Infosys v2n034 (October 30, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/infosys/infs-v2n034 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * INFOSYS: The Electronic Newsletter for Information Systems * * Volume 2, Number 34 ISSN: 1173-3764 October 30, 1995 * * * * Editor: Dennis W. Viehland, Massey University, New Zealand * * Listowners: Greg Welsh, American University, Washington DC * * Peter M. Weiss, Penn State * * Sponsor: boyd & fraser publishing, Danvers, Massachusetts * * * * Current Subscribers = 4,677 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From Innovation * * ANNOUNCEMENT - Center for Cycle Time Research (WWW site) * * CONFERENCE - Workshop on Executive Information Systems at OZCHI95 * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Electronic Conference on Strategic Info Systems * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Midwest Info Technology Expo and Conference * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Software Agents Book * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist/Assoc Prof, Information Systems * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist/Assoc Prof, Systems Design Engr * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assistant Professor, Information Systems * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From Innovation * * Dennis Viehland, Massey University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BEYOND THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT: The director of Ernst & Young's Information Technology Management Consulting Services points out that when electricity was first used in business, many companies had an employee whose job was solely devoted to keeping the power flowing. He thinks the same thing will eventually happen with information systems. By the year 2000, information technology will become so vital to the conduct of business that it will become integral to the product: "As IS becomes a 'mainline' product, it becomes the property of those who deliver the product," he says. But don't worry -- there won't be mass lay-offs of IS managers and CIOs. "With technology becoming so embedded, a CIO has a better shot at becoming a CEO than people with other skills." (Information Week 25 Sep 95 p108) WHO SHOULD MAKE TECHNOLOGY DECISIONS? John Rockart, director of the Center for Information Systems Research in MIT's Sloan School of Management, notes that information technology now accounts for more than 50% of the capital-goods dollars spent in the U.S. Does that fact -- plus the fact that information technology now plays a major role in most aspects of a company's business (including new product development, sales and service support, market intelligence, and decision analysis) -- mean that CEOs should now make their own information technology investment decisions rather than delegate them to their CIOs? Rockart says no. Though the CEO's vision is key and sets the tone, it "cannot do it all. Our ongoing research of IT management suggests that certain key managers determine how effectively IT will be used within the organization... Only line managers are close enough to their business to see the most effective ways to utilize IT. Only they possess the clout to embed IT into their strategies and to commit the necessary financial resources." The CEO should be a catalyst and a supporter rather than an information technology guru. ("The End of Delegation? Information Technology and the CEO," Harvard Business Review Sep/Oct 95 p161) THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BOUNDARY PERSON: Mary Boone, author of "Leadership and the Computer," says that information systems departments need a "boundary person" who knows as much about the company's business as any particular technology: "It's a challenge for executives to recognize the need for a boundary person in the corporation's information systems department. The boundary person is someone with very thorough knowledge of the business and the organization, someone who is trained to be a technology generalist. After all, there are plenty of technology specialists in the systems department... The boundary person works with top executives to diagnose business problems into business solutions. Then this individual works with the information systems department to make sure that these objectives are set in clear contracts that state when and what will be done. The contract is key. When the system is delivered, the client can go back to the contract to see that the system looks like what it was supposed to, and that it has the functions it was supposed to have." (Investor's Business Daily 18 Sep 95 A8) THE FUTURE OF THE MICROPROCESSOR: Microprocessor technology will become ubiquitous in the next 25 years, showing up in everything from light switches to pieces of paper, and supporting a range of applications from voice recognition to virtual reality. University of California professor David Anderson envisions a future where processing and memory capabilities will reside on the same sliver of silicon: "To narrow the processor-memory performance gap, to take advantage of parallel processing, to amortize the costs of the line and simply to make full use of the phenomenal number of transistors that can be placed on a single chip, I predict that the high-end microprocessor