Organizational and Economic Implications of IT transformatio
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 3
Problem and its Background 3
1.0 Introduction 3
1.2 Background of the Research project 5
1.2.1 Local E-Government 6
1.2.2 Formulation of E-government Strategy on Local Governments 7
1.2.3 Organisational and Ecnomic Implications of E-Government 8
1.3 Rationale of the Research project 9
1.4 Statement of the Problem 10
1.5 Objectives of the Research project 10
1.7 Significance of the Research project 11
1.8 Scope and Limitation 12
Chapter 2 13
Review of Relevant Literature 13
2.1 Overview 13
2.2 E-Government Architecture 14
2.3 Local E-Government 16
2.4 A Model of E-Government 17
2.5 Formulation of E-Government Strategy on Local Governments 21
Organisational and Economic Implications of E-Government 25
2.6 Organisational and Economic Implications of E-Government 25
Chapter 3 29
Research Methology 29
3.1 Research Methods 29
3.2 Research Approach 31
3.3 Sample and Participants 33
3.4 Data Collection 33
3.4.1 Survey Method 34
3.4.2 Research Interview 35
3.5 Ethical Considerations 36
3.6 Data Processing 37
3.7 Data Analysis 40
Chapter 4 43
Data Analysis and Presentation 43
4.1 Overview 43
4.2 Demographic Profile of the Employees 44
4.3.1 Interview Results 47
4.3.2 Survey Results 57
Chapter 5 75
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation 75
5.1 Summary 75
5.2 Conclusion and Implications of the Study 76
5.3 Future Development and Recommendations 79
6.0 References 84
7.0 Appendix 89
Part 1. Profile of Respondent 89
Part 2 Interview Schedule 90
Part 3. Survey Questionnaire 91
Chapter 1
Problem and its Background
1.0 Introduction
At the dawn of the computer age, government institutions are making their moves in adopting Information Technology (IT) in their systems. IT has many known benefits. It makes transactions and jobs faster. It allows access to valuable information in remote systems. And, it provides convenience.
Gone were the days when people have to stand in long lines to receive service from government institutions. Gone were the days of tons of paper trails and the necessity to travel from one place to another to retrieve specific documents or information.
In the United Kingdom (UK), a strategic framework for public services was created through the creation of the Electronic Government or e-government. This was to support the Prime Minister’s Aim to make all public services available online by 2005. The e-government has four guiding principles. These are: building services around citisens’ choices; making government and its services accessible; fostering social inclusion; and, using information better (IDABC E-government Observatory, 2005).#p#分页标题#e#
The emergence of the e-government will automatically spell convenience for citisens who are in need of or who will be needing public services. E-government makes use of information technology or the internet to improve the delivery of government services to citisens, businesses and other government agencies (Seifert, 2003). Through this system, citisens can retrieve public information or process government transactions anytime of the day, on Sundays and even on holidays at channels which would be convenient for them.
Services are generally automated, easy to use and can be electronically delivered. Aside from the internet, public services can be accessed through mobile phones, personal computers, digital televisions and call centers. These channels are also expected to enhance personal contact when required (IDABC E-government Observatory, 2005).
The full implementation of the e-government is not instantaneous. There are technical, economic and political issues to battle first before its full potential is achieved. Seifert (2003) mentioned that e-government projects can be divided into four stages of evolution. These are presence, interaction, transaction and transformation. There are also potential opportunities and challenges incorporated at each stage. Potential opportunities would include the introduction of new services and the increased participation of citisens in the government especially those who are experts in the field of IT. The potential challenges, on the other hand, would be information security and privacy, disparities in computer access, and management and funding requirements.
Generally, the goal of e-government is to improve the management and efficiency of government information technology resources. “It is a process or a means to an end, rather than an end in and of itself” (Seifert 2003). The citisens’ understanding, acceptance and trust to the use of IT in government-based transactions are critical to the development of the e-government. The e-government should also evolve along with the developments made in electronic technology so it will become even more beneficial and convenient to its end-users.
1.2 Background of the Research project
The transformation of governments to being IT-driven involves a number of stages. Each of these stages takes time and has to go through a lot before its full potential is realised. The transformation does not only go through vertically. It also goes horisontally from the national government down to the local government then to the regional government.
In the national level, the e-Government Unit (eGU) is created within the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office is politically responsible for the government reform and modernisation in accordance with the e-government policy. A council of Chief Information Officers (CIO) is also formed to work with the eGU to produce the IT strategy for the government (IDABC E-government Observatory, 2005).
The eGU spearheads the development and implementation of e-government infrastructure in the national level. They coordinate with other government departments who are also implementing their own e-government policy strategies. They also link with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister who, in turn, oversees the creation of the local e-governments (IDABC E-government Observatory, 2005).
These institutions work in accordance with the technical policies and specifications of the e-government Inter-operability Framework (e-GIF). This framework realises the exchange of documents and services among local government units and government-related agencies (Cornish Web Services Consultancy Ltd 2008).
1.2.1 Local E-Government
As per the update on April 2006, local governments in UK had already succeeded in delivering part of the Prime Minister’s and Cabinet’s vision of having all the local councils offering local services online. They were also able to achieve 100 percent capability in electronic delivery of priority services by 2005 (Office of Public Sector Information 2008).
The local e-government was able to produce useful websites for their citisens. One is the Local Directgov Programme which connects citisens to local authorities. The site also provides links to local authority websites so citisens can directly reach the services that they would like to access. Second is Product Share which is a knowledge-sharing resource for local authority officers. Local and national programmes can be browsed in the website including case studies and how-to guides. The third site is Government Connect which provides a secure network among the national and local government communities. This site allows safe and secure exchange of e-mails and data. Local authorities will have to provide proper authentication to be able to access sensitive information (Office of Public Sector Information 2008).
Under the Support and Capacity Programme, the local e-government had also launched online resources such as the efficiency agenda, the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Toolkit, and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA). Communities and local governments can have access to information, guidelines and statements about efficiency, ESD and project, programme and change management. These resources are provided for local authorities and all public sector organisations so they can work together in being able to deliver public services efficiently and effectively (Office of Public Sector Information 2008).
1.2.2 Formulation of E-government Strategy on Local Governments
Local authorities are requested to prepare an Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) Statement. When these statements are completed, the local authorities are qualified to receive funding from the Central government to be used for their e-government. The statements will also state their rationale for creating the e-government (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).#p#分页标题#e#
In a survey involving local authorities in England, 76 percent of the respondents had undertaken a comprehensive process of meeting council staff and elected members to produce the IEG statement. Eighteen percent said they just met with the council members but the document was reviewed by the elected members. The remaining 7 percent mentioned that their strategy was developed by just a single person or a small team. There was no wide consultation about it. However, there was large observed probability that local authorities would consult public sector partners about it (76%) and to a lesser extent with the private community/voluntary sectors (62%). Five percent of the respondents did not involve any external participants at all (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).
As for the implementation of the strategies, 72 percent of the respondents said they lacked the required skills and understanding of e-government and thus, needed training on e-government skills. Ninety-four percent of the local authorities provided the required trainings internally for their officers. About the same percentage accounted to respondents soliciting trainings from external organisations (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).
Almost all (94%) of the local authorities believed that for their e-government strategies to become successful, they need to establish partnerships with organisations from public, private or community/voluntary sectors. The creation of an e-government was perceived as very important by the respondents as it will help in promoting access to information and services, opening avenues for consultation with the public and in effectively managing programmes and projects (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).
1.2.3 Organisational and Ecnomic Implications of E-Government
The implementation of e-governments had been motivated by positive outcomes such as cost savings, efficient internal government processes and external interaction, improved quality and customer service and modernisation of internal organisation (Benamou 2005).V
On the survey conducted to local authorities, respondents reported that the transformation to e-government had an effect on their internal systems, processes and ways of working with authorities. More than 60 percent reported that e-government did not have any corresponding effects on office space requirements or on running costs. Twenty-one percent said there was an increase in office space requirements while 14 percent said there was a decrease. On running costs, 20 percent said there was a rise on running costs while 7 percent said there was a fall (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).
A higher number (35%) of respondents stated that e-government had caused an increase in the cost of providing information. Only 12 percent observed a reduction. This observed increase may be accounted to the initial expenditure of setting-up the electronic system. The staff was also observed to be spending more time providing information in the e-government (34%). A small number (14%) said there was a reduction of the staff’s time. On the other hand, there was a reduction of the time spent by the staff to process transactions (18%). The cost of processing transactions was still observed to have increased (13%) (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).#p#分页标题#e#
In the quality of service, 91 percent and 76 percent of the local authorities saw the improvement in the accessibility of information and services through e-government. There was also an increase in the take-up of e-enabled information and services (78% and 53%). Fifty percent of the respondents also observed the rise on the joint provision of information.
1.3 Rationale of the Research project
This research project examines the transformation of local governments to IT-driven institutions in the form of e-governments. Analysis of the results of this research project will assess the implications of the transformation from the point of view of the citisens. This will also bring an understanding on how the transformation takes place and what kind of adjustments or changes have to be done to achieve the full potential of an IT-driven institution.
1.4 Statement of the Problem
The release of UK’s official e-government strategy in the year 2000 marked the challenge for all public sector organisations and central government departments including the local government to innovate and implement policies in compliance to this strategy.
How the local government did accept this challenge? How did they formulate and implemented their own strategies? What adjustments were necessary to be done to achieve the full potential of the e-government strategy? How did these adjustments affect the local government units organisationally and economically?
1.5 Objectives of the Research project
This research project aims to identify the organisational and economic implications of IT transformation in the local government. This is in compliance with UK’s e-government strategy.
Specifically, this research project aims to:
1. Identify local government units who had formulated and currently implementing their e-government strategies;
2. Trace and evaluate the process of transformation within the local governments;
3. Determine the organisational and economic impacts of the transformation; and,
4. Recommend measures to sustain the IT transformation within the local governments.
1.6 Research Questions
This research porject will give focus on the following questions:
1. What are ocal government units which had formulated and currently implementing their e-government strategies?
2. How did they formulate and implemented their own strategies?
3. What are the organisational and economic impacts of the transformation of the local government?
4. What adjustments were necessary to be done to achieve the full potential of the e-government strategy?
1.7 Significance of the Research project
Considering the growing demand with a better public service from the Government, government organisations are in need of maximising its resources in order to operate successfully. One of these significant resources is the application of information technology. By means of conducting this research, how technology can assist governmentorganisations in overcoming its operational issues can be of benefit to the head operators of the industry. This research project may also be of significance to agencies that are yet to employ IT systems in their operations. This research can provide an overview or background as to how IT can be utilised to the delivery of public services. Most importantly, the increased awareness and interest of the governmentagencies on the application of IT will directly benefit the public by receiving more efficient services from the government and other public organisations.#p#分页标题#e#
1.8 Scope and Limitation
This research project was conducted in the attempt to identify the specific strategies used for Application of information technologywithin the UK government and public organisations. The research covered topics on the use of information technology on the delivery of public services, particularly on its effect on the performance. The discussion and findings of this research mainly focuses on the status of information technology application in UK government and public organisations. Information used to answer the research question of the research project was derived from both primary and secondary resources. The primary source of data were drawn from the survey questionnaire and semi-structured interview prepared by the researcher. The respondents of the research project were randomly selected from different UK government and public organisations and are working as social workers or employees. The secondary sources of data on the other hand, were taken from published books, journal, magasines as well as online sources discussing the application of information technology and its effect to social welfare organisations. As this research project will be utilising a small sample of participants, the results may not effectively represent the general population. Due to time, budget and effort constraints, this research project will be conducted over a limited period of time.
