An Analysis of International Marketing Strategies Formulation

8/2/2019 An Analysis of International Marketing Strategies Formulation

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AN ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGIESFORMULATION: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MODEL ANDEMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE BRAZILIAN PULP AND

PAPER SECTOR

Joo Carlos Garzel Leodoro da Silva[1], Rubens da Costa Santos andGilson Martins

ABSTRACT

This paper is made up of two components: 1) a model for explaining the dynamics of formulation ofinternational marketing of the firms and 2) the application of the model in the pulp and paper sector inBrazil. To make possible the development of this model, a number of previous theoretical propositions hadto be analysed in order to build a comprehensive background for this study. The data for the empirical partof this research was gathered from Brazilian exporting paper and pulp firms through questionnairesaddressed to the top managers.

1 Objectives

The main objective of this paper is to formulate a theoretical model for explaining the dynamics offormulation of international marketing of the firms. On another hand, this paper aims to demonstrate theapplicability of the model with the use of a study case that was developed with the data gathered from thetop managers of Brazilian Pulp and Paper Industries.

2 Bibliographical Review

According to AYAL & ZIF (1979), firms can opt among various international strategies; depending on thesituational factors it faces, such as those related to the firm itself, its products or marketplace. By the otherhand, KOH (1991) considers that the firms managers will be more prone to modify the marketing strategy ifthere is a higher marketing commitment regarding to the export activity, as well as a major knowledge ofthese and also the foreign market.

To support the proposition of a framework for explaining the events associated with export activity, somemodels were chosen on the literature, (THORELLI, 1977, cited by KOH, 1991; KOH, 1991; LEE, 1987;SHIPP, 1990; DA ROCHA, 1994).

The export performance is a measure for the administration board desired results (DA ROCHA &CHRISTENSEN, 1994; KAYNAK, 1992).

According to GHOSHAL (1987) the international strategies must be based on competitive advantages. Theliterature on strategies reveals that the influence of external environment, the influence of the industry, thenature of the competitors and organizational variables must be known (KOTLER, 1993). Other studies focuson the relationship of competitive advantage and the strategy, but fewer empirical studies have studied onseparating the effects of the various dimensions of competitive advantage in the international marketingscope (GOMEZ-MEJIA, 1988).

The multinational firm marketing strategy formulation process might embrace a chain of decisions regardingthe business itself (SZYMANSKI; BHARADWAJ & VARADARAJAN (1993). Some papers identify the
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perception of managers and its relationship with some marketing variables and export variables, (DAROCHA & CHRISTENSEN, 1994).

With regard to the marketing mix, the advantages on products, KOH (1991) came up with the hypothesesthat a firm prone to modify its products to satisfy its clients would have a better performance. On anotherinstance, KHAN (1978) and McGUINNES & LITTLE (1981) suggest that new products tend to have greater

advantages on foreign markets. When talking about the advantages on prices, KOH (1981) concludes thata firm will better perform when the price of products on foreign marketplaces is relatively higher than itsprice on national marketplace. CUNNINGHAM & SPIEGEL (1971) consider the special prices as thebiggest influence in export performance, while for KOH & ROBICHEAUX (1988) the level of price have asignificant relation with profitability.

Exporters can promote their products by means of: a) personal sales; b) Sales promotion; c) Advertisingand d) Publicity (SAMIEE, 1982). For TOOKEY (1964), advertising was positively correlated with exports,while the promotional effort had positive influence on export success for KIRPALANI & MACINTOSH(1980).

GRIPSRUD (1990) states that one of the objectives for exporting programs is to increase exports on futuretime. For identifying firms objectives, the foreign market attractiveness and profitability shall be considered,

where the exporting behavior must be considered as a process on which the export activity is preceded bysome evaluation stage, and this one results from some attitude regarding the foreign marketplace.

Export experience is introduced as an additional variable on the GRIPSRUD (1990) model. Thecharacteristics of firms, product, as well as the perception of obstacles and opportunities on theinternational marketplace influence this variable. Ideally, changes on the perception level have to beanalyzed on a longitudinal research framework. Unfortunately, this is not possible, as shown on thepertinent literature. Several authors have been inferred about the perception after the export experiencehad been acquired.

3 Materials and Methods

The first part was the development of a consistent model for explaining export performance. Thedevelopment of this model is demonstrated in a stepwise manner along the first part of the results section ofthis paper.

The empirical evidences for the theoretical framework developed on this study was carried out by means ofa structured questionnaire answered by the decision makers of a sample of Brazilian pulp and paper firms.

a) Firms Characteristics;b) Perceived Export performance;c) Perceived Barriers;d) Perceived Incentives;e) Perceived Competitive positioning;f) Firms objectives;

g) International marketing Strategies.

Each of these variables was measured by a sum of a number of items, in that Crombachs Alpha Testmeasured the statistical significance. The respondent could answer each item by choosing values from 1 to5 (Lickerts Scale - 1 - not all important until 5 - totally important), equivalent to the grades of importancegiven to the variable. As the gain of experience is internally of each person, the answers comprehended twoscenarios: a) the past period until the moment on which the questionnaire was been answered and b) theperception for the next five years. The right and left side of Figure 9 represents the scenario respectively.


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Using Pearsons correlation between each variable and the strategies, considering past and future timeseparately, though tested the model developed on Figure 9. Additionally, thet statistic was also employedon this study to verify if there was a significant difference between past and future time variables.

With these results is shown how the top managers change his perception about the variables of the study.

4 Results

4.1 Developing a Theoretical Framework

The use of the models presented on the bibliographical review makes it possible to formulate the theoreticalframework proposed on this study.

The internal dimension is formed by firm related variables, while the external variables are linked to theenvironment where the firm is inserted. This separation is important for a posteriori characterization ofvariables from these dimensions on formulating international marketing strategies.

The variables defined as part of the firms internal dimension are shown on Figure 1.

The characteristics offirms are represented by the following set of variables:

a) Firms organizational characteristics - these are structural variables inherent to the firm itself, as its sizeand age;

b) Management characteristics - these are human factor direct related variables, with decision-making forceinside the firm (firms chief executive, board of directors, board of managers). The orientation of the highadministration staff towards foreign commerce was present on several studies (DOMINGUEZ & SIQUEIRA,1992; GRIPRUD, 1990; AXINN, 1988 and SAMIEE; WLTERS & DuBOIS, 1993);

c) Firms Strategic Orientation - designed to demonstrate if the firm has an internal or external market

orientation. Human factors as well as situational factors make up this set of variables.

Internal incentives and barriers for participating on foreign trade - for an enterprise to ingress intointernational marketplace, or even if it already operates on it, it has to constantly verify the weak and strongpoints, advantages and disadvantages, i.e. a) incentives towards international marketplace participation;and, b) barriers made through participation on the international marketplace (DA ROCHA &CHRISTENSEN, 1994).

FIGURE 1: Internal dimension; the influence of the firm itself on making marketing strategies


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Figure 2: External dimension - the influence of the environment on international marketing strategies

The external dimension (Figure 2, above) is also separated into three factors:


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a) Firms competitive positioning - This factor is defined mainly by contrasting several marketingcomponents with the same components from principal competitors from the international marketplace.

b) Incentives perceived by high-administrators towards participation on international marketplace -incentives of national and international markets as well as national and importing countries policies areembraced on this factor. These incentives are defined by the executives perceptions.

c) Barriers perceived by the high-administrators towards participation on international marketplace - definedby the same methodology demonstrated for the incentives.

The objectives established by the firms are the classic ones, that is: a) Profitability; b) Market share; and c)Share on new markets, (KOTLER, 1993 and WESTWOOD, 1991).

