bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Putting a MOOC for Human Rights in the Hands of Kenyans
Authors: Jobe William , Hansson Per‐Olof 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe research goal of this project was to explore the use and effects of non‐formal education and incentives in the context of a developing country. The practical aim of this project was to create, implement, and evaluate a platform about human rights that was available to any Kenyan for free in order to increase knowledge and engagement. Therefore, a non‐formal massive open online course (MOOC) about human rights was designed and launched. The course was free and open to anyone in Kenya and offered both a digital badge and certificate from Stockholm University in Sweden upon completion. The course was called Haki Zangu (Kiswahili for “My Rights”), and it explored how using incentives such as a digital badge and certificate of completion affected learning outcomes. This course offered ubiquitous access based on principles of responsive web design and used audio recordings of the entire course content. The course is perpetual and still on‐going, but after six months there were 160 participants who had enrolled, and ten participants had completed the course and received certificates and digital badges. The participants showed extensive enthusiasm and engagement for human rights issues, and they expressed desires to learn more and further spread knowledge about human rights. The current findings suggest that the availability of digital badges and certificates increased interest for participation and positively affected learning outcomes. Moreover, the use of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) format with incentives proved successful, combined with the contextualization and accessibility of the course content. Furthermore, the technical platform proved adequate for disseminating education for free in a developing country, and allowed for unencumbered access regardless of device. Lastly, a key challenge for future non‐formal learning efforts in developing countries is the cost of Internet access.
Online Retailing in India: Linking Internet Usage, Perceived Risks, Website Attributes and Past Online Purchase Behaviour
Authors: Mathew Priya Mary , Mishra Sita 
Published: December 2017

AbstractWith the number of Internet users exceeding 200 million, as reported on October 2013, e‐commerce holds great promise in India. However, converting e‐users into e‐consumers still remains a challenging task for e‐retailers. Although Internet penetration has deepened in India, yet capitalising the market potential depends largely on how Indian online users actually use the Internet. This research study examines drivers of online purchase in India. As these variables do not impact online purchase behaviour independently, we have attempted to establish interrelationship of these variables (Internet usage, perceived risk, website attributes, influence of past online shopping experience on perceived risks) to understand buying behaviour. A structured questionnaire was administered for online consumers using field and online survey mediums and response of 484 users was obtained. Findings show that Indian online users had high level of perceived risks and these perceived risks increase despite users have online buying experience. However, their attitude towards future intention to do online purchase was not influenced by perceived risks related to Internet. These findings are contrary to past studies, indicating that Indian online users have a unique attitude formation towards Internet usage.
Assembling A National Health Information Infrastructure: The Case of Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Thanh Ngoc , Ha Son Thai , Braa Jorn 
Published: December 2017

AbstractDigital infrastructure development and evolution is a topic that has gained increasing interests from researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. Conceptualized as a large scale system transcending boundary of single organisation and involving multiple stakeholders, the evolutionary trajectory of information infrastructure is contingent, unpredictable, and in many cases end up in the so called drifting status quo. Some researchers believe such systems could not be designed but instead should be “cultivated”, a term referring to the process of incremental build and upon something rather than at once and from scratch. This paper explored the four dimensional concept of “architectural knowledge” proposed by Andersson et al. (2008) with the aim to identify additional approaches to cultivation. Using empirical data from a longitudinal and action research project that lasted three years from 2012 to 2014 in building the health information infrastructure in Vietnam, we found out that architectural knowledge could be a powerful lens in understanding generative mechanisms of information infrastructure.
E‐skill's Effect on Occupational Attainment: A PISA‐Based Panel Study
Authors: Dodel Matias 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper explores the inequalities in the Uruguayan education‐to‐work transition at the light of new technological determinants: the skills needed for critical and autonomous use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) or e‐skills. While important cumulative experience exists regarding the increasing diversification of formal education and labor market pathways and its serious consequences for the process of Uruguay's social inequality reproduction, none of them relates to the role of ICTs. The central hypothesis presented here argues that even after controlling the factors traditionally associated with unequal pathways, such as social class, gender, cognitive skills, educational attainment and labor history, there is an additional explanatory component of ICT on occupational attainment at the first stages of education‐to‐work‐transitions. With this objective in mind, nested logistic models were fitted, using a longitudinal survey with a representative panel of a sub‐sample of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests. Findings tend to corroborate the hypothesis, showing a statistically significant effect of digital skills attained until the age of 15/16 on white collar occupational achievements at the age of 19/20. Based on the model's results public policy implications for ICT training are discussed.
Capacity Strengthening within a Development Context: Developing and Applying a Conceptual Model
Authors: Mukherjee Arunima S. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper aims at answering two research questions. The first concerns understanding Sen's distinction between human capital and human capability in the context of capacity strengthening of a hospital information systems context in the public health sector context of a State in India. The second concerns developing a conceptual model that can help to apply this distinction. To answer these questions, a process model has been developed which describes capacity strengthening to go through three stages – understanding the artefact; applying the technology to the context of use – called the “capacity for use”; and, applying the knowhow to other domains (outside the work sphere) which the user may value – called the “capacity for exchange”. These three stages involve different modes of capacity strengthening, and takes place within an institutional context, shaped by existing structures. The paper makes at least three key contributions. Firstly, in conceptualizing capacity strengthening as a process, it goes beyond typical models that emphasize cascade training approaches. A second contribution concerns going beyond the primary focus on skill development which most such projects have, and emphasizing the role of mentoring in developing capacity for exchange. The third and most important contribution is that it puts ICTs capacity strengthening within a broader development context, to emphasize the value of such projects to help improve the quality of development outcomes.
The Dreams Plan: A Blupoint Strategy for e‐Education Provision in South Africa
Authors: Walls Eamonn , Santer Mike , Wills Gary , Vass Jeff 
Published: December 2017

