bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Global IT Expenditure Growth: An Empirical Investigation Across Some Developing Nations
Authors: Bagchi Kallol K. , Putnam Karl , Tang Zaiyong 
Published: December 2017

AbstractInformation 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractIndia 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractHow 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractInformation 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

AbstractExport 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

AbstractThe 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.
A Modified Capability Framework for Improving Software Production Processes in Jamaican Organisations
Authors: Chevers Delroy , Duggan Evan W. 
Published: December 2017

AbstractRecurrent 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractThis 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

AbstractThis 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

AbstractIn 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

AbstractThis 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

AbstractThe 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.