Information And Communication Technology Environment Research Articles

The Determinants of Remote Work in Poland – the Perspective of Employers

Theoretical background: Remote work has been of interest to managers since the introduction of new information and communication technologies (ICT). In the initial period, it was treated as a privilege of the employee, which few deserve. Therefore, this type of work was not very popular. The COVID-19 pandemic period changed the attitude towards remote work, it became a necessity for many organizations. However, its use gave rise to many new problems, which both employers and employees had to face. Post-pandemic reality poses new challenges for those interested in its further use. Purpose of the article: The aim of the article is to examine the attitude of employers to the five challenges related to remote work selected by the authors: the method of monitoring work, the level of employee support by employers, the assessment of work efficiency, work safety and data protection, and the intention to continue remote work after the pandemic. Research methods: The research was carried out using the standardized questionnaire interviews based on the CATI method. The questionnaire used in the research contained 23 closed questions of single and multiple choice, as well as 7 metric questions, allowing to identify the size, type of business, age and the structure of the company’s ownership capital. The research was carried out in the period May–June 2021 on a population of 248 entrepreneurs divided into micro, small, medium and large companies. Main findings: Remote work, in particular hybrid work, is likely to become more common in enterprises after the end of the pandemic crisis. Unfortunately, the provisions of labour law do not keep pace with the dynamics of changes in the organization of work in enterprises. Remote work poses new challenges for managers who have to deal with another, probably not yet well recognized management method. Therefore, it requires managers to develop new skills, a management style in the ICT environment oriented towards the results of work, and not time and workload. New tools for measuring work efficiency need to be developed. We also have to face the problem of trust, procrastination and many other new challenges. The model of remote work means the need to develop new internal procedures in the company, because this type of work requires a different organization of duties and tasks for employees with whom there is no physical contact. The challenge will be to strike a balance between a “tight” or “loose” organizational culture, known as “tight-loose ambidexterity”. It also seems that employers will have to assume a much larger range of responsibilities for this group of workers, ranging from a wide range of different training courses to financial support.

Secure e-Prescription Management System: Mitigating Blended Threat in IoBE

New information and communication technologies (ICT) are being applied in various industries to upgrade the value of the major service items. Moreover, data collection, storage, processing, and security applications have led to the creation of an interrelated ICT environment in which one industry can directly influence the other. This is called the “internet of blended environments” (IoBE), as it is an interrelated data environment based on internet-of-things collection activities. In this environment, security incidents may increase as size and interconnectivity of attackable operations grow. Consequently, preemptive responses to combined security threats are needed to securely utilize IoBE across industries. For example, the medical industry has more stringent information protection measures than other industries. Consequently, it has become a major target of attackers, as more clinician–patient interactions occur over the internet owing to COVID-19. Therefore, this study aims to acquire security for IoBE while focusing on the medical industry. Among the various types of medical ICT services, this study analyzes data flow and potential security threats from the e-prescription lifecycle perspective, which is highly utilized, strongly data-centric, and has numerous security issues. Based on our analysis, we propose a secure authentication and data-sharing scheme.

Information Systems Security Policy Framework for enhanced ICT Governance in Public Institutions of Tanzania

This study developed an Information Systems Security Policy Framework relevant in governing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in public institutions of Tanzania. It used higher learning institutions as the case for study, The framework is to guide professionals on how to secure ICT environment. Operationally, this study used a qualitative approach. It began with a review of the literature, followed by a focus group discussion to formulate new themes for the proposed Information System Security policy framework. The output of the study suggests a policy framework with the following themes: Data and information handling, Internet and network Services Governance, the use of company-owned devices, physical security, guidelines on how to acquire new hardware and software, incident handling and reporting, monitoring and compliance, and policy administration. This study recommends the use of a new comprehensive and harmonised Information Systems Security policy framework for all public higher education institutions, for a more secure environment. In addition, the study recommends additional studies including other types of organisations for comparison.

