ABSTRACT. Fostering inclusion has emerged as imperative but inherently complex challenge in the contemporary organisational landscape. This study delves into the role of technology in advancing the cause of inclusion within the context of Open Strategy (OS). Employing a qualitative research approach and drawing from a comprehensive dataset of forty-six expert interviews, we have discerned three underlying mechanisms of technology use in fostering inclusion: welcoming, supporting, and valuing participants. This study contributes to the extant body of OS literature by affording an understanding of technology's pivotal role in the realm of inclusion management. Furthermore, the findings of this study bear practical relevance for organizations striving to enhance inclusive practices, with an objective of mitigating adverse consequences associated with ineffectual diversity management practices, such as tokenism, bias, and discrimination.

ABSTRACT. This paper explores how organizations approach and operationalize algorithmic fairness in practice. Through semi-structured interviews with practitioners from organizations in Norway, insights were gained around their algorithmic fairness approaches and implementations. A thematic analysis revealed key considerations around starting early, law and regulations, the business value of fairness, challenges of identifying intersectional bias and technical solutions for ensuring and continuously monitoring fairness. An Extended Sociotechnical Framework for Algorithmic Fairness is proposed to help organizations address algorithmic fairness as a multifaceted issue. The framework categorizes general and case-specific factors across technical and social domains to provide structure while emphasizing context-specificity. It suggests harmonizing technical and social components to support practitioners navigating this complex area. The study provides empirical evidence of real-world fairness operationalization.

ABSTRACT. Software entrepreneurship continues to be perceived as a sector dominated by men. Research points to key differences in the motivations to engage in entrepreneurship, stressing the significance of gender issues. Through a qualitative analysis approach, this research seeks to identify factors that influence women’s decisions to pursue a career in software entrepreneurship in India and Ireland. Both countries rank highly as technology startup hotspots with rapidly growing women founder communities. This research undertakes a thematic analysis of six semi-structured interviews with women entrepreneurs from India and Ireland revealing two main themes of barriers and tactics. Six major barriers include gender stereotypes, confidence, male-dominated sector, family expectation, age, and power dynamics. Nine tactics emerge including building confidence, owning personal autonomy, family support and background, mentors, feminist mindset, educational impact, utilising specific skills, government policies, and flexibility in gendered roles. This study uncovers similarities and differences that merit further research.

ABSTRACT. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues its rapid evolution, ethical considerations become increasingly critical. This study presents an analytical approach to assessing the perceived importance, alignment, and implementation of responsible AI (RAI) principles within organizations. An extensive survey collected insights from 82 AI experts across industries. This analytical approach examines the importance, alignment, and implementation of 10 RAI principles, revealing distinct adherence patterns. Findings indicate a moderate overall level of operationalization, with variations across principles. The system categorizes adherence into three groups, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas of overemphasis. Through iterative use, organizations can refine their AI initiatives to align with evolving stakeholder expectations. However, it is essential to acknowledge limitations tied to subjectivity, sample representativeness, AI's dynamic nature, and the need for external validation. This research offers invaluable insights for translating ethical principles into practical organizational practices, bridging the gap between AI's potential and responsible implementation.

ABSTRACT. The adoption and use of health information systems depend on gathering of personal health information (PHI), and trust is considered a prerequisite for sharing PHI for secondary use. However, empirical PHI research is often not explicit about trust’s antecedents. This article aims to evaluate and enhance the conceptualisation of trust’s antecedents in empirical research involving PHI sharing. First, an analytical lens encompassing commonly acknowledged trust antecedents was constructed based on the general trust, IS and HIS literature. Secondly, a scoping literature review was conducted, encompassing 75 empirical PHI articles. Thirdly, these articles were analysed using the analytical lens. The analysis indicates 1) all included antecedents are relevant within PHI sharing research, 2) their use in the empirical literature is inconsistent. 39 of the 75 articles do not include any of those antecedents in their research instruments. Based on the review, key recommendations for conceptualising trust’s antecedents are proposed, to improve empirical PHI research.

