William Golden

The role of business process redesign in creating e‐government in Ireland

Purpose – To investigate the role of business process redesign (BPR) in creating citizen‐centred e‐government.Design/methodology/approach – It is argued in this paper that the evolutionary‐based development of BPR is better positioned to expand the use e‐commerce technology in the public sector. The Venkatraman model of IT‐enabled change is used in order to investigate the extent to which BPR was instrumental in the movement to e‐government in Ireland. A case study is presented detailing how the Irish Governments e‐government strategy was devised and implemented.Findings – This paper details how 50 government authorities were co‐ordinated in an effort to provide a single point of access (portal) to government e‐services. However, as the infrastructure for the portal is to be developed around existing government structures, a full and complete process redesign is unlikely, as the existing authorities must remain in place.Research limitations/implications – To investigate the unique nature of processes wit...

Training: The Way to Retain Valuable IT Employees?

The IT workforce of a company is an important strategic asset, an asset that needs to be managed. This paper details the results of a survey administered to 200 employees across 39 software companies in Ireland between July and August 2001, with a response rate of 102 (51%). It presents a descriptive study, which assesses the impact that training practices have on employee retention. It also gathers data on the effects of training initiatives, the types of training in use, and the influence of training on knowledge retention. IT staff were chosen for this study as they embody the new “knowledge worker” operating in the information economy. The study finds that training helps in retaining knowledge within the organization, but may not help in retaining employees. The predominant method of training delivery is by instructorled formal sessions, followed by self-training and workshops. Findings show that more modern methods such as web-based and computer-based training are not pervasive.

Exploring inter‐organisational systems and flexibility in Ireland: a case of two value chains

This paper explores the use of inter‐organisational systems (IOS) and the impact they have on flexibility. The experiences of ten organisations that constitute two value chains enrich and extend previous survey findings. The paper first defines flexibility, arguing that it has four dimensions: temporal, range, intention and focus. It then investigates inter‐organisational systems, assessing how they impact on organisational flexibility. The paper also demonstrates how the case firms perceive flexibility. Next the types of IOS used are outlined, followed by a discussion on how IOS technology affects flexibility. An analysis of the impact of IOS on the flexibility of the complete value chain is presented and conclusions drawn.

Inter‐organisational ICT systems: the way to innovative practice for SMEs?

This paper investigates the reasons underpinning the diverging adoption rates of different types of inter‐organisational systems (IOS) amongst small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). It explores the evolution of IOS from traditional proprietary and closed systems to Internet‐based open, flexible systems. It illustrates, through the study of 25 SMEs, that the emergence of new Internet‐based IOS provides SMEs with a rich set of technologies that may fundamentally change the technological perspective of SMEs from reluctant, reactive, slow implementers of technology to enthusiastic, proactive, rapid innovators of technology. The paper suggests that positive experiences by SMEs of Web‐based electronic commerce and the continued desire of larger firms to achieve full compliance with their IOS will dramatically increase the adoption rate of Web‐enabled IOS.

Inter-organisational Information Systems as Enablers of Organisational Flexibility

Many organisations seek flexibility, but its attainment is fraught with problems. Research argues that information systems (IS) can provide flexibility. This paper explores the relationship between one type of IS, inter-organisational systems (IOS) and flexibility. The first element of the research demonstrates that organisations do obtain flexibility from using IOS. In particular, IOS improve efficiency, responsiveness, versatility and robustness. Subsequently the research finds some support for the proposition that the technologies used for IOS provide flexibility. Certain organisational characteristics have a positive relationship with flexibility from IOS. These include (i) adopting IOS for offensive competitive reasons, (ii) integrating IOS planning with IS planning, (iii) integrating IOS planning with business planning, (iv) initiating adoption of IOS, (v) integrating IOS with internal IS software, (vi) possessing superior internal IT expertise, (vii) operating in a competitive environment and (viii) longevity of IOS use. The implications of these findings for managers and researchers are discussed.

Implementing E-Government in Ireland: A Roadmap for Success

E-government provides unparalleled opportunities for governments to streamline processes and improve customer service. As a result, achieving successful citizen centric e-government has become a key concern for many governments. This paper analyses the Irish Government’s evolutionary path to the provision of successful e-Government. The success factors and stages of evolution of e-government are identified and a detailed examination of how the Irish Government successfully implemented its e-government strategy is presented. The lessons learnt from this case provide a valuable roadmap for the successful attainment of citizen centred e-government in other jurisdictions.

On-Line Retailing: What Drives Success? Evidence from Ireland

This research is a descriptive study to identify some of the factors that contribute to the successful use of e-business. The research was focused on the retail industry in Ireland and more specifically on existing on-line retailers of Irish-made gifts. The study was conducted using a postal survey. The research found that specific organizational factors—early adoption of web technology, internal IS/IT expertise, having an e-business strategy and a person who champions the e-business project—result in more successful e-business web sites. Further, the research found no evidence to support the belief that certain product types are more likely to be successful on the Web.

Agility in Information Systems Development: A Three-Tiered Framework

The Agile Manifesto was put forward in 2001, and several method instantiations, such as XP, SCRUM and Crystal exist. Each adheres to some principles of the Agile Manifesto and disregards others. This paper proposes that these Agile Manifesto principles are insufficiently grounded in theory, and are largely naive to the concept of agility outside the field of software development. This research aims to develop a broad, three-tiered framework of ISD agility based on a thorough review of agility across many disciplines. The framework identifies the sources of agility, a classification of agile activities, and the resources utilized by such activities.

Implementing electronic data interchange: a nontechnological perspective

This paper investigates the success factors for implementing electronic data interchange (EDI). Previous research has highlighted the fact that these success factors are broader than just the technological issues associated with a new system. The importance of nontechnological issues during the implementation of EDI was investigated and verified by this study. At the initial stage of implementing EDI the technological and nontechnological factors are of equal importance. However, because technological issues are more easily controlled and thus managed, the issues that require the most management effort are nontechnological. This study shows that the key nontechnological success factors, in order of importance, are planning, top management commitment, the management of trading partner relationships, the degree of structural integration achieved, education and training, and staffing the implementation team.

Key success factors for late adopters of inter-organisational systems: a non-technical perspective from Irish organisations

Research has shown that EDI and other forms of inter-organisational systems (IOS) are underdeveloped in Europe compared to the USA. Currently most discussions of IOS implementation emphasise technical considerations and pay only scant attention to other factors that affect IOS success. This paper reviews the IOS implementation and operational experience of five Irish organisations, and examines environmental, organisational and implementation issues in an effort to determine their effect on IOS success. The results are presented as five questions that IOS implementators should ask themselves before embarking on such a project.