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The living world is comprised of beings with degrees of complexity developing in sequential stages, ranging from cellular organelles through cells, organs and organisms to animal populations, doing so in accordance with the repeated application of two basic principles: juxtaposition of entities arising from the same stage, then integration of these entities to produce a higher stage. As for a mosaic art work, the newly formed stage still leaves a degree of autonomy for the entities of the previous stage that combine to form the mosaic. The same mosaic-type construction can be used to describe mental processes in the living world, e.g. memory, cultural habits, consciousness, language, literature and even ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article signals the need for an integrated approach to curriculum development and implementation with a focus on a group of disciplines related to the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC). By highlighting various teaching approaches of LOAC, I argue that there is a risk that LOAC be perceived by many non-legal practitioners, like the cadets, as difficult to grasp, interpreted and corelated with real situations they will face daily in operations, exercises or even during execution of routine peace-time duties. I support the idea that the LOAC, as a horizontal discipline in a military academy curriculum, need to be integrated dynamically, both horizontally (in relation to other operational disciplines) and vertically (along the academic path of a military cadet) into the overall construct of learning the basics of the profession of arms. To operationalise this finding, I propose an integrated educational model that suggests horizontal coordination of the academic schedule and enhanced cooperation among the teaching staff of the relevant disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PLM systems are key enabling systems in the development of today's products. Introduction of a new PLM capability is an expensive and risky undertaking. Many implementation projects end in tears in the sense that they are frequently late or even cancelled. In this paper, a federated PLM architecture pattern – Genesis – is introduced and evaluated against prevalent PLM approaches. From an architecture perspective, Genesis with its two distinct integration tiers decrease the number of integration points and thus cost and complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cybercriminals constantly seek new methods to infiltrate a company's defences, making cybersecurity investments essential. Enterprise architecture (EA) provides a systematic risk detection and mitigation process by emphasising the interdependencies between systems, data, processes, people, and other factors. This paper provides a comprehensive approach, also referred to as a process, based on EA to assist African universities in developing a comprehensive cybersecurity plan. The EA process comprises four pillars: business architecture, data architecture, application architecture, and technology architecture. African universities can develop a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy using an EA approach in cybersecurity to achieve institutional goals and objectives. The potential attack surface comprises isolated EA components and their interconnections. This article comprehensively examines various EA processes such as business, information, application, and technology architecture. These processes are carefully analysed to evaluate the organisational structures and uncover opportunities to enhance security protocols. Additionally, we delve deep into abstract security patterns, seeking to cultivate an environment of trustworthiness within complex systems. Our research findings underscore the significant potential within African higher education institutions. By embracing a model-based approach to risk analysis and mitigation, these institutions can fortify their cybersecurity defences and bolster their capabilities to ensure uninterrupted business operations and enhance overall resilience in the face of evolving security challenges. When we combine EA and information security (ICS), we uncover many vulnerabilities malicious actors might exploit. By embracing a holistic EA-based methodology, institutions can craft and implement robust security protocols to safeguard their components and connections. Leveraging EA, our proposed integrated approach aims to forge a comprehensive cybersecurity risk management strategy tailored to the African higher education sector. This strategy seeks to facilitate the identification of critical elements and their intricate interrelationships, thus formulating an effective defence strategy against potential cyber threats. The synergy between EA and cybersecurity within African universities promises to elevate cybersecurity practices, ensure uninterrupted business operations, and fortify the continent's resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robots are ubiquitous in small-to-large-scale manufacturers. While collaborative robots (cobots) have significant potential in these settings due to their flexibility and ease of use, proper integration is critical to realize their full potential. Specifically, cobots need to be integrated in ways that utilize their strengths, improve manufacturing performance, and facilitate use in concert with human workers. Effective integration requires careful consideration and the knowledge of roboticists, manufacturing engineers, and business administrators. We propose an approach involving the stages of planning, analysis, development, and presentation, to inform manufacturers about cobot integration within their facilities prior to the integration process. We contextualize our approach in a case study with an SME collaborator and discuss insights learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the aspects of the integration into society of persons who have returned from imprisonment places, reveals the reasons for imprisonment of the persons and the need for assistance. The aim is to analyze the integration into society of persons who have returned from imprisonment places. The research methods: analysis of scientific literature, qualitative research - semi-structural interview, content analysis. The analysis revealed that the main reasons for imprisonment are as follows: financial deprivation, which leads to crime, violence, alcohol and drug addiction, naivety and trust in people, and a desire to live happily and freely. Persons returning from imprisonment places need various assistance - financial, psychological, assistance in finding a living place and work, they need support from family members and friends. After returning from prisons, individuals would like the state not to make their convictions public, as this causes difficulties in entering the labor market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Proceedings of the International Conference on Renewable Electrical Power Sources - ICREPS is the property of Union of Mechanical & Electrotechnical Engineers & Technicians of Serbia (SMEITS) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

