The major objectives of this study are: (1) to develop a practical approach for evaluating, periodically and in quantitative terms, the effectiveness of management information systems; (2) to develop an evaluative device to check the results produced by the suggested approach. A modified semantic differential is developed and used for this purpose; and (3) to test the practicability and validity of the suggested approach by applying it on a sample of organisations for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of their management information systems. The foundation for the suggested approach is synthesised from the relevant literature. Specifically, a survey is undertaken of the literature in management information systems, accounting and psychology. The suggested approach assumes that users' satisfaction with the information provided by an information system indicates that the information is useful and consequently the system is effective. The approach takes also into consideration the views of both the providers of information and the persons affected by the decisions taken which are based, among other things, on the information provided by the system. A set of information criteria is developed to measure information utility and consequently the effectiveness of a management information system can be determined. To express the effectiveness in quantitative terms, a point scoring model is used so that the results can be compared from one period to the next. Also an operational framework of the suggested approach is developed. To evaluate the results produced by the suggested approach, the semantic differential is modified, based on the views of a sample of users of information and individuals involved in the preparation of management information, and is used as an evaluative device. As no similar research conducted on the effectiveness of management information systems in nationalised industries was found, it may be useful to test the suggested approach in this field. This application achieves two purposes: (1) primarily, to test the practicability and validity of the approach; and (2) to fill a gap in knowledge concerning the effectiveness of management information systems in nationalised industries. The results of this empirical study are based on the views of 198 individuals involved in the preparation of management information, who use the information and are affected by the decisions taken, which are based, among other things, on information.

Companies have invested large amounts of money on information systems development. Unfortunately, not all information systems developments are successful. Software project failure is frequent and lamentable. Surveys and statistical analysis results underscore the severity and scope of software project failure. Limited research relates software structure to information systems failures. Systematic study of failure provides insights into the causes of IS failure. More importantly, it contributes to better monitoring and control of projects and enhancing the likelihood of the success of management information systems. The underlining theories and literature that contribute to the construction of theoretical framework come from general systems theory, complexity theory, and failure studies. One hundred COBOL programs from a single company are used in the analysis. The program log clearly documents the date, time, and the reasons for changes to the programs. In this study the relationships among the variables of business requirements change, software complexity, program size and the error rate in each phase of software development life cycle are tested. Interpretations of the hypotheses testing are provided as well. The data shows that analysis error and design error occur more often than programming error. Measurement criteria need to be developed at each stage of the software development cycle, especially in the early stage. The quality and reliability of software can be improved continuously. The findings from this study suggest that it is imperative to develop an adaptive system that can cope with the changes to the business environment. Further, management needs to focus on processes that improve the quality of the system design stage.

Despite numerous frameworks and models proposed in the literature, Information Systems (IS) assessment still remains elusive. In addition, little agreement exists on the contribution of the IS function within an organization and on how IS is related to the other organizational dimensions. Frameworks that show the relationship between IS and the organization are in the developmental stage and this work proposes a more comprehensive framework to assist in better understanding the relationship between IS and organizational quality. This research examines two popular IS quality assessment frameworks - Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) and Information Systems Assessment (ISA) - and suggests a new framework, IS-MBNQA. This work integrates these two IS quality assessment frameworks into a single comprehensive model that provides a holistic view on how IS quality is interrelated to organizational quality. The existing two IS assessment frameworks attempted to measure IS quality at different levels within an organization. The MBNQA model is the most comprehensive quality framework because it takes an organization wide perspective. On the other hand, ISA employs an IS specific perspective and reflects the relationships of eight major IS success dimensions. ISA is a modified version of DeLone & McLean's model with the inclusion of a success factor for Service Quality. For this study, survey instruments are developed from the MBNQA and ISA frameworks and they are consolidated to allow testing of the single IS-MBNQA framework. Exploratory factor analysis is performed for instrument refinement and confirmatory factor analysis for validity of the models. The instruments developed in this work are utilized as a foundation for identifying the relationships among the dimensions within and between each model. A major contribution of this work is the validation of the 2000 MBNQA model and the extension of existing models/frameworks to better explain the IS contribution to an organization.

