bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurship Competencies and Management Capabilities for Innovation and sustainable Growth
Authors: Omar Maktoba , Lewrick Michael
Published: February 2011

The aim of this chapter is to challenge the context of entrepreneurship competences and management capabilities needed for innovation. We build our arguments in step with actual practice analyzing data from over 200 innovative companies which have been created under the formal requirements of a regional business plan competition during the last 10 years. This study explores the crucial capabilities to start an innovative business and discuss the capabilities have to be developed to sustain innovation and business growth. Therefore, it can be hypothesised that entrepreneurship and innovation education provided by Universities, Centres for Entrepreneurship and through coaching by Business Plan Competitions should focus on building awareness for the necessity of innovations and prepare inventors, entrepreneurs and students for not simply starting an enterprise but the change process in growing companies. The questions are not of whether or not to educate people about entrepreneurship and innovation but rather what are the context and the capabilities needed to sustain business and become an innovative and successful entrepreneur?
The Role of Creativity (and Creative behaviour) in Identifying Entrepreneurs
Authors: Richards Debbie , Busch Peter , Bilgin Ayse
Published: February 2011

As the importance of creativity and in turn innovation for individuals, organizations, nations and the global community as a whole becomes recognized, so too does the value of identifying those individuals with the potential to become entrepreneurs. The nature of creative knowledge is such that it draws typically upon both codified and tacit forms of knowledge, to which end an instrument is presented based on workplace scenarios combined with a number of psychometric tests. With opportunities for innovation afforded by the internet, the identification and development of a new breed of individuals known as e-entrepreneurs seems particularly worthwhile. Thus in this study we have focused on scenarios within the field of information and communication technology. Results indicate innovators may present multiple personality styles which offer strengths to entrepreneurial activities. Finally through identification of creative personnel our approach offers a way for organizations to cultivate promising entrepreneurs.
Digital Government Worldwide
Authors: Melitski James , Holzer Marc , Kim Seang-Tae , Kim Chan-Gun , Rho Seung-Yong
Published: February 2011

This article evaluates the current practice of digital government in large municipalities worldwide. The study assesses 84 cities from around the world that use a five-stage e-government framework. Our research and methodology goes beyond previous research by utilizing 92 measures that were translated into the native language of each city. In addition, the assessment of each municipal web site was conducted by a native speaker of the municipality’s language between June and October of 2003. We reviewed relevant e-government literature for evaluating Web sites nationally and internationally, and discussed our sample selection, methodology, theoretical framework, findings, and recommendations. Our results indicate that Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, and Shanghai are the top five large cities for providing digital government opportunities to citizens online. Our research also suggests a difference in the digital government capabilities among the 30 developed nations belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and lesser developed (non-OECD) nations.
The Impact of the Internet on Political Activism
Authors: Norris Pippa
Published: February 2011

The core issue for this study concerns less the social than the political consequences of the rise of knowledge societies; in particular, the capacity of the Internet for strengthening democratic participation and civic engagement linking citizens and government. To consider these issues, Part I summarizes debates about the impact of the Internet on the public sphere. The main influence of this development, as it is theorized in a market model, will be determined by the “supply” and “demand” for electronic information and communications about government and politics. Demand, in turn, is assumed to be heavily dependent upon the social characteristics of Internet users and their prior political orientations. Given this understanding, the study predicts that the primary impact of knowledge societies in democratic societies will be upon facilitating cause-oriented and civic forms of political activism, thereby strengthening social movements and interest groups, more than upon conventional channels of political participation exemplified by voting, parties, and election campaigning. Part II summarizes the sources of survey data and the key measures of political activism used in this study, drawing upon the 19-nation European Social Survey, 2002. Part III examines the evidence for the relationship between use of the Internet and indicators of civic engagement. The conclusion in Part IV summarizes the results and considers the broader implications for governance and democracy.
Service, Security, Transparency & Trust
Authors: Roy Jeffrey
Published: February 2011

The objectives of this article are twofold: first, to examine the main conceptual dimensions of electronic government (e-government); and secondly, to critically assess both the current responses and future prospects of Canada’s public sector. The first sections of the paper are primarily conceptual as they delve into e-government’s meaning and scope by presenting a set of major thematic challenges driving public sector reform. The paper then provides a critical assessment of recent reforms and new initiatives undertaken by the Government of Canada. Building on this analysis, the article aims to sketch out the major issues and challenges likely to confront Canadian governance. Of particular interest is whether or not a sufficient balance exists in focusing on dimensions of e-government and e-governance in order to adapt effectively to a more informational, digital, and interdependent world.
E-Government-Induced Business Process Change (BPC)
Authors: Scholl Hans J.
Published: February 2011

