Impediments to information technology utilization in a developing nation m Africa

With an increasing awareness of the role of information technology (IT) in improving internal efficiency and conducting business in the emerging global economy, organizations in the developing nations, like their counterparts in the developed countries, are taking a keen interest in IT-based solutions to their problems. Yet they face unique problems that impede their ability to adopt FT. This research identifies these problems in Zimbabwe - a developing nation in Southern Africa. The results are based on a two-stage study consisting of interviews with 12 MIS managers, and responses to a questiormaire instrument by 88 middle- and upperlevel managers in Zimbabwe. While some of the problems rnentioned are similar to those faced by the U. S. firms - lack of knowledge about the potential of IT on the part of top management and resistance to change by users - others are somewhat unique to Zimbabwe (or most developing countries). These include: the firm\u27s inability to acquire modem IT (because of the high cost of hardware/software and/or the lack of foreign currency to import this equipment), and the lack of expertise in the areas of systems analysis, system design, information management, and computer training

The Feasibility Study in Information Systems: an Analysis of Criteria and Contents

The feasibility study has been prescribed and described as an important step in information system development. Yet there has been little research on issues pertaining to its con-tents and criteria. This paper addresses these issues and reports research from a quasi-experimental investigation using actual system development projects. The empirical results show that the two most important factors in a feasibility study are: convincing the users that the system they get will actually meet their functional requirements, and also that the system will work effectively within the organizational environment. A surprising result was the low importance attached by respondents to meeting the needs of the clerical personnel providing inputs to and handling the outputs from the system. Also. economic factors, which have been the focus of attention for many researchers. were ranked in the middle of all factors considered

Assessing EIS Benefits: A Survey of Current Practices

In order to explore what benefits are being realized from executive information systems (EISs), the kinds of benefit/cost analyses being performed, and the factors that affect whether and how a benefit/cost analysis is conducted, mail survey data were collected from 72 organizations, followed up by 16 telephone interviews. Prior to and after the development of the EISs, the most highly rated benefits were faster access to information, more timely information, and improved presentation of data. The lowest rated were better environmental scanning and support for downsizing the organization. In virtually all cases, the level of benefits realized was less than what was expected, with the largest gap involving those benefits associated with improving executive performance. When conducting a benefit/cost analysis prior to implementing an EIS, most organizations determine the expected costs and an intuitive feeling for the benefits. After implementation, fewer organizations quantify the benefits and costs. A number of factors affect EIS benefit/cost analyses, including the position of the executive sponsor, the cost of the system, the obvious benefits, turnover of the executive sponsor, and difficult economic times

A Critical Review of Decision Support Systems Foundational Articles

Abstract Decision Support Systems (DSS) is a mature field of study with an extensive conceptual and empirical literature. This research study provides a starting point for learning and reviewing the foundation literature of the field. Decision support and analytics researchers can benefit from revisiting the methodologies, identifying under-explored ideas, and hopefully identifying visionary concepts from thought leaders who established the DSS research stream. This article reports a systematic examination of the DSS foundational literature published in MIS Quarterly during its first fifteen years of publication -- 1977-1991. In addition to examining the relevance of these articles to current and future research, the findings of the study provide a reference point of DSS research categories. Articles were categorized in terms of theory, methods, concepts and perspectives about computerized decision support that enrich research and encourage future exploration

