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21 – 30 of over 140000Dennis Kehoe, David Little and Andrew Lyons
Information systems are often developed to introduce new technologyor to overcome severe maintenance problems rather than to improvefundamental business practice. In today′s…
Abstract
Information systems are often developed to introduce new technology or to overcome severe maintenance problems rather than to improve fundamental business practice. In today′s manufacturing environment, any attempt to develop effective information systems must benefit the organization as a whole and reflect the strategic needs of the business. The goal is the development of systems that help produce constructive change in business operations to achieve a competitive edge. For most organizations, this means defining a strategy or plan for moving from their current position to the desired goal. Emphasizes the importance of effective information systems planning, details its requirements in today′s manufacturing environment and outlines a planning methodology that helps identify and rank opportunities to develop information systems to meet business needs.
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The data collected for management information purposes by librariescan form the basis for a strategic information system. Examines thepotential for SIS in libraries, possible…
Abstract
The data collected for management information purposes by libraries can form the basis for a strategic information system. Examines the potential for SIS in libraries, possible development paths and applications. Suggests that libraries should examine the applications of such techniques and how data for them could be effectively collected.
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The paper's purpose is to investigate the issues of IT governance, funding and structure of a public university in Malaysia.
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.
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This paper aims to address the extant and arguable role of enterprise systems (ES) in relation to management accounting practices (MAPs) through an inclusion relative neglect…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to address the extant and arguable role of enterprise systems (ES) in relation to management accounting practices (MAPs) through an inclusion relative neglect account of business process management (BPM). This is also extended to draw out an analytical framework to advance our understanding of how BPM mediate ES-MAPs interplay.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional case study was adopted as a research strategy with which to collect data about the ES-BPM-MAPs interplay as a unit of analysis. The latter, in the first stage, was examined across (89) mini-case studies operating in the UK context through reports and documentations collected from cases’ websites, vendors and consultants of information systems. Drawn insights from cross-sectional analysis and contributions made by prior studies are blended together to inform the second stage that outlines an analytical framework for ES-BPM-MAPs interplay.
Findings
Different ES are mobilised to address different orientations of BPMs and being used for different managerial functions and purposes. Different patterns of ES-BPM-MAPs interplay are identified across (89) UK-case studies and the BPM is a fulcrum understanding. These patterns are centred around three key BPM including customer, logistics and control processes and all oriented by a continuum of an organisation intention focus on control, understanding and strategising. Both processes and orientations explain ES development and MAPs evolution processes. Standardisation, integration and intelligence are key characteristics sought through ES mobilisations. By complementary, information provision, analytics and simulation are three sophisticated ways of using MA information facilitated by ES characteristics.
Research limitations/implications
Dynamic processes of MAPs change over time and are beyond the reach of this study. Such approach requires full access to case studies. BPM is fulcrum understanding of MAPs change and/or stability in relation to ES implementation including other components.
Practical implications
Findings and analytical framework could be used as a base for establishing the best approach in adopting ES to fully exploit the potential of future ES applications as well as to avoid organisations pitfalls of implementations. Organisations are advised to understand their existing business processes, characteristics of MA information would be achieved first upon which decision of ES components selection and implementation could be outlined.
Originality/value
The indirect interplay between ES and MAPs through business processes is rarely examined. By the inclusion of BPM and using cross-sectional case studies, this research contributes to the existing shortcomings of ES-MAPs interplay by broadening the picture and proposing an analytical framework. The latter advances our understanding by focusing on attributes of ES-BPM-MAPs upon which informal changes in-the use of MAPs are recognised.
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Charles Wiseman and Ian C. MacMillan
As the pace of competition intensifies in the 1980s, information systems will emerge as critical new weapons in the battle to gain an advantage over competitors. The authors show…
Abstract
As the pace of competition intensifies in the 1980s, information systems will emerge as critical new weapons in the battle to gain an advantage over competitors. The authors show how a business can use modern information technologies to create a competitive edge by adding value to present products and services.
Nesrine Chtourou Ben Amar and Randa Ben Romdhane
Information systems (IS) strategic alignment is a significant chief information officers (CIO) and top management issue because of its impact on a firm’s performance and…
Abstract
Purpose
Information systems (IS) strategic alignment is a significant chief information officers (CIO) and top management issue because of its impact on a firm’s performance and profitability. Previous studies have primarily examined informal dimension’s influence on IS strategic alignment. Nevertheless, a few research works have emphasised cultural dimension’s effect. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate and bring out organisational culture’s influence on IS strategic alignment. Notably, it highlights the most significant culture types, according to the Competing Value Framework (Cameron et al., 2006).
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical setting comprises a quantitative approach using a survey based on a sample of 160 business managers (BMs) of 53 large companies located in Tunisia with international activities and being in the post-implementation operational use phase of their enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. The partial least square (PLS) method has been used for data analysis.
Findings
The results provide an empirical evidence supporting a positive and significant organisational culture’s influence on the IS strategic alignment. The findings also show that “Clan Culture” (Internal/Flexibility-oriented culture) positively influences IS alignment along with the strategic priorities. These findings provide guidance and help understand how, through clan culture, the company can contribute significantly to the success of its ERP systems strategic alignment during the most critical phase, namely, post-implementation.
