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1
ICT CURRICULAR AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF ORGANIZATIONS IN THAILAND
Graham Kenneth Winley
Assumption University, Thailand
gkwinley@scitech.au.edu
Jittima Wongwuttiwat
Assumption University, Thailand
jittima@scitech.au.edu
ABSTRACT
The study compared ICT professional requirements in organizations in Thailand with ICT
bachelor degree curricular offered in universities in Thailand using a theoretical framework
with three related components: domains of expertise; the scope of the professional’s
knowledge, skills, and experience; and specific skills associated with the domains of
expertise. Data was collected by questionnaire from 166 medium to large sized organizations
and 42 universities which offered in total 78 ICT related bachelor degree programs. The
findings showed that, although there was a reasonable degree of alignment between the
importance of skills in the organizations and the ICT curricular, the ICT programs were not
addressing adequately the needs of organizations for a range of skills related to understanding
organizations and their functions, ICT management activities, and especially the management
of ICT physical and financial resources. On the other hand, ICT programs placed more
emphasis than the organizations on skills concerned with systems development
methodologies for the complete development of applications/systems, CASE tools, programming
and coding, database design, technical expertise with object relational and object oriented
databases, and multimedia applications. Previous studies of this kind conducted in Thailand
were not found and the findings are expected to be of value and interest to those responsible
for national ICT policy and especially ICT education and training.
Keywords: Domains of expertise, ICT knowledge and skills, ICT curricula, specialists,
Thailand, versatilists
1.
INTRODUCTION
The overall purpose of this study was to compare information and communication technology
(ICT) professional requirements in organizations in Thailand with ICT curricular for bachelor
degree programs offered in universities in Thailand. The requirements for ICT professionals
in medium to large sized public and private sector organizations in Thailand have been
examined from different perspectives in a sequence of studies: Wongwuttiwat et al. (2008),
which was an initial exploratory study of organizational requirements; Winley et al. (2007),
which compared ICT developments in organizations from different sectors with national ICT
policies; Wongwuttiwat (2009), which compared the nature and structure of the ICT
profession in ICT user and provider organizations; and Winley and Wongwuttiwat (2012),
which compared the nature and structure of the ICT profession in organizations from eight
different sectors. No studies conducted in Thailand were found that examined the knowledge
and skills developed in bachelor degree programs in fields of study related to ICT (e.g.
Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Information Systems, Information
Technology Management, and Telecommunications) even though ICT education is an
integral part of Thailand’s national ICT framework ICT 2020 (Ministry of Information and
Communication Technology, 2011) and Wiggins et al. (2006), in a SWOT analysis of ICT in
Thailand, indicated that one of Thailand’s strengths was an education system which
compared favorably with other Asian countries.
This study used a theoretical framework that was used successfully in studies of the
ICT profession in Thailand by Wongwuttiwat (2009) and Winley and Wongwuttiwat (2012).
The framework consisted of three related components: five domains of ICT expertise; a
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classification of the scope of an ICT professional’s knowledge, skills, and experience; and
specific ICT skills associated with each of the domains of expertise. The domains of expertise
were adapted from the study in technologically developed nations by Morello (2005). The
scope of an ICT professional’s knowledge, skills, and experience was based on the
classifications generalists, specialists, or versatilists proposed by Plummer et al. (2005) and
Morello (2005) and a comprehensive categorized list of knowledge and skills items
associated with each of the domains was developed from recent previous studies of ICT
knowledge and skills.
The purpose of the study involved three objectives each related to a component of the
theoretical framework. The first objective was to compare the demand experienced for the
domains of ICT professional expertise among organizations over the period 2006 to 2011
with the importance given to these domains in the ICT curricular. The second objective was
to compare the level of importance given to generalists, specialists and versatilists by
organizations with that given to the development of these characteristics in the ICT
curricular. The third objective was to compare the level of importance assigned by
organizations to specific skills associated with the domains with the level of importance of
these skills in the ICT curricular. The findings are expected to further test the validity of the
theoretical framework as a means of comparing organizational requirements for ICT
professionals with curricular designed to provide an initial ICT education. Importantly, the
findings are expected to be of practical value and interest to those responsible for national
ICT policies and ICT education and training.
A review of literature related to the research topic and the development of the
theoretical framework used in the study is presented next followed by a description of the
research design and methodology (Section 3). The results of data analyses are in Section 4
and form the basis of the discussion and interpretation of the findings in Section 5 with
overall conclusions in Section 6.
