Implementation of information technology in Africa: Understanding and explaining the results of ten years of implementation effort in a Tanzanian organization

Abstract

This study traces attempts to introduce information technology into a management college in Africa, over a 10-year period from 1991 to 2001. The study uses an interpretative approach and is informed by information technology (IT) implementation literature. The case shows little progress over the 10-year period studied and the authors identify several explanations for this. The findings related to implementation, or the lack thereof, tie in well with the general IT implementation literature, suggesting that some of the key elements in the literature are of a fairly general and universal nature. The general nature of the literature does not provide the background for a deeper understanding of the issues and underlying levels of explanations. For this, more contextual factors need to be taken into account. The authors have been able to point to some of these sociocultural factors. However, this is an area where further research is needed. C 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Global Digital Divides

“…While these findings reported by Walcott et al (2008) largely reinforce ICT adoption challenges in micro-enterprises previously reported in the literature (Furuholt and Orvik 2006;Duncombe and Heeks 2003), they are also consistent with this chapter's finding that education is as an essential facilitator of ICT adoption and use in the US. The importance of affordability and infrastructure as a catalyst for ICT adoption among microenterprises supports the inclusion of similar factors posited to be associated with ICT utilization in this book's generic conceptual model in Chap.…”

Sustainability of Information Technology Therapy on Micro-enterprise Development

“…While micro-enterprises face a number of challenges relating to the financing, access and adoption of ICTs [9], [18], [37], [44], [11], this research focuses on the immediate benefits obtained by the micro-entrepreneurs in adopting the technologies. Wolcott et al [45] addresses the issue of incorporating technology into the business operations of microenterprises through a process of IT therapy.…”

Potential of Cloud-Based Infrastructure for Small Business Development

“…Traditional theories of technology adoption and diffusion do not adequately explain the manner in which these types of businesses adopt and utilize technology [11], [12]. In a study by Wolcott et al [14] on a set of MCs in an underserved region in North Omaha, it was seen that although the latest state-of-theart technology was awarded to these entrepreneurs to assist them with their businesses, most entrepreneurs had not even opened the packaging within which these technologies were contained six months after they had received them!…”