Enterprise content management (ECM) is an emerging research area that is beginning to find attention in academia. While the private sector has a growing industry and community for ECM, academia is starting to address this with direct links to the better-established areas of information systems and enterprise resource planning systems. ECM has been viewed as a higher-level concept of methods and strategies pertaining to content management in the context of the enterprise. Like many other organizational wide systems, ECM systems are complex, difficult to implement and risk failing to meet expected success measures. Definitions for what exactly constitutes an ECM system are still evolving. The major issues with ECM systems are that they are increasingly being implemented by organizations in an attempt to address the unmanageable amount of unstructured content over its lifecycle, compliance pressures, collaboration needs, content integrity and continuity, and controlling costs. However, the implementation problems are many and diverse, such as determining content and business processes to be included, determining technologies to fit the organizational needs, how to integrate with existing systems, and managing organizational culture and change for acceptance. There is currently little academic research in the area of ECM, and research determining the key factors that contribute to successful implementations of these systems is absent. This research addressed the existing gap in ECM research and investigated the key success factors for the implementations of ECM systems with the objectives of identifying a set of success factors. Guided by research in related areas and through developing a theoretical framework and the resulting research model, the study used a qualitative case study method to identify ECM implementation factors and their relationship to organizational culture and people, business processes, technology and organizational content. The results of this research were twofold, first by contributing needed research in the ECM area and second to aid organizations in the implementation of ECM systems by identifying key factors.

Direct dissemination of expert knowledge to agricultural producers through computer programs will increase product quality as well as profit margin. The construction of an expert system to help farmers manage apple orchards is reported. The system provides advice regarding specific pest management, treatment of winter injuries, drought control and general pesticide selection. The knowledge structures employed in the construction of the system are explained, and some sample interactions are provided. A model of the apple scab disease cycle is incorporated into POMME to give the system a more fundamental reasoning capability than available from the use of infection tables. Extension experts who have run trial cases on the system have approved its release for use by commercial apple growers. / Master of Science

Athletic scholarships are approved by the athletic department and awarded by the University Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. The athletic business manager was not actively involved in this procedure. The athletic business manager is the individual directly accessible to the financial figures of an athletic department. The process of approving and awarding an athletic scholarship needed to be designed. A computer program was created to aid the athletic business manager in maintaining athletic scholarship information. The computer program is flexible to allow information to be entered or deleted concerning athletic scholarships. Budget allocations for each sport, agreed upon by the athletic business manager and the Director of Athletics, are programmed into the computer. Each time information is entered, adjustments concerning total scholarship expenditures and variances between budget allocations and scholarship expenditures are made. The computer program is a good tool for the athletic business manager in justifying, maintaining, and controlling scholarship costs. The program is capable of generating numerous financial reports. The financial reports may aid the athletic business manager and the A.D. in developing budgets for future athletic scholarships. / Master of Science

This research investigated the potential benefits, risks and challenges, innovation properties and viability of cloud computing for records management on an Australian organisation within the mining software development sector. This research involved the use of a case study results analysis as well as a literature analysis. The literature analysis identified the ten potential benefits of cloud computing, as well as the ten risks and challenges associated with cloud computing. It further identified aspects, which needed to be addressed when adopting cloud computing in order to promote innovation within an organisation. The case study analysis was compared against a literature review of ten potential benefits of cloud computing, as well as the ten risks and challenges associated with cloud computing. This was done in order to determine cloud computing’s viability for records management for Company X (The company in the case study). Cloud computing was found to be viable for Company X. However, there were certain aspects, which need to be discussed and clarified with the cloud service provider beforehand in order to mitigate possible risks and compliance issues. It is also recommended that a cloud service provider who complies with international standards, such as ISO 15489, be selected. The viability of cloud computing for organisations similar to Company X (mining software development) followed a related path. These organisations need to ensure that the service provider is compliant with laws in their local jurisdiction, such as Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Australia, 2011:14-15), as well as laws where their data (in the cloud) may be hosted. The benefits, risks and challenges of records management and cloud computing are applicable to these similar organisations. However, mitigation of these risks needs to be discussed with a cloud service provider beforehand. From an innovation perspective, cloud computing is able to promote innovation within an organisation, if certain antecedents are dealt with. Furthermore, if cloud computing is successfully adopted then it should promote innovation within organisations. / Information Science / M. Inf.

