Information And Communication Technologies Issues Research Articles

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on eHealth Use in the Daily Practice and Life of Dutch-Speaking General Practitioners in Belgium: Qualitative Study With Semistructured Interviews.

The COVID-19 crisis has led to rapid and far-reaching changes in digital health care, but little is known about what, why, and how changes occurred in eHealth use in Flemish general practice during the pandemic. This study aims to understand how general practitioners (GPs) perceive and evaluate eHealth solutions and their eHealth experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study was conducted using in-depth 1-on-1 semistructured interviews with the help of an interview guide. Several areas were identified beforehand to help assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: perceptions of digital technologies in GP practices; changes in the use of these technologies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic; GPs' adaptation to digitalization, benefits, risks, and challenges of eHealth; GPs motivations to change practice; and future perspectives on eHealth. In this study, purposive sampling and snowballing methods were used. Between October 2021 and April 2022, we interviewed 15 Dutch-speaking GPs in the Flemish region via the Zoom online conferencing tool. GPs indicated that eHealth was used more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic than before, a change that helped them reduce their workload, enabling greater accessibility to health care services and the complementary use of digital and physical consultations. Our findings suggest that physicians underwent a significant cognitive shift in their perceptions, causing them to be more open and prepared to adopt eHealth solutions. However, there remains significant doubt and uncertainty about digital literacy for certain groups, privacy, data security, reimbursement, and the burden of technical information and communication technologies (ICT) issues. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have been a turning point for eHealth by Flemish GPs. eHealth is an essential complementary health care service that can reduce pressure on health care as well as increase health care accessibility. Sensitive aspects, such as privacy, data security, digital literacy, reimbursement, and the burden of technical ICT issues, are particularly emphasized. With our results, we can offer recommendations to health IT policymakers and developers that will help maintain the continuity of eHealth solutions beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, considering the expectations and sensitivities presented in the study.

Propensity‐matched comparisons of factors negatively affecting research activities during the COVID‐19 pandemic between nursing researchers working in academic and clinical settings in Japan

AimTo determine the factors associated with reduced research activities during the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020 by comparing nursing researchers working in academic and clinical settings.MethodsThis was a secondary analysis of data collected by the Japan Academy of Nursing Sciences, which conducted a cross‐sectional online survey when the pandemic began. We included respondents who worked in either academic or clinical settings and responded that the pandemic negatively affected their research activities. First, we computed a propensity score (PS) using a logistic regression model. Then we performed a one‐to‐one ratio matching between the groups based on the PS to control imbalances between the groups. We identified the factors negatively affecting research activities and who to consult about research concerns by comparing the groups using Chi‐square or Fisher's exact tests.ResultsThere were 1,532 participants, with a response rate of 16.1%. After PS matching, 214 participants (107 for each group) were included. We identified three significant factors associated with reduced research activities: (i) time required for learning new information and communication technology (ICT) skills; (ii) time required for supporting colleagues with ICT issues; and (iii) time required for preparing and evaluating teaching materials. Approximately 20% of our participants in both settings had nobody to consult regarding research concerns.ConclusionWe found that the time spent on ICT‐related issues negatively affected the research activities of nursing researchers when the pandemic began in Japan. In such an emergency, nursing researchers needed an opportunity to share their difficulties as a part of a support service.

Teachers’ perceptions of ICT issues in education: an approximation by gender and region in Mexico

