bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computer Technology In Malaysia: Teachers’ Background Characteristics, Attitudes And Concerns
Authors: Mukti Norhayati Abd.
Published: December 2017

Providing latest computer technology, good facilities and training for teachers to use computers effectively in their classroom instruction is not sufficient. There are many other factors that need to be examined in order to ensure that teachers will use computer technology effectively in their classroom instruction. The main purpose of this study is to find out factors such as teacher's background characteristics, attitudes and concerns that relate to teachers’ use of computer technology in their teaching. This study also attempted to discover whether teachers can be grouped based on their perceptions on the use of computers. This paper will also focus on the differences among teachers who used computer technology in their classroom practice. The results of the study showed that these factors that is teachers’ background characteristics, attitudes and concerns showed a great significance in the degree of classroom computer usage.
Information Systems Development in Nigerian Software Companies: Research Methodology and Assessment from the Healthcare Sector's Perspective
Authors: Soriyan H. Abimbola , Mursu Anja S. , Akinde Adebayo D. , Korpela Mikko J.
Published: December 2017

The requirements for software and information systems for healthcare institutions in Africa differ from those in the industrialised countries in many ways. Local software development, adaptation and organisational implementation is thus highly important. However, very little empirical research has been conducted on the work practice of software engineers and information systems developers in developing countries. In this paper we discuss the methodology for studying the practice of information systems development (ISD) in Nigerian software companies from the healthcare sector's perspective. We argue that such a study must be divided into two parts, one aiming at a “landscape view” using a survey, and the other at “in‐depth portraits” using case studies in different companies. An Activity‐Theoretical research framework is introduced for the latter. The emphasis of the paper is on the theoretical framework and the research methodology, which are proposed for other researchers with similar objectives. However, some main results of the on‐going study in Nigeria are also presented. Finally we discuss first Nigerian software industry's capability to respond to the needs of the country's healthcare institutions, and then the applicability of the proposed research methodology to other contexts.
Development through Information Technology in Developing Countries: Experiences from an Indian State
Authors: Nair K.G.K. , Prasad P.N.
Published: December 2017

Kerala, one of the federal states of India, is a region known for its high levels of achievements in education, healthcare and social justice despite low per capita income. In line with global trends, in 1998 the government of Kerala formulated an Information Technology (IT) policy. The policy aims at increased application of IT in all walks of life, enhancing the IT industry base, creating a robust state information infrastructure and creating human resources for IT. The paper discusses the government's initiatives, achievements and limitations in the implementation of the IT policy. The paper identifies the pitfalls in the present IT policy and suggests suitable solutions. The study shows that, in spite of financial constraints, Kerala has made significant achievements in E‐governance. The findings of the study also reveal the need for better strategies for promotion of IT industries and PC penetration. The paper also emphasises the need to mobilise additional resources to achieve the policy objectives.
Online or Out of Reach?
Authors: Rabbitt Elaine , Pagram Jeremy
Published: December 2017

As we move into the 21st century, higher education institutions in Australia and around the world are undergoing a transition. The trend is to move away from traditional methods of course presentation towards online methodologies. In theory, students within isolated and remote areas of Australia and around the world no longer need to relocate to major cities and educational institutions as they have access to learning opportunities online. This paper describes initial research findings undertaken at two isolated and remote schools in the far north of Western Australia. The schools were visited in order to determine how practical this approach to education is in the ‘real’ world. Early results suggest that in many parts of northern Australia access to these new courses is limited by the telecommunications infrastructure in place. It is evident that in the bush, some Australians are in danger of plummeting into the widening ‘digital chasm’.
The Software Industry in Bangladesh and its Links to The Netherlands
Authors: Tjia Paul
Published: December 2017

Organizations such as KLM, Philips and Baan in The Netherlands have been collaborating with IT‐suppliers in developing countries. Dutch software projects are now being executed in many nations, and especially in Asia. India is the most popular country, but some Dutch companies have chosen to outsource work to lesser‐known IT‐destinations, such as Bangladesh. This country has more than 200 software houses and data‐entry centres and numerous computer shops. At present, there are around 20 – 30 Bangladeshi software developers with foreign clients, some of which are 100% export orientated.

