Volume 26, Special Issue on Information Systems
Contents - Volume 26, Special Issue on Information systems
Published December 2022
Volume 26, Special Issue on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management in the Asia Pacific Region (complete issue)
Contents page - Volume 26, Special Issue on Information Systems
Editorial
Introduction to the Special Issue on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management in the Asia Pacific Region
Thomas J. Huggins, Vincent Lemiale & Raj Prasanna
Keywords: Special issue, Editorial, COVID-19, Information Systems
Abstract:
The current special issue was arranged by Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, during a point of the COVID-19 pandemic when many contingency plans were being made. It is a collection of the papers with the most positive reviews submitted to a conference organised by the Asia Pacific chapter of this organisation but which needed to be postponed by one calendar year. This special issue includes research papers ranging from the electronic provision of social work services and the adoption of e-learning by university students during the pandemic to relevant challenges faced by tourism supply chains around the world. Other special issue papers cover broader issues such as emergency response capacities and information systems for emergency medical care. Papers on the digitalisation of health care and a framework for studying supply chain resilience take a more conceptual approach to enduring issues, while papers on rescue coordination and traffic accident modelling look at issues affecting our everyday lives. As a whole, this special issue represents a panorama of important research and research-related activity that was being carried out as the pandemic progressed. We are proud to have seen the current set of papers through to publication during such a challenging period.
Special Issue Papers
Online learning adoption by Chinese university students during the Covid-19 pandemic
Thomas J. Huggins, Marion L. Tan, Yi-Lung Kuo, Raj Prasanna & Darrell D. Rea
Keywords: Online learning, technology adoption, business continuity, pandemic
Abstract:
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pandemic has severely challenged the continuity of post-secondary education around the world. Online learning platforms have been put to the test, in a context where student engagement will not occur as a simple matter of course. To identify the factors supporting online learning under pandemic conditions, a questionnaire based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was adapted and administered to a sample of 704 Chinese university students. Structural equation modelling was applied to the resulting data, to identify the most relevant theoretical components. Effort expectancy, social influence, and information quality all significantly predicted both students’ performance expectancies and the overall adoption of their university’s Moodle-based system. Performance expectancy mediated the effects of effort expectancy, social influence, and information quality on symbolic adoption. Internet speed and reliability had no clear impact on adoption, and neither did gender. The direct impact of information quality on symbolic adoption represents a particularly robust and relatively novel result; one that is not usually examined by comparable research. As outlined, this is one of three key factors that have predicted online learning engagement, and the viability of educational continuity, during the Coronavirus pandemic. The same factors can be leveraged through user-focused development and implementation, to help ensure tertiary education continuity during a range of crises.
Practice Update – Social-psychological emergency response during Wuhan lockdown: Internet-based crisis intervention
Johnston H. C. Wong & Candy T. Zhou
Keywords: E-counselling, COVID-19, social work
Abstract:
Wuhan was completely locked down in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its residents were isolated, depressed. They were badly in need of information, advice, and psychological support. However, social and psychological services could only be provided by distance. The Social Workers Across Borders trained and supervised more than 120 volunteers to offer e-counselling services through WeChat platforms. The digital environment was very different from real life or even hotline settings. Wechat platforms, similar to that of WhatsApp, enabled multi-players, multi-media, and multi-directional exchanges for as many as 500 participants. They could raise questions, share information and offer opinions. Volunteers, composed of medical students, psychological counsellors, social workers, community workers, and lay community volunteers, were understandably not ready for the challenge. The teams found that traditional crisis intervention skills training, designed for face-to-face emotional support, was no longer sufficient to ensure satisfactory results in the digital environments. The current study, based on the analysis of the supervision records of the volunteers, discussed the hindering factors in providing Social Psychological e-services and proposed their respective solutions. A new mode of Social Psychological Emergency Response has emerged and our traditional training for respective responders needs to be revolutionized.Tourism supply chains: Issues and resilience strategies during the global pandemic
Muhammad Umar, Rizwan Ahmad & Robert Radics
Keywords: Hotel supply chains, supply chain resilience, tourism, Covid-19 Pandemic.
