Acceptance of a Web OS as a Commercial Consumer Service Bundle

The web is fundamentally changing. The many facets of this change are usually abstracted as Web 2.0. The core of Web 2.0 consists of the evolutionary step that interoperation and content-creating applications are provided via the web in addition to traditional static documents. Ahead of this evolution are web operating systems (WebOS) like g.ho.st that enable the consumer to migrate their complete operating system desktop to the web – a revolutionary step of personal computing. The required computational and storage resources may be procured on demand e.g. from cloud computing services by the WebOS service provider. This research-in-progress-article introduces an adoption model (TAM) for a WebOS as a consumer service. The subject of our survey will be a service bundle comparable to a mobile phone plan. The aim of the adoption model is to measure the acceptance of this service bundle and to identify the major determinants which influence the consumer’s adoption intention in order to specify which consumers may be future customers and to learn how to attract them from a marketing perspective. At the current early stage of adoption we intend to contribute insights that can be directly transformed into advice how this new technology can be successfully established

Toward A Firm Technology Adoption Model (F-TAM) In A Developing Country Context

The diffusion of digital innovations among SMEs in developing countries like Ghana is slow due to several factors. Well-known adoption models appear to have often been from developed country contexts and have proposed antecedents of behavioral intention instead of actual adoption. Consequently, many variables from existing models have been present in developing country contexts such as Ghana and yet most digital innovations have not been adopted. A systematic literature review is employed to explore the contexts within which earlier models of technology adoption were developed, and to build a revised model of factors that lead to actual adoption in a developing country context. The results indicate that acknowledged models were developed from contexts that are different from that of Ghana. The study improves the existing knowledge gap of antecedents of adoption in a developing country context. The model provides the reference factors that SMEs and governments must ensure that they enhance adoption of innovations

ICT Infrastructure, Applications, Society and Education

Proceedings of the Annual Strathmore University ICT Conference 2006Proceedings of the Annual Strathmore University ICT Conference 200

Cellular Phone and the USAge (Problems of Cellular Phone\u27s USAge in Blank Spot Areas of Indonesia)

Mobile phone as a form of communication technology is acceptable by many peoples. But geographical condition makes them difficult to access. In fact, many potential mobile-phones consumers are in rural areas. They have no enough telecommunications infrastructure. This phenomenon is interesting to study specially about how the USAge and function of cell phone get reduced for bad infrastructure. This article will explore, identify, and map the problems related to mobile-phone USAge in the blankspot in Indonesia. This one also wants to know future research trend. By literature review, this study shows that all three aspects of mobile phone USAge (technical, organizational, and cultural issues) cannot be separated, but interrelated between one-and-among another. Technical issues on the mobile phone\u27s USAge are related to organizational (government and private) and cultural ones. Because of the diversity of cultures in Indonesia, this study recommends to use a constructivism paradigm to study mobile phone penetration. The analysis then will be conducted to know how the individual/group reconstruct and co-construct communications technology on the basis of their own socio-culture context. Because of cultural difference in each area, researchers can set aside generalization principle and focuses more on every individual or group\u27s construction to communication technology

The Effect of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Diffusion on Corruption and Transparency (A Global Study)

Is the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) the “magic bullet” for effectively reducing corruption? Can government transparency be increased by ICT diffusion? Does ICT diffusion increase governmental transparency, thereby reducing corruption? A few previous studies have measured the relationship between ICTs, transparency, and corruption. Generally, such studies focus on the role of electronic governance (e-governance) in facilitating state-citizen interactions and how e-governance acts as a corruption deterrent. This study digresses from past literature by directly exploring the effects of the ICT environment, using the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), and diffusion of two specific ICTs (e.g. the number of Internet users per 100 people and mobile cellular phone users per 100 people) on corruption and transparency through structural equation modeling. This study also examines how macroeconomic and national sociocultural variables mediate and moderate the relationships of ICTs on transparency and corruption. The results show that for each increase unit in NRI, transparency increased by 9.423% and corruption decreased by 14.017%. Furthermore, increasing access to the Internet by 27 people per 100 persons increased transparency by 17.581% and reduced corruption by 15.239%. Additionally, each unit increase in per capita GDP results in an increase in transparency by 7.068% and a decrease in corruption by 10.507%. Conversely, increases in FDI and mobile cellular diffusion demonstrated marginal results on increasing transparency and reducing corruption. Implications of these findings as well as avenues for further research are discussed

