<p>This study develops a model for analyzing fit between a firm's competitive strategies and the capabilities of their Supply Chain Management Information Systems (SCM IS). Concepts such as configurational theory, the resource based view of the firm, and emergent strategies and capabilites--all of which are underutilized in current IS literature--ground the study theoretically. A positivist case study of five manufacturers is used to explore the constructs and identify appropriate measures for operationalizing the model. The developed model enables IS planners to quickly analyze their firm's competitive strategy patterns and determine the ideal level of support required for each SCM IS capability. Firms can improve the effectiveness of their IS and reduce the risk and cost of misfits, by implementing information systems that fit their emergent competitive strategies. The developed model is a significant improvement over traditional models that advocate aligning information systems with a firm's intended strategies or their current functional requirements, both of which change more frequently than a firm's emergent competitive strategy patterns. The case study investigations yielded several important findings. First, Miles and Snow's (1978) competitive strategy typology proved useful for classifying a firm's emergent competitive strategy patterns and reducing the complexity of analysis. However, the qualitative evidence more strongly supported the use of Conant et al .'s (1990) multi-dimensional questionnaire measure of competitive strategy type rather than Miles and Snow's (1978) paragraph measure. Second, existing conceptualizations of IS capabilities were not well suited to analyzing SCM IS specifically. The findings support the conceptualization of SCM IS capabilities as the level of support provided for: operational efficiency, operational flexibility, planning, internal analysis, and external analysis. Finally, the empirical results strongly supported modeling the strategic fit of a firm's SCM IS as the amount the perceived level of support provided for each SCM IS capability was less than the theoretically ideal level, rather than the more common approach of modeling strategic fit as the absolute deviation between perceived and theoretically ideal levels.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This report serves as an overview to the design of an effective Management Information System (MIS) by incorporating the modeling techniques of an Operations Research (OR) approach. It will be shown that the consideration of OR input requirements mixed with the information requirements for a data base existing at the everyday accounting and operational level creates a responsible management control and decision-making tool. This mix of OR and everyday information approach varies as a function of the managerial activities and the organizational level of effort. In lieu of designing a "total" MIS system, MIS designers should structure a loosely connected federation of MIS sub-systems using the appropriate mix which, for each of the operations, controlling, and planning activities, meets the problem-solvers' requirements. A discussion of the background, definitions, and attributes of MIS and OR will be made in Chapters I and II prior to merging these two entities into a unified concept. Chapter III will develop this concept. A manufacturing organization environment will serve as a point of reference for the formulation of models in the application areas of sales forecasting, production, manpower planning, inventory control, and machine center utilization. I am not proposing a "pipedream" non-realistic approach to a MIS system design that will solve all of management's problems. However, by planting the seeds of OR modeling techniques in the early phase of the design and development, the MIS system will, like a tree, in 3 to 5 years bear the fruit of today's careful planning.

The purpose of the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of the Employee Processing\Tracking Database System is to provide the user the capabilities of processing and tracking all employee information by using database files. An user manual and technical manual are provided here for reference to the system. Clipper 5.1.

There has been much research done on the subject of distance learning; also the same can be applied to the studies of culture and its effect on how people work in groups. However, very little research has been done regarding culture's effects on the outcomes of distance learning. The goal of this research is to show whether cultural traits (individualistic-collectivistic) have an impact ( directly or indirectly) on learning outcomes (satisfaction, perceived learning and objective performance) in a distance education environment. Also, this research will look at the difference between the inherent culture and the sub-culture, which characterizes the community of the class.

This paper discusses the role that personality characteristics, specifically an individual's core self-evaluations, play in providing positive distance learning, performance and satisfaction. Drawing from the broader remote work research and the Distance Education Candidate Model (Van Slyke, Kittner, & Belanger, 1998) this paper conducted a field study using a survey instrument to measure the influence of an individual's core self-evaluations on the performance, and satisfaction of individuals involved in a distance-learning course. Data were collected from 142 undergraduate students who completed a web-based version of an introductory management information systems course. Results showed that core self-evaluations did not have an influence on the outcomes of distance-education as a whole. Yet, the research evidenced that computer self-efficacy, self-esteem or locus of control impacted satisfaction perceived performance and actual performance.

In many space projects, communication is the principal functional element [1]. Space communications systems are the electronic systems in spacecraft and their counterparts in ground stations (on Earth or on celestial bodies). These systems are required to transmit signals through space [2]. Space communications has played a vital role in the exploration and conquest of space. The need for space communication has evolved from expanding conventional systems for terrestrial communications and from the need to communicate with data-gathering spacecraft [3]. There are two important reasons for spacecraft communication. Space communication makes missions possible and is in the forefront of the development of any spacecraft. Without communication, space exploration would be useless. With the importance of communication in mind, I wanted to learn the elements of spacecraft communication from both the past and present. The three main questions that will be answered in the paper are: • How do we currently communicate with spacecraft? • What are the problems associated with communicating with spacecraft (i.e. delay, interference, and distance)? • How should the system compensate for the Doppler effect that will inevitably occur?

