An Electronic Meeting System (EMS) is a computer-based environment that supports group meetings that may be dispersed in space and time. The focus of this dissertation is on EMS meeting rooms containing networked computer workstations that enable groups to meet face-to-face, with computer-supported electronic communication used to support or replace verbal communication. This electronic communication provides anonymity, the ability to work in parallel, and the ability to structure group interaction. This dissertation presents 10 laboratory and field studies using the University of Arizona GroupSystems EMS. The first experiment found 6- and 12-member EMS groups to be more satisfied and to generate more ideas of greater quality than similarly-sized verbally interacting groups. Experiments Two and Three found 9- and 12-member (respectively) EMS groups to be more satisfied and to generate more ideas than similarly-sized nominal groups (i.e., individuals working separately). Experiment Four found 18-member groups to generate more ideas than two 9-member groups, six 3-member groups or 18 individuals; and 12-member groups to generate more ideas than three 4-member groups or 12 individuals. The remaining three experiments examined the separate impacts of anonymity, parallelism, and structure. Parallelism and structure both had significant effects on performance; anonymity did not. The three field studies were conducted to help understand how organizational groups used this technology, and whether there was any evidence to support the theory developed and tested in the laboratory. The first studied 10 operations management groups, the second six small project teams, and the third organizations' use of EMS in the strategic management process. These field studies found EMS groups to perceive EMS support to improve effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. These effects were stronger for larger groups and for groups that used more electronic communication relative to verbal communication. Parallelism, and to a lesser degree structure, where seen to be important. Anonymity was very important for groups with power and status differences, but had few effects for groups of peers or groups whose members worked together on a regular basis.

Organizations are experiencing problems with the control of information in computer-based information systems. Records management is a system that consists of a number of elements to control recorded information over its life cycle. Previous studies have ranked various records management activities. However, these studies were not conducted in Australia, were not specifically related to computerbased information systems, and were based on the frequency with which records management tasks, or duties and responsibilities were being performed by records management personnel rather than the perceived importance of records management elements for overcoming problems. This study is conducted in Australia on the role of records management within the context of computer-based information systems. It has two purposes: to determine whether there is an appreciable difference in the perceived importance of the various records management elements for overcoming excessive quantity, poor quality and storage media problems in computer-based information systems by RMAA individual members; and to determine whether regardless of professional involvement and level of education of RMAA individual members, there is no statistically significant difference in the perceived importance of the various records management elements in computer-based information systems for overcoming these three problems. To carry out the research a questionnaire was devised and distributed to individual members of the Records Management Association of Australia. The survey obtained a usable response rate of 53.1 percent from a population of 399 individual members of the Association. The study indicated that there is a difference in the perceived importance of the various records management elements for overcoming excessive quantity, poor quality and storage media problems in computer-based information systems. There was evidence to suggest that respondents frequently involved in professional activities are more likely to consider certain records management elements more important than respondents not frequently involved in these activities. The study also found that level of education is associated with the selection of certain records management elements. In particular, those respondents with no tertiary qualifications are more likely to consider the records management elements mail management and a records retention and disposition schedule important than respondents with tertiary qualifications.