With the evolution of Information Technology, especially the Internet, system integration is becoming a common way to expand IT systems within and beyond an enterprise network. Although system integration is becoming more and more common within large organizations, however, the literature review had found IS research in this area had not been sufficient, especially for the development of integration solutions within large organizations. It has made research like this one conducted within a large NZ government agency necessary. Four system integration projects were selected and studied using case study research methodology. The case study was designed and conducted using guidelines mainly from the well-known R. K. Yin’s (2002) “Case Study Research” book. The research was set to seek answers for a series of research questions, which were related to requirements of system integration and challenges for solution development. Special attention had been given to XML applications, as system integration and XML were found to be coupled in many system integrations and frameworks during the literature review. Data were first gathered from all four projects one by one, and then the bulk of analysis was done on the summarized data. Various analysis methods including chain-of-evidence, root-cause-analysis and pattern-matching were adopted. The principles of interpretive research proposed by Klein and Myers (1999) and triangulation were observed. In conclusions, a set of models have been derived from the research, namely a model for clarifying integration requirements; a model for integration solution architecture; a model for integration development life cycle and a model of critical success factor for integration projects. A development framework for small to medium size integration projects has also been proposed based on the models. The research also found XML application indeed would play an important role for system integration; the critical success factors for XML application included suitable development tools, development skills and methodologies.

The key objective of this research is to develop a selection methodology that can be used to support and aid the selection of development processes for e-Commerce Information Systems (eCIS) effectively using various decision methods. The selection methodology supports developers in their choice of an e-Commerce Information System Development Process (e-Process) by providing them with a few different decision making methods for choosing between defined e-Processes using a set of quality aspects to compare and evaluate the different options. The methodology also provides historical data of previous selections that can be used to further support their specific choice. The research was initiated by the fast growing Information Technology environment, where e-Commerce Information Systems is a relatively new development area and developers of these systems may be using new development methods and have difficulty deciding on the best suited process to use when developing new eCIS. These developers also need documentary support for their choices and this research helps them with these decision-making processes. The e-Process Selection Methodology allows for the comparison of existing development processes as well as the comparison of processes as defined by the developers. Four different decision making methods, the Value-Benefit Method (Weighted Scoring), the Analytical Hierarchy Process, Case-Based Reasoning and a Social Choice method are used to solve the problem of selecting among e-Commerce Development Methodologies. The Value-Benefit Method, when applied to the selection of an e-Process from a set of e-Processes, uses multiple quality aspects. Values are assigned to each aspect for each of the e-Processes by experts. The importance of each of the aspects, to the eCIS, is defined in terms of weights. The selected e-Process is the one with the highest score when the values and weights are multiplied and then summed. The Analytic Hierarchy Process is used to quantify a selection of quality aspects and then these are used to evaluate alternative e-Processes and thus determining the best matching solution to the problem. This process provides for the ranking and determining of the relative worth of each of the quality aspects. Case-Based Reasoning requires the capturing of the resulting knowledge of previous cases, in a knowledge base, in order to make a decision. The case database is built in such a way that the concrete factual knowledge of previous individual cases that were solved previously is stored and can be used in the decision process. Case-based reasoning is used to determine the best choices. This allows the user to either use the selection methodology or the case base database to resolve their problems or both. Social Choice Methods are based on voting processes. Individuals vote for their preferences from a set of e-Processes. The results are aggregated to obtain a final result that indicates which e-Process is the preferred one. The e-Process Selection Methodology is demonstrated and validated by the development of a prototype tool. This tool can be used to select the most suitable solution for a case at hand. The thesis includes the factors that motivated the research and the process that was followed. The e-Process Selection Methodology is summarised as well as the strengths and weaknesses discussed. The contribution to knowledge is explained and future developments are proposed. To conclude, the lessons learnt and reinforced are considered.