Recognizing what is happening in a movie is an essential aspect of various software, such as video analysis, video surveillance, and human-computer interaction. However, the presence of out-of-distribution (OOD) samples can often hamper the performance of action recognition systems. The purpose of this work is to develop a system that can detect human actions in video sequences along with detecting OOD samples. We propose a simple model that uses I3D features to identify the actions in the video. To detect the unseen (OOD) samples we analyzed various loss-functions that drops the confidence of model more on the unseen samples as compared to seen samples. We evaluated our system’s performance on the UCF101 dataset. The results show that proposed model detect seen actions with 91
Agile software development projects prioritize customer requirement changes and incremental feature delivery, adding value to both the customer and the business. Yet, the accommodation of such characteristics within the software development process may hinder the establishment of contracts between clients and software developers. For example, there's a mismatch between traditional project-contracting, which often emphasizes time and labor-hours, and agile methodologies, inherently outcome-oriented. This paper employs a mixed-methods approach, combining systematic literature review and qualitative research to identify and compare best practices for setting up contracts in agile software development projects. The aim is to establish an objective search algorithm for the compilation of relevant academic studies that research main practices, challenges, and components that influence agile contracting processes. At the same time, semi-structured interviews with agile practitioners were organized to investigate the best agile contracting methods used in practice. The literature survey findings align with the experts when acknowledging specific contract types (e.g., ‘Time and Materials’ contracts) as flexible frameworks for adapting to agile principles. However, the findings also indicate discrepancies between the academic literature and expert insights in terms of the factors affecting the contracting choices for development projects performed in agile manner.
The exponential increase in demand for technological projects is forcing large companies from all industry sectors, as well as technology consulting firms that provide construction and implementation services for these projects, to review and transform their production models evolving from a service-based model to a products and assets based model (ABB). The first pillar on which this transformation towards ABB should be based is to quantify, characterize, identify, and inventory available assets that can be used, prioritized, or closed. Analyzing their maturity level, current state, and improvement needs to bring them to the market with guarantees of success in both their sale and subsequent deployment and operation are key activities. This paper establishes a model for the characterization and evaluation of assets across all end-to-end aspects of their life cycle, providing an objective qualification that standardizes their positioning, value, maturity level, and, where applicable, allows for the application of appropriate corrections and evolution in alignment with market best practices.
This article aims to analyse the impact of a methodological change in the design of courses, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the learning experience of students. According to this new methodology, each course is conceived as a sequence composed of a set of activities called challenges. Its objectives are: to ensure that competency-based design effectively reaches students’ educational activities, to contextualize these educational activities within challenges and situations related to the professional field or daily life of students, applying the principles of situated learning, and to implement a methodology and resource management system based on content curation closely linked to the learning process. To analyse these effects, we present an empirical study to understand the influence of the new methodology on student satisfaction. A quantitative analysis is conducted, taking into account various variables from a sample of around 8000 students in quantitative courses within the online Bachelor's program in Economics and Business at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. The analyses show that student satisfaction has been affected by the new methodology. The new methodology has improved student organization in terms of workload, their involvement in the learning process due to the real-world application of what is proposed in each of the activities, and satisfaction with the provided resources as it specifies how they are expected to work with them. In summary, the new methodology has allowed for the updating of courses, meeting the needs of students, and creating a high-quality learning design.
Advanced AI models, like ChatGPT, offer significant innovation potential in higher education. Their ability to adapt learning to users’ individual needs results in improvements in performance, engagement and self-efficacy contributing to a deeper understanding of the topics covered. The use of chatbots in learning is pushing the scientific community to examine the potential and also the relative risks of these tools. This study aims to preliminarily investigate the level of knowledge and propensity to use ChatGPT to understand the key factors influencing the adoption of these tools among university students. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to over 300 students at the University of Salerno (Italy), involving various faculties to explore how the field of study influences interest in using ChatGPT. The results will allow profiling of students based on the variables examined, revealing their level of knowledge and attitude towards using ChatGPT for educational purposes. This research, involving students from humanities and scientific disciplines, underscores their crucial role in shaping the future of educational technologies. Practical and theoretical implications could lead to more effective and personalized forms of learning, revolutionizing the education and learning sector.
In the current context, characterized by rapid technological progress and the increasing importance of data in business decision-making, the need to adopt data-driven orientation in international marketing emerges as a relevant topic. However, the analysis of existing literature highlights significant gaps in the understanding of this approach and its implications on global management strategies. Therefore, this study aims to fill these gaps through an in-depth analysis of the critical factors influencing the adoption of data-driven orientation in international marketing strategies. By using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews, the analysis seeks to address the following research questions: (1) what are the key factors influencing the adoption of data-driven orientation in international marketing?; (2) what is the effect of data-driven orientation on firm strategies in the international market?; (3) how does data-driven orientation influence international marketing strategies? The identification of the key factors affecting the adoption of data-driven orientation can offer valuable insights for managers, decision-makers, and policymakers, facilitating a better use of technologies in alignment with data-driven principles and more effective data management in the context of international business.
