![2 A. Ivaschenko et al.
or a part of a computer–human interface helping the operator to perform regular
actions.
At the same time in the domain of Industry 4.0, especially in the areas of industrial
quality control systems, application of computer vision remains limited. One of the
reasons is a low sensitivity and accuracy comparatively to various types of sensors
and high dependence on influencing external factors like the quality of lighting, the
presence of pollution, the appearance of shadows, etc.
However, computer vision has greater autonomy and versatility compared to
other technologies of the Internet of Things. It is a challenging problem to find
as appropriate place of this technology application in an industrial enterprise. One
of the possible solutions is production workplace adaptation considering the modern
requirements and standards of quality control.
2 State of the Art
Quality control organization is one of the key challenges of production enterprise
management [1]. In the original setting it assumes testing units and monitoring
whether they satisfy the specifications. According to the modern theory of quality
management [2], the achievement of specified quality indicators for a product is
determined by the quality of the implementation of the production process. One of
the basic factors affecting the quality of the production process is the presence of crit-
ical deviations from the requirements for its implementation, including compliance
with the requirements for the operations performed.
Usually, to assess the quality of production processes, a set of indicators is
used that determine generalized characteristics, such as specialization, repeatability,
continuity, flow, rhythm, etc. However, the initial data for these characteristics can
be reduced to time and correspondence. Respectively the main quality issues are
concerned with the delays and failures. From this point of view the role of statistical
methods of quality control is high. Statistical methods [3, 4] are used to identify
the probability of faults and influencing factors in order to improve a number of
quality parameters. Statistical quality control provides immediate identification of
the place and time when the quality starts to diverge from the standard. One of the
main problems of quality control is to make it robust against to uncertainties, which
allows increasing product reliability and safety operations.
Such problems of statistical analysis of complex data as classification and clus-
tering are being successfully solved by artificial neural networks [5, 6]. Rapid devel-
opment of modern technologies of Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence [7, 8]
provides new opportunities for improving the integrated system of technical control
and quality management at a manufacturing enterprise.
At the same time, implementation of computer vision in this area is challenging
due to a low standardization of quality parameters and indicators of the artificial
intelligence itself, which leads to the intelligent systems reliability and trust issues.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-28-320.jpg)
![Intelligent Quality Guarantor Model for Computer Vision Based Quality … 3
To solve this problem there should be developed new concepts and approaches of
intelligent computer vision application for production quality control.
Smart automation and intelligent technologies application in production is
declared by a concept of Industry 4.0 [9, 10]. Despite the fact that computer vision is
not mentioned in the list of Industry 4.0 core components, it is commonly used as a
part of solutions for advanced human–machine interfaces and smart sensors. Indeed,
when collecting information required for quality control, Internet-of-Things tech-
nologies of higher accuracy and reliability are usually used [11]. However, computer
vision takes its own niche.
3 Intelligent Quality Guarantor
Intelligent quality guarantor is a model for computer vision system based on decom-
position of the quality control process to the tasks of various deviances identification.
It allows combination of several intelligent components targeting various computer
vision problem solving.
Let us consider a production process pn,m of the unit um which contains a number
of operations:
pn,m =
gn,m,k
n,m,k,l
, τn,m,k
, (1)
where n,m,k,l represents a process quality metric, which characterize a corre-
sponding quality parameter of the unit, τn,m,k—time frame of expected operation
fulfillment, which can be set both absolutely and relative to the beginning of the
process.
Execution of the process in an operational area of the production sector is
characterized by action events of an employee ai :
en,i, j = en,i, j
un,
qn,i, j,s
, tn,i, j
, (2)
where tn,i, j is the moment of the event,
qn,i, j,s
—a set of fixed metrics that
characterize the action performed.
The main difference of this model from the existing approaches of quality control
is that the employee gets certain autonomy. He or she is expected to perform actions
correlated to the corresponding process, but their exact sequence, time and scope
can differ from the predefined specification. The only fact that can be determined by
a machine vision system is that some subject ai has performed some action on an
object um with certain metrics
qn,i, j,s
.
Production process quality depends from the number of faults and deviations that
can be specified using the provided above definitions of the performance indicators.
We postulate that quality guarantor is individualized for each employee therefore
will consider these indicators individually for each pair (ai , un).](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-29-320.jpg)
![Intelligent Quality Guarantor Model for Computer Vision Based Quality … 7
5 Practical Use Case
An illustrative example of quality guarantee practical use describes the experience
of Augmented Reality system development and implementation for labour rehabili-
tation and adaptation of personnel with vision disability [12]. To solve this problem
there was proposed an original hardware and software solution for adaptation of the
workplace presented in Fig. 2. The system features include automatic sorting, defect
recognition and quality control.
Quality control of products and production processes in turn provides for the
implementation of photo and video processing of the results of monitoring e.g.
assembly of parts and components, and control of the facts of operations performed.
Image recognition for objects and actions identification was implemented using a
convolutional neural network (CNN) consisting of one input image, two convolu-
tional and two downsampling (subsampling) layers. The OpenCV computer vision
library was used for preliminary image processing. To accelerate the training of the
neural network we used a server with GPU.
According to the quality guarantee model there were defined the types of recog-
nized units un: assembly gun, corrugated tube and wire fastening.
en,i, j , gn,m,k
was specified for the event of operator assembling the wire. Hands of the operator
performing the assembly were identified separately. This information was used to
markup the training dataset. The video showed various stages of the wire assembly
from different positions and viewing angles. The resulting training dataset consists
of 9437 images including 4000 images of units and 2000 images of actions.
The solution implements the following main functions:
Fig. 2 Production workplace adaptation: screenshot of the AR assisting system that implements
manual operations recognition and control](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-33-320.jpg)
![12 A. Tijani et al.
1 Introduction
The services offered by hotels, restaurants, resorts, and the entertainment sector
collectively comprise the hospitality industry [1]. In the Tamale metropolis, a number
of structures have been built to promote the hospitality industry’s image. This signifi-
cant stride forward in the economy is the result of a collaboration between the public
and private sectors [2]. Hospitality may be defined as the expression of kindness
toward visitors or strangers by providing for their basic requirements such as food,
drink, and lodging. The primary focus of hospitality is on providing these necessities
[3]. The act of fostering a connection between a host and a visitor is often understood
to be a contemporary definition of hospitality. Frequently, when we refer to the “Hos-
pitality Industry,” we are referring to businesses or organizations that offer tourists
housing, food, and/or beverages in addition to other services. However, the term
“Hospitality Industry” only applies in the vast majority of situations. The hospitality
sector is comprised of a wide variety of businesses and establishments, including
hotels and restaurants, which provide a variety of services to customers, including
providing food and drink, a place to sleep, and other amenities. Both residents and
tourists from other countries are able to purchase these goods and make use of these
services.
The hospitality industry has two key business sectors, according to Ghana’s
Ministry of Tourism (2020): (1) Provide housing (and, in most circumstances, food,
and drink) to those who are away from home for whatever reason. (2) Food and
beverage: Provide local, commuter, transient, and tourist clients with food and bever-
ages. The major purpose of the hospitality sector is to provide travelers with homes
away from home, as well as good service and warm welcomes [4]. The primary
constituents are hotels, motels, inns, resorts, and restaurants, which provide shelter,
food, and other services to travelers [5]. Ghana’s hospitality business has risen from
theperipherytotheforegroundofsocio-economicagendas.Ghanaiscurrentlyranked
14th in Africa’s most visited hospitality industry [6]. Hotel units’ importance in the
hospitality sector cannot be overstated. The cost of lodging (hotels) accounts for 31%
of tourist spending, an average of $1 million each trip [7]. Ghana is quickly moving
away from a market-oriented economy with an emphasis on the hotel sector in partic-
ular and toward a reliance on secondary commodities. It is commonly acknowledged
that the hospitality sector is inextricably related to a nation’s potential on the cultural,
economic, and intellectual levels.
The use of new technology to improve hotel management operations and customer
service has recently gained more attention [8]. This is a result of information tech-
nology’s advancement and wider adoption in the hospitality sector [9]. Information
technology capabilities, which mobilize and deploy IT-based resources in combi-
nation with those of other organizational capabilities, may assist improvements in
business strategy [10]. Because they adopted new technology, several hotel compa-
nies have seen improvements in their financial performance in recent years [10, 11].
However, IT investment can put the lodging industry in danger. New technologies, for
example, are frequently made obsolete due to their complexity and implementation](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-37-320.jpg)
![The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 13
challenges. New technologies typically need increased technological resources and
human capabilities [12, 13], as well as, increased system maintenance and operational
costs [10, 14].
As hotels in developing economies try to grow their business and market, more
hotels are opening up, which has hurt their performance [15]. Organizations have not
been able to keep up with changes in the global technology business environment
because of things like not taking responsibility for getting new technologies, not
having enough technical and networking skills, not having enough human capital,
and choosing the wrong technologies [16, 17]. Because of this, foreign elements and
goods took over the industrial and commercial worlds [16]. So, African countries
have shown that they are committed to improving the region’s economy and business
by making businesses more competitive locally and globally. This is all part of the
African Continental Free Trade Agenda. To do this, the government of Ghana has put
inplaceanumberofprogrammesandpolicies,suchastheICT4DEVinitiative.Hotels
often do not get the benefits they expected from their IT investments [18]. Melian-
Gonzalez and Bulchand-Gidumal found in 2016 that IT investments in hospitality
businesses do not seem to increase hotel revenue. Because of this, research results
on how IT skills affect hospitality firms are mixed [10]. There is a big difference in
how IT skills affect how competitive a hotel is [19].
Furthermore, while tempting on paper, the concept of IT competence is not well
defined, and the process through which IT capability contributes to improved compet-
itive performance is poorly understood [19]. Despite hotels’ best efforts to stay
successful and grow their businesses, some will fail within five years of their incep-
tion [20]. In 2017, more than half of all new businesses failed during the first five
years [21]. There is a scarcity of academic studies on hotelier business methods [22].
Successful small business methods have been demonstrated to be beneficial to the
success of other small business owners [23]. The basic business challenge is that
some IT hotels are negatively impacted by a lack of information capabilities, making
it difficult for them to stay profitable and sustain their companies for more than
five years [22]. The specific business concern is that certain businesses in Ghana’s
hospitality industry lack crucial strategies for sustaining their operations beyond five
years.
Although various empirical studies have looked at the implications of superior IT
competence on company performance on a global scale, few studies have attempted
to do so at the industry level, particularly in emerging countries like Ghana. There
is very little research on the strategies of information technology capabilities in the
hotel industry, in particular [23]. As evidenced by multiple empirical studies, IT
remains one of the most effective strategies for eliminating dangers and maximizing
possibilities presented by the environment [24]. Despite the fact that some research
has started to link IT with a competitive advantage [25], the link between IT and orga-
nizational competitive advantage in today’s corporate climate is unclear [26]. That
means there are few empirical studies of the association between IT and competitive
advantage in the previous literature, hence this publication fills that void. Therefore,
this study through the resource based view of the firm closes the gap by examining
the impact of IT capabilities on the competitive advantage of Ghanaian hotels.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-38-320.jpg)
![The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 15
by the Ghana Tourist Board. 5-stars are the best possible rating, while 1-star is the
lowest possible rating. While a hotel typically has a minimum of ten (10) rooms, a
guest home often only has four to nine rooms. The number of stars awarded to a hotel
is determined by the quality of the facilities and services offered by the establishment
(meets international standards). Hotels that are either inexpensive or unrated do not
satisfy the requirements of international standards. The size of a hotel does not affect
its star rating (in terms of the number of rooms). As a result, depending on the number
of rooms, a hotel or guest house can be established [27, 28].
There are around 1000 members of the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA), one of
Ghana’s most well-known hotel associations. Accommodations, dining, and other
tourist amenities in Ghana may be found at one of the hotels and guesthouses that
make up the Ghana Hotels Association. These establishments are approved and
regulated by the Ghana Tourist Board. One Star to Five Star International standards
are incorporated in the membership categories for those who are willing to pay a
premium. Hotel membership is open to establishments that meet certain standards,
as reported by Narteh et al. [29]. The Ghanaian Ministry of Tourism claimed in 2013
that there were 1751 authorized hotels in Ghana (ranging from one to five stars,
economy hotels, and guest houses). 660 hotels in Greater Accra including 183 in the
Ashanti area, 183 in the West, 129 in the Eastern region, 126 in the Central region, 87
in the Brong Ahafo region, 87 in the Volta Region, and 85 in the Northern and Upper
East regions. Only the Upper West Region’s five hotels will be examined for this
study, which focuses on the Blue Hill Hotel, Nuoyong Empire Hotel, Sem-B lodge,
Upland Hotel, and Queens Valley Hotel. These are all in the Upper West Region
(Wa Municipality). According to data provided by the Ministry of Tourism (2013),
the total number of hotel rooms in Ghana climbed from 18,752 in 2005 to 26,047 in
2009 as the country went from 1345 to 1775 hotels. According to a study that was
compiled by the Ministry of Tourism in 2013, In 2011, there were 1800 hotels in
the country as a whole, and by the end of 2017, it was predicted that there would be
2000. According to a Narteh et al. [29] study on Ghana’s luxury hotel sector, Accra
has the largest density of hotels. This analysis will also take into account all Tamale
hotels that have been registered.
2.2 Information Technology (IT)
Because of the independence it has gained from business models, IT has shifted its
emphasis to include all aspects of the customer experience [30]. This includes design,
communication, distribution, fulfilment, and assessment. One way to approach this
is to consider it from the standpoints of conception, dissemination and fulfilment
[31, 32]. It has been found that [31, 32]. From the computer reservation systems of
the 1970s to the 1980s global distribution systems to the internet in the 1990s to the
social interactions of today’s consumer-to-consumer virtual networks, the underlying
mechanism has undergone significant development. [33]. In 2014, according to Zhu
andMorosan,sincethen,thecontemporaryeconomyhasbeenbuiltonknowledgeand](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-40-320.jpg)
![16 A. Tijani et al.
information. These factors have a significant impact on production, productivity, and
the ability of companies to compete globally. Knowledge and information have also
grown in importance over the last several years [34]. Technological advancements
havealteredthewaypeoplecommunicate,engage,andsearchforgoods,services,and
information as a direct consequence of these changes [35]. This study was conducted
by Abreu and colleagues in 2017, due to new business models and IT moving ahead
on its own with support from business models, IT has evolved to concentrate on
the whole customer experience [30]. From the standpoint of design, communication,
distribution, and fulfilment, this may be observed [31, 32]. There has been a dramatic
shift in the underlying mechanism, from computer reservation systems in the 1970s
to internet in the 1990s to today’s social network activities amongst consumers [33].
Since then, the contemporary economy has been built on knowledge and information.
These factors have a significant impact on production, productivity, and the ability
of companies to compete globally. Knowledge and information have also grown in
importance over the last several years [34]. Castells [34] says that Technological
advancements have altered the way people communicate, engage, and search for
goods, services, and information as a direct consequence of these changes [35].
Our lives have been transformed by technology, notably in the hospitality sector
[31]. Passengers’ access toinformation, planningtrips, andsharingtravel experiences
has been revolutionized by technology, making the industry more competitive [36,
37]. When it comes to most consumer activities, information technology has taken
over and has had deep and revolutionary consequences on the hotel sector [2, 38].
2.3 IT Capabilities
IT capability refers to IT resources that may be utilized to facilitate the sharing of
capabilities and services in order to enhance IT’s environmental proficiency and assist
operations of the business [39]. Information technology has grown in importance in
the tourism sector as a result of the significant advantages it provides for all agencies
involved, including hotels. IT increases staff productivity, worldwide market share,
employee happiness, process standardization, and operating cost reduction. [40, 41].
In recent years, Information technology has advanced significantly and this has had
a substantial impact on tourism management [42, 43]. The term “IT capability” can
be defined in several different ways.
Antoni et al. [39] proposes an IT capability deployment flexibility method that is
connected to the goals of IT and the company, as well as the business design, IT strate-
gies, and IT human resource capabilities. According to Bharadwaj [44], A company’s
IT competence is defined as its ability to improve performance through the interac-
tion of its IT infrastructure, IT human resources, and IT intangible assets. According
to Liu et al. [45], information technology expertise is essential for improving the effi-
cacy and efficiency of organisational operations in order to lessen the adverse effects
that business operations have on the environment. The concept of “green computing,”
according to Harmon and Auseklis [46], merges power management, virtualization,](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-41-320.jpg)
![The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 17
recycling,theremovalofelectricalwaste,andtheenhancementofITcapabilities.The
term “green capabilities” is used by Molla et al. [47] to describe an organization’s IT
and communication resources, as well as shared services and business applications.
A growing interest in using new technologies to improve hotel management opera-
tions and customer service has emerged as information technology advances in the
hospitality sector [8, 9]. Since IT skills may mobilize and deploy IT-based resources
in conjunction with other organizational competencies, many hotel businesses have
improved their financial performance by embracing new technology [10, 11]. These
studies show how a company’s competitive edge may be increased by employing IT
expertise.
2.4 Dimensions of IT Capabilities in This Study
2.4.1 IT System
The level of competitiveness in the hospitality business is significantly impacted
by the use of information technology (IT) systems. Even when other potentially
confusing aspects are taken into account, the competitiveness in the hotel industry
seems to be driven by IT systems. Despite the fact that Hua et al. [31] came to the
conclusionthate-commercespendinghadaneffectonhoteloperationalperformance,
their findings were only supported by contemporaneous research and were limited to
analyzing the implications of revenue [19]. It is essential to keep in mind that invest-
ments in information technology (IT) systems and websites take some time to pay
off in terms of a hotel’s capacity to compete with other businesses. Even if informa-
tion technology systems initially have a detrimental impact on the competitiveness
of hotels, such systems seem to have a positive effect on hotel competitiveness one
year after they have been purchased. As a parting word of counsel, the results of our
study indicate that hotels should keep an adequate number of information technology
staff. In order to keep up with its closest competitors in terms of IT performance and
operation, the hotel will need to ensure that its IT team is on par with that of its
competitors. For IT systems and websites to work properly and positively impact
hotel competitiveness, IT labor assistance is required [19].
2.4.2 IT Website
The quality of the information made available on websites, including how simple it is
for users to acquire it, how users engage with it, and how quickly they may share it via
reviews, has been the focus of earlier study on website capabilities [48]. These studies
offered guidance on how to build a profitable website. However, they did not cover
all of the qualities essential in the current e-commerce sector. The internet, online
networks, and hypermedia technologies are examples of the extremely dynamic and
interactive elements present in the contemporary e-business environment. [49].](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-42-320.jpg)
![18 A. Tijani et al.
These traits stand in for a number of e-business startup success factors. Among
these characteristics are a user-friendly interface, accurate, complete, and relevant
content, history upkeep, and website design. [50]. Previous quality models failed
to handle web usability issues such as disorientation and inappropriate information,
which the Website capability now addresses [49]. As a result, we’ve embraced Kim
et al. [49], comprehensive Website capability. Because of this, the Website Quality
Model incorporates dimensions of information form, substance, and time to help
users navigate the site more easily. The Online travel industry was studied by Toufaily
et al. [51]. According to their findings, website qualities like usability and customer
service quality have a favorable impact on e-satisfaction, which in turn influences
client e-loyalty.
2.4.3 IT Infrastructure (ITI)
IT infrastructure (ITI) refers to the basis of IT resources that can be shared to support
business operations in organizations through exchanging capabilities and services.
ITI is defined by Antoni et al. [39] as important to an organization’s capacity to adapt
to market change, rethink business procedures, and grow globally or geographically
dispersed businesses. Therefore, ITI is a crucial business skill or competency that
firms need in order to meet market expectations and achieve their goals. In this study,
Antoni [18] and Cassia et al. [52] Use the integrated capability method to identify the
IT infrastructure’s capabilities that can be used to lessen the environmental effect of
business operations. According to Antoni et al. [39], IT infrastructure can help a firm
respond to rapidly changing market conditions and technical uncertainty. A role for
modularity, simple administrative processes, a central database, external entry points,
and the use of storage virtualization is possible [43]. IT is a set of technologies used
in corporate strategy that allow for the expansion and maintenance of competitive
advantage [53].
IT infrastructure modularity is a method for increasing service to stakeholders by
upgrading, deleting, or adding any software, hardware, or data parts of IT infrastruc-
ture [54]. Data, software, application module call routines and data conversions are
all examples of information systems (IS) processes that may and will be repeated in
an organization. A byproduct of this is that the data and applications are now self-
contained and reusable. Additionally, they allow direct-purpose systems to be inte-
grated into the infrastructure while streamlining the development, maintenance, and
engineering procedures. Information technology infrastructure has a second useful
feature: it is capable of doing routine tasks in an intuitive manner [54].
In order to offer uniform services to all business units at a cheaper cost, the simple
procedure can be built employing standardization data and information as well as
shared services across the entire organization. Therefore, by defining fundamental
procedures and standards, a company can leverage such acts to produce environmen-
tally friendly economic operations [55]. An essential component of IT infrastructure
that can aid a company in enhancing its environmental performance is a centralized
database management system [39]. This is because a key component of the business](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-43-320.jpg)
![The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 19
process that can be leveraged to enhance environmental performance is the central
database.
2.4.4 Competitive Advantage
A company’s capacity to surpass its rivals in terms of a product, service, or knowl-
edge is considered as competitive advantage [56]. Only a comprehensive plan that
considers a company’s marketing, operations and supply chain, human resources,
finances, and technology may lead to long-term competitive advantage [57]. Utilizing
all of an organization’s resources effectively has an impact on its performance in the
market [58]. An rise in market share or profit over the competition is a sign of
competitive advantage [59] either (a) cutting product costs to lower the price or (b)
differentiating a product to increase the price. Any of these two strategies can be used
to gain a competitive edge [60]. Making their items distinctive from the competition
might give them a competitive edge [61]. Branding is a sort of uniqueness that might
influence a customer’s decision to purchase a certain product [62]. In the case of
hotels that are located close to one other, product diversification is particularly effec-
tive for reducing direct competition and developing new competitive advantages.
High agglomeration and easy access to inputs, as well as high exit barriers and low
switching costs for customers, make the hotel and tourist industry more competitive
than other businesses. An examination of 4257 hotels in Texas utilizing quantitative
research by Lee [63] uncovered a link between quality differences in hotel accom-
modations and regional pricing competition. Lee came to the conclusion that if the
quality of the hotels in the immediate neighborhood is equivalent, there is a lot of
price competition. However, regional competition grows when a hotel’s quality level
restricts the substitutability of its products.
According to Lee [63] price competition among similar hotels was less intense
than expected. According to Lee, inefficient price competition may be reduced by
correctly identifying rivals. An example of an intangible and immovable benefit is
one’s skills and reputation [60]. Companies are more likely to stay in business if
they focus on their “intangible assets” instead of their “physical assets [64]. Human
capital can be made into a sustainable competitive advantage by implementing a
comprehensive human resources management program that prioritizes employee
motivation [65]. Quantitative research of 34 independently owned hotels in Serbia
was conducted by Bontis et al. [66] to examine the relationship between intellectual
capital and financial performance. Intellectual capital had no statistically significant
impact on the financial success of hotels, according to Bontis and his associates. This
covers elements like employee competencies, client relationships, and organizational
culture.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-44-320.jpg)
![20 A. Tijani et al.
2.5 Theoretical Underpinning
2.5.1 Resources-Based View (RBV)
According to the RBV theory, an organization’s internal traits and its competi-
tive advantage are linked [67]. Enterprises in the same industry have a variety of
resources, according to the hypothesis [68, 69]. In-depth viewpoint has emerged as
prevalent explanations or theories paradigm for analyzing performance [67]. There
are three categories of resources that might have an impact on the production of
a company: physical resources, human resources, and organisational resources. To
run a successful business, a corporation needs all three of these different kinds of
resources [70]. According to the Resource Based Theory (RBT), which has been
the subject of research, the comparative advantage of a company may be constructed
from its capabilities and resources [71–73]. Thus, RBV focuses on long-term compet-
itive advantages and considers both tangible and intangible assets while conducting
its analyses.
Resource-based theory (RBT), according to Barney [74, 75], argues that a
company must amass valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable (VRIN)
resources and abilities if it is to achieve a state of sustainable competitive advan-
tage. The percentage of resources capable of coping with an increasing workload is
known as capacity [75]. Building and constantly managing the capacity of a company
to produce outstanding returns is a common definition of a business. Each business
has a unique set of strategic capabilities that form the basis of its long-term plans
and are essential to its financial success [67].
2.6 Conceptual Framework
2.6.1 IT Capabilities and Competitiveness
The hotel industry has reaped the rewards of technological advancements and has
come to appreciate the advantages of IT. As an example, the internet and social
media have long been used to promote and sell hotel products and services [10].
Hotel owners that have their own websites are more likely to see an increase in sales
since they have direct touch with their clients. In addition, these initiatives will be
vital in helping hotel companies identify consumer habits since hotel corporations
and consumers are engaging in the same spot [19].
IT-enabled information exchanges are critical to the hotel and tourist sectors
because they have a significant influence on the business’s essential principles [35].
In the last two decades, academic research on the effects of widespread IT adoption
and use on performance has increased dramatically [44, 76]. This is due to the fact
that information technology has become so pervasive in people’s daily lives and is
a critical organizational capability [31, 77]. Other industries, such as manufacturing](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-45-320.jpg)
![The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 21
[78] and the service sector [79], have looked into the impact of IT capabilities on
competitiveness, but the hospitality industry has yet to conduct a systematic study
of how IT capabilities impact hotel competitiveness.
To develop competencies, support companies on both the supply and demand sides
will need to make investments in their information technology skills [80, 81]. Hotel
firms may enhance their goods and services, strengthen organisational capacities,
and accomplish strategic objectives by developing and using IT capabilities, which
can provide them a competitive edge in the marketplace [37]. Previous studies have
shown that talents in the information technology sector may assist in the enhancement
of product and service offerings [19].
There have been significant changes in the hotel and tourist industry as a conse-
quence of internet and social media-based promotions [38]. The bottom line is that
organisations now rely heavily on information technology as a means of staying
ahead of the competition [82]. A firm’s IT human capital, infrastructure, and rela-
tionalresourceshavebeendefinedasthreeimportantcategoriesofITresources,based
on Grant’s [83] resource categorization [84, 85]. All hotel IT expenses are recorded
and divided into three categories, which correspond to the above-mentioned three IT
capabilities: IT personnel, systems, and websites. As a result this study presents the
following alternative hypotheses:
H1: There is a significant positive relationship between IT systems and competitive
advantage.
H1: There is a significant positive relationship between IT websites and competitive
advantage.
H1: There is a significant positive relationship between IT infrastructure and
competitive advantage (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1 Conceptual model](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-46-320.jpg)
![22 A. Tijani et al.
3 Methodology
3.1 Research Design
Quantitative designs come in a wide variety of forms, such as experimental, quasi-
experimental, and non-experimental ones [86]. For this study, a correlational model
was the most suitable quantitative approach. Bettany-Saltikov and Whittaker [87]
adviseutilisingcorrelationaldesignsformeasuringtwoormorequantitativevariables
from the same sample of participants.
The researchers determined that a quantitative method would be the most suitable
for this examination given that the goal of the study is to find relationships. According
to McCusker and Gunaydin [88], the design of a number of study components occurs
prior to the collection of data in quantitative research. The researcher is able to retain
objectivity and distance from the subject of the investigation while being aware of
the study’s objective [88].
3.2 Population and Sampling
Participants in the research had to be at least 18 years old and full-time workers in
customer service at a front desk working at a hotel in Tamale, Ghana. They had to
have a minimum of one year of prior experience. Online surveys were used to poll the
target population of front desk and customer service professionals, including kitchen
staff, receptionists, hotel management, and ICT managers, to find out how well they
understood IT skills and how they affected competitive advantage. The 31 hotels in
Tamale, Ghana were the study’s target audience, and 153 respondents were selected
from among managers, kitchen employees, receptionists, and ICT managers. Due
to the potential influence of that company’s distinctive corporate culture, there is
a higher risk of bias when the sample is limited to only one organisation [89]. A
sample of 153 respondents was chosen at random from the general public using the
basic random sampling method. This was done on purpose to collect the necessary
information from the respondents in order to assist in achieving the goals of the
research. Because of the composition of the population of hotels in Tamale, the
approach of simple random sampling is the one that is most suitable for use in order
to guarantee that every responder has an equal opportunity of being included in the
sample.
3.3 Data Collection Technique
Using online questionnaires, quantitative data may be gathered fast and efficiently
[90]. To avoid the lower response and completion rates and higher expenses of](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-47-320.jpg)
![The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 23
traditional survey methods like paper, email, or social media, we used an online
survey created with the help of the qualtrics website instead. An online survey’s
benefits include its simplicity of use, quickness of deployment and cheap cost. The
respondents’ convenience is also a major factor in the popularity of an online survey
[91]. The poor response rates, sampling biases and difficulty to reach persons with
restricted Internet access that may occur while conducting online surveys are some
of the downsides [92].
3.4 Instrument of Data Collection
A variety of instruments are used to gather information, including questionnaires,
interviews, focus groups, surveys, and casual observations. A wide range of devices
may be used to gather data, but which one is ideal depends on the kind of study being
done. Accordingly, we employed a questionnaire to gather information from hotel
workers responses’s. The Likert scale was used in the investigation. A scale of 1–5 is
used to measure participants’ agreement or disagreement with each of the statements:
1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree and 5 = strongly agree
[93]. However, the open-ended questions elicited participants’ thoughts and ideas
rather than providing answers to prepared close-ended questions.
3.5 Data Analysis
The statistical and graphical data analysis apps IBM SPSS 25.0 and Amos 24.0 are for
Windows [94]. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis, descriptive statistics, and
structural equation modeling are all included in this software to explain the general
distributions in terms of frequency and percentage [94]. Analyzing large datasets
with AMOS is a strong tool that can predict the relationships between multiple inde-
pendent and dependent variables [95]. SPSS-Amos was used to evaluate the connec-
tions between IT Capabilities components and extrinsic and dependent competitive
advantage variables. Three different hypotheses were accepted or rejected based on
the conclusions drawn from the responses of the participants. By examining the
associations between a large number of various independent variables as well as
the variation of those relationships, SEM can be used to predict the outcome of a
response variable [96].
It is possible to calculate central trends using descriptive statistics, such as mini-
mums and means [94]. Helps estimate the overall distribution if you know the
frequency and percentage levels of each variable [94]. Descriptive statistics were
employed to evaluate the data in order to have a better understanding of the demo-
graphics of the survey respondents. Computer-aided surveys are certain to have infor-
mation gaps, claims Bryman [97]. All of the previously gathered survey responses
were removed from consideration to create place for the new data.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-48-320.jpg)
![24 A. Tijani et al.
3.6 Measures
The five-point Likert Scale was used in this study to adjust all of the measurements
that were taken from the previous research. The three different constructions that
make up IT capabilities were borrowed from Salisu and Bakar [15], whereas the
many things that make up competitive advantage were borrowed from Radomska
et al. [98]. The information on the item and scales may be found in Table 1.
Table 1 Measures and scales
IT website (Salisu and Bakar 2019)
Our company website is designed for customers to interact with
Our firm website has the capacity to attract and hire talented
experts
Our company website is attractive to people/visitors
Our company website friendly to use
Our company website has all our services on it
IT system (Salisu and Bakar 2019)
Our company is one of those firms in the industry that establish
technology standard
Our company leads in technology innovation in the industry we
operate
Our company makes sufficient investment in RD activities
Our company improves technical skills through continuous
training programs
Our company has the monitoring capacity to accurately predict
changes in the technological environment
IT infrastructure (ITI) (Salisu and Bakar 2019)
Modularisation of information systems functions
Implementation of simple administrative procedures and rules
Adoption of centralised database management systems
Adoption of extranets as entry points for external users
Adoption of virtualisation technology for improving data
processing in business transactions
Competitive Advantage (Radomska et al. 2019)
Our company’s sales performance has improved significantly
Increase in customer numbers (Market share)
We set new standards (technological, product, organizational,
etc.) in the industry
The competitive advantage of our company is based on revenue](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-49-320.jpg)
![The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 25
Table 2 Response rate
Respondents Targeted Actual response Percentage Non-response Percentage
Manager 95 79 83.2 16 16.8
Receptionist 19 16 84.2 3 15.8
ICT manager 28 24 85.7 4 14.3
Kitchen staff 11 8 72.7 3 27.3
Total 153 127 83 26 17
3.7 Results
3.7.1 Response Rate
The study targeted 153 respondents drawn from managers, kitchen staff, reception-
ists, and ICT managers of the 31 hotels in Tamale-Ghana. The response rate was
distributed as shown in Table 2.
According to the findings shown in Table 2, an overall total of 127 targeted
respondents provided their responses to the research instrument, which represents
a response rate of 83.0%. The vast majority of responders (95) were managers,
although information and communications technology managers provided the fewest
responses. In terms of percentages, the response rate that was seen for ICT Manager
was the greatest at 85.7%, while the response rate that was recorded for kitchen staff
was the lowest at 72.7%. Based on these findings, it appears that the ICT Managers,
managers, and receptionists who are officers in the hotels were more likely to be
available in their offices than the kitchen staff, who are primarily responsible for
preparing meals for guests and clients. This is because the kitchen staff is kept busy
by the act of cooking.
3.7.2 Demographic Information
The respondent’s overall characteristics are referred to as the respondent’s demo-
graphic information. According to the recommendations made by the researchers, the
demographic survey is made up of five free-form questions that are meant to collect
the most up-to-date personal information about employees, such as their age range,
gender, level of education, line of work, and number of years of employment [94].
The percentage distributions of the demographic variables were summarized and
described, we performed an analysis of the demographic answers using a statistical
technique known as descriptive statistics. This study specifically, includes gender,
educational level, position held, and employee tenure (no. of years worked for the
hotel). See Table 3.
54.3% of the respondents were male, according to the data in Table 2. For this
reason, it can be concluded that this study was not skewed toward one gender or
another. Managers accounted for 62.2% of those surveyed, while ICT managers](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-50-320.jpg)
![26 A. Tijani et al.
Table 3 Demographic
information
Indicators Frequency Percentage
Gender
Male 69 54.3
Female 58 45.7
Total 127 100
Level of education
Diploma 103 81.1
Undergraduate 16 12.6
Postgraduate 8 6.3
Total 127 100
Position held
Manager 79 62.2
Receptionist 16 12.6
ICT manager 24 18.9
Kitchen staff 8 6.3
Total 127 100
Years worked in the hotel
One year 8 6.3
1–5 years 16 12.6
6–10 years 86 67.7
10 years 17 13.4
Total 127 100
accounted for 6.3%. With regard to educational attainment, postgraduate degree
holders had the highest frequency (81.1%), while diploma holders had the lowest
(6.3%). This suggests that majority of the staff hold either a bachelor’s degree or a
master’s degree. The majority of respondents (67.7%) had worked in the institutions
for between six and ten years when asked about their tenure. Those who had worked
for more than ten years made up 13.4% of the sample. According to the findings, the
majority of respondents provided credible information in their responses.
3.7.3 Reliability and Validity
This table shows that Cronbach alpha (α) and the composite reliability (CR) are both
in the “acceptable” range. The Cronbach’s alpha values of all of the variables are
greater than the 0.6 thresholds [99]. It was also decided that all variables must have
composite reliability of at least 0.70. Each variable’s average variance is higher than
the 0.50 convergent validity cutoff, as shown in the table. In Hair et al. [100], since
each variable must represent a distinct phenomenon, we use the Fornell and Larcker
[101] criteria to determine their discriminant validity (Table 4).](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-51-320.jpg)
![The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 27
Table 4 Reliability and validity
Constructs Items Loadings α rho_A CR AVE
IT systems 0.93 0.94 0.94 0.68
ITS1 0.77
ITS2 0.87
ITS3 0.74
ITS4 0.75
ITS5 0.71
IT website 0.95 0.93 0.95 0.56
ITW1 0.82
ITW2 0.75
ITW3 0.76
ITW4 0.73
ITW5 0.77
ITW6 0.71
ITW7 0.72
IT infrastructure (ITI) 0.94 0.89 0.82 0.72
ITI1 0.82
ITI2 0.75
ITI3 0.72
ITI4 0.73
ITI5 0.70
Competitive advantage (CAD) 0.92 0.94 0.93 0.76
CAD1 0.82
CAD2 0.75
CAD3 0.77
CAD4 0.72
CAD5 0.72
3.7.4 Correlation Analysis
Jobson claims that correlation analysis can be utilised to ascertain whether variables
in the study have a significant relationship with one another (2012). The correlation
analysis findings are displayed in Table 5. The values of the square correlations
between the construct pairings are bigger than the values of the discriminant and
convergent validity, as shown in Table 5.
Using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), we were able to ensure that the
concept was reliable and valid. CFA is a technique for assessing the accuracy with
which a set of measurable variables represents a set of conceptual constructs [100].](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-52-320.jpg)
![28 A. Tijani et al.
Table 5 Discriminant validity and correlation
AVE ITS ITW ITI CAD
ITS 0.68 0.82
ITW 0.56 0.65 0.75
ITI 0.72 0.58 0.59 0.85
CAD 0.76 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.87
Fig. 2 Paths
Discriminant validity is demonstrated by AVE values greater than the square of the
correlation between a pair of components [100]. Discriminant validity is indicated
by AVE values greater than squared correlation, as seen in Table 4 (Fig. 2).