E-government (e-gov) projects have an increasing influence on how government business processes evolve and change. While early e-gov projects focused on government-to-public information and interaction, the second and third wave of e-gov projects also emphasize internal effectiveness and efficiency, along with intra- and interdepartmental as well as intra- and interbranch integration. With these increases in scope and scale of e-gov projects, existing business processes, including core processes, become candidates for improvement and change. While the private-sector-oriented literature on business process change abounds with descriptive and prescriptive accounts, no equivalent has been found in the public-sector-related literature. Although many insights drawn from the private sector may apply, the public sector seems to develop distinct practices. This paper contributes to the understanding of current practices in e-gov-induced business process change, comparing those practices to prescriptions derived from private-sector experience. Among other factors, the more inclusive approach observed in e-gov business process change may explain the higher success rate of public-sector projects compared to those reported from the private sector.
Home (Page) Style
Authors: Esterling Kevin , Lazer David M.J. , Neblo Michael A.
Published: February 2011

To date, research on e-government has devoted relatively little attention to how legislators use the Internet to enhance the representative function. In this paper, we seek to explain statistically the variation in the quality of Web sites among members of the US Congress. The dependent variable for the preliminary analysis is an ordered categorical rating of the Quality of each member’s Web site on a 5-point grading scale ranging from A to F. The model specification is derived from the political science literature on Congress, including measures of electoral situation, the local situation, and the intra-institutional situation. The cross sectional findings suggest that shorter tenure and closer electoral margin both independently contribute to successful innovation; members appear to adopt new technologies when constituents are connected to the Internet; and members representing districts of lower socio-economic status tend to have better quality Web sites.
A Brave New E-World? An Exploratory Analysis of Worldwide E-Government Readiness, Level of Democracy, Corruption and Globalization
Authors: Kovacic Zlatko J.
Published: February 2011

This paper reports research results on the relationship between e-government readiness and its components and the level of democracy, corruption, and globalization for 191 countries. A supply-side approach to e-government analysis using data about national government Web sites, telecommunication infrastructure, and human capital was taken rather than a demand-side approach, which is based on the real use of e-government Web sites by citizens, businesses, and government, or their perceptions of the online services delivery. Statistically significant differences in the level of e-government readiness and its components between three groups of countries classified according to the level of democracy were identified using ANOVA. It was also shown, using correlation and regression analysis, that e-government readiness indices are related to the level of democracy, corruption, and globalization.
Citizen-Initiated Contacts With Ontario Local E-Government
Authors: Reddick Christopher G.
Published: February 2011

This study examines Ontario, Canada’s municipal e-government adoption. This paper specifically focuses on how e-government has increased citizen-initiated contacts with these local governments. This study uses survey data of these local governments to determine the key factors that predict increased citizen contact with e-government. What these municipal governments most commonly are doing is informational e-government, such as providing downloadable forms for manual completion. Transactional e-government is done less often, with very few local governments offering online payment of taxes, for example. The regression results indicated that offering more online services or e-services and having a separate information technology (IT) department developing the e-government budget increased citizen contact with e-government. The traditional factors that are used to explain citizen-initiated contact, such as socioeconomic status of the community, were not found to have any impact on increasing citizen contact with e-government.
Information Technology and Administrative Reform
Authors: Kraemer Kenneth , King John Leslie
Published: February 2011

This article examines the theoretical ideal of information technology as an instrument of administrative reform and examines the extent to which that ideal has been achieved in the United States. It takes a look at the findings from research about the use and impacts of information technology from the time of the mainframe computer through the PC revolution to the current era of the Internet and e-government. It then concludes that information technology has never been an instrument of administrative reform; rather, it has been used to reinforce existing administrative and political arrangements. It assesses why this is the case and draws conclusions about what should be expected with future applications of information technologies — in the time after e-government. It concludes with a discussion of the early evidence about newer applications for automated service delivery, 24/7 e-government, and e-democracy.
The Evolution of Web Governance in the Federal Government
Authors: Mahler Julianne , Regan Priscilla M.
Published: February 2011

