The Impact of Culture on the Adoption and Use of IT in the uAe: A study towards Bridging the Digital Divide Between the uAe and the Developed Countries

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Author(s): George Ditsa (Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa)and Saleh Alwahaishi (United Arab Emirates University, UAE)
Copyright: 2007
Pages: 5
Source title: Managing Worldwide Operations and Communications with Information Technology
Source Editor(s): Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A. (Information Resources Management Association, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-929-8.ch411
ISBN13: 9781599049298
EISBN13: 9781466665378

Keywords: Information Science Reference / IT Research & Theory / IT Research and Theory / Library & Information Science

Abstract

Culture is thought to be probably the most difficult to isolate, define and measure in the adoption and use of IT. Consequently the impact culture on the adoption and use of IT does not feature prominently in the literature. As cultural factors may be important to the success of IT adoption and use, this research project was aimed at a focused study of its impact on the adoption and use of IT in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The results of the study was compared along eight cultural dimensions and contrasted with a study (Hasan & Ditsa, 1997, 1999) on the adoption and use of IT in developing and developed countries. The results of this study were also used to identify issues of concern with the relationship of culture and IT and their implications for IT adoption and use in the UAE. The study results were further used to suggest ways of bridging the digital divide between the UAE and developed countries.

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