The effects of ICT use and ICT Laws on corruption: A general deterrence theory perspective

Investigations of white collar crimes such as corruption are often hindered by the lack of information or physical evidence. Information and communication technologies (ICT), by virtue of their ability to monitor, track, record, analyze, and share vast amounts of information may help countries identify and prosecute criminals, and deter future corruption. While prior studies have demonstrated that ICT is an important tool in reducing corruption at the country level, they provide little explanation as to how ICT influences corruption and when does it work best. We explore these gaps in the literature using the hypothetico-deductive approach to research, by using general deterrence theory to postulate a series of main and moderating effects relating ICT use and corruption, and then testing those effects using secondary data analysis. Our analysis suggests that ICT use influences corruption by increasing the certainty and celerity of punishment related to corruption. Moreover, ICT laws moderate the effect of ICT use on corruption, suggesting that ICT investments may have limited effect on corruption, unless complemented with appropriate ICT laws. Implications of our findings for research and practice are discussed.     

Organizational structure and ICT strategies in the Brazilian Judiciary System

In this case study, we analyze the influence of the organizational structure in the definition and implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) strategies in the Brazilian Judiciary System. The analysis shows that the existing organizational structure favors uncoordinated actions, though the role of the National Council of Justice (NCJ) as protagonist in the process of coordinating the strategic planning of the Brazilian Judiciary System (and strategic ICT planning) might change this reality, allowing the Brazilian Judiciary System to reap the full benefits of ICT.     

国外组织学习与绩效关系的研究述评

研究者在组织学习与绩效直接关系模型的基础上加入第三类变量,通过调节变量获取不同组织和环境情境下两者关系的解释,或通过中介变量的不同作用机理考察组织学习对绩效的影响。甚至,组织学习本身就可以视为一种组织情景,在其他组织因素与绩效的关系中发挥调节效用。根据现有文献,对国际学术界该研究的发展以及相关的研究成果进行梳理和述评,并提出未来的研究方向。     

Modern approaches to the assessment of information and communication technologies and the main areas of improvement

The need to analyze the cultural factor in the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is discussed. An overview is given of the educational aspects of ICT development and the cultural impact of Internet TV. The historical paradigm of ICT development is defined. An analysis is provided of the existing ICT development ratings. An outline is given of the main areas of ICT improvement by strengthening the role of culturological criteria, including the development of Internet TV.     

Information policy: Content and challenges for an effective knowledge society

Information policy is the set of strategies and actions defined at a geographical or institutional level in order to satisfy information needs expressed by people and assure development goals. With the development of information and communication technologies (ICT), new stakeholders appear, including both information producers and consumers, raising problems relative to authenticity, reliability, and evaluation of information, and also the problem of full and effective use of information technology. As information policy aims at providing access to timely information, it should attempt also to make people fluent with technology. Toward achieving this objective some challenges are faced which are related to access to technology, computer literacy, ability to read and write, and early childhood development.     

The Rate and Delay in Overload: An Investigation of Communication Overload and Channel Synchronicity on Identification and Job Satisfaction

This study investigates the relationship between communication overload and uses of diverse communication channels in terms of their level of synchronicity. Emphasis on the synchronicity of any given channel reveals how temporal elements (i.e., rate and processing time) play an important role in perceptions of communication load. Additionally, this study examines the association between communication overload, organizational identification and job satisfaction. Findings reveal: (a) both high and low synchronous channels are associated with increased reports of communication overload; (b) a mediating effect of organizational identification on the relationship between communication overload and job satisfaction; and (c) a moderating effect of communication overload on the relationship between low synchronous channels and organizational identification.     

Technology in government: How organizational culture mediates information and communication technology outcomes

The adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in public organizations promises to better connect managers with citizens, increase public participation in government decision making, improve the efficiency of service delivery, decrease uncertainty, and improve information dissemination. While each of these outcomes is important for both public managers and citizens, we know little about how organizational culture mediates the effectiveness of ICTs on producing these outcomes. This research, using data from two points in time, investigates the relationships between ICTs and managerial outcomes (e.g. improved decision making and public participation) and how they are mediated by organizational culture such as centralization and routineness. Technology variables include technology use and capacity. Models will control for other organizational and technological factors such as size, structure, task and department to investigate the mediating effects of organizational culture on ICT outcomes for local governments. The data come from two national surveys of 2500 local government managers in the United States in 2010 and 2012. The results are important for understanding how organizational mechanisms, in particular organization culture, mobilize ICTs in ways that affect managerial outcomes.     

