6 research outputs found
Cloud computing research: a review of research themes, frameworks, methods and future research directions
No full textThis paper presents a meta-analysis of cloud computing research in information systems with the aim of taking stock of literature and their associated research frameworks, research methodology, geographical distribution, level of analysis as well as trends of these studies over the period of 7 years. A total of 285 articles from 67 peer review journals from year 2009 to 2015 were used in the analysis. The findings indicate that extant cloud computing literature tends to skew towards the technological dimension to the detriment of other under researched dimensions such as business, conceptualization and application domain. Whilst there has been a constant increase in cloud computing studies over the last seven years, a significant number of these studies have not been underpinned by theoretical frameworks and models. Also, majority of cloud computing studies utilized experiment and simulation as methods of enquiry as compared to the qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies. This study contributes to cloud computing research by providing holistic insights into trends on themes, methodology, research framework, geographical focus and future research directions
An overview of cloud computing adoption across industries in a developing country
No full textThe purpose of the study is to investigate the nature of cloud computing adoption across different industries of Ghanaian organizations with the view of providing adoption trends and patterns for policy direction, practice and future research. A quantitative research approach consisting a survey of 305 Ghanaian organizations was adopted. The findings indicated the following. Firstly, the level of cloud computing adoption is low in Ghana. Secondly, information technology services, financial institutions, educational and telecommunication firms are the front runners in cloud computing adoption in Ghana. Thirdly, Ghanaian organizations tend to adopt software-as-a-service (SaaS) type of cloud service than infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS). Also, Ghanaian organizations tend to adopt private cloud deployment than hybrid, public and community. Lastly, cloud computing adoption is largely dominated by medium sized organizations. This study makes the following contribution to research and practice. First, it provides insight into cloud computing adoption trends and patterns across different industries in Ghana which arguable was non-existent. Second, this study has laid the foundation and provided direction for future research on cloud computing in Sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, this study contributes to practice by pointing out potential investment sectors for cloud computing business. It is therefore envisaged that these constructive and valuable findings contribute to the development of the cloud industry in Ghana as it is in its infancy
Preliminary insight into cloud computing adoption in a developing country
No full textPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of cloud computing adoption (CCA) in a developing country context through the lens of the technology, organisation and environment (TOE) framework.Design/methodology/approach – The study was carried out using the quantitative research methodology based on a survey of 305 organisations from different industries in Ghana. Based on the TOE framework, a conceptual model consisting of ten hypotheses were proposed and tested through a confirmatory factor analysis and logistic regression analysis.Findings – The findings indicate that relative advantage, security concern, top management support, technology readiness, competitive pressure and trading partners’ pressure were the TOE factors found to be significant in CCA in a developing country context. Conversely, firm size, scope, compatibility and regulatory support were found to be insignificant.Originality/value – This study provides insights into CCA across different industries in a developing country environment. The study is arguably the first kind of empirical research into CCA in a developing country context, specifically in Ghana. The findings from this study provide a foundation for other studies as well as constructive insights for the development of cloud computing, due to its infancy in the developing world
Training a Globally-Dispersed Trainer Population Through Desktop Video-Conferencing
No full textTechnology presents great opportunities for developing and delivering education and training. Specifically, audio and video communication technologies have become useful tools for extending the reach of training and staff development. Unfortunately, many of these opportunities are missed due to lack of technology adoption and assimilation. Developing formal training programs is one way to improve organizational effectiveness. Therefore, it is essential that organizations design and implement training programs that are efficient and address relevant job competencies. Training managers and development executives are eager to leverage technologies to train and support employees. Today\u27s institutions and organizations rely to a large extent on training, and there is ample reason to believe that the importance of training for organizations will continue to increase in the future. The quality of employees and their development through training and education are major factors in determining organizational growth. Desktop video-conferencing (DVC), when used effectively can present an effective channel for training at a distance.
The goal was to establish a model training process for DVC instruction that addressed the professional development needs of a globally-dispersed trainer population. Trainers completed a needs assessment that translated into a needs-driven instructional design. Course content was developed to meet specifications of a predefined template to be delivered by the technology. Implementation of the training was guided by six interrelated components of training that included conceptual framing, guided practice, establishment of evaluation benchmarks, provision of social and technical support and retraining. Participants were provided opportunities for hands-on and collaborative activities during the training. The study contributed to the knowledge base of training and learning technologies and provided practical uses of DVC for professional development of distant trainers
The reactor physics of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reactor redesign
No full text"August, 1970."Also written as a Ph. D. thesis by the first author and supervised by the second and third author, MIT, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, 1970Includes bibliographical references (pages 284-289)An H20 cooled compact MITR-II core, reflected by D20 has been designed for the MITR to increase the reflector thermal neutron flux at tips of beam ports by a factor of 3 or better, without changing the operating power level of the reactor. The diffusion approximation to the neutron transport equation has been used. A three neutron energy group scheme, that retains essential spatial effects, used in the studies has yielded satisfactory agreement with measured data. The factors which affect the intensity as well as the quality of the reflector thermal neutron flux have been studied. These studies show that the permanent features of the MITR limit the maximum power densities in the MITR-II core to factors between 4.5 and 12 below the corresponding values in reactors employing a similar core concept Nevertheless, the predicted unperturbed reflector thermal neutron flux of 1.lXlO14 n/cm 2-sec in MITR-II yields a reflector flux per unit power that is competitive with the corresponding values available in reactors of its type and a factor of 5.0 higher than that in MITR-I
High-risk fertility behaviours among women in sub-Saharan Africa
No full textSeidu A-A, Ahinkorah BO, Anjorin SS, et al. High-risk fertility behaviours among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Public Health. 2021:1-11.BACKGROUND: High-risk fertility behaviours such as too early or advanced age at delivery, shorter birth interval, birth order and a higher number of live births to a woman often lead to adverse maternal and child health outcomes. We assessed high-risk fertility behaviours and their associated factors among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).; METHODS: Data on 200716 women pooled from the demographic and health surveys of 27 countries conducted between 2010 and 2020 in SSA were analysed. High-risk fertility behaviour from four indicators, mother aged 34 years at the time of delivery; mother of a child born after a short birth interval (3 children), was derived. Multi-level multi-variable logistic regression analyses were carried out and the results were presented as adjusted odds ratios at 95% confidence interval.; RESULTS: Women who were in polygamous marriages had higher odds of single and multiple high-risk fertility behaviour compared with their counterparts who were in monogamous marriages. Women with middle or high maternal decision-making power had higher odds of single and multiple high-risk fertility behaviours compared with those with low decision-making power. Single and multiple high-risk fertility behaviours were lower among women with access to family planning, those with at least primary education and those whose partners had at least primary education compared with their counterparts who had no access to family planning, those with no formal education and those whose partners had no formal education.; CONCLUSION: Family structure, women's decision-making power, access to family planning, women's level of education and partners' level of education were identified as predictors of high-risk fertility behaviours in SSA. These findings are crucial in addressing maternal health and fertility challenges. Policy makers, maternal health and fertility stakeholders in countries with high prevalence of high parity and short birth intervals should organize programs that will help to reduce the prevalence of these high-risk factors, taking into consideration the factors that predispose women to high-risk fertility behaviours. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected]
