Strategic information systems planning: A case study from the financial services industry

Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) is an important topic for managers and researchers alike. However, there is evidence of a gap between SISP research and practice. Taking this situation as a motivation, we conducted an in depth case study on SISP to investigate this gap. The study was carried out in a German financial services company (FSC) over a period of five months in summer 2003. During this time, the enterprise situation and the information system (IS) practices situation of FSC were studied with respect to the SISP approach in place. Our findings confirm the hypothesis that practitioners largely ignore academic literature and do not use it in support of their SISP endeavours. This is all the more striking since FSC extensively used guidance from IS research in other fields such as systems analysis and software development. Our case study examines in detail two possible explanations for the gap: firstly a lacking transfer of academic knowledge to practice, and secondly deficiencies in the academic knowledge base itself. In fact, our observations highlight a disconnect between academic discussion and practical conduct. However, we found that the ignorance of academic literature on SISP is not primarily caused by a constrained knowledge transfer. In order to exclude communication barriers, we filtered the academic discussion according to the specific situation and the needs of FSC and translated it into practical recommendations. Nevertheless, the academic arguments we put forward hardly had any impact, either on IT managers’ thinking or on SISP practice at FSC. Though academic literature was partly perceived as inspiring, it was not regarded as a touchstone for SISP practice. Academia, in the eyes of FSC’s practitioners, ignores the “real problems” and thus is not accredited as a relevant source of advice. Moreover, in a final discussion with FSC’s senior IT executives we got the impression that the professional identity of FSC’s IT management – and more specifically the CIO’s role – was different from interpretations prevalent in academia. The academic discussion assumes the CIO to be an initiator of organisational innovations and driver of business strategy on the board. In contrast, we found that FSC’s CIO basically perceives her role as that of a service provider to business. While the different perceptions might be due to idiosyncrasies of FSC, related research provided additional empirical support for the conjecture of misleading academic assumptions about the role of IT management in practice.     

Information systems in the public sector: The e-Government enactment framework

Despite the burgeoning number of studies of public sector information systems, very few scholars have focussed on the relationship between e-Government policies and information systems choice and design. Drawing on Fountain’s (2001) technology enactment framework, this paper endeavours to conduct an in-depth investigation of the intricacies characterising the choice and design of new technologies in the context of e-Government reforms. By claiming that technologies are carriers of e-Government reform aims, this study investigates the logics embedded in the design of new technology and extant political interests and values inscribed in e-Government policies. The e-Government enactment framework is proposed as a theoretical and analytical approach to understand and study the complexity of these relationships which shape e-Government policies.     

Commercial fault tolerance: a tale of two systems

This paper compares and contrasts the design philosophies and implementations of two computer system families: the IBM S/360 and its evolution to the current zSeries line, and the Tandem (now HP) NonStop/spl reg/ Server. Both systems have a long history; the initial IBM S/360 machines were shipped in 1964, and the Tandem NonStop System was first shipped in 1976. They were aimed at similar markets, what would today be called enterprise-class applications. The requirement for the original S/360 line was for very high availability; the requirement for the NonStop platform was for single fault tolerance against unplanned outages. Since their initial shipments, availability expectations for both platforms have continued to rise and the system designers and developers have been challenged to keep up. There were and still are many similarities in the design philosophies of the two lines, including the use of redundant components and extensive error checking. The primary difference is that the S/360-zSeries focus has been on localized retry and restore to keep processors functioning as long as possible, while the NonStop developers have based systems on a loosely coupled multiprocessor design that supports a "fail-fast" philosophy implemented through a combination of hardware and software, with workload being actively taken over by another resource when one fails.     

Towards a typology of structural arrangements for shared services: evidence from the higher education sector

Shared services are increasingly prevalent in practice, their introduction potentially entailing substantive and highly consequential organizational redesign. Yet, attention to the structural arrangements of shared services has been limited. This study explores types of structural arrangements for shared services that are observed in practice, and the salient dimensions along which those types can be usefully differentiated. Through inductive attention to the shared services literature, and content analysis of 36 secondary case studies of shared services in the higher education sector, three salient dimensions emerged: (1) the existence or not of a separate organizational entity, (2) an intra- or inter-organizational sharing boundary, and (3) involvement or not of a third party. Each dimension being dichotomous yields 2³ combinations, or eight shared services structural arrangement types. Each of the eight structural arrangement types is defined and demonstrated through case examples. The typology offers clarity around shared services structural arrangements. It can serve as a useful analytical tool for researchers investigating the phenomenon further, and for practitioners considering the introduction or further development of shared services arrangements. Important follow on research is suggested too.     

