Technology and Innovation Commons^™

Identifying Industry-Preferred Automation Software In Engineering: An Indeed-Based Analysis To Inform Engineering Technology Curriculum Design, Triet Minh Phan, Collins Okafor, Winifred Okafor, Devang Mehta, Mohsen Souissi, Jenora Waterman, Connie Mayberry, Misty Thomas, Orlando Ayala, Angie Price, Maurizio Manzo

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

In the evolving field of automation engineering, staying aligned with industry software demands is critical to preparing graduates for the modern workforce. This study investigates the prevalence of leading industrial automation platforms—Rockwell / Allen-Bradley (RSLogix / Studio 5000), Siemens (TIA Portal / Step 7), and Schneider Electric (EcoStruxure / Unity Pro)—across job postings collected from Indeed using the keyword "automation engineering." The research compiles a structured dataset of job postings with seven fields: ID, Job Title, Organization, Rockwell / Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Schneider Electric, and Posting URL. Each entry is manually coded to indicate whether the listed software platforms are mentioned, …

The Evolving Beijing Consensus: Chinese Communist Party Political Control And Economic Trade Offs, Ian Murphy

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

China’s rapid economic rise and unique development trajectory have long been the subject of scholarly debate, often framed through the concept of the “Beijing Consensus” as an alternative to the Washington Consensus. While initial conceptualizations highlight innovation, sustainability, and national sovereignty, later analyses highlighted elements like state capitalism and authoritarianism, particularly in the wake of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. This paper argues that the Beijing Consensus is undergoing a significant evolution under Chairman Xi Jinping, increasingly prioritizing the Chinese Communist Party’s political security, regime stability, and ideological control at the expense of economic growth. This marks a notable departure …

The Soft Target Curriculum: Using Nigeria's 2026 Cascading Breaches To Teach Foundational Cybersecurity Failures, Chinedum Amaechi, Doris Asogwa, Samuel Alade

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

SourceURL:file:///home/amaechi/Documents/ *Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice (JCERP)*. **Title:** The Soft Target Curriculum: Using Nigeria's 2026 Cascading Breaches to Teach Foundational Cybersecurity Failures.docx

Background: Between March and April 2026, a single threat actor allegedly compromised four Nigerian institutions across banking, payment infrastructure, government registry, and power distribution sectors. The breaches exposed millions of records and disrupted critical services, yet all four exploited elementary vulnerabilities taught in introductory cybersecurity courses. Objective: This pedagogical case study analyzes the four breaches as a unified phenomenon of "normalized negligence" and provides ready-to-use teaching materials for cybersecurity educators. Methods: Using open-source intelligence analysis of …

Feasibility Of Corn Stover For Biogas Production In Northwestern Illinois: A Case Study Of Jo Daviess And Carroll Counties, Anthony Amotoe-Bondzie

Masters Theses

The growing demand for renewable energy and sustainable waste management has intensified interest in agricultural residues such as bioenergy feedstocks. This study evaluated the feasibility of converting corn stover into biogas through anaerobic digestion (AD) in Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties, Illinois, with consideration of the Savanna Industrial Park as a potential centralized processing hub. Although corn stover represents one of the largest biomass resources in the United States, this research identifies a critical gap between theoretical availability and practically recoverable feedstock. Using a mixed-methods framework, the study integrates biomass quantification, methane yield modeling, economic analysis, and policy assessment. Results …

Early Stem Impressions, Student Engagement, And Readiness For Digitalization, Myron Sheu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study examines how early impressions of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) shape business students’ learning behaviors and, ultimately, their readiness for organizational digitalization. Focusing on gender differences, subgroup identities, and perceived obstacles, the analysis uses survey data processed through correlation matrices, regression models, and subgroup heatmaps to trace the relationship between initial attitudes toward STEM and subsequent engagement patterns. The findings reveal consistent links between positive early impressions and active participation in structured STEM activities, along with gender-based distinctions in action preferences. Subgroup analyses further uncover nuanced patterns where stereotypes or perceived barriers correspond with reduced engagement. Collectively, …

Does Digital Innovation Matter For Hospital Efficiency? Evidence From U.S. Hospitals, C. Christopher Lee, Shihui Fan, Jung Young Lee, David W. Hwang

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Purpose – This study examines the impact of digital innovation on hospital performance, providing evidence to guide healthcare administrators and policymakers in making informed decisions regarding digital investment.

