Networked Street Life

Author(s):  
Jeffrey Lane ◽  
Will Marler

In this chapter on networked street life, the authors explore the intersection of urban poverty and information and communication technologies as an emergent area of research. The concerns of the “street” as an organizer of social life for many urban poor communities and the affordances of social media, smartphones, and other networked technologies are topics ripe for theoretical integration. In this chapter, the authors argue that urban and digital forms of inequality are constitutive of one another and manifest in technology access, use, and outcomes of use for street-involved youth and adults. Ethnographic studies of neighborhood gang violence, homelessness, and other street-level issues illustrate the importance of a networked approach to neighborhood street life and urban-digital inequality. Future research can expand on the intersectional nature of networked street life, the tensions of physical place and digital networks, and the mass recording of police violence to grow this burgeoning area of study.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-295
Author(s):  
Elisa Mohanty ◽  
Anindya Jayanta Mishra

Purpose The widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has had a significant effect on various groups and communities of people including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and their owners/managers. The current study aims to analyze recent literature regarding adoption of ICTs by MSMEs. Further, it tries to locate gender within this broader context of diffusion of ICTs among MSMEs. Design/methodology/approach Using the thematic analysis approach, the research articles pertaining to six leading journals on ICTs, gender and entrepreneurship published during the time period from 2011 to 2019 are reviewed. Findings The literature selected for the study has been discussed under two primary categories, viz. “adoption of information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) for business purposes” and “insights on gender in ICT4D use by MSMEs.” Research limitations/implications The context-dependent nature of ICT use can enable future entrepreneurs to assess the scope of specific ICTs in given areas of operation. The gendered nature of ICTs helps to evaluate as well as question the empowerment potential of ICTs. The study emphasizes the need to account for historical specificities and transnational linkages in understanding access, adoption and use of ICT4D by women MSME entrepreneurs. Originality/value The study bridges together literature on ICT4D use by MSMEs and the role of gender in ICT-mediated entrepreneurial environments. While unraveling the interplay of power dynamics in such environments, the scope for future research in terms of tapping into the content of information exchanges and exploring the implications of “dark side of internet” for women MSME entrepreneurs is also indicated.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nubia Velasco ◽  
Juan-Pablo Moreno ◽  
Claudia Rebolledo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the current state of logistics practices in healthcare organizations in Bogota, Colombia. Design/methodology/approach The assessment is based on case study research using open interviews, focused interviews, a questionnaire and direct observations as sources of evidence. Seven Colombian health care settings are analyzed: four public hospitals and three private clinics. Cross-case analysis allows the identification of patterns regarding supply management, inventory management, replenishment and use of information and communication technologies. Findings Manual procedures, poor planning, little recognition from top management and a lack of specialized personnel characterize the current situation. Innovative practices with a potential to improve the efficacy of logistics activities are rare, particularly in public hospitals. Research avenues Future research could replicate this study in other Colombian cities, in order to generalize the results to the whole country. It could also be interesting to document successful and less successful implementations of innovative logistics practices in Colombian hospitals to guide and promote their adoption. Research limitations/implications The small number of cases considered, and the fact that the research is concentrated in one city, limits the generalizability of the results. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to explore the state of healthcare logistics practices in Colombia.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
FARZAN SHENAVARMASOULEH ◽  
Farid Ghareh Mohammadi ◽  
M. Hadi Amini ◽  
Hamid R. Arabnia

<div>A smart city can be seen as a framework, comprised of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). An intelligent network of connected devices that collect data with their sensors and transmit them using wireless and cloud technologies in order to communicate with other assets in the ecosystem plays a pivotal role in this framework. Maximizing the quality of life of citizens, making better use of available resources, cutting costs, and improving sustainability are the ultimate goals that a smart city is after. Hence, data collected from these connected devices will continuously get thoroughly analyzed to gain better insights into the services that are being offered across the city; with this goal in mind that they can be used to make the whole system more efficient.</div><div>Robots and physical machines are inseparable parts of a smart city. Embodied AI is the field of study that takes a deeper look into these and explores how they can fit into real-world environments. It focuses on learning through interaction with the surrounding environment, as opposed to Internet AI which tries to learn from static datasets. Embodied AI aims to train an agent that can See (Computer Vision), Talk (NLP), Navigate and Interact with its environment (Reinforcement Learning), and Reason (General Intelligence), all at the same time. Autonomous driving cars and personal companions are some of the examples that benefit from Embodied AI nowadays.</div><div>In this paper, we attempt to do a concise review of this field. We will go through its definitions, its characteristics, and its current achievements along with different algorithms, approaches, and solutions that are being used in different components of it (e.g. Vision, NLP, RL). We will then explore all the available simulators and 3D interactable databases that will make the research in this area feasible. Finally, we will address its challenges and identify its potentials for future research.</div>