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo principal investigar a possível contribuição do modelo de organização de Karl Weick (1973) para a compreensão teórica do processo de entendimento compartilhado entre usuários e desenvolvedores sobre as demandas de desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação. A pesquisa se justifica pela atualidade do tema e pela relevância da abordagem. Embora existam muitas pesquisas sobre o tema, o problema de comunicação (misunderstanding) sobre as demandas permanece atual nas empresas. Além disso, as pesquisas existentes adotam abordagens preponderantemente pragmáticas e deixam uma lacuna em relação à adoção de abordagens mais compreensivas. Dentre as teorias adotadas nos estudos organizacionais, o modelo de organização como processo, de Karl Weick (1973), pareceu oferecer potencial explicativo para processos dinâmicos como o entendimento compartilhado sobre as demandas. Esse modelo foi adotado como base conceitual do trabalho, sendo estendido na forma de proposições que expressam sua possível aplicação ao objeto de pesquisa. Essa aplicação foi investigada com uso do método Estudo de Caso único em profundidade com múltiplas fontes de coleta de dados (entrevistas individuais, observação participante e consulta documental) e múltiplas unidades de análise (dez projetos de desenvolvimento ou alteração de sistemas de informação). Os resultados da pesquisa foram provenientes da técnica de Análise de Conteúdo, utilizada para a descrição analítica de cada projeto, a identificação de indícios dos conceitos do modelo teórico e a geração de categorias dos dados empíricos. Esse processo de análise permitiu a verificação da plausibilidade de cada proposição. Com base nessa análise, a consolidação feita por comparação e agrupamento dos projetos, por verificação das transições entre os elementos, e pela identificação de divergências entre o modelo teórico e os dados empíricos permitiu a investigação e o desenvolvimento de uma possível contribuição do modelo de Weick (1973) como alternativa para a compreensão teórica do objeto de pesquisa. Esse resultado também permitiu identificar outras diferentes perspectivas para novas pesquisas baseadas na abordagem adotada (como a perspectiva de serviços, de sensemaking e a de subculturas organizacionais), o que pode configurar uma contribuição acadêmica inovadora e relevante. / The present study aims to investigate the potential contribution of Weick’s organizing model (1973) to theoretical comprehension of the shared understanding process between users and developers about demands of information systems. The relevance of this issue rises from the existence of many other investigations about it and the remaining of the misunderstanding problem about demands in practice. A great deal of papers has approached this issue pragmatically, showing an opportunity to researches which adopt comprehensive approaches. One of the most studied organizational theories, namely Weick’s organizing model (1973), potentially offer an alternative point of view to this dynamic process and was adopted as the conceptual basis of this investigation. An extension or application of the model to the research object was developed in form of research propositions. An in-depth case-study was developed with multiple data sources (individual interviews, participant observation and documents consulting) and multiple analysis units (ten information systems development projects). Content Analysis techniques offered the results, including analytical descriptions of each project, identification of clues of model concepts and generation of categories from empirical data. This analytical process allows verifying plausibility of each theoretical proposition. A consolidation was done by comparing projects, verifying transitions among elements, identifying divergences between conceptual model and empirical data. This entire process made possible an investigation and the development of a potential contribution of Weick’s organizing model as an alternative mode for theoretical comprehension of this research object. These results also allow identifying other alternative perspectives for new investigations based on this approach (for example, perspectives of services, sensemaking and organizational subcultures), which can be seen as innovative and relevant academic contributions.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo principal investigar a possível contribuição do modelo de organização de Karl Weick (1973) para a compreensão teórica do processo de entendimento compartilhado entre usuários e desenvolvedores sobre as demandas de desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação. A pesquisa se justifica pela atualidade do tema e pela relevância da abordagem. Embora existam muitas pesquisas sobre o tema, o problema de comunicação (misunderstanding) sobre as demandas permanece atual nas empresas. Além disso, as pesquisas existentes adotam abordagens preponderantemente pragmáticas e deixam uma lacuna em relação à adoção de abordagens mais compreensivas. Dentre as teorias adotadas nos estudos organizacionais, o modelo de organização como processo, de Karl Weick (1973), pareceu oferecer potencial explicativo para processos dinâmicos como o entendimento compartilhado sobre as demandas. Esse modelo foi adotado como base conceitual do trabalho, sendo estendido na forma de proposições que expressam sua possível aplicação ao objeto de pesquisa. Essa aplicação foi investigada com uso do método Estudo de Caso único em profundidade com múltiplas fontes de coleta de dados (entrevistas individuais, observação participante e consulta documental) e múltiplas unidades de análise (dez projetos de desenvolvimento ou alteração de sistemas de informação). Os resultados da pesquisa foram provenientes da técnica de Análise de Conteúdo, utilizada para a descrição analítica de cada projeto, a identificação de indícios dos conceitos do modelo teórico e a geração de categorias dos dados empíricos. Esse processo de análise permitiu a verificação da plausibilidade de cada proposição. Com base nessa análise, a consolidação feita por comparação e agrupamento dos projetos, por verificação das transições entre os elementos, e pela identificação de divergências entre o modelo teórico e os dados empíricos permitiu a investigação e o desenvolvimento de uma possível contribuição do modelo de Weick (1973) como alternativa para a compreensão teórica do objeto de pesquisa. Esse resultado também permitiu identificar outras diferentes perspectivas para novas pesquisas baseadas na abordagem adotada (como a perspectiva de serviços, de sensemaking e a de subculturas organizacionais), o que pode configurar uma contribuição acadêmica inovadora e relevante. / The present study aims to investigate the potential contribution of Weick’s organizing model (1973) to theoretical comprehension