CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Information Technology (IT) and systems have come

to stay and will forever remain a contemporary business

communication tool. This implies businesses in this

modern era cannot afford to ignore the impact of IT on

their operations, because it permeates every aspect of

the economy. Corporate organizations nowadays take

difficult and challenging decisions on daily basis to

be able to stay in business and win over their

competitors. Organizations, whether small or large are

all using IT for one reason or the other. There is no,

therefore denying the fact that IT has become a tool

for competitive advantage for all organizations and is

also easily available to all.

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IT infrastructure provides the needed platform for

organizations to take the fullest advantage of the IT

revolution, but is given little consideration by some

corporate organizations. Having the right IT

infrastructure is very significant, if a firm is to do

business on line, reduce cost of operation, and be

competitive as well in this information age. For most

companies, having computers in their offices and being

connected to the internet is all they need to join the

IT revolution. But this is far from the truth. In this

information age, the IT infrastructure is very vital

for introducing innovative products, communication, and

having efficient business processes to corporate

organizations. According to (Turner and Lankford), it

is believed that the importance of a well defined IT

infrastructure contributing to a firm’s continual

success cannot be over stated.

It is a matter of concern, therefore, to notice

potential benefits of IT go untapped because some

corporate organizations lack adequate or well defined

IT infrastructure in place. This situation, in a

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developing country like Ghana, has contributed to

relatively low levels of online business participation

by organizations, gaining competitive advantage with IT

and also being able to streamline their business

processes with IT.

Statement of the Problem

Inadequate or lack of well defined IT

infrastructure tends to have a notable effect on the

operations of some organizations, including EPP Books

Services Ltd. The effect varies depending on how an

organization views and uses IT. It is widely agreed

that we are in an information age and knowledge based

economy being driven by information technology. It will

therefore be challenging for some corporate

organizations to take advantage of this IT revolution

with inadequate or lack of well defined IT

infrastructure.

Lack of proper and inadequate IT infrastructure in

some organizations, including EPP Books Services Ltd

has partly resulted in some challenges such as,

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providing timely and accurate information to facilitate

better decision making, how to reduce their

increasingly manual way of processing work, how best

they can coordinate and collaborate the effort of their

various branches and improve corporate organization’s

efficiency through information technology.

This is supported by Greenacre suggesting that a

company without an adequate information technology

infrastructure will almost certainly be left behind, as

speed; efficiency and communication are the building

blocks of business success. In addition, there is

inadequate research information to show how IT

infrastructure actually plays a vital role in how

corporate organizations join the IT revolution and

benefits from it. This study, therefore, seeks to

examine in detail the effect of information technology

on organizational development.

The study seeks to achieve the following objectives:

To ascertain the cause of inadequate investment in IT

infrastructure in corporate organizations.

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To examine ways in which IT infrastructure can help

reduce cost, improve co-ordination of effort and bring

about coherent harmony of all business processes of

corporate organizations.

To suggest procedures corporate organizations can

follow in setting up adequate IT infrastructure.

To evaluate the importance of adequate IT

infrastructure to corporate organizations in terms of

gaining competitive advantage.

Research Questions

The study is guided by the following research

questions:

What is the overall effect of efficient and reliable IT

infrastructure on performance of organizations?

How does corporate culture inhibit the setting up of

adequate IT infrastructure in organizations?

What is the effect of inadequate IT infrastructure on

organizations business operations?

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How does a well defined and reliable IT infrastructure

give corporate organizations competitive advantage?

Research Hypotheses

The study is guided by the following hypothesis:

A reliable and well defined IT infrastructure improves

corporate organizations overall performance.

Significance of the Study

There is a general understanding that we live in

an information age. Because of this, it is assumed

therefore that it will extremely be difficult for firms

in today’s competitive markets to achieve sustained

competitive advantage over their competitors without

the use of information technology. It has become the

order of the day that information now rules the world.

Given the pivotal role of information technology in

today’s business organizations, the effective and

efficient adoption of strategic information technology

and putting up adequate IT infrastructures is

particularly important and cannot be overlooked.

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It is my humble wish that the recommendations of

my research work will enable the management of EPP

Books Services Ltd to adopt policies that will enhance

the performance of the company’s business operations

and processes through setting up adequate IT

infrastructures. The findings of this research work I

believe will also heighten the interest of policy

makers and decision makers of companies so as to focus

their attention on measures aimed at developing

effective IT policies for their respective business

operations. It will also serve as a guide for the

academia. Finally, the findings of this study will

serve as a guide-post for further research work into

the chosen topic.

Limitations of the Research

The study is limited by its coverage i.e. limited

to EPP Books Services Ltd. It mainly focuses on the

aspect of the company’s information technology

infrastructure. The sampling size is inadequate.

Research questions can be misinterpreted therefore

resulting in wrong answers being provided. These

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limitations will affect the validity and reliability

aspect of the study, thereby making the whole research

work inadequate.

Organization of the Study

To provide a logical flow of ideas, the research

is outlined into five (5) main chapters. Chapter one

(1) of the study, present’s research background and

issues. This chapter discusses the research problem,

objective of the study, significance of the study,

research question, hypothesis, scope and limitation of

the study and organization of the study. Chapter two

(2) relates the proposed study with existing literature

on the subject and also critique existing literature as

it relates to current study. Clear appreciation of

issues within the literature that affect the study is

discussed in this chapter. Chapter three (3) of this

study presents research methodology which covers the

research design, population of the study, sampling

procedure, research instrument and the data processing

and analysis. Chapter four (4) comprises of the

presentation, analysis and discussion of results or

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findings of the data gathered for the study. Chapter

five (5) which is the concluding chapter covers

summary, conclusion and recommendations of the research

work.

Case Study Organization

EPP Books Services Ltd was established primarily

to fill the vacuum that existed in the provision of

textbooks for tertiary education. There was an acute

shortage of textbooks for tertiary education during the

period between 1982 and1991. The tertiary education

books on the market were either used ones or books that

were several editions old. The situation that prevailed

between 1982 and 1991 therefore offered a marketing

opportunity for a new Bookshop. EPP Books Services Ltd

was therefore established to satisfy the existing

desire for a bookshop to provide for a yearning market.

The establishment of EPP Books Services Ltd was

based on the desire to fill the needs of an identified

market. The company therefore has the customer as its

main focus. In the years prior to the establishment of

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EPP Books Services Ltd, customers has fallen out of

favour with bookshops, but EPP Books Services Ltd has

succeeded in delighting and enticing customers back

into buying books from the bookshop and has built

customer loyalty for the books. The company’s mission

is to provide quality but affordable books for

education, entertainment, self development and self-

fulfillment; to all people whenever there is the need,

whereas the company’s vision is to become the largest

and leading book distributor in West Africa and to be

the bookselling name in the West Africa Sub Region.

