University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal

Editorial

2023-07-01T18:47:02+00:00

Editorial

Digital Revolution and the Prospects for Online Political Communication

2023-07-01T18:47:05+00:00

A revolution in information and communication technology has introduced social media as alternative platforms through which political parties can interact with the public. Political parties’ success in using these avenues depends on the online strategies applied. Tanzania has not been an exception in the use of social media as political parties have been using them for political activities. However, little is known regarding the way political parties have established themselves on social media platforms. Using the equalization, normalization, and hybrid perspectives as an analytical framework, this paper examines the status of Tanzania’s political parties in social media. The data obtained through the review of social media pages, key informant interviews and documentary analysis reveal that although political parties have been using social media for political activities, the profile of their social media status is low. The findings further show that social media have not altered the balance of power among political parties in Tanzania as the social media profile of opposition political parties does not significantly differ from that of the ruling party CCM as revealed by the number of their social media pages, followers and posts as well testimonies through interviews regarding social media usage. Several factors including political parties’ limited awareness of the potential of social media, the unpredictability of the political system as well as resource constraints are attributed to this status. To overcome these challenges, a call is made for policy and capacity building interventions to empower political parties and the citizenry for effective online engagement.

Political Institutions, ICT Infrastructure, and Social Networks Impact on Citizens’ Policy Formulation E-participation Engagement Behaviour in Uganda

2023-07-01T18:47:06+00:00

This paper assessed the impact of political institutions, ICT infrastructure, and social networks on citizens’ self-motivation and engagement in policy formulation. The study was motivated by limited citizen engagement in policy formulation in Uganda which has made Uganda as a country to score poorly both in the e-government and e-participation index and contradict Article 38 of the Constitution of Uganda which advocates for citizen engagement in policy formulation. Thus, this study aimed to increase citizen engagement through the adaption of the Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability (MOA) model. A survey collected Primary data from 361 village health teams and local council Chairpersons. The collected data was analysed using SPSS and SEM. Results found that; political institutions, ICT infrastructure, and social networks influence self-motivation, political institutions, and self-motivation influence engagement while self-motivation fully mediates the relationship between ICT infrastructure, social networks, and citizen engagement, it partially mediates the relationship between political institutions and engagement. The practical implication is that political institutions are essential in stimulating citizens’ self-motivation and engagement.

Work-related information-seeking behaviour of janitors at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

2023-07-01T18:47:06+00:00

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the information needs and seeking behaviour of janitors working at the University of Dar es Salaam. A descriptive research design with a mixed research approach was used to study the information-seeking behaviour of the janitors. Results revealed that the majority of respondents had a multitude of work-related information needs including financial, health and safety at the workplace, work contracts, workers’ rights, and ethical information. The results further revealed that the majority of the study respondents relied heavily on their friends, mobile phones, social media, and relatives to meet their different work-related information needs. Results showed that most respondents had inadequate information literacy skills that limit their ability to comprehend work-related information and identify relevant sources where they could search and obtain reliable work-related information. The findings of this study have practical implications for formulating strategies for providing work-related information to the underprivileged working class such as the janitors. Understanding the information-seeking behaviour of janitors is imperative to meaningfully responding to their information needs. A better understanding of the janitors’ work-related information needs, sources, and challenges they face when seeking such information will help to design an appropriate information delivery system that will consider the information-seeking behaviour of this underprivileged working class.

Social Media Use and Perceived Social Capital Dimensions among Students of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

2023-07-01T18:47:06+00:00

In this 21^st century, social media plays a pivotal role in the lives of users due to innumerable benefits gained from its continuous usage, one of which is social capital. This study investigated social media use and perceived social capital dimensions among students at Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State. A survey design approach was adopted, using a structured and validated questionnaire to collect data. A total of 325 students served as the sample size, based on stratified sampling selection of 8 departments under the College of Science and Technology (CST) in Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria; while the Purposive sampling technique was used in the distribution of a questionnaire to students in the study area. Findings revealed a positive correlation between social media use of some popular sites such as Facebook Instagram, LinkedIn, WeChat, Snapchat, and perceived online bonding as well as bridging capital. However, there were no significant differences between male and female students in their perceived online bonding and bridging social capital. In terms of relative contribution, Facebook had the strongest contribution to online bonding capital; while Instagram had the strongest contribution to bridging capital. It was concluded that the intense use of some popular social media sites drives the accumulation of bonding and bridging social capital. Therefore, based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that University management of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) should create an enabling environment for the adoption and use of popular social media platforms by students, for quicker accessibility, faster formation and accumulation of bonding, and bridging social capital.

