Editorial Board Memberships: A Report on the Status of the Leading Information Systems Journals

Research journals play a significant role in the generation, dissemination, and sharing of knowledge in an academic discipline. To a great extent, the editorial board members of these research journals manage and control the generation, dissemination, and sharing of knowledge. They also act as policymakers, gatekeepers, and trendsetters. In their latter roles, editorial board members can influence several factors in a discipline; namely, the research topics, the research methods, the research scope, and whose articles are published. The primary goal of this study is to investigate and report on the status of the editorial boards memberships in a set of 14 leading Information Systems (IS) journals. The study does this along the following three main diversity elements namely titles, gender, academic institution, and the geographical location of the editorial boards’ members. The set of 14 journals include the IS basket of 8 journal list. Of the 14 reviewed journals, 7 are domiciled in the US and 7 in Europe. Results reveal a lack of common editorial board classification criteria whereby members of the editorial boards were categorized into different groups and referred to using various titles such as senior editors, associate editors, editorial board members, editorial review board members, and board of editors. Also, the results show that, as of June 2020, the 14 IS journals’ editorial boards had 1214 instances (988 unique occurrences) of editorial board members who came from 44 unique countries. Of those 988 editorial board members, 253 (26%) were females while 736 (74%) were males. In addition, out of the 988 editorial board members, 48% were from US and Canada, 26% were from Europe, and 26% were from the rest of the world. The results also reveal the schools and faculty with the highest number of editorial board memberships. Having a significant number of editorial board members from US and Europe (74%) fits with what Kubota (2019) called epistemological racism; a practice in which the Western world has an upper hand in determining and controlling knowledge and academic practices. Given the roles of the editorial boards in the review process and setting the research agenda for a journal, a more diverse editorial board might publish a more diverse research output. Furthermore, a more diverse editorial board is likely to have a repertoire of internal reviewers who speed up and lower the review process costs, which are challenges inherent in a less diverse editorial board

About Us and Not About Us: Theorizing Student Resistance to Learning about Race and Racism from Underrepresented Faculty

Three early-career scholars write across their experiences as underrepresented faculty who teach required diversity courses to future educators in a predominantly white, small, state college. The authors theorize student resistance to course material and to faculty of color teaching about race and racism in a series of tableaus of their classrooms. They examine the ways that students\u27 tactics of avoidance, consuming the Other, and I won\u27t learn from you are simultaneously \u27\u27about us and not about us, unmasking uneven assumptions about the role of diversity courses in teacher preparation programs

Household access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene in Kajiado County, Kenya

A cross-sectional study was carried out in Kajiado central, East, West and south sub-counties with women aged 18 to 49 years. Survey targeted 768 women of reproductive age. National access to safe water in Kenya is currently at 63% while sanitation lags behind at only 30%. From the survey, access to safe water was found to be 62.3% compared to county average of 66.2%. More than half of the households (59.2%) do not have access to a toilet facility with 98.4% of those without access to a toilet defecating in the bush (Open defecation). Hand washing practice was found to be at 95.3%. However, only 40.3% of the respondents use appropriate hand washing facilities. Access to safe water in the county is still low compared to the national averages. The survey revealed that communities in the county get their water from unsafe sources

Curing reduces postharvest deterioration of biozyme® produced potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum L.)

Potato is among food crops that are heavily relied upon for food security assurance worldwide. Potato tubers are consumed in their fresh form and therefore require proper storage to prolong their life after harvest. Being succulent, massive losses result if bruised, exposed to light and low relative humidity. The present experiment was conducted to find optimal conductions that prolong the shelf-life of potato tubers grown using the biomass and succulence enhancing Biozyme® Potatoes were grown in a split plot experiment, arranged in a randomized complete block design. The experiment was replicated three times and repeated once. Main plots were assigned to potato cultivar (Tigoni and Asante), while subplots were assigned to Biozyme® foliar feed rate (0, 125, 250, 500 and 750 ml/ha). Each subplot was planted with 28 seed potato tubers spaced at 30 cm x 70 cm in four rows. A distance of 1 m separated adjacent subplots and main plots. After harvesting, ware potato tubers, from each treatment, were divided into four groups for four postharvest handling regimes (Cured + Dark, Cured + Room, Not Cured + Dark, and Not Cured + Room Storage). Each postharvest regime had 20 tubers, replicated four times. Weight loss, shrinkage and rotting percentages increased, but firmness decreased with increase in Biozyme® rate. The deterioration was counteracted by Curing and Dark Storage of the potato tubers that reduced weight loss, shrinkage and rotting, but increased firmness. Thus, foliar-feeding potato plants with 500 ml/ha Biozyme® followed by Curing and Dark Storage of harvested tubers are recommended to ensure high potato tuber yields and effective reduction of premature postharvest deterioration of the tubers during storage. KEYWORDS : Firmness, Rotting, Shelf-life, Shrinkage, Tuber handling, Weight loss

Cost-efficient evaluation of ambulance services for community critical care transport needs in Machakos County, Kenya

