Business Commons^™

Digital Twinning For Resilient Global Supply Chains: Three Case Studies, Gawon Yun, Douglas N. Hales, Leo Hong

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Global supply chains have vulnerabilities, and these escalate in crisis times like pandemics or wars. Digital twinning of supply chains can provide early alerts and timely interventions. We examined three companies in different industries using Digital Twin (DT) technology to improve their supply chain performance. We found that while DT successfully enhanced performance indicators, the dollar and time costs were significant, creating barriers to wider DT adoption. We conclude by outlining the positives and negatives of implementing Digital Twins in global supply chains.

The Evolving Landscape Of It Security Training In The Workforce, Robert Houghton, Chris Healy

Mountain Plains Business Conference

This research paper will investigate the current state of IT security training within organizations, exploring the challenges and opportunities associated with ensuring effective training programs. By examining existing practices, identifying emerging trends, and analyzing the factors influencing training effectiveness, this study aims to provide valuable insights for organizations, educators, and policymakers.

This paper will help identify the critical need for ongoing training to address the evolving threat landscape, the importance of tailoring training programs to meet the specific needs of different employee groups, and the challenges associated with resource allocation and employee engagement. The paper will also highlight the potential …

Feasibility Of Creating A Non-Profit And Nongovernmental Organization Cybersecurity Incident Dataset Repository Using Osint, Stanley Mierzwa, Iassen Christov

Center for Cybersecurity

Organizations of all types are prone to cybersecurity and information security attacks. Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are not exempt from using information technology solutions and, thus, have been the recipient victims of cyber attackers. There exist many areas and venues where data are collected to report back annually on the status and numbers of cybersecurity attacks against many sectors of our society. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) catalogs sixteen critical sectors that are considered vital to the United States. However, finding where the NPO and NGO community should reside with …

Leveraging Propagation Delay For Wormhole Detection In Wireless Networks, Harry May, Travis Atkison

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Detecting and mitigating wormhole attacks in wireless networks remains a critical challenge due to their deceptive nature and potential to compromise network integrity. This paper proposes a novel approach to wormhole detection by leveraging propagation delay analysis between network nodes. Unlike traditional methods that rely on signature-based detection or specialized hardware, our method focuses on analyzing propagation delay timings to identify anomalous behavior indicative of wormhole attacks. The proposed methodology involves collecting propagation delay data in both normal network scenarios and scenarios with inserted malicious wormhole nodes. By comparing these delay timings, our approach aims to differentiate between legitimate network …

How State Universities Are Addressing The Shortage Of Cybersecurity Professionals In The United States, Gary Harris

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Cybersecurity threats have been a serious and growing problem for decades. In addition, a severe shortage of cybersecurity professionals has been proliferating for nearly as long. These problems exist in the United States and globally and are well documented in literature. This study examined what state universities are doing to help address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals since higher education institutions are a primary source to the workforce pipeline. It is suggested that the number of cybersecurity professionals entering the workforce is related to the number of available programs. Thus increasing the number of programs will increase the number of …

Risk Identification And Mitigation In Agile Software Re-Engineering: A Case Study, Chiara Fasching, Peggy Gregory, Nicholas Mitchell, Charlie Frowd

Communications of the IIMA

Legacy software is becoming increasingly common, and many companies nowadays are facing the challenges associated with this phenomenon. In certain circumstances, re-engineering is the only logical way to deal with legacy software. Such projects, by their very nature, are subject to a wide variety of risks. The aim of this study was to begin building the basis of a risk framework that will support future re-engineering projects within Agile (Scrum) environments. An interpretive case study approach has been followed, where the case study was the first phase of a re-engineering process, with the method of analysis being inductive and reflexive …

Enhancing Email Spam Detection Through Ensemble Machine Learning: A Comprehensive Evaluation Of Model Integration And Performance, Najah Al-Shanableh, Mazen S. Alzyoud, Eman Nashnush

