Factors Influencing the Failure to Manage Official Email Records by the Central Government of Zimbabwe :

Samson Mutsagondo; Oscar Sigauke; Munyika Sibanda

doi:10.25159/2663-659X/11170

Authors

Samson Mutsagondo University of South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8554-1241
Oscar Sigauke National Archives of Zimbabwe
Munyika Sibanda National Archives of Zimbabwe https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5253-7948

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/11170

Keywords:

email, email records, email records management , electronic records, records management, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Email has emerged as one of the most important and frequently used business records in almost all types of business organisations. This has been due to the advantages inherent in email such as low cost, speed of transmission and ease of use as well as opportunities brought about by the adoption of the electronic government programme. Nevertheless, many organisations face challenges when it comes to managing email as an official record where email messages are captured into the record-keeping system of the organisation, classified, appraised and preserved for future use and reference, and appropriately destroyed when no longer needed. This study seeks to promote the economic, efficient and effective management of email as official records in Zimbabwe’s central government. The case of Zimbabwe’s central government was used and 12 out of 22 head offices of government ministries participated in the study. Using a mixed methods research approach with an explanatory sequential research design, the study collected data using structured questionnaires and open-ended interviews. The study revealed that many government ministries failed to properly manage email as official records due to lapses in the regulatory, policy and procedural frameworks as well as due to skills and infrastructural deficiencies, among other factors. If no urgent efforts are effected, a lot of email records will be lost, thereby compromising accountability, transparency and informed decision-making in Zimbabwe’s central government. The study recommends that Zimbabwe’s central government should channel requisite material, financial and human resources as well as craft legal, policy and procedural frameworks in order to make email a useful record of choice worth its salt.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Charewa, M. 2020. “Management of Pension Records and Service Delivery at National Social Security Authority, Bulawayo.” MSc diss., National University of Science and Technology.

Chaterera, F. 2017. “A Framework for Access and Use of Documentary Heritage at the National Archives of Zimbabwe.” PhD diss., University of South Africa. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/comma.2017.2.9

Chihambakwe, S., O. Wutete, and D. T. Sigauke. 2017. “Fostering Corporate Memory through the Management of Email Records: The Case of a Commercial Banking Institution in Zimbabwe.” Paper presented at the University of Botswana Department of Library and Information Science, Gaborone.

Choudhary, S., and R. Ghusinga. 2013. “Email Security: Issues and Solutions.” International Journal of Computer Information Systems 7 (4): 42–63.

Dashora, K. 2011. “Cybercrime in Society: Problems and Preventions.” Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences 3 (1): 246–59.

Dowd, M. 2016. “Hillary Clinton Is Not Sorry.” New York Times, April 17, 2016. Accessed June 2, 2019. http://www.mytimes.com/2016/04/17/opinion/sunday/hillary-is-not-sorry.html: 7-11.

Everesto, M. 2022. “Management of Email at the Ministry of Health and Child Care Head Office.” BSc diss., Zimbabwe Open University.

Johare, R. 2006. “Education and Training in Electronic Records Management: The Need for Partnership Building.” In Proceedings of the Asia-Pacific Conference on Library and Information Education and Practice, edited by C. Khoo, D. Singh and A.S. Chaudry, 541–49 Singapore: Nanyang Technological University.

Kavanaugh, K. 2016. “Email Management in the U.S. Federal Executive Departments and Agencies: What Progress Have They Made towards Meeting the 2012 Managing Government Records Directive?” MAS diss., Leiden University. Accessed July 28, 2023. https://studenttheses.universiteitleiden.nl/access/item%3A2624545/view.

Keakopa, S. M. 2007. “The Management of Electronic Records in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa.” PhD diss., University College London. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1445627/. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/esarjo.v26i1.31015

Kemoni, H. N. 2009. “Theoretical Framework and Literature Review in Graduate Management Research.” African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science 18 (2): 103–17.

Luyombya, D. 2010. “Framework for Effective Public Digital Records Management in Uganda.” PhD diss., University College London. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/19354/1/19354.pdf.

Maseh, E. 2016. “E-Government Implications for Records Management in Africa: A Review of Literature.” Journal of the South African Society of Archivists 49: 89–101.

