Satisfaction Level with E-goverment services in Saudi Arabia: Users' Perspectives.

A volume in the Advances in Electronic Government, Digital Divide, and Regional Development (AEGDDRD) Book Series

Zaigham MahmoodUniversity of Derby, UK

E-Government Implementation and Practice in Developing Countries

Lindsay Johnston Joel Gamon Jennifer Yoder Adrienne Freeland Monica Speca Kayla Wolfe Henry Ulrich Jason Mull

E-government implementation and practice in developing countries / Zaigham Mahmood, editor. pages ; cm Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: “This book provides research on the current actions being taken by developing countries toward the design, development, and implementation of e-government policies”--Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-4666-4090-0 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-4666-4091-7 (ebook) -- ISBN 978-1-4666-4092-4 (print & perpetual access) 1. Internet in public administration--Developing countries. I. Mahmood, Zaigham. JF1525.A8E235 2013 352.3’802854678--dc23 2013001587

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Chapter 13

DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-4090-0.ch013

Hamza AldabbasPrince Abdullah bin Ghazi Faculty of

Information and Technologu, Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Jordan

Mai Abu BaqarAl-Balqa’a Applied University, Jordan

Mohannad AldayelDe Montfort University, UK

Mohammad AlshehriDe Montfort University, UK

Satisfaction Levels with E-Government Services

in Saudi Arabia:Users’ Perspectives

ABSTRACT

The recent revolution in technology has encouraged governments throughout the world to change their approaches to providing services to their citizens. Accordingly, some countries have set up e-government portals as one such approach to deliver services efficiently, economically, and promptly. The synergy of information with communication technology has the potential to make e-government a major advance; some citizens, however, are not satisfied with e-services introduced in several countries due to factors including lack of computer skills, limited availability of the Internet, and less than total coverage of necessary infrastructure. Effective E-government has several immediate benefits: 1) to lessen the need of travelling to and queuing in the various government departments; and 2) to combine access to dif-ferent departments together in one government portal. A case study might be the e-government devel-opments in Saudi Arabia, where, in the last few years, huge amounts of money have been expended to establish e-government service. In this context, the question arises whether the expenditure has been worthwhile. In the current research, the satisfaction levels with these services were surveyed among a set of users in order to determine drawback to using the system or any obstacles to access. Objectives were established in order to achieve the aims, and research questions devised to examine the usage of e-government and the service’s usability, as well as to identify the barriers and factors that can affect the use of e-government. The relationship between these barriers and overall satisfaction levels with respect to e-government projects is also analyzed.

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Satisfaction Levels with E-Government Services in Saudi Arabia

INTRODUCTION

Modern governments are becoming increasingly aware of the potential of electronic government to improve service delivery and productivity both between government departments and between them and their citizens. This awareness has been brought because of the rapid uptake of Internet technologies into almost every aspect of everyday life. It is indeed difficult to visualize how govern-ments around the world could function without electronic services. Introducing these electronic services by the government to reform traditional routines requires both human and financial com-mitment, and allocation of state resources. The invention of the Internet has allowed cost effective, easy, and comfortable ways of communicating to mankind and has also transformed the way and manner in which different populaces of a geographical defined region communicate, relate and do business with each other. The Internet has proven to be a powerful tool in reinventing government. Consequently, many governments around the world have exploited its power to help rule its citizenry and, more importantly, to bring government services closer to a larger number of people than before.

Even though the traditional government which involves physical visit by government officials or citizens to government establishments performed well in the past, today’s governments however have emphasized the necessity to better rule citizens satisfactorily and efficiently through the use of adequate systems and technology (Gupta, Kumar & Bhattacharya, 2004). Unlike in previous times, modern governments all over the world perform their duties through a chain of multi-channels and departments to ensure that its services gets delivered to its citizens in a timely and effective manner. Some of these departments liaise with each other, or with direct customers (citizens), or even with businesses as a routine activity to ensure that reasons for their establishment are

justified. In many countries, however, govern-ments still struggle to deliver good services to clients due to numerous barriers and obstacles that militate against its smooth implementation, in Saudi Arabia, for example some of the population is sparsely distributed and mobile.

This investigation attempts to reveal these fac-tors in order to facilitate e-government usage in both the less developed and developing countries in the form of solutions to mitigate these barriers and promote its acceptance and proliferation, whiles freeing government to perform its duties through the dot-com with much ease and confidence. In Saudi Arabia, during the last decades, many e-gov-ernment projects have been initiated. This chapter is therefore directed at investigating some of the factors that might facilitate, or otherwise, easy acceptance and usage of e-government services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to examine the level of usability and satisfaction of citizens with them. In so doing, the current research aims to highlight some key organizational, technological, and cultural factors that positively or negatively affect the process of e-government adoption in the Kingdom. The results of the chapter present a unique picture of the Saudi situation and add significant literature to the government of KSA in initiating any successful e-government policy.

