Search results

This study uses information obtained from the advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) literature to develop a conceptual framework that seeks to illustrate the impact of the management information systems (MIS) department on the different facets of AMT adoption. A detailed survey instrument was administered to a cross‐section of manufacturing firms in the USA to collect the data required to test five hypotheses relating to the efficacy of this framework. The results of this study indicate that the proposed framework is particularly useful in explaining the role of MIS departments in firms that are attempting to integrate advanced process and information technologies. This finding and other results of this study and their implications are discussed.

This paper proposes a new hierarchical approach toward MIS evaluation, which emphasizes the evaluation of the strategic aspects of MIS, as well as the evaluations of the activities of MIS functions and the quality of application systems. Based on the previous studies and the preliminary field survey, concepts and contents of three hierarchical evaluation types such as system‐oriented, function‐oriented and strategy‐oriented evaluations were presented, and four propositions were drawn. The surveys of 130 Korean firms, conducted in 1991 and 1997 successively, show that majority of firms use system‐oriented or function‐oriented evaluation type, although the usage rate of strategy‐oriented type is slightly higher in 1997 than in 1991 and most MIS managers consider the strategy‐oriented evaluation as the ideal one. It is also found that the firms of higher MIS maturity use the strategy‐oriented evaluation type, and the firms with strategy‐oriented evaluation type show a higher MIS performance. Results of this study imply that strategic roles of MIS should be more emphasized and different evaluation types should be used along with MIS maturity. In addition, the design of MIS evaluation framework should be done carefully in the strategic and managerial contexts, because MIS performance can vary with evaluation type. Finally, some limitations of the study and directions for further research were suggested.

Involvement in the effective design and use of computer‐based information systems is essential for the manager of the 1990s. To be most effective, systems must be designed for the requirements of the manager‐user. Too often there is a communication gap between managers who are too busy, uninterested or unwilling to become directly involved, on the one hand, and on the other, the consultant who is more usually engrossed in the special nature of the system. The author aims to provide an up‐to‐date and integrated treatment of organisation and management, as well as to emphasise the utilisation of management information systems to improve the art of managing.

The paper discusses the objectives, implementation and the limitations of MIS in Nigerian Universities, using the University of Ilorin as an example. It examines the problems of developing an efficient and effective MIS in Nigerian Universities. Inadequate collection of data from students and staff and lack of cooperation from people concerned with the processing of data forms for the MIS form part of the major problems. The conclusions include suggestions for more information on student and staff, and external data that can be useful in strategic decision‐making.

Modern information systems (MIS) have increased the variety of information systems which have been and can be designed to such an extent that auditors must finally recognise the Law of Requisite Variety. The auditability of MIS is a double‐edged proposition since the variety of the MIS must be matched by auditors if they want to be recognised as control agents. Thus, either MIS variety must be reduced to match the audit variety achievable or the audit variety must be increased to match the existing MIS variety. In other words, an intelligent interface is needed between auditors and MIS. Auditors require a language and a communication channel to evaluate the internal controls of the MIS as well as the information generated by the MIS.

Examines empirically which of a range of variables affect managers′ perceptions of the management information system (MIS) designed to support logistics. The results suggest that the adoption of computer software, the use of specific informational control devices and some aspects of logistics organisation have an effect in both smaller and larger firms. Other variables, such as the title and tenure of the senior logistics executive, do not systematically predict variance in managers′ perceptions of logistics MIS.

MIS researchers have consistently adopted survey‐based research method while investigating MIS and related phenomenon, making survey‐based research method one of the widely used research method in MIS research. This study seeks to revisit some of the inherent characteristics of survey‐based research method with the aim of improving the quality, replication, and validation of results in MIS survey‐based studies. Additionally, this study provides information on the most prevalent analytical and statistical tools used in MIS survey research studies.

In this research, the authors adopt the content analysis technique. The choice of content analysis is premised on the desire to investigate the sources of survey data, units of analysis, research methods, and statistical tools used in MIS research with the aim of improving empirical research in the MIS discipline.

The results show the prevalent sources of data, the dominant units of analysis, the most commonly used analytical research methods, and the statistical tools adopted by many MIS researchers. The results indicate that many MIS researchers get their data from US sources, although researchers are increasingly acquiring data from other countries. Also, the results reveal that most MIS survey researchers are using SEM, LISREL, and PLS statistical methods and tools.

