Editor in Chief invites submissions for newly relaunched journal, Atoms for Peace

Dr. Abdessamad Didi, the newly appointed Editor of Atoms for Peace: an International Journal (AfP), is delighted to announce an open call for research papers dedicated to advancing the field of nuclear science, with a particular focus on the peaceful applications of atomic energy. The journal invites authors to contribute articles that highlight innovative research and cutting-edge developments in nuclear science and its role in fostering global peace and sustainable development. Dr. Didi encourages researchers, academics and professionals from diverse backgrounds to submit their work to AfP, thereby facilitating the dissemination of valuable insights within this pivotal domain.

Scope of the journal

We welcome submissions related to, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Nuclear reactor technologies: exploration of pioneering reactor designs, safety enhancements and operational efficiency innovations in nuclear reactors
• Radiation medicine: advancements in radiation therapy, diagnostic radiology, and nuclear medicine aimed at enhancing healthcare outcomes
• Nuclear security and non-proliferation: strategies and technologies designed to ensure the peaceful utilisation of nuclear materials and the prevention of their misuse
• Nuclear energy policy: studies examining energy policy, regulatory frameworks and sustainable nuclear energy solutions
• Environmental impact assessment: evaluations of the environmental impact of nuclear facilities and waste management
• Nuclear education and public outreach: initiatives aimed at fostering public awareness and comprehension of nuclear science

AfP operates as a fully refereed international journal, committed to the publication of original articles that explore the theory and practical application of nuclear science. Our primary emphasis is on innovative approaches with substantial implications for advancing global peace and sustainable development. We invite researchers, scholars and experts in the field to contribute to AfP and contribute to the responsible utilisation of atomic energy for the betterment of society and the world.

Objectives

The primary mission of AfP is to establish a global platform for the dissemination of pioneering research findings, ideas and concepts at the intersection of nuclear science, technology and the pursuit of international peace. AfP places a distinct emphasis on fostering knowledge exchange and innovation in the field of nuclear science, with a focus on its role in promoting global peace and sustainable development.

Our specific objectives include:

• Advancing nuclear science: to facilitate the exchange of groundbreaking research in the domain of nuclear science, including but not limited to reactor technologies, radiation medicine, nuclear security and environmental impact assessment
• Promoting peaceful nuclear applications: to promote the responsible use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, such as healthcare, energy generation and environmental management, while preventing its misuse
• Knowledge sharing: to serve as a conduit for the sharing of knowledge ideas, and expertise among scholars, researchers and practitioners in the field of nuclear science
• Public awareness and education: to contribute to public awareness and understanding of nuclear science, its benefits and its potential contributions to global peace and development
• Interdisciplinary collaboration: to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration by bringing together experts from various fields, including nuclear science, policy and environmental studies
• Ethical and sustainable practices: to promote ethical and sustainable practices in the application of nuclear science, ensuring the protection of human health and the environment

Readership

AfP's readership comprises nuclear scientists, healthcare professionals, policymakers, educators and the general public. This diverse audience seeks cutting-edge research and insights into nuclear science's peaceful applications, healthcare and sustainable energy. Professionals in nuclear medicine, environmental experts and decision-makers benefit from the journal's content. Educators and students use it as a valuable resource for teaching and learning. AfP also caters to global peace advocates and those curious about the responsible use of atomic energy.

Contents

AfP's content spans nuclear science advancements, healthcare applications and sustainable energy topics. It includes research on nuclear reactor technologies, radiation medicine, policy and environmental impact. Readers will find articles on medical innovations, ethical practices and global peace initiatives tied to nuclear science. AfP fosters interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and responsible atomic energy utilisation.

Submission process

All articles for this journal must be submitted using the online submissions system available via the Submitting Articles tab at www.inderscience.com/afp. Please follow all instructions and author guidelines.

Student security study

Research in the International Journal of Business Information Systems investigates user perception of mobile device security and offers several recommendations for users and manufacturers of such devices.

Nelson Tochukwu Agu, Joshua Ebere Chukwuere, and Tlhalitshi Volition Montshiwa of North-West University in Mahikeng, South Africa, offer several alarming insights into awareness of mobile security issues among students in the region. Their primary finding from a survey of 142 students at NWU is that some students mistakenly believe that mobile phones are inherently secure and others do not realise that such devices can be less secure than traditional desktop or laptop computers. The work suggests that there is a need for increased vigilance and education regarding mobile device security.

The team also found that while most users have a basic understanding of mobile device security, many of them lack knowledge of even common threats such as viruses, worms, Trojans, and phishing attacks. The researchers believe that this knowledge gap is particularly troubling, as it implies a lack of vigilance in safeguarding mobile devices against these various threats. Many such threats could detrimentally affect the individuals involved, but many have much broader implications allowing the spread of malware to other users and for malicious third parties to compromise devices and so build networks, botnets, under their control for illicit purposes, such as distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks on organisational and governmental networks, for instance.

The team also found that even those users who understand password protection, many of them neglect additional security measures such as encryption, PINs, patterns, or biometric authentication. They point out that users are happy to engage in risky behaviour, such as ignoring system security warnings, clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown sources, as well as over-sharing personal information on social media platforms, which might be useful to a third-party hoping to carry an identity theft or in fraudulent activity, based on social engineering in which a confidence trick is played out on an individual or member of an organisation rather than an attack being technological in nature, such as hacking or cracking to break into and compromise a computer system.

The researchers suggest that education of users is critical to bolster mobile phone security, but they insist that device manufacturers should also bear responsibility in addressing this issue and should be proactive in this educational process.

Agu, N.T., Chukwuere, J.E. and Montshiwa, T.V. (2023) ‘Understanding users’ perceptions of security in mobile devices using the two-step cluster analysis’, Int. J. Business Information Systems, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp.81–101.

Free open access article available: "Accountability in social enterprises: the role of institutional pressure and social performance"

The following paper, "Accountability in social enterprises: the role of institutional pressure and social performance" (International Journal of Business Excellence 31(1) 2023), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Assessing and addressing academic burnout - "Areas of worklife as predictors of the burnout syndrome"

A research study in International Journal of Behavioural and Healthcare Research has found a profound connection between the dynamics of the work environment and the widespread problem of burnout syndrome among professors in Brazilian academic institutions. The study considers six key facets of work life outlined by the areas of work life scale (AWS) – workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values, and uses them to discern insights into their predictive potential of academic burnout.

The team of Adriana Porto (Lutheran University of Brazil), Luis Felipe Dias Lopes (Federal University of Santa Maria), and Claudimar Pereira da Veiga (Fundação Dom Cabral) used the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey (MBI-GS) tool, which they tailored and calibrated for the Brazilian context, to delve into the measurement of three distinct dimensions of burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy.

The team used data from 558 professors to look at aspects of the work environment and its impact on burnout within Brazilian academia. The findings validate the assertion that understanding the six areas of work life can significantly influence how burnout manifests and evolves within this sector.

Burnout, while commonly used in the vernacular represents a complex syndrome characterized by chronic workplace stress that has not been effectively managed. It can lead to physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. These problems, in turn, can lead to cynicism and detachment from one’s work as well as a diminished sense of personal accomplishment and efficacy. Chronic burnout has far-reaching implications for those affected having a detrimental impact on well-being and physical health. It can also affect the workplace in which they find themselves leading to problems with productivity in the workplace, affecting those whom the workers serve. And, ultimately society at large and the wider economy, healthcare, education, and public services.

There is an urgent need for organizations to understand the multi-faceted nature of burnout and its connection with the work environment. Proactive measures addressing workload, control, rewards, community, fairness, and values can help create nurturing work environments that mitigate burnout risks. The research offers an invaluable roadmap for organizations to design interventions focused on enhancing employee well-being, and so fostering a healthier, more productive workforce and positively contributing to society more broadly.

Porto, A., Lopes, L.F.D. and da Veiga, C.P. (2023) ‘Areas of worklife as predictors of the burnout syndrome’, Int. J. Behavioural and Healthcare Research, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp.1–17.

Research pick: Surprising influences on employee intention to quit - "An emerging approach towards intention to quit among IT employees"

Research in the International Journal of Enterprise Network Management reveals unexpected factors that influence an employee’s intentions to quit their job in information technology. The findings challenge the received wisdom and could shed light on the dynamic role of online professional networking and social media profile updates.

There has been much research in employee intention to quit as it can have a significant impact on a wide range of organisations. Conventionally, researchers have focused on factors such as job satisfaction and organizational commitment. These are the standard key indicators that can help predict which employees might be planning to leave and so allow organisations to perhaps manage staff turnover more effectively. However, there was an obvious gap in understanding how online activities, such as updating job profiles on social media platforms and engaging in professional networking sites, affect a person’s intention to leave a job.