Purpose The aim of this study is to analyse teachers’ perceptions of information and communication technologies (ICT) and the effect they have on their students, comparing male and female teachers in rural and urban areas of Mexico. Design/methodology/approach This is a quantitative study with a validated questionnaire that records the perception of school teachers from a state in the northeast of Mexico. The questionnaire was designed by interviewing 20 teachers who have had problematic situations in the use of technology by students. The main problems that were perceived in their students were cyberbullying, cyberviolence, online pornography, excessive use of videogames and also lack of ability to use digital technology. Hypothesis testing was applied to identify differences between gender (female or male) and region (rural or urban), considering these problems and the efforts made by the school to address these issues. Findings Both the gender of the teaching staff and the region where the school is located are variables that are influencing the willingness to incorporate ICT issues that are affecting the well-being of students into the educational agenda. While teachers are the main actors in preparing their students on how to face these challenges, students in schools with mostly male teachers, or located in rural areas, will be in a situation of greater vulnerability to be victims of the problems that arise as part of ICT risks in a digital society Research limitations/implications This article only offers a first approach to ICT and teachers’ perceptions. It is necessary to broaden the scope of this type of research to include different educational contexts and to ask questions that reveal in greater detail how schools are dealing with ICT and its possible risks and the factors that have influenced the successes or failures they are having in these attempts. Practical implications This finding can help schools to promote programs focused to apply ICT for student flourishment and help them to deal with the risk that digital technology is generating in young students. Originality/value Although multiple research have been conducted to address teachers’ perception about diverse topics, there has been no specific research on the self-perception of teachers in dealing with technology and preparing students for the problems presented by ICT and its risks. This research contributes to the literature on the impact that teachers’ perceptions can have on the adoption of technology in education, and how this can be different by gender and region.

Supply Chain and ICT Issues of Estonia: Survey Findings.

Logistics and supply chain management are critical for economic sustainability. In this research, we aim to identify the most critical factors to logistics and supply chain performance for a small open economy by reporting survey results from Estonian manufacturing, trading and logistics service companies. By comparing survey results from 2012 and 2018, we also analyze how these critical factors may have changed during the last years. In the survey, the significance of competitiveness, functionality of logistics, and information and communication technologies (ICT) among others were included. The results indicate that the importance of factors such as purchasing, demand forecasting and operations planning have increased. Overall, purchasing and demand forecasting are considered more important than other factors. Surprisingly, logistics was considered less vital in 2018 than in 2012. Most of the current challenges in companies arise from demand management (forecasting and planning), increasing labour costs and regulatory changes. On ICT side change has been from traditional communications more towards digital, and especially using specific platforms (portals, intranet/extranet).

ICT Usage/Habits for Teaching and Learning at Njala University

The study provides, a ‘Survey Questionnaire’ that was developed to investigate ICT usage/habits, perceived ICT competency, and related ICT issues that affect University students and Lecturers at Njala University. A descriptive survey method was used because it allows the researcher to pose a series of questions to willing participants, summarize their responses with percentages, frequency counts, or more rigorous statistics, and draw inferences about a particular population from the responses of the selected sample size. The main focus of this research is to ascertain Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Lab Usage/Habits at COMAHS. More specifically, this research aims at assessing the user habits of digital media, primarily computers, tablets, smart phones and internet in order to facilitate teaching and learning at this tertiary institution. The primary data collection instrument for the study is going to be a survey questionnaire: Students and Lecturers ICT Lab ‘Usage/Habit’ and Perceived Competencies inventory adapted from Bassey et al. (2007). The questionnaire was structured into nine sections. Section A elicited demographic details such a department, gender, age, and academic level of the respondents. Section B examined the level of ICT usage habits of respondents. Section C required the respondents to rate their perceived ICT access to computers. Section D required the respondents to rate ICT usage and ICT tools. Section E examined the level of sustainability and availability of ICT resources. Section F required the respondents to rate or assessed the significance of ICT. Section G required the respondents to rate the use of ICT at home and other places. Section H required the respondent to rate the use of ICT and activities NOT related and RELATED to University work. And Section I examined the ICT for learning as key platform for educational development. The reliability of the instrument was calculated using the Cronbach's alpha formula. The data collected was mainly presented by the use of quantitative statistical methods. Data from the open-ended questions were analyzed by indicating the magnitude of responses viz-a-viz the total number of respondents to a particular option in a question. The responses from the structured questions were computed into frequency counts, percentages and charts. All the responses were summarized and tabulated for easy presentation, analysis and interpretation. However, the researcher further provides some recommendations that will facilitate the implementation of the research work.

