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As public programs become more complex and interdependent, their effectiveness increasingly relies on interorganizational networks in which knowledge and information am the main currencies of interaction. This paper reports the results of a study of seven knowledge-networking projects in New York State government. Each project was followed for 3 years as a case study. In addition, the participants took part in two surveys that gathered expectations at the beginning of the study and perceptions of actual experience near the end. The surveys focus on the benefits, barriers, and extent of success associated with knowledge and information sharing. The results show that prior expectations changed as a result of experience. After engaging in the projects for more than 2 years, participants perceived that achieved benefits of knowledge networking were not as great as they expected and the barriers were not as formidable. In addition, the survey shows that organizational and individual networking successes are separable from project success. Perceived technological barriers appear to limit individual networking success. Perceived policy and legal barriers appear to constrain the achievement of substantive project goals. Expected and perceived organizational barriers were negatively associated with all three kinds of success. KEYWORDS: information sharing, interorganizational networks, interorganizational relations, knowledge networks, knowledge sharing

Use and importance of information in the construction materials sector in Kuwait through a survey has been discussed.

Information technology (IT) outsourcing is a growing trend in the UK public sector. Research detailing factors that influence the success of IT outsourcing is presented. Two case histories of large-scale IT outsourcing involving central government and the National Health Service are examined and the issues they raise as to the core competencies within the organizations are discussed.

A joint survey conducted by accounting software company Tetra Business Systems Ltd. on Public Finance magazine readers showed that public services are increasingly using commercially available software packages instead of their in-house computer programs. In addition, public sector computer users aim to run the accounting software on microcomputer networks instead of mainframes. Around 75% of the survey respondents confirmed their use of standard commercial packages.

CD-ROM is a new technology that is fast becoming an indispensable part of information management. CD-ROM provides a more efficient way of storing, accessing and disseminating information. Each disc can store approximately 680 megabytes of information. The technology has also paved the way for the development of another innovative technology, the CD-Recordable systems. Government firms should take advantage of this revolutionary technology in their information management., From the desktop to the computer room, information management processes are being reassessed and reengineered. CD-ROM is revolutionizing the world of electronic information. The business world is currently undergoing an [...]

Software suppliers serving the public sector should be highly flexible and capable of meeting the complex and ever-changing requirements of this market. Unlike private firms, public services use various types of financial systems and accounting methods to which suppliers should adapt. Suppliers should be prepared to offer a wide array of information technology systems and support services, including implementation, conversion, training and project management. They should also be ready to cope with sudden changes to rules and legislation.

Byline: Lars Eiermann, Stefan Walter Documents and related information are the essential basis for communication in the public sector, irrespective of whether they are digital or paper based. Neither e-government nor electronic data processing performs the integrated handling of both types of documents. By contrast, document logistics, as a cross-sectional concept, covers the entire flow of documents, from the source to the recipient, regardless of whether they are digital or paper based. The aim of this paper is, first, to investigate the present state of document logistics in the public sector and, second, to identify current needs and potential trends for the near future by using a quantitative prestudy. Following this, a qualitative approach is chosen to further examine the findings of the prestudy and to gain greater insight by conducting a case study with the administration of the federal state of Bremen, Germany.

Byline: Ashim Raj Singla, D.P. Goyal Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are the most integrated information systems that cut across various organisations and functional areas. It has been observed that the majority of ERP systems proved to be a failure either in the design or its implementation. A number of reasons contribute in the success or failure of ERP systems. ERP systems inherently present unique risks due to tightly linked interdependencies of business processes, relational databases and process reengineering, and so on. Knowledge of such factors is important in the design of system and programme management as they contribute to the overall success of the system. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the design factors for ERP systems in Indian organisations. To achieve this two public sector companies, namely PCL and PTL located in northern India, have been selected. Based on the study, various findings and recommendations have been put forward.

Byline: Adam Craike, Prakash J. Singh The 'shared services' concept, which can be described as a business model for the management of internal service functions, is extremely popular in many large public and private sector organisations. This is having a tremendous impact on how these organisations operate. However, research relating to the concept is at an early developmental stage, leading to a lack of understanding of how this concept manifests itself in organisations. This paper aims to provide some formative research into the concept by investigating the issues of its adoption, implementation and use within a large Australian publicly owned organisation. To frame this research, shared services was conceptualised as an organisational innovation, thus providing for the use of existing theories of innovation diffusion and implementation. Empirical data were gathered from interviews with 15 managers. Using the grounded theory approach, analysis of the interview data allowed for the development of a conceptual/theoretical model of shared services adoption, implementation and use. This model provides insights into the concept that can be useful for practitioners as well as researchers.

Byline: Mahmoud Watad This paper presents a systematic method of assessing information systems (IS) projects in public service organisations. Specifically, it describes the construction and validation of a theory-based scheme that facilitates the analysis of organisational impacts associated with the introduction of IS in public organisations. The scheme was developed, applied, and refined from a study of 140 reports of information systems (ISs) projects that were introduced into public agencies' operations in the early 1990s. The scheme is practical for post and pre implementation evaluation. It is effective in measuring impacts derived from open-ended questionnaires, reports, and proposals. The scheme is useful to researchers and managers for the measurement, evaluation, and management of change associated with the introduction of IT.

As pressures to engage in cross-agency and cross-sectoral partnerships become more widespread, information sharing becomes an ever more critical and daunting aspect of public administration. In this edition's exchange among scholars and practitioners, Sharon S. Dawes, Anthony M. Cresswell, and Theresa A. Pardo of the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany, State University of New York, offer a 'baker's dozen' of lessons they have culled from research and their own action research agenda studying the building of public sector knowledge networks in New York over the past 15 years. Grounded in a multidisciplinary, experientially based, and street-level view of the obstacles to and tactics for building successful public sector knowledge networks, the authors' warning to conceive collaborative information-sharing efforts as governance rather than information technology challenges is advice that practitioners ignore at their peril. Readers will find a more extensive eversion of this article on the PAR Web site (go to aspanet.org, click on PAR, then on the Theory to Practice icon). They also will find expert e-commentary on the article (plus the authors' response) from Lisa Bingham, Indiana University-Bloomington; Sharon Caudle, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University; Louise K. Comfort, University of Pittsburgh; and Costis Toregas, American University.