Information Environment Research Articles

Turning Points in the Croatian Information Environment: From the 1980s to 2023

Abstract The article deals with the development of standards and library information systems in Croatia from the late 1970s to 2023. Despite the turmoil of the dissolution of former Yugoslavia, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NUL) was able to continue its operations and was central to initiatives aimed at adapting national needs to international developments until the early 2000s, when it switched to a commercial system. The publication of the National Content Standard in 2021 has given the NUL the opportunity to assume again its central role in the Croatian bibliographic ecosystem.

Social media as an amplifier of insider trading profits

Our study investigates the relationship between stock forum posts and insider trading profitability. Using regression analysis, we find a positive relationship between the number of posts on a firm’s stock forum and insider trading profitability, particularly for sales transactions. A difference-in-differences analysis based on the launch of the mobile app for stock forums further confirms these results. This profit-amplifying effect of stock forum posts is likely due to the pervasive noise on social media, as it weakens following the introduction of regulations aimed at cleaning up the internet’s information environment. Additionally, we observe distinctions in post tone around insider trades, with the profit-amplifying effect more pronounced in firms with high information asymmetry, substantial retail holdings, and less foreign ownership. Overall, our study highlights a potential dark side of social media in amplifying insider trading profits, emphasizing the need for regulatory measures.

Audit firm informatization and audit quality during COVID-19

PurposeCOVID-19 has forced audit firms to change the way they operate. One change has been to rely more on information technology (IT) and IT human capital to overcome COVID-19-related challenges. We refer to audit firms’ use of these two resources as audit firm informatization (AFI). It is important to understand whether AFI helps audit firms address challenges created by the pandemic. Thus, this study examines the impact of AFI on audit quality during the COVID-19 pandemic in China with a focus on IT human capital.Design/methodology/approachWe use a mixed-methods approach. First, we perform multivariate regression analyses on archival data. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between IT human capital and audit quality and the two mechanisms (i.e. improved efficiency and reduced audit risk) underlying the relationship. We also investigate how this relationship is moderated by features of clients, audit firms and individual auditors. Then we use interviews to corroborate the results of our regression analyses.FindingsOur analyses of archival data show that IT human capital positively affects audit quality through improved efficiency and reduced audit risk and that this positive impact is more pronounced for clients in non-manufacturing industries, those with a more opaque information environment, audit firms with greater industry coverage and individual auditors with less experience. Our interview data indicate that audit firms with more advanced AFI and a higher level of IT human capital in particular are less disrupted by the pandemic and are better able to use IT to address challenges associated with COVID-19. Furthermore, the results confirm that improved efficiency and reduced audit risk are the mechanisms through which AFI enhances audit quality. Finally, we identify issues associated with the use of IT.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate how IT human capital (and by extension AFI) influences audit quality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings should be of interest to practitioners and setters of auditing standards.

Evidential Incognizance

AbstractIn this article, I explore an epistemic vice I call “evidential incognizance.” It is a vice of failing generally to recognize evidence, or recognize the full force of evidence, in a domain of knowledge. It frequently manifests as a kind of unbridled skepticism or hopelessness about knowing in the domain, including (but not limited to) skepticism about expert testimony. It is epistemically vicious primarily because it leads people to overlook valuable epistemic opportunities, and thus tends to obstruct knowledge and justified belief. I believe it is of interest particularly because it tends to arise as a reaction to a certain kind of information environment and is often induced intentionally by populist candidates and authoritarian regimes. I discuss the nature of evidential incognizance, its relation to and differences from other epistemic shortcomings, its political significance, why it may have been previously overlooked in the literature, and the potential for overcoming it.

Интеграционная повестка в деятельности органов Союзного государства Беларуси и России

The internal contradictions in the development of the Union State of Belarus and Russia that had accumulated by the end of 2010s called into question the possibility of realizing the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State. In 2020s, however, external threats to the sovereignty and safety of both countries aggravated to a degree when the integration agenda gained newfound relevance in such areas of interaction as economy, defense, society, etc. The article describes the problems and prospects of the integration of Russia and Belarus from September 2021 to May 2024. The author used discursive, systemic, qualitative, and formalized analyses to study the integration agenda of both governments and the integration measures they implemented. The concept of the Union State presupposes a shared economic, defense, information, and migration environment that will eventually result in a socio-political integration of citizens, thus erasing the borders between the concepts of a citizen of the Russian Federation and a citizen of the Republic of Belarus. The article concentrates on industrial programs adopted in November 2021, as well as on conceptual and strategic documents developed and approved in 2021–2024.

