Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries最新文献

The paper details how influences of institutional factors on the implementation of technology and tools at the community level are addressing data use challenges in the Malawi health sector. Particularly, the paper interrogates how the demands, expectations, and practices of organizations operating within the health sector can shape data use. This interpretive qualitative study, conducted in four selected districts across Malawi, applied the lens of institutional pressures. The study used semi-structured interviews, participant observations, documents, and artifact review data collection methods. The findings demonstrate that the Ministry of Health, through demands from partner organizations, implemented technology and tools aimed at improving data use, including the Integrated Community Health Information System, which is enhancing the DHIS2 functionality at the community level; the paper-based Integrated Community Health Register; and the National Community Health Strategy that guides community activities. This study posits that the Ministry of Health's mandate in developing nations, such as Malawi, includes enforcement of a regulatory framework that ensures the legitimacy of all organizations operating within the health sector to a standardized approach for integrated processes of data utilization. The study contributes to the literature on the Information and Communication Technology for Development field by providing empirically grounded perspectives of institutional pressures.

This study investigates the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in empowering women entrepreneurs, with a focus on the Egyptian context. The study draws upon the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), to identify five chief factors that affect ICT adoption: Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease Of Use (PEOU), Social Expectancy (SE), Facilitating Conditions (FC), and Personal Traits (PT). These factors were also confirmed by five Heads of NGOs supporting women entrepreneurs in Egypt. This paper presents the first stage of our research which involves gathering qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with six Egyptian women entrepreneurs from Cairo, Giza, and Alexandria Egyptian governorates. This research aimed to empirically explore the existence of the five factors that affect ICT adoption leading to the development of a conceptual framework. Our qualitative study allowed us also to obtain rich information regarding the interviewees' experience with ICT adoption and usage and the benefits reaped in terms of increasing all facets of Power and Social Capital. The study revealed that access to technology and education does not pose any barriers for the participants because they live in big cities with good Internet infrastructure. In addition, all participants are highly educated and have relatively high living standards. They are also exposed to several opportunities such as funding and training support from government entities and NGOs. However, they all expressed their need to acquire advanced training in different software applications. Furthermore, the study confirmed that ICT offers significant opportunities for women's empowerment and can reduce societal challenges such as age and male-dominant culture. Being considered among the middle class or above, the outcome of using ICT is not directed to financial reasons; it is primarily towards confidence and self-satisfaction.

The study aims to identify the specific perceived risks that dissuade organizations from continuing the use of SaaS. Along with the inhibiting factors, the study also examines the role of IT governance in post adoption of SaaS. Based on the premise of prospect theory and resource based view, a mixed method study (quantitative study followed by a semi structured interview) was conducted with the IT leaders of SaaS consuming organizations to understand the phenomenon in the context. From our study, we found that among the various risks, financial risks and security and privacy risks have a greater influence on perceived risk and consequently on the intention to continuance use of SaaS. The study also reveals that the organizations are skeptical about increasing their usage level of SaaS, and they would do so on specific cases, which have less asset specificity. Further, it also indicates that regulated organizations are less inclined to increase their SaaS usage. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first one on post adoption use of SaaS among Indian firms using the risk perspective.

Creating equity in access to digital content and tools in the face of global chronic stressors can improve inclusivity and reduce an exacerbation of marginalization. The socio-political aspects of life are inherent in occupation and may reveal internal and external barriers that block meaningful digital engagement and inhibit a community's ability to thrive. In this article, the concept of occupational injustice is the lens through which we examine digital environments, content, and tools so that we may improve the marginalization and inequity experienced by certain groups. Based on 57 in-depth interviews with coffee stakeholders in Colombia, this study is a qualitative assessment of how occupation influences digital use. Data are gathered through participants' use of a tailored climate change adaptation website, www.climaycafe.com, and the users' reported experience. The data reveal that occupation influences digital usage through (1) how a user engages based on an occupation's social status, (2) what a user values based on occupational demands, (3) what is perceived as reliable and trustworthy based on occupational influence, and (4) feature preferences based on occupational exposure to technology. The findings demonstrate that digital content and tools can be tailored to reduce occupational injustice through an audience-centric focus that enhances accessibility, usability, and digital equity.

