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Previous literature has treated software functionalities as a binary choice between informating and automating, based on Zuboff's definitions. We suggest that the space between the role of a user engaging with a system (informate) and what the system can accomplish for the user (automate) has increasingly become blurred, moving toward a more nuanced continuum. We present a user-system interaction framework that analyzes this continuum with a focus on the user's perspective. Using cases from archival data, this paper provides an analysis of what goes well and badly in the locus of control handoff between users and systems, highlighting the implications of software that is created in one region but used globally. The paper contributes to the literature by extending Zuboff's informate vs. automate discussion and identifying design decisions that could help to avoid potentially catastrophic design errors. Using the interaction framework, we argue that it would be beneficial for system designers to move toward the informate end of the continuum, when designing systems for users with a high level of domain knowledge and expertise, and when there are significant differences between the environment in which the system is designed and the one in which the system is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baseball's "Moneyball" theory states that the baseball market undervalues some attributes (and players with these attributes) that are key contributors to wins while overvaluing other attributes. Teams who correctly evaluate attributes that contribute to wins have higher winning percentages with relatively low payrolls. We applied the Moneyball theory for designing an Information Systems curriculum that could contribute to successful practice. First, we conducted a field study using six organizational case studies to identify skills, traits and attributes valued by IS practitioners as key contributors to successful practice. Next, we compared the skills, traits and attributes emphasized in traditional IS academic curricula (as specified in IS '97 and IS 2002 curricula) with those valued by practitioners. Our case study findings suggest a need for categorizing IS curricula into a framework consisting of three broad categories for practical relevance: (1) Foundational courses based on the traditional IS curricula such as IS '97 and IS 2002, (2) Localized and customized courses that meet the needs of local and regional employers of graduates of each IS program, and (3) Business assessment and systems thinking courses that enable IS graduates to (a) assess and understand organizational requirements and opportunities in ambiguous and messy organizational situations and (b) design systems that accomplish requirements and leverage opportunities. Our case study findings also suggest that the business assessment and systems thinking courses category is considered the most valuable for successful IS practice. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

In this article, the authors describe a method for assuring the quality of curriculum design based on techniques that have been used in industrial settings for over 30 years. Quality Function Deployment assures that the needs of the customer are considered at all levels of product design and a graphical matrix called the House of Quality serves as an aid in achieving its objectives. We provide an example showing how to apply these principles and techniques to business curriculum and course design in the academic domain of Management Information Systems. The resulting curricula will be more likely to address the needs of the employers of business school graduates and the resulting documentation will be valuable in guiding subsequent curriculum redesigns as the needs of business evolve.