Browsing by Author "Chigona, Wallace"
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- ItemOpen AccessA Habermasian-based critical discourse analysis of the ICT strategies of the Centre for e-Innovation, Provincial Government of the Western Cape(2008) Vosloo, Steve; Chigona, WallaceThere is much political discourse concerning the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in supporting the achievement of development goals. Given the increasing prevalence and importance of ICTs in society, the Centre for e-Innovation (Cel), Provincial Government of the Western Cape, South Africa, has prepared five strategic documents outlining how to utilise ICTs for development and create an information society in the province. Amidst the discourse about ICT for development there is, however, a recurrent theme of technological determinism, which is shown to be a cause of the high failure rate of ICT for development projects. Based on the approach of Cukier, Middleton & Bauer (2003) and Cukier, Bauer and Middleton (2004) to operationalising Habermas' validity claims to assess communicative rationality, I conducted a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the five Cel strategic documents to determine whether or not these are distorted, e.g. through claims of technological determinism. The study found a large number of distortions in the discourse. Suggestions are provided for how to create less distorted strategies, which more closely resemble Habermas' ideal speech situation.
- ItemOpen AccessAn Evaluation of the Functionality and Delivery of Websites of Political Parties in South Africa(2010) Crossland, Maria; Chigona, WallaceThe political communication environment worldwide has been transformed by the Internet with websites providing opportunities for affordable information dissemination and reception. Internationally, a party contesting an election without a website seems impossible today. This exploratory study examines the use of websites by political parties during the 2009 South African elections and investigates the functionality offered by the websites as well as how effectively this functionality is delivered. The study analysed the websites of both large and small political parties. It is worth noting that in spite of the lower Internet penetration rates in South Africa, the majority of political parties contesting the 2009 elections had websites. The study shows that the websites of the larger parties generally offer more functionality than those of the smaller parties, supporting the view of ‘normalisation’ of party competition in cyberspace. However, an analysis of the delivery of the content does not confirm the normalisation effects.
- ItemOpen AccessBarriers and Enablers to Vocational IT Education: Responding to South Africa's ICT Skills Crisis(2018) Ryklief, Yusuf; Chigona, WallaceAdvancement in digital technologies has directed the attention of developing countries toward ICT’s to aid socio-economic advancement. These technological solutions cannot be implemented as an island, and its effective use requires proportionate advancement in local ICT skills levels to ensure effective operation and sustainability. Increasingly demands for skilled ICT workforce globally is placing pressure on institutions to be more responsive, and to produce ICT graduates with a skillset that is more relevant and closer aligned to the needs of industries. In South Africa the ICT skills landscape remains an object of conflicting reports. Depending on who the question is posed to, the paradoxical views describe the country as either facing a critical shortfall of skilled ICT professionals, or that droves of qualified ICT professionals cannot find suitable employment. These contradictory notions suggest a possible mismatch between the current skills of ICT professionals, the supply of appropriately skilled ICT graduates by education institutions and industry demands for appropriately skilled ICT workforce. Attempts to reform the country’s skills landscape has resulted in numerous policy pronouncements and skills development strategies by the public and private sectors with limited success. This focus of this study was to evaluate the National Certificate Vocational Information Technology (NCV IT) strategy, an ICT skills development mandate issued to South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges in response to the country’s ICT skills shortage. Using the Design-Reality Gap Model, the study evaluated the intended design objectives and current reality of NCV IT to gauge its status ten years post inception. While the South African government boasts increasing access to the programme, little focus is given to the handful of graduates who successfully complete the programme and even less who find meaningful employment. The study further operationalised the Design Reality Gap Model to demonstrate its applicability and value in the evaluation of Vocational Education and Training (VET) programmes. Primary data informing the study was from focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with key NCV IT stakeholders. Secondary data supporting the study was collected by reviewing key documents relating to NCV IT. The findings reveal significant gaps exist between the programme’s intended design and current reality, indicative of the key challenges hindering the effective delivery of its ICT skills promise. It further positions the NCV IT programme as a post-apartheid dumping ground for financially disadvantaged and academically underperforming individuals hoping to achieve self-sufficiency. What was envisaged to be an enabler for the country’s ICT skills development has instead become a black hole for public funding yielding no return on investment. Recommendations were suggested along particular structural dimensions to improve the NCV IT programme, and the development of a more effective vocational ICT skills development strategy.
