Welcome to the InfoSci Platform
From Rural Outsourcing to Rural Opportunities: Developing an ICT Mediated Distributed Production Enterprise in Tamil Nadu, India

From Rural Outsourcing to Rural Opportunities: Developing an ICT Mediated Distributed Production Enterprise in Tamil Nadu, India

Aarti Kawlra
Copyright: © 2011 |Volume: 3 |Issue: 3 |Pages: 15
ISSN: 1935-5661|EISSN: 1935-567X|EISBN13: 9781613507490|DOI: 10.4018/jicthd.2011070102
Cite Article Cite Article

MLA

Kawlra, Aarti. "From Rural Outsourcing to Rural Opportunities: Developing an ICT Mediated Distributed Production Enterprise in Tamil Nadu, India." IJICTHD vol.3, no.3 2011: pp.16-30. http://doi.org/10.4018/jicthd.2011070102

APA

Kawlra, A. (2011). From Rural Outsourcing to Rural Opportunities: Developing an ICT Mediated Distributed Production Enterprise in Tamil Nadu, India. International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development (IJICTHD), 3(3), 16-30. http://doi.org/10.4018/jicthd.2011070102

Chicago

Kawlra, Aarti. "From Rural Outsourcing to Rural Opportunities: Developing an ICT Mediated Distributed Production Enterprise in Tamil Nadu, India," International Journal of Information Communication Technologies and Human Development (IJICTHD) 3, no.3: 16-30. http://doi.org/10.4018/jicthd.2011070102

Export Reference

Mendeley
Favorite Full-Issue Download

Abstract

Inspired by the potential of Information and Communication Technologies, henceforth ICTs, for socio-economic development, and supported by a university based technology and business incubator, Rural Production Company, henceforth RPC, was set up in 2007 employing an ICT-mediated distributed production model. This paper reveals how RPC, initially an exploratory project whose key innovation was its Internet kiosk-facilitated model of crafts production and local empowerment, morphed into a social enterprise catering to global demands. The context of innovation provided by the Incubator led to a transformation of an ICT4D (ICT for Development) project into a business venture through the practice of formal and informal questioning at every stage of its implementation. This paper focuses on the iterative method adopted while highlighting the role of the incubator in the overall design and development process of the enterprise. This paper is a reflexive mapping of the organization’s evolution from the original research agenda of outsourcing production cum rural employment, to one that privileges local networks both as a conscious business strategy and as an arena for collaborative change for human development.

Request Access

You do not own this content. Please login to recommend this title to your institution's librarian or purchase it from the IGI Global bookstore.