Business and Information System Alignment Theories Built on eGovernment Service Practice: An Holistic Literature Review

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.This chapter examines previous studies of alignment between business and information systems holistically in relation to the development of working associations among professionals from information system and business backgrounds in business organization and eGovernment sectors while investigating alignment research that permits the development and growth of information system, which is appropriate, within budget and on-time development. The process of alignment plays a key role in the construction of dependent associations among individuals from two different groups, and the progress of alignment could be enhanced by emerging an information system according to the investors’ prospects. The chapter presents system theory to gather and analyze the data across the designated platforms. The outcomes classify that alignment among business and information system departments remains a priority and is of worry in different ways in diverse areas, which provides prospects for the forthcoming discussion and research.Final Published versio

Investigation of eGovernment Services and Alignment between Business and Information Systems

Inhabitant’s implementation of eGovernment services is a key objective for the Government of developed and developing countries. However, to improve the eGovernment services it is important for any Government to align all stakeholders so that the needs of citizens can be examined and addressed. This paper proposed a framework of an ideal pattern of alignment for the Government of Saudi Arabia. The framework has been validated empirically and the result indicates that the Government of Saudi Arabia is spending a huge amount of budget to improve the Government services, but still many services are slow and are not as per expectations. Therefore, citizens of KSA recommended alignment between eGovernment agencies and IS department.Final Accepted Versio

TRIPS and the Rise of Counterfeiting: A Comparative Examination of Trademark Protection and Border Measures in the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council

n 1995 the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS Agreement came into effect, extending minimum standards of protection to intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council States. The article sets out the problems of harmonization resulting from the grafting of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) onto the legal framework of GCC States. Despite the presence of the GCC Customs Union, its individual countries have witnessed varying degrees of TRIPS-acquiescence. This includes varying degrees of effectiveness with border measures as a means of combating the transportation of counterfeit goods. The article provides a discussion on why effective protection and enforcement of IP laws are necessary to prevent counterfeiting in the GCC States, drawing on the laws of the European Union for comparative purposes. Furthermore, the article considers how border control functions as an important means of enforcement in fighting against the expanding transit of counterfeit goods

Trademark Enforcement within the European Union: The Development of Provisions Concerning Counterfeit Goods in Transit

The article aims to examine the legal situation relating to counterfeit goods in transit and the responsibilities of intermediaries in the transport of such goods within the European Union (EU). Reference will be made to regulations that preceded Regulation 1383/2003 and the amendments brought about by such regulations. The development of laws concerning border measures within the EU has been rapid, however, despite the implementation of Regulation 1383/2003, the problem of counterfeit goods passing through the EU still stands. Furthermore, in Philips/Nokia, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) held that goods coming from non-member states and held by customs under suspended procedures could be detained if suspected that they may be diverted into the EU markets. However, the manufacturing fiction doctrine may not be taken into consideration when assessing infringement, as actual proof of infringement is required. This places a high burden of proof on trademark owners, as the mere existence of an indication that the goods will be put on the EU market is not sufficient. There must be substantive evidence such as advertising, offer for sale, or actual sale. The issue with this approach is the difficulty for trademark owners to prove or have access to the information to meet this burden of proof as only the parties involved in the transshipment have the relevant information. This article aims to make several proposals in respect of remedying counterfeits in transit within the EU. It will provide analysis that will contribute to the balancing between the Customs regulation and international trade obligations

Enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease: some answers but more questions

Fabry disease (FD) is a multisystem, X-linked disorder of glycosphingolipid metabolism caused by enzyme deficiency of α-galactosidase A. Affected patients have symptoms including acroparesthesias, angiokeratomas, and hypohidrosis. More serious manifestations include debilitating pain and gastrointestinal symptoms, proteinuria and gradual deterioration of renal function leading to end-stage renal disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and stroke. Heterozygous females may have symptoms as severe as males with the classic phenotype. Before 2001, treatment of patients with FD was supportive. The successful development of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been a great advancement in the treatment of patients with FD and can stabilize renal function and cardiac size, as well as improve pain and quality of life of patients with FD. In this review, we have provided a critical appraisal of the literature on the effects of ERT for FD. This analysis shows that data available on the treatment of FD are often derived from studies which are not controlled, rely on surrogate markers, and are of insufficient power to detect differences on hard clinical endpoints. Further studies of higher quality are needed to answer the questions that remain concerning the efficacy of ERT for FD

Identification of current IS challenges based on the business/IS alignment model and improving eGovernment services

