Mille , Jona han; Pi , Leyland F.
A icle
Top p io i ies in in o ma ion sys ems: The Sou h A ican
pe spec i e
Sou h A ican Jou nal o Business Managemen
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Uni e si y o S ellenbosch Business School (USB), Bell ille, Sou h A ica
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Mille , Jona han; Pi , Leyland F. (1990) : Top p io i ies in in o ma ion sys ems:
The Sou h A ican pe spec i e, Sou h A ican Jou nal o Business Managemen , ISSN 2078-5976,
A ican Online Scien i ic In o ma ion Sys ems (AOSIS), Cape Town, Vol. 21, Iss. 4, pp. 120-128,
h ps://doi.o g/10.4102/sajbm. 21i4.926
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/218056
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120
S.A .Tydsk .Bed y sl.1990,21(4)
Top p io i ies
in
in o ma ion sys ems: The Sou h A ican pe spec i e
Jona han Mille and Leyland
F.
Pi
G adua e
School
o
Business, Uni e si y
o
Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, Republic
o
Sou h A ica
Recei ed 12 June 1990; accep ed
27
Augus 1990
In
his
a icle indings
o
a h ee- ound Delphi s udy conce ning key issues in in o ma ion sys ems
(IS)
a e
p esen ed,
as
pe cei ed by a g oup o Sou h A ican in o ma ion sys ems manage s. Some adap a ions o he
Delphi me hod we e made,
and
hese a e desc ibed. The en mos impo an issues a e iden i ied, and hese
a e
ca ego il.ed. I eme ges ha mos a e ex e nally o ien a ed and deal wi h he ela ionship be ween
IS
and
he
en e p ise. The implica ions o in o ma ion sys ems p ac i ione s, academics, consul an s and p o essional
bodies a e discussed.
In hie die a ikel wo d die be indinge an
'n
d ie- ond e Delphi-s udie na sleu el aags ukke in inlig ing-
s elsels, soos waa geneem deu
'n
g oep Suid-A ilcaanse inlig ings elselbes uu de s, ge appo ee . Enkele
aan-
passings an die Delphi-me ode
is
gedoen
en
wo d bie besk y . Die lien belang iks e aags ukke
wo d
geiden i isee en geka ego isee . Di blyk da die oo sp ong an hie die aags ukke oo wegend eks em
an
aa d
is
en e band
hou
me die wisselwe king ussen inlig ings elsels en die ondememing. Die implilcasies i
inlig ings elselp ak isyns, akademici, konsul an e en be oepsliggame wo d besp eek.
In oduc ion
ln onna ion Sys ems (IS) manage s ace a di icul ask
because hey ope a e in a chasm be ween in onna ion
echnology and senio managemen They mus be able
o
in e p e ends in in onna ion echnology, assess he
impac o hese on he o ganisa ion, and decide which
echnologies o adop Simul aneously, hey ha e o link
he
IS
plan
o
co po a e objec i es so ha he
IS
depa men se es he
needs
o
he en e p ise. Deciding
on
he p opo ion
o
esou ces alloca ed o echnical o
manage ial p oblems
is
an
impo an ace o he
IS
manage 's job.
As
all
IS
execu i es ace simila
p oblems, an awa eness
o
he issues ha a e
o
mos
conce n o hei pee s can be
o
assis ance o indi idual
manage s. Those whose pe cep ions
o
key ma e s
in
hei o ganisa ion a e di e en om hei pee s need o
conside
why
his
is
so. A e hey concen a ing on he
w ong issues, o a e he e some unique ea u es in hei
o ganisa ion? Con e sely, hose who ind ha hey hold
common iews wi h hei pee s may d aw some com o ,
howe e cold. om a leas knowing hey a e no alone.
I
IS
academics, consul an s, p o essional socie ies,
and esea che s a e o se e he
IS
communi y e ec -
i ely, hey mus
be
awa e
o
he key issues acing
IS
manage s. Academics need in o ma ion on key conce ns
o de elop g adua es wi h he necessa y skills o sol e
hese issues. Consul an s, who play a key ole in
IS
because hey can accele a e he ans e
o
new skills and
echnology o
IS
p ac i ione s, will be mo e e ec i e i
hey know he a eas in which hei clien s need he mos
assis ance. P o essional socie ies se e he
IS
communi y
by
a anging con e ences, sponso ing gues lec u es, and
dissemina ing in o ma ion h ough hei publica ions.
Success ul pe o mance
o
hese asks equi es ha
p o essional socie ies a e
in
une wi h he needs
o
hei
membe s. The e o e, i
is
impo an ha he Sou h
A ican
IS
communi y
be
awa e o hose issues ha a e
judged
by
i s leading p ac i ione s o be o c i ical
conce n.
In
o de
o
p o ide
in o ma ion
conce ning
he
key
IS
issues, a h ee- ound Delphi s udy was conduc ed
wi h
IS
manage s
in
majo Sou h A ican o ganisa ions
in
he
la e hal
o
1989. The pu pose
o
he s udy
was
o
de e mine, in o de
o
impo ance, he mos
c i ical
issues acing Sou h A ican
IS
execu i es o e he
nex
h ee o i e yea s. The in es iga ion was based
upon
he
app oach used by he Managemen In o ma ion
Sys ems
(MIS)
esea ch cen e (MISRC) a he Uni e si y o
Minneso a whe e wo p e ious key issue su eys
ha e
been conduc ed (Dickson, Lei heise , We he be,
and
Nechis, 1984; B ancheau and We he be, 1987) and a
hi d
is
cu en ly unde way. A simila s udy
has
been
conduc ed in Aus alia by Wa son (1989).
Me hod
Delphi, a g oup decision-making p ocess,
is
pa icula ly
use ul o assessing he judgemen
o
a la ge, dispe sed
g oup
o
expe s (Bass, 1983). A ypical Delphi
s udy
s a s wi h an open-ended ques ionnai e ha solici s
opinions on he issues associa ed wi h he s udy.
Suc-
ceeding ounds
o
he s udy eed back he p e ious
ound's esul s so ha pa icipan s can e ise hei
judgemen s.
In
heo y, he Delphi p ocess should
con-
inue un il he g oup has eached consensus.
In
p ac ice,
howe e , he esea che equen ly decides o end
he
p ocess a e wo
o
h ee ounds,
by
which ime
i m
ends ha e gene ally eme ged.
