Technology at the Margins How IT Meets the Needs of Emerging Markets

by Chutani, Sailesh; Rothenberg Aalami, Jessica; Badshah, Akhtar; Yunus, M.

• ISBN13: 9780470639979
• ISBN10: 0470639970
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-12-07
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Remain competitive by offering more accessible, affordable, and relevant information technologies that meet mass-market needsTechnology at the Margins demonstrates that by making IT more accessible, affordable, and relevant, new mass markets can be opened. Based on solid insights generated in key areas of health, education, finance and the environment, the book offers practical recommendations and insights from world leaders, innovators, practitioners and new users of emergent technologies. Offers recommendations on how companies can ensure their own competitiveness by offering more accessible, affordable, and relevant information technologies to support mass market needs Suggests practical recommendations and insights from world leaders, innovators, practitioners and new users of emergent technologies Challenges businesses to rethink their uses of existing technologiesTechnology at the Margins will be of interest to decision makers in the private, public and nonprofit sectors who are interested in opportunities offered by IT in meeting the needs of those at the base of the worlds economic pyramid.

Author Biography

SAILESH CHUTANI is the cofounder and CEO of Mobisante, Inc. where his goal is to democratize access to healthcare by making diagnostics affordable and accessible. He was formerly a senior director for external research at Microsoft where he pioneered open innovation and funded seminal work in mHealth and technology for the emerging markets. Chutani has also held leadership roles in growing new businesses and products within companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, Microsoft, and Transarc Corporation.

JESSICA ROTHENBERG AALAMI is the Managing Director of the Gobee Group. Her teams provide research insights and field expertise to global businesses, governments, practitioners and their partners. As a research scholar affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE), she works extensively in social and economic development and global corporate social responsibility (GlobalCSR). She holds degrees in economic geography and international political economy.

AKHTAR BADSHAH is a Senior Director of Global Community Affairs at Microsoft, where he administers the company's global community investment and employee programs. He also manages the Microsoft Unlimited Potential Community Technology Skills Program, a global initiative designed to help narrow the technology skills gap; and Technology for Social Good that supports nonprofits with their technology needs. Badshah has been in the field of community development for over twenty-five years in various capacities in academia, nonprofits, and business.

Table of Contents

Microsoft Series Foreword

Preface

Information and Communication Technologies For Everyone: What Will This Mean?

Innovative Ways to Reach the Majority of the World

What Are the Barriers to Success?

Where Are We Today?

Summary Points

Notes

Healthcare: Where It Is Needed and When It Is Needed

World Health

Health Education

Health Administration and Management

Diagnosis and Prevention

Disease Surveillance and Information Gathering

Taking Stock

Steps to Take to Move into the Future

Summary Points

Notes

Outside the "Education Box"

Who's Getting an Education?

Breaking Down the Problem

Classroom ICT: A History of Unmet Expectations

Curriculum within Reach

Corporations Invest in ICT for Education

New Delivery Methods

Effective Mediation

What Is Known?

New Directions and Challenges Ahead

Summary Points

Notes

Microfinance: The Next Phase

Who Are the "Unbanked"?

Microfinance: Meeting Financial Needs of Poor Households

Microfinance Goes Beyond the "Lending Circle" Approach

Barriers to Microfinance

ICT Is Helping

Management Information Systems Now at the Core of Microfinance

Where Does Microfinance Go From Here?

Challenges

Summary Points

Notes

Feeding and Supporting the World in a Changing Environment

World of Limited Resources

Moving Science from Labs to the Field

Minimizing the Impact of Natural Disasters

Information Networks at the Disaster Site

Where Do We Go From Here?

Summary Points

Notes

Conclusion: Harnessing Disruption

Re-Imagining the Role of Experts

Re-Imagining the Role of Institutions

Re-Imagining Partnerships

Re-Imagining Business Models

Re-Imagining Research

Re-Imagining Our Biases

Re-Imagining Public Infrastructure

Looking Ahead

Notes

References

Index

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