EFFECTS OF E-GOVERNMENT STRATEGY ON SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE GOVERNMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The emergence of Information and Communication Technology has provided means for faster and better communication, efficient storage, retrieval and processing of data and exchange and utilization of information to its users, be they individuals, groups, businesses, organizations or governments. ICTs have to be used in order to create and deliver a service, which is useful and has an effective impact for the businesses and for the citizens. Information and communications technology (ICT) is an integral component of government operations and service delivery. ICT is increasingly used as a strategic tool to more efficiently support any Government’s priorities and program delivery. In order to have a successful e-Government, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) solutions, which are at the very core of the e-Government infrastructure, have to be reachable by all citizens (Reffat, 2006).

This study was anchored on two theories: Theory of planned behavior and technology acceptance model. The theory of planned behavior is a theory about the link between beliefs and behavior. It started as the Theory of Reasoned Action in 1980 to predict an individual's intention to engage in a behavior at a specific time and place. TPB states that behavioral achievement depends on both motivation (intention) and ability (behavioral control). It distinguishes between three types of beliefs - behavioral, normative, and control (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis, 2003). Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) deals with the prediction of the acceptability of an information system. TAM

posits that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use determine an individual's intention to use a system with intention to use serving as a mediator of actual system use. Perceived usefulness is also seen as being directly impacted by perceived ease of use (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis, 2003).

Electronic Government uses a range of information technologies, such as the Wide Area Networks, Internet, and Mobile Computing, to transform government operations in order to improve effectiveness, efficiency, service delivery and to promote democracy. Electronic Government is a fundamental element in the modernization of the Government of Kenya. It provides a common framework and direction across the public sector and enhances collaboration within and among public sector organizations and institutions, between Government and the business community, and between Government and the citizens that it serves in the implementation of Government Policies. It also identifies ways of developing the skills needed by public servants to realize the new opportunities offered by ICT advancement such as the internet (e-Government, 2004).

1.1.1 Concept of Strategy

According to Thompson (2007), strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often winning. Strategy can be used as a deliberate search for a plan of action that will develop an organizations competitive advantage and enhance it. Thus, strategy development is a multidimensional process that must involve rational analysis and intuition, experience, and emotion. Without analysis, the process of strategy formulation, particularly at the senior management level, is likely to be chaotic with no basis for comparing and evaluating alternatives.

Equally important, a strategy serves as a vehicle for achieving consistent decision making across different departments and individuals. Strategy permits the application of powerful analytical tools to help ministries create and redirect their strategies. Strategy can help the firm establish long term direction in its development and behavior (Grant, 2002). For strategy to provide such coordination it requires that the strategy process act as a communication mechanism within the ministries.

1.1.2 Service Delivery
Service is defined	as a product or activity that meets the needs of a user	or can
be applied by a user.	To be effective, services should possess these attributes	like:

available and timely at time and space scales that the user needs; Dependable and reliable in that they need to be delivered on time to the required user specification; Usable

meaning that	they need	to be	presented	in user specific			formats so that	the
clients can fully understand;		Useful	meaning	that they	need	to	respond appropriately
to user needs;	Credible for	the user to confidently			apply	to decision-making		and

responsive and flexible to the evolving user needs.

Mutali (2008) while quoting Parasuraman, Zeithmal and Berry (1991) listed five determinants of service quality by order of importance to include reliability, responsiveness (willingness to help customers and prompt service assurance), and the ability to convey trust, empathy and individualized attention to customers. Other service quality measurement tools studies have found that well managed service companies have the following practices: strategic concept and top management support, high standards of service delivery, service monitoring systems, satisfying customer complaints and emphasis on employee satisfaction.

Service delivery is a continuous, cyclic process for developing and delivering user focused services. Quality service delivery involves a comparison of expectations with performance. According to Lewis and Booms (1983) service quality is a measure of how well a delivered service matches the customer’s expectations. The main reason to focus on quality is to meet customer needs while remaining economically competitive at the same time. This means satisfying customer needs is very important for the enterprises survival and it requires understanding and improving of operational processes, identifying problems quickly and systematically, establishing valid and reliable service performance measures and measuring customer satisfaction and other performance outcomes. According to Kundenbindun (2008) service quality is a business administration's term and describes the degree of achievement of an ordered service.

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