Ashish Kumar Biswas of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Deemed to be University) in Hyderabad, R. Seethalakshmi of VIT-AP University in Amaravati, and Prabha Mariappan of Veltech University in Chennai, India, have employed a quantitative survey approach involving almost 600 participants and used a structural equation model to test their hypothesis and hopefully help fill this gap in our understanding of employee intention to quit.

The team found that, as one might anticipate, an increased engagement in professional networking sites ultimately influences an individual’s intention to leave their current job and find employment elsewhere. This is not necessarily an obvious factor as many people might daydream about finding a new job and investigate their options, perhaps even uploading their CV (curriculum vitae or résumé) to a job-seekers web site, but a certain level of activity might nudge them towards quitting whereas casual interaction with such websites would not necessarily reinforce the tendency. Online activity of this kind cannot be ignored as an influential factor in affecting an individual’s intentions in much the same way as job satisfaction and level of engagement should not be ignored, especially if they are dwindling. Moreover, the research suggests that employee commitment to a job is dynamic and can fluctuate with changing circumstances.

The team suggests that even highly committed employees might intensify their job search efforts, but this doesn’t necessarily translate to higher turnover rates. In contrast, those members of staff who are not committed to their jobs may choose to stay with their current employer for various reasons, such as a competitive job market or personal obligations, and perhaps because they do not see the opportunities that might exist via social media and job-seekers websites.

Biswas, A.K., Seethalakshmi, R. and Mariappan, P. (2023) ‘An emerging approach towards intention to quit among IT employees’, Int. J. Enterprise Network Management, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp.283–298.

International Journal of Intelligent Engineering Informatics indexed by Scopus and celebrates Clarivate impact factor

We are pleased to announce that the International Journal of Intelligent Engineering Informatics has been indexed in Elsevier's Scopus database.

Prof. Ahmad Taher Azar, the journal's Editor in Chief, has provided the following statement:

"The indexing of the International Journal of Intelligent Engineering Informatics by Scopus - one of the most prestigious academic databases in the world - represents a significant milestone for our journal, and signifies a major step forward in our mission to disseminate high-quality research to a global audience.

Furthermore, we are delighted to share that IJIEI has achieved an impressive Clarivate impact factor of 6.3. This remarkable recognition underscores the exceptional quality of the research published in our journal and the dedication of our scholarly community.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our esteemed Inderscience journal team and board members, whose guidance and expertise have played an instrumental role in shaping the journal's direction. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our authors, whose insightful contributions have enriched our publication, and to our diligent reviewers for their invaluable support in maintaining our high standards.

This accomplishment is a testament to the collective effort and commitment of our entire community. As we move forward, we remain dedicated to fostering excellence in research and providing a platform for the dissemination of groundbreaking discoveries.

Thank you for your unwavering support and trust in the International Journal of Intelligent Engineering Informatics. We look forward to continuing this remarkable journey together."

Research pick: Understanding cyberthreats in IoT networks - "A comparative framework for cyber threat modelling: case of healthcare and industrial control systems"

Cyberattacks are a major problem for all kinds of organizations with the potential to compromise e-commerce, government, and healthcare. Research in the International Journal of Critical Infrastructures, highlights how Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which are not necessarily as well protected as conventional computers in terms of firewalls, antivirus, and malware protection, can represent an important vulnerability in a system. Such threats extend beyond potential financial loss where they can disrupt infrastructure, government, and even threaten human lives, particularly in healthcare facilities.

Taofeek Mobolarinwa Balogun, and Hayretdin Bahsi of Tallinn University of Technology in Tallinn, Estonia, and Omer F. Keskin and Unal Tatar of the University at Albany, State University of New York, USA offer a comparative framework for modelling the threat of cyber attack on IoT devices and networks.

The team’s new framework can be used to evaluate particular vulnerabilities within an IoT network from the perspective of a putative third-party attacker. The framework can critically assess what factors are involved in determining the level of sophistication needed to carry out a successful cyberattack that causes damage to the system. It is more common not to consider the sophistication of an attacker but simply to harden firewalls and keep antimalware software up to date and hope these are sufficient to protect the system from attack. The factors considered include accessibility, stealth, technical ability, and time. Given enough of each, a sufficiently sophisticated attacker might be able to breach any security. Knowing just how sophisticated an attacker needs to be gives the IoT network manager the opportunity to increase the requisite level of defence.

The team demonstrated that two distinct IoT network types: SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) infrastructure and healthcare IoT infrastructure represent different levels of sophistication. SCADA networks demand greater expertise and sophistication compared with healthcare IoT networks. This suggests that there is a need for a bespoke approach to fortifying different types of critical systems. Understanding this requirement is an important part of allowing decision-makers at national and organizational levels to counter threats proactively without the need to over-extend security on more sophisticated systems that are intrinsically less vulnerable.

Balogun, T.M., Bahsi, H., Keskin, O.F. and Tatar, U. (2023) ‘A comparative framework for cyber threat modelling: case of healthcare and industrial control systems’, Int. J. Critical Infrastructures, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp.405–431.

Research pick: Hybrid approach recognises human activity - "Hybrid machine learning approach for human activity recognition"

Research in the International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology introduces a hybrid classification algorithm aimed at improving the recognition of human activities using smartphone data. The work could have implications for various fields, including healthcare and personal support.

Ahmad Taher Azar of both the Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Benha University in Benha, Egypt, hoped to demonstrate a tool for accurately categorizing six distinct human activities: lying, sitting, standing, walking, walking upstairs, and walking downstairs. He used supervised machine learning techniques that merged Random Forest Decision Trees (RFDT) and Neural Networks (NN) to this end.

The hybrid approach was able to classify six human activities with an accuracy rate of 96 per cent. This surpasses the performance of individual machine learning techniques like NN or RFDT and is comparable with the current state-of-the-art methods. However, what sets this algorithm apart is its efficiency in processing. The hybrid algorithm can infer behaviour from smartphone behaviour in just 0.073 seconds compared to the accuracy achieved with a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), which can take well over 1.5 seconds to do the same job and reach a similar level of accuracy.

Azar’s work emphasises how useful such an efficiency improvement could be in that it would allow real-time processing of smartphone data even on devices without a built-in dedicated computer processing unit for coping with such tasks. This capacity has considerable implications, particularly in scenarios where immediate and accurate activity recognition is essential, such as in healthcare and personal support applications. A particularly timely application would be for patient support and monitoring on so-called “virtual wards” where the patient usually remains in their home and is looked after by healthcare professionals remotely using telemedicine tools for monitoring and advising.

It is worth noting that there remain several challenges for this kind of research. The identification of basic movements such as climbing the stairs or lying down is achievable provided the person has their smartphone about their person at all times. However, there is a need for deeper recognition of emotional state and other factors important to that person’s health and wellbeing.

Azar, A.T. (2023) ‘Hybrid machine learning approach for human activity recognition’, Int. J. Computer Applications in Technology, Vol. 72, No. 3, pp.231–239.

Free open access article available: "Start-up selection criteria for corporate venturing: what matters for incumbents?"

The following paper, "Start-up selection criteria for corporate venturing: what matters for incumbents?" (International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing 15(4) 2023), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be - "Nostalgia and co-creation"

Research in the Journal of Design Research, introduces an innovative approach that combines co-creation and follow-up interviews to use nostalgia effectively in the realm of design and innovation. The objective is to harness nostalgia as a valuable tool for creating meaningful and user-centric experiences, products, and services.

Co-creation is a collaborative tool used by designers who collaborate closely with users during the initial, and sometimes all, stages of the process to understand more clearly the wants and desires of their putative users. Renu Zunjarwad of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University has illustrated the approach by examining the cultural significance of street-food in Mumbai and comparing it with production, distribution, and consumption practices of street-food in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Zunjarwad’s research highlights the importance of focusing on the cultural networks surrounding an artefact in design research. She concludes that co-creation is a powerful technique for exploring abstract concepts such as trust, nostalgia, and social anxiety. When effectively implemented, co-creation can provide valuable insights for developing user-centric experiences and products.

The work forms part of a larger project investigating how nostalgia, authenticity, and tradition influence Indian street-food practices in the global context. Key research questions centre on the role of nostalgia in shaping street-food practices in the era of globalization and the contribution of design to these experiences.

While co-creation can be employed at any stage of the design and product development process, it is most effective when used early to identify broader opportunities based on the wants of the potential consumers of the product. However, successful co-creation requires careful planning, collaboration, and facilitation to generate unique value and thence solutions that focus on the customer rather than simply the bottom-line. The benefits can be substantial although the approach requires more time and energy than conventional design processes by virtue of involving more people who are beyond the company’s regular staff.

