Information Communication Technology Services Research Articles

Information Communication Technology's Influence on Exchange Rate

Investigated in this study is the influence of information communication technology (ICT) on the exchange rate in Zambia from 2010 to 2021. The research methods employed involve using descriptive, exploratory, and experimental designs. The results are reported focusing on ICT acquisition, usage, and production in relation to the performance of the exchange rate: imports of ICTs from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) represented the uptake while the performance of the exchange rate from the Bank of Zambia represented actual volatilities. It was further discovered that the ICTs influence movements in financial transactions by increasing the quantum of transactions. The impact on the movements of currencies advertently affects the exchange rate causing volatility. The role of ICTs in the amalgamation of markets, trade linkages, and openness, is key. Conclusively, ICTs influence the exchange rate: inherent in productive means and permeate consumptive aspects of ICTs and financial transactions. The main limitation arose from data collection on ICT software and services due to lack of a consolidated data capturing information system.

The Effects of Digital Services Trade Barriers on ICT Services Exports

The trade subjects of digital services have constructed and strictly implemented a more targeted system of trade barriers. Information Communications Technology (ICT) services, as an important trade subject in the digital services field, are more prominently affected by the digital services trade barriers. To investigate the trade effects of digital services trade barriers on ICT services exports, this paper conducts a series of empirical tests using trade panel data of 18 exporting countries and 38 importing countries during the period of 2014–2020. Our results in the benchmark regression show that digital services trade barriers significantly inhibit the expansion of ICT services exports. By the industry and country heterogeneity analysis, we first find computer services are most significantly affected by the negative effect of the digital services trade barriers; then it reveals that the degree of trade inhibition of high ICT countries exporting to low ICT countries is extremely significant, followed by low ICT inter-country exports.

Debt service and information communication technology on employment and productivity: Short- and long-run implications

Information communication technology (ICT) has been envisaged to promote sustainable growth and development in Nigeria due to its increased contribution to GDP. However, its impact on aggregate output and employment is still questionable. Likewise, the increase in Nigerian debt services has raised questions about economic sustainability. Given this, the study investigates the short- and long-run impact of ICT and debt services on employment and output using autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL). The study shows that ICT has a positive relationship with employment, and debt service negatively affects employment in the long run. In the short run, ICT is insignificant to employment, while debt service negatively affects employment. Also, ICT has a positive long-term relationship with output. Debt service has a negative relationship with productivity in the long run. In the short run, ICT has a positive relationship with productivity. Debt service is not significant with output in the short run. The result implies that ICT complements employment rather than substitutes it. Likewise, economic stability can be threatened by excessive debt service. Based on this, the study recommends policy to improve the situation.

Smart Banjar: An ICT Adoption Framework to Enhance People's Welfare

Economic development has slowed dramatically in several countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, like in Indonesia. Bali Province was one of the regions that was severely affected. Due to its reliance on the tourism industry, Bali had the most significant negative growth. It is time for Bali and other regions to develop the potential of a locally-based, sustainable, and resilient economy to enhance the people’s welfare. Improving the community’s welfare can be done with the synergy of various entities—the synergy created by integrating programs in Banjar with microfinance to develop microenterprises. The main objective of this research is to ascertain the framework’s dimensions and components. Furthermore, the relationships between these dimensions or elements have been determined. Based on the findings, the two primary objectives were completed. This procedure has produced the Smart Banjar framework as a theoretical solution to enhance people’s welfare. This research created the information communication technology (ICT) adoption framework that uses the TOE theory as its theoretical basis. The Advisory Board serves as the environmental context for formulating policies. The policy will regulate governance to realize the synergy between microenterprises, microfinance, and Banjar in the organizational context. ICT adoption, including ICT infrastructure, ICT services, and ICT literacy, will support and optimize the synergy. Further investigation is required to ascertain the Advisory Board's specific constituents. Additional studies are needed to implement ICT, obtain empirical evidence, and prove its ability to improve people's welfare.

Risk Analysis of Information Security in Balikpapan International Airport Service Desk Plus (SDP) Using The Octave Allegro Method

Indonesia, as a developing country, is not exempt from the advancements in information and communication technology. However, these advancements in information and communication technology can bring negative impacts, such as an increasing threat of misuse. SDP (Service Desk Plus) is a system that serves as a management tool for IT services, facilitating employees from various departments in requesting services and reporting ICT (Information Communication Technology) incidents. SDP has faced challenges or obstacles that have hindered its optimal use, such as IT services experiencing downtime, inaccessible ICT services, and SDP users frequently sharing usernames and passwords. Based on these threats, it is necessary to conduct a further analysis of information security risks regarding the security of implementing SDP centrally using the OCTAVE Allegro method. OCTAVE Allegro is a framework that utilizes the OCTAVE approach with a primary focus on information assets, designed to provide faster results without requiring in-depth knowledge of risk assessment. The results of this research identified three risks that can be mitigated, namely user data password errors with a relative risk score of 27, internet downtime with a relative risk score of 31, and file intrusion with a relative risk score of 38, considering the likelihood of threats occurring. Additionally, there is one accepted risk, which is the input error of incident data, with a relative risk score of 19.

The heterogeneous effect of ICT on countries with different levels of ecological degradation and income: A panel quantile approach

Existing studies concerning the nexus between Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the environment have consistently reported findings of an average effect of ICT on environmental degradation. However, false conclusions can be drawn by ignoring that the degree of environmental quality differs across countries and relying solely on ICT's average impact. The present study argued that ICT's impact on the environment differs between countries with different levels of ecological degradation and income. This argument was addressed by employing Panel Quantile Regression (PQR) on panel data spanning 50 high-income economies, 49 upper-middle-income economies, and 72 low-income economies between 2000 and 2020. ICT infrastructure in each country was measured by combining fixed broadband and mobile cellular subscriptions. At the same time, environmental quality was measured by the ecological footprint. According to the PQR analysis, expanding ICT services was associated with a significant deterioration in environmental quality in countries with healthy ecological systems, regardless of income level. In contrast, developing ICT sectors improved the environment in countries with highly degrading environments. Based on this study's findings, a threshold level of the ecological footprint (rather than ICT) existed, after which expanding ICT services improved the environment. In this regard, this study's findings indicated that generalising the benefits of expanding ICT services on the environment is misleading. Consequently, this paper has provided different recommendations and policy implications for each income group.

The boon and bane of ICT services to small and medium-sized tourism and hospitality enterprises (SMTHEs) in northern Ghana

ABSTRACT The adoption of Information Communication Technology (ICT) by SMTHEs is increasing – with its accompanying benefits and challenges. Yet, researchers have barely turned their attention to the benefits and challenges of using ICTs among SMEs within the hospitality and tourism industry, especially in Ghana. Informed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT 2), Diffusion of Innovation, and the Task-Technology Fit Theories, this study unlocks the benefits and hinders of ICT applications to SMTHEs. Using a qualitative research approach, 20 in-depth interviews were conducted among owner-managers and non-owner managers of accommodation, restaurants, and travel and tour agencies using purposive sampling. The study found that the adoption of ICTs leads to the survival and sustainability of SMTHEs notwithstanding noticeable challenges encountered: technology abuse, insecurity, and high cost that affect the competitiveness of these firms. The practical and policy implications of the study are discussed.

Is ICT Development Conducive to Reducing the Vulnerability of Low-Carbon Energy? Evidence from OECD Countries.

This paper constructs a low-carbon energy vulnerability system with the three dimensions of economy-society-environment, uses the entropy method to measure the low-carbon energy vulnerability index of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries from 2002 to 2018, and observes the essential characteristics. On this basis, we analyze the impact of the development of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) service industry on the vulnerability of low-carbon energy and explore the moderating effects of technological innovation and resource consumption. This paper draws the following conclusions: (1) The low-carbon energy vulnerability of OECD countries shows a gradual downward trend, showing three stages of "continuous rise-declining volatility-low-level fluctuation". The low-carbon energy policies and implementation efforts in different countries have become the key to reducing the vulnerabilities of low-carbon energy in OECD countries. The economic and social vulnerabilities of low-carbon energy in most countries are outstanding. (2) The development of the ICT service industry benefits by reducing the vulnerability of low-carbon energy with a significant weakening effect, while high-vulnerability countries benefit even more. (3) In the weakening effect of the development of the ICT service industry on the vulnerability of low-carbon energy, technological innovation exerts an enhanced moderating effect, and resource consumption exerts a disruptive moderating effect. Technological innovation accelerates the weakening effect of the ICT service industry, and resource consumption is not conducive to the weakening effect of the ICT service industry. Based on this, we draw corresponding policy recommendations.

Peranan Teknologi Informasi Komunikasi Sebagai Media Pelayanan di Perpustakaan INSTIDLA

This Study aims to describe role of Information Communication Technology (ICT) as a Library Service Media began to be carried out by the Diniyyah Lampung Institute of Technology and Science (INSTIDLA) as a form of adjustment to the development and needs of students in the current era of Society 5.0. This study aims to determine the influence of information and communication technology on INSTIDLA library services. This research uses a qualitative method with an analytical descriptive approach where the role of ICT is explained comprehensively in the INSTIDLA Library as a Library Service Media. Data collection techniques use observation and interviews. The object of this study is instidla's library and social media services. INSTIDLA Library Services is a combination of manual services and information and communication technology (ICT) based services that support library professionalism in improving INSTIDLA library services. The result of this study is a significant influence between the development of ICT and library services through social media, including helping and facilitating the work of library staff, attracting visitors to the library, and facilitating the communication of librarians with library visitors and finally, the library information base via social media

Development and Validation of the Digital Life Balance (DLB) Scale: A Brand-New Measure for Both Harmonic and Disharmonic Use of ICTs.

The use of new technologies and information communication technology services (ICTs) has greatly increased, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an irrevocable change in people's work-life balance (WLB). Despite the thriving literature on the dysfunctional use of new technologies, a functional use of ICTs also seems to be possible. Inspired by the theory of psychology of harmony and referring to behavioral addiction models and substance use models, we defined the construct of digital life balance to indicate a harmonic balance between digital life and real life. In this context, the imbalance between online and offline life may reflect a dysfunctional use of ICTs and can be seen as a process of disharmonization. With this perspective in mind, the aim of this study was to develop a dedicated measuring instrument that could capture both people's balanced and unbalanced use of ICTs. Through two cross-sectional studies (Study 1= 1473 participants; Study 2 = 953 participants), we validated the scale internally and externally. In line with the literature, Digital Life Balance scores appeared to be negatively associated with addiction measures and positively associated with well-being measures. In conclusion, the Digital Life Balance (DLB) Scale appears to be a reliable (ω = 0.89) and valid instrument to investigate people's harmonic and disharmonic use of ICTs.

The Effects of R&D Expenditures and Patent Applications on Exports of High Technology Products and Information Communication Technologies

In the study, effects of research and development expenditure (R&D) and patent applications on high technology export and information and communıcation goods export are indicated for G7 countries and Turkey by covering period of 2007-2019 annually. To do this, two different models are developed. In the first model, high technology export (HT) is dependent variable whereas information communication technology services export (ICT) is dependent variable in the second model. To determine the relationship between variables, method of panel data analysis is used. Ordinarily, Pooled Ordinary Least Square Model and Fixed Effects Model are applied for both developed models. Then, Log Likelihood Ratio Test is operated to choose the model that produce the most appropriate outputs. The obtained econometric conclusions imply that an increase in R&D expenditures increases both high technology export and information communication technology services export. Patent application increases ratio of high technology export to export of industrial good while it decreases information communication technology services export

ETULay! Bridging the Learners’ Gap on Blended Learning through Nationwide Volunteer Online Tutoring Initiative

From March 2020 up to the present (February 2022), elementary and high schools in the Philippines have not resumed their full classroom capacity. The majority of learners are still learning from home without assurance of when they are going back to the schools. In order to augment the department’s blended program, the EdTech Unit of Information Communication Technology Services (ICTS) of the Department of Education (DepEd Philippines) has launched an online tutoring program using Facebook and YouTube to reach a larger number of learners all over the country. The program was conceived in January 2021 and has served more than two million learners in the Philippines. Using qualitative content analysis from the responses of the participants, this paper aimed at knowing the experiences of parents, this paper presents the experiences of participants in the program during the first year of its implementation. Upon the first year of its implementation, the participants were generally enthralled and positive for the initiative as it helped them ease with explaining some context that parents may not have the grasp of the information. Parents also were given springboard to talk about topics which are rather difficult to discuss with their children. Participants also highlighted that ETULay served its purpose well but hoped to be more inclusive and graphics-enhanced in the next years to come.

Analysis of the impact of information communication technology on economic growth: empirical evidence from Asian countries

PurposeThis study examines the causal relationship between information communication technology (ICT) and economic growth in high-income and middle-income Asian countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilises a high-quality data from 25 Asian countries from 2000 to 2018. This study presents the robustness results by employing panel cointegration and estimation procedures to account for the endogeneity and cross-sectional dependence issues.FindingsThe results illustrate that high-income Asian countries have achieved positive and significant economic development from high Internet penetration. Additionally, the middle-income countries have started to benefit from ICT Internet. The findings show that the telephone line and mobile phone penetration is highly capable of promoting economic growth in middle-income Asian countries.Practical implicationsIn high-income Asia countries, an appropriate ICT infrastructure policy will support feasible ICT penetration, which may drive the processes of economic development and innovation that contribute to economic growth. Moreover, in middle-income Asian countries, the establishment of better-quality ICT service and infrastructure is more critical. Policymakers should accommodate sufficient support to establish the ICT infrastructure and expand ICT penetration.Originality/valueThis study reveals that high-income Asian countries have been more proactive and effective than middle-income countries in embracing ICT to foster economic growth. Examining the case of high-income and middle-income Asian countries provides comprehensive insight for policymakers regarding the relevance of ICT in boosting economic growth through the advantages of technology expansion.

Rural Measures: A Quantitative Study of the Rural Digital Divide

Rural areas continue to face digital inequality compared to urban areas. Urban areas have access to a myriad of next generation advanced information communications technology (ICT) whereas rural areas experience disparity of service type, price and reliability. Initially the urban-rural digital divide was one of quantity of subscribers or demand driven digital inclusion , it has now matured to become an issue of quality and capacity of connectivity. However, Silva, Badasyan & Busby found that the more rural a census tract is, the lower the broadband adoption rate. They found, in further testament to the need for increased capacity, that “broadband availability has the strongest impact on the adoption rate in non-metropolitan areas. If the availability were to increase to a 100%....it would increase the adoption rate by 6.12%”. Public policy and regulation has a direct impact upon availability or lack thereof for ICT services in rural areas. Hollifield, Donnermeyer, Wolford & Agunga found that when public policy, in the form of universal service funding in rural high cost areas, failed to support the early implementation of ICT services, communities began investing in self-development projects with limited success. This effort however, doesn’t address the circumstances of the rural household miles from an organized rural community. With the regulatory focus on increasing competition among ICT service providers since the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, consumers in urban areas have benefited. In contrast, underserved or unserved rural consumers of ICT often pay a rural penalty in the form of a combination of one or more complicating factors, including; higher prices and lower bandwidth , and less reliability or no service at all. Whitacre & Mills reports several early studies pointed to the need for demand-oriented programs such as computer training, and demonstrations on internet usage, as more important than the development of access infrastructure to promote ICT usage in rural areas. However, as general societal demand for internet access grows from the diffusion of knowledge, infrastructure becomes the limiting factor in the development of rural areas. Lower population density areas are minimally (or un)profitable markets for ICT service providers and some areas may never experience for-profit investment in broadband provisioning due to the lack of a potential subscriber base. During the years of the traditional land-line telephone, high cost rural areas were supported by the federal universal service fund through subsidies paid by all users, rural and urban. This fund, reformulated as the Connect America Fund, was intended to take over this role in the new ICT economy, but has fell short of fulfilling its intended purpose. Additionally concerns exist with the measurement and reporting of the diffusion of broadband infrastructure. All facilities based service providers providing internet connection speeds exceeding 200 kbps must report bandwidth speeds to the Federal Communication Commission through form 477. Reporting of available bandwidth speeds initially occurred by zip code, and then by census tract, followed by a further adjustment to the level of census block, making longitudinal comparisons over multiple years difficult. Since 2014 broadband adoption rates are reported on the basis of a scale from 0 to 5 with 5 meaning over 800 broadband connections per 1,000 households. This is a problematic measurement methodology for low population density areas. Grubesic reports as of the first iteration of the national broadband map, the availability of broadband in the United States is overestimated. Both public policy and available technologies directly affect regional development. Salemink, Strijker & Bosworth has concluded that economic differences between “well-connected” and “poorly connected” areas will continue to grow. Mahasuweerachai, Whitacre, & Shideler concluded that rural counties with both digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable broadband technologies attracted a net positive number of in-migrations as compared to counties without broadband or with only one type of broadband. Salemink, Strijker & Bosworth further concludes that while not instrumental for economic growth in rural areas, digital connectivity is essential to support existing industries. Gallardo and Schmmahorn found that as the number of broadband providers increased, so did non-innovative entrepreneurs and as non-innovative entrepreneurs increased, income inequality decreased. A need exists for the accurate measurement and reporting of consumer available bandwidth to better understand this element of the urban-rural digital divide. The primary question for this research study is, can the rural-urban digital divide be accurately measured? To address this question and to better understand available ICT in a given region, two pilot studies have been performed in households to measure consumer available bandwidth and to ascertain multiple elements of consumer perceptions of their internet access. These pilot projects focused on two themes of digital connectivity issues as outlined by Salemink, Strijker & Bosworth including; policy and regulation, and technologies in rural areas.

