Towards a Scalable Digital Skills Training Architecture for Resource-Constrained Environments: The Case of Ayitic Goes Global in Haiti

2023 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Rao, Lila; McNaughton, Maurice; Verma, Sameer

Abstract: In developing countries such as Haiti, which are marked by high unemployment an ... Expand

Abstract: In developing countries such as Haiti, which are marked by high unemployment and gender inequality, online education has the potential to change lives. Returns on education are particularly high in Information Communications Technology (ICT)-intensive jobs and IT outsourcing offers opportunities for remote employment, providing alternatives for economic diversification and job creation that are particularly relevant for youth and women. However, the problem faced by many developing countries, is that traditional models, frameworks, architectures, and platforms for online learning do not lend themselves well to their context and, therefore, it is important to develop context-specific platforms. This need for suitable platforms has motivated the research question that this paper seeks to address, that is: What is the appropriate architecture that supports learning strategies for delivering scalable digital skills training in a resource-constrained environment? We propose an architecture that was developed specifically for blended learning in resource-constrained environments and describe how a prototype for this was designed, built, and deployed in Haiti. The initial responses to the application of the architecture, including the testimonials of the participants and the interest expressed by other countries of the region in adopting the proposed architecture, have been extremely positive. Collapse

Topics: online learning system digital literacy IT skill cloud computing Google+

Methods: design process design artifact literature study

Theories: learning theory

Generalizing the Information Systems Artifact

2022 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 3

Authors: Thomas, Manoj A.; Li, Yan; Lee, Allen S.

Abstract: Established process steps for design science research have not addressed the usa ... Expand

Abstract: Established process steps for design science research have not addressed the usability of technology artifacts beyond the original research setting. Building on what is already known about generalizing a theory from one setting to another and the idea of an artifact as the interface between an inner environment and outer environment put forth by Nobel Prize–winning social scientist Herbert Simon, we propose a procedure for generalizing an information systems (IS) artifact from one setting to another. We illustrate the treatment of the procedure by examining how an IS artifact (which itself consists of a technology artifact, information artifact, and social artifact) is generalized from the setting of Haiti to the setting of Nepal. The generalization procedure is a contribution to the practically oriented design science literature, which emphasizes the importance of the production of problem-solving artifacts. Specifically, our conceptualization of generalizing IS artifacts emphasizes the practical significance of design science research and the successful creation of artifacts that work in new settings in addition to the one where a research study originally created it. Design science researchers and practitioners may find the procedure and its real-world treatment and description a useful model to follow. History: Jason Thatcher, Senior Editor; Walter Fernandez, Associate Editor. Collapse

Topics: problem solving

Methods: design artifact design science group interview design process

Theories: theory of bounded rationality

Spatial information and the legibility of urban form: Big data in urban morphology

2021 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Boeing, Geoff

Abstract: Urban planning and morphology have relied on analytical cartography and visual c ... Expand

Abstract: Urban planning and morphology have relied on analytical cartography and visual communication tools for centuries to illustrate spatial patterns, conceptualize proposed designs, compare alternatives, and engage the public. Classic urban form visualizations – from Giambattista Nolli’s ichnographic maps of Rome to Allan Jacobs’s figure-ground diagrams of city streets – have compressed physical urban complexity into easily comprehensible information artifacts. Today we can enhance these traditional workflows through the Smart Cities paradigm of understanding cities via user-generated content and harvested data in an information management context. New spatial technology platforms and big data offer new lenses to understand, evaluate, monitor, and manage urban form and evolution. This paper builds on the theoretical framework of visual cultures in urban planning and morphology to introduce and situate computational data science processes for exploring urban fabric patterns and spatial order. It demonstrates these workflows with OSMnx and data from OpenStreetMap, a collaborative spatial information system and mapping platform, to examine street network patterns, orientations, and configurations in different study sites around the world, considering what these reveal about the urban fabric. The age of ubiquitous urban data and computational toolkits opens up a new era of worldwide urban form analysis from integrated quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Collapse

Topics: big data information management smart city Python

Methods: narrative analysis case study

Modelling the Asymmetrical Relationships between Digitalisation and Sustainable Competitiveness: A Cross-Country Configurational Analysis

