Purpose This study aims to examine how artificial intelligence can be effectively integrated into records management practices by identifying the key cultural aspects that should be aligned with the prerequisites of automation. The author also discusses the new roles that are to be played by records managers in this context. Design/methodology/approach To identify those cultural aspects, the author has used the Information culture framework (ICF) developed by Oliver and Foscarini (2020). For each of the three levels of the ICF (i.e. visible, intermediate and invisible), the author has analyzed the cultural aspects serving as the prerequisites of AI for records management purposes. Findings The results of our theoretical reflection reveal that for AI features to be integrated into records management practices, many cultural aspects are to be taken into consideration. AI-powered technologies use, collaboration practices and horizontal communication are some visible cultural aspects contemporary organizations should have in place to meet the requirements of automation. Furthermore, policies and strategies should define automation purposes, identify actors that will be involved in records management practices and describe their respective roles. Finally, attention should be given to individual perceptions and personal traits to ensure that AI technologies are embraced by organizational actors. All those aspects should support the development of a common AI-related language in the organization and influence the extent to which actors trust AI-powered technologies. In this context of automation, records managers will have to assume new roles in change management and promoting information competencies, to assess organizations’ readiness to integrate AI into its records management practices and make the appropriate use of it. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to use the ICF model suggested by Oliver and Foscarini (2020) to identify the main cultural aspects to target for the effective use of AI in records management practices. Furthermore, the author confirmed the relevance of the expression “augmented records management”, referring to AI-assisted records management practices in contemporary organizations, by highlighting the fact that AI will not replace human work but can, rather, be used as a tool to support it.
Background: Auditing can support national democratic processes, national development and government good will. Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI), such as offices of Auditor General, publish consolidated reports on audit outcomes for local authorities, government departments, parastatals and related public entities. These reports identify broad areas analysed during audit exercises that often include financial management, governance, asset management, risk management, revenue collection and debt recovery. They highlight trends that were detected during audit exercises at the end of a financial year. The reports further show how records and records management affect audit exercises as well as financial management within the audited institutions.Objectives: The intention of the research was to ascertain the contribution of records management to audit opinions and accountability in financial management in Zimbabwean government entities.Method: A document analysis of Comptroller and Auditor General of Zimbabwe (CAGZ)’s reports was used to identify the types of decisions and recommendations (audit opinions) issued, in juxtaposition to the records management issues raised.Results and Conclusion: This study shows that there is a strong correlation between records management concerns and audit opinions raised by the CAGZ’s narrative audit reports. Inadequate records management within government entities was associated with adverse and qualified opinions and, in some cases, unqualified opinions that had emphases of matter. There was a causal loop in which lack of documentary evidence of financial activities was the source cause of poor accounting and poor audit reports. Errors resulting from incomplete or inaccurate records meant that government entities were not showing a true picture of their financial status and their financial statements could be materially misstated. As an important monitoring and control system, records management should be integrated into the accounting and auditing processes of government entities.
EDITOR'S SUMMARYStandardization is fundamental for bringing a vast variety of electronic records under control. It enables capturing and preserving original records as well as evidence of any access or change to the records. Creating standards within and across organizations is an extreme challenge that must be met. The 2011 Presidential Memorandum on Managing Government Records and subsequent 2012 Directive established values and strategic direction for managing federal electronic records without creating strict standards. The Battelle Record Management Office relies on a Defense Department standard for enterprise content management systems to be secure, searchable and capable of preserving contextual relationships and on the Code of Federal Regulations regarding equivalence of electronic records and signatures to paper. The result demonstrates a record's integrity and authenticity and enables it to be discovered and accessed. Defined access permissions and an audit trail add further assurances. Interoperability through application program interface layers is another requirement, being addressed through advanced platform development, which may provide the solution for authenticity and contextual preservation.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the findings of studies conducted during the period 1986‐2010 in 75 Icelandic organizations on how employees classified or did not classify information and records.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative methodology was used, involving open‐ended interviews, participant observations and internal documentary material.FindingsThe studies revealed that very few of the organizations used a functional classification scheme (FCS) organization‐wide to classify records when the data collection took place. When FCS was not used, records were variably stored unclassified or were classified by the employees according to individualistic schemes made up by themselves. It was further discovered that influential factors in a successful implementation of FCS were user participation in designing FCS, proper training and top management support in its use.Practical implicationsThe findings could be practical for organizations that intend to improve information and records management and to maximize efficient retrieval of records for business and legal purposes. They could be a starting point in successful introduction of FCS in organizations, both in Iceland and abroad.Originality/valueThere is a lack of systematic analysis of studies on classification of records and FCS, not only in Iceland but in other countries as well. The findings provide new knowledge on how employees classify or do not classify records and use or do not use FCS and of which are the most influential factors in a successful implementation of such schemes.
The government of Malaysia is aware of the importance of record keeping in business as part of its effort to cultivate a well-informed society. Businesses are encouraged to manage their information in order to be competent and responsible. Within this environment, a research project was carried out to investigate whether businesses in Malaysia manage their records (as one part of their information resource). The project’s aim was to create an awareness of the importance to businesses of adopting records management programmes, given that Malaysia is moving toward an information society. The study used a survey approach, which employed a questionnaire for data collection, amongst business organizations listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, as the sample population. The findings showed that a records management programme is an uncommon practice in business in Malaysia. This is not surprising, given that records management is a relatively new discipline in information studies. It is hoped that this research will help to promote records management in Malaysian businesses and will allow further research in this field, especially in respect of the legal and regulatory requirements for record-keeping in Malaysia.
