FOSS) in a global upstream/downstream model that similarly benefits society as a public good. FOSS and standards setting organizations (SSOs) are both instruments causing standardizing effects. Innovators and policy-makers assume that a mutually beneficial collaboration between them is desirable. However, their exact relationship is not fully understood, especially when and how FOSS and SSOs complement each other, or displace each other as competitors. To be able to compare FOSS and SSOs, our study develops a phase model of standardization that is applicable to both approaches, and applies this model to compare the strengths and weaknesses of FOSS and SSOs against common opportunities and threats in the ICT sector. Based on qualitative expert interviews with FOSS and SSO representatives, the synthesis of the separate results support conclusions from a product, a process and a societal perspective. The study identifies cost of change as a key determinant for the efficacy of each approach. It concludes that FOSS and SSOs create complementary products, compete for efficiency of the standardization process, and are both independent and complementary standardization instruments available to industry and influenceable by policy-makers. The paper closes with a discussion of possible implications relevant to businesses, the wider open source community, SSOs and policy-makers.

Information security management in ICT and non-ICT sector companies: A preventive innovation perspective

Despite the growing dependence of companies on information technology and the increasingly negative impact of security incidents worldwide, there is little research on the management of information security at the company level. This paper seeks to expand knowledge on the implementation of an information security management system based on the widely used international standard ISO/IEC 27001. We present motives, experienced impacts, and obstacles related to ISO/IEC 27001 implementation using data from a survey of 125 ISO/IEC 27001 certified companies in Germany. Since adoption rates vary between ICT and non-ICT sector companies, we highlight sector-related variations. We classify the adoption of this standard as a preventive organizational innovation and apply Structural Equation Modeling to unearth explanations for the comparatively low adoption of this management system standard among companies outside the ICT sector. We, therefore, derive recommendations for policymakers, standardization, and certification bodies to foster its diffusion.

Сучасні фактори активізації міжнародного бізнесу в Україні та світі

Introduction. The article is devoted to the issues of the modern factors of international business activation in Ukraine and the world. It has been noted that the last decade is characterized by the intensification of digital technologies and their active influence on the development of international economic activity. It has been confirmed that the most important factors in the intensification of international business are the development of information and communication technologies and the "fintech" technologies. It has been shown that the key carriers of modern digital technologies are the leading multinational corporations, which play a key role in the creation, development and dissemination of innovations. Modern TNCs directly affect new trends in international business, global competitiveness in international markets, as well as the economies of the world's economies. The article defines that in the current conditions of international business development it is becoming increasingly obvious that the interdependence between the activities of modern corporations and key trends in the world economy. Purpose. The main purpose of the article is to highlight the trends in the development of digitalization and informatization processes as the most important factors in the development of modern international business. It is necessary to study the indicators of economic activity of corporations in the sector of information and communication technologies. Results. It has been noted that the products of the ICT sector are used mainly by developed countries and especially by developing countries. The least developed countries and countries with economies in transition are almost not involved in this trade, but since 2017 they have been slowly increasing this trend. It has been confirmed that areas of international business differ significantly depending on the use of digital technologies. The risks and opportunities of digitalization for international companies have been identified. The indicators of the information and communication technologies’ development in Ukraine have been analyzed. The progressive development of the IT ecosystem in Ukraine in such elements as the number of IT outsourcing and product companies, the number of people employed in this industry, the growing market share of Ukrainian IT services and products have been identified. Among the modern world-class digital technologies that successfully transform the business environment within the country are the following: cloud computing, Internet of things, robotics, big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, 3D printing and blockchain. It has been proved that among the main tasks of modern corporations today is the desire to gain new competitive advantages through the use of information and communication technologies, the full use of the needs of informatization of the world economy. Conclusions. Modern opportunities for TNCs in the information sphere are related to the sphere of the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT creates new opportunities for better business conduct and quality, increased customer satisfaction, consumermanufacturer relationships, and generally increased business activity in the industry The risks of informatization have been identified, namely: the growth of cybercrime; strengthening the technological vulnerability of digital infrastructure; issues of aging of fixed assets and their safe disposal; possible weakening of technological and economic national security of individual countries due to the growth of technological dependence on foreign suppliers. The issues of possible job loss due to the development of the innovative industry and automation of production processes are becoming more relevant.

Making Sense of Indigenous ⬄ Colonial Encounters: New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi in a Digital Age

This article explores how we interpret, write history, and make sense in a digital age. The study takes place at the intersection of three disciplines: Media and Communication Studies, Postcolonial Theory, and Law. This exploration is conducted in and through an examination of attempts to make sense of “official,” “legal” documents” that emerged out of indigenous ⬄ colonial encounters during the 19th century in New Zealand. Subsequently, this paper focuses on McKenzie’s seminal study of the New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and Jones and Hoskins’ study of The Second New Zealand Land Deed. These two studies are then interfaced with and considered in light of a recent governmental review of New Zealand’s ICT sector, infrastructure and markets. Here, the focus is on Regulating communications for the future: Review of the Telecommunications Act 2001, and the Telecommunications (New Regulatory Framework) Amendment Bill. This article finds that in a digital age—a world of deep fakes and total manipulability of mediated or recorded space—the hermeneut is required to enter and negotiate a (constrained) creative relationship: as an artisan, architect, or artist, with an interpretative context and/or medium.

