Weaponizing Information Systems for Political Disruption

2021 ◽  
pp. 73-92
Author(s):  
Valeria Marcia ◽  
Kevin C. Desouza
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
The Political ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Information Warfare

Today, information systems are regularly weaponized for political disruption. This threat now encompasses electoral processes, given their increasing dependence on information systems both directly and indirectly. The chapter elaborates on a framing devise—ALERT (the Actors, Levers, Effects, and Response Taxonomy)—to study how information systems can be manipulated and the associated set of responses to such manipulation, which in turn can generate theories about election interference. Illustrative examples of such interference guide the reader through the ALERT framework in the foreign election interference context. Through the description of the ALERT framework and the copious examples reported, the chapter concludes by underlining the importance of a clear understanding of the dynamics related to the Actors involved in information warfare, the Levers used, the Effects in the political and, specifically, electoral fields, which all serve as a tool for obtaining appropriate Responses in the fight against weaponization for political disruption.

Moral Victories

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Moral Status ◽  
Just War ◽  
Just War Theory ◽  
The Political ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Civil Military Relations ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Humanitarian Interventions ◽  
Theory Of War ◽  
Military Relations

What does it mean to win a moral victory? In the history, practice, and theory of war, this question yields few clear answers. Wars often begin with ideals about just and decisive triumphs but descend into quagmires. In the just war and strategic studies traditions, assumptions about victory underpin legitimations for war but become problematic in discussions about its conduct and conclusion. After centuries of conflict, we still lack a clear understanding of victory or reliable resources for discerning its moral status, its implications for conduct in war, or its relationship to changing ways of war. This book brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars to tackle such issues. It is organized in two parts. After a synoptic introduction, Part I, ‘Traditions: The Changing Character of Victory’, charts the historically variable notion of victory and the dialogues and fissures this opens in the just war and strategic canons. Individual chapters analyse the importance of victory in the Bible, Clausewitz’s strategy, the political uses of defeat, arguments for unlimited war, revisionist just war theory, and contemporary norms against fights to the finish. Part II, ‘Challenges: The Problem of Victory in Contemporary Warfare’, shows how changing security contexts exacerbate these issues. Individual chapters discuss ethics in unwinnable wars, the political scars of victory, whether we can ‘win’ humanitarian interventions, contemporary civil–military relations, victory in privatized war, and operations short of war. In both parts, contributors work towards a clearer understanding of victory, forwarding several shared themes discussed in a critical conclusion.

An investigation into the role of enterprise information systems in enabling business innovation

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 771-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luay Anaya ◽  
Mohammed Dulaimi ◽  
Sherief Abdallah
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Enterprise Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Enterprise Information Systems ◽  
Business Innovation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to articulate clear understanding about the role of enterprise information systems (EIS) in developing innovative business practices. Particularly, it aims to explore the different ways that make EIS enables innovation development. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted exploratory case study, based on qualitative approach. Investigations included two case studies each involved interviewing a number of senior information technology staff, working at these cases. Findings – The paper provides empirical insights about the EIS role in enabling innovation. The analysis of the case studies revealed that integrating an EIS with other system(s) or with digital devices can provide new practices that could not be easily available without these technologies. The study also found that applying data analytics tools into data accumulated from EIS, to extract new insights, lead to innovative practices. Practical implications – The study provides a set of recommendations for organizations interested to maximize the benefits from their investments in EIS. Originality/value – The paper provides evidences from cases in United Arab Emirates for the EIS role in enabling business innovation.

FACTORS CAUSING PROBLEMS IN MANAGING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN A COUNTRY UNDER MILITARY OCCUPATION: Contractors’ Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 05 (07) ◽  
pp. 01-07
Author(s):  
Akram Subhe Suleiman ◽  
Jafar Subhi Hardan Abahre
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
Military Occupation ◽  
The Political ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
The Impact

An exhaustive literature search revealed that not much research has been done on factors causing problems in managing a construction project in a country under military occupation like Palestine. So, it is the main goal of this research is to identify these factors which could be used by the decision makers to select the appropriate project manager who bosses the suitable skills and competencies to deal with these problems. The study is a step toward determining means to improve the effectiveness of projects through identifying project manager competencies. It is important for Palestinian construction industry to progress in terms of project success; the problems that face the project managers must be determined and identified, in order to achieve the best results with less risk. A clear understanding of such problems helps the Palestinian construction industry of finding the suitable solutions to overcome these problems. A questionnaire survey was carried out to achieve the main aim of this research. The respondents were engineers have more than 3 years in the position of project manager in the Palestinian construction industry. The survey was based on factors drawn from findings of another researches in different countries, together with special factors identified as potentially affecting Palestine. The results identified many factors created problems; they were clustered in eight groups. These groups were arranged according to respondents in descending order as follows: the political situation of Palestine, lack of consultants` technical competencies, lack of resources, insufficient planning, team members uncommitted, conflicts between departments, breakdowns in communications, and changes in goals. As a result of this study one could conclude that managing a project in Palestine is as difficult as the complication of the political situation of the country. The project manager should have a complicated mixture of skills and competencies from dealing with Israeli occupation to dealing with stakeholders to lack of resources and unclear goals. The study has recommended to the Palestinian government to improve the regulations and laws to meet the impact of closure and segmentation of the Palestine.

