Productivity remains the critical determinant of long-term national growth and prosperity. The effects of today's globalism on productivity demands the need for business organizations to sustain their competitive advantage and remain profitable over time. Foreign Business in China and Opportunities for Technological Innovation and Sustainable Economics is a collection of research used to demonstrate state-of-the art approaches of international business and innovation management that shows how new, advanced, international business models and adoptive strategies can expand the sustainability frontiers. This publication serves as a leading reference source on Chinese business, technology, economy, and innovation, and facilitates necessary skills needed to engage with business in or with China. While highlighting topics including e-commerce, foreign trade, and global business, individuals such as students, educators, international business experts, and innovation experts can expand their technical knowledge in the global economy.

With the dawn of electronic databases, information technologies, and the Internet, organizations, now more than ever, have easy access to all the knowledge they need to conduct their business. However, utilizing and detecting the beneficial information can pose as a challenge. Enhancing Knowledge Discovery and Innovation in the Digital Era is a vibrant reference source on the latest research on student education, open information, technology enhanced learning (TEL), and student outcomes. Featuring widespread coverage across a range of applicable perspectives and topics, such as engineering education, data mining, and 3D printing, this book is ideally designed for professionals, upper-level students, and academics seeking current research on knowledge management and innovation networks.

This book features research presented and discussed during the Research & Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) 2020. As such, this book offers a unique insight into emerging topics, issues and developments pertinent to the fields of technology, innovation and education and their social impact. Papers included in this book apply inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches to query such issues as technology-enhanced teaching and learning, smart cities, information systems, cognitive computing and social networking. What brings these threads of the discussion together is the question of how advances in computer science - which are otherwise largely incomprehensible to researchers from other fields - can be effectively translated and capitalized on so as to make them beneficial for society as a whole. In this context, Rii Forum and Rii Forum proceedings offer an essential venue where diverse stakeholders, including academics, the think tank sector and decision-makers, can engage in a meaningful dialogue with a view to improving the applicability of advances in computer science.

Various technologies and applications such as cognitive computing, artificial intelligence, and learning analytics have received increased attention in recent years. The growing demand behind their adoption and exploitation in different application contexts has captured the attention of learning technology specialists, computer engineers, and business researchers who are attempting to decipher the phenomenon of personalized e-learning, its relation to already conducted research, and its implications for new research opportunities that effect innovations in teaching. Cognitive Computing in Technology-Enhanced Learning is a critical resource publication that aims to demonstrate state-of-the-art approaches of advanced data mining systems in e-learning, such as MOOCs and other innovative technologies, to improve learning analytics, as well as to show how new and advanced user interaction designs, educational models, and adoptive strategies can expand sustainability in applied learning technologies. Highlighting a range of topics such as augmented reality, ethics, and online learning environments, this book is ideal for educators, instructional designers, higher education faculty, school administrators, academicians, researchers, and students.

This book features research presented and discussed during the Research and Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic and its social, political, and economic implications had confirmed that a more thorough debate on these issues and topics was needed. For this reason, the Rii Forum 2021 was devoted to the broadly defined question of the short- and long-term impact of the pandemic on our societies. This volume serves as an essential resource to understand the diverse ways in which Covid-19 impacted our societies, including the capacity to innovate, advances in technology, the evolution of the healthcare systems, business model innovation, the prospects of growth, the stability of political systems, and the future of education.

Offering insights into the adaptational strategies that were employed by higher education institutions worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic, this volume considers the lasting effects of adaptation and change, as well as the perception of universities’ role in society and desired ways of operating. Nearly overnight, the pandemic forced university leaders and teachers across the world to switch to remote models, not only of teaching and learning, but also of managing an entire institution. This book recognizes how the scale of challenges as well as the range of measures specific universities had to undertake was uneven, with some being better equipped than the others. Using a selection of international case studies, it offers an insight into strategies employed by institutions worldwide to navigate the crisis, and highlights the targets and objectives addressed by them during these processes. In so doing, it offers invaluable lessons for years to come. An indispensable study into strategies that result in resilience and sustainability for universities, this book is essential reading for scholars of education, pedagogy and organizational change in the higher education sector, as well as educational leaders around the world.

