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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perceived usefulness and satisfaction levels of undergraduate students with respect to university library portal services, specifically within selected universities in South-West Nigeria.

A descriptive survey research design was used to investigate the perceived usefulness and satisfaction levels among undergraduate students regarding university library portal services. Data were collected through surveys administered to 658 undergraduate respondents across multiple universities in South-West Nigeria.

The findings indicate that undergraduate students’ top reasons for using the portal were for tasks such as locating research materials, accessing databases, requesting bibliographies and checking the library catalog. Library computers and school information and communication technology center computers were identified as the most preferred access point, followed by computer labs and campus Wi-Fi networks. Undergraduates rated the portals as highly useful, particularly for saving time locating resources, checking material status and patronizing the library. High satisfaction was reported for services such as attending workshops, events and receiving research support through the portals workshops. Moderate satisfaction levels existed for accessing policies/hours, the institutional repository and renewals of books online. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.785, p < 0.05) was found between perceived usefulness and satisfaction.

This study contributes to the understanding of undergraduate students’ perceptions regarding the utility and satisfaction of university library portal services in the context of South-West Nigeria. It underscores the importance of aligning portal services with students’ academic and research needs to enhance overall satisfaction levels. In addition, it provides insights into areas where improvements can be made to further enhance the effectiveness and satisfaction derived from these services.

The study empirically explores the influence of re-organization on entrepreneurial intentions and family business generational transfers among small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Using multi-group analysis and partial least square structural equation models, data from 252 family-owned businesses were analyzed.

The results reveal that re-organization partially mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial intentions and family business generational transfers among SMEs.

The study used a cross-sectional survey approach and focused on Kampala business district. If required and funding permits, a longitudinal study in this field may be conducted.

Family business owners ought to involve their family members in the management of the business from an early age, including them in the decision-making process, and use social exchange to strike a balance between their personal goals and the objectives of the business. In order to protect the business's goals, the business founder should mentor the next generation through quality family social interactions.

Integrating entrepreneurial intentions and re-organization is likely to improve the survival rate of family business generational transfers among SMEs in Uganda using social exchange theory.

Our proposed machine learning model contributes to improving the quality of Hire by providing a more nuanced and comprehensive analysis of candidate attributes. Instead of focusing solely on obvious factors, such as qualifications and experience, our model also considers various dimensions of fit, including person-job fit and person-organization fit. By integrating these dimensions of fit into the model, we can better predict a candidate’s potential contribution to the organization, hence enhancing the Quality of Hire.

Within the scope of the investigation, the competencies of the personnel working in the IT department of one in the largest state banks of the country were used. The entire data collection includes information on 1,850 individual employees as well as 13 different characteristics. For analysis, Python’s “keras” and “seaborn” modules were used. The Gower coefficient was used to determine the distance between different records.

The K-NN method resulted in the formation of five clusters, represented as a scatter plot. The axis illustrates the cohesion that exists between things (employees) that are similar to one another and the separateness that exists between things that have their own individual identities. This shows that the clustering process is effective in improving both the degree of similarity within each cluster and the degree of dissimilarity between clusters.

Employee competencies were evaluated within the scope of the investigation. Additionally, other criteria requested from the employee were not included in the application.

This study will be beneficial for academics, professionals, and researchers in their attempts to overcome the ongoing obstacles and challenges related to the securing the proper talent for an organization. In addition to creating a mechanism to use big data in the form of structured and unstructured data from multiple sources and deriving insights using ML algorithms, it contributes to the debates on the quality of hire in an entire organization. This is done in addition to developing a mechanism for using big data in the form of structured and unstructured data from multiple sources.

This paper aims to focus on academic library managers’ learning practices in the context of cooperative work supported by computational artefacts. Academic library managers’ everyday work is mainly cooperative. Their cooperation is supported predominantly by computational artefacts. Learning how to use the computational artefacts efficiently and effectively involves understanding the changes in everyday work that affect managers and, therefore, it requires deep understanding of their cooperative work practices.