Chapter 2
Review of Relevant Literature
2.1 Overview
The application of information and communication technology (ICT), together with other practices in the business sector including e-commerce as well as the advent of the Internet among the general population have resulted in the growing level of ease and awareness with the technologies in many context which increased the prospect of citisens that public sector organisations will offer services that are alike to those in the business sector in terms of efficiency and competence.
An e-government strategy is considered as a vital aspect in the process of modernising of the public sector via the process of recognising and improving the structure of the entire organisation, particularly regarding the manner of connection with the citisens and business, at the same time, help to lessen cost and layers of organisational business processes, at the same time offer different information towards the citisens and businesses via the Internet. Aside from that, e-government help to the government to have a strategic linkage between the different units and departments which help to improve the cooperation and connection between them by smoothing the progress of condition and execution of the different strategies, transactions and policies by the government which enables the government to use processes, information and resources in more efficient manner (Heeks 2001). In addition, governments can transfer money, data and information via intranet or Internet, which enables to develop the communication between the units of government that can help people not to ask for the same information from different services providers, frequently (Tyndale 2002). Aside from that, it enables the citisens and businesses to complete different transactions in different government agencies minus the hassle of visiting different separate departments in separate physical locations (McClure 2000).#p#分页标题#e#
As a result, different public leaders and authorities and officials of the government are becoming more and more aware of the probable benefits of e-governance towards their citisens, employees and business partners.
2.2 E-Government Architecture
E-government architectures defines the standards, infrastructure components, applications, technologies, business model and guidelines for the electronic commerce between the organisations that smooth the progress of connection between the government departments and agencies , at the same time encourages productivity as a group. The framework is structured into four important layers that are connected via two-direction arrow that represent the hierarchical level of e-government implementation and show the connection of each important layer in logical manner that enables the two-way broadcast of data and services.
The top level of the framework is called the access layer which shows the possible user of the services of the government, together with the possible channel of access. In these channels, the e-government portal must focus on integrating and connecting all of the information and services of the government from dissimilar departments and organisation that stand for the e-government layer. In addition, the business-layer is important because it processes the manipulation and integration of government data sources throughout the government bodies, at the same time, makes sure that information and services will be available for the e-governmental portal in real-time manner. The ICT infrastructure is the bottom level of the framework because it is established in order to reach out all of the units of the government, at the same time, hold up the operation of the e-government.
Figure 1 E-Government Architecture Framework
Source: (Ebrahim & Irani 2005)
2.3 Local E-Government
The UK and the rest of European Union (EU) is being left behind by the US in terms of taking advantage of the digital environment for the benefits of its citisens including e-commerce and e-government. As a result, the prime minister of the UK had announced that by 2002, 25% of all the dealings with the government should be able to be carried out by the public in electronic manner which was presented in Modernasation Agenda in White Paper, Modern Local Government, In Touch With People which focused on proposing different actions that can be done in order to reform the UK local governments (DETR 1998). Thus, implementation of e-government is considered as the key aspect of this modernisation and transformation agenda because the government believed on the fact that e-government can help to offer efficient public services and important information towards the citisens by applying different information and communication technology (Burn & Robins 2003). This can help the government to improve public service delivery by reducing the levels of bureaucracy and increasing flexibility, competence and opportunities for the communication of the citisens. The said targets were revised in the Modernising Government White Paper, where in the government set that by 2005, 100% of the entire government and public services will be delivered in electronic manner (Beynon-Davies & Williams 2003). #p#分页标题#e#
The UK Government’s statement on the electronic establishes 4 guiding principles:
Build services around the choices of the citisens;
Make government, together with its services to be more accessible for the citisens;
Social inclusion;
Using information and other resources in more efficient and effective manner (Beynon-Davies & Williams 2003).
2.4 A Model of E-Government
Information Communication Technology (ICT) is considered as the enabler for organisational change in the aspect of redesigning the services delivery of e-government towards the key stakeholders. As a result, it can help in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency of delivery of public services including dissemination of information towards the end users of the system (Porter 1985). Figure 2 shows the e-government model which shows the different stakeholders, entities and processes that are involved and must be considered in implementing e-government.
Figure 2 E-Government Model
Source: (Beynon-Davies & Williams 2003)
There are about 700 different services which a common unitary authority handles, and most of these services are primarily information-based. One of the best examples is the maintenance of land and electoral register and collection of revenues including council tax (Beynon-Davies & Williams 2003). For a number of the said information-based services, national standards and systems are considered as being developed and promoted among the authorities in the UK which include:
1. The Local Authorities Secure Electoral Register – offers electoral registers that are joined up, maintained and managed in local manner and are accessible on national level to authorised users;
2. The National Land Information Service – serves as online one-stop shop on delivering information that are related on information from source data providers to conveyancers and home buyers;
3. The National Land and Property Gasetteer – involves local authorities to convert their existing lists of addresses into a fully consistent national information system that is held electronically, built to general standard based on exclusive property reference numbers for each property or piece of land (Beynon-Davies & Williams 2003).
Other services including waste disposal may not be based on information but nonetheless dependent on the efficient and competent diffusion of information to the stakeholders. For instance, effective waste disposal is dependent on the stipulation of correct collection times to the authority customers. Thus, services are considered as the end-points of any business process and even business activities (Hammer 1996 & Checkland 1987). The National Audit Office (2002) reported that English national strategy in the said area entails e-government services to be (a) joined-up, (b) accessible in times and places that are more opportune for the customers, (c) delivered or supported in electronic manner, (d) delivered jointly, (e) delivered seamlessly and (f) open and liable. #p#分页标题#e#
In order to come up with this informatics infrastructure, it is important for the government to address different aspects that are related to technical and social factors (Beynon-Davies & Williams 2003).
In 2004, the average Council has bee 79% e-enabled compared with the 59% of the last year. Thus, 98% of each Council declared that 100% target of 2005 was possible. In addition, the robustness of the recording progress in the said has been improved by obliging all Councils to authenticate their approach against the standards that were set by the Local Authority interactions (LGSL). Furthermore, the National Projects have been able to complete their work by the end of March of the said year, where in 47% of the entire authorities have indicated that the National Projects are considered as critical to the achievements of the target of the government towards e-government, while a total of more than 250 different products have been developed by using and applying the said programme (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2005).
As per the update on April 2006, local governments in UK had already succeeded in delivering part of the Prime Minister’s and Cabinet’s vision of having all the local councils offering local services online. They were also able to achieve 100 percent capability in electronic delivery of priority services by 2005 (Office of Public Sector Information 2008).
The local e-government was able to produce useful websites for their citisens. One is the Local Directgov Programme which connects citisens to local authorities. The site also provides links to local authority websites so citisens can directly reach the services that they would like to access. Second is Product Share which is a knowledge-sharing resource for local authority officers. Local and national programmes can be browsed in the website including case studies and how-to guides. The third site is Government Connect which provides a secure network among the national and local government communities. This site allows safe and secure exchange of e-mails and data. Local authorities will have to provide proper authentication to be able to access sensitive information (Office of Public Sector Information 2008).
Under the Support and Capacity Programme, the local e-government had also launched online resources such as the efficiency agenda, the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Toolkit, and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA). Communities and local governments can have access to information, guidelines and statements about efficiency, ESD and project, programme and change management. These resources are provided for local authorities and all public sector organisations so they can work together in being able to deliver public services efficiently and effectively (Office of Public Sector Information 2008).
2.5 Formulation of E-Government Strategy on Local Governments
The first phase of an Audit Commission electronic government project focuses on the process of consultation of May 2001, together with the key stakeholders that will be affected and benefited by the programme, particularly those government organisations and units that will serve as the primary user and the system. Local Councils were all invited to submit an Implementing Electronic Government statement to the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions by July 2001. The said statements were designed in order to set out the actions that the councils intended to make in order to meet the 2005 deadline, at the same time, offer a strategy for e-government agenda within each authority. Local authorities are requested to prepare an Implementing Electronic Government (IEG) Statement. When these statements are completed, the local authorities are qualified to receive funding from the Central government to be used for their e-government. The statements will also state their rationale for creating the e-government (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).#p#分页标题#e#
The results and findings of the said consultations were presented at workshop in December of the same year and in March 2002. The report include information about the surveys that have been done which shows that while councils agree that e-government demands fundamental change, most of the project do not question existing ways of delivering different public services. Furthermore, 30% of the electronic government projects are focused on the World Wide Web (www) sites. But, most of the said sites only offer information regarding the services, and do not allow the customers and the citisens to interact with the authorities, particularly in different transactions such as input of information and funds (Beynon-Davies & Williams 2003).
According to the spending review of 2000, the UK Central Government had been able to allocate £350 million in order to make the councils to meet the 2005 deadline. Thus, based on statement of the Implementing Electronic Government, £25 million was allocated in 2001 – 2002 in order to support the pathfinder projects which aimed to plot innovative technologies, including customer relationship management systems in chosen authorities, the balance was to be allocated over 2 years to 398 councils in the entire UK had their Implementing Electronic Government rated satisfactory (Beynon-Davies & Williams 2003).
However, in spite of the apparent smooth process towards the implementation of local e-government, problems still persist. The local authorities faced problems and challenges in order to achieve the target, particularly regarding the issue of financial budget where in an estimated £2.5 billion will be required to deliver their programs. In addition, Councils are identifying the lack of understanding regarding the information, together with the effective coordination between the different e-government programs and have been called for a national framework in order to improve and develop the consistency of local e-government strategy and policy. More importantly, the country also focused on the threat on the implementation of the programme particularly in the aspect of cost, lack of ICT skills and public leaders and authoritieship capacity and skills in change management, project planning and business analysis, together with the scale of cultural and organisation change requirements. A survey done in 2003 underscored all of the said capability gaps (ODPM 2003). In June 2003 the association of local government IT managers (Socitm), criticised the ODPM for dropping an obligation to permit councils to focus resources on key local e-government services. Socitm argued that “the continued emphasis on achieving 100% of everything,” despite the consequences of whether services will be used or not, “is in direct contradiction to principles of value for money.” This haphasard approach, according to local council senior policy administrators, has tended to weaken resources away from main concern services, which in effective manner (Flowers & Tang 2005). #p#分页标题#e#
In a survey involving local authorities in England, 76 percent of the respondents had undertaken a comprehensive process of meeting council staff and elected members to produce the IEG statement. Eighteen percent said they just met with the council members but the document was reviewed by the elected members. The remaining 7 percent mentioned that their strategy was developed by just a single person or a small team. There was no wide consultation about it. However, there was large observed probability that local authorities would consult public sector partners about it (76%) and to a lesser extent with the private community/voluntary sectors (62%). Five percent of the respondents did not involve any external participants at all (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).