This in es iga ion did no s a wi h an open-ended
ques ionnai e bu commenced wi h he issues iden i ied
in Wa son's (1989) s udy. I was conside ed ha he
key
conce ns
o
Sou h A ican
IS
execu i es would no
be
ma e ially di e en om hei Ame ican o Aus alian
coun e pa s because
o
simila i ies in he business
cul u e,
IS
en i onmen , and he ex ensi e in usion o
Ame ican managemen echnology in o he Sou h
A ican co po a e scene. In e ms
o
size
o
economy
and cul u al backg ound, i was also pos ula ed ha
he e a e no adical di e ences be ween Sou h A ican
IS
manage s and hei Aus alian coun e pa s.
S.A J.Bus.Mgm .1990,21(4)
Two modi ica ions we e made o he me hodology
used in he MISRC's 1986 s udy. Fi s , pa icipan s we e
asked o a e each issue, a he han iden i y and ank
he op en issues. Once a lis
o
issues becomes la ge
(beyond se en), he limi ed in o ma ion p ocessing
capaci y
o
humans (Mille , 1956) makes iden i ica ion
and anking
o
issues a di icul ask. Ra ing
is
a easie
because he pa icipan s need conside only one issue a
a ime (Al eck and Se le, 1985). Second, unlike
Wa son's (1989) Aus alian s udy a mail su ey
was
no
used. All ounds
o
he Delphi p ocess we e conduc ed
o e en days while he execu i es we e in esidence.
Round
one
Thi y-se en delega es on an ad anced
IS
execu i e
p og amme
a
a uni e si y g adua e school
o
business
se ed as he sample. The issues
o
he Wa son (1989)
s udy we e used as a basis o he i s ound
ques ionnai e and we e andomly a anged on he i s
ound ques ionnai e. A ull lis ing
o
he issues
is
shown
as
Appendix
A.
Pa icipan s we e asked o conside
wha hey pe cei ed we e he mos c i ical issues acing
hem o e he nex h ee o i e yea s and o indica e
hei iews by a ing each issue on he scale 1 o
10,
whe e 1 indica ed he lowes p io i y issue and 10 in-
dica ed he highes p io i y issue.
Space was also p o ided o each manage o add new
issues o he lis , and pa icipan s we e in i ed o modi y
he wo ding
o
any issue's a ionale.
As
he sample we e
essen ially cap i e, all 37 esponded. Two new issues
we e iden i ied (see Appendix B).
Round
wo
The second ound ques ionnai e was designed so ha
each pe son could o each issue easily compa e he
a e age a ing
o
pa icipa ing
IS
execu i es and ha
pe son's i s ound a ing.
On
he same line, he
pa icipan could en e a a ing o ound wo. In ound
wo, issues we e lis ed in descending sequence on he
basis
o
hei a e age a ing o ound one, and new
issues we e lis ed a he end
o
he ques ionnai e.
Round
h ee
The hi d ound ques ionnai e had he same o ma
as
ha
o
he second ound.
In
ound h ee, issues we e
Round A e age
s anda d
de ia ion
1
1.749
2
1.328
J
1,194
2~
1.5
A e age
-·~~~~~~~
S anda d 1
De ia ion
0.5
0 I
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Figu e 1 A e age s anda d de ia ion
o
a ings
o
each ound
(based upon he 36 issues
o
he i s ound)
121
Table 1:
The
op
en
issues
Ran
Issue
Man
a ing
1 Imp o ing
IS
s a egic
planning
8.94
2 Using in o ma ion sys ems
o
8.64
compe i i e
ad 1111age
3 Inc easing senio managemen 's unde · 8.28
s anding d he ole and con ibu ion
o
IS
4 Assis ing use managemen
o
iden i y
and
ank
8.25
oppo uni ies o use d in o ma ion cdmology
s Speci ying, ec ui ing and de eloping 8.17
IS
human
esou ces
6 Aligning he
IS
o ganiza ion wilh
8.11
ha o he en e p ise
7 Facili a ing and managing 7.50
end-use compu ing
8 T aining o
DP
s a
in
a ious aspccu o 7.44
business which hey a c esponsible o supponing
9 De eloping
an
in o ma ion
a chi eclU c 7.41
10
Imp o ing
in onna ion
secu i y
and
con ol
7.33
lis ed in descending sequence on he basis
o
hei
a e age a ing o ound wo.
P elimina y
analysis
The main pu pose in using a Delphi s udy was o ob ain
consensus om
IS
execu i es as o hei key conce ns.
The e o e, i is impo an o assess whe he he e
was
any con e gence in opinion o e he h ee ounds. The
s anda d de ia ion
o
he a ings o an issue
is
a measu e
o
consensus
o
ha issue. Pe ec ag eemen would
gi e a s anda d de ia ion
o
ze o.
An
o e all measu e
o
consensus o he ques ionnai e
is
he mean
o
he
s anda d de ia ions o each issue, and his app oach was
used.
As
he in oduc ion
o
new issues con amina es he
measu emen
o
consensus, he o e all measu e
o
con-
sensus was based upon he 36 issues ci cula ed in he i s
ound.
As
Figu e 1 illus a es, he e was g ea e ag ee-
men
in
he hi d ound compa ed wi h he i s and
second ounds. The hi d ound, compa ed wi h he
second, esul ed in only a mioo gain in consensus,
as
e lec ed
by
a sligh ly smalle a e age s anda d de-
ia ion, and i
was
he e o e decided ha he hi d ound
was
an app op ia e s opping poin .
In
Table 1 he op en issues a e lis ed in descending
o de
o
impo ance. Each is b ie ly discussed in ela ion
o local and in e na ional ends.
Discussion
o
key
Issues
Imp o ing
IS
s a egic
planning
Imp o ing
IS
s a egic planning
is
he numbe one
conce n. I he a ings a e con e ed o ankings,
we
ind
ha 20%
o
IS
manage s ank
IS
planning as hei p ime
conce n, and some 80%
o
manage s ank
IS
planning in
hei op en issues. Manage s a e bese
by
a numbe
o
p oblems ha make
IS
planning a di icul ask. Rapid
changes
in
in o ma ion echnology; a Sou h A ican
business en i onmen ha
is
e y exposed o he
122
aga ies
o
he wo ld economy; he eme gence
o
end-
use compu ing; compe ing me hodologies o
IS
plan-
ning (Boyn on and Zmud, 1987); he need o IS plan-
ning o ela e o co po a e goals; and he inc easing
dependence
o
o ganisa ions on in o ma ion sys ems
echnology a e all ac o s ha make
IS
planning a
numbe one conce n.
