Volume 8, Issue 1


Modelling Risks in IS/IT Projects through Causal and Cognitive Mapping, (pp 1-10) Abdullah J. Al-Shehab, Robert T. Hughes and Graham Winstanley School of Computing, Mathematical & Information Sciences, University of Brighton, UK a.a.shehab@brighton.ac.uk r.t.hughes@bton.ac.uk g.winstanley@bton.ac.uk Software systems development and implementation have become more difficult with the rapid introduction of new technology and the increasing complexity of the marketplace. This paper proposes an evaluation framework for identifying the causes of shortfalls in implemented information system projects. This framework has been developed during a longitudinal case study of a problematic project, which is described. Keywords: causal and cognitive mapping, project evaluation, information systems project risk

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Empirical Study on Knowledge Based Systems (pp 11-20) Gabriela Avram Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor, Luxembourg, gabriela.avram@gmail.com Knowledge-based systems (KBSs) implement the heuristic human reasoning through specific techniques, procedures and mechanisms, in order to solve problems that do not have a traditional algorithmic solution. Research on this topic is being done in numerous organisations all over the world, from higher education laboratories to research institutes and software development organisations. A first research project, aimed at gathering information about the State-of-the-Practice in building knowledge-based systems with practical applications, needed a preliminary study to ascertain if KBSs still exist today as a research topic, or the interest in them actually faded. The study was also required for finding organisations currently building KBSs for different domains. The project’s aim was to catalogue the software and/or knowledge engineering methods employed by the listed organisations, in order to draw a comprehensive image (State-of-the-Practice) of the field. The current paper contains the results of this preliminary study only. A second research project re-used the results of the preliminary study, focusing on the study of KBSs’ successful implementations as a basis for building a method that would allow practitioners to choose the most appropriate KM tools for each organisation’s specific problems and situations. A trigger for this second project was the interest in studying the causes of KBSs rejection by the end-users. An attempt to map the identified applications of KBSs to different phases of knowledge management lifecycle is also presented. Keywords: knowledge-based systems, taxonomy, success, failure, knowledge management tools
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When Paradigms Shift: IT Evaluation in a Brave New World, (pp 21-30) Frank Bannister Trinity College, Dublin, Frank.Bannister@tcd.ie Over the years, there have been many foci in the search for IT value. However impending developments in information and other technologies may be about to change the nature of the quest entirely. For example, the prospect of technologically enhanced biological function raises new, difficult and disturbing questions about value that need to be explored. Longer term, developments areas such as cyborg technology, artificial intelligence and robotics could have profound, and potentially disruptive, implications for societies and even humanity as a whole. As of now, there is a rapidly diminishing window of opportunity in which to get our values and value systems clear before a combination of technological advance and market forces overwhelms our ability to make important value choices. This paper explores some of the possibilities that may be coming our way and asks some difficult questions about IT value in what may be a brave new world. Keywords: IT value, emerging technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, cyborgs, nanotechnology, discontinuity.
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Seven Ways to get Your Favoured IT Project Accepted – Politics in IT Evaluation, (pp 31-40) Egon Berghout¹, Menno Nijland² and Kevin Grant³¹Centre of IT Economics Research (CITER), University of Groningen, The Netherlands²M&I/Partners, Amersfoort, The Netherlands 3Glasgow Caledonian University, Caledonian Business School, Scotland, e.w.berghout@eco.rug.nl Nijland@mxi.nl kevin.grant@gcal.ac.uk IS managers are being put under increasing pressure to justify the value of corporate IT/IS expenditure. Their constant quest for the ‘holy grail’ continues, as existing methods and approaches of justifying IT/IS expenditure are still failing to deliver. The decision making process is not as objective and transparent as it is claimed or intended to be. This paper discusses seven commonly used tactics used by business managers to influence IT appraisals. The paper takes a ‘devil’s advocate’ position and adopts some irony when looking at the area of power and politics in IT evaluation. Rather than promoting the use of these techniques, this article aims to raise awareness that IT evaluation is not as rational as most IT evaluation researchers/practitioners would want it to be or indeed claim it to be. It is argued that rationalisation or counter tactics may counteract influence techniques in an attempt to get behind the cloak and dagger side of organisational power and politics, but politics and power in decision-making cannot and should not be filtered out. Due to dissimilarities of objectives, limitations of time and information, influence techniques will always be used. However, rather than being counterproductive, these techniques are essential in the process of decision making of IT projects. They help organisations reach better decisions, which receive more commitment than decisions that were forced to comply with strictly rational approaches. Awareness of the influence and manipulation techniques used in practice will help to deal with power and politics in IT evaluation and thereby come to better IT investment decisions. Keywords: IT Evaluation, IT Decision Making, IT Assessment, Information Economics, Decision Making, Organisational Power & Politics. Information Management.