In context of increasing uncertainty besetting international political and economic systems, investing driven by environmental, social, and governance criteria (ESG) is on the rise. Broadly referred to as impact investing, of which sustainable investing is a part, until recently the ESG driven approach to investing used to employed predominantly by international organizations. Interestingly, as investment capacity of the latter dwindles and private equity is in demand, private investors increasingly view impact investing as desired approach to and an investment strategy. Market specificity-driven differences in regional regulatory frameworks induce substantial variability in how investors’ behaviors are shaped. This papers focuses solely on the case of the United States (US) to address the following questions: What are the origins of sustainable investing? What drives the evolution of the US sustainable investing landscape? What is the role of private equity (PE) on the US in sustainable in-vesting market in the US and how PE influences the ESG transition in the US?
AI is a game changer with impact for developed and emerging countries. Unlike any other technology, it generates a constant reflection on risks to be addressed and the need for AI governance. Numerous documents have emerged to discuss AI governance, AI strategy, and regulation. This study analyzes six of them, chosen to balance between the Global South and Global North perspectives, as well as state, regional and intergovernmental representations: (1) the European Union AI Act; (2) India National Strategy for AI and Responsible AI; (3) Rwanda National AI Policy; (4) Senegal AI National Strategy and Roadmap on AI; (5) the UN Governing AI for Humanity Report; and (6) the US Executive Order on Safe, Secure and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI. We summarized the initiators, objectives, sectors of focus, and governance aspects of each document. We used systematic review and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze the documents. They convey a neutral sentiment and are rather objective. Priority sectors for adoption are healthcare, education, and agriculture. The US has differentiated itself with a focus on cyberdefense and developing its semiconductor AI powered industry. Each state and institution has specific priorities but also common ones such as data, compute, and talent. The AI governance strategies of the UN, US, India, Senegal, and Rwanda focus on international cooperation, regulatory frameworks, ethical AI use, and fostering innovation and economic growth.
This paper introduces the development of a digital skills portal aimed at supporting senior leaders of local businesses in the Greater Manchester region of the UK, to harness the potential of digital technologies for driving innovation and efficiency. Additionally, the platform aims to empower individuals new to technology by providing them with essential digital skills to enhance their employability. The digital skills portal will feature a comprehensive toolkit tailored for senior managers, offering practical guidance on leveraging digital technologies for business transformation. Simultaneously, it will provide digital skills learning modules designed to uplift individuals new to technology, utilizing a scaffolding approach to learning. Innovative learning technologies will be employed to create a collaborative learning community, fostering engagement and knowledge sharing among participants. To develop a conceptual framework for both constructing and evaluating the learning platform, this paper adopts a case study methodology, utilizing interviews and focus groups with business owners and employees. Thematic analysis of the collected data reveals the level of tech adoption in SMEs and identifies challenges in technology adoption, including lack of vision and strategy, staff attitudes, costs, and time constraints. The study highlights the need for improving digital skills utilization in businesses through digital uplift and upskilling. Employing an exploratory research methodology, the paper explores innovative approaches to address the skills gap hindering technology adoption and productivity gains in small businesses. Specifically, it investigates whether AI-enabled skills development platforms offer viable solutions. Insights gained from this study identify new avenues for skills uplift and technology adoption in SMEs, contributing to economic growth and competitiveness in the Greater Manchester region of the UK.
The higher education institutions’ system (HEIs) in China plays an important role in advancing critical technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), smart transportation, biotechnology and aerospace engineering. Over the past decades, China has invested profoundly in creating, consolidating and expanding networks of universities and research centers geared toward boosting advances in science and facilitating their utilization, e.g. through new technologies and products. Viewed in this way, these networks play a role in building China’s global influence in technology and innovation. The universities and research networks contribute to China's growing influence on the global stage of science, technology and engineering. Arguably, in line with the premises of the open innovation argument, both internal and external talent and knowledge sourcing are crucial in this respect. The objective of this paper is to map the key HEIs and research centers in China and to identify mechanisms by means of which synergies are built. The findings suggest that coastal megacities host the avantgarde innovation establishments, and thus serve as hubs where technological advancements are born. In stark contrast, central and western regions of China, alongside economically less-developed provinces, face obstacles that impede the development of their research and innovation potential. Furthermore, the Chinese higher education system is populated by a number of quasi-formal associations. Frequently operating under the auspices of central government agencies, e.g. C9 League or Double First-class Universities, these entities play a role in creating strategies and transformative projects, providing platforms for knowledge exchange and coordination among stakeholders, including the business sector and local/regional authorities.
