Propelling the Potential of Enterprise Linked Data in Austria. Roadmap and Report

In times of digital transformation and considering the potential of the data-driven economy, it is crucial that data is not only made available, data sources can be trusted, but also data integrity can be guaranteed, necessary privacy and security mechanisms are in place, and data and access comply with policies and legislation. In many cases, complex and interdisciplinary questions cannot be answered by a single dataset and thus it is necessary to combine data from multiple disparate sources. However, because most data today is locked up in isolated silos, data cannot be used to its fullest potential. The core challenge for most organisations and enterprises in regards to data exchange and integration is to be able to combine data from internal and external data sources in a manner that supports both day to day operations and innovation. Linked Data is a promising data publishing and integration paradigm that builds upon standard web technologies. It supports the publishing of structured data in a semantically explicit and interlinked manner such that it can be easily connected, and consequently becomes more interoperable and useful. The PROPEL project - Propelling the Potential of Enterprise Linked Data in Austria - surveyed technological challenges, entrepreneurial opportunities, and open research questions on the use of Linked Data in a business context and developed a roadmap and a set of recommendations for policy makers, industry, and the research community. Shifting away from a predominantly academic perspective and an exclusive focus on open data, the project looked at Linked Data as an emerging disruptive technology that enables efficient enterprise data management in the rising data economy. Current market forces provide many opportunities, but also present several data and information management challenges. Given that Linked Data enables advanced analytics and decision-making, it is particularly suitable for addressing today's data and information management challenges. In our research, we identified a variety of highly promising use cases for Linked Data in an enterprise context. Examples of promising application domains include "customization and customer relationship management", "automatic and dynamic content production, adaption and display", "data search, information retrieval and knowledge discovery", as well as "data and information exchange and integration". The analysis also revealed broad potential across a large spectrum of industries whose structural and technological characteristics align well with Linked Data characteristics and principles: energy, retail, finance and insurance, government, health, transport and logistics, telecommunications, media, tourism, engineering, and research and development rank among the most promising industries for the adoption of Linked Data principles. In addition to approaching the subject from an industry perspective, we also examined the topics and trends emerging from the research community in the field of Linked Data and the Semantic Web. Although our analysis revolved around a vibrant and active community composed of academia and leading companies involved in semantic technologies, we found that industry needs and research discussions are somewhat misaligned. Whereas some foundation technologies such as knowledge representation and data creation/publishing/sharing, data management and system engineering are highly represented in scientific papers, specific topics such as recommendations, or cross-topics such as machine learning or privacy and security are marginally present. Topics such as big/large data and the internet of things are (still) on an upward trajectory in terms of attention. In contrast, topics that are very relevant for industry such as application oriented topics or those that relate to security, privacy and robustness are not attracting much attention. When it comes to standardisation efforts, we identified a clear need for a more in-depth analysis into the effectiveness of existing standards, the degree of coverage they provide with respect the foundations they belong to, and the suitability of alternative standards that do not fall under the core Semantic Web umbrella. Taking into consideration market forces, sector analysis of Linked Data potential, demand side analysis and the current technological status it is clear that Linked Data has a lot of potential for enterprises and can act as a key driver of technological, organizational, and economic change. However, in order to ensure a solid foundation for Enterprise Linked Data include there is a need for: greater awareness surrounding the potential of Linked Data in enterprises, lowering of entrance barriers via education and training, better alignment between industry demands and research activities, greater support for technology transfer from universities to companies. The PROPEL roadmap recommends concrete measures in order to propel the adoption of Linked Data in Austrian enterprises. These measures are structured around five fields of activities: "awareness and education", "technological innovation, research gaps, standardisation", "policy and legal", and "funding". Key short-term recommendations include the clustering of existing activities in order to raise visibility on an international level, the funding of key topics that are under represented by the community, and the setup of joint projects. In the medium term, we recommend the strengthening of existing academic and private education efforts via certification and to establish flagship projects that are based on national use cases that can serve as blueprints for transnational initiatives. This requires not only financial support, but also infrastructure support, such as data and services to build solutions on top. In the long term, we recommend cooperation with international funding schemes to establish and foster a European level agenda, and the setup of centres of excellence

Decent work and economic growth : imperatives and responsibilities for higher education to drive positive and practical change

