International Journal of Information Management 29 (2009) 189–195 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Information Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijinfomgt Taxonomy of e-readiness assessment measures Payam Hanafizadeh a,∗ , Mohammad Reza Hanafizadeh b , Mohsen Khodabakhshi c a Department of Industrial Management, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Nezami Ganjavi Street, Tavanneer, Valy Asr Avenue, P.O. Box 14155-6476, Tehran, Iran b Department of Industrial Engineering, School of Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran c Department of Industrial & System Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran article info Keywords: E-readiness indices Digital divide Global information society Information metrics abstract To benefit from the advantages of information society, on the one hand, and to be afraid of being left further behind by Global Society and the increase in the digital divide, on the other hand, stimulate countries to be part of Global Information Society. These issues have led policymakers to move towards such a society by identifying the objectives, goals and targets. Planning to achieve these objectives needs a real under- standing of the current situation, which is obtained by e-readiness assessment measures. There has been a proliferation of e-readiness assessment measures in recent years that each one has a certain objective. This paper elaborates on and categorizes these measures that help scholars and policymakers to (1) select the measures that fit in with their objectives, (2) prevent the repetitive research, (3) identify the defects and flaws of previous measures and correct them in their own measures, and (4) use the experiences of previous measures to construct their own ones. Based on definitions, objectives, dimensions, methods and approaches, in this paper, the measures are categorized and finally, a measure for e-readiness assessment is presented. Since this measure is a convergence of e-readiness assessment measures, the experienced modelers have consensus on it and it is more suitable to measure e-readiness of countries. Also, it can be exploited as the basis and standard for internationally comparable information society statistics. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The 20th century has witnessed the rise of a perception of a major social transformation. Called the “information revolution” since the 1950s, it has increasingly been described as the advent, if not the existence, of an “information” or “knowledge” society (Menou & Taylor, 2006). An information society is a society which makes intensive use of information and communication technolo- gies (ICTs) (Menou & Taylor, 2006). Managing the transition towards an information society yielded the potential to benefit from the multiple positive effects generated to a substantial extent by its core components, ICTs (Guislain, 2003). The dynamics of ICT has indeed become one of the major driving forces for productivity, compet- itiveness, collaboration, and superposition of resources on both national and international level (Popova, Popov, & Dalin, 2005). On the other hand, with the emergence of ICT, a new form of exclusion- dubbed the “digital divide”-is taking shape (Schulz & Olaya, 2005). The digital divide is one of the ways in which inequality is mea- sured in an information society (Tien & Fu, 2008). Countries face the ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 21 8877011–13; fax: +98 21 88770017. E-mail addresses: hanafizadeh@gmail.com (P. Hanafizadeh), reza hanafizadeh@yahoo.com (M.R. Hanafizadeh), mohsen.khodabakhshi@yahoo.com, mohsen.khodabakhshi@gmail.com (M. Khodabakhshi). threat of being left further behind if they do not address the grow- ing digital divides both between and within countries (Bridges.org, 2001). With this in mind, the process of monitoring and evaluat- ing progress in achieving the goals of an information society and narrowing the digital divide is crucial. Without some indication of how all elements of society are adapting to the installation and application of ICTs, there can be no way of understanding whether the shift towards an information society is actually taking place, or indeed, working in positive ways. Furthermore, there can be no understanding of future policy steps without reference to the cur- rent status of ICT implementation and application procedures. In this context, measures, which provide concrete and factual state- ments about the current state of ICT development, are necessary to encourage debate about how policies must be formulated and how visions must be implemented (United Nations, 2005a). Such real information can add substance to the visions of governments and heads of state, and can also be used to inform policy makers on achievements in terms of strategies and visions related to the infor- mation society. The use of measures to monitor these objectives is critically important, particularly in the developing world, where the digital divide is a prominent political issue. Indexes provide feed- back with regard to national policy-making and investment, and also in terms of external participation in projects and investments (United Nations, 2005a). However an appropriate measurement system allows for both, the monitoring of current market develop- 0268-4012/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2008.06.002