Mobile social money: an exploratory study of the views of managers of community banks

This article aims to evaluate the adoption potential of a digital social currency model using mobile phones. Despite the significant literature concerning both social currencies and mobile payments, there are few studies with a focus on social currencies being operationalized via mobile payments. An important aspect of the literature on mobile payments and social currencies is the role that both instruments may play in the financial inclusion. Despite the absence of lasting experiences for an empirical analysis in Brazil, we believe that there may be synergy between these two types of payment instruments. To evaluate the potential of a mobile digital social currency, we conducted interviews with community bank managers, focusing on their perceptions of acceptance of this innovative model in their communities. As a theoretical basis, we articulated the concept of transformational framing, originated from the perspective of interpretive frames of collective action. As a result, we identified a transformational discourse by which community bank managers create new meanings and understandings of this emerging payment system model.O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar o potencial de adoção de um modelo de moeda social digital via celulares. Apesar da existência de uma literatura significativa tanto sobre moedas sociais quanto sobre pagamentos móveis, quase não há estudos sobre moedas sociais operacionalizadas via pagamentos móveis. Um aspecto importante da literatura sobre pagamentos móveis e sobre moedas sociais é o papel que ambos os instrumentos podem representar para a inclusão financeira. A despeito da inexistência de experiências duradouras para uma avaliação empírica no Brasil, acreditamos que há potencial sinergia entre esses dois tipos de instrumentos de pagamento. Para avaliar o potencial de uma moeda social digital via celulares, fizemos entrevistas com gestores de bancos comunitários sobre a percepção de aceitação desse modelo inovador em suas comunidades. Como base teórica articulamos o conceito de framing de transformação, originado da perspectiva de frames interpretativos de ação coletiva. Como resultado, identificamos um discurso transformacional em que os gestores dos bancos comunitários criam novos significados e entendimentos sobre esse modelo de sistema de pagamentos emergente.El propósito en este artículo es evaluar el potencial para la adopción de un modelo de moneda social digital por medio de teléfonos móviles. Aunque exista una literatura significativa tanto sobre monedas sociales como sobre pagos móviles, son pocos los estudios relativos a monedas sociales en operación por medio de pagos móviles. Un aspecto importante de la literatura, sea con relación a los pagos móviles o la moneda social, es el papel que ambos los instrumentos pueden representar para la inclusión financiera. A pesar de que apenas existen experiencias concretas para una evaluación empírica en Brasil, se supone que hay potencial sinergia entre estos dos tipos de instrumentos de pago. Para evaluar el potencial de una moneda social digital operada por medio de móviles, se llevaron a cabo entrevistas con directivos de bancos comunitarios sobre la aceptación de este modelo innovador en sus comunidades. Como base teórica, se articula el concepto de framing de transformación, que parte de la perspectiva de marcos interpretativos de acción colectiva. Como resultado, se identificó un discurso de transformación en el que los directivos de los bancos comunitarios crean nuevos significados e interpretaciones de este modelo de sistema de pago emergente

Mobile Platform for Financial Inclusion: the Case of an Unsuccessful Pilot Project In Brazil

This paper presents an investigation of a pilot project that implemented a mobile payment platform in a poor community in Brazil. This project involved the creation of a network of organizations that includes a local microfinance institution, a large retail bank, a mobile phone operator, an international credit card company, and an acquirer, as well as small local merchants. The paper describes the process in which this platform was created and how it was maintained until it failed, one year after starting. Two conceptual approaches were combined for developing a theoretical understanding of this pilot project first to describe the process of interorganizational network establishment and second to analyze its evolution during its first year of operation. The study points to the critical role played by governance processes, the environmental dynamics and how it can compromise the success of establishment and maintenance of such inter-organizational networks

Faculty experience and digital platforms in education

AbstractPurpose – Digital platforms have enabled the emergence of new business models by transforming thecompetitive scenario, labour, traditional management activities and strategies of the organisations regarding anumber of productive sectors. The objective of this study is to analyse these changes in the educational sector fromthe view of professors who produce content in digital platforms, such as the massive open online courses (MOOCs).Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Brazilian professors usingMOOC. The methodology proposed by Bardin (2011) and the board’s guidelines (2013) were used for contentanalysis.Findings – Positive aspects such as autonomy, higher financial gains, geographic coverage, quality of life andcheaper and quicker courses were identified in the present study, whereas negative aspects were disclosure andsales performed by faculty members, problems with technical support, demand for new skills (e.g. digitalmarketing), new teaching methods and opportunities perceived by the professors.Research limitations/implications – The results found cannot be generalised to different publics andcontexts.Originality/value – The results contribute to a better understanding of the new business models on digitalplatforms as they show evidence of how these techniques are contributing to digital transformation oftraditional sectors. This model can be used to connect professors who produce content to those who want tolearn as well as to enable remote operations in educational institutions. Additionally, managers, CEOs andentrepreneurs of the sector can use MOOC as a reference when formulating their strategies

Basic Income with Digital Community Currency: Digital Platforms for Public Policies Implementation During Pandemic Crisis

