Similar But Different – E (Commerce/Government)

In preparing for class, I started reading an article “E-Commerce and e-Government: How Do They Compare? What Can They Learn From Each Other?” published back in 2009 and started wondering if things have changed.

Things that I took note of from the Article.

In the 2009 study, E-Commerce (EC) and E-Government (EG) were discovered to have similarities and differences.  Yet, the two events followed very separate and distinct paths.  One of the similarities was in the implementation.  EC and EG organizations both benefited significantly when the underlying workflows and processes were not electronic recreations.  True efficiencies were gained when old processes were replaced by different workflows and processes which took full advantage of technology.  Collaboration was a second similarity.  An incentive for streamlining and redesigning workflows and processes allowed for an increase in collaboration which also became possible through the speed of the information transfer.  It was also found that collaboration excelled when allowed to unfold through formal agreements and was actually increased when chosen to be utilized and not forced.  And lastly, both EC and EG structures were influenced based on the perceived needs of customers.

There were numerous differences noted in the study between EC and EG.   In the aspect of transaction processing, EC appears more sophisticated and has higher volume; while EG appears to be more developed in the arena of information processing and management.  When I look at the type of worked performed in these areas, this makes sense.  The drive for innovation was stronger in EC, but the overall sophistication of EG did not appear to lag.  EC was more elaborative in their use of historical data and data in-processing to optimized desired organization actions.  Yet the quality of information used was less than what is available in EG.  There was also a mention regarding leadership support of e-projects and collaboration being higher in EG.  And finally, customers have more influence in the design structure of EG than in EC.

From 2009 to 2014, have there been any changes in the similarities or differences between EC or EG?  cannot wait to see what comes out in class tonight.