This research investigated the potential benefits, risks and challenges, innovation properties and viability of cloud computing for records management on an Australian organisation within the mining software development sector. This research involved the use of a case study results analysis as well as a literature analysis. The literature analysis identified the ten potential benefits of cloud computing, as well as the ten risks and challenges associated with cloud computing. It further identified aspects, which needed to be addressed when adopting cloud computing in order to promote innovation within an organisation. The case study analysis was compared against a literature review of ten potential benefits of cloud computing, as well as the ten risks and challenges associated with cloud computing. This was done in order to determine cloud computing’s viability for records management for Company X (The company in the case study). Cloud computing was found to be viable for Company X. However, there were certain aspects, which need to be discussed and clarified with the cloud service provider beforehand in order to mitigate possible risks and compliance issues. It is also recommended that a cloud service provider who complies with international standards, such as ISO 15489, be selected. The viability of cloud computing for organisations similar to Company X (mining software development) followed a related path. These organisations need to ensure that the service provider is compliant with laws in their local jurisdiction, such as Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Australia, 2011:14-15), as well as laws where their data (in the cloud) may be hosted. The benefits, risks and challenges of records management and cloud computing are applicable to these similar organisations. However, mitigation of these risks needs to be discussed with a cloud service provider beforehand. From an innovation perspective, cloud computing is able to promote innovation within an organisation, if certain antecedents are dealt with. Furthermore, if cloud computing is successfully adopted then it should promote innovation within organisations. / Information Science / M. Inf.

Knowledge management has roots in a variety of disciplines, such as philosophy, psychology, social sciences, management sciences and computing. As a result, a wide variety of theories and definitions of knowledge and knowledge management is used in the literature. Irrespective of the theory or definition used, is it recognised that expert knowledge and insight are gained through experience and practice and that it is a key differentiator as an organisational asset. This shift to knowledge as the primary source of value results in the new economy being led by those who manage knowledge effectively. Today’s organisations are creating and leveraging knowledge, data and information at an unprecedented pace – a phenomenon that makes the use of technology not an option, but a necessity. It enables employees to deal with multifaceted environments and problems and make it possible for organisations to expand their knowledge creation capacity. Software tools in knowledge management are a collection of technologies and are not necessarily acquired as a single software solution. Furthermore, these knowledge management software tools have the advantage of using the organisation’s existing information technology infrastructure. Organisations and business decision makers spend a great deal of resources and make significant investments in the latest technology, systems and infrastructure to support knowledge management. It is imperative that these investments are validated properly, made wisely and that the most appropriate technologies and software tools are selected or combined to facilitate knowledge management. The purpose of this interpretive case study is to consider these issues and to focus on an understanding of the key characteristics of a knowledge management system architecture by exploring and describing the nature of knowledge management. Based on the findings of this study, a list of key characteristics that a knowledge management solution must comply with was collated, which expanded the existing knowledge management model towards describing a knowledge management system architecture. / Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