The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on Health Outcomes: A Mediating Effect Analysis Based on Cross-National Panel Data.

When ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies) are combined with healthcare, they can make a key contribution to gradually improve national health outcomes. The global outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 further highlighted the important role of e-Health and m-Health service modes. This research structures a mediated effect model to explore dynamic relationships between ICT factors, ICT impacts, and national health outcomes, among which ICT factors are independent variables; ICT impacts are mediating variables, and national health outcome indicators selected from United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and World Development Indicators are dependent variables. The fixed effect model is used to process a set of 141 countries' panel data from 2012 to 2016 from World Bank and World Economic Forum, while the classical three-step test method and Sobel test combined with fixed effects are used to test the mediated effects of the panel data. The results show that there are significant associations between ICT factors and national health outcome indicators, while only some of the partial mediated effects are proved. ICT environment and ICT usage can influence both the under-five mortality rate and adolescent fertility rate via ICT social impact. However, the mediated effect of ICT social impact on maternal mortality ratio and life expectancy at birth has not been confirmed. Meanwhile, the mediated effect of ICT economic impact has not been proven. This research is an interdisciplinary research in the field of information and communication technology and public health and reveals the path and mechanism whereby ICT factors improve national health outcomes, which can help global policymakers drive the next phase of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and continue to improve the overall health at the national level.

Closing ICT usability gaps for Nigerian women and girls: Strategies for reducing gender inequality

Significant empirical evidence from literature revealed that women, described as better versions of men, play integral roles as mothers, educators, household managers, and life-givers, constituting half of the world’s human capital and population. Globally, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) innovations are tremendous enablers of women’s empowerment and capabilities. Despite these important virtues, numerous investigations have shown significant gender gaps in internet use (23%), literacy rate (48.6%), pay gap (22%), tech-related positions (26.7%), tech workforce (19%), tech leadership positions (22%), developer workforce (5%), etc., resulting majorly from restrictions placed by ICT contents, language, and environment that are not pertinent, comfortable and gender-sensitive. Women and girls have great potential to redress gender gaps if empowered through effective, efficient, and satisfactory ICT adoption and usage. This study highlights strategies for reducing gender inequalities by closing existing gaps in ICT usability by women and girls. The conceptual framework espoused for this study was the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). A narrative review methodology of related research findings from peer-reviewed articles was adopted to draw holistic findings that revealed significant information on strategies for reducing gender inequality by leveraging ICT usability for women and girls. Results show that leveraging women’s literacy abilities for ICT adoption and usability may increase their sociability capital resources, thereby advancing sustainable goals for the significant reduction of gender inequalities. With ICT literacy, technology and the internet become enablers for girls and women for harnessing the power of technology for innovative solutions, capable of providing equal employment opportunities that can stimulate economic growth and development. There cannot be significant gender equality without effective leveraging of ICT innovations, literacy, adoption, and usage for the economic empowerment of women and girls.

Evolution of National Approaches to Cyber Warfare

The latest information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly considered by nation-states as a means to project their power and promote national interests. Over the past 20 years the major militarily signifi cant powers have created the doctrinal, logistical and organizational foundations for conducting military activities in the ICT environment and some states have already openly declared the priority of off ensive cyber operations, which increases the risks of crossing “red lines” and inadvertent escalation. The current situation related to the military-political exploitation of the ICT environment predetermines the urgent need for continuous analysis of current trends in this area and the search for approaches to reduce tension, which is the goal of this article. To achieve this goal, the fi rst part of the article considers in detail relevant doctrinal and strategic documents of the United States and other key countries and identifi es certain stages and aspects of evolution of their approaches. Further, the article considers and evaluates factors that infl uence military stability in the ICT environment, taking into account the previously obtained results. It is concluded that the identifi ed factors make the task of developing international frameworks to reduce the escalation in this area uncontested. This task is of particular urgency in the context of general international instability. Analysis of the current international environment in the relevant sphere allows to conclude that international community as a whole and the major players in particular (primarily Russia and the US) are aware of the danger of unintentional escalation in the ICT environment, especially when linked to strategic stability, and are ready to take steps towards developing the framework aimed at regulation and prevention of cyber confl icts. It is very actual now in new political reality but the question mostly is about fi nding the possible format.