The purpose of this study was to survey information systems (IS) curriculum in Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited information systems programs across the United States, to evaluate current adherence to the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines, and to assess the number and type of career track developments initiated as a result of less stringent requirements in the new curriculum guidelines. In addition, an analysis was conducted to see if curriculum in AACSB-accredited information systems programs across the United States changed significantly since other similar evaluations reported in 1996 and 2006, and whether it is closer in adherence to the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines. The results of this study provided a current-state description of IS curriculums in the United States, specifically: (a) percentage adherance relationships and between AACSB-accredited information systems programs to IS 2010 curriculum guidelines; (b) defined curriculum profiles or latent class cluster characteristics of recent career track developments that have emerged; and (c) perceptions of adherence by the IS department faculty compared to the assessed adherence to IS 2010 curriculum guidelines. In the findings, a comprehensive view of the landscape for adherence to IS curriculum guidelines is discussed, including the following. (a) There is a wide range of adherence to the IS curriculum guidelines. In addition, none of the IS program assessed were either entirely compliant or not compliant at all. (b) Some topics are widely covered (over half) as core curriculum while other topics are offered as core curriculum in less than half of IS programs. (c) Very few IS programs have formally implemented the IS 2010 career track guideline recommendations. (d) IS programs implementing formal career tracks specify a reasonably small number of track options for students to consider. (e) IS programs that include career tracks provide unique offerings beyond the proposed sample tracks depicted in the IS 2010 curriculum guidelines. (f) There appear to be reasonably well-defined categories or clusters of IS programs as related to IS 2010 curriculum guideline adherence. (g) IS program faculty describe a higher perceived adherence to IS curriculum guidelines than what is actually assessed in this study. (228 pages)

Reporting systems can provide transparency into financial markets necessary for a sustainable, prosperous global economy. The most widely used global platform for exchanging electronic information about companies to regulatory bodies is XBRL. Standards for this platform are in the process of becoming legally harmonized, but not all countries are mandating e-business reporting. A harmonized global standard for business reporting aligns practices between countries, while recognizing the need for flexibility within each social system and government, whereas international law would establish one standard for all. The research shows that goal of creating transparent global financial information in aggregate searchable form for the public remains elusive under the harmonized approach. The research explores the standardization process at the country level using a grounded theory approach in the G20 countries. The problem of a not having a global standard is framed in the financial reporting dimensions of Law, Accounting Standards, Information Standards, and Assurance Standards, which are existing standards integral to creating high quality transparent financial information. The dimensions exist to some extent in each country, and are in process of being harmonized. The research shows that current legal mandates for the XBRL standard impact the number of firms filing in XBRL to regulators. However, problems with data quality and data assurance have not been addressed with the current legislative initiatives. There is supply of data, but no public demand due to quality issues. There are three levels in the process where data alignment is needed for interoperability: taxonomy use must be consistent, taxonomy structure must be the same, and agreed upon minimum content must be useful for analysis. Currently, data sets between countries are not interoperable or comparable for aggregation due to local adoptions of XBRL taxonomies. Legal mandates alone have not produced quality electronic financial information. Additionally, accounting and assurance standards are not completely aligned. The contributions of this paper provide an understanding of how global standards are being harmonized in the G20 countries based on the common value of financial information transparency in e-business reporting.

IS outsourcing, especially large-scale IS outsourcing, is a comparatively recent and rapidly growing IS phenomenon, but it is also an inherently risky activity. In an IS outsourcing arrangement, the outsourcing vendor accepts responsibility for IS resources and functions formerly controlled directly by the firm. This research examines IS outsourcing from two perspectives. (1) From an IS perspective, it examines the risk perceptions of IS managers of fourteen Fortune-500 firms who had recently conducted an outsourcing evaluation. (2) From a financial perspective, it examines the theoretical relationship of IS outsourcing with financial performance, and investigates the empirical effects of IS outsourcing on the firm's market value and market risk. This research views IS outsourcing as an independent variable whose effects on the firm may be measured as changes in security returns, changes in asset risk, changes in capital structure, and long-term changes in profitability. To accomplish this, it characterizes IS outsourcing as a sale-and-leaseback transaction.

Business intelligence (BI) systems comprise one of the largest and fastest growing areas of IT expenditure in companies today. Companies’ experiences with deriving benefits from these systems are still mixed. One of the differences between BI and other types of information systems is that how BI systems are used, not just whether they are used, can have a major impact on the benefits derived. Therefore the characteristics of BI users and the organizations within which they work can have a disproportionate impact on the benefits derived from investments in BI. Organizational competence is one way to evaluate the characteristics of individuals and organizations relative to their ability to achieve organizational goals. This dissertation examines the characteristics of BI users and their organizations within the framework of organizational competences. Models representing those competences at both the individual and organizational level are presented. A combined competency model and resulting emerging competences are proposed that, if adopted, can improve the likelihood of organizations realizing benefits from their BI investments.