The purpose of this project was to develop an E-government plan to achieve the Ministry of Interior of Thailand's objective to better serve its citizens in the next 5 years by utilizing and taking advantage of the use of information technology and communication networks.

E-government is a means of improving provision of government information and services to citizens. The aim of this study was to investigate the current situation and factors influencing access of e-government information and e-government adoption in Tanzania. A triangulation approach for data gathering was adopted. Specifically, a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 448 respondents. In addition, interviews involving five policy makers were conducted to complement the questionnaire survey. Factor analyses were performed and multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to assess the relationships between variables. The findings revealed that, the current state of e-government in the selected districts of Tanzania is characterized by web presence stage. Various enhancing factors and challenges for e-government were noted in this study. The enhancing factors include necessary knowledge, necessary resources, awareness, confidence to use the website, availability and reliability of internet connections, positive incentives that have resulted from using the internet to search for government information, and getting information on demand. Other enhancing factors are guidance for internet use, possession of ICTs, availability of up-to-date information in the website, education, income and social influence. There are some e-government adoption barriers that include worrying about security and privacy of information, lack of support from the government, unreliable power supply, inaccessibility of internet services due to geographical locations, and people not getting as much information about the services as possible. Other barriers are system quality, cultural barriers, age, and information content produced in English, which is a language that the majority do not understand. The study has implications for policy makers and to e-government project teams. Policy makers should consider e-government adoption barriers in order to formulate policies of eliminating them. Likewise, e-government project teams should consider these barriers in order overcome them before the implementation of e-government systems. / Information Science / D. Litt et. Phil. (Information Science)

The global perspective on digital revolution is one that has received a rapturous approval from information professionals, scholars and practitioners. However, such an approval has come at a great cost to memory institutions as the preservation of digital information has proved to be a complex phenomenon to memory institutions. Guided by the multi method design and underpinned by the triangulation of questionnaires, interviews, observation and document analysis, the study examined digital preservation of e-government in Ghana. Findings revealed that the creation of databases, digital publication, emails, website information and tweets were often ocassioned by the use of ICT, e-government, and application of legislations and public policies. It observed that these types of digital records were in urgent need for preservation as most of the ministries and agencies were unable to access their digital records. While the application of a digital preservation tool (Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe) was a familiar terrain to the ministries and agencies, there was expressed lack of awareness about digital preservation support organisations and digital preservation standards. The study identified funding, level of security and privacy, skills training and technological obsolescence as factors that pose key threats to digital preservation. It noted backup strategy, migration, metadata and trusted repositories as the most widely implemented preservation strategy across the ministries and agencies. On the other hand, cloud computing, refreshing and emulation were the least implemented preservation strategies used to address the digital preservation challenges . The study recommends that the ministries and agencies can address many of the digital preservation challenges if they leverage on collaborative and participatory opportunities. Such collaborative and participatory opportunities involve the use of experts from other institutions to share resources and use a common protocol through cloud computing and Open Data. It further recommends that the process of developing a digital preservation policy can be guided by a template document from other jurisdictions / Information Science / D. Litt et Phil. (Information Science)

Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / South Africa has a shortage of skilled labour, which prevents the country from economically competing in the global village. Unfortunately little money was spent on the training and development of workers during the apartheid era. The new government has implemented legislation and various programmes to rectify the situation. Organisations in South Africa are beginning to recognise that a skilled workforce has the potential to provide them with the competitive edge. Instead of viewing training and development as an expense, as they often did in the past, many organisations are now beginning to view expenditure on training as an investment. Training and development is one of the many functions performed by human resources (HR) departments. Today HR is also required to play a larger strategic role within an organisation. Daily administrative duties, however, often prevent human resources managers from playing a more important strategic role. However, modern technology can simplify the way in which human resources departments perform their daily tasks. There are various computerised information systems and programs that can be used for this purpose. The high unemployment rate and the poor economic situation have also affected local government. Many municipalities have a limited budget with which they must provide their communities with basic services such as electricity and water, sanitation and refuse removal, municipal health services and fire fighting services. Municipalities also play a role in the development of their communities. The quality of services provided by the municipalities will depend on the employees of the municipalities. It is therefore important to improve the skills and competencies of the workers to ensure better service delivery to communities. Technology is increasingly being used to address challenges faced by municipalities, to enhance service delivery as well as to improve internal efficiency. Raw data can be converted to useful information that can help key decision makers make a more informed decision about projects. In this study, the Breede Valley Municipality was used as a case study to learn more about the problem under study. The objectives of the study was to identify: a) the advantages web-based technologies can hold for HR employees in their daily work; (b) how training and development is implemented within the municipality; and (c) the challenges, constraints and recommended steps for improvement. A thorough literature study formed the basis of the research and was supplemented with individual interviews with relevant employees at Breede Valley Municipality. This municipality, like most in South Africa, is tasked to deliver services to their communities with limited financial resources at their disposal. Optimal use of technology can assist the HR department to play a more strategic role within the municipality, in freeing them from their administrative tasks.

