## 3 Research Methodology  
### Sampling  
Increasingly, researchers are combining mixed-method approaches to establish a deeper level explanation for this phenomenon that is under investigation, improve the validity of the results, and explain conflicting outcomes [53]. This study used a quantitative survey technique to collect data for testing the proposed research model and hypotheses. The quantitative survey was carried out from January 2022 to May 2022. Following that, interviews were performed. We interviewed public officers in target cities in Pakistan in April 2022 to help interpret and understand the statistical results, thereby strengthening the outcomes. The data were acquired from a sample of South Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Japan public officials and citizens that were directly or indirectly involved in public service delivery decision-making. This assessment threshold was developed on the assumption that senior officials and citizens would necessitate the presence of some system to ensure knowledge management. The most qualified individuals in each department were identified and requested to respond to the survey, presuming that they would be qualified to comment on the transmission of knowledge throughout the organization instead of one or two departments.  
The survey's administration took place in three stages. After identifying the population of public officers, entrepreneurs, and citizens, from metropolitan cities with a population of 600,000 or more in South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, and Bangladesh, a pre-notification mail describing the objective of the study and proclaiming the impending influx of the survey was sent to targeted respondents. The justification for choosing these four countries was that South Korea and Japan are East Asian developed economies with strong e-governance and e-services for their citizens [73]. In contrast, Pakistan and Bangladesh are South Asian emerging economies striving to design and implement such governance and services [74], so it is essential to evaluate respondents' perceptions from different geographic areas from the same continent. According to our best knowledge and observation, only a few studies have yet been undertaken in the comparative sense of such Asian regions [75].  
Two weeks later, a set of questionnaires was forwarded to the targeted respondents, including shared online on different social media websites. The effective usable sample size was 569. Although very few experimental investigations on knowledge management were identified in the existing literature, it is hard to determine how age, education, experience, or nationality may have influenced the findings. To test for quasi-bias, a spontaneous cross-section of 90 participants who had not responded was chosen and delivered a short survey questionnaire to fill. The brief questionnaire was completed by 24 (26.7 percent) of this group. ANOVA analyses reported no difference in the mean replies from early, late, or non-respondents and thus no substantial variation between each segment of the respondents. Table 1 describes the respondents' age, education, experience, and nationality characteristics.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c} \hline \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Characteristic**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Category**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**N**} & \% \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Age} & 18 to 30 years & 297 & 52 \\  & 31 to 40 years & 188 & 33 \\  & 41 to 50 years & 58 & 10 \\  & More than 50 years & 26 & 05 \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Education} & PhD degree & 55 & 10 \\  & Master’s degree & 174 & 30 \\  & Bachelor’s degree & 340 & 60 \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Experience} & 1 to 10 years & 176 & 31 \\  & 11 to 20 years & 326 & 57 \\  & 21 to 30 years & 60 & 11 \\  & More than 30 years & 7 & 01 \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Nationality} & South Korea & 380 & 67 \\  & Japan & 31 & 05 \\ \cline{1-1}  & Pakistan & 109 & 19 \\ \cline{1-1}  & Bangladesh & 49 & 09 \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: Personal characteristics of the survey respondents.