1. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 1 ICT 4 Development: An Empirical Investigation of Determinants of Information Systems Capability By John Ahwere-Bafo (Ghana) Royal Holloway University of London

2. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 2 Background

3. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 3 Background Ghana: an independent country from 1957 Punctuated military rule for most years Back to democratic rule since 1993 Ghana as a developing country: economic metrics & value-labels

4. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 4 Background An African country thirsty for development IT/IS becomes the ‘new hope’ Are Firms in Ghana responding positively? What are the ingredients for successful IS Capability in Ghana?

5. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 5 Research Strategy using Path Analysis

6. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 6 Theoretical Model Figure 2: Strategic Choice Theory (1972) in action in a Technology Transfer Firm (Hrebiniak and Joyce, 1984)

7. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 7 Theoretical Model- Other Possibilities Upper Echelons theory (Hambrick & Mason, 1984) Institutional Theory (Meyer & Rowan,1977) Contingency Theory (Katz and Kahn (1978); Yutchtman & Seashore (1967); Jones (1998); Lieberson & O’Connor (1972); Pfeffer (1977)

8. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 8 Justifications for Strategic Choice Theory Organising phenomenon (Lake & Powell, 1999) Sharpens the logic of theories Unit of analysis Reconciles philosophies

9. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 9 Literature Review Mode with most benefits: Mythical Claims? Perceived wisdom: Licensing is better (Radosevic,1996; Pack & Saggi, 1997)

10. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 10 Data Collection Methods Survey at the firm level Archival Analysis Semi-structured interviews

11. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 11 Data Collection: Survey Sample Sources About 1000 questionnaires distributed Response rate estimated at 35% N=349 final usable responses Non-response bias is insignificant

12. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 12 Reliability Scale Correlations & Factor Analysis (sig. p<.000) (Kerlinger, 1978) Cronbach’s alpha above 94% constructs and variables Hypothesis testing: multiple linear regression function

13. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 13 Findings- Model Building (Parsimony) Model 1: –72% of IS Capability is explained by at least one of the four constructs Model 2: –78% of ISC is explained by at least one of the five variables Reject Null Hypothesis Therefore the proposed model fits very well.

14. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 14 Findings- Research Model User Involvement L1+L2+L3+L4+L5+L6 +L7+L8+L9+L10+L11 +L12 T1+T2+T3+T4+T5 +T6+T7+T8+T9+T 10+T11+T12+T13 I1+I2+I3+I4+I5+I6 +I7+I8 S1+S2+S3+S4+S 5+S6+S7+S8+S9 +S10 Organ Learning Training Management Support IS Capability = 21.103 +.095 EUI +.107 ITT +.504 OL +.097 Softexp +.074 Edu +.070 LS IS Capability Y obs = b 0 +b 1 X 1 +b 2 X 2 +b 3 X 3 +b 4 X 4 +… b n X n + E C1+C2+C3+C4+C5+C6+ C7+C8+C9+ C10+C11+C11+C12 Dummy Variables: age, gender, softexp, organ, sector, workexp, joblevel, educ, expertise, training methods, employstatus

15. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 15 Conclusions & Policy Implications Software Mode is Irrelevant Top priority for Ghanaians are: –Knowledge sharing, –IT training, –Software experience, –End-user involvement, –Education –Management support Over reliance on donor support for ICT-led growth Ghana govt’s role is limited Lack of encouragement of local software start ups

16. ewb2007 Abu Dhabi Feb. 25- 27 2007 16 Wider Implications: Poverty Reduction & Development Ewb2007 is a winner IT Training Education! Education!!, Education!!! Democracy is a winner Strong and Proactive Govt involvement in ICT4Devt Govt to think global and act local