In April 2016 Manchester eScholar was replaced by the University of Manchester’s new Research Information Management System, Pure. In the autumn the University’s research outputs will be available to search and browse via a new Research Portal. Until then the University’s full publication record can be accessed via a temporary portal and the old eScholar content is available to search and browse via this archive.

A Process Study of Enterprise Systems Implementation in Higher Education Institutions in Malaysia

Ahmad, Abdul Aziz bin

[Thesis]. Manchester, UK: The University of Manchester; 2011.

Access to files

Abstract

The implementation of information technology and its impact on organisational change has been an important phenomenon, discussed in the IS literature over the last 30 years. Treating information system (IS) implementation as organisational change is a complex phenomenon. This complexity is mainly due to its multidisciplinary, socio-technical, dynamic and non-linear nature. This challenging nature of IS implementation complexities has a direct relationship to the IS implementation project outcomes – its success or failure. In view of this complexity, this research aims to understand how process studies can improve the understanding of enterprise system implementation. We argue that the socio-technical nature of IS development is inevitable thus the only way to go forward is to explore and understand the phenomenon. Following this, we adopt the stakeholder‟s perspective solely for the purpose of identification of stakeholders and their embedded interests and expectations. While prior research concentrated on a limited number of stakeholders of IS, we attempt to adopt Pouloudi et al. (2004) in mobilizing a stakeholder perspective to incorporate non-human stakeholders within the analysis. Within the actor-network perspective, complexity is resolved through simplification (black-boxing) – unpacking or collapsing the complexity. However, during this simplification process, the risk of removing useful description of the phenomenon through labelling was avoided. To support this research, the punctuated socio-technical information systems change (PSIC) model was applied. In this model, interactions and relationships between its components (antecedent condition, process, outcomes and organisational context) play a vital role. This research focuses on the implementation of an integrated financial system in three Malaysian universities through three interpretive case studies. Our findings show that each of our case studies provides a unique IS development trajectory. Following stakeholder analysis, the different cases provide interesting combinations of conflicts and coalitions among human and non-human stakeholders which further dictates the project outcomes or the process of IS black-boxing. The relationship between the three case studies on the other hand provides an interesting illustration of IS technology transfer.

Bibliographic metadata

Type of resource:
Content type:
Form of thesis:
Type of submission:
Degree type:
Doctor of Philosophy
Degree programme:
PhD Accounting and Finance
Publication date:
Location:
Manchester, UK
Total pages:
308
Abstract:
The implementation of information technology and its impact on organisational change has been an important phenomenon, discussed in the IS literature over the last 30 years. Treating information system (IS) implementation as organisational change is a complex phenomenon. This complexity is mainly due to its multidisciplinary, socio-technical, dynamic and non-linear nature. This challenging nature of IS implementation complexities has a direct relationship to the IS implementation project outcomes – its success or failure. In view of this complexity, this research aims to understand how process studies can improve the understanding of enterprise system implementation. We argue that the socio-technical nature of IS development is inevitable thus the only way to go forward is to explore and understand the phenomenon. Following this, we adopt the stakeholder‟s perspective solely for the purpose of identification of stakeholders and their embedded interests and expectations. While prior research concentrated on a limited number of stakeholders of IS, we attempt to adopt Pouloudi et al. (2004) in mobilizing a stakeholder perspective to incorporate non-human stakeholders within the analysis. Within the actor-network perspective, complexity is resolved through simplification (black-boxing) – unpacking or collapsing the complexity. However, during this simplification process, the risk of removing useful description of the phenomenon through labelling was avoided. To support this research, the punctuated socio-technical information systems change (PSIC) model was applied. In this model, interactions and relationships between its components (antecedent condition, process, outcomes and organisational context) play a vital role. This research focuses on the implementation of an integrated financial system in three Malaysian universities through three interpretive case studies. Our findings show that each of our case studies provides a unique IS development trajectory. Following stakeholder analysis, the different cases provide interesting combinations of conflicts and coalitions among human and non-human stakeholders which further dictates the project outcomes or the process of IS black-boxing. The relationship between the three case studies on the other hand provides an interesting illustration of IS technology transfer.
Thesis main supervisor(s):
Language:
en

Institutional metadata

University researcher(s):

Record metadata

Manchester eScholar ID:
uk-ac-man-scw:129362
Created by:
Ahmad, Abdul Aziz bin
Created:
24th August, 2011, 08:58:10
Last modified by:
Ahmad, Abdul Aziz bin
Last modified:
2nd November, 2011, 15:17:26

Can we help?

The library chat service will be available from 11am-3pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). You can also email your enquiry to us.