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Article
Publication date: 1 February 1993

Christine Fidler, Simon Rogerson and Nicola Spiers

The evolving information systems (IS) field has been the subject ofmuch research and observation in recent years. Much of the work has beenUS based. By contrast, this empirical…

115

Abstract

The evolving information systems (IS) field has been the subject of much research and observation in recent years. Much of the work has been US based. By contrast, this empirical survey analyses the current state of IS practices within UK‐based organizations. The survey evaluates the extent of computer usage within the UK at a general level, as well as focusing on specific areas such as management support systems, IS strategic planning and strategic alignment of business and IS. Where possible, compares the results of this survey with previous surveys and forecasts, and analyses differences. Identifies topics worthy of further investigation.

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Information Management & Computer Security, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-5227

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Article
Publication date: 14 April 2014

Christine Rogerson and Elsje Scott

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of action design research (ADR), a combination of action research and design science research, when conducting research…

475

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of action design research (ADR), a combination of action research and design science research, when conducting research where both practical relevance and academic rigor are required.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents ADR in action in order to motivate its use when investigating real-world organisational concerns requiring practical solutions, whilst also fulfilling academic requirements.

Findings

When research methodology aligns to research objectives, the resulting synchronicity can elevate the outcome considerably. From this study, which attempts to address concerns of informing practice, as well as advancing theory, ADR appears to be an extremely effective research tool.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to a single organisation and it would not be possible to make statistical generalisations. It is hoped, however, that the findings can be generalised to a theory that can be used in a similar setting. It would be valuable to discover whether other studies using ADR also find such effective alignment between relevance and rigour.

Practical implications

The research involves an intervention in the finance course offerings for staff training in the workplace. The detailed description of each of the seven ADR stages could prove useful for other researchers contemplating using ADR. The paper offers an example of ADR in practice.

Originality/value

This paper outlines the suitability and advantages of adopting an ADR approach, where the goal is to meet the challenge of implementing a solution in a real-world situation, whilst also adding to academic theory and knowledge.

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Interactive Technology and Smart Education, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-5659

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1994

Simon Rogerson and Christine Fidler

Advances in information provision have led organizations to attempt todevelop IS/IT strategies which interrelate with their businessstrategies and which together support corporate…

5831

Abstract

Advances in information provision have led organizations to attempt to develop IS/IT strategies which interrelate with their business strategies and which together support corporate missions. Strategic information systems planning (SISP) has become an accepted part of the overall corporate strategic planning process. The proliferation of methods and the variations in satisfaction indicate a need to provide a framework for classifying and comparing SISP approaches which will provide guidance on use and to explain why certain approaches are more commonly used than others. Develops a classification framework based on complexity and describes tools for using the framework. Provides indication as to the nature of a complete classification and comparison method for SISP based on complexity, scope and fit.

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Information Management & Computer Security, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-5227

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Book part
Publication date: 29 August 2022

Aaditeshwar Seth

Abstract

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Technology and (Dis)Empowerment: A Call to Technologists
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-393-5

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 1998

Paul Johnson, Christine S. Fidler and Simon Rogerson

It may be reasonably argued that the advent of modern communications technologies should manifest itself to some extent in a change in the behavioural patterns of their users…

2632

Abstract

It may be reasonably argued that the advent of modern communications technologies should manifest itself to some extent in a change in the behavioural patterns of their users. Indeed, if no such changes occur it may prove difficult to justify the introduction of these technologies. Particularly, one might expect that the locations in which people perform their daily tasks should be impacted to some degree by improved communication facilities. A recent diary study of managerial work in UK organisations, conducted by the authors, suggests that the locational patterns of managers in the work‐place appear not to have changed significantly, if at all, over the past 30 years, despite the rapid technological changes that have taken place during that era. Additionally, the use of the conventional telephone has remained constant during that period despite technological improvements and the introduction of alternative technologies such as fax, electronic mail, cellular phones, messaging services and video‐conferencing. These findings suggest that the communication habits of managers are not significantly influenced by the introduction of new technologies, but rather that their work patterns are probably set by more complex factors that may be organisational, psychological or sociological in nature.

