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The purpose of this paper is to integrate established information systems theories (post-acceptance model (PAM) and task-technology fit (TTF)) to model and test determinants of user continuance intention within Kenya toward a proliferated mobile money service called M-pesa.

A positivist method informed the design of the study. A survey instrument was developed and administered amongst M-pesa users in Kenya, yielding 618 responses. Selection of users followed a systematic sampling technique. Afterwards, structural equation modelling (SEM)-partial least squares (“SEM-PLS”) was used to examine the measurement and structural model of the study.

The results revealed an unexpected finding that TTF’s utilization has a stronger path coefficient than PAM’s satisfaction in predicting user continuance intention toward M-pesa. This is contrary to most extant literature reports that satisfaction is the dominant predictor of usage continuance. Also, unexpected, the results revealed a lack of significant influence between the PAM’s post-usage usefulness (PUU) and satisfaction. Again, the relationship between PUU and satisfaction in most extant studies is reported as significant.

The study suggests that saliency order of determinants of user continuance intention could differ within the developing world and developed world.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and empirically determine the influence on information and communication technology (ICT) adoption of three important factors (i.e. capacity to adopt and use ICT, exposure to international environment and state policies) in South Africa.

Data covering the period 2000‐2009 on the above influencing factors were collected from the World Bank databases and other sources. A logarithmic transformation of data was done, followed by a regression analysis in order to determine the significance of the influence of each factor.

The results show that capacity to adopt and use ICT has the most significant influence on ICT adoption in South Africa, followed by exposure to international environment. The effect of state policies was surprisingly not significant, deviating from the general claims that policy implementation and adoption of such policies are key determinants of adoption.

The findings of this study are based on data collected from secondary sources which may be susceptible to measurement errors, missing values and inconsistent calculations. While the researcher made some effort to minimise these limitations, precautions need to be taken in using and generalising these findings.

This study confirms the need to increase levels of economic growth in South Africa if the country is to make technological advances that will ensure competitiveness in the global environment. Understanding the relative influence of these factors is important in directing policy and proper allocation of limited resources.

Many factors influencing ICT adoption have been identified in literature. However, these tend to be studied in isolation, are fragmented, and as such the key determining factors are not well understood in South Africa. While there is no doubt that human, social, economic, political and other factors impact on ICT adoption, the significance of the influence of each factor needs to be understood. The present study bridged this gap by identifying the factor with the most significant influence on ICT adoption. Understanding such significance would enable appropriate policy reviews and intervention strategies that support ICT adoption.

Information literacy (IL) training for teachers in developing communities, e.g. rural areas or townships in developing countries, is expected to pose special challenges in terms of sustainability, contextualisation, life‐long learning and empowerment. Little has been reported on such training in developing countries. Based on the authors' involvement in a UNESCO‐funded IL training project for teachers in a developing community in South Africa, the purpose of this paper is to review literature and to suggest a model that can further research and training in IL that meets actual requirements and needs of developing communities.

Literature reviews on four issues are reported on: ICT skills, teachers and developing/rural contexts; IL skills, teachers and developing communities; internet usage, search skills, teachers and developing communities; and lessons from ICT for development (ICT4D).

ICT4D literature and critical social theory seem useful to further research on IL training in developing communities as it empowers researchers to take up a position of enquiry that questions the value of ICT and the underlying assumptions embedded in the ways ICT is introduced in developing contexts. It is assumed that this would also apply to IL.

The contribution is original in its attempt to combine IL and ICT training for teachers in a developing community against an ICT4D background.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and compare the influence of three strategy‐making modes (planned, adaptive and entrepreneurial) on IT‐business strategy alignment in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

Empirical research using a questionnaire was conducted. In total, 108 SME owners and managers participated in the study and the data were analysed using quantitative techniques.

The planned mode provided better results as predicted. Each strategy‐making mode was found to influence certain specific aspects of alignment and performance. For instance the planned mode ensures better understanding of business and IT objectives and provides high growth sales. The adaptive mode encourages participation of stakeholders in planning and improves communication and staff productivity. The entrepreneurial mode can facilitate immediate revision of plans in organizations operating in dynamic and competitive environment.

Many factors influencing alignment were excluded. Second, the study was conducted in only three provinces and excluded the views of staff and IT personnel. These limit generalization of findings.

Assistance in planning and access to support programmes are necessary. Understanding the impact of SME characteristics can also assist the government in prioritizing resource allocations and focusing development programmes. The inconclusive results of this study, the impact on alignment of practices such as corporate governance, use of the balanced scorecard, and affirmative action should be researched further.

This was the first attempt to investigate the relationship between strategy‐making practices and IT alignment in South African SMEs. It provides empirical evidence confirming that these practices influence specific aspects of alignment and performance. SME managers can adopt the approach used to identify practices that ensure better alignment.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implementation process of an open source (OS) enterprise management system in the South African Public Sector. Change management was observed in relation to challenges and opportunities in the alignment of the internal organisational changes to the imperatives of the national free and OS software policy.

