Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan. 1991). Published bimonthly by Scientific & Medical Division, Macmillan Press Ltd., Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS, UK. Annual subscription: £90 (Europe), £99 (US). Subscriptions should be sent to Subscription Dept., Macmillan Press Ltd., Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS, UK. ISSN 0960-085X.
The goal of this new journal is to provide a forum “for a wide-ranging debate incorporating the economic, technical, organizational, and social aspects of current and future information systems” (Editorial, p. 1). It seeks to provide a European perspective on the treatment of theoretical and practical problems, and includes research as well as case studies.
The papers in this first issue are divided by categories. “Research” papers are “Information Technology and Changes in Industry,” by H. Jaakkola, H. Tenhunen, and A. Latvala of the Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland; “Supporting the Notion of Context Within a Database Environment for Intelligent Reporting and Query Optimisation,” by S. A. Roberts and M. N. Gehagan of the University of Leeds; and “Information Technology, Information Systems and Information Management: Definition and Development,” by R. J. Boaden and A. G. Lockett of the University of Manchester. “The Decision Making Basis for Information Systems: The Contribution of Vickers’s Concept of Appreciation to a Soft Systems Perspective,” by P. J. Lewis of Lancaster University, is classified under “Theory.” This issue contains two “Management” papers, “Directors and IT, and IT Directors” by C. Coulson-Thomas of Adaption Ltd., a consultancy, and “Strategic Information Systems: Myths, Reality, and Guidelines for Successful Implementation,” by R. D. Galliers of Warwick Business School, University of Warwick. Under “Cases,” we find “Factors Critical to the Success of Executive Information Systems in British Airways,” by N. Cottrell and K. Rapley of British Airways.
Jaakkola et al. review two studies of the diffusion of technology in Finnish industry and find that the process can be described by the form of an S-shaped curve. Roberts and Gehagan explain the use of database semantics to enhance and provide support for the interpretation of raw data and develop rules to support the derivation of significance from context. Boaden and Lockett consider the variants in terminology and literature between the fields of information and communication technology and suggest a more consistent framework for future work.
Lewis discusses decision making models and finds that insufficient attention is paid to them. He proposes an appreciative model that emphasizes the decision makers’ perception of the organization. Coulson-Thomas discusses the trend toward networking in information technology and finds that responsive managers will need to be flexible and able to facilitate change. Galliers suggests that strategic information systems may not have arisen as a result of explicit strategy formulation and presents guidelines to improve management’s understanding of what the system development process should look like. Cottrell and Rapley describe the development and successful use of the EIS at British Airways and discuss the relationship of the information systems and management staff that resulted in the successful system.
The journal includes a comprehensive section of authors’ biographies, a substantial book review section (five reviews, five and a half pages), and a three-page calendar of future events. Its appearance and organization are good. The individual subscription rate is £45 for EEC residents and £50 for all others.