Over the last 10 years, federal agencies have undergone a major transformation in the way they manage programs and internal administration, in their relations with Congress, and in their dealings with clients and citizens. Agencies now work in electronic environments of e-mail, electronic documents and filings, intranets, and the Internet. This article seeks to describe and to account for the emergence of what is now being termed Web governance. Briefly, Web governance is concerned with the control of content and design for agency Web sites. We explore the evolution of the process by which Web governance decisions are being made government-wide and at individual federal agencies. We look to changing patterns of administrative process in order to help account for the emergence of controls, and we find evidence of the importance of networking and of disbursed, self-designing processes.
If You Build a Political Web Site, Will They Come?
Authors: Norris Pippa , Curtice John
Published: February 2011

This study focuses on the capacity of the Internet for strengthening political activism. The first part summarizes debates about these issues in the previous literature. This study starts from the premise that political activism is a multidimensional phenomenon and that we need to understand how different channels of participation relate to the social and political characteristics of the online population. We predict that certain dimensions of activism will probably be strengthened by the rise of the knowledge society, particularly cause-oriented forms of political participation, reflecting the prior social and political characteristics of the online population. By contrast, we expect the Internet to have far less impact upon conventional channels of political participation, exemplified by election campaigns. The second part summarizes the sources of data and the key measures of political activism used in this study, drawing upon the British Social Attitudes Survey from 2003. The third part examines the evidence for the relationship between use of the Internet and patterns of civic engagement in the British context. The conclusion summarizes the results and considers their broader implications.
Local Democracy Online
Authors: Pratchett Lawrence , Wingfield Melvin , Polat Rabia Karakaya
Published: February 2011

This report from the field analyzes the extent to which local authorities in England and Wales have responded to the e-democracy agenda by examining their Web sites and assessing their potential to deliver democracy. The analysis of Web sites provides a powerful insight into how local government is using the Internet to promote democracy. Two aspects of Web site use are particularly significant. First, the analysis reveals the overall commitment to e-democracy in local government, as it is a measure of actual behavior rather than simply an attitudinal survey. Second, it highlights the types of democratic structure being supported and the values being emphasized in the implementation of e-democracy. The research demonstrated that the potential of the Internet for enhancing democracy is not fully exploited by local authorities and there remain considerable variations between different authorities.
The Scholarly Literature on E-Government
Authors: Norris Donald F. , Lloyd Benjamin A.
Published: February 2011

The authors conducted a comprehensive review of articles on the subject of e-government that were published in refereed scholarly journals through the end of 2004 to serve as a baseline for future analysis of this emerging field. They found over 100 e-government articles, but only 57 with empirical content. The authors then examined the articles using 12 analytical categories. They conclude that the scholarship about e-government comes primarily from the United States, and from authors trained in the social sciences. Few e-government articles adequately used the literatures that were available (e.g., IT and government, e-government, or any specialized literatures), and few created or tested theory or hypotheses. Articles employed both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, but many contained conclusions that were not supported by their data or analyses. The authors conclude that e-government research is a young and growing field that has yet to achieve adequate scholarly rigor.
Managing Stakeholder Interests in E-Government Implementation
Authors: Tan Chee-Wee , Pan Shan L. , Lim Eric T.K.
Published: February 2011

As e-government plays an increasingly dominant role in modern public administrative management, its pervasive influence on organizations and individuals is apparent. It is, therefore, timely and relevant to examine e-governance—the fundamental mission of e-government. By adopting a stakeholder perspective, this study approaches the topic of e-governance in e-government from the three critical aspects of stakeholder management: (1) identification of stakeholders; (2) recognition of differing interests among stakeholders; and (3) how an organization caters to and furthers these interests. Findings from the case study point to the importance of (1) discarding the traditional preference for controls to develop instead a proactive attitude towards the identification of all relevant collaborators; (2) conducting cautious assessments of the technological restrictions underlying IT-transformed public services to map out the boundary for devising and implementing control and collaboration mechanisms in the system; and (3) developing strategies to align stakeholder interests so that participation in e-government can be self-governing.
E-Government Implementation
Authors: Lim Eric T.K. , Tan Chee-Wee , Pan Shan-Ling
Published: February 2011

