No keywords provided in dissertation / Cloud Computing has gained traction since its emergence and client organisations that want to benefit from the Cloud are looking for ways to migrate their on-premise applications to the Cloud. To assist client organisations with migration projects, researchers and practitioners have proposed various Cloud migration approaches. However, these approaches differ in applicability depending on the type of application being migrated and the Cloud Service Provider where the application is being migrated to. The various approaches to Cloud migration create complexity in Cloud migration decisions as client organisations have to consider various approaches depending on the migration project. The purpose of this dissertation is to create a universal Cloud migration approach that can be applied to every Cloud migration project. In this dissertation, a cloud migration decision framework is proposed; namely, A Holistic Cloud Migration Decision Framework (HCMDF). The research strategy that was followed is Design Science Research (DSR) and was selected since the output of the research is going to be an Information Technology (IT) research artefact. By applying the DSR strategy, the HCMDF was successfully developed and evaluated in the real world using an adaptive case study. The analysis of the results indicated that the HCMDF solves Cloud migration problem and that it can be applied to every Cloud migration project. Throughout the evaluation, areas of improvement were identified and these will be considered in future research. / School of Computing / M. Tech (Information Technology)

This study examined college student motivations for using social networking sites for educational purposes. Motives were examined through the uses and gratifications approach. If we can determine student motivations for using social networking sites, perhaps we can determine a way to successfully implement social networking sites into the classroom. By adding the concept of satisfaction, we can also determine if students will use the sites again. If students are satisfied with educational social networking site use, they will return to these sites for educational purposes again. Data was collected by giving a questionnaire to undergraduate students that assessed social networking site use, as well as motivations for and satisfaction with use. For general uses, students were motivated to use social networking sites for relationship maintenance, passing time, and information seeking purposes. Overall, students were satisfied with their use of the sites. For educational uses, students were motivated to use the sites for relationship maintenance and information seeking purposes. Overall, students are not satisfied with their use of these sites for educational purposes. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

This dissertation develops a method for evaluating whether federal agencies have complied with the intent of the Clinger-Cohen Act (CCA) of 1996 as they established Chief Information Officer (CIO) positions. The research is important because the CIO position, as envisioned by the CCA, oversees a growing information technology infrastructure that is increasingly becoming the primary vehicle for inter/intra-government communication and for delivering services to the public. Yet despite this importance, CIO-related aspects of the CCA have not received in-depth evaluation in policy science or public administration literature. The CCA specified many roles for the CIO position but provided few criteria for evaluating how agencies complied with the provisions that required the establishment of a CIO position. Therefore, a seven-step policy analysis process was used to develop a federal agency CIO position evaluation method that would fill this gap. This analytic research included describing the CCA's legislative context, modeling the federal CIO position, determining the intent of the CCA relative to CIO establishment, and devising a method to evaluate this activity. This research approach was grounded in organizational theory related to institutional structure. A validated "Federal CIO Position Evaluation Method" (FCPEM) is the result of the research. FCPEM, which contains thirteen evaluation criteria, was tested and validated through key actor interviews at four federal agencies and focused on CIO position establishment activity between 1996 and 2000. Additional research is required to replicate this finding in other agencies and to further validate the use of FCPEM in conducting this type of public policy inquiry. / Ph. D.

No / The convergence of IT, telecommunications, and media is changing the way information is collected, stored and accessed. This revolution is having effects on the development and organisation of information and artefact repositories such as libraries and museums. This book presents key aspects in the rapidly moving field of digital convergence in the areas of technology and information sciences. Its chapters are written by international experts who are leaders in their fields.

Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Information is a necessary resource, produced by information systems and is a key building block to the management and decision-making in any organisation. The National Department of Education’s guidelines to establish Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) in provincial departments is a recognition that proper management, planning and evaluation are contingent on quality data, data that is complete, relevant, accurate, timely and accessible. The lack of quality data and the lack of integration with other information systems hamstring the effective use of EMIS. This study addresses these limitations in three basic objectives: a) developing an information systems development model, b) applying the model in a real-life context of the development of the Western Cape EMIS, and c) applying quantitative methods on integrated data sets derived from the EMIS in the Western Cape and other information systems. The study culminates in the development of a four-phase process model for developing and using EMIS in an integrative manner that would provide a more comprehensive picture for policy and decision-making. It outlines the establishment of an information systems development (ISD) model that integrates innovative emerging trends, such as improvisation, bricolage and sensemaking, in designing and implementing information systems. These approaches postulate that beyond the numbers and quantifiable world there is a complex reality that traditional approaches do not always capture. These include, amongst other things, the atmosphere, culture and structure of an organization, together with the behaviour, emotions, knowledge and experiences of all the people who in one way or another interact with the information system. The research presents an empirical application of this developed ISD model in education management information system (EMIS) and underscores the role of information systems in everyday practice. This work practice (Practice-in-Action) approach is used to describe how the day-to-day actions and practical experiences of role players contribute to the design, development, implementation, testing, maintenance and improvement of the EMIS and is used as a lens for understanding ISD. The study further uses quantitative methods, namely education production function and learner flow-through models, to illustrate how the process of knowledge discovery in large data sets in EMIS could be facilitated. The education production function aims to identify those variables that could have a significant influence on the achievement of students in the matriculation examination. The learner flow-through models attempt to measure the effect of learner dropout and repetition on internal efficiency of the education system. Data analysis was facilitated through integration of data sets from various sources, and in turn illustrates the important role of bricolage in ISD. Through this analysis, the role of information systems of this nature to make sense of reality was highlighted. Policy making then can build on the findings from such data analyses to investigate in greater depth any trends or emerging problems, going beyond only the quantitative and macro level analysis by studies at the qualitative and micro levels.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the collection development practices of electronic resources at the University of Namibia (UNAM) library and its constituent branches. Collection development is one of the critical activities of any library management process; therefore, the goal of collection development in university libraries is to effectively provide relevant and up-to-date information resources. The main aims of the study were: to explore the collection development procedures and policies for electronic resources at the UNAM library; to investigate the factors that influence the collection development of information resources; to assess the extent which teaching staff and subject librarians are involved in collection development at the UNAM library; to discover the barriers to effective collection development of electronic resources at the UNAM library; and to determine the influence of the UNAM library budget allocation on the collection development of electronic resources. The population of the study comprised of 291 teaching staff from all eight faculties of UNAM. A total of 149 faculty members responded to the survey, which gave a response rate of 51.2%, while a total number of 16 library staff were interviewed. The study employed a quantitative approach, and the qualitative approach was applied on the part of the library staff. For quantitative data collection, the study used a self-administered questionnaire, while for qualitative data, the study used an interview schedule with library staff. The data from the interviews were used to complement the data from the survey. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS, while the qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The study revealed that not all faculty members are aware of the guideline, procedure, and policies on the collection development activities. Eighty one percent (81%) of the respondents are aware of the importance of their role in selecting library materials, 72% are aware of acquiring books, and 67% are aware of the budget allocated to their faculty. The majority totaling 94% of the faculty members are not aware of weeding or disposal of library books, followed by 83% who are not aware of collection evaluation, and 81% are not aware of the collection development policy in place at the UNAM library. From the data collected, the study found that a majority (67%) of faculty members are aware of ICTs used in collection development activities. Even though the majority of faculty members are aware of ICTs used in collection development activities, (45%) faculty members are not aware that ICTs can be used in collection development. The major challenge facing the UNAM library is the absence of the collection development policy, which makes it difficult for the teaching staff, students, and library staff to understand all the issues related to the collection development of electronic resources in the library. Another challenge is the inadequacy of funds to cater for the increasing costs of electronic resources in various subject fields. / Information Science / M. A. (Information Science)

The purpose of this project was to design and implement a Content Management System (CSM). TrigeiaWriter is a Content Management System for Trigeia.com, a web based magazine site. Since TrigeiaWriter is used for a web based magazine, it incorperates different roles for the users and these roles are authors, editors, and administrators.

