What can be controlled: actionable ICT4D in the case of Palestine

ABSTRACT

A thriving information and communication technology (ICT) economy is an aspiration for developing countries. This research identifies the factors that can motivate or inhibit ICT opportunities in a developing country to grow a sustainable economy. We build an ICT4D decision framework that provides a three-dimensional view based on (1) key factors (e.g. infrastructure, policies), (2) the ICT supply chain, and (3) stakeholders (e.g. industry, government, academia). The framework is applied to the case of Palestine. We use secondary and primary data to understand how both controllable and non-controllable country characteristics have contributed to or inhibited the growth and development of an ICT sector. Results from extensive secondary data sources demonstrate the usability of the framework to analyze the current setting of the ICT sector, in addition to help investigate a range of possible opportunities for action. Then, via a targeted set of interviews with academic, industrial, and governmental sources who are experts in the Palestinian ICT arena, we perform an exploratory study that focuses on key controls and impacts for future development of the ICT economy. The outcomes of this research have the ability to frame and inform economic development decisions that could define the future of the Palestinian state.     

Factors affecting ICT expansion in emerging economies: An analysis of ICT infrastructure expansion in five Latin American countries

High-quality information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure is essential for developing countries to achieve rapid economic growth. International trade and the structure of the global economy require a level of integration that is achievable only with sophisticated infrastructure. Since the early 1990s, international institutions have been pushing developing nations to deregulate and heavily invest in ICT infrastructure as a strategy for accelerating socioeconomic development. After more than a decade of continued investments, some countries have still not achieved expected outcomes. Recently, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has called for empirical research to assess the performance and impact of ICT expansion in developing countries. In this article, we respond to this call by investigating factors affecting the efficiency of ICT expansion in five emerging economies in Latin America. Our findings demonstrate that deregulation is not enough to effect efficient ICT expansion, and we argue that existing conditions (economic factors, human capital, geography, and civil infrastructure factors) must also be considered. We conclude by asserting that policy makers can more easily realize socioeconomic development via ICTs if they consider these conditions while cultivating their technology strategies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Wanted: more network-security graduates and research

The rash of viruses, intrusions, has focused considerable attention on network security in the US. At the same time, experts say the US is not spending enough on network-security research and universities are not producing enough graduates with advanced degrees in the field to conduct the necessary future research. This situation troubles many security experts, who note that much of the US's national infrastructure - affecting government agencies, corporations, utilities, transportation operations, the armed forces, and so on - runs on potentially vulnerable computer networks     

The geographic concentration of China’s e-business enterprises: where they gather and why

The geographic concentration of China’ s e-business sector represents beyond the ordinary image. The study focused on its analyses on 446 China’s e-business enterprises. The results show that a) Beijing, Guangdong, and Zhejiang are three emerging clusters whose enterprise dynamics have spread beyond the commonly mentioned major high-technology regions, and b) the regional economic status and ICT infrastructure condition are only necessary conditions of being a gathering centre, instead of sufficient conditions. Furthermore, China’s e-business sector is mainly influenced by the capital effect, and its geographic concentration has impressive combination with the location, which depends not on local public sectors’ deliberate efforts in doing-business promotions, but on the founders’ social relationships.     

Infrastructure for science portals

A major driver of Internet growth has been the USA's decades-long national policy of funding basic research and infrastructure prototyping in its universities. This unique national system has enabled universities to experiment with capabilities years ahead of their mass commercial distribution. From Arpanet to NSFnet, this far-reaching partnership between government, universities and industry planted the seeds that grew into the modern cyberworld. More recently, NCSA Mosaic and NCSA's Web server software catalyzed the development of the World Wide Web. This “explore the future” methodology has been institutionalized in the National Science Foundation's Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI) program. Each PACI partnership brings together dozens of leading researchers at some 75 institutions to create the services necessary to prototype a seamless, integrated computational and collaborative environment known as the Grid     

The influence of ICT-driven innovation: a comparative study on national innovation efficiency between developed and emerging countries

