This three-round delphis urvey of senior IS executives is the third ain a series designed to determine the most critical issues in IS management. Analysis focuses on respondents' assessments of specific issues as well as emerging trends. Key findings include: (1) continued concern for traditional issues such as strategic planning and organizational alignment; (2) only six of the top issues from 1986 remained in the top 10; (3) one new issue, technology infrastructure, made the top 10: (4) three issues from previous studies rejoined the top 10-IS human resources, software development, and telecommunication systems; and (5) data-related issues now occupy the top two slots. This research reveals two important trends as the field enters the 1990s. First is the rising importance of technology infrastructure issues. Technology infrastructure issues now occupy three of the top 10 slots including the highest position. Second, it appears that internal effectiveness issues have made a strong comeback after being virtually ignored in 1986. IS human resources, software development, and the applications portfolio-issues that make up the core of the IS function-all increased in importance.

Information systems management issues for the 1990s

While the literature on creativity/innovation in IS is sparse, the literature on measurement of creativity in IS products/services is non-existent. The paper provides a review of the literature on measurement of creativity, then concentrates on a discussion of the measurement of software products. Six software products are evaluated for their degree of creativity using a two-criterion approach: novelty and utility. >

Measurement of creativity of IS products

Interorganizational information systems (IOS) utilising telecommunications technology are commonly used to gain a strategic advantage or to compete with IOS developed by the firm's competitors. The use of telecommunication-based links with customers and suppliers provides such potential benefits as improved internal operations, greater interorganizational efficiency and increased bargaining power. Although this importance of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers is widely recognised, there has been little empirical research on the factors that may affect the use of telecommunication-based IOS. In this paper we investigate the effects of four key factors – environmental uncertainty, product information intensity, value chain information intensity and information system (IS) maturity – on the use of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers, and the impact such links have on organizational performance. Nine hypotheses relating these antecedent variables to the use and impact of interorganizational telecommunication links are proposed. Data were collected through a survey of eighty-four medium-sized companies. In addition, the measures of the impact of telecommunication links on organizational performance and environmental uncertainty were validated using a second respondent and secondary data respectively. Results suggest that environmental uncertainty permits the use of telecommunication links with suppliers. Product information intensity and value chain information intensity were positively associated with the use of telecommunication links with customers and suppliers respectively. IS maturity did not seem to enhance the use of interorganizational telecommunication links, but it did facilitate the impact these links had on organizational performance. Some implications of this study for future research and practice are examined.

An empirical investigation of the antecedents of telecommunication-based interorganizational systems

While the literature on creativity/innovation in IS is sparse, the literature on measurement of creativity in IS products/services is non-existent. This paper provides a review of the literature on measurement of creativity, then concentrates on a discussion of the measurement of software products. Six software products are evaluated for their degree of creativity using a two-criterion approach: novelty and utility.

Product: Measurement of Creativity of IS Products

The authors provide a theoretical perspective on the effect of computer support on creativity. The assertion is made that artifacts of information systems (ISs) do not substantially differ from those of art and science, and that the creative processes leading to the artifacts are similar. The autors further propose that the use of newly available computer technology, specifically, the visual process language (VPL), will have much to offer in terms of augmenting creativity when constructing IS artifacts. They postulate that VPL assists the first insight, preparation, and illumination steps of the creative process, and that both association/images and progressive abstraction techniques are embedded in VPL. >

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Visual process language: an environment that enhances inventiveness in the system development process-A theoretical perspective

Telemarketing is a growth industry that falls within the realm of information management. The telemarketing services provided by AT&T American Transtech grew from non-existence to a position of leadership in the industry in just four years. The organization was able to accomplish this feat with a total systems approach using innovation methods for approaching and satisfying new markets. Hardware innovations, including the use of ISDN, along with a humanized implementation, have been combined in this successful effort. This article describes the telemarketing service effort of American Transtech and the lessons learned that could be applied to other information management organizations.

Stephen J. Michaele

Papers

Establishing telemarketing leadership through information management: creative concepts at at&t american transtech