Thesis (MPhil (Information Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The purpose of the research study was to explore how information is managed, in selected South African government departments, since the South African government is moving into the age of e-government and electronic service delivery. This study has tested and found that the degree to which information and knowledge are captured and used to support good governance depends on whether a strong underlying information management infrastructure is in place. A descriptive literature study was conducted to obtain information and views from available related literature that also served as the theoretical basis for the subsequent argument that the success of e-government depends on good information management, not just establishing an on-line presence. The primary data collection for this study was conducted from government employees, junior, middle and senior management level, employed by various Departments, in the National Offices. The findings indicate that a carefully considered plan and strategy for information management infrastructure development are required that include generating a shared vision for information management, a strong action and wide awareness and support by the key stakeholders. Various conclusions have been reached through this study i.e.: • The creation, use and preservation of electronic records pose special challenges requiring new techniques and tools but based on traditional information management principles and goals. • A learning culture and strong infrastructure of laws, policies, standards, practices, systems and people are required to support information management for both traditional and e-governance needs. • Good recordkeeping is a core component of good governance, especially in an increasingly information and technology-intensive environment. A number of recommendations are made, including suggestions that the South African Government should develop the information management structures within the Departments and identify the barriers to information sharing, and also barriers related to culture and structure.

Effective management of electronic records (MER) facilitates implementation of e- government. While studies have been carried out on management of records in Kenya, none of these studies has focused on MER in support of e-government implementation in Kenya. To address the knowledge gap, the current study sought to establish the current state regarding MER in support of e-government in Kenya. The study investigated how MER supported e-government in Kenya with a view to develop a best-practice framework for MER in support of e-government. The specific objectives of the study were to: ascertain current status of MER in government ministries in Kenya; determine the current level of e-government utilization; establish the effectiveness of existing practices for MER in supporting e-government; identify challenges faced by ministries in MER that could impact on implementation of e- government; propose recommendations that could improve MER in ministries to support e-government effectiveness and develop a framework for MER in support of e-government. The theoretical framework was the European Commission’s (2001) Model Requirements for Electronic Records Management (MoReq) and the United Nation’s (2001) five-stage e-government maturity model. The study was anchored on the interpretive research paradigm and adopted qualitative research methodology using phenomenological design. The study sample consisted of 52 respondents drawn from eighteen government ministries, the Kenya ICT Authority (ICTA), the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service (KNADS) and five e- government service areas. Maximum variation sampling technique was used. Data was collected through face-face interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings established that: the general status of MER in government ministries is inadequately positioned to support e-government; utilization of e-government in Kenya had grown significantly and more ministries were adopting e-government services; although some initiatives have been undertaken to enhance MER, the existing practices for MER require improvement to ensure they adequately support e-government; there exists several challenges in the MER that impact on implementation of e-government. The study concluded that the current practices for managing electronic records in support of e-government implementation were not adequate. Recommendations and a best-practise framework for managing electronic records in support of e-government have been provided. Suggestions for further research are provided. / Information Science / D. Litt. et. Phil. (Information Science)

E-government is a means of improving provision of government information and services to citizens. The aim of this study was to investigate the current situation and factors influencing access of e-government information and e-government adoption in Tanzania. A triangulation approach for data gathering was adopted. Specifically, a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 448 respondents. In addition, interviews involving five policy makers were conducted to complement the questionnaire survey. Factor analyses were performed and multiple linear regression analyses were carried out to assess the relationships between variables. The findings revealed that, the current state of e-government in the selected districts of Tanzania is characterized by web presence stage. Various enhancing factors and challenges for e-government were noted in this study. The enhancing factors include necessary knowledge, necessary resources, awareness, confidence to use the website, availability and reliability of internet connections, positive incentives that have resulted from using the internet to search for government information, and getting information on demand. Other enhancing factors are guidance for internet use, possession of ICTs, availability of up-to-date information in the website, education, income and social influence. There are some e-government adoption barriers that include worrying about security and privacy of information, lack of support from the government, unreliable power supply, inaccessibility of internet services due to geographical locations, and people not getting as much information about the services as possible. Other barriers are system quality, cultural barriers, age, and information content produced in English, which is a language that the majority do not understand. The study has implications for policy makers and to e-government project teams. Policy makers should consider e-government adoption barriers in order to formulate policies of eliminating them. Likewise, e-government project teams should consider these barriers in order overcome them before the implementation of e-government systems. / Information Science / D. Litt et. Phil. (Information Science)

The global perspective on digital revolution is one that has received a rapturous approval from information professionals, scholars and practitioners. However, such an approval has come at a great cost to memory institutions as the preservation of digital information has proved to be a complex phenomenon to memory institutions. Guided by the multi method design and underpinned by the triangulation of questionnaires, interviews, observation and document analysis, the study examined digital preservation of e-government in Ghana. Findings revealed that the creation of databases, digital publication, emails, website information and tweets were often ocassioned by the use of ICT, e-government, and application of legislations and public policies. It observed that these types of digital records were in urgent need for preservation as most of the ministries and agencies were unable to access their digital records. While the application of a digital preservation tool (Lots of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe) was a familiar terrain to the ministries and agencies, there was expressed lack of awareness about digital preservation support organisations and digital preservation standards. The study identified funding, level of security and privacy, skills training and technological obsolescence as factors that pose key threats to digital preservation. It noted backup strategy, migration, metadata and trusted repositories as the most widely implemented preservation strategy across the ministries and agencies. On the other hand, cloud computing, refreshing and emulation were the least implemented preservation strategies used to address the digital preservation challenges . The study recommends that the ministries and agencies can address many of the digital preservation challenges if they leverage on collaborative and participatory opportunities. Such collaborative and participatory opportunities involve the use of experts from other institutions to share resources and use a common protocol through cloud computing and Open Data. It further recommends that the process of developing a digital preservation policy can be guided by a template document from other jurisdictions / Information Science / D. Litt et Phil. (Information Science)

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Government and Public Administration

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Government and Public Administration