Impact of high-speed broadband on innovation in rural firms^*

* Sajda Qureshi is the accepting Editor-in-Chief for this article.

ABSTRACT

Innovation has emerged as a critical area in the information technology (IT) for development literature. In particular, there has been on an increased focus on innovation through high-speed broadband on rural businesses. However, unlike existing studies that have predominantly explored the role of telecentres, this research responds to growing calls to focus on the under-researched area of the impact of broadband on rural firms in boosting their innovation capabilities. Consequently, this study contributes to theory development by extending the capability approach from the predominant individual focus to the organizational level by incorporating dynamic capability models to explore development within broader systems. Specifically, it integrates the impact of relevant factors including IT competence and digital options on agility and competitive actions, which in turn influence innovation and overall firm performance. The study is useful to policy-makers in allocating IT investments and evaluating the subsequent impact in their innovation endeavors.

KEYWORDS:

• Innovation
• IT
• innovation capability
• rural firms
• dynamic capabilities
• high-speed broadband

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Giselle Rampersad is an Associate Professor at the College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University (Australia). She holds a PhD from the University of Adelaide Business School (Australia), an MSc in E-Business and Internet Systems from Durham University (UK) and a BSc in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago). Her current research interests include innovation management and policy. Her work has been published in leading international journals including the Journal of Engineering and Technology Management and the Journal of Computer Information Systems. She has edited a book on Information Technology, Development and Social Change and another on Technology Innovation Leadership in Development.

Indrit Troshani is an Associate Professor at the Adelaide Business School, University of Adelaide (Australia). Indrit's research lies at the intersection of business and technology, specifically focusing on the adoption and institutionalisation of technology and the reflexive impacts between technology, and business and broader society. Indrit's research has been published in many journals including Journal of Computer Information Systems, Information Technology & People, Accounting and Business Research, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal and the European Journal of Innovation Management. Indrit serves in the Editorial Board of many journals and is an Associate Editor at the International Journal of Accounting Information Systems.

Notes

* Sajda Qureshi is the accepting Editor-in-Chief for this article.