Social Media Acceptance and e-Learning Post-Covid-19: New factors determine the extension of TAM

The key objective of our study involves devising a conceptual model for estimation of social media acceptance by students for effectively accomplishing their educational and academic goals. Factors e.g., perceived social capital, social influence, and perceived mobility that associated with student acceptance of social media were investigated, and integrated into the TAM model using the PLS-SEM. Data were collected through online survey (461 students) at UAE universities. The findings revealed that mentioned factors positively affected students' intention to use social media during their learning process. Respondents' behavioral intention were also linked to both the core and external constructs of the TAM. Important practical insights on technology acceptance in education were provided. © 2022 IEEE.

Resilient Practices of Small Businesses to Survive from COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from S-DL and Social Capital

The devastating outbreaks of COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted social and economic sustainability of the world, particularly in routine services that require physical interactions, such as dining services. With the retrospective analysis via case study, we identified three cases in dining service from USA, Indonesia, Taiwan, respectively, and investigated their service systems with the Service-Dominant Logic to understand the interactions among actors and how they integrated resources to cope with the pandemic. We identified their resilient practices heavily relied on various types of social capital to quickly respond to demand shifts, reconnect value networks, and leverage ICTs for marketing and sales. These resilient practices could be used for guiding small and medium enterprises to cope with devastating unexpected crises, taking COVID-19 as an example. More cases collected and analyzed from corresponding regions in the follow-up study could further conclude a more general causal relationship in resilience toward the theory for resilience. © 2023 IEEE Computer Society. All rights reserved.

Enhancing social capital and reciprocity through community news media during COVID-19: a study of video volunteers

Purpose: This article attempts to highlight the defining role that community media engagements play during times of the pandemic. It is argued that the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic forced community news media houses to reinvent their news reporting practices to cover issues pertaining to the marginalized and underprivileged sections of the society. It explores the role of community media in engaging and empowering the citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: Central to our study is the analysis of the news model of "Video Volunteers” (henceforth VV), an independent community-based online news platform based in India. To understand the level of citizen participation and engagement in the making and dissemination of news during the pandemic, the authors conducted 13 interviews with different stakeholders of VV, including founders and news audiences. Findings: It seeks to reveal that when the mainstream media have failed to represent the issues of a local community, it is the independent media platforms like VV which function as a veritable source of information and sharing of knowledge. Most importantly, this paper emphasizes that the communicative model of independent community-based online platforms has been most successful in the coverage of the pandemic and the level of engagement with the citizenry. Originality/value: The study contributes to the aspects of reciprocity and collaborative journalism in community news media and its potential impacts on news creation and dissemination. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

The role of integrated thinking in corporate governance during the COVID-19 crisis: perspectives from South Africa

Purpose: This study aims to examine how integrated thinking principles can be used to assist those charged with governance during and after a crisis. Design/methodology/approach: An autoethnographic approach was used to collect and reflect on information related to the economic, social and environmental impact of COVID-19. This was complemented with a bibliometric analysis of academic articles including "corporate governance”, "integrated thinking” and "crisis” as a keyword. This information was used to produce a data mind map of core themes. This was supplemented with a qualitative exploratory approach based on semi-structured interviews with 16 participants comprising preparers of financial statements, board members and corporate governance specialists to obtain insights into using integrated thinking in corporate governance during a crisis. Findings: The results of the study indicate that those charged with governance can use integrated thinking to repurpose their business model by considering a multi-capital and multi-stakeholder perspective to value creation. The study highlights the importance of implementing a holistic capital integration process to gauge risks, capitalise on opportunities and improve business processes in response to a crisis. This can be leveraged by both the private and public sectors to manage a crisis and deal with the long-term indirect impacts of a crisis. Social implications: An integrated thinking approach can be used by both the private and public sectors to bolster confidence, tackle pressing social and environmental challenges and contribute to improved performance relative to the sector. Originality/value: The expert interviews contribute empirical evidence to the profile of mainstream social and environmental accounting literature and offer a practical contribution by offering insights that can directly be used by organisations' investors, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to manage a crisis. This paper also advances the sustainability agenda by assessing how a crisis can be managed in the context of a developing economy and advancing normative recommendations which will be broadly applicable to an international audience. © 2023, Lindani Myeza, Dusan Ecim and Warren Maroun.