Figure 3: Firms objectives on international marketplace.

Figure 4: International Marketing Strategies Formulation


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An international marketing strategy is a result of a complex and mindful work, as it is composed by stagesthat must be accomplished in order to satisfy optimization and achievement of proposed objectives. Forachieving the intended objectives, firm and product positioning must be defined. At last, but not lessimportant, these strategies should embrace the strategic procedure via the marketing mix. On figure 4(above) it is shown the division of components that take part of the marketing strategy.

With the definitions brought to light until we are allowed to start building the model. Figure 5 shows theexpected relationship for these structures towards international marketing strategies formulation. As itspossible to verify, an international marketing strategy is defined as a function of internal and external

variables and the firms strategic orientation.

Figure 5: Marketing strategies and its relationship with dimensions and objectives.


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Figure 6: Export performance as a result of strategies

As export performance is a variable of large importance, it is important to incorporate it into the model(Figure 6, above). This model is based on the hypotheses that the export performance is a function ofstrategies.

The trading activity on the foreign marketplace leads a firm to acquire knowledge continuously, while abruptand significant ruptures dont affect the marketplace on which they venture. The acquired experience can


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be named learning continuum or, as stated by GRIPSRUD (1990), gain of experience. Figure 7. Thegain of experience is not so easy to evaluate directly, then is evaluate indirectly as is made in this paper.

Figure 7: The learning continuum approach

On Figure 8 it was included the future marketing strategies as influenced by export performance, as well asthe situational factors the exporting firm faces. Although of a extreme importance, this is a relation poorlystudied on international marketing literature, therefore, hypothetically, the performance is a consequence ofthe strategies, and by studying future strategies its possible to execute possible interventions wheneverunnecessary.

The acquisition of experience, as shown on figure 8, is specified on the model as the perception of barriersand incentives that will redefine the strategic objective altogether with export performance. This set willredefine the firms international marketing strategies. As verified in the model, some variables are presentedwith mutual dependency.

The model of this study was divided into five areas: 1) Firms characteristics; b) Administrations perceivedpast factors as well as past objectives; c) Undertaken marketing strategies and export performance; d)

Acquisition of experience; and, e) Future international marketing strategies.


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Figure 8: Model use

d on this study

The acquisition of experience is defined by an existing learning process comprehending all past marketingstrategies formulation, and mainly when there is a response to this strategy, that is, when exportperformance is measured and evaluated. That means that the responses to marketing strategies weresuccessful or unsuccessful, in such way that this knowledge will be employed of future marketing strategies.

So, the system incorporate a dynamic direction, as one may be able to analyze the difference on thestrategic formulation on two distinct stages, as well as the difference among the variables influencing onthese two stages. The organizational and administrative characteristics, along with the strategic orientation,are defined as constants.

Figure 9: The Model for explaining new International Marketing Strategies

4.2 Empirical Evidences for the Brazilian Pulp and Paper Sector

The Pearsons Correlation Matrix for the strategies and the variables used on this study is shown on Chart1. The strategy presented a significant correlation with almost all dimension considered: 1) Firm

characteristics; 2) Export performance compared with internal and sectors performance; 3) Exportperformance; 4) Perception of past opportunities; 5) Past objectives; 6) Perception of competitivepositioning. Interesting enough, the past barriers didnt present a significant correlation with the strategiesadopted by firms. In a general manner, these results corroborate for proving the hypothesis posed on theleft side of Figure 9, where the variables above mentioned influence the strategies put to use.

Chart 1: Pearsons Correlation Matrix for the strategy (Past).

Variable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
http://createindex%28%270483-a1-9.gif%27%29/http://createindex%28%270483-a1-9.gif%27%29/


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Strategy Value p 0,63 0,64 0,64 Ns 0,77 0,47 0,71

0,00 0,00 0,00 0,00 0,05 0,00

Variables: 1) Firm characteristics; 2) Export performance compared with internal and sectors performance;3) Export performance; 4) Perception of past barriers; 5) Perception of past opportunities; 6) Past objectives;7) Perception of competitive positioning

On Chart 2 we note that six variables presented significant correlation with future strategies: a) Firmcharacteristics; b) Perception of past barriers c) Perception of past opportunities; d) Past objectives; e)Perception of competitive positioning. In a similar manner as mentioned for the past strategies, this resultstrengthens the hypothesis presented on Figure 9.

Chart 2: Pearson Correlation Matrix for the strategy (Future).

Variable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Strategy Value p 0,47 Ns 0,63 0,57 0,77 0,59 0,81

0,05 0,01 0,01 0,00 0,01 0,00

Variables: 1) Firm characteristics; 2) Export performance compared with internal and sectors performance;3) Export performance; 4) Perception of past barriers; 5) Perception of past opportunities; 6) Past objectives;

7) Perception of competitive positioning

Chart 3 shows that there is a significant difference between past performance and the desired performance.That is, firms will try to improve their relative performance in the sector in an overall as well as in theNational marketplace.

When the barriers are analyzed, we note that there isnt a statistical significant difference betweenperceived past barriers and future barriers.

Differently from the last variable, the group opportunities showed a significant difference. The objectiveshavent shown statistical significant difference between firms past and future objectives. That means thatthe expansion models that the firms use will continue to be the same, with changes only on the strategiesfor carry out these objectives.

The positioning adopted by the firms is one of the determinants for the formulation of internationalmarketing strategies. Expanding this analysis, considering this variable Firms intend to have a bettercompetitive position in comparison to its competitors. Finally, past and future strategies presentedsignificant statistic difference, with a p level of 99%.

Chart 3: Changes on variables perception

Variable Difference Between past and future p

Performance on National Market 0.43* 0.03

Performance on the sector 0.63* 0.02

Barriers 0.11 0.21

Opportunities 0.78* 0.00Objectives 0.19 0.19

Positioning 0.38* 0.00

Strategies 0.55* 0.00

* Significant at 90% probability level

5 Conclusions


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Taking into consideration the model developed for this study and considering that learning continuumapproach is internally of the each top manager, its utilization for explaining how was the change in theperception of each variable used in this paper, the following conclusion can be made:

In general manner, the variables selected for the model explain the performance of firms in aappropriate way;

In a general manner, firms demonstrated to have different perception for the perceptional factors forpast and future time period;

When the difference between past and future strategies are considered, we note that there is notdifference between perceived past and future barriers as well as past and future objectives;

The Strategies adopted in past time showed to present significant correlation with almost the totalityof variables;

The Strategies intended for future time showed to have significant correlation with almost thetotality of variables;

The difference between past and intended future strategies is statistically significant.

The results showed how the gain of experience influenced the change of perception of thevariables and the desire of strategies, that is important to help both the firms policy and the sectorspolicy to improve the competitively.

6 References

AYAL, I. Industry export performance: assessment and prediction.Journal of Marketing. 46(Summer): 54-61. 1982.

BILKEY W.J. Variables associated with export profitability.Journal of International Business Studies13(3):57-72. 1982.

CUNNINGHAM, M.T. & SPIEGEL, R.I. A study in successful exporting. British Journal of Marketing. p.2-12.1971.

DA ROCHA, A. & CHRISTENSEN, C.H. The export experience of a developing country: a review of

empirical studies of export behavior and the performance of Brazilians firms.Advances in InternationalMarketing. 6, p.111-142. 1994.

GHOSHAL, S. Global strategy: an organization framework.Strategic Management Journal.8(September/October): 425-40. 1987.

GOMEZ-MEJIA, L.R. The role of human resources strategy in export performance: a longitudinalstudy. Strategic Management Journal9. 493-505. l988.

