Mobile phone: who wants to buy it, and why?

Individual adoption of technology has been studied extensively in the workplace (Brown and Venkatesh 2005). Far less attention has been paid to adoption of technology in the household (Brown and Venkatesh 2005). Obviously, mobile phone is now integrated into our daily life. Indeed, according to the more recent forecast of Gartner Research, 986 millions of mobile phones have been sold throughout the world in 2006 (Ouellet 2006). And, as the tendency is showing up, mobile phone use will be continuously increasing in the future. The purpose of this study is then to investigate who has the intention to adopt a mobile phone, and why? In other words, we try to identify who really wants to buy a mobile phone and what are the determining factors who will make such that he/she will buy it? On the basis of the theoretical foundations developed by Brown and Venkatesh (2005) to verify the determining factors in intention to adopt a computer in household by American people, this study examines the determining factors in intention to buy a mobile phone in household by Canadian people. Data were gathered from 307 Atlantic Canadian people who do not yet own a mobile phone. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling software Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results revealed that only one third of the variables examined in the study showed to be determining factors in intention to buy a mobile phone for household use

Acquiring knowledge used in information system development

Nowadays, knowledge is viewed as a significant asset for organizations. Consequently, knowledge management has become an important factor to take into account within and between organizations. This paper proposes an approach for acquiring knowledge used in information system (IS) development. It is argued that an IS development process may include several IS development and maintenance projects, which could be carried out in parallel, and each project may use its own software process and development method. In order to support the different activities of the IS development process, it is suggested that the development process itself needs an IS to manage its knowledge. We called this type of IS: Information System upon Information Systems (ISIS). An ISIS is considered as a new infrastructure which coexists with other IS infrastructures. It aims at managing the knowledge used in IS development. Knowledge management involves activities such as acquiring, analyzing, preserving, and using knowledge. In this paper, we suggest an approach for acquiring knowledge used in the IS development process, including its identification and organization

Using a moderator-type research model to identify the determining factors in satisfaction of using high speed internet in household

Telecommunications industry is continually in a shift of change, alimented by technological innovation and consumers’ demand for always better and faster communication tools. High speed Internet is now an integral part of everyday life of more than a billion people. And, as the tendency is showing up, its use will be still increasing in the future. Thus, this technology has and will continue to have major social and economic impacts. Individual adoption of technology has been studied extensively in the workplace, but far less attention has been paid to adoption of technology in household (Brown & Venkatesh, 2005). So, few studies have been conducted until now to verify satisfaction of household people using high speed Internet. The aim of this study is then to investigate the determining factors in satisfaction of using high speed Internet by people in household. On the basis of the moderator-type research model developed by Brown and Venkatesh (2005) to verify the determining factors in intention to adopt a personal computer in household by American people, this study examines the determining factors in satisfaction of using high speed Internet in household by Canadian people. The methodology followed to conduct the study was the telephone survey research. Data were collected from 322 randomly selected Atlantic Canadian people using high speed Internet at home. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling software Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results got revealed that near from half of the variables examined in the study showed to be determining factors in satisfaction of using high speed Internet by people in household

Using UTAUT to identify the influencing factors on the use of ERP systems in medium- to large-sized Canadian enterprises

Individual acceptance and use of new technologies has been studied extensively over the last two decades. And, as more and more organizations move from functional to process-based information technology (IT) infrastructure and that enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are becoming one of today’s most widespread IT solutions to this movement, the research literature on ERP systems has exponentially grown in recent years. Effectively, the importance of the ERP industry to the professional information systems (IS) community is further underscored by projections indicating that it will be a $47.7 billion industry by 2011 (Jacobson et al., 2007). To study acceptance and use of ERP systems by enterprises and their employees, several models of technology adoption are used, including the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989), its successor the TAM2 (Venkatesh & Davis, 2000), a combination of TAM2 and the model of determinants of perceived ease of use, that is TAM3 (Venkatesh & Bala, 2008), as well as the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003). But, at our knowledge, acceptance and use of ERP systems has not been yet studied in medium- to large-sized Canadian enterprises. The aim of this study is then to fill this gap. Using UTAUT model, we gathered the feelings of middle managers and end-users in six medium- to large-sized enterprises from three Canadian countries in order to identify the influencing factors on their use of ERP systems. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling software Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results got highlight the key role of three independent variables (facilitating conditions, anxiety, and behavioral intention) and a moderator variable (age) of UTAUT model as influencing factors on the use of ERP systems in medium- to large-sized Canadian enterprises. The independent variable social influence can also play a less significant role (at p < 0.10) on the use of ERP systems

Integrating ICT into higher education: what onsite and online students are thinking about it

For the past two decades, information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed the ways professors teach and students learn. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions of onsite students (hybrid or blended mode) and of those taking the same courses on the Internet (online mode). To guide the study, a moderator-type theoretical research model was developed, out of which nine hypotheses were formulated. The model was tested in a field experiment. To collect data, we used a multimethod approach, that is, a Web survey involving open- and close-ended questions. The sample was formed of 313 onsite and online students from eight undergraduate and graduate courses offered at the Faculty of Administration of a large Canadian university. The quantitative data analysis was performed using a structural equation modeling software, that is, Partial Least Squares (PLS); the qualitative data were analyzed following a thematic structure using QSR NVivo. In this paper we present a summary of the quantitative results (close-ended questions) supported and enriched by the qualitative results of the students (open-ended questions)

