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NEWS RELEASE

04-23-02

Contacts:
Tony Hendrickson, College of Business, (515) 294-2132
Lori Wirth, College of Business, (515) 294-3656
Kevin Brown, News Service, (515) 294-8986

INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXPERT
TO SPEAK ON THE ROLE OF 'IT' IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

AMES, Iowa -- Detmar Straub Jr., will discuss the role of information technology in developing countries as part of the Miller Lecture series at Iowa State University April 24.

Straub is director of research and doctoral programs at the Robinson College of Business and the J. Mack Robinson Distinguished Professor of Information Systems at Georgia State University, Atlanta.

Straub will speak on "The Role of Culture and IT (Information Technology) Policy in the Developing World: The Case of Egypt and other Arab Cultures" at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, in room 205, Carver Hall.

"Political instability is frequently attributed to the inequalities that exist between the 'haves' and the 'have nots,' both within a society and between societies," Straub said. "IT is viewed as a potential solution to at least part of this. Countries that have pursued a vigorous IT investment strategy Singapore, Ireland, India and Turkey have seen tremendous leaps in domestic national product and a brightening of their futures."

Studies specifically on Arab cultures and the use of IT strategies can be found online at http://www.cis.gsu.edu/~dstraub/Research/ACIT-APIT/index.htm. Straub also researches e-commerce, computer security and technological innovation.

Straub will also be meeting with faculty and staff during his Iowa State visit.

The Miller Lecture Series is an annual slate of university-wide speakers funded by the Miller Endowment Trust. In 1995, ISU received part of an estate bequeathed by F. Wendell Miller, an Iowa attorney and farm manager. Revenue from the endowment is used to improve undergraduate teaching at ISU and enhance the intellectual vitality of the campus.

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