Several years ago, software was identified by the government of Bangladesh as having important export potential. The total amount of software and IT‐services exports is currently estimated at a maximum of $ 30 million per year. Dijkoraad‐hawar, a medium sized IT company and Metatude, a start‐up company are presented as Dutch case studies in this paper. Each organization has set up a software development centre in Dhaka, and has been satisfied with the results. One of the main advantages perceived by these users is the potential for significant reduction in project costs. Also, qualified candidates can be found in Bangladesh and cultural differences had no major impact.
Ukraine and Success Criteria for the Software Exports Industry
Authors: Gengler Emmy B.
Published: December 2017

The need to reduce the costs associated with software development and the subsequent shift to offshore locations, where labor rates are lower, is nothing new. Due to the success of such countries as Ireland, Israel and India, many other nations are looking to also capitalize on their low‐cost, highly educated human resources. Using the success criteria developed by Heeks and Nicholson (2002), with its adaptation by Carmel (2003), this paper analyzes one such country, Ukraine. As part of the examination, direct observation, structured interviews and document review were used. Having the strengths of its human capital and an embedded research and development structure, the paper defines areas where Ukraine needs to improve. Areas discussed are: technological infrastructure (specifically data connectivity), financial infrastructure weaknesses, and the lack of a comprehensive national vision and strategy. Recommendations are given for activities Ukraine can undertake to develop its software exports industry, as well as suggestions for the Ukrainian firms competing in this industry. The paper is not intended to correlate how Ukraine's current software exports position affects the success or failure of individual IT services projects or the licensing of technology from Ukraine.
An Analysis of Vietnam's ICT and Software Services Sector
Authors: Chidamber Shyam R.
Published: December 2017

This paper presents an analysis of Vietnam's position in the global ICT and Software services industry. Vietnam entry in this increasingly competitive sector is built on a foundation of positive macroeconomic changes and investments from government and multi‐lateral organizations. Using an analytical framework that includes nine significant factors for newly competitive countries, this paper suggests that Vietnam's competitive strengths include cost effective workforce, improving infrastructure, linkages with key markets and an ambitious national vision. The country has benefited by attracting investment and established local presence of industry leaders. However Vietnam is a late entrant to the market and has weaknesses in key areas such as finance and international benchmarking.
Looking Beyond India: Factors that Shape the Global Outsourcing Decisions of Small and Medium Sized Companies in America
Authors: Coward Christopher T.
Published: December 2017

A number of developing countries are attempting to capture a piece of the rapidly growing offshore software development market, yet little is known concerning why an American firm may elect to work with a provider in one of these aspiring countries rather than in an offshore IT superpower such as India. This article examines the global outsourcing decisions of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a sector that is increasingly looking offshore to fulfill its software development needs. The article is based on a study conduced between November 2001 and February 2002 involving structured interviews with eighteen companies and experts that have outsourced software development work to countries other than India. The responses were compared to the existing literature on the decision processes of large firms and the outsourcing experiences of firms that choose providers in India. The study revealed fourteen factors that influenced the decisions of these SMEs: cost savings, personal connection, US presence, critical mass of skilled technical professionals, project management skills and quality certification, language and culture, western business savvy and practices, intellectual property rights protection, regulatory environment, telecommunications infrastructure, physical infrastructure, time zone difference, political stability and diversification, and country image.

Price savings is the primary catalyst driving the outsourcing decisions of these SMEs, just as it is with large firms. However, because the software development process of these SMEs is typically not as sophisticated, they rely more heavily on a wide range of non‐technical, or human, factors to achieve their outsourcing objectives. Most notably, these SMEs typically found their outsourcing providers through foreign nationals employed in their firms, and instead of CMM, required the sort of close cooperation that can only be sustained when client and provider can communicate frequently and resolve problems as they arise without interference from language barriers or cultural incompatibilities. US‐based intermediaries representing one or more offshore providers have proliferated to cater to these firms. Time zone differences are more of an obstacle than an advantage. Countries that can tap their overseas populations for their personal connections and expertise in western business practices should have a competitive advantage in building successful offshore software development industries. This is especially relevant as client companies in America seek to diversify their outsourcing relationships in order to reduce their dependency on any single country.
Effectiveness Of Fiscal Incentives To Attract IT Investments: A Brazilian Case
Authors: Sá Luciana , Marczak Sabrina , Audy Jorge , Avritchir Jairo
Published: December 2017

