Towards a Decentralized Autonomous Governance Model to Improve Governance of Charities

Applying Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), a participative-based technology in the charity sector, enables donors to manage donations collectively, vote, and release donations when conditions are met. This approach empowers donors’ decision-making and improves transparency. This systematic literature review (SLR) assesses the integration of DAO as a new way of managing charity projects through decentralized governance and smart contracts (SCs). Our analysis covered 29 studies in the literature, from which we identified key dimensions and top-level functions constituting the state-of-art in integrating DAO in charity organizations. Our review reveals the potential of DAO in improving charity organization practices and decisions by way of utilizing SCs that create dynamic control environments. The review develops a step-by-step decentralized charity governance project (DCGP) model to automate donations and improve transparency

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

Digital Public Goods and vulnerable populations

The world faces wicked inequalities in global digital access, with nearly half of the world population (3,6 billion people) outside the connected world. The digital public goods (DPG) agenda envisions the rapid scaling and reach of information systems which can be easily implemented in a range of new contexts, to solve problems facing the most vulnerable in society. However, there is limited empirical data and theoretical knowledge to support how DPGs may facilitate or inhibit development outcomes. This panel will challenge ECIS attendees by bringing practitioners and academics together to address urgent questions about DPGs for sustainable development and showcase potential solutions toward sustainable digital futures for all

The impact of COVID-19 on product returns management in multichannel retail

Purpose: The Covid-19 pandemic affected customers' shopping and returns behaviours and significantly aggravated the problem of high product returns rates and returns fraud. Measures for public health and safety resulted in retailers modifying their returns processes. This study describes the changes observed and experienced by retailers as well as consumers and concludes what lessons retailers can learn from the experience. Design/methodology/approach: 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with multichannel retailers and retail experts. This was complemented with a consumer survey focusing on returns behaviour (497 valid responses). Findings: Our project outputs include a list of recommendations for retailers to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on returns and related fraud and what they can learn from the experience with the goal of reducing returns rates and fraudulent returns in non-pandemic situations. Originality: The effects of the observed returns process changes on returns management were unclear; very little was known about what retailers experienced in terms of product returns during the pandemic. We shed light on this and identify opportunities for improvement in multichannel returns management

Studies of the Decay B+- -> D_CP K+-

We report studies of the decay B+- -> D_CP K+-, where D_CP denotes neutral D mesons that decay to CP eigenstates. The analysis is based on a 29.1/fb data sample of collected at the \Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e+ e- storage ring. Ratios of branching fractions of Cabibbo-suppressed to Cabibbo-favored processes involving D_CP are determined to be B(B- -> D_1 K-)/B(B- -> D_1 pi-)=0.125 +- 0.036 +- 0.010 and B(B- -> D_2 K-)/B(B- -> D_2 pi-)=0.119 +- 0.028 +- 0.006, where indices 1 and 2 represent the CP=+1 and CP=-1 eigenstates of the D0 - anti D0 system, respectively. We also extract the partial rate asymmetries for B+- -> D_CP K+-, finding A_1 = 0.29 +- 0.26 +- 0.05 and A_2 = -0.22 +- 0.24 +- 0.04.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Observation of Ds+K- and evidence for D-s(+)pi(-) final states in neutral B decays

We report the first observation of a B meson decay that is not accessible by a direct spectator process. The channel (B) over bar (0)-->Ds+K- is found in a sample of 85x10(6) B (B) over bar events, collected with the Belle detector at KEKB, with a branching fraction B((B) over bar (0)-->Ds+K-)=(4.6(-1.1)(+1.2)+/-1.3)x10(-5). We also obtain evidence for the B-0-->D(s)(+)pi(-) decay with branching fraction B(B-0-->D(s)(+)pi(-))=(2.4(-0.8)(+1.0)+/-0.7)x10(-5). This value may be used to extract a model-dependent value of \V-ub\

Observation of radiative B -> phi K gamma decays

The radiative decay B-->phiKgamma is observed for the first time. The branching fraction for the charged B--->phiK(-)gamma decay mode is measured to be B(B--->phiK(-)gamma)=(3.4+/-0.9+/-0.4)x10(-6). The photon energy distribution for the B--->phiK(-)gamma decay is presented. The signal for the neutral (B) over bar (0)-->phi(K) over bar (0)gamma decay mode is not statistically significant and an upper limit, B((B) over bar (0)-->phi(K) over bar (0)gamma)<8.3x10(-6) at 90% C.L., is set. The analysis is based on a data set of 90 fb(-1) collected by the Belle experiment at the e(+)e(-) asymmetric collider KEKB

Observation of B--/+->rho(-/+)rho(0) decays

We report the first observation of the charmless vector-vector decay process B-/+-->rho(-/+)rho(0). The measurement uses a 78 fb(-1) data sample collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e(+)e(-) collider operating at the Y(4S) resonance. We obtain a branching fraction of B(B-/+-->rho(-/+)rho(0))=[31.7+/-7.1(stat)(-6.7)(+3.8)(syst)]x10(-6). An analysis of the rho helicity-angle distributions gives a longitudinal polarization fraction of Gamma(L)/Gamma=0.95+/-0.11(stat)+/-0.02(syst). We also measure the direct-CP-violating asymmetry A(CP)(B-/+-->rho(-/+)rho(0))=0.00+/-0.22(stat)+/-0.03(syst)

Measurement of the B-0-(B)over-bar(0) mixing parameter Delta m(d) using semileptonic B-0 decays

We present a measurement of the B-0-(B-0) over bar mixing parameter Deltam(d) using neutral B meson pairs in a 29.1 fb(-1) data sample collected at the Y(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider. We exclusively reconstruct one neutral B meson in the semileptonic B-0-->D*-.(+)nu decay mode and identify the flavor of the accompanying B meson from its decay products. From the distribution of the time intervals between the two flavor-tagged B meson decay points, we obtain Deltam(d)=(0.494+/-0.012+/-0.015) ps(-1), where the first error is statistical and the second error is systematic