Australian Computer Society: ACS Digital Library
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The Tasks of Information Systems Professionals in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia
Get PDFThis paper presents the results of an empirical study into the present and future tasks expected of information systems professionals in a range of organisations in South-east Asian nations. Information was collected using a three round delphi study technique across a period of one year. The views of senior personnel working in information systems positions in organisations in these nations are analysed and compared. The results are related to the present and expected future profiles of these organisations and are of relevance to those responsible for developing IS curricula in academic institutions as well as commercial providers of education and training courses in these important South-east Asian nations. The study also contributes to an emerging body of knowledge concerning the development of the IS profession in the developing nations of South-east Asia
An Empirical Examination of Project Leadership Style in an Information Systems Environment
Get PDFAfter establishing that leadership is one of the critical success factors in IS projects with the support of literature, this study examines the most appropriate leadership style at the project management level for the successful execution of IS projects. The suitability of Transformational Leadership style in an IS project environment is tested in a survey of Australian IS projects. The leadership behaviour of more and less successful IS project managers as perceived by themselves and their subordinates is analysed in conjunction with other contingency factors influencing project implementation. The results support the proposition that there is a difference in the leadership styles of more and less successful project managers as perceived by their subordinates and that the successful managers exhibit significantly more of Transformational leadership characteristics
The Role of Conferences and Refereed Journals in Australian Information Systems Research
Get PDFThe premise of this paper is the need for the IS discipline in Australia to identify its nature and traditions before promulgating both to gain greater access to political power and resources. The survey results reported help characterise Australian IS research by assessing the significance of conference publications and determining which international and national conferences and refereed journals are perceived by leading IS researchers to be the most appropriate and of the highest quality as publication outlets. Comparison is made between the results of this study and North American rankings. Results from the study support the claim that refereed conference publications are significant to IS researchers and help legitimise this style of publication
Ethical Issues in Network System Design
Get PDFToday, most desktop computers and PCs are networked that is, they have the ability to link to other machines, usually to access data and other information held remotely. Such machines may sometimes be connected directly to each other, as part of an office or company computer system. More frequently, however, connected machines are at a considerable distance from each other, typically connected through links to global systems such as the Internet, or World Wide Web (WWW). The networked machine itself may be anything from a powerful company computer with direct Internet connections, to a small hobbyist machine, accessing a bulletin board through telephone and modem. It is important to remember that, whatever the type or the location of networked machines, their access to the network, and the network itself, was planned and constructed following deliberate design considerations. In this paper I discuss some ways in which the technical design of computer systems might appropriately be influenced by ethical issues, and examine pressures on computer scientists and others to technically control network related actions perceived as 'unethical'. After examination of the current situation, I draw together the issues, and conclude by suggesting some ethically based recommendations for the future design of networked systems
A Pilot Study of Small Business's Perception of Vendor Services: are these associated with small business IT educational requirements
No full textDespite the extensive use of microcomputers in the small business environment, little research has been applied to the training needs of those small businesses. This study examines the computer related training needs of 131 small businesses and the factors which appear to impinge upon those needs. In particular the paper examines whether satisfaction with vendor provided services (both pre and post sales) are associated specific educational requirements in small business. The results suggest that there a need for the development of a university/college IT training program directed specifically towards small business. These programs should avoid the more technical aspects of IT and concentrate on areas which involve the analysis and use of software in the small business. The results further show that a number of vendor provided services appear to be associated with the rating of importance of potential curricular inclusions in IT training programs
Standardising the Information Technology Environment at Telstra Corporation: a case study
Get PDFTelstra is Australia's leading telecommunications carrier and largest single user of information technology (IT). In November 1990, the Australian federal government announced wide-ranging reforms and the introduction of competition within the telecommunications sector. Realising that it was essential for the corporation to leverage its use of technology on a firm-wide basis in order to remain a strong and flexible competitor, in 1991, Telstra embarked upon a major overhaul of its existing IT infrastructure. Central to this was the establishment of standardised operating environments (SOE) for all computing resources used at Telstra. This paper traces the development of Telstra's data network and desktop SOEs. The paper examines the strategic drivers for the SOEs, the business benefits, and issues related to Telstra's computing environment prior to, and after the introduction of network and desktop SOEs
The Effects of Normalisation of the Satisfaction of Novice End-User Querying Databases
Get PDFThis paper reports the results of an experiment that investigated the effects different structural characteristics of relational databases have on information satisfaction of end-users querying databases. The results show that unnormalised tables adversely affect end-user satisfaction. The adverse affect on end-user satisfaction is attributable primarily to the use of non atomic data. In this study, the affect on end user satisfaction of repeating fields was not significant. The study contributes to the further development of theories of individual adjustment to information technology in the workplace by alerting organisations and, in particular, database designers to the ways in which the structural characteristics of relational databases may affect end-user satisfaction. More importantly, the results suggest that database designers need to clearly identify the domains for each item appearing in their databases. These issues are of increasing importance because of the growth in the amount of data available to end-users in relational databases
Revisiting the Usability of Graphical Displays: an experimental approach
Get PDFThe paper reports on the results of an experimental study of the usability of graphical displays for decision making. The literature points to inconsistent results that have been obtained by researchers looking at this issue. Instead of trying to find the 'best format* for a given task, our approach in this study examines common factors across various graph formats. Our focus is on the cognitive demands placed on a user instead of the task itself. It was found that assisting users to extract information from graphs with design features such as a mouse driven display has a significantly positive effect on performance