EPP Books Services Ltd has been using IT for some

of it business process especially in the area of

warehousing where it has all the data about it books in

a database. It has few IT personnel of its own who are

involved in networking the company’s computers and

other devises and the maintenance of IT equipment’s

from computers to printers, scanners and photo copier

machines. Crystal software is the company responsible

for the development of the company’s software. Most of

the software it develops for the company is related to

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the point of sale terminal use in the bookshops and the

database in the warehouse. It also upgrades and

maintains the software’s when necessary.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Information Technology and Information Systems

According to Laudon and Laudon (2007), by

information, we mean that data have been shaped into a

form that is meaningful and useful to human beings.

Data in contrast, are streams of raw facts representing

events occurring in organizations or the physical

environment before they have been organized and

arranged into a form that people can effectively

understand and use. Lucey (2005) added that information

has no value in itself; its value derives from the

value of the change in decision behaviour caused by the

information being available minus the cost of producing

the information. There is the tendency to assume that

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the more information, earlier or up-to-date

information, more accurate information, etc., is all

better information. It may be better information, but

only, if it improves the resulting decisions, otherwise

it has no value.

Information systems, according to Laudon and

Laudon (2007) can be defined technically as a set of

interrelated components that collect (retrieve),

process, store, and distribute information to support

decision making and control in an organization. In

addition to supporting decision making, coordination

and control, information systems may help managers and

workers analyse problems, visualize complex subjects

and create new products. Obrien and Marakas (2007) say

that information systems can be any organized

combination of people, hardware, software,

communication networks, data resources, and policies

and procedures that stores, retrieves, transforms, and

disseminates information in an organization. Oz (2006)

also did suggest that, with an understanding of the

words “information” and “systems” the definition of an

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information system is almost intuitive: and information

systems consist of all the components that work

together to process data and produce information.

Almost all business information systems consist of many

subsystems with subgroups, all contributing to the

organizations main goal.

Frenzel (1996) defined information technology as

the term that describes the disciplines encompassing

computer systems, telecommunication networks, and

multimedia (combined audio, text, and video information

applications. Obrien and Marakas (2007) also defined

information technology as referring to the various

hardware, software, networking and data management

components necessary for the system to operate.

The above observations are supported by Laudon and

Laudon (2007) who further explained information

technology as consisting of all the hardware and

software that a firm needs to use in order to achieve

its business objectives. This include not only

computers, printers, hand held personal digital

assistants, and, yes even iPods (where they are use for

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a business purpose), but also software’s, such as the

windows or Linux operating systems, the Microsoft

office desktop productivity suite, and the many

thousands of computer programs that can be found in a

typical large firm

As indicated earlier, information technology and

information system are interwoven, to the extent that

information technology provides the basis for

information systems to achieve its purpose: In other

words, information technology and information systems

are same bedfellows.

Information Technology and its Role in Organizational

Development

It is widely accepted that Information Technology

(IT) plays an important role in organization change –

that it can make business processes more efficient,

work groups more effective, and enable more effective

decisions to be made. However, there is little

agreement on exactly how IT should do this and which

key technologies are involved, Rivard et’tal (2004).

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Information technology according to Ramachanran, is the

enabler, which streamlines business processes, reduces

cycle times and validates the performance improvements.

It will help standardize and simplify business

processes across the various dimensions of a business,

there by bringing in efficiency gains in terms of time

and money. More importantly, IT through the use of

databases can help in the vital area of knowledge

management by converting data from a common format,

manipulate it and present it as information that is

useful in decision making. It can also consolidate and

enrich data to create information that is not available

from a single source and can therefore act as a vital

source of competitive intelligence

The role of Information Technology in business

organizations has been crucial in automating processes

by managing and using information with the help of

computer based tools and techniques. It also entails

accumulating, preserving and distribution of

organizational information. Most companies store and

process data on computers that can be accessed and

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modified more conveniently as and when required. Many

business organizations either purchase software

packages or hire IT professionals or companies that

specialize in offering IT related services. The

continuous developments and the throat slashing

competition have made incorporation of IT imperative in

every business set-up. Information technology reduces

the risk of failures and increases flexibility by

decreasing the cost of adjustment. IT has impacted on

businesses and industries since its inception.

Most technological innovations in the world have been

brought in by information technology. The immense usage

of internet has bridged all gaps between humans in any

part of the world. IT companies have played an

important role in accelerating the business of several

business organizations all over the world. IT has

impacted on businesses and industries since its

inception. Information Technology has helped several

businesses in growing the following areas:

1. Globalization: IT has helped several small

organizations acquire business from different parts of

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the world. A business is not restricted to particular

area or a city, hence, increasing the revenue of the

business with an increase in the number of clients.

2. Process Redesign: In recent years, a great deal of

attention has been paid to how IT can radically change

business processes. Often called reengineering or

business process redesign (BPR), IT is an essential

element of this type of transformation because it

permits removal of redundant steps, interconnects work

as it is being accomplished, and removes constraints

from where it can be located. As part of process

redesign, IT makes information and knowledge more

available to others in the organization and connects

workers and information across organizational

boundaries Rivard et’tal (2004). According to Gordon

and Gordon (1999), incorporating the best principles of

total quality management and reengineering, business

process design focuses on improving an organization’s

processes. Business process redesign identifies core

processes and looks for better ways to do them. Often

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companies use automation extensively to improve these

processes.

3. Improved Coordination: IT can be used to support or

enable coordination between autonomous business units

or partners. This is especially important for global or

multinational firms. IT coordination can often be used

as a substitute for more formal structures. As a

result; it enables businesses to organize themselves in

radically different ways. Many companies are now

experimenting with different forms of coordination

using IT. For example, some firms are focusing on

efficiency, and are taking a highly centralized

approach to managing operations, no matter where they

are located Rivard et’tal (2004).

4. Payment: IT is perhaps one of the biggest achievements

of mankind so far. Within a matter of a few minutes one

can sell and buy products or services without having to

travel physically to collect payment. This convenience

eventually helps in widening the client base of the

business that would again add to the revenue

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5. Improved collaboration: IT enables work and workers to

be interconnected in a variety of ways, thus

facilitating new ways of working together.

