The contribution of small firms towards the creation of economic value in a country’s Gross Domestic Product, employment and innovation is widely acknowledged. Relatively little is known on how small firms are adopting IT strategically to acheive business-IT alignment and how alignment changes over time. This study examines from a dynamic perspective IT adoption actions undertaken by owner-managers, in relation to business-IT alignment in small firms in the island state of Malta. To attain its research objectives, the methodological stance adopted in this research study is that of grounded theory. Moving away from a deductive approach, this study embraces a constructivist approach using a combination of inductive and abductive thought. No fewer than thirty-one in-depth interviews are conducted with owner-managers to observe alignment patterns of IT adoption behaviour in their respective small firms operating in Malta and employing up to 49 employees. Four business-IT alignment equilibrium states are identified, serving as markers to map out the common IT alignment paths that each firm pursued, not necessarily in linear form, during their operational years. A substantive model, which identifies four distinct IT alignment patterns, denotes each common path that a group of firms took in their movement from one alignment equilibrium state to another, throughout their life-cycle stages. This study has substantive application and comprises several implications for the development of IT adoption behaviour when small firms endeavour to strategically align business with IT. It provides policy-makers, academic researchers and small firms’ owner-managers with a theoretical framework that can provide them with factors that can predict the kind of alignment patterns that are likely to occur. Findings indicate that the quality of IT related technological solutions that are taken up by each small firm are reliant on the owner-manager’s characteristics that focus mainly on the knowledge of internal IT expertise and the project management capabilities to manage IT outsourcers. Given that few studies have been conducted to study and establish patterns of IT alignment in small firms, this research provides an important contribution to knowledge and to the existing academic literature.

The thesis deals with information technologies on different levels of management. The first chapter analyzes a strategy level and a function of strategic documents in the IT management analyzed. The second half of the theoretical part deals with IT governance, its connection to the strategic management, and its chosen tools - decision-rights structure, service-level agreements, and accounting (focused on chargeback). The practical part of the thesis deals with IT management at the University of Economics in Prague. It analyzes and evaluates strategic documents from the IT management point of view. The second half of the practical part evaluates possibility of implementing the chosen tools of IT governance in the university's IT management.

Dado o uso crescente de tecnologias não autorizadas e não suportadas pelo departamento de TI nas organizações, chamadas de Shadow IT, o papel da TI e a forma tradicional de gerenciar tecnologia estão mudando dentro das organizações. Shadow IT refere-se ao uso de tecnologias utilizadas pelos funcionários sem a autorização ou o suporte formal da TI para realizar as tarefas de trabalho. Motivada por este contexto, esta pesquisa tem como objetivo verificar os fatores antecedentes ao comportamento de uso da Shadow IT e a relação deste comportamento com o desempenho individual dos usuários de TI. Para alcançar tal objetivo, foi realizada uma pesquisa survey com 286 usuários de TI da área administrativa. Estes usuários são funcionários de três diferentes empresas: um órgão público, uma empresa de educação profissional e uma cooperativa de crédito, as quais compõe a amostra. Esta pesquisa obteve como resultados que os fatores Experiência do Usuário, Utilidade Percebida e Influência Social têm relação positiva significante com o uso da Shadow IT, bem como o uso da Shadow IT tem relação positiva significante com o desempenho individual do usuário de TI. Este trabalho traz implicações teóricas e práticas. Para a teoria, esta pesquisa ampliou o conhecimento sobre o uso da Shadow IT a nível individual. Ademais, um instrumento para medir o comportamento de uso da Shadow IT foi desenvolvido, o qual pode ser aplicado nas organizações para conhecer o comportamento do usuário de TI com relação ao uso destas tecnologias. A partir do conhecimento dos antecedentes do comportamento de uso da Shadow IT e qual é a sua relação com o desempenho individual do usuário de TI, os gestores podem elaborar políticas de gestão que reduzam os riscos associados a esse fenômeno, bem como potencializar os seus benefícios. / Given the increasing use of unauthorized technologies by employees in organizations, called Shadow IT, the traditional way to manage technology is changing. Shadow IT is the use of an unauthorized technology by employees, changing, thus, the role of IT is changing within organizations. Motivated by this context, this research aims to verify the antecedents factors behind Shadow IT usage behavior and the relationship of this behavior with the individual performance of IT users. To reach this goal, we performed a survey research with 286 IT users of from the administrative area. These users are employees of three different companies: a public agency, a professional education company and a financial cooperative. As results, we found that User Experience, Perceived Usefulness and Social Influence has positive relationship with Shadow IT usage, as well as the use of Shadow IT has a positive relationship with the individual performance of the IT user. This research has theoretical and practical implications. To the academia, this research has extended knowledge about Shadow IT usage at individual level. Furthermore, we also has developed an instrument to measure the Shadow IT usage behavior, which can be applied to the IT users of companies in order to know their Shadow IT usage behavior. To know the antecedents of Shadow IT usage and what is its relationship with individual performance of IT user is also important to companies. Managers must know what drives users to use Shadow IT, as well as what is the outcome of this use in terms of individual performance in order to develop policies and strategies that reduce the risks associated with this phenomenon and maximize its benefits.

