Open source products such as software development tools and server applications are gaining popularity among expert users. There is however a notable lag in adoption of desktop open source software among ordinary users especially in Africa. A number of critical factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions have been suggested as the determinants of Information and Communication Technologies adoption in general. This study deemed it important to establish if the above factors are the determinants of desktop open source software adoption in Africa. The study aimed to establish the Open Source Software adoption levels among university students in Kenya as well as the factors affecting Open Source Software adoption in this population. The author further aimed to assess the applicability of popular technology acceptance models in the adoption of the software in the population under study. The study employed literature review, quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study also used both descriptive and explanatory research designs in answering the research questions. The Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was used as a theoretical framework because it has synthesised all its major predecessors and accommodated all the predecessors constructs. The other reason The Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology was used is because the model was developed specifically for predicting voluntary technology adoption. This study established that the adoption of Free Open Source Software products in Kenya is very low and existing literature revealed that this is also the case in other developing countries. The study concluded that the factors affecting adoption of desktop Open Source Software by Kenyan university students are usability, user training, Open Source Software compatibility, social influence, prior experience, social economic status, job market demands, proprietary software piracy culture and patent and copyright laws. Hence the study suggested that the existing technology adoption models are not appropriate in predicting technology adoption in an Africa setup. The study proposed and validated an appropriate model that fits in this context. / School of Computing / D.Phil. (Information Systems)

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become commonplace entities in all aspects of life. Over the past twenty years, the use of ICTs has drastically changed the procedures of almost all forms of endeavour within business and governance. Additionally, throughout the world there is an awareness of the fundamental role of new ICTs in the field of education. Education is a socially oriented activity, and quality education has traditionally been associated with strong teachers having high degrees of personal contact with learners. The use of ICT in education lends itself to learner-centred learning settings. With the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education and the influence of ICT in schools cannot be overemphasised as its utility is changing the way learners learn, teachers teach, and how it supports staff work. Whilst ICT is fully integrated into many schools in the urban areas of South Africa, regrettably the same cannot be said about rural high schools. This has created a digital division between rural and urban high schools. Most of these rural high schools still do not have access to these technological tools and educators have not been given the professional training for them to integrate ICT in their lessons. This study explores the effectiveness of integrating ICT into teaching of Environmental Education in selected rural high schools. The quantitative study adopted survey research design with sample randomly selected for the study. From the findings, it can be concluded that integrating ICT in education cannot be comprehended by exploring the pedagogical orientations at play in the teaching and learning situation. It becomes the basis that teachers use ICTs to achieve the determined goals.

Thesis (MTech (Marketing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / The rapid growth of social media has resulted in digital information and communications technology (ICT) channels for individuals to connect with each other and the rest of their world. Consequently, social network sites (SNS) and other mobile applications have become an integral part of life, as well as a daily destination for billions of individuals, offering them novel and an instant means of communication in this interactive ICT space. Internet, social media and smartphone usage are also expanding prolifically in developing countries such as South Africa (SA). This incremental expansion of social media usage is directly related to the progression of Internet usage across the globe, primarily as a result of the irrevocable dissemination of smartphones. The use of social media has become the most common activity among modern adolescents and young adults (referred to as Generation Y or Millennials). SNS such as Facebook, Mxit, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and numerous others have grown exponentially in recent years, enabling Generation Y with a portal for entertainment and communication. The increase of social media adoption has captured the attention of marketers and consumers alike on a global scale, and with the quickly changing communication environments, marketers now confront new challenges in terms of understanding consumer behaviour, attitudinal responses and consumption patterns in the new millennium. Social media brings with it powerful opportunities for brands to engage with young consumers; create real time conversations; and provide immediate feedback via interactive marketing communications at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional media advertising. Internet and social media usage, as well as access, grown has prolifically in SA, while minimal research has been conducted regarding attitudes towards social network advertising (SNA). Millennials are sophisticated and technology savvy, therefore, social media is important to them to maintain contact with their friends, and to continually interact in the digital environment. Hence, it is important for organisations to strategically market their brands in a way that would appeal to this market, which is notoriously difficult to reach. Furthermore, Generation Y consumers have huge buying power and also exert a major influence on their household purchase behaviour, so their social media usage and attitudes towards various ICT platforms media are important to marketers. A complete knowledge base of this generation will enable brands to increase their marketing communication effectiveness when targeting this cohort. Yet, many organisations have used SNA without truly discerning the real attitudinal effect that it has on their young consumers