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Management Decision, vol. 36 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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Article
Publication date: 27 August 2019

Geoffrey Wood and Christine Bischoff

The central purpose of this paper is to explore how implicit knowledge capabilities and sharing helps secure organizational survival and success. This article explores the…

2168

Abstract

Purpose

The central purpose of this paper is to explore how implicit knowledge capabilities and sharing helps secure organizational survival and success. This article explores the challenging in better management knowledge in the South African clothing and textile industry. In moving from a closed protected market supported by active industrial policy, South African manufacturing has faced intense competition from abroad. The ending of apartheid removed a major source of workplace tension, facilitating the adoption of higher value-added production paradigms. However, most South African clothing and textile firms have battled to cope, given cutthroat international competition. The authors focus on firms that have accorded particularly detailed attention to two instances characterized by innovative knowledge management. The authors highlight how circumstances may impose constraints and challenges and how they paradoxically also create opportunities, which may enable firms to survive and thrive through the recognition and utilization of informal knowledge, both individual and collective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on in-depth interviews, primary company and industry association and secondary documents.

Findings

The study highlights how successful firms implemented systems, policies and practices for the better capturing and utilization of external and internal knowledge. In terms of the former, a move toward fast fashion required and drove far-reaching organizational restructuring and change. This made for a greater integration of knowledge through the value chain, ranging from design to retail. Successful firms also owed their survival to the recognition and usage of internal informal knowledge. At the same time this process was not without tensions and paradoxes, and the findings suggest that many of the solutions followed a process of experimentation. The latter is in sharp contrast to many South African manufacturers, who, with the global articulation of production networks, have lost valuable knowledge on suppliers and their practices. At the same time, both firms have to contend with an increasingly unpredictable international environment.

Research limitations/implications

At a theoretical level, the study points to the need to see informal knowledge not only in individualistic terms but also as a phenomenon that has collective, and indeed, communitarian features. Again, it highlights the challenges of nurturing and optimizing informal knowledge. It shows how contextual features both constrain and enable this process. It further highlights the extent to which the effective utilization of external knowledge, and rapid responses to external developments, may require a fundamental rethinking of organizational structures and hierarchies. This study focuses on a limited number of dimensions of this in a single national context but could be replicated and extended into other contexts.

Practical implications

The study highlights the relationship between survival, success and how knowledge is managed. This involved harnessing the informal knowledge and capabilities of workforce to enhance productivity, in conjunction with improvements in machinery and processes, and a much closer integration of design, supply, production and marketing, underpinned by a more effective usage of IT. Paradoxically, other clothing and textile firms have survived doing the exact opposite – reverting to low value-added cut-and-trim assembly operations. At a policy level, the study highlights how specific features of South African regulation (above all, in terms of job protection), which are often held up as barriers to competiveness, may help sustain the knowledge base of firms.

Social implications

The preservation and creation of jobs in a highly competitive sector was bound up with effective knowledge management. The study also highlighted the mutual interdependence of employers and employees in a context of very high unemployment and how the more effective usage of informal knowledge bound both sides closer.

Originality/value

There is a fairly diverse body of literature on manufacturing in South Africa, and, indeed across the continent; however, much of it has focused on challenges. This study explores relative success stories from a sector that has faced a structural crisis of competitiveness, and as such, has relevance to understanding how firms and industries may cope in highly adverse circumstances.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

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Article
Publication date: 24 August 2012

Saskia de Klerk and Melville Saayman

Networking is an important managerial skill and small businesses and businesses that are operated in informal settings, such as those of the festival entrepreneur, need to…

2233

Abstract

Purpose

Networking is an important managerial skill and small businesses and businesses that are operated in informal settings, such as those of the festival entrepreneur, need to concentrate on building strong relationships with the role players in their networks in order to survive, thrive and to enhance their competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current level of networking skills and to determine the perceptions of entrepreneurs of their current networking relationships. The tourism industry, which is regarded as a people's industry, needs high levels of networking skills to meet customer needs and expectations. Networking can therefore be seen as a key success factor. The Grahamstown National Arts festival is South Africa's oldest arts festival and was chosen, first because of the economic impact it has and, second, tourism and entrepreneurship are considered as key developmental issues in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative study (structured questionnaire) was used to achieve the goal of the study and 137 festival entrepreneurs participated. A factor analysis was conducted with an Oblimin rotation to determine the factors that correlate most strongly with each other.

Findings

The main findings indicated that becoming a festival entrepreneur is a career choice and, second, that relationships and trust are important aspects of networking behaviour.

