International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM) – eISSN: 1865-7923 – Vol 16 No 22 (2022) Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i22.34855 Maria Karyotaki1,2(), Athanasios Drigas1, Charalabos Skianis2 1 Net Media Lab N.C.S.R. Demokritos, Athens, Greece 2 Department of Information & Communication Systems Engineering, University of the Aegean, Samos, Greece mkaryotaki@aegean.gr Abstract—Mobile technology can set the ground for creating trusted communities that provide valuable guidance on new partnerships as well as alternative business models. Such business models encompass women’s entrepreneurship adapted to the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. In addition, small and medium-sized enterprises' growth strongly depends on mobile marketing to prolong the life cycle of a product as well as mobile financial services to give them a global network. Therefore, mobile technology advancement as well as local community services and peer-to-peer support initiatives can assist women to grow their business, enhance gender equality and provide long-term economic stability for a country. Keywords—mobile technology, 5G networks, gender equality, entrepreneurship, SMEs, e-commerce, Chatbots 1 Introduction Productive employment is the main driver of sustainable economic growth. Sustainable development goals are horizontal policies that aim at maintaining income growth in combination with equal access to essential goods and services for all people, now and in the future. The introduction of 5G and 6G networks in developed countries shall increase labour productivity, thus giving comparative advantage to their economies. In addition, technological convergence has initiated a new stage, called digital economy [1]. Evidently, access to technological means is related to the endorsement of global gender equality. To be more specific, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs), such as mobiles, computers and the internet, can work as a catalyst to women’s empowerment in multiple ways: First, they can promote women’s entrepreneurial activity in the business sector. Second, they can improve their business practices. Both act synergistically to break traditional gender barriers at home and in the marketplace. Women-owned businesses use smartphones as a tool for growing their e-commerce activities, which has made them capable of accessing consumers worldwide. Therefore, iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 22, 2022 111 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i22.34855 Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development e-commerce provides flexible working opportunities, thus work-life balance improves the lives of women and their families [2,3]. To be more specific, mobile technology and the fifth generation of mobile networks (5G) can be disruptive to productivity, employment and development [4]. 5G and 6G networks shall provide extensive wireless broadband services to implicate complex internet of things systems in all economic sectors, such as energy, manufacturing and agriculture. In addition, mobiles offer text, sound, voice, images and other multimedia tools and applications that transform information to knowledge and disseminate it to the world for instant and cost-effective use. However, women still face issues on accessing and use of technologies, which slows down the attainment of sustainable development. Therefore, by expanding women’s skillset and on-the-job training through digital technology their self-confidence rises as well as their career opportunities advance. Furthermore, women’s inclusion in the business and technological sector can have a serious impact on local societies, addressing the goal of social equality, resilience and economic development [5]. Digital economy entails that consumers are given the opportunity to receive advanced, highly-customized services. Therefore, consumers’ welfare has brought the need for massive digital literacy courses with the aim to broaden digital consumption. At the same time, digital technologies have a local, a regional and a worldwide impact in the achievement and promotion of circular business models. However, mobile telephony is giving rise to new business models in the market and the economy as long as the infrastructure permits it [6]. In the labour market, there is a high demand for employees with better digital skills in the following sectors: agro-industry, manufacturing as well as retail sectors and chains. Notwithstanding, employment-displacing effects in developed economies signifies the need for value added per worker. Evenmore, the viability of small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), such as in the agricultural, food and textiles sector largely depends on their digital transformation and specifically, on effective digital marketing services to gain wider visibility and customer engagement [7]. More specifically, the retail industry demands the implementation of Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things as well as Big Data Analytics into all areas of production for better operational functionality, such as the supply chain, warehousing and logistics as well as digital commerce and delivery of goods [8]. Likewise, by digitizing the retail chain through digital commerce platforms, automation is achieved in transaction, distribution and marketing, thus economies of scale are achieved. The exponential increase in the use of these platforms, opens up an opportunity for and intensifies the need to strengthen payment systems in order to accomplish secure and efficient remote transactions as well as to update cross-cutting policies to avoid overcharging for services. Physical commerce shall be integrated with digital commerce through offering virtual experiences in service to the customer as well as virtual agents or Chatbots. However, digital economies in equal and inclusive societies presuppose the existence of the following conditions: First of all, universal access to the Internet, adequate equipment, such as devices and applications as well as inclusive regulatory frameworks for digitized labour markets. Moreover, 21st Century Skills, such as critical, creative 112 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development thinking and problem-solving skills alongside leadership and collaborative skills are vital, especially for home-based entrepreneurs and new labour requirements. 