Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are recognized as the backbone of today’s world economy. However, SMEs are well known for having limitations and acceptance barriers in adopting new technology even though the internet and communications channel’s revolution has changed the way people conduct business today. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic has disturbed the operations of SMEs and increased the burden on social media application globally. It is essential that SMEs utilize social media to strengthen their performance. Strengthening SME Performance Through Social Media Adoption and Usage explores experiences in different technological, managerial, organizational, and entrepreneurial environmental issues. It focuses on different conceptions of factors and consequences influencing social media usage and SME performance. Covering topics such as corporate social responsibility, marketing frameworks, and social media adoption, this premier reference source is a valuable resource for entrepreneurs, business leaders and managers, human resource managers, marketers, consultants, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

This book constitutes the revised and selected papers of the International Conference on Global Economic Revolutions (ICGER 2023) held in Sharjah City, United Arab Emirates, during February 27-28, 2023. The 18 papers included in this book were thoroughly reviewed and selected from the 105 submissions. The papers focus on topics related to data science and data centers, machine learning, sustainable technologies for a green economy, metaverse in the healthcare education, Predictive Model Analytics using Data mining and Machine learning, blockchain adoption and acceptance, Narrow Band Internet of Things, and enhanced Bubble Sorting Visualizer.

Today, many fashion brands use social media marketing strategies to increase awareness about their brand and influence consumers’ decision-making patterns. Further, consumers use social media platforms to find relevant and reliable information for structuring their preferences and making evaluations. Web 2.0 tools in the digital age provide consumers with a plethora of interactive and user control information that helps them acquire and share brand information, which in turn impacts their purchase decision preferences. The bulk of the data produced by social media tools provides brand marketers with information about the consumers’ wants, beliefs, commitment habits, and purchasing intentions, which in turn is useful for the development and implementation of marketing strategies. Social Media and Online Consumer Decision Making in the Fashion Industry provides critical research on effective methods, techniques, and tools for evaluating the impacts of social media on the consumer decision-making process. The book explores the pertinence of web-based social media tools and how the fashion business sector can benefit from social media innovation approaches in digital environments. Covering topics such as mobile apps, consumer decision-making processes, and communication technologies, this book is ideal for students, brand executives, marketing professionals, researchers interested in social media technology, and more.

Accessibility of Digital Higher Education in the Global South, authored by Pfano Mashau and Tshililo Farisani from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is an academic book that examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education in Africa. The book aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the sustainability of the “new normal” approaches in African universities and institutions of learning as well as government responses to teaching and learning processes during and post pandemic. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 triggered demands for informal, comfortable, and self-designed spaces that go beyond conventional formal classrooms where students can take initiative and demonstrate independence in learning. However, access to digitalized teaching methods remains problematic due to the digital divide among learners and the rural-urban dichotomy. The book invites researchers, academics, and scholars in the Global South to contribute to the narrative to document successes in and improve the higher education sector post pandemic. The book covers a range of themes including the sustainability of digitalized teaching approaches; integrative and interactive teaching and learning theories and practices; government responses to teaching and learning processes; comparative analysis of conventional and digitalized teaching and learning approaches; and equality, diversity, and participation in digitalized teaching and learning platforms, among others.

There are essential questions surrounding Africa's digitalization journey, including whether or not the continent can truly serve as the last frontier for socio-economic transformation through digital innovation. An examination of countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and Rwanda, which are actively pursuing digitalization, may provide some answers. To evaluate the potential implications, both real and potential, that arise from this focused pursuit, a critical analysis is necessary. Scrutiny of digital infrastructure by companies like Huawei, the emergence of artificial intelligence, and the advent of quantum computing will open new pathways to understanding and establishing promising approaches to the advancement of this region. Examining the Rapid Advance of Digital Technology in Africa offers a comprehensive exploration of the transformative power of digitalization in Africa and its implications for the continent's socio-economic development. It engages with the field of science and technology studies, linking it with socio-economic impacts and transformation, to track, analyze, understand, and critique Africa's contributions to digitalization. The chapters cover a wide range of themes, including ICTs and the business environment, education, healthcare, creative industries, media, culture, tourism, agriculture, ecology, artificial intelligence, blockchain and cryptocurrency revolution, algorithmic governance, the quantum age, and urbanization. This book is a must-read for researchers, scholars, investors, and policymakers who are interested in Africa's digital transformation, as it offers valuable insights into the latest empirical and theoretical aspects shaping the continent's ongoing digitalization.

Proper implementation and the practice of governance in the public sector improve organizational performance through increased efficiency, productivity, quality, and innovation. Ultimately, governance helps organizations make better decisions, streamline processes, and reduce re-work, whilst also increasing integrity by bringing transparency and greater collaboration among stakeholders. Governance as a Catalyst for Public Sector Sustainability examines the concepts that have powerfully influenced development policy and investigates the role of governance in these institutions and how they have affected current development discourse. Covering topics such as public health sector sustainability, institutional participatory governance, and human resource information systems, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for government officials, policymakers, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.