Towards an analytical framework to analyse the evolution of innovation systems

The global manufacturing industry plummeted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure the resilient and sustainable fostering of novel manufacturing innovations, the innovation system within which innovations are developed should be nurturing and supportive. Therefore, an analytical framework may be developed to guide innovators through the evaluation of manufacturing innovation systems. To develop the framework, the Design Science Research methodology is utilised, this paper presenting the theoretical framework development phase. The literature on the innovation system framework is utilised to develop a synthesis of innovation system tools to develop a CIMO-based EHA framework - an evolutionary guide to study a system's development over time to determine the influence of context, how and where transformation occurred, and the impact it had on the system's development. The framework also provides a method to define a system's outputs and socio-economic outcomes. © 2022 IEEE.

The Contribution of SNS to Social Capital in Times of Restricted Physical Contact

Social capital is the collection of social assets and resources that provide value to an individual and on which they can rely in times of need. Social networking sites (SNS) have contributed significantly to the development of social capital. A common classification of social capital is into bridging, bonding and maintained social capital. Often social capital is built and maintained in the online and offline environments together but each environment can foster social capital separately. With the constraints on physical contact and interactivity brought about by Covid-19-related restrictions, the assumption is that there would be greater reliance on SNS to develop and maintain social capital. This research examined whether, in an environment of ongoing restricted physical social contact, the use of SNS contributes positively to the establishment and development of social capital;and whether the use of different SNS exert different influences on the establishment and development of social capital. SNS use was assessed in terms of frequency and intensity of use;and social capital was assessed in terms of bridging, bonding and maintained social capital. Three SNS (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) were studied. A cross-sectional survey of 282 New Zealand residents was used to gather the data, and regression analyses were conducted to analyse the data. Findings indicated that frequency and intensity of use were key contributors to social capital, contributing mostly towards bridging social capital and the least towards bonding social capital. Additionally, intense and frequent use of Instagram contributed most towards bridging and maintained social capital, whereas intense and frequent use of WhatsApp contributed most towards bonding social capital. The research contributes to the theoretical understanding of the role of SNS, particularly with regard to the building and maintenance of social capital but also against a background of restricted physical social contact. It is furthermore of benefit to managers who have - and can - embraced the use of SNS to build and maintain team cultures, especially in terms of Covid-19-related contact restrictions. © The Authors, (2022). All Rights Reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission may be made without written permission from the individual authors.

A systemic analysis of the technological trajectory at company level based on patent data: The case of Sanofi's vaccine technology

Whereas most of technological trajectory research in evolutionary economics focuses on the sectoral level, our objective is to propose an analysis at the scale of the company. We are studying the leading pharmaceutical company Sanofi and focusing on the development of its vaccine technologies, a very topical issue in the Covid-19 context. What are the characteristics of Sanofi's vaccine technology trajectory and how can they explain the company's position in the Covid-19 crisis, i.e. its ability (or not) to innovate and respond to social demand for a vaccine? We contribute to technological trajectory literature by integrating a systemic dimension of the links between source and destination technology. Our ‘Knowledge Capital Approach' is based on patent citation data and network analysis. It has allowed us to identify the trajectory of Sanofi's vaccine technical system and to show its central position in its knowledge capital, where the technologies mastered by the company converge. These results can be viewed as paradoxical when considering Sanofi's lag in the Covid-19 race for a new vaccine. Our historical and qualitative approach adds to these findings by showing the role of strategic and institutional factors in explaining this situation. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Examining the Relationship Between Existing Community Resources and Community Leaders' Perceptions of Resilience and Rural Health During COVID-19.

This study explored the relationship between existing community resources and community leaders' perceptions of resilience and rural health during COVID-19. Observational data of material capitals (e.g., grocery stores and physical activity resources) present in five rural communities involved in a health promotion project were collected and compared with key informant interviews of perceived community health and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis compares the differences in community leaders' perceptions of resilience during the pandemic to the actual material capitals of the community. While these rural counties were average in terms of available physical activity and nutritional resources, the onset of the pandemic led to varying degrees of disruption in access due to structural closures of mainstay resources, as well as residents perceiving that they cannot or should not access available resources. In addition, county coalition progress was stalled as individuals and groups could not gather together to complete projects, such as building playground equipment. This study demonstrates that existing quantitative instruments, such as NEMS and PARA, fail to take into account perceived access and utility of resources. Therefore, practitioners should consider multiple ways to evaluate resources, capacity, and progress on a health intervention or program and consider community voice to ensure feasibility, relevance, and sustainability-especially when faced with a public health emergency like COVID-19.