Design/Methodology/Approach – Using data from the 2020 American Hospital Association (AHA) U.S. Hospital Survey and the 2019 AHA Information Technology Survey, we empirically analyze the relationship between five dimensions of digital innovation—automation, cybersecurity, telehealth, health information exchange (HIE), and IT spending—and three efficiency indicators: occupancy rate, capacity productivity, and manpower productivity.

Findings – The results show that digital innovation has varying effects on hospital efficiency. Automation is positively associated with capacity and …

The Crowdfunding Paradox In Crisis: Rising Funder Demand Vs. Declining Entrepreneur Supply, Dan Liu, Guangzhi Shang, Cynthia Fan Yang

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study investigates how the crowdfunding marketplace responds to major crises, focusing on behavioral shifts among funders and entrepreneurs. Results show a dual impact on platform dynamics. On the demand side, funders become more engaged, with notable increases in the number of backers, average contributions, and total pledge amounts. This heightened activity suggests stronger altruistic motivations, as individuals view crowdfunding as a way to support others during difficult times. On the supply side, however, entrepreneurs act more cautiously, leading to a decline in new project launches. This drop likely reflects increased risk aversion and uncertainty as creators navigate volatile conditions. …

Lost In Instructions: Study Of Blind Users' Experiences With Diy Manuals And Ai-Rewritten Instructions For Assembly, Operation, And Troubleshooting Of Tangible Products, Monalika Padma Reddy, Aruna Balasubramanian, Jiawei Zhou, Xiaojun Bi, Iv Ramakrishnan, Vikas Ashok

Computer Science Faculty Publications

AI tools like ChatGPT and Be-My-AI are increasingly being used by blind individuals. Although prior work has explored their use in some Do-It-Yourself (DIY) tasks by blind individuals, little is known about how they use these tools and the available product-manual resources to assemble, operate, and troubleshoot physical/tangible products – tasks requiring spatial reasoning, structural understanding, and precise execution. We address this knowledge gap via an interview study and a usability study with blind participants, investigating how they leverage AI tools and product manuals for DIY tasks with physical products. Findings show that manuals are essential resources, but product-manual instructions …

Revisiting Dependency In The Twenty-First Century: A Critical Analysis Of Africa-China Relations, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

This research assesses the characteristics of today’s Africa–China relations using dependency theory, world systems theory, neocolonialism, and South-South cooperation, using comparisons between historical African dependence on European colonial powers and recent reliance on China in terms of trade, infrastructure, debt, and technology. This research identifies how contemporary cooperations either continue previous patterns of economic and political subordination or create a transformation of those relationships or provide a challenge to them. Using qualitative comparative historical analysis, along with specific case studies and secondary sources (academic journals, speeches, government publications, etc.), the research demonstrates that while Africa-China relations exhibit fewer structural features …

Policy Uncertainty Reduces Green Innovation, Mengyu Wang, Jeffrey Wurgler, Hong Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Policy uncertainty can undermine the power of government subsidies to stimulate environmentally friendly research and development. We show that Chinese firms’ green R&D falls as the uncertainty of environmental subsidies rises: Exogenous, weather-driven air pollution variability induces subsidies to fluctuate, and firms in areas with high weather-driven subsidy variability undertake less green R&D and hire fewer technical employees, controlling for the average level of subsidies. Heavy emitters and environmental technology firms are more affected. The results also illustrate how policy uncertainty can arise when policymakers are influenced by conditions that are salient but with causes that are difficult to disentangle.

Exploring The Las-Vict Principle Of Cryptocurrency Exchanges: A Belief–Action–Outcome Perspective, Cheuk Hang Au, Kevin K.W. Ho, Po Hsu Shieh, Kris M.Y. Law

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose – Cryptocurrency exchanges operate in a hyper-volatile, “wild west” environment, fundamentally challenging existing theories of FinTech success that were built for stable markets. The literature lacks a framework to explain how firms thrive amidst such extreme regulatory ambiguity and institutional distrust. This study resolves this theoretical puzzle by developing a new principle for success in nascent, high-stakes digital ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach – We conduct a multiple-case study of 14 leading cryptocurrency exchanges. Using the belief–action–outcome (BAO) logic as an analytical guide, we deconstruct the strategic actions that separate successful exchanges from failures, synthesising them into a new, empirically grounded framework. …

Innovativeness And Self-Efficacy In Lecturers’ Intentions To Use Cloud Computing Services In Teaching And Learning In South African Higher Education, John Mangundu, Laizah Sashah Mutasa, Senali Madugoda Gunaratnege, Martin Ujakpa