AbstractSince 2004, the government of South Africa has issued a number of white papers calling for the development of a national e‐education strategy. A recent study published in this journal (Mooketsi & Chigona, 2014) suggests that the current e‐education strategy is not working for many communities in South Africa. This paper presents an alternative e‐education strategy for South Africa known as the DREAMs plan (Digital Resources for Education And Mobility). The DREAMs plan proposes the following three conjectures. First, offline platforms are more important than online platforms for building a sustainable SA e‐education strategy. Second, mobile technologies are more important than non‐mobile technologies for building a sustainable SA e‐education strategy. Third, sideloading cultures are more important than downloading cultures for building a sustainable SA e‐education strategy. The paper finishes with some final thoughts on the place of dreaming and dreamers in the wider development agenda.
Effect of Instant Messaging Advertising on the Hierarchy‐of‐Effects Model Amid Teenagers in South Africa
Authors: Duffett Rodney G 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThe rapid growth of social media has resulted in digital information and communications technology (ICT) channels for individuals, especially the youth, to connect with each other and the rest of their world. Consequently, instant messaging (IM), social network sites (SNS) and other mobile applications have become an integral part of life, as well as a daily destination for billions of young individuals, offering them a novel and instant means of communication in this interactive ICT space. The increase of social media adoption has captured the attention of marketers and consumers alike on a global scale, and with the fast changing communication environments, marketers now confront new challenges in terms of understanding consumer behavior, attitudinal responses and consumption patterns in the new millennium. However, there is a lack of research into young consumers’ attitudes towards advertising on IM platforms in emerging nations. Mxit is the largest locally founded IM channel in South Africa (SA) and, hence, this inquiry examines the effect of IM (Mxit) advertising on the hierarchy‐of‐effect model attitude stages among teenagers in SA. The results of the investigations found favorable attitudes towards IM advertising among teenagers, which makes an important contribution to the deficiency of IM inquiry in developing economies. This study should also aid organizations and their brands to comprehend what makes teenagers develop positive attitudes as a result of IM advertising, thereby assisting with the improvement of promotion strategies on this expansive and predominantly mobile IM platform landscape in SA.
Enhancing Team‐Based Transactive Memory Systems Through Mobile Instant Messaging: A Developing Country Perspective
Authors: Mahatanankoon Pruthikrai 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMobile Instant Messaging (MIM) allows users to exchange multimedia information, such as texts, images, and videos with family and friends. MIM applications are typically free‐of‐charge and intended for casual, playful communications, allowing users to engage in one‐on‐one or group interactions. Based on Wegner's Transactive Memory Systems (TMS), the study focuses on how MIM can be used to enhance existing team‐based TMS in the workplace. Using data collected from 75 Thai employees working in teams, the results show that team‐based TMS emphasizes specialized knowledge and team coordination, while MIM promotes knowledge acceptance. The findings also reveal that the functionalities of MIM and the existing organizational ICTs help build mobile TMS, which in turn enhances team‐based TMS. The implication of this study supports the economical use of MIM as a communication tool that exists alongside traditional ICTs in a developing country.
Long Lamai Community ICT4D E‐Commerce System Modelling: An Agent Oriented Role‐Based Approach
Authors: Shiang Cheah Wai , Halin Alfian Abdul , Lu Marlene , CheeWhye Gary 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper presents the post‐mortem report upon completion of the Long Lamai e‐commerce development project. Some weaknesses with regards to the current software modelling approach are identified and an alternative role‐based approach is proposed. We argue that the existing software modelling technique is not suitable for modelling, making it difficult to establish a good contract between stakeholders causing delays in the project delivery. The role‐based approach is able to explicitly highlight the responsibilities among stakeholders, while also forming the contract agreement among them leading towards sustainable ICT4D.
A Fresh Approach in the Optimization of Government Processes using Algorithms: A Case Study of Retirement Procedure in Cameroon
Authors: Etoundi Roger Atsa , Alo'o Ghislain Abessolo , Ndjodo Marcel Fouda 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMany works have been carried out in the field of business process re‐engineering. Despite their abundance, there is still much to be done as not all the aspects have been taken into consideration. Most of the works are concentrated on the reduction of the number of tasks and do not take into consideration the reduction of resources needed to perform tasks. Among these resources are documents required for the processing of various tasks. Even when tasks reduction is concerned, there is no clear methodology that is proposed for task cancellation. Moreover, among business processes are administrative procedures, which are specific processes dealing with policy, legislation rules and regulation in the administration. The optimization of administrative procedures has become imperative in developing countries as these countries are working to improve the quality of services delivered to citizens. It is an important aspect to be considered in order to move ahead in their development. Procedures actually used in these countries have been developed just at the dawn of independences. Their effectiveness in terms of quality of service was not considered as these countries first wanted to deliver. Forty years after, the problem of the quality of service became crucial. Hence, these countries are seeking solutions to re‐engineer their legacy administrative procedures. This paper presents a methodology associated with an algorithm for the reduction of documents required from citizens, and activities that are performed in the delivery of services. The methodology is based on the correlation among tasks and among documents. This methodology is applied to the management of the human resource retirement process in the public service in Cameroon.
Campharma: A Mobile Tool For Interaction Between Pharmacies And Patients in Cameroon
Authors: Noutat Judith Soulamite Nouho , Ndie Thomas Djotio , Tangha Claude 
Published: December 2017

