About Us

RITIM conducts research on the marketing, behavioral, organizational, and strategic aspects of the telecommunications and information technology industries. RITIM is based in the College of Business Administration at URI. It is a part of the growing family of centers of research excellence at URI's College of Business Administration.

RITIM research projects explore issues of long-term significance relevant across the range of information technology industries. Such research supports the long-term developmental goals of the growing and important information technology sectors of advanced economies and is congruent with the University's mission of conducting scholarly work of enduring significance.

Following the breakup of the Bell System in 1984, the operating environment of the telecommunications industry changed from that of regulated monopolistic utilities to that of turbulent strategic competition. In 1985, following an initiative by Robert P. Clagett, former Dean of URI College of Business Administration, a team of senior AT&T managers met with the Marketing Faculty at URI. The AT&T; executives invited the URI faculty to launch a research program focusing on the changing competitive environment of the telecommunications industry. Under the leadership of Dr. Ruby Roy Dholakia, a research proposal was presented to AT&T; which led to a substantial multi-year grant. A faculty research team led by Dr. Ruby Roy Dholakia worked on a number of research projects exploring consumer behavior and marketing aspects of the fast-changing telecommunication industry. In a Telecommunications Marketing Symposium held in Newport in April 1986, key findings from the URI research projects as well as research from other institutions working on marketing aspects of telecommunications industry were presented.

The enthusiasm generated by the Symposium led to a Telecommunications Marketing Forum in 1988. In this forum, faculty associated with telecommunications marketing projects at URI presented their research plans to an invited group of senior executives in the telecommunications industry. These executives felt that a permanent research center dealing with marketing aspects of the industry should be established at URI. Through industry funding and faculty efforts, RITIM was established in February 1989.

Today, RITIM conducts selected major projects each year involving multiple researchers from URI and other institutions that focus on critical issues with industry-wide relevance. In addition, several smaller research studies are supported annually to encourage faculty at URI and other institutions to explore information industry- related topics in the researcher's area of expertise. Recent RITIM projects have dealt with interactive services, information technology acceptance by residential users, electronic shopping behavior, cable TV vs. telecom and consumer electronics acquisition and acceptance, telecom acquisition decisions of small and medium-sized businesses, comparative studies of technology-oriented behaviors in USA and Europe, and information infrastructure and economic development.

RITIM's goal is to be the premier academic research center dealing with marketing, organizational, behavioral, and strategic aspects of the evolving telecommunications and information technology industries. To achieve this goal, RITIM sponsors research projects that involve faculty at URI and other institutions. RITIM maintains close contacts with telecommunications and information technology firms globally to keep current with the evolving technological and business context and to obtain research support. RITIM disseminates the results of its research through a publication program consisting research reports, working papers, and books.