Communications of the IIMA

Email spam detection and filtering are crucial security measures in all organizations. It is applied to filter unsolicited messages; most of the time, they comprise a large portion of harmful messages. Machine learning algorithms, specifically classification algorithms, are used to filter and detect if the email is spam or not spam. These algorithms entail training models on labelled data to predict whether an email is spam or not based on its features. In particular, traditional classification machine learning algorithms have been applied for decades but proved ineffective against fast-evolving spam emails. In this research, ensemble techniques by using the meta-learning …

The Use Of Selected Social Media Platforms By South African-Listed Companies For Stakeholder Engagement, Kashmira Hansjee, Zakiyyah Varachia, Dannielle Cerbone

The African Journal of Information Systems

This study aimed to determine whether South African-listed companies use social media to engage with stakeholders. Emerging economies are experiencing rapid growth, which increases the need for transparent communication to build trust with investors to facilitate resource exchange. Social media has changed many aspects of communication by offering instant, interactive channels that can reach numerous stakeholders. However, there is limited research into the utilization of social media for stakeholder communication within emerging economies. This study aimed to address that topic and examined the social media practices of listed entities to determine whether companies use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn for …

Educational Equivalency Of Raspberry Pi Clusters In High-Performance Computing, Robert F. Houghton

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

High-performance computing is a difficult subject to teach in an academic setting, given the exorbitant costs and technical difficulties. Raspberry Pi single-board computers have been used in recent years to create clusters that function as mini high-performance computers. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the educational equivalence of building a Raspberry Pi cluster in comparison to running a high-performance computing environment. For this research, an eight-node cluster was built and tested in comparison to a laptop. Through the process of building the cluster, skills learned were documented to evaluate the educational value. This research concludes that the adequacy …

E-Service Delivery And People-Centric Development In The Digital Age: A Case Of Rural South Africa, Tapfuma Pashapa, Ulrike Rivett

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

This paper explores the role of ICT proliferation in rural development, specifically in terms of improving public services within the South African rural context. The South African setting provided an opportunity to reflect on a people-centric approach that prioritizes social inclusion and public participation to balance a local government landscape historically skewed against rural areas. Interviews were conducted in rural municipalities to determine the development priorities of households and the impact of ICTs on rural development. The findings highlight that the economics of service delivery tend to favour service providers and those who are socio-economically advantaged. This results in varying …

The Perceptions Of Women In Ict Concerning Hybrid Work At Telecommunication Companies In South Africa, Ntombizethu Lubisi, Samwel Mwapwele

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

This study examines the perceptions of women in ICT regarding the hybrid work model in South Africa's telecommunications sector, a shift accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The research explores both the benefits—such as flexibility, financial savings, and improved work-life balance—and the challenges, including communication difficulties, collaboration issues, and infrastructural problems like power outages. Using a qualitative, interpretive approach, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 11 participants from 8 JSE-listed telecom companies. The key finding is that while the hybrid model is generally viewed favourably for supporting career development, the findings underscore the need for well-structured policies to ensure effective …

The Use Of Social Media For Organisational Learning: A Systematic Review Of Literature, Harry Moongela, Marie Hattingh

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Social media (categorised as Web 2.0 platforms) has been reported to significantly impact and improve organisational learning (OL), but there seems to be a lack of systematic literature reviews (SLR) covering the use of social media to facilitate OL. Thus, this article conducted a SLR for both social media and OL by presenting the significant concepts, models and frameworks from literature. A total number of 48 articles were found for the analysis method and the findings reveal important concepts such as types of OL, levels of OL and frameworks incorporating both social media and OL. The results also show that …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of A New Learning Management System Implementation At A South African University, Lazola Taho, Walter Uys

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Learning Management Systems (LMSs) investments are increasing in response to internal and external factors such as technology and market trends, laws, and regulations. Many LMS implementation initiatives fail despite decades of research on IS success. Challenges faced by sub-Saharan Africa Higher Education Institutions (HEI’s) LMS implementations are becoming context-specific to each institution. Studying implementation success quantitatively has however not provided adequate contextual insights into the complex dynamics of implementation. Research often investigates lecturers and students at the exclusion of other stakeholders. Using Critical Hermeneutics (CH) as a guiding perspective, semi-structured interviews were conducted with decision-makers, administrators, support staff, students, and …

