Impact of Government Information Systems on the Indigenous Community in Australia - Research Paper Example

The Impact of Government Information Systems on the Indigenous Community in Australia Research Questions The objective of the current study is to understand the current information systems (IS) initiatives of the government for the betterment of the Indigenous community in Australia. It will also aim to provide suggestions and recommendations on how IS can be used to better the current initiatives if so needed. For the purpose, a review of literature and a primary qualitative research is proposed. The rationale and the justification for the study will also be given in the paper. Once this particular research was conceptualised, a first set of research questions were formulated. They include the following aspects namely, do government organisations in Australia make effective use of information systems in their functioning, and does the implementation of the information systems in government organisations help in bettering the lives of the aboriginal community in Australia. These questions were formulated by this researcher based on literature review and the apparent gaps found in obtaining more information on the area under study. Both these are given in later sections of the paper. The research proposes a Dynamic Business Process Development Framework (DBPDF). It is hoped that this framework developed after review of literature and primary research will provide answers and solutions to the research questions which will help in the betterment of the Indigenous community in the country. 1. Does the implementation of IS help in bettering the overall development of the society or a particular community? 2. Does the implementation of the information systems in government organisations help in bettering the lives of the Indigenous community in Australia? 3. What are the specific aspirations and needs of community members that can be resolved through the implementation of IS? 4. Will the inclusion of the DBPDF (developed for this study based on literature and past studies) help the government in achieving objectives of betterment of the lives of the Indigenous community? 5. Do government initiative with regard to IS implementation for the Indigenous community exist? 6. Are all stakeholders (especially Indigenous community members) involved in development and implementation of IS? Statement of Purpose Australia is a country that has been colonised and governed by people not indigenous to the country. The original inhabitants of the area comprise of the aboriginal community and the Torres Strait Islanders. It is seen from relevant literature as mentioned in previous submissions that this group is backward economically and socially when compared to the immigrant population in the country. The Iindigenous communities are more likely to suffer from social exclusion in terms of location and intergeneration disadvantage, jobless families, intergenerational disadvantage, child poverty and children at risk, mental health problems, disability, and homelessness as compared to non-Indigenous people (Notley & Foth, 2008, p 11).The general apathy of government organisations towards community development in the public sector could be a reason for this according to Jones (2008). This research primarily focuses on the indigenous people of the country with regard to their social and economic development and the role of government information systems. According to a study by Sahu, Dwivedi & Weeakkody (2009) on the role of ICT and rural community development, this can be effectively brought about by a combination of information technology and the prevailing knowledge that is available within the community. Aims and objectives The aim of this study is to provide a platform for the government and other stakeholders to implement information systems (IS) for the betterment of the indigenous community in Australia. It is expected that the study will provide information for the stakeholders to take an initiative to take note of the findings and implement (on a step by step basis) the recommendations provided in the study. Justification The rationale behind selecting the aboriginal community for this study is given here. First of all, Indigenous are the original inhabitants of the country. Secondly, they are still lagging behind other communities and immigrant population in terms of social and economic development. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, “many of Australias Indigenous people experience conditions of economic and social disadvantage. There has been recent renewed focus on monitoring progress in reducing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage, and the ABS is committed to improving the quality and comprehensiveness of data to assist governments to report against such indicator developments” (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). This statement clearly shows that the original inhabitants of the country need assistance from the government and other sections of the society for their upliftment. Since the government has recognised this need, it is assumed that the current study will assist these efforts. Literature review This section will provide specific ideas on the importance of IS and the factors that are to be taken into account in developing and implementing it effectively. In this age, the availability or relevant information as and when is needed is to be ensured for the development of a society (Chaffey & Wood 2004, p.7). Taylor (2004) is of the opinion that IS should be used for the benefit of the community and not just for interpersonal communication and calls the concept Community Informatics. It should result in development of the community on a wide range of fronts including entrepreneurship, community knowledge, and participation (Taylor, 2004, p.4). Taylor further adds that the current Government infrastructure in Australia is not equipped to bring about all round development in the community. Hence the importance of an effective IS in any