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BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................. 71
Appendix: DATA COLLECTION QUESTIONNAIRE ...... 75
Information technology (IT) has been and continues to be applied in a wide range of economic activities. Most frequently, one hears only of the benefits associated with the application of information technology in some specific industry or to some particular economic process. Costs, however, also are associated with the application of information technology, although such costs may not outweigh the benefits of such application or even cause disequilibrium and dislocations over long periods. The costs (within the contexts of disequilibrium and dislocations) associated with the application of information technology to an economic activity, however, may be substantial over the short-term. Over the long-term, however, substantial benefits may be expected to accrue to an implementing organization. One of the latest and potentially most significant advances in IT in relation to organizational performance is the concept of an intranet.
Information is critical to organizational performance in the contemporary knowledge-based economy. As a consequence, information systems have become a primary organizational resource. The management of information systems in contemporary organizations is in a period of transformation. Systems design has become an issue with which even small business firms must deal.
The requirement for organizations to deal with an increasing volume of vital data if they are to remain viable entities, together with the increasing costs associated with the adaptation of computer hardware and software to unique organizational requirements, argues for the application of IT approaches that enhance the level and efficiency of coordination within organizational structures. While the data explosion affects all industries and all firms, many senior managers find the task of managing the informat...