Adoption and diffusion patterns of FOSS in Jamaican SMEs: A study of perceptions, attitudes and barriers

As far as developing countries are concerned, over the last decade two trends have been highlighted as conduits for economic growth and development: the expanding use of information and communication technology (ICT), and the survival and competitiveness of small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs). With the onset of the knowledge economy, where economic growth is increasingly dependent on a country’s capacity to create, process, accumulate and disseminate knowledge, together with the accelerated pace of globalization, companies that are slow to adopt ICT as an integral part of their business operations and capabilities, or adapt to the increased competitive dynamics and complexity of the way modern business is conducted, will find it difficult to survive. Newer technologies, especially the internet with its ubiquitous character, have resulted in easier access to and lower costs of ICT. As such, information and communications technologies for development (ICT4D) have been widely touted as a means to accelerate development in countries and competitiveness in organizations, in particular SMEs.

Related Subject(s): Environment and Climate Change

Countries: Jamaica