Informed by Social Shaping Theory (modified), this paper presents a research that examines the impact of communication technologies (mobile telephony, personal computer and internet facilities) on the performance of small and medium businesses in Lagos state, Nigeria. Results indicate that SMEs operating in different socio‐economic settings present varying performance results from the use of communication technology tools. The study was undertaken through a firm survey and also a number of semi‐structured interviews with purposively selected 100 SMEs operating in both the affluent and disadvantaged districts of the city. Using basic descriptive statistics and thematic analytical techniques for the survey and interview data respectively, major findings suggest that: 1) as communication technologies positively impact the performance of SMEs, existing socio‐economic factors within the districts where the firms operate also influence the choice of communications technology and significantly shape its impact on business performance; 2) class differences with respect to income and education disparity, as well as communication habits in the affluent and disadvantaged communities account for different outcomes in the business performance of firms; 3) the Impact of communication technologies on the local economy seems to be more prominent and significant in regard to the performance of firms operating in the affluent districts compared to the performance of firms operating in disadvantaged districts
This study explores the quality of reflection, and how group diversity affects group reflection by final-year accounting and finance undergraduates using Mezirow's [(1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass] reflection model. Group work and reflective writing are now common assessment features in UK higher education. They affect students' perception of their learning experience ([Ledwith, S., & Seymour, D. (2001). Home and away: Preparing students for multicultural management.
This article shows how Information and Communication Technology (ICT), incorporating social media, can lead to accountability and transparency in a government's budget. Specifically, it examined how a Non‐Governmental Organization (NGO) used ICT to foster citizenship engagement in the Nigerian government budgetary process. The article, using abductive reasoning, presents four citizen empowerment stages and four social marketing transition stages through which government budget transparency can be improved and corruption reduced. A model was also inferred that can help lessen the exclusivity around the government budget to encourage dialog and openness around the government budget in similar contexts. Furthermore, this article shows that the social transformative role for NGOs using ICT to increase government budget transparency and reduce corruption is a process that happens over time.
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