The willingness of e-Government service adoption by business users: The role of offline service quality and trust in technology

Prior e-Government research has paid much attention to e-Government service adoption from the supplier side - the government - while mostly overlooking the user side of e-Government, such as citizens and businesses. While there have been some initial efforts to study citizens in their adoption behavior, few have examined what influences the willingness of businesses in adopting e-Government services. This research attempts to fill this research gap by addressing the following research question: Why are some businesses more willing to adopt e-Government applications to perform transactions with the government than others? The authors argue that the willingness of a business to adopt e-Government depends on the perceived quality of government services through traditional brick and mortar service channels (offline service channels), and the level of trust businesses place in the internet technology itself. Competing hypotheses are developed with regard to the role of perceived quality of offline services on the business user's willingness to adopt e-Government services. Using data obtained from a local district government in Seoul, Korea, the analysis revealed that the willingness to adopt e-Government increased when business users perceived high quality service provision in offline service channels. However, trust in the internet technology itself did not have any significant impact on their willingness. The theoretical and practical implications of the study finding are discussed.     

The effects of e-Government cloud assimilation on public value creation: An empirical study of China

Cloud computing applications have entered the stage of popularization and wide adoption as part of e-Government. Improving the implementation and assimilation of e-Government cloud applications (e-Gov cloud) to create public value has become an important issue. Based on theories of information technology (IT) assimilation, IT value, and organizational ambidexterity, this study develops a model of e-Gov cloud assimilation and explores the individual and joint effects of the depth and breadth dimensions of e-Gov cloud assimilation on public value. The model was tested with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using a survey of local government agencies in China. The empirical results show that the two dimensions of e-Gov cloud assimilation - depth and breadth - have significantly positive effects: (1) directly on operational public value and (2) indirectly on strategic public value through operational public value. Moreover, the complementary fit strategy of the depth and breadth of e-Gov cloud has a significantly positive effect on strategic public value, while the balanced fit strategy has no significant effect. These findings contribute to both academic research and practical implications, advancing our understandings of e-Government cloud assimilation on public value creation.     

国内外移动图书馆用户行为研究综述

[目的/意义]总结国内外移动图书馆用户行为的研究现状,为我国移动图书馆用户行为的理论研究和实践工作提供参考。[方法/过程]依据用户生命周期理论将移动图书馆用户行为划分为认知、采纳接受、持续使用三个阶段。从文献数量分布、行为主体、行为影响因素、理论与模型应用、研究结论等方面,采用定量和定性相结合的方法,对国内外移动图书馆用户行为研究的文献进行梳理和分析。[结果/结论]提出未来研究建议：应综合多种理论模型构建符合移动图书馆特定情境的理论模型;应采用多元化研究方法,重视质性研究在分析用户的感官体验、认知体验、服务体验、情感体验等方面的重要性,以获得定性的事实依据;应加强移动图书馆可持续化研究,重视用户持续使用的内容分析,挖掘用户行为动态发展的规律、影响因素及作用机理,以发现和改进移动图书馆在发展和建设中的不足,提高移动图书馆的服务质量。     

Barriers to artificial intelligence adoption in smart cities: A systematic literature review and research agenda

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a prominent role in smart cities' development and offers benefits to different services such as finance, healthcare, security, agriculture, transport, education, and manufacturing. Despite the expected benefits, the adoption of AI varies from one smart city to another, due in part to barriers that can inhibit a smart city from adopting AI. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive view of the barriers faced by smart cities. Through a systematic literature review, this study identifies 18 primary and secondary barriers grouped into three main categories — technology, environment, and organization. This research contributes to the literature by developing a typology of AI adoption barriers based on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) perspective. The typology provides a novel mapping of the barriers to AI adoption faced by smart cities and suggests directions for further investigation through a cohesive research agenda. At a practical level, the findings will allow policymakers, planners, and citizens to make more informed decisions about AI adoption. Practical implications are also proposed for guiding smart cities to increase the adoption of AI.     

Electronic government: information management capacity,organizational capabilities,and the sourcing mix

The information systems-related sourcing literature currently emphasizes a portfolio approach combining homegrown, hybrid, and outsourced (contracted) systems. This study found similar approaches in the sourcing for electronic government (e-Government, e-Gov). E-Gov-related sourcing mixes potentially create high switching costs and path dependency. They may also severely impact governments' information management capacity and organizational capabilities. Further, e-Government leads to business process change, all of which necessitates an increased understanding of e-Gov-related sourcing and its integration with traditional public management information systems (PMIS). In the absence of an e-Gov-specific sourcing theory, this study explores current sourcing practices and uncovers overlaps in sourcing concepts and also significant differences between private and public sourcing practices. E-Gov sourcing portfolios were found not systematically managed potentially compromising the public information management capacity. To help public managers design and manage e-Gov sourcing mixes, the article proposes framework for e-Government sourcing for further testing.     

