Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / The purpose of the study was to investigate the E-Commerce phenomena in Tanzania with the goal of understanding how E-Commerce is typically made sense of by Tanzanian SMEs and how the sense making is produced, sustained and affected by environmental and organisational conditions. Structuration theory was used as a theoretical lens from which the social construction of the E-Commerce phenomena could be understood. The study primarily adopted a subjective interpretive stance. A preliminary quantitative study using questionnaires and interviews was done to gain an initial understanding of the E-Commerce status quo in Tanzania. The main study was qualitative in nature and used interviews with 33 Tanzanian SMEs as the data collection method.

This thesis aimed firstly to explore what is happening with respect to change in a South African university, and how this change affects those involved, viewed from an IS standpoint. The focus is on determining the essence and nature of organisational change in its usual situation.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 258-277). / This thesis examines the role of an information system in the implementation of the new Property (Municipal) Rates Act (PRA) 2004 of South Africa as an example of Legislation Led Reform using, as the case study, the property rates policy reform framework implemented as the General Valuation (GenVal) 2000 project of the City of Cape Town. The study applies a range of social theories such as Actor-Network Theory, the Due Process Model and Structuration Theory.

This study offered an explanatory critique of the implications of policy-making processes on policy discourses. Its objective was to understand how policy-making processes affect institutional e-learning policy outcomes in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. The study analysed the conceptualisation and design of institutional e-learning policies in three universities.The case-by-case analysis for this study used a qualitative post-structuralist research methodology associated with case study research. This method provided deep insights and intimate knowledge of the individual cases which formed an important basis for cross-comparisons to be made within and across cases, to draw a relationship between policy-making processes and e-learning policy discourses. Interviews were held with stakeholders who formulated e-learning policies at the three universities. The aim of interviews was to understand how the policies were formulated; to explore the factors impacting policy formulation; the composition of actors; and how policy issues were framed. The methodological and analytical lens of the study was based on the Stakeholder theory and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The Stakeholder theory was used to analyse the policy-making processes, whilst CDA was used to analyse the policies. The analysis focused on the assumptions inherent in the views of policymakers on the nature and role of technology in education. Considering power relations that are implicit in policy-making processes, the study examined the competing discourses found in the policy texts and the different frames used by policy actors in framing the policy problem. The aim was to understand the socio-cultural, political and pedagogical implications of these discourses on teaching and learning with technologies in HEIs. This was achieved by comparing the views of policymakers with the discourses found in e-learning policy texts. The study revealed that institutional policies are the products of complex inter-temporal exchanges among stakeholders who participate in the policy-making process. The features of the resultant policies depend on the interaction, interests and power of agents who are involved in the policy-making process. The interaction of agents is also hampered or facilitated by institutional structures, procedures and processes in place, including the institutional culture. Therefore, the ability of the stakeholders involved in the policy-making process to achieve cooperative outcomes plays a central role. An institution that facilitates interaction among policy-making agents is likely to generate policies that are adaptable to the environment, and that are less subject to changes. Contrary to this, an institution that does not encourage cooperation will produce a policy which results in few changes in practice. Whether the policy-making process facilitates or hinders cooperation will depend on some key features of this process, such as the number of actors involved, the level of involvement in the process, how they engage in dialogue and their ideological beliefs on the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in this context.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 290-306). / Web Analytics (WA) is an evaluative technique originating from and driven by business in its need to get more value out of understanding the usage of its Web sites and strategies therein. It is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of Internet data for the purposes of understanding and optimising Web usage for the online visitor, the online customer and the business with Web site presence. Current WA practice is criticised because it involves mostly raw statistics and therefore the practice tends to be inconsistent and misleading. Using grounded action research, personal observations and a review of online references, the study reviews the current state of WA to to propose an appropriate model and guidelines for a Web Analytics adoption and implementation in an electronic commerce organisation dealing with online marketing.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 219-236). / This study uses a conceptual framework to enquire into the local appropriation of Information Communication Technologies (lCTs) within a rural, gender development organization. The purpose of this research has been to examine how lCTs can be integrated with an extant rural development organization to improve the effectiveness of trading activities. Three major viewpoints, development, technology and development and marketing were examined and these contributed to the conceptual framework, used in this study to guide and direct the research process. An interpretative field study using participative action research was the main data collection methodology.