As for the implementation of the strategies, 72 percent of the respondents said they lacked the required skills and understanding of e-government and thus, needed training on e-government skills. Ninety-four percent of the local authorities provided the required trainings internally for their officers. About the same percentage accounted to respondents soliciting trainings from external organisations (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).
Almost all (94%) of the local authorities believed that for their e-government strategies to become successful, they need to establish partnerships with organisations from public, private or community/voluntary sectors. The creation of an e-government was perceived as very important by the respondents as it will help in promoting access to information and services, opening avenues for consultation with the public and in effectively managing programmes and projects (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003).
Organisational and Economic Implications of E-Government
Technology can be viewed not just as an artifact but rather the knowledge which underlies the artifacts (Parayil 1991). Therefore, it can be said that e-government is not just a simple set of physical structures to the theoretical knowledge of the hardware and the software. Technology is also defined as the set of activities which are being carried out by the people that contains elements that are related to a given knowledge, material and skill in order to complete a specific task. Therefore, the systems that are being employed in e-government can be considered as the skills that are needed in order to collect, store, process and even manage information, together with all the procedures around the said processes. As a result, technology can be viewed as a part of a wider socio-technical system which include the physical structures, people, together with the process where in technology is used, as well as the decisions on how the use of technology. Thus, e-government is considered as the combination of physical structures, technological infrastructure and set of rules and skills which help it to operate and perform (Street 1992). #p#分页标题#e#
2.6 Organisational and Economic Implications of E-Government
The implementation of e-governments had been motivated by positive outcomes such as cost savings, efficient internal government processes and external interaction, improved quality and customer service and modernisation of internal organisation (Benamou 2005). Even though the technology of e-commerce is considered as on its adolescents, it has enable to untapped potential in order to improve productivity and the quality of life, at the same time, trigger the change for transforming public sector by radically shrinking the communications and information costs, improving the speed, widening the reach and getting rid of the distance. Thus, as e-government develops, different government agencies are being able to conduct transactions with the public citisens along web-based systems which apply portals in order to connect common applications, at the same time, protecting their privacy. As a result, by offering public services online will help to ease the process of navigating between the agencies boundary which smooths the progress and path of communication between the citisens and their government. Not so long ago the focus of the literatures and studies of different government agencies in the world, particularly in developed countries was on putting e-government on the map, making it perceptible or evident, raise awareness and knowledge, political interest and gaining momentum in order to bring public services online, however, the moment the “first e-government services were piloted, academic, industrial and governmental conferences and publications around the globe stressed the importance of numerous technical (e.g. integration), social (e.g. digital divide) and economic (e.g. ROI) issues” (Themistocleous & Sarikas 2005).
The e-government helps to offer governments the opportunity to improve not only their operational transparency, clarity of purpose and responsiveness towards the citisens (Marche & McNiven 2003), bit also their internal efficiency and effectiveness, vital concerns during the times of economic downturn and increasing public pressure for internal accountability (Davison & Wagner 2005).
On the survey conducted to local authorities, respondents reported that the transformation to e-government had an effect on their internal systems, processes and ways of working with authorities. More than 60 percent reported that e-government did not have any corresponding effects on office space requirements or on running costs. Twenty-one percent said there was an increase in office space requirements while 14 percent said there was a decrease. On running costs, 20 percent said there was a rise on running costs while 7 percent said there was a fall (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003). A higher number (35%) of respondents stated that e-government had caused an increase in the cost of providing information. Only 12 percent observed a reduction. This observed increase may be accounted to the initial expenditure of setting-up the electronic system. The staff was also observed to be spending more time providing information in the e-government (34%). A small number (14%) said there was a reduction of the staff’s time. On the other hand, there was a reduction of the time spent by the staff to process transactions (18%). The cost of processing transactions was still observed to have increased (13%) (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003). #p#分页标题#e#
In the quality of service, 91 percent and 76 percent of the local authorities saw the improvement in the accessibility of information and services through e-government. There was also an increase in the take-up of e-enabled information and services (78% and 53%). Fifty percent of the respondents also observed the rise on the joint provision of information.
Chapter 3
Research Methology
3.1 Research Methods
Common knowledge regarding the mixed method of research is its use of both qualitative and quantitative data. The method is appropriate in this research because the mixed method is a flexible research method as it enables the researcher to combine qualitative and quantitative research techniques applicable to the efficient and reliable gathering and processing of data (Saunders et al, 2003). Accordingly, the mixed method’s logic of inquiry is appropriate in this research project as it involves induction, deduction, and abduction. According to Johnson and Onwuegbusie (2004), induction refers to the discovery of patterns; deduction refers to the testing of theories and hypothesis; and abduction refers to the uncovering of results and relying on the best of a set of explanations for understanding one’s results.
The use of the two logic of inquiry is appropriate in this research project for two reasons. First, induction is employed in the review of related literature; the process of induction is exercised in order to discover patterns of research or construction of concepts that relates to the topic of the research (Robson, 2002). Therefore, induction provides the background of the research project or the predecessors of the same concepts that this research aims to discover. This basically, gives the details on the patterns of how other research is done and the results of the research. Through such knowledge, the researcher is able to harness the necessary improvements on the methods that could yield the necessary answers to the research questions.
Second, deduction is appropriate in testing the theory of the research (Yin 2002). The process of deduction involves the most important research tool which is interview.
The interviews will be interviewed individually or in a focus-group discussion. The interview questions will include the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. They will be asked on their years of service in the local government, their knowledge and understanding about e-government and their skills related to this. They will also be asked on how the local government complied with the e-government strategy. They would have to relate the processes that they underwent from the preparation of the strategy to the implementation then to future plans. They would then be asked on what adjustments or changes that they had to go through and how the outcome of the e-government compare with their past governance in terms of organisational structure and economic gains.#p#分页标题#e#
The descriptive method of research was considered for this research project. Creswell (1994) have noted that this approach aims on gathering informationr regarding the current existing condition. The emphasis is on describing rather than on judging or interpreting. The main goal of this approach is for verification purposes in line with the formulated hypotheses that refer to the present situation in order to elucidate it. The descriptive approach is quick and practical in terms of the financial aspect. In addition, this method permits a flexible approach, thus, when significant new issues aas well as questions arise during the duration of the research project, further investigation may be conducted. In addition, the descriptive technique is also used for researches which aim to identify as well as explore the cause or causes of a certain situation. The researcher opted to use this research method considering the objective to obtain first hand data from the respondents.
The descriptive approach was advantageous for the researcher due to its flexibility; this method can use either qualitative or quantitative data or both, giving the researcher greater options in selecting the instrument for gathering information. The purpose of this research was to identify the specific strategies for applying IT in delivering public servicesas well as the impact these technologies have for the industry; the descriptive method is then appropriate for this research since this method is used for gathering prevailing conditions.
3.2 Research Approach
As this research made use of a survey questionnaire to gather data, the quantitative approach was used for this research project. The quantitative approach is centred on the quantification of relationships between variables. Quantitative data-gathering instruments establish relationship between measured variables. When these methods are used, the researcher is usually detached from the research project and the final output is context free. Measurement, numerical data and statistics are the main substance of quantitative instruments. With these instruments, an explicit description of data collection and analysis of procedures are necessary. An approach that is primarily deductive reasoning, it prefers the least complicated explanation and gives a statement of statistical probability. The quantitative approach is more on the detailed description of a phenomenon. It basically gives a generalisation of the gathered data with tentative synthesised interpretations.
Quantitative approach is useful as it helps the researcher to prevent bias in gathering and presenting research data. Quantitative data collection approaches create epistemological postulations that reality is objective and unitary, which can only be realised by means of transcending individual perspective. This phenomenon in turn should be discussed or explained by means of data analysis gathered through objective forms of measurement. The quantitative data gathering methods are useful especially when a research project needs to measure the cause and effect relationships evident between pre-selected and discrete variables. The purpose of the quantitative approach is to avoid subjectivity by means of collecting and exploring information which describes the experience being studied. #p#分页标题#e#
Quantitative methods establish very specific research problem and terms. The controlled observations, mass surveys, laboratory experiments and other means of research manipulation in qualitative method makes gathered data more reliable. In other words, subjectivity of judgment, which is not needed in a thesis discussion, can be avoided through quantitative methods. Thus, conclusions, discussion and experimentation involved in the process are more objective. Variables, both dependent and independent, that are needed in the research project are clearly and precisely specified in a quantitative research project. In addition, quantitative method enables longitudinal measures of subsequent performance of the respondents.
3.3 Sample and Participants
The population of the research project is made up of frontline social workers, service providers, member’s overnment organisations that works in government office. These types of respondents were utilised by the researcher considering that employees or workers of the government have the necessary information that will answer to the research project’s objectives; moreover, the employees of the industry are one of the most affected groups of Application of information technologyin delivering public services in the country. A total of 200 pre-designed questionnaires were randomly distributed for the sample selection.
The random sampling technique was conducted where each member if a population has an equal opportunity to become a part of the sample. As all members of the population have an equal chance of becoming a research participant, this is said to be the most efficient sampling procedure. In order to conduct this sampling strategy, the researcher defined the population first, listed down all the members of the population and then selected the members to make the sample. For this procedure, the lottery sampling or the fish bowl technique was employed. From this, the researcher aimed for a total of 120 valid returns (60%). The actual process resulted to 70 valid returns. These were then used for the analysis.
3.4 Data Collection
The data for this research project was based on both primary and secondary sources. Primary information was gathered through the survey questionnaire distributed to the selected respondents as well as the interview process carried to a few heads of the social service organisations selected for the research. Secondary sources on the other hand, were derived from printed references; these had been used mainly to support the data analysis.
3.4.1 Survey Method
The survey questionnaire was used as the main data-gathering instrument for this research project. The survey explored the perceptions of the respondents on the application of information technology in their respective organisations. The questions were structured using the Likert format. In order to use the questionnaire as an evaluation tool for the effect of Information technology application in the UK government and public organisations, the respondents rated each statement or question in the survey using a Likert scale with a five-point response scale. A Likert Scale is a rating scale that requires the subject to indicate his or her degree of agreement or disagreement to a statement. In this survey type, five choices had been provided for every question or statement. The choices represent the degree of agreement each respondent has on the given question. In order to analyse the results of the questionnaire, the weighted mean computed from each survey item was computed. The weighted mean was #p#分页标题#e# used in order to obtain the average values that would represent the sample’s response to each question in the survey. This helped the researcher identify the general response of the participants to the given question or statement.
The Likert survey was the selected questionnaire type as this enabled the respondents to answer the survey easily. In addition, this research instrument allowed the research to carry out the quantitative approach effectively with the use of statistics for data interpretation. In order to test the validity of the questionnaire used for the research project, the researcher tested the questionnaire to five respondents. These respondents as well as their answers were not part of the actual research project process and were only used for testing purposes. After the questions have been answered, the researcher asked the respondents for any suggestions or any necessary corrections to ensure further improvement and validity of the instrument. The researcher revised the survey questionnaire based on the suggestion of the respondents. The researcher then excluded irrelevant questions and changed vague or difficult terminologies into simpler ones in order to ensure comprehension.
