Emergence and Constraints of Enterprise Platform Silos for Online Interactions: A Case Study from Ghana Before and During Covid-19

The purpose of this study is to understand the emergence and constraints of enterprise platform silos for online interactions at the organizational level. Information systems (IS) research has focused more on external platforms without silos. As a result, not much is known about internal platforms and silos at the organizational level and how they constrain online interactions, especially in the developing economic context of Africa. This study follows an interpretive, qualitative case study methodology and the encounter-episode process model to investigate the case of using enterprise platform silos in an organization in Ghana, before and during Covid-19. The findings show how failure to modernize the installed-based platforms, integrate platform portfolios, use enterprise architecture, and build internal competence for platform integration leads to silos. Identified constraints include challenges with information sharing and transfer between platforms, manual intervention with delays and errors, and multiple sign-ins with different password formats per user

Beyond The Traditional \u27SME Challenges\u27 Discourse: A Historical Field Study Of A Dot.Com Failure In Ghana

To date the literatures on ebusiness have predominantly focussed upon cases within the developed world. That said, increasing attention is being given to this area in developing countries. However, this strand of work is further limited in that it focuses upon macro level issues of bringing countries ‘up to the level’ of the developed world in the context of discourses around the global knowledge economy. In this paper, we draw upon an interpretive historical field study to extend this body of work, focussing upon the isuses presented to a dot.com SME in Ghana. Current accounts of ebusiness failure tend to emphasise problems arising due to a lack of substance in business ideas, and in SME terms, issues associated with acquiring and maintaining the necessary resources, skills and technical expertise to keep the business going. In our case, the company did not significantly suffer from any of these issues. Moreover, whilst it experienced problems as a result of its geographical location it was ultimately a period of financial instability throughout Ghana that led to the company’s downfall. The findings of this study thus challenge some of the assumptions around SMEs and the capacity of those in developing countries to engage with technology

How FOSS Replaced Proprietary Software at a University: An Improvisation Perspective in a Low-income Country

The purpose of this study is to understand the rationale for and the process of replacing an imported proprietary higher education management software with a locally developed free and open source software (FOSS). Information Systems (IS) research on FOSS and higher education in low-income countries has focused more on teaching and learning. Less attention has thus been paid to the area of management and administration. Also, low-income country IS research on technology transfer has focused more on applications from the high-income world. Less research therefore exists on transfers between low-income countries. To address these research gaps, this study employs improvisation theory and interpretive case study methodology to investigate why and how a low-income country university replaced a proprietary higher education management software from another low-income country with a locally developed FOSS. The findings show that the university did so through improvisation to overcome the rigidity of the proprietary software and benefit from the flexibility of the FOSS. The study offers rich insight into how low-income country universities can deploy FOSS through improvisation to address design-actuality gap with imported proprietary software and also presents implications for research and practice

VIRTUALISATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRY HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: AN ACTIVITY THEORY PERSPECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to understand how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in developing countries virtualise their administrative work environment. Despite the increasing use of the internet and web technology to virtualise education and related activities, IS research on HEIs in both devel-oped and developing countries has focused more on learning environment and less on administrative work environment. Therefore, not much is known about how HEIs migrate from physical to virtual administrative work environment. Given this research gap, this study employs activity theory as ana-lytical lens and interpretive case study as the methodology to investigate the attempt by a developing country university to virtualise its administrative work environment. Although teaching and learning are the core activities of HEIs, administrative work provides the necessary support. It is thus im-portant that IS research in higher education pays attention not only to learning environment but also to administrative work environment. The study expects to draw specific implications and provide rich insight on how HEIs in developing countries virtualise their work environments

MIGRATING FROM PAPER-BASED TO ONLINE LECTURER EVALUATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRY HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: AN ACTIVITY THEORY PERSPECTIVE (27)

The purpose of this study is to understand how a developing country Higher Education Institution migrated its paper-based lecturer evaluation to an online one. Information systems research on lecturer evaluations has focussed more on the paper-based evaluations as well as the cost, benefits and factors that contribute to the evaluation process. Less attention has been paid to how online evaluation evolves from paper-based evaluations. To address this research gap, this study employs activity theory and an interpretive case study methodology to investigate how an online lecturer evaluation evolved. The findings show a contradiction within and between students, evaluations guidelines and tools of the lecturer evaluation activity system and how this was used as a source of development and how changes in the elements of the activity systems over time affected the evolution

THE ROLE OF CONTRADICTIONS AND NORMS IN HEALTH INSURANCE CLAIMS PLATFORMISATION: AN INTER-ORGANISATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

This study aims to understand the role of contradictions and norms in health insurance claims platformisation from an inter-organisation system perspective. The study is situated in a developing country context of Ghana. A growing body of information systems research on digital platforms as a vehicle to organise public healthcare exists and continues to evolve; however, the inter-organisational perspective has received little attention. Even less is the focus on the complex relationship between the health insurance sector and health care providers. This paper, therefore, applies a sociotechnical approach using activity theory as the analytical lens and qualitative interpretive case study as the methodology. It depicts how contradictions between the various levels of the activity system influence platformisation between organisations in the health system. The findings have implications for policy research and practice

Achieving Organizational Agility through Application Programming Interfaces: The Effect of Dynamic Capability and Institutional Forces

Digital platforms have contributed enormously to the success of businesses. Whereas the Information Systems literature is dominated by digital platform research, less is mentioned about Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), the fiber that connects digital platforms. Critically, the normative literature seems to be silent on how developing economy firms achieve agility through API integration. In addressing these research gaps, this research seeks first to investigate how developing economy firms achieve agility when they integrate APIs. Furthermore, the study aims to understand which forms of institutional forces enable or hinder the API integration process. Philosophically, this study will be approached from a critical realist perspective and will adopt a qualitative method of inquiry

UNPACKING THE ROLE OF POLITICAL-WILL IN DIGITAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT FOR SOCIOECONOMIC BENEFITS

As digital technology transforms many organisational alliances, new collaborative networks such as digital business ecosystems have emerged. In digital business ecosystems, participants leverage technological innovations to develop capabilities for value co-creation. Despite the growing number of studies, there is lack of research on how political-will facilitates development of digital business ecosystems. Therefore, this study develops a framework to explicate the role of political-will in the development of digital business ecosystems to achieve socioeconomic benefits. The findings show that political-will leads to provision of resources and legislative support as well as formulation of strategic initiatives required at the birth, expansion and maturity phases of digital business ecosystems to generate socioeconomic benefits such as (1) reduced corruption, (2) improved operational processes, (3) increased government revenue, (4) reduced bureaucracy and (5) improved transparency, fairness and accountability

Migrating from Physical to Virtual Administrative Work Environment: A Case Study of a Sub Saharan African Higher Education Institution

The purpose of this study is to understand how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) can migrate from physical to virtual administrative work environment. Information systems (IS) research on virtualness in HEIs has focused more on teaching and learning and less on administrative work. Therefore, a knowledge gap exists on virtual work environment and how it emerges. This study focuses on the experience of an HEI in using an off-shore consulting agent to virtualise its administrative work environment. The study uses an interpretive case study approach as the methodology and activity theory as the theoretical lens to trace the HEI’s attempt to virtualise the administrative work environment. The findings show how AT can explain IS development and implementation process through principal-agent relationship. This paper contributes to research and practice by offering critical insight into how HEIs in SSA can migrate from physical to virtual administrative work environment