Digital Transformation: E-Services in the UAE

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Cultural Issues
Lack of Understanding/Education
Mistrust in the electronic medium
Language & Regional Factors
Conclusion
References

Introduction

With the recent concept of e-services, public and private sectors worldwide are realizing the benefits of ensuring that their services are more efficient and easily accessible. There have been numerous strategies aimed at improving and adopting e-services in many countries, such strategies and initiatives are yet to succeed in meeting the desired objectives and expectations. In the United Arabs Emirates (UAE), there has been a major transformation in the adoption of electronic services aimed to improve the quality of service delivery (Al-Khouri & Duncan, 2010). E-services were mainly adopted by the private sector in 2008, but the recent advancements saw the government of UAE aiming at the automation of services in its core operations. The government of the UAE and other key players have increased resource allocation to e-services with a great percentage (Al-Khouri & Duncan, 2010). According to the 2014 federal strategy report, the government’s e-services on offer were projected to rise from 500 to 1000. This strategy is seen achievable by the middle of 2013.

Cultural Issues

The commitment to automation of service delivery is commendable as compared to 2008. UAE has been going through a number of transformations in order to give a clear perspective of its position against the global ICT standards. Recently, the ministry of finance has adopted this transformation by launching a G2 e-Dirham system (Al-Khouri & Duncan, 2010). This increased the number of e-payment systems provided by the government for free. The e-Dirham system came to a number of benefits in the profit collection operations (Al-Khouri & Duncan, 2010). This system encourages people to adopt the use of virtual money and electronic transfers, hence reducing security concerns related to carrying cash (Al-Khouri & Duncan, 2010).

The wider adoption of electronic services in the UAE has become a pervasive and dominant aspect of modern life. This adoption has impacted culture both positively and negatively (Al-Khouri & Duncan, 2010). Culture is the mind’s collective programming, which differentiates the member of one category or group of people from another. E-services platforms, like websites, have replaced traditionally existing relationships between the service providers and prospective clients (Al-Khouri & Duncan, 2010). As compared to the past years, like 2008, for one to access a service, there had to be person-to-person communication. Presently, there is no need of knowing your service provider or client physically, since most services are just a click away. The high use of e-services has altered existing relationships, which were embodied in the cultural framework.

Lack of Understanding/Education

E-service adoption has significantly affected the field of education. There is easy access to educational information at a person’s convenience, and this in turn has bridged the digital divide (Mia, 2011). A report released by the world economic forum ranked UAE as the top 19th country in the world with the highest number of internet users per 100 populations. This report clearly attributes the increased number of users to the availability of knowledge that e-services offer and the UAE has reached the information stage in its adoption of electronic services. However, the virtual nature of e-services has created a lack of understanding among some people (Mia, 2011). Since the services are programmed, it sometimes makes it difficult for a student to get clarification on a subject or topic not included in the system. This has replaced the traditional relationship between teachers and students whereby it was easy to seek clarification (Mia, 2011). To improve the performance and effectiveness, there is a need for balancing the new forms of teachings, like e-learning, and traditional models, like the classroom environment.

Mistrust in the electronic medium

In 2008, e-service implementation posed a challenge to both the government and citizens due to security and trust concerns. There existed some degree of mistrust in the electronic medium by some users. This can be attributed to cybercrimes in UAE (Mia, 2011). The use of electronic media platforms had opened a gateway for criminal activities, like tapping, which violated the confidentiality of information and data. Electronic payment systems are also more likely to generate mistrust among people; this is due to the rise of fraud incidents via the internet. However, stakeholders are committed to tackling such issues. This has seen great development in data security, and confidentiality and more people are adapting and having faith in e-services (Mia, 2011).

Language & Regional Factors

UAE is a great player in the global market. This has seen the need of incorporating e-services in its operation to develop a regional presence. There has been a good distribution of electronic services across each emirate. These efforts have contributed to regional integration, which stimulates the increased use of e-services (Mia, 2011). The United Emirates government has been laying key infrastructure needed to enable e-government platforms regionally. As Mia (2011) asserts, many local e-services are now accessible on social platforms, like Twitter and Facebook, providing people with an easy way to access information. For instance, the e-participation portal that permits the government to employ dynamic debates with the public has been created (Mia, 2011).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is fair to state that the hard work of the UAE government and the private sector has influenced the UAE to uphold a stable performance in the e-readiness chart and was positioned fourth in a regional report released in 2010 (Mia, 2011). This has enhanced e-service provision since a customer’s centric focus and integration ensure a good environment for service delivery.

References

Al-Khouri, A. & Duncan, W. (2010). Supporting E-Government in UAE. Social Science journal, 1 (2), 83-98.

Mia, I. (2011). The Global Information Technology Report 2010–2011. World economic forum. 1(1), 33-99.

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