<p>Detta är en B-uppsats inom datasäkerhet och datajuridik. Uppsatsen består av först en litteraturstudie. Där tar vi upp vilka hot som finns mot information som hanteras med hjälp av datorer. Med hjälp av olika säkerhetsverktyg ökar man skyddet mot hoten. Vi beskriver de vanligaste verktygen som företag och även privatpersoner använder sig av. Ämnet dataintrång förklaras samt en beskrivning av externt- och interntdataintrång. I och med IT-utvecklingens snabba framväxt och förändringar på samhället ger det nya tillfällen till brott, ökningen av brott kan bero på att det finns en ökad skicklighet hos förövarna samtidigt som skyddet är svagt. Vad lagen säger om IT-brott och vilken lag som hanterar dataintrång tas upp. </p><p>I empiridelen har vi studerat olika rättsfall för att se hur dataintrång har skett i verkligheten, samt några olika tidningsartiklar som berättar om olika databrott. Uppsatsen avslutas med diskussion, där vi kopplar ihop teorin och empirin med varandra för att få en helhetssyn över valt ämne. Problemet dataintrång är komplicerat och det finns ingen enkel lösning för att motverka att sådana brott sker För att komma åt dem som utför brotten lagen ses över och vad gäller den svaga säkerheten så får datoranvändarna se över skyddet. </p> / <p>This is an essay within computer security and data law. First the essay contains a literature study. There we take up what kind of threats there are against information that handles with the help of computers. With help from different security tools you increase the protection against the threats. We describe the most common tools that companies use and also private persons use. The subject computer-trespass explains and describes internal and external computer-trespass. As the IT-development fast growth and changes on the society it gives new opportunity to crimes, the increase of crime may due on the fact that there is an increased skill within the perpetrators at the same time the protection is weak. What the law says about IT- crime and witch law who handles computer-trespass brings up. </p><p>In the Empire part we have studying different cases of how computer-trespass has been done in reality, and some different news-articles who tells about different computer-crimes. The essay ends with a discussion, in which we connect theory with empire to get a whole point of view over chosen subject. The problem computer-trespass is complicated and has no simple solution to counteract that those crime happens. To catch those who carry out the crimes the law should be looked over and what concern the weak protection the computer- user must revise the protection.</p>

