A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Communication Science at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2013. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the extranet as a communication tool in higher education institutions. The study used the case study of myUnisa - an extranet used at the University of South Africa. This was a mixed-methods research and had applied the quantitative and qualitative methods. This was a multistage study which went through two stages. In the first stage the researcher utilised the questionnaire to collect data from the students. Initially, the questionnaire was intended to be self-administered to allow students to complete them on their own, but difficulties to meet some of the sampled students on one-to-one encounter alternatively led to telephonic interviews on which the role of the researcher was to interview, and to tick and write down the responses of the respondents. Four hundred students were sampled using the online randomizer programme available on the internet. Statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 18 was used to analyse qualitative data. In the qualitative phase, in-depth interviews with two key staff members from each of the department sampled were held and an analysis was done using thematic categorization. The study found that myUnisa is used by different UNISA departments and students for communications. However, although many students and staff members considered myUnisa useful, not all regarded it as effective. In-depth interviews with lecturers showed that myUnisa is both a useful and an effective online communication channel for engaging into communications with the students. An analysis of the responses led to the development of an extranet model for implementation in higher education institution. A number of recommendations were made and suggestions for future research considerations were also given.

<p>Detta arbete har för avsikt att belysa problem och möjligheter för företag att utnyttja IT och webbteknik för att kommunicera direkt med slutkunder. Avsikten är att ta tillvara kundernas kunskap om produkterna för att underlätta utveckling av nya produkter, förbättra befintliga, och därigenom öka värdeskapandet hos de produkter som företaget tillhandahåller. Genom givande och tagande av information bör således förutsättningar skapas för förbättringar av en produkts kvalitet och därmed värdeskapande i alla led och för samtliga intressenter.</p><p>För att göra detta menar jag att ett kundfokuserat extranet kan skapas. Detta är ett extranet som sammanknyter slutkunder med företag, kunder och leverantörer. Kopplingen dem emellan består i att dessa intressenter har en relation till en unik produkt förvärvad av slutkunden. Ett kundfokuserat extranet är således ett extranet för informationsspridning och insamling där information tillgängliggörs som en webbtjänst för slutkunder och utvalda aktörer om en unik produkt, förvärvad av kunden</p>

Detta arbete har för avsikt att belysa problem och möjligheter för företag att utnyttja IT och webbteknik för att kommunicera direkt med slutkunder. Avsikten är att ta tillvara kundernas kunskap om produkterna för att underlätta utveckling av nya produkter, förbättra befintliga, och därigenom öka värdeskapandet hos de produkter som företaget tillhandahåller. Genom givande och tagande av information bör således förutsättningar skapas för förbättringar av en produkts kvalitet och därmed värdeskapande i alla led och för samtliga intressenter. För att göra detta menar jag att ett kundfokuserat extranet kan skapas. Detta är ett extranet som sammanknyter slutkunder med företag, kunder och leverantörer. Kopplingen dem emellan består i att dessa intressenter har en relation till en unik produkt förvärvad av slutkunden. Ett kundfokuserat extranet är således ett extranet för informationsspridning och insamling där information tillgängliggörs som en webbtjänst för slutkunder och utvalda aktörer om en unik produkt, förvärvad av kunden

Estágio realizado no IVDP-Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto / Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informátca e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2008

