Scales and Dynamics in Outsourcing

Great Degree ◽

Offshore Outsourcing ◽

Institutional Changes ◽

Skilled Labor ◽

New Markets ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Information And Communication

Outsourcing is used to describe the situation where a firm decides to subcontract assembly and/or service functions to an external supplier, either locally or abroad. When activities are subcontracted abroad, the term offshore outsourcing often applies. While offshore assembling activities have taken place for some time, the phenomenon of outsourcing services abroad is quite new. Several factors have contributed to these altered circumstances. First, the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) implies that services can, to a great degree, also be located at arm’s length or elsewhere in the flat world (Friedman, 2005). Second, institutional changes have opened access to new markets for goods and services as well as skilled labor, for instance in Eastern Europe and China. Third, the increased competition through globalization pushes firms to adapt quickly to new contexts and to achieve efficiency in order to maintain competitiveness.

Scales and Dynamics in Outsourcing

IT Outsourcing ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-770-6.ch019 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 340-349

Author(s):

Iva Miranda Pires ◽

Torunn Kvinge

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Great Degree ◽

Offshore Outsourcing ◽

Institutional Changes ◽

Skilled Labor ◽

New Markets ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Information And Communication

ICT Considerations for a Municipality in South Africa

Electronic Government ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-947-2.ch085 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1158-1170

Author(s):

Udo Averweg ◽

Siyabonga Manyanga

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Data Gathering ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Ict Adoption ◽

Internet Networks ◽

Transfer Of Information

The availability of publicly accessible Internet networks and services are the first prerequisite in ensuring that all citizens and nations can benefit from information on the World Wide Web (UNESCO, 2003). Information and communication technologies (ICT) are playing an increasingly important role in the daily lives of citizens, revolutionising work and leisure and changing the rules of doing business. ICT encompass all technologies that facilitate the processing and transfer of information and communication services (United Nations, 2002). In the realm of government, ICT applications are promising to enhance the delivery of public goods and services to citizens not only by improving the process and management of government but also by redefining the traditional concepts of citizenship and democracy (Pascual, 2003). The spread of ICT brings hope that governments can transform (Pacific Council on International Policy, 2002). This article is organised as follows: • Background to the research is given • ICT adoption in the eThekwini Municipality in South Africa is described • The research goals, method, data gathering, and results are discussed • Management implications towards implementing a successful e-government strategy are given • Future trends are then suggested and a conclusion is given

Handbook of Research on Global Challenges for Improving Public Services and Government Operations - Advances in Public Policy and Administration ◽

Citizen Participation in Public Administration

10.4018/978-1-7998-4978-0.ch005 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 72-93

Author(s):

Veronika Linhartova

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Public Goods ◽

Public Administration ◽

Citizen Participation ◽

Goods And Services ◽

New Concepts ◽

Decision Making Processes

The aim of the chapter is to evaluate the citizens involvement in contemporary public administration, especially in the Czech Republic. New concepts of governance and management of public sector organizations enable providing new or improved public goods and services that better meet consumer´s needs. These concepts also represent reformed or new approaches to governance with increased citizen participation. Public administration responds to dynamic changes in information and communication technologies and their maturity and uses them in the framework of e-government. Thanks to the implementation of e-government, citizens have become more knowledgeable, able to participate in decision-making processes, thus automatically becoming co-producers of public goods or services. This approach to public good and service delivery describes modern public sector management theories as co-creation. Although co-creation is an entirely new concept in some countries, various forms of public participation are becoming increasingly important worldwide and can be expected to continue in the future.

An Empirical Investigation of Internet Users' Perceptions towards National and International e-Shops

International Journal of E-Adoption ◽

10.4018/ijea.2015070104 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 45-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vaggelis Saprikis

Keyword(s):

Shopping Behavior ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Cross Border ◽

Internet Users ◽

Costly Communication ◽

Online Stores ◽

Shed Light

Nowadays, the broad Internet utilization and the advancement of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have greatly changed the way goods and services are bought and sold. As a consequence, even more online users prefer not only to shop online, but also purchase abroad taking advantage of Internet's limitless feature. Thus, technology's success has stimulated the process of cross-border e-shopping, allowing fast, less costly communication, as well as access to a wider variety of goods and services. The purpose of this consumer-oriented approach paper is to examine the perceptions of Greek Internet users concerning e-shops. In specific, it aims to reveal if there are differences on users' perceptions regarding Greek versus international e-shops, as even more individuals visit non-domestic online stores for their e-purchases. Hence, it provides tangible results to an under-explored area of online shopping and shed light on the difficulty of understanding important aspects of e-shopping behavior; presenting vital implications to both academia and practitioners.

