The Impact of Technology on the Government Public Sector within The Bahamas during Covid -19

8 pages total needed listed below:

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Technology has become increasingly instrumental within modern society, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic as it was pivotal in terms of retaining a semblance of normalcy in society and allowing for improvement to be made (Saher & Anjum, 2021). The Bahamas government has invested a great deal of capital into technological advancements as of late. These include MyGateway which automizes services like Passport and drivers’ license renewals and the online education system, LMS. However, this capital seems to be ill-spent if the technologies are not functioning as they should. The challenges to these kinds of technologies, though, do not seem to be related to the technology themselves but to the commitment by those who are responsible for using them to deliver service to the wider public. In this case, the government will lose even more of its financial resources in the future unless it corrects the human resource factor.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

 The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether there is any relationship between how the general public perceive technological advancements and how effective these advancements are in easing the process of conducting buiness. Are these innovations more or less successful, in other words, when they are planned, implemented, and managed by the government?

PURPOSE STATEMENT

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. How did covid-19 affect technology in the Bahamas government sectors because of the curfews and lockdowns?

2. What advancements were used to improve technology within the public offices?

3. What are the effective strategies that can be implemented to manage technological innovation?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

DELIMITATION

LITERATURE REVIEW

Definitions of Key terms

Importance of Technology

 This section of the literature review acts as a point of reasoning of sorts proving the audience with an idea and definition of technology and why it is generally important. Technology, in this narrative, is mundanely regarded as simply equipment and gear created by putting scientific knowledge to use, this however is insufficient to describe such a pivotal facet of society. Technology, however, is more diverse as it is a collection of deeply mediated mechanisms geared towards the improvement of the qualities of the numerous aspects of society ranging from education and the economy to medication and civil labor. (Carlaw & Lipsey, 2003). It is through the improvement of technology that modern society has been able to advance in general and withstand the tremulous occurrences that may arise such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

 Importance of Technology During Covid-19

      Technology became a vital tool during the Covid-19 pandemic for a plethora of reasons, such as the fact that it was the prime facilitator of communication and other processes while the numerous stipulations were in place, there is also the fact that the given technology allowed for a sense of normalcy to be retained during the height of the pandemic by allowing education to be pursued, jobs to be continued, and businesses to be stabilized. (Queen, 2021). In the Bahamas particularly, technology became a safe haven, a saving grace of sorts for the region as it aided in the acclamation to a “new normal” if you will. The praises of technology within the archipelago are often exalted in terms of the usage of the platform within the academic and private business sectors of the region, however it was also heavily implemented and unquestionably instrumental within the public governmental sector of the country for a myriad of reasons such as by making regular task achievable even in times of uncertainty. As such technology and the advancement of the platform heavily lend towards the public governmental sector of the Bahamas becoming more efficient, effective, and improved a fact which is attested due to the continuous usage of the improved platform even after the pandemic has lost its ‘potency’. As such this aspect of the literature review discusses the overall importance of technology usage within the governmental public sector highlighting its importance particularly in the Bahamian society.

Technology within the Governmental Sector During Covid

     As aforementioned technology was undeniably instrumental during the covid-19 pandemic within the public governmental sector. Government technology is crucial in every circumstance, but especially in terms of covid because it made it possible for departments to collaborate and communicate more effectively with one another. The government was also afforded the opportunity to save time and money by improving communication’s speed and accuracy from the remote standing through the technology as well. Furthermore, by enhancing information sharing, the government may better comprehend the demands and preferences of its constituents (Al- Maroof, 2020). This is seen primarily in the advancements of the various technological platforms used within the government system during the time to curate a semblance of order and foster the continuation of the necessary processes (Morrow-Howell, 2020). This sentiment is particularly illustrated within the Bahamian public sector of the Bahamian government during the covid-19 pandemic. It was during this pandemic that technology was not only made more inclusive within the sector, but also experienced a period of advancement as well with platforms being created to accommodate for the tremulous aspects brought upon by the pandemic. Online platforms such as MyGateway was made by the government to allow for Bahamian citizens to remotely carry out task which were usually seen too within the given government sectors, with services such as Passport and drivers’ license renewals and the online education system assistance platforms being automated for the consumers of the Bahamian society. As such the research will illustrate the extent of the technological advancements made within the public governmental sector while analyzing their effectiveness as well. Therefore, this section of the literature review provides an introduction into the basis of the research, which concerns the impact of technology usage in the public government sector of the Bahamian society during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Benefits of Utilizing Technology Within the Public Governmental Sector

