Literature review: E-Government Significance - Dissertation Example

?Literature Review Introduction…………….…………………………………………………… 2 1. Meaning and definitions ……………………………………………… 3 2. E-government types ……………………………………………………….. 4 2.1. G2G. ……………………………………………………………………… 6 2.2. G2B. ……………………………………………………………………... 7 2.3. G2C. ……………………………………………………………… 8 3. e-Government evolution life cycle ……………………………………….. 10 4. Process of e-government adoption and implementation …………………..11 5. Benefits and implications of e-government.………………………………..12 1. Introduction The concept of e-Government has gained rapid significance across the globe during the past couple of decades and is fast gaining wider popularity, as an effective administrative tool. Various researches and studies conducted on the e-Government adoption and implementation so far, indicate the crucial role played by government portals in responding to civil crises, making critical information available to general public, and addressing various issues and resolving various discrepancies and conflicts between the government and the citizens (Gil-Garcia and Luna-Reyes 2003; Schelin 2003). E-Government has been widely recognized as one of the most sought after technological changes across all forms of governance, world-wide (Chen et al., 2006, pp. 23-25). Although the potential of e-governance has been fully recognized decades ago, during the 1990s, its implementation as a key form of governance has been recognized during the past decade, and has caught on ever since (Yong, 2005, pp. 89-91). Since there are significant cultural differences between various countries and a drastic difference in the national culture between the developed and the developing countries, the model of e-government differs significantly. Hence, it is imperative for the governments to adopt and implement appropriate and effective models of e-governance, which are in tune with the national culture of their respective countries (Al-Shehry et al., 2006, pp. 99-106). Various studies conducted over the years, have affirmed the significance of e-government implementation with regard to its influence in changing the bureaucratic structure of government organizations (Altameem et al., 2006, pp. 1-5; Kraemer and King, 2005, pp. 1-18). It has also been established by several researchers that apart from the availability of infrastructure the other factors such as social and cultural issues have a greater impact on diffusion of e-government facilities within a country. This indicates the importance and relevance of national culture in the implementation of e-government within a country. Various researchers in the past have already put forward studies signifying the role and influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in transforming the manner in which the public sector performs and functions, and in improving their serviceability, and transparency and at the same time affording more ease and simplicity to the users and citizens. However this study aims to explore the impact of national culture on adoption and implementation of e-Governance, by way of a comprehensive literature review and case studies, with a key focus on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This section will include a brief overview of the various definitions and meaning of the term e-government; the various types of e-government i.e. G2G (Government to Government), G2B (Government to Business) and G2C (Government to Citizens/Consumers); the evolution and stages of e-government; the process of e-government adoption and its implementation and the various benefits likely to be accrued owing to the adoption and implementation of e-government. 1.1. Meaning and Definitions The term e-government, as mentioned in the previous section, entails the integration of technology within the public sector with a view to enhance and improve the information delivery as well as services offered to the citizens. It has been defined differently by different authors, some of these definitions are mentioned below: According to Moon and Norris (2005) the term e-government is a "means of delivering government information and service." (pp. 43). Andersen and Henriksen (2006) define e-government as one of the most widely used terms in recent times, with reference to governance and is highly symbolic of an online government which acts as a one-stop-shop for its citizens (pp. 236). According to Welch et al (2005) the term entails the use of technology with a view to deliver effective public services to the citizens (pp. 371). According to Carter and Belanger, (2005, pp. 5-25) the term e-government is concerned with the application of a combination of two key factors i.e. internal networking and external collaboration to form a complete and comprehensive set of services offered by the government for the benefit of its citizens. Irani (2005, pp. 61-82) states that the application of e-government entails a wide a range of changes to the internal administrative structure of the government with regard to the processes, culture as well as behaviour of the individuals concerned, within the public sector. On the basis of the above mentioned definitions it can be safely stated that the term e-government encompasses a wide gamut of services and benefits which are primarily aimed at integrating technological advancements with a view to bring about positive and revolutionary changes within the internal government organizational structures so as to enhance and improve the public service delivery and make available important and better information and services to the public; increase public participation and communication and provide a wider platform for information exchange in the society as a whole. There are various interpretations of the term, and it has been defined differently by different authors and researchers. However according to the World Bank (2011) the term is defined as follows: E-Government refers to the use by government agencies of information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. According to OECD (2011), the term e-Government is defined as: The use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) by governments as applied to the full range of government functions. In particular, the networking potential offered by the Internet and related technologies has the potential to transform the structures and operation of government. Thus on the basis of the definitions mentioned above, the term e-government, in the most general sense can be described as the application of ICT (information and communication technology) by the government with a view to improve and enhance their service delivery, and to offer better, faster and transparent platform to its citizens. 