of 2020 will be an entire computer... This estimate means that one desktop computer in 2020 will be as powerful as all the computers in Silicon Valley today." (Scientific American, Sep 95 p62) FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS: Michael Earl of the London Business School and David Feeny of Oxford's Institute for Business Management say that information officers in an organization need to be part of the solution (by adding value) rather than the problem (by consuming resources). One way of doing this is by following the 80/20 rule, which means that faced with an "impossible time scale" they will join with CEOs in focusing on the 20% of the requirement that delivers 80% of the product. Earl and Feeny say it is the inclusion of the "nice to have" features that "turns potentially sound projects into looming catastrophes." ("Is Your CIO Adding Value?", The McKinsey Quarterly 1995 No. 2 p144) PHYSICAL THERAPY ON DISK FOR RSI SUFFERERS: A new CD-ROM called Stretch-ercise is touted as the first mass-market software for fighting repetitive stress injuries using -- what else? -- the keyboard. The software demonstrates 36 different exercises presented in video clips shown in a postage-stamp-sized window on your screen. After setting up a scheduling system based on either the number of keystrokes, the number of mouse clicks performed, or time elapsed, the program reminds you to periodically perform such exercises as "chicken wings," "head rolls" and "torso rotation." An activity report feature tracks the number of movements performed during any specified time period. 1-800-833-8082 for more info. (Washington Post 25 Sep 95 p20) PRODUCTIVITY IS A GROUP THING: The CEO of National Semiconductor Corp. predicts a shift in productivity tools and attitudes: "Most of those tools of the past were aimed at amplifying individual productivity. But what's happening in the information age is we're going to be enhancing the productivity of groups and teams. That's a new dimension and I think an extremely powerful one. What the information age is all about, then, is connectiveness." (Investor's Business Daily 9 Oct 95 A8) A CHANGE IN HACKER CULTURE: Technology writer John Markoff notes that the new generation of computer hackers is far more likely than preceding generations to accommodate Big Business on the Internet. An example is Ian Goldberg, one of the Berkeley graduate students who recently called widespread attention to security flaws in browser and network software. "The implicit collaboration between hackers like Mr. Goldberg and companies like Netscape suggests that the computer culture that spawned the hacker ethic -- the philosophy that information should be freely shared among computer users -- may be resigning itself to, if not completely accommodating, the stampede to commercialize the Internet" (New York Times 16 Oct 95 C1) FOCUS, YES; OBSESSION, NO: Should organizations focus intensely on their core competencies? Sure. And yet too much focus can lead to peripheral vision, which is required to see the whole landscape and to develop a comprehensive technology strategy that results in product families and product platforms rather than isolated products. Marc Meyer and Luis Lopez studied a software products company that had shifted the emphasis placed on core technologies and found that "when the company focused on one core technology at the expense of another, its products faired poorly. When it pursued a more complete and integrative technology strategy, the opposite effect was observed." (Marc H. Meyer & Luis Lopez, "Technology Strategy In A Software Products Company," Journal of Product Innovation Management v12 p294) QUANTUMLY SPEAKING...:Recent advances in quantum mechanics may someday lead to tiny quantum computers capable of factoring large numbers far more quickly than even a supercomputer. Hydrogen atoms could be used to store bits of information using pulses of laser light to convert the atom from a ground state to an excited state (0 or 1) and back again. The biggest drawback: "Because most public- key encryption systems -- such as those protecting electronic bank accounts -- rely on the fact that classical computers cannot find factors having more than, say, 100 digits, quantum-computer hackers would give many people reason to worry." (Scientific American, Oct 95 p140) Editor's Note: Innovation offers a weekly summary of trends, strategies, and innovations in business and technology. This is an abbreviated list of news items of interest to the IS community from the September 25, October 2 and 16, 1995 issues. Subscriptions are available at $15 a year. For a trial copy of Innovation, type the word "subscribe" in the body (not subject) of a message to innovation-request@newsscan.com. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENT - Center for Cycle Time Research (WWW site) * * Amarnath Prakash, Univ Of Memphis * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * We are pleased to announce the set up of the home page for the FedEx Center for Cycle Time Research at The University of Memphis. The URL for the home page is http://acs1.memphis.edu/cctr/index.html The FedEx Center for Cycle Time Research was formed in 1993 as a strategic alliance between The University of Memphis and FedEx. The purpose of the center is to conduct research concerning ways to reduce the time it takes to complete organizational processes in a way that reduces cost and increases customer service. Organizations in all industries are under increasing pressure to get more done with fewer resources in order to remain competitive. A key concept in achieving this is reducing cycle time. By reducing cycle time organizations can reduce cost (or opportunity cost), increase quality, and improve customer service. All too often in organizations less than 5% of the elapsed time performing a process has anything to do with real work. The rest of the time is spent scheduling, waiting, needless repetition, getting lost, getting found, "Left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing," etc. By making innovative use of information technology, operations management, empowerment, behavior modification, organizational redesign, outsourcing, parallel processing, economic analysis, etc, business processes can be reengineered such that waste and nonsense are eliminated, thereby cost effectively reducing cycle time. The FedEx Center for Cycle Time Research is dedicated to: --Performing research projects that address cycle time reduction issues. --Documenting and developing a body of knowledge about the innovative use of technology and techniques to reduce cycle time. --Provide benchmark cycle times on various business processes. The Center supports cycle time research through programs and workshops, research studies, student projects/internships, working papers, an information clearinghouse and training programs. The Director of the Center is James C. Wetherbe, FedEx Chair of Excellence in Information Technology. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONFERENCE - Workshop on Executive Information Systems at OZCHI95 * * Helen Hasan, U of Wollongong * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Workshop on EIS at OZCHI'95 Conference November 27, 1995 Wollongong, Australia Workshops are a valuable forum for exchange of ideas among individuals with different perspectives on a topic. One such workshop at this year's OZCHI'95 conference in Wollongong will be on the topic of Executive Information Systems and will take place on Monday, November 27 from 9.00am to 5.00pm. OZCHI is the annual national conference of CHISIG, devoted to the interchange of work and ideas between researchers and practitioners in the area of Human-Computer Interaction. There is a reported high failure rate of Executive Information Systems (EIS) which may be due to the fact that developers do not realise that high powered executives form a very special group of highly individual and powerful computer users. Designing and implementing EIS thus presents problems not encountered in conventional computer system development. In the workshop we will examine the successful utilisation of Information Systems by senior executives in organisations which are using or developing EIS. We aim to bring together people from a variety of organisations interested in EIS who can compare experiences. Present at the workshop will be people with considerable experience of EIS as well as those interested in learning from them. Should you wish to participate in the workshop please send a brief note outlining your EIS background and interest. If you wish to give a talk or demonstration of your EIS at the workshop you should also send a one or two page position paper, including details of your intended presentation. Further details of the workshop and the OZCHI'95 conference are available from: Helen Hasan OZCHI'95 Conference Chair Department of Business Systems University of Wollongong Northfields Ave Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia E-mail: h.hasan@uow.edu.au Voice : +61 42 213757 Fax: +61 42 214474 http://www.uow.edu.au/public/ozchi/ozchi.html \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Electronic Conference on Strategic Info Systems * * Luis Cesar Lopes Zeredo * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Electronic Conference on Strategic Information Systems (ECOSIS 95) 14-15 December 1995 sis@mailbase.ac.uk The Electronic Conference on Strategic Information Systems (ECOSIS 95) aims to offer a forum in which people interested in SIS could communicate as they would in a conference. The standard that the academic community will use to communicate the scholarly scientific production during ECOSIS (e-mail, FTP, and WWW) is one aspect that may constitute innovation. Not only academia but also corporate professionals are invited to submit high quality speeches and papers for presentation. By addressing your paper to our Electronic Conference you are also supporting the electronic form of publication, since any accepted work will only be available at sis- ejournal@mailbase.ac.uk archives, retrievable via anonymous FTP from mailbase.ac.uk, directory /pub/lists/sis-ejournal, or at the URL: http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/projects/ejsis/econfer/cover.html Submissions are invited in the following four categories: --ARTicles:research in progress, research results, research surveys. --REActions: critiques of previous research and replies to articles --ABSstracts: summaries of recently published journal articles, books, and conference proceedings --book REViews: indications of the content of recent books Submissions should be sent to sis-ejournal-request@mailbase.ac.uk (if you are a subscriber), or l.zeredo@sunc.shef.ac.uk (General Editor). Additional information about submission requirements is available from the Introduction file to SIS-EJOURNAL available on mailbase.ac.uk, directory /pub/lists/sis-ejournal via anonymous FTP. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Midwest Info Technology Expo and Conference * * Jim Fox, Union Pacific Railroad * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Midwest Information Technology Expo and Conference (INFOTEC' 96) April 29-May 1, 1996 Omaha, Nebraska The AK-SAR-BEN Chapter of DPMA, An Association of Information Systems Professionals, will present INFOTEC' 96, the 23rd Annual Midwest Information Technology Expo and Conference, on April 29 through May 1, 1996. INFOTEC'96 is the region's premier information technology exhibition and conference. INFOTEC is recognized by the high-tech industry as the best annual even in the region for education on the latest trends and developments in the computer and communication industry. The exhibition is an excellent opportunity to see new products and services available and discuss their application with professionals. DPMA organized on of their best conferences ever for 1995. The combination of workshops, panel discussions and training sessions were very informative. Last year, INFOTEC'95 had over 80 companies in the exhibition with nearly 2,000 attendees. In addition, there were 600 attendees at the conference seminars. The 1996 INFOTEC promises to be even better. INFOTEC'96 is currently seeking speakers, teachers and exhibitors. The deadline for submission of suggestions is November 15, 1995. For more information contact: Jim Fox INFOTEC'96 Director E-mail: jwfox@notes.up.com Mark Stone Landmark Presentations: Trade Show Exhibitors Voice: 1-800-786-SHOW E-mail: 76305.3320@compuserve.com Scott Pettit Conference Chair, Speakers and Seminar Leaders E-mail: spettit@unomaha.edu \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Software Agents Book * * Joseph Williams, Colorado State Univ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I am the editor for a SAMS.NET (Macmillan Publishing) project that will present the concept of software agents to the layman in a trade paperback that will see world-wide distribution. I'm soliciting chapter proposals. Hear are the fast facts: --Audience is non-technical folks. --Profiling commercial products is OK if done informatively. --There will be thematic unity to the book, so I reserve the right to make suggestions and otherwise meddle in your creative processes. However, I'm a nice meddler... --There is an honorarium per chapter that will be US$350 --There is a quick turnaround here. Chapters to me by end of the year, book is published in March 1996. --You can take existing academic/industry pieces and digest them for general consumption. --You can sign up for a chapter I've proposed or propose your own! --Unfortunately, SAMS.NET is using the atrocious preliminary title of "Bots and Other Beasties" for the book. I don't know how flexible they are on the title. Major sections (with illustrative chapter topics) include: --What is an agent? (overview, need for agents, history) --State of the Art --Business Issues for Agents (business applications, Internet bots) --Technical Issues (architecture, security, learning, mobility) Contact me if you are interested in participating. A response is not a commitment. Thank you. Joseph Williams CIS Department Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA Voice: (970)491-7680 Fax: (970)491-5205 E-mail: drj@lamar.colostate.edu http://lamar.colostate.edu/~drj/drj.html \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist/Assoc Prof, Information Systems * * S Harrington, Georgia College * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The J Whitney Bunting School of Business of Georgia College is seeking applicants for an Assistant/Associate Professor of Information Systems. Applications for the nine-month, tenure-track position to commence September 1, 1996, will be accepted until January 15, 1996. Candidates should have a PhD in information systems or computer science. Candidates interested in teaching a broad range of IS courses, including systems analysis and database design, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, are especially encouraged to apply. In addition to demonstrated excellence in teaching, candidates should possess a strong potential for research and scholarship with an established track record of publications preferred. Salary and rank are commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Department of Information Systems and Communications has eight full-time faculty and currently offers a MMIS. The School of Business has over 40 full-time faculty and also offers a MBA. Courses are offered for the Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at Milledgeville and at three off-campus centers. To apply, send letter of application, vita, and names, addresses, and phone numbers of three references to: Dr. Susan J. Harrington Chair, IS Search Committee Georgia College The J. Whitney Bunting School of Business Campus Box 012 Milledgeville, GA 31061-0490 Voice: (912) 454-0966 or (912) 453-5721 E-mail: harrington@gcvax.gac.peachnet.edu \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assist/Assoc Prof, Systems Design Engr * * Jane Webster, Univ of Waterloo * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Applications are invited for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor. The candidate should possess a PhD and have a strong research record in the areas of Ergonomics, Human Factors or Human Systems Engineering and Design. The candidate would be expected to take a leadership role in developing a research program and should have a strong computing background. Industrial experience and eligibility for registration in a Professional Engineering Association are desirable. The successful candidate will be expected to teach both undergraduate and graduate courses, supervise graduate students and maintain and further develop his or her research program. Application packages may be requested from Prof Keith W. Hipel, Chair Department of Systems Design Engineering University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G1 The closing date for applications is November 15, 1995. This appointment is subject to the availability of funds, with a starting date on or before January 1, 1996. \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Assistant Professor, Information Systems * * Robert O'Keefe, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY is seeking to hire a tenure track assistant professor in Information Systems. The ideal candidate: --Has training and experience in the fundamental technical foundation of IS, particularly system analysis, database systems, telecommunications and/or software engineering. --Has or is finishing a PhD pursuing research that bridges technology with management issues. --Is interested in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and contributing to a successful MBA IS concentration and BS management systems program. --Is keen to undertake collaborative research with colleagues in finance, marketing and/or organizational design. The Lally School of Management and Technology has a reputation for its innovative research and teaching focused on the integration of management and technology. It places particular emphasis on technological entrepreneurship, new product development, information systems management and financial technology. It has recently received $30 million in gifts, including a $15 million naming gift. Further information about the school can be found at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/mgmt/SOM.pages/SOM_home.html Potential applicants should contact Professor Bob O'Keefe (okeefe@rpi.edu) and provide (preferably) a URL where resume details can be found or (alternatively) a short electronic version of their resume. This request for potential applicants can be found at http://www.rpi.edu/~okeefe/job.html \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ABOUT INFOSYS * * INFOSYS is an electronic newsletter for faculty, students, and * * practitioners in the field of Information Systems. INFOSYS * * publishes news items, requests for assistance, calls for papers * * announcements of professional meetings and conferences, position * * announcements, journal table of contents, and other items of * * interest to the Information Systems community. * * * * INFOSYS is published biweekly, more frequently if volume requires * * it. INFOSYS operates as an electronic mailing list on listserv * * software at American University in Washington, DC. The editor is * * Dennis W. Viehland . * * * * INFOSYS is sponsored by boyd & fraser, publishers of educational * * materials for computer and information education. Contact Bill * * Lisowski or visit http://www.bf.com/bf.html * * or gopher.bf.com for more information about boyd & fraser. * * * * To subscribe to INFOSYS send the following one-line e-mail * * message to listserv@american.edu: subscribe infosys yourfirstname * * yourlastname (e.g., subscribe infosys John Smith). You will * * receive a welcome letter that will tell you more about INFOSYS * * and listserv. To cancel your subscription send the following * * message to listserv@american.edu: unsubscribe infosys * * * * Guidelines for submitting articles to INFOSYS are published in * * the Welcome message each new subscriber receives (or e-mail "get * * infosys welcome" to listserv@american.edu). Send articles to * * infosys@american.edu or d.viehland@massey.ac.nz. * * * * The INFOSYS Calendar of Upcoming Events is updated fortnightly * * and can be obtained in the following ways: * * --E-mail: send the following one-line message to * * listserv@american.edu: get infosys calendar * * --FTP: anonymous FTP to ftp.american.edu; file is pub/infosys/ * * infosys.calendar * * --Gopher: gopher to listserv.american.edu; choose INFOSYS * * --WWW: forthcoming * * * * INFOSYS Back Issues are archived by Robert McArthur at: * * AUSTRALIA: http://www.fit.qut.edu.au/~mcarthur/infosys/ * * by Eric Morgan (N Carolina State Univ) at: * * USA: ftp://ftp.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/infosys/ * * USA: wais://wais.lib.ncsu.edu/infosys * * USA: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/infosys-index.html * * by Brian Fitzgerald (University College Cork) at: * * EUROPE: http://www.ucc.ie/htbin/infosys * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *