bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strategies for Developing Human Resource Capacity to Support Sustainability of ICT Based Health Information Systems: A Case Study from Tanzania
Authors: Kimaro Honest C. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractInformation and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are typically introduced in organizations with the promise to help manage resources, increase efficiency, increase work productivity and reduce workload. In the context of developing countries, the lure of these promises is magnified given the existing conditions and inefficiencies. International aid agencies play an important role in shaping this promise. However, introduction and use of ICTs in developing countries has proven problematic due to failures or unsustainability resulting from many factors. One important factor is the lack of appropriate human resources both with respect to quantity and quality. This paper emphasizes that human resource capacity building in developing countries is an urgent issue of concern for the sustainability of ICTs. Drawing on concepts of sustainability, ICT literacy, and human capacity building, this paper analyzes challenges related to human resources in health information systems (HISs) and ICTs in the health sector of Tanzania and suggests some strategies to address the problem. Specifically, the paper focuses on initiation of ICT based HIS in the context of the health sector and argues for human resources with a mix of skills to understand the meaning of data, information, and the use of computers.
Challenges of Establishing and Managing an IRM Centre in a Kenyan Public University: A Critical Review of Papers by Moi University's IRM Centre Staff
Authors: Bii Harrison , Gichoya David Mugo 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper presents the challenges faced in establishing and managing an IRM centre at Moi University. A critical review of in‐house papers presented by the university's IRM staff members during recent workshops reveals that the centre faced several challenges in its formative years. If the centre is to attain its aim and objectives, the university management needs to address itself to the centre's challenges.
Issues In E‐Learning: A Thai Case Study
Authors: Pagram Penporn , Pagram Jeremy 
Published: December 2017

AbstractE‐learning is a very topical and much misused term. Nevertheless, many countries both developed and developing, are rushing to embrace this new educational technology. Perceived benefits in both cost of delivery and educational outcomes are often the driving force.This has led to a new phase in the globalisation of education, with education being sold on the world market like any other product. With this global trend come issues that go beyond those of content, delivery and even language. E‐Learning materials are very expensive to produce so its success largely depends upon economies of scale, often this leads to a one‐size‐fits‐all pedagogy. Even locally produced e‐learning materials can suffer in this way as often the content is local but the instructional model is international. The result is that often local content is plugged into overseas e‐learning templates, without the model of instruction being modified to suit the learning style or the culture into which it is being delivered.Thailand is a country with very unique, strong cultural traditions and her peoples have largely Buddhist religious beliefs. These two factors are interlocked and affect all aspects of Thai life, including education. Traditional Thai education has evolved to complement and sustain this unique and diverse culture. Copying e‐learning styles from overseas countries may not be suited to Thai students and more importantly, inappropriate e‐learning styles may affect Thai culture through influencing the values of the new generation.This paper looks at this subject from a Thai perspective. Through the eyes of its authors, one of whom is who is Thai, it examines the links between culture and education in Thailand and looks at the way Thai students are taught to learn. The paper reports on one of the author's research into this area and concludes with suggestions for designers of Thai e‐learning.
A Structured Approach for Bringing Mobile Telecommunications to the World's Poor
Authors: Anderson Jamie 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWhy haven't mobile network operators seized the opportunity at the base of the economic pyramid? The explanations are well known; non‐existent distribution channels, illiteracy, poverty, and sometimes even war or violent insurgencies can stifle the enthusiasm of companies in serving people living in poverty. Indeed, most MNOs have elected to ignore these consumer segments, and focus on the ‘low hanging fruit – customers in the middle and upper income brackets. But while the vast majority of mobile operators have seen these challenges as insurmountable barriers, other have quietly pursued strategies of experimentation in developing unique product and service propositions for some of the world's most needy consumers. At the heart of these success stories has been the development of an approach that delivers a structured approach to serving the world's poor: the 4As – availability, affordability, awareness and acceptability.
E‐Commerce Diffusion in Small Island Countries: The Influence of Institutions in Barbados
Authors: Molla Alemayehu , Taylor Rodney , Licker Paul S. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper concerns the role of institutions in promoting the diffusion of e‐commerce. Using institutional theory as a framework of analysis, the paper evaluates institutional interventions over a six‐year period in Barbados and how that impacted on the national environment for e‐commerce. The paper explicates the institutional powers of influence and regulation in the context of the ideologies of market supply and demand for e‐commerce. It concludes that at the early stage of e‐commerce diffusion both public and external institutions play key roles in creating conducive conditions and in providing the impetus necessary for the spread of e‐commerce respectively. However, the sustainability of e‐commerce depends on ”bottom‐up” entrepreneurial mobilization to maintain the momentum for growth “top‐down” interventions create.