Maseh, E. J., and I. M. Moseti. 2019. “Managing Records in Networked Environments in Kenya’s Public Sector Organisations: A Literature Review.” Mousaion: South African Journal of Information Studies 37 (1): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/6140. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/6140

Matangira, V. 2016. “Records and Archives Management in Post-Colonial Zimbabwe’s Public Service.” PhD diss., University of Namibia.

McMurtry, K. 2014. “Managing Email Overload in the Workplace.” Performance Improvement 53 (7): 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21424. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21424

Millar, L. 2004. Authenticity of Electronic Records: A Report Prepared for UNESCO and the International Council on Archives. London: IRMT. Accessed July 26, 2023. https://www.ica.org/sites/default/files/ICA_Study-13-2-Authenticity-of-electronic-records-ICA-Report-to-UNESCO_EN.pdf.

Mosweu, T. L. 2018. “Governance of Liquid Communication Generated through the Use of Social Media by the Botswana Government.” PhD diss., University of South Africa. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/26245.

Mugumbate, B. 2020. “Management of Electronic Records at the Department of War Veterans, Harare.” BSc diss., Zimbabwe Open University.

Munter, M., P. S. Rogers, and J. Rymer. 2003. “Business E-Mail: Guidelines for Users.” Business Communication Quarterly 66 (1): 26–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/108056990306600104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/108056990306600104

Mutsagondo, S. 2017. “Electronic Records Management in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe.” MInf diss., University of South Africa.

Mutsagondo, S. 2021. “Use and Management of Electronic Mail in the Central Government of Zimbabwe.” PhD diss., University of South Africa.

Mutsagondo, S., and F. Chaterera. 2016. “Mirroring the National Archives of Zimbabwe Act in the Context of Electronic Records: Lessons for ESARBICA Member States.” Information Development Journal 32 (3): 254–59. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666914538272. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0266666914538272

Mutsagondo, S., and P. Katekwe. 2022. “Placing the Cart Before the Horse: E-Records Policy Experiences and Lessons from Zimbabwe’s Provincial Government.” Library Philosophy and Practice 7525. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/7525.

Mutsagondo, S., and G. Tsvuura. 2017. “Dilemma in Disposing Electronic Mail Records in Public Departments: The Zimbabwean Scenario.” Paradigms: A Research Journal of Commerce, Economics and Social Sciences 11 (2): 190–95.

Nduna, V. 2020. Records Survey Report for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. Harare: NAZ.

Nengomasha, C. T. 2009. “A Study of Electronic Records Management in the Namibian Public Service in the Context of E-Government.” PhD diss., University of Namibia.

Ngulube, P. 2020. “The Movement of Mixed Methods Research and the Role of Information Science Professionals.” In Handbook of Research on Connecting Research Methods for Information Science Research, edited by P. Ngulube, 425–55. Hershey: IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1471-9.ch022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-1471-9.ch022

Oz, E. 1998. Management Information Systems. Cambridge, MA: Course Technology.

Pignata, S., K. Lushington, J. Sloan, and F. Buchanan. 2015. “Employees’ Perceptions of Email Communication, Volume and Management Strategies in an Australian University.” Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 37 (2): 159–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2015.1019121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2015.1019121

Rakemane, D., and B. C. Serema. 2018. “Electronic Records Management Practices at the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority in Gaborone, Botswana.” Journal of South African Society of Archivists 51: 148–69.

Seow, B. B., K. R. Chennupati, and S. Foo. 2005. “Management of Emails as Official Records in Singapore: A Case Study.” Records Management Journal 15 (1): 43–57. https://doi.org/10.1108/09565690510585420. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09565690510585420

Sibanda, A., M. Sibanda, and E. Mupfururi. 2021. “Paper-Based Records an Obstacle to Service Delivery during Covid-19 Lockdown: A Case of the National Archives of Zimbabwe, Chinhoyi Records Centre.” International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science 5 (9): 257–62. Accessed July 28, 2023. https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-5-issue-9/257-262.pdf.

Sigauke, D. T., C. T. Nengomasha, and S. Chabikwa. 2016. “Management of Email as Electronic Records in State Universities in Zimbabwe: Findings and Implications for the National Archives of Zimbabwe.” ESARBICA Journal 34: 14–29.

State Records Office of Western Australia. 2009. SRO Guideline: Management of Email Records. Perth: State Records Office of Western Australia.

Tsabedze, V., and T. Kalusopa. 2018. “Towards a Framework for E-Records Readiness in Support of E-Government in Eswatini.” ESARBICA Journal 37: 39–68.