Focused ethnography was conducted through participant observations, interviews and document analysis. Ten managers from a university library in Sweden participated in the research. A thematic method was used to analyse the empirical material. Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) and work-integrated learning was used as the conceptual lens.

Five learning practices were identified: collaboration, communication, coordination, decision-making processes and computational artefacts’ use. The findings show that learning is embedded in managers’ cooperative work practices, which do not necessarily include sufficient training time. Furthermore, learning was intertwined with cooperating and was situational. Managers learned by reflecting together on their own experiences and through joint cooperation and information sharing while using the computational artefacts.

The main contribution lies in providing insights into how academic library managers learn and cooperate in their everyday work, emphasizing the role of computational artefacts, the importance of the work context and the collective nature of learning. It also highlights the need for continual workplace learning in contemporary knowledge work environments. Thus, the research generates contributions to the informatics field by extending the understanding of managers’ work-integrated learning in their everyday cooperative work practices supported by computational artefacts’ use. It also contributes to the intersection of CSCW and work-integrated learning.

This paper explores the experiences and strategies that have emerged from an Islamic university in Brunei Darussalam in its efforts to adapt to the new normal. It aims to provide a comprehensive post COVID-19 teaching and learning strategies framework and understand how the principles of Islam can be harmonised with modern practices, offering valuable lessons for educational institutions worldwide.

The study employed a three-fold methodology. Initially, the authors conducted a comprehensive review of the post-COVID-19 experiences within Islamic universities. Subsequently, they administered a structured questionnaire to academic staff and students at an Islamic university in Brunei, utilising Google survey forms. Based on the insights from the data analysis, strategies were carefully formulated. Ultimately, this informed the development of a framework grounded in the established strategies.

The significant findings from this study include the adoption of “e-Talaqqi” and how this can be related to Maqasid Shariah to produce a conceptual framework of post-COVID-19 strategies adaptable for Islamic Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and how that can be related to Maqasid Shariah in line with the values of Islamic-based universities.

The applicability of the framework developed from data gathered at an Islamic university in Brunei might have certain limitations when extended to other Islamic HEIs. Future research should aim to cover more Islamic HEIs across various countries, thereby strengthening a broader applicability of the framework. Moreover, it is advisable that the developed framework undergoes statistical validation to fortify it.

The study's implications encompass theory, researchers, educators, policymakers, and all stakeholders concerned with the past, present, and future of HEIs, particularly in facilitating the adaptation of post-COVID-19 norms within Islamic HEIs.

This paper holds the potential to significantly benefit society by providing invaluable insights to educators and various sectors, aiding them in enhancing their learning pedagogies.

This study has developed a conceptual framework that offers strategies tailored for Islamic HEIs in the post-COVID-19 era, harmonising with the principles of Islamic-based universities, in alignment with Maqasid Shariah. Consequently, this research serves as a significant contribution to the evolution of new theoretical paradigms because of COVID-19.

This study aims to investigate how online teaching of faculty members is affected by technological readiness (TR) of using online teaching platforms. The study sheds light on how many faculty members were ready to use different online platforms during COVID-19 period.

This study used TR measures to determine the impact of optimism regarding the perceived usefulness and ease of usage, impact of innovativeness in terms of perceived usability and ease of use, the influence of discomfort on perceived usefulness and ease of usage, the effect of uncertainty on perceived usefulness and ease of use and the influence of perceived usefulness and ease of use on behavior. An online questionnaire survey was conducted among 255 faculty members of different private universities of Bangladesh. The sample was chosen based on a convenience method. The responses were analyzed using partial least square (PLS) approach with the help of software Smart PLS 3.

The finding supported all of the hypotheses except that discomfort and insecurity have a positive relationship with ease of use and usefulness.

The study will help faculty members in developing their competency in using technologies in their pedagogy. Also, this study will provide some guidelines to the university management in developing adequate technological infrastructure to aid teaching.

