M-Government Adoption Factors in the United Arab Emirates: A Partial Least-Squares Approach

1.INTRODUCTIONWith the far-reaching reception of the Internet and mobile devices, more and more governments are using mobile government (mGov) technology to supply services electronically to the public and other significant partners. Governments are transferring to mobile-based technology to facilitate better interaction with citizens and to enhance the quality of services (Abdelghafar & Magdy, 2012). The mGov approach provides access to several areas of government services; for example, education, climate gauging, medical services, payment services, and metro services, among others. Using smartphones, citizens can access mGov from anywhere at any time, thus saving them time and expense. The use of mGov has the further advantage of optimizing transparency between government and its citizens by cutting through bureaucratic structures and procedures (Alsenaidy & Ahmad, 2012). It has been suggested that the UAE government should accelerate the implementation and adoption of mGov. This has been based, in part, on the fact that there has been a significant increase in the use of Internet services in the UAE over the last few years. According to August 2016 statistics from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the number of registered mobile Internet users (19 million) in the UAE exceeded the number of fixed Internet line subscribers (2.2 million). In 2010, the high number of mobile devices in the UAE exceeded the number of computers and laptops in several countries worldwide (Ekong & Eknong, 2010). The high rate of smartphone use among citizens has prompted many governments to move toward mGov as a means of providing adequate services to their citizens. However, despite the widespread use of mobile Internet-enabled devices, citizens in many countries still prefer the traditional channels for communicating and interacting with government departments. This fact is reflected in the low adoption rate of electronic services, especially in developing countries. In the UAE, the Khaleej-Times (2015) reported that a survey-based study in 2015 showed that, although 96% of respondents had smartphones, 65% of them never used the phone's mobile applications for government services.Theoretical investigations have shown that the success of mGov services requires engagement and use by the people (Al-Thunibat et al., 2011b). With regard to the UAE, however, there is a scarcity of research in the UAE context for understanding the adoption factors of mGov (Almuraqab & Jasimuddin, 2016). Because of the scant number of studies pertaining specifically to the UAE, there is a critical need for research that will provide better insight into and understanding of the factors required for better implementation (Wu et al., 2009). Considering the initial phases of implementation (Dwivedi et al., 2013), the low rate of adoption of mGov services, and the absence of thorough studies in the context of the UAE, the current study investigates citizen adoption of various components that might be essential for empowering across-the-board acceptance of mGov services (smartphone-based applications) in the context of the UAE.2. LITERATURE REVIEWThis section reviews the literature as it relates to moving from eGov to mGov, the adoption of eGov and mGov in the UAE, the research model, research questions, and research hypotheses.2. 1 From eGov to mGovMost governments around the world use the most recent information and communication technology (ICT) to improve services provided to nationals through eGov (Mofleh & Wanous, 2008; Choudrie & Dwivedi, 2005). There has been a quick development of mobile devices and Internet-empowered mobile phones in several countries (Hassan, Jaber, & Hamdan, 2009; Ekong & Eknong, 2010). This development has influenced governments to move toward mGov as the next stage for improving the quality and availability of services (Alkhamayseh, Lawrence, & Zmijewska, 2006; Antovski & Gusev, 2005). …