scholarly journals Let’s Connect to Keep the Distance: How SMEs Leverage Information and Communication Technologies to Address the COVID-19 Crisis

Author(s):  
Charlotte Wendt ◽  
Martin Adam ◽  
Alexander Benlian ◽  
Sascha Kraus

AbstractCOVID-19 caused significant challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the event industry. To address these challenges, many SMEs leveraged information and communication technologies (ICTs), with some even emerging strengthened from the crisis. Drawing on the technology-organization-environment framework and technology-affordances-and-constraints theory, we investigate the adoption of ICTs as a crisis response strategy in 10 SMEs in the German business event (e.g., corporate events, conferences) industry. Our findings reveal that ICT adoption not only depends on rational decisions based on organizational, environmental, and technological characteristics, but also on these dimensions’ interrelationship and the specific ICTs’ affordances and constraints. Introducing readily available ICTs (e.g., video-conferencing) has significant potential in addressing physical distancing in the short and medium term, while more sophisticated ICTs (e.g., virtual reality) are more likely to gain importance in the long term. Thus, we expand our understanding of organizational technology adoption and ICT-enabled crisis response strategies in SMEs.

2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (06) ◽  
pp. 481-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Kuballa ◽  
Mareike Schulze ◽  
Claudia Böhm ◽  
Olaf Gefeller ◽  
Jan Haaf ◽  
...  

SummaryBackground: Based on today‘s information and communication technologies the open access paradigm has become an important approach for adequately communicating new scientific knowledge.Objectives: Summarizing the present situa -tion for journal transformation. Presenting criteria for adequate transformation as well as a specific approach for it. Describing our exemplary implementation of such a journal transformation.Methods: Studying the respective literature as well as discussing this topic in various discussion groups and meetings (primarily of editors and publishers, but also of authors and readers), with long term experience as editors and /or publishers of scientific publications as prerequisite.Results: There is a clear will, particularly of political and funding organizations, towards open access publishing. In spite of this, there is still a large amount of scientific knowl edge, being communicated through subscription-based journals. For successfully transforming such journals into open access, sixteen criteria for a goal-oriented, stepwise, sustainable, and fair transformation are suggested. The Tandem Model as transformation approach is introduced. Our exemplary implementation is done in the Trans-O-MIM project. It is exploring strategies, models and evaluation metrics for journal transforma tion. As instance the journal Methods of Information in Medicine will apply the Tandem Model from 2017 onwards.Conclusions: Within Trans-O-MIM we will reach at least nine of the sixteen criteria for adequate transformation. It was positive to implement Trans-O-MIM as international research project. After first steps for transforming Methods have successfully been made, challenges will remain, among others, in identifying appropriate incentives for open access publishing in order to support its transformation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mladen Cudanov ◽  
Ondrej Jasko ◽  
Milos Jevtic

This paper presents research on influence of information and communication technologies on decentralization of organizational structure. An empirical research was conducted, in which decentralization was described by dominant management style was compared to the level of composite index of ICT adoption. Also, consulting experience in four major Serbian companies was used to further elaborate and explain the results in the context of modern literature and practice. Conclusions were that ICT adoption is more frequently expressed in decentralized companies, empirically described by dominant liberal style of management, although ICT adoption can also lead to centralization in some cases, depending on other factors in the organization.


2011 ◽  
pp. 1158-1170
Author(s):  
Udo Averweg ◽  
Siyabonga Manyanga

The availability of publicly accessible Internet networks and services are the first prerequisite in ensuring that all citizens and nations can benefit from information on the World Wide Web (UNESCO, 2003). Information and communication technologies (ICT) are playing an increasingly important role in the daily lives of citizens, revolutionising work and leisure and changing the rules of doing business. ICT encompass all technologies that facilitate the processing and transfer of information and communication services (United Nations, 2002). In the realm of government, ICT applications are promising to enhance the delivery of public goods and services to citizens not only by improving the process and management of government but also by redefining the traditional concepts of citizenship and democracy (Pascual, 2003). The spread of ICT brings hope that governments can transform (Pacific Council on International Policy, 2002). This article is organised as follows: • Background to the research is given • ICT adoption in the eThekwini Municipality in South Africa is described • The research goals, method, data gathering, and results are discussed • Management implications towards implementing a successful e-government strategy are given • Future trends are then suggested and a conclusion is given


2020 ◽  
pp. 312-324
Author(s):  
Hasnain Falak ◽  
Tariq Zaman

Community engagement is necessary for the success and sustainability of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) projects. To ensure active participation of community, researchers need to understand and adhere to the local cultural norms and adapt in the lifestyle of people. These cultural norms are mainly unwritten and implicit in nature. Hence the researchers spend maximum time of their field visits in observing and developing understanding of the community's life. In our long-term partnership with the indigenous Penan community of Long Lamai in Malaysian Borneo, we co-developed written guidelines for researchers and visitors. The researchers demonstrated their interest in aligning research process to the community's cultural values, however norm internalisation and development of associated behaviour is still a challenging. The written guidelines are yet only one of the attempts to the practices of community researchers' engagement and we are refining our methodology to enhance the researchers' learning process.