setting or levels in the society. Mondo et al (2007) state that there needs to be a Collaborative Framework of all the stakeholders for effective implementation of Indigenous Knowledge Management. The authors cite traditional medicine as an example and state that it may even be integrated into modern medicine. They call this Indigenous Knowledge Management (IKM) and suggest a Collaborative Framework in order to preserve this knowledge for future use and study. According to the researchers, “A ”Collaborative Framework for Supporting Indigenous Knowledge Management” is a model that classifies the various IK users and their structural relationships (local communities, scientists, managers and policy makers) and organizes the input and management of their IK using tools, methods and techniques” (Mondo, Baryamureba, & Williams, 2007, p.164). It has been observed that such knowledge can be used universally for the benefit of human beings. It is possible to make use of this indigenous knowledge of the aboriginals which will benefit all the stakeholders concerned. The government should step in to see that this knowledge is not exploited at the cost of the originators of this knowledge (James, 1995, p. 87). Sadera et al (2005) et al stresses the importance of Enterprise Systems (ES) as an essential concept in IS implementation. Such a system should be able to provide, through automation, relevant information in real time to its users. Incorporation of guidelines from the organisations and databases like Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is seen as beneficial for strategic IS planning (Bhattacharya & Chang, 2009, p.97). Luzi and McKenzie (1982) state that any IS should have a performance measurement system incorporated into it so that the gap between planned and actual results is minimised. According to Harrison and Zappen (n.d.), there are three elements that contribute towards the success of community information systems namely, stakeholder involvement, commitment from key players, and critical mass. Similarly, Boddy et al states that “People at all levels of the organization need to work in ways that add value to the resources they use; to do that they need information – about inputs, the transformation process and outputs” (Boddy, Boonstra & Kennedy 2004, 6). Raval (1983) states that unless the end-user is involved in development of an IS, the overall effectiveness of the program will not be effective. Chatzoglou (2008) focuses on the importance of risk (both financial and non-financial) in the development of IS. Resistance to change, lack of knowledge, and suspicion stand in the way of effectively implementing IS according to Kaplan and Maxwell (2008). Jones (2006), referring to other studies, talks about the general neglect or apathy with regard to evaluation of information systems in the public sector and the need for improvement in this area. Meyer (2004, p. 25) stresses the importance of adopting a systems approach in implementing IS in any setting. He adds that empowering local organizations in developing IS is equally important. The Australian Local Government Association feels that use of information systems is an essential factor in the betterment of the community including the social and economic welfare of the Indigenous community (Australian Local Government Association, 2008). Moreover studies by Naidu and Jansen (n.d. p. 154) have illustrated some of the government initiatives in implementing such systems in the country for the benefit of the community under study. But they do not provide any idea about the level of stakeholder involvement. Salazaar (2008, p. 1969) has also shown that it has been successful in various degrees in the case of Latin American Indigenous community. But, the main problem that faces indigenous people in this context, according to Salazar, is the low level of internet penetration, low IT literacy, exploitation, misrepresentation and high cost of access. Studies of the Pascua Yaqui Indian reservation in the United States. Show community development projects using IS with even volunteer help from University Students (Bretts, 2007, p. 306). The Craigmillar Community Information Service (CCIS) in Scotland is another example of community development using IS. A network was developed connecting educational institutions, libraries, charity organisations, the local city council, other members of the community, and the CCIS (Slack, 2000, p.500). Krug is of the opinion that more resources should be spent by governments for developing internet technology and hence an argument for better use of IS for the benefit of the Indigenous community (Krug 2002, 48) Taking the above factors into consideration, I feel that enough literature is available regarding the implementation of an effective an effective information system in any setting. The problems and challenges that can be faced during implementation and running of an IS is also available. But it appears that relevant information regarding setting up and implementing an effective IS for the Indigenous community is inadequate. Hence a primary research might be necessary to gather further information regarding this. The above references to literature was given to illustrate the information available regarding implementation of IS systems. It illustrates the diverse factors needed to develop and implement an IS for the betterment of the society. It is felt that they are sufficient to develop a plan of action through the DBPDF and the roadmap to effectively implement it within the indigenous community. The DBPDF proposed in this paper is not a new theory, but an attempt to provide a framework (based on existing literature and primary research) that will help the overall and sustainable development of the target community. As can be seen, government initiatives already exist which makes it possible to use the infrastructure already in place for implementing the findings and recommendations of the study. The significance of the study has already been provided in the earlier section under ‘Justification of the