Originality/value

It is very important to investigate entrepreneurial behaviour in terms of networking practices at festivals. This research might help festival organisers to better understand and support the entrepreneurs conducting their business at these festivals and the organisers can offer services to support these networking efforts by offering courses, networking opportunities and engagement on higher levels of festival management. This research might also assist in the development of tourism curriculums which focus on event tourism.

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Article
Publication date: 24 August 2012

Banjo Roxas, Doren Chadee and Ronel Erwee

South Africa (SA) has undertaken significant institutional reforms since the change in its political regime in 1994. During the same period, SA has also experienced rapid economic…

1510

Abstract

Purpose

South Africa (SA) has undertaken significant institutional reforms since the change in its political regime in 1994. During the same period, SA has also experienced rapid economic growth. Although it is widely accepted that institutional reform generally has positive impacts on firm competitiveness and economic growth, the extent to which institutional reforms in SA have been of benefit to businesses is not well understood. The purpose of this paper is to focus specifically on the rule of law and assesses the extent to which the rule of law affects business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses multinomial logistic regression techniques and data, from a large‐scale firm level survey (n=751) of SA businesses undertaken by the World Bank in 2007, to estimate the effects of various elements of the rule of law on firm performance.

Findings

Crime and theft were found to have the largest impact on business performance, followed by corruption and tax administration. Political instability and the effectiveness of the court system were not perceived to affect business performance significantly.

Research limitations/implications

Ongoing institutional reforms aimed at improving business performance and competitiveness in SA should pay particular attention to the design of effective policies to address crime, theft, corruption and tax administration issues faced by businesses.

Originality/value

The study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence based on a large‐scale survey of the extent to which crime and theft, corruption and tax effectiveness inhibit business growth in SA.

Details

European Business Review, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-534X

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Article
Publication date: 9 March 2015

Damian Okaibedi Eke, Bernd Carsten Stahl and Christine Fidler

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to investigate how Information and Communications Technology (ICT) researchers in UK computing departments address ethics in their…

358

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to attempt to investigate how Information and Communications Technology (ICT) researchers in UK computing departments address ethics in their research. Whilst research and innovation in ICT has blossomed in the last two decades, the ethical, social and legal challenges they present have also increased. However, the increasing attention the technical development receives has not been replicated in the area of developing effective guidelines that can address the moral issues inherent in ICT research.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is qualitative and made use of interviews. The data analysis was done with dialectical hermeneutics. Through a dialectical hermeneutic process, this research unpacks different understandings of relevance attached to ethics reviews of ICT research in UK computing departments.

Findings

The findings include that ethics reviews are relevant because; it is a moral duty, it improves trust for researchers, it is part of risk assessment, it is in compliance with the law and it is a sustainable act.

Practical implications

These various understandings illustrate an important dialectic process on the current state of the art in ICT research.

Social implications

It asks to what degree the currently dominant model of ethics review based on biomedical ethics is optimal to ICT.

Originality/value

It proposes a framework that can effectively help researchers and administrators to ensure responsible research and innovation in ICT. Finally, it identifies that ICT researchers would benefit from the developing repertoire of responsible research innovation.

Details

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-996X

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Article
Publication date: 10 August 2012

Antonio Marturano

The purpose of the editorial is to remember Professor Alessandro D'Atri, a pioneering Information Systems Scholar with whom the author collaborated for about 15 years. The main…

500

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the editorial is to remember Professor Alessandro D'Atri, a pioneering Information Systems Scholar with whom the author collaborated for about 15 years. The main outcome of such collaboration is the conference Ethicomp 1999 in Rome. Following that conference the author has started elaborating a paper “Metaethics and the future of computer ethics” (Marturano) which was widely cited and quoted in the field. Thence the author has discussed its impact in the field and discussed some following papers dealing with similar topics. It emerged that such a paper is still a valid one for its perspectives but still not understood as for most of its ethical suggestions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is mainly philosophical and critical. It uses mostly critical analysis of papers dealing with the same topics.

Findings

The perspectives and the seminal ideas of the author's paper “Metaethics and the future of computer ethics” (Marturano) are still valid and, in some extent, are more fruitful than some following papers covering the same topics.

Originality/value

The value of this guest editorial is in remembering a very valuable and pioneering scholar – Alessandro D'Atri and comparing the author's paper's findings with other similar papers, which results in a better understanding of theoretical problems in the discipline.

Details

Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-996X

Keywords

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