Digital First: The Ontological Reversal and New Challenges for IS Research

The classical view of an information system is that it represents and reflects physical reality. We suggest this classical view is increasingly obsolete: digital technologies are now creating and shaping physical reality. We call this phenomenon the ontological reversal. The ontological reversal is where the digital version is created first, and the physical version second (if needed). This ontological reversal challenges us to think about the role of humans and technology in society. It also challenges us to think about our role as IS scholars in this digital world and what it means for our research agendas

Understanding the role of Digital Commons in the Web; The making of HTML5

The last version of Web́s hypertext standard has been developed from 2004 to 2014. During this era, HTML5 has experienced different crossroads due to the variety of motivations and needs that the main stakeholders interested in its development had. On October 2014, the standard got official by the W3C and closed a period of uncertainty around the future of the Web but at the same time, this agreement also introduced a major change in the own conception of the hypertext́s standard. In this paper we review the current status of digital commons on the Web and the development of HTML5. We also confront this analysis with several semi-structured interviews carried out with different experts in web development that represent at the same time different players of Web́s value chain. We argue that the development of HTML5 represents a new digital commons that prevented the proliferation of proprietary software that took place during the “Web 2.0” period. We claim that the World Wide Web promotes the development of new digital commons due to its own basis as a non-proprietary socio-technological platform. We also conclude that the development of standards and non-proprietary digital technologies is of outmost importance for the future of web business models that are fuelled by major digital players

Digitisation and the Circular Economy: A Review of Current Research and Future Trends

This is the final verson. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordSince it first appeared in literature in the early nineties, the Circular Economy (CE) has grown in significance amongst academic, policymaking, and industry groups. The latest developments in the CE field have included the interrogation of CE as a paradigm, and its relationship with sustainability and other concepts, including iterative definitions. Research has also identified a significant opportunity to apply circular approaches to our rapidly changing industrial system, including manufacturing processes and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) which, with data, is enabling the latest advances in digital technologies (DT). Research which fuses these two areas has not been extensively explored. This is the first paper to provide a synergistic and integrative CE-DT framework which offers directions for policymakers and guidance for future research through a review of the integrated fields of CE and I4.0. To achieve this, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR; n = 174) of the empirical literature related to digital technologies, I4.0, and circular approaches is conducted. The SLR is based on peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and early 2018. This paper also summarizes the current trends in CE research related to manufacturing. The findings confirm that while CE research has been on the increase, research on digital technologies to enable a CE is still relatively untouched. While the “interdisciplinarity” of CE research is well-known, the findings reveal that a substantial percentage is engineering-focused. The paper concludes by proposing a synergistic and integrative CE-DT framework for future research developed from the gaps in the current research landscapeEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

The Fourth Industrial Revolution : developing innovation capabilities through smart technology adoption

Thesis (PhD (Information Systems))--University of Pretoria, 2022.The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is quickly changing the world we work in, affecting not only what we do, but how we do it. One of several resulting problems is that actors across academia, business and government often struggle to leverage the technologies brought on by this paradigm, negatively affecting their ability to innovate and strategize. One way to address this is to ensure effective adoption of smart technologies pertaining to the 4IR, as technology remains a critical pillar in the innovation landscape. This is not to say that information systems research on technology adoption is poor, quite the opposite, as this is one of the most mature branches in the field. Despite this, the pervasive nature of this paradigm has triggered arguments as to what is the most viable model or framework to leverage resulting smart technologies. Furthermore, the existing literature has not produced as much on developing regions when compared to its western orientated counterparts. The aim of this thesis is to address this gap by furthering the current understanding of the 4IR paradigm and smart technology adoption to develop innovation capabilities within various contexts, specifically within the developing region of South Africa. This study provides its findings through five sequential parts in article format. The parts encompass a usage case of technology adoption in the region (Part 1), insights into supportive mechanisms to do so (Part 2), a tangible artefact to support technology adoption by leaders (Part 3) and global trends on technology adoption models within the 4IR (Part 4). From these investigations, the primary contribution is formulated, the conceptual Smart Technology Adoption Model (STAM) that is grounded on global trends pertaining to 4IR technology adoption (Part 5). However, as noted, there is a need for further investigations within developing regions. Consequently, the model was empirically tested to ensure its validity within a South African context. A key finding is that the tested STAM model aligns strongly to the original TAM model in terms of simplicity and subsequent ease of understanding, with contextual additions including smart technology aspects, perceived risk, technological capabilities and relative advantage being identified as fundamental in smart technology uptake in the region. The thesis is based on action research to provide several considerations and practical insights towards the enablement of innovation, by adopting smart technologies across sectors to create new forms of value. Each investigation addresses a different aspect of the research questions posed while maintaining coherent contributions within the thesis. The reason to leverage this knowledge is to strengthen innovation capabilities of individuals and organisations alike through technological advancements, such as those brought on by the 4IR. This in turn, can support decisions by leadership who can now better understand the possibilities and relate it to return on investment, protecting financial performance and drive needed economic development. Moreover, the findings presented offers a starting point to leveraging symbiotic collaboration points of individuals in varying contexts through technology adoption, albeit in academic or business environments, to rapidly advance innovation capabilities to navigate this paradigm towards a future ready workforce.InformaticsPhD (Information Systems)Unrestricte

Artificial Intelligence, Cybercities and Technosocieties

Information technologies have made possible the rising of new forms of communities, cities and societies. These changes are analyzed from the perspective of innovation studies, as technological but also social innovations. Starting from the contributions of Ortega y Gasset to the philosophy of technology, and applying these ideas to the information and communications technologies (ICT) system, this article introduces the notions of technosocieties and cybercities. Our aim is to deeply examine the Telepolis project; a digital and global city supported by ICT and artificial intelligence (AI). We pay attention to the different challenges that AI will have to face in upcoming years in technosocieties and cybercities. In our opinion, the future of AI is tightly related with the technological support of this kind of new city and their cybercitizens. Finally, we claim that there won’t be a shared public space in the infosphere till public organizations acknowledge the importance of promoting and maintaining this new and already needed digital agora