Big companies in the Information Technology (IT) industry have been increasingly distributing on a world scale their software development units to countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America through offshore development centers. This is a strategy to increase competitiveness and reduce costs. In this context, emerging countries, like Brazil and its initiatives focused on the development of hardware and software industry, have become an attractive option to receive investments in the IT sector. This paper analyzes the major factors that have attracted foreign IT companies to investment in Brazil. The challenges of keeping these investments in the country are also analyzed. This study is an exploratory case study based on the concrete experience of implementation of an offshore software development center, belonging to Dell Inc., in Brazil.
A Methodology for Self‐Diagnosis for Software Quality Assurance in Small and Medium‐Sized Industries in Latin America
Authors: Herrera Elizabeth Munive , Ramírez Raúl A. Trejo
Published: December 2017

Currently, only a small fraction of software companies around the world achieve a high quality level for their development process. A vast majority of software producers, which have not yet implemented a methodology for software quality assurance, are paying high costs of production and systems maintenance, and are therefore being displaced from the global market, not being on the same competitiveness level than companies that posses a quality assurance method.

There are several models for software quality assurance, such as the Capability Maturity model (CMM), the Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination (SPICE) and the ISO 9000 norm from the International Standarization Organization. These models provide quality patterns that a company should adhere to, therefore improving its software production process.

Unfortunately, the successful implementation of such models is not generally possible within the context of small and medium‐sized software organizations in Latin America, given deterring factors such as cultural impact and lack of resources, among others.

Our proposal for implementing and improving software quality assurance methods on such companies is a new methodology for self‐diagnosis, based on concepts, goals and activities defined by CMM. Companies with minimal experience can use this methodology with quality standard methods.

We also define rules that allow the automation of the methodology through the use of an expert system, which would play the role of a “virtual quality auditor”, supporting the definition of an action plan and thus reducing the investment required for processes improvement.
ICT Clusters as a Way to Materialize a National System of Innovation: Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor Flagships
Authors: Mohan Avvari V. , Omar Aliza A. , Aziz Kamarulzaman A.
Published: December 2017

Developing countries have realised the need to develop the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector to compete in an environment of increasing globalisation and also the emergence of the knowledge based economy. But given the limited resources, one approach seems to be popular among many countries is the ‘cluster’ based approach for industrial development This paper seeks to highlight one such effort viz. Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Cluster with its Flagships approach. The MSC is presented in the paper as a physical manifestation of the NSI, to illustrate how a policy driven – cluster based regional development approach has helped to further national innovative performance and competitiveness
Adoption of Electronic Commerce by Organizations in India: Strategic and Environmental Imperatives
Authors: Tarafdar Monideepa , Vaidya Sanjiv D.
Published: December 2017

In recent years many developing nations have been exposed to significant external changes such as economic deregulation and globalization. Evidence suggests that this has resulted in the adoption of EC by organizations in these countries. It is important to understand the strategic and environmental imperatives for EC adoption. Such understanding is required for anticipating necessary changes in EC adoption, to keep in tune with the impending and emerging changes in the environment. It is also needed for formulating business strategies in alignment with the organization's IS strategies and IT capabilities, and for addressing managerial challenges in EC adoption. This paper is based on a study of EC adoption in eighteen companies from eleven industries in India. It is aimed at examining the different factors, related to strategic and environmental imperatives, which lead to the adoption of EC by organizations in developing countries. The results, based on interviews with close to a hundred people in these organizations indicate that tThere are broadly three conditions under which an organisationorganization adopts EC. These are related to the external environment, organizational performance and specific internal management compulsions. Each of these conditions describes a specific aspect of EC adoption and leads to imperatives for changes in processes and products. These imperatives in turn, result in the adoption of EC in different critical organizational processes. This study is one of the first detailed empirical studies on EC adoption in Indian organizations.
Technology Transfer: Strategic Management in Developing Countries
Authors: Davison Robert M.
Published: December 2017

Technology Transfer: Strategic Management in Developing Countries, by Goel Cohen, Visiting Professor, Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine, London, UK, Faculty Member, Teheran University, Iran, Sage Publications, 2003: ISBN: 0‐7619‐9770‐9; Rs. 550; 337pp
Global IT Expenditure Growth: An Empirical Investigation Across Some Developing Nations
Authors: Bagchi Kallol K. , Putnam Karl , Tang Zaiyong
Published: December 2017

Information technology (IT) expenditures in different developing nations of the world have been impressive but controversial lately. Research is needed to know how IT expenditures are growing in these nations. Do stages of IT development or price drops in IT infrastructure influence such growth? We intend to explore these issues with various growth models, using data from 14 nations (constrained by data availability) over a period of time. Our preliminary results show that previous IT expenditure growth models can be improved by including the impact of price and that a price drop in IT keeps the growth unabated. Preliminary evidence also suggests that developing nations are benefiting from a price drop.
Software‐export Strategies for Developing Countries: A Caribbean Perspective
Authors: Abbott Pamela Y.
Published: December 2017

The globalization of the software industry is seen to be driven in part by skill shortages in industrialised economies, the movement of software development practices away from centralised to more distributed modes and the spread of information and communication technologies to less developed economies, where skilled labour is available at lower costs. As such, a software export industry is sometimes seen as a means by which some non‐industrialised countries can create competitive advantage. While many studies have explored the software‐exporting strategies used by the more successful of these countries, little research has been done in other locations that lack some of the basic resources deemed necessary for success in this area. This paper describes two Caribbean software‐outsourcing ventures in order to explore possible software‐export strategies available within such atypical contexts. The role of government and degree of integration of the software outsourcer into the local context are found to feature significantly.
Evaluating the Developmental Impact of E‐governance Initiatives: An Exploratory Framework
Authors: Madon Shirin
Published: December 2017

India is faced with a large number of challenges that are typical of developing countries. The Indian government has for the past 3 decades widely acknowledged that expanded use of ICT in the public sector can offer important benefits such as improved planning and monitoring mechanisms, cost savings through rationalisation, and more effective administration and delivery of certain public services. Today, wide ranges of e‐governance projects are being implemented in different parts of the country including projects aimed at reaching areas and people that had traditionally not been connected to the outside world.

This paper uses Sen's notion of capabilities as an evaluative space for e‐governance assessment. Such an emphasis demands a change in the way e‐governance is assessed. The capabilities framework allows us to focus on the developmental impact of such projects. We base our evaluation on the FRIENDS and AKSHAYA e‐governance projects in the South Indian state of Kerala.
Dilemmas Surrounding Information Technology Education in Developing Countries: A Study in Fiji
Authors: Lynch Teresa , Szorenyi Nick
Published: December 2017

The objective of this study was to ascertain some of the issues affecting uptake of IT in Fiji through an examination of the secondary and tertiary education programs. The study recognises the importance of the cultural issues which intersect with IT uptake, as well as issues of infrastructure, access, and cost. A qualitative methodology was used to draw on the experience of a range of staff and students who were interviewed. Information on IT uptake and the education system as experienced by its participants is not easily obtainable in Fiji. Hence this study looks to assist in filling this gap. It allows the voices of the participants to emerge and through them a story of the issues of IT education emerges. Because of infrastructure and cost problems for IT in Fiji, considerable weight falls on the education system in the adoption of IT. At this stage the education system struggles both in terms of resources, curriculum, and ethnic divides in providing adequate levels of provision. This affects the ability of communities to evaluate, adopt, adapt, or resist information technologies to their advantage. It is concluded that there is significant potential for Fiji to become an IT literate society that is not being developed. Cultural issues do affect this process, but in the end changes to curriculum and teaching processes could make very real differences, if adapted to the current needs and conditions of the country.
Knowledge Spheres and the Diffusion of National IT Policies
Authors: Meso Peter , Checchi Ricardo M. , Sevcik Galen R. , Loch Karen D. , Straub Detmar W.
Published: December 2017

How do national ICT policies disseminate in a country? Why would there be a differential awareness of policies among various sectors and/or professions? These are the two major research questions addressed in the study reported here. Motivation for ICT adoption and use, it is argued, will generally be influenced by the set of policies on which certain sectors or professional‐groups focus. This, in turn will influence the nature of development of the ICT industry within the nation. The study uses quantitative techniques to assess sectoral differences in the diffusion of national ICT policies in Egypt by gauging the awareness of ICT policies by key decision makers within each major economic sector. Interviews with 33 top‐ranking government and IT‐sector executives are used to elicit the key ICT policies. These policies were then further studied in interviews with 47 policy‐makers and private sector managers who form the respondent base for this study. Findings show a skewed distribution of awareness of national ICT policy diffusion and that, as predicted, this distribution is related to sector‐affiliation. Thus, the sets of policies that are closest to the inherent interests of chosen sectors and professional affiliations are identified. The findings suggest that correctly positioning ICT policies can be a critical element for the implementation of national strategies that shape the direction and pace of a country‐wide development of ICT capabilities and capacity. This is especially so in developing countries, where the effects of ICTs in leveraging economic and social development are deemed to be substantial1.
Ubiquitous Financial Services for Developing Countries
Authors: Sihvonen Markus
Published: December 2017