2. E-Government Types: As discussed in the previous section of this paper, the primary objective of e-government is to make access to information easier to its end users. Hence, one of the key aspects of this form of governance is the manner in which such vital information is communicated to the end users. This paper focuses on three types or models of e-government system, which further help in defining the scope of the concept as well as this study. These include: G2G (Government to Government); G2B (Government to Business) and G2C (Government to Citizens). 2.1. G2G – Government to Government The G2G sector or transactions form one of the strongest elements of the e-Government model. It is designed to facilitate better communication of information regarding government services within various forms of governments in the nation (such as federal, state or local) and enhance their internal functioning and operations. It entails sharing and exchange of data and conducting electronic transactions over the internet across all levels of government. The basic purpose of G2G electronic services is to improve inter-governmental interactions through development of a systematic government network via use of e-mails and facilitate electronic exchange of data, shared on a common database (Vintar, 2007, pp.244; Homburg, 2005, pp. 160). The various advantages derived from G2G transactions include improved efficiency, better management of public data, faster and easier access to information, and improved consistency of outcomes among many others. The state and local e-government models serve as a benchmark for successful e-government initiatives in terms of service delivery, and bridging the geographical and political divide within the nation. 2.2. G2B – Government to Business The Government to Business initiatives refers to the transactions between Governmnt and businesses. The Governments of various nations in recent times, have sought to automate their communications and interactions with businesses with a view to facilitate faster and better processing of information, resulting in optimum and enhanced service delivery. The G2B form of governance thus entails the application and use of e-commerce to assist the government in selling their products to businesses or offer them with services. The major forms of G2B transactions include e-procurement, auctioning etc of government surpluses by the businesses (Turban, 2010, pp. 375). 2.3. G2C – Government to Citizens Government to consumer/citizens or a G2C transaction is the one that takes place between the government and the citizens. These transactions are aimed at facilitating enhanced performance on the part of the government in terms of providing vital information, products and services to the citizens, by accentuating an agency-centric, government functions (Ventura, 2008, pp.109). The key goal is to offer a common platform i.e. a one-stop-shop to the citizens where a wide range of tasks can be performed, and wide range of services can be accessed under one roof, without requiring the citizens to contact each concerned agency individually. Such websites offer ease of use, and save time, effort and money on the part of the consumers, by eliminating the geographic barriers, and connecting with citizens across the city, state or country (Ventura, 2008, pp.109). The G2C initiatives are primarily driven by the desire on the part of the government to offer ease of use and accessibility of wide amount of vital information to the citizens, via electronic means. The key focus of G2C websites is enhanced service delivery. Some of the key transactions which can be undertaken via a G2C web portal include, tax payments; vehicle registration; birth / death certificate issues; land and property registration, online voting etc among various others. In various countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, United States etc the government provides for online voting to its citizens alongside regular as well as postal voting. Furthermore, in countries such as Sweden, the government offers online forums for its citizens where they can directly interact (or chat) with their local politicians and discuss matters related policy making, urban and rural projects undertaken by the government, and other public issues (Homburg, 2005, pp. 160). 3. E-Government evolution life cycle and stages of development: The development and evolution of e-Government life cycle has been researched by various researchers over the past several years. On the basis of these studies it has been observed that e-government comprises of various key stages / phases such as publishing, transaction, interaction etc (Schelin, 2003, pp. 120-137). Although there are various differences and contradictions in findings and the exact number of stages, and an apparent lack of consensus among the scholars regarding the evolutionary stages, some stages are uniform across all studies and are discussed hereunder: E-government implementation is basically concerned with the diffusion of Information and Communication technologies via various channels over a period of time for the benefit of the citizens and for improving service delivery within the public sector (Rogers, 2003, pp. 20). According to Schelin (2003) the evolution of e-government comprises of various stages, and is concerned with the transition from one stage to the other, whereby each of these stages are marked by an improved technological sophistication aimed at providing better opportunities and service delivery for its citizens and positive administrative changes. These stages further entails the assimilation of innovative decision making on the part of the governing bodies with a view to take full advantage of the various courses of action made available to them (Holden et al., 2003, pp. 325-344). Various