In a su ey
o
chie execu i es
o
300 majo Sou h
A ican companies, o e
90%
o
he esponden s ag eed
ha
i was essen ial o ha e a comp ehensi e plan o IS,
in eg a ed wi h he business plan (Balce & Mille ,
1984). Howe e an in-dep h s udy
o
se e al Sou h
A ican companies ha had p e iously conduc ed ex en-
si e long ange
IS
planning exe cises e ealed e y
mixed success o subsequen implemen a ion
o
hose
plans (Mille , 1982, 1985).
IS
o compe i i e ad an age
The ole
o
compu e s in o ganisa ions has expanded
conside ably since he ea ly days
o
au oma ion
o
cle ical unc ions. Finns ha e en e ed he ' ou h e a'
o
compu ing (Rocka , 1987) whe e IS is playing an ac i e
ole in c ea ing and sus aining compe i i e ad an age
(e.g. Wiseman, 1988). Mos examples emana e om he
Uni ed S a es and a s udy
o
11
Sou h A ican o -
ganisa ions e eals ha he a ailabili y
o
sys ems o
p o ide compe i i e ad an age
is
e y much less han
ha o adi ional ope a ional and manage ial suppo
sys ems. E en
in
la ge inancial and e ailing ins i-
bl ions, pene a ion
o
sys ems o enhance compe i i e
h us
is
classi ied as
'no
use a all'
o
'jus s a ing'
(Mille ,
1989). Howe e e idence is s a ing o accumu-
la e
o
success ul use
o
IS
o compe i i e ad an age in
Sou h A ica. Du y and Assad lis a numbe
o
ex-
amples (Du y & Assad, 1989) and Wa son & Pi (1989)
epo case s udies
o
Sou h A ican wholesaling and
e ailing i ms using in o ma ion echnology in logis ics
o gain compe i i e ad an age.
The
high a ing
o
his
issue p esages much u u e ac i i y.
Inc easing senio managemen 's unde s anding o
he ole and con ibu ion o IS
In he s udy e e ed o abo e, he i ms ha a ed hei
IS
unc ion as mos e ec i e we e also hose ha had
achie ed g ea e pene a ion
o
IS
in
he s a egic and
compe i i e a eas (Mille , 1989). Howe e , achie emen
o
an e ec i e IS unc ion
depends
o a la ge ex en on
senio managemen 's abili y o iden i y he mos im-
po an oppo uni ies o IS and he e
is
ample e idence
ha many senio manage s, who o med hei ideas
abou
IS
in
he ea lie e as
o
IS, see he ole
o
IS in
ope a ional e ms only. Thus i becomes i al o b oaden
he minds
o
senio managemen so ha hey may make
in o med judgemen s abou he ull po en ial
o
in o -
ma ion sys ems and echnology
in
hei o ganisa ions. As
Wiseman says,
'By
iewing in o ma ion echnology h ough
ano he lens, one disco e s he new S a egic
In o ma ion Sys ems wo ld, and can explo e i
S.A .Tydsk .Bed y sl.1990,21(4)
sys ema ically o oppo uni ies and
h ea s.'
(Wiseman, 1988: 50).
Assis ing use managemen o iden i y
and
ank
oppo uni ies o he use o in o ma ion echnology
The high p io i y acco ded his issue can also be
ela ed
o he apidly changing ole
o
IS in o ganisa ions.
T adi ionally, po en ial cos sa ing was he basis
o
iden i ying IS oppo uni ies. Ranking hem was a
simple
ma e
o
compa ing payback pe iods
o
in e nal
a es
o
e u n o compe ing p ojec s. Those days a e gone
and
he e
a e
now mul iple c i e ia, many
o
hem
in angible
ha need o be weighed up o iden i y wo hwhile
oppo -
uni ies and ank hem. Ye Ginzbe g (1978)
sugges ed
ha companies ypically home in
on
jus one
c i e ion
(gene ally cos sa ings) when e alua ing a pa icula
oppo uni y and Dampney e
al.
(1984) ound
ha
e iewing sys ems o de e mine eal bene i s
is
un-
common and gene ally ega ded as oo di icul . (Fo a
Sou h A ican pe spec i e see Lay (1988).) Cu en ly
so-
called C i ical Success Fac o s a e a popula
basis
o
iden i ying and anking sys ems oppo uni ies
(e.g.
Boyn on & Zmud, 1984) and ecen esea ch
is
unde -
lining he impo ance
o
'o ganisa ional i '
in
achie ing
o e all IS e ec i eness (Mille , 1989). Use
manage s
need o be assis ed in iden i ying he se
o
ele an
c i e ia and inco po a ing hem in a ional p ocedu es
o
selec he mos wo hwhile oppo uni ies.
Speci ying, ec ui ing and de eloping human
esou ces
The Sou h A ican compu e indus y
is
ch onically
sho
o
skilled pe sonnel and his
is
e lec ed in he
cooce n
anked i h. The explosion in demand o in o ma ion-
echnology solu ions
malces
his a wo ldwide p oblem;
o
which mus be added p oblems unique o Sou h
A ica.
These include he 'b ain d ain' (helped along by poli ical
conce ns, esis ance o he d a , and a s eady s eam
o
ad e isemen s o e ing job oppo uni ies in he
Uni ed
S a es and Aus alia in pa icula ), and s uc u al
peculia i ies in he Sou h A ican economy which
ha e
e ec i ely excluded a la ge p opo ion
o
he wo k o ce
om skilled IS posi ions.
While majo p ojec s a e unde way o alle ia e
he
si ua ion (CUC, 1990), he human esou ces p oblem
is
likely o emain a majo conce n. O ganisa ions will
ace
a selle s' ma lce o some ime, and when hey do
ind
he elusi e ec ui , IS manage s will disco e ha
hey
lack he ca ee planning knowledge o a oid ha
pe son
simply becoming ano he u no e s a is ic.
Aligning he
IS
o ganisa ion wi h ha o he en e p ise
The le el
o
he IS manage
in
he o ganisa ional
hie a chy, his
o
he epo ing line, and he cen al·
isa ion
o
decen alisa ion
o
sys ems de elopmen
and
compu e ope a ions a e all ace s
o
he alignmen issue.
