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Article
Publication date: 2 March 2015

Kallaya Jairak, Prasong Praneetpolgrang and Pilastpongs Subsermsri

The purpose of this paper is to develop a formal set of information technology (IT) governance practices based on sufficiency economy philosophy (SEP) to support the generic…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a formal set of information technology (IT) governance practices based on sufficiency economy philosophy (SEP) to support the generic context for Thai universities.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology in this study is divided into two main phases that are conceptualization and operationalization. In the phase of conceptualization, the authors reviewed literature related to the implementation of IT governance in universities and the principles of SEP in order to conceptualize an initial idea of IT governance on the basis of SEP. In the phase of operationalization, the authors performed in-depth interviews with the CIOs of 20 universities, five IT experts, and five SEP experts in order to verify the proposed concept.

Findings

This study provides two key findings: the IT governance practices based on SEP for Thai universities and the mapping of IT governance practices based on SEP with ISO/IEC 38500.

Practical implications

The total of 65 practices presented in this study can be used as a guideline for handling of IT governance issues in Thai universities.

Originality/value

This study provides university IT governance practices based on the principles of SEP that is widely accepted and highly appreciated in Thailand.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2016

Guangming Cao, Yanqing Duan, Trevor Cadden and Sonal Minocha

– The purpose of this paper is to develop, and explicate the significance of the need for a systemic conceptual framework for understanding IT business value.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop, and explicate the significance of the need for a systemic conceptual framework for understanding IT business value.

Design/methodology/approach

Embracing a systems perspective, this paper examines the interrelationship between IT and other organisational factors at the organisational level and its impact on the business value of IT. As a result, a systemic conceptual framework for understanding IT business value is developed. An example of enhancing IT business value through developing systemic capabilities is then used to test and demonstrate the value of this framework.

Findings

The findings suggest that IT business value would be significantly enhanced when systemic capabilities are generated from the synergistic interrelations among IT and other organisational factors at the systems level, while the system’s human agents play a critical role in developing systemic capabilities by purposely configuring and reconfiguring organisational factors.

Practical implications

The conceptual framework advanced provides the means to recognise the significance of the need for understanding IT business value systemically and dynamically. It encourages an organisation to focus on developing systemic capabilities by ensuring that IT and other organisational factors work together as a synergistic whole, better managing the role its human agents play in shaping the systems interrelations, and developing and redeveloping systemic capabilities by configuring its subsystems purposely with the changing business environment.

Originality/value

This paper reveals the nature of systemic capabilities underpinned by a systems perspective. The resultant systemic conceptual framework for understanding IT business value can help us move away from pairwise resource complementarity to focusing on the whole system and its interrelations while responding to the changing business environment. It is hoped that the framework can help organisations delineate important IT investment considerations and the priorities that they must adopt to create superior IT business value.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 29 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 October 2013

Kallaya Jairak and Prasong Praneetpolgrang

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the current situation and the future improvement for IT governance and controls in developing country like Thailand.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the current situation and the future improvement for IT governance and controls in developing country like Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

Thai universities were selected and used as subjects for capturing the perception of IT executives on IT governance performance measures. In the first step, a global IT governance perspective was drawn from the literature review. In the second step, the important-performance analysis was applied to the metrics of IT governance balanced scorecard with collected survey data from 64 IT executives.

Findings

From a global perspective, the critical points that need to be concerned before implementing IT governance have been illustrated. From a regional perspective, the paper generated the strategic IT governance guidance for Thai universities.

Practical implications

This paper is beneficial for chief information officers, executive managers, IT managers, and academics. They will gain more knowledge and understanding about the mixed method of using metrics in IT governance balanced scorecard and importance-performance analysis in order to identify the current situation of IT governance and controls in their organizations. Additionally, the practical idea with this method can be applied to draw IT governance strategy in their contexts.

Originality/value

This paper specifies the critical points and directions of IT governance for Thai universities. The analysis covers global and regional viewpoints. This paper also provides the method for applying IT governance balanced scorecard metrics and importance-performance analysis to contribute IT governance strategy.

Details

Information Management & Computer Security, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-5227

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2012

Chee Wong, Heather Skipworth, Janet Godsell and Nemile Achimugu

The importance of supply chain alignment has been discussed since the birth of supply chain management (SCM). Yet it remains a major challenge for supply chains. This paper aims…

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Abstract

Purpose

The importance of supply chain alignment has been discussed since the birth of supply chain management (SCM). Yet it remains a major challenge for supply chains. This paper aims to systematically review the cross disciplinary literature on supply chain alignment in order to identify, and develop constructs for enablers to alignment, and an associated set of hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic approach has been taken to the literature review, which ensures it is auditable and repeatable. The selection criteria are clearly aligned with the review question ensuring all literature pertinent to the question is identified and reviewed. Relevant information is extracted from the selected papers and synthesised into a set of hypotheses.

Findings

Six main constructs for the enablers of alignment are identified and defined: organisational structure, internal relational behaviour, customer relational behaviour, top management support, information sharing and business performance measurement system. While the literature is disparate, across different disciplines there is good support for these enablers. The relationships between supply chain alignment and shareholder and customer value are also argued with the support of the literature. Although each of the enablers is argued to positively affect shareholder and customer value, their interactions with one another are not well supported in the literature, either theoretically or empirically, and therefore this could be an area for further research.