- ItemOpen AccessChallenges micro-enterprises experience in accessing support information using e-Government websites: Case of the Western Cape(2018) Osman, Muhammad Ameer; Chigona, WallaceBackground: Governments often provide support to Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) to ensure that they are sustainable. Micro-enterprises play an important role in the economic and socio-economic development of developing countries. However, the majority of micro-enterprises find it challenging to survive or to grow due to numerous challenges they experience. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) could assist micro-enterprises to grow and be competitive. E-Government has been internationally advocated to improve the delivery of government information. However, African governments are experiencing challenges that limit the success of e-Government. This has resulted in limited accessibility. Purpose of the research: The objective of the study is to investigate the challenges that micro-enterprises experience in accessing support information using e-Government websites in a developing country context. To achieve that the study describes the challenges experienced, analyses the types of support information accessed and identifies the Information and Communication Technology devices used to access support information. Design/methodology/approach: This multidisciplinary study adopted a constructivist approach and used an interpretive paradigm. The study was guided by Sen’s Capability Approach as a theoretical framework, and thematically analysed patterns between context, capabilities and outcomes. Data for the study was collected using semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, annual reports, published statistics and additional documents were also used as secondary data. Purposive and snowballing sampling were used to target established micro-enterprises in the Western Cape, South Africa. Findings: Micro-enterprises gained several benefits of using ICT for general business activities. These included improved access to information, improved communication, improved marketing, reduced costs and improved efficiency and productivity. Microenterprises also experienced several challenges with accessing support information using e-Government websites. These included content, structure, design, language availability and red tape. Support information relating to business skills development, products and services development and funding were mostly accessed. Furthermore, micro-enterprises mostly used laptops and mobile phones to access support information. Practical implications: The findings indicate that if micro-enterprises could access support information using e-Government websites, it could have a positive impact on their businesses such as improved competitiveness. Finally, the study uncovered that access to support information could also have a positive impact on the personal agency of microenterprises i.e. personal objectives such as women empowerment. Originality/contribution: The study contributes to the gap in research in terms of investigating the phenomenon of e-Government accessibility in developing countries. The study also contributes new understanding by separating the ICT and e-Government into two commodities to identify and show where the accessibility problem emanates from. Furthermore, the study proposes a conceptual model that provides an opportunity for researchers to understand users such as micro-enterprises of Government-to-Business projects so that suitable recommendation on the next course of actions be proposed to relevant stakeholders of future Government-to-Business projects.
- ItemMetadata onlyThe challenges of evaluating business benefits of Information Systems Investments(2017) Khumalo, Nomusa; Chigona, WallaceThe complexity of evaluating business benefits of Information Systems (IS) Investments stems from the aggregation of business benefits at organisational level, making the correlation of business benefits and IS Investments challenging to ascertain. In an attempt to resolve these correlation challenges, Resource-based Theory was applied to distil drivers of business value of IS investments at process, rather than organisational level. The study employs a qualitative single case study method to promote a shared understanding of the challenges thus faced by practitioners. The findings demonstrate that the extent to which IS capabilities are embedded in business processes further requires disciplined effort and cost to attribute their investment value to business. Thus, the realisation of the business benefits of IS enabled processes was found to be influenced by four key factors; the governance applied to mitigate the risk that would undermine that value, the value judgements made based on accumulated knowledge from prior evaluation challenges; the intricate links between an organisation's IS investment culture and its motivational drivers for what, how and when evaluation should be conducted, and the underlying organisational structures within which those business processes occurred.
- ItemOpen AccessCollective empowerment through information and communication technologies: co-creation processes in underserved communities in Cape Town(2018) Lorini, Maria Rosa; Chigona, WallaceThis research investigates the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to provide opportunities for groups of people to improve their lives and their communities. Further, the study explores innovative methodological approaches which could be conducive for collective empowerment. Grounded in current ICT4D research, the thesis tries to resolve the gap related to how to include collective approaches and participation in design. The study is framed by critical social theory and the capability approach but with special attention to collective and relational dimensions of agency, capabilities and empowerment. The analysis is based on three digital co-creation case studies which unfolded over a four-year project in underserved settlements in Cape Town, South Africa. The study employed a qualitative methodological approach and followed abductive logic. The research evolved through cycles of ethnographic studies; co-design; and theoretical phases. Each cycle built on the previous one in theory and practice. The initial inductive approach employed open coding followed by content analysis to reflect on the discourses and meanings of ICTs originating from the focus groups in the communities. In the design phase, three case studies were analysed using strategies suitable for research involving cultural differences between researcher and participants. The processes were further evaluated during their development from the theoretical lenses of participatory design, frugal innovation and social capital theory. Five papers provide an analysis of the research project highlighting its evolution, from the creation of digital storytelling until the development of social businesses, and discussing how social relations and group actions determine uses of ICTs and encourage collective ways for information access, information production, creativity development and networking. These concepts supported the analysis of the findings to deepen the use of the theories and to develop a process model for ICT4D projects. The outcome of the research are four propositions and three principles for a sensible emergent approach for ICT4D projects. Their chances of success and sustainability increase if based on grassroots, collective, socially engaged co-creation initiatives. Theoretically, the process model has the potential to improve our understanding and support our way of operating to make ICT4D initiatives more inclusive, more empowering to participants, including the researchers, and to become oriented towards community development and people’s emancipation.