GRIPSRUD, G. The determinants of export decisions and attitudes to a distant market: Norwegian fisheryexports to Japan. Journal of international Business Studies21(3) 469-85. l990.

KAYNAK E. A Cross regional comparison of export performance of firms in two Canadianregions. Management International Review32(2) 163-180. l992.

KHAN, M.S.A study of success and failure in exports. Akademilitteraur, Stockholm. 1978.

KIRPALANI, V.H. & MACINTOSH, N.B. International marketing effectiveness of technology-oriented smallfirm. Journal of International Business Studies. p.81-90. 1980.


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KOH, A.C. Relationships among organizational characteristics marketing strategy and exportperformance. International Marketing Review8(3) 46-60. l991.

KOH, A.C. & ROBICHEAUX, R.A. Variations in export performance due to differences in export marketingstrategy: implications for industrial markets.Journal of Business Research 17(3) 294-258. l988.

KOTLER, P.Administrao de marketing. So Paulo, Atlas, 1993, 848p.

LEE, C.H. Export market expansion strategies and export performance: a study of high technologymanufacturing firms. University of Washington, 1987. 272p. Thesis.

McGUINNESS, N.W. & LITTLE, B. The influence of product characteristics on export performance of newindustrial products. Journal of Marketing. p.110-122. 1981.

PORTER, M. Competitive advantages: creating and sustain superior performance. New York, The FreePress. 1985.

SAMIEE, S. Elements of marketing strategy: a comparative study of US and Non-US basedcompanies. Journal of International Business Studies. (Spring/Summer): 119-26. 1982.

SAMIEE, S.; WALTERS, P.G.P. & DuBOIS, F.L. Exporting as an innovative behavior: an empiricalinvestigation. International Marketing Review. 10(3):5-25. 1993.

SHIPP, S.H. The relationship between marketing mix and performance: The effect of contingentinfluences. University of Minnesota, 1990. 219p. Thesis.

SZYMANSKI, D.M. BHARADWAJ, S.G. & VARADARAJAN, P.R. Standardization versus adaptation ofinternational marketing strategy: an empirical investigation.Journal of Marketing, 57(October):1-17. 1993.

TOOKEY, A. Factors associated with success in exporting. Journal of Management Studies. March. p.48-66. 1964.

The Impact of Social-cultural Factors

In Kingdom of Bahrain on the Implementation of E-Government


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By:

Khawla S. Musameh

OPEN UNIVERSITY OF MALYSIA

2009

iThe Impact of Social-cultural Factors

In Kingdom of Bahrain on the Implementation of E-Government

By:

Khawla S. Musameh

Project Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for the

Degree of Master of Business Administration

OPEN UNIVERSITY OF MALYSIA

2009

iiDECLARATION

Name : Khawla S. Musameh

Student Number : 51060222

I hereby that this project is the result of my own work, except for quotation and

literature review, which have been, duty acknowledged.

Signature:__________________________ Date: 26/2/2009

iiiKhawla S. Musameh MBA 2009 OUM

ivAPPLICATION TO CONDUCT RESEARCH PAPER

PART A: STUDENT'S PARTICULARS

Student's Name: Khawla S. Musameh

Student's Number: 52060222

PART B: PARTICULAR ABOUT THE PROJECT

1. Title of the Project: The impact of social-cultural factors in Kingdom of Bahrain on

the

implementation of e-government"


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2. Research Objectives: "To investigate the impact of some social- cultural factors on

the

implementation of electronic government applications in Kingdom of Bahrain"

3. Proposed Research Method: "Qualitative Methodology"

PART C: COLLEGE'S INPUTS

1. Topic Chosen: Acceptable / Not Acceptable

2. Suggested Supervisor for the Student: Dr. Anwar A. Al Jowder

vRESEARCH PAPER SUBMISSION FORM

Project Paper Title: "The impact of social-cultural factors in Kingdom of Bahrain on the

implementation of e-government"

Director

Open University of Malaysia (OUM)

Bahrain Branch

Dear Sir, Attached are the following documents of your evaluation and approval

1: Introduction

2: Success and failure factors of e-gov implementation

3: Research measures and instruments

4: Population, sample and data gathering

5: Results of the research

6: Discussion

7: Analysis

8: Result of research measures

9: Conclusion

10: Recommendation

References & Appendixes

I have thoroughly checked my work and I am confident that it is free from major


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grammatical errors, weaknesses in sentence construction, spelling mistakes,

referencing

mistake and others. I have checked with OUM MBA guideline for writing project paper

and I

am satisfied that the project paper proposal satisfies most of its requirements.

Thank You,

Student Signature:

I have read the students' research proposal and I am satisfied that it is in line with the

OUM

MBA program guideline for writing project proposal. It is also free from major

grammatical

errors, sentence construction weaknesses, citation and others.

Supervisor's Signature:

viAcknowledgement

The researcher would like to express gratitude to Dr. Anwar Al-Jowder who

supervised the accomplishment of this project by providing one with precious advises

and

guidelines that were helpful in completing the research. Thank you Dr. Anwar for your

valuable time and the great cooperation that were you gave.

Appreciation and thanks continues to all respondents and friends who helped in

allocating the questionnaire and Mr. Hisham AlGhatam, Head of Human and Financial

Resources department in Central informatics Organization in Kingdom of Bahrain

.

Deep thanks to the researchers' family and husband who had supported to

successfully consolidate the efforts together.

Sincerely,

Researcher

viiAbstract


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Electronic government implementation issues have been given much attention lately;

due to the important role that e-government is expected to play in the near future.

The

success of e-government implementation project is influenced by a large number of

internal

and external factors. This research attempts to identify and provide an image of the

external

factors affecting the success of implementing e-government especially the social and

cultural

factors.

Literature review was used to figure out the social- cultural factors and a survey

methodology

was used to collect and analyze data.

The research was carried out through a survey on a sample of 65 respondents of

customers

that are involved in electronic government applications use and implementation. A

standard

questionnaire was distributed via e-mail, and face-to-face interviews. The collected

data was

analyzed and tested using MS Excel programs.

The results from the field survey of customers show that the most social-cultural

factors that

impact the e-government implementation success significantly are the demographic

aspects

fit (affect of gender, age, education, ), and the ease of using e-gov web site. The

study will

conclude with implications and recommendations for the Bahraini e-governmentagency who

is adapting the project, and for the research community in this field of study.

viiiTABLE OF CONTENTS


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P

age No.

1.0 Introduction

2

1.1 The research problem 3

1.2 The research objectives 4

1.3 The importance of the research 4

1.4 The research methodology 5

1.5 The research hypothesis 6

1.6 The research limitations 7

1.7 The research structure 8

2.0 Literature Review

10

2.1 Implementation of e-government in Kingdom of Bahrain 10

2.2 Implementation factors of failure in e-government 20

2.3 Implementation critical success factors of e-government 24

3.0 Research Methodology

31

3.1 Research framework and construct 31

3.2 Research measures 31

3.3 Research instrument 33

3.4 Population and sample 34

3.5 Data gathering 35

3.6 Data validity and reliability 35

4.0 Results

38

4.1 Demographics 38


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4.2 Factors of using e-gov applications 40

4.3 The degree of resistance against e-gov applications 42

5.0 Discussion and analysis

45

5.1 Discussion 45

5.1.1 Demographic aspects fit 46

5.1.2 Ease of use 47

5.1.3 Resistance 48

6.0 Conclusion and Recommendations

51

6.1 Conclusion 51

6.2 Recommendations 52

6.2.1 Recommendations for future researches 52

6.2.2 Recommendations for e-government 53

References

57

Appendix A

60

ixKey words:

(E-gov) (E-government): electronic government

E-gov applications: Services and facilities provided by the official web site

E-gov implementation: Ongoing and planed future applications

Cultural: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes

Bahraini customers.