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Internet Banking in Brazil: Evaluation of Functionality, Reliability and Usability (pp 41-50) Eduardo Diniz, Roseli Morena Porto and Tomi Adachi Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (FGV-EAESP), Brazil ediniz@fgvsp.br Roseli@gvmail.br tomi@gvmail.br Evaluating the performance of business Web sites has been a constant concern of researchers in different fields. This article presents an approach that contributes to the development of a methodology to assist researchers, developers and managers to establish criteria to evaluate and build digital business environments. Based on a multiple case study in three large banks in Brazil, this article proposes and tests a model of three dimensions to evaluate virtual business environments from the user's point of view: functionality, evaluates the offered services profile; reliability, investigates the security of a transactional site; and usability evaluates the quality of user interaction with the site. Keywords: internet banking; banking technology; usability; security; Internet
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Exception-Based Approach for Information Systems Evaluation: The Method and its Benefits to Information Systems Management (pp 51-60) Heikki Saastamoinen University of Jyväskylä, Finland Jyväskylä Polytechnic, School of Information Technology, Finland heikki.saastamoinen@jypoly.fi Exceptions are events that cannot be handled by an information system by following normal processing rules. Exceptions arise for two main reasons: flaws in system design and post implementation changes in the system domain. Only few exceptions should arise in an information system serving its user community well. In practice, this is rarely the case and exceptions are sometimes rather common even with routine processes. In this paper, an exception-based approach to evaluate information systems is presented together with practical examples of its use. The benefits of the analysis to information system management are elaborated on. Keywords: Information Systems Evaluation, Exception Handling, Information Systems Management
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Peer Assessment: A Complementary Instrument to Recognise Individual Contributions in IS Student Group Projects (pp 61-70) Elsje Scott¹, Nata van der Merwe² and Derek Smith¹¹Department of Information Systems, University of Cape Town, South Africa²Xiplan (Pty) Ltd, Kenilworth, South Africa escott@commerce.uct.ac.za nata@xiplan.com dsmith@commerce.uct.ac.za This paper discusses peer assessment as a component of the assessment strategy used for Information Systems student group projects at a South African university. The value of peer assessment and the contribution to the real-life experience offered by group projects, will be discussed. It will also illustrate how this process adds value by enhancing deep learning. Its value as a complementary assessment instrument in a multiple assessment strategy and how the results of peer assessment are used to recognise individual contributions to group performance will be illustrated. The use of peer assessment as an instrument for both informal formative assessment and formal summative assessment will be described. To perform the peer assessment specific instruments were designed and used throughout the lifecycle of the course. Keywords: Peer assessment, group work, assessment, self-assessment, IS Project.
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Performance Evaluation of e-Business in Australia (pp 71-80)
Mohini Singh and John Byrne
School of Business Information Technology, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
mohini.singh@rmit.edu.au
john.byrne@rmit.edu.au

The Internet and related technologies have made a substantial impact on the way organisations conduct business in Australia and around the world. Australian organisations like their international counterparts have invested heavily to leverage the Internet and transform their traditional businesses into e-businesses in the last seven years. E-business investments are claiming a sizeable share of overall IT budgets in most organisations whether they are small, medium or large. However, managers are under constant pressure to justify e-business costs and to ensure that these investments keep paying off. Earlier research on e-business in Australia addressed issues of the rate of e-business uptake and the application of the Internet to certain business processes. Research discussed in this paper is one of the first attempts to evaluate the value of e-business. It is based on data collected, collated and analysed from the responses received from IT and e-business managers throughout Australia.

Research presented in this paper is based on a model developed in the USA (Barua et al, 2001) to identify the impact of e-business drivers on operational excellence of firms which influence financial improvements. It was initiated to quantify the success of e-business in Australia after huge losses from e-business projects were reported by a few large organisations. The paper includes a review of literature on e-business evaluation, research methodology, analysis techniques, a discussion of e-business performance in Australia and presents the impact of e-business on operational excellence and financial performance of the organisation.
Keywords: e-business evaluation, B2B e-business, B2C e-business, e-business drivers, e-business operational improvements, e-business financial success