ABSTRACT. Artificial Intelligence (AI) models using explainable AI (XAI) can generate knowledge through pattern recognition. When data is used with a high level of abstraction, typical feature attribution methods may not suffice. For this work-in-progress paper, different methods of feature manipulation have been studied to further investigate which patterns in the data may be important for AI prediction, using dose measurements in radiotherapy as a sample. Thus far, we have explored superpixels, and textures using Fourier transform methods. Future research includes the further enhancement of AI predictions using geometric shapes, and possibly additional semantic features.

ABSTRACT. Clinical decision-making is increasingly complex, requiring optimized systems tailored for clinical settings. This research aims to model a clinical decision support system through a theory-driven design science approach engaging end users in co-design. A case study of mental health referrals will apply this methodology to improve clinical coordination. The case illustrates potential optimizations through human-centred, contextualized innovations enhancing quality and coordination. A design science methodology will elicit contextual decision factors to inform participatory system design. Integrated theories will guide the design process. Our contributions include a conceptual model integrating multifaceted reasoning and techniques for communicating uncertainty to support clinical decision making amidst imperfect information. Findings provide guidance for developing CDSSs and applying these learnings across contexts can lead to sustainable healthcare improvements.

ABSTRACT. The present study examines the impact of digitalisation of care on unpaid older carers in the UK and explicates our preliminary findings. We employed a focus group including 13 older, unpaid carers and 1 care centre worker. The focus group took place in a care centre in Liverpool, lasted two hours and was conducted by three researchers who took notes of participants’ constructions. The data were analysed through a constructionist thematic analysis approach. Participants constructed digitalised care as alienating. They delved into interoperability challenges and expressed concerns regarding online safety. Carers raised the financial burdens of caregiving, underscoring the need for increased funding, the necessity of inclusive training and the impact of inadequate policies on disabled individuals' societal participation. Lastly, participants stressed the importance of co-production in research and policy. We discuss these findings within the socio-political context and provide a brief overview of the study's future implications and limitations.

ABSTRACT. In this paper we draw attention to the need to develop inclusive pedagogy within Information Systems (IS) education. In particular, this paper aims to examine the effectiveness of the case method as an inclusive pedagogy method driven by an interest to increase gender representation and promote female students’ enthusiasm in developing careers in the Information Technology (IT) sector and digital leadership in particular. We provide empirical evidence to support the role of case method pedagogy in achieving inclusive education. We report on the practice of case writing and teaching, and on focus group results with study participants to gain an understanding of students’ experiences and views on a specific inclusive case. Our findings suggest that the case method contributes to developing inclusive teaching practices within the IS education and pacing the way for more females taking on digital leadership positions.

ABSTRACT. This paper reports from a qualitative intervention study of nine participants over a six-week period on the role of digital tools such as Smartwatches to enhance emotion regulation for improved learning and performance in a digital study context. We found that students initially had little awareness of their physiological sensations and emotions finding it hard to see links between their experiences and learning environments, as well as learning outcomes. However, aided by their Smartwatches they were able to see patterns in their daily life that allowed them to become more proactive in setting the ground for more productive learning sessions. This awareness also helped them plan and structure their study sessions, sometimes in conjuction with various other digital tools.

ABSTRACT. The research aims to explore a data-driven approach to enhance student engagement and achievement in Higher Education (HE), with the ultimate goal of promoting student success. The research utilised a case study approach at the University of Salford, employing data analysis and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to understand corelation between students' engagement and academic performance to support strategy of students support in their learning process. Being a research in progress, this paper delves into the initial phase of our research findings. This phase focuses on development of a data model from a pilot module and the ML algorithm prototype that aims to facilitate decision-making in the realm of student support. Moving forward, the next stage of the research aims to automate the entire process, spanning from data analysis to student intervention. It aims to use this automation to drive students success throughout their HE journey.

