ICT adoption in developing countries: perspectives from small‐scale agribusinesses

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the driving forces, challenges benefits, barriers and strategies to decrease barriers to information and communication technologies (ICTs) adoption and assimilation by small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in this era of globalization.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a review of literature, both online and print.FindingsThe paper concludes that, ICTs adoption and assimilation in SMEs is critical to enhance their competitiveness. In addition, ICTs usage in SMEs will enhance accessibility into the international markets.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this paper is that it only reviews relevant literature and that empirical findings are not obtained to give an insight and holistic view of ICTs adoption and assimilation by SMEs.Practical implicationsEffective use of ICTs in SMEs has great impact on its competitiveness and sustainability. In addition, owners/owner managers, policy makers and other stakeholders would be in a position to understand the challenges faced by SMEs in ICTs adoption and come up with various interventions to assist SMEs.Originality/valueDespite the challenges faced by SMEs on ICTs adoption, SMEs stand to benefit from adopting ICTs in their business processes especially in accessing international markets. SMEs play a great role in the economy and thus need special attention.

Purpose This review aims to examine the instruments, approaches, scales, or assessment tools used to evaluate technology acceptance, technology adoption, and usability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for people living with dementia and their care partners. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted. Studies that explored the use of instruments, approaches, scales, or assessment tools to evaluate the technology acceptance and usability of ICTs for people living with dementia and their care partners were identified through five databases: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Scopus. Results We included 74 out of 2182 papers. The most common scales used included the System Usability Scale (SUS) (11%), the ISONORM 9241/10 Questionnaire (4%), and the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ) (4%). Most (59%) of the included approaches, however, were bespoke (i.e., created by the authors for a particular study) and were not named. The approaches or tools used to assess technology acceptance, technology adoption, and usability of ICTs that applied to people living with dementia had an average of 15 items and used an average of 5.23 scale points. Conclusion There is no clear, standardised approach for assessing the technology acceptance, technology adoption, and usability of ICTs for people living with dementia and their care partners. The findings of this review may be used by academics to design and implement improved and more consistent assessment tools to assess technology acceptance, technology adoption, and usability of ICTs for people living with dementia and their care partners. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION The number of ICTs for people with dementia and their care partners that can be used for rehabilitation is increasing The most commonly recognized assessment tools used in this study were the SUS, ISONORM 9241/10, and PSSUQ questionnaires. For the custom assessment tools, the average number of items included in this study was 15 with five-point bidirectional labelling. There is no clear, standardized approach for assessing the technology acceptance, technology adoption, or usability of ICTs for people with dementia and their care partners.

Information systems research lacks a validated scale for assessing and measuring the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The relevant literature is limited in studies mainly concentrating on developing country settings. Furthermore, the emergence of new technological elements and increasing digitalization and digital transformation efforts in the last two years have changed how an organization utilizes and adopts ICTs. Therefore, it is inevitable that the conceptual dimensions proposed in the previous literature and the definitions of these dimensions will also alter. Hence, it is essential to revisit and validate the prior work and enhance it based on current vitality and developments. This study developed and validated a scale for measuring ICT adoption and digitalization for SMEs in a developing country context. The researchers followed an eight-step scale development procedure: (1) comprehensive literature review on ICT adoption and digitalization; (2) identification of dimensions of the level of ICT adoption and digitalization; (3) generation of items; (4) item refinement through focus group; (5) pretest of the measurement; (6) scale purification; (7) data collection; and (8) measurement evaluation. Within the Turkish setting, the ICT adoption scale was determined to have sufficient reliability and validity. Data for this study were gathered from 421 respondents of 219 Turkish SMEs. Supporting the multidimensionality of ICT adoption, 14 items and five dimensions (communication, internal integration, integration with customers, interorganizational integration, and strategic integration) constituted the ICT adoption construct. Considering the dominance of conceptual frameworks that were proposed based on developed countries and the prevalence of unidimensional constructs in the field, the developed multidimensional scale is expected to contribute significantly. Practitioners and policymakers can utilize the suggested scale to discover areas where specific changes are required for the digital transformation in SME utilization efforts that need attention. The outcomes can be applied to industrial sectors and different geographic contexts. By considering stage-based integration, the developed scale can also be used in future studies to investigate the effects of different variables on the extent of ICT adoption and the impact of ICTs on several organizational outcomes.

