/pdf/the-hard-pressed-researcher-a-research-handbook-for-the-3gbeo0cpq8.pdf

The Hard-pressed Researcher: A Research Handbook for the Caring Professions

Studies have shown that any information and communication technology (ICT) intervention that improves the livelihoods of poor rural families is likely to have a significant impact (direct and indirect) on enhancing agricultural production, marketing, and post-harvest activities. Notable ICT services include: online information services; communication between researchers, extension (knowledge) workers, and farmers; updates on current market information; weather forecasting; input supplies; and credit availability. The lack of up-to-date ICTs can negatively affect information access and utilization among information users. The study sought to investigate the levels of ICT access and utilization by researchers and extension workers within the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development and how this affected the generation and dissemination of agricultural information among researchers and extension workers. Survey questionnaires were distributed to researchers at the various institutes ...

Access to and Utilization of Information and Communication Technologies by Agricultural Researchers and Extension Workers in Zimbabwe

Croatian university students' use and perception of electronic resources

When introducing the public e-services, Lebanese government predicted that it would reduce inequality between citizens (OMSAR 2002). But, the results of this research prove that it will not be the case. The introduction of the virtual channel of services delivery system will create a public e-services divide. In response to the research questions: “what is an e-services divide?” and “what are its antecedents and consequences?”, this cross-sectional explanatory research shows that the public e-services divide will separate citizen’s who have access to ICTs, who have the skills to use ICTs, and who accept to use public e-services from the others. The public e-services divide will result from the e-access divide, the e-skills divide, and from the public e-services acceptance divide. It will lead to a lower citizen’s satisfaction.

The Same Wine but in New Bottles: Public E-Services Divide and Low Citizens' Satisfaction: An Example from Lebanon

Over the past decade, African governments have followed the worldwide trends towards establishing egovernment with the aim of improving public service delivery to citizens through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) As a consequence, authors from academia, government departments and agencies, civil society, industry, non-governmental and international organizations have embarked into e-government research focusing on Africa However, the state of the art of egovernment research in Africa is poorly documented This study analyzes the status of e-government research in Africa A qualitative technique based on online searches and literature reviews is used to collect data that have addressed any aspect of e-government development in Africa Thereafter, the content analysis of the reviewed literature is performed The results of the study show: (1) the growth pattern of Africa e-government research within a period of 10 years from 2002 to 2012, (2) the issues addressed by the researchers on e-government development in Africa, (3) the African countries and regional participation in e-government research in Africa, and (4) the affiliation and expertise of authors undertaking research on e-government in Africa These results provide useful insights that might be of interest to African governments, industry and academia for the future development of e-government on the continent Also included in the paper is an annotated bibliography of e-government research

/pdf/african-e-government-research-landscape-4e1r1khe24.pdf

African E-Government Research Landscape

Today's online experience has literally added a new dimension to our information seeking activities, presenting users with a vast array of options. A considerable amount of information has migrated from the print world and is now available electronically. Thus a lot of people immediately associate the World Wide Web (WWW) with information and its related activities. This association partly prompted this study on the web information seeking behaviour of students and staff at the University of Zululand and the Durban University of Technology. Web information seeking generally raises new challenges within academic dispensations in different settings and in different ways. The selected institutions were assumed to be at different levels of development because of the country's (apartheid) history; the former institution is rural-based and the latter, urban-based, and it was thought that this would affect the uptake of ICTs. The objectives of the study were: i) To identify the web information needs of students and staff; ii) To determine how, when and where web information is sought; iii) To establish the channels used when searching the web for information; iv).