<p>Extranets as they have come to be termed are revolutionizing supply chains and their management. Companies and organizations with quite different internal information systems can now access data from other supply chain members. Information can be shared easily and at relatively low cost. A major benefit that flows from this greater</p><p>transparency is that internal operation of the business can become more efficient as a result.</p><p>This thesis studies extranet in development of supply chain from case company’s perspective. Finnsementti Oy was chosen as a case company because they had a desire to improve the operation of their supply chain by developing an extranet. Finnsementti Oy is a Finnish cement manufacturer since 1914. At the moment Finnsementti</p><p>produces 85% of the cement needed in Finland. Most of company’s business is B-to-B.Finnsementti actively develops its operation and this thesis also supports that goal by aiming to improve the efficiency of Finnsementti’s supply chain which again is assumed to have a positive impact on competitive advantage and profitability.</p><p>Based on a CRM study conducted in spring 2005 Finnsementti Oy decided to develop its existing rarely used customer forum into an efficient customer-oriented extranet. Finnsementti aims to improve its customer service, improve supply chain performance and make its order and delivery process more efficient. In advance extranet was</p><p>assumed to enable all this. Extranet project was initiated in early fall 2005 and this study was initiated simultaneously. The starting-point of this thesis was Finnsementti’s desire to implement a supply chain improving extranet, and in order to do that, the implementation had to be successful. Due to the fact that supply chains are currently evolving towards networked e-supply chains there is quite lot of existing literature about how a supply chain performance can be improved by using electronic tools. This study concentrates on these facts, related assumption and expectations. It was also evaluated from case company’s perspective how likely these expected improvements are going to realized; is there something unexpected and additional that Finnsementti has not been able to predict? In order to find this out extranet was studied at first from literature and then from case company’s and their employee’s perspective. One of the goals of this study was to determine what is the actual condition for completing this extranet project successfully because only that can enable the realization of supply chain improvements. How to make employees and customers adopt this new extranet and so that they will start to use it actively in their daily activities? The foundation for this part of the study was the comprehensive literature review conducted on supply chain improvements. Based on that, observations and interviews, an expectations theory was built. According to this theory user’s realistic and accurate expectations make a good foundation for accepting a new information system. If the user’s expectations are fulfilled, user will perceive the new system easy to use and useful which on the other hand leads to acceptance of the system. This</p><p>expectations theory can be used as a starting point for almost any information system implementation where user acceptance is considered critical.</p>

Extranets as they have come to be termed are revolutionizing supply chains and their management. Companies and organizations with quite different internal information systems can now access data from other supply chain members. Information can be shared easily and at relatively low cost. A major benefit that flows from this greater transparency is that internal operation of the business can become more efficient as a result. This thesis studies extranet in development of supply chain from case company’s perspective. Finnsementti Oy was chosen as a case company because they had a desire to improve the operation of their supply chain by developing an extranet. Finnsementti Oy is a Finnish cement manufacturer since 1914. At the moment Finnsementti produces 85% of the cement needed in Finland. Most of company’s business is B-to-B.Finnsementti actively develops its operation and this thesis also supports that goal by aiming to improve the efficiency of Finnsementti’s supply chain which again is assumed to have a positive impact on competitive advantage and profitability. Based on a CRM study conducted in spring 2005 Finnsementti Oy decided to develop its existing rarely used customer forum into an efficient customer-oriented extranet. Finnsementti aims to improve its customer service, improve supply chain performance and make its order and delivery process more efficient. In advance extranet was assumed to enable all this. Extranet project was initiated in early fall 2005 and this study was initiated simultaneously. The starting-point of this thesis was Finnsementti’s desire to implement a supply chain improving extranet, and in order to do that, the implementation had to be successful. Due to the fact that supply chains are currently evolving towards networked e-supply chains there is quite lot of existing literature about how a supply chain performance can be improved by using electronic tools. This study concentrates on these facts, related assumption and expectations. It was also evaluated from case company’s perspective how likely these expected improvements are going to realized; is there something unexpected and additional that Finnsementti has not been able to predict? In order to find this out extranet was studied at first from literature and then from case company’s and their employee’s perspective. One of the goals of this study was to determine what is the actual condition for completing this extranet project successfully because only that can enable the realization of supply chain improvements. How to make employees and customers adopt this new extranet and so that they will start to use it actively in their daily activities? The foundation for this part of the study was the comprehensive literature review conducted on supply chain improvements. Based on that, observations and interviews, an expectations theory was built. According to this theory user’s realistic and accurate expectations make a good foundation for accepting a new information system. If the user’s expectations are fulfilled, user will perceive the new system easy to use and useful which on the other hand leads to acceptance of the system. This expectations theory can be used as a starting point for almost any information system implementation where user acceptance is considered critical.