Unraveling the Impact of Investments in ICT, Education and Health on Development: An Analysis of Archival Data of Five West African Countries Using Regression Splines
Authors: Morawczynski Olga , Ngwenyama Ojelanki 
Published: December 2017

AbstractFor more than a decade African nations have been investing in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a strategy for fostering development. Under the auspices of international development agencies such as the United Nations (UN), and World Bank these nations have been constituting and implementing technology strategies that aim to bring ‘digital opportunities’ to all constituents—especially those who are impoverished and living in remote communities. These strategies have put new demands on national governments to invest both human and financial resources into the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure and the training of new users. Such investments, however, have received some scrutiny as some claim that developing nations should focus their limited financial resources on the improvement of education or healthcare. Others argue that these ICT investments are vital for development, but should be synergized with others such as education and healthcare. In this study we will employ Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) to explore the interaction amongst investments in ICT, education and healthcare. We further analyze how each class of investments impacts human development measures in five West African nations: Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Niger. With such an analysis we illustrate the interdependencies amongst the three classes of investments and conclude that investments in ICTs alone are not enough to significantly impact human development. Complementary investments in education and healthcare must be given equal consideration.
Addressing The Digital Divide: E‐Governance and M‐Governance in A Hub and Spoke Model
Authors: Narayan Gyanendra 
Published: December 2017

AbstractE‐governance has been perceived as a key to better governance. Though e‐governance is capable enough of reaching to its objective, the problem of last mile connection is still persistent in developing countries due to unavailability of required infrastructure to provide e‐governance with required depth. It has been witnessed that developing countries have deeper telephonic/mobile penetration than the internet penetration. Hence the use of telephone/mobile as a tool to supplement e‐governance in its last leg becomes imperative. The higher level penetration of mobile connection makes the problem of last mile connectivity somehow redundant. Mobile‐governance (m‐governance) may be used as supplement to e‐governance in a spoke and hub model. It will be helpful in bridging the digital divide particularly in rural areas and also in developing parts of world mainly Asia and Africa. This paper discusses e‐governance and m‐governance in a spoke and hub model. A generic process will be helpful for faster replication of services and greater penetration.
A Balanced Usability Checklist Approach to Evaluate Palestinian Hotel Websites
Authors: Abdinnour‐Helm Sue , Chaparro Barbara S. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper introduces a Balanced Usability Checklist (BUC) approach to assess the usability of ten Palestinian hotel websites. The BUC is a modified version of the known checklist analysis technique of user interfaces and includes dimensions for User Friendliness, Attractiveness, Marketing Effectiveness, and Technical Aspects of a website. Eight participants with experience in website design and usability were asked to evaluate each of the ten websites using the BUC approach. Overall, the hotel websites faired poorly on three out of the four dimensions. A relative ranking, based on the total score, was used to rank the hotels from 1 (highest) to 10 (lowest). This study has numerous implications, mainly for hotel managers wanting to improve the delivery of their services on the Internet. Results, limitations, and future research are discussed.
Behavioral Influences on E‐Commerce Adoption in a Developing Country Context
Authors: Uzoka Faith‐Michael E. , Shemi Alice P. , Seleka Geoffrey G. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractElectronic commerce (e‐commerce) is rapidly gaining a prominent place in the global marketing matrix. The volume of transactions that are carried out over the Internet globally is extremely huge. It is estimated that in the next decade, e‐commerce activities would be a major source of foreign exchange, and a key indicator of national development. Studies show that e‐commerce development in developing countries, especially in Africa is comparatively very low. Infrastructural, economic, and management factors have been previously identified as contributing to the low level of e‐commerce development in developing countries. This study focuses on behavioural factors in the adoption of e‐commerce in developing countries. The results of the study show that perceived advantages, Internet and complexity, accessibility, and management support have statistically significant influence on the adoption of e‐commerce, while perceived disadvantages and other facilitating conditions do not significantly affect the decision to adopt e‐commerce. The study results tend to agree with the theory of planned behaviour, but attitude seems to weigh more than subjective norm and perceived behavioural control.
