Exploring consumer intentions to use the M-pesa financial service: a comparative study of low-income communities in Kenya and South Africa

Abstract Recent times have witnessed increasing availability of mobile technology-based products/services in developing regions such as Africa. However, the extant literature has not traditionally focused on understanding the adoption and use of these technologies by consumers in these parts of the world. This gap cannot be ignored and the need to investigate consumer intention to use mobile based-technology in this region is becoming paramount to their successful implementation. One such mobile-based technology is the M-pesa financial service. The current study merged appropriate theories that could predict consumer intention to use this M-pesa service in two African countries, Kenya and South Africa. First, the two countries were compared in an attempt to provide an explanation of why the launch of the M-pesa service has been more successful in Kenya than in South Africa. It then examined the effects of the Technology Acceptance Model variables (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), subjective norm from the Theory of Reasoned Action, self efficacy from the Social Cognitive Theory, and six dimensions of Switching Costs, on consumers intention to use M-pesa. To measure the study’s variables, validated scales from the IS literature, social psychology literature, and economics literature were identified and adopted. Data were collected using paper based survey instruments from individuals residing in low-income communities in Kenya (N=265) and South Africa (N=150), thus a total of 415 responses. The results indicate there are correlations between all variables and intention to use, however, only perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norms have a direct influence on intention to use M-pesa. The model explained 33.1% of the variance in intention to use M-pesa. The results suggest that while switching costs do not have a direct influence on intention to use, some of their effects are mediated in predicting intention to use. Thus, this study has paved the way for future testing and enhancement of the study’s model. The study’s contribution to theory and practice are also presented

The Impact of the Online Learner Advising Model on Retention and Grade Point Average

As more students experience online learning environments, the academic community must invest more energy into improving retention of these learners. The purpose of this research was to study the impact of an advising model designed to support online learners, the Online learner advising model (OLAM). This study examined new student retention in the first 3 terms and GPA outcomes to measure the impact of the advising approach. OLAM was designed to address the specific needs of online learners through bringing together elements of proactive advising, shame resilience theory, and appreciative advising. The sample was selected from Concordia University, St. Paul students who entered an MBA online program during the Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 semesters with Concordia University, St. Paul. To determine the impact of the OLAM approach, quantitative measures were used. First, an advisor was trained to use OLAM. Next, the advisor began using the OLAM approach with students starting their online MBA program in the Fall of 2020. Finally, student retention and grade point average data were collected and analyzed to measure the impact of OLAM on student success. The quantitative analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship of GPA outcomes between the OLAM and Non-OLAM groups; while there was no statistically significant relationship for the retention outcomes between OLAM compared to a Non-OLAM cohort. The OLAM approach has the potential to influence the outcomes for online learners and should be studied further to determine the full potential impact. Additional research is recommended with a larger sample size, across multiple cohorts, with a variety of programs of study, and over a longer period

Evaluation of Rice Brands by Sensory Qualities

A purposively selected 20 member sensory panel was used to do sensory and cooking qualities assessment of locally processed rice brands and popularly imported rice brands consumed by most Nigerians. The local brands are ‘Enyi, Lobi, Eagle and Veetee; while the imported brands are ‘Tomato and Caprice. The results showed that Olam was significantly better and distinguishable from Abakaliki, Tomato and Caprice brands for colour (P<0.05); Olam was significantly better than Caprice for flavour (P<0.05); Olam was significantly better than Abakaliki and Caprice for sogginess (P<0.05); Olam was significantly preferred than Veetee for stickness (P<0.05); Olam was significantly better than the other brands for taste (P<0.05); Olam was significantly preferred to other brands for texture (P<0.05) and significantly better from Tomato for general acceptability (P<0.05). On assessment of rice grains, the results also showed that Enyi and Abakaliki had poor grain colour rating (P<0.05); the general  acceptability of Olam, Caprice and Veetee grain brands were significantly better than the other brands (P<0.05). Generally speaking, the results of the analyses showed that local brands of processed rice competed well with imported brands for sensory qualities.Key words: rice brands, sensory qualities, consumer preference, general acceptabilit