The moderating role of market turbulence beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine crisis on the relationship between intellectual capital and business sustainability

This paper examines the role of Intellectual Capital (IC) and its contribution to Business Sustainability (BS) among Large Manufacturing Firms (LMF) in Malaysia. It seeks to explain the relationship between them under turbulent market conditions. The study used the survey method to collect data from 203 large companies, and the hypotheses were tested using Partial-Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling. Based on the findings, two dimensions of IC, namely Human capital (HC) and Structural Capital (SC), had a significant effect on business sustainability, but Relational Capital (RC) did not. Also results indicate that Market Turbulence (MT) moderates the relationship between two IC dimensions, HC and RC but not that between SC and BS. The study findings can be used as guidelines by CEOs of LMFs, policy makers and researchers to comprehend positive the influence of MT and IC on BS. © 2022

A novel DCNN-ELM hybrid framework for face mask detection

The Coronavirus disease (2019) has caused massive destruction of human lives and capital around the world. The latest variant Omicron is proved to be the most infectious of all its previous counterparts – Alpha, Beta and Delta. Various measures are identified, tested and implemented to minimize the attack on humans. Face masks are one of those measures that are shown to be very effective in containing the infection. However, it requires continuous monitoring for law enforcement. In the present manuscript, a detailed research investigation using different ablation studies is carried out to develop the framework for face mask recognition using pre-trained deep convolution neural networks (DCNN) models used in conjunction with a fast single layer feed-forward neural network (SLFNN) commonly known as Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) as classification technique. The ELM is well known for its real time data processing capabilities and has been successfully applied both for regression and classification problems of image processing and biomedical domain. It is for the first time that in this paper we have proposed the use of ELM as classifier for face mask detection. As a precursor to this, for feature selection, six pre-trained DCNNs such as Xception, Vgg16, Vgg19, ResNet50, ResNet 101 and ResNet152 are tested for this purpose. The best testing accuracy is obtained in case of ResNet152 transfer learning model used with ELM as the classifier. The performance evaluation through different ablation studies on testing accuracy explicitly proves that ResNet152 - ELM hybrid architecture is not only the best among the selected transfer learning models but also proves so when it is compared with several other classifiers used for the face mask detection operation. Through this investigation, novelty of the use of ResNet152 + ELM for face mask detection framework in real time domain is established. © 2022

Are medium-sized cities strong nodes in the settlement system? Demographic trends of Italian provincial capitals from 2000 to the Covid-19 pandemic

Medium-sized cities are an important component of the settlement system and are often described as a joining link between urban and rural areas. However, in recent decades they have been impacted by growing competition from large cities which have tremendous appeal for the post-Fordist economy and for various segments of the population. This paper analyses the demographic trajectories of 99 medium-sized cities in Italy with provincial capital status, from the beginning of the twenty-first century to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a twenty-year period marked by many difficulties for the Italian economy in an international context, what has the demographic performance of these cities been? The research addresses two areas. On the one hand, it analyses the demographic vitality of the provincial capitals compared to the metropolitan centres;on the other, it follows the redistribution of populations in the provincial capitals' urban areas, which coincide with the employment areas (Sistemi locali del lavoro). Significant behavioural discontinuities emerge between the decade of 2000-2010 and the following decade, which was characterised by a gradual recovery after the shock of the Great Recession. The picture was changed further by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, persistent differences between the medium-sized cities of Northern and Southern Italy stand out, but so do new internal divisions within the country, reframing this historical dualism. © Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences • Warsaw • 2022.