Internetworking and groupware promote communication and

information sharing across hierarchical, departmental,

and organizational boundaries. Software also enables

people to work together in teams without being in the

same location. IT can support the use of dispersed work

teams and enable parallel task execution and learning

from the expertise of others. Language translation

software can be used to help team members who do not

share the same linguistic backgrounds to work together

effectively Rivard et’tal, (2004). Lucey (2005) added

that computers, terminals, networks and communication

equipment have made it possible to combine jobs which

were previously carried out separately. In the process

it has enabled the task to be carried out by lower-

level staff-a process known as empowering.

6. Improved Information Use: IT can give organizations a

clearer understanding of their own business. It can

provide them with a comprehensive picture of their

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organizational dynamics and help managers find a

variety of ways to improve the operations of their

business Rivard et’tal (2004). While performing

information- processing task, ICT routinely capture and

store data and information. This diverse data can be

further manipulated and analysed in an integrated way

to give organizations better understanding and hence

control over their material and human resources, as

well as enhancing the effectiveness of management and

the interactions with customers and suppliers Lucey

(2005).

7. Improved Research and Learning: For example, data

warehousing and data mining have been used to identify

customers’ buying patterns, find associated among the

demographic characteristics of customers and to predict

response to mailing campaigns. Banks use these

technologies to detect patterns of fraudulent credit

card use, identify likely loyal customers, predict

client likely to change their card affiliation, predict

credit card spending by customer groups and to find

hidden correlation between different financial

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indicators Lucey (2005 ). According to Rivard et’tal

(2004), IT can also transform both how organizations

develop and bring to market new products, and how they

learn new things. Software is especially being used to

transform companies’ innovation processes. Every aspect

of research and development – from basic to applied

research, and design and engineering – can be affected.

By eliminating steps in the innovation process,

enabling others to be performed simultaneously, and

providing a disciplined framework for complex team

interactions, technology is rapidly reducing the time

and cost it takes to bring a product to market.

Information Technology: It’s Use as a Competitive and

Strategic Weapon for Organizations

According to Ramachanran, the great utility of IT

in business process is not the solutions it provides,

but the questions that it provokes. These questions

help the organization to better understand its strength

and achieve competitive advantage. IT helps an

organization to achieve its strategic goals and

corporate objective and bring about significant

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improvement in productivity. Bobb and Harris

illustrated that most companies today are finding a new

dimension for information technologies (IT). That new

dimension is its use as a competitive and strategic

weapon. Previously, information systems (IS) and IT

were used mainly as data processing aids. However, that

will soon become a minor feature of any IS. With the

rapid growth of the global economy and of the Internet,

specifically in the field of electronic commerce, the

way a company utilizes and manages its information

technology will be the key to its success. The most

successful companies at present are those that have a

firm grasp of their IT potential and are leveraging

that potential as much as possible. Companies can no

longer differentiate themselves strictly by products

and price as was the age-old practice, but now have to

be more creative. The use of IT as a competitive weapon

and also as a strategic weapon will be that new

differentiation tool

Nair (2009) noted that strategic importance of IT

lies in its ability in developing the concept "value

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chain" in organization by creating interdependent

generic value activities comprising of elements such as

suppliers, customers, production, finance etc. IT

creates a linkage between these activities through a

value chain. It transforms the value chain activities

and also the product's physical components and process

either by lowering cost of value activities or by

product's differentiation. IT also transforms the pace

of competition itself.

O’Brien and Marakas (2011) observed that, the term

competitive advantage is often used when referring to a

firm that is leading an industry in some identifiable

way such as sales, revenue, or new products. In fact

the definition of the term suggests a single condition

under which a competitive advantage can exist: when a

firm sustains profits that exceed the average for its

industry, the firm is said to possess competitive

advantage over it rivals. In order words competitive

advantage is all about profit. The real problem with a

competitive advantage, however is that it normally

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doesn’t last very long and is generally not sustainable

over the long term

Sources of Competition

Porter’s model has been used industry wide to

describe the competition and how firms should go about

competing in their respective industries. Porter as

cited in Walker (2007) contends that five industry

forces affect the average profitability of firms, these

forces are:

1. The strength of competition

2. The potential for entry into the industry.

3. The power of buyers.

4. The power of suppliers.

5. The strength of substitutes for the industry’s

products.

When these forces are strong, average profit in the

industry go down. Conversely, when the forces are weak,

the firms in the industry make more money. For example

strong competition and easy entry reduces product

price, decreasing the firm’s margins. Powerful

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customers also push down prices and may require higher

value, which leads to a higher cost on most cases.

Likewise, a firm’s powerful suppliers can decrease the

value they provide and increase their prices, lowering

the value the firm provides to customers and driving up

its costs. The availability of strong substitutes, such

as snow boards for skis or DVDs for VCRs, put pressure

on the value offered by the firm and on its prices.

Laudon and Laudon (2007) however argue that,

although the Porter’s model is very helpful for

identifying competitive forces and suggesting generic

strategies, it is not very specific about what exactly

to do, and it does not provide a methodology to follow

for achieving competitive advantage. If your goal is to

achieve operational excellence, where do you start?

Here’s where the business value chain model is helpful.

The value chain model view the firm as a series or

chain of basic activities that add a margin of value to

a firm’s products or services. These activities can be

categorized as either primary activities or secondary

activities. Primary activities are mostly directly

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related to the production and distribution of the

firm’s product and services, which create values for

the customer. Support activities make the delivery of

the primary activities possible.

Information technology, according to Bobb and Harris

has changed the competitive environment in six basic

ways:

• Products and services enhanced with computer

capability,

• Cost displacement,

• Enhanced decision support,

• Revision of the mission or objectives of the

enterprise,

• Business interrelationships, and

• Creation of new products and services Diebold (1986)

as cited in Bobb and Harris.

Information Technology Strategies for Dealing with

Competitive Forces

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For companies investing their time and money in

implementing IT/IS infrastructures, there should be a

competitive advantage for them in the sense that, if

their competitors are not doing the same thing, then

surely they will attain a competitive edge over their

rivals. The following are identified as a summary of

how IT can be use to implement the five basic

competitive strategies.

1. Lower cost: use IT to substantially reduce the cost of

business process. Use IT to lower the cost of customers

and suppliers.

2. Differentiate: develop new IT features to differentiate

products and services. Use IT features to reduce the

differentiation advantage of competition. Use IT

features to focus products and services at selected

market niches.

3. Innovate: create new product and services that include

IT components. Develop unique new markets or market

niches with the help of IT. Make radical changes to

business processes with IT that dramatically cut cost,

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improve quality, efficiency, or customer service, or

shorten time to market.

4. Promote growth: use IT to manage regional and global

business expansion. Use IT to diversify and integrate

information, other products and services.

