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Editorial, 15.5

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Alison Norah Gillwald) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Not available.

The application of Rohman-Stork price basket to unlock the complexities of cellular price in Indonesia

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (IBRAHIM KHOLILUL ROHMAN, Christoph Stork) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - Demonstrate the complexity of prepaid mobile pricing in Indonesia and suggest tools that allow consumers to make informed decisions.Design/methodology/approach - Defining a basket of services and pricing it for all prepaid mobile products available in Indonesia.Findings - This finding suggested the importance of price transparency to ensure that consumers are well-informed concerning the range of services and prices available.Practical implications - Recommendations for the regulatory authority, Indonesian Telecommunication Regulation Agency (BRTI). It could use price baskets to create transparency and monitor price developments in the market. Another measure BRTI could undertake to prescribe any advertisement ton include the cost for a price basket defined by BRTI.Originality/value - An own basket methodology to address the unique situation in Indonesia was developed.

Estimating Internet users: An evidence-based alternative in the absence of survey data

Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - There are significant shortcomings in the current method of estimating the indicator ‘proportion of Internet users’ by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in countries where demand-side data are unavailable. In the absence of demand-side surveys, governments calculate the proportion of Internet users on the basis of the number of subscriptions and a multiplier, which leads to arbitrary values. Errors in such base indicators ripple through the system, causing significant errors in composite indicators, and should be minimised. Design/methodology/approach - This study found the drivers of Internet use to be income and education. A regression analysis was conducted between Internet users per 100 in countries that employed demand-side surveys and a new index based on the income and education components of the Human Development Index (HDI). Findings - The regression analysis showed a strong correlation between the proportion of Internet users in a country and the new income and education index. Using these data, a new methodology was developed that creates incentives for governments to conduct demand-side surveys and reduce the errors yielded by the previous methodology.Originality/value - This paper explores the possibility of using the readily available HDI data to define a new index that will provide a more accurate estimate of the proportion of individuals using the Internet.

Internet going mobile: Internet access and use in eleven African countries

Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This study analyses Internet access and use trends in 11 African countries based on household and individual ICT survey data.Design/methodology/approach - The study uses nationally representative data for households and individuals in residential and semi-residential areas, as defined by national census sample frames for 11 African countries.Findings - The mobile phone is now the key entry point for Internet use in Africa. Internet access has increased significantly across all countries, Internet penetration increasing to 15.5 per cent across the 11 African countries surveyed by Research ICT Africa in 2011/12. Mobile internet requires fewer ICT skills, less financial resources and does not rely on electricity at home, compared to computers or laptops. Other findings highlight the unevenness of Internet take-up across and within countries. Thus, while the majority of the countries under investigation demonstrate increased mobile Internet take-up, in Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, Internet use remains negligible. Where mobile Internet is boosting connectivity, this is being driven by social networking applications.Practical implications - Just as traditional reform strategies of increasing competition in the market increased access to voice services more successfully than traditional universal service strategies, mobile again appears to be addressing the Internet gap. Competition in mobile markets appears to address the efficiency gap in the market resulting in an increase in the choice of services and a reduction in prices. Strategies that seek to aggregate users at public access points, funded by complex levies and subsides again seem to have been overtaken by the increasing availability of mobile Internet access, as feature phones and smart phone become more available to individual users.Originality/value - This paper uses primary data that allows a better understanding of Internet access and use in Africa. It provides policymakers and regulators with the evidence required for an informed ICT policy and regulation.

ICT access and usage among informal businesses in Africa

Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This study analyses the extent to which informal businesses employ ICTs in their daily activities and the challenges they face in making use of ICTs.Design/methodology/approach - The study uses nationally representative data for informal businesses in residential and semi-residential areas, as defined by national census sample frames for nine African countries.Findings - The results show that mobile phones remain the most commonly used ICT among informal businesses, while the use of other ICTs, such as fixed-line telephones, computers and the Internet, remains negligible. Businesses were found to communicate more with their suppliers than with their customers via mobile phone. The lack of use of the different kinds of ICTs was attributed to issues around need, affordability, availability and access.Research limitations/implications - The data are not representative of formal businesses.Practical implications - There is little money to be wasted on gadgetry in the informal sector and only technologies that add value (i.e. bring in money in the short term) will be used. There is the need to be concerned about creating a business environment that allows informal businesses that have the skills and ambition to grow and become formal and sustainable. ICTs, in particular the mobile phone and mobile Internet, have the potential to facilitate this. ICTs may allow for a deepening of the distribution and procurement channels of businesses. Doing business over distance could become more affordably through the mobile phone and mobile money.Originality/value - This paper uses primary data that allow a better understanding of informal businesses and their use of and access to ICTs. It adds to the literature on the informal sector in which Africa’s poor find their livelihood and from which base the formal economy operates.