ABSTRACT. This study addresses the impact of technology in higher education by examining the potential of social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn Learning, in enhancing student engagement. Despite the prevalence of social networks in education, limited literature explores LinkedIn's classroom applications. The research delves into the relationship between students' self-regulation, self-efficacy, collaboration, and their engagement using LinkedIn Learning online courses. A comparative design assesses changes in student engagement before and after participating in LinkedIn courses. This study uses the data from a survey of postgraduate students in a 2-year MBA Global program at a UK and employs confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling and other statistical analysis techniques to evaluate the measurement model and test research hypotheses.

ABSTRACT. Despite the growing importance and popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), little research has examined the importance of the NFT community to brands and marketing strategies. Furthermore, there is a notable lack of empirical studies that examine the various factors that influence NFT engagement. In an effort to address this research gap, we propose a conceptual model that allows for the examination of the effects of various social factors on NFT engagement. The research model therefore draws on social capital theory and social exchange theory. We also highlight how the data will be collected and the expected results. We expect this study to contribute to the current NFT and customer engagement literature and provide a better understanding of how certain social factors can encourage NFT users to engage within the community and how managers can use NFT communities more effectively.

ABSTRACT. This paper focuses on the role of Augmented Reality (AR) in enhancing sustainability, specifically in minimising product return in the fashion industry. The fashion industry is the second highest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, leading to climate change. The increased environmental awareness has led to a shift in consumer behaviour. Consumers are now more actively seeking sustainable products and brands. However, consumers’ positive environmental sustainability values do not always align with their purchasing decisions due to price or product fit uncertainty. AR allows consumers to “experience” products through virtual-try-on, resulting in higher confidence in purchasing decisions and minimised returns, ultimately enhancing sustainability, in line with global Sustainable Development Goals. Building on insights from extant literature, this research will develop a framework grounded on the Stimulus-Organism-Behaviour-Consequence model using quantitative data, collected through online questionnaires among Millennials and GenZ. This research contributes to information system literature on consumer behaviour and sustainability.

ABSTRACT. Digital innovations are increasingly the result of the combination of resources and skills beyond organisational boundaries and/or industries, resulting in the rise of a new organisational form – the digital innovation ecosystem. Studies of ecosystems have considered the structural, conceptual, and temporal aspects such as emergence, however, understanding of ecosystems in flux remains nascent. In particular, existing research focuses on change in the ecosystem rather than imagined (anticipated) change and its impact on the ecosystems future. To address this, we adopt a systems thinking perspective that builds on soft systems methodology and British Cybernetics to propose what we refer to as ‘soft ecosystems methodology’ – and introduce the notion of ecosystem-as-was, ecosystem-as-is, and ecosystem-to-be. We discuss this emergent theory in light of the disruptive digital innovation faced by the car insurance industry.

ABSTRACT. Critical infrastructures (CIs) are becoming increasingly interconnected, challenging existing governance approaches. This paper advocates a System of Systems (SoS) perspective for CI managers by fostering collaboration, system alignment, and a digital ecosystem for data-sharing among stakeholders. This approach presents opportunities like efficient smart maintenance, which could help mitigate unexpected disruptions. This work-in-progress research embarks on a longitudinal case study on the collaboration among various CI managers in the context of Digital North Sea project in Europe. Initial discussions with project stakeholders reveal significant maintenance challenges that a SoS approach could address. Further data collection and analysis will provide insights into the project's development and its potential impact on enhancing operations and contributing to the implementation of smart maintenance by CI managers.

ABSTRACT. While the increasing focus on responsible innovation (RI) highlights its growing significance in the context of digital innovation, most RI research is centred on large organizations. Scant research has explored how resources are interconnected within the context of micro-businesses (MBs). To analyse the impact of MBs on resource configuration, this study takes a theoretical lens from resource orchestration theory (ROT) to understand how organizations effectively structure, bundle, and leverage resources. This work-in-progress research involves a qualitative case study of an MB in Taiwan, named Royalty (a pseudonym). The expected findings aim to reveal insights into how MBs orchestrate their resources for RI implementation, highlighting the challenges and opportunities they face. In this study, we delve deeper into this aspect by examining how MBs leverage their resource portfolios to facilitate innovation with a strong emphasis on responsibility.