<p>This thesis examines how IT and the digitization of information have transformed processes of the graphic industry. The aim is to show how critical production processes have changed when information in these processes have been digitized. Furthermore it considers if this has influenced changes in productivity while also identifying other significant benefits that have occurred as a result of the digitization. The debate concerning the productivity paradox is one important starting point for the thesis. Previous research on this phenomenon has mainly used different types of statistical databases as empirical sources. In this thesis though, the graphic industry is instead studied from a mainly qualitative and historical process perspective.</p><p>The empirical study shows that digitization of information flows in the graphic industry began in the 1970s, but the start of the development and use of digitized information happened in the early 1980s. Today almost all types of materials in the industry, for example text and pictures, have developed into a digital form and the information flows are hereby more or less totally digitized. A common demand in the industry is that information produced should be adaptable to the different channels in which it may be presented. The consequences from use of IT and the digitization of information flows are identified in this thesis as different outcomes, effects, and benefits. The outcomes are identified directly from the empirical material, whilst the resulting effects are generated based on theories about IT and business value. The benefits are in turn generated from a summarization of the identified effects.</p><p>Identified effects caused by IT and digitization of information include integration and merging of processes; vanishing professions; reduced number of operators involved; decreased production time; increased production capacity; increased amount and quality of communication; and increased quality in produced originals. One conclusion drawn from the analysis is that investments and use of IT have positively influenced changes in productivity. The conclusion is based on the appearance of different automational effects, which in turn have had a positive influence on factors that may be a part of a productivity index. In addition to productivity other benefits, based on mainly informational effects, are identified. These benefits include increased capacity to handle and produce information, increased integration of customers in the production processes, increased physical quality in produced products, and options for management improvements in the production processes. The conclusions indicate that it is not always the most obvious benefit, such as productivity, that is of greatest significance when IT is implemented in an industry.</p> / ISRN/Report code: LiU-Tek-Lic-2005:38

<p>Mitt examensarbete behandlar möjligheterna att effektivisera operationsverksamheterna på svenska sjukhus med hjälp av IT lösningar.</p><p>Information har samlats in genom intervjuer av sjukvårsdspersonal och genom sökning på Internet. Operationsprocessen beskrivs och analyseras med hjälp av värdeanalysmetoden och flaskhalsanalysmetoden.</p><p>Min slutsats är att svenska sjukhus bör effektivisera sina operationsprocesser i en strävan efter att skapa rätt värde för sina patienter. De bör försöka utnyttja möjligheterna med operationsplaneringssystem för att eliminera onödigt arbete och utveckla patientvärde. De fåtal svenska sjukhus som ännu inte gjort det bör införa operationsplaneringssystem.</p><p>Det är inte IT system i sig själva som tillför nytta och som effektiviserar verksamheter. Det är den förändring i arbetssätt och processer som kan stimuleras och realiseras med hjälp av IT systemen som tillför nytta.</p><p>Det räcker inte med att införa IT system och effektivisera arbetssätt för att effektivisera operationsverksamheterna. Det är viktigt att den politiska ledningen och förvaltningsledningen vill effektivisera och att de inför styrmekanismer och finansieringsmodeller som stimulerar till detta. För att förmå personal att engagera sig i förändringsarbete så krävs en kultur som uppmuntrar och främjar förändringsinitiativ. Det handlar om ett starkt ledarskap som förmedlar tydliga visioner, uppmuntrar personligt engagemang och ger individer ansvar och befogenhet att agera och förändra. Det gäller inte minst inom sjukvården.</p>

<p>Arbetet inom äldrevård och omsorg måste effektiviseras för att möta morgondagens behov. Det framtida rekryteringsproblemet behöver också lösas och vårdyrket måste bli mer attraktivt, t ex genom att följa med i den tekniska utvecklingen.</p><p>En e-postbaserad enkät skickades ut till 13 svenska kommuner för att kunna sammanställa en aktuell lägesrapport över vilka IT-stöd som idag förekommer inom kommunal äldrevård och omsorg, samt till vad stödet används, vem det är till för och vilka det är som använder IT-stödet.</p><p>Stationär dator, mobiltelefon och digitalkamera är de IT-stöd som flest respondenter svarade används i verksamheten.</p><p>Stationär dator används främst för att hämta och registrera vårdtagardokumentation, men även för att skicka e-post och för ekonomiadministration. Det finns dock ingen specifik som stödet kan sägas vara till för. IT-stödet används framför allt av enhetschefer, vårdpersonal och administrativ personal.</p><p>Mobiltelefon används givetvis främst för att ringa och skicka SMS, men även för att ta emot larm från vårdtagare samt tillkalla hjälp. Inte heller för detta IT-stöd finns det någon specifik som stödet kan sägas vara till för. Stödet används främst av övrig vårdpersonal, vårdpersonal och enhetschefer.</p><p>Digitalkamera används främst för att förstärka dokumentation genom att dokumentera vårdtagares sår och läkningsprocess. Stödet är i första hand till för vårdtagare och läkare för att dessa utförarkategorier bl a undviker läkarbesök som inte är nödvändiga, men även vårdpersonal då dessa kan använda digitalkamera vid rådgivning. IT-stödet används främst av vårdpersonal.</p>