Open Models of Decision Support Towards a Framework

Aquesta tesi presenta un marc per als models oberts de suport a les decisions en les organitzacions. El treball es vehicula a través d’un compendi d’articles on s’analitzen els fluxos d’entrada i de sortida de coneixement en les organitzacions, així como les tecnologies existents de suport a les decisions. Es presenten els factors subjacents que impulsen nous models per a formes obertes de suport a la decisió. La tesis presenta un estudi de les distintes tipologies de models de suport a les decisions tenint en compte diferents tipus d’organitzacions. En el primer estudi, paper#, es presenta l’evolució de les tecnologies de suport a les decisions i l’avançament de les noves tecnologies per als models oberts. Aquest estudi proporciona una visió des d’una perspectiva evolutiva de la relació entre el coneixement expert i la seva utilització en les tecnologies de suport a les decisions. La investigació revela l’entorn canviant que la tecnologia ofereix a l’hora de adquirir coneixement per a la presa de decisions i obre horitzons sobre el nou paper que els experts tenen en aquests entorns. Es suggereix que un canvi significatiu en la presa de decisions es basa en el desafiament entre el paper tradicional dels experts i no experts. Per últim, aquest treball explora les oportunitats d’integració de la intel•ligència artificial en la tecnologia de suport a les decisions i quins beneficis addicionals poden aportar les eines d’ intel•ligència col•lectiva en la presa de decisions. El segon estudi, paper#2, investiga sobre la tipologia anomenada "agregada" dins del marc d’entorns oberts per al suport a la presa de decisions. S’utilitza un problema de predicció com a fil conductor per a posar en relleu la complexitat de la previsió de la demanda dins de la industria del cinema. S’analitza com es pot utilitzar la tecnologia per a millorar l’eficàcia en les decisions. La investigació compara dues tecnologies de suport a les decisions: sistemes experts i eines d’intel•ligència col•lectiva, i il•lustra com l’industria del cinema utilitza cada una d’aquestes tecnologies en la previsió dels ingressos de taquilla. Per últim, aquest article explora els beneficis de l’ integració d’aquestes tecnologies de suport per a l’obtenció de prediccions més precises. El tercer estudi, article#3, presenta un estudi longitudinal durant un període de 10 anys que utilitza IBM “Innovation Jams” como un context per a la col•laboració a gran escala dins de la tipologia anomenada "plataforma". Aquest article investiga el paper de les “Innovation Jams”, en el canvi organitzacional i com IBM es compromet amb un nou model d’innovació en les organitzacions. En ell es descriuen les “Innovation Jams”, que han impulsat la innovació i consolidat la pràctica de la innovació oberta en IBM. En aquest article s’utilitza el gènere musical d’una "jamband" com una metàfora per a descriure el desenvolupament emergent i l’ús de les “Innovation Jams”, com una manera d’entendre el canvi organitzatiu. Aquest estudi longitudinal ofereix una visió actualitzada de la recerca en “Innovation Jams”, mostrant com han evolucionat des d’un concepte, a una eina de gestió i finalment a un servei. L’article conclou amb una discussió sobre les implicacions dels resultats i com aquests permeten teoritzar sobre nous models d’ innovació i el canvi en les organitzacions. La recerca duta a terme en aquesta tesi ofereix un marc per als models oberts de suport a la decisió, i suggereix que, les fonts internes i externes de coneixement poden ser utilitzades, més enllà de la innovació del producte o serveis, per a la presa de decisions amb el suport de tecnologies emergents. Les contribucions teòriques d’aquesta tesi sostenen que les organitzacions ja no poden confiar en la tecnologia de suport a les decisions que únicament es centren en la reducció de la frontera entre els aspectes racionals i no racionals de la conducta social humana, sinó que pel contrari, han de considerar la xarxa dinàmica de la organització per al suport a la decisió. D’altra banda, les implicacions pràctiques d’aquesta tesi animen les organitzacions a pensar estratègicament sobre com les tecnologies emergents poden ajudar en la presa de decisions i també com els models de decisió resultants poden ser utilitzats per a navegar per l’entorn complex existent, i, a la vegada, forjar vincles més forts amb els clients, proveïdors i la xarxa de l’organització.Esta tesis presenta un marco para modelos abiertos de soporte a las decisiones en las organizaciones. El trabajo se vehicula a través de un compendio de artículos dónde se analizan los flujos de entrada y salida de conocimiento en las organizaciones, así como las tecnologías existentes de soporte a las decisiones. Se presentan los factores subyacentes que impulsan nuevos modelos para formas abiertas de soporte a la decisión. La tesis presenta un estudio de las distintas tipologías de modelos de soporte a las decisiones teniendo en cuenta distintos tipos de organizaciones. En el primer estudio paper#1 se presenta la evolución de las tecnologías de apoyo a las decisiones y el avance de las nuevas tecnologías para los modelos abiertos. Este estudio proporciona una visión desde una perspectiva evolutiva de la relación entre conocimiento experto y su utilización en las tecnologías de soporte a las decisiones. La investigación revela el entorno cambiante que la tecnología ofrece a la hora de adquirir conocimiento para la toma de decisiones y abre horizontes sobre el nuevo papel que los expertos tienen en estos entornos. Se sugiere que un cambio significativo en la toma de decisiones se basa en el desafío entre el papel tradicional de los expertos y no expertos. Por último, este trabajo explora las oportunidades de integración de la inteligencia artificial en la tecnología de soporte de decisiones y que beneficios adicionales pueden aportar las herramientas de inteligencia colectiva en la toma de decisiones. El segundo estudio, paper#2, investiga sobre la tipología llamada "agregada" dentro del marco de entornos abiertos para el soporte a la toma de decisiones. Se utiliza un problema de predicción como hilo conductor para poner en relieve la complejidad de la previsión de la demanda dentro de la industria del cine. Se analiza cómo se puede utilizar la tecnología para mejorar la eficacia en las decisiones. La