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In the African context, the threat of the disruption of traditional business value-creation processes, currently facilitated by the growing information technology (IT) ecosystem, came with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on interfirm relationships within the context of the digital ecosystem in Africa.

This study employs an explanatory–exploratory qualitative approach from an interpretivist stance to investigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on interfirm relationships. The authors conducted seven in-depth interviews with top management executives in a Nigerian technology company, together with the company's archival data that provided the pre, during and post pandemic (2018–2021) business-to-business (B2B) relationship structures, to determine how these relationships have been affected.

The results suggest that the pandemic had a minimal effect on partnership relationships in the B2B ecosystems of the case company but affected only non-partnership relationships.

The authors' qualitative study is interpretive and the sample size is limited. Hence, there is a need for caution in generalizing the findings. The framework can be further validated across a wider population.

Partnerships can help organizations weather business crises. Consequently, organizations should maintain a healthy number of partnership relations to deal with periods in which challenges emerge in the business landscape. In other words, with tight contracts and a strategic focus on goals and objectives, partnership relations can help organizations weather business crises.

This study builds upon the burgeoning body of literature on digital ecosystems within the African context, which is a relevant contextual contribution.

This paper aims to identify the relevant contributing constructs of readiness for the implementation of intelligent contracts (iContracts) in the construction industry. This study investigates the relationship between the personality dimensions of technology readiness index (TRI) and the system specific factors of technology acceptance model (TAM) within the context of iContracts.

Drawing insights from the extant literature and the author's previous qualitative investigations into iContract readiness constructs, a quantitative approach is used to operationalise the constructs by offering relevant statements to be measured and validated through a multiple-item scale against the users intent to accept the future iContract technology.

This study confirms and validates the relationship of the proposed iContract readiness index (iCRI) statements against the established TAM factors by offering 18 new constructs influencing technology readiness of the iContract technology. This study proves 9 of the 12 hypotheses highlighting key factors to be addressed for the successful development of the iContract technology.

This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by proposing a novel iCRI that informs an iContract technology readiness acceptance model (iCTRAM) for a trending technology. The iCTRAM can guide developers in producing an appropriate iContract solution and assess the readiness of users and organisations for the successful adoption of the iContract concept.

This study offers a unique theoretical framework, in an embryonic field, for predicting the success of iContract implementation within construction organisations. This study combines the established studies of TRI and TAM in producing a predictive iContract readiness assessment tool.

The global Covid-19 pandemic is posing considerable challenges for governments throughout the world and has and will have a significant influence on the shape of peoples social and economic life and wellbeing in the short and longer term. This opinion paper discusses the current health policy response adopted in England to control or manage the epidemic and identifies the key sociological and political influences which have shaped these policies. Drawing on the theoretical approach set out in his recent book, which emphasises the interplay of powerful structural and economic interest groups, the author will consider the influence of the key players. Government policy has tied itself to scientific and medical evidence and protecting the NHS so the key roles of the medical profession, public health scientific community and NHS management and their respective and relative powerful influences will be discussed. The government needs the support of the public if their policies are to be successful, so how have the government addressed maintaining public trust in this “crisis” and how much trust do the public have in the government and what has influenced it? The strong emphasis on social distancing and social isolation in the national government policy response to Covid-19 has placed an increasing public reliance on the traditional and social media for sources of information so how the media has framed the policy will be considered. One policy aim is for an effective vaccine and the influence of the drug industry in its development is discussed. Finally, the role of the state will be discussed and what has shaped its social and economic policies.

In recent years, technological advancement has played a crucial role in the growth of emerging economies. However, as with any novel technological development, there are often concerns and hesitations surrounding its implementation. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing blockchain adoption and usage. Thereby evaluating its impact on supply chain performance.

This is a deductive research based on the modified form unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, which is a persuasive model that has been used in numerous studies on the acceptance and usage of information technology systems. For this study, valid data was collected from 129 management-level supply chain professionals and policymakers working in diverse manufacturing industries. The collected data was used for testing hypotheses by deploying the structural equation modeling technique.

The findings of this study reveal that facilitating conditions and technology readiness highly are key influencers for organizations to implement this disruptive technology. Moreover, blockchain adoption and usage can significantly enhance supply chain performance.

Blockchain technology is a novel and promising disruptive technology that industries are looking forward to adopting and using. For the policymakers and supply chain strategists working in a developing country, this study offers a comprehensive viewpoint on the swift acceptance and usage of blockchain technology to facilitate supply chain operations.

This article aims at - exploring and prioritizing the barriers to adoption of digitization in supply chains (SCs), categorizing them into sustainability triple bottom line (STBL) based upon their direct impact and suggesting digital technologies to address each barrier.

A five-phase methodology is used which consists of an exploration of 44 barriers to the adoption of digitization in SCs, analysis of 44 barriers for mean, standard deviation and Cronbach alpha based on questionnaire-based feedback of 25 experts, extraction of 10 most significant barriers through 05 experts, followed by categorization of the barriers into STBL referring to their direct impact on STBL, prioritization of ten barriers using Fuzzy Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution and recommendation of digital technologies to address each barrier.