RELATED WORKS

In practice, the establishment of e-government schemes has proved to be somewhat challeng-ing: in particular, the trust of populations in such schemes still seems to be quite low, despite continuous efforts to increase their safety of these systems. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), however, offer opportunities for governments to improve their services through e-government. Digital Governance (2003) states that; “e-government is the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) to transform

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government by making it more accessible, effec-tive and accountable.” E-government generally involves digital interaction between four main stakeholders; Government to Citizen (G2C), Government to Business (G2B, Government to Employee (G2E) and Government to Government (G2G), as noted by many scholars (Abramson and Means, 2001; Ndou, 2004; Riley, 2001). The main focus of this chapter is to investigate the citizens’ satisfaction level about the e-government and to highlight the key organizational, technological and cultural factors that positively or negatively affect the process of e-government adoption in Saudi Arabia.

Works on E-Government in Saudi Arabia

Works targeting e-government specifically in Saudi Arabia are not plentiful compared to those in the west. Many scholars (Betrah, 2010; Alshehry, 2008; Alsheha, 2007 and Al-Rasheed, 2001) have shown that most of the challenges related to the implementation of e-government in the country are connected to accessibility, technology, edu-cation (levels of literacy) and culture. Another study (Ndou, 2004) elaborates on these topics but points at some macroeconomic as well as political factors, which can be an obstacle to the adoption of e-government in developing countries. Her study offers probably some of the most useful insights on the opportunities and challenges from the adoption of e-government in the developing countries. In an extensive study on the transfor-mations towards e-government in Saudi Arabia, (Al-Shehry, Rogerson, Fairweather, and Prior, 2006) describe some of the structural challenges to the implementation of e-government across the state. The study gives a concise clarification on the reasons why the Saudi government has decided to launch the e-government initiative. The authors analyze economic and geographic factors, social, cultural, demographic, and technical reasons. The

study also manages to show all aspects of the integration technology in policy-making in the context of a different cultural environment from that of the West.

E-Government in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the biggest oil producer in the world, and its economy is heavily dependent on oil exports, being one of the most important members of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting). Despite its revenues from oil exports it is a country with high levels of unemployment especially among the young. Islam and tribal rela-tions are crucial factors for the understanding of the macroeconomic and business climate of the country. Islam plays an important role in the way policies are conveyed and laws are passed. It is also a major factor in the organization of business and associations. The tribal system is important in understanding the ways in which national culture has shaped the Saudi country (Ramady 2010; Mababaya 2003).

The “Yesser” Programme: Objectives and Results

The transformation towards e-government in Saudi Arabia started in 2001, when the first e-government initiatives were launched as part of the overall information technology plan for the country (Al-Rasheed, 2001). There were three main objectives, on which the government pro-gramme focused – e-readiness, e-society, and IT training. One of the instruments, through which e-government was launched was the “Yesser” programme, designed to facilitate the work of businesses and public organizations in relation to citizens. Its overall aim was to facilitate the transition towards e-government by supporting public organizations with data, knowledge, train-ing, and expertise (E-government program, 2011). Before “Yesser”, there had been some government

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initiatives, which enabled citizens to use services electronically, such as the E-payment gateway “Sadad”, the Smart Cards, and the Ministry of Inferior Government portal. The idea behind the adoption of e-government however, was to make all these services work coherently, as part of a larger electronically enhanced network (E-government program 2011).

Benefits of E- Government in Saudi Arabia

There has been a variety of reasons for the adoption of e-government as a mean of conducting country policy and providing services for the citizens. The most popular rationale behind the adoption of e-government relates to the main democratic principles such as accountability, transparency, and civic engagement in the public affairs. In this sense, the whole concept of e-government is not only related to the technological advancement of national governments as service providers, but also to the idea of bridging the gap between members of the public and policy-makers. It is also an at-tempt to increase government awareness among citizens. The reasons for using e-government in many countries are specifically related to cost-reduction, effectiveness, and performance of the public sector.

Generally, advantages of e-government are related to the reduction of cost for government agencies, and citizens, and the overall improve-ment of the public sector. Some of the more specific advantages of e-government in Saudi Arabia are related to the acceleration of transactions and the reduction of time and cost for the citizens and the government agencies. One study (Al-Sheha, 2007) suggested that apart from individual benefits that e-government brings there are also international economic benefits, which are related to the Saudi membership in the WTO (World Trade Organiza-tion): one of the requirements for membership and higher ranking in the organization is the introduc-tion of electronic services in the public sector.

