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The potential capabilities and benefits that learning analytics can provide are not fully utilized. A current stream of research suggests that learning analytics has more to offer for continuous improvement of higher education institutions. This study aims to explore the opportunities that data analytics stand to offer higher education and the challenges that plays down its role, adoption and usage in different areas of higher education institutions.

This study adopts a systematic literature review approach in answering the research questions. The critical role of learning analytics and the exploratory nature of research questions justify the use of systematic literature review. The current study used systematic research process adapted and presented by Hallinger (2013) to be used in social sciences in general and in educational leadership and management in particular. A standard process of finding relevant articles and examining reference lists is followed using articles from higher education which is the research context.

An examination of the literature showed that the majority of studies within the sample of articles are empirical representing 53 per cent, 32 per cent are conceptual, while only 15 per cent of the articles are a systematic literature review. Results also show that 58 per cent of the articles are teaching and learning related, 34 per cent are management related, while only 8 per cent are research related. Several challenges and opportunities of learning analytics in the three areas highlighted are presented and discussed.

The benefits and challenges of learning analytics are numerous and scattered in the literature. In this study, a typology related to different educational domains is developed to shed light on the benefits and challenges of learning analytics within particular higher education areas that are relevant to specific stakeholders. Benefits and challenges of learning analytics are classified into being management related, teaching and learning related and research related.

In environmental reports contained environmental data must be updated and edited regularly (e.g. according to the reporting period). An important part of each environmental report is a systematic representation and evaluation of the substantial material and energy flows in a enterprise. In an ideal case specialized software systems exist for eco‐balancing, which makes external access to its data possible. These data can be transferred automatically and thus rationally into the document structure of an environmental report. In this article a basic approach is introduced for automatic transfer of ecological balance data into a XML form and the integration into an environmental report using the software tool Umberto.

This study describes the preparation of an eco‐balance to document the materials and energy which are part of the beer production process of the Hasseröder Brewery Ltd. A general introduction to eco‐balances and material flow networks is followed by the description of the concrete case study. The modelling of material flows and the derivation of eco‐balances is illustrated with the help of a selected process from beer production. Finally, the possibilities and limitations of the balance evaluation is discussed with the aid of performance measurement systems. The article closes with a preview of future studies.

On account of its easy and intuitive usage as well as obvious advantages (e.g. access to work data from anywhere, at any time and through any means) the evolutionary cloud computing paradigm favors the use of shadow IT. Since many employees are not aware of the associated risks and possible legal violations, unauthorized use of cloud computing services could result in substantial risk exposure for any company. The purpose of this paper is to explore and to extend the body of knowledge concerning the topic of cloud computing with regard to shadow IT.

The aim of this contribution is to identify the reasons for the use of cloud computing services and the resulting shadow IT from an employee’s perspective, to demonstrate the counteractions a company may take against the unauthorized use of cloud computing services and to elaborate on the inherent opportunities and risks. We follow a mixed-methods approach consisting of a systematic literature review, a cloud computing awareness study, a vignette study and expert interviews.

Based on a triangulation of the data sets, the paper at hand proposes a morphological box as well as a two-piece belief-action-outcome model, both from an employee’s and employer’s point of view. Our findings ultimately lead to recommendations for action for employers to counteract the risk exposure. Furthermore, also employees are sensitized by means of insights into the topic of unauthorized usage of cloud computing services in everyday working life.

The limitations of the triangulation reflect the limitations of each applied research method. These limitations justify why a mixed-methods approach is favored – rather than relying on a single source of data – because data from various sources can be triangulated.

The paper includes recommendations for action for the handling of the unauthorized usage of cloud computing services within a company, e.g., the set up of a company-wide cloud security strategy and the conduction of an anonymous employee survey to identify the status quo.

This paper fulfills an identified need to explore the usage of cloud computing services within the context of shadow IT.

The reduction, if not avoidance, of environmental pollution arising from industrial operations is now de rigueur for most European manufacturers. In the beer industry, Germany’s Hassero¨der Brewery has introduced an operational environmental management system that has been certified in line with current eco‐audit regulation. The brewery’s eco‐balance documents all the materials and energy used in its beer production process. These material flow networks are modeled using computer software and used to prepare environmental protection targets with the aim of developing a sound environmental management system.

Sectors with high transport volumes face the challenge of reengineering existing processes. Furthermore, new models that support transportation processing are required. One possible model would be a fourth party logistics service provider (4PL) approach in order to increase the efficient use of resources. The purpose of this paper is to describe a method for reengineering a transportation handling process using the 4PL approach.

