4,281 research outputs found
Adrian Caesar speaking at Alex Miller author: A Celebration, held at the National Library, Canberra, 30 October 2011 /
No full textTitle from information supplied by photographer.; Part of the collection: Alex Miller author: A Celebration, held at the National Library of Australia theatre, 30 October 2011.; Mode of access: Online.; Photographed by a staff member of the National Library of Australia
[Letter from Alex Bradford to Lieutenant and Mrs. Ray Starner - November 4, 1940]
No full textLetter from Alex Bradford to Lieutenant and Mrs. Ray Starner describing the the current state of affairs that the author was experiencing, including: the London blitz, the moral of the troops on the ground, and the collective company of men opposing the Nazi regime
The influence of the Digital Divide on Big Data generation within supply chain management
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of the Digital Divide (DD) and digital alphabetization (DA) on the Big Data (BD) generation process, to gain insight into how BD could become a
useful tool in the decision-making process of supply chain management (SCM). Similarly, the paper aims to recognize and understand, from a value-creation perspective, the correlation between DD and BD generation
and between DD and SCM.
Design/methodology/approach – The approach utilized in the present study consists of two steps: first, a systematic literature review was conducted aiming at finding out to determine the existing relationship between “Big Data Analytics” (BDA), “SCM” and the “DD”. A total of 595 articles were considered, and analysis showed a clear relationship among BDA, SCM, and DD. Next, the Vector autoregressive (VAR) approach was applied in a case study to prove the correlation between DD (as part of internet usage) and internet acquisitions, and in general terms the relationship between DD and Trade. Internet usage and internet acquisition in imports and exports at the European level were considered as variables in an empirical study of European trade. The novelty of this two-tiered approach consists in its application of a systematic literature review, the first of its kind, to generate inputs for the longitudinal case study of imports and exports at the EU level. In turn, the case study tested the accuracy of the theorized relationship among the main variables.
Findings – By analyzing the connection between DD and internet acquisitions, a positive and long-lasting impulse response function was revealed, followed by an ascending trend. This suggests that a self-multiplying effect is being generated, and it is reasonable to assume that the more individuals use the internet, the more electronic acquisitions occur. We can thus reasonably conclude that the improvement of the BD and SCM process is strongly dependent on the quality of the human factor. Tackling DA is the new reading key in the decision-making process: quantifying the added value of the human factor in SCM is challenging and is an ongoing process, based on the opportunity cost between automation in decision-making or relying on the complexity of human factors.
Research limitations/implications – One of the biggest limits in our research is the lack of the time series available on consumer orientations and preferences. Data on the typology of customer preferences, and how they are shaped, modified, or altered, were non-accessible, though big companies may have access to this data. The present longitudinal study on European trade helps clarify how and to what extent BDA, SCM, and DD are inter-related. The modeling of the theoretical framework likewise highlights several identifiable benefits for companies of adopting BDA in their business processes.
Practical implications – Understanding the obstacles to DD in trade companies and states, and identifying their influence on firm performance, serves to orient the decision-making process in SCM toward reducing DD to generate important economic benefits. Enhancing internet usage may accelerate longer-term investments in human resources, offering developing countries unprecedented opportunities to enhance their educational systems and to improve their economic policies, widening the range of opportunities for businesses and poor states.
Social implications – BD generation will undeniably influence microeconomic decisions: they will become evaluation tools of more efficient economic progress in small and/or large economies. However, an economically efficient society will be achievable only in those countries in which qualified human resources can generate and manage BD, to unlock its potential. This twofold effect will surely affect the socio-economic and geopolitical situation. The economic progress of conventional countries may vacillate if it is not adequately flanked by qualified human resources able to progress the information and communication technology (ICT) prevalent in contemporary economies. Consequently, the social impact of investments in ICT capacity building will necessarily affect future socio-economic scenarios. New indicators will become necessary to measure the conventional progress, and one of them will surely be DD.
Originality/value – The novelty of the present study is twofold: first, it is the first meticulous meta-analysis developed using a very wide analysis of the published literature to highlight a previously hidden relationship among DD, BD, and SCM. This comparative approach made it possible to build a theoretical framework for the real evaluation of the impact of BDA on different organizational elements, including SCM. Second, the research emphasizes the need to reform and reshape the studies on BDA, convincing companies that it is necessary to understand that the obstacles (DD and DA, i.e. internet usage) must be addressed with conscious decision-making processes, strategically and resolutely, to transform points of weakness into opportunities
Assuring SME's Sustainable Competitiveness in the Digital Era. A Labour Policy between Minimum Wage Guaranteed and ICT Skill Mismatch
No full textThe aim of this paper is to analyze the real impact of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) skills mismatch on SME’s (small and medium enterprises) sustainable competitiveness in the presence of a guaranteed minimum wage. As part of public policies—the minimum wage needs to maintain a balance between increasing employment and not being a burden for the companies, leading them to bankruptcies, especially in times of disruptive change, in which economies have to be more resilient. The rapid progress in information and communication technologies has dramatically redefined rising unemployment as a result of skills mismatch. This paper aims to understand, on the one hand, whether there is a match between the supply demand of ICT skills, and how increasingly powerful digital technologies affect the skills, jobs, and demand for human labor. On the other hand, it aims to understand whether increasing productivity and a fair minimum wage could be an integrated approach for stimulating SME’s in increasing sustainable competitiveness
Alex Haley, author
No full textExamines the life and achievements of Alex Haley, celebrated author of "Roots" and other writings, discussing his life and literary career, as well as his obsession with researching his family's history
Description by author Alex Irvine of his recent participation in the San Diego C
No full textDescription by author Alex Irvine of his recent participation in the San Diego Comic-Con, one of the largest conferences of comic/media/book producers and consumers. Irvine was there to promote his new fiction book, One King, One Soldier, published by Del Rey
Recovery through contradiction?
No full textWith this new drug strategy, the circle has turned. It was a Conservative government
that introduced the first drug strategy, Tackling Drugs Together, in 1995. This aimed
to reduce drug related crime, protect young people and reduce health harms by
discouraging drug use. It was criticised at the time for having unrealistic, intangible
aims and for not providing the necessary funding. New Labour’s strategies introduced
increasingly specific targets and massively expanded the funding of treatment. This
new Coalition strategy has no targets and provides no new funding
Alex Miller signing books at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, 30 October 2011 /
No full textTitle from information supplied by photographer.; Part of the collection: Alex Miller author: A Celebration, held at the National Library of Australia theatre, 30 October 2011.; Mode of access: Online.; Photographed by a staff member of the National Library of Australia
Alex Miller taking questions at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, 30 October 2011 /
No full textTitle from information supplied by photographer.; Part of the collection: Alex Miller author: A Celebration, held at the National Library of Australia theatre, 30 October 2011.; Mode of access: Online.; Photographed by a staff member of the National Library of Australia
Alex Miller and Genevieve Jacobs at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, 30 October 2011 /
No full textTitle from information supplied by photographer.; Part of the collection: Alex Miller author: A Celebration, held at the National Library of Australia theatre, 30 October 2011.; Mode of access: Online.; Photographed by a staff member of the National Library of Australia
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