/pdf/a-comparative-analysis-of-the-web-information-seeking-5fmtk6gz56.pdf

A comparative analysis of the web information: seeking behaviour of students and staff at the university of zululand and the durban university of technology

Offering services electronically by government and public institutions is now common practice, and the terms ‘e-governance’ ,‘e-government’, ‘e-government services’ and ‘government e-services’ have become increasingly popular. This paper which is a prologue to the study investigating the availability of e-government services to rural KwaZulu Natal sought to explain what these terms mean in relation to e-government service provision in South Africa (SA), concluding with their implications on information delivery services. The paper was guided by observations and a literature review. In summary, users of information delivery services have become accustomed to receiving electronic services from the government through e-government and from business through e-commerce, and as such approach libraries with the same mindset. Undoubtedly, e-government is on the move in South Africa and e-government services are being accessed by citizens. The lessons that information delivery services (and libraries in particular) can draw from e-government services are based on two tenets: i) That e-government services are basically information services, and ii) That governments are responsible for providing quality services to the population. The implications noted in the paper can be grouped into the following categories: technological issues, access issues, service type, time, human skills, connectivity, content issues, media type and promotion issues, among others

/pdf/implications-of-e-government-on-information-delivery-4pw0mggvwy.pdf

Implications of e-government on information delivery services

Today’s online experience has literally added a new dimension to our information seeking activities, presenting users with a vast array of options. A considerable amount of information has migrated from the print world and is now available electronically. Thus, a lot of people immediately associate the World Wide Web (WWW) with information and its related activities. This association partly prompted this study of the Web-based information-seeking behaviour of students and staff at the University of Zululand (rural based) and the Durban University of Technology (urban based). The selected institutions were assumed to be at different levels of development because of the country’s history and the institutions’ locations. Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were employed in a survey. The main research instrument was a questionnaire, supported by limited interviews. The results show that the Web is a platform that people in academia have come to rely on, although only a few of its many channels are used significantly. A number of challenges were identified, chief among them being connectivity problems. Bandwidth was particularly problematic and made worse by the two institutions’ large student populations. Relevant infrastructure (computer laboratories, computers, etc.) seemed available, although inadequate. The study recommends comprehensive training programs that address the skills’ deficiencies noted. It is also necessary to institute mechanisms that improve both physical and intellectual access to Web resources.

Web Information Seeking Behaviour of Students and Staff in Rural and Urban Based Universities in South Africa: A Comparison Analysis

This study examined the extent to which public academic libraries in South Africa coped with the changing information environment by using competitive intelligence (CI) to attain competitiveness.,The study adopted positivism as the main philosophical lens and also incorporated qualitative elements to augment the quantitative data through a survey research design. Questionnaires were e-mailed to 25 directors of public academic libraries in South Africa and 17 were returned, yielding a 68% response rate. Attempts were made to reach to the 25 directors through semi-structured telephonic interviews, and only eight responded some through their representatives, yielding a 32% response rate. Using two instruments permitted the triangulation of data. A noted limitation of the study is that some library directors neither responded to the questionnaire nor the interview.,Findings revealed that various competitive intelligence techniques were employed; however, their implementation was not formalised. Competitiveness was driven by various factors such as rivalries in the information value chain; relevance; financial and budgetary constraints; changing user expectations and evolving technology.,This study is novel because there is a dearth of literature on implementation and use of competitive intelligence in academic libraries in South Africa.

Competitive intelligence as a coping strategy for academic libraries in South Africa

This article is based on a Masters study carried out at the University of Zululand in 2009. The study sought to determine the changes that had occurred between 2002 and 2009 with regards to how students and faculty used the Internet as an information source as well as their computer skills at the University of Zululand. In 2002 Mugwisi carried out similar study and Nkomo repeated the same study in 2009. The results of the two studies are compared in this article. The comparison between the two studies revealed that there was significant, positive infrastructure development between 2002 and 2009 in the form of computer laboratory venues, the quality of the computer facilities, and enhanced connectivity through increased bandwidth. Despite these improvements, there is limited exploitation of newer forms of Internet connectivity such as, wireless access. In addition student populations continue to grow, leading to overcrowding and thus putting serious strain on the network capacity especially during critical times when traffic is huge. The study recommends greater exploration of connectivity options in particular wireless technology to increase access; expanding access to student residences; the creation of hotspots on campus; and training of students and faculty as well as the need to plan for increasing number of faculty and students.

Differences in ICTs access and use by faculty and students at the University of Zululand : 2002 and 2009

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