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This study aimed to systematically review the prospects and challenges associated with adopting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning at rural universities in South Africa. To achieve this aim, a systematic review methodology was employed. The systematic review findings revealed a multifaceted landscape wherein opportunities for enhancing education through ICT exist alongside significant challenges. Prospects include the potential for technology to bridge educational gaps, increase accessibility, and provide innovative learning experiences. However, challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, limited connectivity, and varying levels of digital literacy pose significant impediments. The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to address these challenges, including infrastructure development, capacity building, and localized content creation. Additionally, recommendations for flexible learning models and collaborative partnerships are outlined to facilitate effective ICT adoption in the unique context of rural South African universities. Continuous research and evaluation are advocated to inform future strategies and ensure sustainable improvements in rural education through ICT integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With rapid technological advancements, developing a digitally literate workforce is imperative for public sector organizations to enhance performance. However, research linking digital literacy and employee outcomes in developing country contexts has been limited. This study investigated the relationship between digital literacy and productivity among local government employees in Nigeria. A survey was conducted with 113 employees in Ilorin West Local Government in Nigeria. PLS-SEM was used for the analysis. Digital literacy demonstrated significant positive effects on productivity. Access to ICT positively moderated the digital literacy-productivity relationship. The study makes important theoretical contributions by extending ICT adoption research to public sector contexts and revealing the performance benefits of digital literacy in the workplace. Practically, it capacitates public organizations to increase investments in structured digital skills development programs to motivate employees and unlock productivity improvements.

This study investigates how various factors - innovation capabilities, labour market conditions, health, business dynamics, ICT adoption, and market size - affect the distribution of library services across 34 provinces in Indonesia. Using multiple linear regression analysis, the study found that overall, these factors significantly influence library service distribution (F = 10.558, p < 0.001, R² = 0.701). Specifically, higher innovation capabilities, better health conditions, and greater ICT adoption positively impact the availability of library services. Conversely, challenges in the labour market, fluctuating business dynamics, and larger market size are associated with reduced library service distribution. The findings highlight the critical role of health and technology policies in promoting fair access to library services throughout the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mobile phone is one of the most accessible and transformative communication technologies globally and a staple in modern life. This study explores the impact of mobile phone usage among women on developing agricultural farm enterprises. Data were collected from 150 rural women involved in agricultural enterprise development. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, multiple linear regression, step-wise regression, and path analysis were used for quantitative data analysis. The study found that a large proportion (70.0% and 64.0%) of the respondents in crop and fisheries enterprises had a medium extent of mobile phone usage. In contrast, more than half (56.0%) of the rural women in livestock enterprises fell under the low usage category. Factors such as reduced transportation costs, time-saving, easy contact with stakeholders, and frequent contact with fellow entrepreneurs were identified as significant influences on rural women’s mobile phone usage. Multiple regression analysis revealed that 14 selected characteristics explained 66.0% of the total variation. Among them, membership in an organization, distance of residence from the nearest market, training received on mobile phone usage, skill in using mobile phones, attitude towards mobile phones, amount of money spent, and perceived ease of use had a significant positive contribution. The attitude towards mobile phones had the highest contribution, explaining 36.0% of the variation. The path analysis showed that attitude towards mobile phones had a positive direct effect (0.30) on the extent of mobile phone usage. Perceived ease of use had the highest total indirect effect (0.413), primarily channeled positively through attitudes towards mobile phones.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) adoption in manufacturing industries is gaining attention in academic discourse as a result of the undeniable improvement it has brought to industries in the past decades and the promising future it has for manufacturers that embrace it. The present study adds to the discourse from jewelry, textile, and fashion product manufacturing perspectives. With the PRISMA flowchart, data is gathered from the Scopus online database and analysed systematically to address research questions such as; what is the publication trend on ICT adoption in the jewelry and textile industries? How useful is ICT in the textiles and jewelry industries for sustainable fashion? How is the fashion industry sustained through textiles and jewelry making? The study reveals that technology adoption has helped the textiles and jewelry industries to meet market demand and sustain the fashion industry. Through digitalization, online marketing strategies have been adopted by firms to sustain the fashion industry. It is recommended that small-scale producers in the textile, jewelry and fashion industries should adopt technology to the fullest in their practices for a sustainable industry.