Implementation and Test of an IEC 61850-Based Automation Framework for the Automated Data Model Integration of DES (ADMID) into DSO SCADA

As a result of the energy transition, an increasing number of Decentralized Energy Systems (DES) will be installed in the distribution grid in the future. Accordingly, new methods to systematically integrate the growing DES in distribution power systems must be developed utilizing the constantly evolving Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This paper proposes the Automated Data Model Integration of DES (ADMID) approach for the integration of DES into the ICT environment of the Distribution System Operator (DSO). The proposed ADMID utilizes the data model structure defined by the standard-series IEC 61850 and has been implemented as a Python package. The presented two Use Cases focus on the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) on the DSO operational level following a four-stage test procedure, while this approach has enormous potential for advanced DSO applications. The test results obtained during simulation or real-time communication to field devices indicate that the utilization of IEC 61850-compliant data models is eligible for the proposed automation approach, and the implemented framework can be a considerable solution for the system integration in future distribution grids with a high share of DES. As a proof-of-concept study, the proposed ADMID approach requires additional development with a focus on the harmonization with the Common Information Model (CIM), which could significantly improve its functional interoperability and help it reach a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL).

Delivering Modern Global Health Learning Requires New Obligations and Approaches

Introduction:The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a new look (or modernization) for both the obligations and approaches to achieve best-practices in global health learning. These best-practices have moved beyond traditional, face-to-face (F2F), classroom-based didactics to the use of innovative online, asynchronous and synchronous instructional design and the information and communication technology (ICT) tools to support it. But moving to this higher level of online in-service and pre-service training, key obligations (e.g., stopping neocolonialization, cultural humility, reversing brain drain, gender equity) must guide the modernization of instructional design and the supporting ICT. To positively impact global health training, educators must meet the needs of learners where they are.Purpose:We describe a set of multi-communication methods, e-Learning principles, strategies, and ICT approaches for educators to pivot content delivery from traditional, F2F classroom didactics into the modern era. These best-practices in both the obligations and approaches utilize thoughtful, modern strategies of instructional design and ICT.Approach:We harnessed our collective experiences in global health training to present thoughtful insights on the guiding principles, strategies, and ICT environment central to develop learning curricula that meet trainee needs and how they can be actualized. Specifically, we describe five strategies: 1. Individualized learning; 2. Provide experiential learning; 3. Mentor … Mentor … Mentor; 4. Reinforce learning through assessment; and 5. Information and communication technology and tools to support learning.Discussion:We offer a vision, set of guiding principles, and five strategies for successful curricula delivery in the modern era so that global health training can be made available to a wider audience more efficiently and effectively.

Creation of Sustainable Learning Environments in South African Rural Schools: A Call for Effective Implementation of ICTs

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are the core of the digital economy and could be important catalysts for progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which can improve people's lives. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognises the great potential of global connectivity to accelerate human progress. ICT has become an integral part of educational development as it enhances the efficiency and productivity of both teaching and learning of any subject. Though remarkable progress has been made in terms of access to ICT integrated education in South Africa, the issue of its reaching every rural school student and teacher has not been resolved. Against this backdrop, this paper looks at learning environments and the use of ICTs in rural schools in the Eastern Cape, a rural South African province, through an empirical quantitative study; and calls for creating sustainable learning environments through the effective implementation and use of ICTs. Data on the learning environments in Eastern Cape schools were collected from three different sources. A sample of university students and school teachers provided information on the ICT environment in schools. Government reports on ICT integrated teaching that shed light on the vision and planning of the creation of sustainable learning environments in rural education contexts, were also analysed. It is concluded that computer access and other forms of technology have dramatically increased in South Africa, however, the level of classroom utilization of technology does not correlate with this significant rise in rural schools. This calls for audacious investments to be accomplished in two major aspects: networking the classrooms with internet facilities and equipping the teachers with ICT implementation in the classrooms. Only then can sustainable learning environments in the rural schools be comprehended in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in South Africa.