The Use Of M-Payment Services In South Africa: A Value Based Perceptions Approach

Business is transforming at an exponential rate and mobile technology is considered to be a key driver in this economic revolution. Despite the efforts of many businesses in making extensive investments in resources to enhance service experience, long-term post-adoption of mobile payment services by consumers still remains an elusive dream. In particular, researches that align South African customers’ value perceptions of M-payment usage are scarce. It appears then, that if service providers cannot retain users and facilitate continuance usage along M-payment platforms; they might fail to recover the initial development costs and eradicate the valuable gains derived from turning the M-payment story into a winning success. Therefore, since M-payment post-adoption has not been as rapid or widespread as expected, this study aimed to examine consumers’ perceptions of M-payment value and the corresponding influence on e-service trust, user satisfaction and continuance intention to use M-Payment platforms. The study followed a quantitative survey approach in which data were collected from a sample of 269 M-payment users in South Africa. Structural Equation Modelling software Smart PLS was applied to ascertain the model fit. The results of this study found strong support for positive and significant relationships between value, trust, satisfaction and continuance intentions. Service providers are challenged to utilise value and trust-formation elements as the central differentiation factors which unsurprisingly impact on satisfaction evaluations and ultimately, the users’ willingness to continue enjoying the M-payment service experience into the future. Thus, the confluence between financial institutions, mobile network operators as well as businesses is compelled to give prominence toward creating holistic value-based user experiences along the mobile platform.

CELLULAR PHONE AND THE USAGE (Problems of Cellular Phone’s Usage In Blank Spot Areas of Indonesia)

Telepon seluler sebagai bentuk teknologi komunikasi mudah dijangkau lapisan masyarakat Indonesia. Namun, Kondisi geografis menyebabkan akses ke daerah menjadi sulit. Padahal, di daerah banyak potensi konsumen telepon seluler namun tidak difasilitasi dengan infrastruktur telekomunikasi. Fenomena ini menarik dikaji khususnya mengenai bagaimana pola penggunaan dan fungsi telepon seluler sebagai teknologi komunikasi tereduksi oleh keterbatasan infrastruktur. Tulisan ini akan mengeksplorasi, mengidentifikasi, dan memetakan pokok-pokok permasalahan terkait dengan pemanfaatan telepon seluler di daerah blankspot di Indonesia, serta ingin mengetahui trend penelitian kedepannya. Metode penelitian ingin adalah dengan melakukan tinjauan literatur terhadap publikasi terkait masalah ini. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa dari ketiga aspek permasalahan di atas (masalah teknis, organisasional, dan budaya) tidak dapat diperlakukan secara terpisah, tapi kesatuan yang saling terkait. Masalah teknis pada telepon seluler berkaitan dengan masalah organisasional (pemerintah dan swasta), dan masalah budaya (lokalitas daerah). Karena keragaman budaya di Indonesia, penelitian ini menganjurkan untuk menggunakan konstruktivis untuk mengkaji penetrasi teknologi telepon seluler. Analisis dilakukan untuk mengetahui bagaimana individu/kelompok merekonstruksi teknologi komunikasi sesuai konteks sosial-budaya. Karena konteks budaya yang khas di setiap daerah, generalisasi kuantitatif harus dikesampingkan, lebih menekankan pada keragaman konstruksi dan kokonstruksi individu/kelompok.Kata-kata Kunci: Permasalahan Infrastruktur; Permasalahan Kultur; Penggunaan Telepon                                   Seluler; Daerah Blankspot. ABSTRACTMobile phone as a form of communication technology is acceptable by many peoples. But geographical condition makes them difficult to access. In fact, many potential mobile-phones consumers are in rural areas. They have no enough telecommunications infrastructure. This phenomenon is interesting to study specially about how the usage and function of cell phone get reduced for bad infrastructure. This article will explore, identify, and map the problems related to mobile-phone usage in the blankspot in Indonesia. This one also wants to know future research trend. By literature review, this study shows that all three aspects of mobile phone usage (technical, organizational, and cultural issues) cannot be separated, but interrelated between one-and-among another. Technical issues on the mobile phone’s usage are related to organizational (government and private) and cultural ones. Because of the diversity of cultures in Indonesia, this study recommends to use a constructivism paradigm to study mobile phone penetration. The analysis then will be conducted to know how the individual/group reconstruct and  co-construct  communications  technology on the basis of their own socio-culture context. Because of cultural difference in each area, researchers can set aside generalization principle and focuses more on every individual or group’s construction to communication technology. Keywords: problems of infrastructure; problems of culture; cellular phone usage; Blank spot                       areas