The purpose of this research is to develop a comprehensive, IS assessment framework using existing IS assessment theory as a base and incorporating suggestions from other disciplines. To validate the framework and to begin the investigation of current IS assessment practice, a survey instrument was developed. A small group of subject matter experts evaluated and improved the instrument. The instrument was further evaluated using a small sample of IS representatives. Results of this research include a reexamination of the IS function measurement problem using new frameworks of analyses yielding (a) guidance for the IS manager or executive on which IS measures might best fit their organization, (b) a further verification of the important measures most widely used by IS executives, (c) a comprehensive, theoretically-derived, IS assessment framework, and by (d) the enhancement of IS assessment theory by incorporating ideas from actual practice. The body of knowledge gains a comprehensive, IS assessment framework that can be further tested for usefulness and applicability. Future research is recommended to substantiate and improve on these findings. Chapter 2 is a complete survey of prior research, subdivided by relevant literature divisions, such as organizational effectiveness, quality management, and IS assessment. Chapter 3 includes development of and support for the research questions, IS assessment framework, and the research model. Chapter 4 describes how the research was conducted. It includes a brief justification for the research approach, a description of how the framework was evaluated, a description of how the survey instrument was developed and evaluated, a description of the participants and how they were selected, a synopsis of the data collection procedures, a brief description of follow-up procedures, and a summary. Chapter 5 presents the results of the research. Chapter 6 is a summary and conclusion of the research. Finally, included in the appendices are definitions of terms, and copies of the original and improved survey instruments.

There is a growing need for high-assurance architectures that support mandatory confidentiality and integrity policies. One such architecture currently under development is the Monterey Security Architecture (MYSEA), a distributed multilevel secure (MLS) computing environment that integrates untrusted commercial off-the-shelf components with specialized high-assurance elements. To ensure that information is purged from untrusted client PCs between sessions at different security levels, MYSEA clients are diskless. Therefore, it is desirable for thin MYSEA clients to be able to remotely execute server-resident applications, which may in turn request access to data residing elsewhere on the MLS Local Area Network (LAN). This functionality must be implemented in such a way that the access control policies of the multilevel environment are maintained. Working from a detailed design for remote application support, this thesis involved the implementation and testing of the remote application support functionality. Beyond the implementation of remote application support itself, this thesis involved the porting of a Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) client and the development of a simple web client as proof-of-concept remote applications, as well as the creation of a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) mechanism for invoking those remote applications from a client web browser. This research is relevant to the DoD Global Information Grid's vision of assured information sharing.

Professionalism is a term frequently used in organizations yet perceptions of what it means differ from person to person. Given its frequent use and its link to various job outcomes, such as organizational commitment (Bartol, 1979), there is a need to have a universal definition of professionalism. While there are existing models of professionalism these models are typically developed for a specific field or industry. Thus, there is also a need for a comprehensive model of professionalism that can be used across multiple fields and industries. This study worked to develop a model of professionalism that creates a comprehensive model that addresses both of these issues using eleven existing measures of professionalism as its foundation. Four dimensions of professionalism were identified via these models and defined using a combination of existing research and researcher expertise. These dimensions were divided into elements which were used as items in a measure to validate the new model. A five-factor model demonstrated the best fit and was found to have both convergent and discriminant validity.

Information system (IS) support of human problem solving during the complex task of auditing within a computer environment was investigated. 74 computer audit specialist professionals from nine firms participated in the field experiment. Task accomplishment behavior was recorded via a computerized activity-logging technique. Theoretical constructs of interest included: 1) IS problem-solving support, 2) task domain knowledge, and 3) decision-making behavior. It was theorized that task domain knowledge influences the type of IS most functionally appropriate for usage by that individual. IS task presentation served as the treatment variable. Task domain knowledge was investigated as a moderating factor of task accomplishment Task accomplishment, the dependent variable, was defined as search control strategy and quality of task performance. A subject's task domain knowledge was assessed over seven theoretical domains. Subjects were assigned to higher or lower task domain knowledge groups based on performance on professional competency examination questions. Research hypothesis one investigated the effects of task domain knowledge on task accomplishment behavior. Several task domain knowledge bases were found to influence both search control strategy and task performance. Task presentation ordering effects, hypothesis two, were not found to significantly influence search control strategy or task performance. The third hypothesis investigated interaction effects of a subject's task domain knowledge and task presentation ordering treatments on task accomplishment behavior. An interaction effect was found to influence the subject's search control strategy. The computer-specific knowledge base and task presentation ordering treatments were found to interact as joint moderators of search control strategy. Task performance was not found to be significantly influenced by interaction effects. Users' task accomplishment was modeled based upon problem-solving behavior. A subject's level of task domain knowledge was found to serve as a moderating factor of IS usage. Human information-processing strategies, IS usage, and task domain knowledge were integrated into a comprehensive IS user task model. This integrated model provides a robust characterization scheme for IS problem-solving support in a complex task environment.

