ICT Policy Evaluation and Compliance - Research Paper Example

? Clinical Judgment: Postoperative Pain Introduction ICT is very useful to any economy due to the myriad of benefits it brings to the economy (Pilat, 2003). However, there are a number of challenges, which are associated with ICT application. To begin with, ICT is very young and this brings in challenges of policy development. Policy development in the ICT sector even in places where ICT was acquired long time ago is still a trial-and-error process due to the fact that there is no enough information with regard to this sector. The other challenges are that ICT is a fast growing sector and this provides many challenges with regard to policy development and implementation. These two factors, combined with the volatility of ICT create issues with policy development thus leading to a point where the policies developed may not be useful in advancing technology (Pilat, 2003). Policies, which hinder the development and growth of ICT can be very detrimental, and it is necessary for stakeholders to understand this and try to come up with new ways to streamline ICT processes. This is very important for Qatar especially with regard to its vibrant and fast-growing economy, which requires ICT backing in order to be sustained. It is in this regard that the policy evaluation process should be able to identify how ICT policies in Qatar are affecting the growth and uptake of the sector. Impact on ICT policies on ICT uptake ICT policy can be very useful in making sure that ICT is being utilised properly. On the other hand, one of the main challenges, which can be faced with regard to developing ICT policies, is that they can hinder the uptake of ICT (Roy, 2005). Different policies meant to help in improving the ICT sector can lead to it being harder for the ICT to develop. For instance, those policies which are geared towards control are more likely to have a negative impact if they are unchecked. This is why it is absolutely to have a mechanism through which ICT policies are supposed to be evaluated in terms of how they achieve what they are meant for and also in terms of how they are likely to be generate other negative impacts in the industry (Roy, 2005). For instance, with regard to ICT products, it is necessary to have those policies which support the capabilities of the consumers to uptake or to start using various ICT products. One of the areas where this should be regarded with care and diligence in the communication networks. According to Metcalfe (1979), networks increase their utility to the users as the number of users increase. In this regard, those policies which are geared towards control must be looked at and evaluated in terms of how they are affecting the growth of ICT. Failing to do this may end up meaning that there will be issues with the growth and development of the ICT sector. In this regard, there are a number of issues which must be looked at in order to make sure that the policies are not being detrimental to the growth of ICT. Compliance with international standards The world has become a global village, and this has made it necessary for all countries and territories in the world to be able to look at the ways in which they can align themselves in the global village (Roy, 2005). Compliance with international standards is not just an issue affecting only ICT, but it affects all sectors on a country’s economy. In this regard, there is a need to identify ways in which the ICT policies in Qatar are affecting the ability to comply with international standards. There is a need to guarantee compliance with international requirements as well as the standards which are being implemented internationally (Khosrowpour, 2000). Failing to evaluate the ICT policies would bring in the risk of not complying with international standards and this would lead to Qatar being isolated from the rest of the world. With regard to ICT, compliance with international standards can never be stressed enough. In this regard, there is always a need to carry out an audit for ICT policies in order to protect Qatar from the risk of lagging behind the rest of the world in the ICTG sector. Impact on the consumer: Privacy issues As Adomi (2010) says, privacy issues are the most complicated issues which must be looked at where ICT policies are concerned. Internationally, there is an increased need for policies regarding the privacy of consumers of ICT products and services. The internet is at the heart of this important discussion due to the privacy issues emanating from it. Without being able to look at the policies and understand how they are impacting on the individual users of these ICT policies, there will be a risk of having policies which infringe on the privacy rights of individuals (Adomi, 2010). Evaluating the policies in a continual manner will help the government to be able to come up with the most effective policies which will lead to the betterment of the ICT sector rather than those which are likely to harm the ICT. As already discussed, the ICT sector is developing at a rate which has not been matched by any other sector. This fast growth means two important things; that there needs to be incremental policies to address each and every issue which continue to rise and secondly, old policies need to be continually revised in order to meet the current needs. According to Khosrowpour (2000), ICT is the only sector which cannot afford to have outdated policies because with a growth rate of over hundred percent in every eighteen months, it means that most of the policies become obsolete at a rate that is very high. The only way to deal with this obsoleteness is having continual evaluation to guarantee the relevance of each and every policy. The government has a very huge responsibility to make sure that the ICT sector is developing in a way that will not affect the consumers in a negative way. In this regard, there continues to be a need to make sure that the policies are kept in check. The way forward According to United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (2005), Policy evaluation is a good way to look at the way forward and understand what is necessary to be done in order to maintain a progressive course. This is especially so with policies which have a time stamp on them. Once such ICT policies come to an end, it is necessary to do a summative policy evaluation in order to see what the ended policy has achieved (Khosrowpour, 2000). This kind of policy evaluation is very important as it