Exploring Government Initiatives To Build Digital Skills In Namibia, Meriam Kakuwaezi, Gwamaka Mwalemba

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has transformed the skills required for success in the modern workplace, driving governments to increasingly rely on digital technologies for economic growth, social development, and cultural enrichment. However, developing economies face significant challenges due to skill shortages. This paper examines the Namibian government's initiatives to develop digital skills, focusing on key areas such as broadband expansion, broadcasting, and content creation, particularly in filmmaking. Through an analysis of government policies, plans, and speeches, the study traces the evolution of Namibia's efforts from general skills development to a more specialized ICT focus. The findings contribute to the academic …

Information Security Risk On Ownership Of Third-Party Software By African Businesses, Kennedy Njenga, Steven Kadima

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

This study raises an important concern regarding African businesses that procure and own third-party security software. These businesses may be led to believe that they are safe from security threats while shifting the security concerns and responsibility to third-party service providers. The study used grounded theory (GT) to present rich insights and lived experiences from African business practitioners, highlighting that this may not be the case, and African businesses may be vulnerable. This gap is addressed and discussed. The study qualitatively examined the lived experiences of selected practitioners and, from the analysis, a theory that explains how risks can be …

A Framework For Enterprise Resource Planning Systems In Non-Governmental Organisations In Zimbabwe, Florence Fungisai Sikweche, Theo Tsokota, Colletor Tendeukai Chipfumbu, Lucy Charity Sakala

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

The fastest and most effective way for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to manage resources efficiently is to transform through introducing information systems (IS). However, it has been argued by several authors that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems do not usually fit the requirements of organizations in developing countries because of the different business practices, and legal and government regulations. Hence, this study sought to establish a framework for ERP integration in NGOs in Zimbabwe. Interviews and observations were used for data collection. A sample of 15 employees was chosen, using purposeful sampling, from 13 NGOs located in Harare. Results showed that …

Designing Cybersecurity Escape Rooms: A Gamified Approach To Undergraduate Learning, Thitima Srivatanakul

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Gamification, including game-based learning (GBL), is a widely recognized pedagogical approach used for imparting and reinforcing cybersecurity knowledge and skills to learners. One innovative form of GBL gaining popularity across various educational levels, from secondary schools to professional development, is escape room-style education. This study is centered on the development and design of escape room activities tailored for teaching cybersecurity concepts, with a particular focus on web and software security, to undergraduate students at York College. The primary objectives of this research are twofold: firstly, to evaluate the effectiveness of educational escape room activities in reinforcing cybersecurity concepts taught in …

Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing In Nigeria, Muhammad Abubakar Nainna, Julian Bass, Lee Speakman

Communications of the IIMA

Cybersecurity challenges are common in Nigeria. Sharing cyber threat intelligence is essential in addressing the extensive challenges posed by cyber threats. It also helps in meeting regulatory compliance. There are a range of impediments that prevent cyber threat intelligence sharing. We hypothesise that we want to maximise this cyber threat intelligence sharing to resist malicious attackers. Therefore, this research investigates factors influencing threat intelligence sharing in Nigeria's cyber security practitioners. To achieve this aim, we conducted research interviews with 14 cyber security practitioners using a semi-structured, open-ended interview guide, which was recorded and transcribed. We analysed the data using an …

Education Crowdfunding Success: Studies On Information Asymmetry And Information Overload In Online Platforms, Mingyan Xu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Online education crowdfunding attracts public school teachers with its enormous outsourcing opportunities, but its success is constantly challenged by information asymmetry and information overload. To assist the teachers in successfully collecting teaching funds in crowdfunding, three studies are conducted to address the two challenges.