论信息技术"生产率悖论"的主要原因

本文从IT投入产出测度、时滞、利润分配、信息与技术管理、股票市场和分析工具等方面,全面阐述信息技术"生产率悖论"产生原因,揭示信息技术投资方面潜在的生产率问题,为人们恰当评价信息技术投资提供依据.     

“Omega is a Four-Letter Word”: Toward a Tension-Centered Model of Resistance to Information and Communication Technologies

The adoption of enterprise-wide information and communication technologies (ICTs) has become a growing trend in a wide range of industries. Resistance has been identified as one of the most common reasons for unsuccessful implementations. Assuming technologies as fixed objects, many existing theories tend to reduce resistance to psychological mechanisms or structural misalignment. The purpose of this study is to retheorize resistance to ICTs by integrating a social constructionist perspective of technology and a framework of organizational tensions. By employing qualitative methods, a case study examined the adoption, implementation and use of an enterprise-wide software system in a technology service organization. The in-depth case analysis revealed a tension-centered process model, which shows that resistance to ICTs is constituted in a dynamic, reflexive interplay between the ongoing construction of ICTs and organizational tensions. In this process, an ICT adoption brings into play various organizational tensions, which then shape the interpretations of the ICT in oppositional terms, and reactions to these tensions and oppositional interpretations result in various forms of resistance behaviors. This tension-centered process model offers a useful alternative to existing research on resistance to ICTs in the workplace.     

Parents,ICTs, and Children's Prospects for Success: Interviews along the Digital “Access Rainbow”

Interviews with 52 parents of varying income levels and positions on the digital “access rainbow” are used to explore how parents discuss the widespread belief that ICT (information and communication technologies) access affects their children's prospects for success. While all parents agreed that ICT competence is important, differences emerged along socioeconomic lines regarding how parents conceptualized the computer/success relationship. While upper-income parents demonstrated greater ICT proficiency and access and assumed that their children needed ICT proficiency for success, parents in the lower-income groups saw the need for ICT proficiency as more context-dependent and adopted broader definitions of success. All parents expressed concerns about the negative attributes of ICTs as entertainment rather than educational media; for lower- and middle-income families, however, this objection justified limits on use or access among children.     

Checking Up on Court Citation Standards: How Neutral Citation Improves Public Access to Case Law

A small number of appellate courts require neutral citation, a legal citation format that frees citation to judicial decisions from adherence to particular formats or vendors. As law libraries increasingly rid their print collections of case law reporters, a gap appears in public access to the law, as many courts still require citation to print-based formats from particular commercial publishers. With widespread availability of case law in electronic formats through commercial databases and government Web sites, law librarians must continue to urge courts to consider adopting neutral citation principles to ensure greater accessibility to court opinions. This article retraces the history and quirks of neutral citation and aims to ground the arguments for more widespread adoption of neutral citation in the increasing concern over public access to the law.     

Cyber state capacity: A model of authoritarian durability,ICTs, and emerging media

In this article, I developed the theoretical concept of cyber state capacity (CSC). Advancing Gobel's (2013) theoretical model of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and authoritarian consolidation, I introduced the theoretical propositions of CSC, which help explain how governments use information and communication technological systems to maintain stability, development, and stay in power. Well established, durable regimes have implemented ICT infrastructures that rival advanced democracies, yet the wave of liberalization that was expected to occur has not. After lying out the theoretical concepts, I conducted a qualitative case illustration to analyze the state enhancing or weakening ICT environments in Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the years leading up to, and at the time of, the Arab Spring. Developed ICT systems can bolster government power through sophisticated surveillance and propaganda operations, as well as providing economic and entertainment benefits that may contribute to placating individuals' motivations for increased political concessions.     