3.7.5 Hypothesis Result
Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the three hypotheses in Amos.
The t-test, beta values (β), and probability values (p) were the indicators used in
assessing the relationships.
An analysis using data from Table 6 shows that there is a significant and positive
relationship between IT systems and competitive advantage (t = 12.47, =0.45, and
p = 0.002). As a result, hypothesis one (H1) is confirmed. According to Table 6’s
results, IT websites have a significant and positive relationship with competitive
advantage (t = 16.26; =0.62; and p = 0.000), which supports hypothesis two (H2).
Final reports show that IT systems have a significant and positive relation with
competitive advantage (t = 13.42; =0.51 and p = 0.001), which confirms hypothesis
three. According to the study, hotels in emerging markets like Ghana can gain a
competitive advantage through the use of IT capabilities.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/25210969-250515030241-7949ed40/85/Advances-In-Information-Communication-Technology-And-Computing-Proceedings-Of-Aictc-2022-Vishal-Goar-53-320.jpg)
Advances In Information Communication Technology And Computing Proceedings Of Aictc 2022 Vishal Goar
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- 5. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems 628 Vishal Goar Manoj Kuri Rajesh Kumar Tomonobu Senjyu Editors Advances in Information Communication Technology and Computing Proceedings of AICTC 2022
- 6. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems Volume 628 Series Editor Janusz Kacprzyk, Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland Advisory Editors Fernando Gomide, Department of Computer Engineering and Automation—DCA, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering—FEEC, University of Campinas—UNICAMP, São Paulo, Brazil Okyay Kaynak, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey Derong Liu, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China Witold Pedrycz, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada Systems Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland Marios M. Polycarpou, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, KIOS Research Center for Intelligent Systems and Networks, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus Imre J. Rudas, Óbuda University, Budapest, Hungary Jun Wang, Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- 7. The series “Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems” publishes the latest developments in Networks and Systems—quickly, informally and with high quality. Original research reported in proceedings and post-proceedings represents the core of LNNS. Volumes published in LNNS embrace all aspects and subfields of, as well as new challenges in, Networks and Systems. The series contains proceedings and edited volumes in systems and networks, spanning the areas of Cyber-Physical Systems, Autonomous Systems, Sensor Networks, Control Systems, Energy Systems, Automotive Systems, Biological Systems, Vehicular Networking and Connected Vehicles, Aerospace Systems, Automation, Manufacturing, Smart Grids, Nonlinear Systems, Power Systems, Robotics, Social Systems, Economic Systems and other. Of particular value to both the contributors and the readership are the short publication timeframe and the world-wide distribution and exposure which enable both a wide and rapid dissemination of research output. The series covers the theory, applications, and perspectives on the state of the art and future developments relevant to systems and networks, decision making, control, complex processes and related areas, as embedded in the fields of interdisciplinary and applied sciences, engineering, computer science, physics, economics, social, and life sciences, as well as the paradigms and methodologies behind them. Indexed by SCOPUS, INSPEC, WTI Frankfurt eG, zbMATH, SCImago. All books published in the series are submitted for consideration in Web of Science. For proposals from Asia please contact Aninda Bose (aninda.bose@springer.com).
- 8. Vishal Goar · Manoj Kuri · Rajesh Kumar · Tomonobu Senjyu Editors Advances in Information Communication Technology and Computing Proceedings of AICTC 2022
- 9. Editors Vishal Goar Government Engineering College Bikaner, India Rajesh Kumar Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, India Manoj Kuri Government Engineering College Bikaner, India Tomonobu Senjyu University of the Ryukyus Nishihara, Japan ISSN 2367-3370 ISSN 2367-3389 (electronic) Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ISBN 978-981-19-9887-4 ISBN 978-981-19-9888-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9888-1 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore
- 10. Preface This ConferenceProceedings volumecontains thewrittenversions of researchcontri- butions accepted and presented during the 4th International Conference on Advances in Information Communication Technology and Computing (AICTC-2022). Like in previous year, it took place at Government Engineering College Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, during December 17–18, 2022. The major goal of AICTC-2022 is to give academicians, engineers, and researchers a scholarly venue where they may present their cutting-edge research and innovative work in the broad fields of computing and communication. A wide range of interactive forums, core technical sessions, and top-notch research arti- cles have been presented at the conference. ICT and computing are fields that are constantly concerned with coming up with new ideas, methods, and tools to solve the related issues. In general, innovation refers to creating new methods for carrying out routine tasks or creating entirely new actions. However, since technology evolves at an accelerated rate, wise innovations are required. The system, paradigm, approach, and technical reviews that use knowledge and intelligence across a broad spectrum are covered in the conference proceedings. AICTC-2022 got over 357 entries from 15 different nations, including the USA, Russia, China, Ghana, the UK, Oman, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Each submission has been checked for plagiarism and underwent thorough the two-reviewers-based review system. A few entries have even undergone more than two reviews. Totally, fifty-one excellent articles were chosen for publication in this proceedings volume, with an acceptance rate of 14.28%. v
- 11. vi Preface We would like to thank all participants for their contributions to the conference program and for their contributions to the proceedings. We also express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all of the reviewers for their constructive comments on the papers. We would also like to extend our thanks to the members of the organizing team for their hard work. Bikaner, India Bikaner, India Jaipur, India Nishihara, Japan Vishal Goar Manoj Kuri Rajesh Kumar Tomonobu Senjyu
- 12. Contents Intelligent Quality Guarantor Model for Computer Vision Based Quality Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Anton Ivaschenko, Oleg Golovnin, Vladimir Avsievich, and Pavel Sitnikov The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Ahmed Tijani, Mohammed Majeed, Asare Charles, and Nana Arko-Cole Start of Telemedicine in Uzbekistan. Technological Availability . . . . . . . . 35 Rizayev Jasur Alimdjanovich, Khamidov Obid Abdurahmanovich, Mansurov Djalolidin Shamsidinovich, and Mansurova Nargiza Shamsidinovna Comparative Analysis of Convolutional and Long Term Short Memory Architectures in Machine Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Anita Venugopal and Anil Kumar Kapil A Computer Vision-Based Lane Detection Approach for an Autonomous Vehicle Using the Image Hough Transformation and the Edge Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Md. Abdullah Al Noman, Md. Faishal Rahaman, Zhai Li, Samrat Ray, and Chengping Wang Internet of Things (IoTs) in the Hospitality Sector: Challenges and Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Salifu Shani, Mohammed Majeed, Seidu Alhassan, and Awini Gideon Content-Based Spam Classification of Academic E-mails: A Machine Learning Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Wahab Abdul Iddrisu, Sylvester Kwasi Adjei-Gyabaa, and Isaac Akoto Crime Analysis and Prediction in 7 States of India Using Statistical Software RStudio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Aditi Sharma, Chandani Sharma, Rahul Sharma, and K. D. Panchal vii
- 13. viii Contents The Benefits and Challenges of Social Media in Higher Education . . . . . . 107 Alhassan Fatawu, Mohammed Abdul-Basit Fuseinii, and Abdul-Mumin Khalid The Effect of Social Media Advertisement on Brand Awareness and Purchase Intention on Home Solar Products (A Case of Peg Ghana Solar Limited) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Benjamin NiiBoye Odai, Mohammed Majeed, Banaba David Alaaba, Seidu Alhassan, and Mohammed Abdul-Basit Fuseinii Internet of Things and Retail Performance in an Emerging Market: A Qualitative Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Awini Gideon, Mohammed Majeed, Emmanuel Nii-Ayi Solomon, Adu-Debrah Kankor Lorna, and Mensah Kobby The Impact of Social Media on Consumer Purchase Behaviour . . . . . . . . 163 Seidu Alhassan, Mohammed Majeed, Awini Gideon, and Salifu Shani The Contribution of the Internet of Things to Enhance the Brands of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Yaseen Myasar Fathi Kamosh, Lin Wu, and Kim Hua Tan Trust Chain for Managing Trust in Blockchain-Associated IoT-Enabled Supply-Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Vilas Gaikar, Berhane Aradom Tedla, and Caroleena Rane Supply Chain Management Using Blockchain Security Enhancement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Aditi Sharma, Vishal Goar, Manoj Kuri, and Chiranji Lal Chowdhary A Novel Image Encryption Algorithm Using Logistic and Henon Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 Ramit Goel and Ashish Girdhar An Analysis of Data Sparsity Resolution Algorithms Used in Recommender Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Shivani Bhardwaj, Kushal Kanwar, and Gaurav Gupta Recent Trends for Practicing Machine Learning in Brain Tumors: A Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Sonam Saluja, Munesh Chandra Trivedi, Ranjana Joshi, Renu Prasad, and Vishal Goyal Voice-Based Intelligent Virtual Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Ragini Goyal and Jyoti Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder from Functional MRI Using Deep Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 R. Pavithra, S. P. Abirami, S. Krithika, S. Sabitha, and P. Tharanidharan
- 14. Contents ix Conversion of Sign Language to Text and Audio Using Deep Learning Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 K. Kaviyadharshini, S. P. Abirami, R. Nivetha, M. Ramyaa, and M. Vaseegaran Security Attacks and Key Challenges in Blockchain Technology: A Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Rima Patel and Dharmendra Patel Advancing from Manual to Automatic Telecast of News for Deaf . . . . . . . 311 Annu Rani, Vishal Goyal, and Lalit Goyal Study of Nutrition-Based Recommender System for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Patients Based on Various Machine Learning Techniques: A Systematic Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Nirav Mehta and Hetal Thaker Comparing Fish Finding Techniques using Satellite and Indigenous Data based on Different Machine Learning Algorithms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 Zalak Thakrar and Atul Gonsai Implementation of E-Governance Framework for Rural Areas of India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341 Jyotsna K. Salet and Bhagavati Parekh Opinion Summarization from Online Mobile Phone Reviews Using Feature Based Association Rule Mining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353 Vidisha Pradhan, Bela Shah, and Abhishek Patel Unconventional to Automated Attendance Marking Using Image Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Abhiujjwal Pradhan, Ritu Pal, Sachin Kumar, Sakshi Koli, Bharti Kalra, and Waris Nawaz Synthetic Animations Based Dictionary for Indian Sign Language . . . . . 373 Annu Rani, Vishal Goyal, and Lalit Goyal Optimization Methods for Image Edge Detection Using Ant and Bee Colony Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Sachin Kumar, Sandeep Kumar, Brajendra Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, and Harshita Chaudhary Review of Feature Extraction Techniques for Fake News Detection . . . . . 389 Upasna Sharma and Jaswinder Singh Agile Development Methodology for Software Re-engineering . . . . . . . . . 401 Maulin Doshi and Paresh Virparia A Comparative Analysis of Fault Detection Techniques for Software Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411 Nikita Gupta and Ripu Ranjan Sinha
- 15. x Contents PUF Based Security for the Physical Hardware Devices of IoT Using White-Box Cryptographic Technique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 Jigar Makhija and V. Anantha Narayanan A Review on Authentication Schemes for the Internet of Drones . . . . . . . 431 Muskan Sharma, Bhawna Narwal, and Richa Yadav An Exhaustive Sentiment and Emotion Analysis of COVID-19 Tweets Using Machine Learning, Ensemble Learning and Deep Learning Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Jasleen Kaur, Smit Patel, Meet Vasani, and Jatinderkumar R. Saini Detection and Categorization of Machine Translation in Indian Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461 Deepti Chopra, Latika Kharb, and Deepak Chahal A Predictive Framework for Temperature Forecasting Using Machine Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471 Kshitij Sandal, Harsh, and Kavita Pabreja HCS: A Hybrid Data Security Enhancing Model Based on Cryptography Algorithms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 Ankit Singhal, Jatin Madan, and Suman Madan Use Cases of Smart Contracts in Decentralized Health Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497 Sabita Khatri, Alka Agarwal, Rajeev Kumar, and Raees Ahmad Khan Power Divider Design and Analysis for 5G Applications: A Comparative Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511 Vidhi Sharma and Sukhpreet Singh An Analytical View of Evolutionary Development of Computing Database Research in Fifty Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523 Jatinderkumar R. Saini A Brief Research Study of Wireless Sensor Network, Its Application and Routing Schemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 535 Neelam Swami and Jeetu Sharma Comparative Study and Performance Analysis of Various Fibonacci Pattern of Solar Photovoltaic Tree—An Extensive Review . . . 545 Sujit Kumar, Shakuntla Boora, Poonam Singhal, and P. R. Sharma Bird Species Identification Based on Images Using Residual Network . . . 559 Haritha Potluri, Amuktha Vinnakota, Naga Pavan Prativada, and Kalyan Chakravarti Yelavarti Inclusion, Assistive-Technology and Teacher-Preparedness: Empirical Evidence from India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569 Shilpi Saha and Deepali Mallya
- 16. Contents xi An Approach of Deep Learning Technique for Object Detection . . . . . . . 579 Ranjana Shende and Smita Nirkhi Stock Market Forecasting Using Sentiment Analysis and Deep Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 587 Veepin Kumar, Sanjay Singla, Shalika, Sandeep Kang, and Raman Chadha Twitter Sentiment Analysis on Russia Ukraine War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 597 Vaibhav Chaudhari, Ankur Dumka, Nikita Rastogi, Alaknanda Ashok, and Bhaskar Pant Social Distancing Detector Using YOLO3 Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607 Ankur Dumka, Vaibhav Chaudhari, Durgaprasad Gangotkar, Alaknanda Ashok, and Dharmendra Yadav Key Based Steganography Using Convolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617 Saksham Arora, Pranav Gupta, Vishal Goar, Manoj Kuri, Harpreet Kaur Channi, and Chiranji Lal Chowdhary Author Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 627
- 17. Editors and Contributors About the Editors Dr. Vishal Goar received M.C.A. degree from Indira Gandhi National Open Univer- sity,NewDelhi,India,andPh.D.degreeinComputerSciencefromSGVUUniversity, Jaipur. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Applica- tion at Government Engineering College, Bikaner. Presently, he is also Coordinator of Research and Development Department of Government Engineering College, Bikaner. He has made a tremendous contribution in various computer programming, networking, database, operating systems, and security measures. He took steps with his foresight in research (science and engineering) as a member of Professional Society. His areas of interests include cloud computing, data mining, and latest soft- ware like energy harvesting technique. He has also organized many conferences and workshops and delivered lecture on various topics on technical and executive innovations. He has published many research papers in national and international conferences and journals and also published books. Manoj Kuri is B.Tech. (ECE), P.G. Diploma in Advance Computing (CDAC Pune), M.Tech. (Digital Communication), and Ph.D. (submitted) in the field of microwave satellite imaging at IIT Roorkee. He is presently working as Assistant Professor at Government Engineering College Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. He has teaching and research experience of 19 years. He has held many administrative and academic responsibilities in past, such as Head (Computer Science and IT Department), Head (Electronics and Communication Engineering) and In-charge (Technology Business Incubation Center) and Registrar of the institute. He has many research publications in esteemed journals and renowned conferences. He is a member of many scientific and professional societies/bodies such as IEEE, ISTE, ISRS, and IGRSS. He is also ma ember elected of IEEE Rajasthan subsection (2019–20). Dr. Rajesh Kumar received his Bachelor of Technology in Engineering degree with honors in Electrical Engineering from the Department of Electrical Engineering, xiii
- 18. xiv Editors and Contributors National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India, in 1994, Master of Engineering with honors in Power Engineering from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India, in 1997, and Ph.D. degree in Intelligent Systems from Department of Electrical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MREC, University of Rajasthan), India, in 2005. He is currently working as Professor at Department of Electrical Engineering and Adjunct Professor at Centre of Energy and Environment at Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India. He has been Research Fellow (A) at the Department of ElectricalandComputerEngineeringatNationalUniversityofSingaporefrom2009– 2011. He is Founder of ZINE student innovative group. His background is in the fields of computational intelligence, artificial intelligence, intelligent systems, power and energy management, robotics, bioinformatics, smart grid, and computer vision. Prof. Tomonobu Senjyu was born in Saga Prefecture, Japan, in 1963. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Japan, in 1986 and 1988, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan, in 1994. He is currently Full Professor with the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Univer- sity of the Ryukyus. His research interests are in the areas of renewable energy, power system optimization and operation, power electronics, and advanced control of electrical machines. Contributors Khamidov Obid Abdurahmanovich Samarkand State Medical University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan S. P. Abirami Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engi- neering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Sylvester Kwasi Adjei-Gyabaa Department of Computer Science, Sunyani Tech- nical University, Sunyani, Ghana Alka Agarwal Department of Information Technology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Isaac Akoto Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, Ghana Md. Abdullah Al Noman National Engineering Laboratory for Electric Vehicles, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China Banaba David Alaaba Department of Marketing, Tamale Technical University, Tamale, Ghana
- 19. Editors and Contributors xv Seidu Alhassan Department of Marketing, Tamale Technical University, Tamale, Ghana Rizayev Jasur Alimdjanovich Samarkand State Medical University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan V. Anantha Narayanan Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore, India Nana Arko-Cole University for Professional Studies, Accra, Ghana Saksham Arora School of Information Technology and Engineering, VIT Univer- sity, Vellore, India Alaknanda Ashok G.B.Pant, University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, India Vladimir Avsievich SEC “Open Code”, Samara, Russia Shivani Bhardwaj Yogananda School of AI, Computer and Data Science, Shoolini University, Solan, H.P., India Shakuntla Boora J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology YMCA, Farid- abad, India Raman Chadha Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chandigarh University, Chandigarh, Punjab, India Deepak Chahal Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini, Delhi, India Harpreet Kaur Channi Electrical Engineering Department, Chandigarh Univer- sity, Mohali, Punjab, India Asare Charles Ghana Communication Technology University, Accra, Ghana Vaibhav Chaudhari Nutanix Technologies India Pvt. Ltd, Bengaluru, India Harshita Chaudhary CSE Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India Deepti Chopra Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini, Delhi, India Chiranji Lal Chowdhary School of Information Technology and Engineering, VIT University, Vellore, India Maulin Doshi Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India Ankur Dumka Department of Computer Science, Women Institute of Technology, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India; Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Graphic Era Deemed to Be University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India Alhassan Fatawu Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Tamale Technical University, Tamale, Ghana
- 20. xvi Editors and Contributors Mohammed Abdul-Basit Fuseinii Department of Marketing, Tamale Technical University, Tamale, Ghana Vilas Gaikar Smt. CHM. College, Ulhasnagar, India; University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India Durgaprasad Gangotkar Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Graphic Era Deemed to Be University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India Awini Gideon Department of Marketing, Tamale Technical University, Tamale, Ghana Ashish Girdhar Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Delhi Tech- nological University, Delhi, India Vishal Goar Government Engineering College Bikaner, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India; DepartmentofArtificialIntelligenceandDataScience,EngineeringCollegeBikaner, Bikaner, India Ramit Goel Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Delhi Technolog- ical University, Delhi, India Oleg Golovnin Samara National Research University, Samara, Russia Atul Gonsai Department of Computer Science, Saurashtra University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India Lalit Goyal DAV College Jalandhar, Jalandhar, India Ragini Goyal DepartmentofMathematics,ChandigarhUniversity,Mohali,Punjab, India Vishal Goyal GLA University, Mathura, India; Punjabi University Patiala, Patiala, India Gaurav Gupta Yogananda School of AI, Computer and Data Science, Shoolini University, Solan, H.P., India Nikita Gupta Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, Rajasthan, India Pranav Gupta School of Information Technology and Engineering, VIT Univer- sity, Vellore, India Harsh Department of Computer Applications, Maharaja Surajmal Institute (GGSIP University), Janakpuri, India Wahab Abdul Iddrisu Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Ghana Commu- nication Technology University, Accra, Ghana Anton Ivaschenko SEC “Open Code”, Samara, Russia Ranjana Joshi GLA University, Mathura, India Jyoti Department of Mathematics, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
