Abstract: This paper does a case study of the implications of cyber ethics in developing countries in general, with a special focus on Albania. The issues that are going to be dealt in this paper include the problems of software piracy, public awareness of intellectual property rights, privacy of data and the importance as well as impact of computer ethics on the growth and development of IT industry in developing countries such as Albania, which can be categorized also as a transition country from years of harsh communism towards democracy. However, instead of generalizing all developing countries, this paper deals especially with the case of Albania. This paper also deals with the result of a survey carried out in order to determine the opinion and outlook of Albanians towards computer ethics. The ethical issues examined in this paper are not limited to just internet or computing machines but also include computer networks and interconnected communications technologies.
Abstract: Albanian economy has undergone a steady growth over the past decade and with it the supporting software too. In this paper we analyze the past and present of Albanian enterprise software and speculate on its future. Market forces have driven large businesses in Albania towards enterprise, multi-tier solutions, and we predict that in the near future this trend will encapsulate medium businesses and their enterprise applications. In the short period in which such applications have been in use, (after the initial settle-down period) businesses have found out an immediate market increase resulting in increased revenue and decreased costs. Our findings and conclusions are backed by survey data and face-to-face talks with people in key positions in the IT sector of the mentioned companies.
Abstract: There are several packages for 3D graphics in Java that have come up in the past decade with varying degrees of success. This paper does a survey of not only the features of these tools, but also about their importance and the future prospects of Java based graphics tools. There are powerful graphics libraries such as OpenGL for 3D graphics applications on standalone systems, but there remains a prevalent need for a 3D graphics library aimed at Internet based graphics applications. This has led to a lot of Java based libraries being developed. Some of these tools have become quite popular and some of them have become obscure considering the demands of technology such as band width and complexity. This presents the need for a general comparative survey of some of these tools which are likely to play a major role in the future. It gives a brief description of why some tools have become quite popular. Also we will take a look at the compatibility of these tools with community developed Linux Operating Systems such as Ubuntu, in particular.
Abstract: Purpose: Most of studies carried out on knowledge sharing in small and medium-sized enterprises focus on role of electronic
knowledge management systems. The purpose of this study was to explore alternative approaches to knowledge sharing in
small and medium-sized enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted among 50 respondents in 10 medium-sized enterprises, two from
each of the five key sectors, namely, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Financial Services, Manufacturing,
Construction, and Retailing.
Findings: This research identified alternative approaches to knowledge sharing in small- and medium-sized enterprises other
than the technology-aided knowledge sharing approach. The identified approaches are a socio-technical and a culturaltechnical
approach. The socio-technical approach, which is quite effective for tacit knowledge sharing, uses social processes in
association with information and communication technologies to enhance knowledge sharing in firms. The cultural-technical
approach involves creating an organizational culture that fosters use of technology to enhance knowledge sharing in firms. This
study identified the key aspects of both these alternative approaches of knowledge sharing.
Research limitations/implications: This study was conducted on 10 mediums-sized enterprises in Albania, which is a transition
economy. The identification of alternative approaches would assist future research in utilizing these alternative mechanisms
to their full potential in small and medium-sized enterprises. Factors influencing knowledge sharing, such as, national and
organizational culture may limit the findings of this study.
Practical implications: The identification of alternative approaches of knowledge sharing within small and medium-sized
enterprises would benefit small and medium-sized enterprises in transition economies, which may not be able to invest of
electronic knowledge management systems.
Social implications: Small and medium-sized enterprises compose a significant proportion of businesses in transition
economies, such as, Albania. This study will enhance the competitiveness and productiveness of small and mediums-sized
enterprises as well as benefit the employees working in these firms.
Originality/value: The present study will add value to the existing literature on various approaches to knowledge sharing in small
and medium-sized enterprises. Most of the existing literature focuses on technology-aided knowledge sharing mechanisms,
the present study will present alternative approaches to knowledge sharing in small and medium-sized enterprises.
Abstract: Knowledge sourcing can contribute to the growth and development of Small and Medium
sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries such as Albania. The role of knowledge
sourcing in knowledge sharing and management has not been explored to a great extent,
especially in the context of developing countries. SMEs constitute a significant proportion of
economy in most developing countries. According to the European Union commissioned
report on SME development in South Eastern Europe, Albanian SMEs constitute significant
proportion of Albanian economy with SMEs constituting 99% of registered businesses. The
report also states the weak points in SME development in Albania including human capital
development and technology capacity among others. The lack of technological, financial and
human resources hinders the growth and development of SMEs in developing economies. The
small size in terms of human resources limits the potential of knowledge sharing within the
organization. SMEs can take advantage of knowledge sourcing, in association with their local
and international partners, to improve the efficiency of their existing products and processes.
This paper investigates the role of knowledge sourcing in human capacity development in
Albanian SMEs. This study focuses on the knowledge sourcing practices, if existent, in the
SMEs and identifies potential barriers to knowledge sourcing. This study involves survey of
15 SMEs distributed among three priority economic sectors: construction, ICT, and financial
services. This study would benefit researchers in understanding the role of knowledge
sourcing in SMEs in the context of emerging transition economies such as Albania. This
paper would also contribute to the existing literature on knowledge management in SMEs in
Albania as well as other countries with similar demographic and economic conditions,
especially in emerging post-communist transition economies.
