Implementing an mHealth app to combat hypertension in India's vulnerable populations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina Green ◽  
Hope Koch ◽  
Peter Kulaba ◽  
Shelby L. Garner ◽  
Carolin Elizabeth George ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Cultural Humility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods Framework ◽  
Beneficiary Community ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Livelihoods Framework

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand how to build and implement information and communication technology (i.e. ICT) to help vulnerable people when significant social, cultural and economic barriers exist between the stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachThe authors followed an action research approach to design and implement a mobile health hypertension education application to help India's most vulnerable populations. The authors used interpretive analysis, guided by the sustainable livelihoods framework, to uncover key findings.FindingsSuccessfully implementing information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) requires understanding that all stakeholders (i.e. donors, facilitators and the beneficiaries) have important assets to contribute. Facilitators play an important role in connecting donors to the beneficiaries and fostering cultural humility in donors so that the donors will understand the role beneficiaries play in success. Stakeholders may use the ICT4D in unintended ways that both improve the people's health and increase some beneficiaries' financial livelihood.Research limitations/implicationsThis research expands the definition of information systems success when implementing ICT4D in resource-constrained environments. Success is more than creating an mHealth app that was easy for beneficiaries to use and where they learned based on a pre- and post-test statistical analysis. Success involved development in all the stakeholders impacted by the social innovation collaboration. For the beneficiary community, success included getting screened for noncommunicable diseases as a first step toward treatment. For the facilitator, success involved more resources for their community health program. Amongst the donors, success was a change in perspective and learning cultural humility.Practical implicationsAlthough universities encourage faculty to work in interdisciplinary research teams to address serious world problems, university researchers may have to exert considerable effort to secure contracts, approvals and payments. Unfortunately, universities may not reward this effort to build ICT4D and continue to evaluate faculty based on journal publications. When universities undertake social innovation collaborations, administrators should ensure responsive and flexible university processes as well as appropriate academic reward structures are in place. This need is heightened when collaborations involve international partners with limited resources and time needed to build relationships and understanding across cultures.Social implicationsThis study discovered the importance of fostering cultural humility as a way of avoiding potential conflicts that may arise from cultural and power differences. Cultural humility moves the focus of donor-beneficiary relationships away from getting comfortable with “them” to taking actions that develop relationships and address vulnerabilities (Fisher-Borne et al., 2015). This research shows how the facilitator helped the donor develop cultural humility by involving the donor in various initiatives with the beneficiary community including allowing the donor to live in a dormitory at the hospital, work in an urban slum and visit health screening campus.Originality/valueThis study (1) extends the ICT4D literature by incorporating cultural humility into the sustainable livelihoods framework, (2) provides a contextual understanding of developing cultural humility in ICT4D projects with a complex group of stakeholders and (3) describes how facilitators become a catalyst for change and a bridge to the community. The culturally humble approach suggests revising the livelihood framework to eliminate words like “the poor” to describe beneficiaries.

Reconsidering the digital divide: an analytical framework from access to appropriation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Ai-Chi Loh ◽  
Arul Chib
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Comprehensive Index ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Methodological Problems

PurposeThis paper presents a framework to measure the digital divide by considering a more comprehensive index of information and communication technology (ICT) predictors. The authors also address the conceptual and methodological problems in the digital divide field, given that its focus has been shifted from technological access to higher-order divides over the years. The proposed framework is hypothesized and tested in the context of unemployed and underemployed residents in Singapore.Design/methodology/approachThrough a quantitative survey, 302 unemployed and underemployed workers were asked what ICT “access”, “usage” and “appropriation” meant to them. Factor analyses were deployed to identify the underlying, granular dimensions of ICT access, usage and appropriation.FindingsThe factor analyses revealed an interesting breakdown of the main factors of ICT access, usage and appropriation. The authors found that one's purpose for which technology is accessed, used and appropriated determines how each of the levels of ICT assets is defined. Thus, the authors propose new operational definitions for ICT access, usage and appropriation based on the analyses.Originality/valueThis study aims to provide a more robust measure of the digital divide from access, capabilities to outcomes. The authors hope that this framework, besides complementing current digital divide models, can be applied to different types of participants.