PT XYZ is one of a big company in Indonesia. In daily operations, PT XYZ performs many business processes, one of which is the procurement process. This process requires a prediction of the need for goods for the procurement process to be carried out because intermittent and lumpy characteristics. This is the background for conducting this research. This study aims to predict the level of demand for goods so that it can help the procurement department to make purchases of goods. The method used is K-Means for Clustering, Holt Winter for forecasting, and Association Rule to find out the combination of items that are often held. The clustering process produces 3 clusters, namely the first cluster which has members of 327 items with an average value of 68, the second cluster which has members of 18 items with an average value of 1281, and the third cluster which has members of 5 items with an average value of 2474. The resulting forecast covers the upcoming 3 months period with a value of 427 in January, 472 in February, and 476 in March. In addition, it is also known which items are likely to appear in that month using the probability method and the minimum value of the probability is 50%. In January there are 10 items that are possible to appear, 22 items in February, and 20 items in March. The rules generated from the association rule process are 24 rules. The rule is generated with a minimum support value of 10% and a minimum confidence of 50%. The integration between methods is also carried out to cover the existing deficiencies, so that more accurate results are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islamic education has undergone a significant transformation with the development of technology. Technology has a major impact on the development of Islamic Education in the form of the use of technology in learning, both by educators, students, and the development of teaching materials. The need for technology in Islamic Education is increasingly strengthened by the demands of 21st-century learning and sustainable development goals, in a multidisciplinary context. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is a multidisciplinary approach that is integrated with technology, which is used as an alternative for achieving the institutional vision of a state Islamic university to support graduate learning outcomes. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate a strategy to strengthen the institutional vision that develops Islamic scholarship, science, and technology in an integrated manner. The purpose of this research is to provide recommendation strategies to policymakers for improving the quality of Islamic Education in Indonesia. The Strategic Assumption Surface and Testing (SAST) method were adopted in this study through focus group discussions and interviews with selected experts, which included 2 experts and 8 educators. The results of the assumptions are grouped according to the level of importance and certainty in the quadrant graph. This study found that there were 25 strategic assumptions that were formulated to increase the achievement of integrated learning outcomes with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The results of the SAST method classify strategic assumptions into 4 quadrants. There are 15 items that assume the strategy is at a high level of importance and certainty in quadrant 1 and are a priority for implementation. This research has limitations in determining the priority of assumptions to be applied. Further research is recommended to carry out weighing and ranking in selecting the best strategic assumptions by policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current major challenge facing the European Union is the phenomenon of migration, with its deep-rooted causes, illegal migration routes, and socio-economic consequences being highly topical issues that require strong interventions, as they bring to the forefront not only inherent costs but also the criminality that accompanies this phenomenon. At the last EU Council meeting for Justice and Home Affairs in December 2022, the admission of Croatia to the Schengen area was approved, while surprisingly, Romania and Bulgaria were rejected. In this context, it is of great interest to analyze the real dimension and concern surrounding the migration phenomenon that led to Austria's vote against Romania, even though analyzed data presents a different situation, indicating that Bulgaria and Croatia are among the main transit countries, while Romania is only secondary. However, the real problem Austria is facing is a common challenge that must be addressed by the European Union through cooperation between the three categories of countries involved: member states, transit countries, and countries of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between the motivation to accomplish set goals and its effect on the integration and the success of change on four and five star hotels in Greece. The research aims to answer on two research hypotheses. These are the following: a) Η1 Hypothesis: Motivation to accomplish set goals is a significant positive predictor of Integration of change and b) Η2 Hypothesis: Motivation to accomplish set goals is a significant positive predictor of Success of change. For this reason, a quantitative research was conducted. The sample of this research consisted of 513 employees who work in Greek four and five star hotels. The results of the research indicated that the hotel employees feel that they are moderate motivated to accomplish the set goals of an organizational change which occurs in a hotel company. Furthermore, the current research indicated that motivation