As e-government becomes increasingly pervasive in modern public administrative management, its influence on organizations and individuals has become hard to ignore. It is therefore timely and relevant to examine e-governance—the fundamental mission of e-government. By adopting a stakeholder perspective and coming from the strategic orientation of control and collaboration management philosophy, this study approaches the topic of e-governance in e-government from the three critical aspects of stakeholder management: (1) identification of stakeholders, (2) recognition of differing interests among stakeholders, and (3) how an organization caters to and furthers these interests. Findings from the case study allow us to identify four important groups of stakeholders known as the Engineers, Dissidents, Seasoners, and Skeptics who possess vastly different characteristics and varying levels of acceptance of and commitment towards the e-filing paradigm. Accordingly, four corresponding management strategies with varying degrees of collaboration and control mechanisms are devised in the bid to align these stakeholder interests such that their participation in e-government can be leveraged by public organizations to achieve competitive advantage.
Users' Acceptance of E-Government
Authors: Sahu G. P. , Gupta M. P.
Published: February 2011

The study seeks to highlight the key variables affecting usage of e-government by internal users of Indian Central Excise. An e-government acceptance model is developed and empirically tested using the 163 usable questionnaire responses from internal users of the Indian Central Excise. A priority of the variables is set by calculating the “total effect” of each variable on “intention to use e-government.” Further, the “total effect” is compared with “ratio of acceptance” and clear recommendations for the Central Excise are generated for increasing the usage of e-government among it users. The model developed here can be applied in other similar e-government projects to test the users’ intention to accept the system.
AJAX in Development of Web-Based Architecture for Implementation of E-Governance
Authors: Sharma Dilip Kumar , Varshneya Gopalji , Upadhyay Ashwani Kumar
Published: February 2011

This article analyzes the diffusion of a Web technology named AJAX in facilitating e-government architecture and enhancing its potential by enablement of modern Web features as democracy and collaboration. Flexibility needed for free flow of interactive collaboration, compatibility, and robustness is treated as vital in the chapter. Major enterprises that have created landmarks in terms of participation of individuals and enterprises, along with contemporary Web technologies, are also analyzed to consolidate priority of technologies befitting robust and sustainable Web architecture. Emphasis is on the point that a proper collaboration among private, public, and government entities can only be achieved by proper information dissemination and acceptance of competent Web technologies, AJAX being one of them. Features of AJAX such as sectional processing ability, speed, bridging, portability, and compatibility are viewed with criticality for practical establishment.
Reconnecting Australia's Politically Excluded
Authors: Hill Lisa , Alport Kate
Published: February 2011

This article examines the potential for e-technologies to address the problem of political exclusion among some currently excluded groups of voters in Australia today. It canvasses known and suspected patterns of such exclusion and, in some cases, suggests likely reasons for it. We review the capacity for electronic forms of voting and registration to address the following issues: low voting and registration levels among indigenous Australians, declining registration levels among the young, restricted access to the secret ballot caused by disability, informal voting among minority language speakers and people with low literacy and numeracy competence, low voting participation among people who experience difficulty in attending a polling place on election day, and low voting participation among the Australian diaspora. We begin by providing some technical background, after which we report briefly on the electronic voting (e-voting) state of play in Australia today.
A Case Study of Public Servants Engaged in E-Consultation in Australia
Authors: Walsh Lucas
Published: February 2011

This article examines some of the challenges faced by local government during the development and implementation of a relatively new area of e-democratic innovation in Australia: e-consultation. E-consultation is seen as a valuable way through which a two-way relationship can be developed and enhanced between citizens and elected representatives. It involves the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs), such as the Internet, to extend and/or enhance political democracy through access to information, and to facilitate participation in democratic communities, processes, and institutions. Drawing on a case study of the Darebin eForum in Victoria, Australia, this article focuses on the role of public servants as moderators of this local form of e-consultation. The discussion has three parts: online policy consultation is defined within the context of e-democracy; some of the ways that e-consultation challenges the roles of the public service, elected representatives, and citizens are outlined; and the author then argues for an e-consultation strategy that is situated within a continuum of citizen engagement that is ongoing, deliberative, educative, and inclusive.
Citizens to Netizens
Authors: Alport Kate , Macintyre Clement
Published: February 2011

This article explores whether information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being used to their full capacity by government agencies in South Australia to engage citizens in interaction with the government. It surveys government and private sector Web sites to determine “best practice” for civic engagement and describes several innovations that offer promising models for e-democracy. In South Australia, it appears that the movement towards innovative e-inclusion is driven from the bottom up—from Local Government Councils, the arts industries, and the education sectors, in the main. The State Government has a well developed e-presence, but much of it is concentrated on the provision of information rather than the fostering of e-democracy. The article examines these trends and questions whether the government is giving the appropriate priority to the citizen-state relationship in an era characterized by rapid economic growth and change.
E-Governance in Australian Local Government
Authors: O’Toole Kevin
Published: February 2011

