The purpose of this study is to examine people's perceptions about the use of smart contracts through blockchain technology for public procurement in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The research integrates the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, and the Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the factors that influence the behavioral intention to adopt smart contracts in the public procurement process.
The study employs a quantitative research methodology. Data was collected through a survey questionnaire distributed to key stakeholders involved in public procurement, including government officials, suppliers, and citizens. The survey instrument measured constructs such as relative advantage, complexity, trialability, observability, perceived compatibility, perceived enjoyment, technology awareness, perceived risk, perceived efforts, and perceived constraints from suppliers, regulations, and business partners.
The findings reveal that relative advantage, trialability, observability, perceived compatibility, perceived enjoyment, and technology awareness have a significant positive influence on the behavioral intention to adopt smart contracts in public procurement. Conversely, complexity, perceived risk, and perceived constraints from suppliers, regulations, and business partners have a significant negative influence on the behavioral intention. The results also indicate that the TAM model moderates the relationships between the various factors and behavioral intention.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Research Background
1.2.1 Procurement
1.2.2 Blockchain
1.2.3 Smart Contracts
1.3 Research Problem
1.4 Research Aims, Objectives and Questions
1.4.1 Research Aim
1.4.2 Objectives
1.4.3 Research Questions
1.5 Methodology
1.5.1 Theoretical Framework
1.6 Research Significance
1.7 Proposal Structure
Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Public Procurement
2.2.1 UAE Procurement Process
2.2.2 Stakeholders Involvement
2.2.3 Influencing Factors for Adopting Smart Contracts for Procurement in UAE
2.2.4 Criteria for Assessing Effectiveness
2.2.5 Smart Contract Challenges in Adoption in the Procurement Process
2.3 The Procurement Process Current Issues
2.4 Smart Contracts
2.4.1 Is a Smart Contract Actually a Contract?
2.4.2 Public Service involvement with Blockchain and Smart-Contracts
2.5 Blockchain in Theory and Practice
2.5.1 Defining the Technology
2.5.2 Improvements in Blockchain Usability
2.5.3 Determinants of Enhancement
2.5.4 The Trust Proposition
2.6 The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
2.6.1 Application of TAM in Research
2.7 Technology-Organization-Environment Model
2.7.1 Technology
2.7.2 Organizational
2.7.3 Environmental
2.8 The Diffusion of Innovation Theory
2.9 TAM and IDT
2.10 Combining TAM and IDT for a New Theory
2.11 TAM and TOE Integration
2.12 Blockchain in the UAE
2.13 Critical Analysis
2.14 Summary
Chapter 3: Conceptual framework
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Conceptual Model
3.3 Theoretical Framework
3.3.1 The Technology Acceptance Model
3.3.2 TOE
3.3.3 The Innovation Diffusion Theory
3.4 Conceptual Framework
3.4.1 The Model
3.5 Dimension Hypotheses and Sub-Hypotheses
3.5.1 Relative Advantage
3.5.2 Complexity
3.5.3 Trialability
3.5.4 Observability
3.5.5 Perceived Compatibility
3.5.6 Perceived Enjoyment
3.5.7 Technology Awareness
3.5.8 Perceived Risk
3.5.9 Perceived Efforts
3.5.10 Perceived Constraints of Suppliers
3.5.11 Perceived Constraints of Regulations
3.5.12 PerceivedConstraints of Business Partners
Chapter 4: Research Methodology
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Research Methods: Ten Steps to Support Data Collection
4.2.1 Theoretical Concept
4.2.2 Pre-Test
4.2.3 Sampling Strategy
4.2.4 Data Collection
4.2.5 Population and Sample Size
4.2.6 Research Approach
4.2.7 Research Design and Process
4.3 Scales of Quantitative Study
4.3.1 Data Collection
4.3.2 Cross-Sectional Approach and Time Horizon
4.4 Data Analysis Methods
4.4.1 Descriptive Analysis
4.4.2 Regression Analysis
4.4.3 Statistical Significance
4.4.4 Structural Equation Modeling Analysis
4.5 Philosophy
4.5.1 Abduction
4.5.2 The Explanatory Method
4.5.3 Ontology
4.5.4 Epistemology
4.5.5 Axiology
4.6 Generalizability
4.7 Validity and Reliability
4.7.1 Validity
4.7.2 Reliability
4.8 Ethical considerations
4.9 Summary
Chapter 5: Results and Analysis
5.1 Demographic Analysis
5.2 Descriptive Statistics
5.3 Regression Analysis
5.3.1 Relative Advantage and Behavior Intention
5.3.2 Complexity and Behavior Intention
5.3.3 Trialability and Behavior Intention
5.3.4 Observability and Behavior Intention
5.3.5 Perceived Compatibility and Behavior Intention
5.3.6 Perceived Enjoyment and Behavior Intention
5.3.7 Technology Awareness and Behavior Intention
5.3.8 Perceived Risk and Behavior Intention
5.3.9 Perceived Efforts and Behavior Intention
5.3.10 Perceived Constraint of Suppliers and Behavior Intention
5.3.11 Perceived constraint of Regulations and Behavior Intention
5.3.12 Perceived constraint of Business Partners and Behavior Intention
5.3.13 Decision for Alternative Hypothesis
5.4 ANOVA
5.4.1 TAM as moderator in Relative Advantage and Behavior Intension
5.4.2 TAM as moderator in Complexity and Behavior Intension
5.4.3 TAM as moderator in Trial-Ability and Behavior Intension
5.4.4 TAM as moderator in Observability and Behavior Intension
5.4.5 TAM as moderator in Perceived Compatibility and Behavior Intension
5.4.6 TAM as moderator in Perceived Enjoyment and Behavior Intension
5.4.7 TAM as moderator in Technology Awareness and Behavior Intension
5.4.8 TAM as moderator in Perceived Risk and Behavior Intension
5.4.9 TAM as moderator in Perceived Efforts and Behavior Intension
5.4.10 TAM as moderator in Perceived Constraints of Suppliers and Behavior Intension
5.4.11 TAM as moderator in Perceived Constraints of Regulations and Behavior Intension
5.4.12 TAM as moderator in Perceived Constraints of Business Partners and Behavior Intension
5.4.13 Decision for Alternative Hypothesis
Chapter 6: Discussion
6.1 Objective 1:
6.2 Objective 2:
6.3 Objective 3:
6.4 Objective 4:
6.5 Objective 5:
6.6 Objective 6:
6.7 Objective 7:
Chapter 7: Conclusion, Implications, Limitations, and Recommendations
7.1 Summary of Findings
7.2 Implications
7.3 Limitations
7.4 Recommendations
Research Objectives and Thematic Focus
This study aims to examine the factors influencing the behavioral intention to adopt smart contracts for public sector procurement in the United Arab Emirates by developing a conceptual framework that integrates the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, and the Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT).
