Promises and Pitfalls of Using Social Media in Public E-procurement: an Appraisal

Social Media (SM), in recent years, is emerging as a common platform for low cost information exchange, and has attracted a critical mass of users both at corporate and retail levels. Theoretically, SM can thus be used as a tool to strengthen e-procurement in the public sector. Towards this end, we have prepared a conceptual model drawing on literature reviews and some examples while identifying a set of expected benefits and challenges within four stages of e-procurement. Using the framework, a case study has been conducted involving Australian public procurement initiatives and 15 federal government senior officials engaged in e-procurement. They have been interviewed to shed light on the possibilities and challenges of using SM in the public e-procurement context. The findings of the study suggest a limited scope for SM usage in the Australian public sector e-procurement process. The implications of the findings are discussed and some recommendations offered.

[1]  R. Alt,et al.  Successful use of e‐procurement in supply chains , 2005 .

[2]  H. Russell Bernard,et al.  Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches , 2000 .

[3]  M. Rahim,et al.  Perceived Benefits from a Local Government Public Procurement Initiative: A Diffusion of Innovation Perspective , 2012 .

[4]  Sarv Devaraj,et al.  Effect of purchase volume flexibility and purchase mix flexibility on e-procurement performance: An analysis of two perspectives , 2012 .

[5]  W. D. Presutti.  Supply management and e-procurement: creating value added in the supply chain , 2003 .

[6]  Michael J. Shaw,et al.  The Effects of Process Characteristics on the Value of B2B E-Procurement , 2004, Inf. Technol. Manag..

[7]  Martin Wetzels,et al.  A meta-analysis of the technology acceptance model: Investigating subjective norm and moderation effects , 2007, Inf. Manag..

[8]  Antonio Davila,et al.  Research Paper Series Graduate School of Business Stanford University Moving Procurement Systems to the Internet: the Adoption and Use of E-procurement Technology Models , 2022 .

[9]  Thomas R. Lindlof.  Qualitative Communication Research Methods , 1994 .

[10]  Sharif As-Saber,et al.  E-procurement adoption process: an arduous journey for an Australian city council , 2011 .

[11]  Paul T. Jaeger,et al.  Using ICTs to create a culture of transparency: E-government and social media as openness and anti-corruption tools for societies , 2010, Gov. Inf. Q..

[12]  EVGENIY A. AGESHIN,et al.  E-PROCUREMENT AT WORK : A CASE STUDY * , 2001 .

[13]  M. Tremblay.  The Key Informant Technique: A Nonethnographic Application , 1957 .

[14]  A. Gunasekaran,et al.  E-Procurement adoption in the Southcoast SMEs , 2009 .

[15]  Alistair Brandon-Jones,et al.  Impact of e-procurement: Experiences from implementation in the UK public sector , 2007 .

[16]  W. Neuman,et al.  Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches , 2002 .

[17]  H. Walker,et al.  E‐procurement in the United Nations: influences, issues and impact , 2008 .

[18]  J. Raymond,et al.  Benchmarking in public procurement , 2008 .

[19]  Staci M. Zavattaro.  Social Media in Public Administration’s Future , 2013 .

[20]  Alexandru V. Roman,et al.  E-Procurement: Myth or Reality , 2012 .

[21]  Fang Wu,et al.  Antecedents and Outcomes of E-Procurement Adoption: An Integrative Model , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.

[22]  Luk N. Van Wassenhove,et al.  E-procurement in the Greek food and drink industry: Drivers and impediments , 2006 .

[23]  D. Wyld,et al.  E‐procurement: is the ugly duckling actually a swan down under? , 2004 .

[24]  J. Grimes,et al.  Promoting transparency and accountability through ICTs, social media, and collaborative e‐government , 2012 .