Zunjarwad adds that co-creation can itself be used in research. “Co-creation is a powerful technique to explore difficult-to-observe concepts like trust, nostalgia, and social anxiety. It can deliver impactful insights to build user-centric experiences, products, and services when implemented well,” she writes.

Zunjarwad, R. (2023) ‘Nostalgia and co-creation’, J. Design Research, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp.62–78.

Research pick: Benign envy and influencer marketing

In a commercial world dominated by social media, research in the International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising reveals a mysterious, invisible force that lurks behind many a purchase decision when social media personalities, or influencers, are involved. This force of “benign envy” could be used to guide marketing and advertising strategies towards the most effective influencers and allow more persuasive campaigns to be developed for a range of products and services.

“Influencers” are typically social media users with a large following, sharing engaging or endearing content, and for whom it might be said they hold sway over their audience’s opinions and behaviour. Influencers commonly have expertise in a particular niche and are sufficiently charismatic and authentic in that niche, whether fashion, beauty, fitness, travel, technology, or other areas of lifestyle, that they can “nudge” their audience in a particular direction.

Xiaofan Yue, Nawal Hanim Abdullah, Mass Hareeza Ali, and Raja Nerina Raja Yusof of the School of Business and Economics at the Universiti Putra Malaysia, in Selangor, have used well-established social comparison theory to investigate the connection between benign envy and an audience’s desire to purchase products promoted by influencers. Fundamentally, consumers who identify with a particular influencer and perceive themselves as being a peer or otherwise similar to that influencer will be more inclined to follow that influencer’s recommendations.

To maximize the effectiveness of their influencer marketing, companies need to select carefully those influencers they wish to showcase their products and services to that these align with the influencer’s own preferences, values, and way of life. Moreover, a campaign must also match with the benign envy felt by the influencer’s audience.

Cynically, perhaps, the consumer must feel that buying the product will somehow elevate them so that they sit more squarely alongside the influencer they follow. Influencers often embody the ideal self-image of their audience and the lifestyle and status they crave. Consumers following influencer recommendations will somehow imagine they are closing in on this ideal by making the right purchases guided by their influencer, regardless of how real that ideal actually is. Indeed, as with many kinds of aspirational endeavour of this kind, a single purchase may well make the consumer feel better, but its impact is often short-lived, and there’s always another recommendation from their influence to envy.

Yue, X., Abdullah, N.H., Ali, M.H. and Yusof, R.N.R. (2023) ‘The role of audiences’ benign envy in influencer marketing’, Int. J. Internet Marketing and Advertising, Vol. 19, Nos. 3/4, pp.215–230.

Special issue published: "Knowledge Management in the Age of Digital Transformation"

International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development 13(2/3/4) 2023

• Research on the cultivation of innovative entrepreneurial talents for digital transformation of enterprises based on association rule algorithm
• Research on the analysis of regional economic sustainable development trend based on decision tree classification prediction
• A study on the evaluation of humanistic literacy cultivation model of University English teaching based on MTCNN
• Modern training model of apprenticeship based on multi-objective optimisation algorithm for sustainable development of school-enterprise cooperation
• The impact of technology optimisation incorporating machine learning algorithms on the financial sustainability of new energy companies
• Research on the application of MOSL information retrieval method in educational resource management
• Research on the application of improved BPNN algorithm in music education quality evaluation algorithm
• The monopoly dilemma of digital platform economy from the perspective of economic law and the influence of innovation incentive mechanism
• Research on talent development for empowering sustainable development of night economy
• Research on dynamic evaluation method of periodicals from the perspective of time
• The use of open design in the fab lab ecosystems: lessons learnt for knowledge management
• Optimisation strategy of college English teaching during the epidemic period: taking MOOC resources expressed by interactive features as an example
• Analysis on the collection of paper book resources in primary and secondary school libraries in Pukou District, Nanjing
• Research and development of e-commerce ERP system based on artificial intelligence technology
• The promotion of the concept of sustainable development to the reform of enterprise human resource management
• A random forest algorithm based customer demand forecasting model for sports enterprises in the real economy
• A study on career planning and development decisions of university students based on improved association rule algorithm
• Construction of a personalised online learning resource recommendation model based on self-adaptation
• Evaluation analysis on operational performance of public gyms and stadiums: a case study of Shantou city in China
• Research on the design of an intelligent platform for marine economic management based on genetic algorithm
• A study on the application of RBF neural network in the estimation of English language and literature teaching quality

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Agricultural Resources, Governance and Ecology are now available here for free:

• Understanding consumer patterns on meat and dairy products derived from animals fed with locally produced feed
• Perceptions of environmental benefits from sustainable food consumption patterns: evidence from the Generations Z and Y cohort
• A niche strategy for geographical indication products, by valorising local resources: the Greek cheese Ladotyri Mytilinis
• Enhancing wine tourism experience through developing wine tourist typology and providing complementary activities
• Indicators for sustainable tourism management: a case study using AHP and Delphi to evaluate mountainous areas in Greece
• A comprehensive conceptualisation framework for assessing metropolitan peri-urban agriculture
• The effects of adopting sustainable farming practices on smallholders
• Greece on a sustainable future: reviewing constraints and practices regarding forest and water resources management, flora and fauna biodiversity
• The effect of seawater physical parameters in bivalve farming: could systematic monitoring and early warning prevent negative impacts? A review focused on Vistonikos Gulf, North Aegean Sea
• Micrometeorology of the agricultural terraces and stone walls and impacts on biodiversity in the Mediterranean landscape of Greece

Research pick: Crowd deliveries - "Exploratory analysis of the viability of crowdsourced delivery in Egypt: developing a peer-to-peer platform"

The internet has opened up countless business opportunities that were once the preserve of corporate entities, allowing individuals and small groups to offer goods and services as well as to share resources. Often an “app” is involved that provides connectivity between individuals that would otherwise not meet or encounter each other. Two areas that spring to mind are car-sharing, taxi-type services and holiday and short-term lets of rooms and buildings, the most well-known examples in those areas are perhaps AirBnB and Uber.

An area that is emergent but not yet mature is “last-mile” deliveries where individuals can take on the packages and parcels couriered to a depot and deliver them to their neighbours for a small fee rather than relying on conventional couriers to fulfil the complete delivery. Such peer-to-peer (P2P) crowdsourced delivery services are gaining traction worldwide and offer a way for the big couriers to cut out the inefficient last part of their logistics and offload it into locals where it might bolster a growing micro-economy.

Research in the International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management has looked at how well the implementation of P2P crowdsourced delivery is going in Egypt. The findings shed light on the potential benefits and the remaining challenges.

Karim Soliman of the College of International Transport and Logistics at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport in Cairo, employed a deductive approach and quantitative research methods to gauge public sentiment towards this innovative delivery model. Soliman writes that encouragingly, respondents of various ages and education were already familiar with crowdsourcing, even if they were not familiar with the term itself.

Soliman notes that in Egypt P2P delivery services are being used within the same city, as one might expect. Users are less keen to use such services between cities or internationally, although one might posit that this would defeat the object of using “last-mile” P2P delivery and would represent a much larger-scale crowdsourced delivery service. Such a service may well emerge if it has not already been in place for many years in various forms. The research also suggests that there is a need to develop professional guidelines for those offering P2P delivery to enhance trust and confidentiality and also to address the matter of insurance.

Soliman, K. (2023) ‘Exploratory analysis of the viability of crowdsourced delivery in Egypt: developing a peer-to-peer platform’, Int. J. Logistics Systems and Management, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp.447–470.

Special issue published: "Internet Marketing and Advertising: A Tribute to Editor Emerita Professor Hsiuju Rebecca Yen"

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising 19(3/4) 2023

• The role of audiences' benign envy in influencer marketing
• The influence of typical versus atypical ads on sharing intention
• Understanding the virtual experiential value and its effect on travel intention
• Antecedents of brand love leading to purchase intention towards refurbished video game consoles
• Can personalised prosocial ads be harnessed for brand equity enhancement?
• Social media marketing and consumer behaviour in the new normal: the relationship between content and interaction
• Evaluating the impact of emotional advertisement on customers and its relationship with brand value
• What if brand equity was alive? Proposal of a dynamic measure through social networks

First issue: International Journal of Electronic Trade (free sample issue available)

 

The International Journal of Electronic Trade fosters multidisciplinary discussion and research on electronic commerce and trade for businesses, consumers, governments and society, in local and global contexts. Given the extraordinary interest in services for the support of fast-growing world trade and for the design, implementation and management of e-commerce/e-trade services, IJETrade concentrates on the proposition of sound theoretical models, methodologies and practices, aiming to provide consultation and promotion of the discipline in an era where the traditional agenda of electronic commerce has been refocused.

There is a free download of the papers from this first issue.