The paper concludes with recommendations and implications on how to inform and retool upcoming and existing researchers on the current and future MIS research tools and methods. Editors should ensure that MIS researchers provide as much information as possible about the sources of data, the dominant units of analysis, the analytical research methods used, and the statistical tools adopted; these will demonstrate the rigor of the research process and enable replication, validation, and extension of the research works.

The paper presents the results of a content analysis of 749 survey‐based research articles published between 1990 and 2010 in nine mainstream MIS Journals. Prior studies have broadly addressed aspects of MIS research methodologies like investigating MIS research methods, ranking them, and generated a taxonomy of MIS research methodology. The results of this study make a case for the reporting of, both, the analytical method(s) and statistical tools used by MIS researchers to aid in replicating, validating, and extending the resultant findings of their survey‐based research.

Proposes the establishment of a management information system (MIS) for the promotion of safety in shipping. Considers the information technology in shipping to be the combination of satellite systems and computers onboard and ashore. In this combination, which enables the provision of an optimum selection and management of data for automatic or human decision making, the role of satcoms is information transfer and that of computers is information processing. Acknowledges the importance of the human factor in shipping safety. Human decisions affecting shipping safety often depend on the quantity and quality of the available information. In the proposed MIS the need to improve the limited ability of humans to receive, store, process and interpret information, which is usually vast and complex, is acknowledged and fulfilled. Among the available maritime satcom systems and computer services, the proposal reveals those services which satisfy the criteria of useful, interactive, flexible, fast, reliable and low‐cost transfer and management of information in support of safety‐oriented decision making in shipping operations. The proposed MIS integrates the information resources of shipping office(s), the ship(s) and the maritime‐related industry as a whole and provides the shipping company with the capability to document, monitor and control the safety‐critical aspect of “technical reliability” towards promotion of safety in shipping and compliance with the International Safety Management Code.

Most of transitional (former socialist) countries still suffer from underdeveloped market mechanisms. In order to provide support for development of modern market mechanisms for the market of agricultural products, government experts within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry designed institutional information support – Market Information System in Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia – TISUP. This system is organised in order to prevent one of the most important market failures – insufficient and delayed dissemination of information that is crucial for the normal functioning of the market. The paper explores the functioning of the whole system and provides a general conceptional framework for understanding both market information systems and markets of agricultural products in Croatia and some other relevant countries/regions.

Teaching management information systems (MIS) fundamental course remains a challenging task to date, encountering several continuing complaints from students as well as instructors, as per several studies. Several reasons are reported, some of which are related to little embrace of more innovative non-traditional techniques, and limited literature guidance on selection and effective use of appropriate strategies to various settings. Toward instructional innovation, this paper proposes and tests a pedagogical instrument. By introducing this tool, the ultimate objective is to minimize the confusion that students usually encounter during this course and to empower the instructors in the delivery of its interdisciplinary knowledge.

A triangulation of four methods is being employed: conceptual development, experimentation for 12 years, assessment in light of the self-regulated learning theory, and empirical analysis. For the latter method, an open-ended questionnaire as well as group interviewing were carried out.

The proposed instrument (need-function instrument [NFI]) was found to be in support of self-regulated learning to a promising extent in terms of its four core aspects. The participants were more inclined to accept as well as appreciate the instrument than report drawbacks. Yet, there are few complaints for the inability to distinguish between two introduced terms, ‘Information Problem’ and ‘Operations Problem’. Therefore, a future effort is deemed necessary to explore this aspect.

The results are based on a single case of educational institution which is not enough to generalize for other educational environments. Future research is necessary for testing in a variety of settings in terms of type of classroom, number of students enrolled, type of institution (public or private), etc.

Whereas the instrument is anticipated to render improvements in the students’ understanding of MIS content and to alleviate the task of the course leader in delivering the course, there are possible practical implications that should be paid careful attention to. They were analyzed in terms of four dimensions: the Instructor, the Student, the Classroom and Time.

The paper introduces a new pedagogical instrument/tool for teaching the MIS fundamental course.