Education / Distance, Open and Online Education

Providing overviews of states and sectors, classes and companies in the new international division of labour, this series treats polity-economy dialectics at global, regional and national levels. This volume in the series looks at the complexities of structural adjustment in Africa.

This book tells the story of capacity building in Europe with respect to technology transfer offices and organizations (TTOs). The traditional underdevelopment of technology markets in Europe has often been explained in terms of lack of capacity and skills among technology transfer professionals, both as individuals and as part of TTOs. Because of the severe consequences for economic development and industrial growth, this situation has been repeatedly addressed by policy makers, until the European Commission, within the framework of Horizon 2020, decided to initiate a pan-European pilot project on capacity building. This book builds on the experience gained through that project and tries to reconnect it with current scholarly works on technology management by focusing on the new methodology developed. In addition, the authors present a series of case studies that may be used as a benchmark and as examples that will help high-potential TTOs to improve their performance. Both practitioners and researchers will benefit from the holistic perspective of the book, which goes beyond the traditional approach and attempts to reconcile the theory and practice of organizing for technology transfer.

The integration of technological innovations, such as In-Memory Analytics, Cloud Computing, Mobile Connectivity, and Social Media, with business practice can enable significant competitive advantage. In order to embrace recent challenges and changes in the governance of IT strategies, SAP and its think tank - the Business Transformation Academy (BTA) - have jointly developed the Digital Capability Framework (DCF). Digital Enterprise Transformation: A Business-Driven Approach to Leveraging Innovative IT by Axel Uhl and Lars Alexander Gollenia outlines the DCF which comprises six specific capabilities: Innovation Management, Transformation Management, IT Excellence, Customer Centricity, Effective Knowledge Worker, and Operational Excellence. In cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), Queensland University of Technology (Australia), University of Liechtenstein (Principality of Liechtenstein), and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany), SAP and the BTA have been validating each capability and the corresponding maturity models based on analyzing several ’lighthouse’ case studies comprising: SAMSUNG, IBM, Finanz Informatik, The Walt Disney Company, Google Inc., HILTI AG. Digital Enterprise Transformation presents how these companies take advantage of innovative IT and how they develop their digital capabilities. On top the authors also develop and present a range of novel yet hands-on Digital Use Cases for a number of different industries which have emerged from innovative technological trends such as: Big Data, Cloud Computing, 3D Printing and Internet of Things.

The International Ocean Institute-Canada has produced this collection of over 80 insightful essays on the future of ocean governance and capacity development. The book honors the work of Elisabeth Mann Borgese (1918-2002), preeminent ocean advocate and founder of the IOI. More than 90 leading experts explore future challenges and opportunities for ocean governance and capacity development. Major themes include the law of the sea, ocean sciences, integrated coastal and ocean management, fisheries and aquaculture, communication and negotiations, maritime safety and security, ocean energy, and maritime transportation. The essay collection is aimed at professionals, students and citizens alike – covering themes that parallel those in the annual Training Program of IOI-Canada. A leading member of the International Ocean Institute's network of centers and focal points worldwide, IOI-Canada was founded by Elisabeth Mann Borgese in 1979.

Comprising 30 percent of agricultural output and with an area of 15 million hectares, the grain sector is a pillar of Ukraine’s agriculture. In 2020 Ukraine exported USD 9.4 billion worth of cereals, the second largest exporter after the United States of America, making Ukraine a major contributor to global food security. Using extensive interviews, the report assesses the extent to which Ukrainian farmers have adopted digital technologies, the many barriers to them doing so and the considerable opportunities these technologies present, while offering sharp insights into their potential contribution and how best to sustain them. The report also considers the level of interest larger farmers have in adopting precision agriculture technologies, and their benefits in terms of improved productivity, lower costs and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, despite the relatively high initial investment required. It concludes with a list of recommended actions, calling on four groups to embrace digital technologies and thus develop and transform Ukraine’s grain sector: the private sector, financial institutions, the public sector and international organizations. This publication is part of the Country Investment Highlights series under the FAO Investment Centre’s Knowledge for Investment (K4I) programme.