There is an ongoing debate on whether students’ use of mobile devices extends to academic purposes. In developing countries, mobile devices are argued to assist in reducing digital divide and foster educational use leading to poverty alleviation. Framework on students’ effective use of mobile devices for learning outside the classroom (SEUMD) is applied as lens. This research investigates, what influence effective use of mobile devices for learning outside the classroom has on academic performance of secondary school students in Tanzania and South Africa. An Interpretive approach on multiple case studies is employed. A mixed method approach is used that includes, close ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and direct observations. A secondary school in Dar-es-salaam and a high school in Cape Town were selected for data collection. Data was collected with Form IV students and their teachers and Grade 12 learners and their teachers. Mixed method is applied to investigate students’ and teachers’ use of mobile devices for learning outside the classroom. Descriptive statistics is used to analyse questionnaires and thematic analysis for interviews and observations. Both, students’ and teachers’ use mobile device to socialize, recreational purposes, searching for information and academic purposes. On academic purposes, mobile devices are used to make phone calls, send short message services and on Internet. Internet use encompass websites, search engines, social networks and instant messaging applications. Students’ save pocket money to buy airtime and Internet bundles. Students’ receive advice and assistance from peers on mobile devices to acquire and technical help. Key findings demonstrate students’ effective use of mobile devices includes WhatsApp and Facebook to communicate to peers, friends and teachers on educational issues. Students’ assist peers by sending pictures, audio and video files that expound on topic of interest. Academic content acquired through other Internet sources is shared to groups students interact with. The use of SEUMD provides for a new framework that merges technology adoption, concerns in the society and providing a sustainable solution. SEUMD extends discussion on technology adoption by focusing on adopters’ goals and analysing sustainability of attaining the goal through effective use. Adoption of a technology is thus assessed as a process that starts before adoption and continues after through sustainability.

Problem Statement: Emergency medical services (EMS) organisations have one of the highest levels of dependence on and use of information technology (IT) to support delivery of emergency medical services. The need for EMS organisations to provide efficient and effective emergency medical services has emphasised the importance of performance management. Organisational performance which is monitored and evaluated through key performance indicators (KPIs) plays an important role in EMS organisations. Organisational performance helps to monitor, evaluate and communicate outcomes in the form of KPIs. Empirical evidence shows that quantitative KPIs have been designed with little in-depth understanding of the underlying IT usage mechanisms that influence organisational performance. Unfortunately, such quantitative KPI reports have been limited in explaining organisational performance underpinned by IT. Purpose / rationale of the research: The purpose of this research study was to identify the generative mechanisms associated with IT-enabled organisational performance and to explain how these mechanisms interact. In the context of resource-constrained EMS organisations, quantitatively defined KPIs are not suitable for explaining the underlying causes of performance variations and outcomes. The lack of empirical evidence on IT-enabled organisational performance as well as the lack of theoretical explanations of the underlying mechanisms provided the primary rationale for this study. In addition, this study sought to provide answers to the following research question: What generative mechanisms explain IT-enabled organisational performance in resource-constrained EMS organisations? Theoretical approach/methodology/design: This study was informed by the critical realist philosophy of science and used the complex adaptive systems theory together with institutional theory as the theoretical lenses to investigate the research question in a manner that jointly explained the generative mechanisms. Using interviews, participant observation, organisational performance data and documents collected from a single case study, the study used abduction and retroduction techniques to explicate the mechanisms of IT-enabled organisational performance. Findings: Findings indicate that the IT-enabled organisational performance mechanisms can be categorised into two types of generative mechanisms. These are structural and coordination mechanisms. The explanation of the mechanisms developed in this study take into consideration three important elements: (1) the technological, cultural and structural mechanisms that influence IT-enabled organisational performance; (2) the unpredictable, non-linear, adaptive nature of emergency medical services environments; and (3) the complexities that arise in the interactions between EMS organisations and their environments. Originality/contribution: In respect of IT-enabled organisational performance this study contributes to both organisational and health information systems literature by developing a multi-level research framework that is informed by the realist philosophical stance. The framework plays an explanatory role which relates to its inherent ability to offer explanatory insights into the necessary mechanisms that give rise to organisational performance. This framework has the potential to guide empirical research and provide theoretical explanations of different domains or disciplines that are concerned with identifying IT usage mechanisms which influence organisational performance. These include the significance of the coordination and structural mechanisms which, under differing conditions of uncertainty, produce variations in performance outcomes. Implications: Findings from this study can be integrated into broader emergency medical policy planning and health programme management. The model developed by the study provides a fresh understanding of the underpinning mechanisms enabling performance in resource-constrained EMS organisations. It can be used to assist emergency medical institutions and practitioners in South Africa and other sub-Saharan African countries, especially Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to improve emergency medical service delivery to the public. The findings provide a guide for improving management of emergency medical situations and resources in their respective resource-constrained contexts. Furthermore, findings from the study can also guide improved design and implementation strategies and policies of EMS systems initiatives in South Africa and sub-Saharan developing countries.