The Impact of ESG Rating Events on Corporate Green Technology Innovation under Sustainable Development: Perspectives Based on Informal Environmental Regulation of Social Systems

Corporate green technology innovation is an important driver to promote the green transformation of the manufacturing industry 4.0 and an important engine to achieve China’s carbon peak, carbon neutrality, and high-quality economic development. Based on the theory of informal environmental regulation of social systems, this study empirically analyzes the impact of ESG rating events on corporate green technology innovation by constructing a multi-period DID model using panel data of Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2022 as the research sample. The findings suggest that ESG rating events and ESG scores can stimulate corporate green technology innovation. ESG rating uncertainty can inhibit corporate green technology innovation. The mediation effect analysis shows that ESG rating events can stimulate firms’ green technology innovation by reducing financing constraints, increasing the degree of corporate internal control, and increasing R&D investment. In addition, heterogeneity analyses indicate that ESG rating events have a better stimulating effect on the quantity of innovation of non-state-owned enterprises than state-owned enterprises, while the stimulating effect on the quality of innovation of non-state-owned enterprises is inferior to that of state-owned enterprises. Moreover, the innovation stimulation effect of ESG rating events shows a trend of east-high and west-low in geographical distribution. Therefore, the government should accelerate the construction of the ESG rating system, promote the degree of convergence with international standards, and improve the level of enterprises’ utilization of digital technology while paying attention to informal environmental regulation.

Geospatial Modelling of Flood Susceptibility of the Calabar City, Cross River State, Nigeria

Flooding remains a major environmental problem in many parts of the world including Nigeria, causing untold losses. This study modelled the flood susceptibility of Calabar Metropolis using frequency ratio and geographical information system (GIS). Direct field observation and key informant approaches were used to obtain 127 previous and current flood locations in the study area from which a database of historical flood occurrence was developed. Using the geostatistical analyst tool within a geographical information environment the flood locations were split into two parts in the ratio of 70:30 percent for the training and testing processes, respectively. Eight flood conditioning factors (elevation, slope, aspect, curvature topographic position index, topographic wetness index, land cover and normalized difference vegetation index) were extracted from SRTM-30m DEM and Landsat 8 data accordingly and used in the geospatial analysis of flood occurrence within the GIS. The frequency ratio model was then developed using the training dataset. The final product was the flood susceptibility map of the study area. The results revealed that 9.3 percent of the study area was considered to have very high flood susceptibility, 19.97 percent was classified as high flood susceptibility while 31.79 percent was under moderate risk area. About 39 percent of the study area was classified at least under low flood susceptibility. The order of contribution of the conditioning factors to the model were topographic position index (TPI), elevation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land cover, curvature, aspect, slope, and topographic wetness index (TWI). The validation of the model using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve returned an AUC value of 74.81 percent. Hence, the result was acceptable for the prediction of flood locations in the study area. The findings would assist urban planners, environmental managers, risk reduction and management agencies, land developers, policy makers, and indeed the general public.

Information centralization and stock price crash risk: Cross-country evidence

Our study investigates whether access to corporate disclosure via a national database affects stock price crash risk. Exploiting the staggered implementation of national databases for corporate information dissemination (Officially Appointed Mechanisms, or OAMs) in the European Union countries, we find that stock price crash risk significantly decreases after regulated information disclosed by companies is required to be compiled in OAMs. Consistent with the notion that the centralization of regulated information allows investors to search and compare corporate disclosure across peer firms, we find that the observed effect is more pronounced in firms with more peer firms in the same industry. Further analyses show that this effect is stronger in firms with less transparent information environments and with more retail investors. Collectively, our study sheds light on the role of Regtech adoption in mitigating stock price crash risk.