The Impacts of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Rural Industrial Units of Hamedan County

Extended Abstract 1. INTRODUCTION Today a major part of the world's population lives in rural areas and to provide welfare and poverty alleviation in these communities, rural sustainability and maintenance is considered as one of the rural development goals in recent decades. Therefore, to achieve dynamicity and welfare in villages, new technologies should be addressed in the rural communities. At present, information and communication technology (ICT) is growing worldwide and the effects of applying this technology in various fields, especially small businesses has been revealed more than past. Furthermore, access and use of new technologies, especially information and communication technologies should be seriously considered for a better rural life. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of information and communication technologies in industrial units located in rural areas of Hamadan city. 2. METHODOLOGY The present study is an applied research which is done by a descriptive-surveying method. The most important independent variables in this study were industrial units' access to ICT in rural areas, the rural business type, discipline, education, participation in training courses related to ICT, and the familiarity to the software. Meanwhile, the dependent variables were economic impacts, social impacts, training-skill effects, customer satisfaction, and marketing. The research population included all 205 active units located in rural areas of Hamadan city in 2014. Sample selection was done through Cochran's formula and a number of 125 samples were calculated. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by specialists. Its reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. In order to analyze the data, one sample t-test, F test, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used. 3. DISCUSSION Results about the extent of ICT's impact on industrial units in rural areas showed that the highest rate of ICT impacts were related to the variables like optimum use from time, reducing administrative costs, reducing the human costs, better data processing and financial transactions. The results about barriers to ICT use showed that lack of managers' computer experience and knowledge, people and officials' unfamiliarity with ICT functions, lack of managers' knowledge about modern technologies, lack of training courses about ICT issues for staff were the most important obstacles for using ICT in industrial units of rural areas. Findings revealed that the highest impacts of ICT in industrial units have been regarded as increasing revenue and marketing while the social and customer satisfaction impacts of ICT were relatively lower than other variables. The results showed a significant relationship between the ICT's knowledge of employees with and the amount of ICT usage in these units. The results also showed a significant relationship between both employees' education and their participation in training courses with use of ICT in industrial units, but there was no significant relationship between the use of ICT and some independent variables such as age, experience, and discipline. 4. CONCLUSION The results show that the use of ICT has been effective in increasing income and reducing small businesses' costs. Therefore, it is recommended, to better produce and better compete in industrial units, more attention should be given and more measures should be developed for using the ICTs. Based on the results of the present study, the use of ICT has been effective on customer satisfaction as well as small businesses marketing. It is therefore recommended that to make these units more active with each other and strengthen their interaction with customers, necessary financial support and facilities should be available to improve information and communication infrastructures. The results showed that people who participated in training courses used and addressed ICT more than other employees. Therefore, it is recommended that the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, as well as all other relevant institutes encourage more training courses related to information and communication technologies for both managers and employees in rural industrial units. Despite the importance of the industrial units in the rural areas, the use of ICTs, how to use these technologies and their effects on the industrial units have not been considered and studied in Iran, yet. The originality of this research is to find answers to such questions as what effects the use of ICT have on reducing costs, increasing revenue, improving marketing, and purchasing industrial products. The results of this research may be used by authorities and policy-makers on rural development and ICT both in Iran and other nations that have similar situations.

Requirements for cloud-based BIM governance solutions to facilitate team collaboration in construction projects

Construction projects involve multi-disciplinary and multi-actor collaborations that generate massive amounts of data over their lifecycle. Data are often sensitive, and embody rights, ownership and intellectual property of the creator. Managing project information raises concerns about security, inconsistency and loss of data. Conventional approach of dealing with the complexities of data management involves the adoption of BIM based solutions that lack suitable means for the governance of collaboration, and access and archival of managed data. To overcome the limitations of BIM, Cloud-based governance solutions have been suggested as a way forward. However, there is a lack of understanding of construction ICT (Information and Communication Technology) practices from the perspectives of data management and governance. This paper aims to fill this gap; first, by exploring barriers related to BIM adoption and collaboration practices, in particular, issues related to data management and governance that can potentially be ameliorated with Cloud technologies, and second, by identifying key requirements for Cloud-based BIM governance solutions. A structured questionnaire was conducted among informed construction practitioners in this study. The findings reveal several barriers to BIM adoption alongside ICT and collaboration issues with an urgent need to develop a BIM governance solution underpinned by cloud technology. Further, a number of important requirements for developing BIM governance solutions have been identified.