Institutions of higher learning are revered as a force to drive change in society. Arguably, by both their ability and capacity to question the status quo through intense research and knowledge production and by transforming societies through empowering students. Noble as it sounds, the question that the institutions of higher learning of the 21st century should ponder lies in their ability and willingness to drive economic growth and advance the attainment of Goal 8 of the SDGs.This is more so critical on the backdrop of COVID-19 ravaged economies. The calamities resulting in the current spate of the pandemic further threatens the attainments and prioritisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is more so pronounced in the Sub Saharan Africa and in countries like Zambia in particular. This reality demands for pragmatic solutions driven by focused leadership. Based on this realisation Mulungushi University positioned itself, both philosophically and practically as an institution of higher learnin hat develop targeted future looking scenarios for driving sustainable creation of livelihoods, through a myriad of work creation and entrepreneurship initiatives. This chapter, therefore outlines a near decade long period of how the University, transformed its systems and put in motioned a strategy that positively enhanced decent work and participated in economic growth, at the least of the Central Province of Zambia situated in Kabwe, thus actively ensuring the attaining of the SDGs

A Survey on Energy Efficiency in Smart Homes and Smart Grids

Empowered by the emergence of novel information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as sensors and high-performance digital communication systems, Europe has adapted its electricity distribution network into a modern infrastructure known as a smart grid (SG). The benefits of this new infrastructure include precise and real-time capacity for measuring and monitoring the different energy-relevant parameters on the various points of the grid and for the remote operation and optimization of distribution. Furthermore, a new user profile is derived from this novel infrastructure, known as a prosumer (a user that can produce and consume energy to/from the grid), who can benefit from the features derived from applying advanced analytics and semantic technologies in the rich amount of big data generated by the different subsystems. However, this novel, highly interconnected infrastructure also presents some significant drawbacks, like those related to information security (IS). We provide a systematic literature survey of the ICT-empowered environments that comprise SGs and homes, and the application of modern artificial intelligence (AI) related technologies with sensor fusion systems and actuators, ensuring energy efficiency in such systems. Furthermore, we outline the current challenges and outlook for this field. These address new developments on microgrids, and data-driven energy efficiency that leads to better knowledge representation and decision-making for smart homes and SGsThis research was co-funded by Interreg Österreich-Bayern 2014–2020 programme project KI-Net: Bausteine für KI-basierte Optimierungen in der industriellen Fertigung (AB 292). This work is also supported by the ITEA3 OPTIMUM project and ITEA3 SCRATCH project, all of them funded by the Centro Tecnológico de Desarrollo Industrial (CDTI), Spain

The Altruistic Connection: Unraveling How Altruism Drives Eco-Friendly Consumer Behavior in Green Marketing (Literature Review)

Purpose: This article explores research on eco-conscious marketing (2010-2022) via sources like Scopus, ScienceDirect, Emerald, and Taylor & Francis. Altruism, acting selflessly for others, significantly impacts eco-friendly choices.   Theoretical framework:  This research examines altruism's role in eco-friendly marketing through behavioral theories. Limited analysis of psychological links and cultural norms exists. Further investigation is needed for sustainable consumer behavior and ethical exchange.   Methodology: In the effort to comprehend the complex connection between altruism and green marketing, a strong methodology has arisen through the combination of qualitative research techniques and a comprehensive examination of existing literature. This description presents the methodological process utilized to examine the impact of altruism on research related to green marketing from 2010 to 2022. This exploration involves the gathering of data, its analysis, and the development of meaningful insights, all drawn from reliable sources such as Scopus, Emerald, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, and Google Scholar.   Findings: In the context of green marketing, altruism is pivotal for comprehending and shaping consumer behavior. Beyond economic factors, it embraces emotions, ethics, and communal welfare. Altruism-driven strategies hold promise for positive change, brand loyalty, and sustainability. Research spanning 2010-2020 uncovers gaps in understanding altruism's mechanisms, contexts, sustainability, trade-offs, extensions, and interactions, necessitating their exploration for effective green marketing and a sustainable world.   Research, Practical & Social implications:  The research identifies gaps in comprehending altruism's psychological aspects, context influences, and sustainability. This enhances strategies for sustainable consumer behavior. Additionally, leveraging altruism supports green marketing's effectiveness, bridges the "value-action gap," and fosters brand loyalty, thereby harnessing its potential for positive change, a greener future, and enhanced brand allegiance.   Originality: Employing qualitative research methods and extensive literature review, this study explores the link between altruism and green marketing from 2010 to 2022. The synthesis of findings reveals altruism's role in shaping consumer behavior, with implications for marketing strategies, bridging value-action gap, and fostering brand loyalty. Research gaps underscore the need for investigating psychological mechanisms, contextual influences, and sustainability

Big data and predictive analytics and Malaysian micro‑, small and medium businesses

