THE INTERNET IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, by Rekha Jain, Global
Associate Editor, JGITM
The growth of Internet has led governments in both developed and developing countries to recognize its potential for service delivery. The Internet could enhance their administrative efficiency and effectiveness as well as bring about transparency in governance.
ARTICLES
DIFFUSION OF ELECTRONIC COMMERCE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES:
THE CASE OF COSTA RICA
AUTHOR : Bob Travica
Costa Rica is one of the developing countries that are making inroads into electronic
commerce (e-commerce). It has achieved initial results while dealing with technological, economic, and cultural specificities that have similarities with and differences from the model of e-commerce diffusion in developed countries. A multi-phase investigation into e-commerce in this Central American country has been conducted. The main finding is that there are some favorable conditions to diffusing e-commerce in Costa Rica but the obstacles are not insignificant.
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TELEDENSITY GROWTH CONSTRAINTS AND STRATEGIES FOR
AFRICA’S LDCS: “VIAGRA” PRESCRIPTIONS OR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY?
AUTHORS :
Victor W. Mbarika, Philip F. Musa Terry Anthony Byrd and Patrick McMullen
This study examines the perspectives or beliefs of telecommunications stakeholders of Africa's LDCs on strategies for solving the technology-oriented constraints that have been documented in the literature. The findings suggest that Africa's LDCs should adopt a self-sufficiency approach and also create regional alliances for sustainable development of telecommunications infrastructure to spur the much needed teledensity growth in the region.
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GLOBAL E-COMMERCE: RATIONALE, DIGITAL DIVIDE, AND STRATEGIES TO BRIDGE THE DIVIDE
AUTHORS: Lakshmi S. Iyer, Larry Taube and Julia Raquet
The Internet revolution is sweeping the globe with such swiftness that companies around the world are trying to understand what is occurring, what it all means, where it is going, and how to leverage this new opportunity. In spite of the global nature of this new revolution, studies indicate that almost three fourths of all e-commerce (EC) is done in the United States today and that the United States accounts for 90 percent of all commercial web sites. The purposes of this study are to address several of the underlying rationales for the previous observations, to analyze this digital divide, to propose possible strategies to bridge and overcome this divide, and to propose some specific propositions based on the extensive literature search provided here. To address these questions, this paper provides a general framework including a discussion of present advantages of global EC growth, national and corporate EC comparisons, an analysis of EC limitations, and the development of strategies for global EC growth.
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THE EXPERT OPINION
An Interview with Mr. Andre Spatz, CIO, Infomation Technology Division, UNICEF.
The interview provides a glimpse of how IT has fundamentally transformed the way the UNICEF operates.
THE BOOK REVIEW
Roberto Vinaja reviews "Management of International Networks: Cost-Effective
Strategies for the New Telecom Regulations and Services" by Floris van den Broek. The book analyzes existing theories on management and global aspects.
Vol. 5 No. 2, April 2002
EDITORIAL PREFACE
DATA WAREHOUSING AROUND THE WORLD,
by Hugh J. Watson and RonaldS. Swift
While data warehousing is common in the US, it is not evenly adopted around the world. The authors discuss what is occurring in the field of data warehousing in different countries, in differing economies, and in all world regions. They also talk about why the differences exist.
ARTICLES
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXPENDITURE AND INDUSTRY
PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OF THE MEXICAN BANKING INDUSTRY
AUTHORS: Carlos J. Navarrete and James B. Pick
This study examines the relationship of information technology spending to Mexican
banking industry performance. Focusing on the industry unit of analysis, this project tests whether or not the productivity paradox was present in the Mexican banking industry for the period 1982 to 1992. Specifically, the project tests the correlation between the industry's information technology spending and three performance measures: profits, return on assets, and return on equity. The findings show a positive association between IT expenditure and industry's net profits and return on assets. Hence, the productivity paradox is rejected. The results are contrary other studies at the industry level that support the productivity paradox.
COLLABORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE FORMATION IN VIRTUAL PROJECTS
AUTHORS: J. Roberto Evaristoand Bjørn Erik Munkvold
This article discuss the concept of collaborative IT infrastructure. Based on data from the authors' own research plus case studies from the literature the authors propose a framework for the implementation of such infrastructure at the level of hardware, software, and protocols or guidelines on how to manage such projects. This framework is applied to a typology of projects including four dimensions: number of sites, number of projects, locus of project (intra versus interorganizational), and level of cultural homogeneity versus heterogeneity. The resulting insights allow us to present considerations on the successful implementation of a collaborative IT infrastructure for different types of virtual projects. A summary of insights obtained and future research suggestions are also offered.
GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY: THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN INTEGRATION OF SUPPLY CHAIN ENTITIES
AUTHORS: Pedro Reyes, Mahesh S. Raisinghani and Manoj Singh
In terms of advances in technology and globalization of markets, over the past few years, organizations have had to improve their internal processes just to stay competitive. However, as a result of these changes, organizations are determining that these internal improvements were not enough. An in-depth case study is used to illustrate a broad view of an entire supply chain to reveal full product and component life cycle that not only reveals opportunities for cost reduction but also stimulates revenue growth. It makes the point that organizations must get more involved in the management of their global supply chain network of all upstream firms that provide inputs as well as the network of all downstream firms that provide outputs of the product to the final customer.
THE EXPERT OPINION
An Interview with Mr. Pieter de Zwart, CIO, United Nations Development Programme.
The United Nations Development Programme is an agency within the United Nations
Organization responsible for managing development projects throughout the world. The interview gi ves an insight into the IT functions of the UNDP and the role of IT in the organization
THE BOOK REVIEW
Roberto Vinaja reviews the book "Cases On Worldwide E-Commerce: Theory In
Action" by Mahesh Raisinghani. The book is a collection of comprehensive case studies of opportunities and challenges in worldwide e-commerce. It provides a cutting-edge collection of global e-commerce cases of firms such as Texas Instruments, E*Trade, SAFECO, and GlobeRanger, to name a few. Case settings include Europe, Asia, South America, and North America. The cases describe first-hand experience from actual players in Global e-commerce.
Vol. 5 No. 3, July 2002
EDITORIAL PREFACE
GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: EXPLORING A FRAMEWORK
FOR RESEARCH by Hamid R. Nemati
Global knowledge management has emerged as a discipline that focuses on the study of managing this organizational asset from a global perspective. In this paper, a process oriented conceptual framework is presented by the guest editor for studying factors that influence knowledge management processes that impact the successful outcome of global knowledge management programs is presented. This framework is intended to present an agenda for and to suggest avenues for conducting further research in global knowledge management.
ARTICLES
WHERE THE GLOBAL NEEDS THE LOCAL: VARIATION IN ENABLERS IN
THE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
AUTHORS:
Adekunle Okunoye and Helena Karsten, University of Turku and TUCS, Finland
Knowledge management is a focus for knowledge-intensive businesses and organizations, irrespective of the size and geographical location. Most of the previous models and frameworks of KM do not consider the differences in regions and countries and the specific local organizational factors that could affect KM. We conducted an empirical study of six research organizations in sub-Saharan Africa to understand the particular local context in which the KM occurs. We identified variations in factors such as the local cultures and beliefs, the persistent underfunding, and the operating environment influences in these organizations. Based on these, we argue for the importance of a context specific model of KM.
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AN ONTOLOGY-BASED APPROACH TO INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
AUTHOR:
El-Sayed Abou-Zeid, Concordia University, Canada.
The explication of value systems of the subsidiaries involved in the knowledge transfer process is the necessary condition for its success. The term cultural ontology is introduced to refer to such explication. Using a framework that is based on a modified version of Gupta and Govindarjan’s model of the knowledge transfer between subsidiaries in Multi-National Corporation, and De Long and Fahey’s framework for studying the cultural influences on knowledge transfer process, the elements of cultural ontology are specified. The cultural ontology specification document includes its domain, purpose, level of formality, scope, possible sources of knowledge, competency questions and the possible reusable ontologies.
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EXPLORING KNOWLEDGE EMERGENCE: FROM CHAOS TO ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE
AUTHORS:
Masao Kakihara and Carsten Sørensen, London School of Economics
and Political Science, UK
This paper explores the emergent nature of organizational knowledge. For the task, we reconsider the concept of knowledge by looking at four distinct discourses on knowledge; namely, knowledge as object, knowledge as interpretation, knowledge as process, and knowledge as relationship. Then the fundamental nature of the emergence of knowledge will be discussed where we will argue that human interaction is the source of knowledge emergence. Based on the theoretical discussions, we examine a case study of a fire crisis threatening the supply chain between Aisin Seiki and Toyota in Japan. Finally we discuss the implications for future KM practices, by considering in particularly the institutional aspects of information and communication technologies in KM practices.