Challenges and Limitations

In Saudi Arabia, the implementation of e-gov-ernment would have been impossible without the radical reorganization of the existing system, as well as the training of personnel and the introduc-tion of new equipment. This has led to unexpected costs, provoking public discontent and open criti-cism from the opponents of the idea because the reorganization of the existing system is a time con-suming and costly process (Al-Shehry and Drew, 2010). In the case of Saudi Arabia, probably the most important obstacle to e-government comes from national culture, of which the most important is the tribal system (Ramady, 2010; Mababaya, 2003) which influences the organization of soci-ety and the definition of social norms. Although Saudi Arabia has been eager to introduce modern western technology and innovation to boost the economy, the Internet as a tool for public policy is still perceived with scepticism and distrust by some who view it as an invention of the hostile and morally corrupt West. In this sense, the introduc-tion of e-government and the use of the Internet in general reflect not only the cleavages between developed and developing countries, but also the political and cultural discrepancies between the Middle East and the West. Another important obstacle to the implementation of e-government in Saudi Arabia is connected with the low number of Internet users in the country and low levels of literacy: in 2005, only 2.3 million people were using the Internet in the Kingdom, only 10 per cent of the whole population of the country (Al-Shehry, Rogerson, Fairweather and Prior, 2006).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Questionnaires are one of the most widely used methods adopted for gathering information and are an easy way to rapidly gain users’ demographic information and experience. This data collection method was chosen for this study, as recommended

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by (Preece et al, 2009). The questions should be short, leading and easy to answer, so participants are encouraged to respond to all questions and provide true values. Questionnaires could help researchers to obtain the required demographic information about visitors to the Website under study (Brinck et al, 2002), they the perfect tool to include different kinds of participants from various age groups and genders, taking into account the variety in educational qualifications, careers and information technology skills. This questionnaire is widely adopted among information systems developers in order to enrich the study outcomes.

The questionnaire approved for this study was designed using survs.com (a powerful tool used to create, distribute, analyse surveys online). It is a simple, effective (and with some limitations) online survey engine assists in simplifying how people do survey through the Internet. The time span requested to fill out online questionnaire is shorter than other traditional research methods. Having filled the target number of the question-naire, the Website automatically receives the participant’s answer, analyses and gives results accordingly. The questionnaire was designed to measure the satisfaction of citizens with gov-ernment services; it was bilingual (Arabic and English) so that as many participants as possible could be reached and included in the study. It was distributed through the Internet to 250 Saudi students registered in the Saudi club of Leicester. With a direct link to the main page of the survey, social media networks and e-mails were also used to distribute it to further Saudi 50 students doing their courses across United Kingdom. Of the 300 questionnaires distributed, 126 were returned, a response rate of around 42%. Of these we analysed the first 100 complete responses, with the aim of recruiting participants of both genders and of dif-ferent social backgrounds and different academic disciplines.

Research Design

All participants completed a questionnaire with 29 multiple-choice questions, specifically designed to meet the objectives of the study, containing questions related to the quality and accessibility of e-government services. Most of the multiple choice questions have been designed according to the Likert scale. It normally questions the respondent about the intensity of their feelings about an area in question (Bryman 2008, p. 9). In its most com-mon format, it comprises a series of statements, and different levels of agreement/disagreement are the possible answers. There is normally a middle position, which indicates neutrality (Bryman, 2008). The Likert scale was chosen because it measures levels of intensity, which in this case matches one of the specific research aims of the project, related to customer satisfaction with the work of the e-government portal.

Questionnaires are one of the most popular tools of quantitative research, and in the study of popular attitudes and behaviour (Bryman 2008; Sarantakos 2005). If designed properly, they can be a fast and effective method for the examination of particular issues. A questionnaire was chosen as a data collection methodology because it is easy to code and to interpret. When it comes to measuring citizens’ satisfaction with e-government services, a questionnaire is a reliable method, because it will allow the researchers to involve a sufficient number of respondents in a limited period.

Limitations

One disadvantage of this method is its inability to capture complex and more abstract aspects, related to a certain topic: questionnaires are a useful, but at the same time, limited method of research be-cause they eliminate the opportunity for detailed knowledge (Bryman, 2008; Sarantakos, 2005). In this study, the influence of national culture and

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religion on the adoption of e-government was one aspect difficult to explore in a questionnaire. We ensured, however, that all the questions were structured clearly and followed a logical order.

DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS

We analysed and discussed the results of the questionnaire by applying statistical tests using SPSS program and investigating the hypotheses derived from previous studies. The results were discussed in light of the literature that will either support or contradict the findings of the study.

Hypotheses Testing

Previous research asserts that young males with higher educational level are more likely to use the World Wide Web (Madden and Savage, 2000). Other indicates the significance of computer knowledge for the utilisation of services such as e-government research (Mohamed, Abuzaid and Benladen, 2008). In the light of this existing literature, seven hypothesises are proposed:

H1: The demographic variables of age, region, education, gender, marital status and com-puter knowledge will differ between usage of e-government among citizens.