Social: The characteristic of Bahraini customers

(Customers) (Users): Citizens and residents

(H): hypothesis of the research

x


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Chapter One

Introduction

xiIntroduction

E-government is the use of information technology to provide citizen andorganizations with

more convenient access to government information and services and to provide

delivery of

public services to citizen, business agenciesners, and those working in the public

sector.

Given that governments do not choose their customers, the Kingdom of Bahrain as a

case in

point will ensure effective delivery of applicable government services to all,

irrespective of

their education, nationality, age and income.The eGoverment strategy for the

Kingdom is

focused on the provisioning of services to customers, and in this respect will work

towards

electronic enablement of all key services by comprising over 90% of transactions

today.

(eGovernment Strategy summary,2007).

Under the global pressure of information technology, the adoption of web-based

technologies

in public administration has created a new government-and-citizen interface.

However,

whether e-government will unambiguously lead to a more transparent, interactive,

open and

hence, accountable, government remains a central question. Applying a framework ofglobal

pressure could effects on bureaucratic change.

This chapter introduces the research problem, its objectives, the hypotheses that

have been


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examined to reach the stated objectives, the method in which it has been carried out

and

limitations that the researcher has faced during conducting this research.

xii1.1 The Research Problem:

Government and public services affect each of us day in, day out. Even if many of us

do not

have face-to-face contact with public officials very often, the activities of public

agencies

still have an impact on our lives and work.

This study will analyse the behavioural manners of Bahraini customers to identify the

impacts of social- cultural factors on the implementation of electronic government in

Kingdom of Bahrain.

Moreover, is to investigate the success level of existing e-government web site and

to

measure the extent of the benefit after applying this technology.

Although the fit between government services and customers is believed to be critical

for

successful e-government implementation for the reason that it touches them directly

and

designed to satisfy their needs, this relationship had not been examined apparently.

In this study, One empirically examine social-cultural fit impact on e-government

implementation success along with other variables that are attributed to be important

in the egovernment literature such as (1) customer classifications, (2) media support,

(3) service

providing mechanism, (4) resistance, (5) awareness and (6) ease of access and use.

xiii1.2 The Research Objectives:

The key objectives of the research is to examine a number of issues related to the

inauguration of electronic government in Bahrain and to develop a framework for

understanding the social-cultural factors of implementing e-gov application in

governmental


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agencies in Bahrain. This study aims to assess the success level and evaluate the

degree of

resistance against e-gov while measuring the demographic aspects (age, educational

level,

income, etc) and Public utilization of current services.

Moreover, conducting this study aims to evaluate the importance of electronic

government

applications as an advanced project that integrates all governmental agencies across

Kingdom of Bahrain on to a single online system that can serve all those different

agencies'

particular needs. In addition, to study the problems that limit the use of e-gov

services to

some customers, in order to overcome them in the future and get the optimum level

of

project objectives, and finally to provide recommendations to organizations that their

agenda

contains a plan to cooperate with e-gov project.

1.3 The Importance of the Research:

Electronic government spacious and its importance are limited in Bahrain publicsociety. Egov services are critical to be diffused in Bahraini customers for its

significant benefits from

the time when 167 services from among 328 services have been identified as priority

agency

services for electronic enablement. These 167 services have been chosen based

upon

xivcriticality of agency services (volume of transactions, revenue generation

potential, and voice

of customer/business survey) and feasibility assessment (possibility of electronic

enablement

and current e-readiness level) of agency services.

The purposes of theoretical and practical outcomes are to build and contribute the

current


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literature on the research topic and to ease personal problems associated with

utilization of egov applications.

1.4 The Research Methodology:

The research was carried out through a survey method. The targeted sample of 65

Bahraini

customers was identified by snowball sampling method. Snowball sampling begins by

identifying someone who meets the criteria for inclusion in a study, and then asks

them to

recommend others who may know who also meet the criteria. In addition, a 30

minutes

interview that was conducted with Mr. Hisham AlGhatam, Head of Human and

Financial

Resources department in Central Informatics Organization (CIO), to provide me with

some

demographic information in Kingdom of Bahrain. Furthermore, another 15 minutes

interview

was conducted with Mrs. Elham Saleh, Head of Geographic Information System GIS

department in CIO, who was a member in the initiator team in the electronic

government

project.

130 questioners have been sent by e-mail, and 20 questioners were distributed

personally. At

the end only 65 questionnaires out of 150 were returned.

The questionnaire was written in English language and then translated into Arabic

language.

It included close response questions. The questions were designed to identify the

impact of

xvsocial-cultural factors in Kingdom of Bahrain on the implementation of e-

government. Each

respondent has received two-page questionnaire. It was divided into two sections (a

personal


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data table and multiple choice questions). The first part included demographic

questions. The

second part consisted of questions that evaluate e-gov website usage.

The collected data was analyzed and tested using descriptive statistics such as

means,

frequencies, ranking for the results, as well as applying a correlation analysis, in the

MS

Excel programs. More details on data analysis will be discussed in chapter 3.

1.5 The Research Hypothesis:

The model was proposed in this study which states that external factors including

socialcultural factors (electronic government acceptance and demographic aspects

fit, ease of using

e-gov web site, level of security while browsing and transact, the degree of resistance

against

e-gov, and public utilization of current services) which will influence the

implementation of

e-gov in Kingdom of Bahrain. In the following session, the researcher has developed

hypotheses (H) to support the model within e-gov implementation environment.

H1: The degree of compatibility of E-Gov applications with demographic aspects fitwill

have a positive relationship with E-Gov implementation success.

H2: The degree of compatibility of E-gov applications with retained strategic fit will

have a

positive relationship with E-Gov implementation success.

H3: The degree of easiness of the site usage will have a positive relationship with E-

Gov

implementation success.

xviH4: The degree of public utilization adequacy for the adaptation of E-Gov

applications will

have a positive relationship with E-gov implementation success.

H5: The degree of public's resistance to use e-gov applications will have a negative


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relationship with implementation success.

H6: The preserved degree of security of use of e-gov applications fit will have a

positive

relationship with E-Gov implementation success.

H7: The level of awareness a customers undergo with aspect to e-gov applications will

have

a positive relationship with E-Gov implementation success.

1.6 The Research Limitation:

The researcher faced up to level of this study some obstacles during the execution of

the

present study. The following points spotlight on the research limitations:

One of the major limitations of this research is lack of time to distribute the

questionnaire

(nearly two weeks). Furthermore, many respondents have not been able to answer

some

questions, especially those about revenue, age and their educational background due

to

different reasons such as privacy, positions concerns and the social cultures (data

were

complimentary to be given to the researcher as these data were considered as

confidential to

the respondent). Nonetheless, some respondents were not cooperative and did not

want to

take responsibility to assist me, which was a waste of time and effort). Moreover, the

researcher suffered from the delay in returning the surveys from some respondents.

xviiIn addition, Kingdom of Bahrain is small in terms of population and size andconsidered one

of the developing countries, thus it may lack demographic diversification in the vein

of

language skills, cultural diversity, as well as the proportion of literacy, numeracy,

education


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standards and IT literacy.

1.7 The Research Structure:

This research consists of six chapters. Chapter one is an introduction to the research

that

includes the research problem, objectives, importance of the study, hypotheses,

methodology

and limitations.

Chapter two is all about literature review, this chapter is a detailed chapter about the

previous

researches and readings in the same area of this research and the research

framework is

presented as well. Chapter three will describe the research framework and

methodology.