The Cytochrome P450 Inhibitor, Ketoconazole, Inhibits Oxidized Linoleic Acid Metabolite-Mediated Peripheral Inflammatory Pain

BACKGROUND: Oxidized linoleic acid metabolites (OLAMs) are a class of endogenous agonists to the transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) receptor. Although TRPV1 mediates inflammatory heat hyperalgesia, it is not known if the OLAMs contribute to the peripheral activation of this receptor during tissue inflammation. In the present study, we evaluated whether the OLAM system is activated during inflammation and whether cytochrome P450 enzymes mediate OLAM contributions to heat hyperalgesia using the complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) model of inflammation. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that the intraplantar (ipl) injection of anti-OLAM antibodies significantly reversed CFA-induced heat hyperalgesia. Moreover, application of lipid extracts from inflamed rat skin to cultured sensory neurons triggered a significant release of iCGRP that is blocked by co-treatment with I-RTX, a TRPV1 antagonist. To determine the role of CYP enzymes in mediating OLAM effects, we used a broad spectrum CYP inhibitor, ketoconazole. Pretreatment with ketoconazole inhibited the release of TRPV1 agonists in lipid extracts from inflamed skin and significantly reversed CFA-induced heat hyperalgesia by a peripheral mechanism of action. Moreover, the ipl injection of linoleic acid to rats 24 hr after CFA evoked spontaneous nocifensive behaviors that were significantly reduced by capsazepine, by knockout of the TRPV1 gene, or by pretreatment with either anti-OLAM antibodies or ketoconazole. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our data suggests that OLAMs contribute to inflammatory nociception in the periphery and that cytochrome P450 enzymes play a crucial role in mediating OLAM contributions to inflammatory heat hyperalgesia

A non-linear transmission of Euclid's Elements in a medieval Hebrew calendrical treatise

In this article I present the unique partial transmission of Euclid's Elements in the medieval Hebrew calendrical treatise Yesod 'Olam (The Foundation of the World ), which was composed by Isaac Israeli in 14th‐century Toledo. After a short introduction of Yesod 'Olam , I discuss the role of mathematics, as understood by Israeli, in the study of astronomy and the Jewish calendar. I then provide a mapping of the Elements found in Yesod 'Olam and demonstrate Israeli's peculiar rendition of this seminal Greek work through four examples. Finally, I show that Israeli's transmission of the Elements is lexically independent of earlier known Hebrew versions of the text

Independent External Monitoring Agricultural Report 2013 Olam, Ivory Coast OLA Socagnipi

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.FLA_2013_Olam_IEMAR_Ivory_Coast_OLA_Socagnipi.pdf: 29 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Exploiting metallophilicity for the assembly of inorganic nanocrystals and conjugated organic molecules

The accurate engineering of interfaces between inorganic nanocrystals and semiconducting organic molecules is currently viewed as key for further developments in critical fields such as photovoltaics and photocatalysis. In this work, a new and unconventional source of interface interaction based on metal–metal bonds is presented. With this aim, an AuI organometallic gelator was exploited for the formation of hydrogel-like nanocomposites containing inorganic nanoparticles and conjugated organic molecules. Noteworthy, the establishment of metallophilic interactions at the interface between the two moieties greatly enhances interparticle coupling in the composites. Thus, we believe that this new hybrid system might represent a promising alternative in several fields, such as in the fabrication of improved light-harvesting devices.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

OMARS: The Framework of an Online Multi-Dimensional Association Rules Mining System

Recently, the integration of data warehouses and data mining has been recognized as the primary platform for facilitating knowledge discovery. Effective data mining from data warehouses, however, needs exploratory data analysis. The users often need to investigate the warehousing data from various perspectives and analyze them at different levels of abstraction. To this end, comprehensive information processing and data analysis have to be systematically constructed surrounding data warehouses, and an on-line mining environment should be provided. In this paper, we propose a system framework to facilitate on-line association rules mining, called OMARS, which is based on the idea of integrating OLAP service and our proposed OLAM cubes and auxiliary cubes. According to the concept of OLAM cubes, we define the OLAM lattice framework that exploit arbitrary hierarchies of dimensions to model all possible OLAM data cubes