Browsing by Author "Ward, John M."
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Item Open Access Improving IS performance in organisations : towards an IS capability(Cranfield University, 2001-03) Peppard, J. W.; Ward, John M.Today, most organisations are fundamentally dependent on their information systems (IS) and would quickly cease to function should the technology that underpins their business activities ever come to a halt. Yet, despite this situation, research continues to highlight that in many organisations senior executives are dis-satisfied with the value they perceive they are deriving from investments in IS and are concerned with the inability of their organisation to capitalise on opportunities provided by technology. The research reported in this exposition addresses this problem of linking IS expenditure with organisational performance. In particular, this exposition demonstrates how the cumulative output of the included research papers has contributed towards improving IS performance and consequently the contribution of IS to the competitiveness of an organisation, illustrating that the research papers represent a substantial, continuous and coherent body of work. The cumulative output of these papers emphasise that improving IS performance is a complex and multi-dimensional proposition. It is an enterprise-wide concern and, crucially not an assignment that can be delegated to the IS function. Moreover, it is largely a people issue governed by the organisational legacy regarding IS experiences. The experiences of the organisations studied is that it not an easy undertaken, but can take many years to effect. The exposition concludes that all organisations must develop an effective IS capability if they are to leverage value through IS. While this exposition provides insights as to the nature and content of this capability, it notes that further development of this concept is required.Item Open Access Information systems strategic planning in multinational corporations: from subsidiaries' perspective(Cranfield University, 2003-10) Mohdzain, Mohdzaher; Ward, John M.This thesis examined information systems strategic planning in multinationals from the perspective of the subsidiaries. A research framework was synthesised from a combination of literature in the fields of multinational strategy and IS strategic planning. The research was carried out using multiple case studies involving eight multinational subsidiaries operating in Malaysia and a multinational subsidiary operating in the UK. The subsidiaries were units in four European-based, three US-based, and two Japanese-based multinationals. The main methods and instruments used for the study were site visits and semistructured interviews. Three corporate headquarters were visited, in Switzerland, the US, and The Netherlands and a telephone interview was held with another corporate IT interviewee based in the US. The evidence gathered from the case studies reveals that, in these organisations, there is a lack of alignment between IS and business strategy. IS planning is more tactical rather than strategic and is more dominated by the IT infrastructure rather than the IS portfolio. The main focus of IS planning in many of these companies is to control cost and achieve scale economies, while knowledge transfer and subsidiary initiative get less priority. IS planning in these companies is centralised or currently moving toward more centralisation. Project implementation was the main criterion used for measuring IS planning success. With a low level of involvement of the local business management in the IS planning, in general, the subsidiary business managers are less satisfied with the IS planning approach than the subsidiary IT managers. Analysis of the evidence gathered from the case studies also indicates that there are links between business orientation, IS planning orientation, IS planning approaches, and the perceived success of IS planning. Small subsidiaries also tend to have less autonomy in IS planning and IS managers who report to the financial controllers tend to be less satisfied with the IS planning approach.Item Open Access Risk-based decision-making for the management of structural assets.(Cranfield University, 1999-11) Roberts, Caroline; Strutt, J. E.; Ward, John M.This thesis investigates the benefit of risk-based decision methods in engineering decisions. A thorough literature review identified the major issues and limitations in current methods. Consequently a more comprehensive model was developed to account for the complexities of real life decision-making. The enhancements introduced to the model include identifying and evaluating stakeholder influences, decision objectives, criteria and preferences between criteria and decision outcomes. Monitoring and controlling important parameters during implementation is also included to ensure objectives are met and risks controlled. Tools and techniques were identified to support decision-making within the new model. The research focuses on how available techniques can improve engineering decision-making. The model was applied to four case studies analysing real life, "live" decision problems in bridge management and pipeline management. These confirmed the relevance and importance of the model enhancements. The practicality of the methods, their benefits and limitations were evaluated such that the proposed model was enhanced further. The enhanced model was shown to bring enhanced understanding to all four case studies and made the decisions more rational, thorough and auditable. The fifth case study reviewed how