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There has been an acceleration of the adoption of cloud computing in higher education institutions (HEIs), especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift to virtual and blended learning environments, led to a migration of HEIs’ information management processes to cloud-based systems. Despite its advantages, cloud computing adoption in South African HEIs remains low. This study applies the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to examine how self-efficacy and innovativeness influence lecturers’ intentions to use cloud computing services. A quantitative design was applied, and stratified random sampling ensured representation across the lecturer population. Data were collected through an online questionnaire …

Determinants Of Artificial Intelligence Adoption: Research Themes And Future Directions, Ahmad A. Khanfar, Reza Kiani Mavi, Mohammad Iranmanesh, Denise Gengatharen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) systems is on the rise owing to their many benefits. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis to identify (1) how the literature on AI adoption has evolved over the past few years, (2) key themes associated with AI adoption in the literature, and (3) the gaps in the literature. To achieve these objectives, we utilised the Biblioshiny of R-package bibliometric analysis tool to analyse the AI adoption literature. A total of 91 articles were reviewed and analysed in this study. Four major themes were identified: AI, machine learning, the unified theory of acceptance and …

The Factors Influencing Organisational Responsiveness For Sustainable Projects, Richard Hughes, Bradley Baker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This study investigates how organisations respond to sustainability when it becomes a central strategic priority, particularly through project environments. The research seeks to understand the factors influencing organisational responsiveness to sustainability imperatives in projects, addressing a key gap in sustainable project management literature. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed a thematic meta-synthesis of qualitative case studies from multiple countries and different economic sectors. Using grounded theory, data were coded to identify first-order concepts, second-order themes and aggregate dimensions, culminating in the development of a conceptual model of dynamic adaptation. Findings: The analysis revealed three interrelated dimensions that shape organisational responsiveness: strategic …

The Impact Of Ai Service Workers On Opportunistic Complaint Behavior, Chelsi J. Baker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Consumer complaint behavior research has traditionally focused on interactions between customers and human employees, leaving open questions about how these behaviors may change when the service agent is artificial intelligence. This research looks at whether customers are more likely to engage in opportunistic complaint behavior when interacting with AI service agents and explores what might explain that behavior. The results show that customers are more likely to behave opportunistically when interacting with AI service agents than with human employees. Perceived morality helps explain this relationship, as more human-like service agents increase the extent to which exaggerating a complaint is seen …

Crypto Litigation And Market Efficiency, Robert E. Bishop, Bradford Levy, Frank Partnoy, Daniel Taylor, Andrew Yeh

Faculty Scholarship

This paper investigates, for the first time in the literature, the factors that should matter to courts in determining whether a crypto  market is “efficient,” meaning that prices are sufficiently responsive to information. Based on new empirical evidence and a series of event studies, we recommend a new judicial framework for assessing market  efficiency in crypto litigation.

Market efficiency tests based on event studies have played an important role in other areas of litigation, particularly securities litigation, where courts frequently rely on what have become known as the “Cammer factors.” Academics have not yet assessed the extent to which market …

Maintaining Balance And Wellness In Remote Work, Michelle Bartlett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

In today's rapidly evolving work environments, remote work has become more than a trend; it is now a mainstay and rising (Ewers & Kangmennaang, 2023). This shift has necessitated a re-evaluation of traditional work paradigms, particularly in the realms of work-life balance and employee wellness. This chapter details the core strategies for thriving in remote work settings by setting boundaries, combating isolation, and fostering supportive corporate cultures. Transitioning from offices to remote work can blur the lines between personal and professional lives (Bella, 2023; Beňo, 2023). This section provides practical advice on how remote workers can effectively delineate these aspects. …

The Effect Of Innovative Value Proposition On Buyer Reactions: The Moderating Roles Of Price Orientation And Perceived Risk, Chad Stuttz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Value propositions are essential to the success of personal selling in the Business-to-Business (B2B) context. While earlier studies have offered valuable insights into the roles of value propositions in driving B2B sales, they have often regarded value propositions as uniform. In this dissertation, I argue that value propositions vary in their levels of innovativeness. The dissertation introduces the concept of innovative value proposition (IVP) and proposes that IVP indicates greater future growth potential to buyers, leading to more favorable reactions such as responsiveness and willingness to engage than less innovative ones. Additionally, the dissertation explores the moderating effects of buyer …

