Infusion of social innovation in outsourcing for developing countries: A case in Nepal

Outsourcing has been a buzzword in the business world for last several decades. Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) have been dominating the outsourcing jobs to developing countries. Recently, a new shift of outsourcing to impact sourcing have emerged through which digitally-enabled jobs are given to marginalised individuals so that their material conditions would be improved. The aim of this paper is to analyse effects from impact sourcing service providers (ISSPs) on the local communities. First, major stakeholders such as the providers, employees (the communities) and the clients (companies using impact sourcing), have been analysed. Theoretical framework is prepared to show their motivations to be part of the impact sourcing. Altruistic hearts and intents of both the providers and the clients could be a base to promote this impact sourcing model to the next level

Towards a Digital Platform to Support/Enhance Community-based Tourism in Developing Countries - Findings from Nepal

Real social impact is not possible without the engagement of the local communities. The paper describes the first phase of an engaged research project in which we develop a digital platform which is able to support and enhance Community-Based Tourism in Developing Countries. With the help of a local community in Nepal, we co-develop and understand the requirements which need to be included in a digital platform to support Community-Based Tourism in Developing Countries. The data is collected through three focus groups which explore “Categories of Local Tourism products/services”, “Education, Training, and Awareness Raising”, and “Design structures of a Digital Platform”. The participants of the focus groups were community leaders, local business owners, entrepreneurs, and tourism association representatives. The findings contribute to our understanding of supporting local entrepreneurism through digital platforms and help to make the world a better place with Information Systems

Community Homestay Platform to enhance Sustainable Tourism in Developing Countries

Developing countries are increasingly embracing community homestays to provide an authentic cultural experience to tourists. While these engagements enable local communities\u27 economic and social development, homestays face various challenges. Digital innovation and transformations can aid homestays in promoting, managing and creating a resilient post-pandemic business model. This study aims to co-design and co-develop a community homestay management information system for greater scalability and sustainability in assisting homestay management committees in maintaining, monitoring and sustaining an equitable economy. Initially, a conceptual diagram of the system has been proposed based on the information extracted from existing literature and field interviews. The elicitations of requirements help ascertain the scope of ICT use in homestay. Design science research methodology will be applied to co-develop an interactive prototype after iterative evaluation. This study advances the discourse of ICT use in community homestays by identifying the opportunities and challenges and conceptualising a community homestay management system

Exploring Factors Influencing Older Adults’ Willingness to Use Robo-Advisors

This exploratory study investigated factors that influence older adults’ (aged 50 or above) willingness to use robo-advisor, a type of financial technology (“FinTech”). In recent years, it has been receiving increasing attention from users because it is democratizing financial services. Many studies have been conducted on user adoption of robo-advisors. Only few empirical studies investigated how users’ literacy skills and behavioural traits affect their intentions to adopt robo-advisors, but none focusing on older population. In this study we collected survey data from 154 older adults living across United States. Our data analysis showed that trust and anxiety are significantly related to older adults’ willingness to use robo-advisors. Surprisingly, in contrast to many empirical findings, we found that eliteracy is negatively related to older adults’ willingness to use this technology. Based on these findings, we offered discussion regarding future direction for FinTech development and research to benefit the older demographics

Perceived Antecedents to The Success of Impact Sourcing in Bangladesh

Impact sourcing (ImS) has been identified as an emergent component of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) which relates to the practice of developing IT skills for marginalised communities. Also known as socially responsible outsourcing, the core element of ImS is to train and employ people from disadvantaged background in expediting socioeconomic development. While the positive influence of ImS has been significantly noticed in countries such as India, Kenya and Nepal, there has not been any appropriate initiatives noticed in one of the most promising nations, Bangladesh. With adequate IT and telecommunication foundation followed by strong governmental support, Bangladesh has the potential to flourish in ImS sector and make significant socioeconomic development for its people. This research in progress paper proposes a conceptual framework to understand the perceived antecedents for adopting ImS undertakings in Bangladesh and provide valuable insight to the government and researchers/practitioners for employing effective ICT based social development strategies