investigación compara dos tecnologías de soporte a las decisiones: sistemas expertos y herramientas de inteligencia colectiva, e ilustra cómo la industria del cine utiliza cada una de estas tecnologías en la previsión de los ingresos de taquilla. Por último, este artículo explora los beneficios de la integración de estas tecnologías de apoyo para la obtención de predicciones más precisas. El tercer estudio, artículo #3, presenta un estudio longitudinal durante un período de 10 años que utiliza IBM “Innovation Jams”, como un contexto para la colaboración a gran escala dentro de la tipología llamada "plataforma". Este artículo investiga el papel de las “Innovation Jams”, en el cambio organizacional y como IBM se compromete con un nuevo modelo de innovación de la organización. En él se describen las “Innovation Jams”, que han impulsado la innovación y consolidado la práctica de la innovación abierta en IBM. En este artículo se utiliza el género musical de una "jamband" como una metáfora para describir el desarrollo emergente y el uso de las “Innovation Jams”, como una manera de entender el cambio organizativo. Este estudio longitudinal ofrece una visión actualizada de la investigación en “Innovation Jams”, mostrando cómo han evolucionado desde un concepto, a una herramienta de gestión y finalmente a un servicio. El artículo concluye con una discusión sobre las implicaciones de los resultados y como ellos permiten teorizar sobre nuevos modelos de innovación y el cambio en las organizaciones. La investigación llevada a cabo en esta tesis ofrece un marco para los modelos abiertos de apoyo a la decisión, y sugiere que el uso de fuentes internas y externas de conocimiento pueden ser utilizadas más allá de la innovación del producto o servicio para la toma de decisiones con el soporte de tecnologías emergentes. Las contribuciones teóricas de esta tesis sostienen que las organizaciones ya no pueden confiar en la tecnología de apoyo a las decisiones que únicamente se centran en la reducción de la frontera entre los aspectos racionales y no racionales de la conducta social humana, sino por el contrario, deben considerar la red dinámica de la organización para el apoyo a la decisión. Por otra parte, las implicaciones prácticas de esta tesis alienta a las organizaciones a pensar estratégicamente acerca de cómo las tecnologías emergentes pueden ayudar a la toma de decisiones y también cómo los modelos de decisión resultantes pueden ser utilizados para navegar por el entorno complejo existente y, a su vez, forjar vínculos más fuertes con los clientes, proveedores y más amplios de la red de la organización.This thesis presents a framework for open models of decision support through a compendium of papers that links research on the inward and outward flows of knowledge to the organization and decision support technologies. The framework presents underlying factors driving new and more open models of decision support. A typology of decision support models is offered considering types of problems organizations and managers charged with decision-making face. Thesis essay #1 suggests a perspective of the changing landscape for decision support technology and the advancement of new technology for open models of decision support. This study provides insight from an evolutionary perspective of expertise that has shaped the field of decision support technologies. The investigation sets out to reveal the changing landscape of expertise in supporting decision-making using technology and sheds light on the new role that experts will play in organizational decision-making. It suggests that a significant change in how decision-making is being supported which challenge the traditional role of experts and non-experts. Finally, this paper explores opportunities for decision support technology integration and the added benefits artificial intelligence can bring to collective intelligence tools. Thesis essay #2 investigates the ‘aggregate’ typology within the open model decision support framework. A forecasting problem is used to highlight the complexity of demand forecasting in supply-chain management within the film industry and how technology is leveraged for effective supply-chain management decisions. The investigation compares two decision support technologies: expert systems and collective intelligence tools and illustrates how the film industry uses each in forecasting box-office revenue. Finally, this essay explores the combined benefits in integrating each support technology for more accurate forecasting. Thesis essay #3 is a longitudinal study over a 10 year period that uses IBM Innovation Jams as a context for large-scale collaboration within the ‘platform’ typology. This essay investigates the role of innovation jams on organizational change as IBM learned to engage with a new model of organizing innovation. It describes the role innovation jams have played in shaping the practice of open innovation at IBM. This essay uses the musical genre of a “jamband” as a metaphor to describe the emergent development and use of innovation jams as a way to understand organizational change. This longitudinal study brings innovation jam research up-to-date and presents innovation jams as they evolved from a concept, a management tool, and service. The essay concludes with a discussion on the implications of the findings for theorizing about new models of organizing innovation for organizational change. Research conducted in this thesis offers a framework of open models of decision support that suggests that the use of internal and external sources of knowledge can be leveraged beyond product or service innovation, to include decision-making supported by emerging technology. Theoretical contributions of this thesis argues that organizations can no longer rely on decision support technology that solely focus on bridging the boundary between rational and non-rational aspects of human social behavior but instead, must consider the larger dynamic organizational network for decision support. Moreover, practical implications of this thesis encourages organizations to think strategically about how emerging technology can support decision making and the resulting decision support models to navigate the complex environment they work in and in turn, to forge stronger links with customers, suppliers, and the wider organizational network