This paper aims to analyze an Innovation Ecosystem led by a large corporation and supported by digital technologies to accomplish the transformation towards the sustainable principles. The research presents the Lutech Campus case study, an Open Innovation Hub guided by an international company operating in the field of digital technologies end-to-end solutions, aimed to create an ecosystem, in which the skills and knowledge of companies, institutions, academic world are integrated to create the virtuous circle of innovation. The focus will be on the role of digital technologies in enabling the product/service/prototype development processes of startups belonging to the Innovation Ecosystem in order to accomplish with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles. A specific attention is devoted to Artificial Intelligence and data analytics supporting the optimization of the Lutech decision making process within the (sustainable) Innovation ecosystem with regard to the startups and their technological trajectories. The research will contribute to the advancement of knowledge about the Inno-vative Ecosystems supported by Digital Technologies. Findings will provide an holistic framework for designing and launching a (Sustainable) IE in terms of stakeholders, technologies, open innovation processes and components. Implications for theory and practices conclude the paper.
This paper introduces a solution for native language identification (NLI) on texts written in English, French, and German, offering diverse applications in education. NLI research provides insights into students’ linguistic backgrounds, enabling educational institutions to customize materials, assignments, and assessments for individual needs. By identifying students who may benefit from language support, institutions can develop targeted language-specific curricula. Understanding students’ native languages also helps educators incorporate relevant cultural references and create a more inclusive learning experience. Furthermore, NLI can guide the creation of targeted training for educators, equipping them with strategies to address language-specific challenges and foster effective communication in diverse classrooms. The proposed NLI approach analyzes text samples in non-native languages, providing a robust solution that captures language usage and production patterns across documents and languages. The approach is supported by three new corpora in German, French, and English and has shown superior performance compared to existing state-of-the-art NLI methods and pre-trained language models like DistilBERT, mBERT, multilingual DeBERTa, and XLM-RoBERTa. This enhanced NLI model contributes to improved cross-cultural communication within academic communities, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment for students and faculty alike.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the discourse on digital transformation has expanded to all spheres of society including: the private sector, the public sector, civil society and academia. This surge of interest has spawned a wave of scholarly inquiry aiming to identify useful frameworks for theorizing digital transformation. Nevertheless, despite growing interest in the subject, a comprehensive conceptualization of digital transformation remains elusive. This gap in conceptual clarity a hampers clear understanding of the components of the process. The absence of a shared theoretical compass prevents the testing of legitimate hypotheses and the potential for interdisciplinary collaboration. This paper thus attempts to investigate the manifold representations of digital transformation with the objective of developing a resilient theoretical framework to lay the fertile groundwork for subsequent inquiry, comprehension, elucidation, and epistemic revelation regarding this phenomenon.
In the dynamic arena of urban development and governance, the emergence of the concept of a “smart society” has become paramount, ushering in a new era for cities and urban landscapes. This paper comprehensively explores the intricate facets of smart urbanism, spanning technological frameworks, civic engagement strategies, democratic governance models, and imperatives for sustainability and resilience. The transition towards smart societies necessitates a strategic convergence of technology, civic involvement, and effective governance to cultivate urban environments that are sustainable and resilient but also participatory and inclusive. This scholarly inquiry endeavors to contribute significantly to the discourse on smart urbanism by delving into key themes such as the integration of digital platforms in urban management, the facilitation of citizen participation for inclusive decision-making processes, the cultivation of democratic governance paradigms within urban milieus, and the advancement of sustainability and resilience agendas to address emergent urban challenges. In alignment with the overarching objectives of the academic community, this study aims to illuminate the nuanced dynamics inherent in smart urbanism, exploring both the opportunities and obstacles associated with implementing smart solutions in urban areas. By meticulously examining their social, economic, and environmental ramifications, this research enriches the discourse on sustainable urban development and resilient urban futures, paving the way for innovative and transformative approaches to urban governance and planning.
European listed companies are adopting non-financial reporting (NFR) documents both in response to legal requirements and voluntarily. On the one hand, these documents involve the suffering of costs for companies that adopt them, in response to coercive and mimetic isomorphism; on the other hand, companies receive some advantages from adoption of these reporting documents. This study aims to understand the costs and advantages that these companies suffer and receive from NFR adoption, following the issuance of Directive 2014/95/EU. By structured literature review, this study maps the academic debate on this topic and carries out an overview of main focuses addressed in previous studies. The results highlight that the academic debate pays close attention to financial issues with a specific focus on profitability and cost of debt. Other issues were identified, regarding corporate reputation and legitimacy. However, the findings reached by the sampled articles are opposite and conflicting, and the need for further empirical studies arise. This study has academic and managerial implications. Knowing how the literature has paid attention to specific points, it makes practitioners more sensitive to these issues and supports them in taking more effective corporate actions.
