Category: Information Management

Script kiddies are individuals who are not experts in the field of programming and therefore use programs developed by experts to attack systems and computer networks. Most of the script kiddies are teenagers without the ability to develop complex programs for hacking systems. Most of these juveniles perform these acts with an intention to gain popularity or just to make their friends happy especially in communities where individuals are computer enthusiastic. These individuals are not recognised as real hackers since they use programs that are not developed by them and they are immature in as far as computer crimes are concerned. The young individuals use the programs to crack the system and gain access to website privileges that only belong to the website’s administrators (Harold & Micki 2006). Some of them do it due to boredom and lack work while others are competing with friends to see who can crack the highest number of sites.

Other than website cracking, the individuals also use programs that allow them to access remote computers in an internet and use these remote computers without the knowledge of the owners of the computer. The individuals will then infect the computers with viruses, corrupt the system, erase the information in the hard drives, steal personal information, and so on. The script kiddies can also crash the computers in an entire private network if they access a computer in the network. The programs available also allow the script kiddies to prompt the programs to conduct operations in the background where the users are not aware of the multiple operations that are taking place in the computers. The system will get overloaded and eventually crash. Some kids have used the distributed denial of service attacks and have crashed systems belonging to large corporations (John 2004).

When script kiddies attack computer systems, they cause great damage especially loss of information if the owner did not have some back up. These individuals will be forced to format the whole system which is wastage of time that could have been used in doing other important things. Again, the computers are carrying large amounts of data thereby making it difficult to back every information in the system. Other damages involved in crashing websites may amount to millions just because of the bored individual’s actions. The script kiddies take the distributed denial of service attacks and the cyber vandalism for fun but this is very dangerous for them. The actions are taken as crime and can easily land the juvenile in jail. Several young people have found themselves in jail and have been fined and received sentences in courts for similar actions. It is therefore important for experts to keep those programs that help the kids make damages away from the kids and help save the damages (John 2004).

Hacking in Russia

Hacking is one of the most common crimes in Russia but it is never taken seriously. It is a crime that is organised where experts are composing complex programs with intentions of gaining money at the end of the day. Viruses are written and the individuals threaten to infect systems belonging to large corporations if they are not paid. The companies have no options especially when they count on the damage that the viruses may cost the company. The internet is used by the individuals to access networks belonging to large companies and those that are insecure are attacked. Some of the experts develop programs that allow them to access administrative information of companies and they threaten to deny the companies access to their information if they are not paid (Kayne 2009).

One of the reasons why hacking is not taken seriously in Russia is the fact that experts and criminals use the programs to crack systems belonging to corporations in other countries and not Russia itself. When the country does not incur any losses or expenses in activities going on in the country, the concern is expected to be low. Most of the reported cases have traced individuals from Russia hacking websites for big corporations in large countries like the United States. The government in Russia may be also unaware of the vices that individuals in the country are doing. Computer crime is an activity that is carried on in the internet and therefore becoming aware can only be revealed by corporations whose systems have suffered in the different countries (Kayne 2009). This creates a safe haven for the hackers where they access websites for corporations in any countries and fail to be identified. The issue is also not taken seriously in the society since in comparison to violent crimes that are quite frequent in Russia, it is viewed as a very minor crime. The laws available only apply within the borders and therefore concern about issues outside the country might just be wastage of time. The government may also be reluctant in investigating these cases because after all, individuals from the country are gaining while the country is not going through any losses.

Whereas holding a program that can be used to hack systems or websites in some countries is a crime that many are worried about, the case is very different in Russia. Magazines and software that can be used to crash computer systems and networks are readily available in the streets (Kayne 2009). The availability of such magazines and software educate even those individuals who didn’t have an intention to hack the computer systems and networks. Desperate individuals who are educated but unemployed will find an opportunity to try gaining money using the programs. An individual need not be an expert in order to use the software because the magazines provide all the information needed for the exercise. The script kiddies also access the software and now that the businessmen selling the magazines and software are interested in profit, they will sell them to the kids not minding the damage that the kids might cause even to internets in the country. If the country took the issue seriously, the sale of such magazines and software in the market could have been fought against and many individuals arrested for the sale of the illegal software. If the laws against the sale of such magazines and software were well implemented, the individuals selling them would be selling them in hidden places and not in the streets. This is a clear indication that hacking is not taken seriously in Russia.

It is ironical for a country that has laws against hacking, cracking, and virus development to have licensed schools to offer classes educating individuals on how to develop software to perform the same vices. Russia has a school that educates individuals on how to develop hacking software and how to apply the software (Kayne 2009). This leads to development of more hackers and as a result more criminal activities. It is quite unfair to help individuals to become criminals just because the issue does not affect the corporations in the country. The presence of the hacking school in Russia is an indication that the issue of hacking is not taken seriously. If the government was serious on the issue, such schools could have been abolished so as to minimize the number of hackers in the country.

Problems in Prosecuting Hackers

Hacking a corporation’s website or an individual’s system is illegal and the hackers caught performing such acts are arrested and taken to court. Performing actions that allow an individual to get money is stealing in addition to the hacking vice. In prosecuting hackers, the laws that are available in the home country of the hacker are used. The laws in different countries differ and this makes it quite difficult in prosecuting hackers. Some countries even don’t have rules that are against hacking (Kayne 2009). The hackers have adopted a system where they use such countries in launching the viruses and then the viruses are used to infect computers in a different country from this country where there are no rules. This makes it very difficult to track the origin of the virus. The individuals are aware that trying to track the origin will definitely lead to the country where the virus was launched. The fact that the country has no rules against cyber crime makes it very safe for the individuals are aware that the moment that the origin will be traced in a country where there are no rules, the investigators will be frustrated and will give up. The process is also expensive and such frustrations might make the investigators fail to risk investigating again for the losses previously incurred. This makes prosecution quite hard since the rules in a country are used in prosecuting individuals from the particular country.

Prosecution is also difficult because the local investigations in countries like Russia are not taken seriously. The investigators argue that there are more important issues that require priority than investigating cyber crime. As a matter of fact, the local authorities are very important in investigations since tracing the specific individuals carrying on the actions would be easier for them than for them than the investigators from other countries who are even not aware of the processes in the country. The negligence by some countries makes it hard to identify the criminals and eventually hard prosecuting them. The little concern also make difficult because such countries may not even not have time to amend the laws regarding cyber crime if they lack time to do investigations. This provides the hackers with the best environment to perform their acts since they are aware that the authorities are not concerned with their business. With the internet, the activities of the hackers are even enhanced since the internet allows them to access any websites belonging to any country as long as the company is connected to the internet and the world wide website.

The internet also makes investigations very difficult because tracking the path from which the threat came is a long process and may be interpreted in different ways. To trace the origin of a virus, the means through which it was propagated must be investigated. The traffic that the data followed should be investigated where the different internet service providers are touched. The process of tracing the origins especially if they are traced in a different country becomes quite hard. As a result, prosecuting hackers becomes very hard. The international laws also find it difficult in dealing with the issue since the definition of cyber-crime is different in different countries. The internet is also viewed as a borderless medium and therefore the application of national borders to the internet becomes quite hard. Another difficult issue is on the specific way that the hackers should be punished. All these are problems that make it very difficult in prosecuting hackers. Before prosecution, thorough investigations need to be done so that the company is sure before proceeding to the court. The process of investigation and prosecution is very hard especially considering the above named process where virus developers use different countries in launching it and distribute it to the target countries, some countries giving the investigations a lower priority, the process of tracing the path that a virus followed, etc.

Measures to Help in Dealing with Cyber-Crime

Cyber crime has been an issue of concern to many individuals and corporations but the way it has been dealt with in different countries has made it very difficult in stopping it. The best way out to help in reducing it is by harmonising the laws in all the countries (Kayne 2009). The different countries will revisit their rules regarding computer forensics and come up with some standard rules that will help in the investigation of suspected individuals. The laws regarding the standard punishments that can be applied on hackers will also be developed. The countries without rules regarding the same will also develop some standard rules to help in reducing the vice. The laws will also give some standard punishments that can be applied on the individuals found guilty of committing such crimes. This will help in that the individuals who use those countries that have no laws regarding cyber crime will have no such options.

A special global cyber crime task force may also be established to deal with the crime. The individuals in the task force will be from different countries and the laws applied by the task force will be applied to everybody in the world. This might make investigations easier because the different individuals in the different countries will help in tracing the paths the virus followed which has been very difficult. The involvement of all the countries will also help in the standardisation of rules regarding cyber crime in the different countries. However, the best solution is for the computers users to ensure that their systems and networks are well protected (Kayne 2009). This can be done in the development process where strong programs will be used and individuals from the entire corporations will be using passwords to access the information in the corporation’s website. Other means of protection such as the use of fingerprints, iris scanning, pupil scanning, etc. This allows only the individuals who have been accepted in the website to access the information in it. This way attacking the computers will be a bit hard and very complex software will be required in crashing the systems.

Reference List

Harold, F. T. & Micki, K., 2006. Information Security Management Handbook. NW: Taylor & Francis Group.

John, B., 2004. Computer Weekly. Russia: A Happy Haven for Hackers. UK: Reed Business Information.

Kayne, R., 2009. What are Script Kiddies?

Narrowing Down the Technology and the Sector

The purpose of this report is to outline the potential impact of the technology of photo-sharing on the sector of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO). In the context of the present report, the technology is represented through Flickr, an online resource for photo-sharing and photo management. The focus of the report is on using photo-sharing in voluntary journalism and users participation in what constitutes the basic purpose of NGOs, which is relieving suffering, promoting the interests of the poor, protecting the environment, providing basic social services, or undertaking community development.

Photo-sharing, as the title implies, is the process of transferring digital photos by users online, and sharing them with the public or with selected users. Flickr as a representative of such technology is distinguished by two aspects, the focus on images only, rather than images adjacent to text as in other photo-sharing websites, and the method of sharing to the general public, through designating images as public (House, 2007). The metaphor for photo-sharing can be seen below.

