Upscaling cassava processing machines and products in Liberia

Open Access JournalCassava is produced by more than 80% of farming households and is an important contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) in Liberia. It is therefore important to assess the status of cassava processing into food and other products. A total of one hundred and sixty (160) well-structured questionnaires were used for the collection of information from eight counties, with twenty respondents from each county. It was found out that all the counties lack adequate modern cassava processing machines, with almost all cassava processing operations being done with rudimentary equipment. Gari and wet fufu are common products in Liberian markets, with no high-quality cassava flour (HQCF) or derivatives. Consequently, user and gender friendly processing machines were installed in six established modern cassava processing centres, and new cassava products, such as fufu powder, tapioca, and HQCF with its value-added products (10% bread and pastries), were introduced. This upscaling will enhance the cassava value chain in Liberia with improvement in livelihoods, especially for vulnerable women and unemployed youth

User-centricity and Public Values in eGovernment: Friend or Foe?

In their delivery of services, public administrations seek to develop a ‘citizen-centric’ approach. Concomitantly, user-centricity is emerging as a widely accepted construct for Web 3.0 applications supporting the digital interaction between service providers and recipients. The digitalization of public services can positively impact important public values, such as efficiency and transparency. However, the digital divide highlights that information and communication technologies can simultaneously neglect public needs. This begs the question of whether user-centricity reflects or conflicts with public values. To answer this question, we present a systematic review of existing literature on user-centricity and public values. The contribution of this paper is an extended taxonomy of public values for user-centricity, as well as recommendations for public policy to address conflicts between public values and user-centricity

Human-Machine Function Allocation In Information Systems: A Comprehensive Approach

In the past, information systems development methodologies primarily focus on whether the needs of an organization could be met. In recent years, several human-centered systems development methodologies are developed to emphasize both organizational and human needs. In addition to an information system being useful, its usability become a central concern, and user analysis and task analysis are important parts in these methodologies. Human-machine function allocation is an important aspect of task analysis. Yet, current research and practice in this area show a gap for systematic and consistent guidelines and approaches. To address this gap, this paper proposes three guidelines and a comprehensive approach for human-machine function allocation when designing organizational information systems. Built on Price’s decision matrix, Levels of Automation, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), our approach consists of four steps in determining human-machine function allocation. To illustrate this approach, an application example is provided

User-centricity and Public Values in eGovernment: Friend or Foe?

In their delivery of services, public administrations seek to develop a ‘citizen-centric’ approach. Concomitantly, user-centricity is emerging as a widely accepted construct for Web 3.0 applications supporting the digital interaction between service providers and recipients. The digitalization of public services can positively impact important public values, such as efficiency and transparency. However, the digital divide highlights that information and communication technologies can simultaneously neglect public needs. This begs the question of whether user-centricity reflects or conflicts with public values. To answer this question, we present a systematic review of existing literature on user-centricity and public values. The contribution of this paper is an extended taxonomy of public values for user- centricity, as well as recommendations for public policy to address conflicts between public values and user-centricity

How the \u27New\u27 Makes Use of the \u27Old\u27: Understanding Reconfigurations of Information Systems and Organizations in the Norwegian Health Sector

This paper presents initial findings from ongoing research on how novel ICTs can make use of established sociotechnical arrangements in a productive way. Empirically it is based on three case studies on the design, development and use of web-based information systems that support patients’ interaction with healthcare providers. The cases under study are intriguing as they provide empirical evidence of the role that novel technologies (within the Web 2.0 genre) can have for accelerating a healthcare shift towards “patient centeredness” and patients’ active involvement in care (co-production of services). Our aim is to reach an improved understanding of reconfiguration dynamics paying attention to associations and interactions between the “old” and the “new”

Conducting Information Systems Research the Old-Fashioned Way

This research career retrospective summarizes the intellectual contributions of the author’s academic career, covering 35 years from the early 1980’s onwards. It also attends to various incidents and conditions that shaped his research career, as well as his research strategy choices that allowed him to overcome some of the challenges imposed by these conditions. These strategic choices comprised to do small research rather than big research and to privilege international collaboration over local collaboration