ABSTRACT. Online health communities (OHCs) play a crucial role as support hubs for patients and caregivers grappling with various diseases. Despite widespread research attention on OHCs, those designed specifically for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have surprisingly been overlooked. This research aims to address this gap by delving into the emotional expressions and information-seeking behaviours exhibited by parents within these OHCs. Employing a Netnography approach complemented by Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, we undertake a case study focused on an OHC related to ASD. Preliminary results indicate that predominant emotional expressions revolve around stress, anxiety, and depression. Upon completion, this research seeks to illuminate critical aspects of OHCs catering to parents of children with autism, underscoring the significance of specialised social support systems.

ABSTRACT. This paper investigates the how time and temporality are considered in machine learning (ML) for medical decision-making through a literature review. It highlights the role of temporal dimensions in machine learning and clinical decision-making for cancer. Preliminary results indicate a lack of explicit attention to temporal dimensions in existing research, albeit their implicit inclusion, underscoring the necessity to incorporate time-related concepts to enhance the decision-making process. Future research can focus on the integration of time framework into ML design to improve clinical decision-making.

ABSTRACT. This research delves into blended-learning, the fusion of online and face-to-face education in higher education. Despite the topic's popularity, blended-learning faces significant technological challenges. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study analyses data through literature reviews, surveys, and interviews, exploring these challenges. Data from a London based university highlights the importance of practical training and support for leveraging platforms like Blackboard effectively. Addressing these challenges can enhance the blended-learning experience, fostering engagement and improved outcomes. Thus, this study emphasizes the need to recognise and tackle technological challenges in blended-learning. Ongoing research is vital to implement best practices, and enhancing the usability of tools like Blackboard for improved learning experiences. Moreover, the research underscores blended-learning’s potential, showing that strategic use of tools can create efficient, engaging education. This study lays foundation for improving blended-learning in higher education by understanding its challenges. It calls for collaborative efforts to optimise this experience, transforming pedagogy.

ABSTRACT. Students entering tertiary education embark on a transformative learning path. In this setting, learning is characterised by grasping essential (threshold) concepts to fully engage with the course's academic material. Their educational journey is shaped by experiences both within the tertiary institution and during work placements. The challenging knowledge linked with threshold concepts poses notable obstacles to transformative learning. Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed digital ledger technology that records transactions across multiple computers in a way that ensures the security and transparency of data. As this technology becomes more prevalent in tertiary education, there's a growing need for research to identify threshold concepts in blockchain education. Understanding these pivotal concepts is crucial for effective teaching and comprehensive learning about the technology. The aim of this research is to review both the transformative learning processes in tertiary education and the foundational principles of blockchain technology.

ABSTRACT. This paper provides an account of my experience and insights gained while navigating the transition of Action Learning Sets (ALS), initially conducted face-to-face, into an online format during the COVID 19 lockdowns. Employing autoethnography as the methodological approach, this account allows for a critical reflection of my professional practice and the lessons I learnt from this process in relation to the wider social landscape that influenced these experiences during this particular period. Reflecting on 6 Action Learning Sets that moved online, I explore the online space as the context in which professional, student and family identities intersect. Within this context, issues of privacy, trust, intersectionality and group failure surface, calling for the need to redesign ALS for online contexts in ways that provide inclusive, safe and effective learning.

ABSTRACT. We examine the business models of financial technology (Fintech) startups to create, deliver, and capture value while attaining digital sustainability. Adopting a qualitative method using three case studies of Fintech startups based in Taiwan, our findings indicate that firms leverage digital technologies and data to create complementary value propositions. The firms also deliver their value to their users and partners through co-supporting, co-designing, and co-engaging mechanisms. In terms of value capture, our findings show that the firms derive revenues from complementary revenue streams. We further elaborate how these business models contribute to digital sustainability, including by enhancing the efficiency of financial service provision (economic sustainability), fostering the inclusion of underserved segments (social sustainability), and reducing the environmental impact through reduced consumption of natural resources (environmental sustainability).

