The Reordering of Everyday Life through Digital technologies During the Covid-19 Pandemic

This paper offers an exploration of everyday life during the Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh with a focus on how it has been reordered through commonplace digital technologies and services. We present findings from a qualitative field study. Themes emerging from the findings suggest that digital technologies have been important to the reordering of everyday life during the pandemic: videoconferencing have been instrumental in allowing urban residents to work from home, digital money has enabled workers in rural areas to continue financial transactions, and social media has been a source of news and rumours during the pandemic. However, the benefits of the digital reordering of everyday life are unevenly distributed. The themes emerging are used to frame a discussion of the notion of reordering compared to the concept of resilience within ICTD. © 2022 ACM.

Small is beautiful and important: economies and firms trading in digital services

Although many firms operate on global digital platforms, small countries and firms also play an essential role at the national level, especially during crises and the slowdown in globalization. This research investigates trade patterns in digital services at the country and firm level and identifies challenges in this area in providing new information and tools to startup mentors and policymakers, who need more evidence for national authorities to develop mentorship and digital programmes. The study also contributes to transaction cost theory, explaining how it is possible to reduce transaction costs. The methodology involves using quantitative and experimental methods, logistic regression for firms and correspondence analysis for countries. The WTO dataset was used to visualise trade in services data and to interpret clusters of digitalised countries. Interestingly, Estonia stands apart from other post-socialist countries in terms of digital services exports, being among smaller countries and hosting the highest concentration of startups per capita. The firmlevel analysis revealed that firms trading in digital services differ from others – being smaller, more focused on exports and more often controlled by non-residents. The study encourages investments in small countries and small firms that trade successfully in digital services.

E-Government and COVID-19: An Empirical Study in Greece

E-government and the implementation of ICT technologies in the public sector has been in the center of interest for a few decades now, but it is a fact that the Covid-19 pandemic and the worldwide lockdowns have given a boost on their prosecution in our everyday lives. The aims of this study were to i) examine the implementation of digital transformation best practices utilized by the governments globally and ii) take a thorough look in the case of Greece, to determine whether and to what extent the Greek government adopted similar practices and initiatives, allowing the use of online digital services to citizens in a wide array of public sector areas during the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially, we sent a questionnaire to 202 people in Greece, via email and social media platforms. In response, 150 useable questionnaires were received with response rate of 74%. We gathered responses were gathered between May and June 2021, and data gathered were analyzed with PSPP statistical program. The results showed that the majority of the practices used by the government were well communicated, as most of the digital services were acknowledged by the participants even if they had not used them. In particular, the taxation portal and the central digital portal for governmental services were used in percentages of 76% and 66% respectively. In terms of use and satisfaction, responses were also quite encouraging, with 72% of the participants mentioning being very satisfied with the speed and quality of the new digital services, though leaving room for further research to conclude on improvement methods. After in-depth examination of the global and Greek progress of digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential to state that all governments have shown tremendous improvement in order to cover citizens' needs, while using the majority of the available digital channels.

The impact of big data on decision-making on business support measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of St. Petersburg

This article examines the use of big data in the decision-making process on measures to support small and medium-sized businesses in St. Petersburg during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical novelty of this study lies in the demonstration of the use of big data to combat the pandemic and its consequences at the regional level. The research issue is considered in the context of introducing QR codes for entrepreneurs in St. Petersburg in order to control the requirements of safe activities during the pandemic. St. Petersburg was chosen as the region under study, since Moscow is closely connected with the federal government and does not fully reflect the regional peculiarities of the fight against the pandemic, at least because of the redundancy of resources in the capital. In turn, other regions of Russia are not as technologically advanced as St. Petersburg to demonstrate the use of big data during the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine the role of COVID-19 in accelerating the introduction of big data into the political process, I use the multiple streams framework in conjunction with the model of the political cycle. To study the very process of using big data, I focus on the actors in this process, their interests and values, namely, "data analysts" and "decision makers". Thus, my model combines a case study from the point of view of a dynamic process with causal relationships and from the point of view of the actors involved in this process. To analyse the case, I used the method of included observation, which implies participation in several meetings on the development of measures to support enterprises, as well as the study of documents - resolutions of the Government of St. Petersburg, internal accounting documents and official websites. As a result, the case under review appears to be a clear illustration of a regional initiative in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and how big data has been used to overcome the economic impact of the pandemic at the regional level. The pandemic has not only become a "window of opportunity" for regional authorities to pursue their own policies in the fight against COVID-19, but also made it possible for middle-level actors to take the initiative and promote their own decision on the regional agenda. The case of St. Petersburg demonstrates that the process of digitalization using big data occurs not only from the top down through the implementation of the national strategy and not only from the bottom up through the integration of private digital services. Mid-level structures also influence the digitalization process through the promotion of their products and services, using "windows of opportunity", such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Usage of digital library services during COVID-19 pandemic: a study of Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)