With rapid technological advancements, developing a digitally literate workforce is imperative for public sector organizations to enhance performance. However, research linking digital literacy and employee outcomes in developing country contexts has been limited. This study investigated the relationship between digital literacy and productivity among local government employees in Nigeria. A survey was conducted with 113 employees in Ilorin West Local Government in Nigeria. PLS-SEM was used for the analysis. Digital literacy demonstrated significant positive effects on productivity. Access to ICT positively moderated the digital literacy-productivity relationship. The study makes important theoretical contributions by extending ICT adoption research to public sector contexts and revealing the performance benefits of digital literacy in the workplace. Practically, it capacitates public organizations to increase investments in structured digital skills development programs to motivate employees and unlock productivity improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how information and communication technology (ICT) impacts the schooling environment within the primary sector in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province's Amathole East District. ICT adoption in education can fully modify the ways that instruction and learning are given to students, but it also comes with obstacles, especially in the rural primary schools in the Amathole East District. This research intends to shed light on the current ICT status adoption of Amathole East District's primary schools. Three primary schools were chosen, and three research participants from each school were chosen using the purposive sample technique. Data were gathered through focus groups and in-person interviews. The acquired data were analyzed and presented using a thematic approach. It was revealed as the findings that while teachers were willing to embrace ICTs into teaching and learning and had a good attitude toward technology adoption, they needed the necessary ICT competencies. Furthermore, several challenges and barriers were identified, and these included inadequate ICT infrastructure, a shortage of teacher training in technology integration and a lack of access to ICT tools. The study concludes that teacher training programs be expanded, invest in infrastructure development, and develop a comprehensive ICT policy framework. Taking the research's findings into account, the research offers practical recommendations in enhancing ICT adoption, investing in infrastructure development, expanding teacher development opportunities, to formulating a comprehensive ICT strategy framework so that schools are ready to run virtually in the event of another pandemic related to COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the nuanced relationship between gender diversity in senior management and key aspects of organizational dynamics in the machines and equipment sector in the Republic of Serbia. The aim is to uncover differences in digitalization, growth strategies and gender equality measures between companies led by women and men. Employing field research methods, specifically utilizing Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing, the results show that companies led by women have a higher propensity to adopt information and communication technologies, a more optimistic view of their future development over the next five years, greater gender diversity among employees and more robust implementation of gender equality policies compared to companies led exclusively by men. The research findings highlight the significant impact of gender diversity in leadership on business outcomes and show that women-led companies are proactively embracing digitalization, promoting growth optimism and implementing gender equality initiatives. These findings offer valuable insights for business leaders, policymakers and researchers working on initiatives to promote diversity, equality, and technological progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can benefit mompreneurs, empowering them to start and expand their business. ICTs became even more important for mompreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic when small business owners had to reinvent themselves and seek alternative ways of maintaining their sales and remaining in the market. In this context, this paper aims to investigate factors related to ICT adoption by Brazilian mompreneurs. The data were collected during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic and were analyzed through structural equation modelling. The descriptive analysis shows that mompreneurs are adopting innovative technologies such as electronic payments, cloud computing, social networks, video conferencing, and others to manage their business. Moreover, the results indicate that two dimensions of Entrepreneurial Orientation (proactiveness and risk-taking) have a significant effect on perceived ease-of-use and an indirect effect on ICT adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionAccess to credit and information and communication technology (ICT) plays a pivotal role in enhancing the practices of small-scale sugarcane farmers, impacting their financial, social, and economic wellbeing. However, many small-scale farmers need help accessing these resources, thereby affecting their ability to generate sustainable income. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing the adoption of ICT and access to credit and their subsequent impact on small-scale farmers' income.MethodsEmploying a multistage sampling technique, 300 small-scale farmers were selected as participants in the study. The recursive bivariate probit regression model was used to assess the factors affecting adoption ICT and a selectivity-corrected ordinary least square regression model was utilized to estimate the synergistic effect of ICT adoption and access to credit on the income of small-scale sugarcane farmers.Results and discussionThe findings revealed that approximately 77% of small-scale farmers had access to credit, while more than 80% had adopted ICT. The results derived from the recursive bivariate probit (RBP) regression model indicated that access to credit, education, and extension support positively and significantly influenced the adoption of ICT. Conversely, marital status and non-farm income exhibited a negative and significant influence on the adoption of ICT. Gender and marital status were positively and significantly associated with access to credit, whereas age, education, and non-farm income showed a negative and significant relationship on access to credit. Subsequently, a selectivity-corrected ordinary least square regression model analysis revealed that factors such as gender, marital status, extension, government support, and transportation costs positively and significantly influenced farmer's income. In contrast, education, employment status, and non-farm income exhibited a negative and significant influence on income.Conclusion and recommendationsThe study concludes that socio-demographic factors, such as gender, marital status, extension support, government support, and transportation costs, positively contribute to farmers' income. Small-scale sugarcane farmer involvement in other non-farm activities is associated with reduced farm income. This implies that farmers' livelihoods options are reduced as they can only focus on sugarcane development as a source of income. There is a pressing need to educate small-scale farmers on ICT and provide them with access to agricultural credit. Additionally, extension workers should offer advisory support to small-scale farmers requiring assistance in accessing agricultural credit. There is a need to train sugarcane farmers on different agricultural income generating activities to reduce their over-reliance on sugarcane development. By addressing the identified socio-demographic factors and implementing targeted policy interventions, stakeholders can foster an enabling environment for small-scale farmers to thrive, ultimately contributing to the sustainable development of the sugarcane sector and the broader agricultural landscape in South Africa.