Innovative technologies such as big data and predictive analytics are facilitating a global revolution in operational management. The present study aims to investigate the extent of their adoption among micro-, small and medium enterprises. The context of choice is Malaysia—a growing economy hosting some of the relatively more technologically advanced enterprises in ASEAN union. The research plan of the present paper pursued three objectives. First, we aimed to identify the general rate of adoption of BDPA. Second, we explored the most common uses of this set of innovations in Malaysian micro-, small, and medium enterprises. Third, we strove to abstract the antecedents and consequences of BDPA in micro-, small, and large frms in the manufacturing and service sectors. We discovered that BDPA are almost never used to outsource suppliers or to optimise spending and purchasing. Conversely, the most frequent applications of BDPA are in customer relationship management and in warehouse and operations improvement. Moreover, we smaller frms are more resilient to the challenges of adopting BDPA than their smaller and larger counterparts. Thus, this paper presents a snapshot of the BDPA dissemination in the micro-, small and medium ecosystem in Malaysia in 2021, while exploring opportunities for the future development and dissemination of this set of innovations

A Composition-Based View of Organizational Ingenuity: Empirical Evidence from SMEs in India

This thesis explores a relatively new concept of organizational ingenuity (OI) through the composition-based view (CBV) theory lens with SMEs in India. The unique conditions of emerging economy context of India are delineated to be factors that compel SMEs to develop ingenuity. Three conceptual properties of OI -strategy, capabilities, and process are validated as the components that support SMEs thrive despite challenging emerging economy conditions. Findings of this thesis are presented in a theoretical framework

The Inclusive Growth and Development Report 2017

Around the globe, leaders of governments and other stakeholder institutions enter 2017 facing a set of difficult and increasingly urgent questions:With fiscal space limited, interest rates near zero, and demographic trends unfavorable in many countries, does the world economy face a protracted period of relatively low growth? Will macroeconomics and demography determine the world economy's destiny for the foreseeable future?Can rising in-country inequality be satisfactorily redressed within the prevailing liberal international economic order? Can those who argue that modern capitalist economies face inherent limitations in this regard – that their internal "income distribution system" is broken and likely beyond repair – be proven wrong?As technological disruption accelerates in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, how can societies organize themselves better to respond to the potential employment and other distributional effects? Are expanded transfer payments the only or primary solution, or can market mechanisms be developed to widen social participation in new forms of economic value-creation?These questions beg the more fundamental one of whether a secular correction is required in the existing economic growth model in order to counteract secular stagnation and dispersion (chronic low growth and rising inequality). Does the mental map of how policymakers conceptualize and enable national economic performance need to be redrawn? Is there a structural way, beyond the temporary monetary and fiscal measures of recent years, to cut the Gordian knot of slow growth and rising inequality, to turn the current vicious cycle of stagnation and dispersion into a virtuous one in which greater social inclusion and stronger and more sustainable growth reinforce each other?This is precisely what government, business, and other leaders from every region have been calling for. Over the past several years, a worldwide consensus has emerged on the need for a more inclusive growth and development model; however, this consensus is mainly directional. Inclusive growth remains more a discussion topic than an action agenda. This Report seeks to help countries and the wider international community practice inclusive growth and development by offering a new policy framework and corresponding set of policy and performance indicators for this purpose

Sustainable performance management in the EU SME sector. A review and analysis of concepts and methods of strategic management accounting

Purpose: The paper’s main objective is to structure the knowledge of the existing regulatory frameworks, projects and actions that support sustainable performance management (SPM) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) against the backdrop of the growing significance of the circular economy. The paper will also evidence how strategic management accounting (SMA) assists this process, what individual metrics, dashboards or scorecard concepts have been proposed and how their use may be assessed. Methodology/approach: The research methods include (1) a descriptive systematic analysis of the policies established by the policymakers and regulators in the EU, (2) a comparative analysis of various organisations’ initiatives, actions, delivered toolkits and their outputs, and (3) a literature review of the essential works and research studies on sustainable business models (SBMs), circular business models (CBMs) and SPM in the context of SMEs. Findings: The policies established in the EU support SPM by encouraging SMEs to be involved in sustainable business practices and indicating how to embark on a green transition. Recently, multiple initiatives have been aimed at indicating the opportunities the closed-loop economy system offers SMEs. Many toolkits have also been developed to help SMEs measure their sustainable performance. Although this measurement is vital for SMEs, the business practice falls behind the regulatory framework. Therefore, internal initiatives from the SME sector are needed to popularise the sustainability concept. Research limitations/implications: SMEs show lower levels of compliance with environmental requirements and are unaware of how their activities affect the environment. A limitation of the research is that, in many cases, SMEs are not ready to respond properly to the ESG requirements imposed by regulators. The reason may be a lack of knowledge, experience and limited funds. Therefore, future research should focus on recognizing the gaps in this area and identifying what may be impeding the development of sustainability performance management in SMEs. Originality/value: The work presents the evolution path from the traditional business models (TBMs) through the SBMs to innovative CBMs and addresses their distinctive features. It contributes to the existing knowledge about SMA in SMEs by analysing its links with SPM