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The views of 25 chief executive officers and their information systems executives on the utility of information systems in their organizations were examined. A gap was detected between these two groups of executives with regard to their satisfaction with information systems and those who run them. It is concluded that such a gap must be eliminated through training and education, if information systems are to be effective in achieving a strategic competitive advantage for the organization.

Examines the views of 25 chief executive officers and their information systems executives on the utility of information systems in their organizations. Detects a gap between these two groups of executives with regard to their satisfaction with information systems and those who run them. Concludes that such a gap must be eliminated through training and education, if information systems are to be effective in achieving a strategic competitive advantage for the organization.

Strategic information systems contribute to enhance managerial understanding in terms of organisational development and business success. In particular, they assist in making timely business decisions and formulating feasible strategic plans. In practice, a strategic information system consists of several modules performing different functions such as strategic prerequisites, strategic directions and so forth. The integration of these modules to form a unified system is an essential task for achieving an efficient as well as effective strategic information system. In today’s business environment, where there are a great variety of standards in various computer systems that make the linking of modules to enable bi‐directional electronic data interchange difficult and costly. This paper attempts to introduce a model which embraces a neutral format approach to realise the efficient and reliable information flow among various modules of a strategic information system. Furthermore, the proposed guidelines for implementing such a system using the neutral format generalisation technique are also covered.

A framework is presented based on the MRP Evolution‐Information System Evolution (MEISE) grid to classify MRP users in terms of the diagonal band along the dimension of information processing system development. The classification scheme provides a guideline for the information system specialist to make necessary adjustments of information systems when they decide to upgrade their MRP systems. Furthermore, the MEISE grid also facilitates the organisation of information and production functions while maintaining overall co‐ordination. Finally, the operational implications of deviating from the diagonal band are discussed.

This paper takes the view that the design of information systems which both do the job they were designed for and are culturally acceptable is rare, and that the problem does not lie squarely at the door of unreliable technology or bad systems design. The number of methodologies available which are intended to enable us to design and build information systems has grown rapidly over the last decade or so; one of the outcomes of this is a number of highly structured and mechanistic formulae which assume that people know from the outset what information they want, where they want it to go and how they want it to be delivered. This paper argues that this general assumption is false and has resulted in inadequate and inflexible information systems which quickly assume dinosaur status, or which are rejected by users. A common prerequisite of such methodologies is that a problem has been defined (which the eventual system will solve), and that the organisational and cultural context within which the problem exists is agreed and understood. This is of course sometimes the case but it should not be assumed to be generally true. The view is taken here that more effective information systems are designed when some time is spent at the beginning of the analysis exploring the environment in which the system will operate, and account is taken of the possibly different views of this which may be held by people who work within the situation. Additionally, distinctions need to be made between what information is needed and how it will be delivered. This could be viewed as an important distinction between information and communication systems which has to be understood before organisations can make expensive procurement decisions about communications technology and hardware. The outcome of this process would be an analysis of information requirements using models which were closer to agreed views of the situation. It could also of course usefully generate debate about desired changes to current systems and therefore would be more likely to result in the design of information systems which matched organisational strategy and development. Checkland's Soft Systems Methodology is examined as a useful methodology to use in this context. Its fundamental features are described and examples of models are shown to demonstrate how the methodology can facilitate analysis of communication requirements.

The purpose of this paper is to study a theory of systems and their models on the basis of studying the information channels between their elements, meaning that it is a continuation of those studies already carried out on the theory of systems and their models applied to environmental systems.

The model information transmission system (MITS) can be defined as the theoretical structure that makes it possible to describe the way information is stored and transmitted in a modelling process, and which will be completed in future studies. The basis for a taxonomy of languages is also presented.

The theoretical structure described will lead to the study of a theory of information from the point of view of the analysis of text systems and models, but analysed within the theoretical structure presented, which includes the study of an information source and an information channel.

These theoretical findings will improve the information channels used up to now for the study and modelling of systems and which are largely described using several computer programmes, as the information generated and transmitted will be studied and analysed in different ways. In this way, the text models and families of text models generated can be analysed by studying and transforming models, particularly by focusing attention on everything inherent to the information contained in the same.

Many service organizations′ corporate mission is “to be number one in delivering service to customers”. The use of traditional financial accounting measures as performance indicators has led to an inappropriate reliance on internal information resulting in an unbalanced information system and, therefore, by definition a dysfunctional strategy. A balanced information system must provide information on both internal operations and external customer satisfaction. In order to optimize overall performance in service organizations, a balanced information system is critical. The long run survival of a service business depends on the appropriate balance between internal information (efficiency) and external information (effectiveness). Both internal information (efficiency) and external information (effectiveness) must be used as complements to each other in order to fulfill long‐term corporate goals. Reliance on internal information or the substitution of internal information for needed external information will not result in the long‐term fulfillment of the corporate mission. Obviously any organizational system that is closed to the environment will develop entropy.

Computerised marketing information systems have been discussed in the marketing and information systems literature for some time. Looks at the extent to which they have been implemented in the UK and concludes that they are still in their infancy. A schema for a marketing information system is presented together with some pitfalls in design that must be avoided. Discussion finally turns to how such an information system may be used.

Production systems are becoming more and more information intensive activities. Production management is faced with new challenges which demand an overall information approach to production information systems planning. However, production systems are not all alike. Each system presents different information implications for system selection and operation. An information systems view of production information systems is offered. The analysis is based on principles central to systems thinking in general, with specific reference to production systems. Various such systems, including hierarchical, MRP, JIT, OPT and FMS, are then examined from a major aspect of systems design, the concept of system guarantors. Each of these systems has proved successful in certain production environments. However, from an information systems point of view, the question is not always one of net return or claims of increased productivity, but rather who or what will in the final analysis guarantee the system's results.

Describes a systematic approach to strategically planning the development of information systems within an organization. It comprises four main phases: initiation, data collection, strategy formulation and short‐term development. Critical success factors are used to prioritize proposed information systems, so that those giving competitive advantage to the organization can be highlighted for immediate development. The methodology does not depend on external consultants or complex software development tools and can be used by small and large organizations. It results in a quick, flexible plan for implementing information systems in a way synergetic with the organization′s goals.