The aim of the study was to investigate the faculty members' readiness level with respect to online teaching. The technology assessment model (TAM) was used to determine the readiness index. The study intended to validate the hypotheses regarding the extent to which the faculty members perceived that TAM factors affect Ease of Use and Usefulness of online teaching. Also, this research analyzed the perception of faculty members that Ease of Using online teaching affects its Usefulness. Lastly, the study examined how their perception of Ease of Use and Usefulness affect Intention to Use online as a mode of teaching. It was found from the study that each of the TAM factors, Optimism, Innovativeness, Insecurity and Discomfort has positive and significant contribution on the Ease of Use. On the other hand, Optimism, Innovativeness, Insecurity and Discomfort have positive and significant contributions on the Usefulness. The study also revealed that Ease of Use has positive and significant contribution on the Usefulness. Lastly, it was found that Ease of Use and Usefulness have positive and significant contribution on the Intention to use. Teaching remotely is still a novel concept, and it is more difficult for people who have not done it before. Many teachers became burned out as a result of trying to adjust to new teaching methods, especially after the lockdown began. They were having a difficult time since there was so much ambiguity. When a teacher is well-versed in communication tools, it can improve learning efficiency. When they are properly trained, deploying engaging features of virtual learning, such as audio-visual lessons, quizzes, and so on, becomes simple, and students become eager to learn more. Teachers can plan their classes, prepare and master technology and create innovative and stimulating discussion topics (Mishra et al., 2020). They need to utilize a variety of technological options. They can rehearse virtual classroom management with colleagues if they face any difficulty. All of the aforementioned abilities can be honed with the assistance of an integrated academic system. Teachers can be trained by educational institutions to ensure a smooth learning process through the use of ICT (information and communication technologies) (Scherer et al., 2021; Mishra et al., 2020). The training will assist teachers in efficiently taking online classes. Institutions should ensure that teachers are well-suited to teach online and are skilled at keeping students engaged during remote learning. To make every chapter engaging, aspects such as videos, slides, images and digital copies of books and workbooks can be used. This allows students to receive personalized support and counseling in order to maintain their motivation (Sahu et al., 2022; Lapitan et al., 2021). Every other day, group doubt resolution classes ensure that there are no gaps in learning (Lapitan et al., 2021). All teachers require is a digital mindset, the appropriate tools and a committed approach (Sahu et al., 2022). If teachers can hold their students' attention, they can easily deliver an effective learning experience (Lapitan et al., 2021).

This study was conducted to identify technological preparedness of faculty members of private universities in Bangladesh during COVID-19 period. Some studies were there to assess such kind of preparedness but none of those used TAM and technology readiness model either in isolation or in combination. Also, this paper focused on teachers' readiness in contrast to students' readiness specific to private universities.

Continuous professional development (CPD) plays a crucial role in the library workplace by equipping library and information science (LIS) professionals with the skills and technical knowledge to bridge the theory-praxis gap, assuring that library practitioners and their organisations continue to innovate and stay successful and tailored to the requirement of their users. The aim of the study was to investigate the channels of CPD for LIS professionals working in the university libraries of Northern India. Also, it explored the motivations and barriers related to the LIS professionals’ CPD.

The study adopted a quantitative research design followed by the survey research method. The study population included LIS professionals working in the university libraries of Northern India. Data was gathered from 177 respondents via the census sampling method.

LIS professionals engaged in CPD activities through multiple channels. Intrinsic factors primarily governed the motivation for CPD. Similarly, time and finance were significant challenges for LIS CPD. Lastly, most libraries were headed by in-charge librarians (non-professionals). De-professionalisation, or the deliberate de-skilling of professional roles, threatens the basis upon which librarians establish their credibility as professionals.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is the first of its kind from the perspective of a developing country, adding to the CPD literature in academic libraries.