In becoming a signatory to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaties, Canada has undertaken the obligation to provide protection against the circumvention of technological measures designed to protect copyright works. While on its face the obligation appears simple, in reality it brings about an intersection of policy, law and technology; a complex situation with far reaching repercussions. The U.S., a co-signatory to the WIPO Treaties, responded to this tension by enacting the Digital Milennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which heavily regulated circumvention technology and garnered wide-spread criticism. Critics labeled the law as unpredictable and overbroad legislation, which has chilled free speech, violated fair use, stifled research and study and encouraged monopolies by eliminating competition. Drawing largely on the U.S. experience, this thesis aims to suggest a possible route for Canada to take when fulfilling its own obligations under the WIPO. It will begin with a review of the relevant provisions of the Treaties to determine the extent of Canada's obligation. It will then examine Canada's proposal papers and the responses of its citizens to the questioned posed regarding future anti-circumvention legislation. It will also examine the DMCA in detail and attempt to distil its flaws. Finally, it will investigate the extent of the need for new anti-circumvention legislation in Canada by examining Canada's existing laws dealing with the protection of technology measures. Such process will provide evidence that Canada has, to a large extent, complied with its obligations under the WIPO while maintaining the delicate balance between the stakeholders of copyright law. Thus while new anti-circumvention legislation may still be in order, Canada has the latitude to craft a law that fully recognizes the rights of all stakeholders in the copyright equation and is consistent with its own copyright policies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of electronic information resources by postgraduate students at UNISA Regional Learning Centre in Ethiopia and to identify the problems they experience when using the UNISA online library. The literature review focuses on students’ information-seeking behaviour, with a particular emphasis on their usage of electronic information resources. Previous studies indicated that the context in which students’ information needs and their information-seeking behaviour arise can be determined by contextual and personal elements or factors. This study adopted a qualitative case study approach. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data from eight postgraduate students which were conveniently selected. The data were analysed by using a thematic data analysis technique. The study established that the majority of the respondents used electronic information resources. However, the availability of Internet connections and electricity determined the frequency with which e-resources were used. The students used information resources for various purposes, including for course work, doing assignments, preparing for examination, writing proposals, for literature reviews, for writing Master’s dissertations and doctoral theses, and for research. The study revealed that postgraduate students had basic computer and information literacy skills; however, they lacked more advanced skills and this negatively affected their usage of electronic information resources. The findings also reported that a lack of ICT infrastructure, such as limited Internet access, inadequate Internet connectivity and frequent electric power interruptions were the main factors that affected postgraduate students’ electronic information-seeking behaviour. Besides, the remoteness and poor facilities of the Akaki Branch Library also had a negative impact on students’ information usage. Recommendations are made in order to maximise the utilisation of electronic information resources and address students’ skills deficiencies experienced while they are using electronic information resource. / Information Science / M. A. (Information Science)

The September 11 terrorist attacks pointed out the lack of information sharing between law enforcement agencies as a potential threat to sound law enforcement in the United States. Therefore, many law enforcement agencies as well as the federal government have been initiating information sharing systems among law enforcement agencies to eradicate the information sharing problem. One of the systems established by Homeland Security is the North Central Texas Fusion Center (NCTFC). This study evaluates the NCTFC by utilizing user acceptance methodology. The unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology is used as a theoretical framework for this study. Within the study, user acceptance literature is examined and various models and theories are discussed. Furthermore, a brief information regarding the intelligence work done by law enforcement agencies are explained. In addition to the NCTFC, several major law enforcement information systems are introduced. The data for this study comes from the users of the NCTFC across the north central Texas region. Surveys and interviews are used to triangulate data. It is found in this study that performance expectancy and effort expectancy are important indicators of system use. Furthermore, outreach and needs assessment are important factors in establishing systems. The results of the study offer valuable input for NCTFC administrators, law enforcement officials, and future researchers.