Author(s):  
Nidhal Mgadmi ◽  
Wajdi Moussa ◽  
Azza Béjaoui ◽  
Tarek Sadraoui ◽  
Afef Guachaoui

In this paper, we try to investigate the contribution of digitalization on economic growth in both developed and developing countries over the period 1990-2020. For this end, different econometric tools are applied on a panel dataset. Overall, we show that the digital technologies seem to significantly and positively affect economic growth in both groups of countries. The digitalization impact level tends to differ across countries. Our empirical results also display that the short- and long-term relationship between information and communication technologies and economic growth is well documented. Such results can be useful for policymakers to enhance the digital economy and provide novel channels to develop adequate policies and promote new institutions. So, benefits from digitalization can lead to realize substantial economic growth.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Prado

This study surveyed the residents of El Limón de Ocoa, a remote mountaintop agricultural community in the Dominican Republic, to examine how the community has integrated the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) since the establishment of a local telecenter in 1997. As the longest continuous-running independent telecenter in the Caribbean nation, this site provides a rich testing ground for the study of the impact of community-driven ICT adoption in under-privileged rural areas of the Western hemisphere. Analysis of survey data found that this remote agricultural community was able to leverage ICTs available at the telecenter in ways that promote social change, foster community prosperity, solidarity, and well-being.


This investigation is part of a development model to adopt the information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to the teaching-learning process at the Technical University of Cotopaxi. Specifically, to improve the higher education, as a result of the steady advances in the field of digital knowledge and educational technology, for that reason, the Institutions must improve their academic organization and education processes. Through the use of technologies, educational institutions try to integrate information and innovation. In this context and reviewing the problem case through the application of the ICT new Acceptance Model, the student's teaching-learning process will improve. The investigation showed the expected results with the creation of the latest ICT adoption model. Using collaborative tools within a collaborative learning environment (CLE) to elaborate constructs Cronbach's alpha, variance, and correlations and the statistical software were used as the Minitab validated the hypotheses.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-41
Author(s):  
Jennifer Sappey ◽  
◽  
Stephen Relf ◽  

This paper explores the interface between digital technologies and the teaching labour process in Australian higher education. We develop an adaptation of the seminal Clark (1983, 1994, 2001) and Kozma (1991, 1994) debate about whether technology merely delivers educational content unchanged – technology as the ‘delivery truck’ – or whether education is changed as a result of using different technologies – education as ‘groceries’. Our adaptation is an extension of this metaphor to include the academic teacher as the driver of the grocery truck. With the implementation of new educational technologies, the human resource management aspects of job design, motivation, skilling and work identity are often overlooked, with critical debate about the impact on the teaching labour process seldom considered. In this argument, we will unpack the Clark-Kozma dichotomy of the education/technology interface by looking beyond the embedding of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Australian higher education to examine more broadly the changes to the traditional academic role as the creator, developer and delivery agent of the educational groceries. This has been reinforced by the marketisation of the sector and the concomitant reconfiguration of the traditional teaching process. All this has led to changes in the sense of work identity for academics (McShane, 2006). While we embrace ICT as a potential benefit for both students and academic teachers, we seek to ensure that the ‘truck driver’s’ evolving role is acknowledged in scholarly debates and included in models of learning and teaching if long-term sustainable work practices are to be achieved. One such model is offered.


Author(s):  
David Oguche ◽  
Asabe Aliyu

The need for preserving digital resources (acquired or generated) by institutions in Nigeria becomes imperative in the wake of adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by these institutions. The paper advocates for a national framework for preserving digital resources for long-term or future use and to avoid the risk of losing national memory in this digital age. Technology emulation, migration and encapsulation are some of the digital preservation strategies discussed in the paper. The paper also identified two key national institutions that can drive the digital preservation initiative in Nigeria. Keywords: Archive, Preservation, Digital materials, Technology Obsolence


2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Salvador ◽  
John Sherry

In this essay, we explore some of the details of what it takes to own, use and derive benefit from information and communication technologies, with a focus on regions where ICT adoption and use is especially low. We begin with a fairly meticulous description from our ethnographic work to which we'll refer throughout the paper. Though we consider this particular instance, we note that it represents of a wide range of instances from our ethnographic work in homes and businesses over several years in Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Korea and India. Our goal in this paper, however, is to change the conversation from discussions of infrastructure and capacity building to considerations of local, lived conditions in actual homes and actual businesses to suggest design alternatives that make effective use of ICTs more amenable to various locales. We offer two design directions especially for high tech corporations: Designing for Locus of Control and Designing for Local Participation. Along the way, we'll argue to re-frame of the current conception of "digital divide", putting the burden not on those with limited access, but on limited understanding within the high tech industry.


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