Information and communication Technology and Poverty: An Asian Perspective

The emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), in particular the Internet, has generated new enthusiasms about the development prospects for poor economies. Many now think that new technologies can provide a faster route to better livelihoods and improved quality of life than the one afforded by the standard process of industrialization. The opposing view holds that the focus on ICTs will detract attention from the more fundamental task of addressing the basic problems of economic developmentICT; poverty; growth

The scope of using Information & Communication Technologies (ICT’s)For the development of Emerging Economies like India

It was felt that there is a need to carry out a study on some innovative ICT platforms so that I could learn about the benefits of the ICT initiatives in rural areas. The emphasis was to examine whether the community people benefited from these project initiatives. Though the benefits of ICT platforms have been generally stated, specific assessments have not been made. It has been proved at the global level that ICT can help in poverty reduction in number of ways. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the innovative applications of ICT in rural development. The synopsis, being an information technology related topic and a global issue as well, focuses a on the ongoing ICT practices for Development going on, with more emphasis on the projects in Gujarat and some review about National and Global projects as well. The study can prove to be a manual for even a layman to understand the facts, utilities and revolution that can be brought about by the said title. As a result, some chapters revolve around the practices going on world over and give a detailed look at the practices being initiated in India

Globalization Work and Management

Major changes are occurring in the sphere of work and management. While there is emergence of new time based and information based opportunities, some traditional office and business work opportunities are shrinking. Simultaneously, there is recognition of a new type of “Permanently Temporary” Employment that is a pointer to the need for employment laws that take into account new work realities. On a larger plane, changes are also occurring in trade and business world. A few truly global organizations have emerged. However, organizations that operate in 30-40 or 10-20 countries are many, and are beginning to encounter the problem of operating in international environment. Use of values and social concerns have become the new element in protection of markets in addition to the traditional concern for quality and the recent concern for environment. There is a shifting of polluting industries to new environments resulting in environmental hazards where none existed and a major shift in the job market around the globe. National economies are also shifting from industrial to service and information economies. Another major change is linked with the development of distance learning opportunities and a move towards a universal language. This is influencing not only the way education is imparted but also nature and management of educational institutions thus forcing organizations to rethink their human resource development and learning strategies. At the core of all these changes is a major technological breakthrough – in satellite imaging, communication, computing, high speed travel and transport technologies. This explosion of Technology has resulted in new competition giving older organizations very little response time. Emergence of the new slim and trim organizations have forced unions to change focus from wages and benefits to protection of jobs. Since both work and technology are changing at a fast pace, the sphere of management has also been affected. In some ways control and unity of command are under revision and calls for a reassessment of the management theory and practice. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges ahead before the business world and developing societies.

Can the ubiquitous power of mobile phones be used to improve health outcomes in developing countries?

BACKGROUND: The ongoing policy debate about the value of communications technology in promoting development objectives is diverse. Some view computer/web/phone communications technology as insufficient to solve development problems while others view communications technology as assisting all sections of the population. This paper looks at evidence to support or refute the idea that fixed and mobile telephones is, or could be, an effective healthcare intervention in developing countries. METHODS: A Web-based and library database search was undertaken including the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, (nursing & allied health), Evidence Based Medicine (EBM), POPLINE, BIOSIS, and Web of Science, AIDSearch (MEDLINE AIDS/HIV Subset, AIDSTRIALS & AIDSDRUGS) databases. RESULTS: Evidence can be found to both support and refute the proposition that fixed and mobile telephones is, or could be, an effective healthcare intervention in developing countries. It is difficult to generalize because of the different outcome measurements and the small number of controlled studies. There is almost no literature on using mobile telephones as a healthcare intervention for HIV, TB, malaria, and chronic conditions in developing countries. Clinical outcomes are rarely measured. Convincing evidence regarding the overall cost-effectiveness of mobile phone " telemedicine" is still limited and good-quality studies are rare. Evidence of the cost effectiveness of such interventions to improve adherence to medicines is also quite weak. CONCLUSION: The developed world model of personal ownership of a phone may not be appropriate to the developing world in which shared mobile telephone use is important. Sharing may be a serious drawback to use of mobile telephones as a healthcare intervention in terms of stigma and privacy, but its magnitude is unknown. One advantage, however, of telephones with respect to adherence to medicine in chronic care models is its ability to create a multi-way interaction between patient and provider(s) and thus facilitate the dynamic nature of this relationship. Regulatory reforms required for proper operation of basic and value-added telecommunications services are a priority if mobile telecommunications are to be used for healthcare initiatives

