The near-ubiquitous spread of ICT offers unprecedented opportunities for social and economic agents, reshapes social and economic structures and drives the emergence of socioeconomic networks. This book contributes to the growing body of literature and present state of knowledge, offering the reader broad evidence on how new information and communication technologies impact women's economic and social empowerment and hence have an impact on overall welfare creation. More specifically, it concentrates on demonstrating how ICT may become "empowering technologies" through their implementation. The book is designed to provide deep insight into the theoretical and empirical evidence on ICT as a significant driver of women`s social and economic development. Special focus is given to examining the following broad topics: channels of ICT impact on women's development; the role of ICT in enhancing women's active participation in formal labor markets; examples of how ICT encourages education, skills development, institutions development et alia, and thus contributes to women's social and economic empowerment, as well as case-based evidence on ICT's role in fostering women's equality. The primary audience for the book will be scholars and academic professionals from a wide variety of disciplines but mainly those who are concerned with addressing the issues of economic development and growth, social development, the role of technology progress in the context of broadly defined socioeconomic progress. Chapters 1 and 3 of this book are available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. They have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Pulling aside the curtain of 'Big Data' buzz, this book introduces C-suite and other non-technical senior leaders to the essentials of obtaining and maintaining accurate, reliable data, especially for decision-making purposes. Bad data begets bad decisions, and an understanding of data fundamentals - how data is generated, organized, stored, evaluated, and maintained - has never been more important when solving problems such as the pandemic-related supply chain crisis. This book addresses the data-related challenges that businesses face, answering questions such as: What are the characteristics of high-quality data? How do you get from bad data to good data? What procedures and practices ensure high-quality data? How do you know whether your data supports the decisions you need to make? This clear and valuable resource will appeal to C-suite executives and top-line managers across industries, as well as business analysts at all career stages and data analytics students.

Pulling aside the curtain of 'Big Data' buzz, this book introduces C-suite and other non-technical senior leaders to the essentials of obtaining and maintaining accurate, reliable data, especially for decision-making purposes. Bad data begets bad decisions, and an understanding of data fundamentals - how data is generated, organized, stored, evaluated, and maintained - has never been more important when solving problems such as the pandemic-related supply chain crisis. This book addresses the data-related challenges that businesses face, answering questions such as: What are the characteristics of high-quality data? How do you get from bad data to good data? What procedures and practices ensure high-quality data? How do you know whether your data supports the decisions you need to make? This clear and valuable resource will appeal to C-suite executives and top-line managers across industries, as well as business analysts at all career stages and data analytics students.

"I can’t think of a more acute observer of the wild Silicon Valley saga than Mike Malone. He has seen it all from up close."
–Tom Wolfe, author of A Man in Full and The Bonfire of the Vanities

"Mike Malone is to Silicon Valley what George Orwell was to the Spanish Civil War."
–Paul A. Gigot, Editorial Page Editor
The Wall Street Journal

"One hundred years from now, when people talk about Silicon Valley, they will be using Mike Malone’s words."
–Tom Siebel, Chairman and CEO, Siebel Systems

"Malone has done it again! By compiling these gems from the past, we can revisit his powerful insights for the future. Thank you, Mike Malone, for helping to shape this legend we call ‘The Valley!’"
–Dr. Eric Schmidt Chairman and CEO, Google, Inc.

"In an area that has had too much hype, Mike Malone consistently provides the provocative, penetrating analyses and insights that brilliantly withstand the test of time. He is an impeccable source of enlightenment."
–Steve Forbes, President and Editor in Chief
Forbes Inc.