Perilous Work Zones: Unveiling the Factors Influencing Health and Safety Risks in Tanzania's Informal Construction Sites

2023-07-01T18:47:09+00:00

Informal construction (IC) emerged after the Second World War. Informal economies have largely led to it. IC comprises individuals conducting construction activities that are unregulated despite their economic contribution. IC faces health and safety risks (HSR), but little has been investigated on the factors influencing HSR in IC. This study identified and ranked the factors influencing HSRs in the IC sites (ICS) in Tanzania. Data was collected from 304 mason workers (MW) in ICS through questionnaires based on 24 factors derived from the literature. The study employed the quantitative method. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for ranking and measuring the significance of factors. Findings revealed that lack of information and knowledge about safety rules, lack of awareness of risk management process and lack of framework and procedures were the significant factors highly influencing informal construction. Conversely, the lack of safety gear, drug abuse on-site and negligence have insignificant effects on informal construction. Moreover, the nature and physical layout of construction sites, labourers working in close proximity/overcrowded sites, and poor construction material arrangements were not significant factors. The study provides insight into the factors influencing HSR in informal construction. This study provides a baseline for developing an empirically grounded health and safety framework. The study will therefore pinpoint systematic HSR management procedures for improving HSR management in IC. Overall, the findings address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 Agenda Numbers 3 and 11, which aim to establish good health and well-being and mobilize sustainable cities and communities.

The Role of Institutional Repositories (IRs) in Supporting Teaching, Learning and Research during Covid-19 in Kenyan Universities

2023-07-01T18:47:09+00:00

The abrupt closure of universities in 2020 because of COVID-19 forced many of them to adopt online learning through various technological platforms. Institutional repositories (IRs), digital archives of intellectual outputs of universities, could be important in online education. However, there is a dearth of empirical data on their ability to support teaching, learning and research in universities. This study aimed to investigate the role of IRs in supporting teaching, learning and research in Kenyan universities during the Covid-19 and to identify challenges faced by the universities in the usage of IRs. The study was informed by the technology acceptance model and adopted a mixed method approach and a multiple-case (embedded) research design. The study was conducted in four universities using a sample of 370 students, 322 academic staff and 12 key informants, selected by a mix of stratified, random, and purposive sampling technique respectively. The study found that IRs played crucial roles in supporting teaching, learning and research during the pandemic, with three out of every four respondents (n=424, 73%) using it for teaching, learning and research. Alarmingly, IR usage was lowest, χ² (4) = 73.462, p<0.0001, among the senior-most academic staff (professors, associate professors, and senior lecturers) relative to junior staff and students. Perceived lack of usefulness and difficulty of use of IRs constituted the major challenges. This study recommends the improvement of IRs perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use to enable them better support teaching, learning and research.

Examining the efficacy of Electronic Document Management System and Employees’ Perceptions of its Usefulness at Sokoine University of Agriculture

2023-07-01T18:47:09+00:00

This study was conducted at the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) to assess the efficacy of Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) in the accessibility and use of records at the Sokoine University of Agriculture. Specifically, the study sought to assess employees’ perceptions of the use of the Electronic Document Management System at the Sokoine University of Agriculture and identify the challenges facing employees in accessing and using EDMS at the Sokoine University of Agriculture. The study used a cross-section research design whereby the data were collected at one time based on two approaches which are qualitative and quantitative. The study involved 100 SUA staff. These were selected from a population of 1308 SUA staff by using purposive, sampling simple random, and systematic random sampling techniques. Results indicate that the majority of the respondents agreed that the use of SUA–EDMS fostered efficiency in management decisions, and perceive that the use of SUA–EDMS increases accountability. Among all the independent variables, duration at work and rating on effectiveness were found to have a unique contribution to a variation in the perceived usefulness of EDMS. It was concluded that the use of EDMS is very essential for the well-functioning of the organization in terms of faster access to records and which spearheads effective and efficient delivery of services to customers in the organization. The study recommends improving internet speed as one measure to improve the EDMS.