This paper examines the ordeals actors of SMEs face in the adoption process of Emerging Digital Marketing Technology (EDMT). A conceptual framework was proposed to capture actors that participate in EMDT and the difficulties they (themselves) pose that hinder successful adoption. However, a purposive sample of 26 participants drawn from Crunch online database, Luton were interviewed on unstructured and semi-structured bases and analyzed using a thematic approach. The interviews on the problems were coded and classified based on the actors involved in the adoption process to extend the T-O-E framework. The findings revealed that while extant problems relate to the contexts of technology, organization, and environment, the extended T-O-E framework unraveled more critical problems that are linked to the in-grained human context. Implicit is that vendors should work on decision-makers, given that some of the adoption decisions are critically and continuously influenced by the actors. Plain Language Summary: Critical issues facing SMEs Actors in Emerging Digital Marketing Technology adoption. This paper examines the ordeals actors of SMEs face in the adoption process of Emerging Digital Marketing Technology (EDMT). A conceptual framework was proposed to capture actors that participate in EMDT and the difficulties they (themselves) pose that hinder successful adoption. However, a purposive sample of 26 participants drawn from Crunch online database, Luton were interviewed on unstructured and semi-structured bases and analyzed using a thematic approach. The interviews on the problems were coded and classified based on the actors involved in the adoption process to extend the T-O-E framework. The findings revealed that while extant problems relate to the contexts of technology, organization, and environment, the extended T-O-E framework unraveled more critical problems that are linked to the in-grained human context. Implicit is that vendors should work on decision-makers, given that some of the adoption decisions are critically and continuously influenced by the actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technology (ICT) is substantially beneficial for rural entrepreneurship. A better understanding of factors contributing to ICT adoption is needed for wide promotion, yet it remains underexplored This study investigated the factors affecting ICT adoption intention. From the technology, individuals, and environment dimensions, an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) was proposed, and data from 327 rural entrepreneurs and the method of SEM were used to test the hypotheses. The moderating effect of multi-group on each path was discussed, including online and offline organizations and entrepreneurs with and without previous experience. Results show that, except for core variables in the TAM, social influence and relative advantage positively influence ICT adoption intention directly and indirectly. Increasing the relative advantage of ICT among enterprises with offline businesses can significantly improve their ICT adoption intention. For entrepreneurs without previous experience, perceived ease of use significantly and positively affects attitudes toward ICT adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at ICT adoption for e-learning in the higher institutions of Kogi State. The study adopted descriptive research design. The study's target population comprised of the Higher Institutions in Kogi State. Multistage random sampling technique was adopted. Data were gathered and analysed Multiple Regression and Principal Component Analysis. Finding revealed that ICT adoption for e-learning has significantly weak effect on the academic performance of students in the higher institutions of Kogi State. The study concluded that information technology is cardinal to improved performance. The study recommended that higher institutions should be adequately funded by the government to be able to cope with cost of IT subscription; users of e-learning technologies should be well trained in respect of the nature of technology in use; anxiety for e-learning should be minimized through constant orientations, and the perception of users towards the use e-learning technologies should be through seminars and programmes.

The ingrained tendency to implement information and communication technologies (ICT) in EU enterprises over the last decade has caused dramatic changes in the labor market. Since the de­mand for ICT personnel is growing, there is still a need to create a comprehensive strategy to effectively manage ICT specialists when restructuring enterprises. The aim of the research is to identify transferring processes between low‑ and high‑skilled ICT personnel and predict the employment rate in the ICT field until 2025. A Markov chain was used as the method of anal­ysis. Using statistical data about the employment rate of ICT personnel by education attainment level, we have built a Markov chain model that describes the processes of ICT personnel with different levels of education. Data from 2005 to 2019 was used to build forecasting because of the absence of the latest information. We demonstrate that with the help of digitalization, the employment rate of ICT staff in 2025 will increase by 64% compared to 2018. The research verifies that ICT personnel will be in great demand until 2023 and, importantly, low‑ and mid­dle‑skilled personnel will be in demand, as well as high‑skilled personnel. The employment rate in the ICT field will be at its highest level in 2022 as the favorable economic conditions for ICT adoption will help it. The growing demand for low‑ and medium‑skilled ICT staff are met both by staff relocation processes and by the increasing digitalization of business units and public sec­tor institutions. The added value of the analysis is the prediction that the largest growth in ICT personnel employment will occur by 2023, but employment growth will slow down after that. The main obstacle to employment growth through digitalization is the global economic crisis because of different reasons.