"An absolutely fascinating insight into life in Silicon Valley. It’s a beautiful combination of history, gossip, insight, and anecdote. It reads like a modern John Aubrey."
–Anthony Hopwood, Dean
Said Business School, Oxford University

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. Presenting rigorous and original research, this volume offers key insights into the historical, cultural, social, economic and political forces at play in the creation of world-class ICT innovations in Kenya. Following the arrival of fiber-optic cables in 2009, Digital Kenya examines why the initial entrepreneurial spirit and digital revolution has begun to falter despite support from motivated entrepreneurs, international investors, policy experts and others. Written by engaged scholars and professionals in the field, the book offers 15 eye-opening chapters and 14 one-on-one conversations with entrepreneurs and investors to ask why establishing ICT start-ups on a continental and global scale remains a challenge on the "Silicon Savannah". The authors present evidence-based recommendations to help Kenya to continue producing globally impactful ICT innovations that improve the lives of those still waiting on the side-lines, and to inspire other nations to do the same.

This book is an impressive survey of our collective and cumulative understanding of the evolution of digital communication systems and the Internet. While the information societies of the twenty-first century will develop ever more sophisticated technologies, the Internet is now a familiar and pervasive part of the world in which we live, work, and communicate. As such it is important to take stock of some fundamental questions--whether, for example, it contributes to progress, social cohesion, democracy, and growth--and at the same time to review the rich and varied theories and perspectives developed by thinkers in a range of disciplines over the last fifty years or more.
In this remarkably comprehensive but concise and useful book, Robin Mansell summarizes key debates, and reviews the contributions of major thinkers in communication systems, economics, politics, sociology, psychology, and systems theory--from Norbert Wiener to Brian Arthur and Manuel Castells, and from Gregory Bateson to William Davidow and Sherry Turkle. This is an interdisciplinary and critical analysis of the way we experience the Internet in front of the screen, and of the developments behind the screen, all of which have implications for privacy, security, intellectual property rights, and the overall governance of the Internet.
The author presents fairly the ideas of the celebrants and the sceptics, and reminds us of the continuing need for careful, critical, and informed analysis of the paradoxes and challenges of the Internet, offering her own views on how we might move to greater empowerment, and suggesting policy measures and governance approaches that go beyond those commonly debated.
This concise book will be essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the challenges the Internet presents in the twenty-first century, and the debates and research that can inform that understanding.

This book examines the reasons why various groups around the world choose not to adopt broadband services and evaluates strategies to stimulate the demand that will lead to increased broadband use. It introduces readers to the benefits of higher adoption rates while examining the progress that developed and emerging countries have made in stimulating broadband demand. By relying on concepts such as a supply and demand gap, broadband price elasticity, and demand promotion, this book explains differences between the fixed and mobile broadband demand gap, introducing the notions of substitution and complementarity between both platforms. Building on these concepts, 'Driving Demand for Broadband Networks and Services' offers a set of best practices and recommendations aimed at promoting broadband demand. The broadband demand gap is defined as individuals and households that could buy a broadband subscription because they live in areas served by telecommunications carriers but do not do so because of either economic, limited awareness, or lack of digital literacy reasons. This grouping represents a range from 30% of the population in the US, 40% in Germany, and over 80% in most emerging countries. Research indicates that broadband usage is critical for social development, economic performance, and overall welfare and so it behoves governments to encourage demand. This study is the first of its kind to address the demand side of broadband diffusion, incorporating an economic analysis while offering real world examples of policies and initiatives that have successfully spurred demand in developed and emerging markets alike. This book is intended for policy makers, managers of telecommunications and other technology companies, as well as academics and graduate students in the areas of public policy, economic development, and technology management. This book is an eye-opener for policy makers. Traditionally ICT policy has focused on the supply side. Katz and Berry develop great ideas to leapfrog Internet penetration from the demand side, where the value of the Internet is. - Diego Molano Vega, Minister of Information Technologies and Communications of Colombia This book is an instant classic. It brilliantly and convincingly lays out the case why dealing with inadequate internet penetration has moved from the creation of supply to one of encouraging demand. It provides an information-rich and well-written presentation of the factors holding back people from becoming users, and offers a hugely valuable survey of the various programs around the world to make the broadband internet truly useful to people everywhere. It is the kind of book writers in this field will use constantly. - Eli Noam, Professor of Finance and Economics, Columbia Business School This new study by Katz and Berry examines the rationale for national broadband plans and the evidence for their success in driving demand. It presents the latest data on broadband in a range of case study countries, and provides best practice advice for policy-makers and development practitioners. - Dr Tim Kelly, Lead ICT Policy Specialist, World Bank

