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1 – 10 of 10Viola Hakkarainen, Jordan King, Katja Brundiers, Aaron Redman, Christopher B. Anderson, Celina Natalia Goodall, Amy Pate and Christopher M. Raymond
Universities strategically organize themselves around sustainability, including transformative goals in teaching and learning. Simultaneously, the role of online education has…
Abstract
Purpose
Universities strategically organize themselves around sustainability, including transformative goals in teaching and learning. Simultaneously, the role of online education has become more prominent. This study aims to better understand the purpose and process of creating online sustainability education (OSE) and to identify challenges and opportunities for implementing these courses and programs to achieve universities’ broader transformative sustainability goals.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a multiple case study design to research three universities in diverse geographical and institutional contexts (Finland, the USA and Colombia). Qualitative data was collected by interviewing program-related experts (n = 31) and reviews of universities’ strategic documents.
Findings
The findings suggest that despite important advances, further attention is merited regarding aligning the purpose of OSE with student learning outcomes, clarifying the values underlying the process of online program/course creation and developing transformative and process-oriented approaches and pedagogies to implement OSE. The authors also highlight emerging challenges and opportunities in online environments for sustainability education in different institutional contexts, including reaping the benefits of multilocality and diverse student experiences regarding sustainability issues.
Originality/value
There is a paucity of studies on university-level sustainability education in relation to online environments. This research expands on the existing literature by exploring three different geographical and institutional contexts and shedding light on the relationship between the practical implementation of OSE and universities’ broader sustainability goals.
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Christopher Agyapong Siaw and Waqas Ali
This paper draws on the dynamic capabilities (DC) view to develop a conceptual framework that explicates the mechanisms through which human intelligence (HI) and artificial…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper draws on the dynamic capabilities (DC) view to develop a conceptual framework that explicates the mechanisms through which human intelligence (HI) and artificial intelligence (AI) substitute and complement each other for organizational knowledge management (KM) while considering the role of ethics.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper that draws on DC theory and integrates insights from the burgeoning literature on organizational AI adoption and application to develop a conceptual framework that explains the mechanisms through which HI and AI may substitute and complement each other for organizational KM to develop DC.
Findings
The conceptual framework demonstrates that substituting HI with AI is suitable for external environmental scanning to identify opportunities, while AI substitution for HI is ideal for internal scanning through data analytics. Additionally, HI complementing AI is effective for seizing opportunities by aligning internal competencies with external opportunities, whereas AI complementing HI is beneficial for reconfiguring assets by transforming tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. This substitution and complementarity between HI and AI shape KM processes—acquisition, conversion, application, and retention—that influence organizational performance, depending on how internal and external ethical standards govern organizational AI use.
Research limitations/implications
The paper presents key insights into how AI may substitute for HI for internal data analytics in KM but may be ineffective for external environmental scanning to sense opportunities. It further reveals that using AI to capture and convert tacit knowledge (HI) to explicit knowledge requires ethical considerations at the organizational level, but ethical considerations are necessary at the employee/manager level when HI relies on AI-generated insights for strategic decisions.
Practical implications
The study implies that in environments with defined regulations for AI and KM (e.g. privacy protection), responsibility for the consequences of AI-HI substitution and complementarity in developing DC can be assigned to specific steps in the KM process. However, in environments with undefined regulations, responsibility must be assigned to people, units or departments who manage the entire KM process to ensure accountability for ethical breaches.
Originality/value
This study proposes AI-HI substitution and complementarity in organizations to extend the understanding of the relationship between AI and HI to DC development.
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Matthew Tickle, Claire Hannibal and Mieda Zapparoli
Fashion brands, including fast and luxury segments, receive harsh criticism for engaging in unethical practices such as poor working conditions and environmental damage. As a…
Abstract
Purpose
Fashion brands, including fast and luxury segments, receive harsh criticism for engaging in unethical practices such as poor working conditions and environmental damage. As a result, fashion supply chains are pressured by stakeholders to publicly disclose internal supply chain performance information and to show a high level of supply chain transparency. This paper compares supply chain transparency in fast and luxury fashion in Europe.
Design/methodology/approach
By applying the maturity curve of fashion supply chain transparency, developed by Muratore and Marques (2022), the websites of 20 fast and 20 luxury fashion brands were analysed and classified as Opaque, Translucent or Transparent.
Findings
Despite its reputation, fast fashion demonstrated higher levels of transparency than luxury fashion. Luxury fashion only performed better in terms of the accessibility of sustainability information. Luxury brands avoided disclosing key transparency information, suggesting that they may be operating in contradiction to that which is inferred on their websites.
Originality/value
The findings of the study shed light on the sustainability credentials of the fashion industry, which has the potential to influence the purchase intentions of consumers, particularly millennials and Generation Z. Implications for practice are developed to highlight how fashion can improve its supply chain transparency.
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Lucy Grimshaw, Kay Heslop, Kirstin Mulholland, Vikki Park, Jill Duncan, Jaden Allan, Cathryn Meredith and Christopher Warnock
This chapter discusses the care experiences of a group of parents and a grandparent working at a Higher Education Institution in England and homeschooling during the pandemic. The…
Abstract
This chapter discusses the care experiences of a group of parents and a grandparent working at a Higher Education Institution in England and homeschooling during the pandemic. The group established an informal, work-based, online peer support group during and beyond the first COVID-19 lockdown. This chapter analyses a survey of group members and the group's online chat data to explore experiences of homeschooling and participating in the group. It represents a pioneering case study in how a group of parent-workers coped with the conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that the group was underpinned by an ethic of care, based on reciprocal care relationships. The group developed ways of caring together and sought to influence and create more caring working practices and cultures. Whilst it is possible to create small pockets of more inclusive, supportive and caring spaces within education workplaces, we conclude that the challenge to create supportive family-friendly working environments remains.