Local government in Australia is under pressure to modernize its structures in the new public management environment, as well as respond to increasing demands from its local electorates for better delivery of services and greater levels of participation in the democratic process. This article analyzes local government’s response to these pressures through its use of information communication technologies (ICT) to execute its broad range of tasks. I begin by discussing e-governance in the light of Chadwick and May’s (2003) three basic models of interaction between the state and its citizens: managerial, consultative, and participatory. Using data collected from an analysis of 658 local government Web sites in Australia together with existing survey research, I analyze the extent to which local government sites fit into the three models. The article then concludes with a discussion of the issues and problems faced by local government in its attempt to develop e-governance, as both an extension of its administrative as well as democratic functions.
E-Governance and Development
Authors: Zambrano Raul
Published: February 2011

This article provides a quick assessment of current e-governance policies and programmes to then suggest an alternative approach to the issue of the use information and communications technology in governance process. By focusing on citizens and stakeholders needs and fostering their participation in decision-making processes, governments can be best prepared to provide them with basic services and information, especially to poor and marginalized areas excluded from the potential benefits of e-governance. Pro-poor basic delivery in turn has the potential of fostering stakeholder engagement in public policy discussions at the local level.
E-Governance in India
Authors: Subramanian Malathi , Saxena Anupama
Published: February 2011

IT enabled e-governance in India seeks to achieve a more equitous, efficient, transparent, speedy, and corruption free service delivery system. But in the Indian context the challenge for e-governance is how to reduce the gap between the rich and poor towards a more inclusive governance system, benefiting particularly the poor in backward regions as in Chhattisgarh State, India.
Reflections and Proposals on Public Officials Training and Promotion of E-Government
Authors: Falivene Graciela M. , Silva Graciel M
Published: February 2011

Argentina is a country characterized by successive discontinuities and heavily conditioned by a troubled politicalinstitutional history. This article will argue that only the interaction and coherence between training and management systems created simultaneously as the dynamic expression of change can result in public organizations in tune with the characteristics of the knowledge society. Only those projects that have incorporated from their inception selfregulation, interaction, and readjustment mechanisms may provide answers in times that are difficult to compare with other periods in public administrations. The nation’s problems have never been as complex as they are today, nor did we have tools as powerful as the ICTs to solve them. From a complexity approach, it explores the synergic bonds between the promotion of e-government (EG) and the training and learning processes of public officials.
E-Democracy from the Perspective of Local Elected Members
Authors: Parvez Zahid
Published: February 2011

Although efforts for developing e-democracy have been underway for over a decade, recent literature indicates that its uptake by citizens and Elected Members (EMs) is still very low. This paper explores the underlying reasons for why this is so from the perspective of local EMs in the context of UK local authorities. It draws on findings reported in earlier works supplemented with primary case study data. Findings are interpreted through the lens of Giddens structuration theory, which assists in drawing out issues related to three dimensions of human agency: communication of meaning, exercising power and sanctioning behaviour. The paper abstracts categories of agency from the findings and uses these to formulate eight propositions for creating an e-friendly democratic culture and enhancing EMs uptake of e-democracy. These propositions provide an indication for future e-democracy research direction.
Linking Local E-Government Development Stages to Collaboration Strategy
Authors: Kim Hyun Joon , Lee Jooho , Kim Soonhee
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this study is to explore the connection between the stages of e-government development and collaboration demands in local government. Specifically, this study analyzes the demand for intergovernmental, interagency, and intersectoral collaborations during the three stages of local e-government development, including e-government initiation, application development, and integration. Based on an in-depth case study, this paper identifies specific collaboration types demanded during local e-government development in the Gangnam district government in Seoul, Korea. In each stage of e-government development, the local government encountered varying degrees and types of resource dependence upon internal and external organizational units. A particular type of collaboration became dominant in each stage as the relative importance of each collaboration type changed.
Implementing Interoperability Standards for Electronic Government
Authors: dos Santos Ernani Marques
Published: February 2011

Interoperability standards play an important role in the integration of systems and information sharing for electronic government. However, these processes do not just mean exchange of data but, mainly, integration of processes and transactions. Therefore, the implementation of these standards depends not only on technological aspects, but also on other variables of the institutional, organizational and economical contexts. Based on this scenery, this paper discusses the implementation of the standardization process in an electronic government environment. It presents the preliminary findings from a case study of the Brazilian interoperability framework (e-PING), based on documents content analysis and face-to-face semi-structured interviews. As a result, it points out some aspects that may be conditioning in the setting of these standards.
Moving from E-Government to T-Government
Authors: Weerakkody Vishanth , Dhillon Gurjit
Published: February 2011