Because there are some differences between England's county system and Japan's system of urban and rural prefectures, before introducing the archive management system in my prefecture, I will first comment briefly on the general state of my prefecture and the organization of the prefectural government.
The digital era generates exponential volumes of data, making the management and preservation of archives more complex. Nonetheless, by supporting conventional archival procedures, guaranteeing more effective retrieval, and improving decision-making, AI presents promising possibilities. This chapter explores the readiness of the ESARBICA member countries to integrate AI into ARM, using a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis framework. With data collected from 34 interviewees, the study identified strengths and opportunities such as skilled ARM professionals, efforts in digital infrastructure improvement, data availability, strong regional leadership, and collaboration networks. However, AI skills gaps, fear of job displacement, outdated technological infrastructure, vulnerability to cyberattacks, fragmented research efforts, resistance to change, inadequate infrastructure, and regulatory concerns hinder AI adoption. The findings accentuate the need for capacity building, policy development, and strategic investment to enhance AI adoption.
Associate Professor Marketing, Institute of Business Management, College of Business Management, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan., Syed Aamir Saeed, Arif Ashraf
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The study's main objective is to measure the impact of different elements of CSR, like economic, ethical, and philanthropic CSR, on brand image. In addition, this study also examines the mediating effects of consumer perception. At the same time, this study addresses the gap in the literature on how these initiatives specifically influence Pakistan. Quantitative research was used and data were collected from 252 respondents of Generation Z and Millennial participants living in Karachi, Pakistan and analyzed in PLS-SEM using the latest version of Smart PLS. The study found significant relationships between consumer perception and brand image, economic CSR and brand image, ethical CSR and consumer perception, and philanthropic CSR with both. Consumer perception significantly mediate the association between ethical CSR, philanthropic CSR and brand image. The model had substantial explanatory power, with R2 values of 0.631 for brand image and 0.564 for consumer perception. Collaboration between CSR departments and marketing is crucial for fostering positive brand perception. The study emphasizes the importance of fostering positive brand perception through collaboration between CSR departments and marketing, thereby enhancing customer engagement and promoting societal or employee-related activities. The study's limitations include a small sample size, a single mediator, and limited exogenous constructs, suggesting future research should consider larger sample sizes, multiple mediators, and diverse regions.
Master of Business Management, BINUS Business School, Indonesia, Sekar Wulan Prasetyaningtyas, Clivensen Heryanto
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Recent COVID-19 Pandemic has forced many institutions to adopt work from home (WFH) practice whether they’re ready or not. Conditions affecting knowledge worker productivity while adopting new WFH practices become increasingly relevant as compa- nies adapt to the new normal era. This study investigates the direct impact of WFH on productivity and the mediating impact of WFH on productivity through work life balance (WLB) and job satisfaction in the banking industry located in the Greater Jakarta Area. As such, questionnaires were conducted with 234 respondents who have experience of the WFH program due to COVID-19 pandemic and working in the banking industry located in the Greater Jakarta Area. Findings revealed how job satisfaction is a mediating variable between WFH and Productivity, and WFH positively impacts overall productivity. However, contrary to our predictions, results also showed that WFH has a negative impact on WLB. Further research can extend the proposed model of this study by considering adding several variables which might affect productivity in WFH arrangements or implement the already proposed model to other industries.
Critical thinking is more than just fault-finding—it involves a range of thinking processes, including interpreting, analyzing, evaluating, inferencing, explaining, and self-regulating. The concept of critical thinking emerged from the field of education; however, it can, and should, be applied to other areas, particularly to research. Like most skills, critical thinking can be developed. However, critical thinking is also a mindset or a disposition that enables the consistent use and application of critical thought. Critical thinking is vital in business research, because researchers are expected to demonstrate a systematic approach and cogency in the way they undertake and present their studies, especially if they are to be taken seriously and for prospective research users to be persuaded by their findings. Critical thinking can be used in the key stages of many typical business research projects, specifically: the literature review; the use of inductive, deductive, and abductive reasoning and the relevant research design and methodology that follows; and contribution to knowledge. Research is about understanding and explaining phenomena, which is usually the starting point to solve a problem or to take advantage of an opportunity. However, to gain new insights (or to claim to), one needs to know what is already known, which is why many research projects start with a literature review. A literature review is a systematic way of searching and categorizing literature that helps to build the researchers’ confidence that they have identified and recognized prevailing (explicit) knowledge relevant to the development of their research questions. In a literature review, it is the job of the researcher to examine ideas presented through critical thinking and to scrutinize the arguments of the authors. Critical thinking is also clearly crucial for effective reasoning. Reasoning is the way people rationalize and explain. However, in the context of research, the three generally accepted distinct forms of reasoning (inductive, deductive, and abductive) are more analogous to specific approaches to shape how the literature, research questions, methods, and findings all come together. Inductive reasoning is making an inference based on evidence that researchers have in possession and extrapolating what may happen based on the evidence, and why. Deductive reasoning is a form of syllogism, which is an argument based on accepted premises and involves choosing the most appropriate alternative hypotheses. Finally, abductive reasoning is starting with an outcome and working backward to understand how and why, and by collecting data that can subsequently be decoded for significance (i.e., Is the identified factor directly related to the outcome?) and clarified for meaning (i.e., How did it contribute to the outcome?). Also, critical thinking is crucial in the design of the research method, because it justifies the researchers’ plan and action in collecting data that are credible, valid, and reliable. Finally, critical thinking also plays a role when researchers make arguments based on their research findings to ensure that claims are grounded in the evidence and the procedures.