Research pick: A multi-faceted approach to improve Alzheimer’s diagnosis - "An overview of early detection of Alzheimer’s disease"

A review in the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics has surveyed current early detection methods for Alzheimer’s disease, a prevalent neurodegenerative condition affecting millions of people worldwide. The work looks into the progression, causes, and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and emphasizes that a multi-modal approach coupled with advanced machine learning techniques could lead to much earlier diagnosis for many patients. Early diagnosis offers better options for planning and ongoing care. As the world population continues to age, the burden of Alzheimer’s disease looms larger than ever.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cognitive impairment and memory loss. Its precise cause is not clear although there are characteristic changes in the brain that are always present and usually observed post mortem. The disease thus presents a significant challenge in its early detection when behavioural symptoms might be mild or may well be similar to those symptoms seen in a range of other conditions. There is no cure for this debilitating and ultimately lethal condition but the importance of detecting it in its early stages cannot be overstated given the devastating impact it has on the patient and those caring for them. Early diagnosis not only allows individuals to communicate their needs to loved ones but also empowers them to make crucial decisions regarding finances and legal matters that will come into play as the disease progresses.

While a definitive scientific diagnosis is really only possible post mortem, a combination of observations of behaviour as well as brain scans can give the clinicians a near-certain diagnosis once symptoms are established. C.R. Nagarathna and Kusuma Mohanchandra of the Dayananda Sagar Academy of Technology and Management in Bangalore, India, suggest from their review, that a combination of techniques will offer a more reliable diagnosis than any single method. They add that utilising machine learning tools could now enhance the data from various types of brain scan and couple those results with the observations made by an expert diagnostician in the field.

Alzheimer’s is a complex disease with a range of putative causes and manifestations. Indeed, the conventional wisdom regarding the role of errant proteins in the brain has not yet been settled. One scientific camp sees protein fragments as causing damage to the brain whereas the other camp suggests the errant proteins are a symptom of an underlying disease process and not causative agents themselves. Whatever the aetiology, early diagnosis is key to improving life for patients and their carers.

Early diagnosis also offers greater hope as new therapies begin to emerge from the laboratory. An earlier intervention will almost always be preferred with the potential to slow degeneration and mitigate symptoms. There is always the hope that in the distant future a therapeutic will be designed that might even halt or reverse the disease.

Nagarathna, C.R. and Mohanchandra, K. (2023) ‘An overview of early detection of Alzheimer’s disease’, Int. J. Medical Engineering and Informatics, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp.442–457.

Prof. Hua Song appointed as new Editor in Chief of International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology

Prof. Hua Song from the University of Calgary in Canada has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology.

Themed issue published: "Financial System Stability"

Global Business and Economics Review 29(3) 2023

• Non-performing loans in Central-East European countries: investigation of macroeconomic, policy, and global risk determinants
• The announcements of unconventional monetary policies and sovereign bond liquidity premia
• Financial innovation as a response to crisis - the case of catastrophe bonds
• Impact of social progress on bank stability
• Nexus between credit default swap spreads and foreign exchange rates: evidence from BRICST, E7, MINT and Fragile Five countries

Research pick: Unhooking phishing threats - "The detection of phishing attempts in communications systems"

Research in the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics offers a new approach to combating phishing attacks in order to enhance online security and reduce cybercrime against individuals and businesses and attacks on governments so improving national security.

Phishing is a deceptive technique in which a web page, email or message is used to impersonate a trusted entity and to deceive individuals into clicking malicious links, revealing sensitive information such as usernames and passwords, bank details, and other such details. It has caused significant harm to countless victims, resulting in compromised data, identity theft, and even national security breaches.

Those propagating phishing attacks can use very sophisticated methods to make a message or page look authentic and even highly skilled and security-aware users are sometimes duped into accessing a malicious resource. Such resources might steal information directly as the user enters it or lead to them unwittingly downloading malware or another payload that then compromises their computer system, whether a personal computer or a network. Computer security systems are constantly challenged by the development of more sophisticated phishing attacks which may also exploit social engineering in subtle ways as well as malware to dupe users.

T. Kalaichelvi of the Panimalar Engineering College in Chennai, India, and colleagues have proposed a new threat-modelling technique that can pinpoint and eliminate vulnerabilities that make a computer system more susceptible to a phishing attack. The team’s approach uses the STRIDE threat design methodology, a potent tool that demonstrates an impressive 96.3% accuracy rate in detecting phishing web addresses. The work offers a real solution for individuals and organizations alike to defeat the phishing threat.

The implications of the research extend beyond individual victims and encompass businesses and the world of the Internet of Things. For cybersecurity experts, developers, and IoT device manufacturers, the proposed threat modelling technique could help in securing vulnerabilities proactively at the design stage rather than reactively when vulnerabilities have been identified and exploited. Fundamentally, a multi-faceted anti-phishing approach is needed that takes into account both the technological vulnerabilities and the human factor.

Kalaichelvi, T., Mane, S.B., Dhanalakshmi, K.M. and Prasad, S.N. (2023) ‘The detection of phishing attempts in communications systems’, Int. J. Electronic Security and Digital Forensics, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp.541–553.

Dr. Ioannis Lagoudis appointed as new Editor in Chief of International Journal of Decision Sciences, Risk and Management

Dr. Ioannis Lagoudis from the University of Piraeus in Greece has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Decision Sciences, Risk and Management.

Research pick: Global effort needed to combat corruption and recover stolen assets - "Recovery of stolen assets from abroad"

Research in the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics highlights the need for urgency in tackling corruption crime and the need to recover stolen assets particularly those taken from developing and transitional economies.

The issue has far-reaching economic implications with such cross-border crime amounting to trillions of dollars every year. Such a problem needs a global solution as it erodes governance and justice as well as hampering civil, political, and socio-economic rights. The researchers suggest that preventive measures are desperately needed as well as international cooperation in mitigating the devastating impact of corruption on economies worldwide.

Rakhmatulla Balashov and Oxana Filipets Institute of Postgraduate Education, Law Enforcement Academy in Kosshy, and Svetlana Baimoldina of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan shed light on the dim problem of corruption and its devastating economic consequences. The team used analytical and comparative legal methods, to examine the challenges associated with repatriating stolen assets from abroad and identified critical gaps in asset recovery legislation.

The World Bank reports that the illicit flow of money resulting from crime, corruption, and tax evasion could be about US $1 trillion but could be as high as $6 trillion per annum. Such a huge financial drain affects developing countries and nations in transition disproportionately when compared to the impact of such criminal activity on developed nations. It can even threaten their economic stability and growth as well as their prospects in terms of fulfilling the transition and development prospects.

There is now a pressing need for law enforcement agencies, business entities, financial institutions in particular, auditors, and arbitration experts to work together to counter corruption. The Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR) initiative at the United Nations could enhance efforts to tackle corruption before it takes root.

However, law enforcement agencies in one country have limited capacity to obtain evidence and information from another, especially when facing corruption at a high level, but also simply because of the local banking and commercial secrecy laws in various jurisdictions.

A tough economic and legal framework is needed that would bring different entities together allowing them to share information and collaborate without compromise. The team’s detailed proposals hold promise for the work of law enforcement agencies responsible for combating illegal property seizures and for private companies engaged in financial investigations related to such crimes.

Balashov, R., Filipets, O. and Baimoldina, S. (2023) ‘Recovery of stolen assets from abroad’, Int. J. Electronic Security and Digital Forensics, Vol. 15, No. 5, pp.456–467.

Research pick: Data mining the dangers of self-medication - "Discovery of dangerous self-medication methods with patients, by using social network mining"

Self-medication for minor ailments and illnesses is common. Often the remedies people turn to are simple over-the-counter pharmacy medications or products available in other outlets that may or may not have proven physiological activity. There is a notion that self-medication may cause more harm than good, if a person with significant symptoms of disease opts for a shop-bought remedy rather than seeking professional medical advice. Ultimately, it might lead to a problem essentially being untreated and in the worst-case scenario could lead to a degradation of a person’s health or even death.

Research in the International Journal of Business Intelligence and Data Mining has used online social network data mining to investigate the phenomenon of dangerous self-medication.

Reza Samizadeh, Mahsa Jadidi, and Sahar Vatankhah of Alzahra University, Morteza Khavanin Zadeh of the School of Medicine at Iran University of Medical Sciences Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran, and Mohammad Rezapour of the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, have looked at social media updates on metabolic disease, obesity, and diabetes. Their data classification using text-mining algorithms and naive Bayes analysis was more accurate than a support vector machine approach, they explain.

The results show that lots of people are using prescription anti-obesity drugs and recommending them to each other. Many of these drugs have only a modest impact on obesity but worryingly can have serious side-effects or contraindications with other medicines. Samizadeh and colleagues point out that these products should not be used without medical supervision and yet their analysis of social media updates suggests that people are buying and using the drug outside the safety net of a doctor’s advice.