2 Women as small and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs) In general, there are only a few mentoring opportunities for women to become business owners and interact with business associations and networks. A survey presented in [9] depicts that Uganda makes a clear connection between mobile phone usage and the enhancement in women’s entrepreneurial ability through the dissemination of good practices towards handling emergency situations, reducing transactional and trading costs as well as minimizing risk factors. Previous studies have shown that mobile phones have a direct contribution to marketing and sales [10, 11, 12]. Furthermore, as identified in [13], rural women entrepreneurs' experience revealed that mobile-based communication and easy access to information developed their knowledge background as well as their daily living routines through their relationship with social structures and systems. The REECALL project intensified women’s capacity building on how to make full use of mobile technologies as a major element of added value for their micro small, dairy enterprises. The rural women participants in the PROTIC project from Dimla mentioned that smartphones had saved them money and time in approaching the public extension services for information, making an appointment to receive service and arranging visits to their agricultural field or livestock. Smartphones also helped them stay up-to-date with government welfare schemes, track the allocation of public benefits to their community and to access accurate information easily. Such information may include local weather conditions, research plant conditions, market prices, instructions on the use of their digital wallets for transactions as well as online government support services [14]. Mobile banking refers to the process of connecting the banks to their customers through a cell phone, smartphone or personal digital assistant (PDA), thus mobile devices intertwine mobile technology and financial services for easy access of both consumers and entrepreneurs to banking services [15]. On the other hand, mobile money as an ordinary wallet for payments can increase interoperability, which is the ability of users of different mobile money services to make mutual transactions. Mobile money consists of an account and the mobile phone is a facilitator between customers and suppliers, thus making it easier for entrepreneurs to expand beyond regional boundaries [16]. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need flexibility in budgeting, planning and financial management as they are a predictor of the profitability and overall performance of SMEs [17, 18]. Accessing cloud services for storing transaction data through mobile apps will provide a valuable solution towards capturing the recording of sales, either in cash or in credit, changes in supplies and in stock, orders and discounts in combination with payment of utilities and payment to employees [19]. Mobile marketing technology has risen globally, thus depicting that marketing strategies should, first and foremost, target mobile users [20]. In the UK, a study shows iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 22, 2022 113 Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development that 71% of consumers tend to buy products and services through mobile devices [21]. Therefore, innovative enterprises adopt mobile marketing technology and especially, they invest in mobile marketing applications. As the number of businesses involved in the implementation of mobile marketing increases, SMEs should not remain passive. Women’s employability and livelihood in developing countries are strongly connected to SMEs and the effective use of mobile marketing as well as mobile financial management systems. At the same time, women ahead of SMEs should leverage lifelong learning opportunities to enhance their entrepreneurial skills and strategic orientation towards mobile technology services [22, 23, 24]. 3 Women and e-commerce in contemporary value chains Circularity means reusing or selling products, components and materials, which involves the prolongment in a product’s lifecycle. Circular economy transition has an eminent role in the business sector and the consumers as it includes a strategic business imperative: reduced waste of input materials, environmentally-friendly manufacturing and “second life” prospect of products. More specifically, circular business models require a fundamental shift in how companies operate and gain profit. New supply chains are created as goods are recaptured and traceability is consistently listed as a priority. The concept of circularity is met with almost universal approval, although certain hurdles need to be crossed towards its implementation. The global clothing and textile industry is responsible for millions of tonnes of waste every year, whereas the second hand market grew to €33 billion in 2021. Second-hand trade can assist in extending a garment’s life by authenticating and reselling it on secondary marketplaces. The idea is enabled by a technology platform that performs authentication through a unique digital ID installed on each garment or accessory, thus growing overall demand for resale platforms [25]. Digital commerce has transformed local economies and markets through giving small businesses the opportunity to export their products. Women’s fair trade cooperatives in developing economies, such as Africa, make handicrafts and sell them to customers worldwide through their mobile phones. However, even in developed economies, women are less likely to make collective bargaining to expand their products on the grounds of low self-efficacy beliefs as well as inaccessible or ineffective community support services [26]. Furthermore, it is recorded that innovative, global trade companies employ more women as well as women-driven, e-commerce business activities were more profitable compared to traditional commerce. The surge in global value chains, even in developing countries like Ethiopia, is strongly dependent on portals and platforms to promote their products and boost their sales. Therefore, e-commerce is creating economic employment opportunities for women in local and global economies. In addition, e- commerce platforms can assist in the growth of several small businesses in rural areas, 114 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development where a significant percentage of the villagers are engaged in e-commerce transactions, such as in case of rural Africa. [27]. 