Technology Adoption: Issues and Challenges in Information Technology Adoption in Emerging Economies

INTRODUCTION The digital processing and transmission of information is now generally referred to as Information Technology (IT). Information Technology (IT) demands design, installation, configuration, training and maintenance of infrastructure. Information Technology (IT) makes the management of information more efficient and effective. IT is now a force and driver of modern technological development and globalization, and is generally accepted as a key enabler of economic and technological growth. IT adoption has shown to propel the economies of nations to greater productivity and creates jobs. Modern global economy is built on Information Technology and telecommunication infrastructure which now serves as a platform for national and global development. Information Technology has such great potential to improve business operations, education, technology and economic growth. This technology could help contribute to poverty alleviation in developing economies if used to meet local and national needs. There is an unequal access to Information and communication technology between developed and developing nations (Macharia & Gituru, 2006). There are now global efforts from different international organizations, governments and companies to make IT available to developing nations. However, in making IT available to developing economies, there are some major difficulties experienced by implementers. The objective of this study is to increase knowledge about some of the challenges associated with the adoption of Information Technology in developing nations. LITERATURE REVIEW There is now a global increase in Internet penetration due to government led initiatives and private efforts, (Andrade & Urquhart, 2009). In developed countries, IT has been used to create strategic advantage in business and various operations (Apulu & Lathan, 2009). Information Technology (IT) plays a vital role in leveraging productivity and efficiency in private organizations, governments and research (Al-Gahtani, 2003). Remarkable results from the application of IT in education, health, agriculture, and technology in developed nations show that such positive results can be replicated in African countries. The value of IT in any organization depends on its infrastructure. IT infrastructure is a set of shared tangible and intangible resources composed of computers, network and telecommunication technologies, data and core software applications (Duncan, 1996). It is important that IT is properly designed, deplored and effectively utilized. Flexible IT infrastructure is vital in developing sustained competitive advantage, (Byrd & Douglas, 2001), and is a source of business value, (Fink & Neumann, 2009). Global networked economy is in constant change. Globalization require people and institutions to continuously acquire new knowledge and skills to keep up with the change, (Haddad & Drexler, 2002).Frequent changes in business, government, science and public organizations can be quickly accomplished only if the Information Technology infrastructure is able to accommodate this change in an effective manner, (Fink et. al., 2001). Business Managers, Researchers, and Scientists now show great interest in understanding how Information Technology help to create competitive advantage for organizations and nations, (Bhatt & Grover, 2005). The importance of IT in training programs cannot be over emphasized. Success factors in training policy are identified in such areas as flexibility in time management for training, creation of quality content, and promotion of interactive participation by trainers, (Gasco, Llopis, & Gonzalez, 2004). Oxfam Education Report (2002), noted that Information Technology facilities provide better teaching and learning opportunities for teachers and students, thus improving the quality of education. Unfortunately, there are challenges in the transfer and adoption of Information Technology in emerging nations. …