ATLAS INFORMATION SYSTEM "REGIONAL CAPITALS OF SOUTHERN EUROPEAN RUSSIA”

Regional capitals are an important category of cities in the South of European Russia, where more than a quarter (25.6 %) of the population of the macroregion lives and a significant demographic potential of the region is concentrated. The south of European Russia includes regions with natural population growth which are rare for modern Russia, regions and capitals with high rates of migration growth, as well as territories with an unfavorable demographic situation. To study territories with such a differentiated multidimensional demographic situation, geoinformation technologies were used to consolidate statistical data from various sources, conduct spatial analysis, model and visualize the processes under study. The realization of this request is possible with the use of atlas information systems (AIS), which are actively used in various subject areas, including the study of socio-economic and demographic processes. As part of the research, we have developed an atlas information system "Regional Capitals of the South of European Russia”, consisting of 2 main blocks: a structural block includes a basic GIS platform, a cartographic framework, a geodata database and a modeling and visualization unit responsible for the preparation of cartographic and visual models. AIS contains 6 thematic sections: ethnodemographic and migration processes ("Population size”, "Demographic indicators”, "Migration indicators”, "Ethnic structure of the population”), "Covid-19” (contains indicators for the sick, deceased, cured of coronavirus infection, natural population growth), "Big Data (Big Data)” consolidating indicators on the real estate market and the urban environment quality index as important factors in the formation of the demographic and migration situation. This makes it possible to conduct modeling, thematic mapping, creation of various visual plots for comprehensive complex spatial analysis. It allows to increase the level of analytics in the process of making economically determined management decisions in the regional capitals of Southern European Russia. Additionally, the possibility of integrating AIS with Web services is described. © 2022 Lomonosov Moscow State University. All rights reserved.

Cross-comparing the Concept of "United in Diversity” as Expressed by European Capitals of Culture

This paper examines the conceptualization and expression of cultural diversity and unity within the European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) initiative using a case study approach. Previous case studies have examined the impacts of the programmes from a single-city perspective and used quantitative and economic-focused approaches to evaluate impact. However, the ECOC initiative was intended to showcase the diverse cultures in Europe rather than focus on economic outcomes. A cultural discourse analysis was applied to eight winning cities between 2015 and 2019 (proceeding the onset of COVID-19) to answer the question: are ECOC focusing on expressing their national or regional diversity and identities or are they communicating a more generalized European perspective? The results showed that in the past five-year ECOCs have chosen to engage in more diverse and localized forms of cultural expression in their events, but not in their visual communications. Based on the analysis, a series of recommendations for future programme development are made (also published as a separate policy brief) to enhance ECOC's ability to balance the communication of their diversity with their connection to Europe. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The Role of ICTs in the Management of Citizen Initiatives led by Women from Vulnerable Communities of Bañado Sur de Asunción During COVID-19

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and describe the use and role of ICTs during the pandemic generated by COVID-19, in vulnerable communities led by women from Bañado Sur in Asuncion, Paraguay. We focus mainly on the citizen initiative called "ollas populares", which emerged as a response to the lack of food security that was exacerbated by the pandemic in vulnerable territories. Based on two case studies, we explore how ICTs helped (or not) in the resolution of the food security problem through community collective action, led by women, identifying criteria for the use and design of ICTs for collective action in crisis contexts. The theoretical framework of social capital, understood as the set of interpersonal and trust networks that are built around individuals and groups in society, and that influence collective action and community resilience, serves as a framework for analyzing and discussing the case studies. In the two cases studied, we observe how the use of ICTs allowed the expansion of the support networks of the women who led the collective action of the soup kitchens in these communities. This article discusses these results and the main lessons learned from the case studies we analyzed. © 2022 Copyright for this paper by its authors.

Assessment of transparency and data on the Covid-19 pandemic: An analysis of electronic portals in the capitals Brazilian states

The article aims to analyze the transparency and data on the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazilian capitals. The study was based on the application of the Covid-19 Transparency Index through descriptive documentary research with a qualitative approach. Data collection was performed using observational protocols. Four surveys were carried out to verify if there would be an evolution of the picture referring to the Covid-19 pandemic and if the managers were taking steps to make the portals more transparent in relation to information about the virus. It was found that the most disseminated information refers to the age and sex of infected individuals, in addition to the type of hospitalization. The least publicized information refers to the occupation of beds and available tests, and no portal provided information in an open format, that is, data structured in a spreadsheet with editable format. There are capitals that are treading a path in the search for transparency, especially those classified in the study as medium and good, since there were no classified in the high level. Capitals classified at the opaque level, which means the near absence of transparency and data on the Covid-19 pandemic, seem further away from this path. © 2022 Fundacao Cesgranrio. All rights reserved.