Information systems (IS) are currently used in various units of the eGovernment sector in order to improve the efficiency, quality, usefulness, rapidity and convenience of their services or products. However, not all governments are able to benefit from the full advantages of IS development due to a lack of alignment between the IS department and other agencies in the eGovernment sector. There is no common framework or model that can be applied globally. Each country develops its own eGovernment programmes based on its needs and other national considerations such as political, economic, cultural and social factors. The literature indicates that eGovernment adoption, uses and development have been considered extensively from the viewpoints of the organization and technical issues. However, there is a need for further investigation to inspect how eGovernment agencies can be aligned so that the efficiency of their services can be improved. A strong alignment not only assists any government in improving the performance of its services, but it also enhances public trust in the government’s services. The concept of alignment is not new, first emerging in the 1970s. Since then, researchers and practitioners have studied the process of alignment in the context of organizational strategic alignment, structural and business goals alignment. This thesis proposes an ideal pattern of alignment for the eGovernment sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and proposes modelling IS requirements as a suitable solution for strong alignment. The ideal pattern of alignment consists of strategic, structural, social and cultural alignment between the IS department and other agencies in the eGovernment sector. The study uses a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) method approach to validate the proposed ideal pattern of alignment. For the qualitative study, initially the factors affecting the ideal pattern of alignment are extracted from the literature and validated by the eGovernment experts. The qualitative data were collected from 20 eGovernment experts from different eGovernment sectors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The thematic analysis approach is identified as a suitable approach to analyse qualitative data. For the quantitative study, the questionnaire was posted online and possible participants were contacted in the Saudi ministry. The data were collected from 200 eGovernment users in Saudi Arabia. To analyse the quantitative data, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model approaches are used. At the process modelling phase, a case study on patient visits to a healthcare clinic is used to validate the method of modelling IS requirements in the context of eGovernment alignment. The study results indicate: 1) if the eGovernment sector in Saudi Arabia is aligned through this ideal pattern of alignment, improved eGovernment performance and enhanced public trust can be achieved; 2) the eGovernment sector in Saudi Arabia can improve its internal and external relations by focusing on the ideal pattern of alignment; 3) modelling and analysing the government environment have a positive impact on the implementation of IS which meets the needs of the government and consequently positively affects the process of alignment

Pushing boundaries : exit and voice in Saudi mothers school choice

This study investigates the experiences and perceptions of Saudi mothers when\ud they choose a school for their children in a time of changing political, cultural, and\ud socio-economic developments in Saudi Arabia. The data was gathered from 15\ud Saudi mothers from upper middle and the affluent class of the Saudi society.\ud Researching Saudi mothers' lived experiences within the context of Western\ud literature on school choice, the study uses feminist standpoint theory to develop an\ud intersectional analysis of how social class and gender operate in a restricted\ud religious context for women. Personal narrative and auto-ethnography was also\ud used to incorporate the author's story as it intersects with the wider issues of\ud negotiating gendered restrictions in a patriarchal authoritarian State.\ud The study investigates the significance of Saudi mothers' involvement as they\ud engage on behalf of their families in their children's education and assess their\ud educational choice with exit and voice as decision alternatives. The findings show\ud that while religiously conservative trends remain strong within Saudi society,\ud mothers can play key roles in their children's schooling. The educational care\ud work they carry out for their children is shaped by emotional labour. Saudi\ud mothers use their maternal identity as a site of struggle to alter their circumstances\ud and make use of their power and resources to push their own social boundaries. To\ud avoid restrictions on their own social and personal life style, some mothers\ud exercised school choice by exiting schools in Saudi Arabia and making a daily journey to Bahrain to place their children in schools there. Mothers' responses to\ud gendered restrictions imposed on them revealed some of the complexities of\ud negotiating mothering identity when positioned between traditional culture,\ud stringent religious values and patriarchal authority. The results of the study\ud demonstrate that through school choice Saudi mothers were looking for prospects\ud for change and emancipation. Through mothers' experiences of school choice, this\ud study identifies how religious, social and cultural forces maintain a political\ud system of gender inequality. The thesis concludes that a movement toward gender\ud equality for mothers is only possible if wider religious and patriarchal forces are\ud changed

Family roles in their children’s education: A critical discussion of the future roles of families in educating their child with special educational needs and disabilities.

One of the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic is partial or whole school closure, which requires students in all age groups to study from home in some countries. For students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), distance learning can be a challenge in terms of meeting all the students’ unique profiles of needs. The parent educator has been highlighted in the literature as an important part of successful practice. However, the response to the current pandemic has included an emphasis on the family being more engaged in the formal education process. For instance, with respect to the family or caregiver’s knowledge and skills, this suggests that they need to be prepared and trained for using specific interventions and strategies used for their children in schools (Stenhoff et al., 2020). Therefore, this paper discusses how parents’ roles in their children’s education need to be considered by educators now and in the future. This is supported by the experiences of one of the authors who has a child with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) to give an authentic picture of their role in educating their children during the pandemic. This paper is useful for SEND parents and workers in the education field

Trademark Enforcement through Border Measures: The Case of the Gulf Cooperation Council States (GCC)

PhDTrademarks are a valuable asset of a business and play a crucial role with regards to the quality of goods and its reputation, however, the rise in counterfeiting activities is undermining those benefits. Counterfeiting activities are considered to be the fastest growing phenomenon that focuses solely on reputable international brands ranging from cosmetics, watches, shoes and clothing, to cars and aeroplane parts. It has engulfed the world economy by dealing with fake commodities and intellectual property rights across the board. The PhD thesis looks at the relevant trademark laws in the Gulf Cooperation Council States (GCC) as an effective enforcement mechanism to deal with the rise of counterfeiting activities in the region. The GCC States have been listed among the countries with significant problems in terms of intellectual property protection and enforcement. Thus, the importance and effectiveness of border measures, judicial process, including civil and criminal proceedings in all six Member States are analysed using a combination of comparative, doctrinal, and socio-legal research. The main objective of the thesis is to show the degree to which the GCC States' legislative regimes and their enforcement efforts addresses counterfeiting problems to meet their international treaty obligations.University of Bahrain