Administrative Placement of the Information Systems Academic Discipline: A Comparative SWOT Analysis of Queensland University of Technology and Korea University

Abstract

This study uses SWOT analysis to explore perceptions of differential administrative placement of the Information Systems academic discipline within two Universities. The analysis provides a useful basis for decision makers to exploit opportunities and minimise external threats. The study also offers useful insights for Information Systems academics contemplating administrative relocation of their group. The paper serves the dual-purpose of (1) informing the positioning of IS in the two case Institutions, while (2) evolving an approach and related tools for usefully extending the SWOT analysis to other Institutions and States, and across time. The extension of the analysis to other States and to IS groups in differing circumstances will broaden the relevance of study findings, while improving our understanding of differential placement of IS and perceptions of the relative advantages of the alternatives.

KEYWORDS:

• Information Systems
• Information Systems Administrative Location
• SWOT Analysis

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Guy G. Gable

Guy Gable chairs the IT Professional Services Research Program, Faculty of Information Technology, Queensland University of Technology http://sky.fit.qut.edu.au/~gable/. He is Senior Editor Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Associate Editor MISQ, on the Editorial Boards of Journal of the AIS, Information Systems Frontiers, and Australasian Journal of Information Systems. Key research interests include IT Professional Services, IT Research Methods, Enterprise Systems, and IT Evaluation. He has published >100 refereed journal articles, conference papers and books.

Robert W. Smyth

Bob Smyth is Research Associate within the IT Professional Services Research Program at Queensland University of Technology. He holds an MSc from Aston University and a PhD from Queensland University of Technology. His main research interests include IT Professional Services, Computer Aided Software Engineering and Enterprise Systems. He has a particular interest in the Case Study method. In recent years he has been heavily involved in the guidance of PhD candidates in Information Systems.

Jae-Nam Lee

Jae-Nam Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Business School of Korea University in Seoul, Korea. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in MIS from the Graduate School of Management of the KAIST. His research interests are IT outsourcing, knowledge management, and IT impacts on organizational performance. His articles appear in many journals such as MIS Quarterly, ISR, JMIS and others. He serves on the editorial review boards of JAIS, CAIS, I&M, and JGIM.

Jaemin Han

Jae-Min Han is the Excutive Director of the Institute for Business Research and Education and a Professor in the Business School of Korea University in Seoul, Korea. He has been working for the Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology before joining Korea University. He holds Ph.D. degrees in MIS from the University of Iowa. His research interests are Digital Innovation through IT, e-Biz, and IT Effects.