5. Develop alliance: use IT create virtual organizations

of business partners. Develop inter-enterprise

information systems linked by the internet and

extranets that support strategic business relationships

with customers, suppliers, subcontractors and others.

6. Develop inter-enterprise IS whose convenience and

efficiency create switching costs that lock in

customers or suppliers.

7. Make major investments in advance IT applications that

build barriers to entry against industry competitors or

outsiders.

8. Include IT components in products or services to make

substitution of competing product or services more

difficult.

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9. Leverage investments in the IS people, hardware, and

networks from operational uses into strategic

applications O’Brien and Marakas (2011).

Porter and Miller (1984) have identified five (5)

steps that senior executives can follow to take

advantage of opportunities in the information

revolution has created:

1. Assess information intensity: a company’s first task is

to evaluate existing and potential information

intensity of the product and process of it business

units.

2. Determine the role of IT in industry structure:

managers should predict the likely impact of IT on

their industry’s structure. They must examine how IT

might affect each of the five competitive forces. Not

only is each force likely to change but industry

boundaries may change as well.

3. Identify and rank the way in which IT might create

competitive advantage: the starting assumption must be

that technology is likely to affect every activity in

the value chain. Equally is important is the

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possibility that new linkages among activities are

being made possible. By taking careful look, managers

can identify the value activities that are likely to be

most affected in terms of cost and differentiation.

4. Investigate how IT might spawn new business: mangers

should consider opportunities to create new businesses

from existing ones. IT is an increasingly important

avenue for corporate diversification.

5. Develop a plan for taking advantage of IT: the first

four steps should lead to an action plan to capitalize

on the information revolution. This action plan should

rank the strategic investments necessary in hardware

and software, and a new product development activities

that reflect the increasingly information content in

product.

Achieving Sustained Competitive Advantage with

Information Technology

Laudon and Laudon (2007) say that strategic

information systems often change the organization as

well as its products, service, and operating

procedures, driving the organization into new

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behavioural patterns. Successfully using information

systems is challenging and requires precise

coordination of technology, organization, and

management. The competitive advantages strategic

systems confer do not necessarily last long enough to

ensure long term profitability. Because competitors can

retaliate and copy strategic systems, competitive

advantage is not always sustainable. Nair (2009)

maintains that information available in the

organization can be effectively converted into the

fruitful result and attained sustainable competitive

advantage if the following steps are observed.

1. Assess existing and potential information intensity of

product and process.

2. Evaluating the likely impact of IT on their industry

structure.

3. Identifying the rank of activities that information

first affect.

4. Quantifying how information technology brings new

business.

5. Generate a plan of action for taking advantage of IT.

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These days, IT is not at all a supporting system but

a way of thinking that contributes substantial

competitive advantage having substantial effects and

implications in firm's operations. Oz (2006) also

noted that in an environment where most information

technology is available to all, strategic information

systems originally developed to create a competitive

advantage quickly become an expected industry standard

business practice. A system can only help a company

sustain competitive advantage, if the company

continuously modifies and enhances it, creating a

moving target for competitors.

Technology is a double-edged sword which can work in

your favour and against you. The key to a good return

on an IT investment is the knowledge of where, when and

how to use it. Thus, any decision to use technology

should be backed by a roadmap covering at least three

to five years, with measurable returns. Hence, if you

are aiming for cost reductions, the best practice will

be to identify the areas where the maximum cost

reduction can be affected in the least time, and then

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identify the best technology that can be deployed

within the constraints (people, process and

technology). Then chase the goal of cost reduction

until you achieve it, quips Kahlon as cited in Sharma.

Apart from this, the selection of any such tool must be

need-based and should happen after consulting those who

will be using it. Technology should not be thrust upon

people, says Varadarajan as cited in Sharma.

Business Organizations and Society’s Concerns in the

Ethics in Information Technology

Dilemmas regarding the life of information are

becoming increasingly important in a society that is

defined as "the information society". Information

transmission and literacy are essential concerns in

establishing an ethical foundation that promotes fair,

equitable, and responsible practices. Information

ethics broadly examines issues related to ownership,

access, privacy, security, and community. Information

technology affects common issues such as copyright

protection, intellectual freedom, accountability, and

security. Many of these issues are difficult or

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impossible to resolve due to fundamental tensions

between Western moral philosophies (based on rules,

democracy, individual rights, and personal freedoms)

and the traditional Eastern cultures (based on

relationships, hierarchy, collective responsibilities,

and social harmony). The multi-faceted dispute between

Google and the government of the People's Republic of

China reflects some of these fundamental tensions.

Ethics steps back from such standards for how

people do act and reflects on the standards by which

people should live and act. At this most basic level,

ethics is concerned with how we act and how we live our

lives. As a branch of philosophy, ethics is the

discipline that systematically studies questions of how

we ought to live our lives Hartman and Desjardins

(2011).

Information ethics has been defined as "the branch

of ethics that focuses on the relationship between the

creation, organization, dissemination, and use of

information, and the ethical standards and moral codes

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governing human conduct in society". It provides a

critical framework for considering moral issues

concerning informational privacy, moral agency (e.g.

whether artificial agents may be moral), new

environmental issues (especially how agents should one

behave in the info-sphere), problems arising from the

life-cycle (creation, collection, recording,

distribution, processing, etc.) of information

(especially ownership and copyright, digital divide,

and digital rights). Information Ethics is related to

the fields of computer ethics and the philosophy of

information.

Principles of Technology Ethics

Obrien and Marakas (2007) present four ethical

principles of technology as follows:

1. Proportionality: the good achieve by the technology

must outweigh the harm or risk. Moreover there must be

no alternative that achieve the same or comparable

benefits with less harms or risk.

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2. Informed consent: those affected by the technology

should understand and accept the risks.

3. Justice: the benefits and burdens of the technology

should be distributed fairly. Those who benefit should

bear the fair share of the risks, and those who do not

benefit should not suffer a significant increase in

risk.

4. Minimized risk: even if judged acceptable by the other

three guidelines, the technology must be implemented so

as to avoid all unnecessary risk.

Society’s Main Concerns

Bocij et al., (2003) describes the following as key

concerns of society on IT as follows

I. Employment: there is no doubt that technology has made

a significant impact on the patterns of employment. In

the office environment, the position and tasks of many

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employees have been taken over by computer based

information systems.

II. Skilled and deskilling: a subject of great debate over

the past ten years has been whether or not technology

leads to the deskilling of employees. In general the

debate concerns a single central question: Are

employees being given the opportunity to develop new

skills in depth, or are they developing a broader range

of skills, but failing to develop any real expertise in

one or more specific areas?

