The Neglected Continent of IS Research: A Research Agenda for Sub-Saharan Africa

Research with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), a major region within the world’s second largest continent, is almost non-existent in mainstream information systems research. Although infrastructures for information and communication technology (ICT) are well established in the more developed and industrialized parts of the world, the same is not true for developing countries. Research on developing countries has been rare in mainstream IS and, even where existent, has often overlooked the particular situation of SSA, home to 33 of the world’s 48 least-developed countries. Ironically, it is such parts of the world that can stand to gain the most from the promise of ICT with applications that would help the socioeconomic development of this region. In this study, we present the need for focused research on the ICT development and application for SSA. The information systems research community has a unique and valuable perspective to bring to the challenges this region faces in developing its ICT infrastructure, hence extending research and practice in ICT diffusion and policy. We present here a research agenda for studying the adoption, development, and application of ICT in SSA. In particular, teledensity, telemedicine, online education, and e-commerce present important areas for research, with implications for research, practice, and teaching

Incorporating Primary and Secondary Prevention Approaches To Address Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment in a Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Population: Study Design and Demographic Data from the Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (TX CORD) Study

Background: There is consensus that development and evaluation of a systems-oriented approach for child obesity prevention and treatment that includes both primary and secondary prevention efforts is needed. This article describes the study design and baseline data from the Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (TX CORD) project, which addresses child obesity among low-income, ethnically diverse overweight and obese children, ages 2–12 years; a two-tiered systems-oriented approach is hypothesized to reduce BMI z-scores, compared to primary prevention alone. Methods: Our study aims are to: (1) implement and evaluate a primary obesity prevention program; (2) implement and evaluate efficacy of a 12-month family-centered secondary obesity prevention program embedded within primary prevention; and (3) quantify the incremental cost-effectiveness of the secondary prevention program. Baseline demographic and behavioral data for the primary prevention community areas are presented. Results: Baseline data from preschool centers, elementary schools, and clinics indicate that most demographic variables are similar between intervention and comparison communities. Most families are low income ( \u3c $25,000) and Hispanic/Latino (73.3– 83.8%). The majority of parents were born outside of the United States. Child obesity rates exceed national values, ranging from 19.0% in preschool to 35.2% in fifth-grade children. Most parents report that their children consume sugary beverages, have a television in the bedroom, and do not consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. Conclusions: Interventions to address childhood obesity are warranted in low-income, ethnically diverse communities. Integrating primary and secondary approaches is anticipated to provide sufficient exposure that will lead to significant decreases in childhood obesity

Incorporating Primary and Secondary Prevention Approaches To Address Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment in a Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Population: Study Design and Demographic Data from the Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (TX CORD) Study

Background: There is consensus that development and evaluation of a systems-oriented approach for child obesity prevention and treatment that includes both primary and secondary prevention efforts is needed. This article describes the study design and baseline data from the Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (TX CORD) project, which addresses child obesity among low-income, ethnically diverse overweight and obese children, ages 2–12 years; a two-tiered systems-oriented approach is hypothesized to reduce BMI z-scores, compared to primary prevention alone. Methods: Our study aims are to: (1) implement and evaluate a primary obesity prevention program; (2) implement and evaluate efficacy of a 12-month family-centered secondary obesity prevention program embedded within primary prevention; and (3) quantify the incremental cost-effectiveness of the secondary prevention program. Baseline demographic and behavioral data for the primary prevention community areas are presented. Results: Baseline data from preschool centers, elementary schools, and clinics indicate that most demographic variables are similar between intervention and comparison communities. Most families are low income ( \u3c $25,000) and Hispanic/Latino (73.3– 83.8%). The majority of parents were born outside of the United States. Child obesity rates exceed national values, ranging from 19.0% in preschool to 35.2% in fifth-grade children. Most parents report that their children consume sugary beverages, have a television in the bedroom, and do not consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. Conclusions: Interventions to address childhood obesity are warranted in low-income, ethnically diverse communities. Integrating primary and secondary approaches is anticipated to provide sufficient exposure that will lead to significant decreases in childhood obesity

Successful radiation treatment of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma metastatic to the right cardiac atrium and ventricle in a pacemaker-dependent patient

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare, aggressive malignancy, which is known to metastasize to the heart. We report a case of a patient with ATC with metastatic involvement of the pacemaker leads within the right atrium and right ventricle. The patient survived external beam radiation treatment to his heart, with a radiographic response to treatment. Cardiac metastases are usually reported on autopsy; to our knowledge, this is the first report of the successful treatment of cardiac metastases encasing the leads of a pacemaker, and of cardiac metastases from ATCs, with a review of the pertinent literature

A framework for measuring the efficiency of organizational investments in information technology using data envelopment analysis

Over the last few decades, organizations have been increasingly investing in information technology (IT). However, despite these substantial investments in IT, empirical studies have not persuasively established corresponding improvements in organazational performance. In fact, to the contrary, many studies investigating investments in IT have found no significant relationship between firm performance and investments in IT. Brynjolfsson and Kaufman and Weill identify shortcomings in past studies. These shortcomings include measurement errors, lags between investments and benefits, redistribution of profits, and mismanagement of IT resources. This paper proposes a framework for measuring the efficiency of investments in IT that addresses these shortcomings. In particular, we demonstrate how a mathematical programming technique called Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) can be used to evaluate the efficiency of IT investments. Our framework is illustrated using data compiled for over 200 large organizations. The paper illustrates how the shortcomings listed above can be addressed.Information technology Economics of information technology Data envelopment analysis Information systems Firm performance

Enterprise architecture: A competence-based approach to achieving agility and firm performance

As information technology (IT) proliferates across functional units, manufacturers that lack a coherent strategy for integrating, standardizing and leveraging their IT resources and capabilities are more likely to end up with fragmented systems that do not properly support business processes and hinder performance. One strategic approach to facilitating standardization and integration among IT resources is enterprise architecture (EA). As the representation of an enterprise's business processes and IT systems, EA underpins decisions relating to data, applications, IT infrastructure (technical and human), and management responsibilities in order to inform business strategies that enable organizations to accomplish their business objectives. In this research, we leverage competence-based theory to introduce EA strategic orientation and EA assimilation as dynamic and operational capabilities, respectively. Data collected from 190 manufacturers and seemingly unrelated regression are used to test hypotheses related to a nomological network consisting of EA strategic orientation, EA assimilation, agility and firm performance. The findings suggest that EA-based capabilities can enhance agility, and indirectly increase firm performance. As the first study to assess the value of EA from a non-IT-centric perspective, this work serves as a pivot point for examining the reach and range of EAbased capabilities, particularly in operations management. The findings provide operations and IT managers with evidence of how enterprise IT initiatives are ultimately linked to firm performance by way of EA-based capabilities