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The top Indian firms have been expanding their global presence for some years including into nearshore locations.

In achieving success in global sourcing arrangements, the role of a cultural liaison, boundary spanner or transnational intermediary is frequently highlighted as being critical. This paper critiques, builds upon and synthesizes relevant streams of ideas in relation to boundaryspanning and cross-cultural management across a number of disciplines, and constructs a multilayered creolization framework, encompassing processes at the individual, intra-and interorganizational and international levels which, we argue, are entangled and interrelated. Viewed as a vital and innovative phenomenon, creolization embodies the interactive, contentious and creative processes of network expansion, mutual sensemaking, cultural hybridity and identity multiplicity. Qualitative empirical data from the software and services outsourcing industry in Northwest China is used to demonstrate the complexity of cross-cultural practices in offshore collaborations and illustrate creolization processes. Potentials for theoretical development are outlined and implications for cross-cultural practices are discussed.

This study considered the impact of mobile money on well-being and development from a capability perspective using data from the Upper East Region of Northern Ghana. The evidence suggests varied capability enhancing benefits of mobile money use, ranging from empowerment to participate in the financial system, to choice, and agency to meet various functionings that contribute to better well-being outcomes in employment, health, and education. Erratic power supply and a poor network signal in some communities are unfreedoms that need removing for people to take advantage of the huge well-being and human development potential of mobile money. The long-term dependency on family and social networks for monetary support is a capability diminishing feature of mobile money. The study findings support the necessity to adopt a multifaceted and pragmatic conceptualisation of development in information and communication technology for development research.

Under which conditions can ICT4D initiatives empower poor communities of developing countries? In this paper we evaluate the promise of development associated with the introduction of an ICT initiative in Nigeria. We employ the basic concepts of Sen's capability approach to understand how the introduction of a prepaid electricity billing system has empowered people to participate in accessing electricity supply. Our analysis illustrates that various activities resulting from the introduction of the system allow for the participation of both consumers and electricity workers, and that in order for them to be empowered to participate in each of the activities, different resources are required. We conclude with some implications for policy makers advancing an agenda for ICTs for development.