John Effah

Bio: John Effah is an academic researcher from University of Ghana. The author has contributed to research in topics: Developing country & Information system. The author has an hindex of 9, co-authored 60 publications receiving 513 citations. Previous affiliations of John Effah include University of Salford.

Beyond The Traditional 'SME Challenges' Discourse: A Historical Field Study Of A Dot.Com Failure In Ghana

Abstract: To date the literatures on e-business have predominantly focussed upon cases within the developed world. That said, increasing attention is being given to this area in developing countries. However, this strand of work is further limited in that it focuses upon macro level issues of bringing countries ‘up to the level’ of the developed world in the context of discourses around the global knowledge economy. In this paper, we draw upon an interpretive historical field study to extend this body of work, focussing upon the issues presented to a dot.com SME in Ghana. Current accounts of e-business failure tend to emphasise problems arising due to a lack of substance in business ideas, and in SME terms, issues associated with acquiring and maintaining the necessary resources, skills and technical expertise to keep the business going. In our case, the company did not significantly suffer from any of these issues. Moreover, whilst it experienced problems as a result of its geographical location it was ultimately a period of financial instability throughout Ghana that led to the company’s downfall. The findings of this study thus challenge some of the assumptions around SMEs and the capacity of those in developing countries to engage with technology.

Virtual process modelling informed by organisational semiotics: A case of higher education admission

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore virtual process modelling based on organisational semiotics and WebML. The Internet and the Web afford opportunities to virtualize physical processes. Research on process virtualization has so far focused on theorizing or testing which activities can or cannot be virtualized. However, studies on virtual process modelling remains limited. This study therefore uses a university’s admission process as a case to explore virtual process modelling in a higher education environment.

Institutional Enablers and Constraints of National Biometric Identification Implementation in Developing Countries: The Case of Ghana

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to understand how institutions shape national biometric identification implementation in developing countries. National biometric identification initiatives have become important because they are being used by governments in developing countries to support socio-economic development. There is a growing body of research on national biometric identification systems but many lack theoretical grounding to better inform policy, practice and research. Given this gap, this paper employs a qualitative interpretive case study methodology to investigate regulative, normative and cognitive institutional effects on a national biometric identification implementation in a developing country. The findings show how a confluence of some local regulative and cognitive institutions as well as international normative institution enabled implementation while others constrained it. The net effect was the identification initiative becoming stalled. The findings have implication for policy, practice and research.

Virtualisation of Administrative Work Environment in Developing Country Higher Education Institutions: an Activity Theory Perspective.

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to understand how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in developing countries virtualise their administrative work environment. Despite the increasing use of the internet and web technology to virtualise education and related activities, IS research on HEIs in both developed and developing countries has focused more on learning environment and less on administrative work environment. Therefore, not much is known about how HEIs migrate from physical to virtual administrative work environment. Given this research gap, this study employs activity theory as analytical lens and interpretive case study as the methodology to investigate the attempt by a developing country university to virtualise its administrative work environment. Although teaching and learning are the core activities of HEIs, administrative work provides the necessary support. It is thus important that IS research in higher education pays attention not only to learning environment but also to administrative work environment. The study expects to draw specific implications and provide rich insight on how HEIs in developing countries virtualise their work environments.

How FOSS Replaced Proprietary Software at a University: An Improvisation Perspective in a Low-income Country

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to understand the rationale for and the process of replacing an imported proprietary higher education management software with a locally developed free and open source software (FOSS). Information Systems (IS) research on FOSS and higher education in low-income countries has focused more on teaching and learning. Less attention has thus been paid to the area of management and administration. Also, low-income country IS research on technology transfer has focused more on applications from the high-income world. Less research therefore exists on transfers between low-income countries. To address these research gaps, this study employs improvisation theory and interpretive case study methodology to investigate why and how a low-income country university replaced a proprietary higher education management software from another low-income country with a locally developed FOSS. The findings show that the university did so through improvisation to overcome the rigidity of the proprietary software and benefit from the flexibility of the FOSS. The study offers rich insight into how low-income country universities can deploy FOSS through improvisation to address design-actuality gap with imported proprietary software and also presents implications for research and practice.

The Human Condition.

Abstract: Human beings are described by many spiritual traditions as ‘blind’ or ‘asleep’ or ‘in a dream.’ These terms refers to the limited attenuated state of consciousness of most human beings caught up in patterns of conditioned thought, feeling and perception, which prevent the development of our latent, higher spiritual possibilities. In the words of Idries Shah: “Man, like a sleepwalker who suddenly ‘comes to’ on some lonely road has in general no correct idea as to his origins or his destiny.” In some religious traditions, such as Christianity and Islam, the myth of the ‘Fall from the Garden of Eden’ symbolizes the loss of the primordial state through the veiling of higher consciousness. Other traditions use similar metaphors to describe the spiritual condition of humanity:

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

Abstract: What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.