This paper aims to review the current debates regarding the role of the state in securing the cyberspace, with a particular focus on the negotiations taking place in the UN…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the current debates regarding the role of the state in securing the cyberspace, with a particular focus on the negotiations taking place in the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reflects on the evolution of the UNGA discourse on the role of the state in protecting the cyberspace, based on the textual analysis of all UNGA resolutions pertaining to the politico-military aspects of internet security.
Findings
The paper finds that the lack of an officially adopted definition for internet security in the UNGA discussions led to agreement solely on informative, best practice sharing or voluntary activities addressing other states, rather than providing an integrated vision for protecting the cyberspace.
Research limitations/implications
The analysis is limited to the negotiations taking place in one institutional venue, namely the UNGA between 1998 and 2011, complemented by three resolutions issued by the ITU in 2010; activities conducted in other institutional venues might influence or determine the overall discourse noted in the resolutions under investigation here.
Originality/value
This represents the most comprehensive account of the discourse on the role of the state in securing the cyberspace as presented in the UNGA and ITU resolutions and its evolution over time.
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Keywords
Daniela Roxana Andron and Stefania Kifor
Isolated within the communist Eastern Block until 1989, Romania has been experiencing numerous educational reforms, initiated by the National Ministry of Education and generally…
Abstract
Isolated within the communist Eastern Block until 1989, Romania has been experiencing numerous educational reforms, initiated by the National Ministry of Education and generally aligned with the European Union goals through the Bologna Treaty. The socioeconomic macrosystem is an important source of influence and we are looking at its main directions. Scholarship on the topic of teaching and learning in Romania is emergent but Computer-Assisted-Teaching (CAT) education in Romania remains insufficiently explored, despite the ever-growing need. This chapter analyzes the state of CAT formative programs for the preservice and the in-service teachers at Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu, Romania. We are now using the lessons learned from the Covid-19 crisis to reflect on new needs for digital competencies, Professional Development (PD), and proposed systemic changes. Such professional training is offered first during the university years, during the BA and MA studies. At the university level, the teacher training curriculum includes CAT, while for the in-service teachers, the PD continues through a combination of self-pursued and mandatory teacher training sessions offered by the regional school districts, universities, and professional organizations. CAT PD is not usually the focus of teacher preparation degree programs; the computer-assisted teaching course during teachers' training program offers a general, introductory perspective on using technology in teaching. For in-service teachers, most specialized PD happens independently and/or through self-teaching. The Covid-19 crisis created not only the urgent need to learn how to teach online but also the awareness that computer-assisted teaching PD needs certain changes.
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Mirela Cătălina Türkeş, Aurelia Felicia Stăncioiu, Mihai Cristian Orzan, Mariana Jugănaru, Roxana-Cristina Marinescu and Ion Dănuț Jugănaru
Almost four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the changes in the labour market and legislation, but also in people's lives, do not stop. At the same time, employees' perceptions…
Abstract
Purpose
Almost four years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the changes in the labour market and legislation, but also in people's lives, do not stop. At the same time, employees' perceptions regarding the change in the legislative and contractual framework, as well as in the working conditions and the use of telework, also change. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to identify the perceptions of employees regarding the use of telework in the post-pandemic period.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was based on a survey carried out on 128 teleworkers in the post-pandemic period. The statistical hypotheses were tested using Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Kruskal–Wallis tests, multiple linear regression and pairwise comparison analysis.
Findings
The results of the study demonstrate that the modification of the legislative and contractual framework and of the working conditions, as well as of the way of using information and communication technology in the post-pandemic era, generates a positive and significant impact on the use of telework by employees. Some of the main advantages valued by teleworkers included the possibility of benefitting from a flexible work schedule and the possibility of reducing transport costs.
Originality/value
The study highlights the need to continuously develop and update labour policies and strategies in line with current and future labour market requirements, considering the implications of telework on the perceptions of employees, so that government organisations and managers who want to protect the rights and interests of teleworkers, aspects of their lives and organise an appropriate work environment manage to do so in order to achieve the expected results.