III. The digital divide: concern is growing that society may

eventually become divided into two distinct groups. One

group will be made of those who have access to

technology and are able to obtain information via the

internet. The other will be made up of those who are

unable to gain access to technology and information.

IV. Personal Privacy: it has long been recognized that

technology enable companies, government departments and

other organizations to collect large amount of personal

information. Although the use of such information is

controlled by various mechanisms, such as legislation,

38

many people are concerned by the potential threat to

personal privacy.

V. Crime: as the use technology has become more

widespread, so too have the incidences of computer

crime. Acts such as theft, fraud, unauthorized access

and vandalism have become almost common place and the

losses or damage caused by such acts has increased

dramatically.

The above observations are supported by Laudon and

Laudon (2007) who also says that other pressing ethical

issues raised by information systems include

establishing accountability for the consequences of

information systems, setting standards to safeguard

system quality that protects the safety of the

individual and society, and preserving values and

institutions considered essential to the quality of

life in an information society. When using information

systems it is essential to ask, “What is the ethical

and socially responsible cause of action?”

39

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

Introduction

40

This chapter describes how the research was

conducted, the methods employed in conducting the

research, information needed to undertake the study and

how the problem was investigated. It also deals with

how the study gathered and analyzed the data collected.

The chapter contains the research design, population

and sample, sampling procedure, data collection

methods, and instruments used to collect data and

methods of data analysis.

Research Design

This research is conducted to examine the effect

of information technology on organizational development

taking EPP Books Services Ltd as a case study. The

choice of E.P.P Books Services Ltd as sample area is

based on its recognition as being the biggest books

seller in the country and has branches across the West

African Sub Region and is also a major publisher of

tertiary books in the country and had contacts with

other major books sellers in the world such as

MacMillan, Book Power, Kaplan, Cengage learning, etc.

Given that majority other book sellers in Ghana deal

41

with or buy their books from E.P.P Books Services Ltd,

a study of this company will reveal the effect of IT on

such a company and its operations.

Population of the Study

The population of the study consists of top

management and staffs of EPP Books Services Ltd. This

is made up of employees in different branches of the

company across the country with Grater Accra region

having most of the branches and a larger number of

workers as well. The selected population were

interviewed and given questionnaires to respond to.

Sample Size

The sampling size of the study is 50. The random

probability sampling is the method used to select

respondents. The random method was used due to

difficulty in reaching the desired sample

Sampling Procedure

42

The Accra branches of the company which are

located at Achimota, La Trade-Fair, Accra Central and

Zenith University College campus branch including the

Head Office were selected to represent the sample. The

sample here includes management, senior and junior

staff of the company. In all 10 respondents were from

the managements side, with 15 senior staff and 25

junior staffs. Questionnaires were administered to the

selected staff of the service. The selection was made

with random sampling techniques.

Research (Data Collection) Instrument

Two (2) instruments are used namely,

questionnaires which are both open and closed ended

questions and personal observation. This was important

or necessary so as to meet the various levels of

respondents. The questionnaires for the respondents had

both closed ended items, where respondents were asked

to tick the appropriate response and open ended items

where the respondents were requested to give reasons

for choosing a particular responds or to make

suggestion to improve upon a particular problem or

43

difficulty. This approach gives room for different

views and answers and is important so as to meet the

various levels of respondents. Questionnaires were used

because it is a cheap and easy way of acquiring

information.

Questionnaires for the respondents sought

information first about their basic knowledge of IT,

problems they do encounter when working with their

computers for office duties and to describe the kind of

problem they encounter. Respondents were also asked

about investment in IT by the company and whether the

company needs to do more with their IT investment and

some of the areas they think the company should invest

more into. On the question of interest in information

technology, respondents were also asked about how

receptive they were about new IT applications introduce

in the company and whether they agree that IT has

affected the way the company operates.

For the observation study, personal visit to the

main head office and other branches in Accra were made

during business hours. On occasions, the researcher

44

observed how workers went about their work or business

and noticed how some employees struggled with some task

that could easily have been made with IT.

Data Collection Method or Procedure

The researcher visited all the branches of the

company in Accra. In all the branches that the

researcher visited, he had to seek permission from the

Manager in charge and showed him or her, letter given

to him from the main head office before commencing.

Most often one personnel do accompany the researcher to

the desk to his follow college and try to convince them

to be cooperative.

The researcher in most instances deemed it

necessary to explain to the respondents about the kind

of answers that is expected of them because those with

basic knowledge of IT do not understand some

terminologies. Because is busy hours some most

respondent do not fill their questionnaire on spot, so

the researcher had go and come back, sometimes it has

to be the following day. Respondents were assured of

45

that their responds would be kept confidential, since

others were skeptical about the whole thing at first.

In all a week and half were use for the questionnaires

and observation study. Fifty respondents were completed

and returned. The returned rate was encouraging this is

due to the fact that the researcher could easily locate

their offices and have a regular visit to them that

made the researcher to retrieved most of the

questionnaires.

Data Processing and Analysis

The findings of the study were presented using

appropriate tables and charts to ensure easy

interpretation of results. The data received from

respondents were grouped into different categories

according to the kind of answers given in response to

the questionnaire. The study used the descriptive

statistics in analyzing the data collected.

46

CHAPTER FOUR

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Introduction

This chapter deals with the data collected in

relation to the research. It was mainly based on the

questionnaires administered to the respondents using

random sampling method. Data were analyzed using

Microsoft excel 2007, where data collected were coded

and fed in to the computer.

Primary Data

This section considers the background information

about the respondents in the form of their sex, age

range and level of education.

47

Sex Distribution of Respondents

The study wanted to find out the sex distribution

of respondents. In this respect, there was a closed-

ended item in the questionnaire and respondents were

requested to tick the appropriate response. Information

obtain us is shown in table 1 below:

Table 1: Sex Distribution of Respondents

Sex Frequency Percentage (%)

Male 29 58

Female 21 42

Total 50 100

FIGURE 1: Histogram Showing Sex Distribution of

Respondents.

48

25-34 35-44... 45-54 Above 540

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

714

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From the table 1 and figure 1, 29 respondents

representing 58% of the selected sample population were

male whiles 21 respondents representing 42% were

female.

Age Range of Respondents

The age range of the respondents was of importance

to the study and therefore there was a closed-ended

item in the questionnaire to be responded to

49

appropriately. Information obtained is shown in table 2

below:

Table 2 Age Range of Respondents

Age Range Frequency Percentage (%)

18-24 7 14

25-34 33 66

35-44 8 16

45-54 2 4

Above 54 0 0

Total 50 100

FIGURE 2: Histogram Showing Sex Age Range of

Respondents.

