Mémoire (M.P.M.O.)-- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1993. / Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The management of information has become an important field in the current business world. It is therefore not only important for organisations to gather data and information, but to convert this data and information into usable intelligence to improve their business. Now, more than ever, it is true that in business knowledge is power, or more specifically. the application of knowledge in developing new skills, innovation, creativity and human capital. This leads to the concept of business intelligence, the conversion of data and information to intelligence. Business intelligence can assist organisations to reach their information goals, as well as to implement and execute the corporate strategy. Some of the main business categories business intelligence can help drive include: revenue increases; profit increases; customer satisfaction; decrease in cost and risk; and market share gain. Business intelligence can be described as the marriage of business analysis and technology. It is important to recognise that there is more than one dimension to business intelligence and that it not only comprises of technology. Business intelligence can provide insight into what happened (the past), what is happening (the present) and what is likely to happen (the future). It further supports corporate performance management, the latest thinking on performance management. This study illustrates not only the value business intelligence can bring to organisations, but also the challenges in implementing business intelligence solutions, and the path organisations could follow to achieve a successful business intelligence implementation. Organisations should first understand what value business intelligence can deliver to the organisation, before they begin their business intelligence initiative. The value to the organisation should be well articulated to ensure continuous support from the top management and alignment with the overall corporate direction and strategy. The overall maturity of the organisation, also viewed from a systems perspective, plays an important role and organisations should not try to do too much too soon. The evolution diagram and business intelligence maturity model can guide organisations to understand their current status to make the right decision on the amount of change the organisation can manage in the implementation of the business intelligence solution. Organisations should be cognisant of the challenges to overcome in implementing a business intelligence solution. These challenges are significant aspects of the initiative. The business intelligence transformation roadmap, including the business intelligence implementation approach, will guide organisations through these challenges to ensure a successful implementation for the organisation. This study proves that business intelligence can add value to organisations if it is implemented as proposed in this document. The main objective of the study has been achieved, namely the development of a complete strategy to implement business intelligence. The study includes a holistic approach to business intelligence in the form of a business intelligence transformation roadmap. The roadmap can be used to engage executives in business intelligence implementations to help sell new initiatives or improve current business intelligence initiatives. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die bestuur van inligting is vandag 'n belangrike studieveld in die sakewereld. Daarom het dit noodsaaklik geword dat organisasies nie net data en inligting inwin nie, maar ook hierdie data en inligting in bruikbare intelligensie omskep ten einde hul besighede te bestuur en te verbeter. Nou, meer as ooit tevore, is dit in die sakewereld waar dat kennis mag is, of meer spesifiek, die toepassing van kennis in die ontwikkeling van nuwe vaardighede, innovasie, kreatiwiteit en menslike kapitaal. Dit lei tot die konsep van besigheidsintelligensie - die verandering van data en inligting in intelligensie. Besigheidsintelligensie kan organisasies help om hul inligtingsdoelwitte te bereik, en ook bydra tot die implementering en uitvoering van die korporatiewe strategie. Die hoofbesigheidskategorieë wat besigheidsintelligensie kan verbeter, is onder meer: inkomsteverhoging; winsverhoging; klientediens; kostebesnoeiing; risikoverlaging; asook 'n verhoging van markaandeel. Besigheidsintelligensie kan beskryf word as die samevoeging van besigheidsanalise en tegnologie. Daar moet onthou word dat besigheidsintelligensie meer as een dimensie het. Tegnologie is nie al dimensie nie. Besigheidsintelligensie kan insig bied in wat gebeur het (die verlede), wat tans gebeur (die hede) en wat moontlik gaan gebeur (die toekoms). Verder ondersteun besigheidsintelligensie korporatiewe prestasiebestuur, die nuutste denke oor die prestasiebestuur van organisasies. Hierdie studie beklemtoon nie slegs die waarde wat besigheidsintelligensie kan toevoeg nie. maar ook die uitdagings in die toepassing van die tipe stelsels, asook hoe organisasies dit suksesvol kan toepas. Organisasies moet eers die waarde wat besigheidsintelligensie kan toevoeg, verstaan voordat met die besigheidsintelligensie inisiatief begin word. Die waarde wat dit vir die organisasie inhou, moet baie goed verduidelik word om seker te maak dat die topbestuurspan die besigheidsintelligensie inisiatief ondersteun en dit op koers hou met die oorkoepelende korporatiewe rigting en strategie. Die ontwikkelingsvlak van die organisasie speel 'n belangrike rol in die rigting wat die besigheidsintelligensie implementering moet volg en die organisasie moet nie te veel te vinnig probeer doen nie. Die evolusie diagram en die model vir die besigheidsintelligensie-vlakke van ontwikkeling kan as riglyn dien om die huidige status van die organisasie te bepaal om sodoende die regte besluite te neem oor die mate van verandering wat die organisasie kan hanteer. Organisasies moet bewus wees van die uitdagings wat oorkom moet word in die toepassing van 'n besigheidsintelligensie oplossing. Hierdie uitdagings vorm 'n baie belangrike aspek van die besigheidsintelligensie-initiatief. Die besigheidsintelligensie transformasiepadkaart insluitende die implementering benadering, sal die organisasie deur die uitdagings lei ten einde 'n suksesvolle besigheidsintelligensie-implementering vir die organisasie te verseker. Hierdie studie bewys dat besigheidsintelligensie vir organisasies waarde kan toevoeg indien dit geimplementeer word soos wat in die dokument voorgestel word. Die hoofdoel van die studie is bereik, naamlik die ontwikkeling van 'n volledige strategie oor die toepassing van besigheidsintelligensie in 'n organisasie. Die studie sluit in 'n holistiese benadering tot besigheidsintelligensie in die vorm van 'n besigheidsintelligensie transformasiepadkaart. Die padkaart, asook die model vir die vlakke van ontwikkeling kan die organisasie deur die implementering lei. Die padkaart kan gebruik word om uitvoerende hoofde by die besigheidsintelligensie-inisiatiewe te betrek om sodoende nuwighede te help vestig of die huidige inisiatiewe te verbeter.