Research on Enterprise Financial Information Risk Identification and Dynamic Control Management Model Based on Genetic Algorithm

In the contemporary global economic landscape, the imperative for enterprise financial informatization as a catalyst for efficiency, cost reduction, and innovation is evident. However, the deepening integration of informatization introduces corresponding risks, necessitating the establishment of effective risk management systems. This paper proposes a genetic algorithm-based model for enterprise financial informatization risk management, aiming to offer precise and actionable solutions. The study integrates genetic algorithms to enhance the adaptability and flexibility of the risk management model in the dynamic information environment. Through in-depth research on corporate financial informatization risks, a multi-dimensional risk management control model is constructed, considering technical, organizational, and environmental factors. The genetic algorithm introduces a new perspective for model optimization, enabling efficient search and optimization capabilities. The model not only identifies but also controls and governs risks, providing timely intervention and effective risk management. Moreover, the genetic algorithm facilitates intelligent decision support for risk management by adapting to changing environments. Empirical analysis validates the model’s feasibility and effectiveness in real enterprise cases, emphasizing its practicality.

Электронная информационная образовательная среда как экосистема в педагогическом процессе современного вуза

Development of the EIEE (electronic information and educational environment) is one of the most important topics in modern pedagogical research. This process is currently undergoing a lot of changes and requires its detailed understanding within the framework of pedagogical science, as modern educational programmes for specialists’ training require implementation of innovative digital technologies. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to carry out theoretical analysis and case study in order to systematize this concept in the context of implementing educational programs for training highly qualified specialists in various sectors of the digital economy. EIEE plays the key role in terms of implementing educational programs for training highly qualified specialists in various areas of digital economy. This paper provides generalized analysis of existing theoretical approaches to the concept of "ecosystem" and considers various views on EIEE’s development. Particular attention is paid to the authors’ approach, which is based on cooperation with industrial partners. In this context, it is proposed to create EIEE through the development of technical specifications, integration of cross-platform solutions and sharing resources. In the course of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that EIEE’s development is an important step towards evolution of educational programmes that meet the requirements of modern digital economy and contribute to training of a new generation of specialists, who are ready for challenges that future presents.

The technology of organizing methodical online support during the fundamental training of future physics teachers at a pedagogical university

The article substantiates the didactic expediency of the technology of organizing methodical online support during the fundamental training of future physics teachers at a pedagogical university. The technology of organizing methodical online support during the fundamental training of future physics teachers at a pedagogical university is interpreted as a step-by-step process of creating an integrated environment of information and educational resources, software and technical and telecommunication tools, rules for their administration and use, which provide opportunities for interactive cooperation during training and independent work. The stages of the technology of organizing methodical online support during the fundamental training of future physics teachers at a pedagogical university are defined and characterized: preparatory-target, projective-motivational, activity-implementation and analytical-reflective stages. The preparatory-target stage guides the teacher to set a clear goal - to develop electronic resources (distance courses/online platforms/teacher's personal website) for learning educational components or their in-depth study, organization of project, research activities, finds out what he/she hopes to achieve with the help of such learning tools, the goal and the result are compared. The projective-motivational stage determines the design of the methods of presentation of the content of electronic resources, the number of pages, what should be displayed on the pages and in what way, what will motivate future physics teachers to study, which methods of presentation of educational material should be better used for motivational purposes, which materials will help students methodologically to learn the educational material better. The activity-implementation stage reflects the direct process of creating electronic resources: selection and testing of the functionality of software and technical tools, integration into the online platform (Google Sites, Google Classroom, etc.), video conferencing capabilities (Google Meet, Zoom, Skype, Instagram resources, etc.), use of possibilities of communication in chats and messengers. The analytical-reflective stage involves the implementation of a thorough analysis of the content and functionality of the developed electronic resources of methodical online support during the fundamental training of future physics teachers at a pedagogical university, as well as the evaluation of the learning results, achieved by the students, joint reflection of the teacher and students. It has been proven that the creation of a technology for the organization of methodical online support in the process of fundamental training of future physics teachers at a pedagogical university is an integration of personal-oriented and resource-oriented technology, which makes it possible for students to master the knowledge system, acquire practical skills, and form an information cultures during distance learning of educational components