My sector is non-governmental organizations and I have narrowed it down to Freedom House, a non –governmental organization based in Washington, D.C and it focuses on monitoring freedom and democracies all around the world (Freedom House, 2010a).

1301 Connecticut Avenue Building (AgnosticPreachersKid, 2010)

Freedom House is an organization founded in 1941 in the United States with the aim of monitoring and supporting freedom around the world. The first honorary co-chairpersons of the organization were Eleanor Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie. The main office of the organization is located in the United States, Washington D.C. with other offices in Hungary, Kenya, Indonesia, and other countries. As indicated in their mission statement, the organization accomplishes its objectives of supporting freedom around the world through analysis, advocacy and action. For the advocacy part, the organization operates through “public events, press releases, opinion articles, Congressional testimony and one-on-one meetings with policymakers” (Freedom House, 2010a).

The report will attempt to provide an analysis of the way the technology in photo-sharing can be beneficial for Freedom House in particular and the sector of NGOs in general, using the Intelligent Exploiter Framework (Holtham and Courtney, 2010).

Envisioning One Approach to the Scenario

The main business value that might arise from photo-sharing is multispeed transformation and change and costs reduction. The main focus in the activities of non-governmental organizations is tied to research and advocacy. In that regard, the analysis provided through text constitutes the largest aspect of their work, with photos taking the role of support. In that regard, the organization promotes itself as the leading source of information on the state of freedom worldwide and thus, response time to world events can be seen as vital in that matter. On the other hand, photo-sharing proved to be largely responsive in terms of posting photos representing certain global events. Taking the example of global disasters and recovery efforts, the Flickr community was found to be largely responsive, showing significant participation in such events. The utilization of the system will enable NGOs to eliminate the need for servers to store images, with all their photos being stored on Flickr servers. In five years, such technologies will eliminate the need for internal storage and databases, with all the works textual or visual being stored and processed in the “cloud” (Armbrust et al., 2010).

According to the aforementioned, it can be stated that photo-sharing as a technology can be considered as a commodity, rather than a strategic competitive advantage. The advantage provided by photo-sharing is neither new, nor it is vital for the context of NGOs’ missions and goals. Thus, borrowing the verdicts used by Nicholas Carr (2003) in “IT Doesn’t Matter”, it can be stated that photo-sharing will follow exactly the guidelines of IT for the future: cheap, homogenized, do not provide vulnerabilities essential for the business model (Carr, 2003).

Business Analysis

The influence of photo-sharing on the sector of NGOs can be understood through the knowledge and information dimension of the Intelligent Exploiter. According to such dimensions, the benefits of the technology can be seen through the main tasks of enterprises in such aspect, which is speeding up the creation of knowledge and accelerating its sharing across communities (Holtham and Courtney, 2010). With the latter being directly related to the activities of NGOs, namely Freedom House, in this case, the benefits that the NGO can utilize include the following:

• Eliminating the need to store the photos used in publications, reports and news on servers owned by the company. The collaboration between the researchers and photographers will be easier to conduct, considering any geographical disparities. Data might be collected on-site, while the text is written in another country, while the image obtained from Flickr. Such collaboration emphasizes that the images are used as a social narrative, a memory and an identity.
• Having more sources of photos of the same event for free emphasizes the neutrality of the organization. The organization might use the photos of a hired correspondent for the organization as well as photos from an ordinary citizen who was a witness of an event of a particular significance.
• Faster response time to publish a news report. People are encouraged to participate in sharing, and “Images tend to be posted quickly, of topics of immediate interest, significant and mundane (House, 2007).

Such benefits show that the knowledge emphasized in the organization is of organic nature, which makes the creation of the narratives of other people a useful means to communicate the objectives and the accomplishments of the organization. At the present time, it can be seen that such organization as Freedom House uses the results of the works of Flickr users in their news and reports, which provide all the aspects of the social uses of the technology. The narrative tells the story through the eyes of the user who uploaded the picture, the memory is stored on the website and the report in which it was published, and the identity of the user is indicated in the report as a contributor. An example of the latter can be seen through the example of a report on women’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa (Freedom House, 2010b). It can be seen through the report that the pictures of the report are provided by different contributors, all being users on Flickr (see Pic. 2).

In addition to providing their narration, their memories are stored and credit is given to their work. Accordingly, the use of such technology provided a befit lying within the goals and the mission of the organization.

References

Agnosticpreacherskid. 2010. 1301 Connecticut Avenue Building (Photo). Wikimedia Commons. Web.

Armbrust, M., Fox, A., Griffith, R., Joseph, A. D., Katz, R., Konwinski, A., Lee, G., Patterson, D., Rabkin, A., Stoica, I. & Zaharia, M. 2010. A View of Cloud Computing. Communications of the ACM, 53.

Carr, N. G. 2003. IT Doesn’t Matter. Harvard Business Review. Web.

Flickr. 2010. About Flickr. Web.

Graham, J. 2006. Flickr of idea on a gaming project led to photo website. Web.

Holtham, C. & Courtney, N. 2010. Intelligent Exploiter 2010, Cass Business School.

Freedom House. 2010a. Freedom House: About US. Web.

Freedom House. 2010b. Women’s Rights in the Middle East and North Africa. Web.

House, N. A. V. Flickr and Public Image-Sharing: Distant Closeness and Photo Exhibition.CHI ’07: CHI ’07 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems (2007). Web.

LIU, S. B., Palen, L., Sutton, J., Hughes, A. L. & Vieweg, S. 2008. In Search of the Bigger Picture: The Emergent Role of On-Line Photo Sharing in Times of Disaster. In: Fiedrich, F. & Walle, B. v. D. (eds.) The 5th International ISCRAM Conference. Washington, DC, USA.

Miller, A. D. & Edwards, W. K. 2007. Give and Take: A Study of Consumer Photo. CHI ’07: CHI ’07 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems. Web.

World Bank, L. 2007. NGO Research Guide. Web.

Introduction

Receiving, giving, and sharing information is crucial to the success of any organisation.It is this important process that provides guidelines on what should be done, the standards set, and the expectations of the stakeholders. Any organisation is doomed without these three aspects. This research will analyse the different ways in which receiving, giving, and sharing information in an organisation can be made more efficient and reliable.

Improving this process will ensure that there is no form of miscommunication. The paper will also discuss the pros and cons of using mobile phones and intranet as ways of enhancing communication in a firm. The main reason that led to choosing this topic is the crucial role played by communication in the workplace. It is arguable that communication can make or break an organisation.

Mobile Phones

Krizan, Merrier, and Logan (2010) observe that one of the most common and easiest ways of enhancing the sending and receiving of information in the workplace is through the use of mobile phones. Most organisations give company mobile phones to their employees.

Therefore, the employees do not have to worry about airtime because the company caters the bill. The use of mobile phones for communication is a good strategy for big firms and organisations that have several branches. Mobile phones make communication easier because all one has to do to pick up the phone and make a call, without the need to travel to deliver the message. Another advantage of the use of mobile phones is that the message goes to the intended person only.

Rasmussen, Mylonas, and Beck (2012) argue that some of the communication breakdowns experienced in organisations are as a result of sending the message to the wrong people. For instance, a message that is meant for the CEO is given to the executive manager of the department. As a result, no response is received from the CEO because he does not get the message in the first place.

Another advantage of using mobile phones is that they can be used to talk to people in other branches. For example, if the organisation has an office in New York while its headquarters are in London, then persons in the two offices can still communicate efficiently using mobile phones. Rasmussen et al. (2012) assert that cell phones can be used at home.

It is easier for someone to pick up a cell phone and make a call than to access their email on the computer. Mobile phones also ensure that the information that is passed is interpreted as expected. If the receiver of the message does not understand the instructions given, then they can quickly ask for clarification than asking for clarification via email.

Mobile phones have several challenges when using them as communication tools in an organisation. For instance, acquiring mobile phones can be costly. Making international calls can also be very expensive for multinationals. On top of this, employees can change mobile phones for their personal use. Mobile phones can also switch off because they run on batteries; therefore, they need to be frequently charged. If a person forgets to charge the phone, then reaching them becomes difficult, and miscommunication is experienced.

Another disadvantage of mobile phones is that they cause distraction. Krizan et al. (2010) observe that people are distracted by their mobile phones, given that mobile phones are multi-purpose. The user of the cell phone can download games and other programmes that can easily distract them. Such distractions can lead to miscommunication. For example, the sender of the message may be interrupted and send the right message to the wrong person, thereby causing a breakdown in communication. Mobile phones can also make employees lazy.

The workers can communicate through the phones all the time, instead of delivering messages physically sometimes. Without cell phones, employees would have walked to the right person’s office to take a message. Moreover, the majority would take this time to interact with other employees. With mobile phones, the staff would be tempted to remain in their workstations and just use their phones to pass messages. In turn, they would become lazy and anti-social towards their bosses and fellow employees.

Intranet

The second way that organisations can use to access, share, and use information is the intranet. According to Krizan et al. (2010), the intranet is a computer network best used for sharing information within an organisation. Indeed, many multinational corporations have adopted the intranet to make communication easier and more efficient amongst different branches and within the branches. The intranet is good for both the small-sized and the big corporations. It is also secure, that is why most companies use it.

One of the biggest advantages of intranet is that it can support a lot of websites. Thus, if the company is multinational, then it can support all the web pages and accounts of the employees in all branches (Smith, 2011). In the same breath, organisations with fewer employees can enjoy the security brought about by the system. One has to be in the office to access the intranet. Documents and company papers are always safe because the intranet cannot be accessed on any other computer outside the organisation. It suffices to mention that intranets are also multipurpose.

For example, the employees can send and receive emails, share documents, download documents from other people’s links, and post links that can be viewed by all the other workers. The benefit of having all these programmes in one package is that it makes communication easier.

