208,241 research outputs found
ICT adoption in developing countries : perspectives from small-scale agribusinesses
The purpose of this paper is to critically examine how social augmented parameters impact on the effective adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by small-scale agribusinesses operating in Southeast Nigeria. The relevance of incorporating social imperatives in scholarship focused on technology adoption is due to its role in sustaining the process of adoption and diffusion.
Data were gathered from a focus group made up of 27 agribusiness proprietors affiliated with a state cooperative based in the south-eastern Nigerian state of Ebonyi.
This paper puts forward an argument that to ensure successful diffusion of innovation, a balance must be maintained between the amount of effort expended in the design of ICT and social factors such as language and traditional life. The paper finds that a willingness of indigenous ICT users is particularly influenced by the recognition and incorporation of visible social imperatives during the adoption process.
The outcome of this study highlights important issues for ICT adoption. One particular area that must be taken into consideration is the adoption channel. Perceptions of ICT adoption will differ significantly among adopters. For this reason, the need for developing an appropriate adoption channel that ensures successful diffusion of the innovation should be recognised.
This study contributes to ongoing research in ICT innovation adoption in small agribusinesses operating in indigenous societies. The theoretical implications of this paper are the development of a conceptual ICT adoption framework that emphasises social imperatives. The paper also demonstrates that agricultural enterprises should be treated as ânormalâ firms in their own right
Broadband Internet and Social Capital
We study how the diffusion of broadband Internet affects social capital using
two data sets from the UK. Our empirical strategy exploits the fact that
broadband access has long depended on customers' position in the voice
telecommunication infrastructure that was designed in the 1930s. The actual
speed of an Internet connection, in fact, rapidly decays with the distance of
the dwelling from the specific node of the network serving its area. Merging
unique information about the topology of the voice network with geocoded
longitudinal data about individual social capital, we show that access to
broadband Internet caused a significant decline in forms of offline interaction
and civic engagement. Overall, our results suggest that broadband penetration
substantially crowded out several aspects of social capital.Comment: Internet & Society; Economic
Dynamics of banking technology adoption: an application to internet banking
This paper is concerned with examining behaviour of firms (banks) and consumers (banksâ customers) in the event of a new technology (internet banking) introduction. The determinants of consumer adoption of internet banking are characterised using survey data from Korea in both static and dynamic framework. I find evidence that adoption of internet banking is influenced by sex, age, marital status, degree of exposure to internet banking, and the characteristics of the banks. A duration analysis shows no evidence of first mover advantage (order effects) in internet banking whilst the largest bank (rank effects) in commercial banking remains dominant in internet banking. The results imply that the internet banking adoption is dominated by social norm effects
The last five years of Big Data Research in Economics, Econometrics and Finance: Identification and conceptual analysis
Today, the Big Data term has a multidimensional approach where five main characteristics stand out: volume, velocity, veracity, value and variety. It has changed from being an emerging theme to a growing research area. In this respect, this study analyses the literature on Big Data in the Economics, Econometrics and Finance field. To do that, 1.034 publications from 2015 to 2019 were evaluated using SciMAT as a bibliometric and network analysis software. SciMAT offers a complete approach of the field and evaluates the most cited and productive authors, countries and subject areas related to Big Data. Lastly, a science map is performed to understand the intellectual structure and the main research lines (themes)
Costs and benefits of superfast broadband in the UK
This paper was commissioned from LSE Enterprise by Convergys Smart Revenue Solutions to stimulate an open and constructive debate among the main stakeholders about the balance between the costs, the revenues, and the societal benefits of âsuperfastâ broadband. The intent has been to analyse the available facts and to propose wider perspectives on economic and social interactions. The paper has two parts: one concentrates on superfast broadband deployment and the associated economic and social implications (for the UK and its service providers), and the other considers alternative social science approaches to these implications. Both parts consider the potential contribution of smart solutions to superfast broadband provision and use. Whereas Part I takes the ânational perspectiveâ and the âservice provider perspectiveâ, which deal with the implications of superfast broadband for the UK and for service providers, Part II views matters in other ways, particularly by looking at how to realise values beyond the market economy, such as those inherent in neighbourliness, trust and democrac
On the Economics of Cloud Markets
Cloud computing is a paradigm that has the potential to transform and
revolutionalize the next generation IT industry by making software available to
end-users as a service. A cloud, also commonly known as a cloud network,
typically comprises of hardware (network of servers) and a collection of
softwares that is made available to end-users in a pay-as-you-go manner.
Multiple public cloud providers (ex., Amazon) co-existing in a cloud computing
market provide similar services (software as a service) to its clients, both in
terms of the nature of an application, as well as in quality of service (QoS)
provision. The decision of whether a cloud hosts (or finds it profitable to
host) a service in the long-term would depend jointly on the price it sets, the
QoS guarantees it provides to its customers, and the satisfaction of the
advertised guarantees. In this paper, we devise and analyze three
inter-organizational economic models relevant to cloud networks. We formulate
our problems as non co-operative price and QoS games between multiple cloud
providers existing in a cloud market. We prove that a unique pure strategy Nash
equilibrium (NE) exists in two of the three models. Our analysis paves the path
for each cloud provider to 1) know what prices and QoS level to set for
end-users of a given service type, such that the provider could exist in the
cloud market, and 2) practically and dynamically provision appropriate capacity
for satisfying advertised QoS guarantees.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
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