Marketing urban water services: information needs for water utility managers in developing countries

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
J. Mugabi ◽  
C. Njiru
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Service Level ◽  
Generic Model ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Water Utility ◽  
Customer Information ◽  
Willingness To Use ◽  
Utility Managers

A decade ago the ‘Dublin Principles’ shifted global thinking towards treating water as an economic good. The concern was that overly supply-driven approaches had been financially unsustainable, and therefore failed to reduce the service gap. Accompanying this conceptual shift has been a wider move towards focusing on the customer's needs and preferences and their willingness to pay, and applying marketing techniques to meet those needs in a financially sustainable manner. Although regarded as a positive move, its success is heavily dependent on how well water utilities understand their customers. This paper examines existing literature on the determinants of customer willingness to use and pay for improved water services in developing countries. The contribution of past research to our understanding of the behaviour of customers, with regard to service level choice and payment for services, is critically analysed. Basing on this analysis, we develop and discuss a generic model of a water consumer's decision-making process. The model serves two purposes. First, it consolidates past research into a coherent framework to facilitate implementation of the marketing approach. Secondly, we use the model to identify critical customer information that water utility managers need to know in order to be customer-focused.

Modernization of the water utility company of Bogotá (Colombia): an example of public and private participation for solving management problems of water companies in developing countries

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-113
Author(s):  
F. Zuleta ◽  
A. Merlano ◽  
A. Alvarez ◽  
M. Montoya ◽  
E. Restrepo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Water Utility ◽  
Comparative Efficiency ◽  
Utility Company ◽  
Private Participation ◽  
Management Problems ◽  
Water Companies

A common characteristic of water utility and wastewater companies in developing countries is management problems and limited commercial vocation. In the biggest Latin American cities there is a level of infrastructure enough for providing a substantially better service than the one currently supplied to their badly served customers. For years decisions have moved between two extremes: public management – usually corrupted with playing politics and inefficiency problems, and privatization – sharply criticized by many, and which has shown tendencies to inequality that leave it far away from earning panacea status. This paper is intended to expose the advantages of a novel model in which a state-run company with commercial management problems, the EAAB, solves its limitations by keeping the ownership of its assets and successfully incorporating the participation of better practices from other specialized operators, one of which is a state-owned player, EEPPM. This scheme demonstrates how the service indicators of a system serving eight million inhabitants in the Colombian capital improved significantly with state-owned assets and private participation, without giving in to privatization pressures or stagnating in the usual inefficiency typical of public management in developing countries. This is proposed as a replicable experience that can be used in medium and large cities in other countries with similar management problems, with certain adjustments to fit the solution to the specific cases. This is also a practical case for conducting a comparison of competitiveness within a city, of interest for regulatory entities and investigators on the potential of comparative efficiency in a traditionally monopolistic industry.

Socio economic influences on the restoration and maintenance of the water environment

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Peter Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Water Environment ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Water Services ◽  
Economic Issue ◽  
Water Utility ◽  
Political Thinking ◽  
The Public ◽  
Economic Influences ◽  
Mind Set

Protection of the water environment has become a modern socio economic issue in which the sociological pressures for a healthy water environment must be balanced with affordability. Reconciliation of these aspects requires clear political thinking and rigorous methodologies. It also requires a shift in mind-set which considers members of the public as customers. Water utilities are the major users of the water environment and potentially its greatest threat – so good delivery of water services is very important. The presentation addresses the topic through the experience of Anglian Water, a privatised water utility serving Eastern England.

The awakening information needs of the developing countries

1979 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 285-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjorn V. Tell
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Services ◽  
Information Network ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Online Systems ◽  
The Awakening ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Centres Of Excellence

The developing countries arc emulating the industrialized countries when setting up information services to cater for their information needs. However, the traditional infrastruc ture of service organisations may not be the best model for supporting easy and speedy access to information. A different approach is argued, founded upon the enthusiasm with which many developing countries have taken to online systems when demonstrated there. A model for a ministerial information network is proposed as part of a "social intel ligence function" of the country. It is proposed that Unesco and UNIDO should set up regional "centres of excellence" according to this model for developing countries.

Internal efficiency of public vocational training centres in Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-384
Author(s):  
Rachel Okinyi ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Vocational Training ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Resource Utilisation ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Internal Efficiency ◽  
Training Institutions ◽  
Low Levels

The efficiency of educational institutions is critical in the justification of resource allocation and use. However, some developing countries like Kenya face efficiency challenges regarding resource utilisation and the flow of students through the school system at various levels of education and programs. Past research in Kenya has focused more on resource utilisation in public schools. Very few studies have looked at the internal efficiency of public vocational training centres (VTCs). This paper assesses the level of internal efficiency in Kenya's public vocational training institutions through a mixed research design. The findings reveal low levels of internal efficiency as indicated by low enrolment, high dropout and low completion rates in the VTC institutions. The result also shows a low level of tutor utilisation. These results provide vital insights into improving the internal efficiency of public vocational training institutions in developing countries. The study recommends, among other things, subsidisation of examination fees to enhance students' completion rates.