Chapter four includes the findings of all the research and the analysis using different

methods

such as the descriptive static. Chapter five is the Analysis of all the findings; it

interprets all

the results of this research and highlights the important elements to this study.

Chapter six is

the conclusions and recommendations for further studies.

xviiiCHAPTER TWO

Literature Review

xixLiterature Review

E-government diffusion is an international phenomenon. The evolution of e-gov has

been a

highlight in the information system (IS) literature since early 1990s. E-government isnot

simply a technology or a new website, it is a tool which will allow the government of

Bahrain to improve the services it offer to its customers and allow them to access all

government services easily and quickly (e-gov brochure). The literature illustrates

which


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variables impacting the implementation success or responsible for failure. In brief,

there are

no specialized researches in Kingdom of Bahrain or other Arabic Gulf Countries on the

keys

to success in e-gov implementation. It is probably a combination of factors that are

important

in explaining success rather than single elements. The exact combination of factors

varies

over time and should be decided regarding a given specific set of circumstances

(Warkentin

et al., 2002).

According to the list of the top 50 countries in the 2008 e-Government ReadinessIndex of

United Nation, Kingdom of Bahrain came on the place 42 among 191 countries for

two

primary indicators: i) the state of e-government readiness; and ii) the extent of

eparticipation. The recently launched e-government strategy is bound to guide

Bahrain into a

high-tech age with a brighter vision for the Kingdom, said Deputy Prime Minister and

Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology.

E-magazine which is published by e-government Agency states that; the vision

statement for

the e-government strategy defines the key elements of the e-government strategy. It

has five

key elements. E-government Leader, The Kingdom of Bahrain aspires to maintain and

improve upon its position as a regional e-government leader that is committed in

using

xxleading edge technologies to serve and provide value to its customers. It aspires to

be

recognized as a leader that countries in the region look up to and learn from.

The Kingdom will strive to increase satisfaction levels of customers with government


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services by redesigning processes in a customer, centric fashion (e-gov strategy,

2007).

Services will be delivered such that customers interact with one government rather

than

multiple agencies. Service levels will be communicated upfront and religiously

adhered to.

In order to achieve the above, the Kingdom will provide customers multiple channels

for

availing government services. A no wrong door policy that allows customers to avail

a

service through multiple channels will be implemented.

A key imperative of the Kingdoms e-government vision is the provision of

government services to its principal customers, i.e. citizens/residents, businesses and

government employees through the identification of Life Cycle Events. As agencies of

the egovernment strategy for the Kingdom, service delivery by all agencies across all

channels

will be organized across these Life Cycle Events.

Some of the important implication of the Life Cycle Event based service delivery

approach

(together with the requirement that all agencies need to lay down clear and

measurable

service levels) would be:

The need for government agencies to undertake government process reform,

wherever

necessary, prior to the start of a project, aimed at ensuring 100% depth of service

through

electronic delivery. This would mean the elimination of manual processes within aservice

xxidelivery process that negatively impact workflow automation or inhibit the online

delivery of

services.


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Agencies would need to collaborate to provide a service as apposed to a

transaction. For example, the registration of a company requires processing (what

we refer

to as transactions) within multiple government agencies. However, for the purpose of

service

delivery it would constitute one single service.

In order to ensure that the success of the vision can be measured and monitored, the

strategy defines outcomes and targets as surrogate measures whose achievement

can be

measured. The strategy also identifies interim targets that would be tracked as

agencies of the

monitoring and evaluation process

To achieve targets, an action plan (strategic priorities) has been identified for

implementation over the next three years. These include:

1. Channel enhancement, Implementation of four service delivery channel

enhancement

projects that will eventually help in delivery of services to customers.

2. Service enablement, Implementation of thirteen agency priority projects that

will

allow service enablement of key lifecycle based service requirements of customers.

Implementation of these projects is core to achieving the e-government vision.

3. Key enablers, Implementation of nine core components that would support

effective

implementation of the above and ensure success of the e-government strategy,

including

timely implementation.

xxiiE-Government envisions provisioning of key services ranging from paying

electricity

bills to paying traffic contraventions fines for Bahrains individuals, private sector,


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government and even visitors to Bahrain who wish to benefit from the electronic

services of

the Government.

A total of over 160 services have been identified for electronic enablement over the

next

three years and prioritized based on customer demand and ease of provisioning. A

lifecycle

view has been introduced to integrate services across lifecycle events of its primary

customers

In a research conducted by the United Nations and Government of Italy in 2002 it was

found

that e-government requires a conducive environment to maximize its potential.

Before

defining an e-government for development strategy or plan of action, a thorough

analysis is

required of the existing environment in which e-government will be implemented.

Government can pose to itself some key questions in order to assess how

strategically

prepared it is for e-government.

A country level of e-readiness is the degree to which each country is prepared to

the

introduction of e-government. By assessing the relative advancement in the areas

that are

most critical for e-government adoption by different key factors, countries would be

in a

better position to evaluate opportunities and challenges, as well as their own

strengths and

weaknesses.

However, as uniformity across the border is impossible, the objective of the e-

readiness


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analysis is to identify specific actions for improvements and potential niches for the

initial

xxiiistart up of e-government programs, rather than a positive or negative answer to

e-government

as a whole.

The following areas and key factors should be carefully analyzed in order to examine

the

risks and assess the obstacles that may need to be overcome before entering into

egovernment.

Areas Key Factors

Political conditions

Good governance, as a condition for

sustainable development, requires

genuine commitment from political

leaders, the private sector and

organizations of civil society. In the

same way, the introduction of egovernment in society requires strong

political will to see through the

transformation process it implies to

government both in its internal

operations as well as with regards to its

interaction with civil society.

Awareness of political value of e-government

Commitment to e-government and good

governance

Leadership skills

National identity and perception of government


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Legislative framework

Citizens and civil societys participation in

governments affairs

Good governance and rule of law

Regulatory framework

xxivA proper regulatory framework is

needed in order to enable secure

information exchanges within

government and between government,

citizens and businesses. It is also needed

to create the economic conditions for

accessible ICT infrastructures, services,

and equipment

Security standards

Privacy legislation

Legal validity of transactions on line

Degree of liberalization of telecommunication

market, including the internet service providers

market

Positive fiscal environment for acquisition of IT

equipment

Cultural and human resources conditions

Positive attitudes, knowledge and skills

need to be in place especially within

the public sector to initiate, implement

and sustain e-government.


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Cultural aspects may cause general

resistance to change and informationsharing. Inadequate human resource

capacity may lead to lack of customerorientation and overall commitment.

Culture, traditions and languages

Gender inequality

Educational levels

IT literacy and number of on-line users

IT educational facilities and programs

Culture of information and knowledge sharing

Prevailing organizational culture

Attitude and adaptability to change, especially in

public administration

xxvManagerial skills in the public sector

Service orientation of public administration

towards citizens

Financial conditions

The initial costs related to implementing

e-government can be considerable and

Governments may have limited capacity

to bridge the period between initial

investments and returns.

Proper resource planning and access to

innovative financing mechanisms is

critical for e-government sustainability.

Resource allocation process

National income structure


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Access to alternative financing mechanisms

Partnerships with private sector and other role

players

Access to capital markets

Mechanisms for venture investment

Available financial resources

Communication environment

In todays world, communicating with

citizens is a duty and a necessity for

governments.

E-government needs to be accepted and

Citizens awareness and understanding of ICT

and e-government

Communication culture and channels

xxviunderstood by all stakeholders to ensure

that its benefits flow to the society as a

whole.

Information and knowledge sharing

Technological Infrastructure

Lack of technologies is a major

bottleneck for countries aiming to

implement and maintain e-government.