In order to determine the difference among the demographic variables of age, region, education, gender, marital status and computer knowledge towards the usage of e-government among Saudi citizens, multinomial logistic regression was ap-plied by using question two from the second part of the questionnaire which is (Have you ever used the e-government Websites?). The participants’ demographic information were collected by the first part of the questionnaire which includes the following questions: How old are you?, Which part of Saudi Arabia do you come from?, Your gender? and Marital Status?. Figures 1-7 reveal the demographic and other relevant information of the participants.

The chi-square statistic is the difference in -2 log-likelihoods between the final model and a reduced model. The reduced model is formed by omitting an effect from the final model. The null hypothesis is that all parameters of that effect are 0. This reduced model is equivalent to the final model because omitting the effect does not increase the degrees of freedom (see Table 1).

Figure 1. Location distribution of the participants

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Figure 2. Gender distribution of the participants

Figure 3. The participants’ marital status

Figure 4. Educational level of participants

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Figure 5. Participants’ computer knowledge

Figure 6. Participants’ satisfaction with e-government services

Figure 7. E-government usage by participants

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The results of the logistic analysis revealed that marital status of the Saudi population was a significant factor of usage of e-government as indicated by the fact that the at df = 2, p-value for marital status was 0.023 less than 0.05 (p = 0.023, p < 0.05). It therefore plays a significant role in the usage of e-government service among citizens of Saudi Arabia studying in the UK. No significant differences however, were determined for age, location, education, computer knowledge and gender and the usage of e-government among Saudi citizens studying in the UK. This might be due to the increased computer knowledge among the young population, who utilise other services on the Internet, but not e-government. Further-more, gender was the least insignificant factor (p = 0.527, p > 0.05) indicating that gender differ-ence did not influence the usage of e-government among Saudi citizen in the UK.

Recent research by the New Media Trend Watch (2011) indicates that the number people using the Internet in Saudi Arabia are 11.4 million, which is 43.6 per cent of the overall population. This number has increased from 2.3 million, that is, a mere 10 per cent of the population in 2005. Simi-larly, based on the figures gathered by CIA World Factbook (2011), 78.8 per cent of the population is literate of which 84.7% is male and 70.8% is female. Keeping in mind the increase in computer

knowledge and the educational level, therefore, the following hypothesis was proposed:

H2: There is a significant positive relationship be-tween computer knowledge and educational level of citizens of Saudi Arabia.

In order to test the above-mentioned hypoth-esis, chi-square was applied. Using chi-square to test the hypothesis provided the researchers with cross-tabulations and a chi-square test that revealed the relationship between the two vari-ables. For testing, questions three and six from the questionnaire were used which are: How do you evaluate your computer knowledge? and What is your educational level?.

Table 2 illustrates the cross-tabulated values of respondents who were studying for a diploma in the UK, 50% evaluated their computer knowl-edge as high, while the remaining 50% evaluated it as medium. Among the respondents studying for bachelors, 62.5% evaluated their computer knowledge as high, whereas, 37.5% deemed it as medium. Students in Masters Programmes had a slightly different opinion regarding their level of computer knowledge as 1.2% considered it very high, 72.6% evaluated it as high, while the remaining 22.6% considered it medium. Simi-larly, 15.4% of PhD students and 50% of students

Table 1. Likelihood ratio test 1

Effect Model Fitting Criteria

Likelihood Ratio Tests

-2 Log Likelihood of Reduced Model

Chi-Square df Sig.

Intercept 1.135E2a .000 0 .

Age 117.292 3.841 2 .147

Location 117.589 4.139 2 .126

Education 115.318 1.868 2 .393

Computer Knowledge 117.747 4.297 2 .117

Gender 114.730 1.280 2 .527

Marital Status 121.029 7.579 2 .023

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studying other courses evaluated their computer knowledge as very high.

The chi-square test in Table 3 shows that there is a statistically significant correlation (χ2 (4) = 25.525, p < 0.05) between respondents’ educa-tional level and computer knowledge. The findings are in line with previous research suggesting that increasing the educational level of individuals

will have a positive effect on their computer knowledge which will not only benefit the e-government project, but the overall Saudi nation (Mohamed, Abuzaid and Benladen, 2008). Fur-thermore, implementation of e-government in the country is connected to accessibility, technology, education (levels of literacy) and culture (Betrah, 2010; Al-Shehry, 2008; Alsheha, 2007; Al-Ra-sheed, 2011).

Research conducted by (Al-Shehry et al, 2006) indicates that more than 60% of the Saudi popu-lation comprises of young individuals who are below 25 years old and this majority of the youth is more interested in adapting latest technological applications and possess the capability to acquire new skills, therefore, it is important to satisfy this portion of the population to achieve the desired results for e-government. Therefore, the following hypothesis was formulated:

Table 2. Cross tabulation of what do you study in UK? * How do you evaluate your computer knowledge?

