Technology acceptance toward e-government initiative in Royal Thai Navy

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to show how the adopted technology acceptance model (TAM) is used to measure the acceptance of internet use by naval officers in the Naval Department for the e-government initiative in Thailand. Design/methodology/approach The study used two research methodologies for gathering data: the TAM questionnaire and interview. The TAM questionnaire was used to measure naval finance officers' perceptions on the internet and to find the relationship between the 12 external factors (independent factors) and dependent factors within the research framework of the study. The interview was used to explore internet use acceptance in a public organization, and to discover how government officers at one public organization felt about the e-government initiative and internet usage within their organization. Findings The study analysis shows that the external factors influencing naval officers' perception on internet use acceptance were: prior experience, job relevance, commitment, trust, and autonomy. However, training and infrastructure problems are other important factors that can also lead to the acceptance of internet use. Originality/value The study outcome can provide useful information to help the organization improve its capacity for successfully implementing the e-government initiative. Simultaneously, the study can also be used as a guideline for e-government initiative implementation in other public organizations. As a result, this will lead to a successful e-government initiative in Thailand. © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited