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    Decision support system : development and application using off-the-shelf application packages and microcomputer in a manufacturing company : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Production and Quality at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1986) Tan, Sin Week
    The aim of this research was to apply the decision support systems and quality costs concepts to build a Quality Costs Management Information System/Decision Support System (QC MIS/DSS) using off-the-shelf application packages and a microcomputer for the system development. To achieve these aims, a survey was conducted to find out the extent of computer applications in industries in the Manawatu region. Application packages were evaluated to select two suitable packages for the development of a QC MIS/DSS project in Company A. A survey on the application of computers in the Manawatu region showed that about 47.4% of respondents were using microcomputers. The majority of the respondents used computer programs for finance, invoicing and stock control. Decision support was not yet a major usage. The Prototype of QC MIS/DSS has the features of easy to use, simple to understand, user controlled, adaptive and easy to communicate with. The mangers/ users were satisfied with the prototype demonstrated. Interest in the possibility of expanding the system to other existing products and for detailed information on quality costs were raised. Two main factors which contributed to the success of the project were - the prototyping approach used for system development. - the management support during the system development process. - the software used. There were some significant changes after the concept of QC MIS/DSS was introduced to Company A which included improvement on data collection and records for rework, rejects, scraps on the assembly line, increasing the awareness of the quality costs and their significance, as well as the process efficiency, As a result, work study and time study were carried out on the assembly line. The project has met the predetermined objectives and the users' requirements. It has also proved that it is feasible to apply the decision sypport system theories and prototyping system development methodology by using the costs and time saving tools- Application packages for their model building. To further improve and enhance the effectiveness of the system, it would be very useful to develop the DSS to a semi-expert system which would provide users with warning and some guidelines on what actions to be taken. This could be used as a consultancy device which would further improve the efficiency of the managers and decision makers in decision making.
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    Global information technology infrastructure for a global non-profit organisation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1999) Van Laar-Veth, Richard M
    With the recent worldwide growth of the Internet, computers are becoming interconnected in a global communications network. Most people view the Internet as a universal communications medium that can replace telephone, television, and radio. Historically, for organisations and enterprises that could afford to do so, expensive telecommunication lines and Wide Area Network technologies were used for global communications, which allowed computers to communicate using proprietary protocols. For non-profit organisations in particular, the Internet has made it possible to connect offices and individuals, using open standard protocols, at a fraction of the cost of other alternatives. This study focuses on the investigation and development of a global communication system and information technology (IT) infrastructure that uses the Internet as its communication platform for a particular non-profit organisation, OMF International. Without a clear understanding of the limitations of the technologies involved, the development of an IT project is likely to be flawed or fail. (Standish Group, 1995) The findings from this investigation revealed that a global communication system and IT infrastructure, suitable for OMF International, needed to overcome limitations in the use and access of the Internet, the unreliability of different email systems to deliver email messages, and financial and human resource constraints. The study found that methods used in 'for-profit' organisations for the development of an IT infrastructure, were applicable to this non-profit organisation, resulting in the successful implementation of a global communication system and IT infrastructure. The choice of IT solutions and technologies within OMF was often based on functionality rather than feasibility, and its global IT infrastructure requirements were overlooked. The study found that by comparison Lotus Notes' client/server IT infrastructure requirements were considerably less than that of Microsoft Exchange client/server, however, alternative low-cost open standard messaging options were more affordable. Conclusively, open standard IT solutions for global communications are better suited that for this non-profit organisation, than proprietary solutions. The study also highlighted the need for an IT architecture, that would provide a plan and strategic context for future IT development within OMF International, which would overcome problems with concurrent IT projects using different technologies.
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    Information systems planning and management in New Zealand tertiary education institutions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Computer Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1992) Greenwood, John
    The strategic use of information systems for competitive advantage is a subject of current information systems research. This thesis examines the application of this view of the organisation on tertiary education institutions in New Zealand, and its impact on their information systems planning process. Recent changes in the legislation governing the tertiary education sector are reviewed, and their effects on New Zealand tertiary institutions are examined. A number of models of information systems development are summarised and used as a framework to position the current state of information systems in tertiary institutions. The results of a survey, which gathered information about the information systems planning in New Zealand's tertiary education institutions, are presented. Several models of information systems planning are examined and their applicability to the organisations involved in tertiary education is determined. A suggested development of information systems planning within tertiary institutions is presented.
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    Expressing business rules : a fact based approach : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Information Systems at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2004) Hargreaves, Adrian John
    Numerous industry surveys have suggested that many IT projects still end in failure. Incomplete, ambiguous and inaccurate specifications are cited as a major causal factor. Traditional techniques for specifying data requirements often lack the expressiveness with which to model subtle but common features within organisations. As a consequence, categories of business rules that determine the structure and behaviour of organisations may not be captured until the latter stages of the systems development lifecycle. A fact-based technique called Object Role Modelling (ORM) has been investigated as an altemative approach for specifying data requirements. The technique's ability to capture and represent a wide range of data requirements rigorously, but still in a form comprehensible to business people, could provide a powerful tool for analysts. In this report, ORM constructs have been synthesised with the concepts and definitions provided by the Business Rules Group (BRG), who have produced a detailed taxonomy of business rule categories. In doing so, business rules discovered in an organisation can be expressed in a form that is meaningful to both analysts and business people. Exploiting the expressive simplicity of a conceptual modelling technique to articulate an organisation's business rules could help to fill a significant requirements gap.
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    The influence of end-users on strategic information systems planning in a NZ polytechnic : a case study : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Information Systems at Massey University
    (2002) Skelton, David
    This study reports research about the management of information technology and the experience of computer users at the Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke's Bay in New Zealand. The context of the study is New Zealand tertiary institutional use and professional practice of information technology management in the early 2000's. It reports and analyses planning meetings of the information technology department and user groups and activities related to the inforslice-of-lifemation technology strategic planning process in the years 2001/2002. The investigation of the relationship between the desires and expectations of user groups and the influence these have on the setting of strategic information technology plans is the object of the study. Literature describing other organisations' approach to strategic information technology planning is reviewed in terms of its relevance to the study. In addition selected literature about end-user computing and the approach to information systems planning from the viewpoint of the user is presented. From this literature emerged some patterns of information technology management, which included user group participation and a modern approach to strategic planning using emerging technologies at tertiary institutes. A justification for the selection of the particular research approach is explained and data collection, organisation and analysis are described. The study uses Eastern Institute of Technology corporate records, meetings minutes, interviews with managers and users, and results from staff and student surveys on information technology planning. This is a case study which examines and analyses the complex dimensions of organisational change and planning, so is rich in detail and provides a "slice-of-life" example of a tertiary organisation grappling with the many demands of information technology and user demands The results of the data analysis are presented in terms of the key plans and aims of the information technology department and user groups. From this analysis conclusions are drawn in relation to the research questions that underpin the study and in terms of information technology and management planning methodologies. In particular, conclusions draw a relationship between the quality of information technology strategic planning and the level of consultation and involvement of computer users at various levels within the organisation; key organisational processes helping to allow user involvement and the articulation of a shared vision through published information technology planning documents. The conclusions also view the information technology planning process as a move towards a learning organisation with the characteristics of the context of change and new technology. Flowing from the research findings, recommendations are made for professional information technology management practice and for changes in non-IT managers' involvement in the information technology planning process.
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    Hospital information systems : a nursing viewpoint : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1983) Wenn, Janice
    This thesis is concerned with hospital information systems. The literature relating to management information systems is examined in conjunction with the literature which specifically focuses upon hospital and nursing information systems. A field study, using a case study approach, is designed and implemented, its purpose being to analyse five sub-systems of a current hospital information system in use in one Hospital Board. This field study utilises a basic systems analysis methodology focusing upon the problem identification and performance identifications of the analysis cycle. In the problem identification phase forty-two subjects are interviewed, (83.3% of the sample being nurses in management positions). Check lists designed to test the sub-systems abilities to generate, store, retrieve and utilise data, and test the subjects knowledge of the sub-systems are devised and applied. The data obtained from the application of check lists is analysed and data flow charts and in-depth interview schedules developed for use in phase two or the performance identification phase of the field study. In phase two (performance identification) eleven subjects in administrative positions within the Hospital Board are interviewed using the data flow charts and the in-depth interview schedules as tools for eliciting data. Contrary to the author's expectations the field study results reveal a considerable diversity. In phase one the respondents possessed a sound knowledge of the admission/discharge, patient care and nursing management sub-systems. 85,7% of the nurse respondents have knowledge of the patient care sub-system and a further 79.2% have some knowledge of its ability to generate, store, retrieve and utilise information. In common with the administrators the high level of knowledge of retrieval and utlisation (89.2%) would indicate frequent use of the system. By contrast only 5.4% of the respondents in phase one had knowledge of retrieval and utilisation of the staffing information sub-system as compared with 100% in the administrators group. This same pattern emerges for the financial sub-system with 13.5% of the respondents having knowledge of retrieval and 18.9% of utilisation of the sub-system compared with 81.8% of administrators. These results indicate to the author that information systems development tends to be associated with each health discipline rather than with the macro development of a relevant, comprehensive hospital information system. To this end a series of questions are raised and possible answers provided. Finally a model which could become a prescription for future development is presented.