What do you study in UK? How do you evaluate your computer knowledge

Total

Very High High Medium

DiplomaCount 0 1 1 2

% within What do you study in UK? .0% 50.0% 50.0% 100.0%

BachelorsCount 0 5 3 8

% within What do you study in UK? .0% 62.5% 37.5% 100.0%

MastersCount 1 64 19 84

% within What do you study in UK? 1.2% 76.2% 22.6% 100.0%

PhDCount 2 11 0 13

% within What do you study in UK? 15.4% 84.6% .0% 100.0%

OtherCount 1 0 1 2

% within What do you study in UK? 50.0% .0% 50.0% 100.0%

TotalCount 4 81 24 109

% within What do you study in UK? 3.7% 74.3% 22.0% 100.0%

Table 3. Chi-square tests: 1

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square

25.525a 8 .001

Likelihood Ratio

19.732 8 .011

Linear-by-Linear As-sociation

7.567 1 .006

N of Valid Cases

109

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H3: There is a significant positive relationship between age and overall satisfaction with the e-government service.

For testing the hypothesis, question 1 from the first part and question 9 from the third part of the questionnaire were used (How old are you? (your age group) and How do you evaluate your overall satisfaction of e-government services in KSA mong the following attributes?: very satisfactory, satisfactory, neutral, unsatisfactory, very unsatis-factory). Chi-square test was applied to determine the cross tabulations and the significance of the relationship between the two variables.

Table 4 illustrates the cross-tabulated values of the age of respondents and the overall satisfac-tion with the e-government services. It can be seen from the results that most of the respondents from all ages were dissatisfied and very dissatis-fied by the e-government services. The results revealed that among the 18-22 years aged, 50% unsatisfied and the remaining very unsatisfied with the e-government services. Similarly, among the 16.1% found it satisfactory, 25.8% were neu-

tral, 54.8% unsatisfied, while 3.2% were very unsatisfied with the task performed at the e-government Website. In regard to respondents from 28-32 years’ age group, 17.9% were satisfied, 25% were neutral, whereas, 57.1% were unsatis-fied with the e-government services. The results further reveal that it was the 33-37 year age bracket that was most unsatisfied with the e-government services with a percentage of 71.4%.

The majority of the sample population was dissatisfied. The result was to determine whether there was difference in the level of dissatisfaction among different age groups because the young generation was among the least dissatisfied

The chi-square test in Table 5 shows that there is a statistically significant correlation (χ2 (4) = 25.525, p < 0.05) between respondents’ age and their overall satisfaction with the e-government task performed at the Website. The findings of the present study can be supported by previous literature suggesting that the young generation plays an important role in the adaption of new technology, however, older people can also readily

Table 4. Cross tabulation of how old are you? * Overall, you find the e-government service?

How old are you?

Overall, you find the e-government service Total

Satisfactory Neutral Unsatisfactory Very Unsatisfactory

18-22 Count 0 0 1 1 2

% within How old are you? .0% .0% 50.0% 50.0% 100.0%

23-27 Count 5 8 17 1 31

% within How old are you? 16.1% 25.8% 54.8% 3.2% 100.0%

28-32 Count 10 14 32 0 56

% within How old are you? 17.9% 25.0% 57.1% .0% 100.0%

33-37 Count 0 3 10 1 14

% within How old are you? .0% 21.4% 71.4% 7.1% 100.0%

38+ Count 0 0 4 0 4

% within How old are you? .0% .0% 100.0% .0% 100.0%

Total Count 15 25 64 3 107

% within How old are you? 14.0% 23.4% 59.8% 2.8% 100.0%

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accept technological progress if provided effec-tively (Al-Shehry et al., 2006).

Research by Abanumy, Al-Badi, and Mayhew (2005) indicates that e-government has been implemented in the Kingdom with a variety of government agencies being represented elec-tronically; the concept, however, appears not to have been communicated effectively to the con-sumers, due to which only a small fraction of the Saudi population is aware of and uses e-govern-ment services. Hence, the following hypothesis was formulated:

H4: The use of e-government is limited due to it awareness among the general population of Saudi Arabia.

In order to test the hypothesis of the limited usage of e-government due to awareness, fre-quency and percentage of respondents responding to questions two and three from the second part of the questionnaire were calculated. These ques-tions asked: Have you ever used an e-government Website? If not, why? And how often do you use e-government services? (see Figure 8)

Tables 6 and 7 clearly show that a minority of Saudi citizens residing in the UK had used e-government services provided by their govern-ment. The results present an interesting scenario of only 18.7% of the respondents who had ever used the facility of e-government. The results also show a percentage of 11.8% which includes re-spondents who had used e-government for tasks such as reservation of flights, checking of traffic tickets, downloading of official application forms for passport or passport renewal, etc. On the other hand, majority of the respondents, that is, 67.3% had never used e-government. Among the individuals who had never used e- government, 12.5% gave low quality of the services as the

Table 5. Chi-square tests: 2

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square

25.213a 12 .014

Likelihood Ratio

18.549 12 .100

Linear-by-Linear As-sociation

1.119 1 .290

N of Valid Cases

107

Figure 8. Reasons for e-government usage prevention

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cause, while 27.3% attributed it to other factors. However, the majority of the respondents (57.3%) stated that awareness of the e- government was the main reason behind not to have used the facil-ity.