The latest advancements in mobile communication technologies offer lucrative business cases for financial service provides. The new technologies are not just used for enhancing the existing financial enterprise systems with wireless communication extension but to create new services for nomadic users that have not being existed yet. This will enable more versatile financial service offerings to nomadic end users. Additionally it will expand financial services to new user groups that have not been able access the either geographic or economic reasons. The research problem of the paper is to define end user and middleware requirements and design solutions to enable ubiquitous financial services for nomadic users. The prototype systems must be integrable on top of existing traditional enterprise system solutions. The research is based on the constructive method by analyzing the related publications and industry trends, interviewing experts in the financial services field and experimentation with the selected technologies. The final outcome is prototype service environment which is based on the new innovations introduced in this paper. The major findings include system requirements, design solutions and prototype service environment.
The Influence of Organizational Factors on Information Systems Success in E‐Government Agencies in Malaysia
Authors: Hussein Ramlah , Karim Nor Shahriza Abdul , Mohamed Norshidah , Ahlan Abdul Rahman
Published: December 2017

Information system success continues to be a subject of interest among IS researchers. The literature nevertheless offers limited understanding in regard to organizational factors influencing IS success particularly in public sector organizations. Using perceptual measures, this study aims to investigate the influence of organizational factors on IS success in selected public sector agencies in Malaysia. Data was gathered from 201 users from four central agencies located at the central administration complex in Putrajaya. Based on related studies in the literature, six organizational factors and four IS success dimensions were used in designing the framework for this study. The framework is used to investigate the relationship between the identified organizational factors and IS success dimensions within the scope of the selected e‐government agencies. The organizational factors are top management support, decision‐making structure, management style, managerial IT knowledge, goal alignment, and resources allocation, whereas the IS success dimensions include systems quality, information quality, perceived usefulness, and user satisfaction. The study found that all the organizational factors are significantly correlated with the four IS success dimensions under investigation. Further analyses reveal that goal alignment is the highest predictor of IS success, followed by management style and centralization of decision‐making structure. Least expected was the top management support factor which appear to be the weakest predictor of IS success and its influence on IS success is insignificant. The study concludes that the findings are generally consistent with previous studies. On a specific note related to goal alignment, the public sector agencies can be seen experiencing a similar impact to that of their private counterparts in terms of IS strategy alignment, though they still generally subscribe to the traditional and centralized decision‐making structure.
Internet Use Patterns amongst Internationalizing Ghanaian Exporters
Authors: Hinson Robert , Sorensen Olav , Buatsi Seth
Published: December 2017

Export firms are critical to the success of developing economies like Ghana. The Internet presents export firms with organizational improvement options and ways by which their value chain activities can be enhanced. The current study focused on the Internet use patterns amongst internationalizing Ghanaian non‐traditional exporters (NTEs). Out of 150 questionnaires administered, 106 responses were obtained. We employed descriptive statistics in the presentation of results. The general pattern of Internet usage for information search varied among NTEs according to degree of internationalization. The most internationalized NTEs demonstrated a higher usage rate of the Internet for information search purposes, with about a third using the Internet for Public Relations (PR) activities, compared to less than one‐fifth of the least internationalized group using the Internet for PR activities. Use of the Internet as a payment medium (getting paid for exports or paying for raw material inputs they need for operations) was significantly low among all NTEs in this study.
Relation between Land‐Use Change and Rural Income Determinants: A Case Study of Policy Implication in Tri Ton, Vietnam
Authors: Son N.T.
Published: December 2017

The study carried out in Tri Ton district, a southern part of Vietnam, was to detect land‐use change during the period of almost four years using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing; and to examine socioeconomic factors which were significantly associated with farmer's income and triggering land‐use change. The fundamental materials and data types used for the assessment consisted of temporal Landsat ETM Plus imageries, primary socioeconomic and other published and unpublished agricultural reports. The results indicated that the area under irrigated rice had quickly increased from 25 percent in 2000 to 57.5 percent in 2005 due to conservation of idle land into cropland. Upland crops and Melaleuca cajuputi had been lessened in its areas due to due to unstable marketing channels of low input – low output production systems. Besides, the major factors underlying changes in land use were associated with farmer's pressing basic needs, in which significant income determinants were noticed driving forces. The results of this study may contribute to an improved knowledge of land‐use change and its determinants for land‐use planers when formulating strategic interventions towards long‐term suitability of land resources.
The New Economy in Development: ICT Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Davison Robert M
Published: December 2017