An investigation into the factors influencing ICT adoption and use in the administration of secondary schools in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) can have far-reaching effects on the nature of production technologies. Because ICT adoption is incomplete, especially in developing countries, different groups of firms will have different production technologies. We estimate a latent class stochastic frontier model, which allows us to test for the existence of multiple production technologies across firms and consider the associated implications for efficiency measures. We use a unique data set of Chilean retailers, which includes detailed information on ICT adoption. We find three distinct production technologies. The probability of membership in a more productive group is positively related to ICT use.

The adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) has been the fastest and most widespread in the South Korean workplace. While ICT has several advantages, it can also cause stress among workers. However, the relationship between the introduction of ICT in the workplace and mental health problems among Korean workers remains unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data obtained from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). In total, 40,019 participants answered a question about whether ICT had been introduced in their workplace. Among these, we compared the rate of complaints of mental health disorders between those who answered "yes" (n = 3,250) and those who answered "no" (n = 36,769). We analyzed the data using the SAS statistical software and calculated the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for anxiety, insomnia, and depression using multiple logistic regression models. We also stratified the data on Korean workers to assess the impact of ICT on subgroups. In our nationally representative cohort, on experiencing ICT incorporation at work, 384 participants (11.8%) reported anxiety, 138 (4.2%) reported insomnia, and 296 (9.1%) reported depression. In contrast, among participants who did not have access to ICT, 1,929 (5.2%) reported anxiety, 702 (1.9%) reported insomnia, and 4,404 (12.0%) reported depression. The ORs (95% CIs) for anxiety and insomnia complaint rates were 2.47 (2.19-2.79) and 2.55 (2.10-3.10), respectively, among workers who experienced new ICT adaptations in comparison with those who did not. However, no significant relationship was observed between ICT adoption and depression. The causes of mental health problems in the workplace should be identified and addressed. We found that the introduction of ICT in the workplace was significantly related to anxiety and insomnia symptoms among Korean workers, after controlling for the selected covariates. This information can be used to identify subgroups in the workplace that are vulnerable to ICT changes and tailor interventions to their social and demographic profiles.

Several studies demonstrate that most immigrants feel positively about technology adoption and use, and they use information and communication technologies (ICTs) more than non-immigrants or earlier immigrants. What motivates immigrants to use ICTs? Is their motivation to use ICTs for back home connection with their families and friends, or to adjust to their new environment? What are the factors that influence immigrants' ICT behaviors most often? For this study, the author chose 24 peer-reviewed journal articles published in English between 2001-2017 to assess immigrants' motivations for ICT adoption and use. The chapter, based on the systematic review of the existing literature for a longitudinal assessment, will discuss primary motives for immigrants' ICT adoption and use, as well as identify factors that influence immigrants' behavior with respect to ICT adoption and use. Based on these influencing factors, the chapter proposes a framework of technology adoption and use by immigrants.

This study examines the factors that motivate the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in the Indian manufacturing sector. The examination of this issue is relevant because the Indian manufacturing sector is currently undergoing a structural change, starting from automation and digitalization to implementing Industry 4.0. By collecting annual data (2005–2022) from registered manufacturing firms in the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) prowess database and using panel Probit and panel Tobit models, the study finds that factors such as firm size, age, ownership structure, export intensity and profitability are key factors that motivate the adoption of ICT. However, these factors have heterogeneous effects once the firms are disaggregated based on their technical intensity. While low- and medium-tech firms show that the factors moderately affect ICT adoption, these determinants have a profound impact on ICT adoption in the case of high-tech manufacturing firms. Given the disparities in ICT adoption rates, the study highlights the necessity of targeted policy interventions to support ICT integration, particularly among technologically lagging firms.