ABSTRACT

In the Big Data era, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), including the Internet and sensors, digitises physical activity extensively. This leads to the development of ICT Driven Innovation (IDI) which may have a strong influence on National Innovation Efficiency (NIE). The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the impact of IDI on NIE in both advanced and emerging countries. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is employed to obtain the individual score for each country. We focus on comparing IDI between advanced and emerging economies in particular. We believe that IDI is an important reason why the average NIE score is higher in developed countries than in emerging countries. Obviously, developed countries have shown good capabilities in IDI in excess of most emerging countries. This includes but is not limited to R&D expenditure across the ICT industry, ICT patents etc. Several emerging economies received high NIE scores such as China and Brazil, who also have a good performance in IDI. On this basis, we discuss the mechanism of how IDI affects NIE. ICT industry innovation, non-ICT industries innovation, and ICT infrastructure are summarised as the primary factor affecting NIE by IDI. Further empirical research is required in the future.     

A cross-country model of contextual factors impacting cloud computing adoption at universities in sub-Saharan Africa

Cloud computing is a new computing paradigm that is revolutionizing the way we access and use computer infrastructure and services. Universities in developing countries lag behind their Western counterparts due to lack of cutting edge technology required for teaching, collaboration, and research. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that impact diffusion, adoption, and usage of cloud computing at universities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). An adoption model was developed focusing on contextual factors and constructs from two technology adoption theories. Structural equation modelling was used for data analysis and model validation. Results from 355 valid responses to a survey of information and communication technology (ICT) experts and decision makers at universities in SSA indicated that socio-cultural factors, results demonstrability, usefulness, and data security significantly impact their propensity to recommend adoption of cloud computing in the universities. The implications of the findings and practical contributions are discussed.     

Knowledge management in Estonian regional administration: Background,outputs, and unused resources

Little research links knowledge management to government institutions. Knowledge management is viewed primarily as value-added for managing business organizations. The information and communication technology (ICT) use in government institutions is often limited to composing a Web page and posting information. The content of these Web pages is regulated; however, it is not judged in terms of communication effectiveness. In this article, the author provides an overview of the regulatory environment of ICT usage affecting Web pages of public sector organizations in Estonia. It also discusses some principles of ICT regulation in a European context. The author evaluates the outcome of the regulatory mechanism through analysis of Web sites of Estonian county governments. Specifically, the author examines whether the Web pages conform to regulatory acts, whether they are user-friendly, and whether they are concise. The content, structure, visual form, and other evaluation categories are analyzed by discourse and content analysis. After analysis, it is concluded that decision makers both on a regulatory level and on county government level have to consider the importance of the generation of contextually appropriate content through Web pages. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

IT direction in Thailand: cultivating an e-society

For decades, advances in information technology have enhanced lives and economics around the world. Attempting to ride this wave, Thailand has worked since the late 1980s to develop a nationwide IT infrastructure that could serve government and the private sector. In 2002, dissatisfied with the limited success of earlier efforts, Thailand's current government established the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), charged with developing and supporting completely electronic processes for government, commerce, industry, and education. The new ICT policies aim to bring IT to bear on every aspect of Thai society and, ultimately, transform the economy.     

A Model for the Impact of Cybersecurity Infrastructure on Economic Development in Emerging Economies: Evaluating the Contrasting Cases of India and Pakistan

The possibilities and risks inherent in the dissemination of ICT necessitate implementation of cybersecurity initiatives. Yet, we know very little about the specific relationships between national information infrastructure (NII), cybersecurity capability, and economic development in emerging economies. This paper proposes a model based on national nuclear threat security through which a developing nation could develop an effective cybersecurity infrastructure while simultaneously positively impacting economic development. Our model extends the cybersecurity triad of internal governance, private sector partners and an active cybercitizenry to add a fourth influence – foreign government relations – that significantly impacts socioeconomic development. The model will be elaborated through the lens of two case study nation-states: India and Pakistan.     

