A Study of Information Systems in Indian Railways with Specific Reference to Konkan Railway Application Package

The railroads sector in the developing countries like the other services sectors (i.e. electricity, post, and telegraphs, health, and transport) are still administered by the government in many counties. Organizations providing these services have a large geographical spread, an assured market, and an administered price regime. The organizations function under the twin pressures. One being to function as an entity with commercial goals thereby being financially self-sufficient; a compulsion imposed on the organizations as a result of the financial squeeze faced by the governments that support these organizations through budgetary grants. The second pressure being to support a large public service obligation; a constraint imposed by a large population with low income levels. Information Technology Management in such organizations evolves in a scenario marked by such conflicting pressures. The chapter takes a look at the evolution of the information technology applications in Railroads of select countries. A particular focus is given to the Indian Railways in an attempt to cull out the issues of Information Systems for the same. Further specific reference is the Konkan Railways enterprise systems which led to some learning for development and implementation of large information systems in the railroads. The learning could be of substantial value in developing a sound theoretical framework for information technology management practices in the services sector in the developing countries.

Human-Computer Interaction

Human Computer Interaction is a relatively new field. It has borrowed theories, techniques, and tools from such diverse disciplines such as computer science, management of information systems, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and design. The Web design process needs to evolve in order to include the constructs and tools provided by multidisciplinary research. Culture has been proven to have a direct influence in the way a Web site can be both evaluated and designed. In order to attract and retain users, electronic government Web site designers must acknowledge that culture plays a key role when it comes to user acceptance. The best way to approach the users, who in the case of an electronic government are the citizens, is a citizen-centered approach that must be incorporated into the Website design process.

The Role of Knowledge Management Security Requirements for E-Government

E-government has gained a lot of attention and public interests of government, technology providers, and researchers. Despite the growing awareness among policy makers about the prospects of the new technology for the government, past research suggests that the quality, security, and the timeliness of the services provided by e-government could be described as poor, and in many ways is still in its infancy. Further, IT security has gained tremendous importance in recent years with tragic events such as 9/11 and natural disasters caused by hurricane Katrina. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the role of knowledge management security requirements for e-government. Drawing upon the theory of knowledge management, and security requirements we develop an integrated framework of knowledge management, and security requirements for e-government. This study contributes to theory of e-government as it introduces knowledge management, and the importance of security requirements for e-government. Further, it contributes to practitioners as it increases their awareness on the importance of the security requirements in the context of e-government

E-Government

Successful implementation of e-government programs, policies, and effective service delivery to citizens is faced with many obstacles related to operations, technology, and human resource management, amongst others. The changes brought about due to introduction of Information and Communication Technology require changed work patterns, work styles, and overall management of performance. In this context, five key issues have been identified. These are identification of new performance measures, creating an environment for innovation, teamwork, fostering employee empowerment, and developing new competencies. A theoretical framework for performance management in e-government departments and agencies is proposed. A model for delivering improved service to citizens has also been developed.

E-Participation in Local Government Decision Making

Modern society will only reach its potential when citizens individually and collectively are able to use their knowledge and capabilities to shape their lives and communities. Citizen participation in government decision making that uses online technologies is one way of leveraging this capacity, and has been termed e-participation. Case studies of a Swedish and an Australian local government examine how e-participation fits into initiatives to increase community involvement in decision making. Interactive chat sessions between stakeholders can facilitate debate. Information portals can provide supporting information in interesting and accessible ways. E-voting can enable greater input and influence by a wider number of citizens. But ultimately the technology choice and e-participation implementation must be driven by the objectives of the engagement exercise, and these can range from better decisions to community capacity building and issues of trust and legitimacy.

The Governance of Integrated Service Delivery in Canada

The emergence of the Internet has given rise to internal connectivity and external, online delivery as centrepieces of both the public and private sector service strategies alike. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a critical assessment of both the Canadian federal government’s experience to date and the prospects of success for Service Canada – the new lead entity for citizen-centred service delivery in a multi-channel environment. Our primary interest lies in better understanding the organizational (managerially and politically) dimensions to this transformation and the extent to which these dimensions are well aligned in a suitable governance framework that encompasses shifting patterns of service delivery at both the federal level, and for the Canadian public sector as a whole. The Service Canada experience to date illustrates the governance complexities surrounding the introduction and pursuit of e-services and more integrated service delivery. More than a technological challenge, the realization of a new business model is the primary challenge in succeeding.

CRM in E-Government

Customer Relationship Management (CRM), primarily a concept of the private sector for its multi-benefit approach, is catching up fast in public sector, with constituents worldwide demanding better and more customized services built around their needs and to be treated as customers. This has compelled public sector to act like the private in certain ways and to embrace CRM to ensure better planning and resource allocation leading towards constituents’ satisfaction and better quality of life. This chapter identifies the critical aspect of relationship management and provides a conceptual framework for CRM in e-government.

Interoperability in E-Government

Improved interoperability between public organizations as well as between public and private organizations is of critical importance to make electronic government more successful. In this chapter, stages of e-government interoperability are identified and discussed. Four stages are presented: work process stage, knowledge sharing stage, value creation stage, and strategy alignment stage.

Towards an Organizationally Enabled E-Government Enterprise Architecture

The adoption of e-government projects is growing both in scale and context across the world. While the implementation of such projects is increasing in terms of the number of e-government initiatives as well as the type of applications deployed. However, the success of different e-government initiatives continued to be challenged by a wide range of organizational, technological, cultural, and economic variables, among others. The increasing emphasis on the development of technological infrastructures and build-ups and underestimation of organizational dimensions has rendered many e-governments to be outright failures. The main focus of this chapter is made on the importance of enriching the entire e-government architecture with organizational dimensions in pursuit of improving the potentials of success of e-government initiatives.

Treasury Computerization in India

This case study examines the growth of e-governance in financial treasuries in India and examines the growth of computerization among treasuries using various models and tries to identify points of convergence among them. The Faridabad District Treasury in Haryana State of India, was studied to identify these stages. The two models that were considered were the Nolan model that relates to growth of Information Technology and the Laynee & Lee model that relates to growth of e-governance. The study brings out the fact that these models of growth converge at various points. The study brings into light, technology life cycle as an important factor in predicting growth. The study also throws up issues for research on what factors other than technology could be factors of growth.