For example, imagine the CEO of the company sent an open document to everyone in the company outlining the duties of every employee. If someone wanted to ask something from a colleague, then they would know the right person to send the query to because there would be an open document explaining individuals’ responsibilities. In the same vein, new employees can use the intranet to learn more about the company.

There are several disadvantages that are associated with the intranet. As mentioned, the intranet offers security because it cannot be used outside the company. Therefore, one has to go back to the office if they need to access it (Smith, 2011). This creates a significant dilemma, as people cannot carry work home if the work is on the intranet. Additionally, uploading and downloading files to complete assignments can only happen with access to the intranet.

Another disadvantage of the intranet is that it relies heavily on power. The intranet is inaccessible if there is no power in the office. Just like the Internet, the service providers of the intranet use power. Big companies can rely on generators whenever there is no power. However, this may not be an option for smaller companies.

Many people do not know how to use the intranet because there are many institutions and business organisations that have not adopted the intranet. Thus, installing an intranet will also mean training the staff on how to use it (Goodman, 2006). Consequently, the company will have to spend resources on installing the intranet, as well as training the staff on how to use the intranet. In addition, the intranet will need frequent upgrading and maintenance to ensure that it is working as expected. The upgrades and maintenance consume a significant chunk of the company’s resources.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are numerous things that can lead to inefficiencies in accessing and sharing information in an organisation. For example, communication breakdowns because of sending the message to the wrong recipient are very typical. Similarly, the stalling of messages due to hierarchy leads to huge losses in companies. One way of solving such communication breakdowns is through providing mobile phones to the staff. Mobile phones are portable, can be used even when one is not in the office, and they enhance direct communication. In addition, mobile phones are easy to manage.

On the flip side, mobile phones can lead to distraction. The employees can get lazy and antisocial due to frequent use of cell phones as opposed to delivering the message physically. The second way of curbing the problem of miscommunication is installing an intranet. The intranet can only be accessed within the organisation; thus, the possibility of information getting leaked is reduced. More importantly, security is enhanced. However, the intranet can be costly to install. It also limits the number of locations a person can work from.

References

Goodman, J. (2006). Intranet strategy. Peoria, IL: The Ark Group

Krizan, A. C., Merrier, P., & Logan, J. P. (2010). Business communication. Mason, OH: Cengage

Rasmussen, R., Mylonas, A., & Beck, H. (2012). Investigating business communication and technologies. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press

Smith, T. (2011). Drupal intranets with open atrium. Birmingham, UK: Packt Publishing

Introduction

Give a brief introduction to the project and this document.

Project Overview

Provide a brief description to the project here.

Project Objectives

Objectives of the projects can be outlined here.

Project Scope

Clearly define the scope of the project. In particular, identify the areas that are closely related, but not covered in this project.

Stakeholders

Provide descriptions of stakeholders involved and their role in the project.

Project Team

Include details of people who will be involved in this project from Pinnacle Software, including the regional and overseas development teams and their key skills and roles.

Overview of System Requirements

System requirements needs to be provided under two categories: functional and non-functional requirements

Functional Requirements

All the functional requirements should be clearly identified and specified here.

Business functions and list of use cases (system functions)

You should first list the business functions and use cases here. Also they should be ranked (mandatory, preferred, optional) to show the importance of each one of them.

Non-functional Requirements

All the non-functional requirements of the system that the project team should take into consideration should be provided under this section.

Security and Privacy Considerations

Discuss major security and privacy considerations and implications

Legal Considerations

Discuss key legal aspects that should be addressed

IT Compliance

The compliance requirements that should be met by the proposed system should be highlighted here.

Environmental Sustainability Requirements

Environmental and sustainability requirements during development and operational phases that needs to be addressed are to be included here.

Other Special Requirements

Other special requirements, if any, needs to be highlighted here.

How identified non-functional requirements will be addressed

For each of the non-functional requirements identified above, you need to outline how you propose to address them, giving your rationale.

Constraints and Assumptions

The client brief may not provide complete information on the project. On such situations, make suitable assumptions and clearly specify the assumptions you have made in providing the details and preparation of your proposal.

Also identify constraints, if any. The constraints may be internal (e.g. not having an in house expert in data mining) or external (e.g. limitation in bandwidth at the client site), technical or non-technical.

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Provide a detailed estimated cost of development taking all tangible and non-tangible costs into consideration. You are advised to research and find cost details of personnel and equipment as per to the current Australian market.

Development release schedule and Project Plan

Detailed plan should be provided for the project. You are to provide any project management related diagrams, graphs, etc., as appendices to this section.

Plan for implementation of Recommended Quality Assurance Procedures

As the Horticultural Association of Australia (HAA) plans to implement the new Web-based system aimed at upgrading the accounting system, conversion of paper-based publications into electronic, and overall transition to online sharing and exchanging of information, quality assurance procedures should be adopted to control the whole process of bringing these ambitious plans to life.

High level of quality should be the hallmark of the HAA’s activities starting from the way employees and different structures within the organisation carry out their work and functions to the end products or services it specializes in. In order to provide the best quality on every level of operating companies launch specialized quality systems comprising of quality control procedures and quality assurance procedures (Manghani 2011, p. 34).

In the course of conducting the proposed research, we are interested in quality assurance procedures. Generally speaking, these are the procedures aimed at guaranteeing that the company’s structures carry out their functions appropriately on every level and that all the needed data are generated and documented according to the company’s standards and requirements. Carrying out quality assurance procedures is imposed on the quality assurance departments that comprise of well-trained and qualified personnel, operate apart from the company’s operational units, and perform activities focusing on quality review on the regular basis.

That said, the initial recommendation for the company is to create the quality assurance department and get its work on the right track. Bearing in mind that the first steps in implementing the new Web-based are due by June 2016, it is strongly recommended that the department is created before taking any of them so that it controls the whole process. The company might want to select the personnel for the department among those people who are already employed and gained a reputation of dedicated and highly professional. The only point is that there is a need to hire a quality assurance manager who will develop and maintain the needed quality assurance procedures and control the work of the newly formed department.

Quality assurance manager will, first of all, select people for his department. Together with them, he will focus on adopting such quality assurance procedures as:

• Those involved in the implementation process have written job responsibilities that define the area of duties and specifications of skills needed for the most effective, high quality, and timely implementation of the new Web-based system.
• Guaranteeing that those involved in the implementation of the new Web-based system are highly professional and obtain the skills for reaching the company’s implementation objectives by the set dates. The department will carry out this step by inspecting the work of the operational units involved in the process, e.g. by defining transitional dates for achieving the implementation objectives and checking whether the interim tasks are fulfilled. For this purpose, it is recommended that at the end of every month, say, every 30^th day of each month before the terminal date, quality assurance department will carry out an internal audit aimed at guaranteeing that the mid-term goals are reached.
• Guaranteeing that all the data and documents while implementing the new Web-based system are generated and documented in compliance with the company’s, regional, national, and international standards and requirements so that in the case of the external audit the company does not face any difficulties with the documentation.
• Putting forward initiatives aimed at constant improvement of the quality of the functioning of the operational units involved in the whole process of implementation, i.e. promoting taking training and practical courses and constant self-development for the purpose of complying with the job responsibilities.
• The continuous search for the newest global practices and the experience of the world leading companies in the similar area of the development. That means that the quality assurance development remains in the constant search for techniques that would help in timely achieving of the implementation objectives.

In order to carry out the quality assurance procedures listed above, we recommend the following plan for their implementation:

1. Hiring the quality assurance manager who will create the quality assurance department selecting the personnel from the already employed people;
2. Developing job responsibilities and required skills sheets and spreading them to everybody involved in the process of implementing the new Web-based system;
3. Setting up transitional dates and mid-term objectives for the implementation of the new Web-based system, e.g. every 30^th day of the month, so that the company is guaranteed that the implementation steps will be carried out by the set dates;
4. Developing company’s standards for generating and documenting data that comply with the regional, national, and international ones;
5. Developing strategies for the further self-development and skills improvement of the employees involved in the implementation of the new Web-based system on grounds of the newest global practices and the experience of the world leading companies in the same area.

Bearing in mind that the first steps in implementing the Web-based are planned to be taken by the end of June 2016, there is no time for carrying out the whole plan for quality assurance procedures. That is why the company should, first of all, hire the quality assurance manager, create the quality assurance department, and define interim dates and mid-term objectives, and then launch the rest parallel to the steps for the embodiment of the new Web-based system.

Your recommendation

Having studied the HAA’s profile, the development team has made its opinion regarding the company and the potential barriers and risks that may emerge during the process of implementing the new Web-based system. The organisation has particular problems that, at the same time, may become major risks that may have an impact on the effectiveness and timely implementation of the new Web-based system for sharing and exchanging information. These primary problems are the size of the company, the geographical dispersion of the employees and members of the company as well as the voluntary nature of contributing resources and difficulties in reaching those resources that are available.

Nevertheless, these problems are not the primary source of the potential barriers to the embodiment of the new system; instead, they are secondary. The foremost problem is the deterioration of the whole database, as all the documents are kept in paper form. Together with that, all the software that is available is also undergoing obsolescence and does not move with the times, so there is a high probability that it will not be technically supported in the nearest future, as the pace of development of the newest technologies is explosive.