3.4.2 Research Interview
Aside from the survey method, this research project also utilised the face-to-face semi-structured interview method. The researcher developed the interview schedule and served as the interviewer during the interview process. Questions pertaining to the strategies, requirements, challenges and effects of applying IT in the UK government and public organisations were the main components of the interview schedule. This research instrument was selected as it allows the acquisition of insights from selected respondents; with semi-structured interview, interviewees are able to express their feelings, concerns and opinions. This data-gathering tool is useful for both the research project and the researcher since it helped in gathering relevant information from specific respondents. In particular, this data-gathering tool allowed the researcher to obtain facts regarding the specific IT strategies employed by the different organisations under UK government and public organisations. With this method, a total of 30 randomly selected respondents from the survey sample were subjected to a brief interview.
3.5 Ethical Considerations
The research project involved the use of human participants as well as the acquisition of some confidential company data. Thus, in this research, ethical considerations had been identified and prioritised. Specifically, consent and confidentiality factors were valued in the process. The researcher ensured that these factors were safeguarded during the entire duration of the research project. In order to gain the consent of the social welfare organisations’ regarding this research project, the researcher secured an approval from both managements by means of a written letter of permission. Securing the permission of the participants was also given importance.#p#分页标题#e#Custom Thesis Writing
Thus, a written letter explaining the details of the research, its objectives, purpose and procedure was distributed to the selected participants before participating in the actual interview process. The reasons why the employees were selected as respondents was also stated in the consent form; this enabled the employees to connect the research aims with that of the participants’ background. It was also ensured that rapport and trust were built between the researcher and the respondents; this helped in gaining the cooperation of the participants. Although the participants have initially given their consent, the researcher also informed them that they could withdraw even during the research process and even without providing any reason. By giving this freedom, the participants will not feel forced to be part of the process in the process.
The privacy of the respondents as well as the confidentiality of their responses was prioritised by the researcher as well. In order to do so, the names of all parties involved were kept confidential. All details that were related to the research project were included in the final report. The researcher also ensured that all data gathered for the research project were protected from unauthorised access.
3.6 Data Processing
After gathering all the completed questionnaires from the respondents, total responses for each item were obtained and tabulated. In order to use the Likert-scale for interpretation, weighted mean to represent each question was computed. Weighted mean is the average wherein every quantity to be averages has a corresponding weight. These weights represent the significance of each quantity to the average. To compute for the weighted mean, each value must be multiplied by its weight. Products should then be added to obtain the total value. The total weight should also be computed by adding all the weights. The total value is then divided by the total weight. Statistically, the weighted mean is calculated using the following formula:
or
Once the computed mean for each survey item has been computed, the values are then compared to the likert scale (Underwood 2004):
To further understand how the analysis and interpretation were done, consider the following example:
IT Strategy and Application 5 4 3 2 1 Weighted Mean Interpretation
1. The local government or e-government applies multiple Information technology and information communication technology systems to its different operational departments. 41 29 0 0 0 4.59 Strongly Agree
Range Interpretation
4.50 – 5.00 Strongly Agree
3.50 – 4.49 Agree
2.50 – 3.49 Uncertain
1.50 – 2.49 Disagree
0.00 – 1.49 Strongly Disagree
#p#分页标题#e#
The first column contains the survey statement from the questionnaire. The succeeding 5 columns are the five likert choices used in the questionnaire (5 – Strongly Agree; 4 – Agree; 3 – Uncertain; 2 – Disagree; 1 – Strongly Disagree). The numbers in the column indicate the number of respondents who selected a particular likert choice for the given question. The formula for computing the weighted mean is then done for each set of answers. The result is found on the seventh column. The interpretation of the computed weighted means was then compared to a likert scale cited previously. Taking the same example from the table and using the scale above, the answers of the respondents gave a weighted mean score of 4.67, which means that the sample Generally strongly agrees to the given question.
For the interview responses of the participants, a different process of analysis was applied. This analytical method is known as thematic analysis. In this method, the collection of data, which in this case is done through an interview, serves as the first step. After which, all common patterns from the interview were then grouped together to form sub-themes (Spardley 1979). Taking the actual research project into account, these themes included the type of IT strategy observed in UK government and public organisationss, the necessary requirements for successful Application of information technologyand the effects of having information technology in the delivery of social services.
According to Taylor and Bogdan (1989), themes can be defined as units obtained from certain patterns, which may pertain to the feelings, thought, activities or observations of the interviewees or respondents. By means of forming themes, the researchers are able to group pieces of ideas that may appear meaningless. After forming the themes based on the gathered responses from the interview, sub themes are then discussed further with relevant literatures. This will help the researcher make inferences from the interview as well as verify gathered information. To strengthen the findings derived from the interview and literatures, survey components were included within related sub themes.
3.7 Data Analysis
The socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents will be tallied and summarised to describe the local authorities currently handling the local e-governments. From their testimonies on how the e-government strategies were prepared and implemented, the Information Technology-driven transformation and changes can be traced and evaluated based on how it was able to successfully meet its targets. The progress being made by the e-governments can also be gauged from these interviews. The evaluations of the respondents about the organisational and economic implications of the e-governments will be synthesised with the observations of the researcher on how the e-government is functioning and being managed. Recommendations can then be drawn out to further improve the strategies being implemented in the local e-governments. #p#分页标题#e#
This research project was conducted for the purpose of identifying the strategies used for applying information technology in the social welfare industry. This research also aimed to determine the effects of Application of information technologyin the industry particularly in reducing operational costs. In order to achieve these objectives, social workers or employees working within the UK government and public organisations were randomly selected to be part of the process in the research process. A total of 70 agreed to be part of the process in the survey and interview procedures. These research instruments had been used for data-gathering as these can help the researcher in gathering the most pertinent information that will answer the developed research question. In particular, these instruments were used to obtain data related to the experiences of the selected participants regarding Application of information technologyin the government organisations industry. IT strategies, requirements, benefits as well as disadvantages were the main factors considered during the process.
Chapter 4
Data Analysis and Presentation
4.1 Overview
This part of the research projects will discuss the findings as well as the results of the analysis based on the gathered facts and figures on the survey which ha sbene accomplished and performance by the research author. The main purpose of this research project is directed towards the local e-government in UK. In this project, the primary and seconday data and ifnormation were highlighted. Primary data were gathered and collated using self-administered survey questionnaires instrument which were sent to chosen employees of the local e-government in UK. The questionnaires were considered to collect and to gather and gain quantitative data and figures and the interviews were utilised to provide qualitative perspectives into the data and figures gathered and collected. This research project has been divided into diverse as well as variety of parts. Herein, the first division shall provide a general description of socio-demographics of the employees of the local e-government. In particular, it conversed to the employees’ age, gender, civil status, length of stay in the loval government. The second part gives the analysis of the perception of the employees of the local e-government regarding the implications of information technology in the local government.
Consequently, from the 150 questionnaires distributed to the population a total of 70 employees of different local government units returned valid responses and made up the sample of this research project. From these employees’ participants, 30 respondents were randomly selected to be part of the interview process. Both the questionnaire and interview schedule used in the data-gathering process were developed by the author of the research.
4.2 Demographic Profile of the Employees#p#分页标题#e#
To understand better the general socio-demographic descriptions and profiles of the employees of the local government, various demographic data were collected as well as gathered. Such demographics’ primary information as well as details include the (a) age, (b) gender, and (c) position in the local government. As independent factors as well as variables of the research dissertation, the socio-demographic primary information of the local government employees served as background primary information regarding the general characteristics of the samples of this research project. In lieu with this, succeeding analysis, and generalisations, and interpretation of the answers and reactions from the accomplished and performed survey methodology and interview are grounded on this specific primary information shared by the employees. Insight and information on these specific socio-economic data are presented in the discussions that follow.
Figure 1
The figure above shows the age of the respondents who took part in this research project. Herein, 50% of the total respondents belongs to age 31-40 years of age and 40% belongs to 21-30 years. And only 10% belongs to 41 years and above, this indicates that the employees of the local government are mature enough and knowledgeable enough.
Figure 2
The figure above shows the distribution of the participants in terms of gender. Herein, majority of the respondents were female which comprises 60% of the toal employees and 40% were male. This indicates that women have more chances of being employed in local government unit position.
Figure 3
Figure 3 shows the distribution of the government employees. The result shows that 64% of the total employees are from administratie position and 26% were office clerk. The remaining 10% belongs to public service employment.
4.3 Part 2: Perception of the Employees
This part of the research project provides the perception and standpoings of respondents the implications of information technology in the local government unit in UK. The analysis will be derived from the result of the survey and interview conducted through the utilisation of a likert-scale and answers of yes or no.
Figure 4
The participants were asked about their awareness of the information technology used in their local government unit and 100% said that they are aware of the information technology used in their organisation.
4.3.1 Interview Results
Below are the responses given by the 30 interviewees/participants who were randomly selected from the total population to the interview questions which has been prepared by the author of this dissertation. The responses and answers on the interview were converted into narrative form to be able to group similar answers. This will facilitate better comparison as well as the analysis of the results of the interview.
• Information Technology Strategy and Application#p#分页标题#e#
1. What were the types of Information Technology and information communication technology systems that your local government organisation or e-government had installed?
All the interviewees/participants have answered that computers and desktops with internet connection serve as their local government organisation or e-governments’ main Information technology tools and medium utilised and considered for their daily public and local government operations. The participants of this research project also noted that the development of local government organisation or e-governmental websites, which can be accessed by the public employees and the general publicc, is also another Information Technology Strategy that is utilised and considered by the local government organisation or e-governments. Some interviewees/participants also replied that to meet the particular Information technology demands and needs of their local government organisation or e-governments, customised and personalised computer programs that permit the government employees and general public to easily store and retrieve historical documents, previous statistical reports and other similar information, data and files.
2. In what areas of the local government organisation or e-government were these systems utilised and considered?
The Information technology and information communication technology systems applied by the local government organisation or e-governments of the participants of this research project found these innovations and transformations useful in establishing internal communications. In addition, interviewees also mentioned that information technology is also utilised and considered in the management and recruitment of the needed workforce. The consideration of information technology was also said to be helpful in organising the operations and activities of the local government organisation or e-governments. Aside from keeping track of schedules as well as program plans, information technology-based systems were also found useful and helpful by the participants of this research project in creating new and better public programs. Thus, information technology systems was also claimed to be beneficial in the program development delivery area of the local government unit.
3. What were the local government unit’s objectives for considering these Information technology and information communication technology systems?
The participants of the interview gave a number of objectives which encouraged the local government organisation or e-governments to use Information technology and information communication technology systems. Among the most common objectives and aims were to improve communication process, to reduce costs, as well as to improve the quality of public services and to increase the speed of public service delivery. Other participants of this research project noted that the utilisation of information technology in their local government organisation or e-governments is observed in support of the national government’s aim to make United Kingdom a highly-digitalised nation. Interviewees/participants mentioned that the application of information in their public and local government operations is in line with the aim of their government offices.#p#分页标题#e#
4. How were these information technology systems planned and implemented?
The interviewees/participants all answered that their local government organisation or e-governments dealt with information technology systems specialist or experts in order to design the proper system suitable for their particular operational demands and needs. The participants of this research project noted that the analysis of the department where the system will be applied serve as the start of the information technology and information communication technology planning process. This then permitted both the government personnel and the information technology and information communication technology professionals to comprehend the operational process of that local government department and pinpoint its particular Information technology demands and needs. Some of the government employees and general public interviewed referred to this group of assessors as part of the project team. These project teams then serve as the core group accountable for designing the information technology system and assures that it will work for the local government organisation or e-government. Training the employees on how these information technology systems works are also part of the team’s accountability.