The security situation in Nigeria, particularly in the country's North-West and North-Central Zones, has forced the closure of many educational institutions. Teaching and learning have become more erratic as a result of this. This issue has far-reaching repercussions for librarians and information specialists. Libraries have long been regarded and recognized by educational institutions for their contribution to high-quality teaching and learning. Several studies have found that information and communication technology (ICT) can improve teaching and learning by facilitating access to information. As a result, governments and school administrators have been working to promote the use of ICT in libraries to aid teaching and learning. Despite these efforts, ICT adoption is still very low in most primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. This research conducted a conceptual analysis based on a literature search to identify the major criteria that should be considered when promoting the adoption of ICT in libraries to enhance quality teaching and learning in the face of security problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), blockchain, fintech (financial technology), and insurtech (insurance technology) are some innovations that have been rolled out in the financial landscape and have captured the imaginations of policymakers and scholars alike. The African continent lags in embracing technology and is still grappling with financial access and enhancing financial inclusion. As such, it is bewildering whether African insurance markets are at a stage where they can leverage the possibilities offered by the 4IR. Against this backdrop, the aim of the study was to investigate whether information communication technology (ICT) adoption influences the development of African life insurance markets. We utilised a sample of 31 sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2005–2020. Panel data techniques were employed, and the pooled ordinary least squares, fixed effects, and random effect estimators were used to test the relationship between life insurance density and the measures for ICT adoption (proxied by fixed telephones, internet use, mobile cellular telephones, and broadband) as well as financial freedom being the control variable. We found that the life insurance market development variable was positively related to three of the four ICT adoption variables, namely, fixed telephone, mobile cellular telephone, and broadband. Further, the life insurance market development variable is positively related to the financial freedom variable. These findings suggest that ICT adoption fosters the development of the life insurance market in Africa. The findings also lend credence to the view that the degrees of financial freedom of insurance companies (who are unencumbered by regulations) have a bearing on the levels of insurance sales and, hence, promote life insurance access in Africa. The policy imperatives that flow from this study are that African governments must ensure that they (1) institute ICT adoption-friendly policies and (2) regulate the life insurance sector optimally, in order to foster the development of their life insurance sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information systems research lacks a validated scale for assessing and measuring the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The relevant literature is limited in studies mainly concentrating on developing country settings. Furthermore, the emergence of new technological elements and increasing digitalization and digital transformation efforts in the last two years have changed how an organization utilizes and adopts ICTs. Therefore, it is inevitable that the conceptual dimensions proposed in the previous literature and the definitions of these dimensions will also alter. Hence, it is essential to revisit and validate the prior work and enhance it based on current vitality and developments. This study developed and validated a scale for measuring ICT adoption and digitalization for SMEs in a developing country context. The researchers followed an eight-step scale development procedure: (1) comprehensive literature review on ICT adoption and digitalization; (2) identification of dimensions of the level of ICT adoption and digitalization; (3) generation of items; (4) item refinement through focus group; (5) pretest of the measurement; (6) scale purification; (7) data collection; and (8) measurement evaluation. Within the Turkish setting, the ICT adoption scale was determined to have sufficient reliability and validity. Data for this study were gathered from 421 respondents of 219 Turkish SMEs. Supporting the multidimensionality of ICT adoption, 14 items and five dimensions (communication, internal integration, integration with customers, interorganizational integration, and strategic integration) constituted the ICT adoption construct. Considering the dominance of conceptual frameworks that were proposed based on developed countries and the prevalence of unidimensional constructs in the field, the developed multidimensional scale is expected to contribute significantly. Practitioners and policymakers can utilize the suggested scale to discover areas where specific changes are required for the digital transformation in SME utilization efforts that need attention. The outcomes can be applied to industrial sectors and different geographic contexts. By considering stage-based integration, the developed scale can also be used in future studies to investigate the effects of different variables on the extent of ICT adoption and the impact of ICTs on several organizational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze whether Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be considered as a mediator variable on the relationship among Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption and SMEs performance in the hotel industry due to the lack of general consensus on the direction of this relationship. Furthermore, future expectations about the economic cycle might be a determining factor in business decision-making. Therefore, we also analyze whether these expectations influence hotel managers to adopt CSR strategies and, indeed, influences on the hotel's performance. To this end, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is applied to a sample of 117 Spanish hotel SMEs. These results have practical implications in considering ICT adoption as a source of competitive advantage that will facilitate the implementation of CSR practices in hotels, thus improving firm performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The ingrained tendency to implement information and communication technologies (ICT) in EU enterprises over the last decade has caused dramatic changes in the labor market. Since the demand for ICT personnel is growing, there is still a need to create a comprehensive strategy to effectively manage ICT specialists when restructuring enterprises. The aim of the research is to identify transferring processes between low- and high-skilled ICT personnel and predict the employment rate in the ICT field until 2025. A Markov chain was used as the method of analysis. Using statistical data about the employment rate of ICT personnel by education attainment level, we have built a Markov chain model that describes the processes of ICT personnel with different levels of education. Data from 2005 to 2019 was used to build forecasting because of the absence of the latest information. We demonstrate that with the help of digitalization, the employment rate of ICT staff in 2025 will increase by 64% compared to 2018. The research verifies that ICT personnel will be in great demand until 2023 and, importantly, low- and middle-skilled personnel will be in demand, as well as high-skilled personnel. The employment rate in the ICT field will be at its highest level in 2022 as the favorable economic conditions for ICT adoption will help it. The growing demand for low- and medium-skilled ICT staff are met both by staff relocation processes and by the increasing digitalization of business units and public sector institutions. The added value of the analysis is the prediction that the largest growth in ICT personnel employment will occur by 2023, but employment growth will slow down after that. The main obstacle to employment growth through digitalization is the global economic crisis because of different reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian Railway system is one of the largest socio-technical systems in the world. It has existed for over 160 years, starting from the British Colonial times. It continues to play a critical role in present-day India. It's continued functioning is dependent not only on the personnel who are employed in the railways, but also the technologies that go into the system. A critical technology in the functioning of the railway system is information and communications technologies (ICTs). ICTs are deployed in almost every facet of the railway system. But these ICTs did not manifest themselves recently. They have been continuously deployed in some form or other since the inception of the railways. The systems and technologies have evolved, and there has been continuous diffusion of these technologies over the entire system. Their evolution has been based on the political economy, societal needs and pressures, and have thus been socially constructed. The technologies developed within one area of the railway system have been diffused and adapted into other areas. In this paper we study and analyze the adoption, adaptation, evolution, and diffusion of ICTs within the Indian Railway system over a period of 160 years. Our study shows that ICT evolution and diffusion in large socio-technical system is continuous and cyclical, and dictated by political exigencies, societal needs, regional politics, as well as resistance and public-relations considerations. The flow of power was often, if not always, bi-directional. These considerations have affected ICT evolution in Indian railways even more than the sophistication of the technologies themselves. Our study also shows how the adoption of ICTs follow cycles of rise and fall, even as they continue to grow in size overall, and offers lessons for other emerging economies on issues related to ICTs in large sociotechnical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how the agricultural transformation will stimulate youth participation, thereby leading to food security in Nigeria. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) adoption, insurance and health care provision was used as transformation variables. The study applied the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) model on the data sourced from Wave 4 (2018/2019) of the Living Standard Measurement Study-Integrated survey on agriculture (LSMS-ISA). The result showed that; agricultural transformation using ICT, insurance, and health care provision is positive and statistically significant in explaining the level of food security in Nigeria. Therefore, the study concludes that the transformation of Nigerian agriculture should focus on the provision of household's safety net programmes such as insurance. Also, there is a need for the enhancement of households' access to mechanisation services, access to quality and affordability of agricultural input materials to increase productivity, thereby leading to food security.