Abstract:
Covid-19 related border restrictions and national lockdowns have challenged the overall resilience of hotel supply chains in New Zealand due to the industry’s over-reliance on international tourists. Using case study research methodology, this study interviewed 13 hotel managers in Akaroa, a famous tourist destination located near Banks Peninsula in the South Island of New Zealand. This study has revealed that the major objectives for these supply chains were related to surviving and maintaining breakeven during the lockdown periods (March 2020 and August 2021). Significantly, during these restrictions, most of the interviewed hotels streamlined their internal operations and focused on building better relationships with their network partners. Having an extensive network structure, and the help of key government organisations like Tourism NZ (who shared information and created targeted marketing campaigns focused on attracting domestic tourists), enabled these supply chains to bounce back relatively quickly. While managers faced many challenges but the key challenge was demand management as the relationship with online suppliers (booking.com) was deteriorating. Suppliers and other service providers for these hotels also found themselves in a difficult position (due to Covid-19 related restrictions) that further worsened the situation. By modifying their products and services, adjusting their prices, utilising local suppliers, diversifying their customer bases, and coordinating with tour operators in the region, these hotel supply chains were able to quickly recover and today, show further signs of improvement.Research Update – A framework to study supply chain strategies against global pandemic
Muhammad Umar, Mark Wilson, Rizwan Ahmad & Robert Radics
Keywords: Supply chain resilience, Haddon Matrix, disaster management
Abstract:
During the global pandemic, supply chains often look for an evidence-based framework to evaluate their responses to disruptions compared to other more successful responses. This study proposes such a framework based on the Haddon matrix that is traditionally used to prevent roadside injuries in road accidents. This tool will help to study supply chains and their vertical and societal linkages during the preparation, response and recovery phases of natural disasters such as global pandemics. Implications for the further development of our current research are outlined.Clearance time prediction of traffic accidents: A case study in Shandong, China
Anyi Zhang, Fanyu Meng, Wenwu Gong, Yiping Zeng, Lili Yang, Diping Yuan
Keywords: Highway, Accident clearance time, Vehicle types, Passenger vehicles
Abstract:
Accurate predictions of the clearance time of highway accidents can help make more effective decisions and reduce the economic losses caused by the accidents. This paper compares two representations of traffic accidents with mixed vehicle types and establishes two different classification models. The traffic accident data in Shandong Province, China from 2016 to 2019 are used as a case study. The interpretability of the parametric model indicates that the types of vehicles involved in the accident, the type of accident, and the weather can significantly affect the clearance time of the accident. The results of this study can not only provide evidence of whether the types of vehicles involved in the accident will affect the accident clearance time, but also provide advice for the authorities to quickly clear accident scenes and prevent further accidents.Practice Update – Improving security and trust for IoT devices during rescue operations
Yuri Tijerino, Yasushi Miyazaki, Carlos Tovar & Christian Espinosa
Keywords: Distributed Ledger Technologies, IoT Devices, First Responders
Abstract:
This paper briefly introduces pilot evaluations that have taken place under the umbrella of the First Responder Advanced Technologies for Safe and Efficient Emergency Response (FASTER) initiative, a project co-funded by the European Community and Japan. The FASTER Research Consortium included research organizations, emergency response practitioners, and industry from 11 countries and 23 organizations. This paper concerns a pilot evaluation carried out in Japan in July 2021 to evaluate the technologies developed by European FASTER partners and their interoperability with a distributed network of trust framework created by the Japanese partners. The expected outcome of the evaluation pilot was that the distributed network of trust would enable secure and trustable communications among first responders employing technological tools during rescue operations. This paper presents details of the pilot and the architecture of the technical solutions. Because all the FASTER pilots involve close collaboration with emergency first responders during the design of the pilots and during the pilots themselves, the evaluation of the data obtained from pilots incorporates not only a technological assessment of the distributed network of trust created by the authors of this paper but also initial insights from the practitioners as to the usability of the tools provided by European FASTER partners, as part of the assessment.Research Update – Using SARA app and video feedback for dispatchers to improve the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest handling
Ophélie Morand, Robert Larribau, Stéphane Safin, Romain Pages & Caroline Rizza
Keywords: Cardiac arrest, apps, community engagement, collaboration, Living-Lab
Abstract:
Survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is significantly improved by using an external defibrillator and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation within the first minutes of the arrest (Perkins, Handley, et al., 2015). Dedicated mobile applications enable any bystander of an emergency to report it or to be called to perform first aid on victims (Ciravegna et al., 2016; Garcia et al., 2015). This paper presents the SARA app, which allows call centres to guide the person calling to enact first aid gestures through video. However, even if rescue community recognize the primary role played by citizens in emergencies by the rescue community, barriers still exist to an optimal collaboration. Citizens expressed a fear of hurting the victim and the health professional are reluctant to rely on non-expert. We also have to measure the usability of the app and evaluate the pertinence of video guidance.Adaptable socio-cyber physical systems for supporting disaster response
Samaneh Madanian, Kenneth Johnson, Mathew St.Martin, Roopak Sinha, Javier Cámara & David Parry
Keywords: disaster management, disaster response, socio-cyber physical system, situational awareness
Abstract:
Effective disaster response highly depends on disaster types, scale, and attributes of disaster affected regions. Although deeply interconnected, social, cyber and physical aspects are usually not considered together when shaping an appropriate disaster response strategy. We introduce a conceptual framework in which disasters are socio-cyber-physical systems that codify attributes impacting effective responses. The framework enables rigorous analysis and evaluation of response plans by disaster managers. We inform our conceptual model through a range of disaster-response case studies and our personal disaster first-responder experiences.Rethinking the improvisation of digital health technology: A niche construction perspective
Sindisiwe Magutshwa
Keywords: digital health technology, radical improvisation, crisis response, COVID-19
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has sent shock waves through healthcare organisations and catalysed an impromptu digital shift, creating a demand for telemedicine and other digital health technologies. Under such conditions, improvisation, adaptation, and innovation emerge as core dimensions to an organisation’s capacity to generate a response to crisis. This paper integrates a process perspective on the radical improvisation of a digital health technology and investigates how the radical improvisation of a digital health technology emerges and develops during a health crisis. Through a combination of supporting case evidence and literature, a multi-phase conceptual process model anchored in the crisis management cycle and illustrating the radical improvisation of digital health technology is developed and proposed. We conclude with discussion on the long-term implications of radical improvisation and crisis learning, with possible theoretical explanation using niche construction theory, and providing suggestions for future information systems and crisis management research.
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