scholarly journals Is it possible to share tacit knowledge using information and communication technology tools?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Delio Ignacio Castaneda ◽  
Paul Toulson
Keyword(s):  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This study aims to determine whether it is possible to use information and communication technology (ICT) tools to share tacit knowledge. Few studies have considered this subject, and they have reported both the ineffectiveness and effectiveness of ICT tools for sharing tacit knowledge. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the participants comprised 217 knowledge workers from New Zealand and researchers who attended a knowledge management conference in the UK. In all, 59% of the sample was men and 41% women. The research model compared the scores of knowledge workers in two categories of ICT, those that allow dialogue and those that do not, in relation to knowledge sharing in organizations. The instrument used a Likert scale with five levels of response. Findings It was found that not all ICT technologies let tacit knowledge to be shared, but those ICT that facilitate dialogue, for example, text messaging and video conferences. Emails did not facilitate the exchange of tacit knowledge. Research limitations/implications It is suggested to replicate the study with different countries to evaluate the role of culture in the communication of tacit knowledge. Practical implications An implication for practitioners based on this study is that email should not be the preferred mode for transferring knowledge between an organization and their workers. This mode is adequate for the exchange of explicit knowledge, but it has a limited capacity for transferring tacit knowledge. Thus, organizations may increase the use of audio and video tools to transfer electronically tacit knowledge. Interaction or socialization may facilitate the understanding and internalization of tacit knowledge by workers. Originality/value This study contributed to understand the reason for contradictory results from previous research. ICT tools are effective to share tacit knowledge when they facilitate dialogue. Results also support practitioners about how to obtain more effective exchange of tacit knowledge in organizations.

The effect of information and communication technology on economic output

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-242
Author(s):  
Keshmeer Makun ◽  
Swastika Devi
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Output Growth ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Output ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Fiji Islands ◽  
Information And Communication

Purpose Information and communication technology (ICT) appears to play an indispensable task in influencing and directing the growth process of several developing countries. The spread of ICT in the South Pacific region including Fiji has facilitated faster and smother business in different sectors of the economy such as banking, education, transport and tourism. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to empirical literature and explore the effect of ICT on economic output, both in the short run and long run in the Fiji Islands. Design/methodology/approach The economic analysis was conducted using data from 1990 to 2016, improved framework of Solow (1956) and the autoregressive distributed-lag bounds approach to cointegration. Findings from the study and economic standpoint, the ICT is indeed important. The analysis shows an indication of long-run cointegration relationship among the variables for the two indicators of ICT. From the analysis, it is also observed that the two ICT indicators have a statistically significant and positive effect on output with coefficient ranging from 0.04 to 0.06. Research limitations/implications These results extend the ICT literature by providing support for it in case of a small developing island economy. The study highlights that while the two proxies of ICT are important for long term output growth, besides broad money and capital stock, the principal technology contributor is a mobile cellular subscription in Fiji Islands. Practical implications The policymakers need to work diligently to not only enhance ICT related infrastructure but also focus on better services and communication in different sectors of the economy. The efficient use of present technologies such as 3-G and 4-G is crucial and must be connected and made available to other smaller islands of Fiji. Originality/value The recent study has focused on the contribution of ICT on small island developing country, relative to large developing or developed countries. Furthermore, the author examined the contribution of two indicators of ICT using Solow (1956) augmented framework.

Linking transformational leadership with employees’ engagement in the creative process

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 837-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tahlil Azim ◽  
Luo Fan ◽  
Md. Aftab Uddin ◽  
Munshi Muhammad Abdul Kader Jilani ◽  
Sumayya Begum
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Transformational Leadership ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technology Firms ◽  
Information And Communication