5. Have you encountered any problems and issues in relation to Information technology systems implementation?
The main problem that majority of the interviewees/participants have noted during the interview process was inadequate resources, specifically in the financial resource aspects and factors. The participants of this research project stressed that their local government organisation or e-governments are not profit-oriented; hence, it is quite difficult to use information systems. It is also difficult to make an Information technology systems project plan for such local government organisation or e-governments where several resource constraints must be considered, since local government financial resources are limited to the budget provided by the national government and local government organisation or e-governments cannot also use the latest and most modern technologies available; the difficulty to update their existing Information technology public and local government operations then makes the local government organisation or e-governments less capable compared to other larger groups. To be able to overcome this dilemma, the local government organisation or e-governments’ meticulous planning should be done. This however is a long term process that often delays Information technology gains.
• Requirements
6. What resources were utilised and considered by the local government organisation or e-government for considering Information technology and information communication technology systems?
The interviewees/participants noted that the most essential and significant resources necessary to use information technology utilised and considered by their local government organisation or e-governments include human resources with IT knowledge, professional expertise from information technology, hardware and software, computer units as well as internet connections. Moreover, the outputs of the Information technology systems project team, involving and including the system design, implementation schedules and training demands and needs. All of these require financial assistance – an essential and significant resource to make Information technology systems implementation possible.#p#分页标题#e#
7. What problems and issues did the local government organisation or e-government encounter in meeting these requirements?
As mentioned in the previous questions, one of the main problems and issues of local government organisation or e-governments in line with Application of information technology is the inadequacy of financial resources necessary to support high-end technologies to be used in the local government for e-government to be possible. Being a local government organisation or e-government, most public service establishments do not have enough funds to invest on costly Information technology and information communication technology systems. Thus, the nature of the local government organisation or e-governments itself serve as one of the main problems and issues in meeting the requirements and demands of considering information technology. As the skills of the employees are mainly concentrated on delivering governmental and public services, the implementation of information technology in such local government organisation or e-government would require outside expertise; while this is necessary, this is noted as a required expense for local government organisation or e-governments. This is then yet another problem encountered by the governmental and public services providers.
• Effects
8. In what way was Application of information technology able to bring improvements in the internal or external communication demands and needs of the local government organisation or e-government?
The interviewees/participants noted that through the use of internet technology, government employees and general public are able to communicate well with their colleagues as well as publich organisation head. The participants of this research project also noted that local government organisation or e-governments that coordinate with other government agencies are able to establish a faster and more efficient communication channel, which is specifically and importantly useful when communicating with external parties. Participants of this research project noted that one of essential and significant benefits of application of information technology in governmental and public services unit is the improvement of communication between the local government organisation or e-governments and the public. Through online websites, people in need of governmental and public services can inquire and contact relevant local government organisation or e-governments easily. This feature of Information technology also serves as an essential and significant tool in promoting the present programs and future plans of the local government organisation or e-government to the public. Overall, information technology improves the local government organisation or e-governments’ external communication as the people they serve become more aware of the services they offer.
9. How did Information technology strategies affect the governmental and public services providers or employees?
#p#分页标题#e#
The consideration of desktops/computers, internet technology, online databases ans well as online sites all facilitated the positive implementation and development of that the employees of local government organisation or e-governments. Through the training employees underwent in preparation for using Information technology and information communication technology systems, government employees and general public became more adept in using various information technologies. The information technology initiation and application in the public and local government operations of local government organisation or e-governments helped in improving the ease of organising paperworks, documents and other operations and activities, which results to higher output quantity and quality output. As daily responsibilities are accomplished more rapidly, e-government employees have more time and resources to concentrate on more pressing matters such as program development and public service delivery. The competency of the e-government employees in terms of using informationt technology in most activities in their offices has also been beneficial; particularally, the exposure of the employees to information technology enable them to be more flexible as well asknowledgeable in handling other forms of technology.
10. Did the use of information systems help the local government organisation or e-government in saving valuable expenses or reducing costs? How was this achieved?
Although the application of Information technology and information communication technology systems in any local government organisation or e-government requires considerable finances, the interviewees/participants agreed that Information technology application is also capable of reducing operational costs. One of the interviewees/participants cited an example. By comparing the conventional and traditional communication means (placing phone calls, sending mails through postal service, arranging for document deliveries) and the present online communication aproach, local government organisation or e-governments can acquire significant savings from deliveries as well as long-distance phone calls. On one hand, information and messages can easily be confirmed by the receiving party through e-mails or instant messages; through these Information technology-based approach and substitutes, costs incurred due to message or document delivery errors will not be encountered anymore. This also applies to the e-government employees. As some of the activities of the government employees are supported by Information technology and information communication technology systems, costs brought about by human errors are reduced and decreased considerably. In terms of information and data dissemination, displaying essential and significant messages online is easily accessible by a greater number of people. Compared to making printed or broadcasted public information dissemination and press releases, online information distribution is more economical.
11. How did this innovative strategy improved public service delivery?#p#分页标题#e#
The availability of the local government organisation or e-governmental websites or online sites which that display the programs, public services and future plans of the local government organisation or e-governments for the public to view served as an essential and significant development in the delivery of governmental and public services. The interviewees/participants stated that the increased awareness of the public on the activities of individual governmental and public services local government organisation or e-governments made the accessibility of governmental and public services in United Kingdom more pronounced. The online sites of the local government organisation or e-governments also made it easy for the people to inquire or obtain essential and significant information even without visiting the main offices. Services such as information dissemination and distribution can then be delivered to the people even at the comfort and convenience of their homes. The increased awareness of the public on these local government organisation or e-governments on the other hand, encouraged the governmental and public service sector to continuously develop transactions and activities that lead to the development of better programs for the people. As gaining information and details and record for program development becomes easier and faster through Information technology and information communication technology systems, programs developed are of greater quality.
12. In what way did the application of Information technology and information communication technology systems affect the local government organisation or e-government negatively?
While the Information technology and information communication technology systems employed by the local government organisation or e-governments had been beneficial to the employees as well as the general public, the interviewees/participants noted that the information technology initiation and application in their public and local government operations has also caused some problems and issues. For instance, in times when system malfunction happens, work disruptions take place. Though proper maintenance of these Information technology and information communication technology systems is the known solution for this problem, participants of this research project claimed that it is difficult to use regular IT maintenance considering that this would require additional costs for the local government organisation or e-government. Some employees are also not as open to use technology-based systems for accomplishing their daily tasks. Thus, there are systems installed which purpose is not optimised. Without encouragement, continuous evaluation and monitoring, application of information technology may only lead to local government unit waste.
4.3.2 Survey Results
A total of 15 questionnaire/statements were given in the survery questionnaire, which were structured in Likert scale format. Five choices have been provided for the participants of this research project for each survey item; these choices served as their basis for responding the survey. The questionnaire comprised of two sections; one part deals with how local government organisation or e-government plan, implement and maintain Information technology and information communication technology systems applied in their public and local government operations while the other is centred on the effects of these Information technology and information communication technology systems in organisation and economical aspect. Every member of the research sample answered the questionnaire of which there are 70 participants all in all. After retrieving the accomplished and conducted survey forms, the author of this dissertation tallied all the responses of the participants. The weighted mean for each survey item was then computed. The interpretation of the calculated mean was based on the Likert table cited and explained in the previous chapter. Below are the results of the survey:#p#分页标题#e#
Table 1
Information Technology Strategy and Application 5 4 3 2 1 Weighted Mean Interpretation
1. The local government organisation or e-government applies multiple Information technology and information communication technology systems to its different operational departments. 41 29 0 0 0 4.59 Strongly Agree
2. The local government organisation or e-government sought the assistance of Information technology professional or experts in choosing and implementing the Information technology and information communication technology systems. 51 19 0 0 0 4.73 Strongly Agree
3. Governmental and public services providers are given sufficient training on how these Information technology and information communication technology systems are to be utilised and considered. 18 18 10 16 8 3.31 Uncertain
4. A department dedicated for IT technical support and maintenance is found within the local government organisation or e-government. 11 24 0 35 0 3.16 Uncertain
5. Considering Information technology and information communication technology systems is challenging specifically in terms of the requirements it demands for efficient implementation. 46 21 0 3 0 4.57 Strongly Agree
6. Public leaders and authorities of the local government organisation or e-government have been active in supporting the local government organisation or e-government’s efforts to use information technology in its public and local government operations. 46 19 0 5 0 4.51 Strongly Agree
7. The local government organisation or e-government encountered problems and issues during the planning and implementation of the Information technology and information communication technology systems. 36 19 0 15 0 4.09 Agree
Impacts of Application of information technology 5 4 3 2 1 Weighted Mean Interpretation
8. Application of information technology has been helpful in improving the speed of service delivered by the local government organisation or e-governments to the public. 46 19 0 5 0 4.51 Strongly Agree
9. The application of Information technology and information communication technology systems led to significant expenses and losses for the local government organisation or e-government. 36 19 0 15 0 4.09 Agree
10. Internal communications was achieved through the application of Information technology and information communication technology systems. 36 19 8 7 0 4.20 Agree
11. The application of Information technology and information communication technology systems led to significant cost reduction for the local government organisation or e-government. 41 23 5 1 0 4.49 Agree#p#分页标题#e#
12. Information technology and information communication technology systems encouraged governmental and public services employees to become more productive. 36 19 8 7 0 4.20 Agree
13. The application of Information technology and information communication technology systems helped in organising databases and documents utilised and considered by the local government organisation or e-government. 46 21 0 3 0 4.57 Strongly Agree
14. The use of IT system led to the development of more quality service programs and delivery methods. 36 19 8 7 0 4.20 Agree
15. Application of information technologys facilitated the creation of stronger relations between the local government organisation or e-government and the public. 41 23 5 1 0 4.49 Agree
Table 1: Section 1 and 2 Survey Results
4.3.2.1 Analysis
In this section, the thematic procedure of the analysis is considered sub-themes, based on the interview as well as the survey conducted are formed so as to answer the research questions and achieve its main onjectives. Along with the analysis of the findings and the results, related literatures and documents are incorporated to support the findings. Major sub-themes for this type of analysis are comprised of the Information technology strategies applied in local government organisation or e-governments (Information technology strategies, requirements, challenges) and their effects to governmental and public services delivery for organisational and economical (information quality, cost reduction efficiency, relations).
• Strategies
o Information technology strategies
Based from the survey analysis, the chosen and selected participants of this research project strongly agreed that their respective local government organisation or e-governments use multiple Information technology and information communication technology systems in order to handle different operational areas. These Information technology and information communication technology systems include the use of computers with internet connection, development of websites and creation of customised database systems for storing and retrieving valuable documents or files. As cited by the interviewees/participants, these systems are typically utilised and considered in file management, internal communications, human resource management as well as program development. Generally, the Information technology strategies of the local government organisation or e-governments in United Kingdom are concentrated on the use of computers and internet technology. Moreover Information technology and information communication technology systems in these local government organisation or e-governments are typically applied in office and managerial tasks. The research project conducted by Choi (2004) in United Kingdom sector also revealed similar results.