A 1984 su ey
o
he la ges compu e use s
in
Sou h
A ica e ealed ha hal
o
all IS manage s epo ed o
he inancial manage
o
di ec o , while mos
o
he
o he s epo ed o o he unc ional manage s (Mille &
Balce , 1984). While he e is some e idence
ha ,
S.A J.Bus.MgmL1990,21(4)
especially in .
he
inancial se ices sec o ,
IS
manage s
a e now ending o epo
a
a highe le el, his is a slow
end_
and in many o ganisa ions
he
IS
depanmen
emams emo e om he key decision-make s and in-
app op ia ely loca ed in
he
o ganisa ion. This mili a es
agains he
IS
manage pe cei ing
he
ue di ec ion
o
he i m and i s in o ma ion
needs.
Facili a ing
and
managing
end-use
compu ing
In
he las ew yea s he e has been an explosion in he
di ec use
o
compu e s by
he
end-use , occasioned by
he alling p ice
o
pe sonal compu e s and a ailabili y
o
powe ul, easy- o-use so wa e. Soon end-use com-
pu ing (EUC) will consume mo e esou ces han
adi ional da a p ocessing (Panko, 1988).
IS
manage s
ace a di icul _ ask in balancing he needs o encou age
and con ol his phenomenon. Encou agemen
is
needed
~use
o
he mani es inc ease in p oduc i i y, pa -
ucula ly amongs knowledge wo ke s, bu con ol
is
necessa y o a oid unnecessa y duplica ion
o
e o and
esou ces, poo documen a ion, inadequa e da a
managemen , and lack
o
a en ion o secu i y
o
in o ma ion.
In a ecen in-dep h su ey
o
280 employees in a
majo in e na ional oil company, Ross (1989) iden i ied
six ac o s ha appea o encompass end-use
compu ing. These a e: a company policy and s a egy o
EUC, EUC independence and compe ence, acili ies
and suppo o EUC, s anda disa ion
o
ha dwa e and
so wa e, he sha ing and ease
o
use
o
EUC da a and
sys ems, and accu acy
o
da a. This hen is he e i o y
o managemen
o
end-use compu ing.
The s udy also e ealed ha he cha ac e is ics
o
he
indi idual use we e mo e impo an p edic o s
o
e -
ec i e usage han depa men al cha ac e is ics,
con i ming in e na ional indings in a c oss-cul u al
s udy
o
end-use compu ing (Ein-Do & Sege , 1989).
Speci ically he Sou h A ican s udy ound ha he
suppo o and pa icipa ion in end-use compu ing
by
one's supe io manage was a majo p edic o
o
indi idual end-use compu ing e ec i eness. This is an
impo an poin e o be e acili a ion
o
end-use
compu ing.
T aining
o da a
p ocessing
(DP)
s a
in
he
a ious
business
aspec s
o
which
hey
a e
esponsible
This issue was new o his su ey, bu once inco po a ed
a e he i s ound, ose quickly o op- en s a us.
The
equi emen o business aining o
IS
s a add esses a
leas wo issues. Fi s ly i
is
commonly ecognised ha
many DP s a end owa ds wha Me on (1957) calls
'cosmopoli anism' (o ien a ed owa ds hei special y)
a he han 'localism' ( o ien a ed owa ds hei com-
pany). This mani es s i sel in job-hopping. I
is
sugges ed ha aining in he business will os e
localism. DP s a will de elop a s onge company
loyal y i hey become pa ne s wi h hei use s in
unde s anding he business, a he han being limi ed o
p o iding compu e solu ions.
Secondly, he end owa ds s a egic and compe i i e
123
sys ems ca ies wi h i a end owa ds much mo e
complex sys ems equi emen s. O en use s canno
de ine hei needs accu a ely, and indeed such needs
e ol e o e ime.
The
mo e knowledgeable he
IS
s a
~
abou he business, he mo e hey can con ibu e in a
dialogue abou business oppo uni ies. The e ec i eness
o
his shi in IS-use communica ions
has
been well-
documen ed by Boland (1978).
De eloping
an
in o ma ion
a chi ec u e
De elopi~g an in o ma ion a chi ec u e, a plan o
ep esenung he global in o ma ion equi emen s
o
an
o ganisa ion,
is
he nin h anked issue. An in o ma ion
a c~ ec u e is
n~ssa y
i
an o ganisa ion is o de elop
~
i~ eg a ed sui e
o
applica ions and dis ibu e ap-
plicauons o unc ional a eas. Howe e , he e a e many
p oblems associa ed wi h he de elopmen
o
an
in o -
ma ion a chi ec u e (B ancheau and We he be, 1985).
The majo eason o hese p oblems
is
ha he c ea ion
o
an in o ma ion a chi ec u e is a ela i ely un-
~ uc u~
ask
o
b oad scope, wi h ew pe cep ible
immedia e bene i s, ha equi es he pa icipa ion
o
ma~y indi iduals. Addi ional p oblems a e: di icul y
semo manage s ha e in g asping concep ual models
o
an in o ma ion a chi ec u e; p oduc ion
o
an
in o -
ma ion a chi ec u e compe es o esou ces ha can be
used o sol e p oblems
o
a mo e immedia e na u e; and
di icul y in ansla ing an in o ma ion a chi ec u e
model in o an applica ion de elopmen plan.
Imp o ing
in o ma ion
secu i y
and
con ol
In a su ey
o
o e 250 Sou h A ican o ganisa ions,
Gombay (1985) concluded ha only 114
o
hese o -
ganisa ions we e well-p epa ed o eco e om a col-
lapse
o
hei physical o da a acili ies. Al oge he 65%
o
hese i ms would su e signi ican business inju y
in
such an
e en
Recen ly he e has been much co e age
o
secu i y issues in he popula p ess and he e
is
anecdo al e idence ha many mo e i ms a e e alua ing
he
isks
o
secu i y b eaches, imp o ing in o ma ion
secu i y, and implemen ing disas e eco e y plans. As
i ms place g ea e and g ea e eliance on cen al da a
bases,
as
hey implemen s a egic sys ems ha a e
wo en in o he mains eam business ab ic, and
as
end-
use s ake on mo e and mo e
o
he business analysis
o
compu e da a, he need o · e ec i e in o ma ion
secu i y and con ol will bulk la ge .
Classl lca lon
o
Issues
The op en issues can be classi ied in e ms
o
whe he
hey ocus on conce ns in e nal
o
ex e nal o he
IS
domain, o
as
Hi schheim, Ea l, Feeny and Locke
(1988) s a e, ma e s ha a e 'inside IS' and 'beyond IS'.
