INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE

By Richard. van Santen[9]

There _____ many management IS at the TUE, supporting the many business processes at campus. Classifying them into major categories, one could say that one type of IS has to do with issues regarding educational programs and student affairs, another deals with research themes and issues (the several programs, staff involved, external participants involved, contract agreements, etc), still another handles personnel affairs, and the last deals with financial issues and facilities (lecture halls, laboratories, buildings, etc). _______ objective of all the IS at TUE relate to the internal business processes. The IS are either self-developed or standard software purchased from external suppliers. Most information tasks are carried out by TUE personnel or students, but some applications, like salary payments, are completely outsourced. The IS are functioning at university levels, department levels, or sub-department levels. The majority of IS are user centered. _____ other words, it is up to the users whether a particular information system is necessary and acceptable. The ease of use is, in that respect, quite an important feature. Next to that, and even more important, is the usefulness of the information system itself for the users. An information system will only be successful if, and only if; the users involved have a direct or indirect benefit from that system. This principle ______ described by Bemelmans as the “Closed Loop Principle”. A system should be designed in such a way that the people, who are mainly responsible for the input, have a direct benefit of doing that input job in a correct way. The ______ should function as a closed loop in that respect. The TUE Campus network is linked to all offices at the university, highly facilitating various applications. As a matter of fact, all databases and IS are connected to each other according to the users’ business processes requirements. Modifying those links, such as adding, changing and deleting, has to be done according to the user’s requirements. Back up facilities are strongly developed at the campus network at the TUE. ______the existing IS and relevant databases, as well as the back ups are distributed by the campus network at both departmental and university level. Normally, users make their own initial back up at the department level whenever they like. Afterwards, both department and university level back up will regularly and automatically proceed according to fixed periods. Email is a very popular communicating facility at the TUE. ________example, with email it is quite easy to make an appointment, to exchange messages, to announce an event, to isue an invitation, and so on.