The Dialectical Tensions in the Funding Infrastructure of Cyberinfrastructure

This article focuses on funding for cyberinfrastructure and how funding affects the cyberinfrastructure foundation laid, who completes the work, and what the outcomes of the funding are. By following qualitative procedures and thematic analysis, we identify five dialectical tensions across three difference levels of institutions, individuals, and ideologies in the funding infrastructure of cyberinfrastructure. Through an organizational communication lens, we define funding infrastructure as the communication arrangements of institutions, individuals, and ideologies that must be coordinated in order for cyberinfrastructure to be brought into existence. These communication arrangements include salient motivations of and financial compensations for individuals who engage in them. They also comprise explicit policies about funding, as well as implicit ideologies about science embedded in funding, as held by institutions involved in these communication arrangements.     

Impacts of employee participation and trust on e-business readiness, benefits, and satisfaction

An increasing number of firms have invested large sums in implementing electronic business (e-business). Nowadays, while the e-businesses are fostering rapid industrial growth, employees are the one who factually engage with information exchange, communication and support e-business processes. However, prior literature has paid scant attention in determining e-business value and its drivers from employee perspective. Thus, the present study attempts to investigate how user participation and trust drives e-business value in terms of e-business readiness, e-business benefits, and e-business satisfaction. For this sake, data collected from 143 employees at Taiwanese IT related firms and analyzed with partial least square (PLS) structural equation approach reveal that trust and user participation were significant precursors of employee e-business satisfaction. The results strongly support the contention that trust directly affects e-business satisfaction, and indirectly affects it through e-business readiness and e-business benefits. The research model and findings will help managers implement e-business successfully and offer valuable references for researchers interested in developing related theories.     

Core capabilities for practitioners in achieving e-business innovation

The rapid advance of information technology and its penetration into the core elements of the business model and organizational structures is enabling profound and significant organizational changes. In such a dynamic environment, firms must be able to continually evolve their capabilities to facilitate electronic business (e-business) innovation. Yet, current research pays little attention to the core capabilities that contribute to e-business innovation in general. This research seeks to identify the core capabilities that are necessary for achieving e-business innovation. We propose a tri-core model of e-business innovation adopted from Swanson (1994), which knits together three cores: business technology, the business model and the value network. We use this model initially to specify the functional areas of the capabilities. Based on data collected through an intensive literature review and an exploratory Delphi study, thirteen essential capabilities were considered as the keys to e-business innovation exploitation and exploration. Firms can facilitate their e-business solutions over time through the successful development of these capabilities. These findings provide great insights for practitioners and scholars alike to better understand the core capabilities for achieving e-business innovation. It can also help practitioners form a template of the requisite in-house management for identifying knowledge gaps and developing action plans.     

An analysis of the determinants and effects of ICT diffusion in developing countries

Using data from developing countries, this paper examines the links between ICT diffusion and per capita income, trade and financial indicators, education, and freedom indicators. Internet hosts, Internet users, personal computers and mobile phones represent indicators of ICT. The Gompertz model of technology diffusion is used to study ICT dissemination. The results show that income and government trade policies influence ICT diffusion. However, freedom indices may or may not affect ICT diffusion. Moreover, only personal computers and Internet hosts seem to have a positive association with income. Contrary to expectations, ICT diffusion is not associated with education.     

Are we ready? The state of wireless e-business in the USA

Recent evidence shows that in the United States, electronics and information technology (IT) businesses generate nearly one-third of their revenues from e-business, yet spend less than 5% on IT. While there have been many published studies on the adoption of e-business using wired Internet technologies, the adoption of wireless e-business by US firms remains relatively unexplored. The purpose of this study is to report on the current state of adoption of wireless e-business technologies in the US Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector and the factors likely to affect the utilization of these technologies in the future Survey results show that the US ICT sector is not very far along in its use and application of wireless e-business technologies.The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from TBRC, Lappeenranta University of Technology and the College of Business at San Francisco State University for this study. The helpful comments of Dr. Richard Beer, Assistant Professor, Department of Information Systems at the University of San Francisco and former Executive Director, Fisher Center for Information Technology at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley are greatly appreciated.     

