Impact Of Information Communication Technology Research Articles

Application of information technology in agricultural extension services in Japanese agriculture: lessons and challenges for developing countries

Agricultural extension services have undergone several changes in terms of aims, tasks and trends, particularly with the impact of Information Communication Technology. Information technologies have the potential to support the agri-food sector in coping with the challenges but they are also key enablers for some of the developments to　take place as the drive towards globalization builds on modern communication technology. This paper presents the trend of Information development and application in Japanese agriculture such that lessons and challenges for the development of the information technology for agricultural development in Nigeria could be explored. International Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 7(2) 2006: 74-86

Exploiting ICT potential in service firms in transition economies

Service industries are the most intensive users of information-communication technology (ICT) and some developed countries have already displayed noticeable productivity gains due to ICT use in services. The pattern of intensive use of ICT in services tends to be replicated in transition economies, however the evidence of ICT impacts on growth and productivity is lacking at the aggregate and industry level owing to deficient data and methodological problems. To overcome some of the problems in estimating the effects of ICT use we pursue firm-level analysis and apply production function approach to estimate the impact of ICT on the performance of service firms in Slovenia. The results suggest that service firms are more intensive ICT users than manufacturing firms and that ICT use significantly influences the productivity of service firms. The positive impact of ICT use on productivity applies to all service firms irrespective of their size. The links are stronger for service firms with above average ICT use. Due to the absence of data on complementary expenditures for training and organisational change related to ICT adoption the results might overemphasise the effects of ICT investment.

Parliament, Elected Representatives and Technology 1997–2005—Good in Parts?

PARLIAMENT and elected representatives have often been accused of reacting slowly to the development of new media technologies. This article provides a brief assessment of the adaptation of the Westminster Parliament and parliamentarians to new technologies from the point of view of a political practitioner who served as a UK elected representative between 1997 and 2005. Whilst it is descriptive and personal, it provides an insider perspective on the impact of information communication technologies (ICTs) on political institutions. In particular, the analysis assesses some of the restraints and pressures on Parliament and Members of Parliament (MPs) which help explain the relatively slow response of political representatives. Information technology (IT) has had an important and growing impact on the work of elected representatives over recent years whether or not they see themselves as interested in ‘eDemocracy’. We can divide the use of ICTs into a number of functional categories.

Launching into Cyberspace: Internet Development and Politics in Five World Regions. By Marcus Franda. Boulder, CO: Lynne Reinner, 2002. 280p. $59.95 cloth, $22.00 paper

Launching into Cyberspace provides a comparative analysis of the impact of the Internet on international relations. Focusing on five large and diverse regions of the world: Africa, the Middle East, Eurasia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia (India and China), Marcus Franda demonstrates that any analysis of the impact of the Internet has to take into account that the process of the integration and diffusion of information communication technologies (ICTs) varies enormously, not just from one region to the next but often from country to country. Consequently, the political scientist should be wary of drawing generalized conclusions about the impact of the Internet globally. Indeed, in many ways Franda's account of its impact provides a healthy degree of skepticism to many of the more technologically deterministic and “libertarian” accounts of the impact of ICTs. His account demonstrates that in nearly all of the countries examined, far from “withering away,” the state has played a decisive role either in creating a conducive environment for the Internet to develop or, conversely, in retarding its development by adopting regulations to administer and control access.

Evolution and Innovation in Insurance Management: The Italian Case

In the 1990s and at the beginning of the new century, certain events of wide-ranging importance occurred in developed countries causing considerable changes in the behaviour of civil society as a whole and affecting each individual citizen. Amongst the major items that have been changing the business world and working methods, the first is technological evolution. For example, the development of information science makes it possible not only to use management tools at accessible costs but also to analyse data more completely and exhaustively. One of the most important technological events is change in the world of communications, and in ways of interacting, which has facilitated the globalization and internationalization of industrial and service activities. Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the Internet have brought about far-reaching socio-economic changes. Hence business culture has to change, to be flexible and open to innovation, but also remain homogeneous and compact, recognizable and identifiable. The change involves both internal and external clients, in quantity and quality of knowledge and in the decision-making process. With the growth of business information available comes a corresponding growth in the problems of comparing data and management knowledge. It is therefore necessary to identify route, frequency, methods and agents to turn to. It is also necessary to direct the various functions, to both technical and specialized management of the new technologies, and in particular to managing the cognitive, organizational and decision-making complexities that are emerging from the constant increase in information and in interactions which are both internal and external to business. The latter, in particular, should give cultural support parallel to the impact of ICT, paying particular attention to senior management culture, its uniformity and flexibility in relation to the topics that ICT will stimulate. The insurance business has to confront not only its own market and its own competition, but also itself. That is, its own organizational order, the coherence and compactness of its own cultural models, its own flexibility and its openness to innovation. These changes involve the whole modern world, causing evolution on some markets, including those of Italy, and making it difficult to adapt to changes in external conditions. Population aging is the second issue to which we need to draw attention. This was already evident in the 1970s according to demographers, together with a slowing-down in growth of