E-Democracy Systems and Participation Outcomes in Urban Governance

2013 ◽  
pp. 19-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajeev Sharma ◽  
Atreyi Kankanhalli ◽  
Mahdieh Taher
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Urban Governance ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Science Domain ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Field Information

The concept of democracy has a long tradition of research in the political science domain. In recent years, advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have provided opportunities for governments to deploy systems to actively engage citizens in the agenda-setting and decision-making processes for urban governance. Consequently, e-democracy and e-participation efforts have emerged and attracted researchers’ attention in the Information Systems (IS) field. Information systems lay the foundations of active citizenry, which may impact on the participation outcome. However, in order to maximize the potential of this evolving form of democracy, researchers and practitioners need to address a number of challenges in the design of participation structures for city governance. This chapter sets out to explore e-democracy systems and their impact on a number of e-participation outcomes. Outlining both promoters and barriers of ICT use for e-democracy, the authors also uncover gaps in the previous literature and identify an agenda for future research.

scholarly journals Ausbildung für Religionslehrpersonen in der Schweiz

2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Schlag ◽  
Jasmine Suhner
Keyword(s):  
Religious Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
The Political ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Colleges Of Education ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Training Models ◽  
School Subjects ◽  
Broad Variety ◽  
Political Understanding

Abstract Training for teachers of religion in Switzerland has so far shown a broad variety and plurality of different aims and models, due to the plurality of cantonal frameworks and different political understanding of Religion Education in school. The article describes that due to the process of Bologna and the political initiative of a nationwide common curriculum for all school subjects (Lehrplan 21) the development of standardized models of Religious Education as well as teacher training is underway. It also shows that faculties and colleges of education have already developed specific training models, which in this article are presented exemplarily. But these developments so far lack a clear understanding of which competences teachers should acquire through these educational measures and which role theology and religious education could play in this context of academic and professional education.

The Process of E-Government Public Policy Inclusion in the Governmental Agenda

2010 ◽  
pp. 233-245
Author(s):  
Federico Monteverde
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
The Political ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Multiple Streams ◽  
Multiple Streams Model

The incorporation of information systems in government agencies is a process that started several decades ago, but it has sped up its pace due to the evolution of information technology and communications. This process could be characterized as being responsive to specific or by-sector requirements without policies or guiding principles. To this date, national and local government agencies obtain, record and process information in order to accomplish their duties. Their ways illustrate a fragmented scheme, noticeably based on the criteria of a self-referenced, bureaucratic state. Accordingly, the state has a myriad of information systems which are frequently disconnected. In spite of this, their remarkable evolution is a valuable asset that policy makers should consider. When the concept of electronic government emerged in the late nineties, it came to bridge the gap in the creation of public policies regarding the use of state information technologies and communications. However, electronic government it is not just limited to technology applications; it also introduces an innovative view on state modernization. The latter is presented from an external point of view that adopts the citizen’s perspective and emphasizes the need for coordination and integration in inter-agency processes. The development of electronic government has two basic approaches: electronic government initiatives and electronic government policies. The first approach resembles the traditional incorporation of information systems in government agencies, where multiple electronic government initiatives respond to specific vertical requirements. The second alternative incorporates a holistic view intended to build a global model of State through an electronic government public policy. This chapter focuses on the political process leading to the development of an electronic government policy, and it is illustrated by the analysis of the political process that led to the development of electronic government policy in Uruguay. The analysis uses John W. Kingdon’s (1995) multiple streams model, a conceptual approach that is intended to explain the mainstreaming of policies in the governmental agenda. The chapter further proposes that the multiple streams model could be extremely useful as a framework to be used on an ex ante basis for advocates of electronic government policy making.

scholarly journals The 30-th Anniversary of Visegrad Group: Achievements and Prospects

2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 26-36
Author(s):  
Lyubov Shishelina ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
The Political ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Critical Attitude ◽  
Visegrad Group ◽  
Significant Factors ◽  
Political Foundation

The author analyzes the fundamental points which contributed to the strength of the political foundation of the Visegrad Group. Among the most significant factors, the author identifies a critical attitude towards reality, the ability to search for intra-regional/international compromises, and the lack of bureaucracy. In general, this can be described as a clear understanding of V4 position and tasks in Europe. The group's objectives in understanding their possibilities have evolved over three decades and finally have evolved from a "return to Europe" to the possibility of transferring its experience and providing assistance to the neighboring States of Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Without denying the contradictions that exist in the group, there are no critical prerequisites for the realization of long-standing prophecies about the imminent and unavoidable breakup of the group. Contradictions and a critical approach, as well as overcoming these circumstances, often serve as the driving force of the group. So far, despite criticism of some retired politicians, the group looks united and interested in its further common development.

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