Improving diffusion of Information Technology in communities in a developing world context

摘要

Diffusion of information technology in a developing world context is difficult due to the fact that most of the targeted communities are in market neglect environments. Market neglect environments are characterised by a failure of the market to make an impact. In these environments the client base is marginalised, small or with low economic power. Consequently, the prospect for immediate return on investment or profit in the short or medium term is low in these environments. Software development for market neglect areas faces a number of unique challenges while still needing to produce products of high quality, on budget and on time. Traditional software methodologies have been applied in these areas with limited success, but due to the unique challenges within these areas, it has become apparent that a new or adapted software methodology is needed to ensure the effective diffusion of technology in market neglect communities. In this paper, we aim to pin down the unique problems experienced when developing for market neglect areas and to identify tools and methods required in a software development methodology to address these problems in order to improve the diffusion of information technology in market neglect areas.