- ItemOpen AccessCommunity participatory design in the information systems development process in Africa: a systemic literature review(2014) Mutenda , Tapfumaneyi; Chigona, WallaceParticipatory design (PO) pertains to the different ways of incorporating ideas and acts of organisational members in designing, developing and evaluating an Information Systems (IS) artefact. The context of this study is community organisations in African settings participating in the designing and developing of an IS artefact. The study traces and synthesises findings from 95 articles on community PO in Information Systems Development in Africa. It argues that community PO consists of vast diverse constructs and implementations. This produced and reproduced concept is formulated in five major themes of: conceptualisations; ethics; standards; checks and balances and approaches; and perspectives and methodologies of PD. The themes constitute the possible ways of classifying PO research and practice in African settings. The results demonstrate that there is a wide belief that participation is one of the vital ingredients necessary for successful designing of IS artefacts for human development. However, the different elements involved in PO involve much discussion on what is known and needs to be known about PO and how to achieve the desired results by PD. The study uses Critical Research philosophy to pay special attention to the behavioural and attitudinal arguments of the different PO practices on community organisations. The researcher found Design Science (OS) principles that centre on devising an artefact as appropriate to frame this work. In sum, through the use of Critical Research and a OS lens, the researcher found that community participation is important in designing a useful IS artefact, but treacherous if misunderstood and inappropriately implemented.
- ItemOpen AccessConceptualising an epistemology of praxis for teaching research in Information Systems(2018) Uys, Walter Ferreira; Chigona, WallaceThis dissertation engages with the perennial question of ‘how lecturers learn to teach’ and ‘students learn to learn’, through engaging with the development of one lecturer in the process of learning how to teach undergraduate students to do research in Information Systems at a Higher Education Institution in South Africa. Teaching and learning stand at the core of Higher Education, yet at the University where this research was conducted, 86% of the academics in the Faculty have no formal qualification in teaching and only extended programme students are enrolled in academic literacy courses. Teaching and learning are also not typical competencies that are included in discipline-specific curricula. Because lecturers are appointed as educators, it becomes a moral imperative for them to become proficient in teaching and learning. This thesis takes the position that adult educators and learners are able to teach themselves under the right circumstances. The research was based on a case study of learning to teach three groups of third year students over a consecutive period of three years in a research methods and philosophy course in Information Systems at a historically disadvantaged University in SA. Political imperatives of free and open access to higher education and the associated growth in student numbers, together with constrained financial resources and increasing academic workloads provide the context for this research against the Universities strategy to transition from a teaching to a research-based institution. These imperatives require new and innovative ways of teaching large groups of underprivileged students with minimal resources for doing research. Furthermore, the widespread adoption of the internet by students as their primary source of information has exposed a critical need for these kinds of academic literacies in discipline specific curricula. It is suggested that these skills can only be developed through practical experience and not as a theoretical curriculum. Praxis is guided by the Greek concept of phronēsis; which is the moral disposition to do what is right depending on the circumstances. By analysing the course reflections of 60 students using Aristotle’s dialectics, this dissertation provides empirical evidence of ‘how students learn’, ‘how to teach’ students to be self-directed as well as ‘how’ academics are able to learn to teach themselves. It is suggested that the current practice of prescribing to students what, when, where and why they should learn is harmful to their long-term self-directing capabilities. By fostering students’ independence through enabling them how to learn, the lecturer reflexively becomes free to learn how to teach for him/herself. More importantly, this research has highlighted the absence of a knowledge component in contemporary models of experiential learning. These findings have implications for the broader sphere of teaching of research in Information Systems as well as developing students’ critical and self-directed faculties. This is of value in preparing students for postgraduate research in any discipline, for developing students as lifelong learners, and in developing lecturers as critically reflective educators who know ‘how’ and ‘why’ to teach.
- ItemOpen AccessDomestication of free Wi-Fi amongst high school learners in disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape, South Africa(2017) Mabhena, Zwelithini; Chigona, WallaceThe provision of free Wi-Fi has dominated the African continent by providing Internet access to citizens. In 2014, South Africa was ahead of the rest of the African continent with more than 2,000 hotspots located in 60 local and district municipalities. Municipalities prioritised disadvantaged communities in an effort to bridge the digital divide for the citizens. It was anticipated that learners from disadvantaged communities in high schools would potentially benefit from this highly publicised project. Using the domestication framework, this interpretive study sought to understand how learners were adopting free Wi-Fi within their school environment in a disadvantaged community set-up. Key findings reveal that while access points are available to serve in disadvantaged communities some learners are able to connect whilst others are unable or struggle to connect with ease. This is due to poor signals and or disruption by multiple APs that are either malfunctioning or privately owned. Learners view the lack to connect and ease of use of the free Wi-Fi as an unfortunate disservice in a digitally competitive world.