Research limitations/implications

While the hypotheses remain theoretical, it is now possible to test them and understand the relative significance of the various enablers to alignment.

Practical implications

The significance of shareholder and customer alignment on the delivery of shareholder and customer value can be examined, thus moving towards a theory of supply chain alignment. This is needed since in practice companies are struggling with supply chain alignment.

Originality/value

The existing literature on supply chain alignment is disparate and multi‐disciplinary as this descriptive analysis shows, with 72 papers published in 43 different journals. Moreover, most of the papers focus on particular enablers, while this paper brings together six key enablers from the literature to produce a set of hypotheses.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 April 2014

Peter Rex Massingham and Rada K Massingham

The paper examines ways that Knowledge Management (KM) can demonstrate practical value for organizations. It begins by reviewing the claims made about KM, i.e. the benefits KM can

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper examines ways that Knowledge Management (KM) can demonstrate practical value for organizations. It begins by reviewing the claims made about KM, i.e. the benefits KM can provide to organizations. These claims are compared with traditional firm performance metrics to derive a criterion to measure the value of KM. Seven practical outcomes of KM are then presented as methods to persuade managers to invest in KM. These practical outcomes are then evaluated against the value criterion. The paper is based on empirical evidence from a five year longitudinal study.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a longitudinal change project for a large Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project grant in the period 2008-2013. The Project was a transformational change program which aimed to help make the partner organisation a learning organisation. The partner organisation was a large Australian Government Department, which faced the threat of knowledge loss caused by its ageing workforce. The sample was 118 respondents, mainly engineering and technical workers. A total of 150 respondents were invited to participate in the study which involved an annual survey and attendance at regular training workshops and related activities, with a participation rate of 79 per cent.

Findings

This paper provides a checklist from which to evaluate KM in terms of financial and non-financial measures and seven practical outcomes from which to identify the organisational problem which may be addressed by KM. Lead and lag indicators – what needs to be done and what will result – are also provided. Managers may use this framework to identify the value proposition in any KM investment.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on a single case study in a public sector organization. While the longitudinal nature of the study and the rich data collected offsets this issue, it also presents good opportunities for researchers and practitioners to test the ideas presented in this paper in other industry contexts. The seven practical outcomes also vary in the maturity of the empirical evidence supporting KM ' s impact. Strategic alignment, value management, and psychological contract, in particular, are still under-developed and could be areas for specific further research testing the ideas presented here.

Practical implications

This paper argues that investment decisions regarding KM may benefit from focusing on significant and on-going organisational problems, which will connect KM with firm performance and demonstrate financial and non-financial impact. The seven practical outcomes were evaluated against measurement criteria and against KM ' s claims. Overall, common themes were time and cost, as well as capability growth and performance improvements. Financial impact was mainly found in cost savings. Non-financial impact was found across the seven practical outcomes. It provides management with a checklist to make investment decisions regarding KM.

Originality/value

The decision whether to invest in KM begins with methods used to evaluate any organisational project. Managers must determine first whether necessary funds are available; and then whether the project is worthwhile. The standard method for evaluating a project ' s worth is return on investment (ROI). However, calculating ROI for KM investment is problematic. Unless KM can be proven to directly improve performance in financial terms, managers may struggle to see its ROI. The paper begins by reviewing the claims made about KM, i.e. the benefits KM can provide to organizations. These claims are compared with traditional firm performance metrics to derive a criterion to measure the value of KM.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 July 2007

Heinz‐Theo Wagner and Tim Weitzel

The goal of this paper is to identify core IT value drivers in firms and to model them as an IT production function to help disclose and measure the IT value creation process and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The goal of this paper is to identify core IT value drivers in firms and to model them as an IT production function to help disclose and measure the IT value creation process and to guide managers in seeking adequate ways of employing the IT resource.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a critical review of the literature on the resource‐based view, an IT value framework based on the constructs IT capability, resource, and routine is developed and then formalized as an IT production function.

Findings

Organizational routines are decisive for turning firm resources into an IT capability and in turn into better business process performance. Shows how the IT value creation process in general and routines in particular can be measured and formalized.

Practical implications

As the interaction between IT and business units is crucial for IT value generation, organizational routines provide for important knowledge flows that turn firm resources into value generating capabilities. Proposes a concrete method to measure and evaluate these routines and thereby contribute to making the IT resource controllable.

