Antecedents and Consequences of Strategic
Information Systems Planning (SISP) Success:
A South Korean Perspective
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
of Doctor of Philosophy
Jungho (Marino) Yang
Bachelor of Science (Hallym University), MBA (Kyunghee University) and
Master of Commerce (University of New South Wales)
School of Business Information Technology and Logistics
College of Business
RMIT University
August 2017
I
DECLARATION
I certify that except where due acknowledgement has been made, the work is
that of the author alone; the work has not been submitted previously, in whole
or in part, to qualify for any other academic award; the content of this thesis is
the result of work which has been carried out since the official commencement
date of the approved research program; any editorial work, paid or unpaid, carried
out by a third party is acknowledged; and, ethics procedures and guidelines have
been followed.
I acknowledge the support I have received for my research through the provision
of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.
Signed:
Jungho Yang
August 2017
II
DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to
my beloved wife and son,
and my family.
III
ABSTRACT
This thesis explores antecedents of Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP),
successful outcomes of SISP and the organisational impact of successful SISP in the
South Korean context. Since information systems (IS) and information technology (IT)
are now an essential requirement supporting all aspects of business operations, the
need for SISP is important for achieving success with IT investments and implementation.
SISP helps identify organisational resources as well as considers the environmental,
economic and organisational requirements for successful IT investment and implementation.
SISP was introduced by Lederer and Sethi (1988), Lederer and Salmela (1996) and Salmela
et al. (2000) as planning for the selection and implemention of IT in organisations,
with the aim of achieving alignment of IS objectives with business objectives to sustain
a competitive advantage from IT investments. Earlier studies on SISP have individually
explored management issues, participation and communication of business and IT
stakeholders, impact of environmental factors and SISP resources in relation to SISP
success. However, to date, there has been a dearth of research that has explored SISP
success factors for improving successful outcomes and the impact of SISP success in
organisations. Further, earlier studies on SISP are generally from the United States of
America, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and Taiwan. Although the penetration
of IT in South Korean organisations is high, to date there is no study on SISP in the
South Korean context. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to investigate
the relationship between SISP success factors for successful outcomes and the impact
of SISP success in South Korean organisations.
IV
Since none of the earlier studies on SISP were undertaken in the context of South
Korea, a qualitative research via interviews, with four business managers and four IT
managers in South Korean organisations, was undertaken to establish if success factors
of SISP identified from literature, were applicable in the South Korean context prior
to the development of hypotheses and the conceptual model. The research model was
constructed based on a literature analysis, interview findings and resulting hypotheses.
A survey of 317 large organisations in South Korea that used SISP for IT investment
and implementation was undertaken to understand SISP success factors, outcomes and
the organisational impact of SISP in this context. The survey data was analysed utilising
a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique, and the analysis of data confirmed
15 of 19 hypotheses.
Research findings suggest that SISP success factors in the South Korean context include
top management participation and support, effective communication and knowledge sharing
between business and IT stakeholders, the impact of internal and external environment,
adequate resources for SISP and inclusion of IS vendors in the SISP process. Successful
outcomes of SISP from this study are IS planning effectiveness and business and IT
alignment. The impact of SISP successful outcomes includes the following: organisational
capabilities of recombining and reconfiguring overall business and IT processes, resources
and structures; IS competencies for improving the ability and role of IS function and
the potential impact of IT; and IT infrastructure flexibility in responding to internal
and external changes, situations and trends.
This study makes an original contribution to theory and practice through its development
and validation of a research model for measuring the relationship between antecedents