This dissertation reports on an effort to design, construct, test, and adjust an expert system for making certain business decisions. A widely used approach to recurring judgmental decisions in business and other social organizations is the "rule-based decision system". This arrangement employs staff experts to propose decision choices and selections to a decisionmaker. Such decisions can be very important because of the large resources involved. Rules and values encountered in such systems are often vague and uncertain. Major questions explored by this experimental effort were: (1) could the output of such a decision system be mimicked easily by a mechanism incorporating the rules people say they use, and (2) could the imprecision endemic in such a system be represented by fuzzy set constructs. The task environment chosen for the effort was a computer-based game which required player teams to make a number of interrelated, recurring decisions in a realistic business situation. The primary purpose of this research is to determine the feasibility of using these methods in real decision systems. The expert system which resulted is a relatively complicated, feed-forward network of "simple" inferences, each with no more than one consequent and one or two antecedents. Rules elicited from an expert in the game or from published game instructions become the causal implications in these inferences. Fuzzy relations are used to represent imprecise rules and two distinctly different fuzzy set formats are employed to represent imprecise values. Once imprecision appears from the environment or rules the mechanism propagates it coherently through the inference network to the proposed decision values. The mechanism performs as well as the average human team, even though the strategy is relatively simple and the inferences crude linear approximations. Key aspects of this model, distinct from previous work, include: (1) the use of a mechanism to propose decisions in situations usually considered ill-structured; (2) the use of continuous rather than two-valued variables and functions; (3) the large scale employment of fuzzy set constructs to represent imprecision; and (4) use of feed forward network structure and simple inferences to propose human-like decisions.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A Document Management System (DMS) can help businesses speed-up as well as reduce the number of mundane and repetitive tasks relating to documents. These benefits can assist management cut costs, reduce errors, automate frequently performed tasks as well as store information electronically in a safe and accessible way. Making IT Simple (the business) is a start-up business that has entered into a partnership agreement with INVU, Europe's fastest growing DMS Software developer (INVU, 2008). This agreement allows the business to sell INVU software without restriction by volume or geography to all sectors of industry. INVU products are designed to make business administration, and especially managing documents a simple and efficient process. These two principle product features support the business' objectives and marketing push by delivering easy-to-use software that helps customers reduce costs by speeding-up as well as reduce the number of daily administrative tasks performed using documents. In order to establish which market sector to target, the Directors conducted an industry analysis (Appendix I) which has identified opportunities in the farming and agricultural Sector. The three primary reasons are: 1) Sustainable sector growth of 30% per annum (UK Agriculture, 2007), 2) no known DMS competition within Farming and 3) the Directors have an established Network and detailed knowledge of the sector. Although farming and agriculture will be the main focus of marketing activity and communication, other industries, such as property letting agencies, are also seen as future opportunities for the business. Target Market and Projections Market Research is based upon 138 questionnaire responses that have enabled the Directors to develop a product package which combines the product, a DMS license and software, together with the necessary hardware and maintenance support sufficient to satisfy the target market's needs. The target market is defined as a farm business, predominantly farming crops or cattle and/or sheep from between 41 and 80 hectares of productive land. It has up to 20 full time employees, half of whom are involved in the business' administration. This admin comprises mainly of financial accounts and Government Department returns which are processed on as many as two computers which have email, Microsoft Office and accounting software packages loaded on. For security and access the target market store their records in filing cabinets for up to 15 years, mostly in paper form. A priority for business' administration within this market is the simplicity and easy access of its records and with all records being in one place. The sales forecasts of 7, 16 and 30 units over the first three years 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively are deemed achievable by the Directors, having received reassurance from both formal interviews (Radley, 2008) and conversations with potential customers. The business sees their target market strategy and their lean cost base as being their competitive advantage together with the impression that none of INVU's DMS competitors are currently focussed upon the agriculture sector. This gives the business a potential first