Exploring the potential of new technologies to facilitate economic empowerment in developing countries a focus on online networking

摘要

2 billion people across the globe have now access to the internet. More than 900 million are using Facebook. In developing countries as well, web connectivity and usage of new, online services are changing the way individuals, companies and governments interact, exchange and trade.In particular, the emergence of social networks entails the opportunity to explore new ways of doing business. It promises to make the access and exchange of business information and knowledge more efficient and thus allow entrepreneurs who operate in challenging institutional environments to succeed in scaling up their businesses.Social networks, however, have not become a panacea to solve economic development issues and their sustainability is not guaranteed if they do not meet specific success criteria. This paper will look at different examples of business-oriented social networks. It will analyse their strengths and weaknesses and suggest ways to leverage the networking power of the internet to foster remote capacity building of managers in developing countries by experts working on a pro-bono basis