- ItemOpen AccessDomestication of open educational resources by academics in an open distance e-learning institution of South Africa(2022) Mncube, Lancelord Siphamandla; Tanner, Maureen; Chigona, WallaceThe emergence of open educational resources has gained popularity and acceptance in higher education institutions and beyond the basic education sector. This brought a persisting shift in depending on information communication technologies for tuition and research provision. Information technology artifact was not treated in isolation to user perspective. The study established how academics accept, feel, perceive, and what skills, opportunities, challenges exist to hinder the domestication. The study context had no uniform guidelines or tools and policy in place for the domestication of open educational resources. The study adopted the exploratory approach guided by the interpretivism paradigm. The study employed Domestication theory. This study conducted in an heterogenous single case study, which is the open distance e-learning (University of South Africa). That was done for an in-depth investigation by relying on multi-methods for data triangulation such as semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, document analysis, and actual artifact analysis. The total of participants were 52. The study found that most academics played a role in the domestication of open educational resources besides the minority who were unable. The experience and prior knowledge were found to be a factor hindering the domestication process. Open distance e-learning found to relevant space for open educational resources. Such institutions play a role in the adoption and development of open educational resources and mostly rely in information technology for tuition and research. Information technology infrastructure found to be an enabler and disabler in the domestication process. This study contribution to the world of knowledge is based on the theory and practice. Eight theoretical propositions were suggested. The study further contributed by extension of domestication theory as recommended two additional phases which are non-appropriation and dis-appropriation. The current proposed Domestication theory has five phases. Lastly, the study recommended the actual guidelines for adoption and development of open educational resources. This guideline can be adopted by higher education institutions by infusing them in policy development or for general guidance in actual adoption and developments.
- ItemOpen AccessThe educators' perspective of the factors that influence the success of ICT school initiatives within the Western Cape(2009) Davids, Zane; Chigona, WallaceIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 102-113).
- ItemOpen AccessExplaining the intention of IT workers to telework: A South African perspective(2017) Morrison, Joseph; Chigona, WallaceThe concept of teleworking has been around for more than 40 years. Telework is commonly defined as the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by employees to perform their day-to-day activities while being away from the traditional office. Telework or telecommuting, as it is also known, has received a lot of attention from researchers and organisations over the years due to its many reported benefits. Literature on telework is extensive, covering a wide range of topics including the demographics of teleworkers, different societal, organisational and individual perspectives on telework as well as the role of technology in telework. Despite all of this attention, telework adoption rates have remained low over the years. In South Africa, telework adoption is particularly low when compared to the rest of the world. The majority of past telework research has been focused on the organisational aspects of telework and adoption factors from the worker's perspective are not well understood. Furthermore, the literature reflects that the Information Technology (IT) profession could benefit from remote work practices due to high levels of stress amongst IT workers. This study therefore attempted to answer the question, "What factors influence South African IT workers' intention to telework?". Using an existing research model based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), an explanatory research approach was followed with the objective of determining the influence of the TPB elements namely attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control on IT workers' intention to adopt telework. The model was tested by means of an online survey, for which a total of 120 valid responses were received. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods were used to analyse the data collected. The sample size was fairly small and the geographical location of survey respondents could not be reliably established. These factors impact on the generalisability of the findings, which is a limitation of the study. Analysis of the data revealed a number of interesting findings. IT workers' attitudes towards telework were found to have little bearing on their intention to adopt this style of work. Similarly, the influence of significant others (subjective norms) did not significantly influence IT workers' intention to telework. Instead, a key determining factor of the intention to telework was the perceived behavioural control of IT workers which was, in turn, determined mainly by the availability and cost of the technology that enables telework, the level of support for teleworking provided by employers and the level of self-efficacy experienced by these workers. These findings are in contrast to the results of prior research, supporting the idea that initial adoption and telework continuance behaviours are different. The results also suggest that the South African context of this study is potentially significant and that the cost of bandwidth is still a major inhibitor of telework amongst local IT workers. The implications of these findings are that management needs to improve IT workers' access to remote work technology and better support staff who wish to telework by providing them with financial support and training. Issues relating to company culture were identified as potential areas for future telework research. This research makes a contribution to theory by highlighting the importance of belief elicitation when applying the TPB to different contexts.
- ItemOpen AccessExploring the cultural structure of an in-house IT organisation : a case-study of a South African multi-national.(2012) Sewchurran, Eureka; Chigona, WallaceThis investigation is exploratory and seeks to gain an insight into the culture of IT organisations by using an SA based IT organisation as a case study. The initial assumptions are that the organisational culture in IT influences the business outcomes and the effectiveness of IT as a service provider to meet business demands. The finding of this investigation confirms the impact and significance of the IT organisational culture and describes how this manifests in the organisations performance.
- ItemOpen AccessFactors affecting how the youth in the townships use internet to seek employment: case of a township in Cape Town(2019) Kunene, Khaya; Chigona, WallaceProblem Statement: South Africa is currently facing a challenge of youth unemployment. The hardest hit are those from low income communities, as they in addition have limited access to information. The Internet has proven to be one of the ways in which recruitment is done and failure to access reduces the opportunities. The purpose of the research: The main objective of this study was to understand how the youth living in the townships use the Internet to seek for employment. The purpose of this study is to assess how the Internet use affect the youth when searching for employment. Design/methodology/ approach: An interpretivist approach was employed to understand how the youth seek employment. This study used a qualitative approach to collect the data. Interviews were done using semi-structured questions. Alampay (2006) Capability Approach (CA) was used as a guide to conceptualise how the youth from low-income communities use the Internet to find employment. Borrowing from the four main constructs (conversion factors, freedom, capabilities and functionings) employed by Alampay (2006) in his model, this study operationalised the Alampay (2006) CA model by adding the ICT commodities as the fifth construct. The CA was chosen as an appropriate framework for this study because the framework focuses on what humans are able to do and achieve when presented with the available ICT resources. Findings: The findings demonstrate that the lack of resources, income, information and digital skills affected the individual capabilities to effectively use the Internet when seeking employment. The success rate in finding a job using the Internet was low among job seekers. Commodities, individual differences, social and environmental factors affected how the youth (18-34 years) from low-income communities use the Internet to find employment. In addition, crime, poor network coverage, expensive data bundles and limited access to ICT resources were among the key factors that contributed to limited use of the Internet among job seekers. Research Contribution: This study seeks to close the gap in limited knowledge available in developing countries with regards to the use of the Internet among job seekers. Therefore, based on the study findings, this thesis has contributed towards adding value to the body of knowledge within the field of Information Systems. In addition, the findings can contribute towards assisting policy makers in solving challenges faced by the unemployment youth in developing countries when using technology to find employment.
- ItemOpen AccessFactors influencing user adherence towards privacy standards in the usage of Internet of Things devices in South Africa(2022) Bazanye, Kizito Philip; Uys, Walter; Chigona, WallaceBackground: The Internet of Things (IoT) is considered an essential element of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). IoT devices are vulnerable to attacks. These vulnerabilities affect all aspects of daily life including retail and home automation interconnected by basic networking. The vulnerable end nodes may be machines, human to machine interactions, and the integration points of human-to-human communication. Problem statement: The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic ushered in increased use of IoT devices. The increased use of IoT devices perpetuated negligent use and therefore cyber-attacks exposed South African IoT users' data harvested through these devices. Purpose of research: The objective of the study is to conceptualise and understand what factors influence IoT device users to adhere to recommended IoT device privacy standards in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative, interpretivist, cross-sectional exploratory research was guided by a three-phase approach using Activity Theory. The ontological stance adopted is subjectivism. The interview questions were derived from the Activity Theory model and themes identified in the literature reviewed. The qualitative data collected from the semistructured interviews was analysed using deductive thematic analysis by linking of elements to the six components of Activity Theory. Findings: The lack of privacy adherence is driven by a lack of trust in IoT devices and service providers as well as convenience and health factors. Additionally, users' personality, awareness and surroundings are major influencers to IoT device privacy standards' adherence. Contribution and implication: This study conceptualises how IoT device privacy standards adherence can further be promoted with the increased adoption of such technologies. Further research may need to examine the specific impact of legislation on users and IoT device privacy. Additionally, the impact of third-party IoT service providers on IoT privacy models in South Africa needs to be investigated.
