Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The students were trained to critically analyze problems applying IRM principles, and
to develop practical skills in drawing specifications for building information systems. As a
secondary benefit, the students achieved broader understanding of the diversity of business
practices, in the particular time slot of the transition to market economy.
The period of transition (started in 1989) to a market economy in Eastern Europe
coincided with the exponential growth in the use of computer-based information technolo-
gies. The two processes are going on simultaneously and heavily impact each other.
WHY THE TRAINING MODEL NEEDS
REVISION
The past 12 years were characterized by a transition to a market-oriented economy. In
the countries, like Bulgaria, the collapse of a centrally planned economy was followed by an
unregulated business environment, partially following market principles and partially pre-
serving a high level of governmental regulation, monopolies, and key influence of the state's
bureaucracy. In such an environment, “standard” managerial models do not work properly.
That is true particularly for small businesses. The following characteristics, related to IRM,
of the centrally planned economy still impact the behavior of people engaged in business
activities:
•
The infrastructure for collecting and distributing information was organized hierarchi-
cally, and people had restricted access to reliable sources. Official sources were
suspected, partially by inertia, partially because of the conflict of interests with state's
officers engaged in providing services.
•
People used to rely on shared interpersonal information, instead of information
provided by specialized institutions, such as the Statistical Agency, and therefore,
they have not developed skills for dealing with such information sources.
•
Managerial experience was obtained in a monopolistic type of enterprise, without
proper competition and market-driven rewards, where the role of information was
neglected.
Currently, the factors that have impact on the “success” of training IRM can be
classified in two groups:
1.
Environmental factors:
- The information infrastructure in the country is extremely underdeveloped, and
students had limited experience in dealing with information sources in their practice.
- Social practices show that a successful business makes managerial decisions based
more often on intuition and general knowledge, or on personally delivered internal
information, and not on applying theoretical models and market research, as studied
in the universities.
- The entire business environment lacks proper regulation. The legal framework in
which business operates is changing frequently and heavily depends on govern-
ment, bureaucracy, and monopolies.
2.
Personal factors:
- Business background and experience were accumulated primarily in small compa-
nies with guaranteed customers in a given region or area and run in conditions of
shortage on the market with absence of real competition.