D’Costa, A.P. (Ed.) (2006) The New Economy in Development: ICT Challenges and Opportunities, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN: 0230001467 Price: £50.
A Modified Capability Framework for Improving Software Production Processes in Jamaican Organisations
Authors: Chevers Delroy , Duggan Evan W.
Published: December 2017

Recurrent information systems (IS) problems, including low quality, long development lead times, user dissatisfaction, and high implementation costs have been a persistent theme in the IS literature and have led to the perception of a “software crisis”. Consequently, the IS development community has adopted several software process improvement (SPI) programs supported by formal process assessment approaches such as the capability maturity model (CMM). Research, conducted mostly in developed countries to evaluate the effects of such programs, has confirmed that an SPI focus can contribute to the production of high‐quality systems; however, this phenomenon has rarely been studied in smaller enterprises such as those in Jamaica and other developing countries. The insights gleaned from such research in larger organisations may not be entirely applicable to the smaller firms in Jamaica. The authors undertook a survey of Jamaican organisations which revealed the absence of any formal approaches for gauging the discipline and maturity of their IS production processes. One possible reason is the complexity of CMM‐supported SPI programs. In this paper, we undertake an evaluation of the software production environment in Jamaica and the operational tenets of the CMM, in order to recommend a modified software process assessment regime that is more suited to this environment so as to increase the likelihood of adoption in this context.
Successful IT Outsourcing Engagement: Lessons from Malaysia
Authors: Birks David F. , Zainuddin Yuserrie , Choo Au Tin , Wafa Syed Azizi , Morar Sonali , Nasirin Syed
Published: December 2017

The literature on IT outsourcing is well‐developed with clear explanations of what may determine success. The context of IT outsourcing studies has primarily focused upon North American and European companies, seeking low‐cost economies from links with developing nations to gain competitive advantage. These studies may not be generalisable to companies based in developing economies, who may be trying to replicate successful outsourcing approaches. If the focus of outsourcing is primarily one of cost cutting, IT policy makers and managers in Malaysia cannot assume that successful outsourcing determinants are of any significance to them. This article therefore addresses the question of how generalisable the determinants of successful IT outsourcing are to a Malaysian context. The study is based upon a sample survey of companies in the Penang region of Malaysia. It presents and tests hypotheses on the nature of outsourcing relationships. In conclusion, Malaysian managers can take some comfort in that the lessons of outsourcing can be generalised to their context. Of particular note is the value of selective outsourcing in comparison to full outsourcing and the impacts of communication and management commitment.
Customer Acquisition among Small and Informal Businesses in Urban India: Comparing Face‐to‐face and Mediated Channels
Authors: Donner Jonathan
Published: December 2017

This study further explores the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in small and informal businesses in the developing world by focusing on the role of ICTs in customer acquisition and retention. Data is drawn from a survey of 317 sole proprietors and operators of small businesses with five or fewer employees in and around urban Hyderabad in Southern India. Respondents describe how various customers were acquired—via walk‐in, referral, family connections, landline telephone, mobile phone, internet/email, etc. Results suggest that face‐to‐face interactions dominate customer interactions, even among those with access to ICTs. Four tests explore whether telephony enables more specialized, hands‐off, numerous or distant relationships with customers; a significant relationship between landline ownership and total number of customers is found.
Homeworkers Online: Utilization of ICT for Home‐based Work in Malaysia
Authors: Loh‐Ludher Lee Lee
Published: December 2017

This paper addresses key gender‐specific issues affecting poor urban women homeworkers’ utilization of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in three sites in Malaysia‐Penang, Ipoh and Klang Valley. A total of 90 urban impoverished women homeworkers and 40 sectoral stakeholders were interviewed. They are from different races, ages and types of home‐based work and included the chronically ill or those with physically and mentally challenged dependents. Focus group discussions, oral histories and case studies/observations offer insights of gender issues and glimpses into their otherwise invisible lives.

Most homeworkers were initially ‘greened’ as ‘unskilled’ workers or cheap secondary labour in the mushrooming industries. They subsequently withdrew and entered home‐based work after marriage and childbirth. Many were spatially confined by their religious and traditional sense of duty and their responsibility to their family, especially disabled children. Others were restricted by their immobility in a disable unfriendly environment. Homeworking enables them to be economically productive and empowers them. However, due to their isolation, atomization, lack of recognition as ‘workers’ and inadequate safeguards to protect their welfare, many homeworkers, subcontracting from factories or selling through middlepersons, suffer from exploitation.

