Over the past few years, information technology has grown so rapidly that businesses had to adjust very quickly to keep abreast of fast growing technologies and international trends. An increasing number of South African companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) have implemented Executive Information Systems (EISs) that have resulted in the widespread use of computers in companies. Users of EISs need systems that provide them with access to diverse types of information in order to take decisions, to solve problems and to compete with competitors. This article discusses whether South African companies create strategic value through the use of EISs. The strategic value of the business is explained as an advantage to improve businesses’ performances firstly, by gains in profitability and financial strength and secondly, gains in the businesses’ competitive strength and market standing. Executives and top management need to be aware of the opportunities available to them by using information technology as a business tool to analyse their businesses’ performance and competitiveness. This study is an exploratory study and the research method is quantitative of nature. A structured questionnaire was designed and was sent to 334 listed JSE companies in order to investigate the existence of an EIS, the gathering, selecting and use of information in companies in order to make decisions and to solve problems. Many businesses have chosen EIS technology to provide relevant and accurate information to top management and executives. Currently the EIS provides information that is only available to executives and top management, but the need exists to expand EISs to other users in the business. The research questions investigated in this study are to establish what EISs offer to fulfil the needs of users and to determine the impact on creating strategic value within the business in order to keep pace with on‑going changes in technology. In addressing these problems the existence of EISs was investigated to debate, express, and understand the role and use of an EIS and resulted in creating strategic value for businesses. The value of the study explains the vital importance of executives influence towards the adoption, commitment and use of EISs at strategic management levels, creating and adding strategic value in companies. The findings of the study add to the current understanding and awareness of EISs in listed JSE companies and therefore create an environment in which the business can enhance sustainability and strategic competitiveness. Responses were favourable since respondents requested a report on the outcome of the results as they expressed an interest in the underlying motivation of the study and how their company compares with their competitors in the industry. Conclusions drawn from the results are that EISs need to incorporate all the unmet needs of users in order for EISs to add strategic value and to be used as effective business tools in companies.

Over the last fifty years mobility practices have changed dramatically, improving the way travel takes place, the time it takes but also on matters like road safety and prevention. High mortality caused by high accident levels has reached untenable levels. But the research into road mortality stayed limited to comparative statistical exercises which go no further than defining accident types. In terms of sharing information and mapping accidents, little progress has been mad, aside from the normal publication of figures, either through simplistic tables or web pages. With considerable technological advances on geographical information technologies, research and development stayed rather static with only a few good examples on dynamic mapping. The use of Global Positioning System (GPS) devices as normal equipments on automobile industry resulted in a more dynamic mobility patterns but also with higher degrees of uncertainty on road traffic. This paper describes a road accident georeferencing project for the Lisbon District involving fatalities and serious injuries during 2007. In the initial phase, individual information summaries were compiled giving information on accidents and its majour characteristics, collected by the security forces: the Public Safety Police Force (Polícia de Segurança Pública ‑ PSP) and the National Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana ‑ GNR). The Google Earth platform was used to georeference the information in order to inform the public and the authorities of the accident locations, the nature of the location, and the causes and consequences of the accidents. This paper also gives future insights about augmented reality technologies, considered crucial to advances to road safety and prevention studies. At the end, this exercise could be considered a success because of numerous consequences, as for stakeholders who decide what to do but also for the public awareness to the problem of road mortality.

Although some important technological developments have been achieved during last decade, information systems still do not answer efficiently enough to the continuous demands that organisations are facing — causing a non‑ alignment between business and information technologies (IT) and therefore reducing organisation competitive abilities. This paper proposes sixteen metrics for the Information System Architecture (ISA) evaluation, supported in an ISA modelling framework. The major goal of the metrics proposed is to assist the architect previewing the impact of hisher ISA design choices on the non‑functional qualities of the Enterprise Information System (EIS), ensuring EIS better align with business needs. The metrics proposed are based on the research accomplished by other authors, from the knowledge in other more mature areas and on the authors experience on real world ISA evaluation projects. The metrics proposed are applied to an e‑government project in order to support the definition of a suitable ISA for a set of business and technological requirements.