An Integrated Framework of Knowledge Transfer and ICT Issues in Co-creation Value Networks

In dynamic value networks (VNs), knowledge serves as a basis for close collaboration of actors (i.e. firms with their partners and customers) to enhance co-creation of integrated solutions. In order to provide a technical foundation for seamless knowledge transfer among actors, VNs require distributed and interoperable intra- and inter-organizational knowledge management systems (KMS), which rely largely on advanced information and communication technology (ICT). KMS cannot be seen as stand-alone information systems but should address a variety of issues (e.g. organizational or social issues) in relation to knowledge management. Therefore, the new generation of such complex systems, appropriate for VNs, must deal with this variety of issues, ranging from merely business-oriented to pure technologically-oriented issues. Although scholars have studied knowledge transfer and ICT issues in VN settings, their insights and results remain fragmented because of the diverse research efforts from different perspectives (either from a more business or a more technical perspective). This necessitates that a broader perspective needs to be established. This study endeavors to address simultaneously potential issues of both knowledge transfer and ICT in a VN by developing a comprehensive integrated framework. The development of the framework is based on a three-step methodology which comprises the exploration and classification of generic ICT issues in a VN setting, and subsequently integrating knowledge transfer issues with ICT issues. The proposed integrated framework provides a well-structured theoretical basis for future KMS requirement engineering in VN environments.

Information 2.0: New Models of Information Production, Distribution and Consumption, 2nd Edition. Martin De Saulles.

Information 2.0: New Models of Information Production, Distribution and Consumption, 2nd Edition. Martin De Saulles. London: Facet Publishing. 2015. x + 164 pages. ISBN: 978-1-78330-009-9. Price: £49.95, US$95.00. Martin De Saulles provides a concise, yet relatively wide-ranging, overview of the enduring issues and current crises in information and communication technologies (ICT) in Information 2.0: New Models of Information Production, Distribution and Consumption . Keenly aware of the rapidly shifting landscape of ICT, his book examines the diverse types of information created and consumed today; the role of data in society, from personal uses to mass governmental and business initiatives; the history of information technology over the past half century; and the exponentially expanding networks of corporate and governmental actors that control the access and management of ICT. And throughout, he analyzes the role of librarians and information professionals in addressing these myriad ICT issues, and the new possibilities … green19{at}illinois.edu

Backing environmental innovations through information technology adoption. Empirical analyses of innovation-related complementarity in firms

The paper tests empirically whether various types of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption and other innovation practices (techno-organisational change and training courses) are complementary inputs with respect to the adoption of specific environmental innovations (EI). The analysis is based on original survey data for a large industrial Italian region (Emilia-Romagna), which offer various views on ICT and EI relationships. This survey contains information on the adoption of environmental innovations and some detailed information on ICT issues and other technological-organisational processes. Our main findings suggest that, overall, complementarity does not seem to characterize the relationship between ICT and other innova-tion processes as a force behind environmental innovation, but some important exceptions emerge. Complementarities exists, for instance, between technological innovation and both adoption of ICT management systems and ICT for cooperation with clients. Interestingly, restricting the analysis to a sub-sample of more polluting firm, both complementarity and substitutability emerge more evidently.

A framework for Information and Communication Technology integration in schools through teacher professional development

The demands of the twenty-first century require effective and sustainable use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education. Various ICT strategies and initiatives across South Africa have not resulted in system-wide, sustainable ICT integration in schools. Although the roles of principals are acknowledged in educational management, the question remains how principals influence teachers' effective and sustainable integration of ICT through teacher professional development (TPD). A matrix of theoretical criteria selected seven participants across diverse contexts. In-depth interviews produced an integrated dataset that revealed principals' patterns of influence, their perceptions and experiences, their leadership and management styles, their attitudes towards ICT integration, their knowledge on related ICT and related TPD issues, as well as their strategic thinking on ICT integration. The proposed theoretical framework illustrates the interrelatedness of aspects that influence principals' leadership through open distance learning.

