摘要:

This article uses the social interactionist conceptual framework to analyse computerization in the Volta River Authority, a public corporation in Ghana. It first analyses the initial phase of ICT adoption in the organization, and shows how limited personnel skills, unplanned and uncoordinated innovations, and overwhelming organizational defects resulted in the inability of the technology to produce intended results. The article then proceeds to discuss how these initial problems were dealt within the subsequent phase to produce more positive outcomes. Reasons for this success included comprehensive feasibility studies, departmental representation in planning, and corporate support for the technologies at the highest organizational levels. It suggests, however, that certain socio‐cultural, political and organizational problems continue to hinder effective use of ICTs. Based on these findings the article concludes that institutions should be understood as social systems with contingent configurations of reality that determine the success or failure of technological innovations. The unique contingencies that constitute a particular system should, therefore, be taken into account when designing, adopting, and implementing innovations. This is not only to ensure the sensitivity of the innovations to the social milieux into which they are planted, but also to address any militating factors that might constrain the effectiveness of the innovations.

ISSN:0268-1102    

DOI:10.1080/02681102.2000.9525322

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

A number of authors and multi‐national organizations have suggested that providing information services, and in particular software engineering and programming services, for export afford an important economic opportunity for poor countries. Throughout the world, developing countries have acted on this advice. This paper will argue that the opportunities for software engineering services in particular are limited, at least forsmalldeveloping economies. The main argument is that software engineering and programming are labor‐intensive activities and that small developing countries simply do not have the required resources to acquire or train a sufficient number of software engineers and programmers. Any development policy that blindly follows the tenet that small developing countries can improve their economic position through the provision of information services for export is therefore bound to fail. Hence, more sophisticated policies are called for. This paper will also examine a number of such policy options, including an innovative human resource development policy being developed in Jamaica. Keywords: Information services for export, economic development policy, small developing countries, Jamaica

ISSN:0268-1102    

DOI:10.1080/02681102.2000.9525323

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

This paper assesses the availability, accessibility and use of information technology equipment in Nigerian federal government agencies based on a survey of 119 personnel of ministries, parastatals and government‐controlled banks who participated in various training programmes of the Nigerian National Centre for Economic Management and Administration during 1997. The survey revealed that in spite of the 1988 Civil Service Reforms that was expected to institutionalize modern information processing cultures in the agencies, there appears to be inadequate levels of availability and accessibility of modern IT components in the agencies. There were also substantial gaps between perception of need and actual opportunity to use some of the IT components in the agencies. Although government‐owned banks had higher availability and accessibility of various IT components than ministries and parastatals, the gap was not as large as one would have expected in view of differences in the resources and business environments of the banks compared the ministries and parastatals. The study showed that most Nigerian government agencies were in Nolan'sinitiation, or at best, earlycontagionstages of computerization.

ISSN:0268-1102    

DOI:10.1080/02681102.2000.9525324

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Technology diffusion in developing nations is dependent on a continuous flow of good training for all users and potential users. Yet relatively little analysis of the results of this training has been done beyond cursory post‐course evaluations. Despite the extensive investments in IT training by donors, multilateral organizations and the national governments, the return on investment for these courses and programs is not clear. This study aims to give a more explicit, long term perspective on IT training in developing nations by employing a popular evaluation model used widely in industry. The Kirkpatrick model treats the training event as only a first step in a process that ultimately involves changing attitudes, behaviors and even life styles. The Romanian Internet Academy case is a pilot study aimed at exploring longer term changes in attitudes and behaviors. While many predictor variables are appropriate, only age, gender, academic productivity and academic discipline were used in this preliminary study. Results indicate that this process can yield useful results for determining the true value of these courses and, just as important, can lead to establishing policies for improving results significantly.

ISSN:0268-1102    

DOI:10.1080/02681102.2000.9525325

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor

ISSN:0268-1102    

DOI:10.1080/02681102.2000.9525321

出版商:Taylor & Francis Group    

年代:2000

数据来源: Taylor