Purpose: This paper aims to find out the digital services of management libraries provided during the library closure and the challenges and initiatives the libraries have taken up to fulfill the need of their user community during the pandemic crisis. Design/methodology/approach: To meet the purpose of the study, the investigators have used a survey method. An online questionnaire was devised and administered among the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) librarians using Microsoft Forms. Findings: The study's findings suggested that all the libraries under investigation must avail of various digital library services in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Further, the investigators recommend that libraries formulate a disaster preparedness and management plan in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic so that libraries can prepare themselves for the future. Originality/value: The pandemic has affected every aspect of life and changed the digital library services scenario. Thus, it is essential to examine the role libraries have played during the COVID-19 pandemic and distinguish the challenges and initiatives libraries have taken to tackle the problems they faced. This study has been conducted on the digital library services that were provided by the libraries of IIMs. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Enhancing museums' attractiveness through digitization: An investigation of Italian medium and large-sized museums and cultural institutions

The Covid-19 pandemic put the museums' viability under stress, with national and supranational policies imposing closures and restricting the number of admitted visitors. Digitization enables cultural institutions to overcome such constraints, prompting innovative service delivery models. However, evidence on digitization's implications on organizational attractiveness (OA) is scant. Taking a retrospective approach, the article proposes a parallel mediation analysis to shed some light on the effects of digitization on museums' attractiveness. Findings suggest that digitization enhances OA directly and indirectly, via the delivery of digital services to physical visitors. Furthermore, digitization allows museums to meet the virtual visitors' expectations, enriching the cultural service offering. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Determining the Factors that Affect Resistance to Digital News Subscription During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The subscription of digital services has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this was not the same for digital news subscription which remained low. Therefore, this study looks to study the factors that influence the resistance to digital news subscription during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to achieve this, the Innovation Resistance Theory was applied. Data was collected through an online survey that yielded 199 responses. Based on the results of the data analysis, two out of the five barriers were revealed to have insignificant relationships with resistance. With that said, value barrier, risk barrier, and image barrier were established as significant facilitators of resistance. Several insights were then proposed to news media companies. Moreover, this study fills the theoretical gap of comprehending the antecedents of resistance on digital news during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Are digital services the right solution for empowering smallholder farmers? A perspective enlightened by COVID-19 experiences to inform smart IPM

The COVID-19 pandemic, surprised many through its impact on the food systems, resulting in collapses in the food production value chains and in the integrated pest disease management sector with fatal outcomes in many places. However, the impact of COVID-19 and the digital experience perspective on Integrating Pest Management (IPM) is still yet to be understood. In Africa, the impact was devastating, mostly for the vulnerable smallholder farm households, who were rendered unable to access markets to purchase inputs and sell their produce during the lockdown period. By using a holistic approach the paper reviews different Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), digitalization, and how this enhanced the capacity of smallholder farmers resilient, and inform their smart-IPM practices in order to improve food systems' amidst climate change during and in the post-COVID-19 period. Different digital modalities were adopted to ensure continuous food production, access to inputs and finances, and selling surplus production among others. This was largely possible by using ICTs to deliver these needed services digitally. The study shares contributions and capacity perspectives of ICTs for empowering smallholder farmers to boost the resilience of their food systems based on COVID-19 successful experiences. Thus digital solutions must be embraced in the delivery of extension service on pest management and good agronomic practices, money transfers for purchasing inputs, receiving payment for sold farm produce, and markets information exchange. These are key avenues through which digital solutions strategically supported smallholder-based food systems through the pandemic. Copyright © 2023 Sekabira, Tepa-Yotto, Ahouandjinou, Thunes, Pittendrigh, Kaweesa and Tamò.