Purpose Given that individual creativity is a critical element to achieving organizational competitiveness, the purpose of this study is to attempt to investigate how transformational leadership (TL) drives employee creative process engagement (CPE) by improving their creative self-efficacy (CSE). Design/methodology/approach Analysis has been performed based on 194 responses from information and communication technology firms using a cross-sectional survey design. The study follows a deductive research approach to test the hypotheses. It uses SmartPLS2 and IBM SPSS 21 for a structural equation model. Findings The investigation finds that TL significantly predicts CPE, and CSE partially mediates the TL–CPE relationship. The result demonstrates that TL shapes an organizational climate conducive to the employees’ CPE by building employees’ self-efficacy. Research limitations/implications The study sample was drawn from a single sector of the Bangladeshi economy. The sampling design represents a limitation, for which the findings cannot be broadly generalized. Replications and augmentations of the study in various industrial areas will help test the robustness and generalizability of the discoveries. Practical implications TL and CPE are desirable organizational outcomes across all cultures. From a practical standpoint, the outcomes demonstrate that TL is linked to CPE and CSE among information and communication technology employees. This study extends the appropriateness of CSE into Asian countries. Notably, it provides additional insight into a contemporary TL model that can unequivocally impact leadership development in the Bangladeshi information and communication technology firms. Managers or chief executive officers in the small and medium enterprises are expected to exhibit TL attributes by designing a supportive organizational climate that will motivate employees to exhibit creative activities. Social implications TL transforms employees’ psychological state to get them to engage in creative processes, benefiting the organizational stakeholders by their unconventional creative behavior. The TL-driven innovative outcome through employees’ CPE contributes to the development of social well-being. Originality/value This paper adds significance to the extant literature regarding the determinants of the mediating impact of CSE on TL and CPE from the viewpoints of information and communication technology firms, particularly from developing countries, such as Bangladesh. It also contributes to reconcile the findings of the previous studies around the globe in both developed and developing countries.

Theory of advice as an information object targeted at an unmade decision

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 212-230
Author(s):  
Allen J. Flynn
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Object ◽  
Advice Giving ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Scientific Fields

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advance an understanding of the concept of advice and its relationship to documents, information and knowledge. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual analysis of a sample of 48 relevant advice studies and two books, directly informed by documentation and information theories, was conducted to find out how researchers have approached advice conceptually since 1940. Further gains in understanding advice came from analyzing its relationship with environmental uncertainty. Findings Researchers have studied advice in the context of human-human, machine-machine and information and communication technology-intermediated interactions. Advice has been conceptualized and categorized in many different ways. Over time, conceptualizations of advice have broadened and become more general. In this light, it is theorized that advice is as an information object targeted at an unmade decision. This conceptualization of advice permits situated and momentary advice documents. A newly developed content-based framework of advice leads to an advice typology with four content-based categories of best possible advice: correct answers, probabilities, possibilities, and acknowledgments of the unknown. Research limitations/implications The refined advice theory, content-based advice framework and related typology of advice contributed here are small steps toward improved clarity about the nature of advice. These findings are limited in their focus to advice theory and advice categorization. Practical implications Scholars, practitioners and information system developers may reconsider advice theory and make use of the content-based framework and related advice typology in their work. These contributions will help advice-givers and the developers of advice-giving information systems and advice networks to provide better advice. Originality/value This paper fills a need for a clear and straightforward overall conceptualization of advice that accounts for advice documents and is informed by how advice has been previously conceptualized in multiple scientific fields.

scholarly journals Navigating the tensions in environmental innovation: a paradox perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Di Paola ◽  
Tiziana Russo Spena
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Environmental Innovation ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Specific Attribute ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the hybrid nature and scope of environmental innovation (EI) by assuming a paradox perspective and developing it empirically. Specifically, the authors raise the questions of how the opposite elements of EI characteristics can be arranged and combined to generate benefits for companies and markets.Design/methodology/approachA fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is conducted to analyse European companies operating in telecommunications and in information and communication technology (ICT). This method helps us interpret the complexity occurring in the real world, in which the contribution of a specific attribute to the outcome might change according to other interacting and concurring aspects.FindingsBy recognising the conflicting aspects inherent to the complexity of EI, this study addresses how these tensions can be embraced. Specifically, the paradox logic is proposed to open EI strategy to a “both-and” perspective, with the purpose of making EI goals concretely feasible and integrated into a holistic view.Practical implicationsParadoxical resolution denotes purposeful iterations between alternatives to ensure simultaneous attention to them over time. A paradox logic can support managers in making the EI strategy more workable and reconciling the extremes as well as possible.Originality/valueThis study unpacks the multiple enactments of EI by exploring the factors enabling integrated EI benefits. By adopting a paradox approach, the EI strategy may be interpreted in a “both-and” perspective, allowing firms to concretely achieve integrated EI benefits.

scholarly journals Empowering front office employees with counseling affordances

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Giesbrecht ◽  
Birgit Schenk ◽  
Gerhard Schwabe
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
German City ◽  
Role Of Information

