The role of information, communication and technology in promoting gender equality in the workplace: a study of a University in the Western Cape

Thesis (MTech (Business and Information Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019Various efforts have been made to address the issue of gender equality at the workplace. It can be noted that even though equal opportunities between men and women may exist, the discrimination of women is still immanent in the workplace for example gender bias, unequal opportunities and underrepresentation. Previous research has failed to give a clear picture on the impact of information, communication, and technologies on gender gaps. It is mostly generalised. This study evaluates the role of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in promoting gender equality in the workplace. The research explores different theoretical perspectives namely Gender Glass Ceiling, Equity Theory, Technology Acceptance Model, Gender Inequality and Discrimination, Critical Information Systems Theory and the Feminist Theory. The study used a qualitative research method and a case study design in order to fulfil the study’s objectives and aim. It was carried out at a selected higher education institution in South Africa. Purposive sampling was used and 19 research participants were interviewed both men and women. The data that was collected was transcribed, coded using open coding, analysed and interpreted using thematic analysis to make sense of the findings. Ethical codes of conduct such as truthfulness, confidentiality, anonymity, beneficence and data protection were employed due to the sensitive nature of the study. Results show that ICTs play a vital role in promoting gender equality. ICTs enable employees to become educated, skilled and knowledgeable becoming aware of their rights and fair practices in the workplace. ICTs also enhance both men and women empowerment in independency, decision making and self-actualisation. Fundamental recommendations are given by the researcher regarding ICTs and the promotion of gender equality in the workplace to enhance organisational performance. Organisations need to view ICTs as an integral part of business and enhance its use to promote gender equality

Building the case for actionable ethics in digital health research supported by artificial intelligence

The digital revolution is disrupting the ways in which health research is conducted, and subsequently, changing healthcare. Direct-to-consumer wellness products and mobile apps, pervasive sensor technologies and access to social network data offer exciting opportunities for researchers to passively observe and/or track patients ‘in the wild’ and 24/7. The volume of granular personal health data gathered using these technologies is unprecedented, and is increasingly leveraged to inform personalized health promotion and disease treatment interventions. The use of artificial intelligence in the health sector is also increasing. Although rich with potential, the digital health ecosystem presents new ethical challenges for those making decisions about the selection, testing, implementation and evaluation of technologies for use in healthcare. As the ‘Wild West’ of digital health research unfolds, it is important to recognize who is involved, and identify how each party can and should take responsibility to advance the ethical practices of this work. While not a comprehensive review, we describe the landscape, identify gaps to be addressed, and offer recommendations as to how stakeholders can and should take responsibility to advance socially responsible digital health research

Public and patient involvement in needs assessment and social innovation: a people-centred approach to care and research for congenital disorders of glycosylation

Background: Public and patient involvement in the design of people-centred care and research is vital for communities whose needs are underserved, as are people with rare diseases. Innovations devised collectively by patients, caregivers, professionals and other members of the public can foster transformative change toward more responsive services and research. However, attempts to involve lay and professional stakeholders in devising community-framed strategies to address the unmet needs of rare diseases are lacking. In this study, we engaged with the community of Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation (CDG) to assess its needs and elicit social innovations to promote people-centred care and research. Methods: Drawing on a qualitative study, we conducted three think tanks in France with a total of 48 participants, including patients/family members (n = 18), health care professionals (n = 7), researchers (n = 7) and people combining several of these roles (n = 16). Participants came from 20 countries across five continents. They were selected from the registry of the Second World Conference on CDG through heterogeneity and simple random sampling. Inductive and deductive approaches were employed to conduct interpretational analysis using open, axial and selective coding, and the constant-comparison method to facilitate the emergence of categories and core themes. Results: The CDG community has unmet needs for information, quality health care, psychosocial support and representation in decision-making concerned with care and research. According to participants, these needs can be addressed through a range of social innovations, including peer-support communities, web-based information resources and a CDG expertise platform. Conclusion: This is one of the few studies to engage lay and professional experts in needs assessment and innovation for CDG at a global level. Implementing the innovations proposed by the CDG community is likely to have ethical, legal and social implications associated with the potential donation of patients’ clinical and biological material that need to be assessed and regulated with involvement from all stakeholders. To promote people-centred care for the CDG community, and increase its participation in the governance of care and research, it is necessary to create participatory spaces in which the views of people affected by CDG can be fully expressed.FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), the Social European Fund and the POPH Programme supported this study with research grants: SFRH/BPD/111344/2015 (CF) and IF/01674/2015 (SS)

Ethical Issues in Empirical Studies of Software Engineering

The popularity of empirical methods in software engineering research is on the rise. Surveys, experiments, metrics, case studies, and field studies are examples of empirical methods used to investigate both software engineering processes and products. The increased application of empirical methods has also brought about an increase in discussions about adapting these methods to the peculiarities of software engineering. In contrast, the ethical issues raised by empirical methods have received little, if any, attention in the software engineering literature. This article is intended to introduce the ethical issues raised by empirical research to the software engineering research community, and to stimulate discussion of how best to deal with these ethical issues. Through a review of the ethical codes of several fields that commonly employ humans and artifacts as research subjects, we have identified major ethical issues relevant to empirical studies of software engineering. These issues are illustrated with real empirical studies of software engineering

mHealth Research Applied to Regulated and Unregulated Behavioral Health Sciences

Behavioral scientists are developing new methods and frameworks that leverage mobile health technologies to optimize individual level behavior change. Pervasive sensors and mobile apps allow researchers to passively observe human behaviors “in the wild” 24/7 which supports delivery of personalized interventions in the real-world environment. This is all possible because these technologies contain an incredible array of sensors that allow applications to constantly record user location and can contextualize current environmental conditions through barometers, thermometers, and ambient light sensors and can also capture audio and video of the user and their surroundings through multiple integrated high-definition cameras and microphones. These tools are a game changer in behavioral health research and, not surprisingly, introduce new ethical, regulatory/legal and social implications described in this article

See no evil? Ethics in an interventionist ICTD

This paper considers some of the ethical questions that arise in conducting interventionist ICTD research, and examines the ethical advice and guidance that is readily available to researchers. Recent years have seen a growing interest from technology researchers in applying their skills to address the needs and aspirations of people in developing regions. In contrast to much previous research in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) which has sought to study and understand processes surrounding technologies, technology researchers are interested in finding ways to change the forms of these technologies in order to promote desirable social aims. These more interventionist research encounters raise distinctive ethical challenges. This paper explores the discussions that have been presented in the major ICTD journals and conferences and major development studies journals as well as examining codes of conduct from related fields of research. Exploration of this literature shows that the quantity, quality and detail of advice that directly addresses the challenges of interventionist ICTD is actually very limited. This paper argues that the there is an urgent need for the ICTD research community to investigate and debate this subject