Information And Communication Technology Services Research Articles

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Quality of Life of the B40

Previous studies indicated that information and communication technology (ICT) positively impacts communities. However, rural areas are not uniform and territorial inequalities in digital infrastructure may affect the lives in rural areas differently. This study aims to investigate the effect of ICT adoption on rural communities. Data were collected through interviews and observations and were analyzed qualitatively. The finding shows limited access to ICT infrastructure and services limits the benefits of ICT to rural communities. The role of government is important in ensuring equal opportunity to access ICT infrastructure and services to improve their quality of life.

The diffusion of technological progress in ICT

We study whether technology gains in sectors related to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) increase productivity in the rest of the economy. To separate exogenous gains in ICT from other technological progress, we use the relative price of ICT goods and services in a structural VAR with medium-run restrictions. Using local projections to estimate the effect of ICT-related technology gains on sectoral technology (TFP), we find two sets of results. First, since the mid-2000s there have been positive and persistent technology spillovers to sectors intensively using ICT. Second, neglecting leasing activity leads to an overestimation of the TFP response for all sectors except the leasing sector, where it is strongly underestimated.

Role of Information and Communication Technology in Agricultural Development of India

The desired higher growth in the agricultural sector can be achieved only when there is proper application of information and communication technology (ICT) with adequate investments from both public and private sectors. There is a great scope to implement ICT in order to communicate and integrate the entire agri-food supply chain. The beneficiaries of ICT in agriculture are not only confined to farmers but also encompass food processing companies and suppliers within the agri-food sector. The tools of ICT applications have the potential to provide networking of agriculture sector within the country and globally. It is against this backdrop that the present study not only addresses issues relating to the applications of ICT for economic change in the agricultural sector of India but also identifies the past and present major ICT initiatives in agriculture, the factors responsible for the success of ICT services and the elements of an appropriate framework for assessing the impact of ICT on agricultural development. It is observed that the application of ICT solutions for the development of rural India have been opening a vast range of possibilities to a majority of the population living in rural settings to cross the digital divide. The e-governance strategy for the agriculture sector is capable of exhibiting strategic flexibility to simultaneously integrate the opposing forces. JEL Classification: D83, D85, Q13, Q16

Poverty, ICT and Economic Growth in SADC Region: A Panel Cointegration Evaluation

Although there is a wealth of evidence on the relationship between economic growth and poverty or poverty and information and communication technology (ICT), there are few studies on the interaction between the three factors. The triangle relationship between poverty, information and communication technology, and economic growth in SADC were investigated in this study from 2005 to 2019. The research looked at how ICT and economic growth impact poverty in SADC countries, using the instruments of the Mean-Group FMOLS, Mean-Group DOLS, and Robustness Mean-Group Estimators in achieving its major objective. The principal component analysis was employed in generating a single index value for ICT and the data were subjected to relevant econometric tests to achieve robust results. Findings showed that all the variables exhibited poverty-reducing effects in SADC except inflation. Results confirm the existence of the “leapfrogging” hypothesis for the region. It is necessary to strengthen existing bilateral links among member nations of the area to maintain the benefits of ICT’s poverty-reducing impacts, economic growth, financial development, and trade openness. As applicable in other advanced and some emerging economies, the digital competence of the region needs to be synchronized for effective ICT service delivery.

Research on the Impact of Economic Policy Uncertainty on China's ICT Service Export

In recent years, economic policy uncertainty has been a hot topic in the world, and the development level of service trade is one of the symbols to measure a country's economic strength. Nowadays, the world economy is transforming to the globalization of digital economy, in which information and communication technology (ICT) plays an important role in the process of digital development. Taking service trade as the starting point, using the economic policy uncertainty index and taking the data of China's ICT service exports from 2001 to 2019 as a sample, this paper studies the impact of economic policy uncertainty on China's ICT service exports. The study found that China's economic policy uncertainty is conducive to the export of ICT services, while the global economic policy uncertainty has a restraining effect on it. Based on this, this paper puts forward policy suggestions on China's ICT service trade from the perspective of strengthening multilateral cooperation and increasing policy support of exporting countries.

A Study on the Relationship Between Government Regulations and Innovation Efficiency in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry

Although government regulations have a significant impact on innovation, research on the impact of government regulations on innovation efficiency has yet to be sufficiently uncovered. In this study, the effects of government regulations on innovation efficiency in ICT service industry are verified through tobit regression analysis after calculating innovation efficiency by DEA. Government policies are divided into 11 categories, and two different innovation efficiencies are calculated as the innovation process is divided into two stages: R&D efficiency and commercialization efficiency. The results prove that “regulations for small and medium-sized business” and “financial market regulation and separation of banking and commerce” have negatively effects on R&D efficiency.

Digital Health Profile of South Korea: A Cross Sectional Study.

(1) Backgroud: For future national digital healthcare policy development, it is vital to collect baseline data on the infrastructure and services of medical institutions’ information and communication technology (ICT). To assess the state of medical ICT across the nation, we devised and administered a comprehensive digital healthcare survey to medical institutions across the nation. (2) Methods: From 16 November through 11 December 2020, this study targeted 42 tertiary hospitals, 311 general hospitals, and 1431 hospital locations countrywide. (3) Results: Since 2015, most hospitals have implemented electronic medical record (EMR) systems (90.5 percent of hospitals, which is the smallest unit, and 100 percent of tertiary hospitals). The rate of implementation of personal health records (PHRs) varied significantly between 61.9 percent and 2.4 percent, depending on the size of the hospital. Hospitals have implemented around three to seven government-sponsored information/data transmission and receiving systems for statistical or investigative objectives. For secondary usage of medical data, more than half of tertiary hospitals have implemented a clinical data warehouse or shared data model. However, new service establishments utilizing modern medical technologies such as artificial intelligence or lifelogging were scarce and in the planning stages. (4) Conclusion: This study shows that the level of digitalization in Korean medical institutions is significant, despite the fact that the development and spending in ICT infrastructure and services provided by individual institutions imposes a significant cost. This illustrates that, in the face of a pandemic, strong government backing and policymaking are essential to activate ICT-based medical services and efficiently use medical data.

Assessment of Information and Communication Technology Tools’ Usage in Agricultural Extension among Cassava Peasants in Rangwe Sub-County, Kenya

Aims: This study sought to determine selected demographic characteristics, the extent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools’ usage, opportunities in ICT, challenges in the use, strategies to improve the use, and the correlation between the selected demographic factors and ICT tools’ usage among peasants who produce cassava in Rangwe Sub-County, Kenya. Study Design: A correlation research design was used in this study conducted at Rangwe Sub-County, Kenya from 8th December 2021 to 14th January 2022.
 Methodology: The study gathered data with the aid of pretested structured questionnaire from 106 Cassava Peasants (CPs) who used or not used ICT tools in agricultural extension.
 Results: The response rate achieved was 100%. The majority of the CPs were female (62%), middle-aged (36-50 years), attained primary education (52%), and earned the lowest average annual income (X ≤ KES160, 000). The majority of ICT tools users in extension were males, elite, higher-income earners, and youths. The largest percentage of ICT tools users mentioned, ICT tools availability as one of the opportunities in ICT, expensiveness as the main challenge in the use, ICT services subsidies as one of the improvement strategies. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that a correlation between the selected demographic factors and ICT tools’ usage was statistically significant at a 1% level of significance (P=.000).
 Conclusion: Adoption of ICT tools in agricultural extension services is directly proportional to income, gender equality, and education, while it is inversely proportional to age. The provision of supporting policies for the selected demographic factors, availability of training centers, and subsidized credit interest rate would increase ICT tools usage in extension.

Is there a trade-off between ICTs and ecological systems in Africa? Evidence from heterogeneous panel methods robust to cross-sectional dependence.

Among the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), increasing infrastructure resilience (SDG9) and combating climate change and its impacts (SDG13) have been vital goals. Growing evidence supports the presence of a trade-off between expanding information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure and maintaining the quality of the environment. Based on an ICT index and the ecological footprint, the present study reinvestigated the influence of ICT on environmental quality for a sample of African countries, where ICT services have substantially increased over the past decades. The study employed cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) and common correlated effects estimator (CCEMG) techniques on data representing 47 African economies between 1990 and 2017. The results of both methods were consistent and indicated an inverted U-shaped relationship between ICT infrastructure and environmental quality in the long and short run. The findings suggested that the expansion of ICT infrastructure could simultaneously enable African nations to achieve SDG13 and SDG9.

Is there any impact from ICT on environmental quality in Africa? Evidence from second‐generation panel techniques

Increased infrastructure resilience (SDG9) and reducing climate change's effects (SDG13) have been recognised as key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is a growing argument suggesting the existence of a trade-off between enhancing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastructure and preserving the environment. The evidence suggests that countries may be required to sacrifice one goal to meet another. Based on an ICT index and the ecological footprint, the present study reinvestigated the impact of ICT on environmental quality for a sample of 47 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from 1990 to 2017. In contrast to preceding studies, the present study employed superior econometric procedures to handle heterogeneities across nations and, thus, has produced more trustworthy and efficient results. The results obtained from Driscoll and Kraal's standard error, Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS), and Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) techniques were consistent. They showed that the deployment of ICT services had a favourable but insignificant impact on the quality of the environment in the selected economies. The results also revealed that; renewable energy, education, and political institutions played significant roles in maintaining the quality of the environment. Likewise, the results confirmed the inverted U-shape as suggested in the EKC hypothesis. Overall, the results indicated no trade-offs between increasing infrastructure resilience and maintaining the quality of the environment in the SSA region.

The use of mobile phones and the heterogeneity of banana farmers in Rwanda

Information and communications technologies (ICTs) play a key role in improving agricultural production, enhancing socio-ecological resilience, and mitigating rural poverty. However, the use of ICTs for agricultural development among smallholder farmers, especially in the least developed countries, still lags behind. It is therefore critical to understand distinct attitudes among heterogeneous smallholder farmers that determine use of ICTs, such as mobile phones. Moreover, data-driven empirical studies on the use of mobile phones in smallholder settings are still scarce. We bridge this knowledge gap by evaluating the link between the use of mobile phones and various farming types of smallholder farmers in Rwanda. Using the principal component and cluster analysis, we analyzed 690 banana farming households across eight of the 10 major agro-ecological zones of Rwanda and developed a typology of banana farms. We identified three distinct farm types based on a combination of various farmer characteristics and farm operations and endowments, namely the beer banana, livestock-based, and the cooking banana farm types. These farm types clearly differ in terms of ownership and use of both basic and smart mobile devices. Farmers in the cooking banana farm type are far more likely to own and use smart mobile phones than in other types. Regression results further indicated that farm type, gender, and education have significant correlations with the perceived usefulness of mobile phones in agriculture. Major barriers to using ICT-based agricultural services were 1) low awareness of the existence of ICT services, 2) limited availability of ICT services, 3) lack of technical know-how, 4) relatively high prices of ICT devices, and 5) low levels of ICT literacy. This empirical study provides strategically important insights for the transition to digital agriculture in the context of smallholder farming systems.

Data Protection and Cybersecurity Certification Activities and Schemes in the Energy Sector

Cybersecurity concerns have been at the forefront of regulatory reform in the European Union (EU) recently. One of the outcomes of these reforms is the introduction of certification schemes for information and communication technology (ICT) products, services and processes, as well as for data processing operations concerning personal data. These schemes aim to provide an avenue for consumers to assess the compliance posture of organisations concerning the privacy and security of ICT products, services and processes. They also present manufacturers, providers and data controllers with the opportunity to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements through a verifiable third-party assessment. As these certification schemes are being developed, various sectors, including the electrical power and energy sector, will need to access the impact on their operations and plan towards successful implementation. Relying on a doctrinal method, this paper identifies relevant EU legal instruments on data protection and cybersecurity certification and their interpretation in order to examine their potential impact when applying certification schemes within the Electrical Power and Energy System (EPES) domain. The result suggests that the EPES domain employs different technologies and services from diverse areas, which can result in the application of several certification schemes within its environment, including horizontal, technological and sector-specific schemes. This has the potential for creating a complex constellation of implementation models and would require careful design to avoid proliferation and disincentivising of stakeholders.

Uncovering the knowledge coordination process in information and communication technologies services outsourcing from the provider’s perspective

PurposeThis paper aims to empirically investigate how knowledge coordination is carried out within and across expert teams in the outsourcing service desk context from the standpoint of the information and communication technologies (ICT) provider.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on an embedded case study to unravel the mechanisms used by expert teams to achieve knowledge coordination. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and document analysis over eight months.FindingsFour groups of coordination mechanisms were found according to their nature and role in helping MESA achieve its organizational goals. The authors also identified how this set of mechanisms responds to the task-resource dependency and how it evolves over time to provide reliable ICT services. Furthermore, the analysis of four knowledge coordination dimensions inside each group uncovers the complexity of coordination in the studied context, with the “who” dimension being predominant across the groups. The analysis further reveals that the content (what) and mode of coordination (how) of each group respond to elements in the knowledge coordination process relevant for the different stages of the ICT service delivery process.Originality/valueThe case study addresses how people in outsourced services coordinate their knowledge to manage the interdependencies among the involved organizations and thus, achieving their goals. This study extends previous research that had analyzed the consequences of knowledge coordination for providers and customers by delving into the mechanisms used in this process from the provider’s point of view.