Offering insights into the adaptational strategies that were employed by higher education institutions worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic, this volume considers the lasting effects of adaptation and change, as well as the perception of universities’ role in society and desired ways of operating. Nearly overnight, the pandemic forced university leaders and teachers across the world to switch to remote models, not only of teaching and learning, but also of managing an entire institution. This book recognizes how the scale of challenges as well as the range of measures specific universities had to undertake was uneven, with some being better equipped than the others. Using a selection of international case studies, it offers an insight into strategies employed by institutions worldwide to navigate the crisis, and highlights the targets and objectives addressed by them during these processes. In so doing, it offers invaluable lessons for years to come. An indispensable study into strategies that result in resilience and sustainability for universities, this book is essential reading for scholars of education, pedagogy and organizational change in the higher education sector, as well as educational leaders around the world.

This book features research presented and discussed during the Research & Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) 2022. As such, this book offers a unique insight into emerging topics, issues and developments pertinent to the fields of technology, innovation and education and their social impact.  Papers included in this book apply inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches to query such issues as technology-enhanced teaching and learning, smart cities, information systems, cognitive computing and social networking. What brings these threads of the discussion together is the question of how advances in computer science – which are otherwise largely incomprehensible to researchers from other fields – can be effectively translated and capitalized on so as to make them beneficial for society as a whole. In this context, Rii Forum and Rii Forum proceedings offer an essential venue where diverse stakeholders, including academics, the think tank sector and decision-makers, can engage in a meaningful dialogue with a view to improving the applicability of advances in computer science.

This edited volume examines the implications of COVID-19 on distance and online learning, discussing how the move to online teaching and learning modes proved to be a source of immense institutional, organizational, and educational challenges. With chapters grounded in theoretical and methodological approaches pertinent to education and pedagogy, the book explores the relevance of theory to the educational situation brought about by the pandemic and highlights the specific issues and challenges that distance learning has to account for in crisis situations. Key topics discussed include innovations and best practices in online learning, research, and management; developments in computer-supported collaborative learning, training, and research; the use of intelligent tutoring and mentoring systems in times of crisis; the role of university leadership and users’ perceptions and attitudes to online teaching and learning. The book offers fresh insights into the specificity of distance learning in a pandemic and its effects in established working patterns. It will be highly relevant reading for academics, researchers, and post-graduate students in the fields of online learning, distance learning, educational technology, and pedagogy, as well as university administrators and those directly involved in online teaching.

This book adopts the managerial perspective to the study of smart cities. As such, this book is a necessary addition to the existing body of literature on smart cities. The chapters included in this book prove the case that transformation of cities to smart cities is a function of effective and efficient management practices implemented at diverse levels of smart cities. While advances in information and communication technology (ICT) are crucial, it is the ability to apply ICT consciously and efficiently that drives the transformation of cities to smart cities in a manner conducive to cities' sustainability and resilience. The book covers three sets of interconnected topics: Management and decision-making for urban design and infrastructure development Management and decision-making in context of smart cities development Ways of promoting and ensuring participation, representation and co-creation in smart cities These three groups of topics offer a great opportunity to acquire a clear, direct, and practice-driven knowledge and understanding of how effective management allows ICT-enhanced tools and applications to change smart cities, possibly making them smarter.

This Handbook examines the regulatory, social, financial, and technological issues pertaining to energy communities in smart cities. Evidencing the emergence of new imperatives at the intersection of sustainability, resilience, innovation, and legal issues, energy communities embody the thrust of the user-centred digital transformation our societies are subjected to today. By bridging the energy communities’ debate with smart cities research, this Handbook positions itself at the heart of the conversation on energy sustainability, climate action, and ‘just transition’. Drawing on contributions from across the globe, this book offers both a birds-eye and a detailed inter- and multidisciplinary insight into the emergence of energy communities and their evolution in the smart city context. Technological and regulatory aspects of this transition are explored from a variety of conceptual and empirical perspectives. Case studies evidencing developments in the Global South and the Global North embellish the conversation. Questions of climate change, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, emissions’ reduction, and corresponding policy frameworks are discussed. Dedicated to all those interested in climate action, energy transition, sustainable development, and smart cities, this Handbook will be of interest to policymakers, lawyers, energy and urban experts, researchers, and students.