study’. Research design and methodology Qualitative research: The following strategy with regard to qualitative study is proposed if chosen as the methodology in the research design. In this instance respondents belonging to Indigenous communities from Blacktown, La Perouse, Yerra Bay House, or Redfern will be selected. Apart from the above, it is proposed that ten respondents from each of the communities mentioned later in the paper will be used for the study. Research Model Based on (Babbie & Benaquisto, 2009) The idea for the current area of study when this researcher had a chance meeting with some of the aboriginal community members from Yerra Bay House. The idea developed into a serious line of study and a formal proposal was made. Once the go ahead was given extensive review of literature on IS in general and government initiatives with regard to the Indigenous community was undertaken. The variables in this study were the impact of government initiatives regarding the betterment of the community in the country. It is assumed that such initiatives have a direct impact on the community members with regard to economic and social factors. But a review of literature showed that the data available was inadequate. It was also seen that past studies (Notley & Foth, 200), show a lack of development within the community when compared to the immigrant white population. Hence a model (DBPDF) was developed whereby its implementation could help in correcting this imbalance. But further primary research is needed in order to fill the gaps between the research question and review of literature. It is also proposed that the study (primary research) include respondents from other immigrant communities in Australia, as seen in the diagram above. Once the literature review and primary research is over, analysis of data will be done, followed by recommendations and conclusions. Other areas from where data will be obtained: Data from secondary sources will also be used. Efforts at contacting the authors of these secondary sources, personally, for gathering more information are also under way. It is also proposed that the staff of the Australian National University be contacted in order to gather more information in this regard. Conceptual framework The study will use information gathered from past studies (literature review). But it has been found that in-depth information regarding the current area of study (IS and Indigenous/Aboriginal population of Australia) is inadequate. This study will attempt to fill out the gaps in the literature review through further studies. They include a study of the effectiveness of the current systems in place. It is to be seen to what extent, the current systems have been able to bring down the level of social exclusion and how much the aboriginal community have been able to come into the mainstream society through such efforts. The improvement in social and economic status of the community should be understood. The level of stakeholder involvement in the current systems also needs to be taken into account. Hence a primary research using qualitative methods is planned. The experimental methods for qualitative research and the logic behind it have been given above. Dynamic Business Process Development Model The DBPDF model developed for this study is given below A brief explanation of the model is given here. Overall support/financing – Includes major stakeholders like government, Aid agencies (NGOs), private donations, Aboriginal representatives Developing rural ICT infrastructure – Includes developers, government departments and trainers (Indigenous and non-Indigenous Rural IT infrastructure – Will be developed with the involvement of stakeholders in the above two modules Training institutions – Includes TAFE colleges and (paid and voluntary) private participation Skill levels – Basic, intermediate and advanced Monitoring agency – Has representatives of major stakeholders and will cover all modules above Practically, all modules interact with each other For example, the support/finance module interacts with developers, trainers, colleges, monitors etc Monitoring department will monitor all other modules The DBPDF will have to be implemented in a phased manner – say in one or two communities in the beginning Research philosophy The Indigenous population of Australia comprising of aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and are the original inhabitants of the country. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the arrival of European immigrants brought about a decline in the population due new diseases and brutal treatment of the community by the non-Indigenous population at that time. But over the intervening years, the community has seen a growth in population due to improved medical and social care. However, they are still backward in terms of social and economic growth and need assistance from the government and other stakeholders in order to integrate into mainstream society. Tan (2008) has made an extensive study regarding the gap between IT and internet usage between the indigenous and non-indigenous community in Australia. This study clearly states that income, education levels, knowledge of English, and remoteness are directly proportional to lower levels of IT familiarity among the indigenous community in the country. The roadmap, research model and the DBPDF has taken into consideration all the above factors mentioned above in this paper which involve a transitional issue where more and more members of the community are trained and made to use technology for their betterment. It is anticipated that the current study will help in bettering the social and economic status of the Indigenous community in the country. Justification of methodology Australia is a vast country and the indigenous population is scattered throughout its length and breadth. Efforts will be made to contact community members in person to conduct surveys. Considering the spread of the Indigenous community in the country, it is proposed that only qualitative research is to be