The Impact of Organizational Culture on IS Implementation Success in Ethiopia: the Case of Selected Public and Private Organizations

Organizational Culture in firms or institutions is widely believed to affect organizational performance and the success of the information system (IS) implementation. This work in progress study investigates the relationships between organizational/corporate culture and management support with IS implementation success in selected organizations. Based on the organizational culture construct by Hofstede et al (1990) and the IS implementation success framework by Sharma and Yetton (2003), a structured questionnaire is developed and will be self administered to selected participants in the selected organizations. Specifically, the objective of the study is to examine the impact of organizational or corporate culture on IS implementation success in selected public and private organizations in Ethiopia. Relationship between management support and IS implementation success in organizations, which will be moderated by task interdependence, will also be examined. Thus the work in progress and future study of this paper contributes to the existing literature by providing a framework for IS implementation success in low-income countries like Ethiopia

Mechanisms of Management Support and its Effect on Successful IS Implementation: The Case of Ethiopian Customs Authority

The successful implementation of information systems innovations remains a theoretical as well as a managerial challenge. In particular, the role of management support has been identified as a critical factor. Sharma and Yetton (2003) have stated that the absence of a main effect of management support on implementation success raises important research questions regarding the mechanisms through which management support contribute to implementation success. This work in progress research is a continuation of Sharma and Yetton’s recommendation. This study will extend the stream of research model by Sharma and Yetton identifying the role of an important moderator—mechanism of management support—for the successful implementation of IS innovations. The research question for this study is: What is the impact of mechanisms of support on management to successfully implement information systems in an organization? We evaluate this research question in a global context using the successful IS implementation at the Ethiopian Customs Authority

An Exploratory Study of the Implementation of an Energy Management Information System using an Adapted Adaptive Structuration Theory Model

Oil prices globally have risen 500% since 1999. Ireland will have to pay €1.45bn in penalties next year and up to €4.3bn by 2012, as CO2 emissions are currently 23% over the agreed Kyoto allowances. Over the next 25 years, population and economic growth will cause global energy needs to increase by approximately 50%. Consequently, Energy Efficiency (EE) has become an essential part of most organisations. This paper reports on research-in-progress which explores the implementation of an Information System (IS), which is used to manage and monitor energy usage and implement energy efficiencies within several organisations. Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) provides the conceptual model that helps to capture the longitudinal change process. There is currently no published research in the area of IS implementation investigating an energy management system using AST. Preliminary results show that stricter imperatives to adopt the IS will not necessarily lead to a successful system

The development of the individual incentive system: A Case study of AEROC SPb

Masteroppgave i økonomistyring (MSc) 201

Research and Applications of the Processes of Performance Appraisal: A Bibliography of Recent Literature, 1981-1989

[Excerpt] There have been several recent reviews of different subtopics within the general performance appraisal literature. The reader of these reviews will find, however, that the accompanying citations may be of limited utility for one or more reasons. For example, the reference sections of these reviews are usually composed of citations which support a specific theory or practical approach to the evaluation of human performance. Consequently, the citation lists for these reviews are, as they must be, highly selective and do not include works that may have only a peripheral relationship to a given reviewer\u27s target concerns. Another problem is that the citations are out of date. That is, review articles frequently contain many citations that are fifteen or more years old. The generation of new studies and knowledge in this field occurs very rapidly. This creates a need for additional reference information solely devoted to identifying the wealth of new research, ideas, and writing that is changing the field

Deploying the User-Centered Systems Development Model to Assess IS Products used to launch Entrepreneurship Ventures

More and more people are looking to start entrepreneurship ventures. Companies have developed Information Systems (IS) tools to assist them through the steps of starting or building a business. Products like GoVenture, BizCafe, Industry Masters and the DIY Toolkit are a few examples of IS products that exist. This research study investigated eight IS-based products to assess whether these products met the User-Centered Systems Development (UCSD) requirements of iterative product design. The research generated a list of IS products, a list of product features, and a quick-reference tool to be used by those launching or growing a business. Differentiations found in each product; addressed single vs. multiple business options, end-user decision making, task interdependence, and criteria-based constraints. A discovery was that simulations or demonstrations (demos) are not as robust in providing ‘real’ or ‘actual’ examples in order to build consumer confidence. However, the process garnered helpful information for budding entrepreneurs

INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEMS: WORK DESIGN AND ERGONOMIC ISSUES

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

An Examination of Resilience in Healthcare Information Systems in the Context of Natural Disasters

