| Summary: | The body of work presented here makes a substantial contribution to the body of knowledge on Strategic Information Systems. It is based on research that has been writtenup in fourteen papers that have been presented at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals over a 20 year period. The issues discussed in the submission are essentially business and organisational issues; they are not technical information systems (IS) development or implementation issues. The work explores the role of IS and their contribution to organisational performance: how organisations use IS and the interrelationship between business strategy and IS strategy. These are strategic rather than technical or operational issues. The work builds on, develops and adds detail/depth to earlier work on the area of strategic information systems that first originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In particular it examines three sub-areas within the domain of strategic information systems: the role of IS and organisational growth; issues concerning IS and eCommerce; and the strategic role of IS outsourcing in public sector local government. The work is essentially of a practical and pragmatic nature. A number of different methodologies have been used to suit the particular research being undertaken: from indepth case study analysis to questionnaire and interview methods. As often found in social/management sciences, the data is not 100% conclusive in any one direction. For instance the papers on high-growth organisations were not conclusive that IS had been a major factor in the relevant organisations growth. However, the papers do prove that Information systems are a key factor in organisational performance: they can provide a way of assisting small, start-up organisations achieve growth; they can assist high-growth organisations of staying competitive and they can assist organisations in facilitating business change. It is not the information systems themselves that make a difference, but how the information systems are used. These are the strategic issues.
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