   This aspect of the literature review discusses the benefits technology provided for the duration of the pandemic in the face of the lockdowns particularly in the public government sectors, thus allowing the audience to be understanding as to why this factor is being discussed. As stated, technology was not only influential within the public government sector, but also extremely beneficial since it provided a platform to carryout processes amidst the various stipulations. One of the most notable aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic would be the precautions which were implemented by the government to halt the spread of the virus. Lockdown orders and quarantine mandates were a staple within the pandemic as these were methods take to alleviate the spread, however these mandates also hampered the government processes from being conducted efficiently. Technology has thus become the saving grace of this sector as a result bringing forth alternatives in order to facilitate the continuous conduction of the referenced processes (Haug, 2020). In terms of the Bahamian society the given advancements of the platform of technology proved to be unquestionably efficient in the face of the lockdowns as although many were unable to physically attend to their obligations or find aid for their needs, the given platforms allowed them other means to carry out these important tasks. Despite being in lockdown individuals through the platform of MyGateway were still able to receive their updated legal documents and pursue their education as well thus showing the benefits of technology in the public government sector. This is an aspect which will be discussed in depth within the research paper as well.

Disadvantages of Technology Within the Public Governmental Sector

     Despite the various benefits of technology within the governmental sector there are also disadvantageous as well, an aspect which will be discussed in this section of the literature review to provide an unbiased foundation for the research paper. As technology is man-made it cannot be classified as primarily reliable with malfunctioning often occurring, which can usually be overlooked, however as this technology is in the government system the platform malfunctioning could be detrimental and perceived to be a miss use of capital. There is also the fact that there is minimal investment in said technological ventures thus the country usually pays for a large majority which can prove economically stifling. As such this section provides an unbiased air as it illustrates that despite the usefulness of governmental technology it can prove to be detrimental to the overall society in the future if precautions are not pursued, a sentiment to be continued in the research.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

METHODOLOGY

Research and Design Sample

Data Analysis and Collection

Ethical Considerations

Participants in the survey will need to confirm several details, including which Governmental ministry they frequently use and their feedback as it related to implementing new technology in the public sector. However, no identifying information will be requested of respondents, and all responses will be given anonymously. These conditions will be listed at the outset of the survey document, along with a statement that participation is optional.

PROJECTED RESULTS

 There will likely be some public dissatisfaction with the lack of technology used in the public sector, according to the results, which are expected. Teachers and the general public may be mildly to moderately satisfied. This is to be expected given the theoretical framework’s presumption that executive level decision-makers make all decisions regarding the adoption of new technologies. In that case, those who are given instructions after a decision has been made might be less pleased with the technology than those who supported its use. Additionally, it is anticipated that non-management civil employees will say that if they were more involved and had the opportunity to test and troubleshoot the technology before it was made available to the general public, technologies would be more successful. Although some civil servants may express the levels of dissatisfaction mentioned above, it is anticipated that overall, they will generally support technological innovation in order to simplify their jobs and provide better services to the general public. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the majority of respondents will state that innovation is essential for the advancement of the nation as a whole.

TIMELINE & BUDGET

 This study is anticipated to take 13 weeks and there will be no financial costs associated with this study. Outlined scope listed below:

Duration Task Dependent On

1 week Proposed Approval Nil

1 week Survey uploaded to be tested Approved date

4 weeks Survey distribute through various channels to obtain targeted participants Survey test

1 week Sort through data collection Nil

4 weeks analyze and Analyze survey outcomes Survey participation

2 weeks Present results and final report Nil

CONCLUSION

     The literature review effectively compiles sources that discusses the role of technology within the public government sector within its entirety. Through the sources it is shown that The Bahamas government has invested a great deal of capital into technological advancements as of late with the initiative proving to be useful during the pandemic. This is particularly the case in terms of the platform MyGateway which automizes services like Passport and drivers’ license renewals and the online education system, LMS. The literature review discusses the benefits of said technology and its improvements but also alludes that there are negative aspects as well proving to be unbiased. This literature review aid in the research as it provides a foundation to what is to be discussed in said essay as well.