By all accounts, the case of Poland and its segue to market economy and democracy is a success story: 30 years of uninterrupted growth and development, infrastructure expansion, and modernization of the economy and society. Epochal changes have unfolded in a timespan of merely three decades. Change has taken place so fast that children born in late 1980s and onwards cannot remember what life in Poland under communism was like and cannot relate to it. Also, many elderly people, easy victims of romanticizing their own youth, tend to forget. As a result, the uniqueness of Polish transition and transformation, the boldness and efficiency of reforms, and the success that Polish society mastered together, tend to be undermined today both domestically and internationally. Poland has now been a member of the EU for more than 15 years. During that time, Poland's image on the EU scene evolved from newcomer, through 'model child', champion of growth, to - in some respects - a maverick. This volume's objective is to remind society, old and young, researchers, scholars and practitioners, that Poland's success is an outcome of well-thought out and bold structural reforms implemented in a swift and timely manner, of society's support for these reforms, and of third actors' benign assistance. Looking back on the 30 years since the collapse of communism, and at the over 15 years of EU membership, this book offers an interdisciplinary, comprehensive and critical insight into factors and processes that have led to today's Poland.

This edited volume examines the implications of COVID-19 on distance and online learning, discussing how the move to online teaching and learning modes proved to be a source of immense institutional, organizational, and educational challenges. With chapters grounded in theoretical and methodological approaches pertinent to education and pedagogy, the book explores the relevance of theory to the educational situation brought about by the pandemic and highlights the specific issues and challenges that distance learning has to account for in crisis situations. Key topics discussed include innovations and best practices in online learning, research, and management; developments in computer-supported collaborative learning, training, and research; the use of intelligent tutoring and mentoring systems in times of crisis; the role of university leadership and users' perceptions and attitudes to online teaching and learning. The book offers fresh insights into the specificity of distance learning in a pandemic and its effects in established working patterns. It will be highly relevant reading for academics, researchers, and post-graduate students in the fields of online learning, distance learning, educational technology, and pedagogy, as well as university administrators and those directly involved in online teaching.

By all accounts, the case of Poland and its segue to market economy and democracy is a success story: 30 years of uninterrupted growth and development, infrastructure expansion, and modernization of the economy and society. Epochal changes have unfolded in a timespan of merely three decades. Change has taken place so fast that children born in late 1980s and onwards cannot remember what life in Poland under communism was like and cannot relate to it. Also, many elderly people, easy victims of romanticizing their own youth, tend to forget. As a result, the uniqueness of Polish transition and transformation, the boldness and efficiency of reforms, and the success that Polish society mastered together, tend to be undermined today both domestically and internationally. Poland has now been a member of the EU for more than 15 years. During that time, Poland's image on the EU scene evolved from newcomer, through 'model child', champion of growth, to - in some respects - a maverick. This volume's objective is to remind society, old and young, researchers, scholars and practitioners, that Poland's success is an outcome of well-thought out and bold structural reforms implemented in a swift and timely manner, of society's support for these reforms, and of third actors' benign assistance. Looking back on the 30 years since the collapse of communism, and at the over 15 years of EU membership, this book offers an interdisciplinary, comprehensive and critical insight into factors and processes that have led to today's Poland.

The ongoing economic development and differentiation of the economic and social sustainability models in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries requires sophisticated approaches to the development of business models, entrepreneurship capabilities, and skills and competencies. These need to be anchored in advanced information and communication technologies. Technology-Driven Innovation in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries: Emerging Research and Opportunities is an essential reference source that showcases state-of-the-art approaches to and successful applications of technology-driven innovation and outlines how new, advanced, international business strategies can expand the economic- and social-sustainability frontiers in the GCC region. The chapters included in this volume will communicate and disseminate recent GCC region-oriented academic, computer engineering, and international business research and success stories and will feature topics such as business leadership, electronic marketplace, and international business. Students, educators, international business experts, computer engineers, scientists, and researchers interested in innovation, entrepreneurship, and international business will benefit from the content examined within this publication.

