The successful implementation of e-government transformation: A case study in Oman

The aim of this paper is to investigate, and to discuss the key critical factors that facilitate the successful implementation of E-government projects. The nature of this research is mainly qualitative. This investigation uses a single case study and data was mainly collected by means of semi-structured interviews and organisational documents from the Ministry of Higher Education in Oman. The research findings suggest that there are three paradigms which each include a set of factors that impacts the success of E-government success namely, organisational paradigm, technology paradigm and end-users paradigm. The authors believe that, this paper demonstrates an added value to the current literature on transformation of E-government and to E-government projects success, within the wider context of E-government implementation projects. Also the research will benefit organisations in the public sector, as it has identified main key success factors in E-government transformations and implementations

Critical success factors in ERP implementation: A review

ERP systems have become vital strategic tools in today’s competitive business environment. This ongoing research study presents a review of recent research work in ERP systems. It attempts to identify the main benefits of ERP systems, the drawbacks and the critical success factors for implementation discussed in the relevant literature. The findings revealed that despite some organizations have faced challenges undertaking ERP implementations, many others have enjoyed the benefits that the systems have brought to the organizations. ERP system facilitates the smooth flow of common functional information and practices across the entire organization. In addition, it improves the performance of the supply chain and reduces the cycle times. However, without top management support, having appropriate business plan and vision, re-engineering business process, effective project management, user involvement and education and training, organizations can not embrace the full benefits of such complex system and the risk of failure might be at high level

Factors impacting knowledge transfer success in information systems outsourcing

Despite increased research interest on knowledge transfer in information systems (IS) outsourcing, the field still lacks sound and holistic understanding of the key factors influencing knowledge transfer success. The present paper attempts to provide a synthesis of existing theoretical perspectives and empirical findings related to the factors that facilitate or hamper knowledge transfer success in IS outsourcing. The data collection method is discussed and the key findings are presented. Conclusion is drawn and further research is suggested

Mobile wallet inhibitors: Developing a comprehensive theory using an integrated model

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The concept of the mobile wallet is increasingly adopted in developed and developing countries for improving the scale, productivity, and excellence of banking services. Oman is one of the most growing countries of the Middle Eastern economies. Acceptance of mobile wallets in Oman is being hindered by various inhibitors. There is no study in the Middle Eastern countries that addressed the concerns of probable inhibitors influencing mobile wallet acceptance from expert's perspective. In this study, eleven key inhibitors to mobile wallet adoption are identified from the literature and expert's feedback. This study employed Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) in conjunction with fuzzy MICMAC to reveal the intricate relationship among inhibitors to mobile wallet acceptance. To the end, an integrated hierarchical model is developed to understand the influence of a particular inhibitor on others. ‘Anxiety towards new technology’ ‘Lack of new technology skills’ ‘Lack of awareness of mobile wallet benefits’ and ‘Complexity of new technology’ have been reported as key inhibitors to promote mobile wallets in Oman. This study also suggests several recommendations for banking organizations and policymakers in developing the effective model to popularize mobile wallets in Oman

Bone marrow mesenchymal/fibroblastic stromal cells induce a distinctive EMT-like phenotype in AML cells

The development of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) like features is emerging as a critical factor involved in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). However, the extracellular signals and the signalling pathways in AML that may regulate EMT remain largely unstudied. We found that the bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal/fibroblastic cell line HS5 induces an EMT-like migratory phenotype in AML cells. AML cells underwent a strong increase of vimentin (VIM) levels that was not mirrored to the same extent by changes of expression of the other EMT core proteins SNAI1 and SNAI2. We validated these particular pattern of co-expression of core-EMT markers in AML cells by performing an in silico analysis using datasets of human tumours. Our data showed that in AML the expression levels of VIM does not completely correlate with the co-expression of core EMT markers observed in epithelial tumours. We also found that vs epithelial tumours, AML cells display a distinct patterns of co-expression of VIM and the actin binding and adhesion regulatory proteins that regulate F-actin dynamics and integrin-mediated adhesions involved in the invasive migration in cells undergoing EMT. We conclude that the BM stroma induces an EMT related pattern of migration in AML cells in a process involving a distinctive regulation of EMT markers and of regulators of cell adhesion and actin dynamics that should be further investigated. Understanding the tumour specific signalling pathways associated with the EMT process may contribute to the development of new tailored therapies for AML as well as in different types of cancers