SAs are documents that specify the business relationship between stakeholders to an outsourcing agreement. SAs specify this relationship in a legally binding manner that assists in managing expectations of the stakeholders about the service provision. According to Verma (1999), an SA is a precise statement of the expectations and obligations that exist in a business relationship between two organisation: the service provider and the client. In order for organizations to have successful outsourcing partnerships, they need well crafted methods of developing Service Agreements (SAs). Successful methods will produce a conclusive contract that will act as a working document that details the spirit of cooperation between the service provider and the service recipient. This research investigates the development of SAs in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, and proposes a model for their development. A number of models for SA development have been analysed. Models are analysed from leading researchers in the area, from software houses such as Microsoft and from international standards organisations such as the BS15000 which stipulates the ITIL framework. Eight development principles are identified and explored. An investigation into SAs and their development is conducted. A model is proposed that is composed of the development principles. The development of SAs was explored in an empirical study by means of a survey administered to industry practitioners and a series of interviews with managers in the ICT industry. The results of the study indicate varying levels of support for the development principles and limited relationship between the development principles and the success of the SA, as defined by the number of changes made to the SA after it is completed.

The distribution of real-time multimedia streams is seen nowadays as the next step forward for the Internet. One of the most obvious uses of such streams is to support telephony over the Internet, replacing and improving traditional telephony. This thesis investigates the development and deployment of services in two Internet telephony environments, namely CINEMA (Columbia InterNet Extensible Multimedia Architecture) and VOCAL (Vovida Open Communication Application Library), both based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and open-sourced. A classification of services is proposed, which divides services into two large groups: basic and advanced services. Basic services are services such as making point-to-point calls, registering with the server and making calls via the server. Any other service is considered an advanced service. Advanced services are defined by four categories: Call Related, Interactive, Internetworking and Hybrid. New services were implemented for the Call Related, Interactive and Internetworking categories. First, features involving call blocking, call screening and missed calls were implemented in the two environments in order to investigate Call-related services. Next, a notification feature was implemented in both environments in order to investigate Interactive services. Finally, a translator between MGCP and SIP was developed to investigate an Internetworking service in the VOCAL environment. The practical implementation of the new features just described was used to answer questions about the location of the services, as well as the level of required expertise and the ease or difficulty experienced in creating services in each of the two environments. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Information & Communication Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Community Development service practitioners in South Africa have been increasingly burdened with a broader range of responsibilities. Using ICT proficiently could enhance their productivity. The use of ICT is prevalent in almost every organization, therefore, it can also serve as a major factor in providing flexibility of service to communities, but only if the practitioners possess adequate skills in retrieving, presenting and disseminating valuable and adequate information within the workplace to the parties involved. Training interventions are however not always successful and their impact need to be measured. This study focussed on developing a Multi-Stage assessment model to measure the impact of an ICT training intervention, to provide evidence of the effectivity of the training. A syllabus was developed, based on the European e-Competence Framework for ICT Users - Part 1 (CEN, 2013) and contextualized to suit the work environment of Community Development Workers (CDWs) from KwaZulu-Natal, training material was created and a Learning Management System was used to deliver the training. A self-assessment questionnaire was used to determine the pre-training skills level of the CDWs, 189 CDWs from KwaZulu-Natal were trained and a second questionnaire was used to measure the impact of the training. Results were analysed using Item Response Theory, which provided a way to measure not only overall competency but responses to specific items. Classical Test Theory measuring frequencies and averages were also use and the two sets of responses were compared. The training was found to be effective. Recommendations towards the development of a Multi-Stage assessment model are made. / M