Ambient Assisted Living and Enhanced Living Environments: Principles, Technologies and Control separates the theoretical concepts concerning the design of such systems from their real-world implementations. For each important topic, the book bridges theory and practice, introducing the instruments needed by professionals in their activities. To this aim, topics are presented in a logical sequence, with the introduction of each topic motivated by the need to respond to claims and requirements from a wide range of AAL/ELE applications. The advantages and limitations of each model or technology are presented through concrete case studies for AAL/ELE systems. The book also presents up-to-date technological solutions to the main aspects regarding AAL/ELE systems and applications, a highly dynamic scientific domain that has gained much interest in the world of IT in the last decade. In addition, readers will find discussions on recent AAL/ELE technologies that were designed to solve some of the thorniest business problems that affect applications in areas such as health and medical supply, smart city and smart housing, Big Data and Internet of Things, and many more.

This edited volume provides deep insight into theoretical and empirical evidence on how digital technologies and high-tech brands are interrelated. It traces the mutual links between these two phenomena, identifies the multidimensionality of interdependencies, and shows the reader how and why new technologies are the driving factor of creation and global dissemination of high-tech brands. In this context, it also refers to various types of economic and social networks that, on the one hand, are the product of digital technologies, while on the other enforce global visibility of high-tech brands. The book contributes to the present state of knowledge, offering the reader broad evidence on how digital technologies impact the process of high-tech brands' nascence and how their growing role and global exposure influence the networked economies and societies. It sets out to deliver a bridge between brand management and economical approaches to understanding how digital technologies and high-tech brands are interrelated. This multidisciplinary approach creates a complex compilation of different views and perspectives that sheds new light on the high-tech brands' phenomena of being an input and output of technology-driven economies. Technology Brands in the Digital Economy is written for scholars and researchers from a wide variety of disciplines but especially for those addressing issues of brands and economic development and growth, social development and the role of technological progress in broadly defined socio-economic progress. It will also be an invaluable source of knowledge for graduate and postgraduate students in a variety of areas such as economic and social development, information and technology, worldwide studies, social policy, or comparative economics.

Although the computer software industry is growing rapidly and is of increasing importance for the international competitiveness of other high-technology industries and national economies, it has received surprisingly little attention from scholars. Data on employment, sales, and industry structure for the software industry are rare, and public statistical agencies do not provide reliable, internationally comparable data.
The International Computer Software Industry offers the first comprehensive, cross-national analysis of the origins, structure, and competitive strengths of the U.S., Japanese, British, Western European, and Russian computer software industries. In addition to chapters dealing with each of these industries, the volume examines in detail the role of U.S. government policy in supporting the emergence of the U.S. software industry, the interaction between software and hardware in technology commercialization, and the changing structure and influence of intellectual property rights within the industry.
This edited volume contains research conducted by a group of international experts in the software industry. It will be essential reading for managers and analysts in the software industry, along with scholars and students of technology and of the computer software industry.

Digital transformation is no longer news. It is a necessity. Sunil Gupta, head of the digital transformation practice at Harvard Business School, provides a framework for large organizations to think through where and how to begin their transformation.

Traditional boundaries of industries no longer define competition; businesses have to deal with partners who are both friends and enemies; competitive advantage does not come from low-cost or product differentiation strategies; how companies create and capture value is dramatically changing. This book shows how to rethink the four fundamental pillars of business to reinvent business for this new world. Business leaders, Gupta argues, need to reexamine four fundamental aspects of their business to thrive in the digital era--their business strategy, their value chain, their customers, and their organization.

The book addresses questions that arise as companies navigate through this transition and provides a road map for this transformation. Filled with rich case studies and deep analysis, it shows how established firms can mitigate the threat as well as leverage the opportunities in the digital era.