2.
RELATED LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1
Related Literature
As noted by Ayalew et al. (2012) the relationship between ICT curricular and the needs of
organizations has been an area of continuing research interest particularly in technically
developed nations beginning as early as Couger et al. (1995) and continuing with Yen et al.
(2003), Li et al. (2008), and Lee and Mirchandani (2010). The rationale for these studies has
been that ICT plays an important and dynamic role in achieving socio-economic growth and
consequently it is essential that ICT graduates have the knowledge and skills that match the
needs of the organizations where they are employed. While a majority of the studies in
technically developed nations were exploratory or descriptive few were explanatory although
many made recommendations about ICT curricular (Gorgone et al., 2006; Topi et al., 2010)
and others made predictions about the development of ICT and the ICT profession in
organizations Morello, 2005; Plummer et al., 2005).
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted for all industry sectors that up to year
2014 the highest demands for technical expertise would be in the areas of: network systems
and data communications; network, computer systems, and database administration; and
application and system software engineering (Maguire, 2006). However, future ICT
professionals require a combination of technical, soft, and business skills (Bullen et al., 2007;
McAdams, 2007; Foote, 2005) and Collett (2006) predicted that by 2010 ICT professionals
would need to possess expertise in multiple areas, have technical expertise, know
organizational functions, be able to create and achieve an organization’s ICT plans, and foster
relationships with both internal and external entities.
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Gibson (2005) argued that automation of operations may result in ICT departments in
medium to large companies becoming 30 percent smaller. With the effects of advances in
automation worldwide geographic labor shifts may result in organization downsizing and
Maguire (2007) claimed that automation will have a direct influence on the demand for
routine coding and testing skills while Morello (2005) claimed that these activities will
gradually be transferred to developing countries (e.g. India). However, there will be increased
demand for expertise related to: process design, redesign, and reengineering; information
design and knowledge management; change management; and the analysis of organizational
readiness. Skills related to project management and a systematic understanding of the
interdependence between ICT applications and organizational processes are crucial (Bullen,
2007; McAdams, 2007; Australian Government, 2006; Aasheim et al., 2006; Ekstrom et al.,
2006; Gomes and Joglekar, 2005; Hildebrand, 2005; Morello, 2005; Westervelt, 2005). ICT
professionals need to understand the organization’s vision, mission, strategic plan, goals,
culture, structure, management procedures, and social factors (Australian Government, 2006;
Bell and Caldwell, 2005; Gaudin, 2005; Meredith, 2005; Morello, 2005; Plummer et al.,
2005).
Recent studies have focused on requirements for ICT curricular designed to provide
initial knowledge, skills, and experience. Aasheim et al. (2006) identified five areas of
knowledge which are pervasive themes and need to be included as part of ICT curricular:
organizational issues; the history of ICT; related and informing disciplines; application
domains; and the application of mathematics and statistics to ICT. In the United States
extensive reviews of national skill standards conducted by the National Workforce Center for
Emerging Technologies and the Ohio IT Competency Profile identified a wide variety of
skills required in order to meet the needs of local, regional, and national markets (Floyd,
2004). Morello (2005) reported that private and public sector employers in Australia have
asked the universities to develop well-rounded students with education in the contextual
realities of industry, processes, and business problems. Catanio (2005) defined a set of skills
required by graduates working as ICT professionals. He suggested that education programs
should focus on knowledge and skills needed to integrate hardware/software solutions and
business processes so as to maintain and support systems designed to meet business
requirements. Many entry level curricula have emphasized the importance of a range of basic
systems development skills (e.g. application and computer acquisition; systems analysis and
design; programming; data structures; algorithmic processes; system testing, implementation,
and integration) (Bullen et al., 2007; Aasheim et al., 2006; Ekstrom et al., 2006).