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THE EXPERT OPINION :
AN INTERVIEW WITH WOLFRAM STEIN, PARTNER, MCKINSEY & COMPANY
We interview Wolfram Stein, a partner at McKinsey & Company, who was a member of team that recently published the results of a major, multi-phased survey of knowledge management programs as practiced at the largest and most influential global organizations in the US, Europe, and Japan. Stein talks about the survey and discusses global, cultural, and information systems implications of their findings.
BOOK REVIEW:
KNOWLEDGE UNPLUGGED: THE MCKINSEY & COMPANY GLOBAL SURVEY ON KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, by Jrgen Kluge, Wolfram Stein, Thomas Licht
This book presents the results of a major, multi-phased survey of knowledge management programs as practiced at some of the largest and most influential global organizations in the US, Europe and Japan.
Vol. 5 No. 4, October 2002
EDITORIAL PREFACE:
GLOBAL IT THEORY AND FRAMEWORKS
Choton Basu & Anil Kumar
While the interest in the field of Global IT has continued to grow, the diversity of topics researched on the subject can be traced to various fields including, international business, traditional MIS, operations management and more social subjects, such as culture. As researchers in this area it is imperative that we assess our progress from time to time. The special issue editors discuss the need for theory and frameworks in Global IT. They invited researchers to present their viewpoints on the overall field and topics within it.
ARTICLES
TOWARD A DEEPER EXAMINATION OF GLOBAL IT THEORY AND
FRAMEWORKS
AUTHOR:
Anil Kumar, Central Michigan University, USA Choton Basu, The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, USA
In this paper, we examine the field of global information technology (global IT) and
attempt to answer the following four questions: (1) Have we established a theory or
theories, which enable us to generate a clear set of definitions that define this field? (2) Do we have a level of consensus on what we are trying to measure while we conduct research in this area? (3) What are (if any) the common threads of research in the global IT area and is there continuity in the research being conducted? (4) What are the future implications for researchers in this area and are there any concepts that need to be integrated with existing frameworks that would help define this area of research?
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GLOBAL IT MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS: RESEARCH ISSUES
AUTHORS:
Ana R. del Águila, University of Málaga, Spain;
Sebastián Bruque, University of Jaén, Spain;
Antonio Padilla, University of Málaga, Spain
There are numerous studies in the management literature that analyze specific aspects of the implementation of information technology (IT) in organizations. Meanwhile, the global IT management area has emerged as a dynamic field of investigation of IT impact in a global environment. However, after reviewing the management /international business literature and the global IT literature, we detect the need to integrate the theoretical frameworks of both streams in order to advance in this field. As a result, we connect the areas of advance in IT general management with the main lines of research in global IT management. The synthesis of both fields allows us to suggest new areas of research that we discuss in the final section.
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GLOBAL IT ARCHITECTURE: WHO CALLS THE TUNE?
AUTHOR:
Sharm Manwani, Henley Management College, England
A Global Information Technology Architecture (GITA) is an important organisational
enabler for the implementation of an international business strategy. Specifically,
hardware and software standards will guide the development of the information
technology (IT) infrastructure platform. Prior research shows that the selection of IT
standards in a large multi-business company is influenced by the corporate management style. The desire to integrate operations and the need to be responsive to local conditions are factors that have been demonstrated to influence the organisational form of multinational enterprises (MNEs). In turn, researchers have shown that the organisational form of the IT function often reflects the MNE organisational form. Hence in exploring the GITA, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which IT is managed.
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THE EXPERT OPINION
An Interview with Forrest Moore, CIO & V.P.Information Technology, R.F.Micro
Devices Inc. RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Greensboro, NC) designs, develops, manufacture and market proprietary radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) primarily for wireless communications products and applications. Forrest Moore talks about global IT initiatives at R.F. Micro, and the various challenges and issues in managing information technology.
BOOK REVIEW:
THE QUEST FOR GLOBAL DOMINANCE: TRANSFORMING GLOBAL PRESENCE INTO GLOBAL COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE,
by Vijay Govindrajan & Anil Gupta
Review written by Choton Basu & Anil Kumar.
This book identifies worldwide market opportunities, considers global culture and geographic diversity, reinvents the rules of the global game, and provides recommendations to convert global presence into competitive advantage.