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the face-to-face citizen service encounter in public administrations’ front offices, and present a novel qualification approach to empower service personnel on-the-job, and thereby deepen the knowledge on the role of information and communication technology for advancing governmental reforms. Design/methodology/approach – The presented study follows a design science research methodology, conducted in collaboration with the public administration of a major German city. Data were collected using multiple quantitative and qualitative methods, including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and video analysis. Findings – A novel on-the-job qualification approach for empowering public employees in their job-related skills, building on the concept of affordances, is developed. Thereto, six design principles for equipping artifacts with counseling affordances are presented. Evaluations in real-world environments provide first evidence that “learning with counseling affordances” constitutes an effective qualification measure to initiate experiential learning on-the-job, helping employees in the resource-restricted work environment of public front offices to obtain the skills to provide superior advisory services. Research limitations/implications – The “learning with counseling affordances” approach was developed in collaboration with an individual major German city and the paper provides first evidence of its effectiveness and suitability. Hence, the study’s insights should be approved by further research to strengthen generalizability. Originality/value – The paper highlights the previously neglected aspects of employee’s skills and qualification for promoting governmental transformation. By highlighting the beneficial relationship between affordances and on-the-job learning, the paper provides novel insights on the role of information and communication technology to promote governmental transformation.

The impact of information and communication technology on real estate agency in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theophilus Olugbenga Babatunde ◽  
Cyril Ayodele Ajayi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Estate Agency ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) on real estate agency transactions with a view to determine its influence on the performance of estate agents. Design/methodology/approach A research approach in which questionnaire was administered to elicit relevant information from 220 practicing Estate Surveyors and Valuers surveyed in the course of the study. Data collected were analysed using mean ranking, relative influence index and analysis of variance. Findings The results showed that the use of ICT impacted positively on real estate agency transactions by promoting company’s brand thereby increasing the level of patronage. Consequently, the increased level of patronage signifies an increase in the level of income of the agents. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to social media applications otherwise referred to as ICT, which are used in real estate agency transactions. Further study on other ICT media and their effects on more areas of real estate practice in the developing economy may be required. Originality/value This paper is one of the few works on the impact of ICT on real estate agency transactions with particular reference to the social media networking especially in an emerging economy. Most of the previous studies conducted on ICT and real estate focussed only on internet use with respect to real estate agents and practices.

The impact of information and communication technology on retail property in Malaysia

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Najib Razali ◽  
Rohana Abdul Rahman ◽  
Yasmin Mohd Adnan ◽  
Azlina Mohd. Yassin
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real Estate ◽  
Property Companies ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Retail Property ◽  
Retail Impact ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of using information and communication technology (ICT) on retail property in Malaysia. It also examines what listed property companies perceive in terms of the implications of using ICT in the retail property sector in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from sample surveys completed by 79 property companies listed on the Bursa Malaysia (formerly known as the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange). An ICT retail impact matrix was then developed to assess the significance of ICT on retail property in Malaysia. Findings – The findings of the study revealed that ICT would have only a minor impact on retail property in Malaysia and that there would still be a need for the traditional means of conducting a retail property business. It also found that the listed property companies were ready to implement ICT applications and that the demand for retail property would still increase in Malaysia in the future. Research limitations/implications – Only 66 percent of listed property companies in Malaysia (the respondents) participated in the study. Originality/value – This paper seeks to look at the impact ICT has on retail property in Malaysia. For this purpose, an ICT retail impact matrix was developed to assess this impact. As such, this study will be used as a benchmark for future ICT studies relating to retail property and the real estate sector in Malaysia.

Family involvement and the impact of information and communication technology on performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Felicitas Gargallo Castel ◽  
Carmen Galve Górriz
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Family Involvement ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderated effect of family involvement on the relationship between information and communication technology (ICT) and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach According to agency and transaction cost theories, distinctive family business characteristics provide a unique context that favours a more efficient use of ICT. The authors perform a multivariate analysis that includes the moderating effect of family involvement and considers the possible endogeneity of the ICT variable. Findings The results, using a large panel of Spanish manufacturing firms, confirm the importance of family involvement for explaining differences in terms of the impact of this technology in family and non-family businesses. The relationship between ICT and performance is stronger for family firms than for non-family firms. Research implications The paper provides new evidence for the academic literature on ICT impact and family firms. It corroborates the importance of using an organizational perspective to explain differences in the effect of ICT on performance. Practical implications Family firms should understand the opportunities that family involvement offers regarding ICT impact on performance, and exploit this moderating effect to achieve competitive advantages. Originality/value No previous studies deal with the impact of family involvement on ICT-performance analysis. This study fills this gap and increases the understanding of how family business involvement moderates the ICT-performance relationship.

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