:Advances in computing technology, end-user computing, and commercial software have greatly increased managers’ discretionary use of information resources. This development has profoundly affected the status of the information systems (IS) department. Some academics and practitioners have even predicted its demise. This article refutes this prediction by showing that it is based on inappropriate reductive reasoning. Analysis of three diverse case experiences demonstrates that the IS department continues to contribute essential services to the success of information systems operating in environments where great user autonomy exists.

:Information systems (IS) researchers have argued the need for using qualitative approaches, such as action research, ethnomethodology, phenomenology, and futures research, to supplement widely used quantitative approaches. Despite the interest in qualitative approaches, almost all IS articles published in leading IS journals during the previous decade continue to report the results of quantitative studies. The disparity between the interest in and adoption of qualitative approaches may be attributed to unfamiliarity with qualitative approaches for analyzing text data and the mistaken belief that all qualitative approaches are antipositivist. This paper makes qualitative methods more accessible to both researchers and practitioners by providing a framework that categorizes various text analysis approaches. The framework classifies methods as positivist, linguistic, and interpretivist, based on assumptions about the nature of text data, the researcher’s influence on text interpretation, and the validity checks used to justify text interpretations. Thus, all researchers can consider qualitative text analysis methods regardless of their paradigmatic position.

:This paper presents techniques of integrating statistical procedures and computer graphics for decision support. Characteristics of good statistical support are defined. Experience in the design and implementation of systems in two companies is related to illustrate how the techniques can facilitate the creation of effective computerized decision support systems. Software modules were developed that enable nontechnical analysts to utilize sophisticated statistical procedures and complex models with a few simple commands. By integrating computer graphics and computer cartography with tools for statistical modeling, superior analytical tools were created.