The purpose of this research empirically examines the influence of information and communication technologies (ICTs) adoption and frugal innovation on customer satisfaction among small and medium-sized (SMEs) Colombian firms and determine whether the frugal innovation has a mediating role on the relationship between ICT adoption and customer satisfaction. A quantitative approach and cross-sectional design was applied through the Structural Equation Modeling. A simple random sampling technique and a self-administered questionnaire were used to gather data from a sample of 145 business owners in the Department of Bogota, Colombia. The outcomes indicate that ICT adoption has a significant influence on both frugal innovation and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, greater levels of frugal innovation increase customer satisfaction. Moreover, the frugal innovation demonstrated to play a significant partial mediating effect on the relationship between ICT adoption and customer satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to assess how information and communication technology (ICT) adoption influences organizational performance (OP) during the Covid-19 pandemic by highlighting psychometric variables such as employees' organizational commitment (OC), growth mindset (GM), and entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Based on the complementarity theory, we built a theoretical framework where OC, GM, and EO mediate the influence of ICT on OP and tested hypotheses proposed. Responses of 297 employees from agriculture cooperatives in Côte d'Ivoire were obtained on the basis of questionnaires which composed the data for this study. The empirical analysis affirmed the significant and positive effect of ICT adoption on OP, and the significant mediating effect of OC and GM in the relationship between ICT adoption and OP. However, the role of EO in mediating the influence of ICT adoption on OP is insignificant. This research increases understanding of the underlying process of the relationship between ICT adoption and organizational performance during the Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to assess how information and communication technology (ICT) adoption influences organizational performance (OP) during the Covid-19 pandemic by highlighting psychometric variables such as employees’ organizational commitment (OC), growth mindset (GM), and entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Based on the complementarity theory, we built a theoretical framework where OC, GM, and EO mediate the influence of ICT on OP and tested hypotheses proposed. Responses of 297 employees from agriculture cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire were obtained on the basis of questionnaires which composed the data for this study. The empirical analysis affirmed the significant and positive effect of ICT adoption on OP, and the significant mediating effect of OC and GM in the relationship between ICT adoption and OP. However, the role of EO in mediating the influence of ICT adoption on OP is insignificant. This research increases understanding of the underlying process of the relationship between ICT adoption and organizational performance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This paper aims to analyze whether Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be considered as a mediator variable on the relationship among Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption and SMEs performance in the hotel industry due to the lack of general consensus on the direction of this relationship. Furthermore, future expectations about the economic cycle might be a determining factor in business decision-making. Therefore, we also analyze whether these expectations influence hotel managers to adopt CSR strategies and, indeed, influences on the hotel’s performance. To this end, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is applied to a sample of 117 Spanish hotel SMEs. These results have practical implications in considering ICT adoption as a source of competitive advantage that will facilitate the implementation of CSR practices in hotels, thus improving firm performance.

This study is a part research on the contribution of information and communication technologies (ICT) adoption to sustainability within households [1], enterprises [2], and government units [3]. The previous research confirmed that ICT adoption by such stakeholders influences ecological, economic, sociocultural, and political sustainability. This study aims at assessing and comparing the levels of sustainability resulting from ICT adoption within Polish households, enterprises and government units. It employs a quantitative approach. The survey questionnaires were used and data collected from 679 households, 394 enterprises, and 118 government units were analyzed. The research findings revealed that the levels of economic and sociocultural sustainability for the Polish surveyed households, enterprises, and government units were statistically similar and significantly higher than the levels of ecological and political sustainability that were similar to each other. Furthermore, the level of sociocultural sustainability was statistically different for the Polish surveyed households, enterprises, and government units – it was the highest for households and the lowest for government units. Moreover, the levels of ecological, economic, and political sustainability were statistically similar for households and enterprises, and significantly higher than such levels within government units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This ICT tools and technologies have become essential elements for the successful functioning of organizations. Consequent to that push, Pakistan government has provided ICT infrastructure including labs, Internet services, computers for both staff and students, access to the digital library, and video conference rooms especially from the year 2002 in educational institutes. Yet, Pakistan has not improved it ranking among world standards for ICT readiness as well as higher education management. Therefore, we assessed and measured ICT usage with the goal to know the adoption of ICT in terms of implementation, acceptance, and management in universities. Specifically, we focused on universities in Sindh province of Pakistan. In this research, we used the qualitative approach and conducted face to face interviews. Our target population included experienced administrative staff at important administrative posts and teaching staff who were familiar with ICT infrastructure in higher education institutions. Through this research, it was also revealed that, there ICT infrastructure is available in higher education institutions, yet, it lacks proper upgradation and that the human resource needs trainings. Furthermore, the analysis of data resulted in seven main themes that include adoption of ICT, utilization of ICT, ICT Policy of universities, higher authorities, attitude towards ICT, motivating factors, and challenges towards ICT success. It depicts the complete picture of ICT adoption and management practices in public sector universities in Sindh, Pakistan.

