Critical success factors for the management of executive information systems in manufacturing

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce. November 1995.The provision of timely, accurate, and relevant information to executives is prime to ensuring that they make quick and informed decisions that are critical to the competitiveness of their organisations. One such source of information is meant to be the Executive Information System, a system which combines internal and external information for electronic presentation to management in individually customised formats. Whilst it is required that the system address the information needs of the executives, the dynamic and ever-changing business environment makes it difficult for such a system to keep up-to-date. The aim of the research is to identify those critical issues, which when managed properly, will ensure that the system remains providing and meeting the needs of the executives. Ten interviews were conducted from business organisations in order identify these factors. The report consists of chapter one which gives a brief background of the research; chapter two is the review of the available literature which covers the origin, purpose and structure of EIS, criteria for successful implementation, benefits and issues related to the management of an operating EIS; chapter three describes the research methodology used to undertake this research; chapter four describes the data collection phase of the research; chapter five is the analysis and testing of the empirical generalisations ending with a list of critical success factors for managing an operating EIS; and chapter six, which is also the last, which highlights the limitations of the research and areas for further research. After analysing the interview transcripts from the semi-structured interviews using the content analysis method, it was concluded that the empirical generalisations were strongly supported. A list of ten critical success factors raised by the respondents is listed at the end of chapter five. This factors will contribute towards helping South African business organisations in the management of their operating Executive Information Systems investments.AC201