Chris Coward

Looking Beyond India: Factors that Shape the Global Outsourcing Decisions of Small and Medium Sized Companies in America

A number of developing countries are attempting to capture a piece of the rapidly growing offshore software development market, yet little is known concerning why an American firm may elect to work with a provider in one of these aspiring countries rather than in an offshore IT superpower such as India. This article examines the global outsourcing decisions of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a sector that is increasingly looking offshore to fulfill its software development needs. The article is based on a study conduced between November 2001 and February 2002 involving structured interviews with eighteen companies and experts that have outsourced software development work to countries other than India. The responses were compared to the existing literature on the decision processes of large firms and the outsourcing experiences of firms that choose providers in India. The study revealed fourteen factors that influenced the decisions of these SMEs: cost savings, personal connection, US presence, critical mass of skilled technical professionals, project management skills and quality certification, language and culture, western business savvy and practices, intellectual property rights protection, regulatory environment, telecommunications infrastructure, physical infrastructure, time zone difference, political stability and diversification, and country image.

Libraries, telecentres and cybercafés

– This paper aims to offer early insight into ongoing research comparing public access venues such as libraries, cybercafes and telecentres in 25 countries around the world., – The authors studied information needs and uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) in these public access venues, with a particular focus on underserved populations., – Understanding trends, differences and similarities across venues and across countries offers an emerging map that will help researchers and policymakers conduct future research and make better decisions to strengthen public access to information through ICT., – The research was done in partnership with local research teams in 25 countries around the world, and studied public libraries, telecentres and cybercafes side by side, while most studies in the past have looked at them independently of one another.

The impact of public access to ICTs: findings from a five-year, eight-country study

This article summarizes the findings of a five-year study investigating the impacts of public access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). The research was conducted in eight low and medium income countries employing a range of survey, ethnographic, and experimental research approaches. The analysis revealed substantial first-order effects in terms of technology access, information access and ICT skills development. Second-order effects in domains such as health, education, employment and income varied considerably, though when public access users had a need in any of these areas they were generally successful in achieving their goals. The study also found significant impacts among non-users, a group that includes former users, a largely unexplored dimension of public access. These findings challenge a commonly held notion that public access is solely a stepping stone to private access.

Private then shared

Designing for the mobile phone to shared PC pipeline.

Bringing the benefits of information technology to underserved populations: An introduction to ICTD for the library community

Information and communication technologies and development (ICTD) is a field that has grown largely outside the purview of public libraries. In bringing information access and services to communities with fewer economic and social resources, the organizations and innovations emanating from the ICTD community have much to offer libraries. While libraries, too, offer a largely untapped vehicle for those in the ICTD community, the aim of this article is to introduce the defining features, tenets, and focus areas of ICTD, and to provide examples of how partnering with ICTD could benefit libraries. ICTD actors include government, development agencies, foundations, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and academic institutions. ICTD activities encompass research and development, national and community-based deployments, policy engagement, and social activism. The article concludes with a discussion of the overlap with telecenters, with its attendant opportunities and risks, and other suggestions for libraries when partnering with ICTD.

An assessment of venues providing public access to ICT: a tale of 25 countries.

This paper is based on a comparative study of venues that provide public access to information and communication technologies in 25 countries. We study how diverse people can and do access and use ICT and what factors influence availability at these venues. Our aim, through such an analysis is first to map what is available through the public access venues in these countries and second to arrive at policy recommendations to increase public access in these countries.

Towards a mobile information literacy framework: Rethinking information literacy in a mobile era

For billions of people coming online, the mobile phone (increasingly smartphones) is their point of entry to the internet, in both developed and developing countries. However, the user experience on a smartphone is very different from that on a PC. The different affordances and limitations of each device shape how people interact with information, and even one’s conceptualization of the internet itself. Yet existing digital and information literacy work has largely failed to account for these differences. Reviewed literacy frameworks, for instance, adopt a PC-centric orientation. Research reveals that lack of digital and information literacy skills is a significant barrier to internet adoption. Constructing a new digital and information literacy framework will allow for more relevant curricula and training, thus encouraging more adoption, use, and uptake of the mobile internet, which will allow for those newly online to experience the same benefits of the internet that PC-first users know.

Free access to computers and the internet at public libraries: International reflections on outcomes and methods

The Internet and computer technology have radically changed the way people live around the world. Public libraries have been at the forefront of championing digital inclusion through partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, other international and national organizations, government, and their own communities. As a result, virtually every library in the United States, as well as many libraries in other countries, provides access (often free) to computers and the Internet. Similar to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and sometimes called public access computing (PAC), this access essentially encompasses access to digital resources, databases, networked and virtual services, training, technical assistance, and technology-trained staff. Little research has been conducted, especially from a social policy perspective, on the broad impacts of these services on individuals, families, communities and nations. Discussion is also needed regarding how to study public access to computers and the Internet in libraries, highlighting the challenges of using mixed methods and team research. This technical panel comprises researchers from The Information & Society Center of the University of Washington Information School and Oslo University College, who are conducting several synergistic investigations of the impacts of access to computers and the Internet at libraries around the world. Upon introducing their respective studies (abstracts below), the panelists will engage the audience in an open discussion of the following questions. Note: The audience will “sign-in” at the ASIST AM09 session and the ensuing discussion will be posted on the UW iSchool ISC website to document/promote future dialog with the global ICT-PAC community. Session Discussion Questions What does “public access computing in libraries” mean in different geo contexts? What other terms are used for it? What impact does PAC have on individuals, families and society, over the short and long term? What difference does it make when libraries (as opposed to other venues) provide PAC? What are the challenges to studying PAC? What are the policy implications of PAC?