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Farwa Taqi, Syeda Hina Batool and Alia Arshad
This study aims to explore differences in the usability of the Google Drive application based on demographic characteristics, computer skills and use frequency of Google Drive…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore differences in the usability of the Google Drive application based on demographic characteristics, computer skills and use frequency of Google Drive among public library users of Lahore.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a quantitative approach and survey-based research method to achieve the study's objectives. The cloud usability model (user perspective) has been used as a theoretical lens to guide the study objectives. It comprises five dimensions of usability – capable, personal, reliable, valuable and secure.
Findings
The findings of the study revealed that the usability of Google Drive varied statistically significantly on the basis of depending on the respondents gender, age, academic qualification, computer skills and Google Drive use frequency.
Practical implications
It is a valuable study since it and adds knowledge to existing literature and has implications for practice.
Originality/value
The findings might be helpful for cloud support teams including Google Drive as they can notice the demographic and other differences among users' perceived usability of Google Drive and can enhance certain features of usability which leads attributes to increase its usage among users.
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Christopher Julian Kern, Leo Poss, Julia Kroenung and Stefan Schönig
Business process management (BPM), as a pillar of information systems (IS) research, has become more complex with the advent of new technologies, emphasizing the need for moral…
Abstract
Purpose
Business process management (BPM), as a pillar of information systems (IS) research, has become more complex with the advent of new technologies, emphasizing the need for moral and ethical perspectives. To foster moral behavior and responsible action, including ethical values in IT systems and processes can be a solid option. By incorporating a socio-technical perspective, we are able to analyze the various aspects of BPM and organizational processes and the incorporated values. We find an overall acknowledgment of the importance of values and ethics in BPM.
Design/methodology/approach
This publication explores ethical values within BPM through a systematic literature review (SLR). The study aims to identify the ethical dimensions inherent in BPM and their practical implications in process management and task execution. The methodological approach adopted is a SLR (Boell and Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2015), adapting the PRISMA guidelines (Page et al., 2021) to identify 82 articles from 21 top IS journals suggested by Lowry et al. (2013).
Findings
A descriptive framework is developed to explain the use and application of ethical values within business processes. This framework enables practitioners and researchers to categorize and understand the various ethical considerations involved in BPM. It provides a structured approach highlighting the interrelation between process perspectives and ethical values, demonstrating how different BPM approaches may have varying ethical implications. We compare past and future research in business processes, identifying areas for further investigation and theoretical development. A historical analysis of values and literature also helps contextualize contemporary discussions on ethics in BPM, shedding light on the evolution of ethical considerations within this domain.
Originality/value
Our study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of BPM, highlighting the importance of considering ethical values and socio-technical perspectives in designing and implementing business processes. These findings contribute to understanding the values associated with different types of processes and their employment and highlight potential areas for future research. Our study provides ethics-oriented research in IS with novel insights by examining BPM from an ethical value perspective. We contribute to the BPM literature by examining which values are applied in which process types from which perspective. In addition, our research suggestions provide food for thought for both research streams.
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Mahsa Fekrisari and Jussi Kantola
This paper aims to identify potential barriers to Industry 4.0 adoption for manufacturers and examine the changes that must be made to production processes to implement Industry…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify potential barriers to Industry 4.0 adoption for manufacturers and examine the changes that must be made to production processes to implement Industry 4.0 successfully. It aims to develop technology by assisting with the successful implementation of Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing process by using smart system techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
Multiple case studies are used in this paper by using the smart system and Matlab, and semi-structured interviews are used to collect qualitative data.
Findings
Standardization, management support, skills, and costs have been cited as challenges for most businesses. Most businesses struggle with data interoperability. Complexity, information security, scalability, and network externalities provide challenges for some businesses. Environmental concerns are less likely to affect businesses with higher degrees of maturity. Additionally, it enables the Technical Director’s expertise to participate in the measurement using ambiguous input and output using language phrases. The outcomes of the numerous tests conducted on the approaches are extensively studied in the provided method.
Originality/value
In this research, a multiple-case study aims to carry out a thorough investigation of the issue in its actual setting.
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Lurdes Esteves, Mário Franco and Margarida Rodrigues
The study of mindfulness is still shown to be of interest in different aspects of organisations and/or businesses. Therefore, this study aims to present an integrative…
Abstract
Purpose
The study of mindfulness is still shown to be of interest in different aspects of organisations and/or businesses. Therefore, this study aims to present an integrative, multi-level model of mindfulness based on a holistic approach that can contribute to better governance practices and lead to competitive advantages.
Design/methodology/approach
To fulfil this aim, an extensive integrative review of the literature, from the main articles about this topic, was made.
Findings
This study shows that the concept of mindfulness, a conscious presence or full attention and its relation with organisations or firms’ personal, behavioural and social characteristics, in the current context of great adversity, uncertainty and unpredictability, is of interest at the individual, organisational and social level.
Practical implications
This conceptual study has important implications for both practice and theory. It demonstrates that mindfulness significantly impacts the manager/business person’s ecosystem at the individual, organisational and social levels, particularly in relation to Sustainable Development Goals.
Originality/value
This study introduces a comprehensive theoretical model that explains this relationship and organises information from a multi-level perspective. This approach can contribute to the advancement of theory by clarifying and discussing the role of mindfulness at the individual, organisational and societal levels. It also identifies opportunities and outlines future research directions, aiming to promote more sustainable development.
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