Martha Garcia-Murillo

Customer Knowledge Management

Customer knowledge has received little attention in the knowledge management literature. The authors of this exploratory study argue that practices in marketing and customer relationship management have not been able to capture knowledge from customers that comes from social interactions with firm employees. The authors propose a three-step model by which companies can obtain this knowledge. The models theoretical base comes from the information retrieval and socialization concepts of the knowledge management literature. The paper identifies cultural changes required to make this process successful.

Institutions and the Adoption of Electronic Commerce in Mexico

This paper identifies factors affecting the implementation of electronic commerce in Mexico and the solutions that companies have developed. Using theories of institutional economics and the resource-based theory of the firm as a framework of analysis, this paper focuses on the rules of behavior that have prevailed in Mexican business transactions and are likely to affect the adoption of electronic commerce. The paper covers infrastructure, supply, and demand factors. It concludes that even though the economic conditions are improving it will be some time before people change their behavior to embrace electronic commerce more widely.

The Effect of Internet Access on Government Corruption

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the effect that Internet access in a country has on the level of government corruption by studying a cross section of approximately 170 countries. The papers’ main model includes political, economic, and technological factors that can affect corruption perception. The technological factors focus on Internet access. The weighted least square statistical results indicate that the Internet is having a positive effect on reducing corruption perception around the world; political factors such as red tape, good governance and freedom of the press appear to have a greater impact than economic factors, of which only the income level was significant. Corruption is a problem that needs to be controlled, if not completely eliminated. Because of the multiple causes of corruption, it is advisable that governments use the Internet as one of the many tools available to them to fight corruption.

FCC organizational structure and regulatory convergence

Convergence of information industries has led to the emergence of services that cross industry boundaries. Changes in these industries have caused the organization of regulatory institutions to become inadequate. An exploratory analysis of orders issued by bureaus of the US Federal Communications Commission shows overlap in the issues on which each provides rulings. Rather than organizing into traditional industries such as common carrier, cable, and mass media, bureaus could be re-organized into functions such as oversight of rates, spectrum allocation, and universal service provision. Using theories of bureaucracy and organization, this paper proposes an explanation for the difficulties that the FCC has had in adapting to converging information industries.

A model of wireless broadband diffusion in Latin America

Countries in Latin America have lagged behind much of the world in telephone lines, but they have made up this gap through cellular networks. The limited wired infrastructure means that broadband access will more likely be achieved through wireless technology. In this paper, we argue that Latin America will experience a patchwork pattern of adoption where segments of society will have state of the art broadband access while many segments will be left behind without connectivity. We test this hypothesis through a simulation developed using iThink® and show how 3G cellular and WiFi access could evolve in Latin America. Data cellular networks will have a slower take-up rate because of the high costs of the handset (as well as access fees); while WiFi, although imperfect will experience faster growth. The patchwork adoption framework argues that socioeconomic indicators affect the way technologies are diffused. We present data on these indicators for four countries: Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru.

Patchwork Adoption of ICTs in Latin America

This paper presents the idea of patchwork adoption, which refers to the coexistence of obsolete and state of the art technologies at the same time. Factors such as lower and unequal distribution of income, education, wired infrastructure, experience with information and communication technologies (ICTs), as well as the fact that most applications are designed and developed in high income countries, limits the ability of companies and the population at large to adopt the most recent technologies more broadly. The problem is not only that these economies are poorer but also that they experience greater disparity of income, wealth, and education. In terms of infrastructure cellular phones experienced an explosion but the low level of wired infrastructure in Latin America currently affects the adoption of more advanced ICTs that incorporate broadband. The design of systems and well as the quality standards that guide their development are also aimed at advanced economies. This has forced developers in Latin America to develop standards that fulfill their needs under limited resources. All of these factors lead to a patchwork adoption that contrasts with the familiar s‐shape adoption that high income countries experience. The role of government, as explained in the Brazilian case, can help to expand the use of these technologies and perhaps reduce the inequalities.