Legacy systems may also represent

considerable obstacles to change.

The demographic and geographic

conditions of different areas,


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accompanied by the distribution of

economic activities, may also represent a

strong bias in the rollout of ICT

infrastructure if left to the market alone.

(Tele) communications infrastructure

Penetration rates of telecommunications

Urban versus rural: demographic/ geographic

bias

Software and hardware (legacy systems)

IT standards

Data and information systems

Management systems, records and work

processes must be in place to provide the

necessary data to support the move to egovernment.

Legacy of data processing, management

information and decision support systems

Available and accessible data and information

Data collection procedures and data and

xxviiinformation standardization

Data and information quality and data security

Capacity to analyze data and utilize information

Capacity to direct information flows into

decision-making processes

Information policy

Countries should update the environmental analysis on a regular basis to reassess

their


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readiness against technological progress and ongoing changes in the governance

system. At

different stages of e-government maturity, the relative importance of environmental

areas and

key factors may differ.

The stages of e-government maturity allude to:

Full digital data availability, when all government data processing operations in its

multitude

of institutions are done in digital form and data can move among different operating

platforms

E-publishing, when all these institutions are posting their relevant information on-line,

in an

organized and easily accessible way to other government agencies, businesses and

citizens

xxviiiE-interaction, when all relevant interactions, including participation in policy

analysis and

formulation, can take place on-line between government agencies, as well as

between

government and business and government and citizens

E-transaction, when all relevant transactions between government agencies and

between

these agencies and the private sector businesses and citizens can take place on-line.

Transformed government, when government has gone through the full transformation

process, providing fully integrated services requiring broad organizational change,

aligning

its organizational set-up with the new capacities it has acquired as digital state.

The different stages of e-government maturity are closely linked to the successive

phases of

ICT implementation at the institutional level. Over time, individual government

agencies are

expected to go through similar phases.


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The speed by which a country will be able to move from one stage of e-government

maturity

to the other is highly dependent on political leadership and the human and financial

resources

it can rely on, as well as on the capacity of different institutions to move through

their

successive phases.

The above does not imply that a country can only move from one phase to the other

if all

government institutions have met the criteria for that particular phase. On the

contrary, to a

certain extent, asymmetry will almost by definition occur. Especially in the firstphases,

individual agencies can move relatively independently although cooperation with an

increasing number of other institutions will be required to move into more advanced

phases

of the e-government process.

xxix2.2 Implementation Factors of Failure in E-Government:

According to the World Bank website (2008), e-government refers to the use bygovernment

agencies of information technologies (such as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and

mobile

computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and

other

arms of government. These technologies can serve a variety of different ends: better

delivery

of government services to citizens, improved interactions with business and industry,citizen

empowerment through access to information, or more efficient government

management.

The resulting benefits can be less corruption, increased transparency, greater

convenience,


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revenue growth, and/or cost reductions.

Analyzing the world bank definition of e-government , it is obvious that e-government

is not

merely the employment of computers in government processes, but the capacity of

technology to achieve levels of improvement in various areas of government,

transforming

the nature of politics and the relations between governments and citizens. For the

scope of

this discussion, e-government failure will be defined as the inability to reach the

goals

already mentioned in the World Bank definition of e-government.

The same reference states that e-Government involves the utilization of information

and

communications technologies by governments to improve the range and quality of

information and services provided to citizens, businesses, civil society organizations,

and

other government agencies in an efficient, cost-effective and convenient manner,

making

government processes more transparent and accountable.

xxxA well planed, designed and implemented e-Government can enhance the

effectiveness of

the provision of government services, allow better compliance with government

regulations,

enhance citizen participation and trust in the government, consequently, leading to

cost

savings for citizens, businesses and the government itself. Therefore, decision makers

and

managers are enthusiasts to adopt e-Government in countries around the world. For

this and

other reasons, an increasing number of e-government projects are being

implemented in most


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developed to the least developed countries.

However, e-Government is not easy. It involves change, which can encounter

resistance from

embedded bureaucracies. Without sustained leadership, careful planning, and

ongoing

monitoring, projects can easily fail - and many have.

Types of E-Government Failures

In the other side of these fancy e-government projects, lies a disturbing reality - the

majority

of these e-government projects are failures. To investigate this further, we can divide

egovernment initiatives and projects into three groups:

Failure Type Description

Total Failure e-gov the initiative was never implemented or was implemented but

immediately abandoned

xxxiAgenciesial Failure egov

major goals for the initiative were not attained and/or there were

significant undesirable outcomes

Successful e-gov Most stakeholder groups attained their major goals and did not

experience significant undesirable outcomes.

Why e-Government Projects Fail?

The following explains some of the main factors underlie failure of e-government in

developing countries.

1. Lack of internal drivers: Pressures only from IT vendors, with no internal ownership(or

understanding of e-gov)

2. Lack of vision and strategy: Lack of any long-term view, lack of guidance, and lack

of link


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between ends and means; may be caused by ever-shifting senior staff and/or ever-

changing

policy and political environment

3. Poor project management: Dispersed responsibilities due to multiple ownership of

project;

absence or weakness of controls; ineffective procurement.

4. Poor change management: Lack of support from senior officials (causing lack of

resource

allocation, and negative message to other groups); lack of stakeholder involvement

(causing

lack of ownership).

5. Dominance of politics and self-interest: Focus of key players on personal needs and

goals,

often related to 'playing politics', with symptoms like infighting, resistance where loss

of

xxxiipower is feared, 'me too' copying of e-gov solutions for image purposes,

obsession with

electoral impacts and short-term kudos, and corruption.

6. Poor/unrealistic design: Caused particularly by lack of inputs from key localstakeholders,

leading to designs that are over-technical, over-ambitious, or mismatched to local

environment (culture, values) and needs; occurs particularly where foreign donors,

firms and

consultants are involved. Other design problems: lack of piloting, lack of fit to

organizational structure.

7. Lack of requisite competencies: Lack of IT knowledge and skills among developers,

officials and users/operators; lack of local knowledge among developers

8. Inadequate technological infrastructure: Lack of sufficient computers or networks

9. Technological incompatibilities: Inability of computerized systems to interchange

data.


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(Yousif Al-Bastaki, 2008)

2.3 Implementation Critical Success Factors of E-Government:

It is impossible that one security system can protect information system against

several

computer threats (Mohamed Hussain, 2008), therefore, it is possible to have multiple

measures of protection with a single security policy. Most countries including the

Kingdom

of Bahrain have taken significant steps towards the application of e-government. The

evolution of the quality of human life pushed these countries to build infrastructure

for

communications and electronic applications to be the basis for the comprehensive

application

of e-government.

xxxiiiThis evolution in computer applications would make life easier and meaningful to

the user

through rapid access, update and accurate retrieval of information requested, which

is not

welcome (if it is randomly) from a security point of view because of privacy. Identity

and

data integrity must be preserved and these principles may run counter to the new

direction in

making systems easy-to-use to provide information and answer queries. The security

concern is a major problem and should be taken into account by high level policies

planning

to counter this problem, to be uniform for all applications, taking into account the

different

levels of relevancy that would start from the normal user to the higher level user. It is

well

known that any protection system is a countermeasure to one or more threats; there

are many


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potential threats in the application of e-government such as (hackers, crackers,

disguised ...

etc.), physical threats, communications threats ... and so on. It is impossible to have

one

protection system for all previous threats, but at least we must know that there is an

attack or

intrusion or theft of information in real time and if we are lucky before they occur,

such as a

warning system this is very important, which is called the intrusion detection system.