Background: Machakos County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. In the current study performance of ambulance services were measured using indicators such as response time, on-scene time, clients’ satisfaction and cost-efficiency (technical).Objectives: To determine the cost-efficient ambulance services appropriate for community critical care transport needs in Machakos County.Design: Descriptive cross sectional study.Setting: Machakos County (Emergencies Services Department)Subjects: Publically financed ambulancesResults: Machakos has seventy Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances distributed among the 69 administrative locations (wards). A total of 12,674 victims were transported to different tares of hospital and referrals between March 2014 to May 2015. Victims requiring emergency obstetric care (EMOC) accounted for 24.7% of victims transported, road traffic accidents victims10.3% and the least were rape victims at 0.03%. The annual operational cost was Kshs. 70,328,627 (USD 717,639.05). Expenditure profiles indicated that staff wages accounted for 49% of total operational cost,overheads costs accounted for 33.5%, while office rent accounted for 1.36%. The mean unit cost per kilometer was Kshs. 30.9 (USD 0.32) and cost per victim transported by an ambulance was Kshs. 6,504 (USD 66.37). Key demand factors were social cultural and health seeking behaviours of residents. The supply barriers were transport costs, operational costs and in-efficient signage on roads for direction. The mean cost-efficiency (technical) of Machakos ambulance transport services was 90.6% (C.I 82.7% - 98.2%).Conclusion: Machakos County Government ambulance services was technically efficient operating

Factors influencing smallholder farmers’ inputs use in major bean production corridors in Kenya

This study analysed socio-economic determinants for inputs use in major bean corridors in Kenya. It comprised 417 respondents sampled from four major bean corridors. A structured questionnaire was used in data collection. Probit model was used to assess determinants of input use among the bean-farming households. From the results, 74% of respondents were male with a mean age of 48.6 years. The probability of using agricultural inputs increased with education level and income from crop sales. Fertilizer was mainly used in Bomet (73%) and Narok (74%) counties. Eighty-five percent planted recycled seeds. Education level and Income from crops positively influenced inputs use. It was concluded that education level, incomes from sale of crops, livestock and livestock products, and farm income influenced use of inputs. As a recommendation, Capacity building on merits of input use and promotion of public-private partnerships to strengthen input supply system would enhance increased input use by smallholder farmers.Keywords: Bean, inputs, determinants, Keny

A cost-benefit analysis of farmer based seed production for common bean in Kenya

Community based informal seed production has recently gained popularity as an alternative to the formal seed sector of disseminating new crop varieties including the common bean. This is because farmer produced seed is readily available and is more affordable by most farmers than certified seed. This study examined the profitability of farmer based common bean seed production in Kenya. The study used data collected from farmers and one seed company participating in seed multiplication. The principal finding was that farmer based common bean seed production was a profitable enterprise and was less sensitive to price fluctuations. Compared to certified common bean seed production, net profit margins were five times higher for certified common bean seed than for farmer based common bean seed production. With the current varieties, profitability depends on access to irrigation and good agronomy.Une production formelle de semences communautaires a r\ue9cemment gagn\ue9 la popularit\ue9 comme une alternative au secteur formel de semence de dissemination de nouvelles vari\ue9t\ue9s des cultures dont le haricot commun. Ceci se justifie par le fait que la semence produite par les fermiers est disponible et est plus abordable par la plupart de fermiers que la semence certifi\ue9e. Cette \ue9tude a examin\ue9 la profitabilit\ue9 de la production de semence par les fermiers au Kenya. Les donn\ue9es utilis\ue9es \ue9taient celles collect\ue9es chez les fermiers et dans une compagnie de multiplication de semence. Le principal r\ue9sultat \ue9tait que la production communautaire de semence de haricot commun \ue9tait une enterprise profitable et \ue9tait moins sensitive aux fluctuations des prix. En comparaison \ue0 la production certifi\ue9e de semence de haricot commun, les profits nets marginaux \ue9taient cinq fois plus \ue9lev\ue9s pour la semence du haricot commun certifi\ue9e que pour la production de m\ueame semence par les fermiers. Avec de vari\ue9t\ue9s actuelles, la profitabilit\ue9 d\ue9pends de l\u2019acc\ue8s \ue0 l\u2019irrigation et une bonne agronomie

Small seed packs, efficient approach to reach hard to reach in drought prone areas: experiences from Kenya

This study aimed to increase farmers’ access to certified bean seed in marginal/drought prone areas of Kenya. Beans are important food crop in Kenya and grown mainly by small scale farmers in drought prone areas. Access to certified seed of improved bean varieties is mainly through relief. Despite the presence of more than 70 seed companies operating in Kenya, only two companies market bean seed particularly to government and humanitarian organizations rather creating a sustainable seed market. One of the mentioned reasons is lack of business profitability and unreliable market in bean seed. In partnership with a seed company, NGO and public organizations, CIAT‐PABRA/KARI set up marketing trials to establish the affordability, marketability of small seed packs (100‐2000g) and how to sustain their supply. It was noted that during farmers’ meeting and field days, farmers particularly women prefer 100g (USD 0.13) and 250g (USD 0.66) while buying from agro‐dealers shops, farmers prefer between 500g (USD 1.05) ,1000 g (USD 1.91) and 2000g (USD 2.63) . While public organizations and CARD (NGO) sold 50% and 35% of their stocks respectively, the seed company through its agro-dealership sold almost 90% of its stocks. Small seed packs are useful tool to access certified seed ( of improved bean varieties to a large range of farmers (rich and poor and men or women) and also provide an opportunity to build private sector capacity in the dry land . For instance Dryland seed company has already started using small packs for beans, cowpeas, mungo beans and maize in 500g, 1kg and 2kg rather five kg packs