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This article examines the changing pattern for strategic deployment of broadband by BT. BT’s initial attempts to deploy the technology through its ISP failed due to key commercial and technological weaknesses. Thereafter BT shifted to a more strategically defensive strategy based on securing its position of dominance on the UK local access market. This strategy proved considerably more successful. This strategy to deploy a mass market broadband created an evident industrial/corporate strategy interface as BT’s corporate objectives aligned with public policy objectives of creating a universally accessible broadband product. The result of this interface has been to place BT at the heart of the “Broadband Britain” programme – a position that contravenes the original intentions of the UK Government.

British Telecom (BT) has achieved a classic turnaround that involved divestment and efficiency drives. This interview with Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT, sheds light on BT's past development and future growth.

The paper takes the form of an interview with Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT.

The interview outlines a number of important factors in running a resilient and effective global company such as culture and common values, leadership at board and executive levels, remuneration transparency, skills, technology, and corporate governance.

The paper provides insight into the strategic journey of BT.

Recounts a team approach to turning round British Telecommunications plc′s (BT′s) £1 billion turnover business in the highly competitive UK telecommunications apparatus market. Under BT′s license the apparatus business had to have separate accounts and, by 1991/92, losses had reached levels which led the UK′s then telecommunications regulator, Sir Bryan Carsberg of Oftel, to intervene. Between 1992 and 1994, author Adam Scott led the team which managed the business into profitability. The team operated within BT′s management matrix, with a clear set of values, using product teams, team objectives, program and project management and driving for clarity about the benefits and milestones to be achieved in each element of the planned recovery. The program addressed indirect and functional costs and, latterly, worked up a “balanced score card” – a technique on which the article provides references – to provide a framework for future management.

The objectives of the study were to identify the effects of blockchain technology (BT) on the university librarians, the impact of BT on the university library services and to reveal the challenges to adopt BT in the university libraries.

A systematic literature review was applied to address the objectives of the study. Around 25 studies published in peer-reviewed journals were selected to conduct the study.

The findings of the study revealed that blockchain technology (BT) has positive effects on the university librarians as it assists them in digital resources management, provision of integrated library services, effective records management and continued professional development. The study also displayed that BT has a positive impact on the university libraries through effective information management, user privacy, collaboration, technological innovation and access control. Results also revealed that technical issues, financial constraints, security problems, skill issues and sociocultural issues created challenges to adopt BT in the university libraries.

The study has offered theoretical implications for future investigators through the provision of innovative literature on the prospectus and challenges associated with blockchain in the context of librarianship. The study has also provided practical implications for management bodies by offering recommendations for the successful adoption of blockchain in the university libraries. Additionally, a framework has been developed to adopt BT successfully in the university libraries for the delivery of smart library services to library patrons.

Since the 1980s agricultural biotech investments by the public sector have increased substantially in both China and India. In the last two decades there has also been a dramatic increase in private section investment in agricultural biotechnology particularly in India. The promise of major benefits of Bt cotton identified in early socioeconomic studies of Bt cotton has proven to be true. Bt cotton has spread to at least 66% and 85% of total cotton areas of China and India, respectively – wherever bollworm is a major problem. Bt cotton continues to control bollworm in both countries, and farmers continue as major beneficiaries rather than biotech or seed companies. The major impacts have been yield increases in India and reduced pesticides consumption in China. In China, evidence also suggests that Bt cotton has suppressed the bollworm population so that non-Bt cotton growers and producers of other crops that are susceptible to bollworm are also benefitting.

The chapter also provides evidence that in the near future Bt rice and Bt eggplant could have major positive impacts by reducing pesticide use and farmers’ exposure to chemical pesticides and increasing yields. Both crops were approved for commercial production by government biosafety regulators, but are not yet available for commercial cultivation.

World agriculture faces enormous challenges in the coming decades. To feed the world adequately in 2050, agricultural production in developing economies will need to nearly double. Incremental production will mainly come from increases in yields or cropping intensities. This chapter focuses on the potential of genetically modified (GM) crops to contribute to agricultural productivity growth and poverty reduction in developing economies. On the basis of a comprehensive literature review of the most recent literature, we aim to shed light on (a) whether GM crops benefit farmers in developing economies and (b) whether GM crops that are currently in the research pipeline address future challenges for agriculture. The first part of the chapter reviews farm-level impacts of GM crops in developing economies. The second part discusses the GM crop research pipeline. GM crop markets are expected to grow in the future but not to change dramatically. We conclude that GM crops benefited farmers, including resource-poor farmers, in developing economies, but benefits are location- and individual-specific. Addressing such complexities will be required to unlock technology potentials.