Food insecurity caused by climate change has become one of the main issues on the global agenda. Worldwide, the importance of digital tools as a means to enhance adaptive capacity and resilience of smallholder farmers (SHFs) in the face of climate variability has long been recognised. Technology-based systems in agriculture frequently neglect to consider the actual context of use and adoption by SHFs in rural and developing contexts. These conditions, as pointed out in the literature, range from high “illiteracy” rates to poor technology infrastructure to a requirement for smartphone-based technology of which very few SHFs in the developing world can take advantage. However, very little is known about the information and communication technology (ICT) literacy levels of SHFs in general in terms of supporting them in their farming decisions. This paper, therefore, explores the ICT literacy levels of Msinga SHFs in order to understand what could enhance their use and adoption of ICT for weather forecasting. Msinga is a hotspot for climate change. Consequently, the means of livelihood of the SHFs in this municipality have been negatively impacted.Volunteering sampling was used, in which 35 SHFs were purposively selected from a population of 100 SHFs who belong to the Asisukume Msinga Agricultural Cooperative (AMAC) – all irrigation farmers. A sequential transformative mixed method design, embedded in an Indigenous research framework, was employed. This paper reports on the quantitative aspects of the study which addressed the following two research questions: (i) What are Msinga SHFs ICT literacy capability levels? and (ii) What is the relationship between SHFs ICT levels and their demographic data w.r.t. their adoption of ICT tools in their agricultural practices? Data were collected using a demographic details questionnaire (examining age, marriage, educational level, and years of farming experience) and an assessment of ICT literacy (assessing 5 ICT literacy skills which included mobile phone symbol identification to advanced ICT literacy). Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically the use of Spearman rank-order correlation using IBM® Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS®), version 20.The results suggest that for the ICT literacy levels, SHFs were not able to display use of the various ICT related skills, with the exception of ICT levels 1 and 2 where satisfactory display of ICT literacy were displayed among most of the SHFs. When examining the associations between ICT literacy levels and the demographic variables, significant negative associations were found between the ICT literacy levels and age as well as years of experience, while significant positive associations were found between ICT literacy levels and educational level. The results, furthermore, suggest that marital status has no correlation with ICT literacy proficiency.The findings arising from this study highlight the “importance of context” in helping SHFs to mitigate the threats of climate change on food production, an issue that is completely ignored in curriculum policies and policies aimed at integrated national adaptation responses to climate change impact and vulnerability.

As a response to a digital era that is seen as a core element of global digitalisation, financial development in many countries including those in the African continent experienced varying patterns. These have made some countries to be categorised as relatively high and others relatively low in terms of their scale on digital economy. Thus, this study empirically investigates the interaction of information and communication technology (ICT) adoption and innovation, and the role of this digitalisation interaction on financial development in Africa, and across the sub-regions. It utilises the Bayesian Vector Auto-Regressive (BVAR) modelling to simulate the impulse response function and variance decomposition across Africa. The study finds that ICT-innovation interaction shock positively drives financial development across all of 6 datasets. This implies that for multinational corporations (MNCs) and other economic agents, ICT – innovation interaction should be strongly applied across all sectors to drive financial development since all sectors require finances to improve performance. Thus, contributes to the empirical testing of the theoretical reflections of digitalisation and digital economy interaction in African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use and utilization of ICT for SMEs attract the attention of many parties. The problems of SMEs in Yogyakarta, Indonesia that is so diverse cannot be simplified on the issue of technology adoption. Moreover, increasing competitiveness is necessary so that ICT can truly be a bridging digital disparity. The action research activity is carried out to close the gap which not only focuses on understanding the pattern of technology adoption alone but also involves action steps in helping SMEs to survive and able to compete. The results showed that the SMEs still had difficulty in utilizing ICT from the upstream side. This is triggered by the limitations of existing human capital in managing technical and operational aspects of ICT. Therefore, the strategies to use of ICT for SMEs is recommended to combine a proactive and reactive approach so that the optimization of resources will be achieved. Accordingly, we suggest that further studies apply the implementation of ICT on proactive and reactive actions to close the knowledge gap between the two in a different setting, context, location, and/or culture.