That said, taking into consideration the company’s size and the nature of contributions of the resources, Pinnacle Software Solutions’ senior management should realize that the company very often faces the deficit in financing its primary needs. However, because of the obsolescence of the software and databases the company was forced to find the money for the project. Hence, the primary recommendations to Pinnacle Software Solutions’ senior management and the development team are as following:

• Those employees who will be involved in the embodiment of the new Web-based system should not forget about the organisation’s financial difficulties. That means that the development team should provide the company with the mid-term plans of implementation and respective financial requirements so that it has time to find the source for providing the necessary financing;
• Pinnacle Software Solutions’ senior management should not forget about the development risks that may emerge from the HAA’s difficulties with the deteriorating software. Bearing in mind that most systems used by the organisation are incompatible with each other, the development team should consider designing the universal Web-based system that would be technically compatible with the available software before the company finds the resources that are needed for overall software upgrading.
• There are other development risks that the team might want to focus on while implementing the new Web-based system. The primary problem that should be addressed is the software obsolescence that is why it should be born in mind while scheduling and planning the whole process of the embodiment. That said, it is strongly recommended to have one or two months in reserve so that the process of implementation is complete due to the set dates. Second, the development team should remember that there might be a sudden change in the requirements caused by the possible software upgrade if the company finds the investor or creditor ready to provide the necessary financial resources. Third, what should be born in mind is the possibility that some of the employees working on the project might fire, that is why it is recommended to involve some additional developers with fewer functions so that this risk is eliminated;
• The development team should remember that the employees and members of HAA work with the deteriorating software and machines so that it is of significant importance to design the system that is simple and intuitive in its interface and functioning so that it fully corresponds to the skills. What is more, it will lead to the need for upgrade and further development of the system once the employees improve their skills;
• It is recommended to implement quality assurance procedures aimed at providing high-quality services in time and guaranteeing that the new system for sharing and exchanging information is developed and launched before the dates determined in the initial schedule of embodiment;
• Returning to setting up a schedule for developing and implementing the system, it is recommended to design a realistic schedule bearing in mind all the risks and problems that may emerge in the course of carrying out the project. This step together with well-developed and organised quality assurance procedures are an effective tool for guaranteeing the high level of productivity of those involved in the project and completing it at the dates set;
• Senior management should not forget about the probability of the risks that cannot be predicted such as natural or man-made disasters, changes in the governmental policies and regulations, economic crises and turbulence, and possible breakthroughs in the information and communications technologies as the whole and programming and software in particular. According to this recommendation, it is better to design short-term plan for developing and implementing the system and not delay its completion if it is possible. It is even more beneficial for the company because the earlier the development team finishes the project for HAA, the earlier it can star working on the new ones.

So, bearing in mind everything that was mentioned above including about the problems of the organisation and the risks that may potentially emerge during the process of implementation of the new Web-based system, the senior management of Pinnacle Software Solutions should consider all the options before taking up the projects. On the one hand, it may be challenging because the organisation is experiencing financial hardships that is why there is a probability of arrears in payments.

On the other hand, though, in the case if HAA finds the source of necessary financing it might become a kind of gold mine. Initially, it will need the system that will be compatible with the available software but, in future, if it finds money for upgrading it, there might be a need for developing a whole new system. That said, there is the possibility of finding a long-term client that would need the Pinnacle Software Solutions’ services with every new wave of software upgrades.

What is more, bearing in mind that the new Web-based system will be unfamiliar to the organisation’s workers and members, there is a high probability that there will be a need for consulting services provided by the developer of the system. It means that even though the project is troublesome in the near future, it is profitable in the long run that is why the recommendation to Pinnacle Software Solutions’ senior management is to take it up and develop the new Web-based Information Management System for the Horticultural Association of Australia.

Conclusion

This document provides the proposal for the implementation of the new Web-based Information Management System for the Horticultural Association of Australia. It highlights the objectives and the scope of the project of the system embodiment. Together with that, it defines stakeholders and the team of developers who would be involved in it. Moreover, this document focuses on detecting all the requirements for the implementation including functional and non-functional requirements and the ways to address them.

The document also addresses constraints, barriers, and risks that may arise in the process of implementation of the new Web-based system and offers the cost-benefit analysis for the organisation. What is more, it provides the development release schedule, the project plan, the list of recommended quality assurance procedures and the plan for implementing them as well as the recommendation to Pinnacle Software Solutions’ senior management.

It was determined that the organisation’s primary problems that might lead to barriers in implementing the system are its size and, respectively, financial hardships, as it cannot afford to cover all the needs it has. Moreover, the problem lies in the software and database obsolescence because the systems that HAA uses are incompatible with each other, and there is a risk of growth of this incompatibility as the technologies develop rapidly.

With all the organisation’s problems and risks in mind, it was recommended to Pinnacle Software Solutions’ to take up the project of developing and implementing the new Web-based Information Management System for the Horticultural Association of Australia. The reason is that it might be profitable in the long run when HAA finds resources to cover the expenditures for the necessary software upgrades. What is more, it will need consulting and maintenance services with every new step of upgrades.

References

A full bibliography list of all references should be included here. The reference list should adhere to Harvard, APA or IEEE styles.

Manghani, K 2011, ‘Quality assurance: importance of systems and standard operating procedures’, Perspectives in Clinical Research, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 34-37.

Appendices

Any tables, graphs or images which are oversized to be placed within the document can be included under the appendices. Please take care to make correct references to them at the relevant place(s) in the text of the document.

Professional Development

Autumn 2013. Group Assignment Report Contribution Declaration.

Contributions of each team member into this report should be given here. Please make a table for each group member in the format provided below.

(the following filled in data is provided as an example only)

This meeting predominantly focused on Information System Management in Bloomington and Monroe County in Indiana. One of the issues that arose includes that increasingly, ISM it is increasingly playing a pivotal role in service provision, be it by government. According to Rick Dietz, the role of Information Communication and Technologies (ICTs) and the coming of the internet in the meeting is largely viewed by many governments across the world as a relief not only in the management of service provision but a strategic plan and a way to control, and manage cost (Dietz 1).

The meeting discussion was tailored around the current Information Management System in its application in the management of resources, with specific biases to the use of e-Libraries in Bloomington and Monroe Counties, the extent of internet satuturation and its place in the modern society, its advantages and disadvantages in the work place, the adoption of the information system technology in Indiana State government in the management of services that are viewed to improve service delivery in concomitance to the information age. Also, analysis of the E-marketing as a component of Information Management System was discussed.

General Need of Government and ICT: Local Governments, Councils, and adoption of E-Governance in Bloomington and Kauli Foundation

Some of the issues eminent in the meeting include the role of the Bloomington and Monroe council as enormous, with the most important being service provision, regulation, planning and advocacy for the community it is mandated to serve. Indeed this was pegged on the debates that in recent times debates concerning these roles have taken a different turn with the councils being steered to be more enabling than providing direct services. Foster notes that this has meant change of plan in the delivery of these services and adoption of e-governance in the provision of services. One of the ways in this has been adapting to provision of services through digital intermediaries between manufacturers and consumers to link with other counties, other states and the world. He stresses that these intermediaries take the cycle of the manufacturer, distributor, retailer and the final consumer, and thus provide a framework of accountability and appraising. It was also noted that, adoption the digital framework provides a ground on bringing accountability and aiding information flow (Foster 24). In this one of the commonest ways discussed was the way the state and county government uses the council website as a digital connection in delivery of services to the citizenry.

Just as Foster notes, the meeting discussed the roles outlined in the website include: facilitation, where the focus is on information search by the citizens and how this information is exchanged; matching which focuses on how information is linked to facilities, data about a particular product to the members of the community, and the information available as far as marketing is concerned; trust, which involves security information, as well verification of goods and provision of assurance of such to the citizenry; aggregation, which involves information how to shop many things at once in one place. (Foster 34). Broadly speaking, as ensued in the discussion, the role of council here is that of facilitation about these services and intermediaries (Foster 71) and provides a ground on bringing accountability and aiding information flow.

The Expert System

The other area which was also mirrored is the Expert System as an imperative area which must be examined in relation to Information System Management. It is software that can be described as ‘multi-task’. This is because it does a number of tasks systematically or in one time period and thus rationalizes what would otherwise not be accomplished by one individual. The software is normally designed in a manner that it has the prerequisites of a human being and information processing patterns and thus can juggle through numerous problems at the same time. Further the fact that it has Knowledge engineering in this scenario would mean that inclusion and integration into software of knowledge possessed by a number experts and professionals in a particular area.

In the meeting a number of issues were exposed including. One the members drew comparison to its effectiveness citing For instance if one is looking for investment opportunities in say one of stadiums in Indiana as a state, then he/she is able to use this software which will give the historical and the expert analysis opportunities at a glance with the data being set and made available by the software. Alternatively, a consultant on the other end within the software may give such information (Brophy and Wine 90-91). For the County Government therefore putting such information in that system will better help in time reduction and therefore resources (Dietz 1).

Electronic Libraries and the Advantages they portend

This agenda was brought into the meeting as Question. It was noted that Libraries, particularly electronic libraries are today a component that is rapidly changing to take advantage of the recent developments in the ICT technology. This is in regard to the networked information environment. It is has moved from to adopt from ‘computer housekeeping to mediated exploitation of commercial ‘on-line’ services to the today’s position where of digital applications’’ (Brophy and Wynne 90)

The Bloomington and Monroe in particular, Libraries, funding councils, head of Universities and colleges have been propelled to consider adapting to meaningful use of technology. In other states, this development led to the various institutions being ‘forced’ to ‘produce information strategies’’. Overall this has led to a number of initiatives we witness today. The advantages of such initiatives seem to improve the basic function of the library which is enabling users to ‘identify, locate, access, and use data they need’’ and would be helpful to Kauli Foundation Initiative (Dietz 1).

Dietz notes that broadly, electronic library provides specific advantages including the provision of information landscape. This is usually done by a metadata provided by the library or to accessibility has been authenticated-with all these subsumed under resource identification and identification of location. Secondly, it has the tools which users can then use to locate information that is of interest to them with less cumbersomeness, which is subsumed under resource delivery or resource provision (Dietz 1)

Thirdly, the systems have in place instruments which facilitate users in exploiting the content of information specific to their need, and this is subsumed under resource Utilization. Fourth, the system has the provision for the physical infrastructure, sometimes through, a third party enabling further use and exploitation of information resources. This is subsumed under, infrastructure provision. Finally, it makes available, the management tools which seeks to ensure that resources are used effectively, efficiently and gives value for money (Brophy and Wynne 97)

Works Cited

Brophy, Paul and Peter Wine. Management Information Systems and Performance Measurement for the Electronic Library. University of Indiana, 2011. Print.

