The critical success factors for implementing data warehouse based excutive information systems

Research dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce, submitted to: Faculty of Commerce University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa August 1998The use of Information Technology to meet the information needs of senior business executives has been the focus of research effort for many years. Some years ago the emergence of Executive Information Systems (EISs) was seen as the panacea for the information needs of senior executives. More recently, Data Warehouses have been lauded as the ideal technology for providing an integrated view of an organisation's data, while allowing analysis to be performed on this data. Data Warehouses are seen as the ideal vehicle for decision support and the provision of executive information. However, research studies have shown that the failure rate of both EISs and Data Warehouses are very high. This. research identifies, from a theoretical and practical business perspective, those critical factors that contribute to the successful implementation of EISs based on Data Warehouses. This research is aimed primarily at senior business managers and executives, IS/IT managers, and Data Warehouse practitioners, but is also relevant to researchers. The Critical Success Factors (CSFs) can serve as indicators of potential risk, as variables for consideration during planning and management, as a basis for judging the suitability of EISs based on Data Warehouses in particular situations, and as a basis for justifying an invesLnent in Data Warehousing. Chapter one introduces the concepts ofEISs and Data Warehousing. It also discusses the high rate of failure or EIS and Data Warehouse implementations, the need for understanding the CSFs for implementing EI8s based on Data Warehouses, and accounts for the justification of this research. Chapter two critically examines recent literature on EISs and Data Warehouses, and the critical issues surrounding the implementation of EISs based on Data Warehouses. The results of the literature review are presented as a narrative description that is synthesised to develop the theoretical conjecture and associated empirical generalisations for the research. Chapter three develops an argument for the research approach adopted, and presents the research methodology, or procedural framework, within which the research was conducted. Research evidence was gathered by conducting eighteen semi-structured interviews with senior business and 18fT managers, and Data Warehouse practitioners. Chapter four presents the results of the content and interpretive analysis that was conducted on the research evidence. Chapter five reviews the research results against the aim and objectives of the research, and against the theoretical conjecture and empirical generalisations. Based on the results of the review a refined theoretical conjecture is proposed. Chapter six highlights some of the limitations of the research, and provides suggestions for further researc

Executive information systems, company libraries and the future of information services in business.

The aim of the study was to investigate the development of Executive Information Systems (EIS) in twenty large British companies and to also determine what role, if any, the company library played. Also investigated was the future of the library and other corporate information systems as a provider of information services to business. A multiple-case study methodology was adopted for carrying out the research. Interviews were conducted with nearly 70 respondents; these included librarians, EIS developers and senior manager users of the EIS, and EIS vendors. All three corporate respondent groups have poor perception of Information Management policy, politics and culture. Most EIS are developed using prototyping or CSF method without reference to any frameworks or strategic business plan, and a lack of co-operation from senior managers. EIS are developed because of internal pressures. Their main use is as an operational tool and for monitoring/analysis. EIS has made managers more aware of information as corporate asset but few request improvements to the system. Most EIS are successful and percolate further down the management hierarchy, but they have not lived up to their original expectations. EIS impact on both the library and company is slight. Most librarians know about EIS, mainly by chance. Only four company libraries were involved in the development of EIS because most EIS are internal financial systems, and the library is seen as irrelevant. However, they are more likely to be involved if the library reports to a corporate strategy department, be physically near EIS teams, and personally know the EIS developers. Libraries are consulted because they are seen as extemal data experts; their main role is acting as external information consultants or as a conduit for external sources directly into the EIS. Despite many librarians being proactive many also have a pessimistic view of their future. They believe they are seen by senior management as increasingly irrelevant and targets for cost cutting, and as such few openly promote themselves within the company. However, the study also shows that librarians may have new roles to play as information becomes much more widely accessible in business through knowledge management technology such as Lotus Notes and intranets

Los Sistemas de soporte a la decisión de grupos en el marco de los sistemas de información : situación y perspectivas en el ámbito empresarial coruñés

[Resumen] Esta Tesis tiene por objeto el estudio de las aplicaciones de soporte a la decisión de grupos así como de los prácticas de trabajo cooperativo en un entorno empresarial real; se espera que estos sistemas adquieran mayor relevancia a medida que la decisión de grupo se difunda en las empresas. Se realiza un examen crítico de la literatura experimentalÐen esta área para, a continuación, investigar la posible existencia de aplicaciones de este tipo en una muestra de compañias radicadas en el área metropolitana de A Coruña. Previamente se examinan las principales aplicaciones de sus sistemas de información, en particular las destinadas a prestar soporte a la decisión. Se examina asimismo la posible existencia de un vinculación entre el uso de estas herramientas y la rentabilidad económica de la empresa