Project quality management for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in trade

Managing project quality is becoming focal issue in major enterprises as popular quality programs from International Standard Organization (ISO) such as ISO9000 certification processes gain momentum. Large organizations as well as small-medium enterprises (SMEs) seem to implement this program, albeit for varied reasons. In this paper, we have reported the findings from an action research project conducted in SMEs who are implementing quality management. The findings indicate that external pressures such as regulations, competition and perceived success - defined on their own parameters, may be the drivers and the certification does not necessarily result in better performance. We are in the process of developing a cost-effective guideline/framework - based on this research, for SMEs involved in the certification process. In addition, the results are aimed at informing academia as well as certification bodies of specific concerns with SMEs.<br /

Anti-apathy approaches in representative democracies: e-governance and web 2.0-facilitating citizen involvement?

Apathetic citizens disenchanted with conventional channels of participation in democratic processes are a predicament for mature representative democracies, as it reflects in the depleting voter turnouts in elections and participation in community associations. Recognising the reverberations of this apathy on governance, economies ostensibly search for anti apathy approaches. Recently E-governance using the pervasive power of the internet/Web 2.0, during the election has been instrumental for democratic engagement. We considered Australia and France, applying a historiographical view exploring the pre-election scenarios, attempting to evaluate the use of the Internet/Web 2.0 as valid benchmarking anti-apathy approaches of e-governance, to facilitate citizen participation.<br /

Mobile healthcare information systems : thru\u27 the ant lens

Deployment of mobile technologies and applications in health care are becoming prevalent worldwide. As mobile innovation and standards in wireless continue to evolve, so does the mobile health care information systems framework. In this paper, we explore this evolving framework by synthesising current technologies, applications, issues and examining this through the actor-network theory (ANT) which seeks to understand socio-technical change by adopting a symmetric treatment of people and technologies.<br /

Women in ICT project management and society : snapshot of a decade and a conduit for sustainable progress

In the past decade, the power of pervasive Internet has permeated global businesses, as the world became interconnected. During this momentous decade, the proportion of women working in the information communication technology (ICT) industry as project managers increased, triggered by the opportunities presented by this brave new networked world. This trend posed new complexities in organizations and resulted in some significant changes in the societal composition. This paper provides a snapshot of the progress of women project managers in the ICT sector over the past decade, their challenges and the approach of some businesses to address these, leveraging on opportunities presented by emerging or evolving technologies. The research reported in this paper synthesizes literature reviews, previous research and a cross-sectional global survey that was conducted in 2010, within ICT sector that sought perceptions of women who work in the ICT sector regarding the constructive role of organizations and ICTs in their progress over the decade.<br /

Mlearning for India : any potential?

The trend towards mLearning is attributed to the growth of knowledge based societies (UNESC0,2005). In this paper, we examine if there is a case for mLearning in India, a developing nation with certain unique contributory factors such as rapid diffusion of mobile communication technologies negating the need for fixed line infrastructure; and the rising demand for flexible learning approaches by the eager, upwardly mobile, middle class population. Our research is informed by learning theory of constructivism that seems to underlie flexible adult learning in modem contexts. A speculative ongoing debate is examined through the lens of critical discourse analysis, to present an outlook for India. We open a launching platform for empirical work in India that would enable building of relevant models by extrapolating findings from this initial research. More significantly, the stakeholders in mLearning such as mobile technology/service providers, education providers and organisations that foster staff development in particular may be beneficiaries from the findings of this preliminary research.<br /

Building e-literate societies through e-governance in Kerala

E-Governance as a concept defines and assesses the impact of technologies on the practices and administration of governments and the relationships between public servants and society. E-government solutions have the ability to reduce the costs of providing<br /