A study into the rationale, design and evaluation of a specific decision support system in compensation planning

Bibliography: leaves 285-295.The application of newly developed information technology to managerial decision making has given rise to a new discipline known as Decision Support Systems (DSS). While considerable development of DSS has taken place since the mid-seventies, in such areas as applications, conceptual clarification of goals and characteristics, and developmental methodology, there are still certain areas which remain relatively unexplored

Managerial Problem-Solving Methods and Outline Specification for a Computer-Based Managerial Job-Management System

This thesis examines problem-solving theory and practice by managers and proposes a structure for computer-based job and problem management. Two principal models are advanced. The Problem-centred model reflects existing perceptions of the problem-solver analysing a specific issue but with further definition given of the main model components. The Role-centred model broadens the perspective to reflect the manager dealing with the totality of his current work units (tasks) amongst which problems form a sub-set. Whilst a work unit may not be 'problematic' it is linked with other issues both in terms of competition for resources and the causal relationships engendered by any resulting actions. The thesis describes a number of designed methods that have emerged in the last few decades including rational sequential approaches as well as self-contained methods which focus on a particular facet. Whilst the varied nature of most managerial problems precludes the adoption of a rigid phased approach, the individual phase components of the former and the specific foci of the latter may be relevant to some amongst the population of problems. Some of the failures in acceptance of the methods by practitioners can be attributed to an assumption that these are comprehensive rather than selectively relevant. Fieldwork provides additional insights into processes adopted in real-world problem-solving, main findings being fragmentation of a problem into sub-problems, the distinction between processes to solve problems and processes to administer the problem-solving process and the network of relationships between different problems. The desk-top PC is identified as currently the main tool for managers offering the most significant potential in terms of medium for methods design and delivery. The recently-emerging PIMs systems can provide the basis for job management but the functionality requires substantial expansion to include the problem-centred activities resulting in broad categories termed Search, Input, Output, Holding, Data and Relating. Executive Information Systems and Expert Systems provide increasingly relevant support within this overall framework, along with other tools and techniques. The main implication of the role-centred model is the requirement that problem-solving methods be embedded within a wider, holistic structure which reflects the manager addressing the totality of his current activities which are prioritised but also interrelated. Within this structure many existing methods, tools and techniques can be assimilated on a non-prescriptive basis as they can be viewed as selectively relevant to types of problem or individual activities within problem-solving processes

A behavioural analysis of the adoption and use of interactive computer systems by senior managers

The purpose of this research has been to make a contribution to knowledge about those processes and phenomena which influence the use of computer-based decision systems by senior managers for their own decision activities. In the course of the thesis, research questions are addressed which relate to the nature of the role of the directly-accessed computer in the working life of the top manager, and especially to the factors which influence computer adoption and use. A review of relevant literature enabled gaps in existing knowledge about senior managerial computer use to be identified, and indicated the potential value of exploratory research. A programme of interviews was devised and executed which enabled the exploration of the research problem across a sample of senior managers from private and public organizations. It is felt that the methodology of performing intra- and inter-organizational comparisons among computer-exposed managers was fundamental to achieving new insights into managerial behaviours. Following qualitative and qualitative analysis of the research data, a dynamic behavioural model of the computer adoption process in large organizations is proposed together with a description of salient behavioural features at key points in the process. This theoretical model contributes to an understanding of the nature and circumstances of the senior managerial behaviours associated with direct computer use

BUILDING DSS USING KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY IN DATABASE APPLIED TO ADMISSION & REGISTRATION FUNCTIONS