This study investigates the impact of multimedia on the effectiveness of information scanning. Information scanning is the act of seeking and receiving a wide variety of special information to develop a thorough understanding of the organization and the environment. The application domain of this study is Executive Support Systems. The experimental task is to identify potential threats and opportunities, a strategic information-scanning activity, based on the information stored in three ESS prototypes. Forty subjects from four organizations participated in the experiment. A random assignment process allocated them into three groups. The control group used the text-based ESS. The first experimental group used the visual multimedia ESS. The second experimental group used the audiovisual multimedia ESS. The experiment was carried out on the sites of the participating organizations. The investigator measured the effectiveness of information scanning based on the number of threats and opportunities each subject identifies. A close-ended questionnaire measured subjects' retention of information. The results of this study support the cognitive-fit theory. The findings indicate that multimedia is not an appropriate presentation format for analytical tasks. Subjects who use text-based ESS identify significantly more threats and opportunities than subjects who use audiovisual multimedia ESS. The cognitive style of subjects does not moderate the impact of multimedia. The results show that the use of multimedia does not necessarily improve retention of information. Further research is needed to determine the most effective combination of text, graphics, animation, video, and sound.

The purpose of this study was to test the comparability of several psychological instruments commonly used in Information Systems (IS) cognitive style research. The objective was to determine the limitations of: existing instruments in IS cognitive style research. The motivation for this research was the inconclusive findings reported in IS human information processing research. The study used a repeated measures design. Each individual completed the following cognitive style and personality instruments; the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Group Embedded-figures Test, the Learning Style Inventory, the Human Information Processing Survey, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Figural Form A). The individual also completed a dichotic listening and tachistoscope task. Data was collected from business administration, BCIS, liberal arts majors, and IS professionals. The results of this study indicate IS researchers need to consider several factors in the use of these instruments. A direct relationship exists between cognitive ability and results on the GEFT. Cognitive ability should be considered a moderating variable in interpreting the results of the GEFT. Also, the hypothesis that the GEFT is a surrogate for analytical and low-analytical abilities is not supported by this study. Other reported results include the inappropriateness of using the TTCT with adult populations. Also, the MBTI appears to be an appropriate instrument for measuring cognitive styles in IS research. This study reported that gender is a moderating factor on the classification of MBTI types in that gender is not evenly divided among feeling and thinking types. This study reported no relationships between the cognitive style and personality instruments with the physiological measurements. The validity of the physiological measurements could be the underlying factor for not reporting any significant relationships. IS researchers will benefit from this study through an improved understanding of the appropriateness and applicability of these instruments. This benefits research through the strengthening of instrument selection.

The problem motivating this research is that ineffective communication may hamper systems development efforts. Specifically germane to this study are development efforts characterized as task-oriented, and which require information-sharing and problem-solving activities. This research problem motivated an analysis of the communication process and lead to the development of a temporal framework that delineates variables associated with task-oriented, end user/systems analyst communication interactions. Several variables within this framework are depicted in two theoretical models. The first model shows the theoretical relationship between an independent variable, communication mode (represented by asynchronous computer conferencing and face-to-face conferencing), and five dependent variables: (1) the amount of information shared, (2) the significance of the information shared, (3) the comprehensiveness of the information shared, (4) the perception of progress toward the goal, and (5) the perception of freedom to participate. The second model depicts the assumed interaction between communication mode, the five variables cited above (now acting as independent variables), and a dependent variable, communication quality. There are two theoretical components of communication quality: (1) deviation from an optimal set of user requirements, and (2) the degree of convergence (unity based on mutual understanding and mutual agreement) emanating from a communication interaction. Using the theoretical models as a guide, an experiment was designed and performed to test the relationships among the variables. The experimental results led to the rejection of all null hypotheses; the results strongly favored face-to-face conferencing for solving task-oriented, information-sharing problems analagous to the case used in the present study. The findings indicate that asynchronous computer conferencing may have a detrimental effect on the thoroughness of information exchange, on the relevance of the information shared in terms of making the correct decision, and on the completeness of the consideration given to all problem dimensions.