Dietz, Rick. City of Bloomington to Become Supporter of Kuali Foundation. Bloomington County Press, 2011. Print.

Foster, Adams. Joined-up e-Government: An Exploratory Study of Local Government Process. The information Institute, 2011. Print.

Recent scientific progress and current technologies are frequently used in many fields. Advanced information management plays a crucial role in the development of healthcare services, and it cannot be ignored due to a number of benefits. The improvement of patient outcomes, care delivery, and information exchange may be achieved by different methods, and the implementation of Epic is one of them. If a new health information system is a step toward successful decision-making, it must be taken in accordance with specific governmental regulations and standards.

Epic services are available to people from different parts of the world in community hospitals, retail clinics, and medical/rehab centers (Epic, n.d.). In this paper, the analysis of an Epic health information system, its organizational benefits, risks, and potential stakeholders will be developed to introduce a plan for evaluating its implementation success.

Health Information System Analysis

Advantages and Disadvantages

Nowadays, many modern healthcare facilities focus on promoting effective information management. Using the definition by the World Health Organization, Moucheraud et al. (2017) explained health information systems (HISs) as the collection, storage, and management of data within a particular health sector. The content of this system may vary from disease surveillance and laboratory analysis to routine demographic information. Like any system, HISs are characterized by certain benefits and shortages that are evaluated through the prism of four factors, namely usability, interoperability, scalability, and compatibility.

To be successful, healthcare providers must have enough resources, knowledge, and experience to use the offered system in their setting. In any nursing or medical process, the usability of a system is defined as a possibility of a user to identify the appropriateness of the system, learn its applicability, and recognize its operability (Oliveira & Peres, 2015). Epic is a friendly-user technology with necessary training and explanations being given by the Epic team. Its advantage is the possibility to personalize information in accordance with offered templates. Along with a number of technical advances and benefits, EPIC is characterized by hidden high costs and expensive vendor support as its main disadvantage (Johnson III, 2016). Therefore, it is necessary for potential users to predict possible expenses on the implementation.

Interoperability is another important quality that shows if the chosen system is able to work with other systems within the established limitations and requirements. As soon as it is proved, effective delivery of health care is promoted, and patients, as well as the medical staff, gain the necessary benefits. The advantage of Epic interoperability is the movement of information from one place to another (Arndt, 2018). Still, the disadvantage that includes its unpredictability and incompleteness should be considered by users to understand that new changes may challenge its Interoperability qualities.

Being an important element of a health information system, scalability determines its ability to grow and develop in accordance with the increased demand. A scalable system has an advantage of applicability to changing needs and new conditions. As a scalable system, Epic remains competitive and stable in a constantly growing world of technology by means of improving its needs, choosing effective trends, and offering flexible foundations (Coquerel, 2016). The disadvantage is the necessity to change costs as soon as larger networks and options are required and a threat of losing clients because of new policies and implementation conditions.

Finally, the compatibility of Epic determines the way of its implementation and the decision of a clinic/hospital to choose this platform. Compatibility is a technological characteristic that refers to the degree of use while integrating with other facilities and practices (Salleh, Zakaria, & Abdullah, 2016). Epic’s advantage is its ability to work with different types of hardware and constantly improve its data resources. However, its disadvantage of compatibility is the impossibility of predicting problems within other hospitals and the work of their IT departments with conflicting software environments (Cybernet, 2017). Epic representatives and modern hospitals must strive to choose similar systems, software, and resources to cooperate and exchange information properly and quickly.

Patient Care and Documentation

Nowadays, many hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings aim at choosing electronic sources to gather and store patient information. The electronic health record (EHR) is one of the common documentation tools to enhance patient safety, care quality, and medical workers’ needs (Lavin, Harper, & Barr, 2015). Epic improves caregivers’ ability to diagnose disease and control (reduce and prevent) medical errors. For example, in 94% of cases, patient records are available at the point of care, and 88% of cases are characterized by positive clinical outcomes (“Improved diagnostic & patient outcomes,” 2019).

In addition, about 75% of healthcare providers admit that Epic and similar EHRs create enough conditions to improve the level of care they offered to their patients worldwide (“Improved diagnostic & patient outcomes,” 2019). The use of such systems is a good chance to reduce the number of errors associated with medications and health peculiarities of patients. For example, Epic automatically checks potential problems of new medications in regard to past history and treatment plans at the moment a medical worker enters data (Johnson III, 2016). The identification of risk factors is another benefit of the HIS under analysis.

The main feature of clinical documentation is the improvement of health care and interprofessional communication. There are many documentation templates in the system with the help of which nurses and other workers reduce the time that is required for administration and registration. Unfortunately, Johnson III (2016) discovered that Epic lacks the management of e-documentation, but new steps to integrate standardized forms are taken. Such improvements will allow a fast exchange of information within a healthcare team and prevent losing important facts about patients.

Quality and Delivery of Nursing Care and Patient Outcomes

Epic helps improve the quality of nursing care, enhance its delivery, and achieve positive patient outcomes. The number of satisfied clients is one of the major signs that the quality of care has been improved. Approximately 92% of patients were happy that their nurses and doctors used the HIS and saved their time, and 76% enjoyed the improvements in obtaining their medications (“Improved diagnostic & patient outcomes,” 2019).

Extended academic research systems and the possibility to discover the latest technological advances have a number of positive effects on the delivery of care (Johnson III, 2016). The best interventions are quickly defined and offered to medical workers as a part of a treatment plan. Finally, the possibility to avoid serious consequences and using past experiences stored by Epic contributes to better patient outcomes. The system identifies specific conditions of patients and available preventive measures alone with necessary medications. For example, 14% of asthmatic patients get access to improved spirometry and care plans (“Improved diagnostic & patient outcomes,” 2019). These achievements prove the effectiveness of Epic as a part of the care offered to populations.

Organizational Benefits

Quality Improvement Methods

Measurement is an integral element of a quality improvement (QI) process. Several domains to evaluate the outcomes of quality improvements could be offered to hospitals. Prevention of complications and the accuracy of diagnosis are the measures that depend on data collected from Epic. The power of the HIS is to provide discrete and easily reportable data throughout the healthcare team (Andonian, 2016).

In general, the improvement of healthcare services is possible because patient data is organized in specified criteria and relevant metrics. In its turn, the health care of specific populations, e.g., diabetic people, is improved due to access to specific metrics like last LDL results, blood pressure indicators, or last foot examination (Andonian, 2016). This information contributes to a fast recognition of diagnosis and discussion of complications that may challenge a patient.

HITECH and HIPAA Security Standards

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) aim to control the flow of health information through the adoption of EHRs. It is expected from any system to have credible safeguards to promote effective data transactions and protect patients’ privacy. Epic respects the rights and freedoms of its users and develops specific privacy policies to be defined as a HIPAA and HITECH compliant HIS.

The Epic team underlines that the security of patient information is critical for the company, and the protection of confidentiality and storage integrity are supported by Transport Layer Security (TLS)/Security Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate technology and encryption (“Privacy policies,” 2018). There are also data recovery labs available to clients in case they lose information or are technically challenged. Confidentiality, technological training, security, and certification are the integrated features of Epic in its intention to follow HITECH and HIPAA standards and regulations.

Patient Privacy

Any HIS is created to gather and store personal information and offer access to users when it is necessary. Epic takes care of its clients and introduces a variety of policies and rules to protect patient privacy. For example, security staff is hired to check and control the flow of patient information in the system. Although it is impossible to understand what facts are revealed, the staff has an obligation to detect and report any unusual features. There is an access log (Google Analytics) within the frames of which enough information about recent users and their location (cookies) is given (“Privacy policies,” 2018). All potential users accept or decline cookies policies as soon as they enter the site. It is the main contribution to support protected health information (PHI) and follow confidentiality rules.

Organizational Efficiency and Productivity

The chosen HIS has a number of benefits in terms of its productivity and impact on health care. Epic is the system with an ability to connect information and select standardized data that can be necessary for comparative analysis (as cited in Johnson III, 2016). Standardized documentation facilitates the processes of ordering medications, choosing therapies, and following procedures. The reduction of waste is another proof of the organizational efficiency of the system.

This practice requires the analysis of the environment and control of materials and other unnecessary resources. Preventative interventions and sophisticated coordination are helpful in reducing waste and health care costs. Finally, the implementation of Epic in a setting results in increasing productivity and improving human and capital resources. Healthcare providers have reliable access to patient health information when care must be offered. Less time is spent to diagnose a patient, and more supportive information is given to predict complications. Instead of involving many people, there is a chance to use the same human and capital resources on the improvement of human health but not on gathering information.

Stakeholder Roles

To be sure of choosing a correct HIS, it is necessary to have a team of professionals who are aware of their roles and responsibilities. In case of Epic implementation, a “dream team” should include four essential stakeholders, a team leader, a nurse, a technician, and a financial manager. The work of an interdisciplinary team is a complex process where people with different experiences and knowledge backgrounds cooperate and share their skills. A team leader should perform the role of a supervisor and a researcher in order to combine personal information with evidence-based practices. The expertise of this person is to support cooperation in a team, communicate with people at different levels, and evaluate the achievements of other members to make solid conclusions and contributions.

The role of a nurse is to use patient histories and notes and establish the criteria for the system. His or her expertise of a registered nurse contributes to a better understanding of the factors that differentiate patients and their medical facts. A technician is responsible for the implementation of the system within the setting. The expertise of this person is to explain all the details and train the staff. Finally, a financial manager follows the major expenses and costs of different services offered within the system. His or her expertise is to control the decisions of a leader from a financial point of view to make sure profits prevail over losses.