Includes bibliographical references. / This study investigates the impact of anonymous computer mediated interaction on question-driven knowledge acquisition among students. A growing concern for educational institutions in general and educators in particular has been to augment what students are formally taught and what they informally learn from one another. Anecdotal evidence suggests that students consult one another informally. However, informal consultations suffer from three limitations: a) they are limited to clusters of friends; b) shared information is not retained; c) educators have no access to informal knowledge. My argument is that knowledge shared informally among students is a potential knowledge resource for both students and educators. As a student resource, it allows students to reconstruct their own understanding as they share their knowledge with each other. As an educators' resource, it serves as a diagnostic tool about students' knowledge levels hence identifying areas of misunderstanding or misconceptions.

Adoption of e-learning technology has been carried out by numerous universities in the developing countries with the aim of advancing the knowledge society and economic development. However, the adoption of e-learning technology in the said universities is fraught with challenges leading to low level use for instructional purposes. The study aims at: (i) identifying the predictors of successful adoption of e-learning, (ii) investigating causes of failures of past e-learning information systems initiatives, and (iii) developing a predictive framework for the advancement of e-learning programmes for universities in Uganda. In order to determine possible predictors of successful adoption, the researcher adopted the configurational (Gestalts) approach. The hypotheses were tested in a survey that involved 73 lecturers and 184 students from Uganda’s Makerere University and Gulu University. The respondents’ opinions are obtained using questionnaires and interviews and analysed using descriptive, clustering and deductive thematic analyses techniques. The research identified four analytical clusters from the target group of the lecturers, while the target group of the students are described by six analytical clusters. Results from cluster 1 among lecturers indicate that successful adoption is dependent on being familiar with the objectives of the university’s e-learning policies, finding time to experiment with ICT, availability of financial support and commitment of university management. However, it should be noted that while the study was conducted within two Universities, the majority of the lecturer respondents were from Makerere University. Therefore, while organisational characteristics contribute to the adoption of e-learning among lecturers, their influence is more pronounced in the established university, that is, Makerere. Both lecturers and students adopt e-learning facilities at later stages of their studies or career which raises great concern. The majority of the lecturers in the lead cluster were male and PhD holders while most of the students in the lead cluster were male and in their second year of study. Lecturers in Cluster 1 are adopters because of the knowledge and long-time experience with e-learning facilities compared to their counterparts in Clusters 2 and 3. Students in Cluster 4 were adopters because they had more knowledge and skills in the use of ICTs than their counterparts in the other clusters. Cluster 3 and 6 among lecturers and students respectively were least adopters of e-learning mainly because they were unfamiliar with the university e-learning policy. The main causes of failure of past e-learning information systems initiatives were lack of structured approach to e-learning and inadequate empowerment. From the cluster findings, a predictive framework for the advancement of e-learning programmes in universities in Uganda was developed. It was recommended that: adoption of e-learning technology should be encouraged during the early school years of the students and earlier career years of the academic if universities are to be competitive.