Information and Communication Technology in Transition Economies: An Assessment of Research Trends

In this paper we assess the publication base and the research trends in information and communication technology (ICT) specifically in transition economies. We limit our analysis to work published in academic journals and dealing with ICT in countries that have abruptly abolished a centrally planned economy and one-party controlled political system in favor of a market-driven economy. We conduct a literature review and analyze the reviewed papers looking at research focus, research approach, and theoretical foundations. Based on 173 papers published between 1993 and 2012, we observe several trends and prevalent themes and identify gaps in the literature and opportunities for future research. We find that current published research is concentrated on relatively few ICT issues, such as diffusion and implementation, and is conducted primarily at the country or organization level. Furthermore, very few research studies use otherwise commonly applied theories to explain their results.

Mobilising upland Filipino youth to serve as infomediaries

Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to operationalise infomediaries in an agricultural context, specifically upland rice farming. Infomediaries are people who facilitate access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). This offers a socially grounded solution to the nagging issue of the digital divide.Design/methodology/approach–This research is predominantly qualitative. The methods used were time transects, mobility mapping, photovoice, individual and key informant interviews. In total, 38 farmers' children from the upland communities in the provinces of Albay and Aurora participated in this research. Theoretically, this paper aims to contribute to literature on ICT 2.0.Findings–The participants showed strong desire to help their parents on the rice farm, directly or indirectly. They had varying levels of proficiency in using ICTs. Average weekly expenditure on purchasing prepaid mobile phone credits was US$1.50. Evidence of mobile addiction (sending more than 200 text messages daily) was noted. Their youth's intimate relationship with ICTs increases hope that they can serve as infomediaries for their farmer-parents.Research limitations/implications–This research is anchored on giving context-specific solutions to ICT issues. Transferability is emphasised over generalisability.Practical implications–Based on the mobility maps of the participants, their respective schools can serve as the nuclei for agricultural extension. The schools serve as their convergence point. This offers an alternative to the difficulty of individually visiting the farmers in the area, which is confounded by the scarcity of agricultural technologists tasked to do the job.Originality/value–The paper offers an alternative extension mode, drawn from the intimate relationship between young people and ICTs. This is a welcome initiative, particularly because such initiatives to engage youth in agriculture, directly or indirectly, remain scarce. The ideas forwarded in this paper will benefit agricultural agencies in the Philippines and other developing countries.

Technological aspects of public tourism communication in Italy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the online presence of Italian destination management organizations (DMOs) by assessing the quality of their web sites through a demand‐side heuristic approach. Moreover, given the importance of a clear strategic vision for an efficient and effective use of online media, the paper examines the alignment between tourism development plans and practical implementation of information and communication technologies (ICT). Finally, the possible impact of the adoption of a strategic approach on the overall quality of the web sites under investigation is explored.Design/methodology/approachA double analysis was conducted. An assessment of the main quality features of the official tourism web sites and an evaluation of the statements of public authorities concerning strategic intentions and guidelines for developing ICT instruments. The two evaluations are compared in order to examine their relationships. A strategic matrix of the technological performance and attitude of Italian regional authorities is proposed.FindingsThe quality of the Italian DMOs' web sites is satisfactory, on average. Weaknesses are found in the offer of interactive services and Web 2.0 functions. Moreover, an improvement in the user evaluations with respect to the past demonstrates the attention given to ICTs by the DMOs. As a matter of fact, the strategic plans examined deal, in general, relatively well with ICT issues, while it is also shown that poor strategic vision, as expressed in the promotional plans, is related to poor performance of some web sites.Originality/valueThe paper assesses the quality of Italian DMOs' web sites quality as perceived by visitors and, for the first time, relates the evaluations to how ICT strategic plans deal with the issue.

ICT Policy Development Process in Africa

This chapter reviews the information and communication technology (ICT) policy development process in Africa and assesses to what extent African countries have taken on board ICT issues in their overall national development policies and plans. It is argued that African countries lag behind in technological issues hence negatively affecting the overall development of the continent due to their inability to recognize the critical role played by ICTs in overall national development issues. The chapter emphasizes the significance of mainstreaming ICT policies and strategies in the overall development process, so that African countries remain competitive on the global market. This is done by taking into consideration the development and implementation of the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) policy and plans in different African countries initiated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) after recognizing the little emphasis placed on the significance of ICTs in national development policies by African countries. The chapter assesses also to what extent these NICI policies and plans have impacted on ICT and economic development, and tries to propose the way forward for the continent.