Originality/value

The main contribution is the identification and analytical formalization of the role of routines for IT value creation. Shows how insights from the resource‐based view, microeconomic theory (Cobb‐Douglas/CES production function), and Granovetter's strength of ties argument can be used to describe, measure, and guide IT value creation and to develop an IT production function.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 April 2009

Jau‐Rong Chen

The importance of alignment of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation for organizational strategies has been widely recognized. However, ERP implementation in the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The importance of alignment of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation for organizational strategies has been widely recognized. However, ERP implementation in the context of new ventures has not yet been convincingly demonstrated. Furthermore, how to align ERP implementation with organizational development in new ventures deserves further examination as new ventures are in the emergency or early growth stage and thus have distinct concerns in adopting ERP. Against this background, the main purpose of this paper is to explore how ERP implementation can facilitate the organization development of new ventures.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopts an in‐depth case study method for gathering and analyzing data. The case research strategy allows the exploration of unforeseen phenomena and offers insights into the inter‐dependencies among the factors captured in the study. It is believed that case study research will be most appropriate in gaining in‐depth knowledge of the practices of ERP implementation in new venture development.

Findings

Drawing on an in‐depth case study from a Taiwanese IC design house, this study shows that, to leverage the value of ERP system, the implementation should consider the firm's growth stages, the unique industrial characteristics, the influences from the business group, and the alignment of the internal control and audit function, corporate governance, and information technology governance.

Practical implications

The findings of this study contribute to the literature on ERP implementation and organization development in new ventures. The implications and future research directions are also discussed.

Originality/value

This single case study has provided valuable insights into the practice of ERP implementation. Furthermore, data analysis of this study provides a set of vocabularies that researchers and practitioners could employ in similar organizational processes as in new ventures. Accordingly, future ERP implementation processes can be compared and benchmarked.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 September 2011

Edephonce N. Nfuka and Lazar Rusu

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of critical success factors (CSFs) on information technology (IT) governance performance in public sector organizations in a…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of critical success factors (CSFs) on information technology (IT) governance performance in public sector organizations in a developing country such as Tanzania.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a previous study and a further literature review, a research model was developed for analysing the relationship between the CSFs found for effective IT governance in this environment and their effect on IT governance performance. A survey research method was applied for data collection and sample data from Tanzanian public sector organizations (this environment) obtained. Subsequently, a second‐generation structural equation modelling technique, namely partial least squares, was applied to test statistically the correlated effect.

Findings

The results indicate significant small to strong positive correlated effects on IT governance performance. The CSF with the most significant correlated effect was “involve and get support of senior management” and the one with the least “consolidate, standardize and manage IT infrastructure and application to optimize costs and information flow across the organization”. Finally, a CSF model for effective IT governance in this environment was proposed.

Research limitations/implications

The findings imply that decision makers can optimize IT‐related plans and use of scarce resources by concentrating on the CSFs that have a significant effect on IT governance performance that could lead to an improvement of public service delivery. This study is limited to a single developing country but future studies can involve more such countries to broaden the insights into the effect of CSFs on IT governance performance in such environments.

Originality/value

By establishing the correlated effects between these CSFs and the IT governance performance, this study has revealed a significant impact of CSFs on IT governance performance. It also suggests a CSFs model for effective IT governance in this less‐resourced environment in which such studies have not been conducted before, yet which are vital for analysing and improving IT governance.

Details

Industrial Management & Data Systems, vol. 111 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-5577

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 May 2015

Giuseppe D'Onza, Rita Lamboglia and Roberto Verona

This paper aims to analyse the relationship between the senior management and the information technology (IT) auditing undertaken in Italian banks, focusing specifically on the…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the relationship between the senior management and the information technology (IT) auditing undertaken in Italian banks, focusing specifically on the internal IT auditing. The purpose of this paper is to investigate senior executives’ expectations regarding IT auditing, the techniques IT auditors apply to meet these expectations, the degree to which senior managers are satisfied with the auditing and the expectation gap.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted 22 interviews with senior managers and IT auditors of seven Italian banks, comprising large and small financial institutions, to gain data for our analysis.

Findings

We found that overall, the IT auditors’ contributions satisfy senior managers, even though they still see room for improvement. They expect more support for the IT governance processes, specifically for the alignment between IT investments and business needs and between IT risk management and the value that IT resources provide. In addition, they want IT auditors to focus more strongly on IT security. To meet these expectations, IT auditors would have to improve their technical and non-technical skills. These skills will allow them to expand their activities, to be more proactive and to take on effective roles in IT governance processes.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the internal audit function’s evolving role and into banks’ IT audit activities. It also provides a valuable insight into senior management’s expectations regarding the role IT audit activities should play to support the profession and the banking policymakers, thus providing a better understanding of IT audit activities and improving these activities’ role.

Details

Managerial Auditing Journal, vol. 30 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-6902

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 June 2008

Noor Azizi Ismail

The paper's purpose is to investigate the issues of IT governance, funding and structure of a public university in Malaysia.

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper's purpose is to investigate the issues of IT governance, funding and structure of a public university in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a case study approach, i.e. a series of interviews with users and information services provider of campus information system.

Findings

The university lacks a common approach to decision making or forum for making comprehensive assessments of IT planning and funding strategy. The campus information system was developed in an uncoordinated manner, reflecting interests of different departmental units, and a decision support system is almost non‐existent. A new IT planning structure with clear roles and responsibilities is proposed to overcome existing barriers to effective campus information system.

Originality/value

This is the first study to investigate the issue of IT governance, funding and structure in Malaysian universities using a case study approach.

Details

Campus-Wide Information Systems, vol. 25 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-0741

Keywords

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