AbstractBetter health is essential to human happiness and well‐being. It also makes an important contribution to economic progress, as healthy populations live longer, are more productive, and save more. Access pharmacy and drug resources are central in a successful healthcare system. That is why, it is important to localize and know pharmacies close to patient when he need a specific drug with availability and prices of this one through a mobile application. Mobile applications are accelerating day by day because more and more people using mobile phones, smartphones and tablets. We propose in this paper CamPharma, a mobile application that allows: (1) search pharmacies owning specific drug, (2) view the price of it, (3) viewing detailed information for a pharmacy, (4) viewing drug's details and cons‐indications, (5) configure and receive alerts about taking drugs and (6) find guard pharmacies. It is a client‐server application and compatible with Android and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). For Android users, the client is installed on the Android phone and the server part is installed on the CamPharma server. USSD users use Short Message Service (SMS) or call. The search function in CamPharma is a mathematical optimization problem expressed by an objective function f which determines five better pharmacies among N. Campharma is adapted to the context of pharmacies in Cameroon and we realized a prototype on Emerginov platform.
The Influence of Intangible (‘Soft’) Constructs on the Outcome of Community ICT Initiatives in Ghana: A Gap Archetype Analysis
Authors: Ayoung Daniel Azerikatoa , Abbott Pamela , Kashefi Armin 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper applies the gap archetypes framework as an analytical tool to evaluate the Community Information Centre (CIC) initiative (also widely referred to as telecentres) in Ghana. It critically examines how the interaction of ‘soft’ constructs (politics, culture, emotions, people, partnerships and context) influenced the outcome of the initiative. This paper is a response to recent calls for the evaluation of such intangible constructs and the extent to which they affect the implementation and utilisation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives. Adopting a qualitative approach, this study investigated eight government‐owned telecentres to highlight how these ‘soft’ constructs influenced the implementation and governance of the CIC initiatives. The results indicate that these ‘soft’ constructs were overlooked throughout the process of implementation which consequently negatively affected the suitability of the telecentres. The study also demonstrates the usefulness of the gap archetypes framework as an analytical tool for the evaluation of telecentres and ICT projects in general.
Embracing New Media in Political Communication: A Survey of Parliamentarians’ Attitudes and Practices in a Changing Media Landscape in West Africa
Authors: Hamajoda Aminu 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis survey sought to find out the state of political communication among West African parliamentarians in view of the expanded mediality that newer digital channels like social media, the internet and mobile telecommunication tools are bringing to the political landscape in addition to traditional political channels of party politics, rallies, meetings, constituency visits and traditional media like television, radio and newspapers. The study had deliberately focused on the three core parliamentary functions; lawmaking, representation and oversight, asking key questions under each function to delineate the views and practices of legislators in using media channels. Findings from this study show that although there is a remarkable improvement in acquisition of tools, legislators are reticent in deploying the full powers of new channels in interaction with citizens, preferring traditional channels like television and radio in activity propagation and political meetings and constituency visits to newer tools like e‐petition, e‐consultation, blogging, personal websites, e‐polling and other forums. However there are evidences of rising Facebook use and intensive use of telephony and text messages in communicating with constituents. There are also evidences of the increased use of emails and internet research in gathering information for lawmaking.
Towards an Integration of Paradigmatic and Pragmatic Research in Information Systems
Authors: Cronje Johannes 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper responds to Izak van Zyl's call for Pragmatism in Information Systems research in preference over Paradigmatic research as embodied by Burrell and Morgan's (1979) four sociological research paradigms. The paper presents an adaptation of Burrell and Morgan's four paradigms to develop a set of research aims and corresponding questions. The research aims and questions are then tested against eight recent research papers to validate the individual paradigms and then one paper is analysed in depth to demonstrate how a pragmatist research project can be executed by following a sequential and cyclic path through the four paradigms.
Testing a Typology of Mobile Phone Victimisation Using Cluster Analysis
Authors: Lusinga Shallen , Kyobe Michael 
Published: December 2017