E-government consists of several components including the infrastructure for

Internet

connections, many of various web sites, user browsers, products, services, databases,

firewalls, electronic payment engines and many other components.

Generally, the scenario of service in the application of e-government is as follows: The

customer accesses the ministrys website and looking for a product/service that he

requires. It

is clear that after that customer examines the ministrys web service and to identify

products

or services, the necessary next step is to obtain access by passing through securitysteps.

Security problems:

xxxivIt is not possible to draw up a list of security-related problems because there is

always

something unexpected and the threat does not exist previously. We tried to identify

threats to

this conclusion by categorizing them, in order to have the appropriate counter

measures. As

highlighted, these problems vary according to the value of the stored information.

The

problems listed below may be present in e-government applications:


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1. Identification: This is a simple problem but is required for each application to

distinguish

the authorized and unauthorized user.

2. Authentication: This is a big problem because it requires the user to prove his

identity as

an authorized user. There are many ways that can be used, ranging from simple

method such

as password to complex method such as Finger Print or retina.

3. Viruses: include Worms, Trojan horse, Logical Bombs, Agents Software and Mobile

Codes which can be converted from angel to demon.

4. Intruders: such as hackers and crackers. Software Codes can also be used to

interrupt and

penetrate the communication lines.

5. Integrity of Data: Anything that can be obtained from the applications as an output

must

be considered acceptable and correct, and any unauthorized change for such data

may affect

users confidentiality.

6. Communication and Computer Network: These are considered the backbone of any

application of e-government, and as a link for customers to contact each other, so it is

very

important to keep these portals open and safe or could be compromised.

Communications

xxxvand networks remain the main objective of the intruders to attack the e-

government

applications.

7. Information Hiding: A new technology which could be used to pass any attack by

using

an image or voice or legal text (true from the standpoint of security). There are many

ways

that can be used to hide information and it is very difficult to detect.


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8. E-Commerce: Ecommerce includes e-Payment and e-Banking. It is an advanced

industry

that will be the major goal of the hackers and also for all types of threats.

Required Strategy:

These unexpected threats require protective measures for both types of expected

threats.

Therefore, an advanced strategy needs to be developed through:

1. Identify targets and vulnerability:

Most organizations did not define the components of the infrastructure necessary to

achieve

their objectives. None of these organizations are fully equipped to deal with their

vulnerability which scientifically called Minimum Essential Infrastructure (MEI), or

developed plans to address this vulnerability.

2. Increase information sharing between public & private sectors:

If the government and private sectors are targets for intruders and hackers, it is very

reasonable for both of them (government and private) to exchange and share

information

with each other.

xxxvi3. Improve analysis capabilities and warnings:

Our ability to analyze information and develop an effective warning process directly

affects

the ability to defend our national infrastructure.

A proposal for protection actions:

To implement security measures in e-government applications, systems need to be

designed

with the following specifications:

1. Develop advanced specifications and standards for security system.

2. Security systems need to be compatible with each other and can be transferred

and


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implemented in different institutions.

3. Systems need to be unified to facilitate work and reduce the cost of training for

the

application.

To make security applications synchronize with the evolution of computer systems

and also

for monitoring and follow up of intrusion, we must use advanced technology in the

field of

hardware and software. As we have stated previously, it is impossible that one

security

system can protect information system against several computer threats. Therefore,

it is

possible to have multiple measures of protection with a single security policy. We

propose

some important issues to be included in the security plan:

1. Intrusion Detection System:

xxxviiThis system evolved considerably depending on the evolution of computer and

communications. This system can detect and stop intrusion, and if intruder

succeeded,

intrusion detection system tracks the impact of such intrusion to provide a significant

source

of information and fill the security gaps.

2. Encryption:

Still evolving to ensure protection of information stored and shared between

institutions.

3. Biometrics:

Fingerprint, retina and DNA are means that can be used for the verification of users

in

addition to traditional digital means for verification depending on the value of

information

circulating in the information system.


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4. Digital Signature:

Effective means to verify the sender or recipient and has another benefit for

acknowledgment (in the case of the sender or recipient).

5. Information Hiding and Watermark:

It is possible to maintain the intellectual property (IP) and individual rights through a

water

mark on the documents to prove ownership.

6. Firewalls:

Effective mean of protecting the internal reliable network of Internet and external

networks. These walls prevent the entry of intruders as well as work on sending

information

only to their destination.

xxxviii7. Anti-virus:

Viruses considerably evolved and have become a threat to information systems that

must be

combated in real-time. For a great application such as e-government, it is preferable

that

there will be a separate centre to follow up viruses.

8. E-mail:

E-mail is now a cornerstone of e-government applications, and it is a target for many

threats,

therefore, more measures should be included in the protection system in terms of the

use of

verification of identity, encryption algorithms and server certificate.

xxxixCHAPTER 3

Research Methodology

xlResearch Methodology

This chapter is describing the methodology that was implemented to conduct the

research.


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The research conceptual framework is explained in the following section. The rest of

the

chapter is devoted to a description of research measures, instrument development

and a

definition of the population and sample. The chapter concludes with data collection

and

analysis and interpretation.

3.1 Research Framework and Constructs:

This research aims to investigate which social-cultural factors lead to the success of

implementing Electronic Government applications in Kingdom of Bahrain. The

following

dimensions of E-gov success have been considered; the degree of resistance against

using egov services, demographic aspects of users ( age, gender, number of family

members,

occupation, place of work, total income and educational level), and the public

utilization of

current services.

3.2 Research Measures:

The relevant literature was reviewed and the measurement items were developedbased on

literature, the main measures on this research were as followed:

xliDimensions of frame

work

Variables (Items) Recourses

1. Demographic data

of the customers

1. Age.

2. Gender.

3. No. of Family members.


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4. Occupation.

5. Employer.

6. Total income.

7. Education.

Self designed and developed

2. Factors of using

e-gov applications.

1. Do you have an internet connection at

home?

2. How many pc's and laptops do you have

at home?

3. Have you ever visited e-gov web site?

4. Do you have an idea about services

available?

5. How did you know about the web site?


xlii3. The degree of

resistance against egov application.

1. If your answer was No, why?

2. What do you think about the web site?

3. Do you prefer electronic or virtual

transactions?

4. If you prefer electronic transactions,

why?

5. If you prefer virtual transactions why?

6. Do you intend to visit the site in the


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future to transact?

7. Will you recommend others to visit it to

transact?


Table 3.1 Research Measures

3.3 Research Instrument:

The research was carried out through a survey of Bahraini customers and

respondents that

use the e-gov web site. For the purpose of the study, the respondents were presented

with the

questionnaire regarding usage of e-gov web site. The research measurement itemswere

translated into questions in the questionnaire.

The respondents received a one page questionnaire in Arabic and English version.

The main

purpose of these questions was to measure and evaluate all the items related to the

dimensions of the study. The questionnaire consisted of twelve questions and was

divided

into three main sections:

xliiiFirst section:

Demographic data: It included 7 close response questions with unordered answer

choices

about age, gender, number of family members, occupation, employer, total income

and level

of education. The purpose of these questions was to draw the full image of the

sample and

simplify the process of their classification.

Second section:

It was designed to evaluate the Factors of using e-gov applications. The five items

represent


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respectively the users' preparedness of using the application, awareness of the site

and its

services and degree of atmosphere adequacy.

Third section:

It was designed to identify the respondent attitude toward the web site, satisfaction,

transacting preferences, and future plans to revisit the site and recommend it to

others.