2021 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Delgosha, Mohammad Soltani; Saheb, Tahereh; Hajiheydari, Nastaran

Abstract: Sustainable competitiveness (SC) encourages nations not only to meet the needs o ... Expand

Abstract: Sustainable competitiveness (SC) encourages nations not only to meet the needs of the current generation but also to sustain or even expand national wealth in the future without depleting natural and social capital. Drawing on complexity theory, we used a configurational approach to identify under what necessary and sufficient conditions, digitalisation contributes to achieve higher SC. Shifting attention from net effects to configuration analysis improves our understanding of cross-national differences in sustainability by exploring how the digitalisation factors combine to strengthen SC power across countries. To address the complexity of this configuration, we have incorporated fsQCA and NCA techniques in the modelling of high and low levels of sustainable competitiveness recipes. Analysis of data from 127 countries advanced our perception of how access to ICT infrastructures and capabilities, combined with the adoption and usage of ICT could result in different degrees of sustainable competitiveness. Theoretically, this study contributes to the literature on digitalisation and national sustainability; and it can practically act as a guideline for policymakers to understand the complex interactions and causal configurations of digitalisation factors on sustainability. Collapse

Topics: information system use IT skill information technology capability innovation management technology adoption

Methods: conceptual modelling mixed method theory development fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis necessary condition analysis

Theories: complexity theory set theory

Examining the Impact of ICT on Sustainable Development: A Data-Driven Narrative

2021 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Ramasubramanian, Gautam; Shaikh, Aijaz; Sharma, Ravishankar

Abstract: Considering the challenges of sustainable development and the mixed prescription ... Expand

Abstract: Considering the challenges of sustainable development and the mixed prescriptions being offered by the use of digital technologies, we present a datadriven narrative of how ICT development impacts the sustainable growth of economies. The analysis is based on historical panel data from 39 economies across the developed and developing economies. The industrystandard CRISP-DM methodology was applied as it is flexible, robust, and offers a practical approach for data analytics. The findings reveal that there are differentiated outcomes in terms of sustainable growth among high-income and low-income economies. This poses legitimate questions as to whether low-income economies will be able to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 through the intermediation of ICT. Collapse

Topics: systems development missing data information system use IT skill productivity

Methods: Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining longitudinal research correlation analysis theory development regression analysis method

Bounding and Binding: Trajectories of Community-Organization Emergence Following a Major Disruption

2021 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Williams, Trenton Alma; Shepherd, Dean A.

Abstract: An important and underexamined topic in the growing literature on community-embe ... Expand

Abstract: An important and underexamined topic in the growing literature on community-embedded organizing concerns situations in which dramatic shifts in the environment require the time-sensitive re-establishment of both communities and organizations to address urgent needs. We conduct a qualitative study of emergent community-organization trajectories in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and explore differences in the processes and interactions between emerging organizations and communities. Despite all organizations in our data facing the same external shock, they differed in how they interpreted the nature of crisis-induced voids, established boundaries to build and organize communities, and created connections to bind themselves to their communities. We compare and contrast these differences to reveal three trajectories of community-organization emergence, explain why these trajectories initially formed in the ways they did, and identify unique mechanisms that led to these trajectories’ divergence. Our findings contribute to the literature on community-embedded organizing by demonstrating how organizations re-establish communities while simultaneously emerging within those communities. Collapse

Topics: earthquake video conference natural hazard marketing management financial performance

Methods: qualitative interview field study theory development qualitative coding triangulation

Theories: organizational theory

Exploring the Relationship between IT Infrastructure and Income Inequality through Diffusion of Innovations Theory

2020 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Kocsis, David

Abstract: Some cities in the United States experience gaps when it comes to income inequal ... Expand