Information asymmetry exists between the fundraising teachers and the potential donors and challenges the education crowdfunding success. Virtual communication setting of online context further exacerbates this issue. Following signaling theory, it is critical for the informed teachers to create and send quality signals to the less-informed donors to enhance communication and establish mutual understanding. To understand …

The Impact Of Managerial Myopia On Cybersecurity: Evidence From Data Breaches, Wen Chen, Xing Li, Haibin Wu, Liandong Zhang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using a sample of U.S. firms for the period 2005–2017, we provide evidence that managerial myopic actions contribute to corporate cybersecurity risk. Specifically, we show that abnormal cuts in discretionary expenditures, our proxy for managerial myopia, are positively associated with the likelihood of data breaches. The association is largely driven by firms that appear to cut discretionary expenditures to meet short-term earnings targets. In addition, the association is stronger for firms with greater short-term equity incentives, higher earnings response coefficients, low levels of institutional block ownership, or large market shares. Finally, firms appear to increase discretionary expenditures upon the announcement …

Faids: Artificial Intelligence Developmental Systems Framework For Predicting And Preventing Cyberattacks In Supply Chain Networks, Lordt Becklines

Research & Publications

Cyber threats and attacks disrupt and damages supply chain networks (SCNs), which are complex and interlinked. Current methods to predict and prevent cyberattacks are inadequate and ineffective. This research proposes an AI developmental systems framework (FAIDS) to protect SCNs from cyberattacks. The framework has four components: (1) an AI threat intelligence system; (2) an AI risk assessment system; (3) an AI decision support system; and (4) an AI learning and adaptation system. The framework is tested on a simulated retail SCN. The results show that the framework can predict and prevent cyberattacks and improve the network's resilience and security. The …

Privacy Perceptions On Personal Data And Data Breaches In South Africa, Phillip Nyoni, Mthulisi Velempini, Nehemiah Mavetera

The African Journal of Information Systems

Research shows that data breaches often occur when organizations fail to protect users’ personal data sufficiently well. Many devices are connected to the Internet such as mobile phones, smart cars, wearables and ‘Things’ which increase the number of potential entry points into data stores. This paper discusses the potential data privacy risks that users face online. The study used online content analysis and surveys to establish the privacy perceptions of users and trends of data breaches in South Africa. The findings reveal that users have a positive perception of data managers and view them as knowledgeable in data protection. Nevertheless, …

Central Tracking And Billing System For Insurance Bills, Kehinde Alabi

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

In this article, we introduce a new centralized billing platform designed for insurance bills including auto insurance, health insurance, home insurance, life insurance, etc. This system consolidates all bills for individual users eliminating the need for them to manage and pay bills separately. Users stand to benefit from significant time and effort savings each month, reducing the likelihood of missed payments and associated late fees. Insurance billing organizations and banks can also capitalize on timely payments and reduced physical mailings, leading to cost savings and environmental benefits. The proposed system offers users the ability to track and review their historical …

A Model Of Information Visualization Interpretation, Michael Gene Hilgers

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Since the groundbreaking work by Cleveland and McGill in 1984, studies have revealed the difficulties humans have extracting quantitative data from visualizations as simple as bar graphs. As a first step toward understanding this situation, this paper proposes a mathematical model of the interpretation effort of a bar graph using concepts drawn from eye tracking. First, three key areas of interest (AOIs) are identified, and fixations are modeled as random point clouds within the AOIs. Stochastic geometry is introduced via random triangles connecting fixations within the adjacent key visual regions. The so-called landmark methodology provides the basis for the probabilistic …

Value Of Transportation Information Systems: Implications Of Digital Platforms, Third-Party Forecasting, And Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems, Ali Shirzadibabakan

All Dissertations

This three-essay dissertation focuses on understanding the impacts of IT, or IT enabled business models, on transportation and supply chains. Specifically, it empirically examines the market and societal implications of digital freight platforms, third-party forecasting, and cyber-physical systems in the transportation and supply chain sectors. Leveraging the entry of the Amazon Freight platform into the trucking freight industry as an exogenous shock, the first essay finds that adding a digital platform-enabled spot marketplace addresses the prevalent problem of the performance (rejection) of nonbinding contracts in the trucking industry. Specifically, the platform’s effect manifests through two primary mechanisms: increasing suppliers’ transportation …