#p#分页标题#e#
o Requirements
The participants of this research project of the survey noted that the requirements necessary to use information technology effectively are challenging to meet. This is attributable and can be attached to the replies of the interviewees/participants where it has been explained that the local government unit is comprised of nonprofit-oriented local government organisation or e-governments. As financial resources serve as the primary requirement for considering information technology, governmental and public services or e-governments then find it quite difficult to invent much on technology-based operating systems. Aside from funding and financial constraints, human resources, professional expertise, hardware as well as software, computer units and internet connections are also considered as essential and significant requirements. In the survey result, the participants of this research project agreed on other essential requirements needed for successful application of information technology. These include sufficient training, a dedicated department for information technology systems maintenance as well as the active participation of the local government organisation or e-governmental public leaders and authorities. Though these factors are recognised as essential and significant, the survey results showed that participants of this research project were uncertain whether these had been present during their local government organisation or e-governments’ application of information technology effort. This then suggests that local government organisation or e-governments need to consider these essential requirements in considering information technology systems aside from identifying the type of Information Technology Strategy suitable for their demands and needs.
The information technology initiation and application in any local government organisation or e-government utilise the concepts of project management; under this principle, local government organisation or e-governments are encouraged to develop a particular project team or groups with members that will be the main initiator of developmental transformation within the work site. They are the ones in charge and responsible of ensuring that the new systems they plan to use are effectively integrated to the local government organisation or e-government’s existing public and local government operations. In project management, coaching or training the employees who will eventually use the new system is as essential and very important factor. In considering Information technology and information communication technology systems for example, technical operational skills need to be learned by the employees or oither users. By means of training, Information technology can be applied with more successful outcomes. Particularly, as the users are mentored how to use the developed IS/Information technology and information communication technology systems, users will be more willing to use these new systems for their daily work activities (InfoWorld 2000). This is also relevant to the need of establishing and generating a designated department for Information technology system maintenance. Information technology experts and professionals can then serve as the mentors of other employees who need further Information technology learning and assistance.#p#分页标题#e#
The information technology initiation and application in any local government organisation or e-government gives rise to multiple problems and issues and issues; these include both technical and non-technical problems and issues. However, with the presence of effective public leaders and authorities from the management, these problems and issues will be addressed immediately before they cautilised and consideredelays to the local government organisation or e-government’s Information technology plans. The active participation of the public leaders and authorities also helps in motivating other employees of the local government organisation or e-government to be more supportive and cooperative to the changes in the local government organisation or e-government. Overall, leadership abilities is an essential requirement for application of information technology as public leaders and authorities have the skills to address different issues that could hinder successful application of information technology (Pataki, Dillon & McCormack 2003).
o Challenges
The survey and interview results both stressed that implementing Information technology in the local government unit is a challenging strategy to use. The survey findings for example, have indicated that participants of this research project agree that application of Information technology and information communication technology systems is a costly investment. The interviewees/participants explained further that it is difficult to use Information technology and information communication technology systems in their local government organisation or e-governments due to insufficient funds for information technology investment among local governments. Aside from this, local government organisation or e-government are not experts when it comes to designing and implanting Information technology and information communication technology systems; for this reason, the employment of outside assistance, which naturally requires financial matters and support, is a must. In the research of Choi (2004), it has been noted that various factors within the local government organisation or e-government that hinder it from considering better Information technology and information communication technology systems. For one thing, the measure of the local government organisation or e-government represents its ability to invest on applying information technolgoy. Thus, smaller local government organisation or e-governments may find Application of information technology a challenge. It can then be said that internal features of the local government organisation or e-government may restrain effective Application of information technology. The presence of these restraining features then makes Application of information technology difficult for local government organisation or e-governments.
• Effects
o Information Quality
The interviewees/participants stressed that the quality of information given to the people being serve by their local government organisation or e-governments had improved through the information technology initiation and application, specifically database systems. The participants of this research project explained that as the storage and retrieval of information becomes easier through information technology system assistance, the development of programs that require these stored data become more organised and effective for particularly targeted groups. The creation of the local government organisation or e-governmental websites online also increased the accessibility of the local government organisation or e-government’s activities, services and plans to the public. Moreover, through internet technology, the dissemination of information and other important details to the public becomes more interactive for the online visitors, making data relayed comprehensive and interesting. #p#分页标题#e#
This capabilities of information technology to improve the accessibility as well as the quality of data and information distributed by the local government organisation or e-government is mainly derived from the development of the public local government organisation or e-governments’ structures. Suurmond (1994) explained that as information technology improves the availability and quality of data to both employees and the public, the hierarchical structures of conventional local government organisation or e-governments become more flexible and open. As more and more local government organisation or e-governments are considering this structural form, present establishments, including those in public service, are also improving information quality through Information technology and information communication technology systems. Snellen (1994) supported this ability of information technology by stating that as Information technology and information communication technology systems evolve, back-office systems turn into front-office systems, resulting to better information quality. Moreover, the evolution of Information technology and information communication technology systems over the year increases the applicability of information technology to other operational areas of a local government organisation or e-government. As IT becomes applicable to more activities, local government organisation or e-governmental aspects that support the greater information quality are increased.
o Cost Reduction or Savings
The participants of this research project, both in the interview and survey, agreed that the information technology initiation and application in local government organisation or e-government lead to significant reduction in expenses which affects the economical situation of the e-government. Though the interviewees/participants declined to give particular figures or percentages, they explained how the local government organisation or e-governments were able to achieve this essential and significant outcome through Information technology and information communication technology systems. In communication for example, sending messages via traditional aprpoach and conventional means to different agencies or other local government organisation or e-governments is more costly as compared to sending e-mails or instant messages. Delivery of few documents or files can also be done through the websites online; this is also a cheaper substitute than using courier services. As activities of the governmental and public services local government organisation or e-government become more and more dependent on Information technology and information communication technology systems, human intervention becomes less necessary. This in turn limits the costs derived from human errors. With better and faster work output and results through information technology system, resources such as time, energy and money are saved. The use of websites for information dissemination and data distribution is also an essential and significant factor that helps in reducing operational costs. Instead of using print outs of broadcasted messages to communicate to the public, the local government organisation or e-governments can make use of their official websites, that is not only economical but also more effective as it can reach a greater number of people. #p#分页标题#e#
A number of related literatures have also concluded that savings or cost reduction can be achieved through application of information technology; there are several means on how this can be attained. For instance, in the research done by Kaneda (1994), the author of this dissertation found that savings in Japanese local governments is achieved through information technology as the number of staff employed is reduced. Time savings on the other hand can also be attained through application of information technology. In order to explain this aspect, the case of local government organisation or e-governments that provide cash and service benefits to the people can be utilised and considered. With information systems, provision overlaps can be identified immediately, resulting to time savings to these agencies (Andersen & Dansiger 2002).
o Efficiency
In the survey result, the participants of this research project agreed on a number of operational factors that stress the ability of information technology systems to improve local government organisation or e-governmental efficiency. Particularally, the survey showed that participants of this research project agree that information technology systems improve internal communications. Technology also facilitates the establishment of stronger relations and the development of better quality governmental and public services programs. Information technology systems are also a useful tool in improving the employees’ productivity as well as in ensuring that databanks of the local government organisation or e-government are well-organised. The interviewees/participants noted that the training the employees went through made them more adept in using different Information technology and information communication technology systems. As the speed and quality of their work are increased, the overall performance of the employees is improved.
Moreover, the training made the employees of the e-government more competent as they become more capable in handling activities and operations that need both decision-making and analytical skills. Aside from the skills, the communication within the working environment which is very essential, is governmental and public services local government organisation or e-governments, is also said to improve through Information technology and information communication technology systems. In particular, the use of internet technology permitted the government employees and general public to communicate and relay messages to others in a faster and more efficient manner. The application of Information technology and information communication technology systems not only improves the communication within the local government organisation or e-government; this strategy also facilitates the establishment of better communication channels between the local government organisation or e-government and the people it serves. This in turn, helps in building better relations among the local government organisation or e-government employees and the public. From these developments, it is clear that application of information technology leads to the development of a more efficient local government organisation or e-government. Other researches in the past have also obtained similar findings.#p#分页标题#e#
In one research, the case of the Swedish health and governmental and public services was taken into account. The findings of this research revealed that efficiency in terms of employee productivity was observed in these local government organisation or e-governments. Particularly, the use of computerised case management systems permits the government employees and general public to increase the number of cases that each employee can analyse. Through the use of automated systems, the employees are able to work faster and more actively. This then helps in promoting public safety and good health (Andersen & Dansiger 2002). In other studies, local government organisation or e-governments typically encounter greater efficiency through Application of information technology in performing public leader trusts. For instance various studies have noted that efficiency in local government organisation or e-governments are observed as information technology systems is utilised and considered for document administration, human resource management as well as case administration (Andersen & Dansiger 2002).
The performance of the managers also becomes more efficient through Information technology and information communication technology systems. Particularally, managers can use information technology systems in order to acquire performance and operational data, which is useful in resource allocation as well as in employee performance monitoring. In some cases, rather than the manager performing the information retrieval, an administrative staff member or information employees may do this task. The generated information and data is then given to the leaders for interpretation and application (Schuler 1994). In any case, the end result is the same – leaders become more efficient in performing their responsibilities through Information technology and information communication technology systems.
The efficiency of the local government organisation or e-governments has been improved by Application of information technology as the decision-making skills of the employees or government employees and general public are improved. For example, the utilisation of geographic information systems (GIS) has been helpful as these enables the digitised map representation of governments’ jurisdiction and service sites. Through this technology, the planning and implementation of public service programs such as utility provision, road construction, redevelopment efforts and other similar activities become less complicated. Moreover, as these systems provide economic and demographic information, deciding which programs are useful for each service area becomes easier and more efficient (Steyaert 2000).