Originality/value
Despite abundant work related to IS alignment topic, little research, to the authors’ knowledge, has been undertaken in considering organisational culture’s influence. Thus, this research aims to fill this gap and to raise new questions about IS alignment. First, this study puts together organisational culture (through the Competing values Framework) and strategic alignment (through the IS use dimension) in a single research model to analyse four culture types’ direct effect on IS alignment. Second, this study is innovative in its use of the ERP post-implementation as an empirical framework. The post-implementation phase is often played down in research work in favour of the upstream pre-implementation phases. Furthermore, the findings bring together theoretical and practical insights on both IS-business strategic alignment and ERP post-implementation. Thus, future research could emphasise the role of clan culture in the efficiency of ERP systems strategic alignment during the usage phase. Building on these findings, BM, CIO and top management are advised to promote this culture type based on communication, information sharing and the spirit of internal partnership – so that their ERP systems are used appropriately and aligned with the company’s strategic priorities.
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Adilson Carlos Yoshikuni and Alberto Luiz Albertin
This study argues that strategic information systems (SISs) are necessary for organizations’ survival and corporate performance in turbulent economic environments. Applying Miles…
Abstract
Purpose
This study argues that strategic information systems (SISs) are necessary for organizations’ survival and corporate performance in turbulent economic environments. Applying Miles and Snow’s strategy typology, the purpose of this paper is to explore how SIS supports business strategy and corporate performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses quantitative survey data from 389 Brazilian companies during economic crises and analyzes them using structural equation modeling.
Findings
There is strong evidence that SIS promotes capacity and flexibility to create competitive strategies in response to environmental changes. SIS significantly and positively predicts firms’ use of prospector strategies, reducing the need to sacrifice efficiency for innovation. SIS can predict corporate performance more strongly than firms’ strategic orientations can.
Practical implications
The results provide organizations insights on how SIS enables strategic planning processes to create competitive strategy and improve performance during economic turbulence.
Originality/value
This research demonstrates SIS’s positive effects during economic turbulence on competitive strategy and performance, revealing that corporate performance is influenced more by SIS (strategic process) than strategic orientation (content). Hence, this study fills a research gap in the information systems strategy literature by contributing new insights about SIS.
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As e‐business strategies have received growing attention from entrepreneurs, executives, investors and industry, information systems (IS)/information technology (IT) strategic…
Abstract
As e‐business strategies have received growing attention from entrepreneurs, executives, investors and industry, information systems (IS)/information technology (IT) strategic planning has progressively come to be considered a critical method for developing a successful e‐strategy. However, despite the growing number of theoretical frameworks for IS/IT strategic planning, practical implementation faces several problems. Most importantly, numerous IS/IT strategic planning frameworks do not seem to realize that IS‐related problems are not merely technological, but are also caused by neglecting the interrelationship between IS/IT and organizational context. This study aims to identify and explore the key organizational mechanisms related to IS/IT strategic planning, and thus improve planning effectiveness. The proposed mechanisms provide a valuable reference for business managers or strategic planners who are initiating or conducting IS/IT strategic planning exercises in the digital era, and for researchers interested in information systems management.
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Raniere Rodrigues dos Santos, Fagner José Coutinho de melo Melo, Calline Neves de Queiroz Claudino and Denise Dumke de Medeiros
The implementation of quality in health services should go beyond legal, regulatory and purely technical obligations in relation to carrying out health insurance practices. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The implementation of quality in health services should go beyond legal, regulatory and purely technical obligations in relation to carrying out health insurance practices. The purpose of this paper is to present a management model that intends to equip private health care companies in favor of quality development from the use of a model for forming a competitive strategy in the supplementary health sector companies.
Design/methodology/approach
In this approach the proposed model is grounded on guiding procedures for the process of strategy formulation, with a systemic structure that separates in analysis involving the internal and external environment to the organization to verify the strategy that best applies. It is based on prescriptive strategy – the five competitive forces and, with adaptive strategy, the competition arenas.
Findings
Through the proposed model the analytical mechanisms of political-legal environments surrounding companies in the sector can be described, identify organizations and their process performance, study them, and perform comparative analysis of information between them. All of this development seeks to ensure the formation of policies, to guide strategic action in health insurance.
Originality/value
This work strongly contributes to the foundation and strengthening of strategic knowledge and has quality aimed at the study of the private health care market, due to the high degree of regulatory requirements by the state to the businesses, the environment turns into a chain of complex information that migrates from the condition of just meeting legal requirements, to also satisfying the demands of a hypercompetitive market.
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The developing role of information is explored within modernbusiness, and in particular the use of strategic information systems togain competitive advantage. It is suggested that…
Abstract
The developing role of information is explored within modern business, and in particular the use of strategic information systems to gain competitive advantage. It is suggested that IT requires significant redesign of enterprises with regard to organisation, behaviour, direction and planning.
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