ICT maturity as a driver to global competitiveness: a national level analysis

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that information and communication technologies (ICT) maturity plays in the achievement of global competitiveness at the country level. The paper investigates the socio-economic and technological factors that are most likely to be associated with ICT maturity, and then assesses their role in driving the global competitiveness wheel forward. Design/methodology/approach -Secondary data were used, based on data sets generated by the World Bank, World Economic Forum, and UNESCO for the years 2003-2007. The countries common to all reports were included, yielding a study sample of 93 cases. Cluster analysis was used to categorize countries in terms of ICT usage, readiness, and environment. Structural equation modeling was used to test the fit of a model employing these factors. Findings -First, it was found that ICT plays an important role in driving a country's global competitiveness forward, with a stronger relationship existing in high readiness countries than in low readiness countries. Second, ICT maturity was found to mediate the relationship between ICT quality and R&D spending on one hand and global competitiveness on the other. Finally, the relationship between R&D spending and global competitiveness was found to be stronger for low readiness countries than for high readiness countries. Practical implications -The paper's findings provide insights to managers and government policy makers regarding the effects of economic, social and technological factors on ICT maturity, as well as the relationship between ICT maturity and global competitiveness. Such insights can influence the standards, programs, and strategies that governments implement in order to attain and maintain global competitiveness. Originality/value -The paper presents a holistic model that depicts the ICT maturity factors and their dynamic contributions to global competitiveness. Despite the considerable contributions of existing research in this domain, there is a lack of substantive research that examines the relationship at the country level between ICT maturity and its indicators on one hand and global competitiveness on the other. The paper is an attempt to fill this gap.

Cocriação de valor em instalações esportivas universitárias nos EUA e no Brasil

“…As novas estratégias de negócios requerem das diversas áreas de atuação uma postura voltada para as demandas de forma mais efetiva para suprir e superar as expectativas dos clientes em potencial, sendo um conjunto de desafios para as organizações (PRAHALAD;RAMASWAMY, 2004;LUSCH, 2004;ZHANG;CHEN, 2008, YUNIS et al, 2012 …”

Fostering Competitiveness in European Countries with ICT: GCI Agenda

“…In addition to Estonia, Singapore is considered as a global leader in developing and using e-government. It places particular emphasis on the functionality of e-government websites, as well as conducting operations and transactions over e-government websites [41,1]. This leads us to our fifth research hypothesis:…”

“…It represents one of the basic determinants of an increase in business efficiency, i.e., competitiveness on the international market [24,25]. The bases of e-business development are the developed IT infrastructure [1] and a legal business framework, i.e., the strategy of e-business development at state level [26,27]. Countries encouraging ICT development and its application can also ensure conditions for the development of electronic business, which has competitive advantages [28,29].…”

“…The best example of this is the state of Singapore. Singapore's strategic development plan is based on development and the use of ICT, aimed at the realisation of economic growth [1]. The government is trying to improve ICT possibilities by fostering PC and Internet access and increasing highspeed broadband connectivity.…”

“…In comparison to conventional means of communication, individuals and companies use ICT for communication, business and learning purposes quite differently. It can be said that ICT usage increases competitiveness of individuals, companies and societies [1,2].…”