Electronic commerce competitiveness in the public sector: the importance of stakeholder involvement

Abstract

This paper considers the role governments and public sector organisations can play in promoting organisational competitiveness in electronic commerce using case evidence from three different European national contexts. The research indicates that stakeholder involvement can be critical for the adoption of systems by intended users and explores two alternative development scenarios for project management in the public sector. Both development scenarios represent approaches that have been adopted in practice with mixed results. The paper illustrates the importance of stakeholder analysis and stakeholder involvement in the development process. In particular, we argue that the consideration of a broad range of stakeholder perspectives is essential for establishing the public sector as a capable change agent for organisational competitiveness in electronic commerce.