The Successful Adoption and Implementation of E-government Model - Essay Example

Attitude: Usefulness: The term perceived usefulness refers to the degree to which a given system is perceived to be useful in enhancing a particular task (Davis, 1989). Studies have indicated that the intention to adopt e-government services by the public depends on its perceived usefulness. According to Tung and Rieck (2005) the factors such as an up-to-date, secure, and effective e-government model helps in influencing and encouraging the public to carry out routine tasks such as post online queries, download forms from administrative websites, file their tax returns, bid for government projects, etc. The public must be assured regarding the usefulness and the various benefits likely to be accrued by using and relying on e-government services offered by the government. If the public perceives such services to be logical, dependable, and transparent they are likely to perceive it as useful and lead to increased use and faster adoption of such services at the national level (Kumar et al., 2007; Reddick, 2005; Verdegem and Verleye, 2009). In a study conducted by Riddick (2005) it was observed that the citizen adoption of e-government services is directly dependent on the expected benefits they are likely to receive. The government aims at offering two categories of online services to the citizens. This includes - information i.e. where the citizens can freely gain access to all the important administrative information on governmental websites; and the transactional services which afford them the ease to carry out actual transactions online rather than in person. Such services offer them the benefit of cost savings. Online tax payments, online bill payments such as electricity bills etc are some such services made available to the public. These studies indicate a definite trend whereby the researchers have utilized various means of analyzing and assessing user behavior to arrive at a logical conclusion regarding the factors influencing them to adopt e-government services offered by the government. For instance, Reddick (2005) has utilized a systematic approach to study the citizen behavior by observing their interaction with the government. Such observation acts an effective tool in analyzing citizen behavior and attitude and affords the researchers in estimating and understanding the concerns and grievances of the citizens and overcome them to achieve desired results. Social influences: The successful adoption and implementation of any e-government model depends on the attitudes of the users, which in turn is influenced by a combination of factors such as perceived usefulness of the e-government model as well as socio-cultural influences (Chen and Thurmaier, 2005; Kumar et al., 2007; Al-Shehry et al., 2006). According to Venkatesh et al., (2003) the term social influence refers to "the degree to which peers influence use of the system". It could be either positive or negative and is the key factor that motivates / de-motivates individuals to adapt to a given situation. Various studies have indicated that the collective culture of a country provides informative insight into the manner in which people behave and their likely reaction towards a new situation (Carter and Weerakkody, 2008; Dimitrova and Chen, 2006). Studies conducted over the years have indicated that the implementation of e-government model is not merely a technological issue but involves a considerable human involvement. The attitudes and social influences of people play a key role in successful adoption of e-government structure in any country. It is hence imperative to study and analyze the social and cultural values of the society from time to time (Moon and Norris, 2005; Carter and Belanger, 2004). The role of socio-cultural preferences and values of people in influencing successful adoption and implementation of e-government is explained by two key theories namely, the theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1991). In a study conducted by Harfouche and Robbin (2012) to examine the factors influencing public e-services in Lebanon it was observed that mere provision of effective e-services are not adequate enough to ensure user acceptance, social and cultural influences play a dominant role in ensuring greater user acceptance. Furthermore the social influences differ from country to country. Lebanon, for instance, has been exposed to a climate of continuous war and strife leading to political instability, chaos, and corruption. This in turn has lead to a serious lack of trust by the public in the government. Hence no amount of assurances provided by the government was successful in garnering public support, as political turmoil and corruption has almost become a way of life (Chamoun, 2011; Bakri, 2011; Shadid and Bakr, 2011). It was concluded that the public attitudes towards the government must be changed through development of programs aimed at establishing trustful relationships with the citizens, increasing transparency, ensuring protection of privacy of citizens and improving political control and stability, in order to ensure greater public support (Harfouche and Robbin, 2012). There is ample evidence which suggests that low level of adoption of an effective e-government program can be attributed to socio-cultural factors. In some countries such as Jordan and other Arab countries, the citizens may resist change. This may occur due to their lack of faith in the government, or due to their excessive reliance on conventional approach i.e. (face-to-face communication) to undertaking transactions. Various studies have indicated that one of the crucial factors in low adoption of e-government programs among the citizens are influenced by socio-cultural influences (Abu-Samaha and Abdel Samad, 2007; Gilbert, Balestrini, and Littleboy, 2004; Holden, Norris, and Fletcher, 2003; Kifle and Cheng, 2009). The Arab countries are considered as highly complex with regard to cultural and social makeup and differ drastically from their western counterparts. Religion is one of the most dominant factors that influence the reliance and use of internet related services in such countries (Hofheinz, 2005). These studies indicate use various diverse methodologies to substantiate the fundamental hypothesis. For instance the study conducted by Carter and Belanger (2005) explores the factors affecting the lack of adoption of e-government services despite the various benefits and usefulness such as low costs, ease of use, convenience, etc. The study used the Technology Acceptance Model as well as Diffusions of Innovation Theory to explain the trust models. The results derived from this study could be considered substantial and valid due to the fact that it was conducted in a very realistic setting whereby a diverse range of citizens were surveyed. Most of the studies conducted by the researchers included survey research. According to Fowler (2002) the survey methodology of research affords the researcher the ability to interview and study a heterogeneous population rather than a select few, thus enabling them to collect and review honest and precise responses of the target users. References: Abu-Samaha, A., Abdel Samad, Y., (2007). 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