Web服务与目录服务在系统集成中的应用研究

随着企业网上运行的应用服务不断增多,如何把各种不同的服务系统集成起来成为网络应用服务领域所面临的重大问题.目录服务与Web服务的结合为不同应用系统的集成提供了新的解决方案.目录服务能够实现对用户信息和网络资源的统一管理,Web服务能够将众多异构应用系统有机的结合起来,而基于目录的UDDI Web服务注册中心则又实现了目录对Web服务的统一管理.给出了一个利用目录和Web服务解决校园网络应用系统集成的方案.     

Information integration: the future of HIS

In moving toward integrated solutions, the healthcare industry attempts to deal with the daunting amount of data required daily by healthcare knowledge workers. Frank Cavanaugh, partner and national director of the Healthcare Information Systems practice of Coopers & Lybrand, Chicago, says integration will happen incrementally. He explores several workable approaches in this first of a two-part study on information integration strategies for healthcare.     

Outcomes and success factors of enterprise IT architecture management: empirical insight from the international financial services industry

Within the last decades, corporate information technology (IT) environments have approached considerable degrees of complexity. As a consequence, IT has become increasingly difficult to manage resulting in high costs and poor flexibility. Today, it is generally acknowledged that the sustainability of corporate IT environments can only be ensured through a continuous and long-term management on the level of the Enterprise (IT) Architecture (EA). To address this, many firms have implemented a dedicated Enterprise (IT) Architecture Management (EAM) function. However, little is known yet on the effectiveness of such functions and the factors influencing EAM success. Within this research, we thus seek to answer two main questions: (1) do firms adopting EAM perform better with regard to high-level information management objectives like IT flexibility and IT efficiency, and if so, (2) what are the critical success factors in attaining these goals? To answer these questions, a field survey was conducted within the international financial services industry. The results provide evidence that the implementation of an EAM function is in fact supportive in the creation and sustainment of IT efficiency and IT flexibility. Several factors are shown to be of critical importance for achieving these goals with architectural governance being the most important one.     

Robustness of sampled-data control systems having parametricuncertainty: a conic sector approach

The robustness of sampled-data control systems when the open-loop system is modeled by a family of plants having affine or interval uncertainty structure is considered. Using the conic sector approach as adapted to sampled-data systems, the authors give a sufficient condition for robust stability that depends only on edge parameters in the case of affine uncertainty and on vertex parameters when interval uncertainty is assumed     

Competing in the Brazilian real-time financial information services industry: Commitment and adaptation

In this study, we examine two very different firms operating in the Brazilian real-time financial information services (RTFIS) industry. We conducted two separate qualitative studies 7 years apart analyzing how a technology-based incumbent reacted to the entry of a challenger with better content-generation capabilities. We concluded that even when facing an entrant with new technologies and environmental changes, commitment to its own IS resources represented the best long-term strategy for the incumbent firm, because the incumbent kept focused on what it did best and invested in the redeployment of its flexible IS resources to redefine its industry processes and activities.     

The complexities of electronic services implementation and institutionalisation in the public sector

Electronic service implementation (ESI) in the public sector attempts to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of governmental departments. Despite having provided the necessary infrastructure and investment, many governments have struggled to realise such aims due to the various forces that challenge implementation and institutionalisation. Using institutional theory as a lens, we explored the forces influencing the implementation and institutionalisation of ESI in the public sector. While our results reinforced previous research in IT implementation and organisational transformation, they showed that the dynamic nature of technology poses unanticipated pressures, and that these can impede the implementation and institutionalisation process.     

Information systems in seaports: a categorization and overview

Information systems have become indispensable to the competitiveness of ports, facilitating communication and decision making for enhancing the visibility, efficiency, reliability, and security in port operations under various conditions. Providing value-added information services and analytics is increasingly important to maintain a competitive edge and to fulfill regulatory requirements. Consequently, it is necessary to survey current information systems both from an academic and practical standpoint. In this paper, we present a classification and a comprehensive survey of information systems and related information technologies applied in ports. As such, the paper provides a state-of-the-art information-centric view on port operations and aims to bridge the gap between industry solutions and academic works.     

