Michael Kyobe

The influence of strategy‐making types on IT alignment in SMEs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and compare the influence of three strategy‐making modes (planned, adaptive and entrepreneurial) on IT‐business strategy alignment in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approach – Empirical research using a questionnaire was conducted. In total, 108 SME owners and managers participated in the study and the data were analysed using quantitative techniques.Findings – The planned mode provided better results as predicted. Each strategy‐making mode was found to influence certain specific aspects of alignment and performance. For instance the planned mode ensures better understanding of business and IT objectives and provides high growth sales. The adaptive mode encourages participation of stakeholders in planning and improves communication and staff productivity. The entrepreneurial mode can facilitate immediate revision of plans in organizations operating in dynamic and competitive environment.Research limitations/implications – Many...

Investigating the key factors influencing ICT adoption in South Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate and empirically determine the influence on information and communication technology (ICT) adoption of three important factors (i.e. capacity to adopt and use ICT, exposure to international environment and state policies) in South Africa.Design/methodology/approach – Data covering the period 2000‐2009 on the above influencing factors were collected from the World Bank databases and other sources. A logarithmic transformation of data was done, followed by a regression analysis in order to determine the significance of the influence of each factor.Findings – The results show that capacity to adopt and use ICT has the most significant influence on ICT adoption in South Africa, followed by exposure to international environment. The effect of state policies was surprisingly not significant, deviating from the general claims that policy implementation and adoption of such policies are key determinants of adoption.Research limitations/implications – The findin...

Factors Influencing SME Compliance with Government Regulation on Use of IT: The Case of South Africa

This study investigated the factors influencing SME compliance with regulation on use of IT in South Africa. The researcher argues that these consist of a combination of business, industry, economic, technological, sociological, and psychological factors. The results show that cost of compliance was the main influencing factor and that both rural and urban SMEs make limited effort to develop policies and demonstrate compliance. Furthermore, a discriminant function analysis revealed that rural SMEs can be distinguished from their urban counterparts in terms of their disposition towards IT regulation by five factors. Perception of high compliance costs was the key distinguishing factor followed by lack of awareness, lack of training on compliance and security, perception of unfair regulation and possession of inadequate security controls. The author hopes that this research-based evidence will provide better understanding of SME compliance behaviors and guide the development of appropriate solutions to compliance challenges in these organizations.

The Impact of Entrepreneur Behaviors on the Quality of e-Commerce Security: A Comparison of Urban and Rural Findings

Abstract This research examines the impact of entrepreneur behaviors on the quality of e-commerce security in urban small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. It hypothesized that the influence of these behaviors would be stronger in rural than urban SMEs. Stevensons descriptive model of the behavior of managers and Millers entrepreneurial orientation concept were used to examine this relationship. One hundred and six SMEs participated in the survey and the results show that lack of propensity for risk handling; irrational commitment to opportunities, propensity for resource minimisation and desire for control influence negatively affect the quality of e-commerce security. Over-reliance on external resources did not have a significant effect. A comparison of urban and rural correlation coefficients did not support the claims that the above behaviors were much stronger in rural than urban SMEs.

A knowledge management approach to resolving the crises in the information systems discipline

Purpose – The information system (IS) discipline and IS departments in universities are facing major challenges which threaten their survival. Knowledge management strategies have been used in various other fields to solve crisis situations and this paper contends that similar approaches could be adopted to address the crises in the discipline of IS. The purpose of this paper is to present a multi‐theoretical model that can be used to identify knowledge transfer impediments contributing to the crises in the IS discipline in a university.Design/methodology/approach – Literature on crisis management and crises in the IS discipline was reviewed. This revealed that many crises are caused by lack of appropriate knowledge development and sharing in research and education. Knowledge management research was then reviewed and synthesized to create a comprehensive framework for identifying impediments to knowledge transfer in a university setting.Findings – The findings of the literature review indicates that lack ...

Towards a framework to guide compliance with IS security policies and regulations in a university

Compliance with computer security policies and legislation is critical to educational institutions today. Universities offer Internet services to users, store personal information of learners, staff, conference and attendees. which exposes them to potential risks and legal liabilities. Failure to ensure compliance with information security laws poses significant financial and reputation risk and may invite serious scrutiny of university activities by law enforcement bodies [24]. While universities have sought various measures to achieve compliance (e.g. self-regulations, security policies, staff/student handbooks, public relation campaigns, Web and email reminders and audits.), these have had limited success in influencing user behaviours. The rate of electronic abuse and lack of compliance with policies is simply on the rise. The August 2009 EDUCAUSE Review indicates that security remains one of the top strategic issues facing higher education institutions [2]. [20] claims that half of all personal identity breaches occur in higher education. The recording industry and motion picture associations are increasingly holding institutions liable for illegal downloading of copyright materials [11] and students have also been accused of privacy violations [8]. So, what makes compliance with policies and regulations in universities difficult and how can compliance be measured and achieved effectively? This study examines the factors that influence compliance with security policies and regulations in universities. First, some key regulations governing information security in South Africa are introduced, followed by a review of the security environment and compliance behaviours in universities. A framework aligning regulatory requirements with control standards is developed to guide compliance behaviours in universities.