This study holistically and systematically consolidates the available research on digital reading to reveal the research trends of the past 20 years. Moreover, it explores the thematic evolution, hotspots and developmental characteristics of digital reading. This study, therefore, has the potential to serve as a research guide to researchers and educators in relevant fields.

The authors applied a bibliometric approach using Derwent Data Analyzer and VOSviewer to retrieve 2,456 publications for 2003–2022 from the Web of Science (WoS) database.

The results revealed that most studies' participants were university students and the experimental methods and questionnaires were preferred in digital reading researches. Among the influential countries or regions, institutions, journals and authors, the United States of America, University of London, Electronic Library and Chen, respectively, accounted for the greatest number of publications. Moreover, the authors identified the developmental characteristics and research trends in the field of digital reading by analyzing the evolution of keywords from 2003–2017 to 2018–2022 and the most frequently cited papers by year. “E-books,” “reading comprehension” and “literacy” were the primary research topics. In addition, “attention,” “motivation,” “cognitive load,” “dyslexia,” “engagement,” “eye-tracking,” “eye movement,” “systematic analysis,” “meta-analysis,” “smartphone” and “mobile reading/learning” were potential new research hotspots.

This study provides valuable insights into the current status, research direction, thematic evolution and developmental characteristics in the field of digital reading. Therefore, it has implications for publishers, researchers, librarians, educators and teachers in the digital reading field.

This study aims to investigate the impact of changes in audit processes during the pandemic on auditors’ deviant behavior, considering auditors’ personal characteristics, including demographic variables, spirituality levels and personality traits.

A survey consisting of five parts was used to gather data from auditors employed at Big Four audit firms in the Middle East. The questionnaire collected data on auditors’ perceptions of changes in audit processes and deviant audit behavior during the pandemic, as well as information about their personal characteristics.

The findings revealed a significant positive association between changes in audit processes and a heightened perception of deviant audit conduct during the pandemic. Males and extravert auditors expressed less favorable attitudes toward such behavior.

The sample size was limited to 107 auditors due to the challenges of soliciting responses from auditors during the pandemic. The sole focus on the Big Four audit firms limited the generalizability of the results. Upcoming research should integrate qualitative methods alongside surveys and collect data from larger, more diverse samples to enhance the understanding of the pandemic’s impact on audit behavior.

The findings provide guidance and recommendations for audit firms to mitigate deviant behavior during crises while considering auditors’ personal factors. Recommended strategies include the organization of trainings to raise awareness of these risks and the integration of artificial intelligence to modernize audit processes and enhance audit firms’ readiness to confront future crises.

This study offers a novel empirical investigation into how pandemic-driven changes in audit procedures relate to auditors' deviant behavior, while exploring the influence of auditors' individual traits, an unexplored area in the literature. It addresses this gap specifically in the context of the understudied Middle East region.

The modern high-choice news environment has changed the way people consume news. We examined the structure of news repertories, the role of news trust (and cynicism) in shaping news repertoires, and the effects of different news repertoires on political participation in the South Korean news environment, where news portals function as major news sources.

We conducted a two-wave national survey of adults in January and February 2022 with a three-week time interval. Latent profile analyses and latent profile regression were employed.

Four major news repertoires were identified: news portal-concentrated, portal and TV combination, all except print and SNS, and platform omnivores. Trust in mainstream news media was found to be high in the following order: platform omnivores, all except print and SNS, portal and TV combination, and portal-concentrated repertoires. Cynicism about mainstream media was found to be higher among the users of portal-concentrated repertoire than those using the other three repertoires. Those who rely mainly on news portals for news (i.e. portal-concentrated) were less likely to participate in politics.

This study provides comprehensive insights into how audience perceptions of trust and cynicism toward mainstream news media shape news consumption patterns in today’s high-choice media environment. In particular, the findings of this study illuminate the function of news portals as a substitute platform for those who exhibit lower trust and higher cynicism toward mainstream news media.