is an important element for the potential integration and success of changes in the hospitality sector. Hence, both hypotheses were confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to analyze the level of integration of Croatian producers in tourism cluster. Study assessed the level of interconnection between cluster actors and investigate the connection of sectors which are directly included in the provision of goods and services to tourists and other economic units in Croatia. Methodology - In this research Structural Decomposition Analysis based on the Input-Output model is used. Structural Decomposition Analysis provides more in-depth insights into the level of integration of Croatian tourism cluster. The total economic effects assessed in two different periods are decomposed to the changes in the level and the structure of tourist's expenditures and the effects of the changes in technological coefficients. Findings - Empirical results confirm hypothesis on the increasing importance of the tourism sector for the Croatian economy. Higher share of imported goods is found for certain inputs used by tourism sector in recent years which negatively affect the multiplication of positive economic effects to other domestic producers. Trends in the integration and factors behind those trends are identified. Contribution - Besides scientific community the results of the study could be of interest for policy makers and Croatian tourism associations because study estimate the effects of better coordination and integration among tourist companies and other domestic producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a methodology focused on the centralization and sharing of the project information among all professionals involved, supported on the generation and manipulation of a three-dimensional (3D) digital BIM model. This methodology allows adequate coordination and team collaboration, avoiding conflicts between specialties and data omissions. In the present study, the benefits and limitations identified within the collaboration and integration between structural and architectural professionals, using BIM platforms were analyzed. A structural design case, elaborated within a BIM environment was developed, using the Revit modelling and structural calculation software Robot. The main remarks concerns the fundamental aspects of information sharing, interoperability, and reinforcement detailing. Despite the limitations found, essentially related to the software interoperability, the BIM approach presents significant advantages in structural design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this era of information and communication technology boom, applying this advancement to all areas is a matter of course. This is a general tendency for technology integration into foreign language teaching at universities and schools in Vietnam. Following this trend, this paper reports the results of a study investigating teachers’ beliefs about the effectiveness of technology application in English teaching at the university level. Two research instruments were a questionnaire and an interview. The results indicate that all participating teachers realized the significance and the trend of implementing technology into education and the advantages it brings to foreign language teaching and learning processes. These teachers, nonetheless, confessed their shortage of technical knowledge and skills and were satisfied with the sufficiency of technology equipment in the classrooms. Interestingly, despite these concerns, these teachers are still willing to apply technologies to their future teaching and strengthen their technology skills by self-learning and hopefully through professional training courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exchanging research data between systems is a vital task in research data management, especially in the context of collaborations. Therefore mapping data into standardized data descriptions and offering interfaces for efficient data exchange are required. The metadata database and electronic lab notebook SampleDB supports various ways of exporting data to other services, such as Dataverse, SciCat, and Jupyter-Hub, as well as file exports in open formats. The concept of SampleDB federations allows data exchange in loosely coupled federations of SampleDB instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the given study, I refer to establishing some methodological aspects of transdisciplinary intervention in ensuring the quality of chemistry learning regarding the formation of specific skills. The confrontation of the sciences with the complex aspects of reality determined the establishment of the connections between disciplines, as there are between facts, people, cultures, religions, and geospheres. But academic performance derives from the diversity of the didactic methodologies applied in the process of training specific professional skills focused on: curriculum modernization, didactic design within the ERRE thinking and learning framework, the implementation of studentcentered education, the training of professional skills in an inter- and transdisciplinary context, and updating didactic equipment. The skills, values, and attitudes that our students today, specialists, and citizens of tomorrow need for personal and social success can be formed entirely through transdisciplinarity. The new education has the obligation to bring the educational process closer to the daily lives of the beneficiaries and the needs of the community in which they live, helping them to know themselves and approach a democratic conception, manifesting as a free, creative being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of mergers & acquisitions (M&A) depends on the buyer's adequate due diligence (DD) assessment of the target firm. Assessing the target's IT-enabled processes recently emerged as a novel information technology DD (IT DD) responsibility. However, it remains unclear how to operationalize and conduct the process assessment in IT DD. To address this challenge, we propose the big data analytics technology process mining (PM) and follow a design science research approach, based on literature and 12 interviews, to reveal and operationalize requirements for process assessment in IT DD, demonstrate PM to measure the operationalized requirements, and derive design principles and enabling factors to guide the design, implementation, and use