Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1995
College/Unit
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department/Program/Center
Social Work
Abstract
Will the information superhighway – like its concrete counterpart, the interstate highway system – turn out to be a good idea but too expensive to maintain properly? This paper will explore issues associated with the initial and ongoing costs of adopting information technology for nonprofit community service organizations, with particular attention to access and use of the information superhighway. Several possible explanations for the lag in adoption of internet technology will be explored. One of these will be the "null hypothesis" that resources and services currently available over the internet may still be insufficient to justify the costs involved for nonprofits. The paper will also explore the issue of long-term costs for nonprofits, by comparison with experiences in higher education. Decision-makers in business and higher education are already discovering that the initial startup costs of internet connection may only be the tip of what is beginning to look like a very large iceberg.
Digital Commons Citation
Lohmann, Roger A. and Lohmann, Nancy, "Nonprofit Community Service and the Hidden Cost of Information Technology" (1995). Faculty & Staff Scholarship. 858.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/858
Included in
Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons, Social Policy Commons, Social Welfare Commons, Social Work Commons
Comments
This co-authored paper was presented at a Nonprofit Technology Conference at Michigan State University. April, 1995. It was also accepted for a post-conference publication project that was never published.