Managing IT-enabled transformation in the public sector: A case study on e-government in South Korea

The implementation of e-government is a burgeoning phenomenon across the globe. It improves and enhances the infrastructures and services provided to the citizens. However, a review of the IS literature reveals that research on the implementation of e-government is rather limited, which could be due to the general misconception of the public sectors as rigid and risk-averse establishments. The shortage of studies on e-government’s implementation presents a knowledge gap that needs to be plugged. This gap is significantly amplified by the increasing number of e-government initiatives being implemented by governments in recent years. This paper describes and analyzes South Korea’s Supreme Court Registry Office, which has implemented e-government. The case study discusses practical implications and suggests future research areas. Findings of the study include the alignment of technology and business processes, integration of resources into core business activities, integrating stakeholders’ trust and commitment, and better understanding of the role of organizational learning, which can enhance the adoption and institutionalization of e-government initiatives.     

Technology in government: How organizational culture mediates information and communication technology outcomes

The adoption of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in public organizations promises to better connect managers with citizens, increase public participation in government decision making, improve the efficiency of service delivery, decrease uncertainty, and improve information dissemination. While each of these outcomes is important for both public managers and citizens, we know little about how organizational culture mediates the effectiveness of ICTs on producing these outcomes. This research, using data from two points in time, investigates the relationships between ICTs and managerial outcomes (e.g. improved decision making and public participation) and how they are mediated by organizational culture such as centralization and routineness. Technology variables include technology use and capacity. Models will control for other organizational and technological factors such as size, structure, task and department to investigate the mediating effects of organizational culture on ICT outcomes for local governments. The data come from two national surveys of 2500 local government managers in the United States in 2010 and 2012. The results are important for understanding how organizational mechanisms, in particular organization culture, mobilize ICTs in ways that affect managerial outcomes.     

Why do people use information kiosks? A validation of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

The importance of information kiosk development and implementation in the context of E-Government policies has been discussed in previous research. While many governments are today making considerable investments to implement information kiosks, previous research suggests that citizens may not use information kiosks in spite of their availability. However, the successful implementation of information kiosks depends significantly on whether or not citizens are willing to adopt the new information technology (IT). Therefore, based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study investigates the determinants of use behavior regarding information kiosks and the moderating effects of age and gender differences on the relationships between the determinants and behavioral intention/use behavior. Data collected from 244 respondents in Taiwan were tested against the research model using structural equation modeling techniques. The results partially support the applicability of the UTAUT in the context of information kiosks. The findings of this research provide several prominent implications for the research and practice of information kiosk development and implementation.     

农村信息服务技术采纳研究综述

农村信息服务技术的发展使农户接受或采纳信息技术成为可能,但农村的信息技术利用率并不高。为深入研究农户对农村信息服务技术的采纳行为,回顾农户信息技术采纳理论的发展,将农户信息技术采纳的研究划分为两个阶段,并从研究对象、理论模型及研究方法三个方面对两阶段的研究进行总结,最后讨论两阶段研究中存在的不足和今后的研究方向。     

Smart cities & citizen discontent: A systematic review of the literature

Governments across the world are experimenting with smart city technologies but recent studies suggest that not all citizens support this development. However, a comprehensive understanding of citizen discontent with the smart city is missing. This study systematically reviews academic research addressing citizen discontent with the smart city. Based on a set of 58 articles, two perspectives on citizens' discontent are identified. One perspective focuses on active discontent: citizens are dissatisfied with the technology, democratic process, and societal impact of the smart city and show different types of behavior to express their discontentment. The other perspective emphasizes passive discontent: citizen discontent does not manifest itself due to citizens' lack of awareness and skills and the absence of channels to express their discontentment. Both perspectives on discontent suggest different government responses respectively to overcome citizen discontent through ‘the right technologies’, ‘the right rules’, and ‘the right information’, or to stimulate critical citizenship through ‘the right to smart city education and empowerment’ and the ‘right to participate and challenge’. Based on our findings, a fine-grained understanding of attitudes and behavior, and government actions to address citizen discontent is developed.     

