Factors influencing electronic commerce adoption in developing countries: The case of Tanzania

Electronic commerce is rapidly replacing the old ways of doing business. Although many studies have been conducted on the adoption of various forms of e-commerce, there are few on this topic in African countries; in particular, there is no research on Tanzania. Therefore, this paper analyzes the factors determining e-commerce and their impact on its adoption in Tanzania. This paper extends the technology acceptance model (TAM) to an empirical study analyzing the factors influencing e-commerce adoption in Tanzania. A survey involving 111 respondents including Tanzanian government officers was conducted, and structural equation modeling was used to assess the model for the influence of three new factors: national policy initiatives, technology infrastructure, and trust in e-commerce adoption. The results show that technology infrastructure is an important factor in e-commerce adoption, and national policy initiatives are important in building online trust and improving technology infrastructure in Tanzania. Therefore, government policy makers need to encourage the presence of good technology infrastructure and build trust in e-commerce through national policy initiatives such as e-commerce promotion. Limitations of this paper are that the respondents are limited to people who have access to the Internet and some might not have enough knowledge about e-commerce. Further, the survey is conducted only in Tanzania; therefore, the results may differ in other African countries

Early Exposure of Infants to GI Nematodes Induces Th2 Dominant Immune Responses Which Are Unaffected by Periodic Anthelminthic Treatment

We have previously shown a reduction in anaemia and wasting malnutrition in infants <3 years old in Pemba Island, Zanzibar, following repeated anthelminthic treatment for the endemic gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm and Trichuris trichiura. In view of the low intensity of worm infections in this age group, this was unexpected, and it was proposed that immune responses to the worms rather than their direct effects may play a significant role in morbidity in infants and that anthelminthic treatment may alleviate such effects. Therefore, the primary aims of this study were to characterise the immune response to initial/early GI nematode infections in infants and the effects of anthelminthic treatment on such immune responses. The frequency and levels of Th1/Th2 cytokines (IL-5, IL-13, IFN-γ and IL-10) induced by the worms were evaluated in 666 infants aged 6–24 months using the Whole Blood Assay. Ascaris and hookworm antigens induced predominantly Th2 cytokine responses, and levels of IL-5 and IL-13 were significantly correlated. The frequencies and levels of responses were higher for both Ascaris positive and hookworm positive infants compared with worm negative individuals, but very few infants made Trichuris-specific cytokine responses. Infants treated every 3 months with mebendazole showed a significantly lower prevalence of infection compared with placebo-treated controls at one year following baseline. At follow-up, cytokine responses to Ascaris and hookworm antigens, which remained Th2 biased, were increased compared with baseline but were not significantly affected by treatment. However, blood eosinophil levels, which were elevated in worm-infected children, were significantly lower in treated children. Thus the effect of deworming in this age group on anaemia and wasting malnutrition, which were replicated in this study, could not be explained by modification of cytokine responses but may be related to eosinophil function