mover advantage which will be supported by leveraging the marketing efforts and the existing network of contacts to deliver the specifically designed sales process for the target market. The suite of products, which are leased by the customer over 36 months, cost £15,016 and have a Gross Profit of 58%. This gross profit then funds the running and maintenance of the support service provided by the company. Return on Equity over the 3 years of the Business Plan is strong at 60% given that there is a loss of £50,000 in Year 1. Year two generates a small profit of £24,000 with a healthy £64,000 in Year 3 onwards. Return on sales is 10% in year 2 growing to 14% in year 3. Break even point is in July 2011 (month 31) with the business cash positive in August 2010 (month 20). The financial risks are calculated as low due to the lease funding providing cash within 14 days of a signed document, plus there is no cash risk as the requirement to hold inventory is negligible. The balance sheet requires equity funding of £40,000 which is provided by the two directors at £20,000 each, plus a 60 month working-capital bank loan which is forecast to be repaid on month 25. There are 46,000 farms in UK so, in this market sector alone there are potentially 9,200 (20%) sales presentations to be completed based upon the market survey data. On projected performance this would currently take the business 460 months to complete. The business case shows an improving performance month on month based upon an improvement in sales skills, product portfolio and brand awareness. The two employees Edward Gibbs and Mathew Easterbrook, both of whom are Directors, have each invested £20,000 in equity in order to start-up the business. They have 28 years of management experience between them and offer complementing specialities in the IT, sales, farming and finance areas. Their business objectives are to generate cash and satisfy customer needs by selling products at the right price with a sustainable gross profit margin whilst being commercially aggressive on costs. Their simple and equitable company structure reflects their excellent relationship and the balance of power is shared equally. The product is a compliment of hardware, software and support service that is tailored to meet a customer's needs (Table 1). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Dokumentbestuurstelsel (DBS) kan organisasies help om meer effektief sake te doen en om die aantal eenvoudige en herhalende take met die hantering van dokumente te verminder. Hierdie voordele kan bestuur help om koste te verminder, foute te verminder, gereelde take te outomatiseer en ook om inligting elektronies in 'n veilige en maklik bereikbare plek te stoor. Making IT simple (die onderneming) is 'n nuwe onderneming wat in 'n vennootskap ooreenkoms met INVU, Europa se snel groeiendste DBS sagteware verskaffer, aangegaan het. Hierdie ooreenkoms laat die ondememing toe om INVU sagteware te verkoop in alle industriee met geen bepreking op volumes of geografiese areas nie. INVU produkte is ontwerp om besigheid administrasie, en spesifiek die bestuur van dokumente, 'n eenvoudige en effektiewe proses te maak. Hierdie twee beginsels ondersteun die onderneming se doelwitte en bemarking deur die lewering van eenvoudig-om-te-gebruik sagteware wat kliente help om kostes te verlaag deur vinniger prosesse sowel as verminderde daaglikse roetine administratiewe dokumentering take. Ten einde die marksegment wat geteiken moet word te bepaal het die direkteure 'n industrie analise (Aanhangsel I) gedoen wat geleenthede in die boerdery en landbou sektore uitgewys het. Die drie primere redes is: 1) Substansiele sektor groei van 30% per jaar (UK Agriculture, 2007), 2) geen bestaande DBS wat tans aktief in die mark is nie en 3) die direkteure het 'n gevestigde netwerk en detail kennis van die sektor. Alhoewel boerdery en landbou die hooffokus van die bemarkings en kommunikasie aktiwiteite gaan wees sal ander industriee, soos eiendoms en verhurings agentskappe, ook gesien word as toekoms geleenthede vir die onderneming. Marknavorsing is gebaseer op 138 voltooide vraelyste wat die direkteure in staat gestel het om 'n produk pakket bestaande uit 'n DBS lisensie en sagteware saam met die nodige hardeware en ondersteunings saam te bondel, ten einde aan die mark se behoefte te voorsien. Die teikenmark is gedefinieer as boerdery ondernemings wat primer boer met gewasse en/of skape op tussen 41 en 80 hektaar produktiewe landbougrond. Die boerdery het ongeveer 20 voltydse werknemers waarvan die helfte met die onderneming se administrasie te doen het. Die administrasie bestaan meestal uit finansiele take en Regerings Departemente se verslae wat geprosesseer word op tot twee rekenaars met toegang tot Microsoft Office en 'n rekenkundige sagteware pakket. Vir sekuriteit en maklike toegang tot hulle dokumente stoor die tipe ondernemings hulle dokumente in liasseerkabinette vir tot 15 jaar, meestal in papier formaat. 