unsupported decisions are currently made within the sponsoring company. This involved a detailed desktop analysis of past projects and interviews with senior engineers and provided further evidence, which emphasised the value of using the decision model. General guidelines were developed based on the case study experiences to help the decision-maker identify the level of analysis required for different types of decision problems. These were defined as applicability matrices. The benefit of using a third party facilitator in each of the case studies was identified in terms of the roles of leader, liaison, disseminator, spokesman and disturbance handler. The balance between these five roles through the stages of the decision process was found to be important to ensure the facilitator does not dominate the decision.Item Open Access A study of the factors influencing the success of IT-enabled change investments in the UK health sector(Cranfield University, 2010-03) Abdul-Karim, Raied Mehdi; Peppard, Joe; Ward, John M.The majority of IT projects across various countries and industries fail or do not realise all their intended benefits. Despite previous research into this area and the development of various project success models, IT projects continue to fail at an alarming rate. This research examines the reasons for this phenomenon and extends the existing knowledge by providing insight and learning into how to successfully manage IT enabled change projects within the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. The research used interpretive, retrospective case studies to examine the outcomes of four IT enabled change projects in the NHS. Forty-three face-to-face, semistructured interviews were conducted to collect a rich source of data for the analysis. A comprehensive body of literature was reviewed and key areas/themes were identified that could be expected to influence project outcomes. These themes were used to develop and structure the interview questions and guide the data analysis. The research was designed to first learn from successful projects and then contrast the findings with those from less successful projects. In the first empirical study, P1, two case studies of successful PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) projects in two NHS hospitals were undertaken. The reasons for their success were fully explored and discussed. The second empirical study, P2, consisted of two case studies of less successful projects: the implementations of an electronic Theatre System and an electronic Order Communication System were studied, and the reasons for their lack of success were explored, studied and contrasted with those in P1. Analysis of the evidence from the interviews and review of relevant documents, showed that the main differences between the successful and less successful projects were in the management of the following areas: development of the business case for investment, clinical engagement and involvement, stakeholder management (and, in particular, the clinician/manager relationship), awareness and ownership of benefits, project leadership and the capabilities of the project manager, and the type of the deployed technology. Cont/d.Item Open Access Understanding the adoption and use of information systems/information technology in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises : a study in Portuguese industry.(Cranfield University, 1998-09) Caldeira, Mario; Ward, John M.This research analysed factors and sets of factors that affect and explain the varying levels of success in the adoption and use of IS/IT (Information Systems/Information Technology) in Portuguese manufacturing SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises). The study set out to fill a gap in knowledge not covered by previous research into the area of IS/IT in SMEs. Existing work was found to be of limited relevance or was out-of-date, due to the rapid evolution of IS/IT, and did not address the Portuguese context. The study followed a realist approach to social enquiry. Seeking to explain IS/IT success, it is necessary to understand the perspectives and social relationships amongst the key actors involved in the process of IS/IT adoption and use. Case study research was undertaken in twelve SMEs operating in the Portuguese manufacturing industry. A total of 56 interviews were conducted with top managers, IS/IT managers, IS/IT staff, and IS/IT suppliers. The factors identified as associated with IS/IT success were clustered into four categories according to their perceived relevance. Interrelationships amongst factors were established and the common patterns across firms with similar levels of IS/IT adoption and success were analysed. This research demonstrates that a combination of factors were determinant to explain IS/IT adoption and success. These are related to the involvement of the top managers in the process of IS/IT adoption and use, and to the development of IS/IT competencies, in-house or in associated IS/IT suppliers. Of particular importance is the presence of an individual in the firm with IS/IT knowledge, CEO trust, and a view on how to incorporate IS/IT in the strategic development of the firm. In the SMEs that were more successful in adopting and using IS/IT, the establishment of co-operative links with IS/IT suppliers was essentially based on personal relationships or ownership of the IS/IT enterprise, rather than on contractual relationships. The findings were validated by comparison with existing theory, and resource-based theory was found to provide a coherent explanation of the results of the empirical work.