This is in line with previous research indicat-ing that improved accessibility of the e-govern-ment Website and the awareness of the public for its availability are key prerequisites for the prog-ress of electronic services (Abanumy, Al-Badi and Mayhew, 2005).

Research suggests that implementation of e-government in developing countries such as Saudi Arabia is faced by a number of obstacles (Ndou, 2004) that include cost reduction and efficiency gains, transparency, anti-corruption, accountabil-ity, and increased legitimacy of the government. Using of e-government will improve the levels of public confidence and trust in the government (Tolbert and Mossberger, 2006). Hence, the fol-lowing hypothesis was proposed:

H5: Improvement of trust and reduction of cor-ruption depends on the use of e-government service.

In order to test the above-mentioned hypothesis, ANOVA test was applied for respondents’ differ-ence in usage of e-government to improve trust and reduce corruption in the Saudi government.

The descriptive statics in Table 8 shows the difference between the means of usage of e-gov-ernment and improvement in trust and reduction in corruption. It is clear from the graph that the mean difference between building trust and using e-governments is greater than that of reducing corruption and using e-government (see Table 9).

The ANOVA test was used to determine the mean difference between means of usage of e-government and improvement in trust and reduc-tion in corruption. The results indicate that there is a significant difference between usage of e-government and building of trust towards the government as F(2,104) = 4.094, p < 0.05. The

Table 6. Have you ever used the e-government websites?

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid 20 18.2 18.7 18.7

No 74 67.3 69.2 87.9

If yes, what service have you used? 13 11.8 12.1 100.0

Total 107 97.3 100.0

Missing System 3 2.7

Total 110 100.0

Table 7. If not, why?


Valid Awareness 63 57.3 58.9 58.9

Low quality of services 14 12.7 13.1 72.0

Other 30 27.3 28.0 100.0

Total 107 97.3 100.0


Total 110 100.0

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p-value of 0.629, p < 0.05 (p = 0.629, p < 0.05) indicates that there is a statistical significance of the usage of e-government and building of trust towards the government. However, due to small-er mean difference between e-government usage and reducing corruption in government transac-tion, no statistical significance was determined. This can be illustrated from the fact that F(2,104) = 1.786, p > 0.05, thus p-value equalling to 0.173 which is insignificant. Thus, the hypothesis that improvement of trust and reduction of corruption depends on the use of e-government service is partially proven. The findings can be supported by studies conducted previously (Ndou, 2004; Tolbert and Mossberger, 2006).

H6: The e-government site is not user-friendly leading to confusion and lack of interest among Saudi citizens.

Tables 10 and 11 illustrate that majority of the Saudi citizens living in the UK found the e-governments site to be confusing and not in-teresting after performing the task. The results show that 63.6% agreed to the fact that the site was confusing, while 58.2% again agreed to the fact that the Website was not interesting.

There were a few respondents 4.5% and 8.2% who absolutely agreed with the fact that the Web-site was confusing and not interesting, respec-tively. Only a small number of the participants

Table 8. Descriptive analysis

N Mean Std. Deviation

Std. Error

95% Confidence Interval for Mean

Minimum Maximum

Lower Bound

Upper Bound

In terms of build-ing trust towards the government, the e-government service is

Yes 20 2.50 .513 .115 2.26 2.74 2 3

No 74 2.18 .506 .059 2.06 2.29 1 3

If yes, what service have you used?

13 2.00 .707 .196 1.57 2.43 1 3

Total 107 2.21 .550 .053 2.11 2.32 1 3

In terms of reducing corruption in govern-ment transactions, the e-government service is

Yes 20 2.50 .513 .115 2.26 2.74 2 3

No 74 2.27 .531 .062 2.15 2.39 1 3

If yes, what service have you used?

13 2.15 .801 .222 1.67 2.64 1 3

Total 107 2.30 .570 .055 2.19 2.41 1 3

Table 9. ANOVA analysis

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

In terms of building trust towards the government, the e-government service is

Between Groups 2.340 2 1.170 4.094 .019

Within Groups 29.716 104 .286

Total 32.056 106

In terms of reducing corrup-tion in government transac-tions, the e-government service is

Between Groups 1.143 2 .572 1.786 .173

Within Groups 33.287 104 .320

Total 34.430 106

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disagreed 3.6% and 2.7% with the fact that the Website was confusing and not interesting, re-spectively. Thus, the findings of the research are consistent with previous research suggesting that presentation and user-friendliness of the e-gov-ernment service plays an important role in its effectiveness (Mohamed, Abuzaid and Benladen, 2008).