Mobilising upland Filipino youth to serve as infomediaries

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Jaime Albarillo Manalo) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This paper argues on the importance of the infomediaries in bridging the information poverty in the uplands. Design/methodology/approach - This paper uses the results of a 2011 study on the upland rice-farming communities of the Aurora and Albay provinces. It insists on making a case for infomediaries in the Philippines. The study had 38 research participants, and used predominantly qualitative research methods, such as time transects, mobility mapping and photovoice.Findings - This paper argues that there is a need to come up with context-specific solutions to deal with ICT issues. Innovative strategies are needed, so that even those in the uplands might benefit from ICT-based initiatives. Research limitations/implications - The proposal may not be applicable in other upland communities. Hence, the need for context-specific solutions in addressing concerns relating to information poverty in rural areas.Practical implications - The research conducted indicates that schools can serve as the nucleus for agricultural extension, because farmers’ children converge in school. Collaboration with the Department of Education and the provision of decent computer access points are important undertakings to complement this initiative.Originality/value - There is a scarcity of literature on mobilizing the youth to serve as infomediaries. This paper tries to come up with some concrete reccommendations on how to go about preparing the youth to perform infomediary roles.

Useful and Easy-to-Use Interactive Voice for Emergency Data Exchange

Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - Telephone calls are the predominant telecommunication mode in Sri Lanka. Consequently, leveraging voice-based applications for disaster communication would be acceptable and sustainable. Design/methodology/approach - The findings in this paper are from an experiment concerning interactive voice for connecting community-based emergency field operatives with their central co-ordination hub.Findings - A particular challenge was in interchanging Sinhala and Tamil language speech data, generated by the Freedom Fone Interactive Voice Response , with the text-based "Sahana" disaster-management system for analysis and decision support. The Emergency Data Exchange Language interoperable content standard was adopted for mediation between the two disparate systems. Standard mobile phones were the interface linking the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members. Low quality voice transmissions over the GSM cellular infrastructure resulted in distorted data. This shortcoming was a barrier to automating transformations between text and speech. Originality/value - Replacing those processes with human procedure significantly degrades their reliability. Nevertheless, the CERT members find voice-enabled information exchange useful and easy to use, because it diminishes the need for computer literacy and removes language barriers. The paper discusses the utility evaluation of the introduced system.

Towards an e-waste management framework in Kenya

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Jecton Anyango Tocho, Timothy Mwololo Waema) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose this paper is to provide an overview of e-waste management practices in Kenya and selected countries. It develops an ideal regulatory framework for e-waste management in Kenya.Design/methodology/approach - Methodology adopted for this paper includes collecting data using interviews, direct observation and literature review. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used. Findings - E-waste is an emerging stream of solid waste in Kenya. It has become a major concern due to the high volumes generated, its hazardous fractions and the lack of policies applicable to its disposal. Gaps are identified in the areas of awareness levels, e-waste management technology, financing, collection, disposal, monitoring, and stakeholder collaboration. Research limitations/implications - Geographically the study area is limited to Nairobi and its environs. With regard to product, the paper focuses on ICT equipment.Practical implications - The proposed framework has direct practical policy implications to manufacturers who ought to reduce e-waste from production, consumers who should adopt safe disposal practices, recyclers/ informal actors who ought to use environmental friendly methods and government agencies that enforce e-waste policies. Originality/value - This paper adds to the body of knowledge on the e-waste problem from the perspective of developed as well as developing countries. It points out best practices for socio economic development and fronts arguments for sustainable environmental management.

ICT policy and poverty reduction in Africa

Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This paper aims to understand how policymakers in different African countries negotiate the complex relationship between ICTs and poverty reduction. We develop a novel framework for analysing the extent to which the multiple dimensions of poverty are being addressed within African ICT policy, and whether the appropriate institutional arrangements and policy processes are being adopted to do this. Design/methodology/approach - A content analysis was conducted on selected ICT and poverty reduction policy documents from Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria, between 2005 and 2012. Findings - The findings show that although the focus of ICT policy interventions continues to be on increasing the economic capabilities amongst the poor, there is recognition in all three cases that human, political and social capital are also important. The continued dominance of an economic focus within ICT policies is supported by a techno-deterministic policy discourse, which tends to downplay social factors. Originality/value - This paper has developed a novel framework for analysing the extent to which the multiple dimensions of poverty are being addressed within current policy. The paper emphasises the need for policymakers to continue with their efforts in revising policy towards the delivery of people-oriented and complexity-aware ICT interventions that demonstrate a more explicit intention to reduce poverty.

Centrist television in the democratic South Africa: Policymakers fail to answer the regional/local question, 1990–2011

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Chris Armstrong) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This article explores the disconnect between policy intent and policy implementation in relation to regional/local (sub-national) TV deliverables in South Africa between 1990 and 2011, and evaluates the impact of this disconnect on pursuit of public interest objectives.Design/methodology/approach - The article is based on a research case study in which data extracted from policy documents and interviews were qualitatively analysed via the Kingdon (1995) "policy streams" framework and the Feintuck and Varney (2006) public interest media regulation framework. Findings - The study found that ruptures in deliberative policymaking, and policy implementation missteps, undermined sub-national TV delivery and, in turn, undermined pursuit of the public interest.Originality/value - By combining a political science conceptual framework with a media policy conceptual framework, the article provides unique insights into South African TV policymaking in the early democratic era.