Introduction: Access to credit and information and communication technology (ICT) plays a pivotal role in enhancing the practices of small-scale sugarcane farmers, impacting their financial, social, and economic wellbeing. However, many small-scale farmers need help accessing these resources, thereby affecting their ability to generate sustainable income. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing the adoption of ICT and access to credit and their subsequent impact on small-scale farmers' income., Methods: Employing a multistage sampling technique, 300 small-scale farmers were selected as participants in the study. The recursive bivariate probit regression model was used to assess the factors affecting adoption ICT and a selectivity-corrected ordinary least square regression model was utilized to estimate the synergistic effect of ICT adoption and access to credit on the income of small-scale sugarcane farmers., Results and Discussion: The findings revealed that approximately 77% of small-scale farmers had access to credit, while more than 80% had adopted ICT. The results derived from the recursive bivariate probit (RBP) regression model indicated that access to credit, education, and extension support positively and significantly influenced the adoption of ICT. Conversely, marital status and non-farm income exhibited a negative and significant influence on the adoption of ICT. Gender and marital status were positively and significantly associated with access to credit, whereas age, education, and non-farm income showed a negative and significant relationship on access to credit. Subsequently, a selectivity-corrected ordinary least square regression model analysis revealed that factors such as gender, marital status, extension, government support, and transportation costs positively and significantly influenced farmer's income. In contrast, education, employment status, and non-farm income exhibited a negative and significant influence on income., Conclusion and Recommendations: The study concludes that socio-demographic factors, such as gender, marital status, extension support, government support, and transportation costs, positively contribute to farmers' income. Small-scale sugarcane farmer involvement in other non-farm activities is associated with reduced farm income. This implies that farmers' livelihoods options are reduced as they can only focus on sugarcane development as a source of income. There is a pressing need to educate small-scale farmers on ICT and provide them with access to agricultural credit. Additionally, extension workers should offer advisory support to small-scale farmers requiring assistance in accessing agricultural credit. There is a need to train sugarcane farmers on different agricultural income generating activities to reduce their over-reliance on sugarcane development. By addressing the identified socio-demographic factors and implementing targeted policy interventions, stakeholders can foster an enabling environment for small-scale farmers to thrive, ultimately contributing to the sustainable development of the sugarcane sector and the broader agricultural landscape in South Africa., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Background: Information and communication technology (ICT) has been a major contributor to world economic growth. Information and communication technology has played a vital role when it comes to the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In developed countries, SMEs are making use of ICT to support their business functions, although this has not been the case in most developing countries. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor argues that the survival rate of newly established businesses is generally poor, with SMEs in developing countries performing even worse than the standard survival rates. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the determinants that influence the intention to adopt ICT by SMEs in developing countries using Pietermaritzburg in South Africa as an example to understand this phenomenon. Method: The study made use of quantitative methods as its fundamental research approach. A total of 227 SMEs in Pietermaritzburg were surveyed using a close-ended questionnaire. The technology, organisation and environment framework was used as a lens to understand the study, and a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was applied to analyse the data from respondents. Results: The study revealed that the technology context is the most influential determinant with a regression weight of 0.975 and that both technology and organisation contexts (-0.221) are significant determinants that influence the intention to adopt ICT amongst SMEs in developing countries. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, it is evident that SMEs need to pay particular attention to ICTs that are relevant to them, including the characteristics and resources of the organisation to successfully adopt these technologies.

Background: Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) have been regarded as one of the critical driving forces for economic growth and development in South Africa (SA). In South Africa, SMMEs operate in townships and cities. However, there have been concerns about their failure rate and their inability to gain competitive advantage especially in the current era of rapid information and communication technologies (ICT) adoption. Aim: This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the factors affecting ICT adoption by township SMMEs. To further develop an ICT adoption framework for township SMMEs and provide guidelines to policy developers with the aim to increase growth and development. Setting: The study examined the context of SMMEs in townships and explored ICT adoption theories or models so as to understand what factors are relevant in influencing ICT adoption by township SMMEs. A conceptual ICT adoption framework for township SMMEs was developed using Actor network theory (ANT) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Method: A qualitative exploratory research method is adopted as it provides insight into the SMME characteristics and their level of ICT adoption and perceptions. The study used a sample of 21 SMME owners or managers operating in Soweto. Data was collected using in-depth interviews and observations. Results: This study revealed that ICT adoption for township SMMEs is a complex and dynamic process which involves various factors. Township SMMEs are not adopting ICTs and the current ICTs adopted are not fully deployed. The perception of ICT adoption is equally influenced by external factors such as ICT support and ICT training amongst others. These actors drive the perceived benefits such as growth and sustainability which then influence the ICT adoption. Conclusion: Township SMMEs requires unique interventions when encouraging them to fully adopt ICTs. They may adopt if correct guidelines are addressed such as ICT awareness and ICT training. The ICT adoption framework included factors that can be used by SMME owners or managers and policy makers when formulating guidelines towards ICT adoption for township SMMEs.

