Imagining people’s functions in everyday life and work without the use of ICT, seems difficult. Their application is ubiquitous everywhere, regardless of which aspect it is viewed from, because it has a strong function in ensuring the competitiveness of various systems at the micro and macro levels. Numerous national and multinational strategies try to encourage educational systems to put a greater focus on ICT to more efficiently acquire skills, competencies, and knowledge, which should represent added value to all generations in the future. This article analyzes the progress of the ICT development index (IDI) in Scandinavian countries by comparing these countries in the European region. It is known that the Scandinavian countries belong to that part of the countries that have recognized the importance of involving ICT in education programs, which improves the economy of a certain country. Given this, the research reveals how ICTs play a key role in improving socio-economic development in Scandinavian countries.

This study aimed to examine and assess the impact of the logistics industry’s environment, entry-level graduates’ characteristics and the logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) program design on the transformation of knowledge and skills at Sohar port in the Sultanate of Oman. The study employed a pragmatic research philosophy involving a structured questionnaire. The sample size included 49 mid-managers from the logistics industry who were working at Sohar Port. The study found that entry-level graduates’ characteristics and LSCM program design positively and significantly influenced the transformation of knowledge and skills. However, the organisational environment had a negative and insignificant impact on the transformation. This study revealed several dimensions that may require further research. It is pertinent to broaden the research scope to other towns, ports, and other countries in the Gulf Council Countries (GCC) to broaden the scope and generalisability of the results. According to the study findings, several recommendations are proposed for the logistics and supply chain sector in Oman to enhance the transformation of knowledge and skills by entry-level graduates, as well as for higher education institutions (HEIs). To meet the sector requirements, HEIs may improve the current university-industry collaborations by increasing the inputs of the industry in designing and developing the LSCM program. The organisational environment must reconsider the knowledge and skills transformation by entry-level graduates in their strategic plan of resources management, which must be emphasised by the remuneration system and career paths incentive. While other studies have explored knowledge and skill transformation in the context of employee training, this study aims to fill a specific research gap by focusing on the transformation of knowledge and skills by entry-level graduates, an area which has not been extensively studied before. Furthermore, this study is unique as it examines the impact of the industry’s environment, entry-level graduates’ characteristics and the LSCM program on the transformation of knowledge and skills within the unique context of Oman. This novel approach provides an opportunity to understand the specific challenges and opportunities faced by entry-level graduates in Oman and suggests strategies for addressing them.

This study aims to: (1) analyze the need for digital marketing capabilities in Thai MSME; (2) develop an online digital marketing course; and (3) enhance Thai MSME’s digital marketing capabilities, particularly in Thailand’s manufacturing sectors. The survey was conducted using questionnaires distributed to a sample group of 400 digital marketing staff, executives, or business owners, complemented by in-depth interviews with marketing experts, business managers, and owners, totaling 10 participants. The research findings reveal a significant demand for digital marketing skills among MSME entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector. The top three skills identified as most crucial for enhancement are: (1) communication and marketing information presentation skills; (2) brand building and public relations; and (3) video marketing execution. The study further revealed that the design of the digital marketing course, along with the developed online learning platform, attracted and successfully enrolled 104 MSMEs who participated in the online program. The pre- and post-training assessment results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in test scores, with a mean post-training score of 16.10 ( Mean = 16.10, S.D. = 1.396), representing a notable increase from the pre-training mean score of 6.47 ( Mean = 6.47, S.D. = 3.634) at the 0.05 significance level. Furthermore, the results of the follow-up evaluation on the application of acquired knowledge revealed that the overall level of knowledge and skills application is at its highest, with an average score of 4.64. This indicates that the developed course and online learning platform effectively enhance learners’ knowledge.