FACULTY OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

Master of Science in Information Management

(IS 770)

Information Sources and Management

(SMM 730)

1ST CRITICAL REVIEW OF ARTICLE ON

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Prepared by:
Mohamed Narazid Bin Mohd Dan
(2006652633 - FLP)

Prepared for:
Y.M Prof. Dato’ Dr. Haji Raja Abdullah Raja Yaacob
En. Abd Rashid Bin Abd Rahman

14th July, 2006

 1st Critical Review on Article:
“Information Technology: The Influence on Organizational Strategy of
Malaysian Business Firms”
Journal: Malaysian Management Review. 39 (1) (2004): 56-61

Prepared by
Mohamed Narazid Bin Mohd Dan
(2006652633 – FLP)

Faculty of Information Management

Universiti Teknologi MARA
 14th July, 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Bibliographic Citation 1

Objectives 1

Writing Style 1

Timeliness 3

Accuracy 3

Authoritativeness 4

Target Audience 5

Others 5
Bibliographic Citation

Eze, Uchena Cyril and Mohamed, Noor Azmi. ”Information Technology: The Influence
on Organizational Strategy of Malaysian Business Firms.” Malaysian
Management Review 39.1 (2004): 56 – 61.

Objectives

The objectives of the article are:

I. To scrutinize the implementation of Information Technology (IT) in Malaysian

Corporate organizations by focusing on the impact of IT on organizational strategy.
II. To know what is the strategic influences of IT
III. To know how much the firms or organizations expected and realize from IT.

Writing Style

From the article presented by the authors, American Psychological Association (APA)
citation style is used as a writing technique and method style for references. A writing
style method is clearly mentioned by the authors in the article as a research report and
case study.

The literature review of the related scope on this article was used in a theoretical
background section to explain the affiliation between business firms and Information
Technology (IT) in order to links with the case study. In fact, five major components or
elements of organizational strategy was hilited by the authors where the cost reduction,
collaboration, firm aggressiveness, firm proactiveness and information as a strategic
weapon are the main focus of variables data comparison.
The authors in this research study are using random sample size as a methodology of
research where the sample study are taken from 44 of listed companies in the main board

of Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE). Authors are using a survey question that was
filled by the CEO’s and senior executives of the selected firms. Have two types of
measurements techniques were used by the authors in order to test the data collection.
The both techniques are Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test and Chi-square test.

This article is using three tables to explain the testing results. Table 2 and table 3 are
presented by the authors to view and explained the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test and Chi-
square test results of five’s elements as mention above. Another table- table 1 was
presented to explain the expected and realized influences of IT.

Approaching the sentences and words used, it is a very easier article to understood where
no complicated words used by the authors and they are using few simple words that able
to understand by the audience or reader. This research was organized logically and the
main points was clearly mentioned and explained. There is no specialized terminologist
or any implementation of illustrations presented by the authors to summarize the research
study.

At the end of this article, the author concludes that there is no significant relationship
between IT and the strategy. The data from Chi-square test provided that the IT does not
influence business strategy in the firms studied. Both authors are mentioning three main
finding of the research result that covered:

I. Organizations are not able to exploit IT to its fullest potential in strategic IT adoption.
II. Most of firms in Malaysia are not aggressive and proactive in implementing IT in their
organization scope.
III. Most firms in Malaysia are not quite successful in implementing IT strategy.

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Timeliness

Both author, Uchena and Noor Azmi are explaining the timely topic research of the
Information Technology (IT) implementation on firms strategy where the IT are very
significant and relevant factor in order to links it to any other business and economies
activities currently. The rapidly of ICT in this globalization era was an advantages for
business firms to use the IT for supporting the innovation, marketing, resources and
materials. The authors are directly exposure the reader to the up to date topic with
linkages between IT factor and business firm’s organizational strategy.

Accuracy

There were no graphs or charts used by the author to support the fact and methodology on
this topic. Despite this is a research article, the statistics on the survey questionnaire was
not shown and briefly mention by the authors. The sample size that picked up from the
trading/services and finance sector from KLSE main board with total quantity of 44
companies was not consider enough to have an accurate and relevant finding on the
significant relationship between IT and firm’s organizational strategy.

Electronics business sector for example are really manipulate the IT to their management
operation in term or innovation, marketing, production, storage, transportation and
research and development, but the author was not consider this sector as a one of the
sample study for this. That’s why the conclusion from this research article was getting no
significant finding between IT and firm’s strategy.

3
Authoritativeness

This research article was presented two authors from different field of study. The First
author, Uchena Cyril Eze is currently a faculty member at Multimedia University
Malaysia (MMU). He had earned a B.Sc. in Banking and Finance from Abia State
University, Nigeria. After that, he was received his M.Sc in Technology Management
from the University of Technology Malaysia and currently holds a Ph.D. in Economic
Development and E-business from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has
published widely in international journals and conferences including the Global
Information Technology Management Conference, the Americas Conference on
Information Systems, Journal of Global Information Technology Management and
Information Systems Journal.

The second author, Noor Azmi Bin Mohamad is a lecturer from Faculty of Management
and Human Resource Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. He is holding a
degree of Bachelor of Science in computer studies from Universiti Sains Malaysia and
Master of Business Administration in finance from Stirling University. Currently he is in
education leave mode for further studies in doctoral level-PhD.

There are nineteen references that consist three books, thirteen journals/articles, two
thesis and one reference from press as an article references from the authors. Majority of
the references is related to the information system, information technology, information
system management and strategic planning. There are no further critics on the quality of
references due to all is related to the article. The article is a fully research paper as
mention before.

The journal was published by Malaysian Management Review, Malaysian Institute of

Management (MIM) in month of June 2004. The journal is an official journal of MIM
and published twice a year. The MIM is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia since
incorporated as a company on 28 March 1975. MIM is a national management
organization and its main role are to promote continuous management skills, introducing

4
management practices to Malaysian companies, and building the bridges between the
private and public sectors in term of management scope.

Target Audience

The useful of this research article is more accurate and tangible for those who are in
executives level and above in any business firms or for the peoples that involved in
academic and education sector such as lecturer, professionals in academic, professionals
in information sector, undergraduate and postgraduate students that directly involved in
project paper in business and IT. Information data and results from this article able to
generate and discuss in the work scope and another research study as a reference source.

Others

The language that was using by the authors is straightforward, uncomplicated and able to
understand after one time views and reads. Another thing that I was not identified before
in this review is the total pages of the article are less than six pages and excluding the
reference section. However, the audience understanding after reads the overall article is
more tangible and satisfied due to touching of few elements and finding conclusion that
formed by the authors. Furthermore, authors are brings the timely issue of information
technology where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an important
key of existing a developed country.

The information in theoretical background section was describes very well by the authors
which references of books and journals and from this sources it was classed to five major
attributes for methodology purpose. Proper plan of arrangement for attributes by the
author was make it the journey to the findings section is more interesting to finalize by
the audience.

5
In term of the analytical technique for connecting to the sample study in methodology
section, the authors was left on further explaining in the article of the two measurements
test – wicoxon rank sum and chi square. There are some justifications of the test used but
consider not enough and specific on how the measurement of test is made and bring out.

For overall conclusion from this article, finding research by the author is clearly mention
that there are no significant relationship between IT and firms strategy. This finding are
able to explain and generating the audience expectation especially who are directly
involve in the business firms that rapids of IT currently was not fully implement and
fulfill in business organizations for their strategy planning purpose. It is a good exposure
that was presented by the authors in order generates the adoption of IT in the business
firms in Malaysia.