This research investigates the practical issues surrounding the development and implementation of Decision Support Systems (DSS). The research describes the traditional development approaches analyzing their drawbacks and introduces a new DSS development methodology. The proposed DSS methodology is based upon four modules; needs' analysis, data warehouse (DW), knowledge discovery in database (KDD), and a DSS module. The proposed DSS methodology is applied to and evaluated using the admission and registration functions in Egyptian Universities. The research investigates the organizational requirements that are required to underpin these functions in Egyptian Universities. These requirements have been identified following an in-depth survey of the recruitment process in the Egyptian Universities. This survey employed a multi-part admission and registration DSS questionnaire (ARDSSQ) to identify the required data sources together with the likely users and their information needs. The questionnaire was sent to senior managers within the Egyptian Universities (both private and government) with responsibility for student recruitment, in particular admission and registration. Further, access to a large database has allowed the evaluation of the practical suitability of using a data warehouse structure and knowledge management tools within the decision making framework. 1600 students' records have been analyzed to explore the KDD process, and another 2000 records have been used to build and test the data mining techniques within the KDD process. Moreover, the research has analyzed the key characteristics of data warehouses and explored the advantages and disadvantages of such data structures. This evaluation has been used to build a data warehouse for the Egyptian Universities that handle their admission and registration related archival data. The decision makers' potential benefits of the data warehouse within the student recruitment process will be explored. The design of the proposed admission and registration DSS (ARDSS) will be developed and tested using Cool: Gen (5.0) CASE tools by Computer Associates (CA), connected to a MSSQL Server (6.5), in a Windows NT (4.0) environment. Crystal Reports (4.6) by Seagate will be used as a report generation tool. CLUST AN Graphics (5.0) by CLUST AN software will also be used as a clustering package. Finally, the contribution of this research is found in the following areas: A new DSS development methodology; The development and validation of a new research questionnaire (i.e. ARDSSQ); The development of the admission and registration data warehouse; The evaluation and use of cluster analysis proximities and techniques in the KDD process to find knowledge in the students' records; And the development of the ARDSS software that encompasses the advantages of the KDD and DW and submitting these advantages to the senior admission and registration managers in the Egyptian Universities. The ARDSS software could be adjusted for usage in different countries for the same purpose, it is also scalable to handle new decision situations and can be integrated with other systems

Modesty in modelling : on the applicability of interactive planning systems : with a case study in pot plant cultivation

This book is a statement about the applicability of automated support for planning. ]be planning situations considered are those that bear upon the next production cycle of an organization and in which a planner has to allocate 'production goods' to each other. Such situations are for instance tactical planning, production planning, scheduling or timetabling. Drawing from various bodies of literature, a marked position is taken. It is argued that the practical impact of planning systems developed by academics is lower than it could be because formal models play too prominent a part during the development process.Based on views taken from organization theory, psychology and systems theory, a SCanning Aid for Planning SltuationS (SCAPSIS) is developed dig places thew situations on a continuum from 'messy' to 'well-structured'. Not only the problem situation in a strict sense but also the organizational context are taken into account. It is argued that in practice the majority of planning situations are closer to the 'messy' end of the continuum than to the other. The planners deal with these situations as 'open problems', i.e., problems of which they can change the definition at any moment.A planning system for such an open problem will have to grant the user a prominent role. Usability precedes normative support both m importance and in chronology: a user interface familiar to the planner and close to his train of thought is the first and most important element of the system to develop whereas a formal model of the planning problem is definitely not. Such a model, if created at an early stage, can act as a baffler to communication for both parties. As a result, chances are that the resulting system ends up solving the developer's formal problem but not the planner's open one.To come up with a usable system, developer and user must closely cooperate right from the start of a project and aim to make a first usable system as rapidly as possible. Only then, on the basis of experience with this system. can it be considered whether to proceed, for instance by incorporating model-based components in the system.A modelling technique with some promise is the category of interactive heuristics, i.e. heuristics that allow the user to intervene at each iteration. Desirable properties of such heuristics are discussed. It is concluded that this category merits more attention as an element of interactive planning systems.The stance taken towards planning situations in this study is that they am instances of decision making in general, embedded in the functioning of the organization. With this in mind, a tool is created to help evaluate decision support systems. This 'QUality ESTimator' (QUEST) takes into consideration both the process of system development and the resulting system as it functions in the organization.A case study in which a planning system was developed to support cultivation planning at pot plant nurseries serves as an illustration throughout the book. The development of this system is an example of how design ideas that are attractive from an academic developer's point of view can fail to succeed in practice, and how cooperative development and modesty in modelling can lead to a simple but usable system.The ideas expressed in the book can be readily generalized to non-agricultural domains