The team suggests that there is an urgent need to raise public awareness of the risks of taking medical advice from non-experts on social media where all kinds of distortions of the science can so easily be passed off as expertise. Where this might be said in the realm of diabetes, metabolic disease, and obesity, so too it is likely to be occurring in discussions of self-medication for heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. Indeed, when a world leader can offer truly dangerous advice regarding treatments for a pandemic disease and have people believe them, it is no stretch of the imagination to suggest that there are thousands if not millions of people taking drugs for a wide range of potentially lethal illnesses without ever having sought professional medical advice.

Samizadeh, R., Zadeh, M.K., Jadidi, M., Rezapour, M. and Vatankhah, S. (2023) ‘Discovery of dangerous self-medication methods with patients, by using social network mining’, Int. J. Business Intelligence and Data Mining, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp.277–287.

Research pick: Fraud vulnerability – the charity case - "Governance and the prevention of fraud in charities in England and Wales"

Research in the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics has looked at the issue of fraud within charities operating in England and Wales. The study offers several insights into the sector’s susceptibility to fraudulent activities. The work conducted by analyzing data from the annual reports and financial statements of 42 charities with fraud incidents and 42 without, aims to provide a tailored solution to addressing this ongoing problem across the not-for-profit sector.

Charities in England and Wales play a pivotal role in both society and the economy as advocates, fundraisers and supports of a diverse range of worthy causes from medical research and healthcare support to animal welfare, environmental protection. It is important to address and mitigate the risks they face, including fraud and financial misconduct, to ensure donations reach their targets and those worthy causes are supported as fully as they can be by the organisation.

Saffet Aras Uygur and Christopher J. Napier of the School of Business and Management at Royal Holloway University of London in Egham, Surrey, UK, demonstrated that, generally, charities with smaller boards, signifying a closely-knit governance environment, were at greater risk of succumbing to fraud. In contrast, those organizations with larger boards had more effective oversight and so less chance of falling victim to fraud. The team also found that those charities with limited or no grant funding are at greater risk of fraud. This once again demonstrates the need for ongoing monitoring and due diligence by long-term donors, who can act as a deterrent against fraudulent behaviour.

The findings emphasise the critical role that governance plays in safeguarding charitable assets and maintaining public trust. The team points out that public data on charities that have been shut down is not available and so the analysis is limited to active charities where the information is publicly available.

One of the main conclusions from the study is that charities should be encouraged to establish larger boards in order to enhance governance and reduce the risk of fraudulent activities and maintain the integrity of charitable organizations in England and Wales.

Uygur, S.A. and Napier, C.J. (2023) ‘Governance and the prevention of fraud in charities in England and Wales’, Int. J. Business Governance and Ethics, Vol. 17, No. 5, pp.495–524.

Prof. Saša Mladenović appointed as new Editor in Chief of International Journal of Knowledge and Learning

Prof. Saša Mladenović from the University of Split in Croatia has been appointed to take over editorship of the International Journal of Knowledge and Learning.

Free sample articles newly available from Journal of Design Research

The following sample articles from the Journal of Design Research are now available here for free:

• A study on colour harmony and consumer perception of shampoo packages displayed on screen
• Delving into menstrual experiences of women in the public space through mobile diaries
• The challenges of parachute design: the development of a low cost, fit for purpose trauma pack for use in Namibia

Research pick: Cyber security readiness - "An empirical investigation into organisation cyber security readiness from the IT employee and manager perspectives"

In a world grappling with escalating cyber threats, research in the journal Electronic Government sheds light on the essential elements for enhancing cyber security readiness. As governments, the private sector, and individuals confront this growing menace, this work looks at five critical factors affecting how well an organization manages its cyber security readiness: employee expertise, awareness, organizational investment, compliance with standards, and risk assessment.

Zainab AlMeraj, Ali K. Alenezi, and Paul D. Manuel of the Information Science Department at Kuwait University in Al-Shadadiya, Kuwait, offer several important points for organisations to consider. Foremost is the importance of expertise within the organisation, compliance with standards, and risk assessment. Failures within any of these areas will inevitably compromise the organisation’s readiness when it comes to cyber security. These insights underscore the need for any organization to prioritize building expertise and awareness into its workforce, adhering to established cyber security standards, and consistently evaluating risks to maintain their cyber security at a sufficiently high level.

The study also reveals an inevitable correlation between expertise and investment. Organizations that make prudent investments in cyber security measures tend to have a workforce with greater prowess in the domain of digital defence, those that don’t tend to be more vulnerable to cyber attack. Even awareness, if not actual expertise is closely linked with investment, if the requisite training, conferences, workshops, and effective communication are in place, then the organisation’s defences will be stronger as those staff outside the IT department and the non-cyber experts can gain the requisite knowledge to understand what threats the organisation might face, how to deal with them or who to turn to for expert advice within the organisation if they cannot manage a given threat themselves. All of those, in turn, improves compliance with cyber security standards, which means stronger defences.

The findings have implications for corporate entities, national authorities, and individuals seeking to improve their cyber security readiness. Organizations and individuals alike must commit resources to cyber security measures and garner expertise.

A proactive approach is crucial to security. After all, bolting the stable door after the horse has bolted is not best practice in equine management. Securing the digital landscape, safeguarding governments, businesses, and individuals means ensuring everyone knows to ensure those doors are bolted, to not let third parties access the stables and to rein in errant behaviour within and external to the organisation.

AlMeraj, Z., Alenezi, A.K. and Manuel, P.D. (2023) ‘An empirical investigation into organisation cyber security readiness from the IT employee and manager perspectives’, Electronic Government, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp.539–559.

Free open access article available: "Using International Standard No. 530 to improve information in auditors' reports"

The following paper, "Using International Standard No. 530 to improve information in auditors' reports" (International Journal of Economics and Business Research 26(3) 2023), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Free open access article available: "Dividend policy as a mediator between capital structure and profitability in manufacturing companies listed on ASE (2010-2021)"

The following paper, "Dividend policy as a mediator between capital structure and profitability in manufacturing companies listed on ASE (2010-2021)" (International Journal of Economics and Business Research 26(3) 2023), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Special issue published: "Recent Advances on Learning-Based Control – Theory and Application"

International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control 43(3) 2023

• Jaya algorithm-based optimal control for inverted pendulum
• PI-based hybrid control for load-stress management of a fuel cell-based hybrid power system
• Experimental validation of an output feedback controller based on an integral and adaptive backstepping technique for a fuel-cell power system
• Impacts of countermeasures on driving performance through drivers' attention in rural curves: a driving simulation study
• A survey on modern trends of low power long range network applied on IoT applications
• Research on exchange rate forecast based on MLR-ELM model
• Establishing a calculus learning application

Research pick: Squirrelling away nutritional information - "Food recognition using enhanced squirrel search optimisation algorithm and convolutional neural network"

Researchers in India have developed a search algorithm based on the strategy used by squirrels to find their cached nuts to automate food identification. Details are described in the International Journal of Data Analysis Techniques and Strategies. The algorithm could have applications in the food industry, hospitality and even in a dietary healthcare environment.

Megha Chopra and Archana Purwar of the Department of Computer Science Engineering and Information Technology at Jaypee Institute of Information Technology in Noida, explain how a system to identify and assess food and tie the item to known nutritional profiles for that food could have many uses in a range of areas.

The best recipe for food recognition begins with the classification of food items from images. This classification process is initiated by segmenting the food images, a standard step in image analysis. Conventionally, thresholding is used in segmentation, however, Chorpa and Purwar have taken a novel approach. They use a Squirrel Search Algorithm (SSA) to optimize multi-level thresholding. This SSA-based optimization is designed to improve the accuracy of food image recognition. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a powerful artificial intelligence tool, then classifies the food in the images.

The team reports significant improvements on earlier approaches to image segmentation and food item classification, achieving an accuracy rate of well over 80 per cent in tests; specifically up to 83.1%.

Accurate food recognition is a pivotal component of automatic dietary assessment. With improved segmentation and classification, tools could be developed for companies, healthcare providers, and individuals to monitor “calorie” intake, and nutritional value, and make better informed dietary choices.

The same tools might also embed recognition and flagging systems for allergenic or problematic foods in a dish and so help protect individuals from inadvertently eating something that might lead to an allergic response or to which they have an intolerance.

In summary, this research presents a novel approach to automated food recognition, offering not only a technical advancement on earlier approaches but also promising possibilities for improved dietary assessment and personalized dietary management.

Chopra, M. and Purwar, A. (2023) ‘Food recognition using enhanced squirrel search optimisation algorithm and convolutional neural network’, Int. J. Data Analysis Techniques and Strategies, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.238–254.