Regulatory responses to convergence: Experiences from four countries

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to identify the factors that have moved some regulators around the world to restructure their regulatory agencies towards an integrated information and communication technology (ICT) regulator.Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses the theory of transaction costs as an analytical framework to analyze the regulatory convergence efforts of the UK, India, Malaysia, and South Africa. It relies on case study methodology to elucidate the obstacles towards a converged policy framework.Findings – The cases show that these countries moved towards a converged regulator and laws to eliminate obsolete rules that were hampering investment and slowing competition in the ICT sector. The governments also wanted to eliminate some redundancies and simplify the rules used in regulating ICTs. For some countries the ICT regulator maintains traditional industry distinctions but others moved towards an issues‐organizing framework. The challenges included training, consultations with ...

The effect of internet access on government corruption

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the effect that internet access in a country has on the level of government corruption by studying a cross section of approximately 170 countries. The papers’ main model includes political, economic and technological factors that can affect corruption perception. The technological factors focus on internet access. The weighted least square statistical results indicate that the internet is having a positive effect on reducing corruption perception around the world; political factors such as red tape, good governance and freedom of the press appear to have a greater impact than economic factors, of which only the income level was significant. Corruption is a problem that needs to be controlled, if not completely eliminated. Because of the multiple causes of corruption, it is advisable that governments use the internet as one of the many tools available to them to fight corruption.

Retweets for Policy Advocates: Tweet Diffusion in The Policy Discussion Space of Universal Basic Income

Technological advances have increasingly automated tasks that have hitherto been done by humans. The disruption to the labor market is expected to grow as more and more jobs are lost to automation. Society would benefit from the open discussion of alternative policy approaches, such as Universal Basic Income (UBI), that can alleviate social tensions related to joblessness. In this study, we examine tweets related to the discussion of UBI in an effort to understand the types of messages most likely to spread information about policy innovations, and most likely to bring new voices into the discussion. We find that messages that resonate with users are more likely to reach new audiences and bring new actors into the discussion space. Our work offers prescriptions for policy advocates, and provides insights for social scientists studying Twitter and policy and information diffusion.

ICTs and the informal economy: mobile and broadband roles

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore whether information and communication technologies (ICTs) can move people from the informal to the formal sector. ICTs being multipurpose technologies can provide people with information about education, employment opportunities and government services that may potentially allow them to migrate to the formal sector. Design/methodology/approach The model includes variables that researchers have found to contribute to the growth of informality, such as the state of the economy, the impact of excessive taxes, the impact of regulation, the level of poverty and, of course, ICT metrics, specifically access to both cell phones and broadband as the main two mechanisms through which individuals in the informal sector can obtain information. The analysis relies on a multiple indicators and multiple causes statistical model, to evaluate the hard-to-measure informal economy. A panel data set of 170 countries covering a period of five years was used. Findings It was found that ICTs empower people, but such empowerment is not always positive for society. So, while mobile phones reduce transaction costs of informal business, this leads to their growth, as they are only a coordination technology. The empowerment that comes from broadband, meaning greater and deeper access to information and resources, can help reduce this sector of the economy and potentially improve these individuals’ lives as well. Research limitations/implications Measurement of the informal sector is a challenge to researchers precisely because it is hidden. This, like other work in this area, relies on estimates from indirect measures of the informal sector. The results are to be interpreted with caution. In addition, given that this research relies on country-level data, any specific policy decision will have to take particular circumstances into consideration to adapt these results to a specific context. Practical implications This study is important because of the more nuanced effect found between narrow and broadband technologies with respect to the informal economy and because of its policy implications. Given the results, governments should consider broadband as an additional tool to help individuals make the transition from the informal to the formal sector. Social implications Once an individual who works in the informal sector begins to realize the advantages of moving to the formal sector, it with the help of ICTs. This awareness could potentially lead to a slow but steady migration away from the informal economy that can improve the economic conditions of the population in these countries. Originality/value Scholars up to this point have been quite enthusiastic about the benefits of ICTs. In this paper, it was found that the effects are not always positive; a mobile does not help people move away from poverty and, in fact, supports the informal sector. It was found that only broadband can help these entrepreneurs move into the formal sector.