E‐Government and local Good Governance: A Pilot Project in Fez, Morocco
Authors: Kettani Driss , Moulin Bernard , Gurstein Michael , El Mahdi Asmae 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper presents a research project working towards building a sustainable pilot E‐Government system for the ancient city of Fez in the developing country of Morocco. Specifically, this article goes through the range of understandings related to concepts of governance, good governance, and e‐government to identify ways to put in practice these notions and facilitate systematic assessment of outcomes and results of the project implementation. The article presents a methodology (Outcome Analysis) and identifies indicators for enabling a project Outcome Analysis as a measurement of the project's contribution to the improvement of good governance. Such a systematic assessment aims to contribute to the generation of knowledge and dissemination of lessons learned concerning the implications of e‐Government implementation for good governance.
The Contribution of ICT to Freedom and Democracy: An Empirical Analysis of Archival Data on the Middle East
Authors: Shirazi Farid 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis study is based on an empirical analysis of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) archival data for ten Middle Eastern countries: Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and United Arab Emirates for the period of 1995–2003. Some previous studies consider the impact of ICT on socio‐economic development in the region. Using a set of regression analyses, this paper shows that ICT expansion in the Middle East has not only resulted in the reduction of the Digital Divide between this region and developed countries, it has also had a positive impact on promoting democracy and freedom of expression in a region that suffers most from political, social and global conflicts (Freedom House, 2006; Reporters Without Borders, 2005).
ICTs as a Tool for Cultural Dominance: Prospects for a Two‐Way Street
Authors: Andrade Antonio Díaz , Urquhart Cathy 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWhile the case for information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development is largely accepted, it should be remembered that ICTs carry embedded in them sets of cultural assumptions. Efforts to close the digital divide are insufficient if those efforts remain oblivious to the cultural dominance of English language content available on the Internet. This paper discusses how the proliferation of the Internet has resulted in a cultural homogenisation via the lingua franca of the Internet, English. It then discusses the case of Latin American Internet portals to illustrate how local content provision on the Internet can be successful in attracting a local audience.
Examining Online Banking Initiatives in Nigeria: A Value Network Approach
Authors: Andoh‐Baidoo Francis Kofi , Osatuyi Babajide 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe central banks of several developing nations have encouraged financial institutions to provide strategic online banking services and products to remain competitive. This is in recognition of the cheaper cost of information and communication technologies (ICT) that support the delivery of such products and services. In this paper, we use a value network theoretical model to examine the electronic banking services and products provided by banks in Nigeria. We visited the websites of banks and identified the different services they provide using Southard and Siau's [24] framework. We also interviewed operations managers of these banks to validate the data collected from the websites. We discuss the implications of our findings using the value network model as a lens, and suggest appropriate strategies that will enable banks provide competitive products and services, and create value for the banks and their customers.
Internet Access in South African Homes: A Preliminary Study on Factors Influencing Consumer Choice
Authors: Brown Irwin , Letsididi Boipelo , Nazeer Mohammed 
Published: December 2017

AbstractSouth African consumers have moved from a situation where narrowband dial‐up was very often the only option for home Internet access to where there is now a plethora of broadband and narrowband options to choose from. Very little research in information systems has investigated the phenomenon of consumer choice of technology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing consumer choice of Internet access option in South African homes. By drawing from theories of technology adoption, 13 factors were identified, grouped into three categories, namely attitudinal beliefs, normative beliefs and control beliefs. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 12 consumers who had Internet access in their homes. Their views on the 13 factors were gathered to ascertain if and how they influenced their choice of Internet access option. The findings show that the attitudinal beliefs of relative advantage, compatibility, ease of use, and prior experience have a bearing on consumer choice. Normative beliefs associated with friends and family, as well as secondary sources also had an influence. Finally, it was shown that control beliefs relating to costs of access, and support and service were key influences on consumer choice. These and other findings are discussed, and implications drawn.
E‐government, People and Social Change: A Case Study in China
Authors: Guanghua LUO 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIt is generally believed that ICT has considerable potential to improve governance capabilities and transform relations with customers. China, like many other countries, embraces e‐government enthusiastically but encounters big challenges at the same time. Therefore, the successful development of e‐government becomes a pivotal issue in China. Through the social study of e‐government the author criticises the prevalent technological determinism. Since information systems are social systems, e‐government encompasses various political, economic, social, organisational and people issues besides technical ones, so that its application is far more complicated. This paper studies the relevant social and organisational issues of e‐government in China, which are important but usually ignored in contemporary Chinese literature. As a lens, aspects of structuration, especially duality of technology is applied into the analysis of the selected Nanhai case. The research focuses on middle‐level officials’ views and attitudes towards e‐government; explores the ICT‐mediated interactions between public organisations and civil servants and implications on social change. Moreover, the research unveils the important role the middle‐level officials play, as well as that of senior management in the Information Systems (IS) application.
