People and Organizations Online
For the world's sixth most populous country, it is evident that Brazil's dynamic society can benefit from the Information Technology solutions. To our surprise, in the metropolitan areas, the progress of their networked society exceeded our expectations and our initial assumptions.
Brazil's greatest IT strength is in the education of its people. Brazil offers excellent opportunities for obtaining an education and there are many excellent universities and secondary schools to choose from.
The federal government has come a long way to introduce and encourage usage of IT. The Brazilian e-government website is a prime example and it rivals most other nations in functionality and features.
IT clusters have also started for form in Brazil. Some of these clusters are focusing on the great education in the local areas such as Rio de Janeiro. These clusters serve as a catalyst for research and development in the nation and also attract foreign direct investment.
On the negative side, Brazil has many issues to address before it can become a fully developed country. There are many pressing social issues that need resolution before the public will embrace major technological advancement. One of these issues is widespread poverty. Brazil is known for its stretching slums called favelas. Millions of Brazilians live in these favelas and have little access to running water and electricity. This issue creates a major internal battle in the country with regards to the provisioning of economic funding for people living below the poverty line.
The nation has also undergone many political changes that have had both a positive and negative impact on the development and acquisition of foreign investment. In addition, Brazil is Latin American country that is plagued by inflation and political instability. A comprehensive and unifying strategy for leveraging ICTs for human development throughout the country must work with a set of central objectives determined by wide consensus.
We rank People and Organizations online at stage 3.5.
Locally Relevant Content
In developing countries, information and communication technologies are powerful tools for empowerment and income generation. However, quality internet access is hard to find outside of the heavily populated areas. Through our tours of various companies and local communities, we discovered that there are web-related training programs that are only accessible in certain areas. In the Brazilian society, there are a significant number of websites that are available in Portuguese and some variations of online bulletin board systems and newsletters are also available. There are two components in the Brazilian society that play a role in relevant content. One component is the Brazilian government and the other is the private sector. [1] While the Brazilian government has been beneficial at supplying resources for ICTs, they are very adamant about controlled privatization for IT. The government recently launched an Information Society Program under the Ministry of Science and Technology to provide technology based services. [2]
Nearly 20% of the Brazil's population have a computer at home and 14% have internet access at their houses, according to data from the 2nd Survey on the Use of Information Technology and Communications in Brazil (TIC 2006). To date, the private sector has played a vital role by providing affordable internet access and relevant content to the local community in their own language. Two major private distribution firms are the media sources O Globo and UOL. UOL is the most visited Portuguese language site and it is one of most frequently visited sites in the world, surpassing sites such as Disney and CNN. [1]
We rank locally relevant content at stage 3.0.
ICTs in Everyday Life
Although the statistics for people who have ever used a computer or accessed the Internet in Brazil are very low, the number of computers in homes is slowly increasing. Inequalities in Brazil are reflected on computer access and socio-economic factors influence access to the Internet and computers. The increase in computer ownership was more pronounced among people in the middle and lower-middle classes. Access to computers and the Internet are directly correlated to the household's level of income and education.
We discovered firsthand that the people who use computers, mobile phones, and other pieces of technology are generally more educated or have a higher stable income. In the metropolitan areas, internet cafes are very abundant.
In order for Brazil to advance from its current stage, they must define and adopt priority objectives for this strategy. It is indisputable that Brazil has accumulated an exceptional amount of financial resources to promote and leverage ICTs for human development. However, legal support and a government attitude that relegates the relevance of digital inclusion to second place have hindered utilization of these resources. It is essential that the decision-making process for the use of these funds be pluralistic, transparent and democratic. It is fundamental that priority in utilization of these resources be guaranteed to innovative projects originating from communities, or with community participation.
We rank ICTs in everyday life at stage 3.0.
ICTS in the Workplace
Brazil's economy ranks 5th in both geographic size and population and has the 8th largest economy in the world. As the economy continues to thrive, ICTs within Brazil will continue to expand across the communities and the workplace. [4] During our study and observation of work environments within Brazil, we noticed that computer systems and internet usage was widespread and integrated into normal business operations. During our tour of O Globo, computers were essential in processing media designs and concepts, managing inventory and quality control, and improving production. Among the total number of individuals who access the Internet, roughly 27% do not have an e-mail account however 54% utilize free e-mail. Only 14% pay for that service and around 4% use the email from their workplace. Amongst those who have an e-mail account, roughly 78% prefer to use the free personal account, 13% use paid accounts, and only 9% use work e-mail addresses. [5]
Brazil's corporate market has excellent potential for expanding their systems. In 2007, the Brazil's market for small and medium-sized companies was a focal point for most PC manufacturers. Small companies are aware of the importance of IT in their business. According to a study by Cisco Brazil in 2005, roughly 99% of all Brazilian companies are small and medium-sized businesses, established businesses are upgrading to Internet Protocol technology, and start-up business are deciding to base their infrastructure around Internet Protocol. In their study, they recognized that the time to use technology had arrived. [6]
Through our tours of various companies in Brazil, each company revealed how they were utilizing cutting-edge technology to achieve efficient workflow. The established companies and institutes have realized investment in technology can improve productivity. While studying the workplace within the Brazilian society, there are a set of core areas that can be used to further define the workplace. These areas are outsourcing, education and women in information technology.
We rank ICTs in the work place at stage 4.0.
[1] Creating a Development Dynamic: Final Report of the Digital Opportunity Initiative, Accenture, Markle Foundation, United Nations, 2001, http://www.opt-init.org/framework/pages/appendix3Case1.html
[2] Brazilian ICT Industry, Manufacturers Association for Information Technology, Country Intelligence, www.elcot.com/mait-reports/brazil%20ICT.pdf
[3] "19% in Brazil Have Computer at Home, 14% Get Internet", Brazzil Magazine, Roberta Lopes, November 2006, http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/7523/49/
[4] "Brazil: It’s a sleeping giant with a tradition of high-quality software", Computer World, Alan Horowitz, http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/outsourcing/story/0,10801,84869,00.html
[5] "Survey on the use of Information and Communication Technologies in Brazil", Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, http://www.mct.gov.br/upd_blob/0010/10819.pdf
[6] "Technology Temp", Tais Fuoco, iQ Magazine (Vol. VII, No. 3), Cisco Systems, Inc., http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac123/iqmagazine/archives/q3_2006/Technology_Tempo.html