Many assistance schemes of the Malaysian Government for vulnerable groups do not target homeworkers. Its heavy investment in ICT infrastructure has yet to narrow the digital divide. While all homeworkers have access to some form of ICT tools, many do not personally own the tools. Fewer have access to computer and Internet. Although they are aware of the potential of ICT for work, few explore its full potential because of their limited education, lack of literacy or their inability to demystify technology.

Those supported by organisations have better access to training and utilize ICT tools in varying degrees for their work. They increase their clientele and widen their markets. With greater gender justice, these homeworkers will be able to transform gender relations and technology issues to be empowered to gain knowledge and use ICTs to access wider markets, skills and opportunities and uplift their lives and that of their families.
21st Century Knowledge‐Building in the Asia Pacific: Towards a Multi‐Disciplinary Framework for Linking ICT‐Based Social and Personal Contexts of Education and Development
Authors: Richards Cameron , Nair Govindan
Published: December 2017

In the larger context of an emerging global knowledge society and economy, education policies around the world have stressed the increasing importance of both information and communication technology (ICT) and ‘active’ models of lifelong learning. Similarly, new ‘knowledge management approaches involving such concepts as ‘community of practice’ and ‘individual tacit knowledge’ are related aspirations for capacity‐building on both sides of the so‐called digital divide between rural or developing areas and modern progressive cities and countries. Common to both informal and formal learning models on one hand, and community and enterprise development is an alternately theoretical and informal assumption of “knowledge‐building” which is often contradicted or frustrated in practice because of the difficulty in effectively reconciling or connecting top‐down imperatives and bottom‐up aspects of the local context. In other words, there are some common aspects of (and lessons in) the struggle by educators to effectively integrate ICTs to enhance education on one hand, with achieving sustainable capacity‐building in ICT‐related community development projects and enterprise development initiatives on the other. This paper outlines a framework for better recognizing and engaging with similar and convergent “missing links” in the areas of education and development that have to do with the learning process, cultural change, and new conceptions of both individual and community knowledge. With particular reference to an Asia‐Pacific context, it argues for a kind of ‘dialogical’ approach that is needed in the 21st Century or digital age to better organize, manage, and apply the alternately tacit or informal and explicit connections between human knowledge as both ideas and practice.
Information and Learning Technology (ILT) Adoption Among Career and Technical Teachers in Malaysia
Authors: Rashid Abdullah Mat , Gloeckner Gene W.
Published: December 2017

This study investigated the diffusion of Information and Learning Technology (ILT) among career and technical educators in Malaysia. It was conducted at a large career and technical institute and utilized a non‐experimental research approach. The results show that a majority of faculty members reported that ILT is important as a teaching tool, yet also suggest that few faculty members use it in their teaching practice. Compared to males, female faculty members owned significantly more personal computers. Faculty members who owned a personal computer rated higher on the variables of usage, knowledge, satisfaction, and support, and lower on “barrier to use” than those who did not own a personal computer. The findings revealed that career and technical faculty members were most comfortable using familiar technologies including the Internet, word processing, and presentation software. The study suggests that career and technical training facilities in Malaysia should address general barriers and increase both technological and pedagogical support to successfully implement ILT in teaching and learning practice.
Strengthening ICT Leadership in Developing Countries
Authors: Thanh NGUYEN Hai Thi
Published: December 2017

The position of Government Chief Information Officer (GCIO) has been adopted by many developed countries seeking to leverage technology within the management of public administration. The position calls for an operational executive who can make important strategic decisions that impact public agency ICT. However, whereas ICT programs have attracted more attention in developing countries, very little research has been done to define the GCIO's responsibilities and how to increase their contribution to ICT initiatives. In this paper a comparative analysis of developed and developing countries is undertaken in order to identify four major categories of solutions to how the GCIO's leadership in developing countries can be enhanced. The four categories are: formal authority over their resource allocation in relationship to high‐level leadership, the competences for cross‐boundary leadership, the abilities to sustain support from staff and managers, and the development of the CIO system in the private sector. These findings can give guidance to management and GCIOs to enhance the outcome of their contributions to organizations; and as a result increase efficiency and effectiveness of government ICT projects.
Analysing South Korea's ICT for Development Aid Programme
Authors: Lee Heejin , Jang Seungkwon , Ko Kyungmin , Heeks Richard
Published: December 2017

