Leveraging IT and Business Network by a Small Medical Practice

This case discusses how a small specialist medical clinic (named ECS) tries to stay competitive by applying innovations through information technology and the Web. The barriers to success include the lack of financial and human resources but through forming strategic alliances, it managed to implement some systems prototypes.

The Planned and Materialized Implementation of an Information System

The object of this case study is a marketing and sales information system in two local offices of a regional telephone company. A unified, advanced client/server system was needed due to the merging of three companies into a bigger regional company, keener competition, and the growing complexity of the services provided. The system is tailormade to meet the needs of the industry and it was developed by a software vendor in close cooperation with the nationwide alliance of regional telephone companies. This study illustrates the difficulties in simultaneously aligning an organization and implementing a new information system. Views on the skills and competence needed in using the system vary, and lead to the negligence of education and training. The consequent lack of skills and knowledge of some users, especially of those not using the system regularly, create profound problems in the whole work process and in productivity as the first, obvious work practices become the dominant mode of operation bypassing the desired integrated workflow. The findings are discussed and reflected to concepts of institutionalization, positive reinforcement, and productivity paradox. This case emphasizes the importance of the organizational implementation and adaptation process which ought to begin after the implementation of the technical system.

A Case of Information Systems Pre-Implementation Failure

This case study examines an often overlooked context of information system failures, that of pre-implementation failure. It focuses on an Information Systems Development (ISD) project at a large public university that failed even before implementation could get under way. Specifically, it describes the vendor selection process of a proposed computerized maintenance management system. While the managers in charge of the project took great care to avoid commonly discussed types of information systems failures by emphasizing user involvement and trying to select the best possible system they could afford, non-functional requirements, procedures as outlined in the RFP, and the roles of relevant but relatively “hidden” decision makers during the pre-implementation stage of the project were overlooked. This led to the termination of the project after an appeal was lodged by a software vendor whose product had not been selected for implementation.

Infosys Technologies Limited

Infosys Technologies Ltd., one of the world’s most profitable IT services company, implemented a customer relationship management (CRM) system called CIMBA – Customer Information Management By All. This customer-focused system was conceived and designed to improve communication and collaboration between the company and its customers. By seamlessly integrating the front-end sales system with the back-end delivery system, CIMBA was expected to further enhance the company’s IT solutions delivery capability. This case provides insights into the factors that triggered the need for developing such an integrated CRM solution and how the company went about developing and launching this system. It also brings to light the various challenges associated with the implementation of this IS solution.

Military Applications of Natural Language Processing and Software

The case study describes the process of planning, analysis, design and implementation of an integrated voice interactive device (VID) for the Navy. The goal of this research is to enhance Force Health Protection and to improve medical readiness by applying voice interactive technology to environmental and clinical surveillance activities aboard U.S. Navy ships.

ACEnet

With the advent of Web-based electronic commerce (e-commerce), businesses of all sizes rushed to take advantage of the potential of e-commerce technologies. While large organizations often have ready access to the resources necessary to implement ecommerce strategies, smaller organizations may lack some or all of these resources. Conversely, the increased reach facilitated by e-commerce may allow some small businesses to be viable in areas where limited access to customers might otherwise prevent success. This increased reach may be particularly beneficial in economically depressed rural areas, which may stand to gain greatly from the economic development potential of small businesses. Small businesses in general, and rural small businesses in particular, face a number of hurdles that must be overcome if they are to benefit from e-commerce. This case describes how a not-for-profit agency, the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet), facilitates the use of e-commerce by rural small businesses as a part of an overall strategy for spurring economic development through small businesses. ACEnet provides a number of resources that help small businesses take advantage of e-commerce, including computer labs, Web site hosting, consultative services, and technical and business training. This case illustrates how these services help rural small businesses overcome many of the barriers to successful implementation of e-commerce.

Life After a Disastrous Electronic Medical Record Implementation

This case describes how a majority of users of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) at a family medicine clinic located in a small city in the western United States are currently quite dissatisfied with the system. The practice experienced a disastrous implementation of the EMR in 1994 and has not recovered.

IS Strategy at NZMilk

This case study examines Nzmilk, a small, successful, fresh milk supplier. The company has lost some of their market to competitors, but also gained a significant contract. Its general manager was convinced that a new IS strategy was needed, but did not know how to proceed.

Implementing Information Technology to Effectively Utilize Enterprise Information Resources

This case describes the development of an information system at the Missouri-based General Chemicals Inc., which is one of the largest pharmaceuticals in the world. The system efficiently utilizes company’s research resources by archiving, organizing them in a searchable manner, and allowing researchers to reuse and modify them as needed. This resulted in saving a considerable amount of money and time.

Selecting and Implementing an ERP System at Alimentos Peru

The case describes the implementation process of an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system at Alimentos Peru, one of the largest foods manufacturing companies in Peru. It discusses the organization’s major concerns during the mid-1990s, including increasing competition, inefficiency of business processes, and lack of timely and accurate information. To address these concerns Alimentos Peru launched several projects, one of which involved the implementation of an ERP system. The case explains the criteria used to evaluate and select the system, as well as the main issues and problems that arose during the implementation process. More specifically, the case focuses upon a set of implementation factors, such as top management support, user participation, and project management. Finally, the case concludes with a discussion of the benefits obtained from the introduction of the system as well as the new organizational challenges.