Purpose The purpose of this paper is to revisit the relationship between E-government and corruption using global panel data from 176 countries covering the period from 2003 to 2014, considering other potential determinants, such as economic prosperity (gross domestic product per capita [GDPPC]), price stability (inflation), good governance (political stability and government effectiveness) and press freedom (civil liberties and political rights) indicators. Hence, the main rationale of this study is to reexamine the conventional wisdom as to the relationship between E-government and corruption using panel data independent of any preexisting notions. Design/methodology/approach The probability reduction approach of empirical modeling proposed by Spanos (2009) is used to test the relationship. Secondary data were collected from the United Nations, the World Bank, Transparency International and Freedom House. Findings No statistical evidence was found for the idea that E-government has a positive impact on corruption reduction following a rigorous test of the proposition. However, strong evidence was found for the positive impact of a country’s government effectiveness, political stability and economic status. There also appears to be some evidence for the effect of GDPPC and civil liberties. There is no evidence to prove that inflation and political rights have any corruption reducing the effect. Research limitations/implications Case studies suggest that E-government is helpful for curbing corruption. This study includes and examines some of the potential and important variables associated with corruption. Further research is encouraged and it should include more variables, such as national culture, poverty, religion and geography. Regarding methodology, a more parsimonious model must be sought to take into account adequately the entire probabilistic structure of the data. Practical implications The findings of the study demonstrate that E-government is less significant for reducing corruption compared to other factors. Hence, policymakers should further focus on other potential areas such as socio-economic factors, good governance, culture and transparency to combat corruption in addition to improving digital government. Originality/value This research applies a new methodological approach to the study of the relationship between E-government and corruption.

Background: Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are seen  as effective strategies for business growth in the corporate sector. However, there are very little study on ‘merger and acquisition’ available in the context of Nepal. Objectives: This study examines the effects of mergers and acquisitions on employees’ satisfaction in Nepalese Banking sectors. Method: The study, which adopts the Job Characteristics Theory as its theoretical foundation, was conducted among employees from Nepalese banking sector that had undergone M&A. The study seeks cause and effects relationship amongst banking employees in Kathmandu valley due to merger and acquisition and adopts explanatory research design. Data were collected from 310 respondents and Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the data. Results: The findings demonstrate that merger and acquisition have an influence on employees’ satisfaction, with just one out of every four employees reporting high levels of satisfaction following M&A. The results exhibit that organizational climate, recognition and nature of work remain signifi cant to employees’ satisfaction and their motivation. Likewise, pay/remuneration is also statistically significant to employees’ motivation. Again, employees’ motivation also seems significant to employees’ satisfaction. Conclusion: Therefore, this study offers practical insights to human resource managers in strengthening human resources of the organization as perceived by employees after an M&A by considering the crucial role of employees in organizational performance.

As E-government has been referred to as the use of ICTs to transform government by making it more accessible, effective and accountable, the Nepal government has taken some positive initiatives for its development. However, according to the UN evaluation, the current E-government level in Nepal is still very poor. This paper raised two research questions: what the major problems of E-government implementation in Nepal are and which problem(s) should be solved first. For this purpose, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was used to rank the problems in hierarchical order. This study finds that among the various problems of E-government implementation in Nepal, a lack of strong leadership and government will, political-administrative instability, and resistance to change within organizations were again highlighted as the most severe ones by experts.