- 21. Editors and Contributors xvii Bharti Kalra Computer Science Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India Yaseen Myasar Fathi Kamosh Nottingham University Business School, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Department of Management Information Systems, College of Administration and Economics, The University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq Sandeep Kang Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chandigarh University, Chandigarh, Punjab, India Kushal Kanwar Yogananda School of AI, Computer and Data Science, Shoolini University, Solan, H.P., India Anil Kumar Kapil Surajmal University, Uttarakhand, India Jasleen Kaur School of Engineering, PP Savani University, Surat, India K. Kaviyadharshini Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coim- batore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Abdul-Mumin Khalid E.P. College of Education, Bimbilla, Ghana Raees Ahmad Khan Department of Information Technology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Latika Kharb Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini, Delhi, India Sabita Khatri Department of Information Technology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India Mensah Kobby University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Sakshi Koli Computer Science Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India S. Krithika Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coimbatore Insti- tute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Brajendra Kumar CSE Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India Rajeev Kumar Centre for Innovation and Technology, Administrative Staff College of India, Bella Vista, Khairtabad, Hyderabad, India Sachin Kumar Computer Science Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India Sandeep Kumar CSE Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India Sujit Kumar J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology YMCA, Faridabad, India Veepin Kumar Department of Information Technology, KIET Group of Institu- tions, Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad, India
- 22. xviii Editors and Contributors Manoj Kuri Government Engineering College Bikaner, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India; DepartmentofArtificialIntelligenceandDataScience,EngineeringCollegeBikaner, Bikaner, India Zhai Li National Engineering Laboratory for Electric Vehicles, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China Adu-Debrah Kankor Lorna University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana Jatin Madan Deloitte USI, Hyderabad, India Suman Madan Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini, Delhi, India Mohammed Majeed Department of Marketing, Tamale Technical University, Tamale, Ghana Jigar Makhija Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore, India Deepali Mallya Manel Srinivas Nayak Institute of Management, Mangalore, India Nirav Mehta Atmiya University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India Bhawna Narwal IT Department, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Delhi, India Waris Nawaz Computer Science Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India Smita Nirkhi Department of AI, GHRIET, Nagpur, India R. Nivetha Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coimbatore Insti- tute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Benjamin NiiBoye Odai Department of Marketing, Tamale Technical University, Tamale, Ghana Kavita Pabreja Department of Computer Applications, Maharaja Surajmal Insti- tute (GGSIP University), Janakpuri, India Ritu Pal Computer Science Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India K. D. Panchal Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. S. & S.S. Ghandhy Government Engineering College, Surat, India Bhaskar Pant Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Graphic Era Deemed to Be University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India Bhagavati Parekh Shree Junagadh Kelavani Mandal B.C.A College, Junagadh, Gujarat, India
- 23. Editors and Contributors xix Abhishek Patel Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Tech- nology & Engineering, Chandubhai S. Patel Institute of Technology, CHARUSAT, Changa, India Dharmendra Patel Department of Computer Application, Smt. Chandaben Mohanbhai Patel Institute of Computer Applications, CHARUSAT, Changa, India Rima Patel Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Tech- nology & Engineering, Devang Patel Institute of Advance Technology and Research, CHARUSAT, Changa, India Smit Patel School of Engineering, PP Savani University, Surat, India R. Pavithra Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engi- neering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Haritha Potluri Department of Information Technology, VR Siddhartha Engi- neering College, Vijayawada, India Abhiujjwal Pradhan Computer Science Department, Tula’s Institute Dehradun, Dehradun, India Vidisha Pradhan Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Technology & Engineering, Chandubhai S. Patel Institute of Technology, CHARUSAT, Changa, India Renu Prasad GLA University, Mathura, India Naga Pavan Prativada Department of Information Technology, VR Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada, India Md. Faishal Rahaman School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China M. Ramyaa Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coimbatore Insti- tute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Caroleena Rane University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India; Department of Chemistry, Sidharth College, Boradpada, Badlapur (W), Thane, India Annu Rani Punjabi University Patiala, Patiala, India Nikita Rastogi Department of Computer Science, Women Institute of Technology, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India Samrat Ray Sunstone Calcutta Institute of Engineering and Management, Kolkata, India S. Sabitha Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Shilpi Saha Manel Srinivas Nayak Institute of Management, Mangalore, India
- 24. xx Editors and Contributors Jatinderkumar R. Saini Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India Jyotsna K. Salet Shri V.J.Modha College, Porbandar, Gujarat, India Sonam Saluja NIT Agartala, Agartala, India Kshitij Sandal Department of Physics, Delhi Technological University, Delhi, India Bela Shah Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Faculty of Tech- nology & Engineering, Chandubhai S. Patel Institute of Technology, CHARUSAT, Changa, India Shalika Department of Computer Applications, KIET Group of Institutions, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India Mansurov Djalolidin Shamsidinovich Samarkand State Medical University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan Mansurova Nargiza Shamsidinovna International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Samarkand, Uzbekistan Salifu Shani Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL, USA Aditi Sharma School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan Chandani Sharma Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Quantum University, Roorkee, India Jeetu Sharma Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mody University of Science and Technology, Lakshmangarh, Rajasthan, India Muskan Sharma ECE Department, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Delhi, India P. R. Sharma J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology YMCA, Faridabad, India Rahul Sharma Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Parul Institute of Technology, Parul University, Vadodara, India Sandeep Sharma CSE Department, UIT Uttaranchal University Dehradun, Dehradun, India Upasna Sharma Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Punjabi University, Patiala, India Vidhi Sharma Chandigarh University, Mohali, India Ranjana Shende Department of CSE, GHRIET, Nagpur, India
- 25. Editors and Contributors xxi Jaswinder Singh Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Punjabi University, Patiala, India Sukhpreet Singh Chandigarh University, Mohali, India Ankit Singhal Jagan Institute of Management Studies, Rohini, Delhi, India Poonam Singhal J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology YMCA, Farid- abad, India Sanjay Singla Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chandigarh University, Chandigarh, Punjab, India Ripu Ranjan Sinha Rajasthan Technical University, Kota, Rajasthan, India Pavel Sitnikov SEC “Open Code”, Samara, Russia Emmanuel Nii-Ayi Solomon Accra Technical University, Accra, Ghana Neelam Swami DepartmentofElectronicsandCommunicationEngineering,Mody University of Science and Technology, Lakshmangarh, Rajasthan, India Kim Hua Tan Nottingham University Business School, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK Berhane Aradom Tedla Eastern University, St. Davids, USA Hetal Thaker Atmiya University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India Zalak Thakrar Shri V.J. Modha College of I.T, Porbandar, Gujarat, India P. Tharanidharan Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Ahmed Tijani Minerals Commission, Accra, Ghana Munesh Chandra Trivedi NIT Agartala, Agartala, India Meet Vasani School of Engineering, PP Savani University, Surat, India M. Vaseegaran Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India Anita Venugopal Dhofar University, Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman Amuktha Vinnakota Department of Information Technology, VR Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada, India Paresh Virparia Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India Chengping Wang National Engineering Laboratory for Electric Vehicles, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China Lin Wu Nottingham University Business School, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
- 26. xxii Editors and Contributors Dharmendra Yadav Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University College of Engineering and Technology, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India Richa Yadav ECE Department, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, Delhi, India Kalyan Chakravarti Yelavarti Department of Information Technology, VR Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada, India
- 27. Intelligent Quality Guarantor Model for Computer Vision Based Quality Control Anton Ivaschenko , Oleg Golovnin , Vladimir Avsievich , and Pavel Sitnikov Abstract The paper studies a problem of production workplace adaptation using the computer vision based analysis of performance and quality control. There is proposed a new “intelligent quality guarantor” based on decomposition of the quality control process to the tasks of deviances identification. The solution is capable of capturing the individual characteristics of production personnel to provide intelligent decision- making support in real time. An artificial neural network is used to provide analysis of the operator’s behavior, derive the typical individual actions and classify them using the patterns of efficient and weak performance. The proposed approach improves the user interfaces of production cyber-physical systems for better comfort ability of the computer–human collaborative environment. The example of the proposed concept efficient use in practice is given for an automobile wire production manual opera- tions control, where it is critical to consider the individual experience of production personnel. Keywords Computer vision · Quality control · Cyber-physical systems · Workplace adaptation · Intelligent quality guarantor 1 Introduction Computer vision implementing modern artificial neural networks is a promising technology for industrial applications. Among the most useful areas of its utilization in production and manufacturing there are often mentioned automated inspection and robot guidance. Taking into account its benefits and constraints the computer vision module can become a component of an industrial robot with autonomous behavior A. Ivaschenko (B) · V. Avsievich · P. Sitnikov SEC “Open Code”, Yarmarochnaya 55, Samara, Russia e-mail: anton.ivashenko@gmail.com O. Golovnin Samara National Research University, Moskovskoye Shosse 34, Samara, Russia © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 V. Goar et al. (eds.), Advances in Information Communication Technology and Computing, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems 628, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9888-1_1 1
- 28. 2 A. Ivaschenko et al. or a part of a computer–human interface helping the operator to perform regular actions. At the same time in the domain of Industry 4.0, especially in the areas of industrial quality control systems, application of computer vision remains limited. One of the reasons is a low sensitivity and accuracy comparatively to various types of sensors and high dependence on influencing external factors like the quality of lighting, the presence of pollution, the appearance of shadows, etc. However, computer vision has greater autonomy and versatility compared to other technologies of the Internet of Things. It is a challenging problem to find as appropriate place of this technology application in an industrial enterprise. One of the possible solutions is production workplace adaptation considering the modern requirements and standards of quality control. 2 State of the Art Quality control organization is one of the key challenges of production enterprise management [1]. In the original setting it assumes testing units and monitoring whether they satisfy the specifications. According to the modern theory of quality management [2], the achievement of specified quality indicators for a product is determined by the quality of the implementation of the production process. One of the basic factors affecting the quality of the production process is the presence of crit- ical deviations from the requirements for its implementation, including compliance with the requirements for the operations performed. Usually, to assess the quality of production processes, a set of indicators is used that determine generalized characteristics, such as specialization, repeatability, continuity, flow, rhythm, etc. However, the initial data for these characteristics can be reduced to time and correspondence. Respectively the main quality issues are concerned with the delays and failures. From this point of view the role of statistical methods of quality control is high. Statistical methods [3, 4] are used to identify the probability of faults and influencing factors in order to improve a number of quality parameters. Statistical quality control provides immediate identification of the place and time when the quality starts to diverge from the standard. One of the main problems of quality control is to make it robust against to uncertainties, which allows increasing product reliability and safety operations. Such problems of statistical analysis of complex data as classification and clus- tering are being successfully solved by artificial neural networks [5, 6]. Rapid devel- opment of modern technologies of Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence [7, 8] provides new opportunities for improving the integrated system of technical control and quality management at a manufacturing enterprise. At the same time, implementation of computer vision in this area is challenging due to a low standardization of quality parameters and indicators of the artificial intelligence itself, which leads to the intelligent systems reliability and trust issues.
- 29. Intelligent Quality Guarantor Model for Computer Vision Based Quality … 3 To solve this problem there should be developed new concepts and approaches of intelligent computer vision application for production quality control. Smart automation and intelligent technologies application in production is declared by a concept of Industry 4.0 [9, 10]. Despite the fact that computer vision is not mentioned in the list of Industry 4.0 core components, it is commonly used as a part of solutions for advanced human–machine interfaces and smart sensors. Indeed, when collecting information required for quality control, Internet-of-Things tech- nologies of higher accuracy and reliability are usually used [11]. However, computer vision takes its own niche. 3 Intelligent Quality Guarantor Intelligent quality guarantor is a model for computer vision system based on decom- position of the quality control process to the tasks of various deviances identification. It allows combination of several intelligent components targeting various computer vision problem solving. Let us consider a production process pn,m of the unit um which contains a number of operations: pn,m = gn,m,k n,m,k,l , τn,m,k , (1) where n,m,k,l represents a process quality metric, which characterize a corre- sponding quality parameter of the unit, τn,m,k—time frame of expected operation fulfillment, which can be set both absolutely and relative to the beginning of the process. Execution of the process in an operational area of the production sector is characterized by action events of an employee ai : en,i, j = en,i, j un, qn,i, j,s , tn,i, j , (2) where tn,i, j is the moment of the event, qn,i, j,s —a set of fixed metrics that characterize the action performed. The main difference of this model from the existing approaches of quality control is that the employee gets certain autonomy. He or she is expected to perform actions correlated to the corresponding process, but their exact sequence, time and scope can differ from the predefined specification. The only fact that can be determined by a machine vision system is that some subject ai has performed some action on an object um with certain metrics qn,i, j,s . Production process quality depends from the number of faults and deviations that can be specified using the provided above definitions of the performance indicators. We postulate that quality guarantor is individualized for each employee therefore will consider these indicators individually for each pair (ai , un).
- 30. 4 A. Ivaschenko et al. Minimum of faults in the quality metrics satisfaction of the corresponding processes and actions: F(ai , un) = j m,k s l en,i, j · gn,m,k · en,i, j , gn,m,k · δ qn,i, j,s / ∈ n,m,k,l → min, (3) where en,i, j , gn,m,k is the Boolean function that represents the correspondence (matching) of the action to the required operation; δ(x) is a step function δ(x) = 1, x = true; 0, x = f alse. . Minimum of deviations between the actions and operations in time: F(ai , un) = j m,k en,i, j · gn,m,k · en,i, j , gn,m,k · δ tn,i, j / ∈ τn,m,k → min, (4) Minimum of excessive and redundant actions: V (ai , un) = j en,i, j · δ m,k en,i, j , gn,m,k = 0 → min (5) This model does not consider the employees’ specialization and distribution of the operations between the staff, which makes the difference from the production planning and manufacturing execution problems. The statements (3–5) describe an alternative characteristic of the process quality, which are useful in practice in intelligent computer vision systems for production quality control. Intelligent quality guarantor is sensitive to critical deviations. It means that the employee can diverge from the specification to some extent, but should satisfy the basic quality parameters of the standard. This approach considers the human factor and provides the required flexibility for a computer vision system. This approach allows decomposing the problem of computer vision to three tasks: 1. Identification of the delays tn,i, j / ∈ τn,m,k; 2. Decision on the correspondence of actions and operations en,i, j , gn,m,k ; 3. Identification of the quality metrics faults qn,i, j,s / ∈ n,m,k,l. Identificationofthedelaysiscarriedoutbymatchingoftimestampsoftherequired timeframes of the process operations and the events that characterize the actions performed. In its turn, solving of the next two tasks require Artificial Intelligence. Correspondence of actions and required operations is determined by either comparing the patterns of actions and operations or as a result of solutions of a classification problem. In the last case the photo images or videos of the operations performed by a highly qualified employee can be taken as a training dataset sample.
- 31. Intelligent Quality Guarantor Model for Computer Vision Based Quality … 5 When solving the problem this way there is no need for formalization of the observed character events. Identification of non-compliance of the quality metrics with specification require- ments is mostly determined by the specifics of the problem domain. For this purpose there can be introduced a number of quality testing stands that form a quality control process gates, equipped with specialized sensors. Computer vision in most cases cannot provide the required high resolution of the measured parameters. At the same time for the processes with known performance and reliable quality assurance intelligent computed vision can successfully determine the risks of quality failure by identification of the deviations of the staff actions from the patterns known as efficient. This deviation can be caused mainly by an influence of human factor. Therefore the proposed model allows decomposing the problem of quality control to three tasks, which the intelligent computer vision system can effectively deal with. In this case an artificial neural network can be used to provide analysis of the operator’s behavior and derive the typical individual actions. 4 Implementation Architecture The proposed above model was implemented by SEC “Open code” as a platform for manufacturing production enterprises. The solution embodies the idea of building a process quality gate equipped with an intelligent visual monitoring and control system. The quality gate is a control point at which the results of the next stage of development and launching of products are checked and a decision is made to proceed to the next stage. In this case, the quality of production is defined as a set of characteristics of an object related to its ability to meet established and anticipated needs. Intelligent quality guarantor implementation is a hardware and software complex that provides visual control of product compliance with a given parameter using machine vision components, identification of inconsistencies and defects, collection and processing of information on the current quality of products within a specialized situation center integrated with PDM and ERP systems. Intelligent quality guarantor implementation architecture is presented in Fig. 1. Quality guarantor can be installed both autonomously, at the control point, and integrated with production equipment, including sorting and coordinate measuring machines. In this case, it is additionally provided for the implementation of an inter- active reference manual that provides contextual information to personnel using Augmented Reality. A knowledge base (Ontology) is used to configure and set up quality assurance, which provides semantic search and logical inference based on designandtechnologicaldocumentationaboutproducts,aswellasoperatingmanuals for the production equipment used. To identify defects, an artificial neural network (NN) is included in the Intelligent Quality Guarantor. The training of the neural network is carried out as part of produc- tion workplaces adaptation of for a specific manufacturing enterprise. At the same
- 32. 6 A. Ivaschenko et al. Fig. 1 Intelligent quality guarantor implementation architecture time, it is also possible to use various instrumentation and computer vision system equipment. This tool is highly promising for controlling assembly and packaging operations, monitoring workplaces and monitoring compliance with standards. Considering the mentioned above strengths and weaknesses of a computer vision implementation for quality assurance, the place of its most effective use is found in production workplace adaptation. It means supplementation the production personnel with additional interactive user interfaces based on sound notifications and Augmented Reality that provide additional information and thus helping them to reduce the errors caused by human factor. The proposed approach improves the user interfaces of production cyber- physical systems improve the comfort ability of the computer–human collaborative environment.
