56,151 research outputs found
Information needs and access of Members of Vigilante in Adamawa State, North -East Nigeria
ABSTRACT The study investigated the Information needs and access of Members of Vigilante in Adamawa state, North-eastern Nigeria, one of the three states bedeviled by the Boko Haram insurgency. Quantitative research methodology and Cross-sectional survey design was applied for the study. The population of the study comprised of One Thousand Four Hundred Members (1400) drawn from Nineteen (19) local governments areas in the state. Krejcie and Morgan Table (1970) was used to draw (302) members as sample of the population, while Walpole’s (1982) formula for proportions was used in arriving at a sample for each stratum (i.e. each local government area). In collecting data, a total of Three Hundred and Two (302) copies of questionnaires were administered, and Two Hundred and Forty 240 copies (79.47%) were returned and found useful. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The outcome of the study revealed that the information needs of members were daily mainly work related and from informal sources, as there were no public libraries/information centers in 17 local governments’ areas of the state. The outcome of the research also revealed barriers to information access to include general lack of formal information infrastructure such as libraries/information centers, poor and unreliable informal information sources, as well as lack of training on information literacy skills for members of Vigilante. It is recommended that there is a need for those involved in vigilante information delivery to continuously examine and identify evolving information needs of members of vigilante in order to meet such needs. Government should resuscitate the dying public libraries in all the local government areas of Adamawa state to provide information services. Libraries should organize training on information literacy and other information use skills for members of vigilante, because if this is done, it will enhance and improve information access across communities in Adamawa state. Finally, information resources be repackaged in order to take care of challenges of proximity to sources of information, language barrier and other challenges faced by members of vigilante
Using Information and Communication Technology to Support Women\u27s Entrepreneurship in Central and West Asia
Key Points
• In several Central and West Asian countries, women are less likely to become entrepreneurs, and their businesses are more likely to be informal, stay small, generate less revenue, and employ fewer people.
• Information and communication technology (ICT) tools not only improve business performance but can also be used to overcome challenges specific to women entrepreneurs—time and mobility constraints; access to formal financial services, information, skills, and personalized advice; and participation in business networks.
• However, lack of ICT skills, lower purchasing power, and cultural barriers hinder women entrepreneurs from accessing and using ICT.
• Governments, financial service providers, and business development service providers have room to more effectively leverage ICT to serve women entrepreneurs.
• Women represent an unmet market opportunity for the private sector, opening up public–private partnership options to develop sustainable initiatives and services
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The impact of national culture on e-government implementation: A comparison case study
Over the past decade there has been increasing interest in the IS research literature on the impact of cultural differences on the development and use of information and communications technologies (Ives & Jarvenpaa, 1991; Shore & Venkatachalam, 1995; Tractinsky & Jarvenpaa, 1995, Myers and Tan, 2002, Ali and Brooks, 2008). In this paper the authors explore the influence of national culture on eGov implementation. The authors have conducted a comparative case study in two different countries the UK as a developed country and Sari Lanka as a developing country. The research findings highlight the potential influence of cultural differences on eGov implementation
English language for all
The purpose of this study is to look at models of English language learning and innovative financing for the delivery of ESOL to learners not able to access provision funded by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) as a result of SFA funding changes for 2011/12. -
This report identifies the key groups excluded by recent changes: low-paid workers and those with very low levels of language and literacy. -
On the basis of research with communities and learning providers across London, this report suggests three possible models of provision that could be used to fill some of the gaps left by changes in the national funding arrangements
Toward Universal Broadband in Rural Alaska
The TERRA-Southwest project is extending broadband service to 65 communities in the
Bristol Bay, Bethel and Yukon-Kuskokwim regions. A stimulus project funded by a combination
of grants and loans from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), TERRA-Southwest has installed a
middle-mile network using optical fiber and terrestrial microwave. Last-mile service will be
through fixed wireless or interconnection with local telephone networks.