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    User requirements elicitation : evaluating the effectiveness of a prompting technique for a human resource information system : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies in Human Resource Management at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Snell-Siddle, Catherine
    Eliciting user requirements is a vital part of the requirements determination phase of software development. The requirements determination process gathers, organises and documents the complete set of end user requirements. This process has been described as the most difficult activity of information systems development. This difficulty is further compounded by the problems encountered in communicating complex human resource information needs to systems analysts. There have been problems in the past where the implementation of a human resource information system (HRIS) has failed to meet an organisation's needs. The literature suggests that a lack of understanding between the information systems and human resource disciplines is one of the major impediments to HRIS reaching their full potential. Attempts to improve the communication between the human resource user and the system analyst will not only help to increase the effectiveness of the information system solution, but will ensure that the organisation's strategic objectives are matched with the human resource systems and applications that support them. The purpose of this research was to compare the effectiveness of two prompting techniques when used in an interview setting to elicit user requirements for a HRIS. The task characteristics prompting technique used substantive and procedural prompts to overcome cognitive problems experienced by users. The syntactic prompting technique used the interrogatories questioning method which involved asking 'who', 'what', 'when', 'where', 'how', and 'why' questions. Prior to analysis, a set of generic requirements categories was used to code the user requirements elicited from each technique. The categories consisted of goal, process, task and information level requirements. The results showed that the task characteristics prompting technique was effective in eliciting a greater number of requirements than the syntactic technique, and particularly that the differences in requirements evoked were significant for the information level requirements. This research represents an effort to build on the empirical work completed by previous researchers and provides a basis for further research in prompting techniques for the elicitation of user requirements for information systems. Implications for practitioners are discussed and future research directions are recommended.
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    The impact of culture on strategic information systems planning : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Business Information Systems at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Raja Mohd Ali, Raja Haslinda
    How employees behave or react in an organisation depends on the norms and belief systems of that organisation, which is known as organisational culture. Organisational culture affects the decision making processes deciding the direction of the development of the organisation, and strategic information systems (IS) planning is one such process. The determinants that influence strategic IS planning have been examined and tested in previous studies. However, it is not known how the determinants of strategic IS planning success are affected by culture. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the impact of organisational culture on strategic IS planning. It proposes a conceptual model describing how culture affects two important determiners of strategic IS planning success, top management commitment and user participation. Data were collected via a questionnaire survey of medium-sized and large organisations in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in New Zealand and Malaysia. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the survey data and to test the model. Follow-up interviews with five top managers and thirteen general employees resulted in in-depth qualitative data focusing on the relationships found to be interesting in the model. Fitting the model by using partial least squares structural equation modelling suggested that both user participation and top management commitment affected the two dimensions of strategic IS planning success, communication and technology. User participation affected the strategic IS planning success dimensions relating to communication (β=.30) and technology (β=.24); top management commitment affected the strategic IS planning success dimensions relating to communication (β=.31) and technology (β=.42). As to the effect of culture dimensions on the determinants of strategic IS planning success, collectivism affected user participation (β=.15), and uncertainty avoidance affected top management commitment (β=.27) and user participation (β=.30). Qualitative data analysis resulted in rich descriptions of the managers’ and users’ perceptions of the reasons for the effects confirmed by fitting the survey data. The present study contributes by demonstrating the impact of culture on the determinants of strategic IS planning success.
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    Development of a conceptual overview of the strategic management of information technology and an enquiry into information technology strategy formulation in practice : a research study submitted to the Department of Information systems in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1991) Olson, Mike
    Strategy is not a new term, the word has been in use as far back in the history of man to whenever conflict between man has been evident. Today, the battleground is the business environment and the conflict has arisen through the desire to prosper (for some the need to survive) in a highly competitive and increasingly dynamic situation. Business leaders, academic theorists and researchers in general are now directing a large proportion of their skills and resources toward the topic of strategic management. Their efforts over just a short period (20 or so years), have produced a wide range and variety of approaches, concepts and practical conclusions rapidly increasing in both quantity and scope. This research study tackles the entire subject of strategic management, but in particular it goes beyond traditional boundaries to investigate the equally dynamic and high profile topic of strategic information technology (IT) management and presents both fields within the "strategic management" umbrella. There can be no conclusive result or definitive statement when dealing with an outlook as broad as this. The real benefit and intention for the study is one of education and enlightenment on the history and evolution of strategic management and its effect and influence upon IT management, to its current state of the art. This is presented as a conceptual overview as the result of a review of the literature concerning both corporate and information technology management issues. As a balancing element the study investigates from the New Zealand perspective, the impact and level of penetration that strategic management has achieved within large and successful organisations, which again focuses upon the management of information as a strategic resource. Results from 55 respondents to the study's survey questionnaire show that only eight companies (15%) do not have either an IT or a corporate strategic plan, and that conversely 26 (just under half) do have strategic plans within both corporate and IT realms. This reveals that 47, or an overwhelming majority of 85% of those that responded to the questionnaire, are currently involved in the preparation of strategic plans whether IT or corporate. The high level of interest and involvement in strategic management as indicated by the survey is reflected in the multitude of literary works on the subject and the increased attention to the topic evident in the content of new courses offered by tertiary education institutions. This report will be useful to academics, theorists and practitioners alike and can be utilised as (1) a general annotated bibliography of readily available past literature, (2) a tool for rapidly reviewing how strategic management has evolved, (3) a source of quick reference for trends and significant findings within N.Z. businesses, or (4) where an individual has not yet encroached the subject, a starting point for their appreciation of the topic. It is my desire that this work contribute in some small way to the consideration by all who read it that information and communication are the essence of our everyday lives, and that therefore the adoption of an holistic approach to each and every means for making information more communicable, more valuable, more accurate, more relevant and appropriate, and more easily and effectively communicated whether through the use of technology or not, is both a logical and a most desirable proposition.
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