The availability of various software programs as well as database systems like Microsoft Office and WordPerfect Office also contributed to the increased efficiency in the local government unit. Through these information technology systems -based instruments government employees and general public as well as public officials are able to obtain and present information in a more sophisticated manner. Moreover, the improved presentation of information helps analysts in producing better analytical findings. In turn, this also help in making good decision useful in managing human resources, developing policies and designing public services or programs (Snellen 1994; Schuler 1994). #p#分页标题#e#
Similar to the findings of the research project, other researches have also identified the ability of application of information technology in improving the internal communication among members of a local government organisation or e-government. Information technology strategies noted to improve internal communications within local government organisation or e-governments include computer-facilitated collaborative public and local government operations, electronic registration of the citisens as well as computer-based modeling (Andersen & Dansiger 2002). In the research done by Suurmond (1994), the author of this dissertation explained that application of information technologys help in increasing coordination among governmental and public services agencies, which in turn enables better public service delivery. Northrop and associates (1994) supported this information technology systems effect by citing the case of a police station and organistyion as an example. Here, the author of this dissertation noted that through the application of Information technology and information communication technology systems, the different police force units are able to communicate efficiently. In turn, this enables them compare various modus operandi, coordinate actions of the different units, search for probable suspects and solve cases and crimes even those that occur in other jurisdictions. Through Information technology and information communication technology systems, information as well as feedbacks are easily relayed; this then helps in making work processes faster, more economical as well as productive.
o Project Outcome
This research was conducted for the purpose of identifying the different Information technology strategies applied in United Kingdom’s local government unit. Furthermore, the research was done in order to determine how these systems can be of benefit to governmental and public services local government organisation or e-governments, specifically in reducing costs. Based from the findings of the research process as well as the relevant literatures gathered, Application of information technologys does benefit the local government unit. At present, local government organisation or e-governments in United Kingdom are considering this innovative strategy through the installation of computer unit, use of internet technology as well as the development of database systems and customised programs. The impact of these applications to cost reduction had been significant. Particularly, governmental and public services local government organisation or e-governments save on expenses through Information technology and information communication technology systems as they help in reducing local government unit wastes, limiting human errors, improving internal communications as well as increasing the speed of work processes. These effects have also been supported by a number of previous researches.
Although the information technology initiation and application within the local government unit has been identified as beneficial to the local government unit, the project also stressed the challenge of considering this strategy. As the participants of this research project answered in the survey and explained in the interview, Application of information technologys are quite difficult to implement considering that the local government organisation or e-governments within the local government unit are nonprofit-oriented. Moreover, a number of requirements and resources must be available in order to support such operational strategy. From this project outcome, it becomes clear that certain sacrifices must be made so as to obtain the benefits of Application of information technology. Most essential and significantly, the findings of the project stress the need for local government organisation or e-governments to conduct extensive planning and preparation in order to ensure the successful implementation of considering Information technology and information communication technology systems.#p#分页标题#e#
Chapter 5
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
5.1 Summary
The modernisation among organisation both in the private and the public organisations most often than not incorporates electronic and systematic integration of information technology management systems through the faculty of online communication channels which are presently available. The information era signified the essence and relevance of information technology utilisation and management as the foremost catalyst of transformations and transitions among organisations. These changes are likewise observed among publicly owned organisation particularly government divisions as well as agencies as well as civic organisations due mainly to the necessity of being able to keep up with contemporary initiatives and the demands of the civil society. The Locak government in United Kingdom in particular has declared its intention to modernise the public service delivery for the European communities through the utilisation of the Internet in making transactions and services accessible and available.
This research project was done to be able to identify how information technology has been applied among local governments or e-governments operating winformation technology systemshin the public service delivery. The research was also conducted for the purpose of identifying the impact of this information technology strategy to the local governments or e-governments, particularly in cost reduction. Using Uninformation technology systemsed Kingdom local government employees as interviewees/participants, the research author consider and utilised the interview and survey approach to collate and gather data which willl answer the developed research question. In this study, the survey mehtod was structured in Likert format; the findings and results were obtained by computing and calculating the weighted mean. The result of the interview on one hand was shown in narrative form. The analysis of both the interview and survey findings was structured based on thematic analysis where sub themes were developed. In particular, the sub themes of the analysis consider the strategies applied by the local governments or e-governments and the effect of these information technology systems to their operations.
5.2 Conclusion and Implications of the Study
A number of important and significant conclusions and implications can be drawn out from the findings of the research project.
1. local governments or e-governments apply one or more Information technology systems To be able to handle multiple operational areas. As indicated in the findings of the research project, local governments or e-governments in Uninformation technology systemsed Kingdom apply information technology systems strategies such as computer networking, internet technology, online sinformation technology systemses and database systems so as to manage various activinformation technology systemsies such as human resource management, data storage and retrieval as well as program development. Local governments or e-governments in the public service delivery then benef information technology systems from information technology systems applications as specific Information technology systems are made or can be made available to information technology systems their specific needs.#p#分页标题#e#
2. Applying information technology is consider and utiliseful in cost reduction (economic aspect). The interviewees/participants explained that the ability of information technology to develop the communication systems of their local government and e-governments as well as speed up common work processes are the main factors that lead to cost reduction. Moreover, as the common manual activities of the local governments or e-governments are automated through Information technology systems, chances and probabilities for error and resource waste are reduced considerably. Means of storing and gathering information are also improved through the consider and utilise of information technology systems applications; statistical reports, demographics as well as other relevant data for project development are then easily planned accessed. With this development, creating and implementing public services or programs are improved as programs are developed In particular for certain service areas. Not only does this improve the efficacy of the programs but resource wastes brought about by less efficient public services are avoided.
3. information technology applications benefits on local governments or e-governments other than reducing costs. The results of the survey and interview have noted that other important benefits of information technology applications in the public service industry, which generally, are helpful in enhancing the efficient of public service local governments or e-governments. As supported also by relevant literatures, Information technology systems help in making public service uninformation technology systems more coordinated, leading to better public service delivery. Through improved communication systems, the relation between the public service providers and the gewneral public is improved as well. This in turn, helps in increasing the public’s responsiveness and cooperation in various services and programs implemented by public service local governments or e-governments. In terms of information quality, the consider and utilise of software programs and database programs are helpful in attaining and obtaining this purpose.
4. Certain requirements must be met To be able to apply information technologies efficiently. Although the consider and utilise of information technology systems as a strategy in achieving local government and e-governmentsal efficiency, certain factors and requirements must be considered by the local governments or e-governments before information technology systems can be applied in their operations. Resources such as finances, time, energy and human resources must be taken into account. Moreover,, information technology systems professionals or experts must be employed for this approach considering that public service providers are not particularly skilled in designing, implementing and moninformation technology monitoring information technology systems applications. A group that will function as the project team is also considered as an important element in making information technology systems work for local governments or e-governments. These requirements make information technology systems applications in nonprofinformation technology systems-oriented local governments or e-governments such as those in public services challenging. This finding emphasises that the essential and significant resource allocations must first be considered before the gains of this strategy can be fully achieved.#p#分页标题#e#
5. The principle of project management is significant in information technology systems application. Applying information technology does not only consider the determination of the specific system appropriate for the demands and needs of local governments or e-governments. The implementation and maintenance of these and must also be carried out, In particular by and experts or professionals. The actual designing and application of these systems also require technical knowledge. As this strategy involves multiple tasks, a project team with skilled members’ is essential and important. Furthermore, , a project team will be consider and utiliseful in addressing possible problems that could rise before, during and after the Information technology systems are applied; the team will then help ensure that the entire process and activities of applying information technologies will go smoothly and with less risks and dangers. This finding clearly stresses that the actual instrument for application of information technology are not the only elements essential and significant the strategy to work; intangible aspects and elements such as management and skills are also important.
5.3 Future Development and Recommendations
Technology is considered as an element of present work sector that goes through continuous improvement and development; thus, in the future, information technology systems is expected that better systems and new software programs will be made available for local governments or e-governments, including those in the public service delivery, to consider and utilise. In this natural development, information technology systems is then likely for local governments or e-governments to acquire even greater benefinformation technology systemss from information technology systems – perhaps, higher cost reduction, faster services, more efficient information exchange, stronger relations with the public and other similar outcomes. In the asepct of the growing recognition for the role and significant purpose of I information technology systems in achieving better public service operations, information technology systems is also possible that more and more local governments or e-governments in the industry will invest on information technology systems applications in the future. Furthermore, rather than using Information technology systems for doing managerial and office activinformation technology systemsies only, the diversification of information technology systems consider and utilise in other operational areas of local governments or e-governments may be observed in the future as well. Should these developments happen immediately, the people, specifically the population targets of these local governments or e-governments will expect better and more efficient public services and programs.
To be able to support a brighter future for Information technology systems utilisation among local governments or e-governments in United Kingodom and the rest of the world, the following local governments or e-governments that could be of consider and utilise in the implementation of this strategy are developed:#p#分页标题#e#
1. In applying Information technology systems in local governments or e-governments or in any other establishments, information technology systems is important that a project team and plan are developed. As mentioned in the research project implications, the project team will serve as the facilitators and authorities for the smooth implementation of information technology systems in the local government and e-governments. A project plan must also be developed by the team; this plan will be of consider and utilise in directing the multiple activinformation technology systemsies involved in information technology systems implementation. information technology systems initiators make consider and utilise of the project plan to be able to observe a step-by-step system of implementation. This is particularly consider and utiliseful in ensuring that the resources essential and significant for every project for information technology task involved had all been accounted for. The plan also permits the project initiators to recognise and note down all the possible resources essential and significant to make the strategy work. In this way, waste of resources will be avoided.
2. Information technology systems are costly, thus, less costly options must be considered. Though local governments or e-governments may not have enough funds and budgets to support and invest on modern technologies, operators as well as consider and utilisers or e-government employees can go for inexpensive system alternatives and substitutes. For this recommendation, information technology systems are also suggested that an initial analysis of the area where the system will be applied is done. Through this, the specific information technology systems needs of the department can be pointed out.
3. Regular maintenance and moninformation technology systemsoring of systems must be done when using information technology systems as an operational strategy. The application of Information technology systems does not stop on the installation of the needed technologies. To be able to ensure that the local government and e-governments can consider and utilise these major investments for a long time, evaluation and monitoring for maintenance purposes must be incorporated in the information technology plan. This will prevent major financial losses and work disruptions from happening.
4. Local governments or e-governments adopting the information technology systems strategy from greater efficient must consider and utilise the customisation approach. The customisation process refers to the strategic technique in which transformation and changes in the local government and e-governments are done in accordance to the specific need, demands of the work environment. Each local government and e-governments operates in a various environment, serves a various service area, targets a diverse population group and implements a various program; for this reason, information technology systems is not appropriate for local government and e-governments to pattern their Information technology systems to those consider and utilised by other similar establishments or organisations. Each application of information technology serves a various purpose; local government and e-governments must then be aware of these functions so as to develop a system that is truly appropriate and suitable for their needs. This recommendation will then facilitate the creation of more cost-efficient system designs.#p#分页标题#e#
6.0 References
‘Test Center Comparison: Web-based project management’, 2000, InfoWorld, Retrieve August 20, 2009
Asian Philantrophy 2006, Hong Kong SAR : Social Services, 26 August, viewed August 20, 2009 http://www.asianphilanthropy.org/countries/hongkong/history_third.html
Benamou, N. 2005, ‘Bringing eGovernment Interoperability to Local Governments in Europe’, European Review of Political Technologies, [Online] Available at: http://www.politech-institute.org/review/articles/BENAMOU_Norbert_volume_3.pdf
Beynon-Davies, P & Williams, M 2003, ‘Evaluating Electronic Local Government in the UK’, Journal of Information Technology, vol. 18, pp. 137 – 149
Breen, J 2000, ‘At the Dawn of E-Government: The Citisen as Customer’, 1 October, Government Finance Review, p. 15.
Burn, J & Robins, G 2003, ‘Moving Towards E-Government: A Case Research project’, Logistics Information Management. Vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 25 – 35
Center for Democracy and Technology & infoDev 2006, ‘Transforming Governments through E-Government Projects’, E-government Handbook, viewed August 20, 2009<http://www.cdt.org/egov/handbook/part2.shtml>
Checkland, P 1987, Systems Thinking, Systems Practice, Chichester, John Wiley
Chopra, S & Meindl, P 2001, Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning, and Operations, Prentice Hall College.
Cornish Web Services Consultancy Ltd 2008, ‘E-government Compliance’, Website Design, [Online] Available at: http://www.cornishwebservices.co.uk/pages/e-government.shtml
Creswell, JW 1994, Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, Sage, California.
Cserniawska, F & Potter, G 1998, Business in a Virtual World: Exploiting Information for Competitive Advantage, Macmillan, Houndmills, England.
Dansiger, JN & Andersen, KV 2002, ‘The Impacts of Information Technology on Public Administration: An Analysis of Empirical Research from the Golden Age of Transformation’, International Journal of Public Administration, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 591+.
Davidson, R, Wagner, C & Louis, C K 2005, ‘From Government to E-Government: A Transition Model’, Information Technology & People, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 280 – 299
DETR 1998, Modern Local Government, In Touch with People. DETR, London
Ebrahim, S & Irani, S 2005, ‘E-Government Adoption: Architecture and Barriers’, Business Process Management, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 589 – 611#p#分页标题#e#
Emiliani, ML 2000, ‘Business-To-Business Online Auctions: Key Issues For Purchasing Process Improvement’, Supply Chain Management, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 176-186.
Evans, GN, Towill, DR, & Naim, MM 1995, Business Process Re-Engineering the Supply Chain, International Journal of Production Planning and Control, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 227-237.
Flowers, S, Tang, P, Molas-Gallart, J & Davies, A 2005, ‘Contrasting Approaches to the Adoption of e-Government: The UK and the Netherlands’, Journal of E-Government, vo. 2, no.3, pp. 51 – 83
Fountain, J 2001, Building the Virtual State: Information Technology and Institutional Change, Brookings Institution, Washington DC.
Hammer, M 1996, Beyond Re-Engineering: How the Process-Centred Organisation is Changing Our Lives, London, Harper Collins
Heeks, R 2001, Understanding E-Governance for Development, Institute for Development Policy and Management, Manchester
IDABC E-government Observatory. 2005, ‘E-government in the United Kingdom’, European Communities, [Online] Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/idabc/servlets/Doc?id=21032
Johnson, R.B. & Onwuegbusie, A.J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 33(7): 14-26.
Johnston, RB & Mark, HC 2000, ‘An Emerging Vision of Internet-Enabled Supply-Chain Electronic Commerce’, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 43-59.
Kalathil, S & Boas, T 2003, Open Networks Closed Regimes: The Impact of the Internet on Authoritarian Rule, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC.
Kaneda, T 1994, ‘Informatisation Experience of Japanese City Governments During the 1980s: The Period when the Widespread use of Personal Computers Forced City Governments to Change their Information Processing’, Informatisation and the Public Sector, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 149-161.
Leonard, D et al 1998, ‘Virtual Teams: Using Communications Technology to Manage Geographically Dispersed Development Groups’, in S. Bradley & R. Nolan (Eds), Sense & Respond: Capturing Value in the Network Era (p. 292), Harvard Business School Press, Boston.
Marche, S & McNiven, J D 2003, ‘E-government and e-governance: the future isn't what it used to be’, Canadian Journal of Administrative Science, vol. 20 no.1, pp.74-86.
McCall, J & Stone, A 2004, International Strategic Marketing: A European Perspective, Routledge, New York.
McClure, D 2000, ‘Electronic Government Federal Initiatives Are Evolving Rapidly But They Face Significant Challenges’, Accounting and Information Management Division, Retrieved at August 8, 2009, from www.gao.gov/new.items/a200179t.pdf
Moon, MJ 2002, ‘The Evolution of E-Government among Municipalities: Rhetoric or Reality?’, Public Administration Review, vol. 62, no. 4, pp. 424+. #p#分页标题#e#
Moore, J & Thorson, E 1996, Integrated Communication: Synergy of Persuasive, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ.
Northrop, A, Dunkle, D, Kraemer, KL, & King, JL 1994, ‘Computers, Police, and the Fight Against Crime’, Informatisation and the Public Sector, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 21-45.
Office of Public Sector Information 2008, ‘About Local E-government’, Communities and Local Government, [Online] Available at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/efficiencybetter/localegovernment/aboutlocalegovernment/
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003, ‘Local E-Government: A Survey of Local Authorities’, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, [Online] Available at: http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/research/crosscut/rprtegov.pdf
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2005, Two Years On: Realising the Benefits from Our Investment in E-Government, Retrieved August 8, 2009 from http://www.epractice.eu/files/media/media_515.pdf
Parayil, G 1991, ‘Technological Knowledge and Technological Change’, Technology and Society, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 289 – 304
Pataki, G, Dillon, J & Mc Cormack, M 2003, New York State Project Management Guidebook: Release 2, New York State Office for Technology.
Porter, M E 1985, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, New York, Free Press
Roson, C. (2002) Real World Research. (2nd edn), Oxford, Blackwell.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2003). Research Methods for Business Students. London, Pitman Publishing.
Schrage, M 1995, No More Teams! Mastering the Dynamics of Creative Collaboration, Doubleday, New York.
Schuler, D 1994, ‘Community Networks: Building a New Participatory Medium’, Communications of the ACM, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 39-51.
Seifert, J.W. 2003, ‘A Primer on E-Government: Sectors, Stages, Opportunities and Challenges of Online Governance’, Report for Congress, [Online] Available at: http://usinfo.state.gov/infousa/government/overview/docs/RL31057.pdf
Snellen, TM 1994, ‘Automation of Policy Implementation’, Informatisation and the Public Sector, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 135-148.
Spradley, J 1979, The ethnographic interview, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.
Sprecher, M 2000, ‘Racing to E-government: Using the Internet for Citisen Service Delivery’, Government Finance Review, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 21-22.
Steyaert, J 2000, ‘Local Governments Online and the Role of the Resident: Government Shop versus Electronic Community’, Social Science Computer Review, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 3-16.
Taylor, SJ, & Bogdan, R 1984, Introduction to qualitative research methods: The search for meanings, John Wiley & Sons, New York.#p#分页标题#e#
Themistocleous, M & Sarikas, O 2005, ‘Invited Viewpoint Through on E-Government’, The Journal of Enterprise Information, vol. 18, no. 5, pp. 508 – 530
Townsend, AM, DeMarie, SM & Hendrickson, AR 1996, ‘Are you ready for virtual teams?’, HR Magasine, 1 September viewed 20 January 2007
Tyndale, P 2002, ‘Will E-Government Succeed?’, St. Catherine College, Oxford, pp. 429 – 438
Underwood, M 2004, ‘The Likert Scale’, Communication Studies, Cultural Studies, Media Studies (CMMS) Infobase viewed 19 January 2007 <www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/index.html >
UNDP-APDIP 2005, ‘Do Governments Actually Believe that ICT Can Help Alleviate Poverty? A Perspective from Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)’, viewed 15 January 2007 <http://www.apdip.net/apdipenote/2.pdf >
Walton, S & Gupta, J 1999, ‘Electronic data interchange for process change in an integrated supply chain’ International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 19, pp. 4-21.
Yin, R. K. 2002. Case Research project Research, Design and Methods, 3rd ed. Newbury Park, Sage Publications.
Suurmond, A 1994, ‘From Bureaucracy to Infocracy: A Tale of Two Cities’, Information Infrastructure and Policy, vol. 3, no. 3/4, pp. 189-204.
7.0 Appendix
Questionnaire
The researcher is conducting a study on the Organisational and Economic Implications of Information Technology transformation in the Local Government. The purpose of this questionnaire is to collect considerable data that will help in evaluating local government and e-government in United Kingdom and assess how the application of the information technology affects the organisation. The result of the survey may be used in making potential recommendations for the benefit of the local government and e-government. Your participation is very much encouraged and appreciated. Rest assured, all data will be kept confidential and intended for academic purposes only. To enable the researcher to make the necessary conclusions and recommendations for this study, it would be very much appreciated if you answer all the items in the questionnaire.
Information given will be treated in strictest confidence.
Thank you.
Part 1. Profile of Respondent
Direction: Please fill up in all the necessary information about yourself. Don’t leave any item unanswered.
A. For the Employees
a. Age
20 below [ ]
21-30 [ ]
31-40 [ ]
41-above [ ]
b. Gender
Male [ ]
Female [ ]
#p#分页标题#e#
c. Position in the Company
Administrative position [ ]
Office clerk [ ]
Public Service [ ]
Part 2 Interview Schedule
Please provide your answers to the following questions
• Information Technology Strategy and Application
13. What were the types of information technology systems that your local government or e-governments had installed?
14. In what areas of the local government or e-governments were these systems used?
15. What was the local government or e-governments’s objectives for applying these Information technology systems?
16. How were these information technology systems planned and implemented?
17. Have you encountered any problems in relation to IT implementation?
• Requirements
18. What resources were used by the local government or e-governments for applying Information technology systems?
19. What problems did the local government or e-governments encounter in meeting these requirements?
• Effects
20. In what way was Application of information technology able to bring improvements in the internal or external communication needs of the local government or e-governments?
21. How did Information technology strategies affect the public providers or employees?
22. Did the use of information technology systems help the local government or e-governments in saving valuable expenses or reducing costs? How was this achieved?
23. How did this innovative strategy improved public service delivery?
24. In what way did the application of Information technology systems affect the local government or e-governments negatively?
Part 3. Survey Questionnaire
Circle your corresponding answers.
o Information technology Strategy and Application
1. The local government or e-governments applies multiple Information technology systems to its different operational departments.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
2. The local government or e-governments sought the assistance of Information technology professional or experts in selecting and implementing the Information technology systems.
5 4 3 2 1#p#分页标题#e#
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
3. Social service providers are given sufficient training on how these Information technology systems are to be used.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
4. A department dedicated for information technology technical support and maintenance is found within the local government or e-governments.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
5. Applying Information technology systems is challenging particularly in terms of the requirements it demands for efficient implementation.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
6. Leaders of the local government or e-governments have been active in supporting the local government or e-governments’s efforts to apply Information technology systems in its operations.
5 4 3 2 1#p#分页标题#e#
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
7. The local government or e-governments encountered problems during the planning and implementation of the Information technology systems.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
• Effects of Application of information technology
8. Application of information technology has been helpful in improving the speed of service delivered by the social welfare local government or e-governmentss to the public.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
9. The application of Information technology systems led to significant expenses and losses for the local government or e-governments.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
10. Internal communications was achieved through the application of Information technology systems.
5 4 3 2 1#p#分页标题#e#
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
11. The application of Information technology systems led to significant cost reduction for the local government or e-governments.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
12. Information technology systems encouraged social service employees to become more productive.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
13. The application of Information technology systems helped in organising databases and documents used by the local government or e-governments.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
14. The use of Information technology system led to the development of more quality service programs and delivery methods.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree#p#分页标题#e#
15. Application of information technology’s facilitated the creation of stronger relations between the local government or e-governments and the public.
5 4 3 2 1
Strongly Agree Agree Uncertain Disagree Strongly Disagree
-------------------End------------------