Since the year 2000, there has been a significant growth in the ICT4D component of South Korea's aid programme. Given Korea's ICT capabilities and demands for ICT4D support from developing nations, this may make good sense. In this paper, though, we analyse a little deeper, starting to ask some initial questions about underlying perspectives and actual performance. We provide an overview of ICT4D expenditure levels, programmes, and key actors. We then reflect field data to date, which suggests some question marks over Korea's telecentre projects, some potential inequity in impacts, and a focus on Korean production of ICT goods and services. We analyse Korean ICT4D in terms of some basic concepts to find it associated with technological‐determinism and techno‐optimism, with the modernisation paradigm, with tied aid, and with the potential for creating dependency. However, Korea may not be unique among ICT4D actors in this and, in some ways, its techno‐optimism may be a useful counter to the techno‐pessimism that seems to have infected some Western donors. We conclude by noting some recommendations for Korea's ICT4D programme, and reflecting that Korea may be representative of a wider new wave of ICT4D donors such as India and China which may not follow quite the same line as Western donors.
Telecentres in Rural India: Emergence and a Typology
Authors: Mukerji Maitrayee
Published: December 2017

The term telecentre is a generic one for all kinds of arrangements – Rural Knowledge Centre, Information Kiosks, Village Knowledge Centres, etc – that seek to provide shared and mediated access to information and services by using new technologies especially computers and Internet. The paper traces the emergence of telecentres as developmental intervention in rural India and puts forth a typology of telecentres in rural India. The typology categorises the existing telecentre initiatives into groups thus making an attempt to delineate their main characteristics, strengths and shortcomings. The typology would serve as a starting point for further in‐depth studies to answer questions with regards to models and related issues like ownership, sustainability, and socio‐economic impact.
Students’ Perceived Barriers to In‐Class Participation in a Distributed and Gender Segregated Educational Environment
Authors: Mirza Abdulrahman A.
Published: December 2017

Education in Saudi Arabia has always been segregated based on gender as a result of the close governmental and societal adherence to Islamic traditions. This segregation causes a problem at the level of higher education due to the shortage of female faculty throughout the country. This problem has lead to the adaptation of several techniques by which higher‐level education is delivered to female students by male faculty. This paper presents a modern approach for course delivery adopted by a new Saudi University that combines old techniques with modern telecommunications technologies. This approach makes use of smart classrooms in delivering courses by male instructors to both male and female students in separate but adjacent lecture halls. One of the main goals for conducting this study was the author's perceived low‐level in‐class participation by female students in one of the courses of the Masters of Health Informatics program offered by the new University. This paper aims to present the perceptions of students regarding this modern approach of education. It also seeks to determine whether the presence (listening‐in) of students of the opposite gender plays a major role in limiting students’ level of in‐class participation. Findings of this study show that students in general are favorable of the modern course delivery approach, and that the greater barrier to participation had more to do with the technology rather than the presence of members of the opposite gender.
Information Technology Use, Strategy, and Subcultural Environments: An Exploratory Study of Brazilian Real Estate Agencies
Authors: Nelson Reed E. , Vasconcelos Eduardo
Published: December 2017

An exploratory study of strategy and information technology usage in the Brazilian real estate sector suggests that firm strategy and subcultural dynamics play an important role in IT adoption and internet usage. The broader questions raised by these results suggest challenges to traditional models of strategic thinking when subcultural and technological factors are taken into account.
Telecommunications Development in Asia
Authors: Davison Robert M.
Published: December 2017

Review: Ure, John (2008) Telecommunications Development in Asia, Hong Kong University Press, ISBN:978‐962‐209‐903‐6, Price: HK$290/US$39.50.
Understanding Successful Use of Technology in Organisations in Developing Countries: A Structurational Perspective
Authors: Prasad Acklesh
Published: December 2017

Information Technology and its relationship to organisational performance has been a subject of continued interest to researchers and other stakeholders in developing countries. While there is concurrence that IT does contribute to performance, and we are efficiently expanding our knowledge on what factors cause better leveraging of IT resources in organisations, we have done little to understand how these factors interact with technology that results in improved performance. This paper suggests looking that the interaction between organisational resources and technology within the structurational lens, which recognises the recursive interaction between technology and people in the presence of social practices, and the norms that inform their ongoing practices. An ethnographic approach to understanding this interaction between technology and resources, as suggested by the structuration perspective, is suggested, aiming to provide richer insights on the nature of the environment that promotes better use of IT resources in developing countries. Such insights could provide the IT users in developing countries with at least an initial conception of the “IT usage platform” that they could promote in their organisations to leverage the most from their IT resources.