of PM for process assessment in IT DD. Consequently, our study contributes to research on IT DD, M&A, and PM and provides practitioners with design knowledge and a prototypical PM artifact to leverage PM for process assessment in IT DD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research shows how innovation ecosystems without a focal firm nor platform can create value in competitive context. The research is conducted in the period September 2019 to August 2020 with follow-up in January 2022. Nine enterprises representing both complementary and competitive activities participated. The findings show empirically how the Concept-Knowledge processes form continuous interactions between business model innovation for value creation at both ecosystem and at enterprise level. The participants can in collaboration develop aims at ecosystem level with derivative effect in own enterprise. It means that collaborative innovativeness and robustness transcend future uncertainties through integration of different non-core heterogeneous knowledge domains, individual- and organizational behaviors to develop a collaborative ecosystem glue to aim for important value creation in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past decade, there has been a massive development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the world and South Africa. The increase in the number of SEZs has not impacted the integration of the South Africa Development Community (SADC) as witnessed in Asia. Why other regions leverage on SEZs as a tool for regional integration, South Africa and Africa are not doing the same. This paper examines the literature review through the conceptual synopsis and the used qualitative analysis statistical method tool to reveal the data needed. Its qualitative methodology reveals the information on SEZ experiences of developed, developing, transitional, Africa, South Africa and current trends. In exploring the experiences, gaps are identified and new knowledge is developed on leveraging SEZs as a catalyst for integration of a regional bloc (South African Development Community). The paper evaluates SEZ experiences in order to find ideas for integration of South African Development Community (SADC) that could lead to free flow of goods and services. The experience highlights that South Africa SEZs do not consider regional bloc integration through their SEZ plans and establishments. This could be aligned to weak strategies and policy developments. The examination of the experiences also broadens the knowledge of SEZ infrastructural planners, and managers in SADC to begin to treat SEZs' knowledge as they treat any other infrastructure and economic element of the urban realm. It calls for a shift from the current "plan-demanded" mode of segregated SEZ for country's development to regional block integration for the benefits of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the prestigious Horizon 2020 MIICT: ICT-enabled services for migration innovation project. The project was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of technical developers, social scientists, lawyers, practitioners, and migration experts in three pilot countries of Cyprus, Spain, and Italy. The project focused on deepening societal understanding of the factors that impact upon refugee and migrant populations’ ability to access key public services and subsequently created an ICT solution to solve these problems. The project deployed a co-creation methodology, which proved essential when designing ICT solutions to aid migrant integration, enabling researchers to involve both the migrants and those assisting them in their migration journeys, namely NGOs and service providers in the study as co-researchers. The researchers, together with the participants co-designed a multilingual, intuitive, inclusive, interactive platform called IMMERSE that catered for the real needs of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. The innovative co-creation methodology deployed empowered migrants to be proactive and independent in their migration journeys and the resulting interactive platform created provides vital access to information and services like health, language, housing, employment, education, and legal assistance in a one-stop-shop design. This paper further highlights the lessons learned from the research, concerning the need for digital training courses to be implemented to overcome the digital divide and the inclusion of extensive legal and ethical protocols in migrant languages, to be integrated into the platform to counteract migrants’ fears of digital surveillance and create confidence and wider usage of the ICT platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of ICT in teaching and educational processes has become an irreversible fact. The degree of use of computers, Internet and software depends on many macro- and micro-social factors. Among the key factors related to the effective use of ICT in schools, the attitude to new media among educators, parents, students and management should be singled out. A group that requires special consideration is also the new teaching staff - students of teacher education courses. This is the future generation of teachers, the vast majority of whom grew up in the phase of intensive development of the information society. This text is an attempt to answer what attitudes to the use of ICT in education do the students of pedagogy have? Based on the analysis of qualitative data (students' statements) conducted in Poland in January 2022, it was noted that: 1) The use of ICTs at the current stage of development of the information society is a natural necessity; 2) The use of ICTs is something obvious for pupils and students also in the area of learning; 3) Teachers should use ICTs due to the increase of motivation and involvement; 4) ICTs have become a complement to analogue teaching means; 5) New media bring new opportunities in teaching and educational activities; 6) Teachers who use ICT regularly and effectively are considered more modern than those who use only analogue means of teaching; 7) ICT (e-learning) has become a necessity in modern schools, which was especially noticed during the COVID pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IoT devices that perform translation are often closed proprietary systems which offer no, or very limited, possibilities of being freely integrated with other IoT devices or systems/platforms