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Management information systems, Business planning, Decision making, Executives, Information resources, Business success, Technological innovations, Information resources management, Organization, Strategic planning, Chief information officers, and Telecommunication

In recent years there has been an increasing amount of attention paid to effective strategic planning of the information systems resource in many organizations. The motivation for this attention derives from a number of sources, especially the rapid rate of technological progress in computer and telecommunications facilities and the increasing application of these facilities to problem domains that are critical to organizational success. As a wide range of new opportunities become apparent, it has become more difficult to match the operational, managerial, and strategic needs of the business with appropriate systems activities. Based upon an exploratory study of eight organizations which involved extensive interviews with IS and senior managers, this article describes the planning practices observed and identifies several factors which seemed particularly important to their planning success, or lack of it. These factors include such things as the style of senior management decision making, the volatility of the business (and by extension, the applications development portfolio), the complexity of the IS organization and management task, and the status and physical location of the IS manager. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management information systems, Information resources management, Microcomputer workstations (Computers), Management controls, End-user computing, Management styles, Automation, Organizational learning, Database management, Access control of personal computers, Information policy, and Computer user attitudes

Managing the influx of personal computers (PC) presents a significant dilemma for most management information systems (MIS) executives. On the one hand, too tight control will limit the creative use of PCs and may in fact force users "underground" (where formal standards, methodologies, and controls have little effect). A laissez-faire approach, on the other hand, can often lead to inappropriate, ineffective applications being developed by users on their PCs. This article presents the results of a field study of how eight firms are striking this balance, and it suggests two frameworks for understanding how firms must change their PC management practices in different circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision support systems, Office practice automation, Cost effectiveness, Project management, Productivity accounting, Management information systems, Methods engineering, Ergonomics, Portfolio management (Investments), Investment analysis, Business logistics, and Risk assessment

Numerous articles suggest that DSS and office automation can provide substantial improvement in managerial and professional productivity. In spite of the intuitive appeal of these arguments, however, many firms find that the uncertainty of a solid, measurable payoff makes it hard to justify major investments. As a result, some managers have given up trying to evaluate the benefits of these systems, and they now make the investment decision "on faith"—losing in the process any form of real accountability. By evaluating DSS and OA development projects in the aggregate, however, some of these justification problems can be minimized. While we may not be able to identify the specific benefits generated by an individual system, we can often measure the overall productivity improvements attributable to the portfolio of systems. At the same time, we can hold managers accountable for achieving a return that justifies the total investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TECHNOLOGY, COST effectiveness, ORGANIZATIONAL learning, KNOWLEDGE management, WHITE collar workers, and INTELLECT

Today's computerbased technologies require nontraditional approaches to implementation, especially in the areas of cost-benefit analysis and organizational learning. This article develops the concept of an "intellectual" technology, and uses it as a framework to make recommendations for the implementation of office automation technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]