Time series analysis in the assessment of ICT impact at the aggregate level – lessons and implications for the new economy

The major role of information and communication technology (ICT) in the new economy is well documented: countries worldwide are pouring resources into their ICT infrastructure despite the widely acknowledged “productivity paradox”. Evaluating the contribution of ICT investments has become an elusive but important goal of IS researchers and economists. But this area of research is fraught with complexity and we have used Solow's Residual together with time-series analysis tools to overcome some methodological inadequacies of previous studies. Using this approach, we conduct a study of 20 countries to determine if there was empirical evidence to support claims that ICT investments are worthwhile. The results show that ICT contributes to economic growth in many developed countries and newly industrialized economies (NIEs), but not in developing countries. We finally suggest ICT-complementary factors, in an attempt to rectify possible flaws in ICT policies as a contribution towards improvement in global productivity.     

Towards a model of consumer use of mobile information and communication technology in LDCs: the case of sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract. Using theories of technology acceptance and technology transfer, we identified factors affecting the use of mobile information and communication technology (mobile ICT) in the least developed countries (LDCs), specifically sub-Saharan Africa. From a literature review, we developed a research model to describe factors that impact mobile ICT use and formulated a series of hypotheses about them. We then surveyed mobile ICT users in Kenya and Nigeria and created a structural model to examine our hypothesized relationships. Our findings indicate that access to mobile ICT, and cultural influences on mobile ICT diffusion, strongly influence individuals' perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of mobile ICT. Individuals' perceptions about the reliability of mobile ICT influence use of these technologies significantly. The results suggest that, although extensive ICT diffusion (high mobile ICT levels per capita) may be necessary for seeding commercial and economic initiatives that depend heavily on mobile ICT, such as m-commerce, it may not be sufficient. Firms conducting business in sub-Saharan Africa need to pay attention to the factors that explain individual mobile ICT use because these factors will most likely determine the optimal market segmentation, business development and customer service strategies for leveraging m-commerce operations in that region. For government units, the understanding of such factors would also be beneficial in aiding economic planning and commerce.     

Ties with government,strategic capability,and organizational ambidexterity: evidence from China’s information communication technology industry

Organizations that are capable of pursuing exploration and exploitative innovation strategies simultaneously have demonstrated superior performance. For information and communication technology (ICT) firms, it is especially critical to achieve such organizational ambidexterity in order to both allocate limited resources and pursue different innovation strategies appropriately. As the ICT industry in China faces higher environmental uncertainty, a less developed institutional framework, and increased power of market competition, we explore the antecedents of ambidexterity conjointly, considering the effects of institutions and organizational capabilities. Building on ambidexterity literature, we develop a capability-building framework to explore firms’ strategic choice-making between exploratory innovation strategy versus exploitation innovation strategy, and their orientation to pursuit one, or both. With survey data from China’s ICT industry, we find that ties with government promote an ambidextrous focus on both types of innovation strategies. In addition, we find that strategic capability partially mediates the main effects of ties with government on both exploratory and exploitative innovation strategies. Implications for organizational ambidexterity in China’s ICT industry are discussed.     

An approach to evaluate large-scale ICT training interventions

Despite advances in the quality and availability of information and communication technologies (ICT), the level of access and skill in using these resources remains unequal. This is particularly evident in developing countries. To reduce the gap between these levels of ICT use, organizations (both public and private) invest in the expansion of infrastructure by providing ICT access and ICT training. In this study, we demonstrate that there is a gap in current approaches to monitor and evaluate large-scale ICT training interventions. Thus, we propose an approach based on social network analysis and data mining techniques, and apply it to an online training program conducted in different regions of Brazil. The results allow us to examine different aspects of the program, such as the region of participants, the institutions driving the intervention, local indicators of telecommunications infrastructure, and local socioeconomic conditions.     

A cross-national analysis of eHealth in the European Union: Some policy and research directions

This study analyzes the relationship among eHealth profiles across 27 European Union Member States. It builds on prior research that uses multivariate statistical methods to provide a cross-country analysis on two dimensions: ICT penetration and availability compared with eHealth access and usage among health professionals. Based on the quantitative indicators/metrics used in our study, our results reveal that four distinct country groupings emerge as frontrunners, followers, leapfroggers and laggards. Frontrunners combine a strong ICT infrastructure with relatively high adoption of eHealth technologies. Our study suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach to health IT is not recommended for EU Member States because policy-makers at the national level need to develop an eHealth roadmap that reflects national, regional and local conditions that go beyond technical imperatives.