50

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

Table 2 and figure 2, depicts that ages 25-34which

represent 66% forms a vast majority of the randomly

selected population used. It was followed by ages 35-44

which represented 16%, then ages 18-24 representing 14%

and ages 45-54 which represented 4% of the selected

population. There was no single respondent above the

age of 54 from the selected population.

Level of Education of Respondents

The level of education attainment of respondents

was also considered by the study. Table 3 and figure 3

depicts information about the level of education of the

selected sample population.

Table 3: Level of Education of Respondents

51

Education Frequency Percentage (%)

JHS 0 0

SHS 6 12

Diploma 10 20

First Degree 34 68

Masters Degree 0 0

Total 50 100

FIGURE 3: Histogram Showing the Level of Education ofRespondents

52

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From table 3 and figure 3 above, 6 respondents

representing 12% had their highest education at the

SHS, while 10 respondents representing 20% had theirs

at the diploma level. First degree holders in the

selected population were 34 respondents representing

68%. There was no single respondent in the selected

sample population with Masters Degree or PhD.

Basic Knowledge in Information Technology

This section considers the background information

of the respondents with regard to their ICT familiarity

level, usage of the internet and knowledge of ICT.

ICT Applications Familiarity Level

53

The study wants to find out the ICT familiarity

level of the respondents. In this respect, there was a

closed-ended item in the questionnaire and respondents

were requested to tick the appropriate response.

Information obtain is shown in the table 4 below:

Table 4 ICT Familiarity Level of Respondents

ICT Familiarity Level Frequency Percentage (%)

Basic 13 26

Very Conversant 25 50

Professional 12 24

Total 50 100

FIGURE 4: Histogram Showing ICT Familiarity Level of

Respondents

54

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From table 4 and figure 4, 13 respondents,

representing 26% of the sample population have basic

ICT familiarity level, 25 respondents representing 50%

are very conversant with ICT while 12 respondents

representing 26% are professionals when it comes to

ICT. This implies that most of the respondents are

familiar with ICT in one way or the other.

Internet Operations

The use of the internet is important to the study

and therefore was a closed-ended item in the

55

questionnaire to be responded to appropriately.

Information obtain is shown in the table 5 below:

Table 5: Usage of the Internet Operations

Usage of the Internet Frequency Percentage (%)

Yes 48 96

No 2 4

Total 50 100

FIGURE 5: Cone Showing the Internet Operations Usage ofRespondents.

Yes No Total0102030405060708090100

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

56

Table 5 and figure 5, depicts that 48 respondents,

representing 96% of the randomly selected population

use the internet with only 2 respondents representing

only 4% not using internet operations. This implies

that most of the respondents are familiar with internet

usage.

Level of Knowledge of Respondents in ICT

The level of knowledge of the respondents are in

terms of ICT was also considered by the study. Table 6

and figure 6 depicts information about the level of

knowledge of ICT of the selected sample population.

Table 6: Level of Knowledge of Respondents in ICT

Knowledge of ICT Frequency Percentage (%)

Excellent 11 22

Very Good 23 46

Good 12 24

Fair 4 8

57

Poor 0 0

Total 50 100

FIGURE 6: Histogram showing Level of Knowledge of

Respondents in ICT

58

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

Table 6 and figure 6 depicts that, out of a total

of 50 respondents, 11 respondents, representing 22%

have excellent knowledge of ICT. 23 of the respondents

representing 46% have very good knowledge of ICT whiles

12 respondents representing 24% and 4 respondents

representing 8% had good and fair knowledge of ICT

respectively. From table 6 and figure 6, it can be said

that there is a higher rate of knowledgeable

respondents when it comes to ICT.

Problems Encountered When Working With Computers

59

This section deals with some of the problems

encountered by respondents in the cause of their works.

Accordingly, this section ask respondents whether they

have ever encountered a problem with their computers

before in the cause of their performing their duties

and to describe the problem if the answered yes to

having encountered a problem before. Respondents were

to tick where appropriate if the problems they do

encounter is user related error or is a technical

problem and as such is not their fault and how long

does it take to get feedback when they have a problem.

Problems Encountered With Computers during Operations

The study sought to find out if respondents do

actually encounter computer related problems during the

course of their work. In this respect there was a

closed-ended item in the questionnaire and respondents

were requested to tick appropriately.

Table 7: Problems with computers during the course of

work

Response Frequency Percentage (%)

60

Yes 49 98

No 1 2

Total 50 100

FIGURE 7: Histogram Showing Problems Encountered by

Respondents.

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From the table 7 and figure 7, there were 49

respondents representing 98% of the randomly selected

sample population that says that answered yes, that

they have ever encountered a problem with their

computer before during operations. This shows that

61

almost all the respondents have encountered a problem

with their computers before during the course of work.

Description of Problem

The study wants the respondents to describe the

kind of problem they have been facing with their

computers during operations. In this respect an open-

ended item in the questionnaire was provided to elicit

information from the respondents. The problems describe

by the respondents includes viruses, power failure,

software problems, internet speed been slow to the

freezing of the computer during operations. Most of the

complaints were about computers freezing unexpectedly.

2 respondents did not answer to this item in the

questionnaire. It be concluded that most of the

respondents have problems with their computers during

operations in one way or the other.

User Related Error or Technical Problem

The study was interested in finding out whether or

not some of the computer related problems encountered

by respondents are user related error or a technical

62

fault or problem. In this respect, there was a closed-

ended item in the questionnaire and respondents were

requested to tick appropriately. Information obtain is

shown in the table 8 below:

Table 8: User Related Error or Technical Problem

Response FrequencyPercentage (%)

Yes (user related error) 12 24

No (technical faults) 38 76

Total 50100

FIGURE 8: Histogram Showing User Related Error or

Technical Problem

63

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From table 8 and figure 8, there were 12

respondents, representing 24% of the selected sample

believed that some of the problems they do encounter

are as a result of a user related error whereas 38

respondents, representing 76% says no; the problems

they encounter are technical problems which they cannot

control nor do something about it. It can be concluded

that most of the problems users of computers in the

company face are most often a result of a technical

problem.

Getting Feedback from IT Service Personnel’s when there

is a Problem

64

Another area of importance in this study is to

find out how long it takes respondents to get

feedback from IT service personnel’s whenever they

encounters a problem that need immediate attention. In

this respect, there was a closed-ended item in the

questionnaire and respondents were requested to tick

appropriately. Table 9 and figure 9 depict information

about feedback from IT Service Personnel’s when

respondents complained of a Problem.