and cannot be easily updated. The objective of this paper is to offer a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach to find and synthesise articles on IoT applications in machine translation and potential integration and interoperability functionalities, along with challenges that arise from it. This research identified IoT based projects/devices that implemented machine translation solutions, including ones that resorted to lowcost devices such as the raspberry pi, as well as challenges faced by IoT devices when it comes to integration/interoperability. The findings in this paper provide a way to become more familiar with IoT based machine translation devices/projects and IoT integration/interoperability challenges, as well as proposing new paths for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family is the first social institution where the education and upbringing of the person takes place. It acts as an important factor in influencing the child, determines the dynamics of the child’s development and contributes to successful social adaptation and integration in society. The birth of a child with disabilities in the family may create the crisis situation when all family members go through certain stages, from the growth of tension to the mobilization of external and internal resources. This empirical research showed that parents raising children with mild ASD have positive attitudes towards the child and the desire to be with the child on an equal footing against the background of excessive care and control. Children in such families tend to lack independence. This type of upbringing, called “dominant hyperprotection” leads to the formation of the fear of losing the child. This unstable style of upbringing makes it difficult for the child to integrate and adapt in the society. Another group of parents raising children with atypical autism or ASD and associated organic disorders is characterized by a violation of the upbringing process in the form of “conniving hyperprotection”. The study outlines recommendations for families raising children with ASD, aimed at harmonizing parent-child relationships, overcoming negative attitudes, successful integration and adaptation of children in the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the total digitalization of the education system, free access to information, the development of distance and mixed forms of education, it is the integration of classroom and extracurricular work of students that allows creating conditions for the activation of creative activity of students, for stimulating their responsibility and hard work, as well as the intensification of informal interaction between students and teachers. In the innovative experience of higher education, there is a certain practice of integrating classroom and extracurricular independent work of students, which today requires deep analysis and systematization. The purpose of the study is to identify and systematize the main directions of integration of classroom and extracurricular work of students in modern higher education. Research methods that were applied are analysis and generalization of scientific and pedagogical literature on the problem, comparison, systematization. The results of the study. Depending on the degree of interrelation of the integrated structures, the following models of integration of classroom and extracurricular independent work of students are distinguished: traditional; the "flipped learning" model, which assumes the organization of traditional classroom and extracurricular independent work "on the contrary"; the project-research model, which assumes the implementation of a closed cycle of productive activities by students - from the idea, design to the implementation of the project and reflection. System integration is achieved through the use of an interconnected sequence of educational tasks: operational - as mini-projects of educational activity; tactical, corresponding to supra-situational activity - larger educational projects, where students can already set their own goals, actively apply their knowledge in various subjects in practice; strategic - tasks of the creative level, corresponding to the creative activity of the individual. Conclusions and recommendations. In the modern educational process, extracurricular independent work of students is increasingly acquiring the status of the main form of organizing learning process. Strengthening the role of independent work requires a new view on the integration of classroom and extracurricular independent work of students. Teachers should make greater use of the opportunities of educational-research projects and the "flipped classroom" technology as modern means and forms of convergence of classroom and extracurricular work of students. The results of the research can be used in the process of designing curricula, work programs of disciplines, individual forms of organizing independent classroom and extracurricular work of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer Aided Design (CAD)/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and computer numerical controlled (CNC) machining technology is an important course for the mechanical and manufacturing design. Therefore, technical Higher Education Institutes are highly pressured to develop a new "process-oriented" course to keep up with the rapid changes. However, the integration of CAD/CAM and CNC programs into technical HEI's course is low in Uzbekistan, 40% and 10% respectively and rarely "process-oriented". Consequently, in a continuous effort to develop and incorporate innovative teaching styles in the Mechanical Engineering course reformed at Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent (TPUT) a new "process-oriented" laboratory course titled CAD/CAM/CNC under Erasmus MechaUz project has been offered, wherein the bachelor students are revealed to CAD and CAM skills. The main goal of this course is to introduce the knowledge in the area of CAD/CAM technology and its application in CNC machines. The "process-oriented" reformation process performed in three phases: exploration, reforming and integration. Generally, the reformed course reflects teaching methods to make the teaching process obey the company's requirements for students and to acquire numerical control skilled employees with high quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The future of the Balkans lies within the