Hakikur Rahman | Ansted University (original) (raw)

Papers by Hakikur Rahman

… of research on e-government readiness …, Jan 1, 2010

Innovation and globalization are the two essential components of economic achievement. The Intern... more Innovation and globalization are the two essential components of economic achievement. The Internet is the catalyst and its emerging forms are assisting in this aspect. But, due to the global economic crisis, nations and enterprises are facing challenges. Those challenges include social, cultural, economical and political contexts. To overcome, all entities jointly and, or individually are trying through various policies, strategies and activities. Furthermore, the transformation of technologies has also transformed those strategies and approaches through the years. The main focus of this paper emphasizes on agents of transformation in OECD region to find open innova-tion in entrepreneurships leading to establishment of a knowledge based economy. This paper has found a few of the strategies that are acting as the agents of these transformations deducting from several exhaustive reports made by the OECD Secretariat. The paper has also reviewed extant literatures, including classical and relevant contributions supporting the hypothesis. The research observes that during this period (1999-2011) open innovation strategies have been transformed towards the knowledge based economy. In this aspect, the paper has synthesized a few key ele-ments of the transformation ranging from human resources to venture capital to patenting. Before concluding on the research findings, the paper has tried to develop a research framework in rela-tion to the agents of transformation.

The global economy is increasingly becoming dependent on ICT systems, while developing countries ... more The global economy is increasingly becoming dependent on ICT systems, while developing countries are critically operating under lack of e-readiness, newly evolved constraints, open competition, and unsteady sustainability policies. Infrastructure, content and human capacity are rapidly expanding through increased participation of private sector investment, though not with enough benefits to the marginal communities in rural regions. Information management technology plays a critical role in facilitating the flow of information, knowledge, and lessons learned among different communication tiers within the society. However, the infrastructure needs to be designed to meet the requirements for mass dissemination of useful information to the community.

The increasing international interest in the potential of ICT as a tool for fostering sustainable human development has been reflected in a series of activities, and accelerated by a number of events, like the G8 2000 meet in Tokyo, WSSD Johannesburg Summit in 2002, and WSIS Geneva Summit in 2003. These series of international conferences, attended by experts from developed countries, have become interactive and open dialogue platforms for discussing the differences in access and use of the information technologies in developed and developing countries.

Though the focus and attention to this issue have not been underestimated globally, the efforts and measures have not yet been harmonized by the volume of actual resources dedicated to abridge the existing differences. A concerted effort to overcome the digital divide needs to be undertaken. The digital divide should not be treated as a single parameter within itself; rather it is a product of other more entrenched divides, social and economic. Information technology should be taken as the premier strategic instrument to address these fundamental demarcations by forming an integrated, multi-spurred approach by incorporating information-driven changes within and across developing countries and regions. ICT can potently serve as an inter-active, specifically designed and mutually supportive element in diversified socio-economic development efforts.

Developing countries and especially the least developed countries (LDCs), have yet to attain measurable socio-economic benefits out of ICT. Development of this sector has often been hindered by a combination of outdated infrastructure, relatively high telecommunication costs, inappropriate technology policies, absence of skilled professionals and the intricate culture of information interchange. With these views and practices, many of these nations could not able to be the forerunner in the global market and compete with their more fortunate neighbors.

Due to the uneven and scanty penetration of fixed telephone and the availability of computer in rural and other disadvantaged regions, information is not readily available there except through mono-directional media. Radio, TV and print media are widely used as the means of sharing information. They are not interactive and the information provided is driven by the publisher, rather than by the end user. The Internet has the potential to change this paradigm entirely.

However, the sustainable development processes should accommodate the advancement of equitable and environmentally sustainable policies with strengthened economic, political, and socio-cultural capabilities of people to support the democratic evolution and economic liberalization. The development strategies should comprise of human resource development; gender equity; infrastructure development/up-gradation; e-governance; private sector entrepreneurship enhancement; and environment awareness, focusing utilization of information technologies for the advancement of the marginal communities.

