Abstract

The issue of digital divide has an enormous impact on the development of a country as it encompasses social, economic and political issues. The Malaysian government has initiated various digital strategies to bridge the digital divide among the citizens from different economic, social, and geographical background. However, existing literature has limited knowledge of digital divide in Malaysia. This research aims to investigate the level of digital divide in Malaysia, evaluate the impact the government’s digital initiatives have in bridging the digital divide, and examine the role of IT-enabled service innovations in helping to bridge the digital divide. Based on the underlying concepts of service-dominant logic, a theoretical framework will be developed to examine the role of IT-enabled service innovations in bridging the digital divide. Specifically, the tripartite framework of service innovation comprising the components of service ecosystem, service platform, and value co-creation will be discussed. This study will employ a two-stage research design. Firstly, a questionnaire survey will be used to collect the data on various levels of digital access from 1,400 users of 1Malaysia Internet Centres throughout the country. Secondly, this study will employ a case study design to examine the role of service innovations in bridging the digital divide among the citizens at two locations which had been affected by massive flood – Kemaman, Terengganu and Kota Belud, Sabah. Data from the archives and face-to-face semi-structured interviews of stakeholders, who are involved in developing and using the disaster management systems, will be analysed. The outcome of this research is expected to have important implications for theory by extending the body of knowledge on the role of service innovations in bridging the digital divide. The implication for practice is that it should offer ideas for improving national digital policies and strategies to bridge the digital divide in Malaysia.

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