In Table 2
is
shown he ou in e nal issues ha deal wi h
he unc ioning
o
he
IS
depa men eme ging om his
s udy: human esou ces, in o ma ion a chi ec u e,
in o ma ion secu i y and con ol and aining
IS
s a
in
he business. Howe e , he design
o
an in o ma ion
a chi ec u e and
IS
s a aining ha e an ex e nal

124
Table
2 Classi ica ion o
op
en
issues
lnlemal
o icnlal.ion
Human
esou ces
ln o maion an:hi edll c
ln onnllion
secu i y/oon ol
T aining
IS
s a
in
he
business
Ex e nal
o ienlal.ion
IS
s a egic
planning
IS
o
compe i i e
ad an age
Senio managemen unde -
s anding
o
IS
Use managemen
anking
d
IS
opponuni ies
Aligning
IS
wi h
he
en1e p ise
F.nd-use
compu ing
elemen
because
hey in ol e signi ican in e ac ion wi h
pe sonnel ou side he
IS
unc ion. The emaining six
issues shown
a e
ex e nally o ien ed as hey deal wi h he
ela ionship be ween
IS
and he en e p ise.
I would appea ha Sou h A ican IS execu i es'
majo p oblems a ise om he managemen
o
he
in e ace
be ween
IS and he o ganisa ion. These
indings
a e
in acco d wi h a s udy
o
en leading
UK
IS
execu i es conduc ed by Hi schheim e
al.
(1988), who
ound ha he
IS
execu i es ag eed ha hey spend he
majo i y
o
hei ime on ex e nal asks. In e es ingly,
hese execu i es el ha in he u u e hey would be
ocusing mo e a en ion on in e nal ma e s.
The cu en p ominence
o
ex e nal issues implies ha
IS
manage s will ha e o spend mo e ime ou side
he
IS
unc ion o e-o ien hinking owa ds exploi ing IS o
s a egic ad an age and aligning IS s a egy wi h co -
po a e di ec ions (Hi schheim e al.,
1988).
In o de o
ul ill his ole, he
IS
manage should ha e a gene al
managemen pe spec i e and be able o app ecia e he
iewpoin
o
o he unc ional
a eas
so ha a
clea
unde -
s anding
o
he o ganisa ion's in o ma ion sys ems needs
is
a icula ed.
In
hose o ganisa ions whe e he IS
manage canno make his ansi ion, i
is
likely ha a
eplacemen who has an en e p ise o ien a ion will be
appoin ed o head up IS. The message is qui e clea ;
ex e nal issues p e ail,
and
IS
managemen o e he nex
ew yea s will be based upon success ul esolu ion
o
ex e nal conce ns.
Summa y
The pu pose
o
his s udy was o indica e o
IS
manage s
he
p oblems ha hei colleagues a e acing and o ale
hose who se e he
IS
communi y as o whe e hey
should be di ec ing hei esou ces. While i is belie ed
ha he in es iga ion
is
ep esen a i e
o
he iews
o
op
Sou h A ican
IS
manage s, i should be emembe ed
ha a su ey
o
his kind is a snapsho
o
opinion and
changing ci cums ances can quickly al e
IS
manage s'
p io i ies. New issues, o example end-use compu ing,
can eme ge e y quickly. The esul s should be used wi h
cau ion and a ca e ul wa ch main ained o eme ging
conce ns.
Manage s
a e
mos conce ned wi h imp o ing IS
s a egic planning, and he e
is
ce ainly a need o
u he esea ch and s udy in his a ea. Such wo k migh
p o ide answe s as o why
IS
planning is a p oblem and
S.A .Tydsk .Bed y sl.1990.21(4)
lead o he de elopmen
o
me hodologies o
suppon
mo e e ec i e IS planning. Consul an s need o
imp o e
o
b oaden hei cu en p oduc s o sa is y clien
needs
and could possibly bene i by mo e ac i ely
ma ke ing
hei o e ings in he IS planning a ea. P o
essiooaI
socie ies such as he Compu e Socie y
o
Sou h
A ica
and he Compu e Use s Council could os e in e ac ioo
among IS manage s and p ac i ione s by
sponso ing
con e ences
o
wo kshops
on
IS planning.
The human esou ces p oblem is
pe haps
mo e
di icul o sol e, and is likely o become mo e se e e
in
he u u e
because
he Sou h A ican educa ion
sys em
clea ly lacks he whe ewi hal o eac e ec i ely
o
ma ke needs wi hou a subs an ial inc ease in
suppo
om
he Sou h A ican go e nmen and
business
communi y.
The
solu ion is no o
bemoan
he
p oblem
bu a he o o ganisa ions
o
ake he ini ia i e in
he
de elopmen
o
mo e, and mo e e ec i e
IS
p ac i ione s.
All op en issues iden i ied in his s udy
add ess
manage ial p oblems wi h an emphasis on issues
ela ed
o he in e ace be ween he
IS
unc ion and
he
o ganisa ion.
To
be success ul in his en i onmen ,
he
IS
execu i e mus manage he ela ionship be ween
he
IS depa men and he o ganisa ion and be p epa ed
IO
spend mo e ime ope a ing ou side he depa men
han
wi hin
i
In e ec , he IS manage has o ake an holis ic
pe spec i e and see IS as some hing wi hin
he
o ganisa ion, a he han
see
he o ganisa ion
as
some hing ou side IS. Success ul IS manage s will
make
his ansi ion and in
so
doing educe he le el
o
cooce.m
associa ed wi h many
o
he cu en issues.
Acknowledgmen
The suppo
o
Debbie S ubbs who assis ed wi h
da a
collec ion and adminis a ion
o
he s udy,
is
g a e ully
acknowledged.
Appendix B
Addi ional i ems inco po a ed
in
ounds
2
and
3
Issue: Supplia- ela ionships
RaJionak:
The
iabili y
o
supplia-s. and
hei
abili y
o
main ain con inui y, especially in iew
o
exis ing and
posS ble
sanc ions will
be
undamen al o he
IS
manage .
Issue: T aining
o
DP
s a in a ious business aspec s
which
hey a e esponsible o suppo ing.
RaJionak: While dp s a may be e ec i e in a e y
na ow
a ea,
i
is essen ial ha hey gain a b oade o e iew
o
he
a ious unc ional
a eas
o
he business. such
as
ma ke ing,
p oduc ion and
inance.
Re e ences
Al eck,
P.L
and Se le,
R.B.
1985.
The
s111Wy
esea ch
handbook..
Homewood
Il:
Richa d I win.
Anon.
1987. ln onna ion echnology planning
in
he 1990's:
di ec ions o p ac ice and esea ch.
MIS
Q111ZT e ly,
11
(1),
59-72.
Bake R.F.R. and Mille , J. 1984. Compwe based
in o ma ion sys ems
in
Solllh
A ica: A
su ey
o
eucllli e
S.A J.Bus.MgmL1990,21(4)
pe cep ions, Wo king pape .
Cape
Town: G adua e School
o
Business, Uni e si y
o
Cape Town.
Bass, B.M. 1983. O ganiza ional decision
making.
Homewood
II:
I win.
Boland, R.J. 1978.
The
p ocess and p oduc
o
sys em
design,
Managemen Science, (24: 9), 887-898.
Boyn on, A.C. and Zmud,
R.W.
1984. An assessmen
o
c i ical success ac o s, Sloan
Managemen
Re iew,
Summe ,
17-24.
B ancheau, J.C. and We he be, J.C. 1987. Key issues in
in o ma ion sys ems managemen ,
MIS
QUlll' e ly;
11
(1),
23-45.
B ancheau, J.C.
and
We he be, J.C. 1985.
In o ma ion
a chi ec u e: me hods
and
p ac ice. Minneapolis, MN: MIS
Resea ch Cen e , School
o
Managemen , Uni e si y
o
Minneso a.
Compu e Use s' Council
o
Sou h A ica, (CUC). 1989.
Manpowe p ojec phase
1,
Unpublished
epo
Dampney, C.N.G., Hansell, A.E., Bo hwick,
K.
and
Gilmou , P. 1984. Di ec ing in o ma ion
sys ems
in
an
o ganisa ion: whal
is
impo an and
why?
P oceedings
o
he Join In e na ional Symposium
on
In o ma ion sys ems,
Sydney, Aus alia. (241-260).
Dickson, G.W., Lei heise , R.L., We he be, J.C. and Nechis,
M. 1984.
Key
in o ma ion sys ems issues o he 1980's,
MIS
Qua e ly, 8 (3), 135-148.
Du y, N. and Assad, M.G. 1989.
In. o ma ion
managemen :
s a egy o mula ion
and
implemen a ion.
Ox o d:
Ox o d
Uni e si y P ess.
Ein-Do ,
P.
and Sege ,
E.
1988. In ensi y
o
end
use
compu ing. Wo king Pape 978,
Tel
A i Uni e si y.
Ginzbe g, M.J. 1979. Imp o ing MIS p ojec selec ion.
Omega
(7:6),
527-537.
Gombay, G.F. 1985. An app aisal
o
he
disposi ions
aun
by
medium
o
la ge dala p ocessing ins alla ions
in
Sou h
A ica
o
eco e om a loss
o
hei
comp/Ile
acili ies.
Unpublished echnical
epo
Cape Town: Uni e si y
o
Cape Town.
Hi schheim, R., Ea l, M., Feeny, D. and Locke ,
M.
1988.
An explo a ion in o
he
managemen
o
he
in o ma ion
Appendix
A
Round
1:
Ques ionnai e
Key
in o ma ion
sys ems
managemen
issues
sys ems w: ion: key
iss11a
and
an
e ollllioNITJ
model,
ln.
o maJion
echnology managemen o
p odMC i i y
and
compe i i e ad anlage. An
IFIP
TC-8
open con e ence.
Singapo e, 4.15-4.38.
Lay,
P.M.Q. 1986. A pa ial-o de ing amewo k o anking
in o ma ion sys ems.
De
Ra ione, Vol. 1, 2.
Me on,
R.K.
1957. Social heo y
and
social
s lU:IIITe.
New
Yo k:
F ee
P ess.
Milk , GA.1956.
The
magical numbe
se en,
plus o mi uu
wo:
SOIM
limi s on ou capaci y o p ocessing in o ma ion,
The
Psychological Re iew, 63 (2),
81-97.
Mille , J. 1982.
Fac o s
in luencing
he
success
o
company-
wide
in o ma ion sys ems planning. M.Comm hesis,
Uni e si y
o
Cape Town.
Mille , J. 1985. In o ma ion sys ems planning-p inciples and
p ac ice,
Solllh
A ican
Jo11Tnal
o
Lib a y
and
ln o malion
Science,
53,
4,
183-190.
Mille , J. 1989a.
In. o ma ion
sys ems e ec i eness and
he
il
be ween
business
needs
and sys em capabili ies. P oceedings
o
he Ten h Annual In e na ional Con e ence
on
In o ma ion Sys ems, Bos on, 273-288.
Mille , J. 1989b.
The
e ec i eness
o
comp/Ile -based
in o ma ion
sys ems: De ini ion and
meas11Temen .
Unpublished PhD hesis, Uni e si y
o
Cape Town.
Panko,
R.R.
1988.
End
use
compu ing:
managemen ,
applica ions, and
echnology.
New Yo k: Wiley.
Rocka , J. 1988.
The
line akes he leade ship -IS
managemen in a
wi ed
socie y, Sloan
Managemen
Re iew,
No. 57, Summe 1988.
Ross, M. 1989. E ec i eness
o
end use
compllling.
Unpublished esea ch epo , G adua e School
o
Business,
. Uni e si y
o
Cape Town.
Wa son, R.T. 1989. Key issues in in o ma ion sys ems
managemen : An Aus alian pe spec i e -1988.
Aus alian
Compu e
Jo11Tnal,
Augus
Wa son, R.T. and Pi ,
LP.
1989. Compe ing wi h compu e s:
An
app oach o he iden i ica ion
o
a eas
o
compe i i e
ad an age.
S.
A .
J.
Bus.
Manage.,
Vol. 20, No. 4.
Wiseman, C. 1988. S a egic in o ma ion sys ems. Homewood,
Il.6: I win.
12S
Wha
do
you conside o
be
he mos c i ical issues
acing
IS execu i es o e he nex h ee o i e yea s? Please indica e you iews
by
a ing each issue
on
he scale 1 o 10, whe e 1 indica es a
lowes
p io i y issue and 10 indica es a highes p io i y issue.
The
mo e
impo an he issue, he highe he sco e. Use he space below o assign you a ings. (Please eel ee o change he wo ding
o
he
issues
o
modi y he a ionale. Space is p o ided a he end
o
he o m o w i e
in
addi ional issues.)
2
A e age You a ing
a ing
ound 1
Al
A2
his ound
Key
issues
111d
hei
a ionale
/uue:
Imp o ing
IS
s l'llegic planning.
Ralionale:
I
is
inc easingly c i ical
o
an
o g111isa ion's
success ha i align i s long- ange
pl111
wi h i s
s a egic business
plan.
Rapidly
changing business en i onmen s; inc eased in ol emen o end-use s,
and
accele a ed echnological
change
unde sco e
he
need
o
con inue imp o ing s a egic planning
skills.
Issue: Speci ying, ec ui ing,
and
de eloping
human
esou ces o
IS.
Ra ionale:
Cu en
and
u u e
sho ages o quali ied in o ma ion sys ems
pe sonnel
lhn:a en he
IS
depanmen 's
126
3
A3
4
A4
s AS
6 A6
7
A7
8 AS
9
A9
10
AlO
11
All
12
A12
13
Al3
14
A14
1S
A1S
16
Al6
17
A17
S.A .Tydsk .Bed y sl.1990,21(4)
abili y
o
keep
up
wi h he in onna ion needs
o
i s pa en o ganisa ion. Compu e pe sonnel need o
be
ecogniud
as
people who can assis he o ganisa ion
o
g ow. They ha e
o
de elop he abili y o iden i y wi h
he employe .
Issue:
De eloping an in o ma ion a chi ec u e.
Ra ionale:
A co po a e/global in o ma ion a chi ec u e is needed
o
iden i y
he
majo
in onna ion ca ego ies
used wi hin an en e p ise and hei ela ionships
o
business p ocesses. I is necessa y
o
guide applica ions
de elopmen and acili a e
he
sha ing
o
da a.
Issue:
Aligning he IS o ganisa ion wi h ha
o
he en e p ise.
Ra ionale:
The e ec i eness wi h which IS can suppo he en e p ise's in onna ion needs is dependen
on
he
IS
depa men 's posi ion wi hin he en e p ise. Too o en IS is
no
loca ed app opia ely wi hin he o ganisa ion.
Issue:
Imp o ing he e ec i eness
o
so wa e de elopmenL
Ra ionale: The applica ion de elopmen backlog emains unaccep ably high le els. Use s
a e
ge ing impa ienL
Add
o
his he inc easing cos s
o
human ecou ces and he need
o
imp o ed e ec i eness in sys ems
de elopmen becomes clea .
Issue:
Facili a ing and managing end-use compu ing.
Ra ionale:
The p oli e a ion
o
end-use compu ing h ough pe sonal compu e s o e s he p omise
o
imp o ed
p oduc i i y bu also he dange s
o
inadequa e managemen
con ol
In onna ion sys ems managemen mus
balance con ol
agains
he need o slack. Cla i ica icn
o
IS
and
end-use oles is a necessi y.
Issue:
Using in o ma ion sys ems o compe i i e ad an age.
Ra ionale: In many businesses, long- enn su i al is dependen upon using in onna ion sys ems
o
gain
compe i i e
ad an age.
The
business can
be
los wi hou i . Compe i i e ad an age esul s om ecogni ion
o
oppo uni ies h ough c ea i i y and inno a ion, ollowed by apid implemen a ion. These
a e
his o ical
weaknesses
o
IS.
Issue:
Inc easing senio managemen 's unde slllllding
o
he ole and con ibu ion
o
IS.
Ra ionale: IS is o en iewed by senio managemen
as
an
o e head expense wi hou app ecia ing new IS
echnologies in hei en i e ope a ion. Business p ac ices and o ganisa ional s uc u es will need o
be
modi ied
in many cases, and he e needs
o
be
a g ea e commi men by senio managemen o IS. IS also
mus
demoo-
s a e i s
own
abili y o lea n and use echnology o
mee
o ganisa ional goals.
Issue:
P omo ing e ec i e use
o
he da a esou ce.
Ra ionale:
The o ganisa ion's da a esou ces is g owing in
siu,
complexi y and alue. Despi e his, i emains
la gely un ecognized, inaccessible, and
unde u iliud.
IS mus de elop a clima e wi hin i s depa men and
h oughou he o ganisa ion which alues he da a esou ces as a co po a e asse .
Issue:
Planning, implemen a ion and managing elecommunica ions.
Ra ionale: Communica ion is
he
li ebond
o
he o ganisa ion. Using IS
o
compe i i e ad an age o en
depends
hea ily on communica ions. Rapid and majo changes in he indus y complica e his ask.
Issue:
Facili a ing o ganisa ional lea ning and he use
o
IS echniques.
Ra ionale: O ganisa ions ha p ospe will
be
hose ha make
use
o
app opia e
new
IS echnologies in hei
en i e ope a ion. Business p ac ices and o ganisa ional s uc u es will need
o
be modi ied in many cases. IS also
mus demons a e i s own abili y
o
lea n and use new echnology.
Issue:
Imp o ing im o ma ion secu i y and con ol.
Ra ionale: As o ganisa ions inc ease hei dependence on in o ma ion sys ems, he e is a g ea e isk om
des uc ion and al e a ion
o
da a, disclosu e
o
ou side sou ces, and dis up ion
o
in onna ion se ices. Tigh
seai e
con ols and aul ole an in o ma ion deli e y a e becoming a necessi y.
Issue:
Planning and managing he applica ion pon. olio.
Ra ionale: The applica ions pon. olio is apidly inc easing in
siu,
complexi y, and main enance cosL Despi e he
longe i y
o
he main enance p oblem, oo
liule
is known abou managing i e ec i ely.
Issue:
Imp o ing da a in eg i y and quali y assu ance.
Ra ionale: Main ame applica ions, imesha ing ex ac s, and pe sonal compu e applica ions a e all used o
analyu
da a and p epa e
epo s.
F equen ly he e a e disc epancies among hese di e en da a sou ces due
o
lack
o
con ols in IS and use depa men s. Too o en compu e p in ou s a e assumed
o
be
accu a e.
Such
assump ions can lead
o
aul y decisions.
Issue:
Managemen skills
o
senio IS s a .
Ra ionale:
No enough a en ion is paid o aining manage s wi h a echnical backg ound in basic
people and managemen skills.
Issue:
Enabling elec onic da a in e change and mul i- endo in eg a ion.
Ra ionale: Elec onic communica ions wi h endo s and cus ome s may o e emendous compe i i e
ad an age
o a company. IS execu i es
mull
push o basic indus y s anda ds. S anda ds would enable
elec onic da a in e change
and
cos e ec i e mul i- endo en i onmen s wi hou majo con e sion cos s
o
loss
o
unc ionali y.
Issue:
Decen aliza ion
o
p ocessing wi h he de elopmen
o
pe sonal compu e s.