Internal Control System on Using Digital Banking Applications and Services in Jordanian Banks During the Corona Virus Pandemic

A study has aimed at identifying the extent of effectiveness and ability of internal control to supervise digital banking applications and services which have been highly used in Jordanian banks due to the Corona. A descriptive analytical approach has been used due to the nature of the study;a questionnaire has been designed as a tool of data collection and distributed to study sample, composed of internal auditors, chief accountants, and financial managers in Jordanian commercial and Islamic banks. 96 questionnaires have been distributed. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). The study has found that digital banking applications and services used by Jordanian bank have contributed to the achievement of internal control system's goals. In addition, it has indicated that digital banking applications and systems, used by Jordanian banks, are characterized by information properties which make internal control system more effective and efficient during the Corona pandemic. Moreover, the study has shown that public or regulatory administrative control procedures have achieved the effectiveness of digital banking applications and services used by Jordanian banks in the light of the Corona pandemic;and the procedures and systems of data security and safety have highly affected the effectiveness of digital banking applications. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Protecting the Vulnerable

A successful digital society is, in part, predicated on people having secure access to digitally-delivered services when they need it. It has long been recognised that parts of society are not able to access digital services without assistance, often as a result of economic precarity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of third and voluntary sector organisations in providing assisted digital access has come to the fore. As access to essential everyday services moved to digital-only and family and friendship networks of support became disrupted by the pandemic, for many, voluntary and third sector organisations were the source of digital assistance to claim welfare, pay bills, take part in education and purchase food. Our study explores the types of assisted digital access that voluntary and third sector organisations have provided thus far during the COVID-19 pandemic. We capture the dimensions of this assistance and evaluate the steps such organisations take to ensure that this access is safe for both the assister and assisted. From these findings we set out a security strategy with supporting design principles that combines digital security with human security in a security approach we term 'positive-first'. © 2022 Owner/Author.

Perspectives and parameters for the use of digital banking

For fear of Covid-19 infection, the population opted for the use of technological means to make payments by electronic means deciding to use other means of payment (credit or debit card) to perform any type of banking service, hence the banks offer cards with different benefits, the objective is to measure the perspectives and parameters requested by users to obtain a credit or debit card, with a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational and predictive study, with a sample of 1646 surveys conducted online and anonymously, using the measurement instrument with questions about digital banking (pre and post pandemic) whose parameters are digital banking services and motivational factors for its use. The results show that users are increasingly interested in adopting digital band services in a meaningful way. In conclusion the measurement instrument is suitable for application, parameters such as cellular service (App) and account status information are priority for the population. © 2022 IEEE.

Big Data-based Solutions for Sustainable Digital Services: Evaluation of Research Methods

Modern information technology infrastructure is highly complex, and its monitoring requires the integration of different monitoring tools and management systems. This is especially important for businesses that must be able to provide their digital services in crisis situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper identifies research methods suitable to evaluate algorithms for integrated processing of graphs and vertex metrics in data streams. They are identified by means of a literature review. The research finding will serve as an input for further research activities on methods and technological solutions that enable the creation of resilient digital services that are able to adapt to changing contexts and crises, combining big data analysis, knowledge management, business data, and knowledge ecosystems. © 2022 IEEE.