- 33. Intelligent Quality Guarantor Model for Computer Vision Based Quality … 7 5 Practical Use Case An illustrative example of quality guarantee practical use describes the experience of Augmented Reality system development and implementation for labour rehabili- tation and adaptation of personnel with vision disability [12]. To solve this problem there was proposed an original hardware and software solution for adaptation of the workplace presented in Fig. 2. The system features include automatic sorting, defect recognition and quality control. Quality control of products and production processes in turn provides for the implementation of photo and video processing of the results of monitoring e.g. assembly of parts and components, and control of the facts of operations performed. Image recognition for objects and actions identification was implemented using a convolutional neural network (CNN) consisting of one input image, two convolu- tional and two downsampling (subsampling) layers. The OpenCV computer vision library was used for preliminary image processing. To accelerate the training of the neural network we used a server with GPU. According to the quality guarantee model there were defined the types of recog- nized units un: assembly gun, corrugated tube and wire fastening. en,i, j , gn,m,k was specified for the event of operator assembling the wire. Hands of the operator performing the assembly were identified separately. This information was used to markup the training dataset. The video showed various stages of the wire assembly from different positions and viewing angles. The resulting training dataset consists of 9437 images including 4000 images of units and 2000 images of actions. The solution implements the following main functions: Fig. 2 Production workplace adaptation: screenshot of the AR assisting system that implements manual operations recognition and control
- 34. 8 A. Ivaschenko et al. • recognition of the production process of wires assembly and testing based on video filming in real time; • control of the production process of wires assembly and testing based on video filming in real time; • informing the contractor about errors made during the assembly/testing of wires; • saving data about the contractor’s mistakes made during the assembly/testing of wires. In case of erroneous actions of the user at any stage of the process, the system displays an informing window about the error he made with sound notification. The system shows at what stage the user skipped a certain action, thereby controlling the production process. Notifications’ appearance is supplemented by corresponding sound alerts. The recognition process exceeded 95%, which indicates a high rate exceeding the probability of an operator making a mistake, without using a manual control system. As the result additional visual elements are added to the user interface helping the personnel to overcome the problems caused by the lack of visual information and thus provide comfortable adaptation of the workplace. 6 Conclusion Intelligentqualityguarantormodelprovidesasolutionofcomputervisionapplication for production workplace adaptation considering the features and limitations of its practicaluse.Itallowsmeetingthespecificrequirementsofworkplacepersonification and extends the comfort ability of the computer–human collaborative environment. Further research allows expanding the proposed approach among the production enterprises to improve the standards of reliability and trust in Artificial Intelligence. References 1. Blanco-Encomienda F, Rosillo-Díaz E, Muñoz-Rosas J (2018) Importance of quality control implementation in the production process of a company. Eur J Econ Bus Stud 4:240–244 2. Dominguez O (2021) Quality management: the heart of the quality assurance/quality control process. Spectrosc Eur 33(1):27–32 3. Fisher N, Tanaka Y, Woodall W (2019) The road to quality control: the industrial application of statistical quality control by Sarasohn HM, Wiley, 160 p 4. Mrugalska B, Tytyk E (2015) Quality control methods for product reliability and safety. Proc Manuf 3:2730–2737 5. Goodfellow I, Bengio Y, Courville A (2016) Deep learning, vol. 1. MIT press Cambridge, pp 925, 773 6. Egmont-Petersen M, de Ridder D, Handels H (2002) Image processing with neural networks—a review. Pattern Recogn 35(10):2279–2301 7. Sonka M, Hlavac V, Boyle R (2008) Image processing, analysis, and machine vision, 555 p
- 35. Intelligent Quality Guarantor Model for Computer Vision Based Quality … 9 8. Wiley V, Lucas T (2018) Computer vision and image processing: a paper review. Int J Artif Intel Res 2(1):28–36 9. Roblek V, Meško M, Krapež A (2016) A complex view of industry 4.0, SAGE Open, vol 6, pp 1–11 10. Khan A, Turowski K (2016) Perspective on industry 4.0: from challenges to opportunities in production systems. In: Proceedings international conference on internet of things and big data, Rome, pp 441–448 11. Bessis N, Dobre C (2014) Big data and internet of things: a roadmap for smart environments. Stud Comput Intel 450 12. Surnin O, Sitnikov P, Gubinkiy A, Dorofeev A, Nikiforova T, Krivosheev A, Zemtsov V, Ivaschenko A (2021) Augmented reality implementation for comfortable adaptation of disabled personnel to the production workplace. In: Proceedings of the 35th annual European simulation and modelling conference 2021, pp 64–69
- 36. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage Ahmed Tijani, Mohammed Majeed, Asare Charles, and Nana Arko-Cole Abstract The hospitality industry is an emerging sector globally and requires both attention and technology investment. Hence, the purpose of this study was to look into how IT capabilities affect hotels’ ability to compete. The 153 respondents for the survey included managers, members of the kitchen crew, receptionists, and ICT managers from the 31 hotels in Tamale, Ghana. The association between IT capacity and competitive advantage was established using a quantitative research approach. Websites, IT systems, and IT infrastructure were all employed in the study to repre- sent IT competence as an independent variable. According to the study, competitive advantage is significantly enhanced by websites, IT infrastructure, and IT systems. In light of this, it was determined that IT capacity has a direct, favorable, and significant link with competitive advantage. Keywords IT · Capability · Competitive advantage · ICT · IT infrastructure · System · Website A. Tijani (B) Minerals Commission, Accra, Ghana e-mail: ahmed.tijani73@yahoo.com M. Majeed Tamale Technical University, Tamale, Ghana e-mail: tunteya14june@gmail.com A. Charles Ghana Communication Technology University, Accra, Ghana e-mail: casare@gtuc.edu.gh N. Arko-Cole University for Professional Studies, Accra, Ghana e-mail: colearko@gmail.com © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023 V. Goar et al. (eds.), Advances in Information Communication Technology and Computing, Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems 628, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9888-1_2 11
- 37. 12 A. Tijani et al. 1 Introduction The services offered by hotels, restaurants, resorts, and the entertainment sector collectively comprise the hospitality industry [1]. In the Tamale metropolis, a number of structures have been built to promote the hospitality industry’s image. This signifi- cant stride forward in the economy is the result of a collaboration between the public and private sectors [2]. Hospitality may be defined as the expression of kindness toward visitors or strangers by providing for their basic requirements such as food, drink, and lodging. The primary focus of hospitality is on providing these necessities [3]. The act of fostering a connection between a host and a visitor is often understood to be a contemporary definition of hospitality. Frequently, when we refer to the “Hos- pitality Industry,” we are referring to businesses or organizations that offer tourists housing, food, and/or beverages in addition to other services. However, the term “Hospitality Industry” only applies in the vast majority of situations. The hospitality sector is comprised of a wide variety of businesses and establishments, including hotels and restaurants, which provide a variety of services to customers, including providing food and drink, a place to sleep, and other amenities. Both residents and tourists from other countries are able to purchase these goods and make use of these services. The hospitality industry has two key business sectors, according to Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism (2020): (1) Provide housing (and, in most circumstances, food, and drink) to those who are away from home for whatever reason. (2) Food and beverage: Provide local, commuter, transient, and tourist clients with food and bever- ages. The major purpose of the hospitality sector is to provide travelers with homes away from home, as well as good service and warm welcomes [4]. The primary constituents are hotels, motels, inns, resorts, and restaurants, which provide shelter, food, and other services to travelers [5]. Ghana’s hospitality business has risen from theperipherytotheforegroundofsocio-economicagendas.Ghanaiscurrentlyranked 14th in Africa’s most visited hospitality industry [6]. Hotel units’ importance in the hospitality sector cannot be overstated. The cost of lodging (hotels) accounts for 31% of tourist spending, an average of $1 million each trip [7]. Ghana is quickly moving away from a market-oriented economy with an emphasis on the hotel sector in partic- ular and toward a reliance on secondary commodities. It is commonly acknowledged that the hospitality sector is inextricably related to a nation’s potential on the cultural, economic, and intellectual levels. The use of new technology to improve hotel management operations and customer service has recently gained more attention [8]. This is a result of information tech- nology’s advancement and wider adoption in the hospitality sector [9]. Information technology capabilities, which mobilize and deploy IT-based resources in combi- nation with those of other organizational capabilities, may assist improvements in business strategy [10]. Because they adopted new technology, several hotel compa- nies have seen improvements in their financial performance in recent years [10, 11]. However, IT investment can put the lodging industry in danger. New technologies, for example, are frequently made obsolete due to their complexity and implementation
- 38. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 13 challenges. New technologies typically need increased technological resources and human capabilities [12, 13], as well as, increased system maintenance and operational costs [10, 14]. As hotels in developing economies try to grow their business and market, more hotels are opening up, which has hurt their performance [15]. Organizations have not been able to keep up with changes in the global technology business environment because of things like not taking responsibility for getting new technologies, not having enough technical and networking skills, not having enough human capital, and choosing the wrong technologies [16, 17]. Because of this, foreign elements and goods took over the industrial and commercial worlds [16]. So, African countries have shown that they are committed to improving the region’s economy and business by making businesses more competitive locally and globally. This is all part of the African Continental Free Trade Agenda. To do this, the government of Ghana has put inplaceanumberofprogrammesandpolicies,suchastheICT4DEVinitiative.Hotels often do not get the benefits they expected from their IT investments [18]. Melian- Gonzalez and Bulchand-Gidumal found in 2016 that IT investments in hospitality businesses do not seem to increase hotel revenue. Because of this, research results on how IT skills affect hospitality firms are mixed [10]. There is a big difference in how IT skills affect how competitive a hotel is [19]. Furthermore, while tempting on paper, the concept of IT competence is not well defined, and the process through which IT capability contributes to improved compet- itive performance is poorly understood [19]. Despite hotels’ best efforts to stay successful and grow their businesses, some will fail within five years of their incep- tion [20]. In 2017, more than half of all new businesses failed during the first five years [21]. There is a scarcity of academic studies on hotelier business methods [22]. Successful small business methods have been demonstrated to be beneficial to the success of other small business owners [23]. The basic business challenge is that some IT hotels are negatively impacted by a lack of information capabilities, making it difficult for them to stay profitable and sustain their companies for more than five years [22]. The specific business concern is that certain businesses in Ghana’s hospitality industry lack crucial strategies for sustaining their operations beyond five years. Although various empirical studies have looked at the implications of superior IT competence on company performance on a global scale, few studies have attempted to do so at the industry level, particularly in emerging countries like Ghana. There is very little research on the strategies of information technology capabilities in the hotel industry, in particular [23]. As evidenced by multiple empirical studies, IT remains one of the most effective strategies for eliminating dangers and maximizing possibilities presented by the environment [24]. Despite the fact that some research has started to link IT with a competitive advantage [25], the link between IT and orga- nizational competitive advantage in today’s corporate climate is unclear [26]. That means there are few empirical studies of the association between IT and competitive advantage in the previous literature, hence this publication fills that void. Therefore, this study through the resource based view of the firm closes the gap by examining the impact of IT capabilities on the competitive advantage of Ghanaian hotels.
- 39. 14 A. Tijani et al. 1.1 Research Objectives The main goal of this study is to find out how IT systems affect a company’s ability to be competitive. 1.2 Specific Objectives 1. To look into how IT systems affect competitive advantage. 2. To examine the connection between IT websites and competitive advantage. 3. To look into how IT infrastructure affects competitive advantage. 1.2.1 Significance of the Study Because of the interdependence between the industrial sector and organisational performance in light of globalization’s tough industry competition, this study will be beneficial to Ghanaian economies in emerging Africa. Modern or contemporary entrepreneurial revolution is particularly true in the present economic liberalization. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are increasingly relying on technology to help them compete in the hotel sector, as they seek tax benefits, subsidies, and environmental incentives. Jobs will be created, easing Ghana’s graduate unemployment issue and relieving strain on the state sector as a consequence of hotel businesses operating under the self-established entrepreneurial model. As a consequence of this, the IMF’s economic dilemma of optimum public labour will be resolved. As a result of better IT capability management, the rural sector will see a reduction in severe abject poverty, especially among illiterates and those with fewer financial means and other vulnerabilities. This will have a positive effect on hotel businesses. Acquiring most economic commodi- ties and products, both goods and services, would catapult Ghana’s economy from a middle-income nation to a sophisticated and technologically minded industrial world like Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom or Russia. The IT skills of Ghanaian hotels are being assessed in this research in relation to the moderating impact of competitive advantage. 2 Literature Review 2.1 Ghana’s Hospitality Sector Ghana’s hotel business includes hotels, lodges, resorts, inns, motels, guest houses, and hostels. Hotels in Ghana are rated according to a budget grading system used
- 40. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 15 by the Ghana Tourist Board. 5-stars are the best possible rating, while 1-star is the lowest possible rating. While a hotel typically has a minimum of ten (10) rooms, a guest home often only has four to nine rooms. The number of stars awarded to a hotel is determined by the quality of the facilities and services offered by the establishment (meets international standards). Hotels that are either inexpensive or unrated do not satisfy the requirements of international standards. The size of a hotel does not affect its star rating (in terms of the number of rooms). As a result, depending on the number of rooms, a hotel or guest house can be established [27, 28]. There are around 1000 members of the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA), one of Ghana’s most well-known hotel associations. Accommodations, dining, and other tourist amenities in Ghana may be found at one of the hotels and guesthouses that make up the Ghana Hotels Association. These establishments are approved and regulated by the Ghana Tourist Board. One Star to Five Star International standards are incorporated in the membership categories for those who are willing to pay a premium. Hotel membership is open to establishments that meet certain standards, as reported by Narteh et al. [29]. The Ghanaian Ministry of Tourism claimed in 2013 that there were 1751 authorized hotels in Ghana (ranging from one to five stars, economy hotels, and guest houses). 660 hotels in Greater Accra including 183 in the Ashanti area, 183 in the West, 129 in the Eastern region, 126 in the Central region, 87 in the Brong Ahafo region, 87 in the Volta Region, and 85 in the Northern and Upper East regions. Only the Upper West Region’s five hotels will be examined for this study, which focuses on the Blue Hill Hotel, Nuoyong Empire Hotel, Sem-B lodge, Upland Hotel, and Queens Valley Hotel. These are all in the Upper West Region (Wa Municipality). According to data provided by the Ministry of Tourism (2013), the total number of hotel rooms in Ghana climbed from 18,752 in 2005 to 26,047 in 2009 as the country went from 1345 to 1775 hotels. According to a study that was compiled by the Ministry of Tourism in 2013, In 2011, there were 1800 hotels in the country as a whole, and by the end of 2017, it was predicted that there would be 2000. According to a Narteh et al. [29] study on Ghana’s luxury hotel sector, Accra has the largest density of hotels. This analysis will also take into account all Tamale hotels that have been registered. 2.2 Information Technology (IT) Because of the independence it has gained from business models, IT has shifted its emphasis to include all aspects of the customer experience [30]. This includes design, communication, distribution, fulfilment, and assessment. One way to approach this is to consider it from the standpoints of conception, dissemination and fulfilment [31, 32]. It has been found that [31, 32]. From the computer reservation systems of the 1970s to the 1980s global distribution systems to the internet in the 1990s to the social interactions of today’s consumer-to-consumer virtual networks, the underlying mechanism has undergone significant development. [33]. In 2014, according to Zhu andMorosan,sincethen,thecontemporaryeconomyhasbeenbuiltonknowledgeand
- 41. 16 A. Tijani et al. information. These factors have a significant impact on production, productivity, and the ability of companies to compete globally. Knowledge and information have also grown in importance over the last several years [34]. Technological advancements havealteredthewaypeoplecommunicate,engage,andsearchforgoods,services,and information as a direct consequence of these changes [35]. This study was conducted by Abreu and colleagues in 2017, due to new business models and IT moving ahead on its own with support from business models, IT has evolved to concentrate on the whole customer experience [30]. From the standpoint of design, communication, distribution, and fulfilment, this may be observed [31, 32]. There has been a dramatic shift in the underlying mechanism, from computer reservation systems in the 1970s to internet in the 1990s to today’s social network activities amongst consumers [33]. Since then, the contemporary economy has been built on knowledge and information. These factors have a significant impact on production, productivity, and the ability of companies to compete globally. Knowledge and information have also grown in importance over the last several years [34]. Castells [34] says that Technological advancements have altered the way people communicate, engage, and search for goods, services, and information as a direct consequence of these changes [35]. Our lives have been transformed by technology, notably in the hospitality sector [31]. Passengers’ access toinformation, planningtrips, andsharingtravel experiences has been revolutionized by technology, making the industry more competitive [36, 37]. When it comes to most consumer activities, information technology has taken over and has had deep and revolutionary consequences on the hotel sector [2, 38]. 2.3 IT Capabilities IT capability refers to IT resources that may be utilized to facilitate the sharing of capabilities and services in order to enhance IT’s environmental proficiency and assist operations of the business [39]. Information technology has grown in importance in the tourism sector as a result of the significant advantages it provides for all agencies involved, including hotels. IT increases staff productivity, worldwide market share, employee happiness, process standardization, and operating cost reduction. [40, 41]. In recent years, Information technology has advanced significantly and this has had a substantial impact on tourism management [42, 43]. The term “IT capability” can be defined in several different ways. Antoni et al. [39] proposes an IT capability deployment flexibility method that is connected to the goals of IT and the company, as well as the business design, IT strate- gies, and IT human resource capabilities. According to Bharadwaj [44], A company’s IT competence is defined as its ability to improve performance through the interac- tion of its IT infrastructure, IT human resources, and IT intangible assets. According to Liu et al. [45], information technology expertise is essential for improving the effi- cacy and efficiency of organisational operations in order to lessen the adverse effects that business operations have on the environment. The concept of “green computing,” according to Harmon and Auseklis [46], merges power management, virtualization,
- 42. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 17 recycling,theremovalofelectricalwaste,andtheenhancementofITcapabilities.The term “green capabilities” is used by Molla et al. [47] to describe an organization’s IT and communication resources, as well as shared services and business applications. A growing interest in using new technologies to improve hotel management opera- tions and customer service has emerged as information technology advances in the hospitality sector [8, 9]. Since IT skills may mobilize and deploy IT-based resources in conjunction with other organizational competencies, many hotel businesses have improved their financial performance by embracing new technology [10, 11]. These studies show how a company’s competitive edge may be increased by employing IT expertise. 2.4 Dimensions of IT Capabilities in This Study 2.4.1 IT System The level of competitiveness in the hospitality business is significantly impacted by the use of information technology (IT) systems. Even when other potentially confusing aspects are taken into account, the competitiveness in the hotel industry seems to be driven by IT systems. Despite the fact that Hua et al. [31] came to the conclusionthate-commercespendinghadaneffectonhoteloperationalperformance, their findings were only supported by contemporaneous research and were limited to analyzing the implications of revenue [19]. It is essential to keep in mind that invest- ments in information technology (IT) systems and websites take some time to pay off in terms of a hotel’s capacity to compete with other businesses. Even if informa- tion technology systems initially have a detrimental impact on the competitiveness of hotels, such systems seem to have a positive effect on hotel competitiveness one year after they have been purchased. As a parting word of counsel, the results of our study indicate that hotels should keep an adequate number of information technology staff. In order to keep up with its closest competitors in terms of IT performance and operation, the hotel will need to ensure that its IT team is on par with that of its competitors. For IT systems and websites to work properly and positively impact hotel competitiveness, IT labor assistance is required [19]. 2.4.2 IT Website The quality of the information made available on websites, including how simple it is for users to acquire it, how users engage with it, and how quickly they may share it via reviews, has been the focus of earlier study on website capabilities [48]. These studies offered guidance on how to build a profitable website. However, they did not cover all of the qualities essential in the current e-commerce sector. The internet, online networks, and hypermedia technologies are examples of the extremely dynamic and interactive elements present in the contemporary e-business environment. [49].