of the shared understanding process between users and developers about demands of information systems. The relevance of this issue rises from the existence of many other investigations about it and the remaining of the misunderstanding problem about demands in practice. A great deal of papers has approached this issue pragmatically, showing an opportunity to researches which adopt comprehensive approaches. One of the most studied organizational theories, namely Weick’s organizing model (1973), potentially offer an alternative point of view to this dynamic process and was adopted as the conceptual basis of this investigation. An extension or application of the model to the research object was developed in form of research propositions. An in-depth case-study was developed with multiple data sources (individual interviews, participant observation and documents consulting) and multiple analysis units (ten information systems development projects). Content Analysis techniques offered the results, including analytical descriptions of each project, identification of clues of model concepts and generation of categories from empirical data. This analytical process allows verifying plausibility of each theoretical proposition. A consolidation was done by comparing projects, verifying transitions among elements, identifying divergences between conceptual model and empirical data. This entire process made possible an investigation and the development of a potential contribution of Weick’s organizing model as an alternative mode for theoretical comprehension of this research object. These results also allow identifying other alternative perspectives for new investigations based on this approach (for example, perspectives of services, sensemaking and organizational subcultures), which can be seen as innovative and relevant academic contributions.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo principal investigar a possível contribuição do modelo de organização de Karl Weick (1973) para a compreensão teórica do processo de entendimento compartilhado entre usuários e desenvolvedores sobre as demandas de desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação. A pesquisa se justifica pela atualidade do tema e pela relevância da abordagem. Embora existam muitas pesquisas sobre o tema, o problema de comunicação (misunderstanding) sobre as demandas permanece atual nas empresas. Além disso, as pesquisas existentes adotam abordagens preponderantemente pragmáticas e deixam uma lacuna em relação à adoção de abordagens mais compreensivas. Dentre as teorias adotadas nos estudos organizacionais, o modelo de organização como processo, de Karl Weick (1973), pareceu oferecer potencial explicativo para processos dinâmicos como o entendimento compartilhado sobre as demandas. Esse modelo foi adotado como base conceitual do trabalho, sendo estendido na forma de proposições que expressam sua possível aplicação ao objeto de pesquisa. Essa aplicação foi investigada com uso do método Estudo de Caso único em profundidade com múltiplas fontes de coleta de dados (entrevistas individuais, observação participante e consulta documental) e múltiplas unidades de análise (dez projetos de desenvolvimento ou alteração de sistemas de informação). Os resultados da pesquisa foram provenientes da técnica de Análise de Conteúdo, utilizada para a descrição analítica de cada projeto, a identificação de indícios dos conceitos do modelo teórico e a geração de categorias dos dados empíricos. Esse processo de análise permitiu a verificação da plausibilidade de cada proposição. Com base nessa análise, a consolidação feita por comparação e agrupamento dos projetos, por verificação das transições entre os elementos, e pela identificação de divergências entre o modelo teórico e os dados empíricos permitiu a investigação e o desenvolvimento de uma possível contribuição do modelo de Weick (1973) como alternativa para a compreensão teórica do objeto de pesquisa. Esse resultado também permitiu identificar outras diferentes perspectivas para novas pesquisas baseadas na abordagem adotada (como a perspectiva de serviços, de sensemaking e a de subculturas organizacionais), o que pode configurar uma contribuição acadêmica inovadora e relevante. / The present study aims to investigate the potential contribution of Weick’s organizing model (1973) to theoretical comprehension of the shared understanding process between users and developers about demands of information systems. The relevance of this issue rises from the existence of many other investigations about it and the remaining of the misunderstanding problem about demands in practice. A great deal of papers has approached this issue pragmatically, showing an opportunity to researches which adopt comprehensive approaches. One of the most studied organizational theories, namely Weick’s organizing model (1973), potentially offer an alternative point of view to this dynamic process and was adopted as the conceptual basis of this investigation. An extension or application of the model to the research object was developed in form of research propositions. An in-depth case-study was developed with multiple data sources (individual interviews, participant observation and documents consulting) and multiple analysis units (ten information systems development projects). Content Analysis techniques offered the results, including analytical descriptions of each project, identification of clues of model concepts and generation of categories from empirical data. This analytical process allows verifying plausibility of each theoretical proposition. A consolidation was done by comparing projects, verifying transitions among elements, identifying divergences between conceptual model and empirical data. This entire process made possible an investigation and the development of a potential contribution of Weick’s organizing model as an alternative mode for theoretical comprehension of this research object. These results also allow identifying other alternative perspectives for new investigations based on this approach (for example, perspectives of services, sensemaking and organizational subcultures), which can be seen as innovative and relevant academic contributions.