Agri-biotech multinational enterprises (MNEs) are persisting to push genetically modified plant varieties (GMV) worldwide including emerging countries as a technological solution for sustainable development. However, in emerging countries, the structure and effectiveness of regulation and compliance measures to ensure human and environmental safety are much less developed. There are three types of concerns: the economic risks faced by farmers while using existing low-yielding conventional seed varieties, in the face of inadequate institutional mechanisms and safety nets, the long-term environmental risks, and finally, risks posed by other possible externalities. In an attempt to provide some insight on the aforementioned debate, this chapter focuses on a commercially successful GMV—namely genetically modified cotton, also referred to as Bt cotton. The literature on adoption of Bt cotton is first examined, and its findings are confronted with the reality of the introduction and diffusion of Bt cotton in India to derive inferences on how MNE and emerging countries’ governments can manage coexistence. Our findings indicate that in order to be successful, MNEs have to establish the sociopolitical legitimacy of GMV through investment in outreach with regulatory authorities, government departments dealing with the environmental and bio safety, farmer groups, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). MNEs also have to keep in mind that pricing and high technology fee can become an impediment for the legitimization of technology. Finally, MNEs can partner with NGOs to educate and accompany farmers to maximize their livelihood, while preserving the ecological sustainability of their farm lands.

This paper seeks to investigate the factors influencing auditors' behavioural intentions towards blockchain technology (BT) adoption in Iraqi government banks. It also highlights the relationships between these factors to determine if the proposed model can provide a more comprehensive means of comprehending how auditors in government banks have adopted BT.

The study uses the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and expands it by incorporating five external constructs: “system trust”, “cost”, “transparency”, “security” and “auditor's skill.” This study employed a quantitative and exploratory methodology through the gathering and examination of data from 300 auditors. For the evaluation of the measurement and structural models, the authors adopted the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach with SmartPLS v4.

The findings demonstrate that “auditor's skill and four government features of BT adoption” are major factors in government bank auditors' adoption of BT. Additionally, the findings indicate that social influence is a potent indicator of one's intention to adopt BT in the banking industry.

One limit of this study is the selection of governmental perspective. This study is limited to auditors' opinions, who work at the government banks. Further studies may consider other perspectives in order to provide an in-depth analysis of blockchain.

This paper offers valuable insights into the factors influencing the adoption of blockchain technology in Iraqi governmental banks. It provides empirical evidence supporting auditing units and internal auditors in enhancing their job performance through the adoption of such technology.

This study contributes to the existing literature on technology adoption within the audit profession, specifically examining the use of blockchain technology. By exploring the features of technology adoption within government institutions in the auditing field, it introduces a new perspective, emphasizing the importance of auditor skills.

This study aims to provide a series of drivers that prompt the blockchain technology (BT) adoption decisions in circular supply chain finance (SCF) and also assesses their degrees of influence and interrelationships, which leads to the construction of a theoretical model depicting the influence mechanism of BT adoption decisions in circular SCF.

This study mainly uses the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework, which focuses on the aspects based on the nature of innovation, intra-organizational characteristics and extra environmental consideration, to identify the drivers of blockchain adoption in circular SCF context, while the significance and causality of the drivers are explained using interpreting structural models (ISMs) and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method.

The findings of this study indicate that government policy and technological comparative advantage are the underlying reasons for BT adoption decisions, management commitment and financial expectations are the critical drivers of BT adoption decisions while other factors are the receivers of the mechanism.

This study provides theoretical references and empirical insights that influence the technology adoption decisions of both BT and circular SCF by practitioners.

The theoretical research contributes significantly to current research and knowledge in both BT and circular SCF fields, especially by extending the existing TOE model by combining relevant enablers from technological, organizational and external environmental aspects with the financial performance objectives of circular SCF services, which refer to the optimization of the financial resources flows and financing efficiency.

Blockchain technology (BT) is a relatively new technological innovation in all industries, including the construction industry, that is used to improve supply chain management. Therefore, this study assesses the drivers for the implementation of BT in the construction supply chain management in Nigeria.

This study used a quantitative research approach, with a questionnaire survey administered to professionals in the Nigerian construction industry using the snowball sampling method, yielding 155 respondents. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) while Cronbach’s alpha was used to evaluate the reliability.

The analysis revealed that all the identified drivers ranked higher than the average mean item score, with level of awareness of the new technology and data management ranking topmost. The identified drivers were clustered into five categories using EFA: technological driver, social-economic driver, management driver, transparency and security driver and information driver.

This research was carried out in the Southwestern region which is one of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria using a cross-sectional survey method.

The findings will be extremely useful to both professionals and practitioners in the Nigerian construction industry in gaining knowledge about the potential drivers to the implementation of BT in construction supply chain management.

The research categorized the drivers into technological, social-economic, management, transparency and security and information driver. It also identified that level of awareness of BT as the major driver in the implementation of BT in construction supply chain management.