Taxpayers Willingness To Use Ai Conversational Tools, Nessrine Mesto-Assaad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the rapid emergence of Artificial Intelligence Conversational Tools (AICTs), such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and their widespread use, the need to understand users’ acceptance of this emerging technology has increased. Prior research has investigated users’ acceptance of AICTs in hospitality, tourism, e-commerce, and retail industries. However, users’ acceptance of the use of AICTs for tax information remains relatively underexplored in the tax context. Therefore, this study investigates taxpayers’ willingness to accept and use AICTs for tax-related questions when e-filing their tax returns. Drawing on the Artificial Intelligence Device Use and Acceptance (AIDUA) model as a research framework, this …

Role Of Ethical Principles And Ai Characteristics In Shaping Generative Ai Use In Higher Education And Its Impact On Academic Performance, Mostafa Al-Emran, Mohammed A. Al-Sharafi, Behzad Foroughi, Noor Al-Qaysi, Nelson K.Y. Leung, Zaher Mundher Yaseen, Nor’Ashikin Ali

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The rapid integration of Generative AI in higher education has transformed teaching and learning, yet limited research explores the factors driving its adoption and impact on academic performance. This study addresses the gap in understanding how ethical principles (fairness, accountability, transparency, accuracy, autonomy) and AI characteristics (perceived anthropomorphism, perceived intelligence) influence students’ use of Generative AI tools and their subsequent academic outcomes. The research aims to develop and test a theoretical model that integrates these factors to explain Generative AI adoption and its effect on perceived academic performance among university students. Data were collected through surveys from 318 students and …

Examining The Factors Influencing Citizen Adoption Of E-Government Chatbot Services In Jordan: A Longitudinal Survey Study, Ibrahim Mohamad, Laurie Hughes, Ali Abdallah Alalwan, Tegwen Malik, Yogesh K. Dwivedi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Many governments are focusing on adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbot technology to enhance work efficiency and improve e-government services. Jordan was among the first Middle Eastern countries to implement AI chatbots to offer various e-services to its citizens. While previous studies have examined the adoption of AI chatbots, they have not explored citizen adoption within the Jordanian context. This research investigates the key factors influencing citizen adoption of e-government chatbot services in Jordan by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) theory with additional external variables. A longitudinal survey of 319 Jordanian citizens was conducted, …

Metaverse And Artificial Intelligence As Web 4.0: The Next Generation Of The Internet, Anton Klarin, Elena Gorenskaia, Qijie Xiao, Pi-Shen Seet

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study utilizes systems thinking to explore and entwine an evolving metaverse scholarship to a relatively underexplored phenomenon of Web 4.0. We adopt a soft systems thinking framework to guide the interpretation of complex and evolving metaverse scholarship, using bibliometric mapping of 5587 publications sourced from Scopus. Using systems thinking, we synthesize these clusters into the following four thematic areas: (i) business and society implications, (ii) optimization, (iii) integration with other technologies and (iv) metaverse education. Drawing on the largest-to-date review of the metaverse as well as a systematic review of Web 4.0 literature, we propose a novel conceptualization of …

The Impact Of Value Homophily, Rational And Emotional Persuasion On Information Passing Of Social Media Advertisements: A Model Comparison Approach, Gloria Hui Wen Liu, Cecil Eng Huang Chua, Neil Chueh An Lee, Jenny Hua Jen Wu

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Increasingly, businesses collaborate with influencers and content creators (the source) to advertise on social media, with social media users being exposed to an environment saturated with unsolicited advertisements. With social contacts remaining the most trusted advertisement sources, users' passing of such advertisements helps their dissemination and creates a specific kind of electronic word of mouth called information passing. Information passing involves users forwarding advertisements about products/services to someone else. Prior studies have found at least three factors influence information passing, including value homophily (similarity with the source as perceived by users), rational appeal (information about how a product can meet …

Hardware Without Humanware: Robot Adoption, Talent Structure Degradation, And Firm Innovation, Wenhao Sun, Zhenyu Wu, Chevy-Hanqing Fang

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Contrary to the prevailing view that automation complements skilled labor in advanced economies, this study examines the unintended consequences of robot adoption in emerging markets. Drawing on strategic human capital theory, we exploit China's manufacturing sector as a natural experiment to identify the causal impact of industrial intelligence on firm-level innovation. Using a unique dataset of more than 90,000 public and private firms from the National Enterprise Innovation Database (2008–2014), we uncover a counterintuitive result: robot adoption significantly reduces firm innovation, which is notably more pronounced for private-owned firms and those with weaker innovation capabilities. Mediation analyses further show that …