In 1998, when Amazon.com began to recruit employees, they gave temp agencies a simple directive: send us your freaks. Mike Daisey -- slacker, onetime aesthetics major -- fit the bill. His subsequent ascension, over the course of twenty-one dog years, from lowly temp to customer service representative to business development hustler is the stuff of both dreams and nightmares. Here, with lunatic precision, Daisey describes lightless cube farms in which book orders were scrawled on Post-its while technicians struggled to bring computers back online, as well as fourteen-hour days fueled by caffeine, fanaticism, and illicit day-trading from office desks made out of doors.

You'll meet Warren, the cowboy of customer service, capable of verbally hog-tying even the most abusive customer; Amazon employee #5, a computer gamer who spends at least six hours a day locked in his office killing goblins but is worth a cool $300 million; and Jean-Michele, Daisey's girlfriend and sparring partner, who tries to keep him grounded, even as dot-com mania seduces them both.

Punctuated by Daisey's hysterically honest fictional missives to CEO Jeff Bezos, 21 Dog Years is an epic story of greed, self-deception, and heartbreak -- a wickedly funny anthem to an era of bounteous stock options and boundless insanity.

ITIL(R) 4 is the latest evolution of the leading best-practice framework for ITSM (IT service management). It has been significantly updated from ITIL v3 and addresses new ITSM challenges, includes new technologies and incorporates new ways of working. ITIL(R) Foundation Essentials ITIL 4 Edition is the ultimate revision guide for candidates preparing for the ITIL 4 Foundation exam. It is fully aligned with the Foundation course syllabus and gives a clear and concise overview of the facts. Whether you are taking an ITIL 4 Foundation training course or are a self-study candidate, new to the framework or looking to upgrade your ITIL 2011 certification, this guide is the essential companion. It: Provides definitions of the key terms and concepts used in ITIL 4; Presents detailed information in clear, user-friendly and easy-to-follow ways through tables, bullet points and diagrams; and Explains the key figures and diagrams in the ITIL syllabus. This second edition has been updated to align with amendments to the ITIL(R) 4 Foundation syllabus, including: Replacing 'change control' with 'change enablement' throughout; The removal of 'IT' from the definition of a change; and Updating definitions for customer, sponsor and user. Start preparing for your ITIL Foundation exam - order your copy today. ITIL(R) is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved. This book is an official AXELOS licensed product.

Drawing on a unique study of Australian advertising agencies at the dawn of the digital era, this book provides a hitherto unexplored study of the advertising industry at a point of its disruption. By exploring the dynamic interaction between this established but complacent industry, and a radically new communication medium, this book reveals how advertising agencies were forced to change fundamentally, yet as an industry helped shape the digital economy, and the platforms that dominate it. Based on contemporary reports, company archives, personal archives, and over 50 interviews with past and current advertising practitioners across the range of agency departments, this unique historical narrative reveals how power shifts between agencies, advertisers, and other media platforms forged the current models of advertiser-funded digital media. For scholars of marketing, media, communication, and contemporary history, this is an illuminating perspective on the early impact of the digital revolution and its relevance to the media landscape today.

India has become a highly visible participant in the information communication technology (ICT) industry. Since the 1990s, it has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world, emerging as the most watched test of global capitalism. The contributors to this volume examine how the ICT-driven development of India appears to have skipped the middle stages of the traditional economic development models and leapfrogged directly to the final stage whereby growth is mostly technologically driven. Information Communication Technology and Economic Development reveals new insights regarding the complex process of globalization. It shows how the generation and circulation of intellectual capital in the US and India in ICT have led to greater productivity in the US while facilitating the economic development of India. Most industrialized nations now see the vast intellectual capital-based services that India provides at extremely competitive rates as key to their own national competitiveness in the global arena. The contributors' findings suggest that India's ICT-led growth will accelerate in the next ten years, launching India as a major global economic power next to the US and China. This provocative and timely volume will be a necessary read for students and scholars of international business, public policy, economic development, management and strategy as well as all those interested in the impact of globalization on national and regional economies.

