Building an Ambidextrous Software Security Initiative

Improving software security in software development teams is an enduring challenge for software companies. In this chapter, the authors present one strategy for addressing this pursuit of improvement. The approach is ambidextrous in the sense that it focuses on approaching software security activities both from a top-down and a bottom-up perspective, combining elements usually found separately in software security initiatives. The approach combines (1) top-down formal regulatory mechanisms deterring breaches of protocol and enacting penalties where they occur and (2) bottom-up capacity building and persuasive encouragement of adherence to guidance by professional self-determination, implementation, and improvement support (e.g., training, stimulating, interventions). The ambidextrous governance framework illustrates distinct, yet complementary, global and local roles: (1) ensuring the adoption and implementation of software security practices, (2) enabling and (3) empowering software development teams to adapt and add to overall mandates, and (4) embedding cultures of improvement.

Barriers to the Use of Games-Based Learning in Pre-School Settings

The main aim of this research is to investigate how teachers perceive the barriers that limit the adoption and implementation of games-based learning in early childhood education on Cyprus. Teachers are working in public and private pre-schools. A 19-item questionnaire was administered to 148 early childhood teachers in Cyprus (78 public pre-school teachers and 70 private pre-school teachers). Factor analysis reveals three types of barriers to the use of games-based learning in early childhood classroom: lack of confidence, lack of support, and lack of equipment. The higher the teachers' self-efficacy in using digital games is, the lower the level of teachers' perception regarding the barrier lack of confidence becomes. Teachers with no frequent use of computer and digital games in the classroom perceive lack of confidence as a major barrier. Public pre-schools teachers have significantly more positive attitudes toward the usefulness of GBL than private pre-schools teachers.

Human Resource Information System Adoption and Implementation Factors

In the modern era, human resource management is accompanied by the information system which is instrumental in managing human resource processes. In the current competitive and challenging environment, organizational success depends on its effective and efficient human resource. Human resource along with IT professionals can create an environment in an organization for successful adoption of human resource information systems. While considering it as a key factor in modern enterprise management, its burgeoning interest has led to the foundation of this article. The study is to delve deep into the literature and to explore the factors responsible for human resource information system adoption and to identify the barriers in its implementation and to provide suggestions to overcome these barriers. The findings reveal that the factors of human resource information system mentioned in literature are important. These factors should be taken into consideration while adopting Human Resource Information System by integrating Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework with Human-Organization-Technology (HOT) framework.

Blended Learning in HEIs in the Middle East

During the pandemic, many universities have different types of BL adoption and implementation guidance provided by individuals or organizations, but this does not include overall institutionalization. Without proper institutionalization, educational institutions will have inconsistent blended learning environments, and the research indicates that clear institutional guidance and policies are essential for a BL model to succeed. However, there are still debates on whether instructors who are enthusiastic about e-learning systems prefer traditional learning platforms to be successful, while they also support the idea that instead of replacement of conventional learning by online learning, it is better to combine these two. The current study analyzes the frameworks for BL adoption and implementation in higher educational institutions in the Middle East from the quality assurance perspective. The aim is to gain a better understanding of HEIs in the Middle East's overall blended learning framework.

Measuring the impact of some economic variables on private investment (Iraq case study)

The topic of the study was chosen based on the importance of investment in general and private investment in particular, and the research started from the hypothesis that there are some macroeconomic variables that have a significant impact on private investment in Iraq, which caused a decrease in the role of the private sector in the economy, For the purpose of proving the hypothesis, the research was divided into two topics, as the first section dealt with the theoretical framework of private investment and its relationship to some economic variables such as inflation, unemployment and gross domestic product, while the second study dealt with the standard aspect to explain the effect of these variables on private investment, and the research reached several conclusions, the most important of which is the proof of the significance of the regression coefficient For the independent variables on private investment through (t) test, as (t) calculated is greater than the tabular for all variables, and the (F) test indicates the statistical significance in the model that the value of (F) calculated is greater than the tabular. As for the recommendations, the most important one is to give the private sector more support, attention and care by expediting the adoption and implementation of legislation and laws that increase the participation of this sector in the economy and make investments.

Big Data Analytics Strategy Framework: A Case of Crowd Management During the Hajj Pilgrimage, Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The objective of the present study was an investigation of applications of big data analytics in Hajj and Umrah for pilgrims, who come to Saudi Arabia every year for tourism and observation of religious rites as per the sacred beliefs of Islam. It has now become a necessity to see more applications of big data analytics in these pilgrimages because of the growing number of people every year. Therefore, crowd control, crowd management and conflict management are essential for reduction of stress, troubles, fatalities, accidents, theft and possible deaths during Hajj and Umrah events. Developing a predictive data analytic model for Hajj and Umrah will improve the efficiency, gross domestic product (GDP), surveillance, revenue generation, opportunities and satisfaction for the pilgrimages. In this paper, review of big data tools was presented along with their use in the decision support system and how it can be used for surveillance and crowd management. A robust big data framework applicable for Hajj and Umrah events was also presented in this paper. This was meant to aid seamless adoption and implementation of big data applications across sectors and government parastatals involved in Hajj and Umrah. The presented framework was also included all the relevant use cases related to these pilgrimages.

Coproducing spatial information: Exploring government approaches and motivations at the local level

Recent government initiatives like e-government and open government have led to broader adoption of geospatial tools including mapping platforms to access, use, and analyze open data. These advancements open channels for coproduction in the form of sharing information, change notifications, opinions, or requests to government, based on citizen observation and local knowledge. Though current government initiatives have substantial potentials for coproduction, the practical adoption and implementation of such practices vary reflecting the purposes, contexts, and motivations of those involved. This paper aims to understand how local governments are following different approaches to coproduce information with citizens and what motivates local governments in this process. We report findings based on interviews with 11 cities from the USA and Canada, which reveal four main approaches: the collection of new data, observation of changes, collection of opinions, and observation of preferences involving both explicit and implicit processes. Although these four approaches result from interactions between citizens and government, our findings also indicate a key role to be played by technology and partner organizations.