UNSPECIFIED (1998) Putting soft OR methods to work: Information systems strategy development at Palabora. Omega - International Journal of Management Science, 26 (1). pp. 75-98. ISSN 0305-0483

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Abstract

A consultancy project to develop an information systems (IS) strategy for a copper mine located in South Africa is described. The mine is operated by the UK based mining company RTZ, the world's largest mining company. The approach taken was based on an earlier project at Sainsbury's, a major food and grocery retailing chain in the UK. At Sainsbury's a participative approach made use of a number of models and methods developed by the advocates of soft OR and systems thinking. The aim of the Palabora project was to test whether the same participative approach, suitably adapted, would work in a completely different context, and more generally whether this could form the basis of a standard method to be applied at a variety of mine sites. The paper describes the design of the intervention process and the choice of methods for the particular mining context of Palabora, Account had to be taken of the nature of the operation, the remote location and the limited time available. The intervention proved successful, resulting in both an IS strategy for the mine which has since been implemented and a participative approach for IS strategy development for use at other mine sites. However, the soft OR methods played a less significant role than first envisaged. Lessons are drawn for future applications of soft OR methods for strategy development in different circumstances. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd, All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Journal or Publication Title:	Omega - International Journal of Management Science
Publisher:	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
ISSN:	0305-0483
Date:	February 1998
Volume:	26
Number:	1
Number of Pages:	24
Page Range:	pp. 75-98
Publication Status:	Published
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/15761

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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