管理信息系统(英文文献)

DecisionmodelsforinformationsystemsmanagementKweku-MuataOsei-Bryson&OjelankiNgwenyamaPublishedonline:1May2008#SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,LLC20081IntroductionInthelasttwodecades,informationsystems(IS)manage-mentdecisionmakinghasbecomemorecomplex.Every-day,ISmanagersinorganizationsofallovertheworldmanagebillionsdollarsofassetsandmustmakecomplexdecisionsthatinvolveinformationsecurity,outsourcing,disasterrecovery,software,hardwareandvendorselection,investmentstrategies,timingtheimplementationofcom-plexsoftwaresystems(suchasenterpriseresourceplanning(ERP)).Inadequateunderstandingofthesedecisionprob-lems,poordecisionanalysis,andbadjudgmentcanresultincatastrophicoutcomesforcompanies.However,therehasbeenlimitedresearchondecisionmodelsandframe-worksthatcouldassistinformationtechnology(IT)managerswiththesecomplexdecisionproblems.Whilethereareresearchersworkingintheseareas,muchoftheirworkappearsinjournalsoutsidethefieldofIS.TheprimaryobjectiveofthisspecialissueofInformationSystemsFrontiersistofocusonprovidingsolutionstosignificantISmanagementproblemsandtoprovidestrategicknowledgeforpracticingmanagers.AsecondobjectiveofthisspecialissuetogiveimpetustothedevelopmentofalineofresearchthatwouldcontinuetofocusattentiononprovidingsolutionsforthemanyemergingcomplexproblemsthatISmanagersmayface.2InformationsystemsdecisioncontextInformationsystemsmanagementdecisionproblemssuchasinformationsecurity,outsourcing,disasterrecovery,software,hardwareandvendorselection,investmentstrat-egies,timingtheimplementationofcomplexsoftwaresystems(suchasERP)areextremelycomplexandcanadverselyimpacttheperformanceofthefirm.Thecomplexityofthesedecisionproblemsderivefromorgani-zationandenvironmentalconditionsthatinclude(a)multiplestakeholderswithdifferentgoalsandriskprefer-ences(b)multipleobjectivesandvaluetrade-offs;(c)competitiveenvironmentswithriskanduncertainty;and(d)interdependencies,indefinitetimehorizonsandstrategicimpactsofdecision.Undertheseconditionsdecisionmakersoftenhavedifficultiesidentifyingdecisionalternativesandmustbecreativeandcarefulintheiranalysis,astheconsequencesofpoorISdecisionmakingfoundintheliteratureshow(LyttinenandRobey1999;Yeo2002;Ngwenyamaetal.2007).WhenmanagersfacecomplexISproblems,decisionanalysisframeworksandmethodscanbeextremelyusefulwhentheyassist:(1)interrogatingtheproblemdomain;(2)structuringdecisionproblemsandgeneratingalternatives;(3)analyzingalter-nativesandassessingtheirimpacts;(4)determiningthepreferencesofdecisionmakers;(5)evaluatingandcom-paringdecisionalternatives,and,analysisofimplications.However,whilegeneraltheoriesandframeworksexistsfordecisionanalysis,thecomplexityanddiversityofISproblemsnecessitateresearchanddevelopmentofframe-InfSystFront(2008)10:277–279DOI10.1007/s10796-008-9082-7K.-M.Osei-Bryson(*)TheInformationSystemsResearchInstitute,VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity,Richmond,VA23284,USAe-mail:[e-mail]earchonTechnologyManagement,RyersonUniversity,Toronto,ON,Canadae-mail:[e-mail]totheclassofdecisionproblemsthatISmanagersface.3ThepapersInthisspecialissuewepresenteightpapersthatpresentarangeofapproachesandaddressawiderangeofISdecisionproblems.Ingeneralthepaperscanbeclassifiedintotwocategories,frameworksfordecisionanalysisanddecisionmodels.Oneofthepaperspresentsaconceptualframework;fiveofthepaperspresentstructureddecisionanalysisframeworks,andthreepresentdecision-theoreticbasedmodels.Whileallthepapersfollowthedesignscienceparadigmofresearch,thedecisionframeworkpaperspresentempiricalcases,andthedecision-theoreticpaperspresentdemonstrationsofanalysisusingthemodels.TheSamoilenkopaper(InformationSystemsFitnessandRiskinISDevelopment:InsightsandImplicationsfromChaosandComplexSystemsTheories)outlinesaframeworkandprinciplesforanalyzingISfitnessandriskbasedonchaosandcomplexitytheory.Samoilenkoapproachismoreinthetraditionofappreciativedecisionmaking,wherethefocusisonwaysofthinkingtohelpthedecisionmakerappreciatetheproblemsituation.AydinandBakker(AnalyzingITMaintenanceOutsourcingDecisionfromaKnowledgeManagementPerspective)alsofollowthistraditionbutfromanempiricallygroundedperspectiveoutliningaframeworkfordecisionanalysisofknowledgemanagementissuesinISoutsourcing.Theyfocusmainlyonstrategiesforinterrogatingtheproblemdomainandstructur-ingthedecisionproblem.AlarantaandHenningsson(AnApproachtoAnalyzingandPlanningPost-MergerISIntegration:InsightsfromTwoFieldStudies)outlineaframeworkandapproachforpost-mergerinformationsys-temsintegrationplanning.Post-mergerISintegrationisacomplexmultidimensionalproblemthatischallengingmanyISmanagers.AlarantaandHenningssondiscussthekeydecisionsoftheplanningprocessandsuggeststrategiesforapproachingthem.Animportantfeatureoftheirapproachisitsgroundinginempiricalcasestudiesoffavorableandunfavorablestrategies.TheScheepersandScheepers(AProcess-focusedDecisionFrameworkforAnalyzingtheBusinessValuePotentialofITInvestments)frameworkfocusesonanalyzingITinvestmentsfromtheperspectiveofbusinessvaluecreation.Theseauthorsdevelopamodelforex