Journal of Systems and Information Technology

Michael Kyobe

2011 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261111164844

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate and empirically determine the influence on information and communication technology (ICT) adoption of three important factors (i.e. capacity to adopt and use ICT, exposure to international environment and state policies) in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Data covering the period 2000‐2009 on the above influencing factors were collected from the World Bank databases and other sources. A logarithmic transformation of data was done, followed by a regression analysis in order to determine the significance of the influence of each factor. Findings – The results show that capacity to adopt and use ICT has the most significant influence on ICT adoption in South Africa, followed by exposure to international environment. The effect of state policies was surprisingly not significant, deviating from the general claims that policy implementation and adoption of such policies are key determinants of adoption. Research limitations/implications – The findings of this study are based on data collected from secondary sources which may be susceptible to measurement errors, missing values and inconsistent calculations. While the researcher made some effort to minimise these limitations, precautions need to be taken in using and generalising these findings. Practical implications – This study confirms the need to increase levels of economic growth in South Africa if the country is to make technological advances that will ensure competitiveness in the global environment. Understanding the relative influence of these factors is important in directing policy and proper allocation of limited resources. Originality/value – Many factors influencing ICT adoption have been identified in literature. However, these tend to be studied in isolation, are fragmented, and as such the key determining factors are not well understood in South Africa. While there is no doubt that human, social, economic, political and other factors impact on ICT adoption, the significance of the influence of each factor needs to be understood. The present study bridged this gap by identifying the factor with the most significant influence on ICT adoption. Understanding such significance would enable appropriate policy reviews and intervention strategies that support ICT adoption.

Raymond Mugwanya; Gary Marsden; Richard Boateng

2011 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261111164853

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on podcasting experience by faculty and students in a South African higher education institution (HEI), identify issues, limitations and discuss implications for the design of future tools. Design/methodology/approach – This work consisted of two parts: semi‐structured interviews with lecturers, content/curriculum developers and a student survey. Findings – Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory provided the framework for this research including determining how new innovations are disseminated, their rate of adoption, the five‐stage decision‐making process for adoption and the characteristics an innovation must possess to be attractive to adopters. The methodology used relied heavily on descriptive and qualitative data analyses in order to determine the current podcasting practices and experiences. Results reveal that by assuming some of the respondents are “innovators” or “early adopters”, they are still in the early stages of the decision‐making process. Research limitations/implications – Some instructors who are identified as “early adopters” are experimenting with podcasting as an add‐on to existing lecture resources. However, innovations and their subsequent adoption require an understanding of lecturers' and students' perceptions, opportunities and challenges. Originality/value – Podcasting in developing HEIs and the tools therein to support the process has not been given much attention. The context of this study is the first kind of empirical research in this area. The findings from this exploratory research will be valuable for podcasting users.

Lizette Weilbach; Elaine Byrne

2011 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261111164862

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation process of an open source (OS) enterprise management system in the South African Public Sector. Change management was observed in relation to challenges and opportunities in the alignment of the internal organisational changes to the imperatives of the national free and OS software policy. Design/methodology/approach – An interpretive case study, using interviews, observation and document review was used. Findings – Alignment of the organisational environment, change management strategies and technology is required to address many of the “common” change management challenges. However, information and communication technology policies are formed and adopted in a highly complex environment and have embedded property and power relations which impact the nature and direction of their implementation. In this case one of the main challenges arose from the alignment of internal organisational change to a national policy which did not seem to have the full support of the agency which was tasked with implementing it. Originality/value – Many of the challenges faced by the public sector department are commonly described in change management literature, such as inadequate consideration for the social context in which the change was to take place. What emerges from this paper is a caution that there is not a sole voice within government and in a multi‐levelled and multi‐sectoral institution there exist many different rationalities. The internal alignment of the divergent voices within government would be a prerequisite for the organisational environment, change management strategies and technology to be aligned.

Ina Fourie; Kirstin Krauss

2011 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261111164871

Purpose – Information literacy (IL) training for teachers in developing communities, e.g. rural areas or townships in developing countries, is expected to pose special challenges in terms of sustainability, contextualisation, life‐long learning and empowerment. Little has been reported on such training in developing countries. Based on the authors' involvement in a UNESCO‐funded IL training project for teachers in a developing community in South Africa, the purpose of this paper is to review literature and to suggest a model that can further research and training in IL that meets actual requirements and needs of developing communities. Design/methodology/approach – Literature reviews on four issues are reported on: ICT skills, teachers and developing/rural contexts; IL skills, teachers and developing communities; internet usage, search skills, teachers and developing communities; and lessons from ICT for development (ICT4D). Findings – ICT4D literature and critical social theory seem useful to further research on IL training in developing communities as it empowers researchers to take up a position of enquiry that questions the value of ICT and the underlying assumptions embedded in the ways ICT is introduced in developing contexts. It is assumed that this would also apply to IL. Originality/value – The contribution is original in its attempt to combine IL and ICT training for teachers in a developing community against an ICT4D background.

Mamello Thinyane; Alfredo Terzoli

2011 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287261111164880

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of a culturally sensitive and end‐user‐centric software architectural framework for the development of eService applications in information and communication technologies for development (ICTD) contexts. The research is undertaken within the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL) in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – Action research is the approach undertaken in this research with an extensive literature review to inform the development of the architecture, which is later qualitatively and quantitavely validated. Findings – Various factors have to be taken into consideration for technology solutions to be effective in their context of deployment. The authors have provided an architecture that intrinsically enables software solutions to be developed from the ground up with concern for flexibility for context sensitivity. The PIASK architecture separates the presentation, interaction, access, social networking and knowledge base components into five distinct functional layers. This architecture is validated for: technical viability through a development of a knowledge portal in SLL; cultural sensitivity through Dooyeweerd's theory of modal aspects; and user centricity using a SALUTA‐based evaluation. Practical implications – The successful evolution of any society towards a knowledge society is predicated on technology solutions that embrace and that are sensitive to the socio‐cultural diversity of that society. The PIASK architecture developed in this research is a tool that can be used in the realization of services and applications for ICTD contexts in South Africa and other third‐world countries. Originality/value – The software architecture developed specifically for ICTD contexts to encapsulate context sensitivity and user centricity is the primary and novel contribution of this research.