e-Government: living up to the challenge of culture context

e-Government is a global technology transfer taking designs from one context into a different context. This paper finds that the context of design inscribed into e-Government systems in both explicit and implicit ways can produce a mismatch with the context in which it is used. This creates a contextual impact that can often lead to e-Government failure. Several studies exploring factors including national cultures of information and communication technology adoption have been conducted. The focus of this paper differs from other studies in that it considers a specific cultural dimension, namely the South African culture context. Using Hofstede's cultural model of cultural difference, this research conducted an analysis of a sample of the South African population to determine their culture context and their Web usage versus Government Web site usage preferences. The findings indicate to what extent culture context should be considered when designing the South African Government Web site.