3.4 Population and Sample:

The population of the research was all of the Bahraini customers that had visited the

e-gov

website for at least one time or heard about it. No restriction based on the age or

occupation

was made. The targeted sample was identified by Snowball sampling. In addition, a

15

minutes interview that was conducted with the external and internal site supervisor in

the

Ministry of Justice and Islamic affairs 'Zahra Olaiwy' to provide the researcher with

users

interaction with the ministry's site that is one agency member in the electronicgovernment

xlivapplications. Snowball sampling was used to collect data from 65 respondents

among 165

distributed questionnaires.

3.5 Data Gathering:

A survey was administrated to snowball selected participants. Twenty five friends and

relatives were identified from the researchers e-mail list and ten work colleagueshave been

contacted personally. About 30 survey questionnaires sent to senior respondents,

who

forwarded it to other respondents in various age, gender and occupation categories.

In total


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65 questionnaires were collected. Five respondents were drooped due incomplete

data. One

hundred and thirty questionnaires have been sent by e-mail, twenty were distributed

personally. The actual data were collected in (October 2008 to January 2008) except

at the

beginning of December due to the official holidays. The majority of respondents were

helpful

and cooperative, but few were not due to different reasons such as the privacy and

carelessly

reasons (data were not desired to be given to others as these data were considered

to be

confidential).

3.6 Data Validity and Reliability:

To establish reliability and face validity the questionnaire was pilot tested with Dr.

Salah

Musameh, Assistant Professor at University of Bahrain before distributing it to

respondents.

He gave his remarks regarding the sequence and form of the questions and wither

the data

collected can be meaningfully analyzed. Additionally the instrument was previewed

with the

xlvresearch supervisor. Feedback was used to refine the format of the questionnaire

items by

addition, removal or rephrasing of items as necessary. Demographic and personal

variables

were summarized using descriptive statistics.

xlviCHAPTER 4

Results

xlviiResults

This chapter introduces the findings that have been reached by measuring the items

of the


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framework applied, (shown earlier in the methodology chapter), in order to test the

hypotheses of this study, which will facilitate the achievement of the earlier planned

objectives.

4.1 Demographics:

By using the excel tools it was found that most of the respondents were females

(55.4%)

verses males (44.6%). (60%) of the respondents were aged between 20 to 30 years

old; the

category from 31 to 40 were representing the second more respondents (16.7%) and

the rest

were between 41 to 65 (15.4%) and less than 20 (7.7%). (75.4%) of the respondents

were

from government sectors, followed by (18%) private and (6.6%) are related to other

sectors.

Overall respondents came from administrative and IT departments (37.5%) (21.9%),

followed by students (12.5%) and the rest belongs to education (6.3%), business

(3.1%) and

others (18.8) but there were no respondents who belong to militarism. The average

of the

respondents total income is 550 Bahraini Dinars, and the average number of the

respondents family members is five persons. Demographical profiles of the

respondents are

summarized in table 4.1.

xlviiiVariables Frequency Percent

Gender - Male 29 44.6

- Female 36 55.4

Missing 0

Age - Less than 20 5 7.7

- From 20 to 30 39 6


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- From 31 to 40 11 16.7

- From 41 to 65 2 3.1

- Above 65 8 12.3

Missing 0

Variables Frequency Percent

No. Of Family Members - Less than 4

- From 4 to 6

- From 7 to 9

- More than 9

Missing

Occupation - Student

- Education

- IT

- Administration

- Business

- Others

Missing

Employment Sector - Government 46 75.4

- Private 11 18

- Free 0 0

- Others 4 6.6

Missing 4 6.6

Total Income - No fix income 7 11.9

- Less than 200 1 1.7

- From 200 to 650 24 40.7

- From 650 to 900 24 40.7


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- More than 900 9 15.3

Missing 6 10.1

Education - Less than secondary 0 0

- Secondary 6 9.2

- Diploma 13 20.3

- Bachelor 40 61.5

- Master 3 4.6

xlixTable 4.1 Demographics Profiles

As it was shown in the above table (Table 4.1), the average of respondent's

educational levels

ranged from diploma to bachelor degree.

4.2 Factors of using e-gov applications:

- PHD 3 4.6

Missing 0 0


Availability of internet - Yes 61 93.8

Connection at home - No 4 6.2

No. of laptops and PC's - 1 12 18.8

- 2 19 29.7

- 3 10 15.6

- More than 3 23 36

lTable 4.2 Factors of using e-gov applications

Table 4.2 shows that majority of respondents have internet connection at home(93.8%),

more over the average of number of laptops and personal computers they own was

more than

three. Unfortunately there were many respondents who have never visited the e-gov

site


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(21.5%).

It is deducted that bulks of the respondents in the Kingdom of Bahrain somewhat

have an

idea about available services in the e-gov site (65.4%), and (29.2%) of them knew

about it

through street banners and brochures and (27.7%) through different media.

Knowledge about the site - Browsing the web 9 13.8

- Friends and relatives 7 10.8

- Media 18 27.7

- Empowered employee 0 0

- Street banners and brochures 19 29.2

- Others 3 4.6

li4.3 The degree of resistance against e-gov applications:


Reason for not visiting - Did not need it yet 8 53.3

The site - Cannot use the internet 0 0

- Did not know services 5 33.3

- Did not know the link 1 6.7

- Heard bad information 0 0

- Others 1 6.7

Opinion about the site - Excellent 5 9.6

- Very good 19 36.5

- Good 20 38.5

- Not bad 8 15.4

- bad 0 0

Idea about available - Yes 17

services - No 3


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Transactions Preferences - Electronic 35 61.4

- Virtual 16 28.1

- Does not matter 6 10.5

liiTable 4.1 the degree of resistance against e-gov applications

From the above table, it can be seen that, most of the respondent answers about

their opinion

about the site good or very good, and (65%) of them are intending to visit it again

and

recommend it to others (62.7%), although (26.1%) of the respondents prefers the

virtual

transactions because they think that the site lacks effectively.

Reason for virtual - Internet connection problem 4 17.4

preferences -Unaware of the site 4 17.4

- Lack of safety and security 5 21.7

- Prefer to deal face to face 4 17.4

- Lack of affectivity of the site 6 26.1

- Others 0 0

Intention of visiting the - Yes 39 65

Site in the future - No 0 0

- Do not know 21 35

Recommending the site - Yes 37 62.7

To others to visit it - No 2 3.4

- Do not know 20 33.9

liiiCHAPTER 5

Discussion and Analysis

livDiscussion and Analysis

This chapter addresses the research question, "What is the social- cultural impact of


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implementation of E-Government in Kingdom of Bahrain?" by discussing the

hypothesis and

results that were mentioned previously in chapter one and chapter four.

5.1 Discussion:

The e-government strategy for the Kingdom of Bahrain is focused on ensuring

effective

delivery of government services to citizens, residents, businesses and visitors

(customers).

The e-government strategy is summed up by: Delivering Customer Value through

Collaborative Government. The Kingdom regards recipients of government services

as

customers and not beneficiaries, i.e. looking at citizens, businesses and others as

customers with unique needs and requirements. Accordingly the social-cultural

factors has

an enormous impact on the implementation of e-government in terms of the

specified

dimensions of this research that were mentioned previously in chapter one.

Customers that were questioned on this research were somewhat satisfied with the

services

provided the e-government web site but preference of electronic transactions was

ambitious,

this is possibly due to this criteria was difficult to achieve for security and ignorant

reason. In

addition, although these criteria could be an obstacle in the short run but it could be a

success

factor in the long run when it is overcame and invested.

It was found that the teenaged and aged customers had the less knowledge and

usage of

services provided through the site, while the customers' income had no tangible

impact on the


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lvimplementation process. Finally most respondents had the intention to repeat there

visit to the

site and recommend it to others, which could be used as an advantage to develop the

services

prov

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