Today, technology is a key component in resolving a range of strategic issues; organisations are becoming increasingly dependent on Information Technology (IT) to improve their performance. In order to make the most out of the available technology, the continuing need to integrate IT strategies with business strategies remains evident. As illustrated from the extant literature, strategic planning and IT appear to present positive correlations with improved performance of organisations. Whilst there has been a range of research that has attempted to apply concepts such as strategic alignment, it remains that there are very few empirical findings centred on the overall effectiveness and usefulness of this approach. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of strategic alignment between business and IT on organisational performance of public organisations and depicts factors affecting this alignment. The development of the conceptual model, which guided this study, was based on prior research conducted in the field of strategic alignment, organisational performance, Information Systems (IS) success and IT acceptance. The rationale here is that previous research on strategic alignment has mainly focused on the development of models and frameworks and examines them in a suitable context or explores the relationships between the variables of the models. Research has shown the need for further investigation on the impact of strategic alignment on organisational performance. Hence, This study expands the knowledge in this field by examining the impact of the strategic alignment of business and IT on the performance of public organisations using quantitative method approach. Following to the development of the conceptual model, a web survey examines this relationship was sent to 413 executives of Bahrain public organisations. Data was collected using a web-based questionnaire from a sample of 163 participants, i.e. some of whom were IT executives, business executives or both. The results of this study imply a positive impact of strategic alignment on organisational performance of public organisations. It also suggest that IT acceptance and prior IS success significantly influence the strategic alignment in public organisations of Bahrain.

Electronic medical records (EMR) and computerized provider order entry (CPOE) are recognized as a means to improve quality of care and patient safety. This research examines factors that contribute to clinician acceptance of an EMR implemented in a pediatric hospital system and applies this knowledge to improve implementation methods to ensure they foster acceptance. A framework for User-Centered Implementation (UCI) was developed based on previous EMR and CPOE, technology acceptance, user-centered design, and change management research. The UCI framework identifies tools from change management and user-centered design and links them to the systems development lifecycle stage(s) at which they can be applied to achieve improved user acceptance. Next, a study examined clinician EMR acceptance in a pediatric hospital system at various points during their EMR implementation which employed a UCI-based methodology. Surveys before and after implementation of each phase examined physician, nurse, and other staff perceptions about the systems usefulness (performance expectancy (PE)) and ease of use (effort expectancy (EE)). Results indicate users had positive perceptions of system ease of use (EE) after implementation. Post-implementation PE ratings were neutral or positive for most users. Pre- and post-implementation regression models indicate the factors that influence PE change over time. Compatibility with clinician work practices was important both before and after implementation. Before implementation, users who perceived a greater need for the system and felt their needs were represented during design had higher expectations of system usefulness. After implementation, system characteristics including how well it supports clinical decision making and how easy it is to use influenced PE. Support provided by super users positively influenced both PE and EE after implementation. Based on these findings, guidelines for using UCI to improve clinician acceptance of EMR are presented. Designing EMR systems that are usable within the clinical work context enables clinicians to focus on the patient, rather than the system. Accomplishing this in practice is difficult given the complexity of EMRs and the dynamic clinical processes they support. This studys results indicate the UCI framework can be effectively applied to EMR implementations to improve the usability, utility, and, consequently, acceptance of these systems.

The objectives of this study were (1) to identify and describe task-based documentation; (2) to identify and describe any purported changes in users attitudes when IT migration was preceded by task-based documentation; (3) to suggest implications of task-based documentation on users attitude toward IT acceptance. Questionnaires were given to 150 university students. Of these, all 150 students participated in this study. The study determined the following: (1) if favorable pre-implementation attitudes toward a new e-mail system increase, as a result of training, if users expect it to be easy to learn and use; (2) if user acceptance of an e-mail program increase as expected perceived usefulness increase as delineated by task-based documentation; (3) if task-based documentation is more effective than standard help menus while learning a new application program; and (4) if training that requires active student participation increase the acceptance of a new e-mail system. The following conclusions were reached: (1) Positive pre-implementation attitudes toward a new e-mail system are not affected by training even if the users expect it to be easy to learn and use. (2) User acceptance of an e-mail program does not increase as perceived usefulness increase when aided by task-based documentation. (3) Task-based documentation is not more effective than standard help menus when learning a new application program. (4) Training that requires active student participation does not increase the acceptance of a new e-mail system.

Vårdpersonalens arbetsdagar består till stor del av användning av IT-system utöver den fysiska patientkontakten. Tanken med IT-system inom vården är positiv och de finns där för att underlätta för personalen. För att nå den förväntade positiva effekten behöver personalens inställning till IT-system vara bra. När vårdpersonalens inställning till, och upplevelser kring IT-system inte är av en hög grad når IT-systemen inte sin fulla potential och kan även bli en tidstjuv och ett frustrationsmoment i arbetet. Hur IT-systemen används av vårdpersonalen har också en påverkan på patientsäkerheten. Syftet med den här studien är att se över hur IT-systemen upplevs idag – hur IT-acceptansen ser ut.För att ta reda på hur IT-acceptansen ser ut bland vårdpersonalen har en kvalitativ metod använts. Data har samlats in genom tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med blandade yrkesroller inom vården och analyserats med acceptansmodellen Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).Resultatet tyder på att det finns mycket kvar att göra för att öka IT-acceptansen. Den främsta förändringen bör ske hos vårdorganisationernas samspel med både personal och IT-systemutvecklare. Personalens arbetssituation behöver stärkas genom att tillsätta rätt resurser för att bidra till ett mer effektivt och patientsäkert IT-användande. Personalens arbetssätt behöver också tas hänsyn till för att IT-system ska bli anpassade för vården. / The healthcare staff’s working days largely consists of the use of IT-systems in addition to the physical contact with the patient. The idea of IT-systems in healthcare is positive and it is there to aid the staff. To achieve the expected positive effect, the staff’s attitude to ITsystems needs to be good. When the healthcare staff’s attitude to, and experiences withIT-systems are not of a high degree, the IT-systems do not reach their full potential and can also be a time thief and cause frustration at work. How the IT-systems are used by healthcare professionals also have an impact on the patient safety. The purpose of this study is to review how IT-systems are experienced today – what the IT-acceptance looks like.To find out what IT-acceptance looks like among healthcare staff, a qualitative method has been used. Data has been collected through ten semi-structured interviews with varied professional roles in healthcare and analyzed with the acceptance model Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).The results indicate that there is still a lot to do to increase IT-acceptance. The main change should take place in the healthcare organizations’ interaction with both staff and IT-system developers. The staff’s work situation needs to be strengthened by allocating the right resources to contribute to a more efficient and patient-safe use of IT. The working methods of the staff also need to be considered for IT-systems to be adapted for healthcare.