Despite global apprehensions and interventions to reduce digital divide, gap of technology is bro... more Despite global apprehensions and interventions to reduce digital divide, gap of technology is broadening at the periphery. Electronic divide is widening between developed and developing countries; between reached and un-reached in even inside the developing countries. About 218 million of world population uses English (45%) as their medium of communication, while 266 million uses other languages (55%). But, the first cluster is representing a community of English spoken countries of about 500 million (44%) and the other cluster is representing the rest of the global population of nearly 5600 million (5%) (Global Reach 2001). It has been estimated that by the end of 2001, there will be 1 billion Internet users, but statistics reveals that, the users are comprised of predominantly male (61%), affluent (with annual household income of around 6000USD), median age (age group of around 38), better educated (64% are graduates) and skilled personnel (manager, educator, professionals) (eStats, 1997).To narrow down the extended gap there needs an integrated global, national and local approach in disciplined methodologies and through long term policy initiatives. This paper is focusing on one of the global initiative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) taken in accordance to Rio Summit in 1992 and pilot projects were instigated in more than 38 countries, especially in developing countries to formulate instrumentation and implications for digital balance.Sustainable Development Networking Program (SDNP), the UNDP inventiveness in Bangladesh has been established in 1998 to promote Awareness and Advocacy on digital communications by enabling civil society for easy access to information and knowledge and to create an appropriate IT-based mechanism for facilitating exchange of information/ knowledge among policy makers, the civil society, academia and development partners, both nationally and internationally, to support initiatives and processes of sustainable development in the country.One of the methodologies for developing the SDN in Bangladesh is to establish a not-for-profit Internet Service Provider (ISP) having a central hub in Dhaka. Regional nodes will be established in Barisal, Chittagong, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, and Sylhet through a combination of systems that include Local Area Network, Wide Area Network, Radio/Microwave links, Fiber optics, and Online VSAT/ Broadband links. Subscribers to the SDNP have been given access to standard Internet services (http://www.sdnbd.org) as well as to databases restrained at different servers located throughout the country.Main objective of SDNP is to provide a gateway of digital communication to the grass root people residing at the remotest end, where the technology support could be extended through indigenous methods and instruments, provided that the media of communication would be easily available and affordable. By establishing tele-centres at potentially important places across the cross-country, would be a pilot programme of this project, and using the information backbone, users can avail email and Internet facilities as initial start up. Eventually, these tele-centres will be transformed to information centres as community based resource warehouse and Internet access would become a right to those remote wanderers.

During the last years Internet subscriber has been increased by manifolds in the United States, Europe and Asia. Though in recent years Asia has been emerged as a potential Internet market, but, real implication at the remote end has not been seen any significant achievement.

In the context of the Sub-continent, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and specially Nepal has achieved success in IT initiatives and drawn an increasingly number of Internet subscribers in recent years.

It has been estimated that by the end of 2001, there will be 1 billion Internet users, but statistics reveals that, the users are comprised of predominantly male (61%), affluent (with annual household income of around 6000USD), median age (age group of around 38), better educated (64% are graduates) and skilled personnel (manager, educator, professionals) (eStats 97).

These figures would not have been improved much if the typical Internet user's profile can be obtained in 2001. However, it is a motivating fact that majority of Internet users use the media for gathering news/information, e-mail and research purposes. Internet usage for e-commerce has been found as the lowest in the demand.

To reduce the digital divide integrated approach is needed to establish tele-centres at the grass root level. A few programmes as pilot projects have been working in this aspect, but national drive is needed to put potential thrust for mass information generation and dissemination at the remote end for establishing knowledge networks. The paper has been focusing on different ICT initiatives to apprehend activists in this part of the world to participate and formulate policy issues, including performance of diversified tasks to extend knowledge networking among the Internet unreached.

Methodologies involving issues to empower remotely distributed communities localized with sub-sta... more Methodologies involving issues to empower remotely distributed communities localized with sub-standard information backbone are still in demand of imperative attention from the policy initiation level in each country. Especially, nations with constricted global Internet bandwidth, rustic social condition, not properly managed information networks, unnecessary preconditions in formulating action plans and related agenda, and the least not many exalted perseverance at the national level. Particular attention should be given to grass-root level participants in formulating non-conventional approaches to elucidate on demand driven content by articulating marginal communities in homogeneous coherence, and at the same time emulating to multifarious conjunctures of socio-economic elements.
Efforts have been given in this paper in synthesizing contents dependent on technologies, meant for distant mode of education, and analytical approaches are rendered with synopsis from condign illustrations around the continent to develop a pragmatic repository of education system. A system of collaborative learning meant for future generations, but to be dedicated specifically for marginal communities.

With presumptions that e-government theories prevail in various formats and concepts around the g... more With presumptions that e-government theories prevail in various formats and concepts around the globe, nations and institutions, not many examples are there to emulate in terms of developing a framework of e-governance system at the outer periphery of the government tiers. However, surprisingly till date most of the e-government programs in the country of implementation, or e-government research at the research institution could not be taken as granted, and foremost many of them could not come out as a major accomplishment. This research would like to carry out a comprehensive analysis on various theories built around the e-governance concept, and put forward a future e-government system at the local government level.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) mediated learning provides utilities for achievin... more Information and Communications Technology (ICT) mediated learning provides utilities for achieving goal of education for all, and in turn acts as an enabler in reducing the digital divide, plummeting poverty and promoting socio-economic empowerment. But, the integration of ICTs in education deserves considerable investment in terms of time and resources. Consequently, during planning to integrate ICTs in evidence-based information for making sound decisions by the end users calls for extensive research and sharing of critical information along different phases of planning. Furthermore, implementation of ICT based learning demands in-depth analysis and intelligent feedback from the processes.

