Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
3.2.3 Faster Technology Diffusion
From the perspective of many providers of electronic services the return
on investment in service delivery requires extensive uptake of the services
by the public. Whether the providers are local councils implementing
e-government or are e-commerce companies vying for business, they have
in common the commercial imperative to attract citizens/consumers, sus-
tain their interest in using the service and win repeat business. The critical
success factors for achieving this citizen/customer commitment and loyalty
are well-researched (Martin 1992; Skellett 1995; McIlroy and Barnett
2000; Kotorov 2003; Uncles et al. 2003; Lundkvist and Yakhlef 2004) and
include such factors as perceived relevance of the services, accessibility,
usability, good value for money, clear benefits and value from using the
service. To meet each of these criteria successfully demands good knowl-
edge and understanding of the needs of prospective consumers in society.
Direct engagement with relevant individuals or groups is the richest, most
revealing and valid source of knowledge about them. The compelling
benefits for providers of engaging with citizens thus derive from under-
standing the interests, needs, wants, priorities and preferences of its tar-
geted group and then providing services tailored to their characteristics. As
with product designers, the economic benefit of 'getting it right first time'
can make the crucial difference between a company prospering or failing.
When services are well-matched to the life situation of their intended users
the reliability of projections of take-up of new services is greatly in-
creased. Enhanced predictive capabilities offer powerful commercial ad-
vantage in a highly competitive marketplace and therefore are a further and
significant benefit of citizen engagement.
3.2.4 Enhanced Citizenship
There is a growing recognition on the part of many within the developed
democracies that new relationships between citizens and institutions of
governance must emerge if a crisis of democratic legitimacy and account-
ability is to be averted (Coleman and Gotze 2002). Increasing the partici-
pation and engagement of citizens is perceived to be a key feature of such
new relationships, with benefits both for citizens themselves and for gov-
ernments and their agencies. For example, in the United States, an organi-
sation called America Speaks facilitates engagement processes including
what it calls the “ 21 st Century Town Meeting ”. Its justification for these is
that “ the growing power of special interests in all levels of governance has
eroded a tradition of collaboration between decision makers and citizens.
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