This fourth edition of Women in Mass Communication addresses the myriad changes in media and mass communication disciplines in relation to women over the last five decades. This volume traces the history of diversity, equity, and inclusion for women in media, enabling greater understanding of global discourses and inequities, exploring transnational feminism, offering criticism of underlying structures, and calling for meaningful changes to media systems. With particular emphasis on educational and professional approaches to media communication, the book brings together a wide variety of specific topics and connects them through an intersectional feminist lens that values diversity, equity, and inclusion while exposing global systemic misogyny. The volume features 23 authors with a variety of backgrounds and perspectives from Australia, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Korea, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. This fourth edition focuses on marginalization practices—race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, social class, and in multiple societies—providing insight into identity and difference in a global context. An important text for students and scholars examining gender in relation to mass communication, media studies, and journalism, as well as those exploring wider issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion within these disciplines.

There are essential questions surrounding Africa's digitalization journey, including whether or not the continent can truly serve as the last frontier for socio-economic transformation through digital innovation. An examination of countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and Rwanda, which are actively pursuing digitalization, may provide some answers. To evaluate the potential implications, both real and potential, that arise from this focused pursuit, a critical analysis is necessary. Scrutiny of digital infrastructure by companies like Huawei, the emergence of artificial intelligence, and the advent of quantum computing will open new pathways to understanding and establishing promising approaches to the advancement of this region. Examining the Rapid Advance of Digital Technology in Africa offers a comprehensive exploration of the transformative power of digitalization in Africa and its implications for the continent's socio-economic development. It engages with the field of science and technology studies, linking it with socio-economic impacts and transformation, to track, analyze, understand, and critique Africa's contributions to digitalization. The chapters cover a wide range of themes, including ICTs and the business environment, education, healthcare, creative industries, media, culture, tourism, agriculture, ecology, artificial intelligence, blockchain and cryptocurrency revolution, algorithmic governance, the quantum age, and urbanization. This book is a must-read for researchers, scholars, investors, and policymakers who are interested in Africa's digital transformation, as it offers valuable insights into the latest empirical and theoretical aspects shaping the continent's ongoing digitalization.

Digital transformation is revolutionising economies and societies with rapid technological advances in AI, robotics and the Internet of Things. Low and middle-income countries are struggling to gain a foothold in the global digital economy in the face of limited digital capacity, skills, and fragmented global and regional rules.

Digital technologies are spreading rapidly, but digital dividends--the broader benefits of faster growth, more jobs, and better services--are not. If more than 40 percent of adults in East Africa pay their utility bills using a mobile phone, why can’t others around the world do the same? If 8 million entrepreneurs in China--one third of them women--can use an e-commerce platform to export goods to 120 countries, why can’t entrepreneurs elsewhere achieve the same global reach? And if India can provide unique digital identification to 1 billion people in five years, and thereby reduce corruption by billions of dollars, why can’t other countries replicate its success? Indeed, what’s holding back countries from realizing the profound and transformational effects that digital technologies are supposed to deliver? Two main reasons. First, nearly 60 percent of the world’s population are still offline and can’t participate in the digital economy in any meaningful way. Second, and more important, the benefits of digital technologies can be offset by growing risks. Startups can disrupt incumbents, but not when vested interests and regulatory uncertainty obstruct competition and the entry of new firms. Employment opportunities may be greater, but not when the labor market is polarized. The internet can be a platform for universal empowerment, but not when it becomes a tool for state control and elite capture. The World Development Report 2016 shows that while the digital revolution has forged ahead, its 'analog complements'--the regulations that promote entry and competition, the skills that enable workers to access and then leverage the new economy, and the institutions that are accountable to citizens--have not kept pace. And when these analog complements to digital investments are absent, the development impact can be disappointing. What, then, should countries do? They should formulate digital development strategies that are much broader than current information and communication technology (ICT) strategies. They should create a policy and institutional environment for technology that fosters the greatest benefits. In short, they need to build a strong analog foundation to deliver digital dividends to everyone, everywhere.