The chapter on surveys was probably the most relevant for me. At one point the author mentions how surveys can create a false sense of security because of their perceived quantitativeness. I've seen this quite a bit in organizations where people quantify survey data then drive business decisions based on those numbers. I liked that the author went into some detail about how to structure surveys well, the various ways of adminstering them and the pros and cons, and also the pitfalls of surveys altogether. I especially thought surveys were relevant because of the often qualitative nature of some IS projects. For example, what would be the impact of redesigning a very complex site using design principles? While we could measure things like time to completion of a task, often these changes can be so minor we can't really show what the benefit was. However, the qualitative perceptions of those impacted aer another story. Certainly I walked away with a greater appreciation for surveys as well as awareness not to rely on that false seen of quantitative value too much.

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Congshan, it is very interesting to coundct IS research using a combination method of qualitative and quantitative methods. However, research must figure out what they seek and circumstances. I think resarch questions can help will decide the method to conduct it.

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I experienced the same thing as you guys did about the interview. When the interview was too long, I always lost my concentration and might be not answer carefully. Therefore, the data that they got for me was not accurate.

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I agree with you that nowadays people conduct surveys on the internet and publish result to public. It is also true that researches might not be designed based on validity. The internet based survey is just another kind of data collection method for doing research. The researchers still need to be careful on identify validity.

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As Robson menitons in Box 9.2 (Questions to avoid in interviews), an interviewer should avoid all these.  When I worked as IT Manager, I got a lot of phone calls from outside to request to interviews.  Their questions are long and taken time to answer which it took me about 20 min.

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When Implementing IT Governance, it is challenging to determine the right mechanisms that work for one's organizations. What works for one company does not necessarily work for another, even though they are within the same sector.

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When Implementing IT Governance, It is challenging to determine the right mechanisms that work for one's organizations. What works for one company does not necessarily work for another, even though they are within the same sector.

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As stated by Diamond, L. In addition to (IT principles) Governance includes several IT decisions such as IT architecture: Defining integration and standardization requirements, IT infrastructure: Determining shared and enabling services, Business application needs: Specifying the business need for purchased or internally developed IT applications, IT investment and prioritization: Choosing which initiatives to fund and how much to spend Source: Diamond, L. (2005). IT Governance:How Top Performers Manage IT Decision Rights for Superior Results. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 1(4), 63-67.

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As stated by Diamond, L. In addition to (IT principles) Governance includes several IT decisions such as %u2022 IT architecture: Defining integration and standardization requirements %u2022 IT infrastructure: Determining shared and enabling services %u2022 Business application needs: Specifying the business need for purchased or internally developed IT applications %u2022 IT investment and prioritization: Choosing which initiatives to fund and how much to spend Source: Diamond, L. (2005). IT Governance:How Top Performers Manage IT Decision Rights for Superior Results. International Journal of Electronic Government Research, 1(4), 63-67.

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In order to implement effective IT governance various elements should be addressed: Outcome measures (related directly to IT governance), Best practices, critical success factors, performance driver, IT governance roles and responsibilities need to be defined, Take ownership of IT Governance and set the direction management should follow, An Implementation plan is required: Following are suggested steps to help management decide where to starts and ensure IT governance process delivers positive results: 1. set up a governance organizations framework. 2. Align IT strategy with business goals 3. Understand/define the risks. 4. Define target areas 5. Analyze current capability and identify gaps 6. Develop improvement strategies. 7. Measure results 8. Repeat steps 2-7 on a regular basis Source: Board Briefing on IT Governance, 2nd Edition (IT Governance Institute, 2003).

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