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-195
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Chałubińska-Jentkiewicz

The purpose of this paper is to describe the duties of local government units under the legal conditions related to access to the ICT network in Poland. Establishing public-private partnerships in the telecommunications sector, which is a field closely tied with cybersecurity, seems inevitable and necessary. The need to cooperate is the consequence of the development of information and communication technologies, which leads to their increasingly wide application in all aspects of social life. The tasks of local government involving network access have become key to the process of broadband network development. That is why public funding becomes particularly important in its absence, justified by the need to provide conditions for internet access as a human right. This has become especially topical as we face the challenges of COVID-19.


Author(s):  
Gerald F. Davis ◽  
Eun Woo Kim

Organizations are increasingly subject to political demands from outside actors and their own members. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are enabling a flourishing of grassroots social innovations and demands for justice that challenge traditional top-down theories of change. Over the past twenty years, scholars have found that social movement theory provides a useful approach to understanding movements within organizations, movements that target organizations, and movements that create organizations and industries. We review this recent work and propose an account that can help guide future research on the increasingly prevalent tide of politicallyoriented movements within organizations. We conclude that this is an especially promising domain for future research aimed at informing practice.


Author(s):  
Julián Briz ◽  
José María Duran ◽  
Isabel Felipe ◽  
Teresa Briz

Agriculture is facing new challenges in rural and urban areas, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) may play a significant role. In this chapter, there is a background description of the ICT sector in the interface of urban and rural communities within the framework of agriculture. It describes some case analyses focused in agronomy and social sciences. In agronomy, the focuses are environment, food production, and pollution. In socioeconomics, there is a brief identification of ICT applications such as the collaboration between the university and firms. Considering the heterogeneousness of the analysis, the future research directions include different methods of studies for ICT programs (house of quality, structural organization, and others).


Author(s):  
Rajeev Sharma ◽  
Atreyi Kankanhalli ◽  
Mahdieh Taher

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.


Author(s):  
H. Filiz Alkan Meshur

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the concept of smart city and its potential solutions to correct urban problems. Smart city practices and solutions have been investigated through the lens of a sustainable perspective. As the general practices in the global scale were examined, particular focus has been directed to smart city practices in Turkey and applicable suggestions have been developed. A number of cities in Turkey rank the lowest in the list of livable cities index. Consequential to the rapidly rising population ratios, the quality of provided services declines; economic and social life in cities are adversely affected and brand images of cities are deteriorated. With the implementation of smart city practices, such problems could be corrected, and these cities could gain competitive advantage over their rivals. The key component of this smart administration is to most effectively utilize information and communication technologies during each single step of this process.


Author(s):  
Stelian Stancu ◽  
Constanta-Nicoleta Bodea ◽  
Laura Elly Naghi ◽  
Oana Madalina Popescu ◽  
Alina Neamtu

This paper makes a foray into the new innovative business technologies by presenting several important aspects of the Digital Economy, Business models, Entrepreneurship, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), ICT4D, Innovation Technology. The second part of the paper consists of an analysis of new innovative technologies results in business, using Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), thus presenting the conceptual framework GEM, How GEM Defines Entrepreneurship, Measures of Entrepreneurial Activity, Entrepreneurial Aspirations, Entrepreneurial Attitudes. Based on this analysis, empirical results of new innovative business technologies in Romania are configured, highlighting the key indicators for Romania (2015), Entrepreneurial Activity rates in efficiency-driven EU Countries in 2014 (% of population aged between 18-64 years), distribution of entrepreneurs by gender, age, education and household income in Romania 2014 (%), both individually and overall. The paper concludes with key findings and proposals for the following questions to be explored in future research.


Author(s):  
Bongi P. Mqina ◽  
Leila Goosen

The purpose of this chapter is to investigate the roles of school management teams in curriculum delivery through information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education concerning e-schools' community engagement. In terms of summarizing the content, the background is provided regarding the context of this problem and a review of the literature as per the outlined objectives of the chapter and including applicable theoretical and conceptual frameworks. The methodology, research method, paradigm, and sampling techniques used are indicated, as are data collection instruments, data analysis and interpretation, and research ethics. Finally, in dealing with the issues, controversies, problems, and challenges presented in the research questions and objectives, the findings as per the empirical study conducted are outlined with the discussions of solutions and recommendations. Future research directions are also discussed before the conclusion provides a discussion of the overall coverage of the chapter.


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