ICT in Sustainable Tourism: A Systematic Review

The emergence of sustainable tourism has been seamlessly replacing many facets of traditional tourism. ICT is regarded as an ideal partner to sustainable tourism as it can proficiently disseminate information and services. Several research studies have been conducted to study this synergy. This systematic review aims to investigate the emerging ICT discourse in sustainable tourism using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Relevant articles were searched in the most common databases. Out of 357 articles retrieved, 41 articles were selected for the final analysis based on inclusion-exclusion criteria. MS Excel and Zotero applications were used. It has been observed that most commonly researched topics in ICT in sustainable tourism include GIS, web applications, gaming, Augmented Reality, IoTs and social media. This review identifies a need for a larger body of research focusing on ICT use in sustainable tourism and supports its advancement by identifying future directions

Manipulation of Online Reviews: Analysis of Negative Reviews for Healthcare Providers

There is a growing reliance on online reviews in today’s digital world. As the influence of online reviews amplified in the competitive marketplace, so did the manipulation of reviews and evolution of fake reviews on these platforms. Like other consumer-oriented businesses, the healthcare industry has also succumbed to this phenomenon. However, health issues are much more personal, sensitive, complicated in nature requiring knowledge of medical terminologies and often coupled with myriad of interdependencies. In this study, we collated the literature on manipulation of online reviews, identified the gaps and proposed an approach, including validation of negative reviews of the 500 doctors from three different states: New York and Arizona in USA and New South Wales in Australia from the RateMDs website. The reviews of doctors was collected, which includes both numerical star ratings (1-low to 5-high) and textual feedback/comments. Compared to other existing research, this study will analyse the textual feedback which corresponds to the clinical quality of doctors (helpfulness and knowledge criteria) rather than process quality experiences. Our study will explore pathways to validate the negative reviews for platform provider and rank the doctors accordingly to minimise the risks in healthcare

Remote Teaching in Nepalese Higher Education During COVID-19: Teachers\u27 Perspectives

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine the factors that supported or inhibited teacher participation in remote teaching. Teaching and learning in Nepal was predominantly face-to-face prior to the pandemic, and the previous studies showed that the use of educational technology in higher education was limited. Method: This exploratory case study draws on data derived from focus group discussions with teachers in higher education. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the impacts of different factors in sudden transition to remote teaching. Findings: Findings show that personal factors such as teachers’ sense of duty and their attitude towards technology use facilitated their practice despite technological (internet connection), organizational (directives on exams or online classes) and environmental (inconsistent power supply) issues. Implication for Theory and/or Practice: Continued uptake of technology by teachers and colleges and universities should be practiced to move education towards a blended approach to teaching and learning. Educational authorities should provide more explicit guidelines on teaching and learning and administration of assessments across multiple situations, including pandemics and other emergencies requiring higher education to pivot. Conclusion: COVID-19 has sped up technology uptake and integration in higher education in Nepal. It increased awareness of technology and encouraged teachers to enhance their skills to integrate technology into learning

Investigating the Social Capital Theory in the University-Private Partnership: A Systematic Review

Literature has recognised ‘university-private partnerships’ as one of the influential contributors to the economic growth towards building the knowledge-based economy. University-private partnerships is still a progressing phenomenon that has been investigated through the lens of different theories, including the social capital theory that comprises structural, relational, and cognitive dimensions. To date, the influence of social capital theory on transferring knowledge has been investigated; but there has been an inconsistency between studies related to the social capital cognitive dimension compared to other related dimensions. This paper aims to explore how the theoretical lens of social capital theory informs research and learnings about partnerships between universities and private sectors. Overall, 23 studies published within the last two decades are systematically reviewed. Findings from this review lead to a fundamental theoretical framework that addresses the abovementioned inconsistency, a reflection on the current related research themes, and a proposition for future research directions

Learning from Intermediaries to Overcome Cognitive Related Barriers in the University-Industry Collaboration

Previous studies on university-industry collaboration have shown a number of different barriers that affect transferring knowledge through such a collaboration. From the cognitive dimension of the social capital theory perspective, this paper explores barriers to knowledge transfer activities through the collaboration between university and industry and how intermediaries contribute to mitigating these barriers. By applying the qualitative research method, a total of 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted, targeting academics and practitioners across the various universities, industries, and intermediary organisations in Saudi Arabia. A thematic analysis of the data was then employed using MAXQDA 2022 software. Based on the findings, this paper contributes to the extant university-industry collaboration literature by providing insights into critical challenges that can be addressed to improve collaborative inter-organisation relationships. Additionally, it can guide related partners in maintaining a successful collaboration