A Multi-Stakeholder Approach for Leveraging Data Portability to Support Research on the Digital Information Environment

A Multi-Stakeholder Approach for Leveraging Data Portability to Support Research on the Digital Information Environment

North Korea's threats and the cost of equity capital: The effect of information environments

We examine how the information environment affects the association between North Korea's threats and the cost of equity financing. Using a sample of Korean publicly-listed firms from 2012 to 2019, we find evidence that the adverse effect of North Korea's threats on the cost of equity capital is more significant for companies in less transparent information environments after controlling for other factors. Our findings contribute to the literature by identifying that the information environment affects geopolitical risk.

Risk disclosure, earnings smoothing and firm perceived risk

Purpose This paper aims to examine the association between perceived firm risk and two reporting mechanisms: risk disclosure and earnings smoothing in the UK context. Design/methodology/approach This study juxtaposes three competing views, the “null”, the “divergence” and the “convergence” hypotheses, and empirically investigates whether risk disclosure and earnings smoothing affect firm perceived risk for a sample of large UK firms with rich and poor information environments. This study also uses the global financial crisis as an external shock on overall risk in the economy to investigate when and how managers use these two reporting mechanisms to shape the firm perceived risk. Findings This paper documents that risk disclosures have no significant effect on investors’ risk perceptions, consistent with risk disclosures containing boilerplate and generic statements about firm risk. This paper also finds that earnings smoothing reduces investors’ risk perceptions, reflecting investors’ interpretations about future firm performance. Additional tests reveal that earnings smoothing is not associated with perceived firm risk for firms with rich information environments and expanded risk disclosures. Furthermore, reporting smooth earnings decreases perceived firm risk following the global financial crisis. These findings are robust to alternative specifications and measures of earnings smoothing as well as post-filing perceived firm risk. Research limitations/implications This study does not distinguish between the garbling role and the informational role of earnings smoothing. The risk disclosure measurement used in this study, developed based on UK annual reports, may limit the generalizability of findings to other countries. Practical implications The findings suggest that managers should revise their risk disclosure strategies to provide in-depth details on firm risk. Investors might require information and thorough assessment to evaluate investment risks when firms provide generic risk disclosures and smoothed earnings by consulting sources like financial intermediaries. Regulators should keep an eye on firms reporting boilerplate risk disclosures and on how smoothing earnings impacts the firm perceived risk following economic turmoil, to guide interventions that promote market stability. Originality/value The findings provide new insights into when and how managers use their financial reporting discretion to make firms appear less risky and, therefore, influence investors’ risk perceptions.

Cross‐border cooperation and tax avoidance of U.S. cross‐listed firms

AbstractWe investigate how cross‐border cooperation formed by the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) affects tax avoidance of foreign firms cross‐listed in the U.S. Prior studies show that the MMoU enhances U.S. SEC's regulatory oversight of foreign firms and increases such firms' corporate governance. We utilize data from 27 jurisdictions from 2000 to 2009 and find that U.S. cross‐listed firms mitigate tax avoidance more than do their home‐listed peers after their home jurisdictions become signatories of the MMoU. Our further analyses reveal that improved information environment and enhanced foreign institutional investor monitoring are two possible underlying mechanisms, consistent with the complementarity theory of tax avoidance that self‐serving managers can employ tax avoidance to divert assets when corporate governance is ineffective. We also show that the effect of the MMoU increases with U.S. IRS monitoring and the strength of institutional regimes in foreign firms' home jurisdictions. Collectively, our findings elucidate unintended consequences of the MMoU and provide implications for practitioners and regulators.

Factors influencing user's health information discernment abilities in online health communities: based on SEM and fsQCA.

