This paper reviews the past, present and future of Romania's information technology (IT) industries. It describes Romania's IT industry under Communism and the changes in both IT policies and the IT industry following the December 1989 revolution. Though flawed in many ways, Romania's...

Information technology forms an increasingly important component of donor-funded development projects, yet evaluation of such projects has been comparatively-rarely reported. This paper presents an evaluation of the information technology component within four Chinese technology projects, each...

It often seems that use of participative approaches in the development of information systems (IS) has reached the status of a new orthodoxy: a ‘magic bullet' technique that is always relevant, always beneficial in trying to overcome the high failure rate of information systems. Yet...

Indian software exports have shown very high growth rates for many years. Yet, behind this success lie a number of skews. These skews are discussed in this paper, which is based on fieldwork and secondary surveys conducted in India over the past ten years. In particular, software exports have...

Production of software provides many potential benefits for developing countries (DCs), including creation of jobs, skills and income. This paper reviews five different strategic approaches to software production that can be adopted:• Export of software services, the model followed by India...

Can information and communication technologies (ICTs) help to alleviate poverty in low-income countries? The paper investigates this question, focusing particularly on the role of ICTs in assisting the development of small and micro-enterprises. The investigation is based on a systemic...

To increase the value and reduce the costs and risks of global software outsourcing, clients and developers are 'synching': building congruence along six identified 'COCPIT' dimensions. Case studies from a longitudinal research project identify practical synching strategies used by North...

Most information systems — including current ICT projects — in developing countries fail either totally or partially. This paper develops a model which explains those high rates of failure. The model is based on the notion of design — reality gaps: the match or mismatch between IS designs...

The potential contribution of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to small enterprise development can only be assessed by first understanding current information practices and needs in such enterprises. This paper reports findings from a questionnaire and interview survey of formal...

"The potential of the modern information age seems overshadowed at every turn by the ancient forces that separate the rich from the poor." (Dertouzos 1999)If debate on ICTs and development has drawn from any discipline, it has tended to be sociology. This paper attempts to broaden the debate by...