WSIS Follow Up

"Real" global activities on the information society are rather rare these days. In many cases, the Western world initiates events which are supposed to be "global" with a lack of input from developing countries...however, there are some events which should be observed quite closely-

WSIS Follow Up: The 2nd World Summit on the Information Society was held in Tunis in 2005 - it was quite an impressive event, bringing together stakeholders across the globe. But does it really have an impact? Well, the decision of the summit which cause most attention was about the internet domain administration but there are a number of activities which deserve some attention.

Especially the fields "access to information and knowledge" and "e-learning" are quite interesting - I recommend to check the activities on http://www.itu.int/wsis/follow-up/index.html
At least this might be helpful to see how other countries deal with information and corresponding systems as well as policies.

Lets see what is next on the agenda....

Global Reports and public perception

In a recent discussion with several colleagues, we have discussed how to explore a "new country", meaning that you start to work together with other people in a project / team / collarboration. Well, this is not exact research but those were some of the strategies:

• I ask people who have already been there
• I check travel guides and cultural guides
• I just browse the internet for information sources
• I consult experts and consultants
• I hire an expert
• I will find out once I get there
• No strategy

Well, is this enough to be prepared? How do we get "the right information"? One strategy we discussed in particular was browsing comparisons and global reports - and this seems to determine the main attitudes and perceptions about a country.
Just some examples:
World Economic Forum: The Global IT Report or the Global Competitiveness Report
OECD: Education at a glance and the PISA studies
Other Sources like the often discussed E-Learning Readiness Ranking (2003).

Well, those reports and indicators were mainly written for strategic or political decision, so how can they influence personal views on a country or even influence people's perception. They reduce information and aggregate into indicators. This might be correct for the purpose of decision making but it is quite confusing for individuals buildung their perception and opinions on countries about it. However, it is rather obvious that many views are built in today's world on reduced information, on stereotypes and on information which does not fit the purpose.

So, what is the conclusion? I do not suggest to NOT read those reports any more ;-) but I am strongly suggesting to not build an opinion based on those items of information. Unfortunately, there are very few sources which help us to identify issues which influence our project work and cooperations.

So where to find the "Global Cooperation Guide"? Where to find the "Global Cooperation Readiness Report"? Well, if they exist, let me know...I guess that those dimensions (which are the main drivers for individuals and organisations) will have to be developed more and more in the future. Interstingly, reports like the above mentioned competitiveness and IT reports neglect those factors (e.g., how are individuals capable of acting in a global workplace? how do organisations act in the global marketplace). And guidelines published (e.g. the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises) are quite insufficient and do not help organisations and people to get prepared.
From my point of view, these aspects determine the success or failure of organisations and individuals. So, those reports will have to carefully check the methodology and take those factors and interrelations into account!

So, if you find reliable sources for a "cooperation readiness report", please let us know...

My official homepage

After settling in Jyväskylä, I have finally set up my homepage, including the "more serious" stuff like teaching, publications and research competencies.


And here it is: http://users.jyu.fi/~japawlow/