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States that the US military has adopted total quality management (TQM) initiatives to help maximize effectiveness during downsizing. Identifies, however, some potential barriers to military applications, for example, the autocratic hierarchy on which the military is based may not be conducive to TQM. Focuses this investigation on the use of and attitudes towards TQM in one branch of the US military, the Air Force. Posits that results revealed that the military hierarchy is perceived as a barrier and that lower‐level personnel had more positive attitudes towards TQM. Shows that, in addition, TQM training was related to understanding of TQM concepts; however, training was not significantly related to the perceived relevance of TQM to the job or the military in general. Reveals the importance of going beyond TQM training and making the necessary changes so that learning can be applied.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality determinants influencing the adoption of e-government services in Oman and compare the performance of multiple regression and neural network models in identifying the significant factors influencing adoption in Oman.

Primary data concerning service quality determinants and demographic variables were collected using a structured questionnaire survey. The variables selected in the design of the questionnaire were based on an extensive literature review. Factor analysis, multiple linear regression and neural network models were employed to analyze data.

The study found that quality determinants: responsiveness, security, efficiency and reliability are statistically significant predictors of adoption. The neural network model performed better than the regression model in the prediction of e-government services’ adoption and was able to characterize the non-linear relationship of the aforementioned predictors with the adoption of e-government services. Further, the neural network model was able to identify demographic variables as significant predictors.

This study highlights the importance of service quality in the adoption of e-government services and suggests that an enhanced focus and investment on improving quality of the design and delivery of e-government services can have a positive impact on the usage of the services, thereby enabling the Oman Government in achieving the governance objectives for which these technologies were employed.

Studies in the area of e-government typically focus either on technology adoption problems or service quality problems. The role of service quality in adoption is rarely addressed. The research presented in this paper is of great value to the institutions that are involved in the development of technology-based e-government services in Oman.