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

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

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

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