Fernanda Francielle de Oliveira Malaquias

The role of information and communication technology for development in Brazil

ABSTRACT Social, human and economic dimensions of development demand relevant attention in developing and developed countries. In this paper, we explore the role of information technology (IT) for development in an emerging economy: Brazil. Through our analysis and discussion, we highlight relevant issues to be considered by information systems (IS) literature. For example, we observed IT advances in the health area, and these advances include telemedicine, applications focused on cancer, applications for prescription process, electrocardiogram in the clouds, and remote tele-monitoring of chronic patients. During the literature review, we also found two initiatives in Brazil that help in the fight against cancer and HIV with IT use. These (and other) measures have a direct effect on social and human development. We indicate a special attention to the importance of government actions and of the internet to leverage the relationship between IT investments and development in emerging economies.

Effects of information technology on corporate social responsibility

The recent history shows that computers have a significant effect in society. The benefits from Information Technology (IT) reach both enterprises and people. When small firms use IT resources to create unique capabilities, even indirectly they improve their conditions to meet Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). Considering this scenario, the aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of IT use on the CSR of small firms. We tested the relationships between the constructs using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, with a database comprised of 173 Brazilian small firms. Our results showed a positive and significant relationship between IT use and the four categories of CSR. In this way, we observed that IT contributes to companies, and also affects people that work in these enterprises. Corporate social obligations of firms and IT investments should be combined to generate unique capabilities, improving competitive advantage through the interaction of technology and people. The results of the paper extend the discussion about IT benefits to companies and to society. This paper analyzes the effect of IT use on Corporate Social Responsibilities of small firms.We tested and analyzed a database comprised of 173 Brazilian small firms.Results showed relationships between IT use and the four categories of Corporate Social Responsibilities.Investments in IT presented a positive effect on legal obligations.The most significant impact of the IT use was in the economic responsibility.

Understanding the determinants of mobile banking adoption: A longitudinal study in Brazil

Abstract Studies about new technologies are needed in order to better understand their adoption and the potential challenges related with their diffusion. This research was developed to analyze mobile banking use and its determinants considering a longitudinal approach. We collected data in a country where mobile banking is still in its early adoption stages: Brazil. Our sample is comprised of observations from three different periods: the first sample with data from December 2014 to January 2015; the second sample with data from May to June 2016; and the third sample with data from November to December 2017. Using a quantitative approach, we observed that mobile banking use has increased during the period. This effect was also significant in the bivariate analysis even with a control for the level of personal innovativeness in information technology (IT) among the respondents who participated in the survey. Moreover, the perception of trust, ease of use, social influence, and task characteristics related to mobile banking also have registered an increase. The main contribution of this study is related with the quantitative analysis of the effect of time in the use of mobile banking (and in some determinants of its use) in an emerging economy.

Full length articleEffects of information technology on corporate social responsibility: Empirical evidence from an emerging economy

The recent history shows that computers have a significant effect in society. The benefits from Information Technology (IT) reach both enterprises and people. When small firms use IT resources to create unique capabilities, even indirectly they improve their conditions to meet Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR). Considering this scenario, the aim of this paper is to analyze the effect of IT use on the CSR of small firms. We tested the relationships between the constructs using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, with a database comprised of 173 Brazilian small firms. Our results showed a positive and significant relationship between IT use and the four categories of CSR. In this way, we observed that IT contributes to companies, and also affects people that work in these enterprises. Corporate social obligations of firms and IT investments should be combined to generate unique capabilities, improving competitive advantage through the interaction of technology and people. The results of the paper extend the discussion about IT benefits to companies and to society. This paper analyzes the effect of IT use on Corporate Social Responsibilities of small firms.We tested and analyzed a database comprised of 173 Brazilian small firms.Results showed relationships between IT use and the four categories of Corporate Social Responsibilities.Investments in IT presented a positive effect on legal obligations.The most significant impact of the IT use was in the economic responsibility.

Understanding technology acceptance features in learning through a serious game

Abstract The aim of this paper is to analyze the determinant factors related to the use of a serious game in teaching accounting, namely DEBORAH Game. After presenting this game to undergraduate accounting students, we collected data regarding their perception of its use. Using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, the main results suggest that the acceptance of contemporary tools used in accounting courses relies on the perceived usefulness of the game and on the interaction of students with colleagues, rather than effort expectancy. The results of this study are relevant to understanding accounting students’ acceptance of technologies, because accounting professionals will need to adopt technology to develop their activities after their undergraduate courses.

VirtualMat: a virtual environment to support the teaching of mathematical concepts for students with intellectual disability

Considering that students with intellectual disability present difficult to apprehend mathematical concepts through traditional methods and that the tools aimed at these students are scarce, this paper aims to present the VirtualMat software, an educational virtual environment aimed specially at students with intellectual disability. The software is intended to serve as a support tool for the teaching of logical-mathematical concepts, providing varied options of cognitive organization on the concepts of classification, discrimination, ordering and sequencing. The software was tested by students with intellectual disability from an inclusive and in order to evaluate its efficiency it was adopted a quantitative and also a qualitative approach. The results indicate that VirtualMat contributes significantly to the students learning process by allowing the development of the mathematical reasoning in a playful and active way.