Technology at the margins : how IT meets the needs of emerging markets

Technology 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 technologies

Technology 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 Notes

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.

Foreword	p. xiii
Preface	p. xvii
Chapter 1 Information and Communication Technologies for Everyone	p. 1
Innovative Ways to Reach the Majority of the World	p. 1
What Are the Barriers to Success?	p. 7
Where Are We Today?	p. 8
Summary Points	p. 26
Notes	p. 26
Chapter 2 Health Care: Where and When It Is Needed	p. 29
World Health	p. 29
Health Education	p. 35
Health Administration and Management	p. 40
Telemedicine	p. 43
Diagnosis and Prevention	p. 45
Disease Surveillance and Information Gathering	p. 51
Taking Stock	p. 53
Steps to Take to Move into the Future	p. 55
Summary Points	p. 58
Notes	p. 59
Chapter 3 Outside the "Education Box"	p. 61
Who's Getting an Education?	p. 61
Breaking Down the Problem	p. 63
Classroom ICT: A History of Unmet Expectations	p. 67
Curriculum within Reach	p. 68
Corporations Invest in ICT for Education	p. 71
New Delivery Methods	p. 73
Effective Mediation	p. 77
What Is Known?	p. 78
New Directions and Challenges Ahead	p. 79
Summary Points	p. 83
Notes	p. 84
Chapter 4 Microfinance: The Next Phase	p. 87
Who Are the "Unbanked"?	p. 87
Microfinance: Meeting Financial Needs of Poor Households	p. 88
Microfinance Goes Beyond the "Lending Circle" Approach	p. 90
Barriers to Microfinance	p. 92
ICT Is Helping	p. 94
Management Information Systems Now at the Core of Microfinance	p. 102
Where Does Microfinance Go from Here?	p. 105
Challenges	p. 107
Summary Points	p. 108
Notes	p. 109
Chapter 5 Supporting the World in a Changing Environment	p. 111
World of Limited Resources	p. 111
Moving Science from Labs to the Field	p. 113
Minimizing the Impact of Natural Disasters	p. 125
Where Do We Go from Here?	p. 131
Summary Points	p. 132
Notes	p. 132
Chapter 6 Conclusion: Harnessing Disruption	p. 135
Reimagining the Role of Experts	p. 136
Reimagining the Role of Institutions	p. 137
Reimagining Partnerships	p. 138
Reimagining Business Models	p. 139
Reimagining Research	p. 140
Reimagining Our Biases	p. 141
Reimagining Public Infrastructure	p. 142
Looking Ahead	p. 142
Notes	p. 143
References	p. 145
Index	p. 157

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Table of Contents