The Impact of Computerisation on Productivity: The Case of Two State Utility Corporations in Botswana
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Date
2009-12-01
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The African Journal of Information Systems
Abstract
The study investigated the impact of computer technology on productivity improvement as
reflected in the billing process and total quality bills invoiced per month in the Gaborone
headquarters of Botswana Power Corporation and Water Utilities Corporation. It examined the
input-output relationship with computers as one of the inputs. The other input is labour
represented by the Meter Reading Hours and the Supervisory Hours. The study drew on the
economic production theory and time series approach to determine the contributions of the inputs
to output. The study relied on unpublished information and interviews rather than the use of
publicly or commercially available data as the primary data source.
The results as evidenced by the regression parameters suggest that inputs and their characteristics
satisfactorily explained the productivity improvement of the billing process in the two
corporations. The results, however, show no significant statistical evidence that computer
technology is positively linked to improvement in total quality bills invoiced per month.
Interview conducted revealed that some aspects of the workplace practices within the two
corporations also exerted significant influence on the inputs. This suggests that computer
technology alone is an insufficient predictor of productivity improvement.
The study extends research on information technology (IT) impact on productivity improvement
to public sector in Africa, and perhaps, is the first attempt to compare the impact of computer
technology on productivity improvement among government utility corporations in Africa. The
study would assist African governments in fashioning appropriate policies on investments in IT
and to review existing ones.
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Keywords
IT Impact, IT Investments,, Computerised Billing, Computer Technology,, Botswana