According to the Table 12, the impact and benefits of e-government among the citizens are clear. These are: more benefit for a large area (2,149,690 km2), saving time, saving cost, accel-erating response from the government officials, 24/7 access from anywhere, reducing corruption in government transactions, improving the quality of government services, allowing women to access government agencies more efficiently, allowing disabled people to use services and buildings, and trust towards the government.

SUMMARY OF E-GOVERNMENT EFFORTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

E-government in Saudi Arabia has been launched in order to boost the national economy of the country and to enhance its public sector in terms of accountability and transparency. Its adoption in 2001 reflects the ambition of the national govern-ment to introduce modern and innovative methods of integrating its citizens in the dialogue with the Government. As an initiative, it has several advantages, as well as disadvantages. In the case of Saudi Arabia, its advantages have been related to cost reduction and time reduction, as well as civic participation and democratic reform. With e-government, citizens are much more involved in the processes, which take place in the public sector, and the execution of services has become more enhanced and feasible. On the negative side,

Table 10. I think the website is confusing


Valid Absolutely Agree 5 4.5 4.7 4.7

Agree 70 63.6 65.4 70.1

Neutral 28 25.5 26.2 96.3

Disagree 4 3.6 3.7 100.0

Total 107 97.3 100.0


Total 110 100.0

Table 11. I think the website is not interesting


Valid Absolutely Agree 9 8.2 8.4 8.4

Agree 64 58.2 59.8 68.2

Neutral 30 27.3 28.0 96.3

Disagree 3 2.7 2.8 99.1

Absolutely Disagree 1 0.9 0.9 100.0

Total 107 97.3 100.0


Total 110 100.0

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Table 12. The impact and benefits of e-government among the citizens

In your opinion, in terms of Large area (2,149,690 km2), the e-Government is necessary for our country

Very Positive 15.89% 17

Positive 70.09% 75

Total respondents 85.98%

In your opinion, in terms of saving time (having in mind you do not have to attend government agencies in person), the e-government service is:


Positive 63.55% 68


In your opinion, in terms of saving cost (having in mind you do not need to pay for transport), the e- government service is


Positive 69.16% 74


In your opinion, in terms of accelerating response from the government officials, the e-government service is:


Positive 64.49% 69


In terms of accessibility (24/7 access from anywhere), the e-government service is


Positive 73.83% 79


In terms of reducing corruption in government transactions, the e-government service is


Positive 58.88% 63


In terms of improving the quality of government services, the e-government service is


Positive 74.77% 80


In terms of allowing women to access government agencies more efficiently the e-government service is


Positive 60.75% 65


In terms of allowing disabled people to use services, provided by the government, the e-government service is:


Positive 67.29% 72


In terms of building trust towards the government, the e-government service is


Positive 65.42% 70


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e-government in Saudi Arabia faces inevitable challenges, related to unexpected costs, stemming from the training of personnel and the purchase of new equipment. It has also faced obstacles related to the reorganization and redistribution of tasks and authority. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the biggest challenges are related to national culture, the spread of the Internet and the levels of literacy in the country. Although e-government in Saudi Arabia has been launched a decade ago, areas still exist where the lack of Internet access or low levels of literacy remain a barrier to its smooth operation. In addition, from a technological point of view the Saudi government needs to improve the accessibility of its Website, and to ensure higher levels of awareness among Saudi citizens. This is an interesting and challenging topic of further research. Another interesting topic of future re-search is the relation between e-government and democratization.

In conclusion, it is important to note that e-government in Saudi Arabia international, as well as domestic significance. It will enhance Saudi Arabia’s economic and political position on a regional and global level, it allows for in-ternational businesses to communicate with the national government. It also allows for a public-private dialogue. Probably the most important positive effect of e-government in Saudi Arabia is its potential to reduce the country’s dependency on oil export as it would open new and improved channels for foreign investment. There may be several challenges lying ahead for the proper implementation of e-government in Saudi Arabia, but its existence so far has marked a revolutionary stage in the development of the country, and has launched a new phase in its global integration as an economic and political actor of high significance.

Critical Review

Before the research was conducted, the authors had knowledge regarding the field of e-government; however, its context was limited to the West. The

authors possessed limited knowledge regarding the use of this facility in Saudi Arabia and whether the general public was satisfied or even aware of it. Conducting this research in this field not only broadened the authors’ knowledge, but also pro-vided them with sufficient knowledge regarding the usage of e-government in Saudi Arabia. In this regard, the authors’ knowledge in this field expanded as compared with the beginning period in which most of the knowledge that the research-ers possessed was related to the West.

Another significant improvement in the au-thors’ knowledge was regarding the usage of the e-government in Saudi Arabia. Before the study, the researcher thought the level of usage was medium, however, the findings revealed that the level of usage was very low the reason for which lack of awareness among the general population. Thus, the study helped the researcher gain more knowledge about the subject and provide the government with adequate recommendation to increase awareness and overall usage.