Online health communities have become the main source for people to obtain health information. However, the existence of poor-quality health information, misinformation, and rumors in online health communities increases the challenges in governing information quality. It not only affects users' health decisions but also undermines social stability. It is of great significance to explore the factors that affect users' ability to discern information in online health communities. This study integrated the Stimulus-Organism-Response Theory, Information Ecology Theory and the Mindsponge Theory to constructed a model of factors influencing users' health information discernment abilities in online health communities. A questionnaire was designed based on the variables in the model, and data was collected. Utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in conjunction with fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the study analyzed the complex causal relationships among stimulus factors, user perception, and the health information discernment abilities. The results revealed that the dimensions of information, information environment, information technology, and information people all positively influenced health information discernment abilities. Four distinct configurations were identified as triggers for users' health information discernment abilities. The core conditions included information source, informational support, technological security, technological facilitation, and perceived risk. It was also observed that information quality and emotional support can act as substitutes for one another, as can informational support and emotional support. This study provides a new perspective to study the influencing factors of health information discernment abilities of online health community users. It can provide experiences and references for online health community information services, information resource construction and the development of users' health information discernment abilities.

Understanding the rationales and information environments for early, late, and nonadopters of the COVID-19 vaccine

Anti-vaccine sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic grew at an alarming rate, leaving much to understand about the relationship between people’s vaccination status and the information they were exposed to. This study investigated the relationship between vaccine behavior, decision rationales, and information exposure on social media over time. Using a cohort study that consisted of a nationally representative survey of American adults, three subpopulations (early adopters, late adopters, and nonadopters) were analyzed through a combination of statistical analysis, network analysis, and semi-supervised topic modeling. The main reasons Americans reported choosing to get vaccinated were safety and health. However, work requirements and travel were more important for late adopters than early adopters (95% CI on OR of [0.121, 0.453]). While late adopters’ and nonadopters’ primary reason for not getting vaccinated was it being too early, late adopters also mentioned safety issues more often and nonadopters mentioned government distrust (95% CI on OR of [0.125, 0.763]). Among those who shared Twitter/X accounts, early adopters and nonadopters followed a larger fraction of highly partisan political accounts compared to late adopters, and late adopters were exposed to more neutral and pro-vaccine messaging than nonadopters. Together, these findings suggest that the decision-making process and the information environments of these subpopulations have notable differences, and any online vaccination campaigns need to consider these differences when attempting to provide accurate vaccine information to all three subpopulations.

Expressway Network Model Construction and Road Section Impedance Estimation Based on Mixed Data

The acquisition of high-speed road network information and traffic environment information is of great significance for traffic management and planning, and at the same time, an accurate and efficient road network model is also the basis for the acquisition and application of traffic parameters. In order to quickly obtain high-speed road network information and road section traffic state information, this paper takes Chongqing Highway as an example, analyzes the traffic condition and characteristics of the highway network, and establishes the topology of the high-speed road network using network data and actual high-speed toll data from the graph theory and complex network theory. At the same time, based on the topology theory, fully exploiting the high-speed toll data, a more accurate estimate of different time periods, vehicles in the high-speed road section of the travel time, for highway traffic analysis to provide data reference, to improve the traffic planning program to enhance the efficiency of traffic management, to promote traffic planning and decision-making, as well as to enrich the theoretical basis of transportation research is of great significance.

Exploring How Casualization Complicates Canadian Academics’ Information Practices

An increasing number of academics working in higher education in Canada work on short-term contracts. The casualization of university work and the insecure nature of these contracts increases the difficulty that contract academic staff (CAS) experience, including often not receiving the information they need to carry out their work. While research around CAS has identified areas of challenge, there is a lack of research examining the information practices and environments of Canadian CAS. This paper reports on the findings from in-depth, semi-structured interviews carried out with CAS, focusing on their information experiences and how precarious employment and ongoing uncertainty influences their information seeking, sharing, creating, and use.

Proxy Advisory Firms and Corporate Shareholder Engagement

Abstract We study how Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) affect firms’ engagement with shareholders. Our analyses exploit a quasi-natural experiment using say-on-pay voting outcomes near a threshold that triggers ISS to review engagement activities. Firms receiving ISS treatment exhibit swift and substantive increases in extensive and intensive margins of engagement, especially when their boards have higher agency conflicts and directors are more likely to lose voting support from ISS. Increases in engagement persist over time, and shareholders appear to value the increased engagement. Collectively, we shed light on an unexplored channel through which ISS positively influences firms’ governance and information environments.