Evaluating the use of ICT in engineering education

This paper is based on an evaluation of a mixed mode course called Learning Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations from the Web. The authors discuss the impact of information communication technology (ICT) on the provision of tertiary education and cite the course as an example of how it can be used at the subject level. The course employed ICT in a number of different ways. The introductory part of the course was held in a specifically designed video-conferencing facility that had a range of ICT capabilities. The design of the room is critiqued as is the use that was made of it. Throughout the paper the authors emphasize the point that ICT is a powerful tool for teaching and learning but failure to plan, deliver and assess ICT-based courses on sound pedagogical grounds merely means that poor teaching and learning practices are disseminated more widely and more quickly. On the basis of our evaluation we propose a simple set of questions that can be used to evaluate the best use of ICT in engineering education.

Productivity and Technical Efficiency in Indian States’ Manufacturing: The Role of Infrastructure

The Make in India program aims at building best-in-class manufacturing set up in the country. However, public infrastructure is considered to be one of the biggest obstacles for the growth of manufacturing in the country. In this context, this paper examines the role of infrastructure and information & communication technology (ICT) on total factor productivity (TFP) and technical efficiency (TE) of the Indian manufacturing sector for the period 1994-2010. We use advanced estimation techniques to overcome problems of non-stationary, omitted variables, endogeneity and reverse causality by applying fully modified OLS, panel cointegration and System GMM. Estimation results suggest that the impact of infrastructure and ICT is rather strong. Interestingly, sectors exposed to relatively more to foreign competition (e.g. Transport Equipment, Textile, Chemicals, Metal & Metal Products) are more sensitive to infrastructure. In the light of these findings, policy implications are brought out.

The Singapore developmental state in the new economy and polity

Good corporate governance has proved lacking in other Asian countries since the crisis in 1997. Economic reform, corporate and financial restructuring have been urged, cajoled and demanded by major international lenders and probably, too, to avert the next financial crisis. Singapore stands out without the profligacy of government spending, dubious government- business relations, cronyism, corruption and nepotism. Its formula of a committed developmental state and Singapore Inc. has delivered jobs, income, homes, education, security and welfare since 1959. This paper puts to question the resilience of this developmental state model in the globalized environment with information, communication technology (ICT), knowledge-based economy (KBE) and hyper-competition. Efficiency, effectiveness and deliverables may remain assured under Singapore Inc. which is being restructured even before 1997. The critical question is on the other side of the political economy. The same new economy trends impact on socio-political values, culture and behaviour as well. Can Singapore Inc. reinvent itself economically without concomitant political reforms and still meet the challenges of growing affluence, new political culture, democratization and impact of ICT on the society and polity? How much to deregulate politically to match economic deregulation and liberalization? How much more corporate governance and transparency in Singapore Inc.? Foreign economic policy has to be more sensitive when government-linked companies (GLCs) cross borders and interact in the political economy and social milieu in the region. The paper advances a number of scenarios for the Singapore developmental state and a ‘flow-through five-star Hotel Singapore’ with a loyal clientele seems a likely one.

The Singapore developmental state in the new economy and polity

Good corporate governance has proved lacking in other Asian countries since the crisis in 1997. Economic reform, corporate and financial restructuring have been urged, cajoled and demanded by major international lenders and probably, too, to avert the next financial crisis. Singapore stands out without the profligacy of government spending, dubious government- business relations, cronyism, corruption and nepotism. Its formula of a committed developmental state and Singapore Inc. has delivered jobs, income, homes, education, security and welfare since 1959. This paper puts to question the resilience of this developmental state model in the globalized environment with information, communication technology (ICT), knowledge-based economy (KBE) and hyper-competition. Efficiency, effectiveness and deliverables may remain assured under Singapore Inc. which is being restructured even before 1997. The critical question is on the other side of the political economy. The same new economy trends impact on socio-political values, culture and behaviour as well. Can Singapore Inc. reinvent itself economically without concomitant political reforms and still meet the challenges of growing affluence, new political culture, democratization and impact of ICT on the society and polity? How much to deregulate politically to match economic deregulation and liberalization? How much more corporate governance and transparency in Singapore Inc.? Foreign economic policy has to be more sensitive when government-linked companies (GLCs) cross borders and interact in the political economy and social milieu in the region. The paper advances a number of scenarios for the Singapore developmental state and a ‘flow-through five-star Hotel Singapore’ with a loyal clientele seems a likely one.