Abstract: The development and expansion of evaluation theory and practice is at the core of several different disciplines. There exist different traditional Information System (IS) evaluation approaches, like experimental, pragmatic, constructivist, plu ralist and realist IS evaluation. IS evaluation approaches are influenced by the way they address to technology. Recently actor network theory (ANT) and sociomateriality are two influential information systems (IS) entanglement perspectives. Additiona lly, El Sawy identified three faces of IS views: connection, immersion, and fusion. In terms of IS evaluation approaches, connection and immersion view are the dominant views in which these approaches are positioned. We believe the IS fusion view calls fo r IS evaluation approaches to be revised. This paper uses the relational emergence theory, based on the philosophy of critical realism to theorize and operationalize the fusion view, as it lacks a theoretical grounding and as well to push forward the trad itional IS evaluation research approaches. At the core of relational emergence theory is the emergence concept, in which parts are structured by the relations among each other to create an entity as a whole. Based on this, we present and discuss the im plications for IS evaluation in terms of how to evaluate a process as well as the output of the process. The discussion on IS evaluation is illustrated through an empirical example, drawn on a longitudinal research study within a police organization. This paper concludes that in the fusion view, the evaluation process shall embrace a holistic perspective. The focus of the evaluation process shall be the emergent entity consisting of IS, users, task and processes structured by means of relationships among each other. The properties exhibited by this emergent entity shall be evaluated.

Abstract: Public services are an interesting area for the application of ICT which helps to improve both the performance of government services and the modernization of administrative operations. The current study focuses on the determinants of companies’ acceptance of electronic public services : the case of on‑line tax filing in Tunisia.To identify these determinants, we conducted an investigation in 190 Tunisian companies using the on‑line tax filing system. The results of the quantitative analysis confirm the hypothesis that links trust, technical and individual determinants to the intention to use the on‑line tax filing system. Trust determinants are the factors that most affect the intention to use the on‑line tax filing system. The findings provide several important implications for e‑government research and practice in Tunisia. The model developed here can be applied in other similar e‑government projects to test users’ intention to accept the system and therefore enhance its success. This research also has limitations which can be addressed in future research.

Human cognitive processing and decision making are essential aspects in emergency management. Emergency situations imply additional demands to information processing. To meaningfully support decision makers in emergencies, a comprehensive understanding of the human perception and decision making processes and their underlying principles is required in the design of Emergency Management Information Systems (EMIS). This paper presents a psychological framework that models the stages and components of decision making in the context of emergency management. To this end, psychological research on human perception and information processing, knowledge and competence modelling, human judgement and decision making, individual and situational factors, stress, and self‑regulation are identified as important compents of the framework. The psychological framework represents a comprehensive model of decision making of emergency managers, for a better understanding of the involved cognitive processes and influencing factors on the person level and on the context level. The paper posits the framework as a guide in the identification of requirements for emergency managers during systems analysis. This comprises systematically describing decision tasks in emergency situations and identifying needs for supporting them. The knowledge on human perception and decision making represented by the framework can also be used to inform the user interface design of the EMIS. It may also inform the evaluation of EMIS as it provides a theoretically founded representation of relevant aspects of human‑computer interaction, which facilitates the identification of success indciators to be addressed in user‑centred evaluation. The framework furthermore supports the design and implementation of training programmes through the differentiation and modelling of knowledge and competence relevant in emergency decision making. To demonstrate the application of the psychological framework in the design, development, and testing of EMIS a set of concrete design principles as well as exemplary paper prototypes applying these principles are presented.

In the last two decades, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become a strategic tool of management in developing countries. In specific, Electronic Government enhances governance in the public sector; e‑Government being the use of ICTs in public service. Though information systems as a discipline presents some research on the value of ICTs in the private sector, the focus on the public sector is comparatively thin. Informed by the model of public value management, the paper sought to identify the dimensions of the public value of e‑Government. Thus, a framework was adapted and tested on data collected in a survey of 340 public service officers in Kenya. Through structural equation modeling, an e‑Government public value model was generated, and this formed the main contribution of the paper. At a theoretical level, the model demonstrated cognizance of e‑governance multi‑faceted nature, and as such may inform the development of full‑bodied policies to drive efficiency in public service delivery. The model may aid in elucidation of the drivers which inform the use, or fear of use of e‑government infrastructure. In addition, at a methodological level, the paper suggests the place of mixed methods in information systems research. This aids in understanding the unique qualitative and quantitative measures of perception of public value of e‑Government. In this regard, the estimated model shows the magnitude of influence of e‑Government on various dimensions of public values. In practice, these present a suitable reference to guide the formulation and restructuring of e‑Governance policies and strategies in the developing countries. Though the paper presents a positivistic evidence, it is imprecise on whether the evident values enhance or deteriorate public service quality; thus, possible future research is suggested.

The widespread distribution of HIS requires professional evaluation techniques. In this study we present a usability questionnaire called IsoMetrics which is based on the international standard ISO 9241 Part 10. The questionnaire was applied to assess the usability of a Hospital Information System. The equivalence of the online and a paper‑and‑pencil format of the questionnaire were investigated. The results show that the different formats do not affect the subject's ratings. IsoMetrics was proven to be a reliable technique for software evaluation in the field of hospital information systems supporting usability screenings in large organisations.