The challenges facing the deployment and use of IT for the development Literature review

The challenges facing the deployment and use of IT for the development of public sector in Saudi Arabia - Literature review Example Majority of the people have expressed disbelief in the Saudi Arabia’s capability to transform the government towards accountability and transparency; the e-government could offer a solution in the country that is faced with deep rooted bureaucracy (Al-Jboori, Gharaibeh and Sahraoui 2006, p6). There are a number of challenges that the government of Saudi Arabia face in the deployment and implementation of IT in the public sector and they include; (a) government transformation and reform, (b) e-Citizen participation, (c) citizen access, security and privacy, (d) management of the e-government program, (e) evaluation, transparency, accountability, (f) soft and cultural barriers, and (g) the interoperability of the e-government platforms (Al-Jboori, Gharaibeh and Sahraoui 2006, p11). The rationale for the project is to identify the major obstacles or challenges that face the government of Saudi Arabia in the deployment and use of IT in the development of the public sector. Saudi A rabia is among the developing nations and the risks that are associated with the deployment of IT differ from those in the developed nations; these risks are associated with organizational and cultural factors (International Resources Management Association 2002, p36). Aim To analyze the level of IT development in Saudi Arabia To establish the level to which IT is applied in the public sector in Saudi Arabia To identify the main challenges in the deployment and the use of IT in the development of the public sector. To come up with tangible methods that can be used to alleviate these challenges. Tasks Research data is usually categorized as secondary and primary data. Primary data is developed by the researcher through the use of the data gathering techniques and secondary data is usually generated by others and it includes case materials, manual database, computer database, government departments, public organizations, and data-sets. There are a number of approaches that are used to collect data. The nature of the variables and the research questions determine the choice of the strategy for the collection of data (DeMatteo, Festinger and Marczyk 2010, n.p.). Preliminary preparations and obtaining Permissions Preliminary analysis of the public sector will be done; the preliminary analysis will be in the form of a pilot study. The analysis will entail finding suitable places (the places presumed to offer the required information) and in this case is the public sector. The number of respondents for this research is 50 people and they will be chosen randomly from the different sections of the public sector. These people have to be directly involved with issues concerning IT. Since the public sector is diverse, there are some institutions that restrict the collection of research data. A written consent or permission will have to be obtained from these institutions in the public sector. Data Collection For this research, both the primary and secondary will provide u seful information regarding the public sector in Saudi Arabia. The primary data will be collected from the researcher and the secondary data will be collected from the publications made by the government departments and in particular the department that is responsible for IT. Another important primary and

Kurds and the Debate over Stateless Nation Essay

Kurds and the Debate over Stateless Nation - Essay Example Among them, Kurds constitute the prominent group as the world’s most numerous people without a homeland. Kurds’ sovereignty has been the bone of contention in the Middle East over several decades between various interest groups including Turks and Arabs and also Britain, France, and US all with their own oil interests over the Northern Iraq, the autonomous region of Kurds. Given below is the list of some relevant sources which could give extensive information on the issue. 1. Gunter, Michael M. â€Å"KURDS: The state and kurds in turkey: The question of assimilation†.  The Middle East Journal,  (2008) 62(2): 344-346. This article is a very good secondary source that closely reviews the findings of Metin Heper, a distinguished Turkish professor of politics who has recently joined the intellectual debate over the Kurdish issue in Turkey. According to Gunter (2008), the basic theme of Heper’s book is that â€Å"the Turkish Republic has not sought to prom ote Turkish ethnic nationalism that would assimilate its ethnic Kurdish population†. Heper also points out that the Turkish stance on the issue that is ignoring the distinctiveness of Kurds’ ethnicity has been deliberate. However, Gunter points some aspects that Heper omitted in his book. For instance, â€Å"the fact that the Kurds came late to the idea of their Kurd-ish identity superseding their Ottoman and Islamic identity† cannot be undermined. Gunter refers to Hakan Ozoglu who has documented this idea in his book Kurdish Notables and the ottoman State: Evolving Identities. Besides, Gunter identifies several other areas where Heper flawed. As the author points out, Heper simply maintains that Turkey has been convincing itself that it did not try to assimilate the Kurds forcefully but only ‘tried to prevent their de-acculturation’. Altogether, Gunter makes a critical evaluation of Heper’s findings on the Turkish position on Kurdish issues. Undoubtedly, the review helps one to reflect on the multiple facets of the debate over Kurds’ nationalism instead of simply agreeing with the arguments raised by authors like Heper. 2. Olson, Robert. â€Å"KURDS: Kurdish notables and the ottoman state: Evolving identities, competing loyalties, and shifting boundaries†.  The Middle East Journal,  (2004) 58(2): 305-307. Olson’s review of Ozoglu’s work KURDS: Kurdish Notables and the Ottoman State: Evolving Identities is unique for its detailed description on the nature and origin of the Kurdish nationalism. The writer closely analyses the process of the evolvement of the modern states in terms of socio-political context and the extent to which they have assimilated the concept of ethno-nationalism and cultural identity. The book actually maintains a very different opinion about the Kurdish movement as compared to the ones proposed by Heper. According to the book, there was no Kurdish protonationalism in the late 19th century and in the early 20th century up to the end of WWII. Olson’s review makes the concept of Ozoglu much easier for researchers as he analyses the author’s arguments chapter by chapter giving specific focus to the way Kurdish nationalism is addressed in them. 3. Romano, David. â€Å"KURDS-kurdish politics in the middle east†.  The Middle East Journal,  (2010) 64(2): 311-312. This is another brilliant book review by Romano on the great work of Entessar (2010) Kurdish Politics in the Middle East. The reviewer has highlighted the author’s ability to simplify the complex and unseen aspects of the Kurdish issue. The book has gone very deep into the actual problems of the population including the Kurdish history and politics other than giving â€Å"