Generation of New Knowledge in the Field of e-Government

 Exploring factors Influencing Government Success in Saudi

Many factors that affect the success of e-government systems identified by the exploratory study converge with the core quality constructs of DeLone and McLean’s IS success model (2003). System quality, information quality and service quality were among factors that affect e-government success, as nominated by participants. Other factors which were highly ranked by the respondents were: computer literacy, security,

privacy, ease of use, continuous update of contents, the online delivery of all services and the ability to complete e-government services online without the need to visit the government agency office at any stage of receiving services.

Moreover, as all participants regarded the online banking services as the best e-services that they interact with in Saudi Arabia, this study uses some of the measurement items that participants considered them success factors in online banking (i.e. All services have to be delivered online, users does not need to visit the office at any stage to complete the service, security and privacy).

The measurement items used in the proposed framework of this study combine new and existing ones in the literature (see Chapter 8, Table 8.3). The new items suggested by the conducted exploratory study. The existing items are borrowed from well-known theories/models that have gained strong theoretical and empirical support. Further, those measures might be useful for e-government and applicable to be validated in other societies or cultures.

 Developing and validating a framework for e-government portals’

success

Reviewing the literature of IS success and e-government evaluation revealed that there is a need to consider some major IS theories/models along with other theories from different research areas in order to establish a framework that is better to assess e-government portals' success form individuals’ perspective. This framework integrates the revised DeLone and McLean IS success model, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), self-efficacy theory and perceived risk. Also, culture issues have been taken into consideration by using personal values theory introduced by Schwartz (Schwartz, 1992).

The development of the theoretical framework which integrates various theories/models drawn from the literature of IS, e-government and other disciplines is the main contribution to knowledge and practice (see Chapter 6 for more details). This contribution opens the floodgates to further investigations by other researchers to reach the level of comprehension of evaluating e-government portals’ success from an individual level and to test the framework in different societies and cultures.

The framework has been modified with regard to the relevant personal values to e-government portal success (see Chapter 7). This framework was tested in the context of e-government portals in Saudi Arabia using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) (see Chapter 8). The framework testing includes the validation the PVQ version of Schwartz et

al. (2001) (i.e. self-direction, stimulation, security and tradition) in the context of Saudi Arabia.

The findings of hypothesis testing suggested that e-government portal success (net benefit) was directly affected by actual use and user satisfaction and indirectly affect by a number of factors concerning system quality, service quality, information quality, perceived risk, and computer self-efficacy. By combining IS model and TAM, this study found system quality, information quality and service quality affected the perceived ease of us, but service quality had no effect on perceived usefulness. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and attitudes towards using affected behaviour intention to use which in turn affected actual use. User satisfaction was affected by system quality, information quality and service quality. However, perceived risk seemed to have no effect on attitudes towards using, but very small negative effect on perceived usefulness. Users’

computer skills was found to have no effect on perceived ease of use and very small effect on perceived usefulness. These indicate that risk and IT skills are playing less significant role in the context of e-government. The research findings confirmed that adoption was not equivalent to success, but it was the necessary precondition to success.

 Knowledge on how the culture factor represented by personal values

Although personal values are considered to be applicable across contexts (Schwartz and Bilsky, 1987) and relatively stable throughout time (Rokeach, 1973), Schwartz (2006) stated that they are varied in their salience and relative importance within contexts and situations.

A Delphi study was conducted to investigate the correlation between e-government portal success and the ten distinct value types identified by Schwartz (1992). The objective of this Delphi study was to investigate which of the ten value types are particularly relevant to success or have a significant impact in the context of e-government portals. The results of the Delphi study suggest that four of the ten values, namely self-direction, stimulation, security, and tradition, most likely affect e-government portal success. Then, the proposed framework has been modified accordingly (see Chapter 7 for more details).

Therefore, one of the potential contributions of this study to the knowledge of the research presented here is, to investigate which value types are particularly relevant for government portals’ success or have a significant impact in the context of e-government portals. Moreover, those identified value types chosen as the result of this

Delphi study are used in the proposed theoretical framework to examine to what extent and how those identified value types affect e-government portals’ acceptance.

In the personal values effects’ model, the empirical evidence suggested that conservation affects attitude towards use which, in turn, affects behavioural intention to re-use.

Openness to change had no effect on attitude toward using.