Knowledge has become one of the most important assets for companies nowadays. Knowledge Management (KM) uses organizational knowledge as a resource to make companies more competitive. Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) are gaining popularity, however, the failure rate remains high, with many projects not achieving their goals or being shut down early. KMS are often underestimated and treated as normal systems. IS practices do not cover certain aspects specific to KMS, aspects that do not show in other IS (e.g. socio-cultural issues). There are many studies concerning the KMS failures but they just focus on the symptoms and do not provide a solution to the problem. The goal of this master’s dissertation is to generate a preventive tool that will help the KM field. With The experience gained by working in a real KMS project within a textile agency in Sweden and relevant literature, an Information Systems Design Theory (ISDT) for KMS was developed. As some authors suggest, KM needs an ISDT of it’s own. An ISDT will guide practitioners through the process by restricting practices and features of the system to a more effective set. It will also encourage the academia to work on this theory for its improvement, completion, and validation

No description available.

<p>Human Trafficking is the fastest--growing organized criminal activity, second only to drug trafficking. Modeling has given us some sense of the scale of the exploitation, but we do not truly understand the depth and breadth of the behaviors within the system. This research presents chaos theory--driven risk analysis of human trafficking, with the expectation not to predict individual behaviors but to understand the boundaries and patterns of the dynamic system that is human trafficking. Subject matter experts within Six Sigma and risk analysis were consulted to evaluate the application of the traditional Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) on dynamic systems. This research identified valuable modifications to the traditional FMEA process to better apply to complex, dynamic processes. A dynamic FMEA decouples the generation of failure modes from the RPN score to accommodate the multiple POVs and SME expertise. Application of a dynamic FMEA occurs in two distinct phases: (1) failure modes ranked by their risk to the system and (2) the prioritization of solutions. This allows for broad SME knowledge to identify failure modes in the system but does not require those same SMEs to identify solutions. A discussion is needed regarding the prioritization of solutions. Subject matter experts within anti--trafficking efforts included those working in law, academia, finance, victims’ advocacy, data analysis, and law enforcement, as well as a survivor of sex trafficking. Interviews and thematic analysis identified and ranked high--level human trafficking process steps that include finance, network, transportation, location, product conversion, and law enforcement. Within these steps, major elements of behaviors were identified and included actors, activities, society, structures, government, and media. A vulnerability ranking of these steps of human trafficking gave insight into points of instability that can be used to dismantle the act of human trafficking proactively. The focus when analyzing the risk of human trafficking, therefore, should be on the systems and structures that allow for exploitation to occur in the first place. If those risks and vulnerabilities can be elucidated, true barriers and change can be implemented to destabilize the dynamic system of human trafficking.</p>

Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Information is a necessary resource, produced by information systems and is a key building block to the management and decision-making in any organisation. The National Department of Education’s guidelines to establish Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) in provincial departments is a recognition that proper management, planning and evaluation are contingent on quality data, data that is complete, relevant, accurate, timely and accessible. The lack of quality data and the lack of integration with other information systems hamstring the effective use of EMIS. This study addresses these limitations in three basic objectives: a) developing an information systems development model, b) applying the model in a real-life context of the development of the Western Cape EMIS, and c) applying quantitative methods on integrated data sets derived from the EMIS in the Western Cape and other information systems. The study culminates in the development of a four-phase process model for developing and using EMIS in an integrative manner that would provide a more comprehensive picture for policy and decision-making. It outlines the establishment of an information systems development (ISD) model that integrates innovative emerging trends, such as improvisation, bricolage and sensemaking, in designing and implementing information systems. These approaches postulate that beyond the numbers and quantifiable world there is a complex reality that traditional approaches do not always capture. These include, amongst other things, the atmosphere, culture and structure of an organization, together with the behaviour, emotions, knowledge and experiences of all the people who in one way or another interact with the information system. The research presents an empirical application of this developed ISD model in education management information system (EMIS) and underscores the role of information systems in everyday practice. This work practice (Practice-in-Action) approach is used to describe how the day-to-day actions and practical experiences of role players contribute to the design, development, implementation, testing, maintenance and improvement of the EMIS and is used as a lens for understanding ISD. The study further uses quantitative methods, namely education production function and learner flow-through models, to illustrate how the process of knowledge discovery in large data sets in EMIS could be facilitated. The education production function aims to identify those variables that could have a significant influence on the achievement of students in the matriculation examination. The learner flow-through models attempt to measure the effect of learner dropout and repetition on internal efficiency of the education system. Data analysis was facilitated through integration of data sets from various sources, and in turn illustrates the important role of bricolage in ISD. Through this analysis, the role of information systems of this nature to make sense of reality was highlighted. Policy making then can build on the findings from such data analyses to investigate in greater depth any trends or emerging problems, going beyond only the quantitative and macro level analysis by studies at the qualitative and micro levels.

