Lack of information technology (IT) skills and human capital remain a significant obstacle to the successful implementation of IT projects in developing countries. The model discussed in this article draws on theories of knowledge management and social and human capital, and it has been developed for research in the tourism sector in the Maldives. It is also the first model of IT capacity building, to our knowledge, to be directed at private sector organizations in a developing country. We ground the model in some preliminary findings from our study of the Maldivian tourism sector and draw some initial conclusions about the role of the national context, social capital, knowledge sharing, and geographical isolation when considering IT capacity building for that sector. The model also makes a wider contribution in focusing on an under-researched issue, IT capacity building in developing countries, and by bringing some useful theoretical perspectives to bear on the problem. C 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Many researchers agree that information and communications technologies are deeply implicated in the process of globalization. There is much less agreement, however, on what globalization means in particular situations and contexts. This paper places the development of a specific information system in a Third World country within the context of neo-colonialism and postcolonialism. It shows how the implementation of an integrated software package, developed by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, imposed its own cultural logic on the Maldives Customs Service. This paper can be seen as one response to the call to study particular individuals, groups, organizations, or societies in detail, and in the context of globalization.