Research pick: Detecting depression on social media - "Depression detection using semantic representation based semi-supervised deep learning"

Research published in the International Journal of Data Analysis Techniques and Strategies demonstrates how a semi-supervised deep learning model can be used to identify signs of depression in online social media users. Given that mental health is high on the modern medical agenda, the development of methods that can help spot early symptoms associated with mental health problems could be important in offering users an intervention sooner, rather than later.

Gaurav Kumar Gupta and Dilip Kumar Sharma of the Department of Computer Engineering and Applications at GLA University in Mathura, India, point out that identifying those at risk of mental health problems is an important challenge in the digital age. Many people spend much of their time online, working remotely, or otherwise isolated to some extent from face-to-face interactions and even those who don’t can often mask problems, so diagnosis can be difficult. The challenge of pinpointing signs of depression amidst the vast sea of social media data could offer insight into mental health.

The team’s approach utilised a detailed analysis of demographic and content-related characteristics, including both structural aspects and the semantic nuances of the data in social media updates. The system with its deep auto-encoder model can then extract statements and patterns of words associated with or characteristic of symptoms of depression. The insights available can be extended by allowing the algorithm to access a person’s profile once an indication of updates associated with depression have been identified. Thus, by combining tweet depression scores, profile attributes, and hybrid knowledge, the system classifies users as either depressed or non-depressed.

The research demonstrates an improved accuracy over other methods by more than 11 per cent. This could thus open up the possibility of developing the approach as part of a multimodal technique for identifying depression from other forms of online content, such as facial expressions, images, and video. How the diagnosis is used is then a matter for the individual and doctor.

Gupta, G.K. and Sharma, D.K. (2023) ‘Depression detection using semantic representation based semi-supervised deep learning’, Int. J. Data Analysis Techniques and Strategies, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.217–237

Research pick: Driving the Digital Silk Road - "To connect or not to connect? Responding to the Digital Silk Road in Central and Eastern Europe"

From the second century to the middle of the fifteenth century, the Silk Road, or more appropriately the Silk Routes, provided a way for trade and culture to be exchanged between Asia and Europe. The routes connected East and West across more than 6400 kilometres allowing economic, cultural, political, and religious exchange to take place. Research in the European Journal of International Management takes a look at the online successor to the Silke Routes, China’s Digital Silk Road initiative.

As China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) gains momentum, nations in Central and Eastern Europe are at a crossroads, trying to navigate the implications of more and more integration of their infrastructure with Chinese technology. There are concerns about the economic, security, and technological ramifications across the region, but the current research reveals a map of distinct approaches. Some of these could lead to gridlock in some places or open up new routes for exploration in others.

The DSR is critical to China’s global technology push. With it, the nation and its technology giants are entwining digital prowess with economies worldwide, with Europe, a key part of its ambitions. The unasked question is whether Europe should get on board or be more cautious of hitching a ride with Chinese technology.

Ágnes Szunomár of the Institute of Global Studies at Corvinus University of Budapest and Institute of World Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies in Budapest, Hungary, has probed the responses of central and eastern European nations to the DSR challenges and opportunities. Some countries are cautiously sceptical while others are entertaining more and more collaboration.

The motivation, however, is not solely technological, nor even economic, but politically driven. Indeed, security concerns and the influence of US diplomacy as well as Germany’s technology and stance have often rerouted the roadmap for other nations hoping to navigate the DSL. At least one prominent company has led to various countries to stray from the map and yet others to follow the route almost by rote.

For the DSR initiative itself, Chinese companies themselves could pivot the European response by emphasizing the global nature of the emerging technology and the opportunities and downplaying the national nature of the initiative. However, changing Western perceptions and alleviating security concerns remain formidable challenges. Even a journey of 6400 kilometres must begin with a single step.

Szunomár, A. ‘To connect or not to connect? Responding to the Digital Silk Road in Central and Eastern Europe’, European J. International Management.

Research pick: Reviewing the Internet of Things - "Data-intensive IoT new product development: a review and future directions"

A review in the International Journal of Product Development has considered the various factors leading to success in the design and production of Internet of Things (IoT) or “smart” devices.

Product development is a dynamic realm in which the integration of data science into the creation of new products, especially those linked through the Internet of Things (IoT), represents a multifaceted challenge. While data-driven product development seeks to harness the potential of sensor data to generate value, the intricacies and complexities of this endeavour can lead to uncertainties in the world of innovation where developers reach dead-ends and U-turns are not uncommon.

Elisabeth Häusler, Wolfgang Kremser, and Veronika Hornung-Prähauser of the Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft in Salzburg, and Franz Huber of Seeburg Castle University in Seekirchen am Wallersee, Austria, have undertaken a review of the literature in this area into to piece together the apparently fragmented research landscape. Apparent from this review is that there is an obvious gap in the literature: a lack of a standardized framework to guide managers through the intricate process of developing data-intensive IoT products.

The researchers have categorized existing knowledge into three main areas: the geographical distribution of literature, the nature of contributions made, and the organization of literature based on a data value chain approach. The value chain outlines the sequential stages involved in creating data-intensive IoT products, taking into account aspects such as design, product development, and innovation. The review thus highlights diverse contributions, models, frameworks, and taxonomies, each offering unique perspectives on IoT product development.

There is enormous research interest in IoT product development, but as the review shows, there is no cohesive process model. The team suggests that there is an urgent need for a structured approach that could weave data analytics into the development process seamlessly reconciling the technical intricacies and the social dynamics. The review also highlights the significance of data accuracy and the broader data quality factors that lead to value for the businesses involved.

Häusler, E., Kremser, W., Hornung-Prähauser, V. and Huber, F. (2023) ‘Data-intensive IoT new product development: a review and future directions’, Int. J. Product Development, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp.265–292.

Free open access article available: "Data-intensive IoT new product development: a review and future directions"

The following paper, "Data-intensive IoT new product development: a review and future directions" (International Journal of Product Development 27(3) 2023), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Free open access article available: "VirSen1.0: toward sensor configuration recommendation in an interactive optical sensor simulator for human gesture recognition"

The following paper, "VirSen1.0: toward sensor configuration recommendation in an interactive optical sensor simulator for human gesture recognition" (International Journal of the Digital Human 2(3) 2023), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Optimising gesture recognition system design - "VirSen1.0: toward sensor configuration recommendation in an interactive optical sensor simulator for human gesture recognition"

Research published in the International Journal of the Digital Human reveals a new model for computerised human gesture recognition. The tool, VirSen1.0, developed by Kana Matsuo, Chengshuo Xia, and Yuta Sugiura of the Department of Information and Computer Science at Keio University in Yokohama, Japan uses cutting-edge sensor simulation and user-centric design to overcome various obstacles and open up new ways for people to interact with technology.

Gesture recognition technology has long been plagued by the conundrum of efficiently configuring and placing the requisite sensors, interpreting the results, and ensuring the accuracy of the machine learning system that will recognise those gestures. The team has developed VirSen1.0, as a virtual environment paired with a tailor-made user interface to underpin the development of gesture recognition systems. In training, the system generates sensor data and synchronizes this with an avatar’s movements to train the model’s classifier. Thus, it can assign and configure sensors that will be able to quickly and accurately provide the necessary data for gesture recognition and the assignment of meaning to those gestures.

The team explains that the breakthrough with VirSen1.0 lies in its ability to overcome the intricacies of sensor influence. It does this by using a permutation feature importance (PFI) technique, a tool that illuminates the impact of individual sensors on the classifier’s performance. A user study demonstrated efficacy of the PFI approach but also highlighted how version 1.0 might be improved. Indeed, whereas trial-and-error in sensor placement will remain important, the next version of the system will build on those kinds of successes and failures and allow users to configure a system optimally based on previous experimental setups.

As the gap between human gestures and machine comprehension narrows, the impact of this kind of development could find wide application in the development of gesture recognition, which in turn will have use across a range of industries, in healthcare, and in recreation.

Matsuo, K., Xia, C. and Sugiura, Y. (2023) ‘VirSen1.0: toward sensor configuration recommendation in an interactive optical sensor simulator for human gesture recognition’, Int. J. Digital Human, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp.223–241.