A Multimodal Foundation Agent For Financial Trading : Tool-Augmented, Diversified, And Generalist, Wentao Zhang, Lingxuan Zhao, Haochong Xia, Shuo Sun, Jiaze Sun, Molei Qin, Xinyi Li, Yuqing Zhao, Yilei Zhao, Xinyu Cai, Longtao Zheng, Xinrun Wang, Bo An

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Financial trading is a crucial component of the markets, informed by a multimodal information landscape encompassing news, prices, and Kline charts, and encompasses diverse tasks such as quantitative trading and high-frequency trading with various assets. While advanced AI techniques like deep learning and reinforcement learning are extensively utilized in finance, their application in financial trading tasks often faces challenges due to inadequate handling of multimodal data and limited generalizability across various tasks. To address these challenges, we present FinAgent, a multimodal foundational agent with tool augmentation for financial trading. FinAgent's market intelligence module processes a diverse range of data-numerical, textual, …

The Moderating Role Of Cost And Convenience On The Relationship In The Utaut Model To Adopt E- Payment Services, Essia Ries Ahmed, Brahim Zirari, Imane Tabet Derraz

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Many emerging economies are on the brink of a major digital revolution as a result of the disruptive and game-changing wave of digitization that aims to create a financial ecosystem that will make the transition from a cash-based economy to a cashless (digital) economy the easiest way by making reliable and secure networks, Seamless payment solutions, ensuring large transactions at lightning speeds are a reality. Most studies using UTAUT are cross-sectional, capturing data at a single point in time. Longitudinal studies are needed to observe changes in behavioural intention and actual adoption of e-payment services over time, particularly in response …

The Impact Of Algorithmic Control And Algorithmic Management In Online Labor Platforms, Yaping Zhu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Online labor platforms (OLPs) are transforming the way organizations operate and how people work. Platform work has been characterized as promoting autonomy and flexibility. Workers interact with a platform rather than human managers to accomplish tasks and they have the freedom to decide when, where, and how much to work. Yet, platform workers increasingly bemoan working conditions, revealing that the expected autonomy and flexibility benefits of platform work have not materialized. Current IS research sheds light on this phenomenon by explaining that platform organizations use algorithms to manage and control workers (i.e., algorithmic control). Yet, our understanding of how algorithmic …

Seeking Guidance For Firms’ It Infrastructure Decisions: Twoempirical Studies, Jacob Yates

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the complexities of firms' IT infrastructure resource allocation decisions through two essays. The research utilizes extensive datasets and advanced statistical methods to provide nuanced insights into strategic IT decisions. Essay one examines the performance implications of mirroring the IT infrastructure resource allocation decisions of various leading firms, including leading IT firms (identified by InformationWeek), industry firms (based on performance), and business strategy firms (based on performance) through the lens of mimetic isomorphism. Findings indicate that lower IT infrastructure intensity generally leads to higher future performance, suggesting IT infrastructure could also be viewed as an expense (whereas prior …

Macrohft : Memory Augmented Context-Aware Reinforcement Learning On High Frequency Trading, Chuqiao Zong, Chaojie Wang, Molei Qin, Lei Feng, Xinrun Wang, Xinrun Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

High-frequency trading (HFT) that executes algorithmic trading in short time scales, has recently occupied the majority of cryptocurrency market. Besides traditional quantitative trading methods, reinforcement learning (RL) has become another appealing approach for HFT due to its terrific ability of handling high-dimensional financial data and solving sophisticated sequential decision-making problems, e.g., hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) has shown its promising performance on second-level HFT by training a router to select only one sub-agent from the agent pool to execute the current transaction. However, existing RL methods for HFT still have some defects: 1) standard RL-based trading agents suffer from the overfitting …