A Comparison of the Information Needs and Information Seeking Behavior of Entrepreneurs in Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Developing and Developed Countries

2014 ◽  
pp. 126-143
Author(s):  
Linda L. Lillard
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Private Sector Development ◽  
Entrepreneurial Spirit ◽  
Seeking Behavior

“Entrepreneurial spirit has been described as the most important economic development stimulus in recent decades” (Chalhoub, 2011, p. 67). In the early 1990s it was estimated that small to medium sized enterprises SMEs employed 22% of the adult population in developing countries and the role of SMEs is viewed as increasingly important in developing countries because of their capacity to create jobs (Okello-Obura, Minishi-Majanja, Cleote, & Ikoja-Odongo, 2007, p. 369). According to Lingelback, de la Viña and Asel (2005), even though entrepreneurship has been linked to wealth and poverty in developing countries and has played an important role in growth and poverty alleviation, it is the least studied significant economic and social phenomenon in the world today. Examining how the information needs and information seeking behavior of entrepreneurs from developing countries may differ from entrepreneurs in developed countries is important as it has been suggested that “entrepreneurship in developing countries is distinctive from that practice in developed countries and that understanding these distinctions is critical to private sector development in developing countries” (Lingelback, de la Vina, & Asel, 2005, p. 2). A review of the studies produced thus serves as a beginning for designing information packages and information services that can benefit a global population. Consequently, this chapter targets the information needs and information seeking behavior of entrepreneurs revealed in studies associated with SMEs in both developed and developing countries and offers conclusions and recommendations for meeting the information needs of this population.

The Elusive Last Mile to the Internet

2011 ◽  
pp. 540-560
Author(s):  
V. Sridhar ◽  
Piyush Jain
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Service Level ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Service Level Agreements ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Mission Critical

This case highlights the challenges faced by organizations in developing countries in getting reliable, high-speed Internet access to support their mission critical web enabled information systems. The case prescribes various measures to optimally use the constrained bandwidth available from service providers. The challenges in defining and monitoring appropriate service level agreements with the service providers are discussed.

A Theoretical Framework and Model of ICT Adoption and Inclusion in Developing Countries

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Alice S. Etim
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Mobile Phone Technology ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Ict Adoption ◽  
Technology Adoption Model ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Adoption Model ◽  
Information Poverty

Information and communication technology (ICT) adoption is cardinal to the sustainability of all societies, and it is the engine that can transform developing countries. This first chapter for the book uses the theories of poverty, human needs, and information poverty as the lenses to examine the framework for ICT adoption and inclusion. A world pyramid of needs that embodies information needs is developed. Information poverty is discussed along with the case of Coronavirus (COVID-19), the global pandemic that brought to a halt many communities in 2020. A mobile phone technology adoption model (MOPTAM) is presented as the framework to understanding ICT adoption and inclusion in developing countries.

A Comparison of the Information Needs and Information Seeking Behavior of Entrepreneurs in Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Developing and Developed Countries

2016 ◽  
pp. 983-1000
Author(s):  
Linda L. Lillard
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Private Sector Development ◽  
Entrepreneurial Spirit ◽  
Seeking Behavior

“Entrepreneurial spirit has been described as the most important economic development stimulus in recent decades” (Chalhoub, 2011, p. 67). In the early 1990s it was estimated that small to medium sized enterprises SMEs employed 22% of the adult population in developing countries and the role of SMEs is viewed as increasingly important in developing countries because of their capacity to create jobs (Okello-Obura, Minishi-Majanja, Cleote, & Ikoja-Odongo, 2007, p. 369). According to Lingelback, de la Viña and Asel (2005), even though entrepreneurship has been linked to wealth and poverty in developing countries and has played an important role in growth and poverty alleviation, it is the least studied significant economic and social phenomenon in the world today. Examining how the information needs and information seeking behavior of entrepreneurs from developing countries may differ from entrepreneurs in developed countries is important as it has been suggested that “entrepreneurship in developing countries is distinctive from that practice in developed countries and that understanding these distinctions is critical to private sector development in developing countries” (Lingelback, de la Vina, & Asel, 2005, p. 2). A review of the studies produced thus serves as a beginning for designing information packages and information services that can benefit a global population. Consequently, this chapter targets the information needs and information seeking behavior of entrepreneurs revealed in studies associated with SMEs in both developed and developing countries and offers conclusions and recommendations for meeting the information needs of this population.

scholarly journals Information Exchange between GIS and Geospatial ITS Databases Based on a Generic Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut Jetlund ◽  
Erling Onstein ◽  
Lizhen Huang
Keyword(s):  
Information Exchange ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Route Planning ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Generic Model ◽  
Geospatial Information ◽  
Model Driven ◽  
Geography Markup Language ◽  
Navigation Data ◽  
Gis Databases

This study aims to improve interoperability between Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial databases for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Road authorities maintain authoritative information for legal and safe navigation in GIS databases. This information needs to be shared with ITS databases for route planning and navigation, and for use in combination with local knowledge from vehicle sensors. Current solutions for modelling and exchanging geospatial information in the domains of GIS and ITS have been studied and evaluated. Limitations have been pointed out related to usability in the GIS domain and flexibility for representing an evolving real world. A prototype for an improved information exchange model has been developed, based on ISO/TC 211 standards, Model Driven Architecture (MDA), and concepts from the studied solutions. The prototype contains generic models for feature catalogues and features, with implementation schemas in the Geography Markup Language (GML). Results from a case study indicated that the models could be implemented with feature catalogues from the ITS standard ISO 14825 Geographic Data Files (GDF) and the INSPIRE Transport Networks specification. The prototype can be a candidate solution for improved information exchange from GIS databases to ITS databases that are based on the Navigation Data Standard.

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