The UK government is striving towards a vision for government-wide transformation, in which local authorities and central government departments are endeavouring to work with each other to deliver better services to citizens via a one-stop-shop environment for all services under the guise of electronic government (e-government). Having successfully e-enabled customer facing processes, the UK government is now working towards reengineering and e-enabling back office processes and information systems to facilitate more joined-up and citizen centric e-government services; these efforts are referred to as the transformational stage of e-government or T-Government. This paper seeks to explore what T-Government means to local authorities in the UK and what process related challenges have to be overcome to successfully implement transformational change in local government.
City Managers and E-Government Development
Authors: Streib Greg , Navarro Ignacio
Published: February 2011

The development of e-government has attracted considerable scholarly interest in recent years, but relatively little has been written about the capacity to develop and provide new e-government services. This chapter seeks to add to our knowledge in this area by assessing the ability of city managers in the United States, to effectively champion e-government development. We present an analysis of scores on the technology practice of the ICMA Applied Knowledge Assessment demonstrating that city managers possess relevant knowledge, but we also find some interesting generational variations in technology literacy and knowledge about managing technology. We also examine the ability of city managers to provide leadership for e-government development and identify some important challenges. We conclude that there are limits to capacity that could delay e-government developments in the future and offer some recommendations on how to limit their impact.
The Örebro City Citizen-Oriented E-Government Strategy
Authors: Ask Andreas , Hatakka Mathias , Grönlund Åke
Published: February 2011

This article discusses practices, opportunities, and challenges in local e-government project management by means of a case study involving interviews, document studies, and an element of action research, over eight months. The analysis against e-government success factors finds seven “critical issues”; political timing, resource allocation, political mandate, distinction between administrative and political responsibilities, coordination of departments, dependence on providers, and use of standards. We found these issues open for local choice, influences of strong individuals and groups, and chance. This is a consequence of the prevailing strategic model for the public sector, New Public Management, which leaves these issues to be filled by negotiations among many actors with different roles, goals, and action space. The general lesson is that there is a need for practical ways of acting strategically to reduce the risk level and increase the ability to implement policy.
An Extended Risk Assessment Model for Secure E-Government Projects
Authors: Kefallinos Dionysis , Lambrou Maria A. , Sykas Efstahios
Published: February 2011

In this article we propose a model for a risk assessment tool directed towards and tailored specifically for e-government projects. Our goal is to cover the particular threats pertinent to an e-government project context and provide an interface between the broader philosophy of IT governance frameworks and the technical risk assessment methodologies, thus aiding in the successful and secure implementation and operation of e-government infrastructures. The model incorporates a wide range of applicable risk factors and seven accompanying dimensions, assembled into a checklist-like matrix, along with an application algorithm and associated indices, which an evaluator can use to calculate risk.
A Multiple Case Study on Integrating IT Infrastructures in the Public Domain
Authors: Kamal Muhammad Mustafa
Published: February 2011

Local Government Authorities (LGAs) are complex organizations whose heterogeneous operational structures can be greatly enhanced by effectively using of Information Technology (IT) to support improvements in the quality of services offered to citizens. While the benefits of IT cannot be disputed, there are several concerns about its success as LGAs are confronted with the challenges of synchronizing their cross-departmental business processes and integrating autonomous IS. This article examines a potentially important area of IT infrastructure integration in LGAs through Enterprise Application Integration (EAI). The adoption of EAI solutions is a burgeoning phenomenon across several private and public organizations. Nevertheless, where EAI has added efficacy to the IT infrastructures in the private domain, LGAs have also been slow in adopting cost-effective EAI solutions. The shortage of research studies on EAI adoption in LGAs presents a knowledge gap that needs to be plugged. The research methodology followed consisted of an in-depth analysis of two case studies by using the research tools of interviews, observation and referring to archival documents. This research is timely as the demand for integrated service delivery increases, the issues of harmonizing business processes and integrating IS becomes pertinent. The conclusion and lessons that can be learnt from this research is that integrating IT infrastructures through EAI achieves significant efficiency in delivering end-to-end integrated electronic Government (e-Government) services.
Relating Acceptance and Optimism to E-File Adoption
Authors: Carter Lemuria , Schaupp Ludwig Christian
Published: February 2011