Free sample articles newly available from European Journal of Industrial Engineering

The following sample articles from the European Journal of Industrial Engineering are now available here for free:

• The charging infrastructure design problem with electric taxi demand prediction using convolutional LSTM
• Scenario-based stochastic shelter location-allocation problem with vulnerabilities for disaster relief network design
• Effects of variable setup cost, reliability, and production costs under controlled carbon emissions in a reliable production system
• A decision-support model for dock and transport management after inbound logistics disruptions in the automotive sector
• Solving an integrated mathematical model for crew pairing and rostering problems by an ant colony optimisation algorithm
• Solving a stochastic programming with recourse model for the stochastic electric capacitated vehicle routing problem using a hybrid genetic algorithm
• Optimal control of a multi-supplier and multi-buyer supply chain system with JIT delivery
• Scheduling the capacitated identical parallel machines problem: a new formulation with sequence-dependent setup costs and different due dates
• Buyback and risk-sharing contracts to mitigate the supply and demand disruption risks
• Redesigning multi-echelon integrated distribution networks using the Lagrangian relaxation heuristics
• A sustainable closed-loop supply chain in a two-period: a game theory approach
• A systematic literature review of the design of intermodal freight transportation networks addressing location-allocation decisions

Free open access article available: "Verification of manikin motions in human-industrial robot collaborative simulations"

The following paper, "Verification of manikin motions in human-industrial robot collaborative simulations" (International Journal of the Digital Human 2(3) 2023), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Safeguarding the workplace - "Organisational safeguarding: a new imperative for management?"

Safeguarding should become a core objective in organizational management, representing a paradigm shift in workplace well-being, according to work published in the International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management.

The concept of “safeguarding” has transcended its traditional association with children and vulnerable individuals, and is now reshaping the very fabric of how businesses function. The incidence of workplace bullying, emotional abuse, and harassment of all kinds seems to be on the rise in almost every sector. As such, the new study emphasizes the pressing need for organizations to put safeguarding at the heart of management practices.

Vitumbiko Andrew Ngwira of the University of Zambia and Abubaker Qutieshat of Oman Dental College in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, offer a conceptual paper challenging convention and scrutinizing the various factors surrounding safeguarding. While humanitarian organizations have long embraced safeguarding for beneficiaries, the study highlights that this approach should extend to employees as well. The team draws insights from various sources to address the issues of workplace safety and harassment. They call for the establishment of policies and mechanisms to be put in place that not only prevent abuse but also foster an environment conducive to overall workplace safety.

Critical to making such a paradigm shift is a rebooted definition of organizational management itself. Beyond the established pillars of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling, safeguarding emerges as a crucial fifth element. The team points out that recent high-profile cases and allegations even in the charitable sector, underscore the urgency. The team points out that organizations failing to consider an important issue in the modern business environment risk not only their integrity but also their societal impact and financial stability.

With a safeguarding ethos embedded in the business core, organizations can evolve a workplace that empowers the individual, so that those experience abuse or at risk of abuse can voice their concerns openly or anonymously without compromising their position within the organisation. Without this ethical stance, employees and their health suffer, bullying-induced burnout becomes a significant threat to the organisation, and the potential is there for productivity and profitability to plummet.

A safeguarding ethos can then resonate through the entire organization, from beneficiaries to employees, clients to affiliates so that all stakeholders are safer and more secure. Such an improved state of being for any organisation should then be reflected in greater all-round well-being and potentially improved outcomes for the organisation itself.

Ngwira, V.A. and Qutieshat, A. (2023) ‘Organisational safeguarding: a new imperative for management?’, Int. J. Business Continuity and Risk Management, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp.272–283.

Call for papers and an invitation to join the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Creative Computing

The following invitation comes from Prof. Sam Goundar, Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Creative Computing:

Dear Esteemed Academics and Researchers,

We hope this message finds you well and thriving in your scholarly pursuits. We are excited to introduce you to the International Journal of Creative Computing (IJCrC), a dynamic platform dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering innovation in creative computing.

Invitation to join the Editorial Board

We extend a warm invitation to you to become a part of our esteemed Editorial Board. As a respected scholar in the field, your expertise and insights would be invaluable in shaping the direction and quality of research presented in our journal.

Call for Papers

We also invite you to submit your latest research findings and insights to IJCrC. Our journal offers a unique platform for disseminating innovative research that can make a lasting impact.

We look forward to your invaluable participation in shaping scholarly discourse and fostering intellectual growth. Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at sam.goundar@gmail.com

Warm regards,
Prof. Sam Goundar
RMIT University, Vietnam
Editor in Chief, International Journal of Creative Computing

sam.goundar@gmail.com

Special issue published: "Defining Frontiers of Business Research in New Globalised Vietnam"

Journal for Global Business Advancement 15(6) 2022

• The impact of firm life cycle on abnormal earnings in financial statement quality: evidence from Vietnam
• Consumer cosmopolitanism for Vietnamese young consumers: development and validation of a scale measurement
• Do green practices elicit a guest's loyalty? Empirical evidence from Vietnam
• Determinants of students' satisfaction with e-commerce services in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• Systematic review and bibliometric analysis of the relationship between social identity theory and purchase intention in the past, present, and future
• Life satisfaction and country loyalty among Korean residents in Vietnam: seeking determinants related to tourism

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Reliability and Safety

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Reliability and Safety are now available here for free:

• Reliability analysis by Markov model and stochastic estimator of stochastic Petri nets
• Reliability assignment of a heavy-duty CNC machine tool spindle system based on fault tree analysis
• Availability assessment of repairable Markov systems with an uncertain inspection period incorporating (M/M/s): (∞/FCFS) queue
• Performance of batch service queue model with second optional service, repairable breakdown and standby server
• Blast resistance prediction of clay brick masonry wall strengthened with steel wire mesh, and C-FRP laminate under explosion loading: a finite element analysis
• Post COVID-19 electrical load shedding on Cameroon's northern interconnected grid: causes, safety impact and solution proposals

Free sample articles newly available from International Journal of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation

The following sample articles from the International Journal of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation are now available here for free:

• Defining characteristics of the most innovative companies
• Research innovation and commercialisation incentives on the beginning and development of engineering education in the West and in Turkey
• The relational dynamics in the extended teams of academic spin-offs: a Norwegian case-study
• 'Selling the monster' or the relevance of cultural-cognitive conditions in creating demand for innovation: the case of COVID-19 vaccines and beyond
• Evaluation of barter system in the defence industry

Research pick: Predicting financial crises in e-commerce - "Research on e-commerce neural network financial accounting crisis early warning model combined with partial least squares"

A study in the International Journal of Computational Systems Engineering has investigated the e-commerce landscape and how it is affected by financial crises. The insights from the study offer a financial accounting crisis early warning system that companies might use to predict and pre-empt economic turmoil.

The global pandemic underscored the vulnerability of businesses and economies, making the need for astute financial foresight more crucial than ever. Xiaoyang Meng of the Accounting Institute at Jiaozuo University in Jiaozuo, China, has looked specifically at the impact on China and has devised a novel system that melds adaptability and prediction. The approach uses partial least squares (PLS) analysis, a sophisticated data analysis technique, and integrates it with the backpropagation (BP) neural network. The model can then discern the indicators of impending financial distress within the e-commerce sector. Meng has demonstrated the model’s proficiency on historical data for eleven financially sound enterprises and nine that were teetering on the brink of financial crisis and shown that the model could reveal the early signs of financial distress with an accuracy surpassing 90 percent and for some tests an accuracy of 98 percent.

The implications of this research may well be far-reaching. In an era where economic turbulence threatens the stability of even the most robust business, Meng’s PLS-BP model offers a grounded means to identify an imminent crisis and so put in place strategies that might avert it.

Meng acknowledges that the model as it stands has some limitations. While the early detection methodology offers good levels of precision, it is essentially a static approach. To better navigate real-world financial ecosystems, she proposes the integration of the model with system dynamics theory. This could potentially then offer a dynamic early warning system capable of adapting to the ever-evolving intricacies of e-commerce.

Meng, X. (2023) ‘Research on e-commerce neural network financial accounting crisis early warning model combined with partial least squares’, Int. J. Computational Systems Engineering, Vol. 7, Nos. 2/3/4, pp.96–105.

Research pick: Reshuffling shipping - "Container transaction type prediction: a seaport case in Turkey"

A study of a container shipping terminal in Turkey, published in the International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, demonstrates how it is possible to predict with almost 90 percent accuracy the transaction types that will be needed once an inbound container vessel docks at the quayside before it arrives and so reduce the need for logistics planners to shuffle containers unnecessarily.

Container reshuffling is a necessary evil at container terminals the world over. The approach attempts to solve the problem of uncertainty surrounding the transactions that will need to be carried out on hundreds and thousands of incoming containers arriving from distant ports. The problem is exacerbated by changes that occur in cargo ownership in transit, details going missing overseas, and other disruptions that mean inventory and manifest may not match the logistics planned by the container port for the next vessel.

Given that the new generation of supersized container ships can carry almost 25000 containers, it is obvious that reshuffling is a big issue for a busy port where several container ships may be docked within a relatively short period of time and all require unloading of inventory in as timely and efficient a manner as possible. Reshuffling can wreak havoc on port efficiency, leading to delays, operational inefficiencies, and even lost containers.