Analyzing the role of stakeholders in the adoption of technology integration solutions in UK local government: An exploratory study

Over the last decade many governments across the world have intensified their efforts to improve efficiency of public services through Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-enabled transformation of Local Government Authorities (LGAs). Many of these efforts involve implementing new Information Systems and Technology (IS/IT) and integrating various disparate legacy systems to deliver improved services. While there is a surfeit of literature that have outlined the various organizational and technical challenges posed by Technology Integration Solutions (TIS), few studies have examined the role of stakeholders and surrounding challenges when implementing TIS in LGAs. The TIS adoption process involves several stakeholders, each with specific domain knowledge and expertise that are crucial to the success of TIS projects. In this paper, the authors use the concept of stakeholder theory to analyze the role of stakeholders during the TIS adoption process with regards to their perceptions on the factors influencing TIS adoption in LGAs and their involvement on the adoption lifecycle phases. A qualitative multiple case study approach is adopted to empirically highlight the different categories of stakeholders involved in the TIS adoption process, the dynamic nature and importance of their role, and why their domain knowledge and expertise are vital for TIS projects.     

Channel choice evolution: An empirical analysis of shifting channel behavior across demographics and tasks

Governments and citizens alike are reaching maturity levels in their Internet adoption. With citizens using online channels for more and more purposes, governments around the world are moving to a ‘digital by default’ service delivery strategy. The question arises as to whether online channels are indeed suited for all purposes and are the “go-to” channels when citizens need information in a variety of situations. In this study, we compare data collected in 2008 and 2017 in the Netherlands to assess the evolution in channel behavior. The analysis suggests that channel preferences and general usage are indeed shifting towards online channels, whilst gaps in online usage between age groups are narrowing. However, the findings also show that this shift is not uniform across all tasks. For certain purposes, choices for traditional channels remain surprisingly resilient. The findings suggest that while online channels are maturing, they are still not ready to replace other existing channels for all types of services. Our findings call for continued attention to integrated channel strategies that incorporate the strengths of individual service channels.     

How and where is artificial intelligence in the public sector going? A literature review and research agenda

To obtain benefits in the provision of public services, managers of public organizations have considerably increased the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. However, research on AI is still scarce, and the advance of this technology in the public sector, as well as the applications and results of this strategy, need to be systematized. With this goal in mind, this paper examines research related to AI as applied to the public sector. A review of the literature covering articles available in five research databases was completed using the PRISMA protocol for literature reviews. The search process yielded 59 articles within the scope of the study out of a total of 1682 studies. Results show a growing trend of interest in AI in the public sector, with India and the US as the most active countries. General public service, economic affairs, and environmental protection are the functions of government with the most studies related to AI. The Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) technique is the most recurrent in the investigated studies and was pointed out as a technique that provides positive results in several areas of its application. A research framework for AI solutions for the public sector is presented, where it is demonstrated that policies and ethical implications of the use of AI permeate all layers of application of this technology and the solutions can generate value for functions of government. However, for this, a prior debate with society about the use of AI in the public sector is recommended.     

Towards a comprehensive understanding of digital government success: Integrating implementation and adoption factors

When analyzing the causes that lead to digital government success or failure, state of the art research is often divided into two main areas: (1) implementation of these initiatives by government agencies and (2) their adoption by citizens, as some of the most important users. Each of these two perspectives has its own concepts, measurements, and theoretical models. This separation becomes significant when trying to have a comprehensive understanding of digital government success and when facing practical problems since factors affecting both governments and citizens contribute to the success or failure of digital government initiatives. Therefore, this paper proposes a comprehensive digital government success model that attempts to integrate implementation and adoption perspectives. In addition, based on data from the 32 states of Mexico, the paper provides an illustrative example of how the proposed model could be used.     

高校馆微信服务现状与策略——以产品生命周期理论为视角

微信公众平台是高校馆宣传推广、服务延伸的重要渠道,产品生命周期(PLC)理论的引入为该领域研究提供了全新的视角。选取28个“双一流”建设高校馆微信公众平台为研究样本,运用销售增长率分析法对其阅读量情况进行数据分析与处理,判断所处的产品生命周期阶段。结果显示,14所高校馆微信服务处于导入期,7所高校馆微信服务进入成长期,3所高校馆微信服务已迈入成熟期,4所高校馆微信服务处于衰退期。依据不同生命周期阶段的产品特点,对高校馆微信服务提出优化策略。     

Challenges in the adoption of crisis crowdsourcing and social media in Canadian emergency management

