UNPACKING THE ROLE OF POLITICAL-WILL IN DIGITAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT FOR SOCIOECONOMIC BENEFITS

As digital technology transforms many organisational alliances, new collaborative networks such as digital business ecosystems have emerged. In digital business ecosystems, participants leverage technological innovations to develop capabilities for value co-creation. Despite the growing number of studies, there is lack of research on how political-will facilitates development of digital business ecosystems. Therefore, this study develops a framework to explicate the role of political-will in the development of digital business ecosystems to achieve socioeconomic benefits. The findings show that political-will leads to provision of resources and legislative support as well as formulation of strategic initiatives required at the birth, expansion and maturity phases of digital business ecosystems to generate socioeconomic benefits such as (1) reduced corruption, (2) improved operational processes, (3) increased government revenue, (4) reduced bureaucracy and (5) improved transparency, fairness and accountability

Digital Bricolage: Creating a Digital Transformation from Nothing

Current research offers limited knowledge on digital transformation of micro-enterprises, and even less so, micro-enterprises suffering systemic resource constraints. Addressing this gap, we examine how micro-enterprises use digital technologies to change and improve their businesses in the context of multiple resource constraints. Based on a large-scale qualitative study of micro-enterprises in Ghana and data from government and technology firms, we examine the question: how do micro-enterprises undergo a process of digital transformation by engaging in bricolage with digital technology? The preliminary findings show that digital transformation of micro-enterprises in resource-constrained environments emerges across three paths: (1) resource mobilization through the constitution of digital resources over time, (2) resource combination through digital / non-digital configurations, and (3) resource deployment through a specific way of using these resources. Based on the findings, we develop an initial process model of digital bricolage that advances understanding of digital transformation of micro-enterprises

Preliminary insight into cloud computing adoption in a developing country

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of cloud computing adoption (CCA) in a developing country context through the lens of the technology, organisation and environment (TOE) framework.Design/methodology/approach – The study was carried out using the quantitative research methodology based on a survey of 305 organisations from different industries in Ghana. Based on the TOE framework, a conceptual model consisting of ten hypotheses were proposed and tested through a confirmatory factor analysis and logistic regression analysis.Findings – The findings indicate that relative advantage, security concern, top management support, technology readiness, competitive pressure and trading partners’ pressure were the TOE factors found to be significant in CCA in a developing country context. Conversely, firm size, scope, compatibility and regulatory support were found to be insignificant.Originality/value – This study provides insights into CCA across different industries in a developing country environment. The study is arguably the first kind of empirical research into CCA in a developing country context, specifically in Ghana. The findings from this study provide a foundation for other studies as well as constructive insights for the development of cloud computing, due to its infancy in the developing world

Digital business ecosystem: literature review and a framework for future research

Digital innovation has radically changed how organisations collaborate and compete. Coupled with this change are new collaborative value creation networks such as digital business ecosystems (DBEs). DBE is a socio- technical network of individuals, organisations and technologies that collectively co-create value. Since the emergence of DBE over a decade ago, there have been limited attempts to critically review and synthesise the body of knowledge presented over the years. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to fill this gap in DBE research by: (1) developing a comprehensive framework that synthesises and provides an overall direction of DBE research; (2) pointing out gaps in DBE literature; and (3) providing future research directions. To address this purpose, we systematically analysed 101 research articles on DBE. The findings provide insightful revelations to address some limitations in the current DBE research. As such, this study makes important contributions and serves as a useful resource for future DBE studies and practice

Prioritization of invasive alien species with the potential to threaten agriculture and biodiversity in Kenya through horizon scanning

Invasive alien species (IAS) rank among the most significant drivers of species extinction and ecosystem degradation resulting in significant impacts on socio-economic development. The recent exponential spread of IAS in most of Africa is attributed to poor border biosecurity due to porous borders that have failed to prevent initial introductions. In addition, countries lack adequate information about potential invasions and have limited capacity to reduce the risk of invasions. Horizon scanning is an approach that prioritises the risks of potential IAS through rapid assessments. A group of 28 subject matter experts used an adapted methodology to assess 1700 potential IAS on a 5-point scale for the likelihood of entry and establishment, potential socio-economic impact, and impact on biodiversity. The individual scores were combined to rank the species according to their overall potential risk for the country. Confidence in individual and overall scores was recorded on a 3-point scale. This resulted in a priority list of 120 potential IAS (70 arthropods, 9 nematodes, 15 bacteria, 19 fungi/chromist, 1 viroid, and 6 viruses). Options for risk mitigation such as full pest risk analysis and detection surveys were suggested for prioritised species while species for which no immediate action was suggested, were added to the plant health risk register and a recommendation was made to regularly monitor the change in risk. By prioritising risks, horizon scanning guides resource allocation to interventions that are most likely to reduce risk and is very useful to National Plant Protection Organisations and other relevant stakeholders

The Physics of the B Factories

This work is on the Physics of the B Factories. Part A of this book contains a brief description of the SLAC and KEK B Factories as well as their detectors, BaBar and Belle, and data taking related issues. Part B discusses tools and methods used by the experiments in order to obtain results. The results themselves can be found in Part C

Artificial intelligence (AI): multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research and practice

As far back as the industrial revolution, great leaps in technical innovation succeeded in transforming numerous manual tasks and processes that had been in existence for decades where humans had reached the limits of physical capacity. Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers this same transformative potential for the augmentation and potential replacement of human tasks and activities within a wide range of industrial, intellectual and social applications. The pace of change for this new AI technological age is staggering, with new breakthroughs in algorithmic machine learning and autonomous decision making engendering new opportunities for continued innovation. The impact of AI is significant, with industries ranging from: finance, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics all set to be disrupted by the onset of AI technologies. The study brings together the collective insight from a number of leading expert contributors to highlight the significant opportunities, challenges and potential research agenda posed by the rapid emergence of AI within a number of domains: technological, business and management, science and technology, government and public sector. The research offers significant and timely insight to AI technology and its impact on the future of industry and society in general

Towards a methodology for modelling interdependencies between partners in digital business ecosystems

Digital business ecosystems rely on interdependencies for value co-creation. Thus, the success of a digital business ecosystem is inextricably linked to how well interactions are understood, aligned, and supported. Therefore, it is essential to comprehensively understand the interdependence types, structure, substances, and participants in digital business ecosystems. However, in information systems research, limited understanding exists on how to model interdependencies in digital business ecosystems. This paper seeks to fill this gap by developing an interdependence modelling methodology that provides a systematic approach to capture and represent interdependencies in digital business ecosystems. To demonstrate the potential of the methodology, we illustrate its applicability through a case study of Ghana’s import digital business ecosyste