Mitt examensarbete behandlar möjligheterna att effektivisera operationsverksamheterna på svenska sjukhus med hjälp av IT lösningar. Information har samlats in genom intervjuer av sjukvårsdspersonal och genom sökning på Internet. Operationsprocessen beskrivs och analyseras med hjälp av värdeanalysmetoden och flaskhalsanalysmetoden. Min slutsats är att svenska sjukhus bör effektivisera sina operationsprocesser i en strävan efter att skapa rätt värde för sina patienter. De bör försöka utnyttja möjligheterna med operationsplaneringssystem för att eliminera onödigt arbete och utveckla patientvärde. De fåtal svenska sjukhus som ännu inte gjort det bör införa operationsplaneringssystem. Det är inte IT system i sig själva som tillför nytta och som effektiviserar verksamheter. Det är den förändring i arbetssätt och processer som kan stimuleras och realiseras med hjälp av IT systemen som tillför nytta. Det räcker inte med att införa IT system och effektivisera arbetssätt för att effektivisera operationsverksamheterna. Det är viktigt att den politiska ledningen och förvaltningsledningen vill effektivisera och att de inför styrmekanismer och finansieringsmodeller som stimulerar till detta. För att förmå personal att engagera sig i förändringsarbete så krävs en kultur som uppmuntrar och främjar förändringsinitiativ. Det handlar om ett starkt ledarskap som förmedlar tydliga visioner, uppmuntrar personligt engagemang och ger individer ansvar och befogenhet att agera och förändra. Det gäller inte minst inom sjukvården.

This study aims to investigate the main areas of Green IT and to determine which areas of Green IT have been widely adopted and implemented in our case studies. The purpose of the proposed study is also to identify, describe and analyze underlying factors that are perceived to be important to the adoption and implementation of Green IT. Finally, this research attempts to examine which factors are more important in our two case studies, Västerås City Stad and Mälardalen University.

<p><strong>Introduction. </strong>This bachelor thesis concerns the subject of IT Governance, how organizations prioritize and decides IT-related issues. The thesis will approach how Swedish Small-to-Medium sized Enterprises, which are considered successful, governs IT-related issues.</p><p><strong>Theoretical Framework. </strong>In order to conduct this research, the Governance Arrangement Matrix, created by MIT Sloan 2003, is applied which was also incorporated in a global study by Weill in 2003. The matrix involves five different decisions domains within IT and different corporate archetypes divided by stakeholder involvement.  The compiled data will thus be analyzed and mapped against Weill's study to derive the contemporary decision structure in Swedish SME's and create a comparison to map any alterations that might have occurred.</p><p><strong>Method. </strong>Through utilizing an online-survey and conducting telephone interviews, 108 responses from Swedish SME's provided the necessary data to map the contemporary decision-structure within IT in a deductive manner to both utilize quantitative and qualitative data, creating an understanding of the derived outcome. The analysis will provide an understanding for organizations to see the fit between business objectives and IT-usage, creating future possibilities for organizations to further optimizes their alignment between the business and IT. The main conclusions from this thesis could be summarized as follow:</p><p><strong>Results. </strong>The involvement of the board-of-directors has become more frequent, and with the inclusion of a Chief Information Officer, the collaboration throughout the corporate hierarchy enables a broader understanding of the impact of IT. Although that this approach was the most frequent selected archetype, the decisions relating to IT acquisitions and architecture, the majority of responses showed indications relating these areas to be decided by CIO/IT-department thus in conclusion: the knowledge that CIO/IT-departments has are sufficient to support the everyday business need.</p><p>Furthermore, the differences found between this research and the underlying study by Weill, indicates that IT is considered a multi-dimensional problem that needs constant supervision and that the view upon prioritizations and governance has been altered.</p>