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do grau de Doutor em Ciências de Engenharia, na Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, sob a orientação do Professor Doutor João Bernardo Falcão e Cunha

Dans un contexte international d'évaluation de la recherche, la France semble s'engager, non sans critiques, dans un processus d'évaluation quantitative qui viendrait compléter, sinon remplacer, l'évaluation traditionnelle par les pairs. Mais les études infométriques basées sur l'exploitation des grandes bases de données scientifiques internationales sont perturbées par la complexité de l'organisation de la recherche française. Par ailleurs ces bases de données sont inadaptées à l'étude de structures telles que les établissements et les unités de recherche locales. Après une description de l'existant et une étude des besoins, cette thèse expose la conception et l'élaboration d'un Système d'Information, outil d'aide au pilotage de la recherche. S'appuyant sur l'utilisation d'un CMS (Système de gestion du contenu) de type extranet collaboratif, ce système d'information, appelé Infocentre Recherche, est totalement paramétrable "en temps réel". Sa souplesse lui permet de s'adapter dynamiquement aux spécificités de l'établissement ou de l'unité de recherche considéré. Ainsi cet Infocentre Recherche est un instrument capable de dresser en continu un "état des lieux" ou un "tableau de bord" pour ces structures. Plusieurs exemples en sont donnés. L'accent est mis sur le fait que les structures de recherche locales, comme d'ailleurs les structures nationales, ont moins besoin d'évaluation que de valorisation de la recherche

Denna kandidatuppsats tar upp ämnet informationsmottagning via extranät. Likt människor kan även extranät och andra kommunikationskanaler ha kommunikationsproblem. Bakgrunden till studien är att det finns ett bristande informationsmottagande hos Subaru Nordic ABs extranätsanvändare. Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på vilka faktorer som påverkar informationsmottagandet via Subaru Nordics extranät genom att göra en enkätundersökning. En kombination av kvalitativ och kvantitativ metod har använts där data samlats in genom en enkät som skickats ut till Subaru Nordics extranätanvändare. Studien har genomförts på fallföretaget Subaru Nordic som är generalagent för bilmärket Subaru i Norden och Baltikum. Vi identifierade sex faktorer som påverkar informationsmottagandet via ett extranät. Den första faktorn är ”Behov av information” som indikerar att Subaru Nordic och andra företag som använder extranät som informationskanal bör uppdatera informationsmottagaren om sin verksamhet för att de ska utföra sitt arbete på bästa sätt. Den andra faktorn är ”Anpassa information till mottagaren” där det framkom att företag bör skicka ut information som är anpassad till mottagarens arbetsområde. Den tredje faktorn är ”Anpassa information till situation” där vi kunde dra slutsatsen att företag bör sprida ut sina informationsutskick. ”Använda flera informationskanaler” är den fjärde faktorn och slutsatsen för den är att det är effektivt att använda sig av en kompletterande informationskanal för informationsutskick. Den femte faktorn är ”Tillgänglig information” där det framkom att företag bör ha tydliga kategorier för att användarna ska finna information de söker på ett smidigt sätt. Den sjätte och sista faktorn är ”Anpassa rubrik efter information” som företag bör lägga stor vikt på för att väcka informationsmottagarens intresse att läsa information. / This bachelor thesis deals with the subject information receiving via an extranet. Like people an information channel can have communication problems too. The background of the study is that there is a lack of information receiving by the users of Subaru Nordics extranet. The aim of this study is to find out what factors that influence the information received through Subaru Nordics extranet by doing a survey. The methodology used in the study is a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods where the data was collected through an online survey, which was sent to Subaru Nordics extranet users. The study has been made on the research company Subaru Nordic, which is the general agent for the car brand Subaru in the Nordic and Baltic countries. We identified six factors that affect the information received via an extranet. The first factor is the need of information, indicating that companies using extranets as an information channel should update their information receivers about their work related activities so they can accomplish their work in the best way. The second factor is to customize the information to the receiver, where it appeared that companies should send out information tailored to the receivers work. The third factor is to adapt information to the situation where we could conclude that companies should spread out the information they share. Using multiple channels of information is the fourth factor, and the conclusion is that using an additional information channel for information sharing is effective. The fifth factor is to make information available, which stated that companies should have clear categories for users to find information they need in a convenient way. The sixth and final factor is to customize the headings of the information that is sent and therefore companies should put great emphasis on the headings to make the information receiver interested to access the information.

The subject of this diploma thesis is the implementation of the intranet to support business processes. At the beginning are defined the basic concepts of the topic. Then I analyzed the situation in the company and the current status of ICT. Based on these analyses, I proposed the intranet implementation process leading to simplify and streamline business operations.