An interpretive case study, using interviews, observation and document review was used.

Alignment of the organisational environment, change management strategies and technology is required to address many of the “common” change management challenges. However, information and communication technology policies are formed and adopted in a highly complex environment and have embedded property and power relations which impact the nature and direction of their implementation. In this case one of the main challenges arose from the alignment of internal organisational change to a national policy which did not seem to have the full support of the agency which was tasked with implementing it.

Many of the challenges faced by the public sector department are commonly described in change management literature, such as inadequate consideration for the social context in which the change was to take place. What emerges from this paper is a caution that there is not a sole voice within government and in a multi‐levelled and multi‐sectoral institution there exist many different rationalities. The internal alignment of the divergent voices within government would be a prerequisite for the organisational environment, change management strategies and technology to be aligned.

The information system (IS) discipline and IS departments in universities are facing major challenges which threaten their survival. Knowledge management strategies have been used in various other fields to solve crisis situations and this paper contends that similar approaches could be adopted to address the crises in the discipline of IS. The purpose of this paper is to present a multi‐theoretical model that can be used to identify knowledge transfer impediments contributing to the crises in the IS discipline in a university.

Literature on crisis management and crises in the IS discipline was reviewed. This revealed that many crises are caused by lack of appropriate knowledge development and sharing in research and education. Knowledge management research was then reviewed and synthesized to create a comprehensive framework for identifying impediments to knowledge transfer in a university setting.

The findings of the literature review indicates that lack of knowledge management and sharing is one main contributor to the crises in IS discipline. The model developed in the present study will only be tested in the next phase of this research.

IS departments can use this framework to identify the impediments to knowledge sharing contributing to crises in research and teaching.

This paper adopts an approach used in other disastrous situations to resolve the crises in the IS discipline. It is established in literature that most crises arise due to the lack of proper knowledge management. A framework to examine knowledge transfer impediments in IS discipline is therefore proposed. Two theoretical perspectives to knowledge transfer (i.e. the epistemological and ontological) are combined whereby impediments to tacit and explicit knowledge transfer in the areas of research and teaching, and at various social interaction levels (i.e. individual, group, organizational and inter‐organizational levels) can be examined. This provides a more comprehensive analysis of the crisis situation and facilitates the development of holistic knowledge‐based solutions needed to respond to the crises. Departments can use the framework to identify critical issues requiring urgent attention or specific needs of individuals, groups, etc.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of a culturally sensitive and end‐user‐centric software architectural framework for the development of eService applications in information and communication technologies for development (ICTD) contexts. The research is undertaken within the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL) in South Africa.

Action research is the approach undertaken in this research with an extensive literature review to inform the development of the architecture, which is later qualitatively and quantitavely validated.

Various factors have to be taken into consideration for technology solutions to be effective in their context of deployment. The authors have provided an architecture that intrinsically enables software solutions to be developed from the ground up with concern for flexibility for context sensitivity. The PIASK architecture separates the presentation, interaction, access, social networking and knowledge base components into five distinct functional layers. This architecture is validated for: technical viability through a development of a knowledge portal in SLL; cultural sensitivity through Dooyeweerd's theory of modal aspects; and user centricity using a SALUTA‐based evaluation.

The successful evolution of any society towards a knowledge society is predicated on technology solutions that embrace and that are sensitive to the socio‐cultural diversity of that society. The PIASK architecture developed in this research is a tool that can be used in the realization of services and applications for ICTD contexts in South Africa and other third‐world countries.

The software architecture developed specifically for ICTD contexts to encapsulate context sensitivity and user centricity is the primary and novel contribution of this research.

The purpose of this paper is to report on podcasting experience by faculty and students in a South African higher education institution (HEI), identify issues, limitations and discuss implications for the design of future tools.

This work consisted of two parts: semi‐structured interviews with lecturers, content/curriculum developers and a student survey.

Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory provided the framework for this research including determining how new innovations are disseminated, their rate of adoption, the five‐stage decision‐making process for adoption and the characteristics an innovation must possess to be attractive to adopters. The methodology used relied heavily on descriptive and qualitative data analyses in order to determine the current podcasting practices and experiences. Results reveal that by assuming some of the respondents are “innovators” or “early adopters”, they are still in the early stages of the decision‐making process.

Some instructors who are identified as “early adopters” are experimenting with podcasting as an add‐on to existing lecture resources. However, innovations and their subsequent adoption require an understanding of lecturers' and students' perceptions, opportunities and challenges.

Podcasting in developing HEIs and the tools therein to support the process has not been given much attention. The context of this study is the first kind of empirical research in this area. The findings from this exploratory research will be valuable for podcasting users.