Defining Security Requirements With the Common Criteria: Applications, Adoptions, and Challenges

Advances of emerging Information and Communications Technology (ICT) technologies push the boundaries of what is possible and open up new markets for innovative ICT products and services. The adoption of ICT products and systems with security properties depends on consumers' confidence and markets' trust in the security functionalities and whether the assurance measures applied to these products meet the inherent security requirements. Such confidence and trust are primarily gained through the rigorous development of security requirements, validation criteria, evaluation, and certification. Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation (often referred to as Common Criteria or CC) is an international standard (ISO/IEC 15408) for cyber security certification. In this paper, we conduct a systematic review of the CC standards and its adoptions. Adoption barriers of the CC are also investigated based on the analysis of current trends in security evaluation. Specifically, we share the experiences and lessons gained through the recent Development of Australian Cyber Criteria Assessment (DACCA) project that promotes the CC among stakeholders in ICT security products related to specification, development, evaluation, certification and approval, procurement, and deployment. Best practices on developing Protection Profiles, recommendations, and future directions for trusted cybersecurity advancement are presented.

Elderly Forgotten? Digital Exclusion in the Information Age and the Rising Grey Digital Divide.

Background: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is being spread at an unprecedented rate across the globe. Yet, new research suggests that digital divide is not only continuing but also deepening at the same time. After access to basic ICT equipment, it is now the lack of skills and quality of hardware and software that leads to a continuing digital divide. Digital divide which is specifically related to elderly is known as grey digital divide. Objectives: The focus of this paper is to review and analyze recent relevant research on grey digital divide which is fast emerging as a major challenge in the era of ageing. A side objective is to raise implications for theory and practice discourses to minimize grey digital divide. Method: Literature on digital divide and grey digital divide is reviewed to gather relevant knowledge on the grey digital divide. The articles were filtered according to the relevance for grey digital divide in the present age. Literature review spanned over a 5 years’ timeline to discuss the current trends on the topic. Results: Results indicate a rising problem of ageing, mainly in developed countries. Grey digital divide constitutes a major challenge for elderly to participate and benefit from the digital revolution. Elderly face problems for basic tasks such as booking tickets or renewing bus cards to claiming old-age benefits because most of the systems are digitized. Another challenge is the social exclusion faced by elderly because they cannot connect with peers through digital networks due to lack of digital skills. This situation is also observed in developing countries, although in developing countries elderly get immediate help from family members due to the family system of joint living. Implications and future directions: A practical implication of this research can be a full-scale fieldwork in different countries of the world to further understand the grey digital divide. Joint collaboration between ICT and healthcare industry may result in revolutionizing of ergonomic ICT products and services which are elderly-friendly. It would be interesting to know how culture impacts grey digital divide across various countries.

Integration of Telecare into the National Long-term Care - System The Case of Slovenia

In Europe and beyond, there are countries that are only now working intensively on the integration of remote care into home care, while in other countries the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is already routine. Among these countries is Slovenia, which in December 2021 adopted a systemic Long-term Care (LTC) Act, which formally introduces the right to e-care in home care. The integration of ICT services are essential to ensure adequate home care. This has been demonstrated by the LTC pilot projects in Slovenia, financed by the European social found which provided financial support for testing solutions that were later adopted in the LTC Act. The pilot projects drew attention to areas that still need to be researched, especially in rural communities. From this point of view, projects are an important starting point for the further development of social infrastructure in local communities. This paper shows what has directly conditioned and influenced the development of the LTC system in Slovenia and the consequent integration of e-Care in home care system. The case shows that the integration of ICT in LTC depends less on the actual needs that may influence the redirection of budget spending towards health and social care and more on the will of each government to do its "core business" in the struggle for how much, to whom and when to allocate resources to enforce the rights. The article draws attention to shortcomings that would be useful to take into account when developing a sustainable system of long-term care for an aging society.

Designing Online Learning Environment: ICT Tools and Teaching Strategies

The authors analyze the capabilities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and e-learning tools applied in the educational process through all levels of Higher Education in Russia: Bachelor’s/Master’s Degree Programmes and Professional Training. The article is based on the data obtained during the study organized at Sevastopol State University, Lomonosov Moscow State University Branch in Sevastopol, V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Institute of Foreign Languages (Simferopol) and S.I. Georgievsky Medical Academy in 2019. The participants of the research were undergraduate students, educators and applicants of further Professional Training programmes. The research aimed at the analysis of ICT and e-learning tools used to design online learning environment at university. The study included a survey to identify e-learning tools applied by students and professors in educational process. The authors also specify blended learning peculiarities in Higher Education. The results showed that ICT and e-learning tools are widely used at universities to manage educational process, establish various forms of communication and interaction, to conduct an assessment and evaluate progress, to organize team projects in blended learning. ICT and online educational services are also applied to develop students’ language and professional skills. Keywords: online learning, e-learning tools, blended learning, teaching strategies, autonomy.

