The use of e-government services by small businesses in municipalities
Abstract
The article aimed to investigate the role of e-government in improving the services, offered to small businesses in the City of Tshwane, which forms part of the Gauteng Province. The research method, used in the article, is qualitative. The data were gathered through literature review, and conceptual analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings established that e-government services were often not considered suitable for some businesses, due to costs and technology access challenges. In addition, some provided services were found to not be of interest to some small businesses. Under agile accessibility, the focus is on ensuring that as many diverse entities as possible make use of different forms of technology and connectivity to gain access to e-government. Diverse user needs must also be captured by noting that governmental services affect population groups both far and wide. In the City of Tshwane case, low agility means that small businesses are generally not well catered for under current e-government systems. While the current study focussed solely on the City of Tshwane, an assessment of the broader Gauteng Province’s e-government efforts did help in gaining a better understanding of the larger political and administrative environment, within which e-government is set. It is, furthermore, necessary to comprehend that e-government has its challenges; thereby making improvement solutions imperative to filling the noted implementation gaps. This study, therefore, sought to further examine the e-government frameworks, institutions, and stakeholders with respect to their responsibilities in, with, and for small businesses
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References
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