近年來，許多公司面臨需要透過資訊科技來獲取競爭優勢。各產業對於資訊系統的要求越來愈多，促使資訊系統的開發工作越加複雜，而使得成功完成資訊系統的開發變的日益困難。 軟體工程協會指出軟體能力成熟度整合模式(Capability Maturity Model Integration, CMMI)強調軟體開發需要追求開發程序的改善與程序的最佳化。透過程序的改善以降低軟體開發專案失敗的機率。根據創意的定義，資訊系統開發程序的改善是團隊創意的表現。 目前少有研究從創意的觀點探討資訊系統開發程序的改善。根據社會認知理論指出效能信念是解釋行為/產出的關鍵元素。學者們也證明創意自我效能對於創意的重要性。到目前為止，效能與創意的連結僅限於個人層次的研究。因此，本研究將以資訊系統開發程序改善為研究情境，進行集體效能與創意文獻的連結，提出資訊系統開發團隊集體創意效能之概念，並探討集體創意效能的前置因素與了解干擾集體創意效能形成的因素。 本研究採用部分最小平方法 (Partial Least Squares)，分析98組開發資訊系統的學生團隊與61組開發資訊系統的業界團隊資料，以驗證研究模型。結果指出在學生團隊方面，團隊知識程度、成就動機、團隊知識整合能力會正向影響集體創意效能的形成；團隊互動程度會干擾團隊知識程度與集體創意效能的關係、專案複雜度會干擾團隊知識程度與集體創意效能的關係以及干擾團隊知識整合能力與集體創意效能的關係。在業界團隊方面，團隊知識程度、成就動機、團隊知識整合能力會正向影響集體創意效能的形成；團隊互動程度會干擾團隊知識程度與集體創意效能的關係、專案複雜度會干擾團隊知識程度與集體創意效能的關係、成就動機與集體創意效能的關係以及團隊知識整合能力與集體創意效能的關係。此外，本研究亦探討在不同專案複雜度的情境中，影響集體創意效能之前置因素。 / Numerous companies have recently employed information systems to obtain a competitive edge. The demand for many new and different information system (IS) applications has increased the scope and complexity of IS developing. Developing successful IS projects became difficult. Software Engineering Institute proposed Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) that emphasized process optimization of software development. The improvement in software process can reduce the probability failure in development software. According to the definition of creativity, the improvement in software process is team creativity. However, there are few studies which discuss the issues about systems development process improvement from creative perspective. According to the social cognitive theory, efficacy is a key factor for interpreting behavior/products. Scholars demonstrated that creative self-efficacy is important to creativity. Previous researchers which studied the potential link between efficacy and creativity are focus on individual level. Thus, this study combined the literatures of collective efficacy and team creativity to propose a new construct (Collective creative efficacy, CCE) for information systems development teams, and explore the influences and moderators for CCE. 98 student project teams and 61 industry project teams are surveyed. Partial least squares (PLS) results demonstrate that team knowledge, achievement motivation and knowledge integration ability positively influenced CCE, team interaction positively moderated the relationships between team knowledge and CCE, and project complexity negatively moderated the relationships between team knowledge and CCE, and the relationships between knowledge integration capability and CCE in both samples. Project complexity positively moderated the relationships between achievement motivation and CCE in the model of industry project teams. An attempt is also made to understand the antecedents of CCE in different project complexity.