One Size Doesn’T Fit All: Navigating Gendered Ageism In Older Women’S Entry Into Entrepreneurship, Yanying Chen, Zijie Song, Chevy-Hanqing Fang

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Though older women may choose entrepreneurship as a way to escape discrimination in the labor market, they may face other forms of discrimination in the entrepreneurial domain. Drawing on intersectionality theory, we posit that older women encounter amplified discrimination due to the stereotype-consistent implications from gender and age norms, namely gendered ageism. Using 815,428 individual observations pooled across country–year surveys from 56 countries between 2009 and 2018, we found that older women were least likely to enter entrepreneurship. And this intersectional disadvantage could be mitigated by weakening the normative exclusion and possessing resource endowments that signal capability. However, strategies focused …

Gubernatorial Re-Election Incentives, Local Investment Bias, And Pension Fund Performance, Hongxian Zhang, Liang Guo, Jun Hao, Yu Liu

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

We investigate the impact of gubernatorial re-election incentive and political factors on US public pension funds from 1990 to 2022. Our empirical analysis finds no significant overall relationship between gubernatorial re-election incentives and local bias in the full sample. However, the effect of gubernatorial re-election incentives on local bias is influenced by a state's level of corruption. Specifically, in states within the lowest corruption quantile, governors eligible for re-election tend to prioritize local investments to gain consistent support. In contrast, in states within the highest corruption quantile, heightened scrutiny may encourage re-election-eligible governors to adopt conservative investment policies that do …

Counterfactual Indeterminacy Bias In Family Firm Research, Chevy-Hanqing Fang, James J. Chrisman, Alfredo De Massis

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ever since scholars recognized that family firms are heterogeneous, many studies have attempted to compare different types of family firms without ensuring that the source of heterogeneity is unique to family firms. When the source of heterogeneity among family firms resembles the source of heterogeneity among nonfamily firms, the problem of counterfactual indeterminacy bias can lead to misleading or irrelevant findings that fail to distinguish the effects of family influence from factors that affect all firms. We delineate common forms of this bias and offer recommendations to prevent it in research on family firm behavior and performance.

The Nature Of Agency: Designing Agentic Systems Using A Biomimetic Lens, Tegwen Malik, Laurie Hughes, Yogesh K. Dwivedi, Natalie De Mello, Igor Barahona, Il Jeon

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: This paper aims to explore how biomimetic principles can inform governance models for agentic artificial intelligence (AI) systems, autonomous, adaptive entities that challenge traditional oversight frameworks. It argues that nature-inspired governance offers a dynamic alternative to static, compliance-based models. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a conceptual viewpoint approach. It synthesizes literature on AI governance, systems theory and biomimicry, applying thematic analysis to existing frameworks and mapping identified gaps to five natural principles: symmetry, fractals, cymatic feedback, self-organization and phase transitions. Findings: Current governance frameworks lack mechanisms for managing emergent behaviors and distributed agency in agentic AI. The proposed biomimetic lens …

Refuelling Behaviour And Electric Vehicle Uptake: Evidence From A Behavioural Transition Framework In Western Australia, Navid Hashemi Taba, Khatavakhotan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study examined how refuelling routines, price responsiveness and discount expectations relate to readiness to replace a conventional petrol vehicle with an electric vehicle in Western Australia. A structured survey of nonelectric vehicle owners was administered in Perth (n = 442; conventional petrol n = 408; hybrid n = 34). Protocol-based cleaning and distributional diagnostics guided nonparametric inference and segmentation. Refuelling frequency comparisons between conventional and hybrid vehicle owners indicated higher visit frequency and monthly consumption among the former (monthly consumption: median 150 L vs. 92 L; U = 6963.5, z = 4.48, p < 0.001), whereas within conventional vehicle owners, no significant association was observed between monthly consumption and stated willingness to adopt an electric vehicle (U = 6633.0, p = 0.671). Expected petrol price discounts were tightly centred (median 10%; interquartile range 5%–15%), yet cluster analysis revealed a distinct segment combining high discount expectations (≈22%) and higher monthly consumption (∼211 L). Correlation between consumption and discount expectations was negligible (r ≈ 0.03, p > 0.05). These findings suggest that adoption-related …