- Adoption of smart contract technology in public procurement
- Application of TAM, TOE, and IDT theoretical models
- Identification of direct and indirect stakeholders
- Analysis of user perceptions regarding security, transparency, and efficiency
- Evaluation of barriers to implementation such as regulation, skills, and complexity
Extract from the Dissertation
1.2.2 Blockchain
Blockchain technology allows digital information to be transferred, exchanged, communicated and stored in a decentralized database (the ledger). The ledger is a set of digital transactions distributed and duplicated across the network. This means that only participants in the network (nodes) are allowed to interact and add a block to the chain. Once this block has been created, anyone can view it without revealing information linked to their data. In addition, the transaction has a unique digital signature that identifies its existence; hence, the people involved in the transaction are considered anonymous. Most the Blockchains include a protocol that refers to the government protocol, and all the nodes participating in the network should follow it and come to a consensus. A consensus is a mechanism that allows all the nodes to go to an agreement. There are two main consensus mechanisms, the proof-of-work (PoW)and proof-of-stake (PoS). The first one is when participants compete with energy power on solving a puzzle and the second is by using their stake power. Both of them are designed to provide security to the network.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction: This chapter introduces the research context, focusing on the potential of blockchain and smart contracts to improve public procurement efficiency and transparency in the UAE, while identifying the research gap concerning stakeholder acceptance.
Chapter 2: Literature Review: The chapter explores existing research on public procurement, smart contracts, and theoretical models like TAM, TOE, and IDT to establish a foundation for analyzing technology adoption.
Chapter 3: Conceptual framework: This chapter develops the study's conceptual framework by integrating TAM, TOE, and IDT to hypothesize the factors influencing the adoption of smart contracts in public procurement.
Chapter 4: Research Methodology: The chapter details the quantitative research design, including the use of a survey questionnaire, data collection procedures, statistical analysis methods (such as regression and ANOVA), and ethical considerations.
Chapter 5: Results and Analysis: This section presents the statistical findings from the survey, analyzing demographic data and assessing the influence of various factors like relative advantage, complexity, and perceived risk on behavioral intention.
Chapter 6: Discussion: The discussion interprets the study's results in light of the research objectives and existing literature, focusing on stakeholder perceptions, the role of education, and the implications for policy and management.
Chapter 7: Conclusion, Implications, Limitations, and Recommendations: The final chapter summarizes key findings, discusses the study’s implications for policymakers, acknowledges research limitations, and provides strategic recommendations for implementing smart contracts.
Keywords
Smart Contracts, Public Procurement, Blockchain, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE), Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT), United Arab Emirates, Behavioral Intention, Transparency, Efficiency, Stakeholder Adoption, Digital Transformation, Trust Economy, Regulatory Sandboxes, Data Security
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this dissertation?
The dissertation examines how people perceive smart contracts based on blockchain technology and identifies the factors that influence their behavioral intention to adopt these systems in the UAE public procurement process.
Which theoretical models are used for the study?
The study integrates three established models: the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, and the Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) to build a comprehensive conceptual framework.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The primary aim is to understand stakeholder perceptions and develop a framework that helps government entities integrate smart contracts into public procurement processes more efficiently to improve transparency and trust.
What research methodology was employed?
The study utilizes a quantitative research methodology involving a survey questionnaire distributed to key stakeholders, including government officials, suppliers, and citizens, with data analyzed using SPSS statistical software.
What are the main thematic areas covered in the chapters?
The work covers existing procurement issues, the mechanics of blockchain and smart contracts, theoretical models of technology adoption, and a detailed statistical analysis of stakeholder survey results related to these technologies.
Which keywords characterize this research?
The research is best characterized by terms such as Smart Contracts, Public Procurement, Blockchain, TAM, TOE, IDT, Behavioral Intention, Transparency, and Digital Transformation.
How does this study address the issue of stakeholder resistance?
The research identifies specific barriers like complexity, perceived risk, and lack of awareness, and suggests that demonstration projects, targeted education, and collaborative pilot programs can mitigate resistance and foster better adoption.
Why is the UAE chosen as the case study for this research?
The UAE is exploring significant digital transformations in public service, making it an ideal context for studying the feasibility and acceptance of blockchain-based procurement systems at a national level.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Moazam Ali (Autor:in), 2024, Smart Contracts in UAE Public Procurement. Factors Influencing Adoption and Policy Implications, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1478883