The same positive relationship between ICT and socio-economic growth has
motivated developing countries to promote the use of ICT and the development of education
programs aimed at producing appropriately skilled ICT graduates. In particular, two regular
influential reports that address the adoption and use of ICT at a national level in developing
nations using indicators that reflect economic and social development are the Networked
Readiness Index (NRI) (Dutta et al., 2011) and the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI)
(Saala-i-Martin et al., 2011). In relation to the developing nation of Thailand, as noted by
Winley and Lau (2012), in 2011 the NRI ranked Thailand overall the 59th best out of the 138
nations and in positions 64th, 53rd, and 61st with respect to the ICT environment, readiness,
and usage, respectively. Also in 2011 the GCI ranked Thailand overall as the 39th best out of
142 nations which classified Thailand as an efficiency-driven economy ahead of factordriven economies but behind innovation-driven economies. In addition, in Thailand as in
many other developing countries national ICT policies formulated by governments have
brought a focus to the role of ICT as a means of developing knowledge based societies and
such policies focus directly on the roles played by organizations as well as the educational
institutions and programs (Winley et al. 2007).
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Numerous studies in developed nations but fewer in developing nations have
discussed a “gap” between organizational requirements and the knowledge and skills of new
graduates from ICT education programs (Trauth et al., 1993; Noll and Wilkins, 2002; Lee
and Mirchandani, 2010; Bass and Heeks, 2011; Ayalew et al., 2012). Mann (2002) proposed
that this “gap” may have been due to an emphasis on theoretical topics rather than practical
skills in curricula. Catanio (2005) explained that ICT curricula normally lag behind
organizational needs because these needs changed during the time that students took to
graduate and consequently were not reflected in the curriculum studied by the graduate.
Furthermore, in order to cope with rapid changes in the environment, organizations merge,
splinter, downsize, and restructure on a regular basis, thus the ICT needs of organizations are
very dynamic. In addition, technical revolutions may restructure the knowledge and skills
needed to perform jobs in organizations. This potential “gap” has not been studied in
Thailand and that is the major purpose of this study.
2.2
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework used in this study included three related components (five
domains of ICT expertise; a classification of the depth and scope of recognition of a
professional’s skills, roles, and experience; and specific knowledge and skills associated with
each of the five domains of expertise). Each component was derived from previous studies as
described below.
The first component included five domains of expertise which were derived from the
study conducted with technologically advanced organizations by Morello (2005) where
predictions about the structure of the ICT profession that would be clearly evident by 2010
included four domains of ICT expertise. For this study a fifth domain (Personal
Characteristics of ICT Professionals) was added to represent personal attributes of ICT
professionals that were related to most of the other four domains of expertise by Morello
(2005) and had been identified often in previous studies as important professional
requirements. The five domains of expertise are described in Table 1 and these represented
the first component of the theoretical framework used in this study.
Table 1: Domains of ICT Professional Expertise (Derived from Morello, 2005)
Domain
Domain Name
Number
1
2
3
4
Description
This domain represents the historical foundation of the IT profession. Those
working in this domain must demonstrate mastery of complexity, operational
consistency, and standardization. They must be excellent in their grasp of a
technology and its implications and they must be knowledgeable in related
technologies and applications.
Work in this domain requires a deep understanding of when and how a particular
Information
organization needs, uses, manages, analyzes, and distributes information. Here IT
Design and
professionals work in business areas, core processes, and new business intelligence
Management
programs to learn what constitutes the right information.
As standardization increases, processes that support standard operations or are
automated will move toward the use of outsourcing while those that fuel
Process Design
differentiation, innovation, and competitive advantage will remain within
and
organizations. This domain will attract multifaceted, versatile IT professionals who
Management
can visualize and understand process components and established, critical, and
strategic processes.
Skills here are different from the traditional skills of IT professionals. It is the
Relationship
domain of negotiation, alliances, intangibles, persuasion, behaviors, and social
and
networking. It is driven by the need for organizations to work together effectively
Sourcing
on growth in external sourcing, shared services, global service expansion, and
Management
business value chains. Technical expertise is not essential for this domain and more
Technology
Infrastructure
and Services
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Domain
Domain Name
Number
5
Description
important are non-technology soft skills related to experience in driving change,
arbitrating conflict, overcoming customer skepticism, and communicating.
5
Skills in this domain are concerned with the IT professional’s personal traits,
Personal
problem solving skills, ability to work cooperatively in various types of work
Characteristics of
environments, communication skills, and the scope of the individual’s skills and
ICT Professionals
experience.