Success Evaluation Plan

Evaluation of the implementation of a HIS is an important step to be taken. It will allow understanding of what should be improved, what goals have been achieved, and what needs must be underlined. Finally, a properly developed evaluation plan helps identify the benefits of Epic for a setting. There are six main components of a health information system. Regarding the two standards, HIS resources and data management, the analysis of the implementation process must be developed. Data management, including collection, storage, and processing, is controlled by the stakeholders. The expected benefit is the reduction of waste and time for gathering patient information. Patient satisfaction with the speed of care delivery is a critical factor. HIS resources include legislative and regulatory frameworks to ensure the quality of information, care, and privacy.

Conclusion

In general, the implementation of a HIS in a new healthcare setting is a complex process that is characterized by a number of steps, starting from identifying its benefits and ending with evaluating its success. In this paper, attention was paid to Epic as one of the most frequently used HISs globally. Despite the existing shortages and concerns about the necessity to make improvements and continue its technological advances, high levels of usability, scalability, interoperability, and compatibility promote its recognition. Improved quality of care, delivery of care, and positive patient outcomes are the factors that prove Epic’s efficiency and productivity.

References

Andonian, E. (2016). Using Epic to maximize your population health management initiatives. Web.

Arndt, R. Z. (2018). For Epic, interoperability comes from within. Web.

Coquerel, J. L. (2016). Why hospitals choose Epic over other HER systems. Web.

Cybernet. (2017). A few problems medical professionals face with ENR compatibility. Web.

Epic. (n.d.). About us: In a nutshell. Web.

Improved diagnostic & patient outcomes. (2019). Web.

Johnson III, R. J. (2016). A comprehensive review of an electronic health record system soon to assume market ascendancy: EPIC. Journal of Healthcare Communications, 1(4). Web.

Lavin, M., Harper, E., & Barr, N. (2015). Health information technology, patient safety, and professional nursing care documentation in acute care settings. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 20(2). Web.

Moucheraud, C., Schwitters, A., Boudreaux, C., Giles, D., Kilmarx, P. H., Ntolo, N.,… Bossert, T. J. (2017). Sustainability of health information systems: A three-country qualitative study in southern Africa. BMC Health Services Research, 17(1). Web.

Oliveira, N. B. D., & Peres, H. H. C. (2015). Evaluation of the functional performance and technical quality of an electronic documentation system of the nursing process. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 23(2), 242-249. Web.

Privacy policies. (2018). Web.

Salleh, M. I. M., Zakaria, N., & Abdullah, R. (2016). The influence of system quality characteristics on health care providers’ performance: Empirical evidence from Malaysia. Journal of Infection and Public Health, 9(6), 698-707.

Introduction

Information Technology (IT) has gained enormous popularity in organizations and as such, management should develop appropriate strategies to reap its “fruits.” Integration of IT into organization’s operations poses significant security challenges both internally and externally.

IT is very dynamic; developments and changes occur so rapidly, making its management a very complicated task. IT plays a pivotal role in any organization’s development and communication and by the nature of its functions exposes the organization to great risks both from the inside and outside.

Poor management of Information system makes the organization vulnerable. Profane Individuals have managed, “to stage mega scandals based on weaknesses of information system operations” (Swanson, 2004). Strategic information management therefore seeks to develop policies and regulations to ensure successful and efficient business processes management (BPM). BPM is therefore no a fad but a literally meaningful change strategy.

Involving all stakeholders in IT decision making

IT forms an integral part of the organization’s management; consequently, failing to involve the entire management participants in decision-making would inevitably lead to system failure and largely the business entity. Every stakeholder has an important role to play in the successful implementation and management of the information systems in the organization. When all players participate in formulating policies and guidelines, they would see the need to observe rules and guidelines to the letter.

In addition, the emergence of IT has significantly changed the business landscape, hence the players need to develop appropriate strategies to address these challenges and tap the opportunities as well. Most organizations make significant expenditures in IT and therefore the need for good IT management policies cannot be overstated. Ensuing are but a few reasons as to why it is appropriate to involve all players in IT and policy formulations.

As stated earlier, IT investment expenditures are significant and thus the need to give shareholders the value for their money. By involving the general management, it becomes easy to integrate IT strategies into the overall organizational policies and strategies.

Moreover, the management becomes more conscious of the technological environment to ensure that IT investment decisions made remain relevant into the future. Involving the general management would lead to gaining competitive advantage, management effectiveness and efficiency. IT enables competitive advantage through differentiation of the organization products and services from those of the competitors.

Differentiation by IT is realizable through enhanced product quality, shorter product development periods, creation of IT based products and services, and improved customer service delivery. To enhance effectiveness, IT provides decision support at all management levels as well it removing barriers for pursuit of opportunities (Lacity, 2005).

Efficiency by IT would be achieved through decreased internal costs because of automation, shared services, downsizing, communication, and task support. Lastly, BPM would greatly prevent business failure. Management ignorance of IT can lead to devastating effects in the management. Researches have show that, IT system developments fail to yield on target not because they do not meet the required specifications, but because of poor management.

Management of IT risks

The risks of running business incorporated with IT are significant and require proper check mechanisms. Risk management involves the systematic analysis of the information system and its environment to determine the actual risks faced and then formulating appropriate policies to bring the risk levels down to desirable levels. To manage IT risks, the following principles are crucial. First, establish a central management unit to address IT system risks (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 1998).

Members of this management group should possess technical expertise to analyze risk information properly on a continued basis. They should thereby inform and provide expertise and technical support to the general management on security issues. To enhance proper implementation of IT security policies, all persons involved should be equipped with technical IT skills through training. Training of the members would reduce resistance and increase their cooperation instead.

Create Proper Awareness

The users of IT system should be equipped with the appropriate skill. Since technology is dynamic, management must ensure the users get timely updates on the IT field developments. This should be done by application of user-friendly strategies viz. notices, alerts, seminars, and presentations among others. The continued awareness on information systems by the members enhances their confidence and thereby enabling them to avoid making errors and mistakes.

Effective system monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring encourages compliance by the users, holds the management of information system accountable for their responsibilities, and takes corrective measures. System evaluation would involve carrying out test controls and analyzing risk factors and indicators.

In addition, it is imperative to enroll the use of independent system auditors whose reports, findings, and recommendations should be acted upon promptly. Keep record of security incidences and the damages caused this would help in determination of the system weaknesses. The system monitoring and evaluation team should be keen to developments in technology so that the tools and technologies used in the monitoring and evaluations activities are relevant.

Conclusion

The aforementioned facts form a strong conviction that BPM is a meaningful business strategy and not a management fad. PMP’s key functionality information system is effecting communication, both within the organization and without. Effective information system therefore, should relay relevant information to its users.

Customers are important for the survival of business entities. Consequently, companies should endeavor to attract and maintain a client base as large as they can. Technology has significantly changed the way business entities interact with their customers. With the emergence of online shopping (virtual markets), companies should position themselves strategically to benefit fully. This can effectively be done through BPM, which is not a fad but an imperative management change strategy.

References

Lacity, M.C. (2005). Why General Managers Need to Understand Information Technology. Working Paper. Web.

National Institute of Standards and Technology. (1998). Management of Risks in Information Systems: Practices of Successful Organizations. Web.

Swanson, M. (2004). Contingency Planning Guide for Information Technology Systems. NIST. Web.

Abstract

Paul Strassman is one of the most outstanding gurus in the field of organizational politics and governance. This paper provides a brief insight into Strassman’s vision of information technologies management and its implications for politics and governance.

Paul Strassman’s book The Politics of Information Management: Policy Guidelines is used as the primary source of information about Strassman and his vision of information management in organizations. The issues of power, politics, organizational relations, and a balance between organizational power and reason are discussed.

Managing information is a complex process. The role of information technologies in all fields of organizational and human performance constantly increases, and information systems management is gradually becoming the issue of the top public concern.

It should be noted, that managing information systems is not merely a matter of technological decision-making. In the world of globalization, integration, and sophisticated technologies, information systems exemplify a unique source of power, which can readily change the balance of political, social, economic, and cultural forces at a global scale. Unfortunately, not everyone can easily recognize that information systems have profound implications for organizational politics and governance.

Paul Strassman suggests that, to ensure that information technologies matter, Chief Information Officers must have sufficient authority to set and execute information systems management policies. However, this is only one side of the coin, since organizations must be able to maintain a reasonable balance of information power. Organizations must limit CIO’s authority to the degree, which does not damage their corporate reputation and performance.

Paul Strassman is an outstanding professional, expert, and guru in the field of information management. His book The Politics of Information Management: Policy Guidelines provides a brief insight into how information systems management is related to politics, power, authority, and governance in organizations. It should be noted, that the discussion of information systems management is often limited to its technical and technological aspects.

This, according to Strassman (1995), is one of the major organizational mistakes. A former chief executive and strategic planning professional in three multinational corporations, Strassman (1995) is confident that “managing information systems is primarily a matter of politics and only secondarily a matter of technology” (p.xxv).

Strassman (1995) believes that information management is inseparable from politics, as long as management of information defines the patterns of organizations, and availability of information in the free market system predetermines the scope and availability of market power. Thus, organizations and their information resources are synonymous with power; consequentially, organizations and information systems management are also synonymous with politics (Strassman, 1995).

This is, probably, why Strassman (2005) suggests that a CIO must have sufficient authority to create, set, and execute information systems management policies. Otherwise, information technologies and information will never become sufficiently important for organizations (Strassman, 2005).

Strassman’s suggestions regarding the politics of information management are not without controversy. His ideas regarding the CIOs’ role in information management and information politics pose a serious challenge to organizational stability, growth, and governance principles.

That information is inseparable from politics cannot be denied (Finney, 1999). Failure to recognize the political implications of information creation and management limits the scope of information management power in organizations (Finney, 1999; Strassman, 1995).

However, whether or not CIOs can turn information systems into the source of organizational and market power is difficult to predict. On the one hand, political information structures vary across organizations: Finney (1999) lists at least five different information management systems and claims that true IS professionals must be able to determine, in what kind of environment they operate.