- 43. 18 A. Tijani et al. These traits stand in for a number of e-business startup success factors. Among these characteristics are a user-friendly interface, accurate, complete, and relevant content, history upkeep, and website design. [50]. Previous quality models failed to handle web usability issues such as disorientation and inappropriate information, which the Website capability now addresses [49]. As a result, we’ve embraced Kim et al. [49], comprehensive Website capability. Because of this, the Website Quality Model incorporates dimensions of information form, substance, and time to help users navigate the site more easily. The Online travel industry was studied by Toufaily et al. [51]. According to their findings, website qualities like usability and customer service quality have a favorable impact on e-satisfaction, which in turn influences client e-loyalty. 2.4.3 IT Infrastructure (ITI) IT infrastructure (ITI) refers to the basis of IT resources that can be shared to support business operations in organizations through exchanging capabilities and services. ITI is defined by Antoni et al. [39] as important to an organization’s capacity to adapt to market change, rethink business procedures, and grow globally or geographically dispersed businesses. Therefore, ITI is a crucial business skill or competency that firms need in order to meet market expectations and achieve their goals. In this study, Antoni [18] and Cassia et al. [52] Use the integrated capability method to identify the IT infrastructure’s capabilities that can be used to lessen the environmental effect of business operations. According to Antoni et al. [39], IT infrastructure can help a firm respond to rapidly changing market conditions and technical uncertainty. A role for modularity, simple administrative processes, a central database, external entry points, and the use of storage virtualization is possible [43]. IT is a set of technologies used in corporate strategy that allow for the expansion and maintenance of competitive advantage [53]. IT infrastructure modularity is a method for increasing service to stakeholders by upgrading, deleting, or adding any software, hardware, or data parts of IT infrastruc- ture [54]. Data, software, application module call routines and data conversions are all examples of information systems (IS) processes that may and will be repeated in an organization. A byproduct of this is that the data and applications are now self- contained and reusable. Additionally, they allow direct-purpose systems to be inte- grated into the infrastructure while streamlining the development, maintenance, and engineering procedures. Information technology infrastructure has a second useful feature: it is capable of doing routine tasks in an intuitive manner [54]. In order to offer uniform services to all business units at a cheaper cost, the simple procedure can be built employing standardization data and information as well as shared services across the entire organization. Therefore, by defining fundamental procedures and standards, a company can leverage such acts to produce environmen- tally friendly economic operations [55]. An essential component of IT infrastructure that can aid a company in enhancing its environmental performance is a centralized database management system [39]. This is because a key component of the business
- 44. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 19 process that can be leveraged to enhance environmental performance is the central database. 2.4.4 Competitive Advantage A company’s capacity to surpass its rivals in terms of a product, service, or knowl- edge is considered as competitive advantage [56]. Only a comprehensive plan that considers a company’s marketing, operations and supply chain, human resources, finances, and technology may lead to long-term competitive advantage [57]. Utilizing all of an organization’s resources effectively has an impact on its performance in the market [58]. An rise in market share or profit over the competition is a sign of competitive advantage [59] either (a) cutting product costs to lower the price or (b) differentiating a product to increase the price. Any of these two strategies can be used to gain a competitive edge [60]. Making their items distinctive from the competition might give them a competitive edge [61]. Branding is a sort of uniqueness that might influence a customer’s decision to purchase a certain product [62]. In the case of hotels that are located close to one other, product diversification is particularly effec- tive for reducing direct competition and developing new competitive advantages. High agglomeration and easy access to inputs, as well as high exit barriers and low switching costs for customers, make the hotel and tourist industry more competitive than other businesses. An examination of 4257 hotels in Texas utilizing quantitative research by Lee [63] uncovered a link between quality differences in hotel accom- modations and regional pricing competition. Lee came to the conclusion that if the quality of the hotels in the immediate neighborhood is equivalent, there is a lot of price competition. However, regional competition grows when a hotel’s quality level restricts the substitutability of its products. According to Lee [63] price competition among similar hotels was less intense than expected. According to Lee, inefficient price competition may be reduced by correctly identifying rivals. An example of an intangible and immovable benefit is one’s skills and reputation [60]. Companies are more likely to stay in business if they focus on their “intangible assets” instead of their “physical assets [64]. Human capital can be made into a sustainable competitive advantage by implementing a comprehensive human resources management program that prioritizes employee motivation [65]. Quantitative research of 34 independently owned hotels in Serbia was conducted by Bontis et al. [66] to examine the relationship between intellectual capital and financial performance. Intellectual capital had no statistically significant impact on the financial success of hotels, according to Bontis and his associates. This covers elements like employee competencies, client relationships, and organizational culture.
- 45. 20 A. Tijani et al. 2.5 Theoretical Underpinning 2.5.1 Resources-Based View (RBV) According to the RBV theory, an organization’s internal traits and its competi- tive advantage are linked [67]. Enterprises in the same industry have a variety of resources, according to the hypothesis [68, 69]. In-depth viewpoint has emerged as prevalent explanations or theories paradigm for analyzing performance [67]. There are three categories of resources that might have an impact on the production of a company: physical resources, human resources, and organisational resources. To run a successful business, a corporation needs all three of these different kinds of resources [70]. According to the Resource Based Theory (RBT), which has been the subject of research, the comparative advantage of a company may be constructed from its capabilities and resources [71–73]. Thus, RBV focuses on long-term compet- itive advantages and considers both tangible and intangible assets while conducting its analyses. Resource-based theory (RBT), according to Barney [74, 75], argues that a company must amass valuable, rare, inimitable, and non-substitutable (VRIN) resources and abilities if it is to achieve a state of sustainable competitive advan- tage. The percentage of resources capable of coping with an increasing workload is known as capacity [75]. Building and constantly managing the capacity of a company to produce outstanding returns is a common definition of a business. Each business has a unique set of strategic capabilities that form the basis of its long-term plans and are essential to its financial success [67]. 2.6 Conceptual Framework 2.6.1 IT Capabilities and Competitiveness The hotel industry has reaped the rewards of technological advancements and has come to appreciate the advantages of IT. As an example, the internet and social media have long been used to promote and sell hotel products and services [10]. Hotel owners that have their own websites are more likely to see an increase in sales since they have direct touch with their clients. In addition, these initiatives will be vital in helping hotel companies identify consumer habits since hotel corporations and consumers are engaging in the same spot [19]. IT-enabled information exchanges are critical to the hotel and tourist sectors because they have a significant influence on the business’s essential principles [35]. In the last two decades, academic research on the effects of widespread IT adoption and use on performance has increased dramatically [44, 76]. This is due to the fact that information technology has become so pervasive in people’s daily lives and is a critical organizational capability [31, 77]. Other industries, such as manufacturing
- 46. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 21 [78] and the service sector [79], have looked into the impact of IT capabilities on competitiveness, but the hospitality industry has yet to conduct a systematic study of how IT capabilities impact hotel competitiveness. To develop competencies, support companies on both the supply and demand sides will need to make investments in their information technology skills [80, 81]. Hotel firms may enhance their goods and services, strengthen organisational capacities, and accomplish strategic objectives by developing and using IT capabilities, which can provide them a competitive edge in the marketplace [37]. Previous studies have shown that talents in the information technology sector may assist in the enhancement of product and service offerings [19]. There have been significant changes in the hotel and tourist industry as a conse- quence of internet and social media-based promotions [38]. The bottom line is that organisations now rely heavily on information technology as a means of staying ahead of the competition [82]. A firm’s IT human capital, infrastructure, and rela- tionalresourceshavebeendefinedasthreeimportantcategoriesofITresources,based on Grant’s [83] resource categorization [84, 85]. All hotel IT expenses are recorded and divided into three categories, which correspond to the above-mentioned three IT capabilities: IT personnel, systems, and websites. As a result this study presents the following alternative hypotheses: H1: There is a significant positive relationship between IT systems and competitive advantage. H1: There is a significant positive relationship between IT websites and competitive advantage. H1: There is a significant positive relationship between IT infrastructure and competitive advantage (Fig. 1). Fig. 1 Conceptual model
- 47. 22 A. Tijani et al. 3 Methodology 3.1 Research Design Quantitative designs come in a wide variety of forms, such as experimental, quasi- experimental, and non-experimental ones [86]. For this study, a correlational model was the most suitable quantitative approach. Bettany-Saltikov and Whittaker [87] adviseutilisingcorrelationaldesignsformeasuringtwoormorequantitativevariables from the same sample of participants. The researchers determined that a quantitative method would be the most suitable for this examination given that the goal of the study is to find relationships. According to McCusker and Gunaydin [88], the design of a number of study components occurs prior to the collection of data in quantitative research. The researcher is able to retain objectivity and distance from the subject of the investigation while being aware of the study’s objective [88]. 3.2 Population and Sampling Participants in the research had to be at least 18 years old and full-time workers in customer service at a front desk working at a hotel in Tamale, Ghana. They had to have a minimum of one year of prior experience. Online surveys were used to poll the target population of front desk and customer service professionals, including kitchen staff, receptionists, hotel management, and ICT managers, to find out how well they understood IT skills and how they affected competitive advantage. The 31 hotels in Tamale, Ghana were the study’s target audience, and 153 respondents were selected from among managers, kitchen employees, receptionists, and ICT managers. Due to the potential influence of that company’s distinctive corporate culture, there is a higher risk of bias when the sample is limited to only one organisation [89]. A sample of 153 respondents was chosen at random from the general public using the basic random sampling method. This was done on purpose to collect the necessary information from the respondents in order to assist in achieving the goals of the research. Because of the composition of the population of hotels in Tamale, the approach of simple random sampling is the one that is most suitable for use in order to guarantee that every responder has an equal opportunity of being included in the sample. 3.3 Data Collection Technique Using online questionnaires, quantitative data may be gathered fast and efficiently [90]. To avoid the lower response and completion rates and higher expenses of
- 48. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 23 traditional survey methods like paper, email, or social media, we used an online survey created with the help of the qualtrics website instead. An online survey’s benefits include its simplicity of use, quickness of deployment and cheap cost. The respondents’ convenience is also a major factor in the popularity of an online survey [91]. The poor response rates, sampling biases and difficulty to reach persons with restricted Internet access that may occur while conducting online surveys are some of the downsides [92]. 3.4 Instrument of Data Collection A variety of instruments are used to gather information, including questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, surveys, and casual observations. A wide range of devices may be used to gather data, but which one is ideal depends on the kind of study being done. Accordingly, we employed a questionnaire to gather information from hotel workers responses’s. The Likert scale was used in the investigation. A scale of 1–5 is used to measure participants’ agreement or disagreement with each of the statements: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree and 5 = strongly agree [93]. However, the open-ended questions elicited participants’ thoughts and ideas rather than providing answers to prepared close-ended questions. 3.5 Data Analysis The statistical and graphical data analysis apps IBM SPSS 25.0 and Amos 24.0 are for Windows [94]. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis, descriptive statistics, and structural equation modeling are all included in this software to explain the general distributions in terms of frequency and percentage [94]. Analyzing large datasets with AMOS is a strong tool that can predict the relationships between multiple inde- pendent and dependent variables [95]. SPSS-Amos was used to evaluate the connec- tions between IT Capabilities components and extrinsic and dependent competitive advantage variables. Three different hypotheses were accepted or rejected based on the conclusions drawn from the responses of the participants. By examining the associations between a large number of various independent variables as well as the variation of those relationships, SEM can be used to predict the outcome of a response variable [96]. It is possible to calculate central trends using descriptive statistics, such as mini- mums and means [94]. Helps estimate the overall distribution if you know the frequency and percentage levels of each variable [94]. Descriptive statistics were employed to evaluate the data in order to have a better understanding of the demo- graphics of the survey respondents. Computer-aided surveys are certain to have infor- mation gaps, claims Bryman [97]. All of the previously gathered survey responses were removed from consideration to create place for the new data.
- 49. 24 A. Tijani et al. 3.6 Measures The five-point Likert Scale was used in this study to adjust all of the measurements that were taken from the previous research. The three different constructions that make up IT capabilities were borrowed from Salisu and Bakar [15], whereas the many things that make up competitive advantage were borrowed from Radomska et al. [98]. The information on the item and scales may be found in Table 1. Table 1 Measures and scales IT website (Salisu and Bakar 2019) Our company website is designed for customers to interact with Our firm website has the capacity to attract and hire talented experts Our company website is attractive to people/visitors Our company website friendly to use Our company website has all our services on it IT system (Salisu and Bakar 2019) Our company is one of those firms in the industry that establish technology standard Our company leads in technology innovation in the industry we operate Our company makes sufficient investment in RD activities Our company improves technical skills through continuous training programs Our company has the monitoring capacity to accurately predict changes in the technological environment IT infrastructure (ITI) (Salisu and Bakar 2019) Modularisation of information systems functions Implementation of simple administrative procedures and rules Adoption of centralised database management systems Adoption of extranets as entry points for external users Adoption of virtualisation technology for improving data processing in business transactions Competitive Advantage (Radomska et al. 2019) Our company’s sales performance has improved significantly Increase in customer numbers (Market share) We set new standards (technological, product, organizational, etc.) in the industry The competitive advantage of our company is based on revenue
- 50. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 25 Table 2 Response rate Respondents Targeted Actual response Percentage Non-response Percentage Manager 95 79 83.2 16 16.8 Receptionist 19 16 84.2 3 15.8 ICT manager 28 24 85.7 4 14.3 Kitchen staff 11 8 72.7 3 27.3 Total 153 127 83 26 17 3.7 Results 3.7.1 Response Rate The study targeted 153 respondents drawn from managers, kitchen staff, reception- ists, and ICT managers of the 31 hotels in Tamale-Ghana. The response rate was distributed as shown in Table 2. According to the findings shown in Table 2, an overall total of 127 targeted respondents provided their responses to the research instrument, which represents a response rate of 83.0%. The vast majority of responders (95) were managers, although information and communications technology managers provided the fewest responses. In terms of percentages, the response rate that was seen for ICT Manager was the greatest at 85.7%, while the response rate that was recorded for kitchen staff was the lowest at 72.7%. Based on these findings, it appears that the ICT Managers, managers, and receptionists who are officers in the hotels were more likely to be available in their offices than the kitchen staff, who are primarily responsible for preparing meals for guests and clients. This is because the kitchen staff is kept busy by the act of cooking. 3.7.2 Demographic Information The respondent’s overall characteristics are referred to as the respondent’s demo- graphic information. According to the recommendations made by the researchers, the demographic survey is made up of five free-form questions that are meant to collect the most up-to-date personal information about employees, such as their age range, gender, level of education, line of work, and number of years of employment [94]. The percentage distributions of the demographic variables were summarized and described, we performed an analysis of the demographic answers using a statistical technique known as descriptive statistics. This study specifically, includes gender, educational level, position held, and employee tenure (no. of years worked for the hotel). See Table 3. 54.3% of the respondents were male, according to the data in Table 2. For this reason, it can be concluded that this study was not skewed toward one gender or another. Managers accounted for 62.2% of those surveyed, while ICT managers
- 51. 26 A. Tijani et al. Table 3 Demographic information Indicators Frequency Percentage Gender Male 69 54.3 Female 58 45.7 Total 127 100 Level of education Diploma 103 81.1 Undergraduate 16 12.6 Postgraduate 8 6.3 Total 127 100 Position held Manager 79 62.2 Receptionist 16 12.6 ICT manager 24 18.9 Kitchen staff 8 6.3 Total 127 100 Years worked in the hotel One year 8 6.3 1–5 years 16 12.6 6–10 years 86 67.7 10 years 17 13.4 Total 127 100 accounted for 6.3%. With regard to educational attainment, postgraduate degree holders had the highest frequency (81.1%), while diploma holders had the lowest (6.3%). This suggests that majority of the staff hold either a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree. The majority of respondents (67.7%) had worked in the institutions for between six and ten years when asked about their tenure. Those who had worked for more than ten years made up 13.4% of the sample. According to the findings, the majority of respondents provided credible information in their responses. 3.7.3 Reliability and Validity This table shows that Cronbach alpha (α) and the composite reliability (CR) are both in the “acceptable” range. The Cronbach’s alpha values of all of the variables are greater than the 0.6 thresholds [99]. It was also decided that all variables must have composite reliability of at least 0.70. Each variable’s average variance is higher than the 0.50 convergent validity cutoff, as shown in the table. In Hair et al. [100], since each variable must represent a distinct phenomenon, we use the Fornell and Larcker [101] criteria to determine their discriminant validity (Table 4).
- 52. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 27 Table 4 Reliability and validity Constructs Items Loadings α rho_A CR AVE IT systems 0.93 0.94 0.94 0.68 ITS1 0.77 ITS2 0.87 ITS3 0.74 ITS4 0.75 ITS5 0.71 IT website 0.95 0.93 0.95 0.56 ITW1 0.82 ITW2 0.75 ITW3 0.76 ITW4 0.73 ITW5 0.77 ITW6 0.71 ITW7 0.72 IT infrastructure (ITI) 0.94 0.89 0.82 0.72 ITI1 0.82 ITI2 0.75 ITI3 0.72 ITI4 0.73 ITI5 0.70 Competitive advantage (CAD) 0.92 0.94 0.93 0.76 CAD1 0.82 CAD2 0.75 CAD3 0.77 CAD4 0.72 CAD5 0.72 3.7.4 Correlation Analysis Jobson claims that correlation analysis can be utilised to ascertain whether variables in the study have a significant relationship with one another (2012). The correlation analysis findings are displayed in Table 5. The values of the square correlations between the construct pairings are bigger than the values of the discriminant and convergent validity, as shown in Table 5. Using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), we were able to ensure that the concept was reliable and valid. CFA is a technique for assessing the accuracy with which a set of measurable variables represents a set of conceptual constructs [100].