4 Chatbots as tools to scale up entrepreneurship and business Globally, Chatbot market value is expected to go over 454.8 million USD by 2027 [28], although SMEs are lagging in the adoption of Chatbots due to a lack of: data culture, awareness about what AI could bring, information or knowledge in managers and workers as well as few evidence and little visibility on the returns of investment [29]. Chatbots operate in apps or messaging interfaces and help internet users to complete small tasks, such as making purchases online or solving technical issues. Chatbots hosted on social media platforms can offer tailor-made services to customers. This chat interface gives clients relevant information in natural language without ever needing any human involvement. This is what makes them particularly useful for SMEs. AL and ML are the most booming technologies used by Chatbots in order to get maximum customer data that can be used to understand behaviors and generate replies to the customers. The latest Chatbots are equipped with natural language processing to decode queries and linguistic decoding. Chatbots are most commonly used for e- commerce and customer service through promoting user experience over smartphones and enhancing interaction with their customers. AI Chatbots are able to help users in finding search results for e-commerce products, shows, music, and more easily with voice commands. AI and the data of user behaviour collected by machine learning, help in displaying customized recommendations to users. Image recognition ensures that users do not have to type everything. Live translations assist in recognizing languages and dialects [30, 31]. The major usage of AI and Chatbots lies in their capacity to operate in resolution to the customer’s problem, while providing trustworthy, immediate and tailored responses, without the involvement of a person. Therefore, AI Chatbots set the ground for customized and engaging experiences in support of marketing and sales, as Chat apps are quite popular in an extremely important demographic group for brands, advertisers and publishers, the young people [32]. In addition, many brands choose to invest in developing mobile apps with AI- supported Chatbots to maintain a positive brand image. As feedback matters the most, AI-supported Chatbots act in an interactive way and learn from the answers given by their users to offer personalized customer services. The convergence of mobile technology with digital payments and e-commerce sets the ground for AI and Chatbots advancement in emerging markets. Thus, AI and Chatbots for SMEs is a prosperous investment business venture by itself. In addition, Chatbots can be used to help SMEs provide 24/7 service while saving time for more meaningful work to grow their core business, including building better products and distribution channels or improving partnerships [33]. iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 22, 2022 115 Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development 5 Research highlights The vast majority of women-owned small and medium enterprises have inadequate or no access to financial services, let alone digital financial services. Nevertheless, mobile money can become the medium for democratizing digital financial services, especially in developing economies, where women, poor people and other groups are traditionally excluded from the formal financial system [34]. Mobile technologies play a vital role in increasing women’s entrepreneurial skills, although having a mobile phone is not enough to establish a beneficial and sustainable relationship with markets, banks and formal institutions. Nevertheless, a previous global report in 2015 demonstrated that mobile phones have a positive role in women’s production and entrepreneurship as well as they assist in interpersonal communication and relationships in resource constrained countries [35]. As a result, the gender gap concerning the implementation of mobile financial services by women in low and middle income countries can be dealt with certain measures: initializing skill-building programmes, providing affordable handsets as well as challenging misconceptions as well as demonstrating successful use cases of mobiles in the business sector. In addition, community-led circularity frameworks capturing market insights, leading use cases, best practices and key actionable solutions designed and deployed to increase supply chain resilience can lead women to mobile technology-enhanced commerce, leveraging circularity and local sustainability as a comparative advantage in electronic commerce. Moreover, awareness campaigns as well as educational curricula designed and delivered by local community services and peer networks need to be developed [36]. Women entrepreneurs in small and medium enterprises form a significant part of the business sector, which signifies the huge impact of women’s entrepreneurship on themselves and the entire nation. Therefore, employment rate and economic stability lie on women's empowerment and thus, on the advancement of their economic and social role in local communities. Local communities can assist women in communication and networking as well as in effective mobile marketing and financial management of their SMEs [37, 38]. Mobile marketing is part of an entrepreneur’s value chain through effective communications with customers and suppliers resulting in improved output value and potentially higher margins. Mobile technology has given enterprises a whole new perspective on marketing as capturing new types of data assists in developing customer profiles in order to provide tailor-made customer experiences (CX). Customer experience (CX) refers to how a business engages and interacts with its customers leading to business growth as providing great customer experiences offer a significant return on investment (ROI). Empirical evidence shows that SMEs are not sustainable or profitable if they do not comply with current sales promotion strategies. Mobile marketing applications are essential to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they increase clients’ satisfaction and retention, thus boosting the sales of their products. Furthermore, investment in Information Technology (IT) is accompanied by having a better chance 116 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development of finding a niche in the market and winning new customers. In addition, mobile marketing technology diffusion depends on the entrepreneurs and their attitude towards exchanging good practices and integrating knowledge to grow their potential [39]. 