Training for E-Commerce Success in SMEs

Managing Information Technology in Small Business ◽

10.4018/978-1-930708-35-8.ch019 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 334-348

Author(s):

Yanqing Duan ◽

Roisin Mullins ◽

David Hamblin

Keyword(s):

Business Performance ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Small And Medium Enterprises ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Skills Shortage ◽

Set Up ◽

Medium Enterprises

Rapid developments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), such as electronic commerce (e-commerce), have revolutionized the way that business is conducted. E-commerce refers to the process of buying and selling goods and services electronically involving transactions using Internet, network, and other digital technology. It offers companies tremendous opportunities to improve their business performance in new and innovative ways. However, its huge potential benefit would only be realized by capable managers who can deal with these emerging technologies and implement them wisely. A skills shortage has been categorized as one of the challenges facing global e-commerce by Bingi and Khamalah (2000). The demand for highly knowledgeable and skilled managers and workloads places enormous pressure upon companies to improve or update their current knowledge and skills. This is particularly important in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as compared with their larger counterparts, as they are often described as “lacking the expertise needed to set up the technologies necessary, despite having a great deal to gain from doing so” (Anonymous, 1998).

Diversity in the use of information and communication technologies among European Union countries

Wiadomości Statystyczne. The Polish Statistician ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0014.3526 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (8) ◽

pp. 39-56

Author(s):

Jolanta Wojnar

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Cluster Analysis ◽

Eastern Europe ◽

Method Of Principal Components ◽

European Union Countries ◽

South Eastern Europe ◽

Components Analysis

The aim of the research discussed in the article is to assess the diversity among European Union countries in terms of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). Fifteen indicators describing the use of ICT by natural persons and households were selected for the analysis. The data were obtained from Statistics Poland reports and from the Eurostat database for the year 2017. The method of principal components analysis was applied in the process of analysing the diversity. Moreover, a cluster analysis based on the k-means method was performed. The analysis demonstrates that Scandinavian and Benelux countries are the leaders in using ICT, while countries of southern and south-eastern Europe as well as Poland are the lowest rated.

Mobile Applications for COVID-19: Benefits, Technologies and Future Research Opportunities

TEM Journal ◽

10.18421/tem103-59 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1461-1469

Author(s):

Alem Čolaković ◽

Amel Kosovac ◽

Nermin Goran ◽

Ermin Muharemović ◽

Ajdin Džananović ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Great Degree ◽

Mobile Applications ◽

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Statistical Data ◽

Mobile Technologies ◽

Future Research ◽

Health Institutions

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as one of the greatest problems of the 21st century worldwide. Efforts to fight this pandemic require a global co-operation and a multidisciplinary approach. An application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to a great degree contributes to fighting the pandemic as these technologies are one of the key services that assist patients, researchers, health institutions and other interested parties in different activities in an effort to fight the pandemic and its consequences. The present paper presents the features of certain mobile applications (apps) that are being used for different purposes such as: tracking patients, COVID-19-related warnings, keeping tracks of statistical data, organising life and business, etc. Aside from presenting the features of a certain number of applications, a review of technologies used for the development of these applications will also be presented. Furthermore, the paper addresses certain challenges that come along with the mobile technologies applications and offers suggestions for future research.