A Conceptual Framework for E‐Learning in Developing Countries: A Critical Review of Research Challenges
Authors: Andersson Annika , Grönlund Åke 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper presents a critical review of research on challenges for e‐learning with a particular focus on developing countries. A comprehensive literature review including 60 papers on e‐learning challenges was undertaken for the purpose of understanding how to implement e‐learning in developing countries. Research questions were: what has existing research identified as the major challenges for e‐learning, and, what differences, if any, are there between developing countries and developed countries in this respect? The literature study found 278 papers which were condensed to 60 based on exclusion and inclusion criteria designed to find papers of best quality as well as papers that clearly investigated well‐defined challenges. The research found 30 specific challenges which were grouped into four categories, viz.: courses, individuals, technology and context. The overall conclusion is that these challenges are equally valid for both developed and developing countries; however in developing countries more papers focus on access to technology and context whereas in developed countries more papers concern individuals. A further finding is that most papers focus on one or two categories of challenges; few papers exhibit a comprehensive view. Because challenges are interrelated, based on the findings we propose a conceptual framework of emerging issues for e‐learning in developed and developing countries. The framework is useful to guide both practice and research.
Factors Influencing AIS Effectiveness Among Manufacturing SMEs: Evidence From Malaysia
Authors: Ismail Noor Azizi 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis study examines accounting information systems (AIS) effectiveness and its influence factors in the specific context of small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. The proposed model examines the impact of AIS sophistication, manager participation in AIS implementation, manager AIS knowledge, manager accounting knowledge, and effectiveness of external experts such as vendors, consultants, government agencies, and accounting firms on AIS effectiveness. We included 232 SMEs registered with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) in testing the model. The results show that manager accounting knowledge, and the effectiveness of vendors and accounting firms significantly contributed to AIS effectiveness. Overall, this study suggests that managers of SMEs need to acquire sufficient accounting knowledge to better understand business information requirements. Second, SMEs should engage qualified vendors who have experience and understand unique characteristics of SME to overcome their lack of AIS knowledge. SMEs should also exploit their good relationship with accounting firms to help them implement effective AIS. Finally, it is important for SMEs to learn from AIS implementation so that opportunities can be recognized and priority can be given to those initiatives that support their information needs.
SMS Banking: Explaining the Effects of Attitude, Social Norms and Perceived Security and Privacy
Authors: Amin Hanudin , Ramayah T. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis study aims to investigate the factors influencing the use of short‐messaging‐service (SMS) banking among Malaysian bank customers. It focuses on the relationships among attitude, subjective norm, perceived security and privacy (PSP) and intention to use SMS banking. We collected 115 valid survey responses. The data indicate that attitude, subjective norm, and PSP are influential predictors of intention to use SMS banking. Corresponding discussion and implications are included.
Developing a Knowledge Management Strategy for the Arab World
Authors: Skok Walter , Tahir Saad 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe aim of this study is to investigate the issue of knowledge sharing and knowledge management (KM) in an Arab context, by identifying the main issues and obstacles which arise as a result of the Arab culture. By using field data from questionnaires given to staff in an Arab firm, the research shows that western based KM practices should be applied cautiously in a non‐western setting. The research concluded that the most appropriate overall knowledge strategy to adopt is a hybrid strategy of ‘intellectual asset management’ i.e. where existing company assets are more fully exploited and ‘personal knowledge assert responsibility’ i.e. where individual employees are encouraged to develop and share their skills and knowledge. This blended approach will nurture a culture of knowledge sharing amongst staff, which is often difficult to achieve. The research also demonstrates how the biggest barriers to knowledge sharing in Arab organisations are the people themselves together with their social and cultural beliefs. These results will be useful within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and for other Arab governments and organisations (as well as multinationals who are looking to set up in an Arab country), when trying to formulate KM strategies. This research allows them to understand better the barriers that will prevent successful implementation of KM in an Arab setting. It also provides them with a series of recommendations to help overcome such obstacles, and thus seeks to find active solutions to ensure that the concepts of knowledge management and sharing are not lost in translation.