The Impact of Schwartz\u27s Cultural Value Types on ICT Use: A Multi-National Individual-Level Analysis

We introduce and examine the roles of Schwartz’s cultural value types in Information and communication technologies (ICT) use (PC and the Internet) at an individual level. Our study used the World Value Survey (WVS) data of 2009 from 49 nations with around 75,000 data points. For all nations, we find that 7 out of eight considered Schwartz’s value types matter. We also find that the use of ICT is predominant among highly educated, high-income, employed and young people. Males use PC and Internet significantly more. Overall, we also find remarkable similarities and differences in results across developed and developing nations. Broadly, for ICT use, impacts of some cultural values differ and some are same between the two groups, while impacts of demographics are somewhat similar across developing and developed nations

A COMPARISON OF THE DATA AGGREGATION APPROACH WITH THE LOGICAL RELATIONAL DESIGN METHODOLOGY

A laboratory study comparing relational representations developed using the Data Aggregation approach with the Logical Relational Design Methodology (LRDM) was conducted to investigate whether non-expert users could better comprehend and apply either methodology. While no significant differences between user performance were noted, the study did find that subjects following the LRDM produced quality Entity-Relationship (ER) representations, but there was a marked deterioration of the translation to the relational form. The Data Aggregation solutions were generally poor in quality. The study concludes that while non-expert designers can produce acceptable data abstractions using a conceptual modeling methodology (e.g., ER diagrams), problems may arise during conversion to normalized relations (e.g., relational representations)

A Preliminary Investigation of the Moderating Affects of National Culture and Regulation on the Relationship Between Innovation and Performanve of Information Service Firms

Using Institutional theory, we show that the relationship between an information service firm’s innovation activities and firm performance is moderated by cultural and regulatory distances. Because this involves two different units of analysis, a hierarchical regression scheme was used employing 22 nations and 442 firms. We found that the relationship between R&D and sales is stronger for firms located in nations with less regulatory and cultural distance from our benchmark nation, the U.S

Global Diffusion of the Internet XII: The Internet Growth in Africa: Some Empirical Results

This study identifies the significant factors affecting Internet growth levels at an early stage of growth in African nations. The average growth levels of Internet users for 1995 and 2003 are calculated and the associations between Internet growth level and several types of factors such as econ¬omic, educational, institutional, infrastructural, innovation-related, and environmental factors are examined. Human development, higher education, technology availability, and computer growth levels explain more than 84 percent of the variance in African Internet growth levels. When compared to non-African nations, Africa lacks the influence of institutional variables. Compared with a set of economically similar developing nations (bas¬ed on similar GDP per capita and income inequality levels), Africa has different Internet growth levels, even though the number of Internet hosts per 1,000 and delays in starting Internet diffusion are similar. These differences are probably due to lack of education, human development, infrastructural and environmental variables

Do Schwartz’s Value Types Matter in Internet Use of Individual Developing and Developed Nations?

Previous studies have explored the impact of culture on ICT at a national level but few focus on the impact of human values on ICT (such as the Internet) use at individual levels. This study explores the impact of individual values on Internet use at an individual level for various nations based on an economic clustering of nations, using data from the European Social Survey. For developed nations, conformity, tradition, security, and power are relevant in at least two out of the four nations. For developing nations, achievement, stimulation, self-direction, tradition and security are relevant in at least two out of four nations. These results indicate that value types have different impacts in developed and developing nations. Differences also exist within developed and developing nations

Understanding the Internet Digital Divide: An Exploratory Multi-Nation Individual-Level Analysis

As evidenced in the digital divide literature, various and diverse sets of indicators and analytical techniques have been applied that have contributed to different purposes. Some investigations try to measure the gap of digital divide, while others have attempted to explain its determinants. However, certain facets are yet to be addressed in the literature. This study uses an individual-level multi-nation approach to study both developed and developing nations with the aim of identifying factors of digital divide that separate the digitally deprived and the intense users of internet. This unique research examines the two extreme sides of the inequality—citizens with no access to the internet and frequent users of the internet. We empirically test conventional (e.g., age, education, and income) and novel (e.g., income perception, media channels, and religion) factors. We find some interesting significant results that are later outlined in the study

A Brief Overview and Illustrative Application of Interval Databases

The value of interval data and interval databases has been recognized by other disciplines for quite some time. Very little attention has been given to the application of interval databases, however. This article provides an overview of how interval databases can be manipulated and provides an illustrative example of the usefulness of such databases