The Application of Operations Research Information System Tools in Hospital Operations Management in Developing Nations

2023-07-01T18:47:09+00:00

Hospital services in the developing world are always overwhelmed due to scarce resources compared to the demand from the public. Operations Research provides a set of tools that are very useful in the optimization of resources, hence providing a highly needed service in assuring that, the resources are optimally utilized to save lives and provide better healthcare services. This paper reviews applications of Operations Research information system tools(ORIST) in hospital operations to find ORIST status in developing nations like the East African Region.This study used a systematic literature review method and thematic analysis. Results revealed that there is a lot of OR work about hospital operations in the developing world. However, little has been reported from East Africa. A proposal is presented about research opportunities on hospital operations in East African regions by grouping applications into four areas namely; planning, management, medical practice and prevention. The paper concludes by inviting all stakeholders to cooperate and provide the necessary support to Operations-Research practitioners.

Relationship between Organisational E-readiness and E-Commerce Implementation in Developing Countries: Perspectives from Tanzania

2023-07-01T18:47:09+00:00

This paper aimed to establish the role of e-readiness in implementing e-commerce in organisations in developing countries using Tanzania as an example. Using Molla and Licker’s (2005a) model, the study evaluated the organisational e-readiness to implement e-commerce. Data collected via email came from 165 purposively selected managers from Dar es Salaam. The resultant data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis to reduce the number of variables to a manageable level. Then the e-readiness factors were regressed to the level of e-commerce. The results show that organisational commitment, technological resources, and awareness level, as well as the government’s commitment to e-readiness emerged to be important factors in determining the level of e-commerce of an organisation. Empirically, the study shows that these four factors are reliable predictors of the e-commerce level from the developing countries’ perspectives. All the variables identified were significantly related to the level of e-commerce an organisation has attains. Thus, the paper argues that an organisation’s commitment, technological resources and awareness level, as well as the government’s commitment to e-Readiness are salient factors in determining the e-commerce level of implementation of an organisation. Implicitly, the factors the paper has identified are important in the execution of e-commerce. As such, these factors need consideration in an organisation seeking to benefit from e-commerce implementation. In other words, countries can ignore e-readiness and e-commerce implementation at their own peril.

Scholarly Journal Publishing Forums in Tanzania Universities:

2023-07-01T18:47:09+00:00

The paper provides insights into scholarly journal publishing forums in Tanzania universities. It contextualises the current state of scholarly publishing and factors militating them in addition to providing possible palliatives for addressing them. The study employed a survey research design to collect both qualitative and quantitative data from websites, editors of journals, and directors of research at the universities under review. The results show that 63 (98.4%) of the scholarly journal forums are available at the selected universities. Journal editors indicated that 46 (71.9%) of their journals are both in print and electronic formats, followed by 11 (17.2%) who indicated only the electronic format as the mode of publication, whereas seven (10.9%) indicated only the print format. The results also show that 43 (67.2%) have adopted the open access philosophy, 16 (25%) have yet to do so and five (7.8%) remain non-committal. Considering the present journal publication realities, there is a need to review the publishing process to accommodate the online journal system (OJS) for the submission and processing of manuscripts. Furthermore, the study found the preferred mode to be a hybrid because the ICT infrastructure, cost of bandwidth, internet connectivity, and electricity remained an impediment to shifting to the purely online mode. Implicitly, academic journals for Tanzania’s universities should currently be accessible in both print and electronic formats until when technologies dictate otherwise.