Integrated service delivery : Exploratory case studies of enterprise portal adoption in UK local government

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce enterprise portals and show their ability to provide integrated services in the local government domain. Design/methodology/approach – This paper describes the development and early stage deployment of enterprise portals within two country councils in the UK. Findings – In both cases the portal is seen as a key element of their e‐government activities, enabling the councils to meet Central Government targets in this area. The intention is for the portals to provide a single location for residents, businesses and council staff, wishing to access the online information and transactional services provided by the councils. The portals offer the councils a number of very significant benefits that will improve service delivery to citizens, including the ability to share information across their own directorates and also to improve working with other agencies. Research limitations/implications – This study is based on just two organizations, both based in the UK. Although the intention of case study research is not to provide generalisable truths, rather to explore the rich inter‐relationship in a given situation, undertaking further case studies, particularly in different countries, may allow common benefits and experiences to be identified. Practical implications – Many governments in the developed world have placed significant emphasis on the adoption of e‐business throughout the public sector. The findings of this study will therefore be of interest to those involved in such developments, not just only in the UK but also in all other countries. The study will be of particular relevance to those interested in local government, which, it has been reported, is under‐represented in the e‐government research literature. Originality/value – Enterprise portals are a relatively new development. Despite considerable coverage by vendors and consultants in practitioner journals, there is a paucity of academic papers in this area, with the few papers that have been published being theoretical in nature. The authors are unaware of any previous empirical studies in this domain and believe that this paper, although exploratory, represents one of the first such studies.