- ItemOpen AccessHow can smart technologies be applied by smallholder farmers for increased productivity and sustained livelihoods?(2021) Booi, Samkelo Lutho; Chigona, WallaceProblem Statement: The world population is expected to rapidly increase, raising food security concerns across the world. This will impact Africa most severely. The use of innovative farming techniques and technology has proven to accelerate the production yields and improve resilience to vulnerabilities which impact agricultural productivity. The use of smart technologies in farming is mainly present among largescale commercial farms, with minimal representation in the smallholder farming sector. On the other hand, a substantial amount of food in developing countries is produced by small scale farmers. Research Objective: The purpose of the study is to investigate the usage of smart technologies by smallholder farmers in South Africa, and to establish how smart technology could support smallholder farmers in increasing productivity through a three-dimensional view that takes into consideration capital, labour, and land utilization. To this end, an interpretive research philosophy was adopted. Research Design: The study collected the data using semi-structured interviews. The sample for the study constituted of 10 smallholder farmers and 12 subject matter experts within the agriculture and technology domain. To strengthen rigour within the study, the interviews were supported by documents containing viewpoints about how technology is applied in the African context and how it may be introduced and ultimately applied in the South African context. The study employed a deductive approach to theory, applying the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) as theoretical underpinning for the study. SLA consists of a pentagon of livelihood assets: physical, social, human, natural, and financial assets. The framework was extended to include technology as an asset due to its potential to contribute to improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Findings: The study found minimal to no use of smart technologies by smallholder farmers in South Africa. The factors which limited the use of technology include PEST (Political, Environmental, Social and Technological) factors. To achieve successful usage of smart technologies, collaboration is required from government, the private sector, smallholder farmers, and communities. Research Contribution: The study aimed to expand on the limited literature on the use of smart farming in the context of smallholder farmers in a developing country context. In addition, it contributed to extending the pentagon of livelihoods to include smart technologies with respect to smallholder farmer livelihoods. Therefore, the findings of this study contributed to the broader body of knowledge. In addition, insights from this study may be gained by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, smallholder farmers, agricultural entrepreneurs and technologists in formulate developmental strategies and policies to improve the productivity of smallholder farmers as well as their livelihoods as a strategy to increase their contribution to food security in Africa while alleviating household poverty.
- ItemOpen AccessHow end-user participation in Financial Management Information Systems development engenders a sense of system ownership in municipalities: A case in South Africa(2021) Gcora-Vumazonke, Nozibele Pansy; Chigona, WallaceBackground: The public sector in South Africa has long been concerned with poor performance in financial management in municipalities. The Auditor-General who has a constitutional mandate to audit government departments highlighted challenges in financial management facing the municipalities. The challenges include lack of compliance with the legislation of municipal financial management, weak audit outcomes, financially unqualified financial statements, mismatch in produced financial statements, missing reports regarding performance, incomplete disclosure in financial authorisation and unauthorised and waste expenditure. To overcome these challenges, the government introduced the Financial Management Information Systems (FMIS) to municipalities in South Africa to support budget preparation and implementation, accounting and reporting, performance monitoring and auditing and evaluation. However, FMIS have not reached widespread use and in the majority of municipalities required re-implementation. Employees are concerned that FMIS are not aligned with their work processes. Lack of sense of ownership towards FMIS is the contributing factor to end-users being reluctant to use FMIS. It was noted that end-users of FMIS were not given a chance to take control and contribute to the development of FMIS for their municipalities. Objective: Previous research posits that the degree of end-user's sense of ownership towards a system that they use in the workplace positively correlates to their level of involvement in the development process of the system. Employees in government departments such as municipalities are not usually involved or participate in the system development process. Sense of ownership towards the system is expected to arise when end-users participate in the system development process of the system. End-users may perceive that they have influence and control during the development of the system and thereby develop a sense of ownership about the system when it is ready for use. The study, therefore, investigated how end-user participation in system development engenders a sense of ownership among end-users of FMIS in municipalities. Method: The study was qualitative, deductive, followed the interpretive research epistemology and drew on a theory of psychological ownership as a theoretical lens, to analyse how end-user participation in FMIS development engenders a sense of ownership. A case study of the Western Cape Province focusing on two local and two district municipalities was considered as a representation of a South African context. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observations of end-users during co-design sessions of FMIS development and document analysis. Thematic data analysis was appropriate for the study. Findings: Findings showed that end-users were excluded through the waterfall system development model used for FMIS development. The FMIS development was a top-down approach in which strategic decisions regarding the implementation of FMIS were made from the executive top management of the National and Provincial Treasury departments. The communication about the development was between National Treasury, Provincial Treasury and the system development team. Although end-users were provided training before using the system, they were concerned that the systems were not aligned with their work processes. It was evident that end-user participation in project initiation, system requirements specifications and system design specifications phases could enable end-users to gain a sense of ownership in the form of a sense of responsibility through problem-solving and decision-making, meaningfulness through collective learning during participation and locus of control through shared leadership. End-users revealed that the more they contribute to the development, they learn new skills, feel psychologically empowered and boost their confidence towards FMIS. End-users emphasised that shared leadership during end-user participation is likely to have an influence on how the system is developed to suit work processes. However, findings showed that end-user participation in organisations with complex structures such as municipalities could be hindered by a myriad of factors. Standardisation and lack of stakeholder collaboration, complex job-design and leadership-style approach across tiers of government have been stated by end-users as factors that may hinder the effectiveness of end-user participation in system development in municipalities. Originality/contribution: The theoretical contribution of the research emerges from the use of the theory of psychological ownership to investigate end-user participation to engender an end-user's sense of ownership towards FMIS. There is a lack of evidence-based studies in developing countries focusing on the end-user perspectives regarding factors affecting poor uptake of information systems in the public sector. To address this gap, this study made a descriptive contribution to the concept of a sense of ownership. There is a dearth of studies examining how end users of information systems in government departments in developing countries can be empowered through a sense of ownership to enhance the use and acceptance. In response to this research gap, this study focuses on the concept of end-user participation and contributes to the body of IS knowledge by examining the end-user participation approach as a systems development strategy to engender a sense of ownership to end-users of information systems in government departments.
