Levels Of Information Technology Skills Research Articles

Examination of Barriers of Criminal Information Sharing Between Law Enforcement Agencies and Their Effect in Crimes Management in Nairobi County, Kenya

The paper examined barriers of criminal information sharing between law enforcement agencies and their effect in crimes management in Nairobi County, Kenya, using data from an MA Thesis. This study was guided by four objectives; to examine the types of criminal information that is shared among law enforcement agencies; to assess the individual, organizational and technological barriers that hinders sharing of criminal information among law enforcement agencies in Nairobi County, Kenya. This study was guided by Social Exchange Theory as propounded by Homans in (1958). This study adopted a qualitative study design and non-probabilistic sample design paradigms. The main method of data collection was the interview. Interview schedule and key informants guide were used to collect data. A sample comprised of 47 law enforcement officers purposively selected from Directorate of criminal Investigation (DCI) Operation wing and the Kenya Police Service Headquarters operation wing. In addition, 10 Key informants were also purposively selected and interviewed to inform the study. Both individual barriers, organizational and technological barriers affected criminal information sharing among law enforcement agencies. Major individual barrier was competition for credit between the agencies in achieving positive outcomes which was perceived to have a backlash on security operations. Other individual barriers included the deeply entrenched culture of secrecy and the need-to-know rather than the need to share policy. Major organizational barriers include Mistrust of other organizations (89.1%), Organizational culture such as culture of secrecy (83.2%). Major technological barriers included both intra and inter-information technological gaps exacerbated by wanting levels of information technology skills. The barriers were perceived to cause 'linkage blindness,' where the information available in one agency is not available with other law enforcement agencies affecting remarkable achievement of outcomes. As a policy measure, the study recommended speedy removal of criminal information barriers at all levels and fast mitigation on both intra and inter-organizational information technological skill gaps. The deeply entrenched culture of secrecy and the need-to-know rather than the need to share information policy should further be re-visited and dealt with. Finally, there is an urgent need for National-wide Criminal Information Management System with certain rights for all law enforcement agencies. The use of a database will reduce the technological barrier since criminal information will be made accessible to all the agencies

Investigating the acceptance of distance learning amongst Omani students: a case study from Oman

PurposeIn the COVID-19 pandemic, students were subjected to high pressure when they were forced to move to distance learning in a lockdown environment. Such a drastic move for communities living in groups with solid relationship ties comes at a price. This study aims to investigate the acceptance of distance learning amongst Omani higher education institutions (HEI) students during COVID-19 lockdown.Design/methodology/approachThis is a quantitative research based on an online survey designed to study participants’ acceptance of distance learning during COVID-19 lockdown.FindingsA sample of 757 Omani students was selected, of which 81.2% were female. About 60% of the students’ Age lies 15–20 years. The highest percentage (38.8%) of students belongs to the College of Arts and Humanities. A total of 80% of the students reported a moderate level of information technology skills, and also more than 80% of the students had never attended eLearning calls. Most of the students affirm the eLearning acceptance (students’ willingness to use eLearning tools for the tasks they are designed for), eLearning usefulness (using eLearning would enhance students’ performance), eLearning ease of use (the degree to which a student believes that using eLearning tools are free from effort), learning from home during COVID-19 and eLearning effectiveness (student’s satisfaction and the benefits student will gain from learning via online platforms). Multiple regression analysis confirms that more than 81% of the variation in the eLearning acceptance was explained by eLearning usefulness, eLearning ease of use, learning from home during COVID-19 and eLearning effectiveness independent variables. Moreover, these independent predictors have a positive association with eLearning acceptance.Originality/valueThis research intends to fill the gap in Omani HEI students’ acceptance of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Emergence of Telemedicine and e-Health in Hungary

The main objective of this article was to describe the present state and characteristics of telemedicine and related e-health services in Hungary and the main obstacles to its further development. Two main data sources were used: statistical data and 90 questionnaire-based semistructured personal interviews conducted with hospital workers in Hungary in August 2009. Compared with developed countries, telemedicine and e-health are in their infancy in Hungary; in comparison with the less-developed countries of the East Central European region, Hungary fares relatively well. Major differences were found between the application of various telemedicine and related e-health services and between hospitals. The main obstacles to the further development of telemedicine are lack of infrastructure and interoperability and existing technical and regulatory problems. Contrary to our expectations, the low level of information technology skills is only of secondary importance compared with the previously mentioned obstacles and there were no major acceptance problems regarding telemedicine and related e-health on the part of hospital workers. A national strategy addressing the main obstacles is indispensable if telemedicine in Hungary has to develop further.

IT skills of academics and practising accountants in Botswana

Information Technology (IT) skills are important for practising accountants and accounting educators. This paper reports on a study done to evaluate the levels of IT skills of practising and accounting educators in Botswana, as well as their views on the important IT skills for practising accountants. A questionnaire was administered to 27 accounting lecturers and 250 practising accountants. Respondents were asked to indicate their IT skills levels as well as their views on the important IT skills that practising accountants should have. The results show that the self-reported IT skills of practising and accounting educators are lower than what they think practising accountants should have.

A system to retrieve consumer‐facing product information

Purpose – Databases of consumer‐facing product information from food package labels are required for a variety of purposes, such as online shopping and computerised nutrition education. The aim of this research was to develop a novel method of recording and storing data in a structured electronic format.Design/methodology/approach – The research method involved the development of a computer program named “Data Entry Interface”, designed for the use of people with low levels of information technology skills. This program uses a bottom‐up approach to position images of a product next to data entry text boxes, to enable an operator to copy text directly into data fields. These are used in spreadsheets that link pictures of a product with its brand name, producer's name, product attributes, ingredients, allergens, nutritional information, diet information, size information, hints for opening or storage, and general warnings provided by the producers.Findings – It was found that this approach reduces the time ...

The transformation of work in European banks: an analysis of IT skills

Past research on the impact of Information Technology (IT) in retail banks only marginally analysed the relationship between the distribution of IT skills in the workforce and the banks' organisational structure. This article combines case studies and a survey of a sample of European banks, confirming that an upgrading process in IT skills is taking place. Furthermore, the empirical analysis demonstrates how the transition of banks towards new organisational models is correlated with higher average levels of IT skills in the workforce, which allows for exploitation of greater information processing capabilities and mechanisms offered by IT for accessing information. This article reports some considerations about the evolution of work in banks based on obtained empirical evidence, claiming that empowerment trends allowed by IT upskilling do not necessarily imply a growth in the complexity of work.

Industrial Information Technology Applications: Have Hospitality and Tourism Graduates Learned the Needed Skills?

Hospitality and tourism educators have been emphasizing that it is their goal to train their students with the skills that are required by the industry. While previous studies have demonstrated a varied degree of success for Hospitality & Tourism Management (HTM) education to achieve this goal, there exist no prior studies to investigate the relationship of information technology (IT) education and industrial applications in the Hong Kong context. This paper describes a study that examined the university HTM graduates' perceived importance levels of IT skills in the workplace and at the university. Empirical evidence showed that there exist significant differences in several dimensions of IT skills acquired at the university and required at work. Suggestions are provided accordingly for HTM educators in postsecondary education institutes to follow in order to eliminate the mismatches.