Computer-supported Environmental Scanning: A Case Study

The identification of strategic options, conducted on a periodic basis, is a critically important aspect of today's modern organisational life. Many business leaders are aware that the clarity with which they view these strategic issues can directly impact on the successful operation of their firms. The current turbulent business environment makes clarity and long range planning difficult. The use of periodic environmental scanning and analysis allows necessary ,adjustments to the overall strategic plan. Researchers have explored the issues of how Computer-Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) may aid the overall strategic planning process but there has been little attention paid to the processes actually used during environmental scanning and CSCW. This paper analyses the various tasks involved in environmental scanning. It also examines how the tools of CSCW may aid the identification of strategic issues in 'ill-structured' or 'wicked' environmental conditions. A case example, taken from a New Zealand firm involved in a restructuring process, is provided to illustrate the computer-supported environmental scanning approach and to show how information technology can help sorting out strategic planning issues faced by organisations and subunits of,.. organisations

Managing Beyond the Comfort Zone: An Exploratory Study of IS Project Managers

This paper reports preliminary results from a case research on the question of how project managers adapt to managing IS projects when the project is beyond their comfort zone. ‘Comfort zone’ is used in this study to denote the area or areas in which a project manager has technical expertise, or a background in a particular area of IS, and at the same time a good understanding of project management methodologies. The main finding from this study is the development of an emergent model of Active Knowledge Gapping which describes the processes that project managers use when they adapt to managing IS projects which are beyond their comfort zone

THE TYPES OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE TO BE RETAINED FOR YOUNG NEW ZEALAND BASED SAMOANS: A SAMOAN GRANDPARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE

As a result of mass migration from Samoa to neighbouring countries during the 1950s and 1960s, there are now more Samoans living outside of their homeland than there are within the country itself. As many Samoan migrants are getting older, there is an urgent need to transfer the wealth of indigenous knowledge that they possess to the younger generations before it is too late. This is to ensure the survival of Samoa’s culture, heritage, customs, traditions and principles. This research uses semi-structured interviews with eight New Zealand based grandparents to understand the phenomena at hand. The aim of this study is to find out what types of indigenous knowledge that older NZ-based Samoans consider desirable for retention by younger NZ-born Samoans. Emergent results include the importance of Fa’aSamoa (Samoan way of life) which lies at the very core of all things Samoan, the church, respect (fa’aaloalo) for elders, the Samoan language and the importance of family

An Exploration Of Historical Methods For Information Systems Research

This paper reports on the use of historical methods in a recent information systems doctoral research project. The paper concentrates on the use of the methodology rather than the findings themselves. The use of historical methods is rare in information systems and this paper outlines the valuable insights it can bring for researchers. Historical methods involve the collection of both primary and secondary sources of data, which are then analysed to establish relationships between cause and effect. The aim of the research project was to study the changing nature of hard information technology based networks and soft people based networks in two regions of New Zealand over a twenty year period. Historical methods enable the researcher to examine the way in which such factors develop over time. The most well known work on historical methods in information systems was carried out by Mason, McKenney & Copeland. Their seven step approach to using historical methods is explained and applied to the research problem. This research builds on their work by introducing three new aspects: firstly historical methods are applied in a regional context; secondly a conceptual framework is used for analysis, and thirdly data collection is carried out using regional newspapers

Studying Human-Centered IT Innovation Using a Grounded Action Learning Approach

This paper describes how two research methodologies, grounded theory and action learning, were combined to produce a rigorous yet creative and flexible method for field study of a recent IT-based innovation, virtual teams. Essentially, an action learning program was used to train facilitators of virtual teams and generate research data while grounded theory techniques were used to analyze and interpret the data. This paper shows how this combined method can be used to develop local and practical theory for complex, human-centered areas of information technology. The implications of this grounded action learning approach for practice and research in IS will be discussed

One day one deal - first in first served: Exploring an unusual B2C ecommerce model

This case study describes the thinking and motivation behind the creation of an atypical e-commerce business model, and the aspirations of the entrepreneurs behind this creation. Unlike most B2C e-commerce providers, a small New Zealand company called Firstin, specialising in technology, does not give its customers the opportunity to fulfil a specific need. Each day, with no forewarning of what is to be sold, it offers just one or two products at a price that is usually lower than any other local providers can offer. At the end of that day, or if the product is sold out earlier, the offer lapses, and customers must wait until the next day for a new and different bargain. The business model depends upon the availability of a range of attractively priced technology products, and a large body of loyal watchers with the ability to make opportunistic purchase decisions if a particular offering meets a need at an attractive price. In the middle of its second year in business in the small New Zealand market, this organization is evolving, but retains the key features of its unusual business model

Polycontextuality: Driving Professional Change in Online Communities of Practice

This paper reports on a case research project that investigated how online communities facilitate professional change. The context was an ICT professional development programme which aimed to transform teaching in New Zealand. Research indicates that transformations in professional behaviour require changes in professional knowledge – interpretive frameworks, values and methods. However, there is little understanding of how to facilitate this. We focused on this issue, guided by the question, “How do online communities of practice facilitate the embedding of professional knowledge?” Embedding was driven by repeated crossings between engagement spaces (communication contexts) in a polycontextual system. polycontextuality has been linked with expert knowledge acquisition. Here, the number of contexts was dramatically increased. As individuals crossed between engagement spaces, with a shared focus, they adapted and recombined content to fit the demands of each context. This required deep engagement with ideas. Embedding was evidenced by theory-practice crossings, and personalisation of recurrent, powerful themes