Big data and its accompanying technological ecosystems have had a dramatic impact on business, politics and society. At the same time, the very nature of big data, a term that originates from computer science discourse, often remains opaque to research communities in other disciplines as well as to practitioners. Considering the pervasive impact of big data across a number of issues and domains, clearer insight into its functions and practical application is needed. Through a unique blend of case studies and critical analysis, Big Data and Decision-Making: Applications and Uses in the Public and Private Sector examines how big data influences contemporary societies in decision-making processes, strategy setting and overall performance. Covering topics ranging from data privacy to AI, big data in healthcare, SMEs, tourism and smart cities, contributors offer a critical appraisal of lessons learnt in the process of harnessing the promise inherent in big data. Big Data and Decision-Making: Applications and Uses in the Public and Private Sector breaks down the concept of big data to reveal how it has become integrated into the fabric of both public and private domains, as well as how its value can ultimately be exploited. To this end, its contributors call for the building of bridges between the computer science-driven debate on big data and research taking place in social sciences and management.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused mass disruption to higher education institutions (HEIs) across the world and has since led to vast debate on how to manage HEIs and how to deliver course content to students beyond the crisis. The emergency shift to remote learning has led many HEIs to adopt more flexible course delivery in the longer term. Drawing on international and multidisciplinary perspectives, Moving Higher Education Beyond Covid-19 explores how HEIs may use crises as an opportunity to develop, to transform, and to improve their institutional resilience. Authors draw on many novel and innovative practices mastered during the pandemic, including approaches to teaching, and the related learning and managerial practices. Collectively, the authors argue that Covid-19 has served as one of the most important push factors for universities to redesign their approaches to teaching and learning, and thereby also rethink their business models. With insights for researchers, course designers, and higher education leaders, Moving Higher Education Beyond Covid-19 is a must-read for moving your institution forward beyond the pandemic.

Since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, the EU has been in almost permanent crisis mode. It is witnessing new dimensions of internal differentiation among its member states, and the migration crisis has shown that the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEs) in particular are slowly but certainly transforming themselves from predominantly passive policy-takers towards becoming more active players in the process of shaping the EU's governance agenda. This edited volume offers the first comprehensive and critical insight into how the CEEs position themselves in the EU's changing internal and external environment, their stance towards the European integration process under current crisis conditions, and what political and economic strategies they prioritize.

This book features research presented and discussed during the Research & Innovation Forum (Rii Forum) 2019. As such, this volume offers a unique insight into emerging topics, issues and developments pertinent to the fields of technology, innovation and education and their social impact. Papers included in this volume apply inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches to query such issues as technology-enhanced teaching and learning, smart cities,, information systems, cognitive computing and social networking. What brings these threads of the discussion together is the question of how advances in computer science - which are otherwise largely incomprehensible to researchers from other fields - can be effectively translated and capitalized on so as to make them beneficial for society as a whole. In this context, Rii Forum and Rii Forum proceedings offer an essential venue where diverse stakeholders, including academics, the think tank sector and decision-makers, can engage in a meaningful dialogue with a view to improving the applicability of advances in computer science. In brief, Rii Forum takes the imperative inherent in the 4th industrial revolution seriously, in that it identifies ways of making technology usable and therefore inclusive.

Written by leading academics and practitioners in the field, Smart Villages in the EU and Beyond offers a detailed insight into issues and developments that shape the debate on smart villages, together with concepts, developments and policymaking initiatives including the EU Action for Smart Villages. This book derives from the realization that the implications of the increasing depopulation of rural areas across the EU is a pending disaster. This edited collection establishes a framework for action today, which will lead to sustainable revitalization of rural areas tomorrow. Using country-specific case studies, the chapters examine how integrated and ICT-conscious strategies and policy actions focused on wellbeing, sustainability and solidarity could provide a long-term solution in the revitalization of villages across the EU and elsewhere. Best practices pertinent to precision farming, energy diversification, tourism, entrepreneurship are discussed in detail. As an in-depth exploration of the Smart Village on a multinational scale, this book will serve as an indispensable resource for students, researchers and policy leaders in the fields of politics, strategic management and urban and rural studies.

Since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, the EU has been in almost permanent crisis mode. It is witnessing new dimensions of internal differentiation among its member states, and the migration crisis has shown that the Central and Eastern European countries (CEEs) in particular are slowly but certainly transforming themselves from predominantly passive policy-takers towards becoming more active players in the process of shaping the EU's governance agenda. This edited volume offers the first comprehensive and critical insight into how the CEEs position themselves in the EU's changing internal and external environment, their stance towards the European integration process under current crisis conditions, and what political and economic strategies they prioritize.

This book focuses on approaches to teaching and learning that integrate emerging technologies to enhance the quality of education. It brings together conceptual and empirical insights to elaborate on the design of effective programs, educational policies and educational administration requirements. The chapters cover topics such as social media's use in learning, virtual learning, innovative pedagogy, data mining, massive open online courses (MOOCs) and sustainable education. Special emphasis is placed on virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), and the use of electronic devices such as tablets and smartphones in the classroom. The authors explore how advances in information and communication technology (ICT) can improve opportunities through education for all. It presents an international perspective, with authors from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North and South America.