The manual placement of students into second-cycle institutions in Ghana was inefficient and prone to errors, prompting the introduction of the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to ensure effective and equitable placements. This study evaluates the CSSPS's effectiveness through the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) theory, which assesses the alignment between task requirements and technology capabilities. Using a qualitative approach, 12 participants, including school heads and CSSPS administrators, were interviewed. The findings reveal that CSSPS has significantly improved transparency, fairness, and efficiency in student placements, addressing biases and delays associated with the manual system. However, challenges remain, including technical issues and stakeholder dissatisfaction with placement outcomes. The study highlights that while CSSPS is well-suited for its intended purpose, increased stakeholder engagement and technical improvements are essential for long-term success. The research contributes to understanding ICT4D applications in education, emphasizing the need for continuous system upgrades and policy adjustments to enhance educational access and socio-economic development in Ghana. Recommendations include expanding training for stakeholders and improving system infrastructure to better meet user expectations and optimize the placement process.

An effective referral system at the community level of healthcare for under-five children manages health needs by fostering relationships across all levels of healthcare, enabling patients to receive the best possible care and, in the process, saving lives. However, identifying those who need urgent referral mostly depends on community health workers (CHWs) commitment, which some studies have found inadequate due to nonadherence to the integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) Protocol, a protocol aimed at reducing child mortality and morbidity. Studies have shown that employing mobile Health (mHealth) may circumvent some of the limitations of paper-based iCCM protocol for patient referrals, which include assessment and treatment of under-five children. Despite the known benefits of mHealth in supporting CHWs, studies analyzing how the affordance of digital iCCM may strengthen protocol adherence over paper-based iCCM are lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze how the actualization of digital iCCM may strengthen protocol adherence over the SCRF, consequently, improving referrals from the community to the higher-level facilities for specialized treatment. The data captured from interviews, focus groups, informal chats, observation and document analysis were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. We found that the Sick Child Recording Form faces challenges due to nonadherence to set guidelines, resulting in misclassification, incorrect drug prescriptions, and consequently, delays in referring patients with acute symptoms to health facilities for specialized treatment. As a contribution, this paper offers a new perspective on the technological affordances of digital iCCM that strengthen protocol adherence in patients' referrals from the community to the higher-level facilities that include assessment and treatment.

Third-party application developers are increasingly using platform-based business models to enter new markets and create economic value. While prior research has mostly examined the design and architecture of digital platforms, less attention has been given to digital platform boundary resources as an entrepreneurship strategy. The boundary resources of a digital platform significantly impact third-party developers' motivation to engage in digital entrepreneurship. Consequently, scholars need to carefully investigate the affordances of the boundary resources that influence third-party developers to create complementary applications as products for entrepreneurial endeavors. To address this gap, the researcher formulated two research questions and conducted an inductive case study to explore the perspectives and views of third-party application developers in technology hubs within Nigeria's digital start-up ecosystem. Nigeria has a large youth population with a strong digital potential (i.e., tech-savvy) and is confronted with uncertainties, limited resources, and complexities. Furthermore, the study is grounded in the technological affordance theory, which guides the researcher's interpretation. The study's findings uncovered the digital platform's boundary resource affordances that play a strategic role in influencing third-party developers' participation in digital entrepreneurship.

The purpose of this study was to unravel the opportunities and challenges encountered by independent or freelance mobile application (App) developers in Ghana. The study employed a qualitative approach by organizing a focus group discussion among eight freelance mobile application developers and engaging them individually when needed. The analysis was done by drawing themes from the tape-recorded interviews. After the data analysis, it was discovered that the mobile application space in Ghana is male-dominated. Factors influencing independent mobile application development are monetary and intrinsic rewards, increasing demand for smartphones, gamification through mobile App development contests, access to free online resources, and government initiatives leveraging mobile applications to enhance governance and fight corruption. Comparatively, the challenges unearthed are the unregulated mobile App industry, the unpredictable nature of advancements in application development languages, and the global competitiveness of the application development space. This study outlines the research implications and recommendations for stakeholders. The originality of this study stems from the fact that it is one of the first studies on mobile application development from the freelance developers' perspective, which emanates from a developing economy context.