Digital transformation strategy making in pre-digital organizations: The case of a financial services provider

The formulation and implementation of a digital transformation strategy (DTS) has become a key concern for many pre-digital organizations across traditional industries, but how such a strategy can be developed remains an open question. We used interpretive in-depth case study research to study how a European financial services provider has formulated and implemented a DTS. By focusing on the underlying processes and strategizing activities, we show that digital strategy making not only represents a break with the conventions of upfront strategic information systems (IS) planning, but reveals a new extreme of emergent strategy making. Specifically, we conclude that a DTS is continuously in the making, with no foreseeable end. By building on theory from IS strategizing and strategy-as-practice literature, we theorize an integrated process/activity model that characterizes DTS formulation and implementation in pre-digital organizations. Our model shows that the crafting of a DTS is a highly dynamic process involving iterating between learning and doing.     

Information systems and uncertainty: a conspiracy of misplaced confidence

Abstract. Information technology is becoming an increasingly important factor in contemporary management. Information systems are being set up in business explicitly to accommodate the new opportunities of this technology, and these are having a lasting effect on managerial practice. The full implications of this technology-driven development have not been appreciated by organizations, which in absorbing technological systems, are tolerating a great drain on their resources.
The efficacy of computers is predicated on the acceptance of some very specific perspectives. A growing discontent and disappointment with their limited achievements is our reason for advocating a different point of view. We will discuss how a shift in perspective, particularly in respect to the perception of uncertainty, will affect thinking and practice in the field of management support systems. We will render our view of the application of computerized decision support systems (DSS), and especially, we will focus on the beliefs and assumptions that have shaped this technology thus far. To this end we will discuss the concept of uncertainty, by juxtaposing current thinking and practice with our understanding of the context of its application. Finally, we will place our understanding of uncertainty in a managerial context and explain the implications this would have for strategists.     

When success turns into failure: a package-driven business process re-engineering project in the financial services industry

This article discusses a Business Process Re-engineering project that involved the implementation of an enterprise resource planning software package. Although the project was deemed to be a success when the system was first delivered, this initial success soon turned to failure. While the short-term financial results were spectacular, the long-term implications of the changes were more worrying. This paper raises many questions about the meaning of “success.” In particular, it shows how a “successful implementation” can, within a relatively short space of time, turn into failure.     

ERP and SCM systems integration: The case of a valve manufacturer in China

Many modern organizations integrate enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain management (SCM) systems, as they work in a complementary fashion. This often results in technical and organizational challenges. Neway, a Chinese organization, recently went through this complex process. This required efficient procurement and management of hardware, software, and human resources for successful completion. The integrated system was found to improve operations, foster a paperless environment, and provide efficient inventory tracking and picking. It also had several tangible benefits, including reduced lead time and improved inventory accuracy. ERP and SCM systems integration is still a novel concept for a Chinese manufacturing organization. Our case study details the organization's experience, identifies challenges that were faced, and describes solutions adopted to overcome them.     

Knowledge-based systems and issues of integration: A commercial perspective

Commercial applications of knowledge-based systems are changing from an embryonic to a growth business. Knowledge is classified by levels and types to differentiate various knowledge-based systems. Applications are categorized by size, generic types, and degree of intelligence to establish a framework for discussion of progress and implications. A few significant commercial applications are identified and perspectives and implications of these and other systems are discussed. Perspectives relate to development paths, delivery modes, types of integration, and resource requirements. Discussion includes organizational opportunities and impacts, business perspectives, workplace issues, public effects, and educational needs. Common traps and modes of failures are mentioned.Major conclusions point to the great value of knowledge-based systems when development is pursued correctly, and to the existence of insufficient understanding of resource requirements, needs for integration, different talents, and incorporation into operational strategy to equitably exploit the significant economic and social costs associated with their creation and use.     

Planning for IS applications: a practical,information theoretical method and case study in mobile financial services

We use information theory to justify use of a method to help managers better understand what new IT applications and features will be most valued by users and why and then apply this method in a case study involving the development of financial service applications for mobile devices. We review five methods for data gathering, analysis, modeling, and decision-making and compare them with information processing methods for IS planning. Then we develop an IS planning method, an extended version of ‘critical success chains’ (CSC), that supports five of six of the identified information processing needs. We use this method in a project to develop ideas for mobile financial services applications at Digia, a Finland-based R&D firm. We select a group of experts and potential early adopting users. In structured individual interviews, we ask why participants prefer particular specific features the participant would expect to be part of an application. We record this data as linked chains connecting features with consequential performance and with the perceived value of such performance. The data is analyzed across participants to create network models of features, performance, and values. We conduct an ideation workshop with Digia engineers and executives to generate ideas for new systems based on the CSC models. Workshop participants created back-of-the-envelope level ideas for three new applications and business models to show graphically the flow of information, value, and revenue among parties involved in producing and using the applications. We conclude by comparing the extended CSC and other IS planning methods in terms of information theory and the information processing needs for IS planning.