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of adopting information and communication technologies (ICT) on the development of African stock exchanges. The study examined a panel of 11 African stock exchanges for the period 2008–2017 and employed the generalised method of moments (GMM) to estimate the results. The results of the study documented that ICT adoption had a positive impact on stock market development in African countries. Firstly, it was found that the stock market traded volume and mobile–telephone user variables were positively related. Secondly, a positive relationship was also proven between the stock market traded volume and the broadband user variable. Thirdly, a positive relationship was documented between the stock market capitalisation variable and the fixed telephone user variable. Fourthly, the research findings confirmed a positive relationship between the stock market turnover ratio and the fixed telephone user variable. The findings of this study imply that policymakers should be more resolute when formulating ICT policies. ICT adoption can spur stock market development which in turn can propel economic growth, resulting in the economic prosperity of the African countries. Moreover, ICT adoption could enhance the integration of African stock exchanges, further buttressing the drive towards the common market areas in various regions.

The rapid advancement in information and communication technology (ICT) has brought huge entrepreneur benefits and challenges. A key challenge that has been less researched is the demand for skilled manpower in relation to the issue of the role employees’ age and gender play in driving SMEs’ ICT-related innovations adoption. This paper attempted to determine the moderating role of three important workers’ demographic characteristics (age, gender and experience) on the use of innovations related to ICT by SMEs. Adopting the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) perspective, a questionnaire was designed and administered to 400 employees selected from 43 SMEs in the Malaysian state of Selangor. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions all have significant impacts on ICT-related technology innovations adoption (ICTRIA) while the moderator analysis confirmed that the two gender categories, different age groups and different experience levels have specific moderating influence on the relationship paths between the four predictors and technology innovations use. Novel findings show that performance expectancy and social influence are more salient for older female and younger female workers to run jobs related to ICT innovations use in the firm respectively.

This study was aimed at investigating the determinants of the actual ICT adoption among Small and Medium Enterprises in Kogi State. Survey research design was used; employing a coherent research instrument for gathering information and generating data. The objects of interest are 2027 SMEs; from which sample size (323) was chosen. Analyses of data were done using descriptive statistics, multiple regression and T-test. Findings showed that perceived usefulness has significant positive influence on the adoption of ICT by SMEs in Kogi State. Findings further showed that technical strategy and perceived ease of use have significant negative influence on the adoption of ICT by SMEs in Kogi State. The study concluded that SME owners consider technical strategy, ICT usefulness and ease of ICT use for the adoption of ICT in Kogi State. The study recommended that government and economic expert should create more awareness on the usefulness of ICT to enhance increasing level of its adoption by SMEs, and that SME owners should seek the assistance of strategists and acquire ICT handling skills. The implication of these is effective adoption of ICT by SMEs in Kogi State. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Information and communication technology (ICT) has been a major contributor to world economic growth. Information and communication technology has played a vital role when it comes to the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In developed countries, SMEs are making use of ICT to support their business functions, although this has not been the case in most developing countries. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor argues that the survival rate of newly established businesses is generally poor, with SMEs in developing countries performing even worse than the standard survival rates. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the determinants that influence the intention to adopt ICT by SMEs in developing countries using Pietermaritzburg in South Africa as an example to understand this phenomenon. Method: The study made use of quantitative methods as its fundamental research approach. A total of 227 SMEs in Pietermaritzburg were surveyed using a close-ended questionnaire. The technology, organisation and environment framework was used as a lens to understand the study, and a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was applied to analyse the data from respondents. Results: The study revealed that the technology context is the most influential determinant with a regression weight of 0.975 and that both technology and organisation contexts (-0.221) are significant determinants that influence the intention to adopt ICT amongst SMEs in developing countries. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, it is evident that SMEs need to pay particular attention to ICTs that are relevant to them, including the characteristics and resources of the organisation to successfully adopt these technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic-driven supply chain disruptions have pushed supply chain decision-makers in the retail industry to implement information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve the efficiency and resiliency of their supply chain. However, they need some guidance to identify the functional elements of the supply chain for ICT adoption and the benefits of implementing ICT on their supply chain performance. Methods: We conducted an empirical study that provides guidance on the performance benefits of ICT adoption specifically for the downstream supply chain of the retail industry. This study employed the feature engineering technique to prioritize the functional elements of the supply chain to maximize the benefits of ICT adoption on supply chain performance. Results: ICT adoption benefits the retail industry’s overall downstream supply chain performance in the range of 9–41%. Moreover, the study discovered the key functional elements of the supply chain for ICT adoption that significantly improve the overall supply chain performance. Conclusions: The study presents a definite view of the quantitative benefits of ICT adoption to the supply chain decision-makers of the retail industry and aids them in selecting appropriate functional elements for ICT adoption to maximize their supply chain performance.

This research aims to study two determinant factors of the ICT adoption and use in the Spanish micro-enterprise’s framework. Furthermore, this article analyses the combined influence of the age and the training experience of the entrepreneur according to the use of ICT in the company. Previous research has considered that the age of the entrepreneur has a negative effect while the level of education of the entrepreneur always have a positive effect in the use of ICT. However, any previous research has found the analysis of the combined effects of both variables together: the age and training, since the combined effects may be different from the effects of each variable separately. On this basis it has analysed a sample of 148 Spanish firms with fewer than 10 employees. The survey results seem to conclude that the specific training of entrepreneurs on issues related to ICT, (rather than the overall level of their training), moderates the negative effect caused by the increasing age the employer in the use of ICT.