No / Outsourcing, an operations strategy that influences the performance of a supply chain, has become an important component of global operations management. An effective global sourcing strategy helps companies to manage the flow of parts and finished products in meeting the needs of overseas and domestic markets. Outsourcing reduces the cost of assets, facilitates core competencies to reduce production costs, leads to strategic flexibility and reduces administrative and overhead costs. Some of the reasons why companies are against outsourcing include integration challenges, sacrificing their competitive base, opportunistic behaviour, rising transaction and coordination costs, limited innovation, and higher procurement costs. Despite these shortcomings, outsourcing will continue to play an important role in enhancing organizational competitiveness. Therefore, an attempt has been made to review the literature on outsourcing with particular reference to Performance Measures and Metrics (PMMs) used in arriving at outsourcing decisions. The main objective of this paper is to present a taxonomy (classification) of PMMs in outsourcing decisions at the pre-outsourcing, during-outsourcing, and post-outsourcing stages. Also, based on the literature review and analysis, an attempt is made to determine a list of specific tools and techniques for PMMs in outsourcing. Finally, the limitations of the paper and future research directions are presented.

Yes / Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) plays an important part in consumer purchase decision. The way consumers perceive the persuasiveness of eWOM message can affect their attitude, and purchase intention, and hence sales. Thus, the topic of persuasiveness of eWOM communications has received much attention from scholars. The objective of this paper is to provide a brief review of the existing literature related to the effectiveness of eWOM communications and offer an overview of the determinants of eWOM persuasiveness. This paper contributes to the existing eWOM literature by reviewing the existing studies on eWOM communications, identifying gaps in the current research and providing directions for future research.

Yes / Smart cities employ information and communication technologies to improve: the quality of life for its citizens, the local economy, transport, traffic management, environment, and interaction with government. Due to the relevance of smart cities (also referred using other related terms such as Digital City, Information City, Intelligent City, Knowledge-based City, Ubiquitous City, Wired City) to various stakeholders and the benefits and challenges associated with its implementation, the concept of smart cities has attracted significant attention from researchers within multiple fields, including information systems. This study provides a valuable synthesis of the relevant literature by analysing and discussing the key findings from existing research on issues related to smart cities from an Information Systems perspective. The research analysed and discussed in this study focuses on number of aspects of smart cities: smart mobility, smart living, smart environment, smart citizens, smart government, and smart architecture as well as related technologies and concepts. The discussion also focusses on the alignment of smart cities with the UN sustainable development goals. This comprehensive review offers critical insight to the key underlying research themes within smart cities, highlighting the limitations of current developments and potential future directions.

Yes / Purpose: Despite the potential of social media in emerging markets (EMs), only few studies published in high quality information systems (IS) journals that have addressed issues related to social media in the context of EMs. This study aims to analyse existing research related to social media published in high quality IS journals for exploring initial research trends, emerging themes, limitations and future research directions in the context of emerging markets. Design/methodology/approach: This study conducted systematic review of 22 articles on social media, which were published in the “Senior Scholars Basket of IS Journals and Information Systems Frontiers” from 1997 to 2017. Manual literature search approach (i.e. screening through table of contents of each journal) was employed to identify relevant articles. The content of relevant articles was systematically analysed and synthesised along with keyword analysis to understand research trends on social media related issues in the emerging markets context. Findings: The study identified four major themes from existing research on the social media in the context of emerging markets, namely: 1) Social media frameworks; 2) Social media and consumers; 3) Social media and organisations; and 4) Social media and society with majority of the studies focusing on consumers. Single Subject was found as the major limitation with studies analysed focusing on single platform/country/domain hindering the generalizability whereas including new exogenous variable to improve the validity of existing studies emerged as main future research direction. Originality/value: This study conducted literature review on social media in EMs, which has not been undertaken yet. Moreover, it employed manual search (an effort and time intensive approach) to overcome the shortcomings of keyword search to identify, locate, select and analyse the social media literature in the context of emerging markets.

Yes / Social media facilitates and enhances communication between businesses and customers. Nowadays, although it is commonly recognised that companies implement social media into their marketing activities, it is also acknowledged that companies struggle to calculate the return on investment (ROI) from social media marketing efforts as most of them focus only on certain tangible outcomes such as the impact on sales and purchases. Attempts have been made by researchers to identify how to measure key impacts of social media in relation to marketing; however, there remains a lack of empirical data and no comprehensive overview of what “ROI” can mean for an organisation seeking returns on their social media adoption. By knowing how to measure ROI from social media, companies can produce valuable insights which can help enhance marketing strategies in promoting their products/services. Thus, the aim of this chapter is to provide a review of ROI in social media marketing with a particular focus on intangible outcomes such as brand awareness, customer engagement/relationship and eWOM.