Abstract: Some cities in the United States experience gaps when it comes to income inequality. Entrepreneurs, managers, etc. can take advantage of information technologies (IT), while those in the middle and the bottom see fewer benefits. San Francisco is a perfect example of this dichotomy. Meanwhile, some countries, such as Iceland, are more capable of using the diffusion of Internet infrastructure to reduce income inequality, which contributes to the wellbeing of its citizens. This paper explores the relationship between the diffusion of IT infrastructure and income inequality through Rogers’s Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Using quantitative data through hierarchical regression, the empirical results show this theory’s tenets do not necessarily hold, because there is a significant negative relationship between infrastructure diffusion and income inequality growth. This paper contributes to research by expanding economic and sociology work to the IS domain, and provides suggestions for practice, such as more focused IT infrastructure investments. Collapse

Topics: internet technology innovation management technology diffusion information technology infrastructure diffusion of innovation

Methods: descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test

Theories: diffusion of innovations theory

The Digital Divide in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Multivariate and Geospatial Analysis

2017 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Pick, James B; Sarkar, Avijit; Parrish, Elizabeth

Abstract: This paper is the first systematic attempt to examine spatial patterns of techno ... Expand

Abstract: This paper is the first systematic attempt to examine spatial patterns of technology adoption and utilization and understand underlying reasons for the digital divide in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Disparities in adoption, diffusion, and utilization in information and communications technologies in 37 LAC countries are examined and explained. Using a Spatially Aware Technology Utilization Model, seventeen independent socio-economic, innovation, business efficiency, infrastructural, affordability, and societal openness indicators are posited to be associated with seven dependent ICT indicators. English as a primary language, human development, and civil liberties are found to influence ICT adoption and use in Latin America and the Caribbean indicating socio-economic, language, and societal openness dimensions of the digital divide in this world region. For a smaller sub-sample of Latin American nations, regression findings point to urbanization, social, economic, and political implications. Issues stemming from spatial bias in confirmatory analysis are diagnosed, and policies are recommended. Collapse

Topics: information system use innovation management technology adoption internet technology Facebook

Methods: conceptual modelling cluster analysis descriptive statistic ordinary least square correlation analysis

Towards a Conceptualization of Data and Information Quality in Social Information Systems

2017 | Business & Information Systems Engineering | Citations: 34

Authors: Tilly, Roman; Posegga, Oliver; Fischbach, Kai; Schoder, Detlef

Abstract: Data and information quality (DIQ) have been defined traditionally in an organiza ... Expand

Abstract: Data and information quality (DIQ) have been defined traditionally in an organizational context and with respect to traditional information systems (IS). Numerous frameworks have been developed to operationalize traditional DIQ accordingly. However, over the last decade, social information systems (SocIS) such as social media have emerged that enable social interaction and open collaboration of voluntary prosumers, rather than supporting specific tasks as do traditional IS in organizations. Based on a systematic literature review, the paper identifies and categorizes prevalent DIQ conceptualizations. The authors differentiate the various understandings of DIQ in light of the unique characteristics of SocIS and conclude that they do not capture DIQ in SocIS well, nor how it is defined, maintained, and improved through social interaction. The paper proposes a new conceptualization of DIQ in SocIS that can explain the interplay of existing conceptualizations and provides the foundation for future research on DIQ in SocIS. Collapse

Topics: data quality online community user-generated content anonymity IS discipline

Methods: structured literature research literature study literature sample cross sectional research

Theories: socio technical theory semiotic theory

Telemedicine Adoption and Sustainability in Extreme Resource Poor Countries

2016 | Americas Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Adelakun, Olayele; Kallio, Peter; Garcia, Robert; Fleischer, Adam

Abstract: The value and importance of telemedicine and adoption in developed countries is ... Expand

Abstract: The value and importance of telemedicine and adoption in developed countries is growing, especially due to an increase in m-health applications. In resource poor communities and developing countries often telemedicine is adopted because it is the only available option. The scarcity of medical professionals and equipment, distances between care centers, and the high cost for obtaining medical care makes telmedicine an increasingly attractive solution. This paper reports on the need for a new model for telemedicine adoption in extreme resource poor countries. The authors made several service and research trips to Haiti between 2014 and 2015. We observed that the adoption theories used in developed countries like the US do not adequately describe the adoption process in Haiti. Based on our findings and experience in Haiti we propose a new adoption model for extreme resource poor countries. Collapse

Topics: electronic health behavioral intention knowledge sharing video conference health information system

Methods: case study survey qualitative interview

Theories: technology acceptance theory