Abdul Razak Rahmat

The influence of community characteristics towards telecentres success

Telecentres are physical spaces that provide public access to information and communication technology particularly the Internet for educational, personal, social, and economic development. This paper will closely look into the characteristics of the community that influence the success of telecentres. Although there are a number of influential factors in regards to community characteristics, the emphasis will be on groups and networks factor. Survey was conducted to collect data from users regarding their use of telecentres. In the questionnaire, apart from the users’ profiles, items related to the groups and networks were also included.Sampling was done based on a population comprising of telecentres implemented by state governments, non-governmental organizations, and private sectors. The findings suggest that there are some indications showing certain self belonging, as consequences to the usages of telecentres, to a group and establishing networks which can contribute to the success of telecentres.

Business Intelligence Model for Sustainability of the Malaysian Rural Telecenters

The objective of this paper is to galvanize research on rural telecenters sustainability. The research explores the sustainability of the Malaysian rural telecenters with the support of business intelligence (BI). It is posited that BI methods and tools could play vital role in assisting telecenters implement and monitor sustainable practices. The BI information planning phase, i.e., the systematic way of defining relevant information was utilized in this research. The empirical study was conducted through interviews and observations with a range of stakeholders including ministry officers, telecenters managers and operators. A thematic model comprising of sustainability issues and challenges that arise as the roles of telecenters evolved and the relationships between these issues is developed through content analysis. This study contributes to both theory and practice by (a) the use of content analysis to discover and explicate key issues faced by rural telecenters as they aim to fill their national mission, (b) the support of the telecenters managers in enhancing participation by local communities, (c) the identification of essential capabilities for effective and socially sustainable rural telecenters, and (d) the identification of sustainability model developed which can provide a basis for future telecenter research.

Business Intelligence Readiness for Higher Learning Institution (IHL): Preliminary Study and Research Model

Introduction: Business Intelligence Systems (BIS) are the most potential application for many popular organizations in different industries such as telecommunication, healthcare, airline, transport, government and others. The implementation of Business Intelligence (BI) for Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) is still at the early stage for most IHL organizations. Results of previous studies have found that more than half of BI projects fail to meet their objectives even though a lot money is spent. Based on that problem, it is important to identify the readiness level of BI for IHL in order to reduce the risk before the actual BI project is implemented. In this paper, a rigorous literature review on success factors such as Critical Success Factors (CSFs), Readiness Factors (RFs), Success Factors (SFs) are discussed by different authors. Aims: The aim of study is the Business Intelligent Readiness Model (BiRM) as a guild for IHL before implementing the BI system. Study Protocol Article Rahmat et al.; BJAST, 15(5): 1-10, 2016; Article no.BJAST.24383 2 Study Design: For this study, semi-structured interviews will be chosen as a method of collecting relevant qualitative data to explore and refine the model of BI readiness model for IHL in Malaysian. Here, the list of themes, issues to be addressed and questions to be asked were identified and predefined by the researcher. The use of semi-structured interviews ensures that information is captured from the respondent’s perspectives rather than being imposed by the researcher. Place and Duration of Study: The study will be conducted at Malaysian Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). This study is expected to finish within a 12-month period. Methodology: The study is proposed to be conducted through a mix of methodology comprising qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews and observations with a range of stakeholders such as ministry officers, computer centre managers, technicians and the end users from different IHL in Malaysia. Results: The result of the data collection will be analyzed using the causal modelling approach of SEM SmartPLS for the validity and the relationship between construct. The expected finding from this research is the Business Intelligent Readiness Model (BiRM) as a guild for IHL before implementing the BI system.