Contemporary healthcare information systems (HIS) rely heavily on IT/IS infrastructures to manage primary and essential services. Given that hospitals and HIS have been facing various disruptions from disasters, it is essential to take an integrative approach to help prepare effective coping strategies in disaster situations. To date, little is known about how HIS resilience is achieved. While Information Systems Assurance, IT Capability and Effective HIS use are important, the high degrees of HIS complexity and Interdependence of health information systems also have an impact on resilience. This study integrates a socio-technical perspective and theorizes the effect of disaster experience and influential factors for HIS resilience. HIS resilience will enable healthcare organizations to sustain the continuity of effective performance in terms of critical medical services in a disaster situation

Barriers to Adopting Activity-based Costing Systems (ABC): an Empirical Investigation Using Cluster Analysis

This research seeks to establish why ABC adoption rates are low given the claimed benefits of the system. The view is taken that there are likely to be two sets of interacting variables influencing ABC adoption, contingent variables and the company’s ability or willingness to address implementation barriers. The contingency approach is a recent and important development in ABC research. From the perspective that there is no one universally appropriate MAS system, but that the appropriateness of any system is dependent on the factors facing the firm, it can be argued that ABC system adoption and success will depend upon specific contingent factors such as product diversity, cost structure, firm size, competition, and business unit culture. A contingency model of ABC adoption has been developed in order to examine and investigate the reasons why the take up or adoption of ABC systems remains low. This model seeks to incorporate contingency theory relating to a set of variables which will be identified from the literature as likely to be influential in ABC adoption. The view is taken that such contingency variables will not of themselves explain ABC adoption rates, rather such contingency factors may be viewed as rendering ABC suitable or otherwise for adoption by companies but that there are also implementation issues which influence adoption. The implementation factors can be classified based upon a review of the literature into three main types Behavioural, Systems and Technical. This study seeks to establish which of these three sets of factors constitutes the dominant barriers to ABC implementation. Based upon the contingency model, companies are classified into groups, each group having a different “profile” with regard to the individually established contingent variables. Thus, one such group will have a “good match” with the contingent variables and another will have a “poor match”, e.g. if “size” is found to be a contingent variable, one group will comprise the larger firms, and another group will comprise the smaller firms, with a number of intermediate groups. The grouping is based on all established contingent variables. Each such group is subdividing into ABC adoption or non-adoption, and the reasons for non-adoption establish for each such group. A mail questionnaire survey was considered an appropriate method for this study. The survey undertaken comprised all firms listed in Business and Finance (2004) Irelands Top 1000 Companies (the total number of companies included in the list were only 925 companies). 218 questionnaires were returned, generates a 23.6% response rate. The quantitative data were processed using a SPSS program, leading to appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, including frequencies, means, standard deviations, chi-square, t-test, Mann-Whitney and ANOVA tests. Cluster analysis was used to profile the companies according to the individually significant contingent factors. Seven contingent variables were identified from the literature, six of which were found to be statistically significantly associated with ABC adoption. Companies were “clustered” using these variables into three groups, and reasons for non-adoption were identified. Based upon an analysis of the given reasons for non-adoption, Technical Issues were dominant amongst these companies in the cluster which profile most closely matches the contingent factors. The findings suggest that in the adoption of ABC, two distinct sets of variables are at work. The ‘Contingent Variables’ which likely render it appropriate or useful for the company to adopt ABC, and the company’s ability, or willingness to address the ‘Barriers’ and difficulties associated with ABC adoption. The results show a strong significant association between contingent variables and the adoption of ABC. The results suggest that the contingent variables alone may not of themselves adequately explain the actual take up of ABC systems. Moreover, it suggests that two companies which have similar profiles with regard to contingent variables (with higher overheads, more product diversity etc.) may yet reach different decision with regards to ABC adoption, due to their differing abilities or willingness to address and overcome the issues relating to ABC implementation, the results completely support this suggestion. The results also show that ‘Technical Issues’ are the most common factor militating against ABC adoption within companies who are rejecting and actively considering its adoption within the cluster whose profile most closely matches the prime factors

Effect of Software Feature Training on Beliefs, Use, and Performance: Using the Benford’s Law Feature of Generalized Audit Software

This experimental research investigated the effect of software training at the feature level, an area infrequently studied in technology training research. We have adopted the beliefs, use, and performance constructs from adoption and training research, and tested them with the Benford’s Law feature, an advanced software feature of Generalized Audit Software (GAS). Through the analysis of 56 audit professionals, we found that software feature training increased the belief of using software features and the use of those software features. However, software feature training did not have an immediate effect on performance. Rather, auditors spent more time practicing the Benford’s Law feature beyond the supplied training material and applying the Benford’s Law feature to other audit tasks