The Development of IT Systems in Saudi Arabia's Public Sectors

The work entitled "Challenges and Reflections on Knowledge Society & Sociotechnical Systems" reports that information technology (IT) is redefining the business basis" and that "customer attendance, operations, product strategies, marketing and distribution and even the society of knowledge depend sometimes even totally on Information System (IS)." (Balloni, 2010, p.21) The implementation of a new technology has been associated with problems that are "often linked to resistance by the work force and failure to achieve the expected benefits." (Balloni, 2010, p.21) Balloni (2010) reports that there must be a fit between the 'technical' and 'social' system, which form the organization. This means that business strategy, rules and processes determine the type of software and subsequently the type of hardware, database, and telecommunications system needed by the organization. The social system is comprised by the organization's

page(s) 16-51 Section I • General Background Literature Management Information Systems MIS in the Public Sector Information Technologies and Local Government Section II • Planning and Information Technology • Procurement and Information Technology • Information Technology Implementation

Technology is the final important term when leading a public agency toward becoming and remaining a high-quality public organization committed to excellence. Technology allows for the organizations or agencies to connect to the citizens. Berman (2006) states, “governments have focused on improving customer/citizen interactions with agencies through improved electronic access to information and services, thereby reducing costs and improving response times” (p.116). Technology can also assist with issues organizations may have regarding security and reliability.

This paper will discuss strategic information systems planning, information technology, information systems, and how they affect competitive advantage, business planning, and drive change. The paper will also discuss how internal, external, and environmental factors influence strategic information systems planning and the development and use of IT and IS.

Comtex is an office equipment supplier that employs over 60 people. Like almost any other company Comtex depends on systems to record everything and invested in 3 new information systems in order to increase efficiency within the organization. All new systems were operational systems and were as follows:

Despite the recognition of the benefit from deploying information system in a government organisation, there are also considerable unawareness of challenges that would come along. Researchers have pointed out the major challenges fall in the following categories:

The world has entered the information age, the reliance of the development of economy and the progress of the society on information resources, information technology and the information industry is more and more big. The more mature and widely used information technology is profoundly changing people 's traditional ideas, ways of thinking, working style, life style and even industrial structure and social structure of the society as a whole. Information technology has become a global common choice for the development of economy, the degree of informatization has become a measure of a country’s national strength and an important symbol of modernization level(Khurshudov, Andrei, 2001). The

A database system is a rich pool of data from which information is extracted and used for day to day operations and long term planning. Database management systems come along with applications that help individual processes. The three main sources of these databases are operations, purchases, and extracts of operations (Kroenke & Auer, 2012). Information Systems are a set of interrelated components that collect, retrieve, process, store and distribute information to support the decisions made by businesses in their operations. Organizations and their management personnel are in charge of developing goals and strategies to achieve those goals which are communicated to the employees in the forms of policies (Wheelen & Hunger, 2012). Information is very different from data because it is data that has been ‘shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to human beings’ ( Laudon, Kenneth C. & Laudon, Jane P., 2010, p. 15). Businesses are therefore using these databases and technology to facilitate their operations. This is seen in the use of systems to manage human resources, payroll, accounting and training. Information systems help the organization in several ways to run reports that are used by top management by having a snapshot of the gains and losses of the organization in one view or place.

Information and communication technology has largely changed people’s life in the modern world. For example, studying abroad was too difficult to achieve in the past because of the long time taken information delivery and transportation. However, now these problems can easily solved by online information, email and online commercial without leaving room. ICT makes progressive for the efficient for the public services providing through cutting the services providing cost, enhancing the efficiency of the government and e-participation for citizens to take part in the election in a more transparent way. E-government is defined by Kettani and Moulin (2014) as ‘a process of reform in the way governments work, share information and deliver services to external and internal clients’. The UN identified e-government as ‘utilizing the internet and the world wide web for delivering government information and services to citizens’ (UN, 2003). The first wave of office automation between 1960s and 1970s allowed massive reductions by cutting clerical jobs, the second wave of automation changes in the 1980s and 1990s reflecting the introduction of more complicated IT-based procedures (Dunleavy, 2006:18). This essay will explore ways how ICT promote public services in developed and developing countries and list suggestions to use IT systems efficiently.

With the increasing global competition faced by businesses, it is important that in order to survive they have to put in place a highly effective Information Technology (IT) infrastructure to increase their chances of succeeding. In this

In this project, we hope to clearly convey the current situation of the company ALTS, the changes it wishes to implement and the factors

Last but the most important part is that ICT brings efficiency to governance and may also led to an IT revolution in not only public services but also government. Automation makes massive work done by computers which released human beings from simple work. IT system is critical for contemporary government organizations. According to Dunleavy (2006,p.10), there are four main causes:

In a study shown by Vicente, Major, & Pinto (2011), it can be determine that the introduction of new computerized systems was one of the strategies that companies established to provide timely information and respond quickly and effectively to the pressures of their environment. The idea was clear that companies are aware of the technological progress as a way of introducing more advanced Management Control techniques that allow them to get information, whether of a financial or non-financial nature, to help and support their management decisions. According to the authors, in the globalized world, Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT) gain influence in light of the needs forced by competition. Both awareness of the company 's business and a rapid flow of information are basic to decision-making, suggesting that

This paper seeks to define the concept of ‘information systems’ and to establish why Organisations need to plan and manage its information system in order to be successful, it is pertinent to understand the concept of ‘information systems’.

A management information system (MIS) is a system of financial information that uses a computerized database. After the information is organized and programmed, it should be able to produce a regular report on operations for every level of management in a company. Obtaining special reports from the system easily should also be possible with its main aim being to give managers feedback about the performance of the institution. It focuses on the management of information systems to provide decision making strategies that are efficient and effective.