Redesigning the Nantucket Town Website

To enhance the use of e-governance on Nantucket, the Town of Nantucket decided to redesign its town website. The Nantucket IT Department desired a website that allowed users to easily find information and was also easy for town officials to keep up to date. In order to help address both residents’ and town employees’ needs, the team conducted surveys and a series of department meetings, and also analyzed data from the previous Nantucket Town Website. The project resulted in a list of recommendations on the design, content, and functionalities of the new Nantucket Town Website

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Determinants of user adoption of egovernment services: the case of Greek local government

Various theories and models exist on new technology and eGovernment adoption and explain the phenomenon. eGovernment acceptance though depends on various factors that differentiate among different groups, particularly regarding expectations, cultural variations, the level of use and interaction, commitment to the eGovernment initiatives. Furthermore, in Greece, there are third parties (Citizen Service Centres-CSCs) that operate and play a significant role in the eGovernment context. Nevertheless, their roles in eGovernment acceptance have to be investigated, in addition to other factors. Hence, further research is needed. The ultimate aim of this Research Project is to contribute to the understanding of the user’s intention drivers or barriers for e-services usage at the local government level that has not been sufficiently explored. It succeeds it, by extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model and proposing a validation research framework. The enhanced model incorporates ‘trust in the Internet’ and ‘trust in the government’ and the roles of CSCs in the Greek eGovernment, by using ‘Habit of going to CSCs’ and ‘Trust in the CSCs’ factors. Τhe model is empirically tested, using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The data (843 participants) came from two cities’ citizens, in Greece. First, the model is being refined by conducting exploratory factor analysis, followed by confirmatory factor analysis and finally the hypothesised structural model is assessed. Ten out of the fifteen hypotheses (relationships and interrelationships among the factors) were confirmed. The findings revealed ‘trust in the Internet’, ‘trust in the government’, and ‘performance expectancy’ to be the primary drivers of behavioural intention to use e-services. Also ‘habit of going to CSCs’ is negatively related to behavioural intention to use e-services. Findings contribute to theory by understanding the drivers of eGovernment adoption in Greece. At the practical level, the research provides guidelines and recommendations that will help eGovernment policy decision makers and web designers in better planning and implementing eGovernment policies and strategies to increase e-services take-up. Furthermore, the questionnaire will be freely available for government organisations in Greece, along with simple directions and recommendations to assess their initiatives

Social media and public value

Thesis (M.M. (Public & Development Management))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Governance, 2015.In South Africa, there are a number of government institutions that have established social media presence. However social media technology is a relatively new phenomenon and not much is known about what citizens perceive to be valuable during social media interactions with government. This has resulted in government being unable to meet social media demands from citizens. This research is aimed at exploring citizens’ perceptions of how Facebook can effectively be used by government, and to what extent social media can create public value. A public sector organization was used as a case study for this research and online semi structured interviews were conducted on Facebook with citizens who have visited the organisation and are social media users. Face to face interviews were also conducted with citizens who are not social media users to understand the reasons for non-use. The literature review revealed the benefits of social media use in various functions of government globally. Facebook is the preferred social media platform for all forms of communication for participating citizens and is mainly accessed through mobile technology. This is line with literature confirming Facebook as the leading social media platform globally and in South Africa. The findings of the study revealed that effective social media implementation in government can support key four dimensions of public value – efficiency, transparency, accountability, citizen engagement. In terms of trust, social media can facilitate trust, however the entrenchment of trust is dependent upon government achieving public outcomes that improves the lives of people and not necessarily social media use alone. The findings further showed that an enabling environment should be created for successful social media implementation - comprising of a social media strategy, a capacitated operational environment with skills and expertise on social media and ongoing support from the highest structures in government. The key barriers to social media use were identified as English illiteracy, costs related to Internet connectivity, which marginalized some communities resulting in social exclusion. Recommendations were provided in terms of using this study as a model for social media implementation across all three spheres of government

A multiphase mixed-methods analysis of UK e-commerce privacy policies

Database technology and advanced statistical processes have rendered it possible to process unprecedented volumes of personal data. However, tension exists between the rights of those that are the subject of personal data processing and the interests of commercial organisations and governments. Privacy policies are supposed to describe how and why personal data is processed. The aim of this research was to explore how these statements could be improved in the context of UK e-commerce. A novel, mixed method phased approach was adopted to address the research aim. In phase one a content analysis of UK e-commerce privacy policies was carried out. Findings showed UK e-commerce privacy policies do not consistently follow good practice guidelines. Moreover, results revealed several information gaps that need to be addressed considering the transparency obligations outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation. Phase two explored user attitudes towards UK e-commerce privacy policies. Barriers to readership and heuristics are outlined along with perceived positive and negative characteristics of UK e-commerce privacy policies. Phase three examined user attitudes towards a layered prototype privacy policy revealing preferences for summary and full layered notices. Phase four demonstrated perceived ease of use and perceived efficiency differences in support of the prototype layered privacy policy compared to a typical privacy. In addition, findings highlighted user support for privacy policy standardisation. Findings from phases one to four are synthesised and evidence-based recommendations are made that are aimed at improving UK e-commerce privacy policies in the short and long term