European Union" - this is the central sentence of the European Council conclusions adopted at the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003. Today, almost two decades later, the Western Balkans are even further away from that goal. After mass membership in 2004, then Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, and finally Croatia in 2013, the EU obviously looks tired. Montenegro has entered the twelve years tenth year of negotiations, and the results are still halfway through. Serbia is experiencing the same fate. And other Western Balkan countries have been on "waiting tracks" for decades. Fulfillment of basic conditions for membership such as - stable democratic institutions, rule of law, respect for human and minority rights, functioning market economy, competitive capacities, etc. - seems to be stagnant. In much of the Western Balkans economies have remained underdeveloped, dependent on aid, loans and remittances, and prone to high levels of state intervention. No new memberships are expected to occur in the near future. All this creates depression in the region with many accompanying risks. In these conditions, the region should think about possible alternatives for speeding up the integration process, which would not be in conflict with the existing compatibility of the European integration process. Could it be the European Economic Area, assisted by the Berlin Process, Open Balkans (Mini-Schengen), CEFTA, etc.? During this paper we will use especially the methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison and history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) involves collecting and intelligently using data to build a consistently superior customer experience and enduring customer relationships. Companies using CRM systems have been invested by the opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), which has become essential for businesses to survive. In a market where customers are becoming highly sophisticated and search for unique experiences, academics and practitioners claim that AI is the next step in the evolution towards a novel and more efficient CRM. Despite there is an emergent need to clarify how AI-driven applications can transform CRM and be an essential ingredient of a successful modern CRM business process, the literature lacks an analysis on how AI would transform CRM fundamentals considering all CRM strategic processes. Moreover, there is a lack of scientifically validated frames and best practices for the implementation of AI in CRM, as well as empirical evidence about the enabling factors, challenges, and barriers. Therefore, this study explores how companies strategically develop an AI application in CRM, advancing knowledge relating to the impact of AI in marketing strategy. This study aims to build a realistic understanding on how the implementation of AI applications in CRM occurs and change the CRM strategic processes. Besides, we expect to find interesting insights on which organizational capabilities drive the success of the implementation of AI applications in CRM, and to explore the enabling factors, challenges, and barriers that can be used to establish a well-defined AI-driven transformation setting. This is explored through the lens of resource-based view theory. To achieve the research purpose, we are performing a qualitative multiple case study, particularly suitable for how questions and to understand a real-life company phenomenon in its natural setting, on companies using CRM systems that have implemented an AI-driven application to improve customer management. At this moment, the research is in the phase of defining the case study protocol and cases selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Proceedings on Quality is the property of University of Zenica, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

When integrated within an organization, Design Thinking (DT) can be the foundation of competitive advantage. However, systematic assessments of how DT is diffused in practice have received limited scholarly attention. In this paper, we present and apply a visual model developed to assess, describe, analyze and plan the roles DT can assume within organizations based on localization and application diffusion archetypes. The application of the model to 547 organizations of different sizes and industries gives insights into the current state of the role and diffusion of DT within organizations. Patterns, current frontiers, and shifts are analyzed across all organizations by industry type and by firm size allowing for a nuanced, empirical view into the role and diffusion of DT in practice. We provide practitioners a useful tool to map and benchmark their organizations, analyze, plan and communicate the role of DT, and guide future DT researchers seeking practitioner-relevant insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to contribute to the current body of knowledge on Supply Chain Integration (SCI) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing specifically on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will be used as a case study to illustrate the concepts discussed. It is widely recognized that the primary objective of SCI is to optimize the seamless and productive movement of goods and services, information, financial resources, and decision-making processes to enhance customer value. This research investigates the relationship between three elements of SCI and their influence on business performance. The utilization of contingency approach was employed to evaluate the correlation between different levels of SCI, namely customer integration, supplier integration, and internal integration, and their collective impact on business performance. The researchers employed multiple regression analysis to assess the influence of these characteristics. The study utilized analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-test, and posthoc analysis to examine the relationship between the levels of SCI and their impact on business performance measures. The model elements exhibited strong internal consistency, with a coefficient alpha of 0.95. The study revealed a statistically significant correlation between all SCI levels and business performance. Furthermore, the comprehensive model encompassed all levels of the SCI and intra and inter-interactions, showing the strongest correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to re-structure