Early motion pictures resembled theatre productions on film. Decades would pass before the techniques of special effects and editing evolved to provide the type of movie often shown today. Similarly, early television looked like a radio show where the audience could observe the speakers. Ford's Model T, a "horse-less" carriage. seemed to be designed for a harness. In these examples, successful companies learned how to harness and exploit the power of new technologies--others companies became victims. Companies of the current economy must recognize they face a similar watershed. According to Tom Stewart, the economy effectively transitioned into the Information Age during 1991. "That year, spending for production technology was $107 billion and information technology spending was $112 billion. Call that year one of the information age. Ever since, companies have spent more money on equipment that gathers, processes, analyzes, and distributes information than on machines that stamp, cut, assemble, lift, and otherwise manipulate the physical world." The burgeoning role of the Internet compounds the formal advent of the Information Age. These phenomena beg a critical, well-reasoned response. Whether beginning a new venture or charting a course for an established entity, executives must plan their path with the knowledge of technology shifi occurring.

Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in contemporary enterprises should not only possess technology specialties, but also cultivate themselves with an in-depth understanding of business and technology management skills/knowledge in order to effectively improve their role performance, enhance sustainable competitive advantages and achieve business strategic goals. Based upon activity competency model and prior theoretical works, this study presents a conceptual model to investigate the capability of business technology management (BTM) required by CIOs and the impacts of that capability on the performance of their roles. Our strategy for identifying CIOs¡¦ critical roles and activities, and the skills/knowledge required by CIOs is anchored within a comprehensive framework of business technology management (BTM) practices. A scale to measure CIOs¡¦ role performance and BTM capability was first developed and validated. Nine hundred and sixty eight high-tech companies of Taiwan and China which have a formal MIS department and global logistic firms were randomly selected from the databases of China Credit Information Service Ltd. and Strait Exchange Foundation as representative samples in this study. The partial least squares method was used to empirically test the conceptual model and hypotheses through the large-scale survey data collected. The empirical results support the proposed hierarchy of BTM capability and confirm that both business technology and business management competencies have positive significant influences on BTM activity effectiveness and BTM capability also significantly impacts CIOs¡¦ role performance. The findings of this study are of particular value to those concerned with BTM capability training and competency development for CIOs. Executive management can take advantage of such BTM capability profiles to assist in making succession-planning decisions and implementing guidelines by evaluating the competency levels and development needs of their IS professionals.

The effective integration of technological innovation is vital to the success of small businesses and can catapult growth and profitability. Some business managers and supervisors, however, may not have a firm understanding of strategies for integrating technological innovations in businesses; this lack of knowledge may result in employee frustration and costly roadblocks to achieving business objectives. This case study was conducted to identify the strategies used by business managers and supervisors to integrate technological innovations in small businesses. Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation and Rogers' theory of diffusion of innovation served as the conceptual framework. Ten business managers and supervisors from Castries, St. Lucia, participated in semistructured interviews. Participants who were selected using purposive sampling worked in a small business in St. Lucia for atleast 5 years, were part of senior management, and used strategies for integrating technological innovations in a small business. Two of the themes that emerged from data analysis were integration challenges relating to technological innovation complexity, and technology cost regarding hardware, upgrades and software procurement. Findings from this study may contribute to positive social change by providing business managers and supervisors insight about strategies and innovative solutions they can use to develop better business practices, increase tax revenues, and employment opportunities, improve profitability, and boost the economy.

The purpose of this study was to identify faculty perceptions of the personal and student benefits deriving from participation in faculty development activities. Faced with the challenge of keeping up-to-date with technology in order to keep their students up-to-date, faculty participate in many different activities. The perceived effectiveness of faculty development activities varies depending on the knowledge and interest of each faculty member. This study was descriptive, using a two-part survey to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. First, a mail survey was used to collect data on the perceptions of faculty members regarding 12 professional development activities. The survey was sent out to 407 faculty in Business Technology and Engineering and Industrial Technology at the 23 colleges in the Virginia Community College System. Second, selected participants were contacted for a follow-up phone interview which elucidated some of the information from the mail survey. The surveys were designed based upon a review of the literature and through interviews with professionals. The survey was pilot tested on community college faculty. Major findings from the study included the following: 1. The three most participated in activities were training in computer skills, professional conferences, and college-sponsored presentations and workshops. 2. Professional conferences and college-sponsored presentations and workshops were the highest rated in terms of participation, but rated the lowest in terms of personal and student benefit. 3. Females, on average, participate in more activities and have higher ratings for personal and student benefit. 4. Many faculty reported that funding for professional development activities is limited and that they have a limited amount of time to participate in activities. It is not uncommon for a faculty member to pay out of their own pocket for a worthwhile activity. 5. Activities that deal the most with learning new technologies, such as training in computer skills, retraining for fields in technology, and internships in business or industry, were given the highest ratings of personal and student benefit. Based on the findings several recommendations and suggestions for future research were made: 1. Additional research is needed on the actual measures of student benefit, not just perceptions 2. Community college faculty need to carefully select professional development activities that will benefit not only themselves and their student as well. 3. Community college administrators should encourage faculty members to participate in internships in business and industry. Administrators need to do all they can to provide funding for these activities. 4. Additional research is needed on the differences in how males and females rate their perceptions. / Ph. D.