GLOBAL DIFFUSION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

This study investigates some important dimensions of Information Technology (IT) transfer and the development of a global IT policy. Information Technology professionals employed in New England corporations are surveyed to provide a regional perspective on these dimensions. The analysis of 62 responses obtained from a survey questionnaire demonstrates that significant differences exist between the perceptions of IT professionals in different industries, with varying levels of experience, and positions in the organizational hierarchy. Implications of these differences are discussed in the paper. Since New England corporations have traditionally played a defining role in global technology diffusion, it is argued that the views of these professionals are important to understand the growing importance of information technology in the emerging multinational context. [This research was supported by a grant from the Center for International Business Education jointly sponsored by Bentley College and Tufts Universit