Non-use of Digital Services Among Older Adults During the SecondWave of COVID-19 Pandemic in Finland: Population-Based Survey Study

This study aimed to examine the associations of sociodemographic factors and factors related to physical, mental, cognitive, and social functioning with the non-use of digital services among older adults during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally representative data from Finland were collected between October 2020 and January 2021. The present study included 1524 respondents (response rate 68.2%, 56.6% female) aged between 70 and 100. The analyses were conducted with multivariable logistic regression. Almost half of the respondents did not use digital services independently. Those who needed assistance due to functional limitations, had insufficient energy in everyday life, perceived that their memory or ability to learn was impaired, had three or more members in the household, and lived in rural region had greater odds of being non-users of digital services than their counterparts. Thus, challenges to cope independently in everyday life, cognitive impairment, and rural living seemed to expose older adults to risk for exclusion from digital services. Factors may be interconnected, further weakening the inclusion of older people in society. It seems that adapting to rapid digital development and face-to-face service delivery constraints during the pandemic may have been particularly challenging for these vulnerable individuals. To ensure wider use of digital services, the natural decline in functioning with age should be noted, and older adults should be included in the development of digital services. Accessible support and traditional face-to-face services must be secured.

The Proposed Polish Advertisement Levies - An Efficient Source of Public Income or Instruments of the Political Battle?

This article analyses the bill of 2nd February 2021 on additional revenues of the National Health Fund, the National Fund for the Protection of Historical Monuments and the establishment of a Fund for the Support of Culture and National Heritage in the Media Area. The draft legislation, the announcement of which has triggered an unprecedented blackout protest in private media as well as a mass anti-government protest on the Internet, provides for the introduction of new public levies called advertisement contributions and the establishment of a new state special-purpose fund - the Fund for the Support of Culture and National Heritage in the Media Area. The aim of the article is to identify and present those provisions of the draft act which have evoked most controversies and have given rise to the stiff social resistance to the proposal. The first part of the paper is devoted to the assessment of the regulations within the context of the objective of the bill that was declared by the drafters in the legislative rationale. The analysis carried out has supported the assumption that providing adequate finances for those special-purpose funds that are strongly involved in remedying the consequences of the SARS CoV-2 epidemic was not a genuine purpose of the bill. It also leads to the conclusion that there is no constitutional justification for such a special-purpose levy. In the second part, the controversies over technical components of the advertising levies have been presented and analysed. On the basis of this analysis, it is possible to conclude that some of the qualitative and quantitative elements of the so-called advertisement contributions may give rise to interpretative doubts. The implementation of the research objectives made it possible to formulate a thesis that the advertisement contributions, as drafted, would not be efficient instruments of fair taxation of digital economy but rather would form instruments for achieving certain political objectives.

Standard and guideline development for the interoperability of a digital government system

In the time of crisis with Covid-19, the digital government has become a necessity for all countries. To continuously provide services to citizens staying at home, government adapts and creates ways to reach out to citizens digitally. Many new applications emerged, and these new applications accessible via mobile phone and through website and platforms must be standardized for citizens' convenient usage. There must exist a series of standards to ensure interoperability among the government digital service systems. This paper describes the standard and guideline development process invented and adopted at the Digital Government Development Agency (public organization) or DGA. It further summarizes the work that needs to be done for a complete solution and the groups such as standard committees involved in achieving this goal. The focus of the paper is on the standard development for interoperable digital government systems in Thailand. The development of the data catalog standard is presented as an example of applying the proposed approach. Standard and guideline development are a necessity for aligning digital government systems together. © 2022 IEEE.

Methods Applied “Hands-on”: A Digital Service Engineering Training Course

The idea of this project is to produce a working paper on how an online training program for a future service engineer could look like. Students of engineering study programs as well as employees with relevant job roles are seen as a future target. The training program will focus on all relevant aspects such as Smart Services, Life Cycle Management, Innovation Management as well as Marketing and Sales Management. Besides an ongoing digitization of nearly all aspects of the business environment, sustainability management will be included as well. The aim is to train a new kind of solution seller. The Covid-19 pandemic showed that online training methods are needed more than ever. The idea is to offer an online or a hybrid online-onsite training program. In order to produce the training, funding is needed. Either a national or international funding opportunity should be acquired. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Adoption of Public e-services versus Civic Tech Services: On the Issue of Trust and Citizen Participation in Ukraine and Belarus