THE IMPACT OF INSTITUTIONS ON SERVICES EXPORTS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Baltic Journal of Economic Studies ◽

10.30525/2256-0742/2019-5-5-9-17 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 9

Author(s):

Oleksandr Shnyrkov ◽

Rita Zablotska ◽

Oleksii Chugaiev

Keyword(s):

Eastern Europe ◽

Central And Eastern Europe ◽

Political Stability ◽

Institutional Development ◽

Institutional Factor ◽

Transport Services ◽

The Impact

Besides labor, capital and technology, institutions are another important factor of production and exports. They set a framework of motivation for economic activities and their efficiency. The previous research provided evidence for the effect of institutions on international trade and development. This paper focuses on the effect of institutional progress on export competitiveness of several services sectors in Central and Eastern Europe in the post-crisis period (2011-2017). In the analyzed period the services exports growth turned out to be more stable than the goods exports growth. The multi-country models showed that several types of institutional improvements affected the exports growth in the medium run. Excluding outliers, using weighted enlarged sample and alternative method for measuring exports growth were applied to assess robustness of the research results. Labor force growth, GDP and GDP per capita were initially used as control variables, but in most cases their effect for exports growth was insignificant in Central and Eastern Europe. Sector specific approach to the analysis turned out to be the most effective to understand the transmission mechanism of the effect under the situation of services heterogeneity. Monetary freedom (currency stability and market-based prices) stimulates exports of transport services. The rule of law (contract enforcement, property rights, efficiency of police and courts, absence of crime and violence etc.) is important for raising international tourism receipts. Information and communication technologies services exports depend primarily on voice and accountability (democratic principles, respects human rights and free media). As for financial and insurance services exports, no significant institutional factor was found. Control of corruption, political stability, labor freedom, government integrity, government effectiveness and lower government size also may be important, but their effect is not robust or cannot be distinguished from the effect of the abovesaid factors. It is more likely that fighting corruption may have a positive impact on the services exports than on the goods exports. The latter depend positively on the level of investment freedom. Using the selected EU Member States in Central and Eastern Europe as a benchmarking level enabled us to estimate a potential effect for services exports in case of Ukraine if it reaches their level of institutional development. In particular the institutional progress can boost Ukrainian transport, tourism, information and communication technologies services exports by 30-200% or by 10-15% of its GDP.

E-government: Accessing public services online: Implications for citizenship

Local Economy The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit ◽

10.1177/0269094217753090 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

pp. 3-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Irene Hardill ◽

Roger O’Sullivan

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Public Services ◽

Economic Resources ◽

Goods And Services ◽

Urban And Rural Areas ◽

The Impact ◽

Do So

In this Viewpoint we wish to stimulate debate concerning the impact on citizens of the move to deliver more and more public services online (e-government) in urban and rural areas. It is now widely accepted that we are moving more and more online as society. However, there has been a lack of discussion about the implications of the government’s strategy to move services online especially for those most disadvantaged. The increasing focus and use of Information and Communication Technologies is changing the ways we can access public services, goods and services and health information. There is an increasing separation between those who have the skills, knowledge and economic resources to do so with those who do not – how we ensure full citizenship for all remains unanswered if not too often unconsidered.

Creative economy: Exploring the concept and European perspective

Skola biznisa ◽

10.5937/skolbiz2-28894 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 142-172

Author(s):

Žarko Đorić

Keyword(s):

Size Structure ◽

Dimensional Space ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Creative Economy ◽

The European Union ◽

Goods And Services ◽

New Information ◽

Information And Communication

In recent times, our environment and the way we produce and consume cultural goods and services are changing radically due to the strong influence of globalization, faster communication channels, global connectivity and the implementation of new information and communication technologies. In the conditions of convergence of economic, social, cultural and technological changes, the importance of strengthening creative potentials and capacities to achieve economic and other gains is very much recognized, so new development strategies are needed in this area. In such circumstances, the concept of "creative and cultural economy" is popularized worldwide as the interface between culture, economics and technology. Our world is increasingly dominated by images, sounds, symbols and ideas that create new jobs, wealth and new culture. Because of this, economic development can no longer be considered unilaterally, only through the accumulation of economic capital, but as a three-dimensional space whose dimensions are the size, structure, and the change in the relationship between economic and creative resources. In this paper, the author deals with theoretical and applied aspects of the creative economy development. The obtained results indicate a significant economic potential that the creative economy brings within the European Union, primarily in terms of employment and contribution of enterprises within the creative sector. The research aims to interpret data, describe facts, processes, and objects and empirically confirm their connections and relationships using a descriptive method and a compilation method.