Diary

Citation

(2012), "Diary", Strategic Direction, Vol. 28 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2012.05628baa.014

Diary

Article Type: Diary From: Strategic Direction, Volume 28, Issue 2

Quest for Global Competitiveness Conference

March 15-16, 2012, School of Business Administration – San Juan, Puerto Rico

The Changing Face of Global Competitiveness: Academia Making the Connection

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  To provide a meeting place for academicians and practitioners to share knowledge that prompts strategic actions for innovation and sustainable global competitiveness.

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  To forge mutually beneficial partnerships between academicians and practitioners with the aim of making business research more relevant.

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  To build a community of scholars interested in research relevant to the business community.

Contact: e-mail: questconference@upr.edu; web: http://quest.uprrp.edu/

e-CASE & e-Tech 2012

March 30-April 1, 2012, SkyCity Marriott – Hong Kong

You are cordially invited to participate in the 2012 International Conference on e-Commerce, e-Administration, e-Society, e-Education, and e-Technology (e-CASE & e-Tech 2012) to be held in Hong Kong, March, 2012. The main objective of e-CASE & e-Tech 2012 is to provide a platform for researchers, engineers, academicians as well as industrial professionals from all over the world to present their research results and development activities in e-Commerce, e-Administration, e-Society, e-Education, and e-Technology. This conference provides opportunities for the delegates to exchange new ideas and application experiences face to face, to establish business or research relations and to find global partners for future collaboration.

All submissions to the conference will be reviewed by at least two independent peers for technical merit and content. It is anticipated that a broad range of research and applied topics will be covered during the conference.

Contact e-mail: eCASE.eTech.IC@ gmail.com; web: www.e-case.org/2012/ContactUs.html

Annual International Conference on ICT for Africa

24 March, 2012, Kampala, Uganda

The International Conference on ICT for Africa is an annual conference that brings together stakeholders of the educational and industrial sectors in Africa.

Digital technology has changed numerous activities in the world and continues to do so. The digital revolution has already matured in developed countries however, developing countries, especially in Africa, are yet to realize the full potential of the benefits of technology. It is true that Africa has in recent years made tremendous progress from being a technological desert to a growing technological forest.

The adoption and diffusion of Information and Telecommunication Technology (ICT) in Africa is growing as evidenced by the upsurge in mobile markets and emerging innovative application in e-banking, e-business, telemedicine (e-health), e-learning, e-government, e-democracy, e-agriculture, e-procurement and more. As we entered the new millennium, Africa progressed from technological desert to emergent sustainable growth in ICT. Within the first decade of the millennium, several innovations emanated from African countries, such as, The continent is also joining the league of ICT producing countries and Africa is witnessing increased capacity for consumption. While the problems being reported on the development of ICT in Africa might have no completely disappeared, the current challenges are definitely different. For example, the problem is no longer about access to modern ICT devices but the continent is now being confronted with the effect of the adoption and utilization of ICT. Electronic payments system is taking root on the continent where public servants are paid salaries and pensioners receive their pension directly to their accounts. Mobile commerce through mobile/cell phone transactions without going through traditional banking systems has penetrated both rural and urban centres of some African nations. East African countries have embraced the M-Commerce.

Automated teller machines (ATM) have spread across the continent but this technological adoption faces issues of security and identity theft. Teledensity is no longer an issue but the effect of the telecom on the environment is posing a serious threat. These concerns are now similar to the issues in the western world. It is time that the concept of digital divide be re-examined and the stock of innovation and technological advancement from Africa for Africans be taken and reported. There are numerous cases of African championed initiatives for Africa which are worth showcasing. From launching of submarine fibre optics cable linking Africa to Europe to Financial Switching backbone. Such success stories abound.

With this background, Africa is ready to position itself for the three foremost interrelated technological advances namely; the mobile platform, cloud computing and software as a service. All these will be examined in the context of green computing or green ICT. As a follow-up to our previous three conferences, this conference will bring together some of Africa’s leaders in this area to discuss creation of culturally sensitive applications that are applicable in the African context.

Contact: e-mail: victor@icitd.com; web: www.ictforafrica.org