ABSTRACT
The concept of integrating technology and the application of the World Wide Web to bridge the gap between people and the government and the reduction of bureaucratic barriers has become a popular trend in the Middle East as many Arab nations have now developed portals that extend e-services to their users (Al-Nuaim, 2009). United Arab Emirates (UAE), in particular, has been participating in and developing models of E-government to facilitate its citizens with high quality service (Dutta et al., 2011).
Previously known as e-government the name of the department that handled E-government initiatives in Dubai was changed to Dubai smart government starting from June 30, 2013. The new name was given by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. The new name was consistent with the smart government initiative as it showed the government's outlook on the future (Gulf News, 2013).
Instigation of E-government programs is also part of the same vision, E-government programs are aimed at increasing the competence and efficacy of government and governance system. The E-government programs aim to assist in policy making, governance and service delivery. One of the major postulates of the strategy of the UAE Government is to enhance and improve the delivery of public services and become more citizen centric. They aspire to meet international standards of service quality and service delivery to their citizens and the major focus of government is on improving standards of education, health-care, judicial system, innovation inculcation, and sustainability and government services.
The research problem that this paper aims to address and explore is formed on the grounds that there is less usage of transformation E-government in UAE's public sector and there is still more room for improvement. The public sector must adopt and engage citizens through the use of e-services. Henceforth, the objective of this study shall be based on the investigation of barriers and problems responsible for the failure of the implementation of projects pertaining to Dubai E- government in UAE. Until such time that the barriers and hurdles have been identified and removed there would be no chance of achieving the full success in E-government implementation. As a result of this investigation, the study aspires to develop a guiding framework that addresses such barriers in future projects.
The secondary literature and academic journals contain a vast amount of research on various barriers and CSF however unfortunately they are not specific to UAE or the GCC region, creating a vacuum in the knowledge base for UAE and other gulf countries. There is a need to understand that UAE, being a multicultural melting pot is different from other countries, while it has a strong Arab cultural rooted in its base at the same time it has adopted western practices of diversity and inclusion.
The research aims to investigate the current situation of E-government in U.A.E and examine the barriers to successful implementation of E- government in U.A.E public sector with specific reference to Government employee users. To achieve the above aims, the following objectives have therefore been considered.
i. To identify, examine and measure the extent and significance of barriers hindering the implementation of e-government in public sector in Dubai.
ii. To develop a road map for successful implementation of e-government in UAE public sector.