Knowledge practices of people with disabilities and the role of ICT

Knowledge is generally acknowledged as essential for everyday life and a requisite for quality of life. Although arguably more so for people with disabilities, disabled people are often excluded due to their impairments. Worsening this exclusion, the expected benefits of information and communications technologies (ICT) in enabling knowledge practices and for assisting disabled people has not been realized as evidenced by a lower adoption rate of ICT by people with disabilities when compared to the adoption rate of ICT by non-disabled people. A review of literature identified two concomitant shortcomings. Firstly, there is a dearth of knowledge available on how disabled people gather and share knowledge, with research about knowledge practices focused predominantly on organizations and largely disregarding knowledge practices of the individual. Secondly, despite the fact that ICT is recognised as important both for disabled people and for knowledge practices, the relationships between disabled people, ICT, and knowledge practices are fundamentally unexplored. Considering information elemental for quality of life, this paper proposes a conceptual model for informing an investigation into the knowledge practices of disabled people and the role that information and communication technology plays in these practices.

Testing a Typology of Mobile Phone Victimisation Using Cluster Analysis

Mobile victimisation is one form of cyberaggression that is increasing and affecting many young people today in the developing world. While studies on cyberbullying and cybervictimisation exist, the focus on mobile victimisation is limited. In addition, findings reported in earlier studies have been mainly from developed countries and inconclusive. There is also limited theoretical work to enhance conceptualisation and general understanding of mobile victimisation. Understanding this phenomenon in the developing countries is particularly critical as mobile phone usage and crime are among the highest in the world, legislation against misuse is not well developed and there is general lack of awareness of the national and international implications of cyberaggression in the developing nations. Through an extensive review of literature on victimisation, this paper develops a typology, i.e. Mobile Victimisation Typology (MVT), that caters to the understanding of mobile victimisation. The researchers also went further to validate empirically the MVT using cluster analysis. This confirmed all the three categories of victims proposed in the MVT and proved that its three predictors could influence victims differently. The present findings are useful in creating awareness of mobile victimisation risks and can be used to inform the development of programmes, policies and legislation to control mobile bullying and victimisation in the developing nations in a more efficient and relevant direction in terms of resource and impact management.

Public Perceptions of the Role of IT in Resolving Governance Challenges in a Transition State: THe Case of Tanzania

International bodies and donors demand that countries demonstrate how they use IT to ensure effective governance. However, measuring the role of IT in governance remains problematic, particularly in transition economies characterised by poor IT capabilities. This paper measured public perceptions of the role of IT in addressing governance challenges in transition Tanzania. The paper identifies (i) usage of IT for governance and democratic purposes, (ii) governance processes and (iii) external pressures as key interplaying factors influencing effective governance. Adopting the Gestalts (configurational) approach, we argue that IT contributes to effective governance when it is coherent with (ii) and (iii). One hundred and sixty six members of the public were surveyed and cluster analysis was used to determine the degree of coherence. None of the three clusters of (i), (ii) and (iii) that emerged revealed a strong coherent relationship, indicating that IT was not playing a major role in addressing governance challenges in transition Tanzania.

The Alignment of Information Technology Applications with Non-Technological Competencies of SMEs in Africa

Core competencies are major drivers behind the success of many Small and Medium sized organizations (SMEs). While Information Technology (IT) can be leveraged to enhance these competencies, changes in IT and poor planning may result in core rigidities. Many SMEs experience difficulties in planning and aligning IT applications with business objectives and core competencies and limited scientific studies have been conducted to assist SMEs in this regard. The present study examined the alignment of IT applications with non‐technological competencies in South Africa and Uganda. It sought to identify those configurations of IT applications and non‐technological competencies that result in IT‐based competencies needed to ensure competitiveness in e‐commerce in the SME sector. The perspective of alignment as a gestalt was adopted. 112 SMEs were surveyed and three alignment configurations consisting of SMEs with innovative IT competencies; Operational IT competencies and adaptive IT competencies were revealed. SMEs with innovative IT competencies developed the most IT‐based competencies. They achieved this by leveraging various operational and strategic IT applications to enhance a number of non‐technological competencies.