The Role of Business Intelligence in Information-Intensive Small Businesses: Initial Results from an Interpretive Study

Small businesses have limited resources that need to be utilised for maximum return. Business intelligence (BI) systems can provide decision-makers, who in small businesses are predominantly the owner-managers, with access to data that enbles them to make informed decisions on where to apply their limited resources. Given the dearth of literature on the role of BI in small businesses this research-in-progress paper documents the intitial results from an interpretive qualitative study, the purpose of which is to explore the use of BI in information-intensive small businesses to support strategic, tactical and operational decision-making that suggest BI can indeed play a role but that support and guidance can ensure that BI to fully exploit data for decision-making. The paper concludes with the next stpes for the current research as well as future research

Slave or sibling: a moral reframing the corporate knowledge sharing community

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Ioligtiogsarmoede: 'n Christelik etiese refleksie

Information poverty does not only pertain to the lack of essential information, but can also be defined as a condition of life where the majority of people within a specific context do not have the means nor the skills to access essential information for survival and development. It is a form of poverty that is furthermore characterised by global social injustice, and can as such be seen as one of the major poverty problems facing the new millenium. This article investigates the problem of information poverty from a moral perspective, and suggests ethical guidelines to address this form of poverty

The last mile or the lost mile? The information and knowledge society in Africa

Many developed countries today claim the status of knowledge societies as they have invested heavily in human capacity building as well as the development of efficient information infrastructure and physical infrastructure comprising of a network of roads, railways, airports and harbours. However, for many countries on the African continent the „last mile‟ to the information and knowledge society has the potential to become the lost mile as there is limited capacity building in African countries. These countries cannot successfully utilise their ICT infrastructure due to a shortage in human capacity and therefore have an inability to benefit economically from the application of modern ICT. It has become imperative that information infrastructure and physical infrastructure development go hand-in-hand with aggressive investment in human capacity building and development. Africa will only bear the economic fruit of investment in information technology if it is supported by the further development of its people with regard to literacy and education. Without these there can be very little economic progress or progression towards the information and knowledge society