Prelims

Half Title Page

Big Data and Decision-Making

Series Page

EMERALD STUDIES IN POLITICS AND TECHNOLOGY

Series Editors: Anna Visvizi and Miltiadis D. Lytras

This series focuses broadly on the intersection of politics and technology. Its objective is to identify and explore the critical junctions where politics and information and communication technology (ICT) intersect to showcase the opportunities, raise awareness, and preempt impending risks for our societies.

The series has a broad scope and addresses a variety of topics, including but not limited to the following: cyber-intelligence; government analytics; user-generated data and its impact on human society; technology in healthcare and public services; quantitative measures in political discourse; public engagement with politics through technology for example, blogs and social media; freedom of the internet; text mining; e-participation in politics and digital diplomacy; international trade on the ICT market; information security risks; political communication in online social networks; big data; e-government and e-democracy; digital activism; ICT in developing nations; digital media; smart cities; disruptive effects of technology in politics; internet governance; citizen journalism; the politics of migration and ICT; and the European Union and ICT.

Interested in publishing in this series? Please contact Anna Visvizi and Miltiadis D. Lytras, avisvizi@acg.edu and mlytras@acg.edu.

Title Page

Big Data and Decision-Making: Applications and Uses in the Public and Private Sector

Edited by

Anna Visvizi

SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland & The American College of Greece, Greece

Orlando Troisi

University of Salerno, Italy

and

Mara Grimaldi

University of Salerno, Italy

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2023

Editorial matter and selection © 2023 Anna Visvizi, Orlando Troisi and Mara Grimaldi.

Individual chapters © 2023 the authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

Reprints and permissions service

Contact: permissions@emeraldinsight.com

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters’ suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80382-552-6 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80382-551-9 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80382-553-3 (Epub)

Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

About the Contributors

Otmane Azeroual is a Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies and Assistant Professor in the Digital Business and Data Science course at the European University of Applied Sciences. He did his PhD in Engineering Informatics at Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg and is an expert in the fields of databases and information systems and artificial intelligence.

Antonio Botti is a Full Professor of Management, Department of Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno, Italy, Affiliate Research Fellow, Ipag Business School, Paris. He is a member of various editorial committees of Italian and international academic journals. Recently, his research activity has focused on entrepreneurship and issues related to performance evaluation.

Vilma Çekani is a PhD student in Big Data Management at the Department of Business Sciences – Management and Innovation Systems of the University of Salerno. Currently, her main fields of interest are business intelligence, management, and marketing.

Mario D’Arco is a Research Fellow at the University of Sannio, Italy. He graduated in Semiotic at the University of Bologna and has a PhD in Marketing and Communication. His main research interests are linked to marketing, consumer behavior, and branding.

Artjoms Daskevics is a first year master student at University of Latvia, Faculty of Computing. He holds a bachelor degree in Computer Science, with the bachelor thesis devoted to the database security, developed under Assistant Prof. Nikiforova’s supervision.

Benedetta Esposito is a PhD student in Big Data Management in the Department of Management and Innovation Systems at the University of Salerno. Her research is mainly focused on corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and circular economy in the agri-food sector.

Mara Grimaldi is a Research Fellow at the University of Salerno, Department of Business Science, Management and Innovation Systems. Her main areas of interest are: services marketing and management, information and knowledge management, and strategic innovation management.

Gianluca Maria Guazzo is a PhD student in Big Data Management at the Department of Business Sciences – Management and Innovation Systems of the University of Salerno. At present, his main fields of interest concern big data and its implications, marketing, and consumer behavior.

Xhimi Hysa is a Professor of Management and Dean of the Faculty of Management, Environment, and Urban Planning, at POLIS University. His research profile is interdisciplinary, ranging from systems theory to social business and sustainability, service science, and group dynamics.

Anne-Mari Järvenpää is a Senior Lecturer at Häme University of Applied Sciences, Finland, Department of Information and Communication Technology, Bioeconomy.

Jari Jussila is Director of HAMK Design Factory at Häme University of Applied Sciences, Finland.

Joana Kostaqi is a freelance Social Media Marketer. She is a business graduate from EPOKA University. Her research interests are mainly focused on digital marketing, data protection, and privacy. She is also an entrepreneur, running a family business.

Iivari Kunttu holds a PhD in Information Technology (2005), PhD in Economics (2017), and MA in Education (2020). Currently, he is the Leading Research Scientist in Häme University of Applied Sciences, Finland. His current research interests include R&D and innovation management, data analysis, business development, and digital services.

Giulia Leoni, PhD in Management and Law – Curriculum Business and Administration, Department of Management, Polytechnic University of Marche (Ancona). Her research interests include performance measurement and management systems, accounting and accountability in public administration, inter-municipal cooperation, and amalgamation processes.

Francesca Loia is a Research Fellow at the Department of Economics, Management and Institutions – University of Naples "Federico II." She is the author of many international scientific publications. She served as Visiting Scholar at Deree College – The American College of Greece, Faculty of Management Information Systems – MIS.

Ruslana Lutsiv is a PhD student at the Department of International Economic Relations, West Ukrainian National University, Ternopil, Ukraine.