Community Radio Stations as Community Technology Centers: An Evaluation of the Development Impact of Technological Hybridization on Stakeholder Communities in South Africa

This study investigated the impact of using community radio stations to extend information and communication technology (ICT) benefits to poor communities in South Africa. Six community radio stations in six rural South African communities were studied, using face-to-face interviews, community conversations, and observation method. The study found these radio stations have ICT presence, but because of a lack of resources they are only able to allow their stakeholder communities' indirect access to these technologies. It concludes that for these stations to realize their full development potential of extending ICTs to poor rural communities in South Africa, collaborative innovative strategies will have to be instituted.     

ICT and rural societies: Opportunities for growth

The application of ICT solutions for the development of rural India and other developing countries opens up a vast range of possibilities. Giving an opportunity to the vast majority of the population living in rural areas, to cross the digital divide to obtain access to information resources and services provided by ICT is the next revolution waiting to happen. Although this is a development issue, it is just not the government, non-government organizations or the rural masses that have a role to play. Private profit-making institutions can develop solutions to capture the hitherto unrecognized markets, make profits and at the same time aid the rural societies. The new technologies being developed can help surmount barriers present in providing information resources at a low cost and make applications feasible and profitable. This paper presents some cases where ICT has been effectively used for the benefit of the rural societies and analyzes the opportunities that lie in this sphere. The cases range from successful use of ICT in governance, to ICT solutions for improved profits to ICT in microfinance. A case of an initiative by a large mainstream corporation to reach out to the rural sector, help in development and realize profits mutually is also presented. The projects discussed should generate more interest and facilitate private investment in the hitherto virgin territory. A large number of hurdles still remain but creative ideas, breakthrough ICT technologies and committed organizations can usher in the next revolution in the developing world.     

The information and communication technology competencies of students enrolled in school library media certification programs

As information and communication technologies (ICTs) become increasingly prevalent in modern society, improving students' competency with these technologies has become a key focus of 21st century education. Given the interdisciplinary and information rich nature of ICTs, many advocate for school librarians to actively promote their integrative use across the K-12 curriculum. This article asks, “Are school library media professionals adequately prepared for the task of integrating technology and skills into instruction?” It explores the perceived ICT competencies of students enrolled in school library certification programs and the use of ICTs in their school library education programs. Factors identified for discussion include the age of students enrolled in school library certification programs, the evolutionary process of ICT curricular integration, and perceived preparedness to integrate ICTs into instruction despite self-reported low competency levels with many of emerging technologies. Concluding comments encourage design of authentic and meaningful learning experiences that incorporate and promote the integrative use of ICTs in school library certification programs.     

日本庭审报道的取材自由及其法律边界

本文探讨日本法院权衡审判公开和审判公正之间复杂关系的经验得失。和美国等西方国家不同,日本更注重保障审判公正,因而对媒体在庭审中的摄像报道等取材行为设置了相对严格的限制。本文首先论述日本审判公开的传统限制及其发展,然后讨论1989年具有里程碑意义的"法庭笔记案"及其后的制度进展,最后探讨日本目前对庭审摄像与取材行为的规制。从日本近年来的发展趋势来看,审判公开是未来方向。在日本公众和新闻界的不懈努力下,日本法院最终将在审判公开和审判公正之间达到合理平衡。     

A case study of E-governance initiatives in India

Information communication technology (ICT) in government agencies as well as educational and research institutions facilitates an efficient, speedy and transparent dissemination of information to the public and other agencies for performance of government administration activities. The importance of ICT in governance has been recognized the world over. E-governance highlights several elements of good governance such as transparency, accountability, participation, social integration, public financial management reform and development. This study is based on research and personal interviews of selected representatives of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. The findings of this study highlight the role of Internet, particularly the World Wide Web (WWW), which has made it easier for citizens to locate and download official information and to conduct transactions. Information management agencies such as libraries and knowledge centres play a vital role in supporting transparent and accountable governance in this digital era. E-government needs to be integrated into the broader public management framework so as to make a substantial change in the government to citizen (G2C) relationship.