Electronic Commerce and the Success of Projects. A case study of the Entrepreneurship promotion project of the University of Rwanda.
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Date
2013
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Kabale University
Abstract
After solving a big number of problems related to IT infrastructure and IT human resource in Rwanda in general and in the University of Rwanda in particular, there was still a gap that was not yet covered in the use of IT in everyday life. With qualitative and quantitative research approaches, this research evaluated the effects of Electronic Commerce on Success of projects on the basis of project outputs, outcomes and impacts taking PECBC Project as a case study. Specifically, the research investigated the level and potential of applicability of E-Commerce in PECBC business processes and towards realization of expected business outcomes, the level of embezzlement in the PECBC project and showed how this embezzlement can be impacted by e-commerce tools, assessed the challenges being faced by the entrepreneurs under PECBC sponsorship and gave recommendations on how they can be addressed in the context of available electronic commerce applications. The findings showed that the availability of IT infrastructure and human Resource, the age group of project partners which is considered as the internet users’ generation and their high level of education put the potential applicability of E-commerce at high level. Various levels of embezzlement have been found where project employees deviated the target people because of favoritism, project beneficiaries also deviated the business from the planning where some of them submitted very good project proposal, won the competition and after getting the sponsorship they replaced it by another one which might not have won the competition, simply because it is easier to implement or because of conflict of interests. It was also found that Electronic commerce can impact the embezzlement where by web-based M&E system ensures timely reporting of potential failures or deviation and allows prompt action (s) to mitigate such challenges and risks. Conflict of interest, lack of awareness, clandestineness and poor M&E were revealed as main challenges and hindrance to implementation and realization of objectives of this project. As recommendations, the researcher recommends that projects in Universities take the advantages of all of different fields of expertise available in their area of operation and involve them in each phase of project life cycle.PECBC leadership was recommended to embrace a positive vision and strategy towards the use of ICT and specifically electronic commerce and or any other online ways of monitoring and evaluation of beneficiaries and employees. University of Rwanda and SPARK were recommended to confront PECBC employees and beneficiaries whom businesses were sponsored and be given opportunity to give their side of the story about this funds disappearance for further measure.
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Keywords
Electronic Commerce, Success Of Projects