The Level of ICT Infrastructure as a Factor of ICT Integration in Greek High School Science Teaching

This paper examines the extent to which the level of technological equipment affects the integration of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Greek high school science teaching. The limited ICT infrastructure environment, with only one computer‑projector system available and access to the internet (“PC‑VP” environment), is compared to the high level ICT environment (“1:1” environment) where, in addition to the computer‑projector system, each student has access to a computer and the internet. It is a study relying on a relatively small dataset derived from student answers to a questionnaire aiming to determine the degree to which some of the “expected” ICT benefits reach the students. The level of ICT integration is judged by the degree to which the ICT benefits reach the students. That is, the more the ICT benefits reach the students, the better – or the greater ‑ the ICT integration is. The participants were eighty‑nine, 14‑year‑old students who belonged in four different classes and the teacher who taught Physics in those classes. The SPSS non‑parametric "Man‑Whitney U Test" test was used to compare the statistical distributions of student answers. The results show that, when the applied teaching approach is used, the ICT integration is equally successful in both environments. This questions the idea of investing in “1:1" environments in the Greek public schools where less student centered and inquiry oriented teaching approaches are the norm. It also highlights the importance of the specific teaching approach as an ICT integration tool in “PC‑VP” environments that still exist in most Greek schools.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Economic Growth in Malaysia

This study aims to examine the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on economic growth in Malaysia. The motivation of this study is to estimates the impact of ICT advancement towards the performance of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Malaysia. The domestic GDP is selected as the dependent variables while the labour force participation, the contribution of ICT, the mobile cellular subscriptions and the individual usage of internet are utilised as the independent variables for this study. The time-series data collected for this study is for the period of 25 years, which is from the year 1994 until year 2018. The data set is then being further tested by using the unit root test which includes the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and the Kwiatkowski-Philip-Schmidt-Shin (KPSS) test. Meanwhile, estimating the cointegration and relationship between the variables will tested using the Johansen and Juselius (J&J) Cointegration Test, the Vector Error Correlation Model (VECM) and the ranger Causality test. Based on the result of this study, the mobile cellular subscriptions and individual usage of internet are estimated to have a significant and positive relationship with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Malaysia. The findings of this study show that the contribution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) assist to enhance the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Malaysia. The estimations from this study hopefully will support the active role played by the government in creating the network society by prioritizing the policies that will become the enablers in the advancement of ICT environment in the country and eventually support the economic growth of Malaysia.

Hindering and supportive factors of cross-border information exchange

The aim of this paper is to provide a well-detailed insight into the theories of international law enforcement information exchange and by this to provide guidance to strategic level decision makers how to improve their work and efficiency. The author tries to achieve this goal by introducing the relevant scientific theories in the field of organisational cooperation and adapting these ’civilian’ concepts to the specific law enforcement context. The theoretical evaluation identifies three main environments, organisational, legal and technological (Yang and Maxwell, 2011), to find the supporting and hindering factors of law enforcement cross-border information exchange. Within the organisational environment the author examines how the bureaucratic organisational structure, the diverse organisational culture, trust, reciprocity and leadership influences the information sharing process. Under the policy environment, the impact of the national and EU legislation is introduced. Furthermore, the consequences of various data protection and privacy regulations, lack of harmonised national legislation and diverse interpretation of the policies are outlined under this section. Lastly, the characteristics of the hindering and supporting technological environment is detailed. Here we discuss the issue of interoperability, homogeneity and the state of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) system and its impact to the exchange process. Based on the findings, the necessary conclusions are deducted and recommendations are elaborated which helps to eliminate barriers and thereby to create a supportive organisational environment. The most important recommendations are: to avoid coercive bureaucracy; to promote transformational leadership style and shared organisational culture; to establish a unified and harmonized legal background for cross-border information exchange; to create an information exchange friendly ICT environment and to ensure interoperability, homogeneity.

