Exploring E-Government Benefits and Success Factors

Abstract

Over the last decade, information technologies (IT) have been considered one of the most influential ways to change organizations (Davenport, 1993; Ho, 2002; Laudon & Laudon, 2003). As early as 1986, Bozeman and Bretschneider suggested that different principles should be used when managing IT systems in public and private sector organizations (Bozeman & Bretschneider, 1986; Melitski, 2003). However, in a review of the literature, Rocheleau and Wu (2002) concluded that there remain a limited number of empirical studies that investigate whether there are differences between public and private sector organizations. Therefore, the research to-date about e-government is situated within multiple debates and draws from literature studying both public and private organizations. In fact, there is also no clear consensus about the concept of electronic government. Descriptions are emerging. For example, Holden, Norris, and Fletcher (2003) reviewed the range of definitions other authors have proposed for e-government, and suggest there are some common elements. They mention e-government is or will become electronic and not paper based and may include the Web, e-mail, fax, telephone, or other electronic means of providing information and delivering services; available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week; and the provision of information and the delivery of services (of varying types and degrees of complexity and integration). (p. 327)