- 53. 28 A. Tijani et al. Table 5 Discriminant validity and correlation AVE ITS ITW ITI CAD ITS 0.68 0.82 ITW 0.56 0.65 0.75 ITI 0.72 0.58 0.59 0.85 CAD 0.76 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.87 Fig. 2 Paths Discriminant validity is demonstrated by AVE values greater than the square of the correlation between a pair of components [100]. Discriminant validity is indicated by AVE values greater than squared correlation, as seen in Table 4 (Fig. 2). 3.7.5 Hypothesis Result Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the three hypotheses in Amos. The t-test, beta values (β), and probability values (p) were the indicators used in assessing the relationships. An analysis using data from Table 6 shows that there is a significant and positive relationship between IT systems and competitive advantage (t = 12.47, =0.45, and p = 0.002). As a result, hypothesis one (H1) is confirmed. According to Table 6’s results, IT websites have a significant and positive relationship with competitive advantage (t = 16.26; =0.62; and p = 0.000), which supports hypothesis two (H2). Final reports show that IT systems have a significant and positive relation with competitive advantage (t = 13.42; =0.51 and p = 0.001), which confirms hypothesis three. According to the study, hotels in emerging markets like Ghana can gain a competitive advantage through the use of IT capabilities.
- 54. The Impact of IT Capabilities on Competitive Advantage 29 Table 6 Hypothesis/Paths Paths Hypothesis Original sample Sample mean (M) SD t-statistics β p-value ITS → CAD H1 0.193 0.202 0.060 12.47 0.45 0.002 ITW → CAD H2 0.613 0.546 0.056 16.26 0.62 0.000 ITI → CAD H3 0.611 0.603 0.076 13.42 0.51 0.001 3.7.6 Summary of Findings Examining how IT capabilities affect hotels’ competitive advantage in Ghana was the aim of this study. According to the report, hotels with IT capabilities may be able to obtain a competitive edge in developing areas like Ghana. IT systems have a significant and favorable relationship with competitive advan- tage, according to analysis of Table 6 (t = 12.47; =0.45 and p = 0.002). So, the first hypothesis (H1) is confirmed. Second, data from Table 6’s analysis indicate that there is a significant and favorable relationship between IT websites and competi- tive advantage (t = 16.26; = 0.62 and p = 0.000), supporting hypothesis two (H2). Finally, Reports from the analysis from Table 6 shows that IT systems have a signif- icant and positive relation with competitive advantage (t = 13.42; β = 0.51 and p = 0.001), which confirms hypothesis three (H3). 4 Conclusion The significance of learning IT applications in the hotel business has recently been highlighted. In this regard, the empirical validation of a scale of IT uses in the hotel environment, which distinguishes three categories of IT capabilities, is an important theoretical contribution of this study (IT system, infrastructure, and website capabil- ities). This typology encompasses both back and front office operations, as well as partnerships with other industry stakeholders. Using impact testing on specific IT capabilities, we can see how they affect hotel competition directly. These experiments show that not only do unique IT capabilities have diverse implications on hotel competition, but they also require time to manifest and have an impact on hotel competitiveness. Investments in IT infrastructure provide long-term advantages for hotels’ competitiveness, according to this study’s results, even when they interrupt daily operations in the short term. An organisation may build operational capabilities and enhance performance by using IT to identify, acquire, and apply fresh external information. The success of a company’s new product creation and performance is influenced by the company’s IT ability to create and deliver new goods and services more efficiently and effectively that best matches customer requirements. In a rapidly changing business environ- ment, hotels equipped with technology capabilities can endure the repercussions
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- 56. Jack laid the ring upon the table, and Seymour pounced upon it like a hawk would pounce upon a mouse. A grim smile played about the corners of his mouth, but, self-controlled as he was, he could not altogether hide his feelings. Tell me all that happened with my friend last night, he asked. It has an important bearing on this case. Jack proceeded to explain, Seymour listening in an attitude of rigid attention. This is the best news I have heard for some time, he said. You can make your mind quite easy on one thing--Anstruther has nearly shot his bolt. After to-morrow I will get you to arrange a meeting between myself and my old friend at the Great Metropolitan Hotel. Meanwhile, there is much to be done. It is quite certain that great things are going to happen at the City and Provincial Bank to-night. I think we shall have a pleasant little surprise for Anstruther and Co. Seymour rose, and took a roll of tissue paper from a small safe in the corner of the room. These are the plans of the City and Provincial Bank, he explained-- the plans that came so luckily into our hands last night. I have studied them very carefully. As a matter of fact, I did not come straight home last night, but passed the hours till nearly daylight prowling about the bank. Without the plans, my scheme would be quite futile; but I think now that I have the whole thing very prettily mapped out. Just come and look at this with me. It is really very simple. As Seymour had said, the plan was simplicity itself. It not only gave a very intelligent idea of the situation of the vaults and strong rooms, but also the back premises and the lanes behind were clearly marked.
- 57. Now I want you to follow this very carefully, Seymour went on. We can ignore the front of the building altogether, because that faces on Gresham Street. Here the police pass the same premises every three minutes, so that nobody could force an entrance that way, not even the would-be burglars with their keys. But if you look at the rear of the place, you will see that there is a small alley leading out of Farringdon Lane, and this alley ends by a kind of back entry into the bank which is used by the caretaker. I have ascertained that there are two night watchmen, so that there is not much danger of trouble. By the side of this door is a small window, the latch of which I have ascertained to be defective. I suppose no one has ever troubled to see to this, for the simple reason that admission to the bank premises by no means implies getting to that part of the building which is devoted to business purposes. Not that we particularly want to penetrate very far, because it is our scheme to watch what is going on, so that we may be able to confront the scoundrels when the proper time comes. A careful examination of these plans shows me that we shall be able to get as far as the bank proper, which means the counting house, and from thence down the steps to the vaults where the strong rooms are situated. Have you got keys of all these? Jack asked. There will be no necessity for us to provide keys, Seymour chuckled. You see, Anstruther and Co. will be bound to enter the bank from the back premises. By learning this plan off by heart, we come to know exactly which way they will get to the vaults. Of course, they will come provided with keys--Carrington will see to that. All we have to do is to hide under a counter or something of that sort, and wait till our friends come along. Naturally, they will not dream that any one is on the premises besides themselves. As to the rest, you must leave that to me and fortune. You had better stay here and dine, and we can set out for the City about eleven o'clock.
- 58. It seemed to both Rigby and Masefield that it would be impossible to improve upon this plan. They dined comfortably and discreetly, and it was somewhere about half-past eleven when they turned their faces in the direction of the City. No one appeared to notice them, for they walked rapidly along, with the air of men who had business before them, and the police appeared to be few and far between. They came at length to the little alley at the rear of the bank, and here it behoved them to be cautious. They waited till the beat of the policeman's feet died away down the lane, and then they darted down the dark entry. Seymour produced a tiny electric torch from his pocket. There is the window, he whispered. I am going to get on your shoulders, Mr. Rigby. Once I am through, I can pull you others up. There is no sort of danger. Oh, but there is, Jack protested. You have utterly forgotten one thing--did you not tell me there were two night watchmen on the premises? Seymour chuckled, and was understood to say that they would find Anstruther had removed that difficulty for them. Seymour seemed so sure of his ground that Jack waived his protest. A minute later Seymour was through the window, and the others followed swiftly. Rather recklessly, or so it seemed to Jack, Seymour waved his electric torch so as to form a line of light in front. He smiled grimly as he pointed to two unconscious figures reclining back as if hopelessly drunk in a pair of deep armchairs. They came so suddenly upon the unfortunate victims that Jack fairly started. But so far as Seymour was concerned, he had appeared to have expected something of the kind. He again chuckled hoarsely. What did I tell you? he asked. Did I not say that Anstruther and Co. would very kindly get the caretakers out of the way for us? You see the caretakers would have been just as much of a nuisance to them as they are to us. They have been carefully hocussed, and not
- 59. until an alarm is given in the morning will they be in a position to say anything. The last danger being apparently removed, the trio proceeded to make their way to the bank premises proper, and there made themselves as comfortable as possible under one of the counters in the counting house. It was very quiet there, so quiet that they could hear the tramping footsteps of the police outside, and the singing of some belated reveler. They lay there till they heard the great clock of St. Paul's strike the hour of one. There was a sound then of heavy footsteps tramping along the corridor, and presently a great blaze of light filled the counting house. It was perfectly safe, for the heavy iron shutters excluded every ray from the outside. Seymour rose cautiously, then ducked his head again. Just look, he whispered. Make sure who it is. Rigby raised his head cautiously, too. The light fell full upon the face of the intruder--the white, stern face of Anstruther. Now for it, Seymour whispered; the play is about to begin. CHAPTER XXXV. THE CELLINI PLATE. So far as Anstruther was concerned, he might have been going about his usual business. He evidently had no fear on the score of interruption, and, indeed, there was little cause, seeing that the
- 60. bank was so substantially built, and that from top to bottom the windows were protected with iron shutters. There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of, he said. Good gracious, man, have you no pluck at all? I declare when I look at you that I could kick you as one does a cowardly cur. But Carrington was impervious to insult. His face was ghastly, and the strong glare of the electric lights showed the beads of moisture upon his forehead. It is all very well for you, he growled. The greater the danger the better you seem to like it. There isn't any danger, Anstruther protested. Didn't you tell me that the police had no special orders as far as the bank was concerned? And everybody knows you have two night watchmen. Besides--oh, I have no patience with you! Anstruther turned away from the other, and began to fumble with the lock of a small black bag which he carried in his hand. He signified to Carrington that the latter should lead the way to the vaults below. Carrington produced a bunch of keys from his pocket. Anstruther sneered openly. Oh, that's it, he said. Going to make it all smooth for us, are you? Of all the fools I ever came across! Why not go outside and tell everybody what we are going to do? Those are all patent shove locks, which the most expert thief could never pick, and you are going to tell the police later on that they have been opened with an ordinary key. Don't forget that you have got to face the police later on, and endure a cross-examination that will test your nerve to the uttermost. We are going to blow those locks up, and these are dynamite cartridges to do it. Carrington's face was almost comic in its dismay. His ghastly, sweat- bedabbled face fairly quivered. But he made no further protest; he
- 61. bent before the sway of Anstruther's master mind. I don't wish to interfere with you, he stammered. But the infernal noise which is likely to---- Anstruther kicked his companion aside. We either do it or we don't do it, he said. It doesn't matter a rap one way or the other to me. Now which is it to be? Carrington hesitated no longer. He simply submitted himself entirely to the hands of his companion. In a dazed, fascinated kind of way he watched Anstruther insinuate a dynamite cartridge of minute proportions into the lock of the door. Then Anstruther drew Carrington back as far as possible, and the tiny fuse began to work. There was just a tiny spurt of blue flame, followed by a muffled shock, and the door fell slowly back. There, Anstruther cried triumphantly. What do you think of that? Do you suppose that noise was heard outside? Now come on; let us serve them all alike. The sound of their footsteps came to the ears of those watching in the counting house, and at frequent intervals the sullen explosions could be heard. Seymour rose to his feet, and whispered to his companions to follow. They crept cautiously along the flagged stairway until they reached the vault in which the two strong rooms were situated. A couple of electric lights gave sufficient illumination for the purpose of the amateur burglars, who were now busily engaged on the locks of the strong room. This was altogether a different business to blowing in the lock of an ordinary door, for the entrance to the strong room was secured with six bolts, all of which would have to be destroyed. It was possible to find a secure hiding-place in the thick darkness outside the radius of the two electric lights. It was an interesting
- 62. moment, and even Seymour was conscious of a sensation of excitement. Stand back, Anstruther said. Everything is ready. You had better lie down on your face, as I am using six charges now instead of one. If they all go off together the thing will be accomplished to our mutual satisfaction. The hint was not lost upon the listeners. There was a moment of intense excitement, and then came a dull, heavy roar, that seemed to shake the building almost to its foundations. Almost before the reverberations had died away, the huge door of the strong room swayed with a zigzag motion, and came smashing on the floor. There, Anstruther cried triumphantly. What do you think of that, my friend? I flatter myself that that is a real workmanlike job. All you have to do now is to keep a stiff upper lip, and give the police all the information they require. Anything of value inside? Not very much, I am afraid, Carrington responded. A fair amount of old family plate, and perhaps twenty or thirty thousand pounds' worth of securities. I suppose we had better leave all that there; look better, don't you think? Leave your head there, Anstruther sneered. Now I put it to you, as a man supposed to be possessed of sense--would any thief leave a single item of value behind? Anstruther asked the question with a contemptuous curl of his lip. He was wiping his hands now on a piece of greasy cotton waste in which the dynamite cartridges had been wrapped to prevent contact. This is going to be a unique sort of burglary, he continued. Trot out what you've got in the way of plate, and I'll take my pick of it as a kind of fee in reward for my night's service. If there is one soft place in my heart, it is for antique silver. Take your time--we are not in the least likely to be interrupted.
- 63. With his coat off and his shirt sleeves turned up, Carrington set to work in earnest. Once he had plunged headlong into the business, he seemed to have lost all his nervousness and hesitation. One after the other the great wooden cases were turned out and examined by Anstruther as eagerly as a schoolboy pores over something new in the way of a bird's nest. Presently he held aloft a magnificent specimen of a silver dish. It was perfectly plain: fine old hammered silver, bearing a quaint design around the edge. Benvenuto Cellini for a million, he cried. Dish and ewer, together with a set of the finest posset cups I've ever seen. How much over ten thousand pounds would this fetch at Christie's? Well, I'm very sorry for the late owner, but exceedingly pleased so far as I am concerned. I'll take this for my fee, Carrington. The two dived into the strong room again, where they appeared to be overhauling other boxes of treasure. The gleams of the electric light fell upon the service of plate which Anstruther had so greatly admired. By its side, in strange contrast, laid a piece of cotton waste with which Anstruther had wiped his hands a minute or two before. Without a word of warning to his companions, Seymour darted across the floor of the vault; and, seizing the cotton waste, proceeded to rub it vigorously over the surface of the service of plate which Anstruther had marked down for his own. His conduct was so unexpected and so peculiar, that Jack and Rigby could only look at one another in astonishment. They did not know in the least what to make of this extraordinary manœuvre on the part of their colleague. But there was evidently much method in his madness; he was not in the least likely to run the risk of detection to gratify an apparently meaningless whim. He was back again an instant later, and Jack could hear him chuckling to himself as if he had accomplished something quite out of the common. He seemed to feel that some explanation was necessary.
- 64. I dare say you thought that peculiar, he said; but you will understand all in good time. I didn't go out of my way to spoil everything for the mere sake of playing amateur housemaid. Apparently the task which Anstruther and Carrington had set themselves was finished by this time, for they came out of the strong room empty handed. All the same, their figures appeared to be pretty bulky, and doubtless their pockets were well filled with illicit gain. But you don't mean to carry that stuff home, Carrington protested. Well known as you are, it would be an act of criminal folly to carry that plate through the streets at this time of the morning. As to myself---- But have you no private safe of your own? Anstruther asked. The same remark you made to me just now applies to you. Is there anything more to wait for? Carrington disappeared within the strong room again for a last look round, followed by Anstruther. They had no sooner disappeared than Seymour was on his feet again, making hurriedly for the stairway leading to the counting house. He had not been gone many seconds before there came stumbling noisily down the stairs the form of one of the night watchmen, rubbing his eyes drowsily, and asking what was going on. It was quite evident to Rigby and Jack that Seymour had deliberately aroused the sleeping man for some subtle purpose of his own. The man cried out again to know what all this meant, and Carrington and Anstruther came darting from the strong room. By heaven! He has come to his senses, Anstruther muttered. I thought that dose was quite strong enough. I am very sorry, but seeing that he has learned so much---- There was murder in Anstruther's eyes, and Carrington saw it. Still dazed and stupid from the result of the drug, the watchman was gazing about him like a man just emerging from a heavy bout of
- 65. intoxication. It was evident that he did not recognize his employer, though senses and reason were fast coming back to him. As he staggered towards the strong room door a murderous look crept into Anstruther's eyes again, and something bright gleamed in his hand. Carrington hastened forward. No, no, he cried hoarsely. I will have none of that, I have gone too far already. I could bear with imprisonment, but the mere thought of a noose round my neck---- He almost staggered up to the dazed watchman, and shook him violently. The latter seemed to comprehend at length. Wake up, Gregory, Carrington stammered. There has been a burglary here. I had occasion to come down to the bank for something, and found that the premises had been broken into. Go for the police. Anstruther studied the watchman's features with broody, malignant eyes. His quick brain was working rapidly. It was quite evident that the watchman had not yet fully grasped the situation. It would be some time before he could find a policeman and give him a fairly coherent account of what had happened. Not a moment to be lost, he cried. Let us go up-stairs at once to your room and lock all this stuff up in your private safe. No one will think of looking for it there. Now don't say you haven't got the key with you. Carrington nodded breathlessly, and immediately Anstruther began to pack up the Cellini service of plate which had so greatly fascinated him. Come on at once, he said. Let us get this stuff in hiding, and then we can face the police.
- 66. They had only to don their coats again and make their way as soon as possible to Carrington's private room. As they passed up the stairs Seymour signed to his companions to follow. They were only just in time, for as they emerged into the alley the watchman was returning with the constable. They squeezed close against the wall, securing the friendly cover of the darkness, and a moment later they were in Gresham Street. What is to be done next? Rigby said. I think that is pretty obvious, Seymour chuckled. So far as I can see this is a nice little job for Inspector Bates. CHAPTER XXXVI. A STROKE OF POLICY. Jack nodded significantly to his companion, as much as to signify that Seymour must be allowed to have his own way. The latter had taken the matter into his own hands from the first. It was quite evident that he was working out some deep and subtle scheme, and the others were disposed to give him a free hand. Would you like to see Bates now? Jack asked. Most emphatically not, Seymour laughed. It is no cue of mine to come in contact with the police until I have seen my way quite clear. Besides, you are by no means certain yet that Bates will be put on to
- 67. this case, and be given the opportunity of investigating the startling burglary at the City and Provincial Bank. Again, it may be too much for Bates's nerves if I burst upon him suddenly, and he recognizes me as the dead Nostalgo who was so mysteriously spirited from Shannon Street police station. No; on the whole, I should prefer that you should go and see Bates alone. Tell him exactly what happened and what you saw to-night, leaving me out of the question. Then come and see me some time to-morrow afternoon, and I will tell you what to do next. One moment, Rigby exclaimed, as Seymour was turning away. What was that idea of yours about the cotton waste? Seymour winked significantly, and remarked that it was time he was in bed. With a cheery nod to his companions, he turned his face in an easterly direction and strolled off down the street. Now there's a clever man for you, Rigby cried. Quite as clever a man as Anstruther, and I should say a great deal more subtle. But let us go as far as Shannon Street police station, and tell Bates our story. Bates had been detained rather late. He had only just come in, and was preparing to go home when the two friends entered. He had no need to ask if they had anything of importance to communicate to him--he could glean that from the expression of the friends' faces. He led the way to his private room, and passed the cigarettes across the table. It's about Carrington, Rigby explained. But perhaps I had better go back a bit, and tell you one or two little things you don't know. It was a fairly long story, and it thoroughly aroused Bates to a sense of action. His questions were clear and intelligent; he followed the narrative, punctuating it here and there with shrewd suggestions.