researchers have described these stages differently, and according to some it is described as a natural progression of technological diffusion from national to state to local governments (Edmiston, 2003, pp. 20-45). According to Moon (2002, pp. 424-433) there are five stages of an e-government model which are: 1. Simple information dissemination, i.e. one way communication 2. Two-way communication 3. Service and financial transactions 4. Vertical and horizontal integration and 5. Political participation According to Deloitte (2001, pp. 58) there are six key stages of e-government model, which are based on the government's primary motive of providing optimum services to its citizens and with an intention to establish effective and long-lasting channels of communication between the government and the citizens. These stages include: 1. Information publishing and dissemination 2. An 'official' two way communication 3. Development of multi-purpose portals 4. Clustering of common services and 5. Complete integration and enterprise transactions The cost and complexity increases at each stage. The presence phase entails offering of vital information via websites; the interaction stage is concerned with allowing the end users the facilities of downloading and uploading online forms; the transaction phase entails added facilities such as online payments while the transformation phase includes the provision of government products and services in a speedier and transparent manner (Schware, 2005, pp. 92). Figure: Four Phases of e-Government evolution – Gartner Research Source: Gartner Research (2003) Similarly, some other four stages were developed and proposed by Hiller and Belanger with regard to e-government. These include: information, two-way communication, transaction and integration. The information phase similar to Gartner's model is concerned with providing of vital information to the end users; the two-way communication stage is concerned with interaction between the government and the targeted users such as online payment, uploading of forms etc; the transaction stage is similar to 'cataloguing' while the integration stage refers to integration of various government services under one roof. Eventually a fifth stage titled - participation was also added, by the researchers which indicated the participation of the end users in online activities launched by the government such as online registration, voting, posting comments on online government forums, etc. (Griffin, Halpin, 2007, pp. 34). 4. Process of e-government adoption and implementation The process of e-government adoption and implementation is highly dependent on the key objectives and goals of the said project. Studies and research conducted in the past have revealed that the process of e-government adoption entails identifying the administrative and managerial strategies of the government which may affect the manner in which the said technology can be used. Such elements are believed to play a key role in influencing the successful adoption of e-government programs across nations (Kawalek and Wastall, 2005, pp. 79-101). Furthermore, the degree of management support available at the disposal of the authorities is also identified as one of the key factors influencing the adoption and implementation of e-governance in a country. Also, various authors and researchers have identified and developed a model based on various stages of e-governance, which helps in adopting and implementing the project and identify the barriers or implementation challenges that may be encountered during the diffusion stage. Such a model further helps in developing appropriate strategies to eliminate and overcome the barriers and successfully implement the e-government model (Davison, 2005, pp.280-299). There are various barriers or challenges faced by the government in the process of adoption and implementation of an e-government model. These barriers may arise on account of differences in the models with regard to security, legal issues, or technical setbacks (Lam, 2005, pp. 511-530). There are certain economic or financial barriers which the government may encounter, such as lack of availability of adequate funds for training the staff to handle and operate the sophisticated I.T. mechanisms and ensure its smooth functioning (Choudrie et al., 2005, pp. 568-585). Such setbacks may seriously limit the scope of the project and defy the very purpose for which it is being implemented. Furthermore, trust is one of the most significant factors in the use and acceptance of technology, by the citizens. The citizens must be assured of the safety of their personal data, and information provided by them. Hence gaining of customer confidence and loyalty is one of the most crucial issues faced by the government in diffusion of technology based projects. They must build highly secure networks which are extremely expensive and need a higher financial budget (Lambrinoudakis et al., 2003., pp. pp. 1873-1883 ). From an organizational perspective, the government may face several setbacks in terms of resistance to change from their staff. The employees may be reluctant to adopt and use highly sophisticated technology which in turn may become a barrier in diffusion of an e-government model at a national level (Choudrie et al., 2005). Other factors such as lack of technologically literate staff also act as a barrier to the successful and effective diffusion of e-government models in any country. 5. Benefits and implications of e-government The use of e-government helps in radical transformation of governance across various levels of the government. Since it entails the use of technology such as computer networks and internet, the interaction between governments and the end users i.e. businesses and consumers, are enhanced to greater levels (Molla and Licker, 2005, pp. 877-899). The implementation of e-government enables nationwide transformation across all organizational dimensions such as planning, strategy making, people, technology, as well as processes etc., and help in better integration of various internal and external factors such as citizens, business partners, suppliers, producers, as well as regulators (Tung and Rieck, 2005, pp. 1-24). 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