Elifcan Dursun and Sule Gungor of Tarsus University in Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey turned to the Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) framework. They have used its strategic approach to develop a predictive model that could preclude the need for container reshuffling by allowing the planners and logistics managers to be almost wholly confident in their allocation of inbound containers.

While a Turkish port was used as a case study, the approach could be a guiding light for other ports grappling with similar uncertainties regarding transaction types and relying on container reshuffling as their modus operandi. By harnessing data mining techniques to predict transaction types, the new predictive model all but eliminates the disruptions that are normally caused at ports by the need for container reshuffling.

Dursun, E. and Gungor, S. (2023) ‘Container transaction type prediction: a seaport case in Turkey’, Int. J. Shipping and Transport Logistics, Vol. 17, Nos. 1/2, pp.41–59.

Special issue published: "Sustainable E-Commerce in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation"

International Journal of Computational Systems Engineering 7(2/3/4) 2023

• A method of forecasting cross-border e-commerce stocking for SMEs based on demand characteristics and sequence trends under sustainable development strategy
• Business model innovation and development path selection of international cultural trade under circular economy
• Research on e-commerce personalised transaction processing model based on reinforcement learning
• Exploring the costing method of steel enterprises based on PSO algorithm under the concept of sustainable development
• Research on e-commerce neural network financial accounting crisis early warning model combined with partial least squares
• Data mining research on sustainable business model innovation of enterprises based on particle swarm algorithm
• Visualisation and analysis method of enterprise financial expenditure data based on historical database
• Influence of technology optimisation based on machine learning algorithm on financial management innovation of e-commerce enterprises
• A study on the impact of personalised recommendation algorithms in webcasting on the development of rural e-commerce entrepreneurship
• A comprehensive survey on recommender system techniques
• Machine learning in financial risk forecasting and management for trading firms
• Research on credit risk assessment of e-commerce enterprises based on improved multi-objective clustering algorithm
• A study on corporate financial crisis prediction strategy based on particle swarm improved fuzzy clustering method from accounting perspective
• The construction of college students' job recommendation model based on improved k-means-CF
• The impact of green supply chain management on sustainability performance in Chinese manufacturing companies
• Text document categorisation using random forest and C4.5 decision tree classifier

Research pick: India battles toxic air - "Toxic air, choked ecosystem: paradox of economic growth vs. ecosystem sustainability"

Cities across India face escalating air pollution. Now, a study in the International Journal of Sustainable Society looks at the inherent conflict in reconciling economic growth with ecological sustainability. Sunil Barthwal of the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Dehradun, India, scrutinizes the multifaceted efforts of citizens, industries, and government to address the issues. In his paper, Barthwal highlights the delicate balance between economic needs and sustainable development as well as emphasising the concentrated pockets of pollution experience in northern Indian cities. There are many quick fixes being suggested but a long-sighted vision is needed, the work suggests.

Barthwal points out that as air quality falls, so sales of domestic air purifiers rise. This has sparked an economic boom in the air purifier market but such devices solve a very local problem in the home while being built from non-renewable resources and running on electricity that is often generated using fossil fuels rather than sustainable power sources. This kind of quick-fix generates profits but draws even greater attention to a gaping hole in the policy framework. A broader, more comprehensive strategy is needed to address the roots of the issue, Barthwal’s work suggests.

We are globally at a tipping point in terms of emissions and pollution. Research in this area repeatedly sounds a consistent clarion call especially for emerging economies. Those rapidly developing regions could seize the opportunity in these critical moments and help steer their economic models towards a sustainable future in a way that seems to be beyond many of the entrenched economies of the developed world. Economic objectives and ecosystem preservation ought to be the parallel paradigms driving development. Prosperity can no longer be in opposition and at the expense of the environment. We can no longer tolerate wealth without health.

Barthwal, S. (2023) ‘Toxic air, choked ecosystem: paradox of economic growth vs. ecosystem sustainability’, Int. J. Sustainable Society, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp.239–252.

Research pick: Avoiding big trouble in little coffee shops - "Business sustainability for small coffee shops: the role of leader and quality"

In the midst of Indonesia’s burgeoning coffee shop scene, a formidable challenge has emerged for independent establishments, according to research in the International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management. Many of the problems and their solutions percolating through could well provide lessons for independent businesses in other sectors across the region as well as elsewhere.

Mukhamad Najib and Farah Fahma of the IPB University in Indonesia suggest that the market is becoming increasingly fierce. Survival for small, independent coffee shops must evolve to establish a solid and sustainable footing and simultaneously focus on a quality-based ethos, offering excellent service, and ensuring business longevity. The researchers add that strong leadership is emerging as a critical factor in this world.

The researchers surveyed 110 coffee shop proprietors and managers in Bogor, Indonesia, and then used a sophisticated analytical approach, structural equation modelling with partial least squares (SEM-PLS) to analyse the resulting data. Through this technique, they were able to gain valuable insights into the interplay between the different factors affecting success and failure.

The central finding that emerges from their data analysis, as one might expect, is that leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping the culture and quality of such small businesses and elevating service standards. They add that leadership does not, however, seem to have a direct impact on business sustainability. That said, its indirect influence in fostering a culture of excellence proves to be critical and that encompasses sustainability values too.

The team suggests that their findings underscore the significance of both a quality-orientated culture and consistently superior service standards in sustaining small enterprises such as independent coffee shops in a packed and unforgiving market.

Of course, by focusing on the smaller businesses, the team concedes that there is now a need to carry out further research to ascertain whether the same findings would emerge in an investigation of larger establishments. There is also a need to incorporate cultural and geographic disparities across the region to reveal whether factors beyond the coffee counter might also affect quality, service dynamics, and success.

Najib, M. and Fahma, F. (2023) ‘Business sustainability for small coffee shops: the role of leader and quality’, Int. J. Productivity and Quality Management, Vol. 39, No. 4, pp.536–553.

Special issue published: "Business Performance and Strategies in the Digital Age"

Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development 15(2) 2023

• E-commerce capability and CEO attributes: impacts on export performance
• The relationship of relational social capital, tacit knowledge sharing and individual job performance in the Vietnamese aviation industry
• Drivers of employee entrepreneurial intention: a study of the oil and gas sector in Qatar
• Factors affecting Thai consumers' online purchase intention toward organic foods for health benefits and convenience
• Effective long-term relationship management strategies to enhance value co-creation among business partners
• Online-generated contents fostering travel destination image formation: evidence in Vietnam during COVID-19 pandemic recovery

Free open access article available: "Port choice in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: an analysis of the perspectives of exporters and importers in the container market"

The following paper, "Port choice in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: an analysis of the perspectives of exporters and importers in the container market" (International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics 17(1/2) 2023), is freely available for download as an open access article.

It can be downloaded via the full-text link available here.

Research pick: Inept interfaces intensify technophobia - "Technophobia and user interface usability"

Research in International Journal of Web Engineering and Technology, suggests that poor interface design and therefore usability can increase a feeling of technophobia in users. Critically, poor navigation and menus on a website, for instance, emerge as a major issue in this regard. Poorly designed interfaces can thus act as a barrier, bolstering any inherent dislike or fear of technology felt by users. The work offers important insights for designers, policymakers, and health professionals alike.

Mohanad Halaweh of Al Ain University, UAE, Lorna Uden of Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent, UK, Ahmed Mostafa Kamel of the University of Fujairah also in UAE, and Moataz Elbahi Ahram of the Canadian University in Giza, Egypt, constructed hypotheses regarding system support, navigation, and user interface design in order to look at the connections between these elements and the user experience and perception of technology. They tested their hypotheses using a purpose-designed questionnaire.

The results demonstrate that poor navigation is the biggest concern for users with visual aesthetics and support resources also being influential but to varying degrees but not critical to any distraction, frustration, and anxiety they feel. The researchers suggest that users have a heightened sensitivity to navigation issues because these are commonly rooted in an innate dependence and preference for finding paths that are intuitive and easy to follow. If users find the route fraught with obstacles or otherwise confusing, they are liable to lose their way or become apprehensive of using the technology until they set foot on the path of least resistance once again.

The team points out that the survey demographic was among otherwise computer-savvy students and faculty and so perhaps not the typical technophobe. Yet even those users can experience frustration and become disaffected by badly designed website navigation.

The work has implications for those running any kind of website but where the implications are more serious in the healthcare and government areas, where a wide range of people are likely to need to use those online services who might otherwise not use e-commerce sites or more frivolous activities. A public inclined to technophobia could lead to long-term problems in those areas of digital services. Issues of navigation need to be at the core of design to keep users on the path of least resistance rather than having them wandering off the beaten track and finding themselves in the realm of technophobia.

Halaweh, M., Uden, L., Kamel, A.M. and Elbahi, M. (2023) ‘Technophobia and user interface usability’, Int. J. Web Engineering and Technology, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp.149–164.