Table 9: Feedback from IT Service Personnel’s when

Respondents Complained of a Problem

Response FrequencyPercentage (%)

A month 12

Three weeks 3 6

Two weeks 5 10

A week 19 38

None of the above (1-3 days) 2244

Total 50 100

FIGURE.9: Histogram Showing IT Service Personnel’s

Responds to Complains

65

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From table 9 and figure 9 above, 22 respondents,

representing 44% of the selected sample population

ticked none of the above option which states that the

respondents get feedback to their complaints within a

day or two. 19 respondents, representing 38% of the

selected sample population observed that they get

response to their computer related problems from the IT

service personnel’s a week time. 5 respondents,

representing 10% of the selected sample population

noted that it takes 2 weeks to get feedback from IT

service personnel’s. 3 respondents, representing 6% of

the selected sample population said that it takes up to

3 weeks to get the IT service personnel’s address their

66

problems for them whereas one (1) respondent,

representing just 2% of the selected sample population

says that it takes to a month to get his or her

computer problem addressed by the IT service

personnel’s. This shows that the time it takes

respondents to get their computer problems solved by

the IT service personnel’s’ is not all that encouraging

at all, and it can be seen that productivity is somehow

affected as a result.

Investment in Information Technology Infrastructure.

Realizing the importance of investment in

information technology infrastructure to modern

businesses, the study was interested in finding out

from the respondents what they thought about the

company’s current information technology infrastructure

and how adequate investment will help enhance

productivity. Respondents were requested to tick first

two closed – ended items and, if their answer to either

of the above is yes, they would then answer an open –

ended item that requested them to suggest what the

company should do in terms of investment in information

67

technology. This is followed by another two closed –

ended questionnaires. Table 10 shows respondents

opinion on how investment in information technology

will enhance productivity.

Table 10: Investments in IT Infrastructure and

Applications.

Response FrequencyPercentage (%)

Yes 50 100

No 0 0

Total 50 100

Figure 10: Investments in IT Infrastructure and

Applications

68

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From table 10 and figure 10 above, all the 50

respondents believed that investment in information

technology infrastructure will make their work easier

and also help enhance productivity.

Table 11: Improvement in current information technology

applications

Response FrequencyPercentage (%)

Yes 47 94

No 3 6

69

Total 50 100

Figure 11: Improvement in current IT Applications

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From table 11 and figure 11, on the question of

whether the current IT applications been used in the

company needs improvement, 47 respondents, representing

94% said yes, the current IT applications needs

improvements, while 3 respondents, representing 6%

thought, the current set-up is ok.

From this analysis, it can be said that there is

a general acceptance among the respondents that, if the

company actually invests in information technology

70

infrastructure, it will make their work easier and

thereby enhance productivity, and also the current IT

application been used in the company needs improvement.

Suggestions on What the Company should do in Terms of

Investment in IT Infrastructure

The study wanted the respondents to give some

suggestions that they think when it comes to investment

in IT infrastructure, the company should do. In this

respect, an open-ended item in the questionnaire was

provided to elicit information from the respondents.

The suggestions of the respondents ranged from getting

more IT personnel’s, back-up it systems regularly,

virus protection mechanism, getting more UPS to

organising training workshops for the respondents in

the field of IT. The study concluded that more could be

done in terms of investment in IT infrastructure setup

of the company.

Current IT infrastructure setup

The study was interested in finding out whether

respondents were satisfied with the current IT

71

infrastructure setup in the company at the moment. The

outcome is shown in table 11 and figure 10 below:

Table 12: Current IT Infrastructure Setup

Respondents FrequencyPercentage (%)

Very satisfied 7 14

Somewhat satisfied 29 58

Somewhat dissatisfied 10 20

Very dissatisfied 4 8

Total 50 100

Figure.12: Showing Current IT Infrastructure Setup

72

Yes No Total0102030405060708090100

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From table 12 and figure 12 above, 7 respondents,

representing 14% said that they were very satisfied

with the current IT infrastructure setup of the

company. 29 respondents, representing 58% said that

they were somewhat satisfied. 10 respondents,

representing 20% noted that they were somewhat

dissatisfied with the current set-up, while 4

respondents representing 8% thought that they were very

dissatisfied with the current IT infrastructure set-up

of the company.

Improvement in Business Operations Through Investment

in IT Infrastructure

73

Another important issue to the study was the issue

of investment in IT infrastructure. The study was of

the belief that more can be done about investment in IT

infrastructure. This item in the questionnaire was

therefore designed to elicit information from the

respondents, since they were those involved in the day

to day management of the company. They were requested

to tick whether they strongly agree, agree, somewhat

agree or disagree that the company can improve its

business operation with investment in a company-wide IT

infrastructure setup. Table 13 below shows the response

of the respondents.

Table 13: Improvement in business operations through

investment in IT infrastructure

Respondents FrequencyPercentage (%)

Strongly agree 37 74

Agree 12 24

Somewhat agree 1 2

Disagree 0 0

74

Total 50 100

Figure 13: Showing Improvement in Business Operations

Through Investment in IT Infrastructure

Yes No Total

0102030405060708090

100

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

From table 13 and figure 13 above, 37 respondents,

representing 74% strongly agreed that the company could

actually improve its business operations when it

invested in company-wide IT infrastructure set-up. 12

respondents, representing 24% also agreed to this claim

while 1 respondent, representing 2% somewhat agreed. It

could therefore be concluded that majority of the

respondents accept that investment in IT infrastructure

set up can improve business operations.

75

Interest in Information Technology

Realizing the importance of the interest of

respondents to the adoption of IT in business, the

study was very particular about finding out how

receptive the respondents were to the introduction of

new information technology applications being

introduced in the company and also to find out how they

think the current trend in IT has affected the way the

company operates. In view of this, there were follow up

items in the questionnaire and respondents were

required to tick appropriately. There was another open-

ended question that required respondent to please

describe how IT has affected the company, no matter how

minor, it might seem. Table 14 and 15 shows the

information obtained for the two items, that is, how

receptive respondents were to new IT applications being

introduced in your company and how they think it has it

has affected the way the company now operates.

76

Table 14: Receptive to IT being Introduce in the

Company.

Response FrequencyPercentage (%)

Yes 46 92

No 4 8

Total 50 100

Figure 14: Showing how Respondents are Receptive to IT

being Introduce in the Company.

Yes No Total0

20

40

60

80

100

120

FrequencyPercentage %

(Source: Survey, 2012).

77

From table 14 and figure 14 above, 46

respondents, representing 92% believed that they were

receptive to new IT applications being introduced in

the company, and 4 respondents, representing 8% noted

that they were not receptive to the idea of new IT

applications being introduced in the company. It can be

concluded that most of the respondents are willing to

embrace new IT applications that would be introduce in

the company.