To achieve the real success in ICT mediated learning, there need to clarify major issues surrounding its management, as well as try to adapt best practices in the developed and developing world. Glimpse of hopes are there that global leaders are demonstrating notable achievements by combining technology with new ways of management through which learning can be made much more effective, efficient, and affordable.

However, technology does not improve learning in a straight way and the fundamental question remains always unanswered, in assessing the effectiveness of ICTs or assessing the effectiveness of instructional treatments that were initially (and effectively) less than perfect. The realizations of ICTs on societies remain ambitious, far-reaching and uneven.

Title: Open Innovation in SMEs: From closed boundaries to networked paradigm Successful innovat... more Title: Open Innovation in SMEs: From closed boundaries to networked paradigm

Successful innovation is a key to business growth. In the realm of technological development, innovation processes have been transformed into various forms, like open innovation, crowdsourcing innovation, or collaborative innovation. This research would like to focus on open innovation processes to reach out to the common stakeholders in the entrepreneurship system through small and medium enterprises. It has been observed that to provide innovative services or products to the outer periphery of the customer chain, SMEs play an important role. Hence, focusing innovation for SMEs would lead to a newer dimension of innovation research for better business and economic growth. The research emphasizes on various open innovation strategies for SMEs at the outset by focusing transformation of innovation processes from a closed boundary leading to a networked paradigm, try to provide some overview on a few innovation strategies, and develop a business model. The paper also discusses about some challenges and barriers that SMEs are facing in implementing open innovation strategies. Before conclusion, it put forwards issues of future research.

Title: Information Retrieval under Constricted Bandwidth Situations With advances in informatio... more Title: Information Retrieval under Constricted Bandwidth Situations

With advances in information infrastructures, importance of information retrieval from large databases with increased storage capacity is becoming popular. Though cost of bandwidth is decreasing continuously, but affordability is still restricted only in specialized regions, thus leading to constricted bandwidth in most part of the globe. Apart from storage capacity and bandwidth, there arises a need to establish an efficient information extraction system. This can be achieved through fair use of algorithms, computationally efficient search engines and intelligent user interfaces. This paper focuses on a few information retrieval techniques, especially dependent on huge data sets and constricted bandwidth situations. The paper has tried to develop a dynamic approach utilizing adoptive algorithm.

As nations continue to conceptualize, adopt, implement and monitor their respective information a... more As nations continue to conceptualize, adopt, implement and monitor their respective information and communications technologies (ICTs) policies and e-strategies, it is vital that a critical assessment is undertaken on their effective progress. This includes analysis of strategies, ...

"In recent years, data mining has become a powerful tool in assisting society with its vario... more "In recent years, data mining has become a powerful tool in assisting society with its various layers and individual elements useful in obtaining intelligent information for making knowledgeable decisions. In the realm of knowledge discovery, data mining is becoming one of the most popular topics in information technology. Social and Political Implications of Data Mining: Knowledge Management in E-Government focuses on the data mining and knowledge management implications that lie within online government. This significant reference book contains cases on improvement of governance system, enhancement of security techniques, upgrade of social service sectors, and foremost empowerment of citizens and societies – a valuable added asset to academicians, researchers, and practitioners. "

IT For Regional Areas. Using IT: Making IT Happen, …, Jan 1, 2003

Revolutionary advances in information and communication technology (ICT) with reinforcement in ec... more Revolutionary advances in information and communication technology (ICT) with reinforcement in economic and social climates are transforming the global communities. A new kind of dynamism - the information dynamics - is emerging where communities are global and becoming ...

the Encyclopedia of distance learning, Jan 1, 2005

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are often promoted as central to reviving and s... more Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are often promoted as central to reviving and sustaining regional communities. Apart from these, the revolutionary feature of modern ICTsmainly the Internet and mobile telephonyfacilitate low cost and speedy ...

Learning is considered as one of the potential tool to empower a community. Over the past three d... more Learning is considered as one of the potential tool to empower a community. Over the past three decades, technology mediated learning has been recognized as an alternate channel replacing/ supporting/ strengthening the traditional forms of education in various forms, ...

International Journal of Information Communication …, Jan 1, 2009

Despite the immense popularity and potency of electronic government, it is remain uncharted in ma... more Despite the immense popularity and potency of electronic government, it is remain uncharted in many countries regarding proper implementation at the local government level. However, technologies possess the prospect of improvement in the way government works, and ...