In this thesis I explore the relationship between the mobile phone and its user and argue that this relationship is crucial in merging the contexts of public and private, the physical and virtual, imagined and real, past and present, author and audience. I view this relationship as crucial to understanding the shift in the role of the audience from passive receivers of content to active producers ('Mobile Produsers'). Further, I argue that the diverse contexts of mobile content production and the definition of the content itself have become the central means by which mobile phone practices are emerging. I draw on anthropology, social science and media studies in order to explore the impact of mobile contexts, content, and use on identity. I propose that this approach allows for a new understanding of mobile practices as a form of spectacle, especially what I refer to as the spectacle of the self. Produsership theory informs an understanding of mobile practices, content production and performance, and the Bahktinian concept of carnival becomes a useful term in analysing the mobile as both performance and spectacle. Through an analysis of mobile content within cinematic culture, social interaction, and mixed media environments I consider the ways in which the mobile functions not only as a tool for positioning the individual, but also as performing an integral part in a multi-user process of mobile content production. In this sense, mobile content can be understood as a map, and the mobile as a compass used by the produser to navigate the mobile?s diverse contexts. Furthermore, I demonstrate that mobile content is collectively constructed while being individually absorbed. It is reflective of both the context and its user and open to constant questioning and interpretation, which is then shared with others. Finally, this thesis explores the notion of being t/here as mode of participating with the mobile in time and space, where one's identity is distributed across virtual and physical spaces, simultaneously locating the user as both here and there (t/here).

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In this thesis I explore the relationship between the mobile phone and its user and argue that this relationship is crucial in merging the contexts of public and private, the physical and virtual, imagined and real, past and present, author and audience. I view this relationship as crucial to understanding the shift in the role of the audience from passive receivers of content to active producers ('Mobile Produsers'). Further, I argue that the diverse contexts of mobile content production and the definition of the content itself have become the central means by which mobile phone practices are emerging. I draw on anthropology, social science and media studies in order to explore the impact of mobile contexts, content, and use on identity. I propose that this approach allows for a new understanding of mobile practices as a form of spectacle, especially what I refer to as the spectacle of the self. Produsership theory informs an understanding of mobile practices, content production and performance, and the Bahktinian concept of carnival becomes a useful term in analysing the mobile as both performance and spectacle. Through an analysis of mobile content within cinematic culture, social interaction, and mixed media environments I consider the ways in which the mobile functions not only as a tool for positioning the individual, but also as performing an integral part in a multi-user process of mobile content production. In this sense, mobile content can be understood as a map, and the mobile as a compass used by the produser to navigate the mobile?s diverse contexts. Furthermore, I demonstrate that mobile content is collectively constructed while being individually absorbed. It is reflective of both the context and its user and open to constant questioning and interpretation, which is then shared with others. Finally, this thesis explores the notion of being t/here as mode of participating with the mobile in time and space, where one's identity is distributed across virtual and physical spaces, simultaneously locating the user as both here and there (t/here).

An assumption that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and economic development have an automatic linkage has gained wide acceptance over the last decade. As a result, developing countries are under pressure to apply this prescription as a solution to poverty. With the help of development partners in the developed world and the United Nations, developing countries have embraced this call to increase access to ICTs to bridge the ever-widening gap between the ‘information rich’ and ‘information poor’ (Castells, 2001). One of the strategies has been the establishment of telecentres where the least privileged people might access ICTs for their own development needs. However, this strategy has tended to overlook contextual factors and circumstances in developing countries. ICTs are thus being introduced in an environment of mass poverty, illiteracy and poor infrastructure, exacerbating existing inequalities in some cases. Much attention has been focussed on initiatives aimed at expanding the ICT infrastructure for wider population access without addressing what the users actually do with such access. This study aims to make a contribution in that direction. The study focuses on Nakaseke Community Multi-media Centre(CMC), the first telecentre introduced in Uganda in 1997. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques, the study sets out to develop deeper insights into how the Nakaseke community uses, engages with and relates with communication technologies installed at the telecentre. It probes whether these practices advance the dominant view that ICTs are a panacea for rural development. The findings indicate that while access to communication technology has expanded, albeit at a slow pace, the benefits might take very long to have a significant effect as many targeted users do not make use of the facilities because they lack the human skills and financial resources to exploit the technologies. Other problems such as poor electricity supply and sustainability also actively militate against the potential of the project to deliver. Besides, people tend to appropriate technology in ways different from those intended by its promoters. As Burton (2002) explains through the concept of ‘affordances’ and ‘culture’, some users perceive technologies essentially as something that bestows the status of being modern or sophisticated on their community, rather than as a development tool. In conclusion, it is argued that if used for development, ICTs can indeed make a difference in the lives of rural people. However, besides investing in technology, there is need to invest more in empowering the people themselves with skills, particularly literacy, to enable them use ICTs productively.