Digital Trust Gap

This study examines the relationship between an information and communication technology (ICT) environment developed by strong national policy and the level of user trust in cyberspace in South Korea, using a secondary data analysis of a national survey dataset. We categorised a subsample into the following types of online activities: ‘content creation’, ‘transaction’ and ‘communication’. Each category was analysed by the types of information and the users’ experience while using the internet. The results revealed that the more internet experience a user had, the less they trusted information in cyberspace. In contrast, less experienced users perceived information in cyberspace to be more trustworthy. This was especially evident during transaction and content creation activities. These results differ from existing studies, which showed that developments to the ICT environment with increased internet usage were strongly correlated with increased trust. We present some suggestions drawn from the results of this study that focus on online trust in relation to the ICT environment.

Metaphors for Meaningful Documents

The ever-increasing speed and reach of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are often lauded for the beneficial social effects we are told they have. This raises questions about the connection between knowledge and social relationships, especially concerning meaningful relationships in a world where people are increasingly represented as data. To answer this question, one approach is to consider the role of documents in communicating “meaningful” content in pursuit of understanding. Because this is difficult to articulate, this paper takes the approach of using metaphors—specifically of the document as a bridge, a window, a painting, a briefcase, and a mirror—to consider the possibilities for documents to aid or impede relationships. To provide something concrete upon which to reflect, this paper applies the metaphors to documents that are explicitly tied to meaning about individuals: those created by the United Church of Canada as part of its process of reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous people. Thinking about the church’s documents through the lens of metaphors is an initial conceptual step in thinking about the meaning in these documents. Through the metaphors, we gain important insights into the extent to which documents connect individuals as they are called to in the ICT environment.

A study on Web service supporting mobility of users using ICT-based autonomous feedback knowledge information

The 4th Industrial Revolution is influencing all the industries with the convergence and development of information communication technology. Particularly, the demand for “building a connected, more intelligent society” is amplified against the IoT (Internet of Things) and Web service area. The key of the 4th Industrial Revolution is to aim at optimized service by building the mutual communication system between the device and device and between the device and the person through the information and communication technology (ICT)-based IoT. However, since the existing IoT and Web service utilize only the limited form and amount of feedback knowledge information, it only could satisfy the individual service and could not provide integrated customized service demanded by the user. Therefore, in this study, the system that can support the customized mobile Web service utilizing autonomous feedback knowledge information with the existing service support methods is suggested. The information is generated in order to apply the Web service by collecting the data from the ICT environment devices, IoT devices, sensor, and wearable devices. The user can use the service suitable for diverse physical changes and spatial changes made during the movement using the information generated. The ICT-based autonomous feedback knowledge information suggested in this article is generated by collecting the changed data of the user. The generated information is identified through the analysis and the assessment as a stage to apply to the service level, and the identified service level gives feedback to the client by matching with the support service. If the autonomous feedback knowledge information mobile support Web service system suggested in this article is applied, the flexible service search is possible and the service by situation can be provided to the user. In addition, a customized mobile support service can be provided without increasing the complexity of the system design compared with the traditional service search method.

The Extent of Compatibility of Accounting Curriculum with the Requirements of Accounting Profession in Labor Market and IT Environment: Field Study in Jordanian Higher Education and Scientific Research Institutes

The Purpose of the study: The study aims is to identify the extent of compatibility of accounting curriculum with the requirements of accounting profession in labor market and IT Environment Jordanian Higher Education and scientific Research Institutes. Such requirements include general and specialized scientific skills and knowledge that accountants need to have in IT environment.
 
 The methodology of the study: The researcher has used descriptive analytical method. Previous studies and international standards of accounting education, touching upon the most important knowledge and skills that the accountants need to have as requirements of Jordanian labor market have been reviewed. In addition, the researcher designed and distributed a questionnaire to a research sample of the accountants working at Jordanian companies.
 