The effect of individual factors on user behaviour and the moderating role of trust: an empirical investigation of consumers\u2019 acceptance of electronic banking in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The popularity of self-service technologies, particularly in the banking industry, more precisely with electronic banking channel services, has undergone a major change as individuals' lifestyles develop. This change has affected individuals’ decisions about accepting any new Information Technology, and Information Communications Technology services that are electronically mediated, for example, E-Banking channel services. This study investigates the effect of Individual Factors on User Behaviour, and the moderating role of Trust in the relationship between Individual Factors, and User Behaviour based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. This research proposes a model, with a second-order components research framework. It improves current explanations of the acceptance of electronic banking channel services. Furthermore, this study highlights the role of trust on the acceptance of electronic banking channel services, which is the most crucial consideration in customers’ decisions to accept electronic banking channels services. Thus, trust is the spine of the system in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Data were collected using an online questionnaire that received 476 valid responses from academic staff who work at the University of Sulaimani. The model tested data using the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling approach. The results show that Individual Factors have a positive effect on User Behaviour. Besides, results show that trust moderates the relationship between Individual Factors and User Behaviour.

Evaluating integrated use of information technologies in secondary schools of Ethiopia using design‐reality gap analysis: A school‐level study

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the level of readiness of Ethiopian secondary education systems in terms of access to technologies and preparedness in skills and motivation for the integrated use of information communication technologies (ICT) for quality education. To serve this end, a Design‐Reality Gap Analysis approach was employed. Relevant data were collected from teachers, students, and school leaders through a questionnaire survey, and the result was cross‐examined against the national goals and strategies. The Design‐Reality Gap Analysis of integrated use of ICT in classroom teaching in Ethiopian secondary schools thus far revealed fewer successes and widespread challenges in the country's discourse to achieve the 2016‐2020 national targets. The study showed that students have better access to mobile phones and other technologies at home and outside of schools. Major school‐level factors for the gap observed were delay in implementation of a nationwide e‐cloud based ICT infrastructure, lack of coordination for the pedagogical use of ICT, and insufficient capacity building training for teachers and school leaders. This suggests the importance of a strategy that integrates inside‐ and outside of schools ICT resources and services for improved use of ICT in student learning.

Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education of Uganda and Education Implications: A Case of Kyambogo University

The emergence of knowledge society globally today has created new challenges for Higher Education (HE) particularly with the development of Information Communication Technology (ICT) at a speed that has no match in history yet HE in Uganda is still lagging behind. The paper aims at unraveling the role and challenges of using ICT in HE of Uganda and education implications in order to provide the way forward with Kyambogo University as a case. This study used a mixed methods approach that combined desk review and interviews. The paper reveals the role of ICT in HE as central in the teaching-learning process, on the learner and learning and on the academic staff and teaching while the challenges as; learners, economy, equipment and academic staff which poses as a drawback in the teaching –learning process. The paper concludes that ICT is central in the teaching-learning process as well as in the management of HE institutions. The way forward rests majorly in the newly created ICT Ministry with effective implementation of ICT Policy 2014 to improve the livelihoods of Ugandans by ensuring the availability of accessible, efficient, reliable and affordable ICT services in which HE will benefit automatically hence its effective application and use in the teaching-learning process.

ICT Development of Community in Rural Areas

Information Communication Technology (ICT) is no longer limited to urban population, but it has become increasingly relevant to the rural population. The use of ICT is evident through availability of ICT services for all in Malaysia’s rural areas. The internet in particular is gaining influences in the lives of rural communities in many aspects such as socially, educationally or economically is moving towards digitization. The establishment of ICT centers in rural areas has accelerated the adaptation of ICT in rural areas. Therefore, in general, this article will discuss the importance of ICT usage for rural community, and the government initiatives toward enhancing the ICT usage especially in the telecentre. The significance of having telecentres function as the centre for ICT excellence in rural areas. The telecentre provides ICT facilities such as internet and computer training room for use by rural community. Moreover, the establishment of telecentre is aiming for ICT awareness among the rural; one of the government initiatives.

The Potential and Challenges of Using ICT as a Vehicle for Rural Communication as Characterised by Smallholder Farmers

Agricultural extension is a communication network linking different stakeholders in agriculture to improve their productivity and Information Communication Technology (ICT) has been utilised as an extension tool for enhancing information flow between agricultural extension services and their clients. The application of ICT in agricultural extension and rural development has significantly increased in several countries where it has provided an adequate access to agricultural information. Efforts are, therefore, needed to scale up investments in physical ICT infrastructure and services across developing country. This could be realised through the implementation of interventions aimed at speeding up assimilation and adoption of improved agricultural technology and management practices of the less productive smallholder farmers. Drawing on relevant published works, this paper argues that agricultural knowledge and information management within an extension system can improve productivity of smallholder farmers. The role of ICTs in agricultural extension is discussed together with its challenges towards the improvement of productivity among smallholder farmers. Smallholder farmers need to develop and utilize ICT based knowledge management techniques to implement strategies and interventions to transform the agricultural sector and improve their productivity. Agricultural extension is the ideal mechanism that can facilitate the introduction and subsequent adoption of ICTs for effective knowledge and information management.

Dedicated and broadcasting downstream transmission with energy-efficient and latency-aware ONU interconnection in WDM-PON for smart cities

Abstract Currently, Internet of Things (IoT) and use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) have gained a lot of attraction for developing the smart cities. Wavelength division multiplexed passive optical networks (WDM-PON) are popularly used for supporting the high data rate IoT and ICT services. With the exponential growth of users and traffic demand in access networks, large energy consumption, OPEX, service reliability has become the most challenging bottleneck for smart cities. This paper proposes a flexible, wavelength division multiplexed passive optical network (WDM-PON) architecture which provides a dedicated point to point (P2P), broadcasting downstream transmission and latency-aware direct optical network units (ONUs) interconnection. Broadcasting downstream transmission is achieved by diverting a particular wavelength from the main path towards (N + 1) × (N + 1) star coupler (SC). Direct ONU interconnection is accomplished by separating the inter-ONU signal from the upstream path by using 50 GHz interleaver at the remote node (RN) and redirecting it towards ONUs. Direct ONU intercommunication avoids the complex re-routing, re-scheduling and re-modulation of the inter-ONU signal at optical line terminal (OLT) and thus increases the reliability and energy efficiency of the network. Broadcasting enables the best resource utilization, and direct ONU interconnection reduces the significant transmission latency among different communicating users. Proposed architecture reduces the operational cost and energy consumption of the network by reducing the processing by some components. By reducing the extra burden of the inter-ONU signal on downstream bandwidth, proposed architecture also provides the efficient bandwidth utilization.