will provide both hindsight as well as a foresight into the future. This foresight can be very useful in making decision for future policy. As Kleine (2013) says, when such policies are evaluated, they offer useful information which can be used for policy development in the future. This is very true with regard to the ICT policy; this is important as a way of guaranteeing that there is enough ground for policy formulation. Policy evaluation in the ICT sector should, therefore, be seen as a way to make sure that there is advancement for the available policies. It is a form of quality management to ensure that there are quality policies which will help Qatar to be able to advance in its ICT development. According to McGreggor (2013), the only way to have good policies with regard to ICT is collecting as much information as possible about the policies. In this regard, policy evaluation in the ICT sector is not just about the evaluation; it is also about data gathering in order to collect data which will then be used for policy development. As already discussed, the ICT sector is the fastest growing sector, with so many technologies and many new and innovative products and services coming up every year. This makes it much harder for policy developers and means that the policy developers would need a lot of information in order to deal with this data. In other words, this policy evaluation is very future-oriented and there are some issues which must be looked at in order to guarantee that the policies being developed for the future are good and fertile in terms of producing the desired results (Khosrowpour, 2000). Provide a way forward While summative policy evaluation is important for collecting data which will be used to create new policies, non summative policy evaluation is important in order to know how to respond to existing policies. This is also another issue which is caused by the rapid growth in the ICT sector. With regard to that, there is a need for the ICT sector to continually look at the policies and make changes as necessary in order to maintain effective policies. Unlike in other sectors, policies in the ICT sector are very sensitive to the time and must be reviewed over and over again (McGreggor, 2013). In this regard, evaluating the existing policies and not only those which have come to maturity is always something of importance. As the sector grows very fast, it requires regular evolution in terms of the policies in order to see which direction should be taken. This continual policy evaluation is an important part of making sure that the ICT sector has the most effective policies which will give Qatar an advantage in the global market. The world, as a global village has become very competitive for nations and it is necessary for Qatar to be at a point where it is advantaged in the world (Roy, 2005). Yet, ICT development is a vital aspect of Qatar having this competitive advantage in the world. For Qatar to be able to look at these issues, it is necessary to be able to look at the ways in which the country can maintain a good pace. Yet, just like any other industry, how far it can grow is determined by the quality of policies in the sector. If Qatar is to have a strategic advantage, it will be necessary to be able have good policies in this field in order to help the industry have the fuel to drive it into success. This will only be achieved through a clear understanding of the policies and looking carefully at how they affect the sector. It will be necessary to have a body which will continually look at the policies and how they can be improved. Shielding the sector from poor policies According to Adomi (2010) poorly designed policies can have very detrimental impacts on the industry they are meant to improve. In this regard, the need to have good policies cannot be emphasised enough and it is necessary that every measure is taken in order to ensure that the best policies are developed to help the sector to advance. This is more so in the ICT sector in Qatar and there is a need to ensure that there are good policies in order to help the sector take the strides it needs in order to remain competitive in the global arena. In this regard, policy evaluation in Qatar’s ICT sector is necessary to make sure that there is enough information which will look at the things which affect the sector the most. In this regard, it is absolutely necessary to look at the ways in which the sector can benefit from good policies. Conclusion Policy evaluation for the ICT sector in Qatar is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that there are good policies which will help the industry to grow in an effective way. The policy evaluation will provide for a platform which will help in growing the sector and making sure that there are good policies which will provide good ground for development and for growth. In this regard, there is a need to ensure that there is a body mandated with policy evaluation in this field. Having an organisation which is specifically mandated with the task of making sure that the industry is well checked will help in making sure that the sector will grow unchecked and that it will be competitive in the world market, thus giving Qatar a strategic advantage not only in this sector, but also in all the other sectors of the economy. Reference list: Adomi, E. (2010). Frameworks for ICT Policy: Government, Social and Legal Issues. London: IGI Global Snippet. Khosrowpour, M. (2000). Challenges of Information Technology Management in the 21st Century: 2000 Information Resources Management Association International Conference, Anchorage, Alaska, USA, May 21-24, 2000. New York, NY: Idea Group Inc (IGI). Kleine, D. (2013). Technologies of Choice?: ICTs, Development, and the Capabilities Approach. Boston, MA: MIT Press. McGreggor, N. (2013). ICT Polcy Evaluation . New York, NY: Pearson Education. Metcalfe, J. (1979). The banking system as a network of organisations: Social Science Research Council ; SSRC-HR--4256. London: Social Science Research Council. Pilat, D. (2003). Ict and Economic Growth: Evidence from Oecd Countries, Industries and Firms: Information and Communications Technologies. London: OECD Publishing. Roy, S. (2005). Globalisation, ICT and Developing Nations: Challenges in the Information Age. New York, NY: SAGE Publications. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. (2005). Collection of Cases of Financing ICT for Development in Asia and the Pacific. Washinton, DC: United Nations Publications. Read More