A critique of community-based tourism development: The comparative case of Betong and Pho Tak Districts, Thailand

Community-based tourism (CBT) promotes a model for enhancing communities' social, environmental, and economic needs upheld as a post-Covid-19 revival strategy. This study aimed to critically review the model following longitudinal fieldwork in Thailand. "Reflection-in-action" methodology exposes CBT failings against sustainable development goals (SDGs). CBT falsely assumes: communities possess necessary capability for effective implementation;structural equity exists among host, and hosts possess uninhibited local control over their tourism assets. Such expositions underpin the study's contributions: a supply-side focus on "community outputs" rather than the demand-side "expectations" of tourists;contradictions to known asset-based development assumptions;and theoretical extension to the CBT literature through critique to onsite experiences against sustainable development goals. Such may assist communities to move beyond their current "constraints" focus to that of "contextual experts" in local community assets. The study demonstrates a need for research, practice, and policy stakeholders to move CBT beyond theorization to a genuine sustainability tool.

Social Capital During COVID-19: Research Case Studies from U.S. and U.K. Contexts

Our research used a case study methodology to explore how engineering students at a university in the United Kingdom and in the United States experienced social supports in the spring term(s) of 2020 when universities worldwide shifted into emergency remote teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cross-cultural study to examine engineering students' social support during the pandemic. We administered the Undergraduate Support Survey to engineering undergraduates at both institutions. The survey collected data about students' sense of belonging and social capital, including names of individuals who provided support for their engineering education and the specific expressive and instrumental resources they utilized during the pandemic. Results revealed similarities and differences between students at the two institutions. Both groups reported friends/roommates, professors, and family members as the primary providers of support, and both reported almost the same frequency in communication with these individuals. Participants at both institutions also reported high rates of instrumental and expressive support. However, the mean response for both sense of belonging and satisfaction at the university was lower in the U.K. and the types of alters identified in the two groups showed marked differences. Our work affirms the importance of social relationships to engineering students' success and persistence. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.

Long-Term Effects of COVID-19: How the Pandemic Highlighted the Global Digital Divide

The article is a study of the prerequisites for the formation of the global digital divide, as well as its structural features, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors identify technological, economic and social components of the global digital divide. The authors analyze the indicators assessing the technological component of the global digital divide for the period 2015–2020. The authors used indicators of the dynamics of the global ICT market and the dynamics of the e-commerce market to study the economic component of the digital divide and the impact of the pandemic on it. It is concluded that the pandemic has increased the importance of digital technologies in general, as well as opportunities to reduce the global digital divide. The social component of the digital divide is manifested in the different levels of realization of the opportunities of individuals and households with the help of ICT technologies. The authors proved that the gap in access to digital technologies and their use contributes to the emergence of a divide in knowledge and human development opportunities. The article proposes public policy measures aimed at bridging the global digital divide. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Determining factors in graduate recruitment and preparing students for success

Purpose This study aims to investigate graduate employer perceptions of determining factors in recruitment decisions and their preferred use of recruitment channels. This study drew on the employability capitals model to interpret findings and identify ways to better prepare higher education students for recruitment and selection. This is particularly important in declining graduate labour markets, further weakened by COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach This study gathered data from surveying 183 Australian employers from different organisational settings. Responses were analysed using descriptive and multivariate techniques, the latter exploring variations by role type, sector and organisation size. Findings Findings reaffirmed the criticality of students having the right disposition and demonstrating professional capabilities during recruitment, highlighting the value of building cultural and human capital during university years. Recruitment channels that require students to mobilise their identity and social capital were prioritised, particularly among private sector organisations. Work-based internships/placements were considered important for identifying graduate talent and developing strong industry-educator partnerships, needed for building networks between students and employers. Originality/value This study provides valuable insights into determinants of graduate recruitment decision-making from the employer perspective. These highlight to students the important role of capitals, and how they can be developed to optimise recruitment success. This study presents practical strategies for universities to build their students' human, social, cultural and identity capital. Findings on the prioritisation of recruitment channels among graduate employers from different sectors will enable students and universities to better prepare for future recruitment. It emphasises that student engagement with employability-related activities is a critical resource for an effective transition to the workplace.