Researchers have delved in the study on ICT (Information Communication and Technology) adoption in schools worldwide. Literatures based on social approaches specify that successful ICT adoption by teachers is reliant on dynamics such as attitude, resource provision, skills among others. This paper focuses on the Project management activities associated with the ICT adoption into instructional methods by Secondary school teachers in Thika, Kiambu County of Kenya, namely Teacher Motivation and Teacher Monitoring. The theoretical framework used was the Unified theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model for ICT, The Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model for Evaluation of educational project and Joint Application Model (JAD) for Project management. The respondent for the survey based study were teachers from the schools that benefited from the Economic Stimulus Program - Information Communication and Technology (ESP-ICT) project. Data for the research was carried out through administration of questionnaires to the teacher respondents. Findings discovered that the project had been unsuccessful in Teacher recognition; distribution of assignment for responsibility purposes and rewarding as Motivational tools. Further, no monitoring upgrades or indicators gave an assurance that the teachers had apprehended the initial laid down targets, consequently knowledge and communication was infrequent. The conclusion deduced from these findings was that ICT adoption by teachers was flawed and meticulous act out of the routine had to be taken in order to curtail some of the many challenges to its triumph. The paper therefore recommended the enrolment of a project manager, who would effectively drive the project through all the stages by engaging project management dimension that is characterized by planning, implementation, monitoring and organization. All these events guide to success in project attainment.

Older adults and ICT adoption: Analysis of the use and attitudes toward computers in elderly Spanish people

A review of extant literature reveals that little attention has been given to research into the level of ICT infrastructure among SMEs, as well as examining the factors that limit the use of ICT in these organizations. Earlier studies have mainly focused on the services sector. Hence, there is a need to conduct further empirical research across area range of industry sectors to better understand the challenges confronting SMEs that hinder the adoption and use of ICT. The aim of this paper is to conduct an empirical investigation to identity the barriers that limit the adoption of Information and Communication technology (ICT) among (SMEs), in Malaysia This investigation is conducted using a sample of 100 Malaysian firms. Despite the current government effort in regard to ICT incentives and grants, results reveal that the major hindrance for using ICT among Malaysian 5MB businesses include finance, employee education including ICT skills, high cost of ICT infrastructure and shortage of skilled human capital. This paper suggests, based on the empirical results that more work needs to be undertaken by government and policy makers to encourage ICT adoption among SMEs as competition from other countries, especially China and India is rising and this could be seen as a threat to Malaysian SMEs.

Investigating influencing factors for ICT adoption that changes travel behavior in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia

The tremendous increment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) adoption in management worldwide helps the organizations to facilitate the services that they provide and improve their performance and productivity. This study aims to investigate the relationship between social influence and ICT adoption. Based on the original Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, this study examined the mediating role of Behavioral intention and age as a moderating role in the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). A quantitative approach is employed with self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 343 respondents. Data then were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS v-19) and Smart-PLS v3.2.6 to test the research model and hypotheses. The results indicated that Behavioral intention positively mediates between social influence on ICT adoption, while age negatively moderates the relationship between social influence and Behavioral intention. Palestinian MOHE staff does have the high intention of ICT adoption in their daily work and inclined to accept the change. In addition, social influence positively affects the Behavioral intention of ICT adoption in Palestinian MOHE. Results and limitations discussed further.

ICT Adoption and Sustainable Financial Performance: Evidence from Zenith Bank Plc

The widespread adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) has enabled the realization of technologically advanced tools for learning which dramatically and rapidly transforming the education at different levels in the world especially to a degree scarcely imaginable only one generation ago. The 21st century will witness the widely changes occurred by the adoption of ICTs in education. This paper seeks to explore the likely changes brought about by ICT in higher education environment.