AbstractMobile victimisation is one form of cyberaggression that is increasing and affecting many young people today in the developing world. While studies on cyberbullying and cybervictimisation exist, the focus on mobile victimisation is limited. In addition, findings reported in earlier studies have been mainly from developed countries and inconclusive. There is also limited theoretical work to enhance conceptualisation and general understanding of mobile victimisation. Understanding this phenomenon in the developing countries is particularly critical as mobile phone usage and crime are among the highest in the world, legislation against misuse is not well developed and there is general lack of awareness of the national and international implications of cyberaggression in the developing nations. Through an extensive review of literature on victimisation, this paper develops a typology, i.e. Mobile Victimisation Typology (MVT), that caters to the understanding of mobile victimisation. The researchers also went further to validate empirically the MVT using cluster analysis. This confirmed all the three categories of victims proposed in the MVT and proved that it's three predictors could influence victims differently. The present findings are useful in creating awareness of mobile victimisation risks and can be used to inform the development of programmes, policies and legislation to control mobile bullying and victimisation in the developing nations in a more efficient and relevant direction in terms of resource and impact management.
Cloud‐Computing: Adoption Issues for Ethiopian Public and Private Enterprises
Authors: Seifu Solomon D , Dahiru Abubakar A , Bass Julian M , Allison Ian K 
Published: December 2017

AbstractThis paper explores the emergence and adoption of cloud computing by enterprises in sub‐Saharan Africa. Several studies have shown the benefits of cloud technologies for enterprises. Using qualitative techniques we obtained and analyzed data from nine enterprises regarding the adoption of cloud computing as an IT strategy. These enterprises span the finance, information and communication technology (ICT) training, research, construction and manufacturing sectors in Ethiopia. We found that, contrary to the literature on cloud computing adoption in the global north, these enterprises are yet to adopt cloud computing as an IT provisioning method and they lack awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of adopting the cloud. The enterprises are concerned with challenges like security, privacy and trust issues as well as government telecommunications infrastructure policies and cloud technology skills acquisition. This research is part of a wider study that has taken place in Nigeria and Ghana, where we have observed higher levels of adoption. This research raises awareness of the challenges and potential benefits of cloud adoption.
e‐Government Implementation Challenges in Malaysia and South Korea: A Comparative Study
Authors: Ramli Razlini Mohd 
Published: December 2017

AbstractIt is undeniable that the introduction of e‐government has had a significant impact on developing countries, like Malaysia. This paper seeks to explore empirically the implementation of Malaysian e‐government since the initiation of the policy in 1996. Therefore, identifying the characteristic challenges that the Malaysian government faces, which impede the progress of e‐government is the overarching concern of this study. To gain experience from a developed country, South Korea will be a benchmark for this study. By using the Design‐Reality Gap model introduced by Heeks, this study will be conducted to identify and compare issues pertaining to implementation of e‐government in Malaysia, a developing country and South Korea, a developed country. The findings revealed six key factors that are vital in e‐government implementation. At the end of this study, these factors will be encapsulated in a conceptual model for e‐government implementation model.