ABSTRACT. Middle managers play a pivotal role in refining an organisation’s capabilities to achieve business goals. In the research on digital transformation, while top managers receive substantial attention for their strategic formulation, there is comparatively less focus on middle managers. This study, drawing upon dynamic capabilities theory, delves into how middle managers drive the execution of digital transformation by dynamically cultivating three crucial capabilities: sensing, seizing, and reconfiguration. Our research centres on a case study involving a large steel factory leveraging blockchain technology to establish automatous procurement and production processes, thereby evolving from a traditional factory to an ecosystem orchestrator. The study is currently in the data collection stage, progressing steadily. We are confident in presenting our research results during the upcoming conference and eagerly anticipate receiving additional insights from the scholarly audience.

ABSTRACT. Responsible digital innovation encompasses the inclusion of ethical and responsible design and use of digital technologies as well as digital well-being and environmental responsibility. Having the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital world effectively, safely and wisely becomes critical when digital literacy and access to technologies are limited and livelihood possibilities are precarious such as in the context of vulnerable migrants. We present two short examples of sensitive contexts where we are working with vulnerable groups to co-create digital interventions aimed at improving their lives. We use the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) framework as a lens to reflect on our research-practice and to evaluate the co-creation activities undertaken. The paper aims to contribute to knowledge by using the RRI framework in the context of South-South migration; to methodology by highlighting the procedures followed with vulnerable groups; and to practice through the promotion of responsible practices.

ABSTRACT. The integration of sustainability within project environments (PE) has emerged as a central concern in contemporary project management (PM) literature and practice. This research paper examines the critical issue of sustainability integration and its impact on project success. Inadequate contextual knowledge often leads to ineffectual strategies, unsustainable outcomes, and unsuccessful projects, giving rise to practices like greenwashing and regulatory non-compliance. As the PE transforms, sustainability is poised to become an enduring feature of PM. This research closely examines tactical versus strategic, product versus project lifecycle approach, and PM versus project portfolio management (PPM) for a sustainable PE. Thus, this research paper introduces a conceptual framework for 'Sustainability Augmented Portfolio Management' (SAPoM) as a strategic approach leveraging Project Materiality assessment derived from sustainability reporting standards to create a sustainability-driven PE and enhanced PPM decision-making through integrated analytics. The SAPoM framework proposed here aligns projects with organisational objectives and sustainability principles.

ABSTRACT. The digital economy wields profound transformative potential, particularly in the context of developing nations. Yet, a notable void in systematic and comprehensive knowledge persists within this domain. This paper bridges the gap by conducting a meticulous bibliometric analysis of scholarly publications within the field of inquiry, drawing upon papers retrieved from the Scopus database and published exclusively in the English language. Employing a combination of simple data aggregations and illustrative visualisations, this study scrutinises publication trends, research trajectories, influential authors, institutions, and prominent journals within this field of investigation. Furthermore, it identifies the research gaps and opportunities for future studies. This paper contributes significantly to the existing literature by providing a novel, all-encompassing overview of knowledge concerning the digital economy in developing countries between 2003 and 2023 by presenting the identified research trends discovered in papers published in the English language.

ABSTRACT. The use of ICT in e-government and particularly in justice sector offer new opportunities and more efficient services for citizens and users. Although this scientific area has attracted the interest of many academics and professionals in the judicial field and despite the money spent on improving the performance of judicial staff and the results of the courts, studies examining the acceptance and satisfaction of electronic justice system users are restricted. Therefore, this paper explores the factors affecting the acceptance and satisfaction of e-justice system users. Data was collected by 246 internal users and lawyers in Greece. The findings demonstrate the importance provided by court users to enhancing the efficiency and results of e-justice systems. This work is useful for the principles of justice and professionals in order to design these systems more effectively and to carefully consider these variables in the design and use of judicial systems.