Transforming Romania into a Knowledge Economy Through ICT - Current Developments

Abstract In a society dependent on information, knowledge seems to be the only power that guarantees socio-economic development and progress. The knowledge is considered to be the driving force of economic growth and a resource that can provide sustainable competitive advantage and for this reason generates a great interest in understanding knowledge, information, technology, learning and their role in social economic life. In this society in which knowledge occupies an important place, information and communication technology represents an important pillar because without it the transmission of knowledge cannot be achieved. From this perspective, this paper tries to present the current stage of development of the ICT sector in Romania and to propose some solutions to improve it.

ICT for Sustainability or Sustainability in ICT? A Review of the Role of ICT in Enhancing Sustainability versus the Need to Enhance Sustainability in ICT

Is ICT a solution to sustainability problems or is it just a greater environmental problem? Throughout their lifecycle, ICT products and services are associated with significant levels of energy consumption and carbon emissions. On the contrary, despite being one of the main contributors to global carbon emissions, the ICT sector has a crucial role to play in boosting productivity and sustainability in many sectors—education, transport, agriculture, business, buildings, health, power, and manufacturing. To improve their efficiency and mitigate carbon emissions from ICT products, producers and end-users of such ICT products should therefore, employ measures that enhance their sustainability. Such measures identified in this article include the use of sustainable manufacturing processes, sustainable procurement/purchasing of ICT products, proper ICT product use, reuse, recycle, and proper disposal of ICT devices that are out of use. In data centres, such measures include virtualisation, recovery and reuse of waste heat, designing data centres to allow free cooling, control of restricted air conditioning, replacement of old servers and processors with new energy-efficient ones, and locating data centres near renewable energy sources. This is because apart from enhancing sustainability in the ICT sector itself, ICT has the potential to enhance sustainability in other sectors through improvement in efficiency and reduction in carbon emissions. This article discusses how ICT can enhance sustainability in the transport, power, manufacturing, and building sectors, which are the major energy consumers and carbon-emitting sectors.

Chinese Universities Mobilise FDI and DDI for the City’s Innovativeness in the ICT Sector

Abstract We explored whether university populations (intensity) moderate the link between FDI (foreign direct investment) or DDI (domestic direct investment) and the city’s innovativeness in the ICT sector. With the moderating role of universities between resources and the city’s development level, we relied on institutional theory. Institutional theory combines the technical and symbolic concepts (network structure) of the university. With panel data based on 5166 observations from 287 Chinese cities over 18 years (1999 to 2016), we used the maximum likelihood method to test hypotheses for direct and indirect effects. The direct effect of baseline hypotheses represents the FDI and DDI; university intensity has a moderating effect. In the former case, the FDI and DDI positively correlate with the city’s innovativeness in China’s ICT sector. In the latter case, the population of universities in the city positively moderates the relation between these resources and the city’s development level. These findings contributed to the literature at three levels. First, the study contributes to ICT development and the city’s innovativeness in the research context. Second, the study contributes to university intensity as a resource mobilizer in institutional theory, emphasising that interinstitutional interaction supports resource flow for better performance in certain geographical locations. Third, the study contributes to policy- and practice-related issues related to city development, the smart environment, and ICT development as an enabling infrastructure.

A machine learning based sentient multimedia framework to increase safety at work

In the last few decades, we have witnessed an increasing focus on safety in the workplace. ICT has always played a leading role in this context. One ICT sector that is increasingly important in ensuring safety at work is the Internet of Things and, in particular, the new architectures referring to it, such as SIoT, MIoT and Sentient Multimedia Systems. All these architectures handle huge amounts of data to extract predictive and prescriptive information. For this purpose, they often make use of Machine Learning. In this paper, we propose a framework that uses both Sentient Multimedia Systems and Machine Learning to support safety in the workplace. After the general presentation of the framework, we describe its specialization to a particular case, i.e., fall detection. As for this application scenario, we describe a Machine Learning based wearable device for fall detection that we designed, built and tested. Moreover, we illustrate a safety coordination platform for monitoring the work environment, activating alarms in case of falls, and sending appropriate advices to help workers involved in falls.

Migración de talento y transformación de habilidades en el sector TIC: México y el mundo

Migración de talento y transformación de habilidades en el sector TIC: México y el mundo

Imagining the smart city through smart grids? Urban energy futures between technological experimentation and the imagined low-carbon city

Current imaginaries of urban smart grid technologies are painting attractive pictures of the kinds of energy futures that are desirable and attainable in cities. Making claims about the future city, the socio-technical imaginaries related to smart grid developments unfold the power to guide urban energy policymaking and implementation practices. This paper analyses how urban smart grid futures are being imagined and co-produced in the city of Berlin, Germany. It explores these imaginaries to show how the politics of Berlin’s urban energy transition are being driven by techno-optimistic visions of the city’s digital modernisation and its ambitions to become a ‘smart city’. The analysis is based on a discourse analysis of relevant urban policy and other documents, as well as interviews with key stakeholders from Berlin’s energy, ICT and urban development sectors, including key experts from three urban laboratories for smart grid development and implementation in the city. It identifies three dominant imaginaries that depict urban smart grid technologies as (a) environmental solution, (b) economic imperative and (c) exciting experimental challenge. The paper concludes that dominant imaginaries of smart grid technologies in the city are grounded in a techno-optimistic approach to urban development that are foreclosing more subtle alternatives or perhaps more radical change towards low-carbon energy systems.