Department of Information Systems, London School of Economics & Political Science, London, UK Contact; Neil Henderson Tel: +44 (0) 1256 302959 ext 3116 E-mail: n.henderson@palgrave.com C.Avgerou@lse.ac.uk
“In this paper I review the Information Systems (IS) research on how developing countries have attempted to benefit from ICTs. First I identify three discourses on IS implementation and associated organizational and social change that coexist in information systems in developing countries (ISDC) research, namely as a process of technology and knowledge transfer and adaptation to local social conditions; as a process of socially embedded action; and as a process of transformative techno-organizational intervention associated with global politics and economics. I then point out the distinctive research agenda that has been formed in ISDC studies, both in the more familiar IS themes – failure, outsourcing, and strategic value of ICT – and also in studies of themes relevant specifically to the context of developing countries, such as the development of community ICT and information resources. Finally, I call the reader's attention to the potentially significant theoretical contributions of ISDC research for understanding IS innovation in relation to social context and in relation to socio-economic development theories and policies.”
What Developing-World Companies Teach Us about Innovation
What Developing-World Companies Teach Us About Innovation
To be sure, companies in developing countries face serious challenges, including political instability, volatile exchange rates, and an underdeveloped physical infrastructure. More critically, they must contend with three realities that particularly stymie innovation:
Developing countries generally lack a solid technology base of trained scientists and world-class research universities.
Companies in developing countries must manage to eke out a profit while serving customers with low disposable income; per capita gross domestic product in the advanced economies is on average ten times that of developing nations.
Managers in these companies must often innovate on a shoestring budget, since the high cost and scarcity of capital preclude massive spending on R&D. As a result, they must innovate from other areas of their business's structure, including manufacturing, logistics, marketing, and customer service.
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http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3866.html
Competitiveness Indices and Developing Countries: An Economic Evaluation of the Global Competitiveness Report
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Full name of Article
Competitiveness Indices and Developing Countries: An Economic Evaluation of the Global Competitiveness Report,
ARTICLE; World Development Volume 29, Issue 9, September 2001, Pages 1501-1525