- ItemOpen AccessHow refugees in South Africa use mobile phones for social connectedness(2021) Vuningoma, Sarah; Chigona, Wallace; Lorini, Maria RosaBackground: Refugees find it difficult to integrate and assimilate in their host country because of a myriad of challenges. Mobile phones have become one of the main tools for promoting their wellbeing and supporting the integration of refugee communities on the margins of society. Mobile phones can contribute towards reducing isolation and loneliness, and assist in improving interpersonal relations and fostering processes of assimilation. The purpose of the research: The main objective of this study was to examine how the use of mobile phones by refugees in South Africa contributes to their social connectedness. To this end, the study discusses the role of mobile phones in the process of acculturation, in creating a sense of belonging, and in maintaining relationships. Design/methodology/approach: This research employed a qualitative method and an interpretivist epistemological perspective. A conceptual framework was developed on the basis of a literature review. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews and WhatsApp group chats, and analysed using thematic analysis. The interviewees comprised 27 refugees living in South Africa, and the WhatsApp group had 15 members. Findings: The findings demonstrate that the refugees face a multitude of obstacles, including language and culture barriers, the challenge of obtaining legal status, physical separation from their friends and family, and feelings of being judged, insecure, and excluded. Mobile phone usage offers refugees several benefits, especially through their affordances that include accessing information, pursuing economic and institutional opportunities, enabling communication, and developing linguistic and cultural knowledge of the host country. At the same time, mobile phones enable refugees to maintain connection with their country of origin. Refugees nevertheless considered it difficult to develop a sense of belonging through their use of mobile phones. Research contribution: This study adds to perspectives on utilising mobile phones to achieve social connectedness for two categories of refugees: newcomers and old-timers. The study contributes to theory by proposing a framework for understanding and analysing the relationship between social connectedness and mobile phones. The study contributes to knowledge through the investigative approach of using WhatsApp group chat to collect data. The findings can contribute to enabling non-profit organisations and UNHCR to develop strategies and processes for providing interventions for refugees.
- ItemOpen AccessHow telecentres contribute to women empowerment in rural communities: case of Western Cape, South Africa(2019) Alao, Abiodun; Chigona, WallaceBackground – This study investigates how telecentres contribute to the empowerment of women in the rural communities of selected regions of the Western Cape, South Africa. Women face the problem of ICT access due to a host of socio-economic factors. Rural women lack computer skills, and there is a need for more women to be computer literate to eliminate poverty challenges and improve their economic standards. Telecentres are ICT initiatives established in disadvantaged communities for people to have access to the digital world. The aim of telecentres is to enhance information access, promote the use of ICTs for community development, provide information services to communities and provide computer skills training of individuals in communities. However, most telecentres do not focus on how women specifically can benefit from using their services provided at the telecentre. Women who have access to information gain knowledge through ICTs and may share their knowledge, concerns, best practices and experiences, gain a greater understanding of their current situation and solve issues that were previously beyond their capability and enhance their livelihood. Purpose of the research – Telecentres are ICT community development initiatives with no focus on gender aspects. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate how telecentres contribute to the empowerment of women in rural communities, and to provide adequate information for improving women’s livelihood. Problem statement – The scenario of men leaving their wives behind and migrating to urban centres to seek employment explains why the number of female-headed rural households varies between 50% and 80%. These women are left behind are known to be the least likely to reap the gains of ICTs in subSaharan Africa, due to the limited access to telecentres in the rural areas. Furthermore, there is limited literature on how the use of telecentres is linked to women empowerment, or the impact of ICTs on rural women's economic well-being. An attempt at addressing these problems is made here. This study has analysed the contribution of telecentres to the empowerment of women and development in the identified problems/knowledge gaps. Design/methodology/approach – The research study intends to address the question: How telecentres contribute to women empowerment in the rural communities. To address this question the research adopted a qualitative method to present the view of women respondents of the telecentre which was utilised for the data collection. The study used the following data collection techniques: Semistructured in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and focus group discussions. The study is explanatory, and the research philosophy of the study is interpretative; this is to understand the phenomenon in a given context. The study used three theories such as the Domestication Theory, Individual Difference Theory, and Dimensions of Empowerment Theory as a theoretical lens. The case study method is used to conduct an in-depth investigation of the research. Findings –. The key findings of this study signify that few women incorporated the telecentre use in their daily lives. However, socio-cultural and contextual factors hindered women from effectively using telecentres. The use of the telecentre affected the process of empowerment in women through the computer skills training offered at the telecentre which facilitated the use of the technology artefact. Originality/contributions – The study makes practical contributions for the government and Nongovernment organisations to use telecentres for enhancing other socio-economic development programmes, as well as a theoretical contribution through the creation of a conceptual model. Furthermore, the telecentre was consciously explained in this study to accommodate programmes that may contribute to women’s capabilities and digital gap.