carried out using through face to face interviews. Being a social research, it is felt that this is the best way to understand the perceptions and experiences of the participants (Bless, Higson-Smith & Kagee 2007, p. 44).The proposed duration will be about forty minutes and the questions will be semi-structured open ended ones. “Open ended questions invite comments or opinions without anticipating the results. They are used extensively in qualitative research, especially in interviews” (Alston & Bowles, 2003, p. 104). The authors add that such an approach will bring down the chances of any bias or pre-conceived notions by the researcher regarding the area of study. It will also enable the respondents to express their thoughts and feeling in a detailed manner without being constrained in any manner. The following aspects with regard to conduct of interviews need to be taken into consideration during interviews according to Horrocks & King (2010). The interview setting should be comfortable and relaxed especially for the respondent. It is preferable to record (audio) the interview rather than write down the points. But permission of the interviewee is necessary. It is only when a person refuse to be recorded that written options be employed. But it is advisable to take notes also in case any technical fault occurs. The interviewed should take efforts to build a rapport with the interviewee. A proper self-introduction and putting the interviewee at easy are a part of this step. It is best not to ask leading or complicated questions. The researcher is well advised to get some knowledge of asking probing questions. Once the interview is over, the researcher should thank the interviewee for his/her time and cooperation. It is proposed that the interviews with regard to the qualitative research will cover all the research questions and objectives mentioned above. Rubin and Rubin explain the advantage of interviews as a method of data collection in qualitative social research. “To achieve richness and depth of understanding, those engaged in qualitative interviews listen for and explore key words, ideas and themes using follow-up questions to encourage the interviewee to expand on what he or she has said that the researcher feels is important to the research” (Rubin & Rubin, 2005, p. 13). This indicates that the researcher has relative freedom in using the occasion to elicit maximum and relevant information, opinions, and observations for the purpose of the study. It is felt that the problems, aspirations, and needs of the Indigenous community can be better understood through interviews. It is proposed to use NVIVO to analyse the data collected. The NVIVO software has the ability to “cater for researcher needs to undertake projects ranging from fine, deeply reflective analysis to analytic processing of larger volumes of text sources” (Bazeley, 2007, p. 6). It is felt that the data collected in the study through the interviews can be analysed with the help of this software. Research ethics and approval: Ethic approval: Ethic approval required to conduct qualitative research interview will be conducted with 10 people from each of the following communities mentioned later in this section. The concept of ethical behaviour on the part of the researcher is very important. “Codes of ethics are formulated to regulate the relations of researchers to the people and fields they intend to study. Principles of research ethics ask that researchers avoid harming participants involved in the process by respecting and taking into account their needs and interests” (Flick, 2009, p. 37). The author uses the word ‘informed consent’ indicating that the participants are entitled to know any detail that they want about the research topic. It also indicates that the researcher has to inform the participants about any detrimental effect that may come about due to participating in the study. Flick, referring to other studies (e.g. Murphy and Dingwall, 2001), connects ethical theory with qualitative and quantitative research. Some of the salient points are mentioned here. The researcher should ensure that no harm should come to the participants for taking part in the research. The study should result in some form of positive advantage to the society and if possible to the participants. The opinions and values of the participants should be given due respect. This indicates that any opinion or value of the participant, even if not acceptable to the researcher should be respected. There should not be any form of discrimination with regard to gender, culture or race. A review of ethical research literature on the Indigenous community in Australia reveals that most publications are by health authorities or universities. Examples include the Edith Cowan University, the Aboriginal Health Research Committee of South Australia, and the standards set out by the NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Counil. As such, section 4.7.1. of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007 (published by the NHMRC), is taken up as a guideline in this study. It states that “the researcher should ensure that research methods are respectful and acknowledge the cultural distinctiveness of discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities or groups participating in the research – including national or multi-centre research” (National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007). Selection of respondents: It is proposed that ten respondents from each of the communities mention below will be used for the study namely, Indigenous, Russian, Bangladeshi, Indonesian, and Chinese ones. Ten willing respondents from each of these communities will be selected for the qualitative study. Ethic approval from each individual will be taken before they are selected for the study through a consent form duly signed by each of them. Additional information sheets stating the purpose of the study and a promise regarding confidentiality of information and identity will also be provided. The anonymity of the participants will