While all the barriers considered in this study significantly impede the adoption of digitization in SCs, lack of top management commitment (B1) is found to be most crucial while lack of culture toward use of information and communication technology required for digitization (B3) has minimum impact. Large investment in digital infrastructure (B6), difficulty in integration of cyber physical systems (CPSs) on varied platforms (B8) and lack of experts having knowledge of digital technologies (B2) are equally important barriers requiring more attention while adopting digitization in SCs.

This study is mainly based on feedback from 25 seasoned experts; a wider cross section of experts will give more insight.

The outcomes are very significant for organizations looking to adopt digitization in their SCs. Simultaneous consideration to all the barriers becomes impractical hence prioritization of same will be useful for the SC managers to benchmark their preparedness and decide strategies for the adoption of digitization with due consideration toward the impact of barriers on STBL. The digital technologies recommended will further aid in planning the digital strategies to address each barrier.

A unique approach to explore, analyze, prioritize and categorize the barriers to adoption of digitization in SCs is used to provide a deeper understanding of factors deterring the same. It implies that a supportive top management along with systematic allocation of finances plays a crucial role. The importance of availability of digital experts for integrating CPSs on a single platform is also highlighted. The digital technologies recommended will further assist the organizations toward adoption of digitization in SCs with due consideration to STBL.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the digital innovations which are being introduced in the HRM field in organizations in the modern business services sector in Finland and Poland. It is also intended to identify the most important factors/trends that influence digital innovations and to identify the challenges they generate for HRM departments. The practical objective is to develop recommendations for organizations executives, policy makers and researchers.

The research was mainly based on a quantitative research approach and a questionnaire survey. Additionally, the authors conducted a semi-structured interview was with the representatives of the HRM departments in the surveyed organizations. The qualitative research of the obtained results allowed to deepen the obtained quantitative data. The purpose of the data triangulation used was to increase the reliability of the data.

Nearly 90% of HRM employees declared that the companies they work for have implemented digital innovations. Among the introduced digital innovations, chatbots, dashboards, application software systems, a virtual HRM assistant and digital tools were indicated. The COVID-19 pandemic and the progress of robotization and automation have accelerated the implementation of digital technologies in HR departments in both Poland and Finland. There are however differences between the two countries – it is evident that in Finland digital innovations were already introduced by modern businesses organizations before the pandemic period, while in Poland the innovations were mostly implemented during and after the pandemic period. It is worth emphasizing the differences regarding the two countries in terms of the level of technology advancement.

Similar to most studies conducted, this study has its limitations and the authors are aware of them. First, future research using the tool which was used in this study should focus on confirming its reliability. Secondly, its scope and scale were limited as it was not possible to obtain an industry-wide sample. It should be noted that the obtained results cannot be generalized to a broader context, although they provide valuable conclusions and recommendations and may be an inspiration for further research. For the future research, it is recommended that the researchers should pay more attention to the challenges and difficulties that accompany digital innovations in HRM departments. One of the aspects is the need to pay attention to the cultural and psychological aspects of the presence of technology in organizational areas, which have only been signaled in this article. A more in-depth study could address the issue of negative attitudes toward the introduction and use of digital technologies. The future research could focus on creating the necessary conditions at each stage of introducing digital innovations and using the potential of these tools – starting with needs analyses, awareness of goals, benefits, dealing with concerns and risks, communication and evaluation and assessment of the technology in question. For future research, it is recommended that researchers pay more attention to the challenges and difficulties that accompany digital innovations in HRM departments. One of the aspects is the need to be aware of the cultural and psychological aspects of the presence of technology in organizational areas, which has only been signaled in this article. A more in-depth study could address the issue of negative attitudes toward the introduction and use of digital technologies. The future research could focus on creating the necessary conditions at each stage of introducing digital innovations and using the potential of these tools – starting with needs analyses, awareness of goals, benefits, dealing with concerns and risks, communication and evaluation and assessment of the technology in question.

The study provides suggestions for practice, providing companies in Finland and Poland with the insight into the impact of the trends on the development of digital innovations in HRM departments and the challenges they generate. The contributions of this study are also the recommendations and guidelines for organizations to effectively implement digital technologies. This will allow not only to better adapt to the present situation, but also to more accurately predict future trends.

The research results can be useful for the development of HRM practices, as traditional practices are increasingly being replaced by new digital modes of leading and managing capital resources in organizations. This development is followed by the need for new competencies in HRM (Mazurchenko, Maršíková, 2019), a new understanding of leadership, thus digital tools may prove particularly supportive in this context (Salojärvi, 2018). Digital innovation research conducted in the modern business services industry can be particularly valuable in the context of the flow of technological innovations, including know-how, implementation of modern organizational solutions; which transfers to other industries (MORR, 2017). Digital innovations can contribute to reducing the complexity of HRM functions, which will accelerate management and personnel decisions. It will improve the quality of analytical data, as well as increase access to employees and opportunities in planning their personal development. As a result, the introduction of digital innovations will contribute to reducing costs and increasing the efficiency of HRM processes.

This study provides a new and timely perspective by examining applied digital innovations and related challenges affecting the implementation of digital innovations by HRM departments in the modern business services sector. This survey provides comprehensive information on how and what can enhance the capacity for digital innovation in Finnish and Polish organizations. This article theoretically analyzes the importance of technological development for HRM departments and reviews the previous research on digital technologies in HRM departments and the factors and challenges of introducing digital innovations. It also characterizes the modern business services sector, which is very active in introducing digital innovations.