 Findings: The study concluded that the accounting courses taught in Jordanian higher education and scientific research institutes include the most significant knowledge and skills required in Jordanian labor market and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) environment. And they are inserted in some courses but are not detailed. Moreover, the study referred that attention should be paid to the developments of accounting curricula in order to comply with the development of ICT, recently used.

A comparative analysis of IT outsourcing readiness in the East African community

Developing countries are increasingly relying on Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) for their socio-economic development. Many countries have achieved faster gross domestic product (GDP) growth through information technology (IT) outsourcing, which is now largely recognized as a strategic management practice that can provide a competitive advantage in business. The East African Community (EAC) member states are putting in place policies to help improve their overall ICT environment competitiveness. This paper evaluates the current state of IT outsourcing readiness in the EAC countries, and contributes to the outsourcing body of knowledge by establishing a relation between a country’s Networked Readiness Index (NRI) and its readiness for IT outsourcing. This evaluation is performed based on the PROMETHEE method which is very effective at dealing with multi-criteria decision making problems. The results show that Kenya is the most ready country for IT outsourcing in EAC, followed by Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Burundi.

Real Time Monitoring and the New Information Technologies1

Debates as to the potential role of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in monitoring the wellbeing of vulnerable groups is often bedevilled by the failure of two principal actors – social researchers and technical experts – to address the other's concerns or even to use language that is comprehensible to the other side. The aim here is to unpick some of the technical language relevant in this context and provide a brief introductory guide to some aspects of the current, rapidly changing and highly diverse ICT environment.

The Effects of ICT Environment on Teachers’ Attitudes and Technology Integration in Japan and the U.S.

The present study analyzes the effects of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment on teachers’ attitude toward technology integration in Japanese and U.S. elementary schools. Teacher’s attitude plays an important role in influencing the effectiveness of ICT education from a variety of perspectives. A number of studies have been done regarding teachers’ attitude toward ICT, but there is very little research concerning international comparisons. The interest of observation in the present paper is the cross-cultural comparison between Japanese elementary school and U.S. elementary school teachers. The purpose of the paper is to identify the factors that affect teachers’ perception of ICT and how they differ between the two countries.

Applying a framework for assessing the health system challenges to scaling up mHealth in South Africa

BackgroundMobile phone technology has demonstrated the potential to improve health service delivery, but there is little guidance to inform decisions about acquiring and implementing mHealth technology at scale in health systems. Using the case of community-based health services (CBS) in South Africa, we apply a framework to appraise the opportunities and challenges to effective implementation of mHealth at scale in health systems.MethodsA qualitative study reviewed the benefits and challenges of mHealth in community-based services in South Africa, through a combination of key informant interviews, site visits to local projects and document reviews. Using a framework adapted from three approaches to reviewing sustainable information and communication technology (ICT), the lessons from local experience and elsewhere formed the basis of a wider consideration of scale up challenges in South Africa.ResultsFour key system dimensions were identified and assessed: government stewardship and the organisational, technological and financial systems. In South Africa, the opportunities for successful implementation of mHealth include the high prevalence of mobile phones, a supportive policy environment for eHealth, successful use of mHealth for CBS in a number of projects and a well-developed ICT industry. However there are weaknesses in other key health systems areas such as organisational culture and capacity for using health information for management, and the poor availability and use of ICT in primary health care. The technological challenges include the complexity of ensuring interoperability and integration of information systems and securing privacy of information. Finally, there are the challenges of sustainable financing required for large scale use of mobile phone technology in resource limited settings.ConclusionAgainst a background of a health system with a weak ICT environment and limited implementation capacity, it remains uncertain that the potential benefits of mHealth for CBS would be retained with immediate large-scale implementation. Applying a health systems framework facilitated a systematic appraisal of potential challenges to scaling up mHealth for CBS in South Africa and may be useful for policy and practice decision-making in other low- and middle-income settings.