Belarus and Ukraine embarked on digitalisation relying on an international experience. Ukraine experienced difficulties in building infrastructure and connecting their regions and faced challenges in providing training and raising citizen awareness on advantages of the digital services. Yet, the digitalization reform proceeded from the principles of citizen-centeredness and e-participation. Belarus, on the contrary, was quick in building the basic infrastructure and training their public officials. However, the e-government was oriented rather on technical aspects and inter-sectoral communication, than on the needs of the citizens. Despite the differences in both cases, the level of trust, the basic prerequisite for the quality e-services, has been low (Ukraine) or non-existent (Belarus). This paper uses multi-method approach to examine citizen trust and their adoption of e-services in developing political or administrative regime contexts that are characterized by low trust, variable digital literacy, and variable access to information. A key finding is that in both countries it was the historical legacy of access to free services, that was one of the barriers to building a sustainable and reliable system of e-services. However, while Ukraine started to improve their infrastructure and building trust towards digital services during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Belarus the authorities’ ineffective management of the pandemic has led to sharp decrease in trust towards authorities. As a result, rudiments of an alternative system of public-services’ delivery, based on the people-to-people model, have been launched by the civil society. © 2022, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.

Provision of regional and national library and museum services in Chile during the health crisis due to COVID-19

The unforeseen spread of COVID-19, since the beginning of 2020, has caused alarming effects worldwide, causing the suspension of various economic, social and cultural activities, including library and museum services. Libraries and museums in Chile had to close their doors, as a state of emergency was decreed in the country and they entered a period of mandatory confinement. This scenario has generated modifications in the delivery of digital services in libraries and museums in order to continue in contact with their users. The purpose of this research is to analyze the provision of services of national and regional libraries and museums in Chile from March 15 to July 15, 2020 in the context of the health crisis. For this purpose, information is collected through a survey, which was answered by 23 representatives of these organizations. The main findings show that libraries and museums faced adversity by making a change in the modality of delivery of their services. These types of institutions migrated to digital platforms with an important use of social networks for the development of their activities. The institutions made a good evaluation of the adaptation of their services;although not without complexities, regarding communication with the public and network connectivity. The initiative of the professionals to maintain the link with their communities stands out. © 2022, Centro Nacional de Informacion de Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.

DEVELOPMENT OF E-COMMERCE IN TIMES OF THE CORONA CRISIS

In 2020 and 2021, the coronavirus crises lead to an extraordinary e-commerce growth. Based on an empirical study among 365 online retailers in Switzerland and Austria, the e-commerce developments during the corona crises were investigated. Nine out of ten online retailers demonstrate a sustainable e-commerce growth, and more than half have gained many new customers. In addition, many existing customers buy more frequently from online retailers, and/or buy larger quantities. In 2020, most online shops had a strong order increase in product groups like garden, do-it-yourself, toys, furniture, sports equipment, and food (more than 20% per year). Due to the e-commerce growth, online retailers are faced with different challenges in procurement, management, customer service, distribution, and IT. Moreover, new sales channels like messenger and social commerce arise and classical formats are adapted. Therefore, omni-channel retailers test showrooms, click and collect, experiential, self-service, or pop-up stores. Finally, this contribution provides strategic and operational implications for online shop operators. © 2022 IADIS Press. All rights reserved.

A Supply Chain Service Cybersecurity Certification Scheme based on the Cybersecurity Act

Since the provision of digital services in our days (e.g. container management, transport of COVID vaccinations or LNG) in most economic sectors (e.g. maritime, health, energy) involve national, EU and non-EU stakeholders compose complex Supply Chain Services (SCS). The security of the SCS is most important and it emphasized in the NIS 2 directive [3] and it is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders involved that will need to be compliant with a scheme. In this paper we present an overview of the proposed Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for Supply Chain Services (EUSCS) as proposed by the European Commission (EC) project CYRENE [1]. The EUSCS scheme covers all the three assurance levels defined in the Cybersecurity Act (CSA) [2] taking into consideration the criticality of SCS according to the NIS 2 directive [3], the ENISA Threat Landscape for Supply Chain Attacks [4] and the CYRENE extended online Information Security Management System (ISMS) that allows all SCS stakeholders to provide and access all information needed for certification purposes making the transition from current national schemes in the EU easier. © 2022 IEEE.