Electronic tax filing is an emerging area of e-government. This research proposes a model of e-filing adoption that identifies adoption factors and personal factors that impact citizen acceptance of electronic filing systems. A survey administered to 260 participants assesses their perceptions of adoption factors, trust and self-efficacy as they relate to e-file utilization. Multiple linear regression analysis is used to evaluate the relationships between adoption concepts and intention to use e-filing systems. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
A Profile of Scholarly Community Contributing to the International Journal of Electronic Government Research
Authors: Dwivedi Yogesh K. , Weerakkody Vishanth
Published: February 2011

This paper analyses the first five volumes of research published in the International Journal of Electronic Government Research (IJEGR). All 90 papers that appeared between the years of 2005 and 2009 are analysed by extracting information on the following variables: most active authors, gender of the contributors, academic expertise/research area, background (academic vs. practitioner), number of co-authors, universities associated with the most publications, geographical diversity of the authors and occupations of the contributors. Findings suggest that there are very few authors contributing to more than one article in IJEGR. Findings also suggest that there are imbalances in terms of authors’ discipline, gender and background. Finally, this paper illustrates the institutions supporting electronic government research and countries and regions promoting e-government research and practice. The main contribution of this research lies in understanding the evolution and patterns of the electronic government research community.
An Analysis of Literature on Consumer Adoption and Diffusion of Information System/Information Technology/Information and Communication Technology
Authors: Dwivedi Yogesh K. , Williams Michael D. , Lal Banita , Mustafee Navonil
Published: February 2011

This paper provides a comprehensive and systematic review of literature pertaining to consumer/household/residential adoption and diffusion issues in relation to ICT/IT/IS to ascertain the current “state of play” within the field along a number of dimensions. Eighty articles on the adoption, acceptance and diffusion of ICT/IT/IS, published in 54 peer reviewed journals between 1998 and 2008, were reviewed, from which information on a series of variables were extracted. The subsequent findings suggest that the positivist paradigm, empirical and quantitative research, the survey method and the TAM theory were predominantly used when investigating the topics of the adoption and diffusion of technology within the consumer/household/residential context.
A State-of-The-Art Review of Applied Forms and Areas, Tools and Technologies for e-Participation
Authors: Ergazakis Kostas , Metaxiotis Kostas , Tsitsanis Tassos
Published: February 2011

The concept of e-Participation is important for both citizens and decision makers. From the citizen’s perspective, e-Participation provides the opportunity to achieve and satisfy the need to be heard by politicians and participate in the decision-making and policy formulation processes through the use of ICT. On the other side, politicians are also able to promote and encourage public participation through communication channels with citizens and act in line with public opinion. During the past years, the e-Participation landscape has been growing and developed. Currently, there are many applied forms and areas of e-Participation. At the same time, there are a growing variety of tools and technologies that are available to enhance e-Participation. In this paper, the authors present a complete overview of the e-Participation landscape, through the state-of-the-art review of these tools, technologies and areas of e-Participation. This overview is of value to researchers and practitioners who want to have a knowledge base for further research and practical implementation in the wider field of e-Participation.
Organizational Development in Electronic Government Adoption
Authors: Movahedi Bahar Miri , Lavassani Kayvan
Published: February 2011

The concept of Electronic Government (EG) has evolved significantly during the past few decades. Several development models have been presented in the literature to illustrate the advancement and adoption of EG practices. Recent developments in EG adoption that emphasize the process view call for a new perspective to EG adoption. Based on the review of most cited stage models of EG adoption, a comprehensive stage model is recommended in this paper. Furthermore, this paper utilizes the recommended stage model and proposes a process based framework for analyzing the EG adoption.
Active Noise Control for Hearing Screening Test
Authors: Azeez Dhifaf , Ali Mohd Alauddin Mohd , Husain Hafizah , Beng Gan Kok , Umat Cila
Published: February 2011

A hearing screening test is a method to determine human ear disorders and conventional audiometers and audiologists are required to perform the test. However, this procedure is difficult to implement, especially in a remote site such as a factory or a school due to the ambient noise that may cause test inaccuracy. In this work, the application of active noise control (ANC) is proposed to reduce the ambient noise using a personal computer in a hearing screening test. The ANC algorithm was simulated in MATLAB software and implemented using a computer with data acquisition modules and LabVIEW software. Results show that anti-noise was successfully generated in the electrical domain but no reduction was observed in the acoustic domain. ANC is a deterministic application that requires a real-time operating system to respond to the input with precisely timed output. To have an effective ANC system, the processing time has to be less than 0.125 ms at 8 KHz sampling rate.
Safety System Design Simulation for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator using Electrode Contact Test
Authors: Hutabarat Mervin T. , Soedirdjo Subaryani D. H.
Published: February 2011

TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator) is a therapeutic device used to deliver electric current through one’s skin. As the device is used on the human body, safety concern becomes a matter that needs special attention. One option for electrical safety is testing whether the electrode has attached properly to the skin. The test is done in the interval of the simulator pulse. This option is used to protect users from electrical shock that can be caused from this device. Using 74HC4066 as the analog switch, this design can support the TENS specification.
Developing Smart Emergency Applications with Multi-Agent Systems
Authors: Bergenti Federico , Poggi Agostino
Published: February 2011

Multi-agent systems have been importantly contributing to the development of the theory and the practice of complex distributed systems and, in particular, they have shown their potential to meet critical needs in high-speed, mission-critical, content-rich, distributed information applications where mutual interdependencies, dynamic environments, uncertainty, and sophisticated control play a remarkable role. Therefore, multi-agent systems are considered a suitable technology for the realization of e-health applications where the use of loosely coupled and heterogeneous components, the dynamic and distributed management of data, and the remote collaboration among users are often the most relevant requirements. This paper describes some of the main reasons why multi-agent systems are today considered one of the best technologies for the realization and deployment of advances for e-health applications and, in particular, of smart emergency applications. After an introduction on the inherent characteristics of the use of multi-agent systems for e-health, the paper presents the results of EU-scale project CASCOM: a real multi-agent system for the execution of smart emergency tasks.
An Automated Method for Differential Blood Counting Using Microscope Color Image of Isolated WBC
Authors: Koppar Anant R. , Sridhar Venugopalachar
Published: February 2011

Healthcare Delivery Systems are becoming overloaded in developed and developing countries. It is imperative that more efficient and cost effective processes be employed by innovative applications of technology in the delivery system. One such process in Haematology that needs attention is “Generation of report on the Differential Count of Blood”. Most rural centers in India still employ traditional, manual processes to identify and count White Blood Cells under a microscope. This traditional method of manually counting the white blood cells is prone to human error and time consuming. Medical Imaging with innovative application of algorithms can be used for recognizing and analyzing the images from blood smears to provide an efficient alternative for differential counting and reporting. In this regard, the objective of this paper is to provide a simple and pragmatic software system built on innovative yet simple imaging algorithms for achieving better efficiency and accuracy of results. The resulting work-flow process has enabled truly practical tele-pathology by enabling e-collaboration between lesser skilled technicians and more skilled experts, which cuts down the total turnaround time for differential count reporting from days to minutes. The system can be extended to detect malarial parasites in blood and also cancerous cells.
Levels of Enterprise Integration
Authors: Grant Delvin , Tu Qiang
Published: February 2011

A primary objective of ERP is to integrate the various parts of a company. The articles proposes a six-level taxonomy of enterprise integration and discusses the ability of ERP to satisfy each of the six levels. We analyzed six well-known industry case studies that included IBM, Cisco, Tecktronic, Vandelay, China Holdings, and APD Manufacturing. We found evidence of the six levels of integration among the sample. APD and China Holding did not exhibit evidence of global integration, while the others did. System user (Level II) integration was missing from all except APD. Islands-of-technology integration seems no longer the dominant integration issue it was in the ’80s. The dominant integration issues are functional integration, customer relationship management, and supply chain management.
Unleashing the Potential of SCM
Authors: Moller Charles
Published: February 2011

This article argues that with the present state of enterprise resource planning (ERP) adoption by the companies, the potential benefits of supply chain management (SCM) and integration is about to be unleashed. This article presents the results and the implications of a survey on ERP adoption in the 500 largest Danish enterprises. The study is based on telephone interviews with ERP managers in 88.4% of the “top 500” enterprises in Denmark. Based on the survey, the article suggests the following four propositions: (i) ERP has become the pervasive infrastructure; (ii) ERP has become a contemporary technology; (iii) ERP adoption has matured; and (iv) ERP adoption is converging towards a dominant design. Finally, the article discusses the general implications of the surveyed state of practice on the SCM research challenges. Consequently we argue that research needs to adjust its conceptions of the ERP concept towards ERP II in order to accommodate to the emerging practices.