'n Prioriteit vir ondernemings se administrasie binne die teikenmark is eenvoud en maklike toegang tot hulle dokumente, asook die sentrale berging van dokumente op een spesifieke plek. Die verkoops vooruitskattings vir 7, 12 en 30 eenhede oor die eerste drie jare 2009, 2010 en 2011, word gesien as realisties en bereikbaar deur die direkteure na aanleiding van formele onderhoude (Radley, 2008) en gesprekke met potensiele kliente. Die onderneming sien hulle teikenmark strategie en hulle lae koste struktuur as hulle kompeterende voordeel tesame met die feite dat geen van INVU se DBS kompeteerders huidiglik op die landbou sektor fokus nie. Die gee die ondememing die potensiele eerstetoetreder voordeel in die landbou industrie. Dit sal ondersteun word deur die hefboom effek van die bemarkings pogings komende uit die bestaande netwerk van kontakte om gefokusde verkoopsprosesse in die teikenmark uit te voer. Die suite van produkte, wat gehuur word deur die kliente oor 'n tydperk van 36 maande, kos £15,016 en het 'n bruto wins marge van 58%. Hierdie bruto wins befonds die bedryf en ondersteuningsdienste van die onderneming. Die opbrengs op ekwiteit oor die drie jaar tydperk van die besigheidsplan is stewig op 60% gegewe dat daar 'n verlies van £50,000 in Jaar 1 plaasvind. Jaar 2 genereer 'n klein wins van £24,000 met 'n stewige wins van £64,000 in Jaar 3. Opbrengs op verkope is 10% in jaar 2 en groei tot 14% in jaar 3. Die gelykbreekpunt is Julie 2011 (maand 31) en die onderneming is kontant positief vanaf Augustus 2010 (maand 20). Die finansiele risiko is laag as gevolg van die huur inkomste wat kontant binne 14 dae na die teken van 'n ooreenkoms genereer en ook omdat daar geen kontant risiko is met die dra van voorraad nie. Die balansstaat ekwiteit benodig 'n aanvangsbelegging van £40,000 wat voorsien word deur die twee direkteure teen £20,000 elk, saam met 'n 60 maande werkskapitaal bank lening wat geprojekteer word om volopbetaal te wees teen maand 25. Daar is tans 46,000 plase in die VK en dus, in die marksegrnent alleen, 9,200 (20%) verkoops voorleggings gebaseer op die markanalise data. Op die geprojekteerde werkstempo sal dit ongeveer 460 maande neem om te voltooi. Die besigheidmodel toon groeiende verrigting op 'n maand tot maand basis gebaseer op 'n verbetering in verkooptegniek, produk portefeulje en produk kennis. Die twee werknemers Edward Gibbs en Mathew Easterbrook, wat ook die direkteure is, het elk £20,000 aanvangskapitaal geinvesteer ten einde die onderneming op die been te bring. Hulle het 28 jaar bestuurservaring en het komplimenterende vermoens in die IT, verkope, boerdery en finansiele areas. Hulle besigheid doelwit is om kontant te genereer en kliente se behoeftes te bevredig deur die verkope van produkte teen die korrekte prys teen 'n volhoubare bruto wins. Hulle eenvoudige maatskappy struktuur reflekteer hulle uitstekende verhouding en die magsbalanse is eweredig versprei. Die aanbod aan die mark is 'n komplimenterende suite van hardeware, sagteware en steundienste wat aangepas word om aan 'n klient se behoeftes te voldoen (Tabel 1).

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.

by Stephen Mak Hung Sung. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese Unversity of Hong Kong, 1990. / Bibliography: leaves B-1-B-3. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS --- p.vi / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.viii / CHAPTER / Chapter I --- BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Impact of Information Technology on General Business and The Public Sector --- p.1 / Information Technology Trends --- p.4 / The Need for Systematic Planning for the Use of Information Technology --- p.5 / The Broad Problem Issues of Information --- p.7 / Systems Strategic Planning (ISSP) The Situation in Hong Kong --- p.9 / Chapter II --- REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING --- p.12 / Recent Studies --- p.12 / A Refined Statement of the Problem --- p.15 / Chapter III --- A FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESSFUL ISSP --- p.16 / The Variables --- p.16 / The General Framework for Success --- p.21 / Chapter IV --- A SURVEY ON THE PRACTICE OF ISSP IN HONG KONG --- p.23 / The Survey --- p.23 / The Survey Method --- p.24 / The Survey Results --- p.28 / Interviews with Information Systems Managers --- p.49 / Revisiting the Framework for Successful ISSP --- p.55 / Chapter V --- A GENERIC MODEL FOR THE ISSP PROCESS --- p.59 / Tasks and Methodologies --- p.59 / Affirming the Benefits of ISSP --- p.61 / Relevance of ISSP to Organizations in Hong Kong --- p.63 / Chapter VI --- RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.65 / A Recommended Approach to ISSP --- p.65 / ISSP and the Information Industry --- p.69 / ISSP and the Government --- p.71 / Chapter VII --- CONCLUDING REMARKS --- p.73 / APPENDICES --- p.A1-A5 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.B1-B3