This book provides a detailed insight into the current state of journalism and its future challenges It brings together a global team of authors to review and analyse emerging practices in the automated digital scenario through which journalism is being reshaped, such as novel languages, storytelling forms, and business models It provides a much-needed review of the field to apprehend the knowledge and experience acquired and offers an up-to-date overview of digital journalism today, outlining those trends pointing to the future of journalism practice and media in the online sphere The book takes a multidisciplinary and international approach to the topic, and delves into the main technological changes that digital journalism has recently faced, closely related to digital native media, novel storytelling forms, social media, innovation, television broadcasting, new media management structures and procedures, content automation, fact-checking, web analytics, and social audiences Offering new insights into this fast-developing area, this volume will be an engaging and vital resource for media professionals and researchers in journalism and communication studies, as well as those interested in contemporary journalism practice and communication technology

This book is the second part of Applications and Trends in Fintech, which serves as a comprehensive guide to the advanced topics in fintech, including the deep learning and natural language processing algorithms, blockchain design thinking, token economics, cybersecurity, cloud computing and quantum computing, compliance and risk management, and global fintech trends. Readers will gain knowledge about the applications of fintech in finance and its latest developments as well as trends.This fifth volume covers global fintech trends and emerging technologies such as cloud computing and quantum computing, as well as the compliance and risk management frameworks for fintech companies. Together with the first part in applications and trends (fourth volume), these two books will deepen readers' understanding of the fintech fundamentals covered in previous volumes through various applications and analysis of impacts and trends.Bundle set: Global Fintech Institute-Chartered Fintech Professional Set I

Today, over 500,000 medical technologies are available in hospitals, homes, and community care settings. They range from simple bandages to complex, multi-part body scanners that cost millions of dollars to develop. Yet a typical technology has a lifecycle of just 21 months before an improved product usurps it-the healthcare ecosystem is rapidly advancing and driven by a constant flow of innovation. And those innovations need innovators. With $21 billion made available for investment in the digital healthcare industry in 2020 (a 20x increase on 2010), entrepreneurs, investors, and related actors are entering the healthcare ecosystem in greater numbers than ever before. Last year alone, over 17,000 medical technology patents were filed, the third highest of all patent types. Each of those has a dedicated team of entrepreneurs behind it. Yet with increasingly strict regulations and pharmaceutical giants growing more aggressive, many thousands of entrepreneurs fail before even the patent stage: just 2% secure revenue or adoption. Healthtech Innovation: How Entrepreneurs Can Define and Build the Value of Their New Products is a down-to-earth survival guide for entrepreneurs struggling to secure a strategic position within the healthtech ecosystem. Which is expected that by 2026, the global digital health market size will be around $657 billion. This book is designed to help innovators navigate this complex and newly volatile landscape. It covers business strategy, marketing, funding acquisition, and operation in a global regulatory context. It is written in simple language, evidenced by the latest academic and industry research, and explained using real-world examples and case studies.

The banking and finance sectors are relevant shares of modern economies and indeed drivers of growth in emerging economies. The majority of existing economic and finance textbooks focus on concepts and theories with briefly exposited real-world examples for illustration. This book, which collects chapters that are the contributions of the acknowledged experts in their fields, fills this gap by featuring in-depth analyses on prominent real-world topics in banking and finance. The book's applications of econometrics present insightful perspectives on the recent development of banking issues, stock market contagion, the impact of internet technology (IT) on stock markets, financial innovation and technology firms, and an international perspective on the loan puzzle and interest rate adjustment in emerging markets. In addition to exhaustive case studies on banking and finance in India, Hong Kong, Japan, and other Asian emerging markets, the authors coherently contribute an intellectual advancement of contemporary issues in banking and finance literature. The authors offer an essential reading and source of reference for postgraduate and advanced undergraduate courses in economics and finance.

Written by an author that has real world experience in launching a cyber consulting company. Comprehensive coverage ranging all the way from the legal formation to be used to which segment of the Cybersecurity Industry should be targeted. Explains how CISOs can market their services and get key customers.

Written by an author that has real world experience in launching a cyber consulting company. Comprehensive coverage ranging all the way from the legal formation to be used to which segment of the Cybersecurity Industry should be targeted. Explains how CISOs can market their services and get key customers.