For example, federalism implies that the process of sharing information takes place through negotiation (Finney, 1999). In the conditions of feudalism, individual departments control all information processes (Finney, 1999). Needless to say, different organizational systems impose different requirements on IS professionals, organizational members and stakeholders.

On the other hand, not all CIOs have skills, abilities, and knowledge to cope with their information management obligations. In information systems management, the boundary between success and failure is increasingly blurred. The case of the CIO described by Evan Schuman (2005) is very demonstrative: non-technical partners do not care of the negative aspects of technology projects.

Rather, “they want to know that their problems are being heard […] and to hear that responsible adults are taking care of the matter and that all will be fine” (Schuman, 2005). When Strassman (2005) writes that CIOs must have power and authority to set and execute information management policies, he must also add that setting and executing information management policies must not damage corporate reputation.

Obviously, the power and authority of CIOs can be equally beneficial and detrimental to companies’ organizational and market performance. As a result, companies must develop policies that give CIOs the power and authority to manage information systems but limit their obligations to the degree that does not damage corporate performance and reputation.

Conclusion

The process of managing information systems is integrally linked to the questions of power, authority, and politics. Strassman (1995) is correct in that managing information systems is a matter of politics rather than technology. Information has already become an efficient source of organizational and market power; as a result, information systems are synonymous with politics. Unfortunately, Strassman’s suggestion that CIOs must set and execute information management policies is not without controversy.

On the one hand, different organizations run different systems of information management, which impose unique information management requirements on them. On the other hand, not all CIOs have skills and abilities needed to manage information systems and, consequentially, power relations within organizations.

As a result, given the profound political implications of information resources, organizations must give their CIOs power and authority to set and execute information policies and, simultaneously, limit their obligations to the extent that does not damage corporate reputation and performance.

References

Finney, R. (1999). The politics of information and projects. Itm Web. Web.

Schuman, E. (2005). The CIO who admitted too much. CIO Insight. Retrieved from https://www.cioinsight.com/

Strassman, P.A. (1995). The politics of information management: Policy guidelines. New York: Strassman Inc.

Strassman, P.A. (2005). Check: How to verify if you are important. CIO Insight. Retrieved from https://www.cioinsight.com/c/a/Expert-Voices/Check-How-to-Verify-if-You-are-Important

Any organization, whether profit-oriented or charitable, must proactively define its own strategies for current and future needs and make credible decisions on apportioning its resources to pursue the set strategies. The organization must engage in a formal consideration process of its present and future course of action, otherwise known as strategic planning (Blazey, 2008 p. 8).

Indeed, strategic planning is a requirement for organizations to survive in the turbulent economic times. Organizational leaders must always look ahead of what is happening at present, anticipate changes, and develop essential strategies aimed at successfully navigating the organization through periods of upheavals and change (Lawlor, n.d. para. 4).

Using the Baldridge Criteria for Performance Excellence, this paper aims at addressing the gaps existing in the management of information, knowledge and information technology in Community Outreach, an organization charged with the responsibility of helping the needy in society.

According to the conjectures of the Baldwin scale, organization must put in place strategies that will ensure all stakeholders receive quality and reliable information with ease.

The availability of accurate and timely information is critical as it assists the employees, partners, collaborators, sponsors and customers of the organization to make well-informed decisions. In the same vein, the organization must enhance strategies that make it possible for critical knowledge to be collected, assembled and transferred to relevant stakeholders (Kaufman et al, 2003 p. 17).

From the case study, there exist a gap in the way critical information and knowledge are transferred and made available to interested parties. First the organization does not have a central data and information management unit as demonstrated by the fact that the new volunteer treasurer have to mine crucial information from a number of different sources (Lenk & Domelly, 1998 p. 175).

The impacts of this gap may be colossal. Not only does such an arrangement lead to time wastage but it may also fail to guarantee accurate, reliable and timely information.

Also, information and knowledge received from such an arrangement may not be representative of the actual needs and requirements of the organization, not mentioning the fact that confidentiality of such information may also not be guaranteed. Such an arrangement is also open to mistakes and errors. According to Blazey (2008), organizations “…must ensure integrity (completeness) of data and information as well as ensuring they are available, accessible, reliable, accurate, timely, confidential, and secure” (p. 294).

From the case study, it is also clear that fundamental information and knowledge is not transferred from the organization to other stakeholders such as volunteers (Lenk & Domelly, 1998 p. 177). This is underscored by the fact that some volunteers are seen roaming around the organization’s building due to lack of direction on what to do.

According to Kaufman et al (2003), organizations must disseminate all pertinent information from the offices to all stakeholders. Due to this gap, considerable amount of time end up being lost as workers figure out what to do on their own. In practice, such kind of arrangement will not only decrease the workers motivation but it will also decrease productivity and performance.

Indeed, the inadequate and inefficient channels through which crucial information and knowledge are disseminated in the organization can be used to explain the disappointments faced by Terri, the organization’s operations manager. It can also be used to explain the high employee turnover witnessed in the organization. The overall impact is that it may be pragmatically impossible to strategize and plan for the future when such disjointed and often inaccessible information and data are used.

The organization is in need of coming up with plans and strategies that will enable it to collect more capital to finance its future engagements with the needy masses. Before this dream is realized, the organization needs to come up with ways of addressing its information and knowledge deficits.

Using appropriate strategic planning tools such as ‘preparing to plan,’ the most basic pitfalls and challenges need to be identified and strategies developed for their rejuvenation. In our case, information and knowledge disjoint have been cited as the major undoing for the organization.

Based on this technique, recommendations for organization to court sponsors who will fund a project to centralize all information channels in the organization will be in order. Since the technique depends on a needs approach to plan for the future, the idea of inviting the organization to invest in information technology could also be recommended.

This will not only boost the transfer of information and knowledge between employees but it will also ensure that other stakeholders are kept informed. An efficient information technology component for the organization will also facilitate the funding process. To be effective in planning ahead, proper synergies in communication and information sharing must be observed by all stakeholders (Blazey, 2008 p.76).

Reference List

Blazey, M.L. (2008). Insights to performance excellence 2008: An inside look at the 2008 Baldridge Award Criteria. American society for quality. Web.

Kaufman, R., Oakley-Browne, H., Watkins, R., & Leigh, D. (2003). Strategic planning for success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lawlor, J.E. (n.d.). The importance of strategic planning. Web.

Lenk, M.M., & Domelly, B.D. (1998). “Instructional case: Community Outreach.” Issues in Accounting Education, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 173-178.

Introduction

Strategic information systems have been largely utilized in the corporate world ever since time immemorial. However, the emergence of information technology has revolutionalized information systems and has impacted heavily on individuals, organizations, and societies (Galliers and Leidner 1).

Information technology has become a necessary condition for any business to survive in the market and companies are continually seeking information technology-based information systems to help them gain competitive advantage (Galliers and Leidner 1). With progress in time, information technology has reached greater heights in terms of efficiency, reliability and profitability.

Different levels in management hierarchy are utilizing information technology with the main aim of increasing business efficiency as well as ensuring strategic management of organizations (Galliers and Leidner 1).

Since the managerial tasks are increasingly becoming complex, the need for advanced information systems constantly arises which aims at shifting the information systems from structured routinized support to unstructured complex enquiries serving at the highest levels of management (Galliers and Leidner 1)

National Grid Company, an international electricity and gas company based in the UK and the United States is a gas and electricity distributing company that serves millions of people situated in Great Britain and the Northern part of US in a fast, reliable, and efficient manner (National grid par 1).

The company owns the high voltage transmission network that is spread across England and Wales and is also in charge of the system that operates in Great Britain.

In addition, the company owns the high-pressure gas transmission system in Britain hence delivering gas and electricity to millions of consumers across the country (National grid par 4). National Grid in the United States delivers electricity to over three million people spread across the North-Eastern part of the United States.

The company embraces information technology as a means to implement its daily activities. However, the dynamic nature of information technology results in uncertainties in the business environment limiting its predictability. National Grid has to identify the relevant information which is essential for appropriate decision making in the company.

Through information technology, this information can be recorded, synthesized, and disseminated in a fast and efficient way. Since the company’s effective decision making is aided by availability of accurate information, the company heavily invests on information technology as a means to achieve this end.

Advances in technology have further aided the development of corporate databases, which serve to provide the company management with information about the business (Galliers and Leidner 11). National grid’s data structures are a reflection of the company’s interpretation and association of data, which reflect the persisting interrelationships in the company.

Strategic information needs of National Grid

Assuming that UK based and US based National grid companies utilize different strategic information systems, the two companies need to synchronize their systems for national Grid Company to efficiently reap benefits associated with strategic information systems. It has to employ information systems that coordinate both vertical and horizontal interaction in both companies that are situated in different countries.

The operating environment, as well as the nature of products that national grid company offers to consumers i.e., gas and electricity requires timely, efficient and effective information systems to aid in service delivery, customer and internal management, as well as the decision making process.

In order to meet these needs, the company needs evaluate its information management needs to assess whether or not the existing information systems meet the intended purpose of strategic information systems.

To assess the effectiveness of the existing information systems, National grid should ensure that the existing systems facilitate derivation of the information required by various stakeholders and its presentation in a meaningful and systematic fashion to its users in convenient time.

The information generated by these systems should be relevant and should assist the organization in decision-making process that will enable National Grid to achieve its objectives among which are; improvement of customer safety and the company’s operational performance, being able to deliver strong, sustainable regulatory and long term contracts which yields high returns, modernization and advancing the transmission and distribution networks, Expanding the company’s capability and reaching for higher levels of efficiency, building trust and transparency as well as positively shaping the energy and climate change agenda in both the UK and the United States (National grid par 6).

The cost of sustaining the information systems should be justifiable and should not negatively impact on the profitability and financial performance of the company. National Grid needs to weigh the benefits associated with information system development and compare them with the costs associated with the same in order to establish whether the development is justifiable.