Table 15: How it has Affected the way the Company now

Operates.

Response FrequencyPercentage (%)

Yes 45 90

No 5 10

Total 50 100

78

Figure 15: How IT has Affected the way the Company now

Operates.

Yes No Total0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%

Percentage %Frequency

(Source: Survey, 2012).

In respect of how IT has affected the way the

company now operates, 45 respondents, representing 90%

agreed that it has indeed affected how the company now

operates, whiles 5 respondents, representing 10%

disagreed. This shows that most of the respondents are

actually ready to embrace new technologies being

introduced in the company and did admit that current

trend in IT has affected the way the company operates.

79

Information Technology has Affected the Company

The study wanted the respondents to describe the

kind of problem they have been facing with their

computers during operations. There was another open-

ended question that required respondents to describe

how IT has affected the company. Out of the 50

respondents, only 9 respondents representing 18% of the

selected sample population, failed to provide any

information. Of the 41 respondents representing 82% of

the selected sample population, most were of the

opinion that the company has improved its ways of

operations as a result of IT such as sales can easily

be recorded, though it has made a positive impact in

some ways, there is more room for improvements.

80

81

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Introduction

This chapter of the study summarizes findings of

the study, draws conclusions, and makes recommendations

based on the findings of the study.

Findings

During the analysis, the following was

discovered and summarized below:

The general ICT literacy level of respondents is very

good, and is very encouraging in this information age

to have a workforce with such level of ICT knowledge,

as this will make it easier to adopt new IT

applications.

82

Most of the selected population agreed that IT has

affected the way the company operates in one way or the

other.

92% of the selected population agreed that they are

receptive to new IT applications being introduced. So

it could be concluded that introducing new IT

applications will not scare workers as they did not see

it as a problem but rather a way of enhancing business

operations.

Conclusion

There is considerable amount of evidence to show

that investment in company-wide IT infrastructure set-

up will simplify work and also enhance productivity.

Even though most of the selected population is

satisfied with the current IT setup, 94% of them agreed

that the current IT applications of the company need

improvements. All selected population agreed that

investment in information technology infrastructure

83

will make their work easier and also help enhance

productivity.

There is a considerably high amount of evidence

to show that respondents are unhappy with the frequent

complaints they make about their computers during

operations. The problem respondents faced is very

challenging to the IT service personnel’s because only

few have similar problems as the problem varies among

the respondents. 76% of the selected population agreed

that the problems they face are technical and not user

related error. The problems they face include power

failure, freezing of the computer, and slow internet

connection etc.

Recommendation

Following the thorough analysis of the IT

infrastructure set-up, the following suggestions are

proposed:

I. The company should develop a strategic IT plan aligned

with the firm’s strategic goals and objectives, to help

84

identify areas where improvements, however small, can

be made.

II. There is the need for the company to increase its

investment in IT to enhance productivity especially in

the area of warehousing and networking all its branches

together so that seamless communication can take place

between them.

III. Whilst it may not be possible at this stage to compile

a list of all the problems facing workers with regards

to their computer usage, the IT service personnel’s

must take reasonable steps to address the numerous

problems facing respondents.

IV. The IT technicians and personnel’s should be adequately

resourced to sharpen their know-how to be problem-

solving oriented.

85

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Role_of_IT_in_BPR.pdf

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APPENDICES

Questionnaires for Respondents

Dear Sir/ Madam,

The candidate is a student of Zenith University

College undertaking a study into “An Examination of the

90

Effect of Information Technology on Organizational

Development: A Case Study of EPP Books Services Ltd”.

The study is purely for academic purpose. You are

assured that any piece of information provided will be

treated with outmost confidentiality. We would

therefore be grateful to you, if you spare a moment of

your time and provide the following:

Section A: Primary data

1. Please indicate below your sex.

Male [ ] II Female

[ ]

2. What is your age range?

I) 18-24 [ ] II) 25-34 [ ]

III) 35-44 [ ] IV) 45-55 [ ]

3. What is the highest level of education

you have completed?

I) JHS [ ] II) SHS [ ] III)

First Degree [ ] IV) Masters

Degree [ ]

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Section B: Basic knowledge of Information Technology

1. Please indicate below your ICT applications

familiarity level.

I) Basic [ ] II) Very conversant [ ] III)

Professional [ ]

2. Are you used to internet operations?

I) Yes [ ] II) No

[ ]

3. In general, how would you rate your knowledge of

ICT?

I) Excellent [ ] II) Very good [ ] III)

Good [ ] IV) Fair [ ] V) Poor [

]

Section C: Problems encountered when working with

computers

92

1. Have you ever experienced problems with your

computer during operations?

Yes [ ] II) No [ ]

2. Can you please describe the problem, if you answered

yes to question one (1) above.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…

3. In your opinion, do you think the problem you

encountered is a user related error and not technical?

I) Yes [ ] II) No [ ]

4. How long does it take you to get feedback from the

company’s IT service personnel’s when you complain of

having a problem?

I) A month [ ] II) Three weeks [ ] III) Two

weeks [ ] IV) A week [ ]

V) None of the above [ ]

Section D: Investment in Information Technology

infrastructure

93

1. Do you think your current work could be made easier

and thereby enhance productivity, if the company

invest to improve its information technology

infrastructure?

I) Yes [ ] II) No [

]

2. In your opinion, do you think the current

information technology applications in the company need

improvements?

I) Yes [ ]

II) No [ ]

3. If the answer to either of the above questions is

yes, what do you suggest the company should do in terms

of investment in information technology infrastructure?

.......................................................

.......................................................

.......................................................

.......................................................

.......................................................

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.......................................................

......................................................

4. If no give reasons

.......................................................

.......................................................

.......................................................

.......................................................

.......................................................

.......................................................

.....................................................

5. How satisfied are you with current information

technology infrastructure setup of the company?

I) Very satisfied [ ]

II) Somewhat satisfied [ ]

III) Somewhat dissatisfied [ ]

IV) Very dissatisfied [ ]

6. Do you agree that the company can improve its

business operations with investment in a company-wide

information technology infrastructure setup?

95

I) Strongly Agree [ ] II) Agree [ ]

III) Somewhat Agree [ ] (IV) Disagree [ ]

Section E: Interest in Information Technology

1. In general, are you receptive to new information

technology applications being introduced in your

company?

I) Yes [ ] II) No [ ]

2. Do you think that the current trend in IT has

affected the way your company now operates?

I) Yes [ ] II) No [ ]

3. If your answer is yes, can you please describe how

it has affected the company no matter how minor it

might seem

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

96