Toward mobile learning deployment in higher education

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Mobile Learning (M-learning) refers to any kind of learning which takes place within and beyond the traditional learning environment via wireless mobile devices. These devices are able to move with the learner to allow learning anytime, anywhere. M-learning is considered as the next step beyond electronic learning (E-learning) and distance learning (D-learning) by using mobile wireless devices with internet connectivity to facilitate formal and informal learning. Over the past decade M-learning has become gradually popular in university settings by providing mobile access to learning resources, collaborative learning and to exchange formative evaluation and feedback between students and instructors. Therefore, M-learning involves learning activities that are not restricted to a specific time or place. Despite the familiarity with M-learning as a new paradigm in modern education, there has been a shortage of research concerning how to deploy this technology in a successful way. The integration of M-learning in a university environment needs to involve some aspects in terms of the readiness of users and institutions, users‟ acceptance and engagement, and the sustainability of the system. There are some initial models that investigate the implementation of M-learning which provide some guidelines that work as starting point for the future of M-learning deployment. However, there is no theoretical model that provides guidelines for staged deployment of M-learning. In addition, there was no clear definition of sustainability factors that will assure continues evaluation and upgrade of M-learning systems after deployment. The aims of this research work are to study students‟ readiness for M-learning, investigate the factors that affect students‟ acceptance and analyse M-learning literature in order to propose and evaluate a model which can be used to foster the sustainable deployment of M-learning within teaching and learning strategies in higher education institutions. The research was conducted in Brunel University, West London. Data were collected from School of Information, Computing and Mathematical Science students using three surveys: the first studied students‟ readiness for M-learning, the second investigated factors that affect students‟ acceptance of M-learning and the last one developed and evaluated a sustainable M-learning deployment model. The outcome of this research lead to a conceptual model that gives a wide overview of all elements that need to be addressed in the M-learning environment and bridges the gap between the pre- and post-implementation phases in order to ensure sustainability. Furthermore, the model provides university educators with a planned approach to incorporate M-learning in higher education curriculums with the aim of improving teaching and learning

Understanding smallholder farmers' intention to adopt agricultural apps : the role of mastery approach and innovation hubs in mexico

While several studies have focused on the actual adoption of agricultural apps and the relevance of the apps’ content, very few studies have focused on drivers of the farmer’s intention and initial decision to adopt. Based on a survey of 394 smallholder farmers in 2019, this study investigated willingness to adopt an agricultural advice app in Guanajuato, Mexico. A structural equation modeling approach, based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), was applied. To understand the farmers’ adoption decisions, extended constructs were studied (e.g., mastery-approach goals) along with the farmers’ age and participation in an innovation hub. Results showed that the intention to adopt the app is predicted by how farmers appraise the technical infrastructure and acquire new knowledge by using an app. The multi-group analysis revealed that performance expectancy is a relevant predictor of the intention to adopt, whereas the mastery-approach goal is relevant only for younger farmers and farmers not connected to the innovation hub. This study provides valuable insights about the innovation hubs’ role in the intention to adopt apps, offering precision agriculture advice in developing countries. The findings are useful for practitioners and app developers designing digital-decision support tools