6 Conclusion 5G networks are a prerequisite for large data transfer, thus acting in a proactive way towards high-quality digital financial and marketing services. Uneven access to high speed broadband is one main factor associated with digital gaps across firms, sectors and sectoral value added. Social media and e-sales are an asset for SMEs as part of their digital marketing. Cloud computing amplifies the IT capacity as well as the digital infrastructure of SMEs at a reasonable cost [40]. Moreover, ICTs aim at improving women’s access to knowledge and communication channels, thus creating strong rural urban links, building local supply chains as well as launching local, circular business models. In addition, the incorporation of digital technologies in women’s educational and training programs can enhance their applied and transversal skills, such as digital literacy, leadership as well as entrepreneurial skills to promote both personal and societal prosperity. Moreover, a complex of environmental and nutritional factors [41-44] accompanied by innovative educational tools lying in mobile technologies [45-54], ICTs applications [55-87], AI & STEM education [88-97] and serious games [98-103] as well as integrative theories and models of human consciousness, metacognition, mindfulness, meditation and emotional intelligence [104-126], are related to higher educational impact and business growth. In conclusion, mobile technology empowers businesses with the transition to a circular economy in addition to macroeconomic development. Circular economy models merged with technological innovations can bring employability opportunities. Women’s empowerment can transform social norms and facilitate the economic and social sustainability of a country. 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Drigas, “Blood Markers in Detection of Autism”, Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 79–86, Jun. 2021. https://doi.org/10.3991/ ijes.v9i2.21283 [42] A. Zavitsanou and A. Drigas, “Nutrition in mental and physical health,” Technium Social Sciences Journal, vol. 23, pp. 67–77, Sep. 2021, https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v23i1.4126 [43] A. M. Driga and A. S. Drigas, “Climate Change 101: How Everyday Activities Contribute to the Ever-Growing Issue”, Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. pp. 22– 31, Mar. 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v7i1.10031 [44] A.-M. Driga and A. Drigas, “ADHD in the Early Years: Pre-Natal and Early Causes and Alternative Ways of Dealing”, Int. J. Onl. Eng., vol. 15, no. 13, pp. pp. 95–102, Sep. 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i13.11203 [45] J. Vlachou and A. Drigas, “Mobile Technology for Students & Adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)”, Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 4–17, Jan. 2017. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v11i1.5922 [46] C. Papoutsi, A. S. Drigas, and C. Skianis, “Mobile Applications to Improve Emotional Intelligence in Autism – A Review”, Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 12, no. 6, pp. pp. 47–61, Oct. 2018. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v12i6.9073 [47] Z. Karabatzaki, “An Evaluation Study”., Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 12, no. 2, pp. pp. 142–161, Mar. 2018. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v12i2.8158 [48] A. Drigas and P. Angelidakis, “Mobile Applications within Education: An Overview of Application Paradigms in Specific Categories”, Int. J. Interact. Mob. 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Stathopoulou, D. Loukeris, Z. Karabatzaki, E. Politi, Y. Salapata, and A. Drigas, “Evaluation of Mobile Apps Effectiveness in Children with Autism Social Training via Digital Social Stories”, Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 14, no. 03, pp. pp. 4–18, Feb. 2020. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i03.10281 [50] A. Stathopoulou, “Mobile Assessment Procedures for Mental Health and Literacy Skills in Education”, Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. pp. 21–37, Jul. 2018. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v12i3.8038 [51] A. Drigas, G. Kokkalia, & M.D. Lytras, “Mobile and Multimedia Learning in Preschool Education”, J. Mobile Multimedia, vol. 11, no 1/2, pp. 119–133, 2015. [52] A. Stathopoulou et al., “Mobile assessment procedures for mental health and literacy skills in education,” Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 12, no. 3, p. 21, 2018. https://doi.org/ 10.3991/ijim.v12i3.8038 [53] A.S. Drigas, R.E. Ioannidou, G. Kokkalia & M. Lytras, “ICT’s, Mobile Learning and Social Media to Enhance Learning for Attention Difficulties'', Journal of Universal Computer Science, vol. 20, pp. 1499-1510, 2014. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v10i1.5288 [54] A. Drigas and G. Kokkalia, “Mobile Learning for Special Preschool Education”, Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 10, no. 1, pp. pp. 60–67, Jan. 2016. [55] M. Pappas, C. Papoutsi, and A. Drigas, “Policies, Practices, and Attitudes toward Inclusive Education: The Case of Greece,” Social Sciences, vol. 7, no. 6, p. 90, Jun. 2018, https://doi. org/10.3390/socsci7060090 [56] A. S. Drigas and R.-E. Ioannidou, “ICTs in Special Education: A Review,” in Information Systems, E-learning, and Knowledge Management Research, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013, pp. 357–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35879-1_43 [57] A.S. Drigas, J. Vrettaros, L. Stavrou, D. Kouremenos, “E-learning Environment for Deaf people in the E-Commerce and New Technologies Sector”, WSEAS Transactions on Information Science and Applications, Vol. 1, issue 5, November 2004. [58] A.S. Drigas, J. Vrettaros and D. Kouremenos, “Teleeducation and e-learning services for teaching English as a second language to deaf people, whose first language is the sign language”, WSEAS Transactions on Information Science and Applications, vol. 1, no. 3, pp.834–842, 2004a. [59] A. Drigas, L. Koukianakis, and Y. Papagerasimou, “Towards an ICT-based psychology: E- psychology,” Comput. Human Behav., vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 1416–1423, 2011. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.chb.2010.07.045 [60] A. Drigas and F. Charami, “ICTs in English learning and teaching,” Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT (iJES), vol. 2, no. 4, p. 4, 2014. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v2i4.4016 [61] A.S. Drigas & D. Kouremenos, “An e-learning system for the deaf people”. In: WSEAS transaction on advances in engineering education, vol 2, issue 1, pp 20–24, 2005. [62] Drigas A., Pappas M, and Lytras M., “Emerging technologies for ICT based education for dyscalculia: Implications for computer engineering education,” International Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 1604–1610, 2016. [63] A. Drigas and G. Kokkalia, “ICTs and Special Education in Kindergarten”, Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 9, no. 4, pp. pp. 35–42, Jun. 2014. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v9i4. 3662 [64] A. Drigas & L. Koukianakis, “A Modular Environment for E-learning and E-psychology Applications, WSEAS Transactions on Information Science and Application, vol. 3, pp. 2062-2067, 2004. [65] A. Drigas & P. Leliopoulos, “Business to consumer (B2C) e-commerce decade evolution”, Int. J. Knowl. Soc. Res. (IJKSR), vol. 4, no 4, pp. 1–10, 2013. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijksr. 2013100101 iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 22, 2022 121 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v14i03.10281 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v12i3.8038 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v12i3.8038 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v12i3.8038 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v10i1.5288 https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7060090 https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7060090 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35879-1_43 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.07.045 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.07.045 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v2i4.4016 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v9i4.3662 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v9i4.3662 https://doi.org/10.4018/ijksr.2013100101 https://doi.org/10.4018/ijksr.2013100101 Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development [66] M. Pappas et al., “Female Entrepreneurship and Employability in the Digital Era: The Case of Greece,” Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 15, May 2018, https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc4020015 [67] G. Papanastasiou, A. Drigas, C. Skianis, M. Lytras, and E. Papanastasiou, “Patient-centric ICTs based healthcare for students with learning, physical and/or sensory disabilities,” Telemat. inform., vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 654–664, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.09. 002 [68] A. Drigas and M.-T. L. Kontopoulou, “ICTs based Physics learning,” Int. J. Eng. Pedagogy (iJEP), vol. 6, no. 3, p. 53, 2016. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v6i3.5899 [69] G. Papanastasiou, A. Drigas, C. Skianis, and M. Lytras, “Brain computer interface based applications for training and rehabilitation of students with neurodevelopmental disorders. A literature review,” Heliyon, vol. 6, no. 9, p. e04250, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.heliyon.2020.e04250 [70] A. S. Drigas, J. Vrettaros, and D. Kouremenos, “An e-learning management system for the deaf people,” in AIKED ’05: Proceedings of the Fourth WSEAS International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Engineering Databases, 2005. [71] M. Pappas et al., “E-learning for deaf adults from a user-centered perspective,” Educ. Sci. (Basel), vol. 8, no. 4, p. 206, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040206 [72] A. Marios, E. Pappas, Y. Demertzi, L. Papagerasimou, N. Koukianakis, and A. S. Drigas, “Cognitive Based E-Learning Design for Older Adults,” Social Sciences, vol. 8, no. 1, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8010006 [73] A. S. Drigas and L. Koukianakis, “Leyteris Koukianakis: Government online: An e- government platform to improve public administration operations and services delivery to the citizen,” WSKS, vol. 1, pp. 523–532, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04754- 1_53 [74] P. Theodorou and A. Drigas, “ICTs and music in Generic learning disabilities,” Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 12, no. 04, p. 101, 2017. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i04.65 88 [75] A. Drigas, G. Kokkalia, and M. D. Lytras, “ICT and collaborative co-learning in preschool children who face memory difficulties,” Comput. Human Behav., vol. 51, pp. 645–651, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.01.019 [76] A. Drigas and M. Pappas, “ICT based screening tools and etiology of dyscalculia,” Int. J. Eng. Pedagogy (iJEP), vol. 5, no. 3, p. 61, 2015. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v5i3.4735 [77] Α. Drigas and I. Kostas, “On Line and other ICTs Applications for teaching math in Special Education,” Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT (iJES), vol. 2, no. 4, p. 46, 2014. https://doi. org/10.3991/ijes.v2i4.4204 [78] A. Alexopoulou, A. Batsou, and A. Drigas, “Resilience and academic underachievement in gifted students: Causes, consequences and strategic methods of prevention and intervention,” Int. J. Onl. Eng., vol. 15, no. 14, p. 78, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe. v15i14.11251 [79] A. Drigas and R. E. Ioannidou, “Special education and ICT’s,” International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 41–47, 2013. https://doi.org/10.3991/ ijet.v8i2.2514 [80] A. Drigas and G. Papanastasiou, “Interactive white boards in preschool and primary education,” Int. J. Online Eng., vol. 10, no. 4, p. 46, 2014. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v10i4. 3754 [81] A. S. Drigas and S. Politi-Georgousi, “ICTs as a distinct detection approach for dyslexia screening: A contemporary view,” Int. J. Onl. Eng., vol. 15, no. 13, p. 46, 2019. https://doi. org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i13.11011 122 http://www.i-jim.org https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc4020015 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.09.