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This article reports findings from an ethnographic study of e-learning adopters in Turkey and examines ways in which cultural factors shape the adoption and use of information technology for online teaching. This research focuses on influential early adopters in the tertiary education sector in Turkey who have become change agents by inspiring small networks of their peers into e-learning. The study examines the operation of trust and inspiration in networking and teamwork in the Asian academic environment. A key finding of this research is that the early adopters of e-learning tend to become change agents in small groups and networks. This research sheds light on the mechanisms by which the process of e-learning adoption relies on social networks and connections.

Purpose: To provide a conceptual model for the discovery and articulation of emergent organizational knowledge, particularly knowledge that develops when people work with new technologies. Design/methodology/approach: The model is based on two widely accepted research methods--action learning and grounded theory--and is illustrated using a case study of virtual team leadership, which investigated how virtual team leaders developed relationships with their virtual team members. Findings: The article demonstrates how action learning and grounded theory--two widely accepted research methods--can be used to discover and articulate new organizational knowledge. Practical implications: The model allows organizations to gain practical and highly current experiential knowledge from employees working in novel situations, including those using new organizational processes and technologies. Such knowledge can provide competitive advantage. Originality/value: The article contributes to the areas of knowledge management and particularly organizational learning by providing a method that maps how organizations can learn from novel situations involving people and technology.

Describes two action research projects undertaken at an Australian university to improve quality of services to foreign students and improve the institution's image through word of mouth, or informal marketing. Each project, although small, facilitated changes or improvements to a targeted service. The role of management in empowering employees and in action research is discussed. (MSE)

Byline: Stuart J. Barnes, Brian Corbitt The internet and the mobile phone - two technological advancements that have profoundly affected human behaviour in the last decade - have started to converge. The products of this association are mobile data services. Using a variety of platforms, services are being created to enable mobile devices to perform many activities of the traditional internet, albeit in a reduced format for mobile devices. One area of activity is mobile (m-) banking (one of the first areas of commercial transaction on the wireless internet). Banking is an area that has extended in many different ways in recent years, including telephone and online banking. M-banking provides yet another channel for banking services, and in emerging markets, provides some possibility for becoming a primary channel. This paper examines the strategic implications of m-banking and the strategic positioning of m-banking services in different markets. The paper concludes with a discussion of the future for m-banking services.