Emmanuel Awuni Kolog

Despite the importance of social network platforms (SNPs) in collaborative learning, their integration into academic curricula faces various challenges, including accreditation requirements, faculty resistance, and infrastructural issues. Using institutional theory, this study examines how coercive, normative, and mimetic pressures affect SNP integration to enhance collaborative accounting learning. A structured questionnaire, grounded in a conceptual framework, was completed by 116 accounting students and faculty members. The data collected include demographic information and responses to 39 statements rated on a Likert scale related to the five structural constructs in the framework. The data were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 3, which provides a rigorous assessment of both measurement and structural models. The findings show that coercive and mimetic pressures significantly influence SNP integration, whereas normative pressures are weak due to deep-rooted pedagogical traditions. On this basis, we recommend policy reforms, faculty development, and mobile-centric infrastructure to facilitate SNP integration. These findings contribute to the ICMET discourse by offering practical strategies to transform accounting education into a more collaborative, inclusive, and future-oriented discipline.

The integration of the Internet into various aspects of business operations, including the public sector, is rapidly becoming a norm. However, within this evolving landscape, the issue of cyberloafing, the misuse of the internet for unauthorized activities, cannot be ignored. Existing research on cyberloafing in developing countries, specifically in Ghana, has predominantly focused on higher education students. A brief examination of the literature pertaining to cyberloafing in developing nations reveals a prevalent emphasis on categorizing cyberloafing activities, often with limited insight into the motivations and deterrence of such behavior. Drawing on the framework of the General Deterrence theory, this paper delves into the underlying factors that deter cyberloafing behavior within the public sector of Ghana. Through the utilization of a partial least square structural equation model, the study analyzed data from 473 responses collected from public institutions across Ghana. The study revealed that factors such as certainty, monitoring, and security risks significantly influence the manifestation of cyberloafing behavior among employees in the Ghanaian public sector. However, the Severity and Celerity of sanctions were found not to influence cyberloafing behavior. The moderating effect of age and culture on the deterrent constructs and cyberloafing behavior vary. The study serves as a strategic framework to curd the rampant cyberloafing activities in many public sector institutions particularly in the global south. In essence, this study contributes not only to the understanding of cyberloafing behavior in the Ghanaian public sector but also provides a valuable foundation for designing targeted interventions to address this issue, ultimately fostering a more productive and responsible online engagement within these institutions.

Despite the disruptiveness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Global South, the superficial and lacklustre use of information technology has been exposed, especially in the education sector. Meanwhile, the early stages of the pandemic saw academic institutions racing up to harness digital learning solutions, including social networks, to facilitate teaching and learning. By sampling 360 students from higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana, a partial least square structural equation modelling, in this study, was leveraged to explore the determinants of using social networks for collaborative learning. After analysing the data, this study shows that perceived ease of use of social networks, perceived usefulness of social networks, perceived enjoyment from social network use, subjective norm, and user satisfaction were the main determinants that influence students’ attitudes towards the use of social networks for collaborative learning. Additionally, the study found social networks as a useful tool for improving the academic performance of students in HEIs. We therefore envision that this study would influence policy, practice, and research on the use of social networks for teaching and learning in HEIs in the Global South.

This article illustrates a design approach for capturing, storing, indexing, and search of African traditional herbal medicine (ATHMed) framed on a hybrid-based knowledge model for efficient preservation and retrieval. By the hybrid approach, the framework was developed to include both the use of machine learning and ontology-based techniques. The search pattern considers ontology design and machine learning techniques for extracting ATHMed data. The framework operates on a semantically annotated corpus and delivers a contextual and multi-word search pattern against its knowledge base. In line with design science research, preliminary data were collected in this study, and a proposed strategy was developed toward processing, storing and retrieving data. While reviewing literature and interview data to reflect on the existing challenges, these findings suggest the need for a system with the capability of retrieving and archiving ATHMed in Ghana. This study contributes to SDG 3 by providing a model and conceptualizing the implementation of ATHMed. We, therefore, envision that the framework will be adopted by relevant stakeholders for the implementation of efficient systems for archival and retrieval of ATHMed.