Ethnographic approach to user-centred evaluation of telecentres

Telecentres are considered to be an important means for providing disadvantaged communities with access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled services. However, there is a limited understanding of how targeted beneficiaries perceive the roles of these telecentres. Using an ethnographic approach, this paper examines the services offered by two telecentres in Bangladesh. An intervention was initiated that enabled groups of farmers to use mobile ‘phones to access services. Based on farmers’ experiences and opinions the authors develop a framework which explicates the dynamic nature of use and appropriation of ICT services

Adopting the concept of business models in public management

The aim of the chapter is to propose the principles of adopting the concept of business models in public management. The scope of the work includes the specific principles of business management and public management, examined in terms of integrating the attributes of public organizations that ensure they achieve appropriate functionality. The result of scientific reflections is an attempt to design the canvas of the public organization business model based on an analogy taken from business management for the conceptualization and operationalization of the specific key attributes of the public organization business model. The justifiability of adopting the concept of a business model in the theory and practice of public organization functioning will be illustrated by the solutions used in local units of public employment services in Poland