Encouraging technology adoption using ICTs and farm trials in Senegal: Lessons for gender equity and scaled impact

• Exposure to ICT-enabled extension raised awareness but was not associated with increased uptake of fertilizers and seeds. • Personal connections to participatory farm trials were correlated with farmers’ adoption of promoted seeds and fertilizers. • Women were less likely to engage with ICT services and somewhat less likely to adopt promoted technologies. • Voice-based push messaging shows promise in spreading information and encouraging behavior change. • Market failures, choice of technologies, and message complexity likely reduced the effectiveness of ICT-enabled extension. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are generating substantial interest from aid donors and development practitioners, including as tools for agricultural extension. However, empirical evidence of the impact of ICT-enabled extension on farmers’ uptake of introduced technologies remains scarce. This four-year study evaluates an ICT-enabled extension project in Senegal using radio and mobile phone services to encourage rural smallholder farmers’ use of certified improved seeds and organic and inorganic fertilizers across Senegal. Data were collected using large-scale annual surveys in six regions over four years as well as focus groups. The findings suggest that, in general, the forms and format of ICT-enabled extension services deployed failed to significantly contribute to the adoption of promoted technologies. Personal connections to participatory farm trials were consistently associated with adoption, and phone-based voice messaging appears to have potential to increase technology uptake. Gender-based disparities in engagement with ICT services and Senegal’s poorly developed systems for producing and distributing quality seeds emerged as key factors limiting the effectiveness of this project. These findings raise concerns about the equity and effectiveness of ICT-enabled extension in promoting agricultural inputs in contexts like Senegal and have important implications for similar efforts in other countries.

Sustainable value creation through information technology-enabled supply chains in emerging markets

PurposeWhile the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on logistics and supply chain management (SCM) is recently much discussed, this is hardly linked to emerging economies and base of the pyramid (BoP) settings. The paper aims as offering a framework linking different conceptual elements to each other for explaining how ICT enables sustainable value creation in emerging economy supply chains (SCs).Design/methodology/approachThe paper builds on conceptual reasoning linking constructs from the different fields to each other.FindingsUsing conceptual reasoning linking constructs, six elements are identified: (1) SC flows, (2) BoP challenges and (3) ICT services as starting points, and environmental conditions driving sustainable value creation. The application of ICT within BoP SC operations drives the process of sustainable value creation by enabling new ways of (4) electronic business (e-business) transactions and (5) SSCM behaviors. This leads to (6) sustainable value for businesses using ICT applications and their respective stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsEmpirical testing by collecting field data in emerging economy contexts would be demanded to address the limitation of building on conceptual reasonings.Practical implicationsThe framework provides various SC-related measures driving e-business value creation for managers of businesses, charity organizations and policymakers in emerging communities.Social implicationsUnderstanding the use of smartphones and other mobile devices for businesses and their supply chains in emerging markets would have wide ranging social implication addressed in the sustainable value creation of the framework offered.Originality/valueThe conceptual framework brings different elements together offering insights into ICT applications in BoP SCs. Linking SCM, ICT and BoP to each other is a novel contribution having wider implications for the future development of emerging economies.

Factors influencing intention to adopt ICT among intensive shrimp farmers

Intensive shrimp production has been considered one way to increase output quantity. However, many factors need to be considered to maintain product quality, sustained practice, and environmental compliance. The adoption of monitoring technologies in shrimp farming such as monitoring important water quality parameters including temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and salinity, offers several benefits, including increasing farming processes and cost efficiency and reducing harmful environmental impacts. A sampled survey dataset comprising 184 shrimp farmers from Ca Mau, Kien Giang, and Soc Trang provinces in Vietnam, one of the world largest shrimp producers, was used to examine factors that affect farmers' adoption of aquaculture information and communication technologies (ICT). The study empirically tested an adoption model using technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior under perceived production risks. Results suggest that farmers who both perceive the ICT as being useful in their shrimp farms and are influenced by other important peers are more likely to adopt aquaculture technologies. Farmers who feel confident to learn a new technology are likely to find the technology easier to use than someone who is not as confident. Due to the inherent risky nature of intensive shrimp production, even if Vietnamese shrimp farmers perceive a high level of technology-adoption risk, they still feel more confident towards learning to use a new ICT and its usefulness, and are therefore likely to increase their adoption. The study's results suggest ICT service providers should collaborate with local aquaculture departments to develop pilot farms to showcase new aquaculture technologies and demonstrate key features and their compatibility with existing farms' infrastructure, which will consequently entice farmers to quickly adopt shrimp monitoring technologies.