The paper aims to present a historical overview of the use of information communications technology (ICT) tools and platforms, particularly e‐mail and the internet, as tools of…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to present a historical overview of the use of information communications technology (ICT) tools and platforms, particularly e‐mail and the internet, as tools of cyber‐activism by the labour movement in South Africa. The paper also aims to give some consideration to constraints and challenges facing unions in the South Africa in the effective deployment of such cyber tools.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on the experience of a participant observer, incorporating analysis of historical examples of the application of the key ICT tools, and supported by reference to relevant documentation and related literature. The use by unions in South Africa of e‐mail and the internet as tools of organisation and mobilisation is examined against the background of both access barriers and organisation constraints, and in relation to union strategies to address such challenges.
Findings
Despite recognition by the South Africa labour movement of the possibilities of e‐mail, the internet and other tools of cyber‐activism, the ability of unions to exploit these tools has been limited, characterised by both successes and failures.
Research limitations/implications
The paper has a relatively narrow focus on the experiences of specific unions in a single country, leading to conclusions which are not necessarily susceptible to generalisation. The lack of availability of both relevant primary documentation and secondary analysis makes it difficult to assess the accuracy of observations and conclusions.
Practical implications
The paper suggests the possibilities and opportunities for unions in similar environments to exploit ICT tools, as well as the barriers and constraints facing their deployment.
Originality/value
The paper presents the analysis and reflections of a uniquely placed participant observer regarding how unions in South Africa have been able to exploit e‐mail and the internet as tools of cyber‐activism. The analysis reveals both possibilities and limitations of cyber‐activism in South Africa.
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Amos P.N. Thapisa and Elizabeth Birabwa
The article explores Africa’s initiative at building a regional plan for the formulation and development of a National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICIP) in…
Abstract
The article explores Africa’s initiative at building a regional plan for the formulation and development of a National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICIP) in every African state. The paper also examines the challenges and opportunities confronting Africa in its bid to launch itself into the information age. The role of information, communication and knowledge in accelerating African socio‐economic development is emphasised. The paper makes a critical examination of the globalisation of economies and argues that globalisation appears to favour the rich and not so much the poor. It challenges the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to provide funding for the project if it is to succeed. It eventually concludes by making the observation that Africa’s Information Society Initiative (AISI) should promote Africa.
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– This paper aims to analyse telecommunications in Morocco and the control exercised by the absolute monarch who also owns one of three mobile operators.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse telecommunications in Morocco and the control exercised by the absolute monarch who also owns one of three mobile operators.
Design/methodology/approach
The single country case study provides a detailed picture of legislative, market and policy developments over a period of 15 years.
Findings
Severe conflicts of interests with the king as absolute monarch, head of the judiciary, chairman of the cabinet of ministers and owner of one of the largest operators exist. Market entry has only been possible with his sanction and only by acquiring in a stake in one of the existing operators. Investment is predominantly by domestic and Gulf Arabs. No attention has been given to competition and market bottlenecks. Expansion of the royal operator was observed.
Research limitations/implications
This is a single-country case study of an absolute monarchy.
Practical implications
Short of ending the monarchy, it is difficult to see a means to remove the conflicts of interest.
Social implications
The interests of the citizens take second place to royal profit-seeking.
Originality/value
This is the first critical assessment of telecommunications in Morocco. It adds to the small stock of case studies about bribery, corruption and patrimonialism in telecommunications.
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Blues music is in the midst of its second revival in popularity in roughly thirty years. The year 1960 can be identified, with some qualification, as a reference point for the…
Abstract
Blues music is in the midst of its second revival in popularity in roughly thirty years. The year 1960 can be identified, with some qualification, as a reference point for the first rise in international awareness and appreciation of the blues. This first period of wide‐spread white interest in the blues continued until the early seventies, while the current revival began in the middle 1980s. During both periods a sizeable literature on the blues has appeared. This article provides a thumbnail sketch of the popularity of the blues, followed by a description of scholarly and critical literature devoted to the music. Documentary and instructional materials in audio and video formats are also discussed. Recommendations are made for library collections and a list of selected sources is included at the end of the article.
Atsuko Kawakami, Juyeon Son and Charley Henderson
This study aims to better understand the key factors that affect the quality of care that patients with Hepatitis C are likely to receive in rural communities and to consider how…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to better understand the key factors that affect the quality of care that patients with Hepatitis C are likely to receive in rural communities and to consider how to build a more effective health support system for the rural residents.
Methodology/Approach
This qualitative study with a grounded theory approach allowed us to draw a conceptual map of the occurrence while informants had the opportunity to contemplate and share their thoughts on the issues, which led into new understandings of the subject matter.
Findings
The local leaders held a romanticized view toward rural life while the disadvantaged reported a sense of powerlessness to bring about the needed changes to help them battle Hepatitis C.
Research Limitations/Implications
Although describing a single social setting provides in-depth description, generalizability to other settings is always a limitation. If one wishes to start a support group, he/she may have to start asking the clergy of different churches to be the cofounders of the support group organization.
Originality/Value of Paper
Churches may have the most potential to bring about the needed changes in rural settings by fostering a supportive heath care environment in their communities.
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The classics will circulate wrote a public librarian several years ago. She found that new, attractive, prominently displayed editions of literary classics would indeed find a…
Abstract
The classics will circulate wrote a public librarian several years ago. She found that new, attractive, prominently displayed editions of literary classics would indeed find a substantial audience among public library patrons.
It's not enough to simply acquire alternative and small‐press materials. They must also be made easily accessible to library users by means of accurate, intelligible, and thorough…
Abbas J. Ali, Manmohan D. Chaubey and Robert C. Camp
This paper addresses issues related to Regional Trade Pacts and GATT. It argues that Regional Trade Pacts are necessary for implementation of GATT and that global free trade is an…
Abstract
This paper addresses issues related to Regional Trade Pacts and GATT. It argues that Regional Trade Pacts are necessary for implementation of GATT and that global free trade is an inevitable and healthy trend. In addition, the paper identifies problems associated with the implementation of GATT and provides prescriptions needed to ensure a successful transformation toward global free trade.
LET'S VARY LITERACEE with a little bibliographic burglaree. If you suddenly feel like humming The Pirates of Penzance or recollecting Gilbert and Sullivan, you are closely attuned…
Abstract
LET'S VARY LITERACEE with a little bibliographic burglaree. If you suddenly feel like humming The Pirates of Penzance or recollecting Gilbert and Sullivan, you are closely attuned to the bibliographic thoughts in my mind. Literary allusions are the rich overtones that make reading and writing a grand collaboration and a happy pursuit. An author may conscientiously write to convey ideas, but if a cut above the average, he always strives as did H. L. Mencken to express his ideas ‘in suave and ingratiating terms, and to discharge them with a flourish, and maybe with a phrase of pretty song’. His creative efforts will be mostly wasted, however, if his readers lack the requisite literary background and sophistication that would enable them to join in his game and share his earnest effusions. Literacy is never enough; a young child can read and understand the six one‐syllable words ‘who steals my purse, steals trash’, but that same child can grow to be a mighty old man without ever fully comprehending the sentence unless he reads Othello and studies Iago's presumptuous remarks on ‘Good name in man and woman’.