also be assured. The data collected from the study will be stored on a computer. Access to this data will be protected by a password known only to this researcher, my immediate supervisor (tutor), and the ethical coordinator of the university. The data will be stored on the computer mentioned above for a period of five years. In case, the information is necessary after this period, and extension will be asked for. If any of my superiors leave or get transferred, then the necessary information to access the data (password, folders etc) will be provided to the next competent authority as per university laws. The ethical coordinator will be informed of any change in status regarding any change in the status of superiors or extension of data storage. This study will ensure that all ethical principles and guidelines mentioned above will be adhered to. These communities were selected because they form the highest population in Randwick as seen by figures of the ABS 2006 statistics. The details of the communities selected are given below. The respondents will be selected from the following communities. Russian Group at Maroubra Seniors Centre Bangladeshi Group at Multicultural Community Services (SMCS) Indonesian Group at Junction Neighbourhood Centre (JNC) Chinese Group at Randwick City Council - (Bowen library) Indigenous community at Randwick City Council - (Koori Interagency) Yarra Bay House Timeline A summary of progress to date including preliminary data, resources developed, etc: The study so far has included submission and approval of the research proposal which is concerned with the Impact of Government Information Systems on the betterment of Indigenous Community in Australia. The research started with review of relevant individual papers, followed by a literature review that covered nearly fifty research papers and books. In the process, I developed an overall plan titled Dynamic Business Process Development Framework. It is hoped that the framework will provide a master plan for the implementation of my project under research. It is seen that more relevant information and data is required regarding the area of research. The next step is to conduct a research methodology using qualitative research and data analysis. Milestone/Item – description Time Research Plan July 2009 – August 2009 Research Proposal September 2009 - October 2009 Introduction and overview November 2009 – January 2009 Roadmap and DBPDF February 2010 – May 2010 Literature review March 2010 – April 2010 Selection of research methodologies June 2010 – July 2010 Confirmation of Candidature and Ethical Approval - Milestone August 2010 – March 2011 Research instrument and data collection April 2011 – December 2011 Data Analysis January 2012 – October 2012 Thesis Writing & Conclusion the Introduction and overview will be revisited and updated November 2012 – June 2013 Thesis Submission References Alston, M & Bowles, W (2003). Research for social workers: an introduction to methods, Routledge Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010). Themes – Indigenous. Retrieved May 11 2010 from http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/C311215.nsf/all+documents+by+title/Indigenous Australian Local Government Association. (2008). Information technology, Retrieved May 20 2010 from, http://www.alga.asn.au/policy/infotech/index.php Babbie, E.R. & Benaquisto, L. (2009). Fundamentals of social research, 2nd edn., Cengage Learning Bazeley, P (2007). Qualitative data analysis with NVIVO, SAGE Publications Bhattacharya, J. & Chang, V. (2009). Adoption and Implementation of IT Governance, IGI Global Bless, C, Higson-Smith, C & Kagee, A (2006). Fundamentals of social research: an African perspective, 4th edn., Juta & Company Ltd Boddy, D. (2009). Managing Information Systems: Strategy and Organisation, 3rd edn, Press Prentice Hall, Pearson Education, England. Bretts, J.D. (2007). Community Computing and Literacy in Pascua Yaqui Pueblo. Idea Group Publishing. Chaffey, D & Wood, S. (2004). Business Information Management: Improving Performance Using Information Systems, Financial Times/ Prentice Hall. Chatzoglou, P.D. & Diamantidis, A.D. (2008). IT/IS implementation risks and their impact on firm performance, International Journal of Information Management, 29, 119-128 Flick, Uwe. (2009). An introduction into qualitative research. 3rd Edition: Sage Publications. Harrison, T.M. & Zappen (n.d.), J.P. Building Sustainable Community Information Systems: Lessons from a Digital Government Project, Copyright held by author Horrocks, C & King, N (2010). Interviews in qualitative research, SAGE Publications James, V. U. (1996). Sustainable development in third world countries: Applied and theoretical perspectives, Greenwood Publishing Group Jones, S. (2008). Evaluating information systems: private and public sector, Z Irani and P Love (Eds). Butterworth-Heinemann Kaplan, B. & Maxwell, J.A. (2006). 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Extending Australia’s digital divide policy: an examination of the value of social inclusion and social capital policy frameworks, Queensland University of Technology National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007). Chapter 4.7: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Retrieved 10 May 2010 from http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/ethics/2007_humans/section4.7.htm#c Raval, V. (1983). Impact of information systems on customers, Information and management, 6, 255-260 Rubin, H.J. & Rubin, I (2005). Qualitative interviewing: the art of hearing data, SAGE Publications Sadera, D., Rangaswami, S. & Mallavaram, P. (2005). A Critical Evaluation of Enterprise Systems Success Measurement Models, Idea Group Publishing. Sahu, G. P., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Weerakkody, V. (2009). E-Government Development and Diffusion. Idea Group Inc (IGI).   Salazar. J.F. (2008). Information communication technologies: concepts, methodologies, tools and applications (C.V. Slyke Ed.). 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