- ItemOpen AccessHow the healthcare-seeking socio-cultural context shapes maternal health clients' mHealth utilisation in a Kenyan context(2021) Cheruto, Sowon Karen; Chigona, WallaceProblem Statement: Many developing countries are still grappling with poor health as a result of strained healthcare systems. Top among health inequalities is maternal care with maternal mortality rates being almost 19 times higher in developing countries than in their developed counterparts. mHealth presents the potential for developing countries to overcome some of the traditional healthcare challenges. However, despite the compelling evidence for the potential of maternal mHealth from the plethora of effectiveness studies, why when and how interventions work/do not work in different contexts are not fully understood. Socio-cultural factors are one of the most cited reasons for variance in uptake and utilisation of such technologies. To date, research explaining how socio-cultural factors shape mHealth utilisation is sparse. Purpose of the study: The main objective of the study was to explain how mHealth utilisation behaviour emerges within the healthcare-seeking socio-cultural context. To achieve the objective, the study identified the socio-cultural characteristics of the maternal healthcareseeking context and analysed the user-technology interaction within this context. Research methodology: Building on the foundation that human experiences are best understood in situ, the study adopted explanatory methods guided by an interpretivist paradigm. The study drew upon Activity Theory as a lens to understand the maternal mHealth utilisation phenomenon. Hence, we theorised healthcare-seeking as an activity whose cultural aspects were further understood using Hofstede typology of culture. The study used a Kenyan maternal mHealth intervention to elucidate the phenomenon. We employed semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, observations, informal discussions, and document review to gather data. The sample was purposively selected and comprised various maternal health stakeholders: maternal health clients, their partners, project implementers and healthcare professionals. Key findings: The results of the study show that the healthcare-seeking socio-cultural context which is characterised by socio-cultural attributes such as high-power distance, high uncertainty avoidance, gendered relations, and collectivism shapes mHealth utilisation behaviour in a dialectical process. This process takes place as maternal health clients shape and are shaped by mHealth within their healthcare-seeking socio-cultural context through a process of internalisation and externalisation. From an internalisation perspective, uncertainties and risks in the maternal healthcare-seeking context resulted in hesitated adoption. Contextual perceptions of usefulness of the intervention resulted in the use of mHealth to substitute other healthcare structures while having different perceptions of the role of mHealth created dissonance among the maternal health clients. With regards to externalisation, maternal health clients adopted legitimisation strategies to reduce uncertainties and to develop trust required for initial and continued use of the intervention. They legitimised both the intervention artifact, and the information. Since the mHealth intervention presented appropriate social cues, being accompanied by the expected health provider's persona, maternal health clients readily humanised the intervention. The contextual social norms around pregnancy also presented a need for the maternal health clients to make their mHealth use an ‘appropriate behaviour' by negotiating use with relevant stakeholders in the context. Finally, in response to mHealth technology paradoxes that challenged the very motive of healthcare-seeking, maternal health clients coped by abandoning mHealth, or otherwise accommodating it. Originality/contribution: This study contributed to knowledge, theory, and practice. First, the study suggests theoretical propositions that explain how mHealth utilisation behaviour emerges. These findings may be useful to similar developing-country contexts. A further contribution to theory emerges from the use of Activity Theory to understand the phenomenon. The study helps to operationalise Activity Theory concepts in Information Systems research. Second, the study provides recommendations to practise with regard to the design and implementation of mHealth interventions. These insights may be useful to mHealth designers and implementers in designing mHealth solutions that are contextually relevant. Here, we propose the consideration of mHealth intervention characteristics that will aid utilisation, involving healthcare professionals and other community stakeholders in mHealth implementation and integrating mHealth into existing healthcare structures.