A Content-Integrated Translingual Literature Curriculum for Chinese-Speaking University-Level EFL Learners

The purpose of this paper was to outline a new translingual model of post-secondary EFL curriculum for Chinese-speaking English language learners. The curricular guide presents a content-integrated literature syllabus aimed at building competence in both communicative and critical-creative domains. A translingual coursework, which may involve code-switching, translanguaging, translation in language teaching (TILT), and World Englishes contact literature, is argued to uniquely benefit Chinese-speaking EFL learners on the road toward English and higher-order thinking competence. The curriculum utilizes the Tang-era poetry of Du Fu, and the modern prose of Ha Jin as content for lessons on the English article system, phrasal verbs, and critical thinking

Translated English Online Patient Information on Finnish Public Hospital Websites : Usability and Equality in Focus

ABSTRACT Tutkielmassani arvioin englannin- ja suomenkielisten potilasohjeiden eroja ja englanninkielisten potilasohjeiden alueellisia käytettävyyseroja tasa-arvoisuuden ja käytettävyyden näkökulmista. Lisäksi vertasin operatiivisten ja informatiivisten tekstityyppien käytettävyyttä. Hypoteesina oli, että operatiivisissa tekstinäytteissä on informatiivisia tekstinäytteitä vähemmän käytettävyysongelmia niiden akuutimmasta sisällöstä johtuen. Käsitykseni englanninkielisten potilasohjeiden lukijoista perustin tilastoihin ja kirjallisuuteen. Tutustuin vähemmistökielten asemaan lainsäädännössä, ulkomaalaistaustaisen väestön määrään ja alueelliseen sijoittumiseen Suomessa sekä Suomessa käytettyjen kielten valikoimaan. Perehdyin myös instituutioissa tuotettujen sekä lääketieteen tekstien kääntämisen erityispiirteisiin. Tekstinäytteet keräsin sairaaloiden ja sairaanhoitopiirien internetsivustoilta. Analysoin aineiston laadullisesti. Analyysimenetelmiäni olivat vertaileva käännöstutkimus ja muokatut käytettävyysheuristiikat. Tutkimustuloksista kävi ilmi, että englanninkielisten potilasohjeiden käytettävyydessä on alueellisia eroja ja että käytettävyyden eri osa-alueet painottuvat eri tavoin eri alueilla. Vakavimmat käytettävyysongelmat liittyivät tekstilajikonventioihin. Ongelmia aiheuttivat virkakielisyys ja muut tekstilajille tyypilliset piirteet sekä lähtökielen tekstilajikonventioiden siirtyminen kohdekieleen. Tuloksista ilmeni myös suomen- ja englanninkielisten potilasohjeiden välisiä eroja. Tiedon saatavuus ja määrä oli kattavampi lähdekielellä. Kohteliaisuusstrategiat, rekisteri ja tyyli vaihtelivat englanninkielisissä teksteissä suomenkielisiä tekstejä enemmän siten että samassakin kohdetekstissä tyyli saattoi vaihdella muodollisen kohteliaasta puhekieliseen. Vaikka englanninkielisissä potilasohjeissa lääketieteen termejä ja fraaseja käytetiin pääosin yhdenmukaisesti, lähdekielen tekstilajikonventioiden siirtyminen kohdetekstiin aiheutti toisinaan sanan tai fraasin merkityksen laajenemista tai hämärtymistä. Kohdeteksteissä myös tekstilajille tyypilliset ei-toivotut piirteet usein vahvistuivat. Osa eroista johtunee alueiden erityispiirteistä, kuten siitä kuinka suuri osa väestöstä on muunkielisiä. Tulokset osoittivat hypoteesin oikeaksi eli operatiivisten potilasohjeiden käytettävyys oli parempi kuin informatiivisten potilasohjeiden