Telemedicine system in the South Atlantic. Phase VII (I)

The information technology and communications (also known as ICT) are an essential part of the evolution in the economy and society. Access to information has become a vital tool for the development of a community. Consequently, there has been a phenomenon known as "digital divide", which refers to differences between countries that have access to ICT and those without. This project aims to provide a small gesture to reduce the gap between what is often called "differences between North and South", providing an improvement in the telemedicine system that the NGO Telecos Sense Fronteres is developing to the Region of South Atlantic of Nicaragua since 2006. This seventh stage of the project has tried, first of all, to make a careful maintenance of the infrastructure and equipment which currently has the Hospital Ernesto Sequeira Blanco of Bluefields; to improve their performance by incorporating a system of virtual desktops. In addition, the VoIP telephony system has been expanded to other departments of the hospital and other health centres of Bluefields, plus designing a virtual private network for their internal use. Secondly, there has been worked in a radio-link to bring telemedicine to Monkey Point, a rural community, isolated and without access to telecommunications. Finally, it has been emphasized the fact to bring the project to the community of Bluefields in order that they appropriate it and not see it as mere spectators. Related to this, some collaboration agreements have been closed with various local institutions that can contribute to self-management of the project, such as Bluefields Indian & Caribbean University (with engineering students) or the Sistema Local de Atención Integral en Salud (both with the economic and health sides).Català: Les tecnologies de la informació i les comunicacions (també anomenades TIC) són una part essencial dels canvis en l'economia i la societat actual. L'accés a la informació s'ha convertit en una eina vital pel desenvolupament d'una comunitat. Arran d'això, ha sorgit un fenomen conegut com a “bretxa digital”, el qual fa referència a les diferències entre països que tenen accés a les TIC, i aquells que no. Aquest projecte pretén aportar un petit gest per tal de disminuir aquesta bretxa entre el que freqüentment s'anomena “diferències entre Nord i Sud”, proporcionant una millora en el Sistema de Telemedicina que la ONG Telecos Sense Fronteres està desenvolupant a la Regió de l'Atlàntic Sur de Nicaragua des del 2006. En aquesta setena fase del projecte, s'ha pretés, en primer lloc, fer un manteniment acurat de la infraestructura i els equips dels quals disposa l'Hospital Ernesto Sequeira Blanco de Bluefields, millorat-ne les prestacions amb la incorporació d'un sistema d'escriptoris virtuals. A més, s'ha ampliat la xarxa de telefonia VoIP per tal de fer-la extensiva a altres departaments de l'hospital i a altres centres de salut de la població, concretant una xarxa privada virtual pel seu ús intern. En segon terme, s'ha treballat en un radioenllaç per fer arribar la telemedicina a Monkey Point, una comunitat rural, aïllada i sense accés a les telecomunicacions. Finalment, s'ha fet èmfasi en apropar el projecte a la pròpia comunitat de Bluefields amb la finalitat que se l'apropiïn i no el vegin com a mers espectadors. En aquesta direcció, s'han establert convenis de col·laboració amb diferents entitats que poden contribuir a l'autogestió del projecte, com són la Bluefields Indian & Caribbean University (amb estudiants d'enginyeria) o el Sistema Local de Atención Integral en Salud (amb la part econòmica i relacionada amb la salut)

Mobile commerce (mCommerce) security. An appraisal of current issues and trends

Millions of data capable mobile devices are currently in use around the world enabled by the growing acceptance of Internet over wireless networks. However, security mechanisms still remain nascent. Security plays a crucial role in facilitating the level of trust users place on mobile devices and applications. To effectively diffuse the mobile devices in the marketplace, sufficient levels of trust has to be established in the underlying security of mobile devices and applications. This paper is an appraisal of recent issues and emerging trends regarding mobile security, within the context of conducting mobile commerce via mobile networks by individual consumers and businesses.<br /