- 68. Mind you, he said. I have been expecting something like this for a long time. All the same, I can see that you gentlemen have only told me half the story. Still, I can't complain, especially as I see my way to make a good thing out of this. When I tell the people at Scotland Yard all I know they are pretty sure to put me on the case--indeed, I will make a special favor of it. You say that you saw Anstruther blowing up all those locks, and you are pretty sure that the great bulk of the plunder is in Carrington's private safe. You don't suggest that Anstruther carried that service of plate home with him? Anstruther wouldn't be such a fool, Rigby said curtly. He is much too cool a hand for that. He will feel quite sure that the stuff is perfectly safe where it is, and fetch it away from the City a bit at a time. Of course, he won't do this till the affair has blown over and he is quite safe in so doing. Bates was inclined to share the speaker's opinion. There was no more to be said for the present, and he intimated his intention to go up to Scotland Yard and ask the authorities to put him on the case. Jack and Rigby went their respective ways, a clock somewhere striking two when they parted at length. Precisely as Bates had prophesied, the mysterious burglary at the City and Provincial Bank caused the greatest sensation the following morning. The later editions of the evening papers were full of it. Carrington had been interviewed by more than one bright reporter; indeed, he had been dragged out of bed for the purpose, and he had been understood to say that the bank's loss could not fall far short of a million unless the thieves could be promptly arrested. The story was vividly told, Carrington's distress and agitation being expressly accentuated. But this was not the worst part of the distracted bank manager's story. There had been in the possession of the bank a tremendous lot of valuable personal property belonging to various esteemed clients. All this had disappeared, and more than one great lady in
- 69. London was mourning the loss of her family jewels. The greatest sympathy was felt with the bank; it was only one or two carping critics who were asking questions. They were pertinent questions, too; a desire, for instance, to know what Carrington could possibly be doing on the bank premises at so late an hour. But these were merely pin pricks, and the great bulk of the population felt nothing but sympathy for Carrington. The only people who had a fairly good grip of the real state of the case besides Rigby and his companions were the Barmouths and Claire Helmsley. Jack saw Claire in Lady Barmouth's drawing-room late the following morning, and explained to her and Lady Barmouth what had happened the night previous. It is most mysterious, Claire said, and almost impossible to believe that my guardian had anything to do with the matter. I dined very quietly at home last night, and sat up till long past one finishing a novel in which I was deeply interested. I can assure you of this-- that from half-past nine till the time I went to bed Mr. Anstruther's violin practically did not cease. If I were brought into the case as a witness, I should be bound to swear that my guardian was in his study during the whole time that the burglary was taking place. That is another phase of the mystery that we have to solve, Jack said. It is all very clever and very ingenious and very useful, but seeing is believing. After all, Anstruther was there last night, as three of us are prepared to testify. Then in that case I shall never see my jewels again, Lady Barmouth said. But what are the police going to do about it, Mr. Masefield? The thing cannot be possibly allowed to remain here. If they were to arrest Mr. Carrington at once and search his safe---- But the police don't work quite in that way, Jack interrupted. Besides, Carrington is not the only one. The chief villain in the play is Spencer Anstruther; and at the present moment he is in a position
- 70. to prove a perfect alibi. It is not the slightest use laying Carrington by the heels till we are in a position to prove Anstruther's alibi to be nothing but an ingenious mechanical fraud. Don't you recollect the case of the Phœnix Park murders? In that case the police could have laid their hands upon half the culprits within a few days. They preferred to wait months, until every one of the gang were swept up in the meshes of the law. I will go and see Bates presently, and ascertain if he has anything fresh to tell us. It was quite late in the afternoon before Jack managed to get a few words with the inspector. He seemed to be very cheerful and sanguine, and dropped a hint to the effect that his morning had not been altogether wasted. Oh, we are going on, right enough, he exclaimed in answer to Jack's question. In the circumstances, they can do nothing else. Most of my morning has been spent in calling on the various unfortunate people whose valuables were deposited at Carrington's bank, and getting a full description of the same. After that I made the rounds of the principal pawnbrokers and such people as advance money on real property. Did you find anything of the missing stuff? Jack asked eagerly. I mean, did you see any of it? Bates explained that up to now he had been successful in three instances. He knew where to lay his hands upon the tiara of diamonds that had only been deposited with Carrington four days ago. It belongs to one of our fashionable society leaders, he explained, and really is a most magnificent piece of work. Mind you, Carrington must have been a great fool, or he must have been desperately pressed for money, to pledge these things in London. He could have sent them to Amsterdam or Paris, where they could have been broken up and disposed of in such a manner that it would have
- 71. been impossible to trace them. This might have entailed a financial sacrifice, but see how safe it would have been. I feel pretty sure that within the next two days I shall trace every atom of the lost property. But it is usual to pledge such valuable jewels in this casual way? Jack asked. Certainly it is. The thing has been done over and over again. In a great many instances the lady does not go through the ordeal herself, but sends a maid or some confidential servant with a note addressed to the pawnbroker, and asks for ten thousand pounds, or whatever it may be. That is how this business has been worked. But the pawnbrokers? Jack protested. When they come to see a list of the missing jewels a full story must be told. Bates admitted the ingenuity of the suggestion. It was just possible that there was danger in that direction. Still, as he pointed out, no one could blame the pawnbrokers for not recognizing from a bald printed description certain gems pledged at their establishments. But I think you can leave that safely to me, he said. There is nothing to prevent me from applying for a warrant for the arrest of Carrington, and producing all that damning evidence from his private safe; but by doing this we are practically allowing a greater ruffian to escape. Jack cordially agreed with this view of the case. He proceeded to speak at some length as to what he had seen and heard the night before last in Carrington's smoking-room. You must not forget, he said, that the man who was with me on that occasion is in possession of the duplicate plans of the bank cellars.
- 72. Oh, no, Bates cried. I have not overlooked those plans; in fact, I particularly wish to have a glance at them. And, by the way, sir, you appear to be very reticent over the name of the companion who was with you on that important occasion. We will merely call him Seymour, Jack said, cautiously. Bates smiled in a queer, significant kind of way. I will be more candid with you than you are with me, he said, though you have told me more than you intended. Now, tell me if my suspicions are correct--is not this 'Seymour' and our missing Nostalgo one and the same person? It is a mere deduction on my part, but---- I suppose I had better admit it at once, Jack said. Besides, you are bound to know sooner or later. Why not come with me and see Mr. Seymour now? Bates replied that he would be only too delighted. They set off together without delay, and presently found themselves at Seymour's residence. The latter was doing something mysterious with a file and a pair of handcuffs, both of which he threw aside as his visitors entered. He extended his hand cordially to Bates. I am not in the least surprised to see you, inspector, he said. In fact, I rather wanted to do so. Now, frankly speaking, are you not a little puzzled to know how to lay Anstruther by the heels? We will come to that presently, sir, Bates said quietly. I shall be glad in the first place to know what hold Anstruther has on you gentlemen who have so suffered at his hands. Anstruther is a blackmailer, I know. But you are a man of pluck and courage--why can't you fight him in the open? I can quite understand that there are others broken in health and spirit, who dare not have their story told and dragged before the diabolical curiosity of the cheap press. But in your case, why, it seems to me----
- 73. Yes, yes, Seymour interrupted. But suppose you have a dear friend in whom you are interested? And that friend had done somebody a great wrong? And supposing that Anstruther knew all this? My friend is poor, but I am not. Let us go farther and grant my friend a daughter--a beautiful girl who is just coming to the front in the world of art. She is passionately attached to her father; any disgrace to him would break her heart. And it is in my power to save this dear child by letting Anstruther believe that both myself and others who have suffered are afraid of him. Surely you have heard of many such cases, Mr. Bates? Bates nodded. The field was clearing wonderfully. You will pardon me, he said. It was stupid of me not to think of that before. The blackmailer generally strikes through the innocent. But another question. Why did Anstruther publish those Nostalgo posters at all? There, to a certain extent, you have me, Seymour confessed. You see, it is only recently that we Nostalgos have drifted together in London. We must give Anstruther credit for having discovered this. Mind you, there may be many others who have suffered, and are now hiding in silence. They would be nerveless wrecks for the most part. Anstruther probably wanted to let them know that the terror was not dead. You see, it is like the sign of some secret society, reminding members of the long arm. But who can say what was uppermost in the mind of Anstruther? Suppose that the whole dramatic thing had failed in its purpose? What then? Why, Anstruther would have probably turned the posters to some business purpose--a new soap, a novel kind of pill--why, many business houses would gladly buy the reversion of the Nostalgo posters, and make a good thing out of them. I may be wrong, but that is my view. Besides, how are we to know how many other Nostalgos have not dropped into Anstruther's net through those diabolical posters? It is possible you are right, Bates admitted. Nothing seems to be impossible in the way of crime. But as to Anstruther?
- 74. I have a heavy debt to pay to him, Seymour said, with a ring in his voice. And I am in a position to show you how you can lay him by the heels. I presume my friend Masefield has told you everything. That being so, all you have to do is to open Carrington's private safe, and carefully remove a service of Cellini plate which you will find there. When I say carefully, I mean carefully--the thing is not to be fingered. Take it away to the police station, and place it in your glass case. Then, if you follow my advice, within eight and forty hours I pledge you that you shall have evidence against Anstruther as clear and convincing as if it had come from heaven itself. A silence followed, so impressive was Seymour's speech. Then Bates, who appeared to be utterly puzzled, promised that the thing should be done. At the same moment, there was the sound of an altercation on the outer landing, and a hoarse voice was heard asking some imperative question. The voice struck familiarly on Jack's ears. He glanced significantly at Bates. The very man himself, he cried. Yes, Anstruther, Seymour said, in his deep, ringing voice. Friend Anstruther. Shall we ask him in? CHAPTER XXXVII. A PREGNANT MESSAGE. There was no mistaking the fact that it was Anstruther who was standing outside and speaking in tones which denoted that he was
- 75. not altogether pleased with himself. It might have been a coincidence, or, at the same time, it might have been intentional; though the latter suggestion did not appear probable. Surely he can't have found us out yet, Jack cried. If he had done so it would hardly be policy to make so much noise about it. What do you think, Mr. Bates? Bates responded cautiously that he did not know what to think. The real solution came from Seymour. There is no coincidence about it at all, he said. We know perfectly well that Anstruther is a clever criminal, but even clever criminals cannot bring off important campaigns without the aid of subordinates. I have not taken up my quarters here entirely by accident, though, of course, it was necessary for me to be as far off the beaten track as possible. I have seen Anstruther here on more than one occasion, and I think you will find he has come to consult one of his satellites. There must be a good few shady people here, Bates observed, though I don't know much about the locality. Seymour explained that there were plenty of doubtful characters living in the tenement. He suspected at least three burglars who had rooms on the same floor. Probably Anstruther was looking for one of these, and for some reason or other the fellow had denied himself. The loud tones had ceased now, and it was evident that Anstruther had either left the house or found the man of whom he was in search. The discovery, however, was too important to be allowed to rest like that, and Bates had a proposition to make. He suggested the advisability of putting one of his own spies on to watch Anstruther and keep an eye upon him for the rest of the day. There would not be the slightest uncertainty about this, seeing that Anstruther was so well known to the police generally.
- 76. Bates crept carefully away, and returned presently with the information that Anstruther was still on the premises. I met one of my men in the street, he explained. He was just back from a job this way, and spotted Anstruther coming in here. Our friend is not likely to shake off the fellow that I have put upon his track. Meanwhile, we are wasting time here. Seymour was decidedly of the same opinion. A minute or two later the trio made their way into the street, leaving Seymour alone. He had been informed by Bates that he would be kept posted of Anstruther's movements by means of special messenger, and that his services would be called upon if necessary. Thus assured, Seymour went back to his mysterious business with the handcuffs and file, quite content to wait till his time came. It was quite dark before the first message arrived. Anstruther had stayed where he was till seven o'clock, after which he had gone out and called at a neighboring shop, which was kept by a man engaged in the occupation of making brass plates. This, so the message said, was merely a blind for the manufacture of the finest specimens of burglars' tools. Anstruther had entered the shop with nothing in his hand, but had emerged presently carrying a small square parcel which might have been a picture frame. Thus encumbered, he had returned to the tenement, and was now closeted in the set of rooms below Seymour's with a man called Gillmore, otherwise Simple Charlie, a cracksman who stood quite at the head of his profession. Seymour's eyes gleamed as he glanced over the letter. He felt that he must be up and doing something. It occurred to him as a good idea to make an attempt to be present at the interview between Anstruther and his confederate. It was absolutely dark now, so that Seymour had no hesitation in raising his sitting-room window, which faced the back of the house, and seeking to find some means for entering the set of rooms below.
- 77. So far as he could see at first, the thing appeared to be impossible. His quick eye noted the fact that a powerful light burned in the room below, for the shadow of it was thrown strongly upon the blank wall opposite. To the left of Seymour's window was a large drain pipe used for conveying the rain water from the roof to the sewer below. It was an easy matter for Seymour to lash a rope firmly to the floor with the aid of a handspike, and to gently lower himself to the floor below by means of the pipe. The business was no easy one when it came to climbing proper, and only a strong man like Seymour could have possibly done it. He dangled thus perilously in mid air, working his way down inch by inch, till at length his feet rested on the sill of the window below. As he had half expected, the window was without a catch, which was quite in accordance with most of the fittings in the tenement. Leaving his rope to dangle harmlessly within reach until it would be required again, Seymour passed coolly into the room. He rubbed a match cautiously, and by the aid of it saw that he was in a small bedroom evidently devoted to the uses of some bachelor, for the bed had been made in a most perfunctory way, and the floor was liberally strewn with tobacco ash. Lying on the table was a plan of some large mansion, with footnotes here and there plainly denoting the fact that the house had been marked down for some ingenious burglary. Seymour smiled to himself. He had evidently found his way into the quarters of which he was in search. Listening intently, with his ear closely glued against the wall, he could detect the sound of voices on the other side. He was not personally acquainted with the voice of Simple Charlie, but the round, full tones of Anstruther were quite familiar to him. Seymour was, however, not content merely to listen to what was going on. Very softly he made his way from the bedroom into the passage beyond. The door of the next room was not closed; indeed, there was no reason for the precaution, seeing that the door at the end of the passage was locked. There was a pungent smell of
- 78. tobacco, mingled with the odor of a good cigar, and presently the loud pop of a cork and the fizzing gurgle of what Seymour rightly guessed to be champagne. By creeping close and twisting a little sideways, Seymour got a fairly good view of the room. He could see Anstruther lounging in a comfortable armchair, a cigar in his mouth, apparently quite at home in his humble surroundings. The other man was sucking moodily at a short pipe, and glanced uneasily at his companion. He was not much like the commonly accepted type of burglar, being slight and dark, and somewhat timid- looking in appearance. But every now and again the glance he turned upon Anstruther was positively murderous in its hateful intensity. Now, what on earth are you driving at, guv'nor? he growled. No getting at the bottom of you. I never feel like a fool except when I am working for you. That, my good Charles, Anstruther said smoothly, is where education comes in. If you had had my advantages you might have stood very high indeed. As it is, you are an exceedingly good workman, and I, though I say it that should not, am a very good master. I suppose you know perfectly well that I am in a position to give you away at any moment. I could hand you over to the police, who would take very good care of you for the next fourteen years, and you could not give me a simple scratch in return. For instance, we will suppose it is my whim to identify you with that bank burglary last night. Of course, you were not there, but I could prove that you were, all the same. And no cleverness of yours could save you from a conviction. Gillmore wriggled uneasily on his chair. His eyes followed Anstruther's every movement like those of a dog severely punished; there was a suggestion of the hound that would have bitten his master if he dared.
- 79. I know all about that, he grunted. And you know I've got to do everything you ask me. It only seems the other day that poor Brown defied you to do your worst and lost his life over it. That was a lesson to me. Not but what I wouldn't be ready and willing to knife you if I thought it was safe. I am pretty bad, and so are some of the others; but outside of hell itself there is no black-hearted scoundrel as bad as you. The man's voice fairly vibrated with passion; but Anstruther lounged back in his chair with the air of a man who has just received a high compliment. He was a man who loved power. He liked to feel that he could pull the strings and move the actions of other men even when they fought desperately against his iron determination. All this is so much waste of time, he said. I came here to-night to get you to do something for me, and you will have to do it, whether you want to or not. You know what disobedience means--three hours' freedom, and fourteen years in jail. No more of your confounded nonsense; listen to what I have to say. Oh, I'll do it right enough, Gillmore growled. Mind you, it's a pretty big risk. The police have got an idea that I was engaged in that Maidenhead business. I know they've been watching me so close that I can't get rid of a bit of stuff, and I have come down to my last half-sov. I'll see to that, Anstruther replied. What you have to do now is to make your way into the Great Metropolitan Hotel. You shall come with me presently, and I will show you the room I want you to enter. To a man of your ability the thing is ridiculously simple--quiet side entrance, iron fire-escape ladder, and all the rest of it. All you want is a few tools. But I haven't got any, Gillmore protested. I was glad enough to get away from that Maidenhead business with a whole skin.
- 80. Anstruther pointed significantly to the flat brown paper parcel which he had brought in with him. You will find everything you want there, he said. All you have to remember is this. You are to go up the ladder and make your way to the door at the head of the second corridor. A row of bedrooms runs along the corridor, and the room you have to enter is No. 16. That is a sitting-room attached to one of the bedrooms. I don't want you to do anything neat in the way of a burglary; you have simply to take a letter which I will give you and leave it on the table in the sitting-room. I want the whole thing to be absolutely mysterious, and here is a five-pound note for your trouble. And now I am going out, and you are to follow me. I will lead you directly to the quiet spot at the rear of the hotel, and the rest you must do for yourself. I don't think there is anything more for me to say. Gillmore nodded in a surly sort of fashion. He was terribly afraid of Anstruther, who used all his creatures like puppets, and never afforded them the slightest information. His power was all the greater for this; he knew that he was hated as much as he was feared. He put on his hat and coat now, and Gillmore rose also. Seymour darted away back through the bedroom and on to the window ledge again. It struck him as just possible that Gillmore might want to use his bedroom, in which case the chances of being discovered were great. But Seymour made his way back again to his own sitting-room. Once there he lighted a cigarette and sat down to think over the situation. It was not long before he had made up his mind what to do. Evidently there was no great hurry over the little scheme which Anstruther had planned in connection with the Great Metropolitan Hotel, and doubtless an hour or two would elapse before Gillmore found his way into the corridor. It would not be prudent to carry out the plan until the hotel was getting fairly quiet, so that Seymour had plenty of scope for a counter stroke.
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