This short paper presents a research-in-progress that discusses how basic income policies can be implemented using digital currency platforms and the implications of this approach in the context of the pandemic. We analyze the case of Banco Mumbuca, a non-profit organization that uses a community currency on a digital payment platform, E-Dinheiro, to deliver the basic income program of the Brazilian town of Maricá. This city program became one of the largest in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering both the amount of money transferred to municipal beneficiaries and the adoption rate of a community currency by citizens and the local commerce. We adopt the Design Science Research (DSR) approach to analyze the case, considering this implementation as two entangled sub-artifacts: the public policy and the digital community currency. These sub-artifacts will be analyzed from the perspective of the problems they intend to solve, the particular aspects of the designed solution, the evaluation of the solution by actors involved, and the discussion of the achieved outcomes. This study intends to contribute to the basic income discussion that emerged as a solution for economic recovery from the COVID-19, the strategies for scaling up community currencies, and the DSR as a strategy for producing impactful research in the ICT4D field

Nuveo: Ética Digital e Inteligência Artificial para Desafios do Mundo Real

Este caso de ensino apresenta o dilema enfrentado pela Nuveo em sua busca por crescer sustentavelmente e consolidar-se no mercado de inteligência artificial do país. Ao identificar a possibilidade de ofertar o uso da sua tecnologia de reconhecimento de imagens para a segurança pública, o fundador da startup depara-se com questões éticas envolvidas com essa oportunidade. Ao contar a história da Nuveo, este caso permite a identificação de princípios e recomendações para o desenvolvimento e uso ético de sistemas de IA, propiciando ainda discussões acerca dos desafios éticos relacionados à transformação digital e seus impactos para os indivíduos, empresas e sociedade. Este caso de ensino foi elaborado para ser aplicado em cursos de graduação e pós-graduação em administração de empresas, administração pública e tecnologia da informação, em disciplinas que abordem ética digital, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) e inteligência artificial

Mobile social money: an exploratory study of the views of managers of community banks

Abstract This article aims to evaluate the adoption potential of a digital social currency model using mobile phones. Despite the significant literature concerning both social currencies and mobile payments, there are few studies with a focus on social currencies being operationalized via mobile payments. An important aspect of the literature on mobile payments and social currencies is the role that both instruments may play in the financial inclusion. Despite the absence of lasting experiences for an empirical analysis in Brazil, we believe that there may be synergy between these two types of payment instruments. To evaluate the potential of a mobile digital social currency, we conducted interviews with community bank managers, focusing on their perceptions of acceptance of this innovative model in their communities. As a theoretical basis, we articulated the concept of transformational framing, originated from the perspective of interpretive frames of collective action. As a result, we identified a transformational discourse by which community bank managers create new meanings and understandings of this emerging payment system model

Mobile Money and Payment: a literature review based on academic and practitioner - oriented publications (2001 - 2011)

The use of mobile technology has become widespread with astonishing speed all over the world, particularly among the poor. The more mobile phones go to the hands of people who formerly lacked access to financial services, the more the notions of mobile money, mobile payment and mobile banking become pervasive as a means of financial inclusion. Although there are more than 120 mobile money projects deployed in about 70 emerging markets (Beshouri et al. 2010), mobile payment has only taken off in a limited number of countries. This failure to disseminate aservice with such a huge potential worldwide, shows that the reasons for the successful cases are not clearly understood, and as a result, are not being easily replicated. This paper seeks to fill this knowledge gap by providing a comprehensive literature review, which attempts to analyse significant experiences in this field, especially in developing countries. An investigation has been carried out of both academic, peer-reviewed articles and the available non-peer-reviewed practitioner-oriented publications, (a total of 196 papers–94 peer-reviewed and 92 non-peer-reviewed–published in the period 2001-2011) to obtain information related to the actors and institutions involved in mobile money initiatives. In other words, the study addresses the following questions: what is the driving-force behind these initiatives, what are the obstacles and the social and economic implications of their implementation. Thus, the aim of this review is to map out the existing knowledge on mobile money by pointing out the main sources of information on the subject, and defining the topics that are most frequently researched. In addition, it examines which locations most studies focus on, and which methodologies are being applied to these studies, as well as the determining factors and contexts of the published studies

Mobile payments: a scoping study of the literature and issues for future research

Despite its huge potential, the use of mobile technology for carrying out payment transactions and replicating monetary features, has only taken off in a limited number of countries. The fact that mobile payment services are not being provided on a worldwide scale, suggests that the reasons for the successful cases are not yet fully understood, and as a result, cannot be easily replicated. This paper seeks to fill this knowledge gap by providing a comprehensive scoping study, which seeks to map out the literature published between 2001 and 2011. An investigation has been carried out of a total of 94 peer-reviewed papers, with the aim of providing a comprehensive picture of the knowledge, production and dissemination about mobile payments. Furthermore, this study includes a detailed analysis of 12 primary case studies on existing mobile payment schemes, as well as a consultation exercise with stakeholders. The main contribution of this study is to provide a clear account of the knowledge that exists on mobile payments. As a result, it has been possible to detect serious gaps in this knowledge base (in geographical, methodological and conceptual areas) and show how future research can make improvements in the field