Ra ionak: The acquisi ion
o
pe sonal compu en is shi ing p ocessing om he main ame
o
he pe sonal
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A3S
canpu e . Some
IS
p o essionals a e esining his
mange.
Then:
i1
a
6eed
o
c1e e1op
p ocedu es o e ec i e
con ol
o
end-use
compu ing.
lss,u: In eg a ing da a p ocessing, o ice
aul<lmalian,
and
1dec mm1111icaliom.
Ra ionale: The capabili y
now
exis s
o
in egl'lle sylleml
dw
a e hued on hese di e se edmologies.
As
cqm-
isa ions y lo in eg a e hei echnologies, o ganisa ions and manage ial p oblems will need
o
be lci ed.
lss,u: Measu ing
IS
e ec i eness
and
p oduc i i y.
Ra ionale: The measu emen o
IS
pe o mance
is
c ucial
o
i s e ec i e managemen . This is
bewmina
mo e
impo an as o ganisa ims in es mo e and mo e
money
in in o ma ion sys ems.
lssiu: Con e ing
and
using ela ional da abue managemen sys ans.
Ra ionale:
IBM
is
sugges ing ha i 's majo use s con e
o
ela iooal
OEMS
by
1990.
How?
Is
i
ally
necessa y o end-use appliCl ims?
Can
o pnisa ims a o d
he
addi ional
ha dwa e
and
con e sion
COIIS?
Too liule
is
known abou his eclmology.
lssiu: Ranking
o
de elopmen p ojec s.
Ra ionale:
Cons ain s m
IS
spending make i -di licuh
o
n:cou ce many p ojec s and he e
is
a
need
o
a me hod
o
e ec i ely anking po en ial p ojec s.
lssiu: De eloping and implemen ing decision suppo sys ems.
Ra ionale: Imp o ing he e ec i eness
o
managen
is
an~
objecli e o in onnalion syllellll.
Then:
hu
been much p omised bu oo liule success
in
his
a ea.
lssiu: Ope a ing he
IS
unc ion u a business
uniL
Ra ionale:
The
IS
unc ion should
be
sel - unding and ope a e
in
a business en i omnenL
I ssiu: Selec ing and in eg a ing packaged applica ion so wa e.
Ra ionale:
The changing ela iooship amoog oos s o ha dwa e, packaged so wa e, and human esou ces makes
managing his aspec
o
he business c i ical. Using
pu chased
applica ioo so wa e can
cu
cos s, boos
p oduc i i y, and inc eue use sa is ac ion, bu i
can
esul in
poo
in eg a ion
o
sys ems
and
se ioul
main enance p oblems.
lssiu: Es ablishing an e ec i e cha geou sys em.
Ra ionale:
The use pays
concepc
needs o be e ea.i ely implemen ed
o
ensu e ha
IS
spending
is
con olled.
Issue:
Acqui ing and using oompu e -usis ed sys ans enginee ing so wa e.
Ra ionale:
To imp o e he p oduc i i y o
IS
p o essionals,~
sys ems a e needed
o
suppo analysis,
design and implemen a ion ac i i ies.
lssiu: Planning, implemen ing
and
managing o ice
aUIOma ion.
Ra ionale:
O ice aulana ion
is
being implemen ed
by
many
o ganisa ims
o
imp o e 'whi e colla '
p oduc i i y. P oblems a ise in de e mining
how
his
should
be
dooe and wha he ole
o
IS
should
be.
lssiu: De e mining app op ia e
IS
unding le els.
Ra ionale:
The e
is
no gene ally accep ed
way
:l es ablishing he le el
ol
IS
unding ela i e
o
he
Olhe
unding
needs
o
he o ganisa ioo. This
can
pu
bo h
IS
111d
gene al managen
al
a disad an age.
Issue:
Managing da a and documen s o age.
Ra ionale:
In o ma ion s o ed
in
bo h elec onic
and
ha dcopy
o m
is
acannula ing
al
a
s agge ing
pace.
The e
is
a need
o
p o ide
o
uw e
da a
111d
documen
s o age
equi emedl.
lssiu: Making e ec i e
use
o
canpu e
g aphics.
Ra ionale:
Compu e g aphics o e
an
e ec i e
way
o p esenl
in o ma ion.
P oblems
need
o
be
aol ed in
using g aphics in e ac i ely and emo ely,
and
in eg a ing
i wi h s andml epo ing mechanisms.
lssiu:
Managing
he impac o a i icial
in elligence.
Ra ionale:
Ani icial in elligence
may
be he ool
o
in eg a e
IS
wi h
Olhe
unc ions in he
o ganisa ion.
I s
poeen ial
is
no well unde s ood. Al hough i
is
becoming inc easingly easible, oo liule
is
known
abou managing his echnology.
Issue:
Planning, implemen ing
and
managing
a<1o
aUIOllla ion.
Ra ionale:
Fac o ies a e being auuma ed
o
es ablish
an
in e na ionally canpe i i e posi ion.
Many
unc ions a e
in ol ed -manu acbl ing, enginee ing,
esea ch
and
de elopmen , e c. Co-o dina ion
o
cu oma ion e o s
is
c i ical. Wha should he ole :l he
IS
depa men
be?
How
should hese new sys ems be in eg a ed wi hin
hemsel es and wi hin adi ional
IS
applica ions?
lssiu: O ganisa ion o a co po a e
MIS
dcpa lmen
111d
subsidia y MIS depa men s in each business uni .
Ra ionale:
In
an
o ganisa ion
di ided
in o business uni s, i
is
di icul o main ain o e all cm ol :l
MIS
and
al
he same ime allow each business uni he lexibili y
o
p o ide
i s
owm
MIS
se ices.
lssiu: Assis ing use managemen o iden i y
and
ank
oppo uni ies o he
use
o
in o ma ion echnology.
Ra ionale:
Use managemen a e no
ully
awa e
:l he po en ial o in o ma ion echnology
o
imp o e hei
uni 's pe o mance, and
IS
pe sonnel do
no
unde s and
he
business well enough
10
ecogniu: oppo uni ies.
The e
is
a p oblem in ma ching he business
o
know-how
o
he
usen
and
IS
specialis s' knowledge so ha
IS
de elops he high
mum
applica ions o use s.
lssiu: The lack :l mul iple skills in exis ing
IS
s a .
Ra ionale:
The powe
o
penooal compu e s and ela ional da a base sys ems
is
o cing
IS
manage s
o
e alua e
127