The twin transition (digital and green) arises as a challenging issue recalling the attention of scholars from different fields. This is due to the multifaced nature of the transition that combines technological know-how (digital technologies and green technologies) managerial issues, and social aspects. Focusing on the business perspective, the twin transition puts firms in front of the challenge of creating sustainable value by reconfiguring their strategic, organizational, and operational models by adopting digital and green technologies. Despite the actuality of the topic, the meaning of twin transition from a business perspective as well as its implications on business models is still far from the full comprehension and calls for theoretical and empirical contributions. Aimed to contribute to the advancement of the debate on these aspects of the twin transition, the paper presents the empirical evidence of a single case study related to a multi-business company operating in the energy sector and built on data collected through interviews with key informants and integrated with official reports and online documents. Findings highlight elements of the company’s business model in terms of value proposition, core actions and resources, and contextual features enabling both digital and green transition. Implications arise for theory in terms of a major understanding of the meaning of value proposition, and drivers for value creation. From a practical point of view, the study offers a multidimensional framework twin transition.
Local Action Groups (LAGs) are partnerships between public and private entities in rural areas. They bring together municipalities, businesses, and community groups to define a shared vision for local development. LAGs use Local Action Plans to manage funds from the European Union and promote sustainable development. This collaborative approach fosters innovation and empowers local actors. It strengthens the public sphere, businesses, and the community, leading to new partnerships and development models that capitalize on local resources and opportunities. This contribution examines the case of the Tirreno-Eolie LAG, exploring how the Management Plan (MP) can be used to achieve sustainable development. The research examines how the plan’s strategies contribute to achieving economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection. The defined strategies, like long-lasting corporate governance, circular economy concepts, and biodiversity programs, all support economic growth through sustainable practices. Actions focused on environmental awareness and infrastructure renovation foster social inclusion and environmental protection. While these findings are preliminary, they suggest the MP acts as a tool for collaborative governance, potentially leading to achieving all three pillars of sustainability. The LAG’s experience with Environmental Governance (EG) serves as a potential guideline for other regions seeking collaborative management of their local territory and environment.
This paper examines the process through which the already existing, even if nascent cyber-diplomacy at the European Union (EU)-level gradually is branching out to artificial intelligence (AI)-diplomacy. Through a careful analysis of this process it is then also argued that more attention needs to be paid to cyber- and AI-diplomacy if the conversation of the EU digital sovereignty is to be advanced. As tensions between the public stakeholders and superpowers are more and more frequent, the need for continuing international talks and for making agreements is increasing. Currently, the EU has taken an active role to have an impact on global governance concerning not only cyber security, but also the issue of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence diplomacy is evolving, partly independently of, and partly in parallel with cyber diplomacy. At the EU-level, the issue of strategic autonomy and European sovereignty gained momentum following the worsening security environment in the European neighbourhood. Nowadays, these concepts are often used as synonyms, or with broader meaning, as referring not only to defence, but also to economic developments, energy security, digitalisation and technological advancement. Digital sovereignty cannot be established without capacity to act on, and regulate areas related to artificial intelligence.
This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Vision Transformers (ViTs) in the realm of image segmentation tasks, with a particular emphasis on Neuroimaging Informatics Technology Initiative (NIfTI) images of individuals diagnosed with autism. By subjecting both models to rigorous training and evaluation processes, the research findings unveiled that the ViT network demonstrated superior accuracy when compared to CNNs specifically for the dataset under examination. This outcome underscores the ViT’s capability to potentially augment diagnostic precision in neuroimaging applications, offering promising avenues for further exploration in the field of medical imaging and clinical diagnosis.
This paper aims to discuss the impact of external shocks on the adoption of digital technologies to support Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) in Local Governments (LGs), and how this support contributes to enhance organizational resilience by anticipating negative externalities. In doing so, we analyzed an Italian municipality that suffered strong negative impacts caused by floods in 2023. This research is mainly based on interviews with relevant actors and publicly available documents. We focus on the contribution of digital technologies and EMA to the anticipation of and the ability to cope with crisis, by analyzing different temporal phases (before, during, and after the flood). This allows to understand the digital technology need to support EMA for enhancing organizational resilience and how this has changed due to external shocks influence. Indeed, results show that the flood heavily impacted the adoption of digital technology to support EMA, by increasing the awareness of the need for timely and integrated data to facilitate prompt actions and engagement, reducing negative impacts. The relevance of this study lies in discussing environmental accounting in LGs within the context of a natural disaster, which still needs remarkable consideration. Also, attention has been paid to digital technologies and related EMA implications, offering insights into how resilience may be achieved in practice.