The State of Alaska, through its designee Connect Alaska, also received federal stimulus
funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for tasks
that include support for an Alaska Broadband Task Force “to both formalize a strategic broadband
plan for the state of Alaska and coordinate broadband activities across relevant agencies and
organizations.”
Thus, a study of the impact of the TERRA project in southwest Alaska is both relevant and
timely. This first phase provides baseline data on current access to and use of ICTs and Internet
connectivity in rural Alaska, and some insights about perceived benefits and potential barriers to
adoption of broadband. It is also intended to provide guidance to the State Broadband Task Force
in determining how the extension of broadband throughout the state could contribute to education,
social services, and economic activities that would enhance Alaska’s future. Results of the
research could also be used proactively to develop strategies to encourage broadband adoption,
and to identify applications and support needed by users with limited ICT skills.Connect Alaska.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
General Communications Incorporated.Part 1: An Analysis of Internet Use in Southwest Alaska / Introduction / Previous Studies / Current Connectivity / Analytical Framework and Research Methodology / Demographics / Mobile Phones: Access and Use / Access to the Internet / Internet Useage / Considerations about Internet Service / Interest in Broadband / Sources of News / Comparison with National Data / Internet Use by Businesses and Organizations / What Difference may Broadband make in the Region? / Conclusiongs / Part 2 Literature Review / Reference
Government Transparency: Six Strategies for More Open and Participatory Government
Offers strategies for realizing Knight's 2009 call for e-government and openness using Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies, including public-private partnerships to develop applications, flexible procurement procedures, and better community broadband access
A Seat at the Table: Including the Poor in Decisions for Development and Environment
Presents case studies of the access to information, public participation, and justice for the poor in environmental decision-making processes and barriers, including issues of literacy, costs, risk, and cultural context. Makes policy recommendations
Pathways to apprenticeships and traineeships for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
Western Australia is experiencing a substantial shortage of skilled labour.
The State Government is committed to increasing participation in the workforce across the board, through schemes such as the Plans 4 Jobs, especially because of the current severe skills shortage in the economy.
The State Government is also committed, through the four principles of civic values, fairness, equality, and participation enshrined in the WA Charter of Multiculturalism, to promoting the full participation of all groups in all aspects of our community – social, economic, and civil – and to removing any systemic barriers to full participation. This commitment is also embodied in the multi‐departmental Policy Framework for Substantive Equality.
Aside from equity, denying equal opportunity also engenders resentment and hostility within our community, diminishes human value, and denies the state the full benefits of all its members’ talents. The cost of discrimination accrues to those who are denied opportunity and to the society which tolerates discrimination.
Members of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities in this state, in particular those from new and emerging communities, do not currently participate in apprenticeships and traineeships in significant numbers; this is regrettable and it is recommended that measures be taken to remedy this.
The Western Australian Department of Education and Training (DET) commissioned this report to investigate barriers to apprenticeships and traineeships confronting people from CaLD backgrounds, and to recommend strategies to improve their participation in apprenticeships and traineeships. The project was undertaken by the Australian Academy of Race Relations (AARR) at Murdoch University, for DET, during the period July – November 2005.
DET has many good programmes to promote apprenticeships and traineeships, including to members of CaLD communities. However, the array and complexity of these can be daunting, resulting in a lack of awareness of all the programmes available
Towards an integrated model for citizen adoption of E-government services in developing countries: A Saudi Arabia case study
This paper considers the challenges that face the widespread adoption of E-government in developing countries, using Saudi Arabian our case study. E-government can be defined based on an existing set of requirements. In this paper we define E-government as a matrix of stakeholders; governments to governments, governments to business and governments to citizens using information and communications technology to deliver and consume services. E-government has been implemented for a considerable time in developed countries. However E-government services still faces many challenges their implemented and general adoption in developing countries. Therefore, this paper presents an integrated model for ascertaining the intention to adopt E-government services and thereby aid governments in accessing what is required to increase adoption
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