Overall, the study was a good attempt to under-stand the current situation of usage and awareness of e-government facility among Saudi citizens in the UK. Furthermore, it expanded authors’ knowledge regarding the subject under study and allowed them to give useful recommendations for efficient and effective implementation of the e-government facility in Saudi Arabia.

If we had more time, we would have liked to investigate the use of e-government among the citizens of Saudi students studying in the UK with Saudi students studying in Australia and America. This would allow us to understand the manner in which the country influenced indi-viduals who lived there. It also would help us to understand the fact how individuals from similar backgrounds behaved differently while living in different countries. This would recommend ways in which the Saudi government could tailor the e-government facilities for different individuals and groups.

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CONCLUSION

Although e-government in Saudi Arabia has been launched a decade ago, areas still exist where the lack of Internet access or low levels of literacy remain a barrier to its smooth operation. In ad-dition, from a technological point of view the Saudi government needs to improve the acces-sibility of its Website, and to ensure higher levels of awareness among Saudi citizens, even those who are educated and computer-literate. This is an interesting and challenging topic of further research. Another interesting topic of future re-search is the relation between e-government and democratization. In conclusion, it is important to note that e-government in Saudi Arabia is of international, as well as domestic significance. It will enhance Saudi Arabia’s economic and political position on a regional and global level, it allows for international businesses to communi-cate with the national government. It also allows for a public-private dialogue. Probably the most important positive effect of e-government in Saudi Arabia is its potential to reduce the country’s dependency on oil export as it would open new and improved channels for foreign investment. There may be several challenges lying ahead for the proper implementation of e-government in Saudi Arabia, but its existence so far has marked a revolutionary stage in the development of the country, and has launched a new phase in its global integration as an economic and political actor of high significance.

RECOMMENDATIONS

As a result of the current studies, the following recommendations are made:

• E-government has already been imple-mented in Saudi Arabia; however, an eval-uation study must be conducted to allow concerned individuals and groups to un-derstand the existing condition of telecom-

munication network, government policies, existing situation of human resources and skills along with the main obstacles faced by Saudi Arabia. Based on the results of this evaluation study, it will allow the for-mulation of strategies and action plans for developing human resource competence, legal frameworks, technological infrastruc-tures and ease of access for all in a modi-fied and effective manner.

• A significant finding of this study was the lack of awareness of e-government among the general population. Awareness among people can be achieved through the organi-sation of training programmes, events and advertisements. A long-term programme for future management of technology must be assumed for provision of suitable train-ing programmes. Government should also take steps to make the e-government site more attractive and user-friendly to en-hance e-government usage.

• Develop collaboration and coordination among government institutions to enhance efficiency and effectively in dealing with the programme. Deal with issues and op-portunities to develop strong affiliation with private organisations, key contribu-tors, educational and research institutions, and support brainstorming of ideas, solu-tions and understanding.

• Invest in human growth of effectiveness of e-programme relying mainly on human skills and capacities. Therefore, education and training programmes must be high on the government’s priority measures. Staff must be trained to deal with the new tech-nology and basic training must be provided to the Saudi citizen for effective use of the facilities provided.

• In order to increase the usage of e-govern-ment, appropriate measures must be taken to provide access through a number of me-diums such as mobile phones and other similar technologies.

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ADDITIONAL READING

Al-Fakhri, M. O., Cropf, R. A., Kelly, P., & Higgs, G. (2008). E-government in Saudi Arabia: Be-tween promise and reality. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 4(2), 59–85. doi:10.4018/jegr.2008040105.

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Mahmood, Z. (2011). University of Derby, UK. In The Proceedings of the 11th European Confer-ence on eGovernment, (p. 363). Academic Pub International.

Wagner, C., Cheung, K., Lee, F., & Ip, R. (2003). Enhancing e-government in developing countries: Managing knowledge through virtual communi-ties. The Electronic Journal of Information Sys-tems in Developing Countries, 14.

KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

E-Government: Is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTS) to improve the activities of public sector organizations and to ease the lives of the citizens.

Sadad Payment System (Sadad): Was es-tablished by the Saudi Arabian monetary agency (SAMA) to be the national electronic bill present-ment and payment (EBPP) service provider for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The core mandate for Sadad is to facilitate and streamline bill payment transactions of end consumers through all channels of the kingdom’s banks. Sadad was launched on October 3rd, 2004.

The Anova: Tests the null hypothesis that samples in two or more groups are drawn from the same population. To do this, two estimates are made of the population variance. These es-timates rely on various assumptions, the anova produces an f statistic, the ratio of the variance calculated among the means to the variance within the samples. If the group means are drawn from the same population, the variance between the group means should be lower than the variance of the samples.

Satisfaction Level with E-goverment services in Saudi Arabia: Users' Perspectives.

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