The Formulation and Validation of a Conceptual Framework for the Transition from E-government to M-government

The proliferation of mobile devices has spurred many nations across the globe to make the necessary transition from e-government to m-government to provide better services to their citizens more flexibly, transcending temporal and geographical barriers. However, making such transitions is fraught with numerous challenges that may impede a smooth transition of these services. To make matters worse, there is a lack of conceptual frameworks to which relevant stakeholders can refer. Against this backdrop, this study was carried out to formulate and validate a conceptual framework to guide the transition of services from e-government to m-government in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study was based on qualitative approach involving a survey in which 15 academicians from reputable universities in the UAE were selected to seek their opinions on the conceptual framework of the study. The research instrument used in this study constituted a survey questionnaire consisting of two parts. The first part sought to gather personal information of the participating experts, namely gender, age, educational level, working experience, and fields of expertise. The second part aimed to elicit their opinions regarding the appropriateness of five constructs and their components used for the formulation of the conceptual framework of the study, namely IT Infrastructure, IT Skills, Security and Privacy, Knowledge of Operating Standard and Protocols, and Operating Frameworks, each of which was rated along a spectrum of agreement based on 4-point Likert-type scales, ranging from ‘1’ (Strongly Disagree) to ‘4’ (Strongly Agree). This part consisted of 25 items, with each construct being rated by five items. The survey questionnaire was pilot-tested involving four experts in the field of mobile communication. The analysis of experts’ opinions were analyzed based on the Fuzzy Delphi Method, showing that IT Infrastructure and Security and Privacy were deemed highly valid, closely followed by the remaining constructs, namely IT skills, Operational Frameworks, and Knowledge of Standards and Protocols. Likewise, all of their components were also deemed highly valid. The above findings strongly suggest that all the five constructs as well as their components are crucial aspects that may have significant impacts on the transition of services from e-government to m-government in the UAE. From the practical standpoint, the validated conceptual framework help provide a greater insight into the understanding of potential challenges that relevant stakeholders have to face as they embark on making such an ambitious transition. However, more studies are required to examine the usability of the proposed conceptual framework for the transition of services from e-government to m-government from the perspective of practitioners working in the related fields.