E-health and e-welfare of Finland - Check point 2015

The new e-health and e-welfare strategy in Finland aims to support the renewal of the social welfare and health care services and the active role of citizens in maintaining their own well-being. The means include the development of knowledge management and increasing the provision of online services. The overall structural changes taking place in Finnish health and social care will also influence information and communication technologies (ICT). The report provides information about the change in the services and the service system brought on by ICT over time. The report illustrates the status in 2014 as compared with the strategic outcomes and objectives set on ICT to support performance and renewal of social welfare and health care. The results are condensed from four surveys for a comprehensive view: availability and use of ICT in health care as well as in social care, usability of the systems for physicians, and citizens´ use and anticipations. These are accompanied by a review of Finnish health care system and ICT development. For the international reader, the report provides an overview of progressive nationwide activities towards better e-services in Finland

Information Technology's Role in Global Healthcare Systems

Over the past few decades, modern information technology has made a significant impact on people’s daily lives worldwide. In the field of health care and prevention, there has been a progressing penetration of assistive health services such as personal health records, supporting apps for chronic diseases, or preventive cardiological monitoring. In 2020, the range of personal health services appeared to be almost unmanageable, accompanied by a multitude of different data formats and technical interfaces. The exchange of health-related data between different healthcare providers or platforms may therefore be difficult or even impossible. In addition, health professionals are increasingly confronted with medical data that were not acquired by themselves, but by an algorithmic “black box”. Even further, externally recorded data tend to be incompatible with the data models of classical healthcare information systems.From the individual’s perspective, digital services allow for the monitoring of their own health status. However, such services can also overwhelm their users, especially elderly people, with too many features or barely comprehensible information. It therefore seems highly relevant to examine whether such “always at hand” services exceed the digital literacy levels of average citizens.In this context, this reprint presents innovative, health-related applications or services emphasizing the role of user-centered information technology, with a special focus on one of the aforementioned aspects

E-Governance: Strategy for Mitigating Non-Inclusion of Citizens in Policy Making in Nigeria

The Nigerian federation that currently has 36 states structure adopted the Weberian Public Administrative system before now as an ideal way of running government, which was characterized with the traditional way of doing things without recourse to the deployment of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Today e-governance is seen as a paradigm shift from the previous way of governance. Research has shown that, the adoption and implementation of e-governance is more likely to bring about effective service delivery, mitigate corruption and ultimately enhance citizens’ participation in governmental affairs. However, it has been argued that infrastructure such as regular electricity power and access to the Internet, in addition to a society with high rate of literacy level are required to effectively implement and realize the potentials of e-governance for improved delivery of services. Due to the difficulties currently experienced, developing nations need to adequately prepare for the implementation of e-governance on the platform of Information Communication Technology (ICT). Hence, this study seeks to examine whether the adoption and implementation of e-governance in the context of Nigeria would mitigate the hitherto non-inclusion of citizens in the formulation and implementation of government policies aimed at enhanced development. To achieve the objective of the study, data were sourced and analyzed majorly by examining government websites of 20 states in the Nigerian federation to ascertain if there are venues for citizens to interact with government in the area of policy making and feedback on government actions, as a way of promoting participatory governance. The study revealed that the adoption and implementation of e-governance in the country is yet to fully take place. This is due to lack of infrastructure, low level of literacy rate and government inability to provide the necessary infrastructure for e-governance to materialize. The paper therefore, recommends among others the need for the Federal Government to involve a sound and clear policy on how to go about the adoption and implementation of egovernance through deliberate effort at increasing budgetary allocation towards infrastructural development and mass education of citizens

The Impact of e-Democracy in Political Stability of Nigeria

The history of the Nigerian electoral process has been hitherto characterized by violence stemming from disputes in election outcomes. For instance, violence erupted across some states in Northern Nigeria when results indicated that a candidate who was popular in that part of the country was losing the election leading to avoidable loss of lives. Beside, this dispute in election outcome lingers for a long time in litigation at the electoral tribunals which distracts effective governance. However, the increasing penetrating use of ICTs in Nigeria is evident in the electoral processes with consequent shift in the behavior of actors in the democratic processes, thus changing the ways Nigerians react to election outcomes. This paper examines the trend in the use ICT in the Nigerian political system and its impact on the stability of the polity. It assesses the role of ICT in recent electoral processes and compares its impact on the outcome of the process in lieu of previous experiences in the Nigeria. Furthermore, the paper also examines the challenges and risks of implementing e-Democracy in Nigeria and its relationship to the economy in the light of the socio-economic situation of the country. The paper adopted qualitative approach in data gathering and analysis. From the findings, the paper observed that e-democracy is largely dependent on the level of ICT adoption, which is still at its lowest ebb in the country. It recognizes the challenges in the provision of ICT infrastructure and argues that appropriate low-cost infrastructure applicable to the Nigerian condition can be made available to implement e-democracy and thus arouse the interest of the populace in governance, increase the number of voters, and enhance transparency, probity and accountability, and participation in governance as well as help stabilize the nascent democrac