Based upon a case study approach existing processes for transportation handling are modelled. Specifications of and definitions for the 4PL approach are compiled and analysed through a literature review. With the help of expert interviews essential functions are identified and the target model is validated.

The results of the effort demonstrate that the application of a 4PL approach facilitates an improved transportation process. This may be due to the modification of the IT and communication technology (ICT) that have been applied. Based upon expanded planning horizons an improved planning of orders, a strengthening of the competencies of the involved actors were observed.

Transportation handling in the agricultural sector is of increasing importance in light of the need to feed a growing global population under the condition of limited productive land for agriculture. This paper describes the alterations in the ICT infrastructure as well as the resulting organisational and technical implications, if a 4PL is used.

The 4PL approach is an issue that is increasingly discussed in scientific publications. Furthermore, this approach has experienced new opportunities for implementation due to recent developments in ICT.

Start‐up companies in particular can benefit from cloud computing services, since frequently they do not operate an internal IT infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to present a total cost of ownership (TCO) approach for cloud computing services.

The authors applied a multi‐method approach (systematic literature review, analysis of real cloud computing services, expert interviews, case study) for the development and evaluation of a formal mathematical TCO model.

It was found that decision processes in cloud computing are conducted ad hoc and lack systematic methods. The presented method raises the awareness of indirect and hidden costs in cloud computing.

Some restrictive assumptions were made. For instance, cost types that focus on an existing internal IT infrastructure were hidden. Future research can combine risk and security aspects by means of a TCO approach. Additionally, benefits management in cloud computing is another new research field that can, for instance, be explored by means of cost‐benefit analyses.

The analysis of relevant cost types and factors of cloud computing services is an important pillar of decision making in cloud computing. The software tool allows for an easy application of the TCO model with reasonable effort.

The paper provides an evaluated mathematical model for the calculation of the TCO of cloud computing services. With this tool, decision makers are able to decide whether outsourcing into the cloud is monetarily attractive; to be more specific, whether the costs associated with cloud computing services are lower than with a pre‐existing infrastructure.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and evaluate the semantic process benchmarking concept.

The authors' approach includes the use of metamodels and ontologies, which make the process models syntactically and semantically comparable. Furthermore, a software prototype is presented to analyze and compare individual process models and their performance information. Thereafter, the technical, conceptual, and economic perspectives of the approach's evaluation are aligned with their respective outcomes.

The evaluation proves that this approach is generally suitable to generate novel and useful information on different process models and their performance within the same problem domain. However, the initial set‐up costs are high and will only pay off once process models are used regularly.

The proposed approach depends strongly on the availability of appropriate metrics and ontologies, as well as on the annotation of these ontologies to process models, which is a time‐consuming task. If large benchmarking clearing centers are established, the approach will be more cost‐effective. The developed SEMAT prototype, that demonstrates and proves the proposed approach's general viability, supports cost‐effective ontology engineering and annotation in the context of semantic process benchmarking initiatives.

To date, process benchmarking has primarily been a manual process. In this article, the authors suggest an approach that allows time‐consuming and costly process analysis to be partially automated, which makes the performance indicators, as well as qualitative differences between processes, apparent.

Higher education institutions are regarded as forerunners and pioneers of sustainability. However, it is to question whether they actually fulfill their role model function. This paper aims to reveal whether selected universities in Australia and Austria meet the reporting expectations about their activities on sustainability in very heterogeneous environments.

Annual reports of selected universities in Australia and Austria are screened by the qualitative text analysis suggested by Mayring to identify their information policy on sustainability. Following the standard definitions, sustainability comprises economic, environmental and social aspects as main categories, which are supplemented further by specifically adapted eight subcategories.

The results reveal that the universities concentrate on economic information, preferably on accounting, whereas social aspects are of second importance. Environmental activities that essentially shape the image of sustainability for the majority of the stakeholders are mostly unattended.

For further research, the authors suggest analyzing the reports of additional countries to get a bigger picture on the role of sustainability information in university reporting. Possible limitations are because of language use and time requirements, as each report must be encoded manually.

The results reveal the gaps that standard setters should fill by enforcing sustainability content in universities’ reports.

This paper is the first to analyze the annual reports of international universities in respect to sustainability. Hereby, we further fill a gap by applying a qualitative text analysis on the basis of individually derived categories to reveal the sustainability aspects more precisely.