In addition, the company should also consider the alternative opportunity cost associated with development of information systems. The information generated by the company’s information systems should serve the needs of its end users and should also be distributed to the appropriate audience (Pashke, Pashke &Twargowski par 9).

The management systems should see to it that the frequency of data preparation and generation should be appropriate and the level of data preciseness should conform to usage requirements (Pashke, Pashke &Twargowski par 10).

National Grid should ensure that its reporting format is appropriate for the intended user and should reliably serve its intended purpose. In addition, the range of data confidence among the management should be sufficient to justify adoption or utilization of a particular information system (Pashke, Pashke &Twargowski par 13).

Through the existing information management systems, National Grid avoids generation of unnecessary information and management reports. Further, the company should minimize its data duplication by centralizing data report preparation. However, a significant amount of information duplication is necessary for a certain level of management efficiency, especially if the company integrates its two branches.

Overly detailed data and information systems overwhelm the decision makers, therefore the company should simplify the management systems and data to enhance the user’s ability to digest and utilize the information (Pashke, Pashke &Twargowski par 15).

Strategic information systems of National grid should also ensure that data is availed to the decision-makers in both regions on timely bases preferably before hand to assist in decision making and the report should be formatted in such a way that they serve the end-user needs (Pashke, Pashke &Twargowski par 18).

Recently, National Grid Company US adopted the ZEMA suite enterprise data management solution with an intention of supporting and improving the US energy procurement operations (Anon par 1). The company utilizes the system to gain a centralized source for its market data, which is essential for its market data which is essential for strategic decision making.

The system further provides the company with advanced automated analytics and data modelling and risk management system. The company replaced the data management systems to derive benefits associated with ZEMA, such as risk monitoring, improved information systems and better integration (Anon par 2).

If National Grid UK adopted a similar system the company would not only reap similar benefits as those being accrued by National Grid US, but would also promote cohesion and coordination of management strategies in both regions.

Strategic information systems and ebusiness planning activities

Over the past few years, global interconnectivity has been enhanced by improved communication, especially through the internet. In fact, the internet has played a major role in facilitating business associations and marketing strategies.

The National Grid Company is no exception in utilization of the internet and automated means of communication to facilitate distribution of its products to the consumers in both regions where it operates.

In this case, we assume that the company has already shifted its management systems from classical systems and is leaning more towards ebusiness. This is necessary for the success of any large international corporation like National Grid.

The beginning of ebusiness has its roots traced back to the establishment of interactive websites, which created opportunities for people to send and receive information from a company’s web server (Pant & Ravichandran par 1). Most companies have adopted this method due to technological advancements, which has continually made the internet a more preferred choice of information systems in organizations.

Use of the internet for enterprise applications has led to the establishment of a new of a new breed of information systems referred to as ebusiness information system (Pant & Ravichandran 85). This refers to computer applications that use the internet technology and its universal connectivity among other capabilities of the browser to integrate businesses within and beyond the enterprise to global levels.

Ebusiness information systems in National Grid company allows transactions to be conducted in an integrated manner and enlarged information space by eliminating the constraints that are presented by the presence of diverse computing platforms, networks and application (Pant & Ravichandran 85).

The internets technologies allow automation of inter-organizational processes and allow the company’s personnel to interact with the company’s information systems in an interesting and cost-efficient manner. This makes the ebusiness information systems a key strategic component of any organization. However, it is vital that organizations plan carefully while designing ebusiness systems.

This is because these information systems differ from classical inter-organization information systems in significant ways and need to be approached more cautiously. This risk is further elevated by limited research existing in the field of ebusiness system planning making it all the same a more risky option to venture into.

The existing information planning models were developed before the advent of the internet, it is not surprising that these models should fail to put into consideration the internal forces that shape the company growth and successes amidst a dynamic and ever-changing economic climate hence in most cases fails to address the information planning needs of e business (Pant & Ravichandran 86).

The existing models are widely classified into impact models which focus on the potential impacts of information technology on organizational tasks and processes and utilize this to identify opportunities for deploying information systems and alignment models which focus on aligning information system plans and priorities with organization strategy and business goals (Pant & Ravichandran 83).

The activities of National grid involving marketing, delivering, and support of products can be presented in a value chain. However, the company has shifted its approach from the value chain into value hubs where the linear value chain perspective has evolved into emarket places.

This is primarily due to competitive pressures to respond to direct selling strategy as well as maturation of the internet and internet and internet-related technologies (Pant & Ravichandran 86). The company preference of ebusiness information systems can be attributed to the transaction cost theory, which explains the economic of information and information systems within the organization (Pant & Ravichandran 87).

According to this theory, despite the assumptions that transactions through exchange mechanisms are homogenous, real-life transactions are more complicated and involve real cost that the organization has to incur (Pant & Ravichandran 87).

National grid operates within the energy market and serves as a negation to the energy market in the sense that the company replaces the market coordination with coordination executed through explicit command and control. The markets reduce transaction costs as the people dealing through the market do not need to negotiate and execute individual contracts.

In addition, integration of organizational and inter-organization processes significantly reduces the cost of transaction (Pant & Ravichandran 87).

Information technology has the ability to considerably lower coordination costs while ensuring that the associated transaction risk is not elevated hence prompting National Grid to increase its efforts of integrating the two regions rather than concentrating on vertical integration of single firms.

The potential for lowering costs of technologically based information systems provide national grid with a reason to adopt ebusiness information systems in order to survive in the economy.

Network externalities explain how the value of a product or service increases as the number of users increase (Pant & Ravichandran 88). The more the number of people using the electricity and gas distributed by National grid, the more likely it is to attract more consumers. As more people interact via ebusiness information systems, the higher the value that the system achieves.

Higher value will be achieved by ebusiness information systems that relate global communities to customers (Pant & Ravichandran 89). Information is a key agent that serves to maintain cohesion among the two organizations hence it must be handled effectively. Through information, national grid is able to coordinate its distribution channels in both countries as well as the supply chains.

Whether information is utilized for purposes of control or coordination, the company formulates it in such a way that it serves its intended purpose for the good of the company. Information management needs of National grid are shaped by the business needs to integrate its processes in the two countries, exchange of information in a timely manner as well as creating positive network externalities (Pant & Ravichandran 90).

In its attempt to integrate its information systems in both regions, the company needs to conceptualize the process in terms of the extent in which the ebusiness information system integrates with systems and processes across its value chain as well as the horizontal link whereby the UK has to link with the US in support of the business model.

However, the complexity of information systems increases as the integration continues to advance and upon the integration of information systems in the two corporations, the company should be prepared to handle the costs and other challenges associated with complex systems.

Knowledge management and customer relationship management

National Grid Company carries out quarterly surveys in order to establish customer satisfaction (National grid par1). In these surveys, the company aims at establishing consumer level of satisfaction from emergency response and repair as well as other consumer demands. The company in turn utilizes the information to make necessary adjustment regarding customer satisfaction.

In the company’s gas utility businesses, the annual survey and customer satisfaction ratings in the 2008/2009 registered decline in business during the year.

The company consequently planned to implement initiative that improves customer satisfaction through putting more emphasis on communication and price, corporate citizenship, automating bill payment and collection, improving gas and electricity quality, promoting reliability and safety among the customers as well as improving customer operations (National Grid par 5).

Reliability and service issues are the major components that determine consumer satisfaction. The company heavily invests on enhancing reliability in order to improve consumer perception and satisfaction and aims at achieving the first quartile performance in customer satisfaction surveys by the year 2013

National grid treats its customers appropriately and ensures that the communicate clearly and precisely while ensuring that interaction between them and the customers is straight forward while their main focus involves customer service and operational excellence (National grid par 1).

The company’s transmission customer service principally facilitates establishment of new connections as well as maintenance of the already existing customers (National grid par 2).

The company achieves this in conjunction with the independent system operators situated in the regions in which they operate. In addition, the company ensures that it delivers high-quality service to its consumers by ensuring that it adheres to the standards defined by the country’s regulators.

Conclusion

Strategic information management systems are key determinant of a company’s performance on almost all areas. Companies, therefore, need to adopt the appropriate systems to ensure that their operations are efficient. Introduction and advancement of technology have facilitated improvement in corporate strategic management systems.

In fact most corporations refer information technology as a necessary evil whereby companies have to adopt it despite the risks associated with it. Companies should not only develop strategic information systems that are fast efficient and have the ability to handle complex tasks, they should also be user-friendly and should allow the users to utilize them in an interactive and simplified manner.

Companies should also deal with the negative effects associated with technologically based strategic management information systems to ensure that the company does not incur losses and costs associated with the occurrence of such effects.

As an international corporation, National Grid has adopted the advanced technologically based strategic information management systems and reaps benefits from this, especially due to its large scale nature of service provision. The company should further aim at integrating the information systems in all the areas in which it operates in order to reap benefits associated with economies of scale.

However, this process requires a lot of effort to deal with increased complexities. Further, the company utilizes information derived from surveys to make adjustments that ensure that the company achieves higher levels of efficiency and customer satisfaction.

From the discussed case, it is evident that strategic information systems are an important component of any business operations and companies should invest in efficient information systems to promote their performance in the economy.

Works Cited

Anon. National Grid implements ZEMA suite replacing incumbent competitive solution, Power group Inc, 2009, ZEMA website.

Galliers, Robert & Leidner, E. Dorothy. Strategic information management: challenges and strategies in management, Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003. Print.

National Grid. Our vision strategy and objectives, our customers-customer service and network reliabilities, National Grid, 2010, the national Grid official website.

Pant, Somendra & Ravichandran, T: A framework for information systems planning for ebusiness, MCB university press, 2001, Logistics information management PDF publication.

Pashke, F. Gregory., Pashke, D. Fargo & Twargowski. Evaluative criteria for management information needs, Vanamburg group Inc, 2008. The CPA journal (a publication of the New York Society of CPA’s).