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.09.002 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v6i3.5899 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04250 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04250 https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8040206 https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8010006 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04754-1_53 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04754-1_53 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i04.6588 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i04.6588 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.01.019 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v5i3.4735 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v2i4.4204 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v2i4.4204 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i14.11251 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i14.11251 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v8i2.2514 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v8i2.2514 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v10i4.3754 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v10i4.3754 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i13.11011 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i13.11011 Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development [82] L. Bakola, N. Rizos, and A. Drigas, “ICTs for emotional and social skills development for children with ADHD and ASD co-existence,” Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 14, no. 05, p. 122, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i05.9430 [83] E. Z. Kontostavlou and A. S. Drigas, “The Use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Gifted Students,” International Journal of Recent Contributions from Engineering, Science and IT, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 60–67, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes. v7i2.10815 [84] A. Drigas and J. A. Vlachou, “Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD),” Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT (iJES), vol. 4, no. 1, p. 4, 2016. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v4i1.5352 [85] A. S. Drigas, L. Koukianakis, and Y. Papagerasimou, “An elearning environment for nontraditional students with sight disabilities,” in Frontiers in Education Conference, 36th Annual, IEEE, 2006, pp. 23–27. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2006.322633 [86] A. Drigas, “An open distance learning e-system to support SMEs e-enterprising,” in proceedings of 5th WSEAS Internationalconference on Artificial intelligence, knowledge engineering, databases, Spain AI …STEM…………, 2006. [87] C. Kefalis and A. Drigas, “Web Based and Online Applications in STEM Education”, Int. J. Eng. Ped., vol. 9, no. 4, pp. pp. 76–85, Aug. 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v9i4.10691 [88] A. S. Drigas and R.-E. Ioannidou, “A review on artificial intelligence in special education,” in Information Systems, E-learning, and Knowledge Management Research, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013, pp. 385–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3- 642-35879-1_46 [89] A. Drigas and J. Vrettaros, “An Intelligent Tool for Building e-Learning Content-Material Using Natural Language in Digital Libraries,” WSEAS Transactions on Information Science and Applications, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1197–1205, 2004. [90] A. S. Drigas, J. Vrettaros, L. G. Koukianakis, and J. G. Glentzes, A Virtual Lab and e- learning system for renewable energy sources. Int. Conf. on Educational Tech. 2005. [91] A. S. Drigas, K. Argyri, and J. Vrettaros, “Decade review (1999-2009): Artificial intelligence techniques in student modeling,” in Communications in Computer and Information Science, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2009, pp. 552–564. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04757-2_59 [92] J. Vrettaros, A. Tagoulis, N. Giannopoulou, and A. Drigas, “An empirical study on the use of web 2.0 by Greek adult instructors in educational procedures,” in Communications in Computer and Information Science, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2009, pp. 164–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04757-2_18 [93] A. Drigas and A. Dourou, “A Review on ICTs, E-Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Dyslexic’s Assistance,” iJet, vol. 8, pp. 63–67, 2013. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v8i4.2980 [94] A. S. Drigas and E. R. Ioannidou, “Artificial intelligence in special education: A decade review,” International Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 28, no. 6, 2012. [95] A. S. Drigas and P. Leliopoulos, “The Use of Big Data in Education,” International Journal of Computer Science Issues, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 58–63, 2014. [96] P. Anagnostopoulou, V. Alexandropoulou, G. Lorentzou, A. Lykothanasi, P. Ntaountaki, and A. Drigas, “Artificial intelligence in autism assessment,” Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 15, no. 06, p. 95, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i06.11231 [97] M. Pappas and A. Drigas, “Incorporation of Artificial Intelligence tutoring techniques in mathematics,” Int. J. Eng. Pedagogy (iJEP), vol. 6, no. 4, p. 12, 2016. https://doi.org/ 10.3991/ijep.v6i4.6063 iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 22, 2022 123 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i05.9430 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v7i2.10815 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v7i2.10815 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v4i1.5352 https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2006.322633 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v9i4.10691 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35879-1_46 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35879-1_46 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04757-2_59 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04757-2_18 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v8i4.2980 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i06.11231 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v6i4.6063 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v6i4.6063 Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development [98] G. Papanastasiou, A. Drigas, and C. Skianis, “Serious Games in Preschool and Primary Education: Benefits and impacts on curriculum course syllabus,” Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 12, no. 01, p. 44, 2017. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i01.6065 [99] G. Kokkalia, A. Drigas, A. Economou, P. Roussos, and S. Choli, “The use of serious games in preschool education,” Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 12, no. 11, p. 15, 2017. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i11.6991 [100] A. Drigas and M. Pappas, “On line and other Game-Based Learning for Mathematics,” Int. J. Online Eng., vol. 11, no. 4, p. 62, 2015. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v11i4.4742 [101] G. Papanastasiou, A. Drigas, C. Skianis, and M. D. Lytras, “Serious games in K-12 education: Benefits and impacts on students with attention, memory and developmental disabilities,” Program, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 424–440, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1108/PROG-02- 2016-0020 [102] A. Drigas and G. Kokkalia, “ICTs in Kindergarten,” Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 9, no. 2, p. 52, 2014. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v9i2.3278 [103] G. Kokkalia, A. Drigas, and A. Economou, “The role of games in special preschool education,” Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 11, no. 12, p. 30, 2016. https://doi.org/ 10.3991/ijet.v11i12.5945 [104] A. Drigas and E. Mitsea, “The 8 Pillars of Metacognition”, Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 15, no. 21, pp. pp. 162–178, Nov. 2020. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i21.14907 [105] A. Drigas and C. Papoutsi, “Emotional intelligence as an important asset for HR in organizations: Leaders and employees,” Int. J. Adv. Corp. Learn., vol. 12, no. 1, p. 58, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijac.v12i1.9637 [106] A. S. Drigas and M. A. Pappas, “The consciousness-intelligence-knowledge pyramid: An 8x8 layer model,” Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT (iJES), vol. 5, no. 3, p. 14, 2017. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v5i3.7680 [107] E. Mitsea and A. Drigas, “A Journey into the Metacognitive Learning Strategies”, Int. J. Onl. Eng., vol. 15, no. 14, pp. pp. 4–20, Oct. 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i14. 11379 [108] A. Drigas and M. Karyotaki, “Attentional Control and other Executive Functions'', Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 12, no. 03, pp. pp. 219–233, Mar. 2017. https://doi.org/ 10.3991/ijet.v12i03.6587 [109] A. Drigas and M. Karyotaki, “Learning Tools and Applications for Cognitive Improvement”, Int. J. Eng. Ped., vol. 4, no. 3, pp. pp. 71–77, Jun. 2014. https://doi.org/ 10.3991/ijep.v4i3.3665 [110] A. Drigas and E. Mitsea, “8 pillars X 8 layers model of metacognition: Educational strategies, exercises &trainings,” Int. J. Onl. Eng., vol. 17, no. 08, p. 115, 2021. https://doi. org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i08.23563 [111] A. Drigas and C. Papoutsi, “The need for emotional intelligence training education in critical and stressful situations: The case of covid-19,” Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT (iJES), vol. 8, no. 3, p. 20, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v8i3.17235 [112] A. Drigas and E. Mitsea, “The triangle of Spiritual Intelligence, metacognition and consciousness,” Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT (iJES), vol. 8, no. 1, p. 4, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v8i1.12503 [113] G. Kokkalia, A. S. Drigas, A. Economou, and P. Roussos, “School readiness from kindergarten to primary school,” Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 14, no. 11, p. 4, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i11.10090 [114] A. Drigas and E. Mitsea, “Metacognition, Stress – Relaxation Balance & Related Hormones,” Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT (iJES), vol. 9, no. 1, p. 4, 2021. https://doi. org/10.3991/ijes.v9i1.19623 124 http://www.i-jim.org https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i01.6065 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i11.6991 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v11i4.4742 https://doi.org/10.1108/PROG-02-2016-0020 https://doi.org/10.1108/PROG-02-2016-0020 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v9i2.3278 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v11i12.5945 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v11i12.5945 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i21.14907 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijac.v12i1.9637 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v5i3.7680 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i14.11379 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v15i14.11379 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i03.6587 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v12i03.6587 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v4i3.3665 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v4i3.3665 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i08.23563 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i08.23563 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v8i3.17235 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v8i1.12503 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v14i11.10090 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v9i1.19623 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v9i1.19623 Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development [115] M. A. Pappas and A. S. Drigas, “Computerized Training for Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Improvement,” Int. J. Eng. Pedagogy (iJEP), vol. 9, no. 4, p. 50, 2019. https://doi.org/ 10.3991/ijep.v9i4.10285 [116] C. Papoutsi and A. Drigas, “Empathy and Mobile Applications,” Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 11, no. 3, p. 57, 2017. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v11i3.6385 [117] C. Papoutsi and A. Drigas, “Games for Empathy for Social Impact,” Int. J. Eng. Pedagogy (iJEP), vol. 6, no. 4, p. 36, 2016. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v6i4.6064 [118] M. Karyotaki and A. Drigas, “Online and other ICT applications for cognitive training and assessment,” Int. J. Online Eng., vol. 11, no. 2, p. 36, 2015. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe. v11i2.4360 [119] C. Papoutsi, A. Drigas, and C. Skianis, “Emotional intelligence as an important asset for HR in organizations: Attitudes and working variables,” Int. J. Adv. Corp. Learn., vol. 12, no. 2, p. 21, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijac.v12i2.9620 [120] I. Chaidi and A. Drigas, “Autism, Expression, and Understanding of Emotions: Literature Review”, Int. J. Onl. Eng., vol. 16, no. 02, pp. pp. 94–111, Feb. 2020. https://doi.org/ 10.3991/ijoe.v16i02.11991 [121] A. S. Drigas and M. Karyotaki, “A Layered Model of Human Consciousness”, Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. pp. 41–50, Sep. 2019. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes. v7i3.11117 [122] A. S. Drigas, M. Karyotaki, and C. Skianis, “An Integrated Approach to Neuro- development, Neuroplasticity and Cognitive Improvement'', Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. pp. 4–18, Nov. 2018. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v6i3.9034 [123] M. Karyotaki and A. Drigas, “Latest Trends in Problem Solving Assessment”, Int. J. Recent Contrib. Eng. Sci. IT, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. pp. 4–10, Jul. 2016. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v4i2. 5800 [124] E. Mitsea, A. Drigas, and P. Mantas, “Soft Skills & Metacognition as Inclusion Amplifiers in the 21st Century”, Int. J. Onl. Eng., vol. 17, no. 04, pp. pp. 121–132, Apr. 2021. https://doi. org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i04.20567 [125] E. Angelopoulou and A. Drigas, “Working memory, attention and their relationship: A theoretical overview”, RSD, vol. 10, no. 5, p. e46410515288, May 2021. https://doi.org/ 10.33448/rsd-v10i5.15288 [126] A. Tourimpampa, A. Drigas, A. Economou, and P. Roussos, “Perception and Text Comprehension. It’s a Matter of Perception!”, Int. J. Emerg. Technol. Learn., vol. 13, no. 07, pp. pp. 228–242, Jun. 2018. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i07.7909 8 Authors Maria Karyotaki was born in Greece. She has studied Economics and Sustainable Development and she holds a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology at Harokopio University, Athens, Greece. Maria’s major field of study is Brain Sciences, Education & ICT’s. She is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Information and Communication Systems Engineering (ICSE) at the University of the Aegean, Karlovassi, Greece in collaboration with N.C.S.R. “Demokritos”, Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications, Telecoms Lab - Net Media Lab & Brain-Mind R&D, Athens, Greece. Three of her most recent published articles are: M. Karyotaki, “Consciousness through the scope of the 9-Layered Model of Giftedness'', in Society Consciousness Computers, vol. 7, pp. 90, 2021, ISSN 2359-7321. M. Karyotaki, “Cognitive skills’ iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 22, 2022 125 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v9i4.10285 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v9i4.10285 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v11i3.6385 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v6i4.6064 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v11i2.4360 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v11i2.4360 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijac.v12i2.9620 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v16i02.11991 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v16i02.11991 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v7i3.11117 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v7i3.11117 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v6i3.9034 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v4i2.5800 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v4i2.5800 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i04.20567 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v17i04.20567 https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i5.15288 https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i5.15288 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v13i07.7909 Paper—The Role of Mobiles and Women in the Sustainable Local Economic Development contribution to Citizenship Education”, in e-Conference Proceedings Promoting EU values in a time of social distancing, Erasmus+ KA3 Teachers4Europe: Setting an Agora for Democratic Culture (2018-2021), pp. 73-80, May 2021, ISBN: 978-960- 6897-12-2. A. Drigas, M. Karyotaki and C. Skianis, “Success: A 9 Layered-based Model of Giftedness”, iJES, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 41-50, 2017, https://doi.org/ 10.3991/ijes.v5i4.7725. Her current research interests are chatbots, cognitive computing systems, lifelong learning skills and healthy aging. Dr. Athanasios Drigas is a Research Director at IIT-N.C.S.R. Demokritos. He is the Coordinator and founder of Net Media Lab Mind-Brain R&D. Ηe was the Operational manager of the Greek Academic network Ariadne. He has been the Coordinator of Several International Projects, in the fields of ICTs, and eservices (e- learning, e-psychology, e-government, e-inclusion, e-culture etc). He has published more than 300 articles, 7 books, 25 educational CD-ROMs and several patents. He has been a member of several international committees for the design and coordination of Network and ICT activities and of international conferences and journals. Also, he has accepted several distinctions for his work (articles, projects, patents). Prof. Charalabos Skianis (Senior Member IEEE) (m) is currently Professor, Vice- Rector at the University of the Aegean in Samos, Greece. He holds a PhD degree in Computer Science, University of Bradford, United Kingdom and a BSc in Physics, Department of Physics, University of Patras, Greece. His work is published in journals, conference proceedings and as book chapters and has also been presented in numerous conferences and workshops. He acts within Technical Program and Organizing Committees for numerous conferences and workshops (e.g., IFIP Networking 2006, IEEE Globecom 2006, IEEE ICC 2006) and as a Guest Editor for scientific journals (e.g., IEEE Networks magazine). He is at the editorial board of journals (e.g., IEEE Wireless Communications), a member of pronounced professional societies (senior member of IEEE) and an active reviewer for several scientific journals. He is an active member of several Technical Committees within the IEEE ComSoc (eg., past TC CSIM-chair). Article submitted 2022-08-22. Resubmitted 2022-10-17. Final acceptance 2022-10-17. Final version published as submitted by the authors. 126 http://www.i-jim.org https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v5i4.7725 https://doi.org/10.3991/ijes.v5i4.7725