eGovernment Initiatives and Ex-Ante IT Investment Evaluation

Numerous approaches for the ex-ante rationalization of information systems and technology have been suggested and studied extensively. However, research has not yet questioned the applicability of these approaches as enabling tools and their subsequent applicability in public nonprofit organizations, where social reality in terms of assumptions, theories and purpose, on which these investments are based and developed, plays an important role. Aiming to address this gap, this paper presents a model for analyzing large-scale information systems and e-Government investments in public nonprofit organizations, describes how it was applied and discusses the outcome of its application in the context of one such investment in Greece. We justify why ex-ante evaluation of e-government initiatives may be regarded as futile and meaningless for stakeholders who are not directly involved with the investment, or not given the opportunity to express their concern with regard to its’ implementability and viability, but nevertheless are obliged to facilitate its successful adoption by the nonprofit organization.

[1]  Rudy Hirschheim,et al.  Analysing information systems evaluation: another look at an old problem , 1998 .

[2]  R. Hirschheim,et al.  Analysing information systems evaluation: another look at an old problem , 1998 .

[3]  Egon Berghout,et al.  Methodologies for information systems investment evaluation at the proposal stage: a comparative review , 1997, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[4]  E. Schein.  Organizational Culture and Leadership , 1991 .

[5]  H. Tsoukas,et al.  Measuring Nothing: The Case of the Greek National Health System , 2004 .

[6]  Richard T. Watson,et al.  A strategic perspective of electronic democracy , 2001, CACM.

[7]  Richard Baskerville,et al.  Special issue on action research in information systems: making is research relevant to practice--foreword , 2004 .

[8]  Mark Lycett,et al.  Evaluating business information systems fit: from concept to practical application , 1999 .

[9]  Geoff Walsham,et al.  Interpreting Information Systems in Organizations , 1993 .

[10]  Vj. Janesick.  The choreography of qualitative research design , 2000 .

[11]  C. Avgerou.  Recognising Alternative Rationalities in the Deployment of Information Systems , 2000, Electron. J. Inf. Syst. Dev. Ctries..

[12]  Frank Land,et al.  How to Assess Your It Investment: A Study of Methods and Practice , 1993 .

[13]  Chrisanthi Avgerou,et al.  Evaluating information systems by consultation and negotiation , 1995 .

[14]  Richard Heeks.  Most eGovernment-for-Development Projects Fail: How Can Risks be Reduced? , 2003 .

[15]  Zahir Irani,et al.  Developing a frame of reference for ex-ante IT/IS investment evaluation , 2002, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[16]  Marinos Themistocleous,et al.  Evaluating e‐government: learning from the experiences of two UK local authorities , 2005, Inf. Syst. J..

[17]  Michael D. Myers,et al.  A Set of Principles for Conducting and Evaluating Interpretive Field Studies in Information Systems , 1999, MIS Q..

[18]  V. J. Symons,et al.  A review of information systems evaluation: content, context and process , 1991 .

[19]  Steven Jones,et al.  Understanding IS evaluation as a complex social process: a case study of a UK local authority , 2001, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[20]  Ronald K. Mitchell,et al.  Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the Principle of who and What Really Counts , 1997 .

[21]  Panagiotis Kanellis,et al.  An approach and model for assessing the business value of e-banking distribution channels: evaluation as communication , 2002, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[22]  Richard Baskerville,et al.  Investigating Information Systems with Action Research , 1999, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[23]  Peter Checkland,et al.  Systems Thinking, Systems Practice , 1981 .

[24]  R. Freeman.  Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach , 2010 .

[25]  C. Page.  The determination of organization stakeholder salience in public health. , 2002, Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP.

[26]  Tony Cornford,et al.  A critical approach to evaluation , 2005, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[27]  Gary S. C. Pan.  Information systems project abandonment: a stakeholder analysis , 2005, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[28]  Angappa Gunasekaran,et al.  Information technology and systems justification: A review for research and applications , 2006, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[29]  M. P. D. Val,et al.  Resistance to change: a literature review and empirical study , 2003 .