The Precautionary Principle as a Framework for a Sustainable Information Society

The precautionary principle (PP) aims to anticipate and minimize potentially serious or irreversible risks under conditions of scientific uncertainty. Thus it preserves the potential for future developments. It has been incorporated into many international treaties and pieces of national legislation for environmental protection and sustainable development. In this article, we outline an interpretation of the PP as a framework of orientation for a sustainable information society. Since the risks induced by future information and communication technologies (ICT) are social risks for the most part, we propose to extend the PP from mainly environmental to social subjects of protection. From an ethical point of view, the PP and sustainability share the principle of intergenerational justice, which can be used as an argument to preserve free space for the decisions of future generations. Applied to technical innovation and to ICT issues in particular, the extended PP can serve as a framework of orientation to avoid socio-economically irreversible developments. We conclude that the PP is a useful approach for: (i) policy makers to reconcile information society and sustainability policies and (ii) ICT companies to formulate sustainability strategies.

Using the Livelihoods Framework to Analyze ICT Applications for Poverty Reduction through Microenterprise

This paper provides a contribution to theorizing information and communication technology (ICT) and development by applying a livelihoods approach. This is found to provide the basis not only for an information-centered understanding of ICTs but also a means for broad and systematic analysis of poverty. The specific development issue analyzed is the role of ICT in microenterprise because microenterprise represents a viable route out of poverty through increased and more diversified income streams for poor households. A case study of Botswana is presented to demonstrate how the livelihoods framework can be applied. This suggests that ICT applications may only bring marginal direct benefits for poverty reduction. Viewed from the perspective of a livelihoods approach, greater benefits for the poor may be derived from ICTs if they are applied to strengthen a broader range of social and political assets and if they are able to assist in building more effective structures and processes that favor the poor. The livelihoods approach is therefore able to identify information and ICTs as only one part of a much broader development picture, and it avoids the overemphasis on technology that can beset some development informatics/ICT for development (ICT4D) research. Mainstream application of livelihoods ideas tends not to engage explicitly with either information or ICT issues but the framework developed in this paper shows how such engagement can occur. It identifies both an analytical role for information/ICTs that helps understand livelihoods of the poor, and a functional role that uses these assets within livelihood strategies.

ENTER 2005 – The 12th International Conference on Information Technology and Travel & Tourism held in Innsbruck, Austria on January 26–28, 2005

With the attendance of about 400 delegates from over 40 nations in the world, the 12th International Conference on Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (ENTER 2005) was held on January 26–28, 2005 in Innsbruck of Austria. Interestingly, the Conference was turned to a very noticeable contradiction by showing the latest findings and developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in travel & tourism but in a medieval city. Following the tradition of the previous ENTER conferences, ENTER 2005 has successfully achieved it primary objective of providing a forum for international delegates to exchange and debate various ICT issues that were related to travel and tourism.

Enhancing SMTEs' business performance through the Internet and e‐learning platforms

Investigates small and medium‐sized tourist enterprises (SMTEs) in the European hotel sector and their utilisation of the Internet and their perception of online learning systems. Aims to demonstrate to SMTEs that training is imperative and that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can enable them to improve their inventory management, strengthen their marketing and communications strategies and develop their internal business processes. The survey demonstrates that SMTEs are not utilising information technology in their businesses to its full potential. They primarily see the Internet as a mechanism for promoting their hotel rather than for training, inter‐, intra‐organisational and e‐commerce purposes. Respondents have recognised that integrating technology with training will become a management challenge in the future, but at present it is not considered a priority. However, respondents did identify their highest preference for content to be incorporated into the online course modules to be ICT trends and issues. Concludes that SMTEs are willing to engage in online learning and that the ability of SMTEs in embracing e‐learning can become crucial determinants of their success.