to an online environment and address the needs for integration of a module focused on the Science of Food Packaging delivered face-to-face. This was performed by identifying threshold concepts and applying the principles of constructive alignment when designing new learning activities and assessments adapted to an online environment for the module "Design Thinking for Food Packaging" within the framework of the Food Science Programme. Several complex threshold concepts were identified, as well as the need to integrate the contents of the module, while maintaining curriculum coherence and aligning learning activities and assessment strategies. The re-structured learning activities online included both asynchronous and synchronous activities delivered through the online platforms Brightspace and Zoom, respectively. Synchronous online learning via Zoom was designed as a problem based learning scenario to be solved by groups of learners using the design thinking methodology as scaffolding for problem solving. Asynchronous materials supported the synchronous learning, serving as the initial stepping stones for the learning and research of each group into the threshold concepts identified for this discipline. The assessment strategy focused on continuous assessment of individual and group learning and introduced the learners to the "reflective practice" via individual online learning journals. Future work is necessary to evaluate the learners' perception of the changes implemented when adapting the module to an online environment. The re-designed module online clearly aligns previous module's learning outcomes with the new learning activities and assessment strategies, facilitating the integration of knowledge while developing the interpersonal skills of the learners feeding-forward into their future professional practice as food scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European model for electricity markets has been shaped by successive legislations and reforms driving some convergence of design. The initial focus in the 1990s was on creating an integrated market fostering efficient cross border trade and competition. Significant benefits were achieved thanks to the gradual market integration process which culminated with the network code process and the Clean Energy Package. However, changing policy priorities in the 2000s with the emergence of climate change and security of supply concerns have led to a revival of national uncoordinated state and regulatory interventions. European electricity markets have therefore in recent years evolved toward hybrid markets with a number of new building blocks including: i) support mechanisms for clean technologies; ii) capacity mechanisms addressing security of supply concerns; and iii) new planning processes to coordinate generation and grid development. These national and uncoordinated interventions have had in turn a number of side effects on the market functioning and raise the question of the need for further coordination of policies and governance to foster or even preserve market integration at the European level if the policy interventions are here to stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the conception of the new generation foreign language textbook reflecting contemporary challenges in the sphere of higher education. These are integration processes involving globalization and localization, interdisciplinary tendencies, interactive collaborative learning methods, digital technologies, visualization practices. Modern textbook is shown to have become a pedagogical platform that ensures the compatibility of methodological conditions for interconnected learning of receptive and productive types of speech activity: reading, listening, speaking and writing. Integrative approach in the textbook composition is illustrated by inclusion of Russian-English translation exercises and integrated assignments involving reading, watching a video and writing. Interdisciplinary principle is exemplified by the technical English manual combining scientific, technical, and intercultural components variation. Interactive learning methods are shown to trigger teamwork performed in the classroom or in independent mode with the use of digital technologies. It is indicated that numerous computer-assisted language learning tasks are becoming more widely used in modern textbooks, especially those aimed at the content visualization. Some of the visualizing elements, like word clouds, mental maps and info posters, are considered in detail accentuating their didactic values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When analyzing the purchase of military equipment, the commissions should be composed of a wide range of specialists, which should be taking into account all aspects of the equipment, including its cost throughout its lifespan. Lack of information in these committees, lack of understanding of the concept of life cycle cost, the focus on short term considerations, lack of an integrated view regarding the life cycle cost of an equipment from its acquisition to the end users, lack of correlation between military considerations and economic considerations are just a few of the risk factors that lead to increases in equipment costs over their life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The innovator's dilemma leads organizations to follow exploration and exploitation activities while simultaneously striving for ambidexterity. Whereas structures, modes, or conditions of ambidexterity have received much attention in recent studies, research on how the integration of digital innovation is achieved is still scarce. This capability is often ascribed to digital innovation units (DIUs), which are responsible for the development and integration of digital innovations. Within the scope of our qualitative-empirical study, we discovered how the integration of digital innovation is potentially covered by digital accelerators, an instance of digital innovation units. A categorization of digital accelerators and their integration mechanisms is achieved through a taxonomy. We propose that digital accelerators act as middleware between the frontend and backend of innovation activities. Especially, participation in digital innovation ecosystems and external validation create a meaningful support for realizing organizational ambidexterity with digital accelerators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]