Examining the determinants of information systems utilization in the public sector of developing countries

Abstract

There is plenty of research about information systems adoption and utilization in the extant literature; however, most of it is focused on the context of developed countries. Less attention has been paid for studying the utilization determinants on the context of public organizations in the least developed countries. This paper tries to shed some light on IS utilization determinants in a 3rd world country with special economic and cultural characteristics, Yemen. The study amended the well-known technology acceptance model (TAM) by adding the factors: Organizational culture, Individual factors, Gender, and Perceived Personal Benefit to the original version. Data was collected quantitatively from 139 employees of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MoSAL) – Yemen, whom their jobs involve using IT. Using SmartPLS software, PLS-SEM method was used to check the reliability of measurement model, and to assess the structural model. The results provided a statistical evidence of the proposed hypotheses, as organizational culture was influential in deciding perceived usefulness and perceived personal benefit for the respondents, which is consistent with previous research. The results also demonstrated the role of gender in moderating both hypothesized relationships; this emphasized the importance of gender in the context of the study and similar contexts, which was rarely focused on in the previous research. Finally, the model showed a good predictive power since 65% of the focal factor, behavioral intention, was explained by its relationships with the other factors.