Improving municipal information and knowledge management capabilities: case study

This study aims to better understand the process of knowledge management capabilities (KMC) development at the municipal context to assess its impact on organizational performance. This process is a part of organisational learning school that promotes organizational learning processes and knowledge accumulation that could be spread in time and in different levels of maturity. Thus, using the KMC maturity model (KMCMM) which has five levels of maturity, this study helps to better understand the phenomenon of KMC in the municipal context

Assessing KM capabilities in two African healthcare organizations: case study

Cette étude vise à mieux comprendre le processus de développement des capacités organisationnelles spécifiques à la gestion des connaissances (COSGC) dans le contexte des organisations de santé. Ce processus s’inscrit dans le cadre de l’école d’apprentissage (Cyert & March, 1963 ; Nelson & Winter, 1982 ; Burgelman, 1988 ; Cohen & Levinthal, 1990) qui favorise un processus d’apprentissage organisationnel et d’accumulation des connaissances pouvant s’étaler dans le temps et en plusieurs niveaux de maturité. Ainsi, à l’aide du modèle de maturité des COSGC qui présente cinq niveaux de maturité (Booto Ekionea, 2008), cette étude présente un diagnostic des COSGC de deux centres hospitaliers de l’Afrique subsaharienne. Enfin, soulignons que les conclusions de cette étude ne constituent pas une recherche quantitative, mais bien une étude qualitative qui vise la compréhension du phénomène de éveloppement des capacités organisationnelles spécifiques à la gestion des connaissances (COSGC), dans un contexte particulier, à l’aide de l’étude de cas

The influencing factors of using a mobile phone in Cameroon

Individual adoption of technology has been studied extensively in the workplace, but far less attention has been paid to adoption of technology in the household (Brown & Venkatesh, 2005). Obviously, the mobile phone is now integrated into our daily life. Indeed, according to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments grew about 1% annually to reach 362 million units in the second quarter of 2012 (Business Wire, 2012), that is, more than 1.5 billion units will be sold this year. In addition, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) inventoried 4.6 billion subscriptions in 2010, from which 57% come from the developing countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate the determining factors that make people around the world use the mobile phone. On the basis of the moderator-type research model developed by Brown and Venkatesh (2005) to verify the determining factors in intention to adopt a computer in the household by American people, this study examines the determining factors in the use of mobile phone in household by Cameroonian people. Data were randomly gathered from 505 Cameroonian people (from Yaounde and Douala; the two more important cities in Cameroon) who own a mobile phone. Data analysis was performed using the structural equation modeling software Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results revealed that half of the variables examined in the study were found to be determining factors in the use of mobile phone by Cameroonian people

Bioluminescent Genetically Encoded Glutamate Indicators for Molecular Imaging of Neuronal Activity.

Genetically encoded optical sensors and advancements in microscopy instrumentation and techniques have revolutionized the scientific toolbox available for probing complex biological processes such as release of specific neurotransmitters. Most genetically encoded optical sensors currently used are based on fluorescence and have been highly successful tools for single-cell imaging in superficial brain regions. However, there remains a need to develop new tools for reporting neuronal activity in vivo within deeper structures without the need for hardware such as lenses or fibers to be implanted within the brain. Our approach to this problem is to replace the fluorescent elements of the existing biosensors with bioluminescent elements. This eliminates the need of external light sources to illuminate the sensor, thus allowing deeper brain regions to be imaged noninvasively. Here, we report the development of the first genetically encoded neurotransmitter indicators based on bioluminescent light emission. These probes were optimized by high-throughput screening of linker libraries. The selected probes exhibit robust changes in light output in response to the extracellular presence of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. We expect this new approach to neurotransmitter indicator design to enable the engineering of specific bioluminescent probes for multiple additional neurotransmitters in the future, ultimately allowing neuroscientists to monitor activity associated with a specific neurotransmitter as it relates to behavior in a variety of neuronal and psychiatric disorders, among many other applications

Il meticciato nell'Italia contemporanea. Storia, memorie e cultura di massa.

L'idea diffusa degli "italiani brava gente" e della diversit\ue0 della nostra storia rispetto alla storia USA, segnata da razzismo istituzionale, si fonda sul silenziamento del passato coloniale e razzista italiano. Il ripudio della categoria di razza da parte dell'Italia repubblicana e la smentita scientifica dell'esistenza biologica della categoria non hanno cancellato la presenza della razza, formazione storico-culturale che paradossalmente esiste e non esiste. Priva di referenti oggettivi nella realt\ue0, la razza produce in essa effetti significativi, opera sia come categoria sociale e strumento di esclusione, sia come costruzione simbolica e istanza identitaria. A fronte del silenziamento del meticciato storico nell'uso pubblico della storia e nella memoria nazionali del secondo dopoguerra, il saggio sottolinea la presenza diffusa del meticciato nei prodotti della cultura di massa italiani contemporanei e ne indaga i significati con gli strumenti degli studi critici sulla razza e in prospettiva comparata tra Italia e Stati Uniti