Gennaro Maione, PhD, is a Researcher of Business Administration, Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy. His research interests include environmental accounting, accountability, and digital technology.

Ornella Malandrino is a Full Professor of Commodity Science at the University of Salerno, where she teaches and conducts research on quality, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility. She is the Inter-departmental Observatory Director for Gender Studies and Equal Opportunities at the University of Salerno.

Radosław Malik, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Institute of International Studies, International Political Economy Department. He is an Initiator of the SGH Young Scientist program workshop series. His research interests include offshoring and outsourcing, the labor market, megatrends, innovation in services, and science mapping analysis.

Luca Mazzara is an Associate Professor in Business Administration and Accounting Studies, Business and Public Institutions Economics – Department of Management, University of Bologna (Forlì Campus). He is the Director of the Master in City Management, University of Bologna (Forlì Campus). His research interests include performance measurement and management systems, territorial governance process and tools, inter-municipal cooperation and amalgamation processes, and internal control systems in public administration.

Antonietta Megaro, PhD in Management and Information Technology, Curriculum Marketing, at the University of Salerno (Italy) – Department of Business Sciences, Management and Innovation Systems. She graduated in Accounting at Sapienza University of Rome. Her main research interests focus on service research and systems theory.

Antonella Monda, PhD, is a member of the LISA Lab (Laboratory in Innovative Entrepreneurship and Academic Spin-offs), University of Salerno, Italy. Her research interests include technology and innovation across fields and issues.

Anastasija Nikiforova is a Researcher (PhD in Comp. Sc.), whose research interests include data management with a particular focus on data quality, open government data, Smart City, Society 5.0, sustainable development, internet of things (IoT) human-computer interaction (HCI) and digitization. She is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems at University of Tartu (Institute of Computer Science), a part of European Open Science Cloud Task Force “FAIR Metrics and Data Quality,” a Visiting Researcher at Delft University of Technology, and an expert of the Latvian Council of Sciences.

Katarzyna Rybkowska is a PhD student at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics in Field Management and Quality Sciences. Her research interests are focused on agile project management, digitalization, and e-business.

Maria Rosaria Sessa has a PhD in Management and Information Technology and Research Fellow in Commodity Science in the Department of Management and Innovation Systems at the University of Salerno, where she teaches quality management and control of tourist service. Her research mainly focuses on developing quality and environmental management systems, corporate social responsibility, environmental assessment tools, and competence certification.

Daniela Sica has a PhD in Commodity Science and is a Lecturer in Quality Management and Control of Tourist Service in the Department of Management and Innovation Systems at the University of Salerno. Her research interests mainly focus on the sustainable production process, quality management systems, and corporate social responsibility.

Olena Sokhatska is a Full Professor of Department of International Economic Relations, West Ukrainian National University, Ternopil, Ukraine.

Orlando Troisi is Associate Professor in Business Management at the Department of Business Science – Management and Innovation Systems, University of Salerno. His main research interests focus on service research and, in particular, value co-creation, public management, and governance. He is author of numerous papers published in national and international journals.

Anna Visvizi, PhD (dr hab.) is Associate Professor at SGH Warsaw School of Economics & Visiting Professor at Effat University, KSA. An economist and political scientist, she is an experienced editor and researcher, as well as political consultant with extensive experience in academia, think-tank and government sectors in Europe, including the OECD. Her expertise covers issues pertinent to the intersection of politics, economics and ICT.

Editors’ Preface

Very few topics remain as opaque and unclear to the broader public today as “big data”. Similarly, as artificial intelligence, big data has turned into a buzzword of our times, frequently deployed absolutely uncritically as a veil usurping to be an explanation. Against this backdrop, the rationale behind this book was to offer a simple, but not simplistic, insight into the realm of big data, its application, and implications. The selections of chapters included in this book will guide the reader through diverse fields and domains of big data’s use and application, including public policy, the business sector, including managerial practices, as well as smart cities’ growth and management. This book is by no means exhaustive. Rather, it recognizes the value of the debate unfolding in the literature. By so doing it seeks to add to the debate in a manner that may be useful to researchers, practitioners, as well as to those of us who are also involved in teaching. The idea here is that all frequently topics pertaining to big data constitute either a part of papers too sophisticated for an average student to comprehend, or form a part of overly simplified, even if fancy, magazine content. And yet, it is mandatory that similarly as in our research, also in our teaching we go beyond what the curriculum defines as needed.

This book is a tribute to teamwork in that it would not be possible without the Publisher, especially the Commissioning Editor, Ms Iram [ir-rum] Satti who embraced the idea of the book and skillfully guided us through the initial reviews and the subsequent production process. We would also like thank the reviewers and the contributing authors. We remain grateful to the entire production team, who were consequential in the stages of the cover design, proofs, etc. In brief, a great number of people, forming a virtual team, collaborated to have this book delivered. We, the Editors, can only hope that this book will be of use to the broader audience.

We dedicate this book to fellow researchers, who – similarly as we do – seek to find a balance between the idealistic urge to explore and conduct research, the necessity to make ends meet by delivering on the teaching load, and private life.

The Editors: Anna Visvizi, Orlando Troisi and Mara Grimaldi