INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE IN THE CONTEXT OF NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: AN INFORMATION SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE

With heightened global concern regarding climate change, poverty and hunger, natural resource management is becoming increasingly important. However, in many developing countries, the local custodians of natural resources are indigenous farmers who have been working the land for generations. Over time, they have built up a large amount of informal indigenous knowledge concerning sustainability in the local environment that could be disseminated more widely. This paper reviews previous research on indigenous knowledge and discusses the possible contributions that the disciplines of information systems and innovation studies could provide

The Role of IS in Islamic Banking: A Cultural Perspective

This research is located in the topic area of culture and information systems. It is set in the finance industry against the backdrop of globalisation. The particular focus is on the influence of Islamic culture on the role and development of information systems in Islamic banking. The notion of role is treated as a rich description of the behaviour and responsibilities of information systems. This research will use ANT (Actor Network Theory) to study the relevant actors i.e. humans and non-humans, heterogeneous networks and relationships that form the research area. An interpretive approach has been adopted for this work, using multiple case studies. The underlying theories and research design are discussed for this research in progress

APPROACHES TO COMPUTERIZATION IN SMALL BUSINESSES IN GREECE

It is widely recognized that IT has made considerable inroads into large organizations, such that the majority now rely on IT for their day-to-day operations. The position regarding small businesses is less clear as they face somewhat different opportunities and constraints. In particular, the approach to computerization in small firms in less developed national IT environments has received little attention in the literature. This paper reports on the results of a survey of the approaches adopted by small firms in Greece. The findings are analyzed in terms of previous experience with computers, factors influencing the decision to adopt IT, advice received, staff involvement in IS development, training, and problems encountered and the solutions adopted. The results are compared with an earlier study performed five years ago in order to identify recent trends

Investigate knowledge management technology implementation for supporting decision making in Ethiopian health sectors

Introduction: Knowledge management technology is a key tool for facilitating and improving the quality of health care delivery in hospitals. However, the use and implementation of this technology is not an easy task. This study aims to investigate a knowledge management technology implementation and use in Ethiopian hospitals, with a particular reference to Jimma University Specialized Hospital. Methodology: Information about challenges of knowledge management technology implementation was gathered using qualitative research methods, through conducting semi-structured interviews. Purposive sampling method was applied to select fifty-four participants from a well-defined population. Findings were first validated, according to published literature and research works, and then sorted into three main areas, such as current usage of KM technology to enhance and improve decision-making, factors affecting the implementation of KM technology Results: This study revealed that the overall level of KM technology implementation in Jimma University Specialized hospital is still low. Conclusion: Implementation and use of KM technology to improve the quality of hospital health services is needed. Thus, it suggested that hospital managers should make much more effort to develop a strategy and policy on the implementation and use of KM technology so that the hospital could improve the quality of healthcare services

The Impact of Interorganizational Information Systems on the Flexibility of Organizations

A number of studies have shown that although the utilization of interorganizational information systems (IOS) can contribute significantly to organizational flexibility, they do not provide equal benefits to all trading partners. Also, the emergence of new technologies and the increasing use of the Internet in business-to-business commerce challenge the viability of the traditional “hub and spoke” systems and affect the flexibility of the participating organizations. By conducting this study we will try to understand not only how the use of IOS affects flexibility, but also, how organizational, behavioral and political issues influence the application and use of technology. This paper argues that a better understanding of the aforementioned issues, could result by re-examining the notion of flexibility both from a business network and individual firm perspective, and proposes a research approach

Mutations in GATA2 cause primary lymphedema associated with a predisposition to acute myeloid leukemia (Emberger syndrome).

We report an allelic series of eight mutations in GATA2 underlying Emberger syndrome, an autosomal dominant primary lymphedema associated with a predisposition to acute myeloid leukemia. GATA2 is a transcription factor that plays an essential role in gene regulation during vascular development and hematopoietic differentiation. Our findings indicate that haploinsufficiency of GATA2 underlies primary lymphedema and predisposes to acute myeloid leukemia in this syndrome

Categories and order systems : Claude Parent and the Serving Library. Intersections of architecture, art and editorial design

This paper discusses the work of Claude Parent and The Serving Library, considering the critiques generated by their intersecting of architecture, art and editorial design. Through focus on the ways in which hosting environment, architecture and forms of expanded publishing can serve to dissolve disciplinary boundaries and activities of production, spectatorship and reception, it draws on the lineage of 1960s/70s Conceptual Art in considering these practices as a means through which to escape medium specificity and spatial confinement. Relationships between actual and virtual space are then read against this broadening of aesthetic ideas and the theory of critical modernity