When a disaster occurs, government agencies are responsible for managing the response and recovery efforts of the impacted communities and infrastructure. Crowdsourcing and social media are widely used in disaster response, yet their primary implementation and application are often via non-governmental agencies and private citizens. A review of the literature suggests that government emergency management agencies in Canada have made little documented progress in adopting crowdsourcing or social media for emergency management. Most of the literature around crowdsourcing and social media for emergency management focus on its use or role outside of Canada (e.g. the USA, Australia, etc.). In order for government agencies in Canada to progress, it is important to identify the Canada-specific barriers and constraints. This study offers a new perspective from Canadian government emergency management agencies to address this gap. Through a series of semi-structured interviews with 15 government officials from 14 agencies, this study identifies the primary challenges and constraints faced by Canadian agencies looking to adopt crisis crowdsourcing. Results indicate that organizational factors, policies, and federal legislation in Canada present barriers to crisis crowdsourcing (including crowdsourcing through social media) adoption within agencies at various levels of government. Based on these results, recommendations are made to support the adoption of crisis crowdsourcing amongst Canadian government agencies.     

A response to criticisms of organizational socialization research: In support of contemporary conceptualizations of organizational assimilation

This essay is a response to a growing body of literature that is critical of tradition conceptualizations of organizational socialization (Bullis, 1993; Clair, 1996; Smith & Turner, 1995). First, it examines how these critics have failed to adequately appreciate conceptual distinctions made by contemporary socialization and assimilation researchers. While recognizing that these scholars have made contributions, it then points to problems in their critiques. Finally, we argue that the study of organizational assimilation would be enhanced by the use of multiple research perspectives rather than by evaluating one perspective as more appropriate than another.     

移动数字阅读服务用户采纳后持续使用的理论模型及实证研究

移动数字阅读服务是提供内容服务的一种移动商务模式,它将真正实现出版与阅读的“低碳”和“绿色”, 是国家重点发展的文化产业之一。以此为问题背景,对于用户初始采纳后持续使用的影响因素及行为模式进行深度综述及理论建模,并采用问卷调查数据进行实证研究。从理论意义上看,将会丰富与深化信息系统(IS)持续使用理论体系,以期揭示和预测移动数字阅读用户的行为规律;从实践角度看,将有助于把握中国文化情境下移动数字阅读价值链的关键成功因素,从而为移动数字阅读这一新兴电子商务实践在中国的发展提供理论指导。     

智能可穿戴健康技术用户行为研究的系统综述

[目的/意义] 系统性梳理和总结智能可穿戴健康技术用户行为研究进展,为促进相关理论研究和实践发展提供参考。[方法/过程]遵循系统性文献综述的范式,从Web of Science、PsycINFO和CNKI等多个数据库中检索并筛选得到74篇相关文献,采取主题分析、时序分析和元分析等定性与定量相结合的方法分析文献资料。[结果/结论]该领域的研究主题可归类为技术采纳、持续使用、用户卷入和健康行为。其中,技术采纳的研究由于数量较多且理论化程度和解释力较高被认为已取得一定进展,其余主题的研究则尚处于初步探索阶段。对未来研究的展望主要包括:将用户行为研究从消费者级别产品拓展到医疗级别产品;加强持续使用的理论解释;构建新的理论来解释复杂的用户卷入现象;探究智能可穿戴健康技术促进健康行为的路径和边界条件等。     

Using government websites to enhance democratic E-governance: A conceptual model for evaluation

The last few decades have witnessed unprecedented transformations in every sector of society, resulting from the explosive advancement of information and communication technologies. This drastic development has raised the hopes of citizens for better lives, in both developing and advanced countries, urging innovation in government to make it more competent. Due to e-business revolutions, governments around the world have applied similar principles and technologies to government by opening their websites for more efficient publication of information and more effective delivery of public services. While a government website is an important venue for citizens to participate in public affairs and decision-making processes, early e-government practices tended to overlook democratic purposes by focusing on the features of e-business and information systems. There have been increasing criticisms that e-government system design has focused mainly on the provider's perspectives. Reflecting on the theoretical implications of this, we argue that a government website should facilitate democratic processes involving not only information sharing and delivery of better public services, but also deliberation and coproduction. The purpose of this study is to probe into multidimensional features that enable government websites to fulfill their promises. Developing an integrative model for evaluating a government website, namely the Democratic E-governance Website Evaluation Model, we conducted a qualitative meta-analysis of four strands of literature: information systems, business, public administration, and democratic theory. Our study contributes to the literature by extending the purview of e-government website analysis beyond the question of citizens' acceptance and towards the issue of their engagement, bringing a stimulating view of citizens as active agents in governance, and it provides a holistic model for public authorities to improve their websites to facilitate democratic e-governance that helps to create more effective public outcomes.