Yes / The complex and interdependent nature of smart cities raises significant political, technical, and socioeconomic challenges for designers, integrators and organisations involved in administrating these new entities. An increasing number of studies focus on the security, privacy and risks within smart cities, highlighting the threats relating to information security and challenges for smart city infrastructure in the management and processing of personal data. This study analyses many of these challenges, offers a valuable synthesis of the relevant key literature, and develops a smart city interaction framework. The study is organised around a number of key themes within smart cities research: privacy and security of mobile devices and services; smart city infrastructure, power systems, healthcare, frameworks, algorithms and protocols to improve security and privacy, operational threats for smart cities, use and adoption of smart services by citizens, use of blockchain and use of social media. This comprehensive review provides a useful perspective on many of the key issues and offers key direction for future studies. The findings of this study can provide an informative research framework and reference point for academics and practitioners.

Yes / This article undertakes a literature review on such articles on social media and citizen-centric e-government services. This research uses 139 articles to perform the intended literature review. The keywords analysis of these articles indicates that Web 2.0, participation and open government/ open data were some of the frequently used keywords in addition to the two major themes of e-government and social media on which all the articles were searched for. The analysis of research methods indicated that majority of the studies were analytical, conceptual, descriptive, or theoretical in nature. The theoretical analysis however indicated that there is a lack of theory-based research in this area. The review of literature indicated that research themes such as electronic participation, engagement, transparency, communication/interaction, trust, security and collaboration are some of the most frequently used categories under this area of research. A research framework has also been proposed from the key themes emerging from the review.

Yes / With the proliferation of mobile network, mobile devices, and Web of things, many industries, including government departments, private firms, and research communities, offer more transparency through releasing data. The resultant effort offers a new paradigm—open data—still at infancy stage. Despite the rising research initiatives explaining its benefits and challenges and demonstrating policy conception and project details, no systematic survey of extant literature on open data has been performed. Hence, there is need for studies that examine open data on a holistic canvas, assess the current status of research, and propose future directions. Here, we conduct a review of extant literature to ascertain the current state of research on open data, and present an extensive exploration for 11 types of analyses: contexts, perspectives, level of analysis, research methods, the drivers, benefits, barriers, theory/model development, the most productive journals, authors, and institutions. Additionally, we present several future research agendas. This study also explains the implications to assist researchers, policymakers, and journal editors.

As Europe confronts a substantial surge in energy demand, the pressing necessity to integrate nuclear energy and others low-carbon energy sources into the energy mix has become evident. This integration is of paramount importance to achieving the objective of zero emissions by 2050, as outlined in various European Union climate policies. The role of nuclear energy, particularly through the deployment of Small Modular Reactors and Generation IV reactors, is pivotal in ensuring a dependable and sustainable energy supply that meets rigorous environmental standards.The public perception of nuclear energy plays a critical role in its acceptance and implementation. This thesis examines the importance of societal views on nuclear power, addressing common concerns and misconceptions through transparent communication and education. Engaging the public in discussions about the advancements in nuclear technology, especially the enhanced safety features and reduced environmental impact of modern reactors, is essential for gaining widespread support. Furthermore, the development of Generation IV reactors is imperative for addressing the challenge of nuclear waste management. These advanced reactors are designed to be more efficient and generate less waste, with some concepts capable of recycling spent fuel and using it as a resource. By focusing on these technologies, it is possible to mitigate the long-term environmental impact of nuclear energy and enhance its sustainability.This research is a purely literature review that highlights the necessity of advancing nuclear technology and fostering public trust to successfully integrate nuclear energy into Europe’s future energy strategy. The achievement of a zero-emissions energy mix by 2050 will necessitate a multifaceted approach that combines technological innovation, robust regulatory frameworks, and proactive public engagement. The findings of this thesis underscore the potential of SMRs and Generation IV reactors to transform the nuclear energy landscape, making them a cornerstone of a clean and reliable energy future.

Multiple sclerosis is a commonly diagnosed neurological disease that currently has no cure. Due to the significant physical and emotional impact that this disease has on the course of life, depressive symptoms frequently occurs among its sufferers. Many interventions have been developed and studied in an effort to reduce the depressive symptoms without the use of traditional antidepressant medications. This integrated literature review examines empirical evidence regarding non-pharmacologic interventions for depression published between 2003 and 2008. Cognitive behavioral therapy, complementary therapy, and support interventions were examined. Although no single intervention was shown to completely alleviate depressive symptoms, most interventions had a favorable impact.