Vocational teachers’ conceptions of, and approaches to, ICT in professional education

The aim of this research was to investigate vocational teachers’ ways of thinking about ICT enhanced teaching and teaching approaches associated with the use of ICT in teaching. The study focused on teachers’ ways of apprehending the role of ICT in professional work. Phenomenography, a qualitative research approach that places emphasis on the importance of people’s experience of a phenomenon, was selected as a research methodology for this study. A cohort of 23 teachers from three Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions in New South Wales, Australia, participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. These interviews were used to identify the qualitatively different ways in which vocational teachers understand and conceptualise the phenomenon of ICT use in TAFE and workplace settings. Interviews were analysed using an iterative seven-step process through which five conceptions of, and five approaches to, ICT-enhanced teaching were revealed, and three conceptions of ICT in workplaces were discerned. Dimensions of variation among the categories of conceptions are presented and discussed, that extended previous knowledge by identifying new dimensions. Findings of this research enhance the existing teacher-centred and learning-centred frameworks of teachers’ conceptions. The study shows that approaches to ICT-enhanced teaching cover a range of aspects including: conveying information, promoting students’ active learning in development of knowledge and skills, and meeting the needs of industry. New knowledge on the way vocational teachers understand the role of ICT in workplaces also emerged through the study. These findings provide useful information for people who work in: the development of vocational educational, teaching of industrial practices, and academic development programs. The thesis proposes further lines of exploratory research: to investigate discipline-focused ICT-enhanced teaching in vocational education

Introducing ICT into Teacher-Training Programs: Problems in Bangladesh

Information and Communication Technology can offer more adaptable and efficient ways of teacher training for improvement of quality of professional development programs. But the use of ICT into teacher training usually faces certain obstacles. In this paper, we identified different barriers of introducing ICT into teacher training model (this model had been discussed by the authors in a separate paper, titled as “A model for integrating ICT into teacher training programs in Bangladesh based on TPCK) in Bangladesh, a developing country. We then described the strategies to overcome these problems for improving the current status of ICT integration into teacher training. Finally, we concluded with emerging research issues and offered pertinent recommendation with respect to ICT integration into teacher training program for improving quality of teaching in Bangladesh. Keywords: ICT integration, Teacher-training, knowledge and skil

A FRAMEWORK FOR INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS CAPABILITY ON STRATEGIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS PLANNING OUTCOMES

The Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) process is critical for ensuring the effectiveness of the contribution of Information Technology (IT)/Information Systems (IS) to the organisation. A sophisticated SISP process can greatly increase the chances of positive planning outcomes. While effective IS capabilities are seen as crucial to an organisation’s ability to generate IT-enabled competitive advantages, there exists a gap in the understanding of the IS competencies which contribute to the forming of an effective SISP capability. In light of these gaps, this study investigates how do IS competencies impact the SISP process, and its outcomes? To address this question, a model for investigating the impact of IS collaboration and IS personnel competencies on the SISP process is proposed. Further research is planned to undertake a survey of top Australian organisations in industries characterised by high IT innovation and competition, to test the proposed model and hypotheses

Digital transformation strategies for the sustainable growth of startups in Australia

[EN] The COVID-19 outbreak provided a glimpse of a future world in which digital interactions are critical, compelling organisations and individuals to increase their adoption of technology. Therefore, to gain a competitive edge, organisations need accurate, real-time responses from extensive data analysis to further develop their products and services or create entirely new business models. The rising dependence on technical services has created a gap between organisational offerings and objectives, especially for startups. Statistics reveal the high failure rate of startups in top-ranking countries such as the United States, Germany and Australia. A major reason for startup failure is a lack of business knowledge in the technical team, affecting the adaptability of the business with respect to technology. Australia is ranked eighth in the world in terms of its startup ecosystem because of its internal market dynamics and physical, commercial and legal infrastructure. Nevertheless, startup failure in Australia is significant. Therefore, this paper, based on desk research and an analysis of secondary data, presents digital transformation strategies aimed at reducing risks, creating sustainable business growth and providing a real-time view of business efficiency, resulting in reduced costs and improved performance.Nefaie, M.; Muthaly, S.; Khan, S. (2023). Digital transformation strategies for the sustainable growth of startups in Australia. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 27-34. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2023.2023.16495273

Analysis of Interaction between Business Intelligence and SMEs: Learn from Each Other

: Business Intelligence (BI) and SMEs are two distinctive research domains but greater interaction between these two entities can offer the effective learn from each other. This interaction has been consider in conducting the changing environment. This interaction does only strengthen individual insights of BI and SMEs, it contributes to the business environmental performance. Although research on BI and SMEs is vast to date, limited focus was given on learning aspect between BI and SMEs. Therefore, this study is aimed to analyse literature and explore an integrated view of literature analysed on how BI and SMEs learn from each other and contributes to the business environmental performance. A qualitative content analysis was conducted for the procedure, which considers 43 articles for data source. Findings of the literature review suggest enhancing capability of SMEs and new innovation of BI, which may affect each other. Findings of this study may become useful for further research in terms of BI implementation success

Governance: Exploring the Islamic Approach and its Relevance for the Modern Context

Managing this wealth (amanah) leads to the basic concept of Islamic accountability where proper disclosure and transparency in every business transaction or service is encouraged. This paper attempts to explore the characteristics and application of the principles of Islamic governance. Using qualitative research methods, this study further focuses on trust and accountability with respect to governance mechanisms as required by Islamic principles and in light of today's world affairs. As a doctrinal research, the researcher reviews the relevant literature to identify the main features of government such as shura, caliphate, accountability, transparency, justice and equality as well as the current need for trust in public and private government. The findings of this study are that the Koran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) have provided many guidelines in the field of constitutional affairs that can help the government system. The Qur'an is flexible enough not to mention the details and details that are left for Muslims to formulate according to their particular circumstances. Finally, the aim of this paper is to inform policy makers and practitioners about the main doctrines that have been proposed by the Qur'an and which can be applied for the effective management of our affair

Antecedents of Business Intelligence Implementation for Addressing Organizational Agility in Small Business Context

Research on business intelligence (BI) has been rapidly proliferated in the field of information systems (IS). However, a limited number of studies has discovered its practical value and impact in business sectors. A lack of research on BI implementation specifically within small businesses may have an adverse impact on the effective decision making, especially to meet the demand of their organizational agility. The aim of this study is to conduct a theoretical analysis to identify antecedents of BI implementation in the small business context for improving the decision-making capability towards organizational agility. We operate a literature survey within the IS research domain to reveal the insights about the relation between BI and organizational agility. In this regard, 75 key articles have been reviewed and analyzed to find contributions towards BI and its impact on organizational agility. It is anticipated that the important antecedents are organizational, technological and personnel capabilities for BI implementation. The findings provide valuable insights for further research on BI implementation, especially to address organizational agility in small businesses. Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/pajais/vol10/iss1/5

Securitization: An alternative funding mechanism for the microfinance institutions / Shahadat Hossain and Rubaiyet Hasan Khan

Despite microfinance has been widely appreciated as an informal financial mechanism to provide financial services to the poor people in developing countries, this sector is still lacking behind in fulfilling the demand gap due to the dearth of adequate funds. Securitization opens a new horizon that overcomes the funding barriers of microfinance through which the top tier Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) can accumulate funds to enlarge their portfolio without issuing any debt or equity. This paper is a desk study that synthesizes how securitization can be used in the funding of the MFI portfolio and what are the benefits and risks associated with securitization of microfinance portfolio. As a case study, we use the two examples of cross-border securitizations in the microfinance industry to diagnose the role of securitization in microfinanc