In relation to the domains of expertise in Table 1 Morello (2005) predicted that over
the period 2005 to 2010 there would be an increased demand associated with each domain
except for the Technology Infrastructure and Services domain where no increase was
expected even though in 2010 this domain would continue to account for the largest
proportion of ICT professionals (40 to 50 percent). By 2010, the Information Design and
Management domain was expected to account for 15 to 30 percent of ICT professionals; the
Process Design and Management domain 20 to 25 percent; and the Relationship and Sourcing
Management domain 10 percent. In Thailand, Wongwuttiwat (2009) found partial support for
Morello’s predictions where over the period 2009 to 2013 both ICT provider and user
organizations expected an increased demand in three domains (Information Design and
Management, Process Design and Management, and Personal Characteristics of ICT
Professionals) but no increase in demand the Relationship and Sourcing Management
domain. Also, ICT user organizations expected an increase in demand in the Technology
Infrastructure and Services domain while ICT provider organizations agreed with Morello’s
prediction of no increase in demand in this domain. Winley and Wongwuttiwat (2012)
compared changes in demand experienced over the period 2006 to 2011 by organizations
from eight organizational sectors in Thailand. Again there was partial support for Morello’s
predictions with at least half of the sectors experiencing an increased demand in three
domains (Information Design and Management, Process Design and Management, and
Personal Characteristics of ICT Professionals) and no increased demand in the Technology
Infrastructure and Services domain. However, none of the sectors experienced an increased
demand in the Relationship and Sourcing Management domain.
The second component of the theoretical framework concerned the depth and scope of
recognition of an ICT professional’s skills, roles, and experience. Morello (2005) and
Plummer et al. (2005) defined generalists, specialists, and versatilists in terms of
characteristics as presented in Table 2.
Table 2: Defining Characteristics of Generalists, Specialists and Versatilists (Derived from
Morello, 2005)
Specialist
Deep skills and a narrow scope of
roles and experience
Skills recognized only within the
ICT work domain
Versatilist
Deep skills and a broad scope of
roles and experience
Skills recognized in ICT and other
work domains
Generalist
Shallow skills and a broad scope of
roles and experience
Skills recognized in ICT and other
work domains
In Table 2 the defining characteristics of a versatilist and a generalist differ greatly
with respect to the depth of their skills and although versatilists have a broad scope of roles
and experience the scope is wider for the generalist. Morello (2005) notes that the generalist
is often quick to respond with fairly superficial information and because of this their inputs
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are often not regarded as seriously as those provided by a specialist or a versatilist. On the
other hand, like the versatilist the specialist has deep skills but lacks the breadth of roles and
experience and recognition by others apart from their ICT colleagues. In technologically
advanced organizations Morello (2005) predicted that by 2010, 60 percent of ICT
professionals would assume business-facing roles concerned with information, processes, and
relationships and by 2011 70 percent of leading-edge organizations would employ more
versatilists while reducing the number of specialists and generalists and these predictions were
supported by Plummer et al. (2005). In Thailand, Wongwuttiwat (2009) found an increased
demand was predicted for versatilists and specialists by IT user and provider organizations
over the period 2009 to 2013 with no change to demand for generalists. Winley and
Wongwuttiwat (2012) found an increased demand for versatilists among organizations from
each of eight organizational sectors but with no increased demand for specialists or
generalists among organizations from most of the sectors.
The third component of the theoretical framework for the study was derived from the
descriptions by Morello (2005) of the five domains of expertise in Table 1; the definitions of
generalists, specialists and versatilists in Table 2 (Morello, 2005; Plummer et al., 2005); and
the previous studies identified in Table 3. These sources were used to identify 147 specific
knowledge and skill items classified into categories associated with the five domains as
shown in Table 3. The items are displayed as part of Appendix Table A1.
Table 3: Knowledge and Skill Items
Domain
Domain Name
Number
1
Technology
Infrastructure
and Services
2
Information
Design and
Management
3
Process
Design and
Management
4
Relationship
and Sourcing
Management
Number
of Skill
References
Items
Development Methodologies
3
Design Skills
10
Tools/Techniques
2
Winley and Wongwuttiwat, 2012;
Architecture
2
Wongwuttiwat, 2009; Wongwuttiwat et al.,
2008; Bullen et al., 2007; Glenn and Gordon,
Applications
10
2007; McAdams, 2007; Winley et al., 2007;
Networks and
10
Ekstrom et al., 2006; Catanio, 2005; Morello,
Communications
2005; Westervelt, 2005
Technologies for Security
4
Technical Support Services
7
Sub Total
48
Design Skills
4
Tools/Techniques
2
Winley and Wongwuttiwat, 2012;
Applications
3
Wongwuttiwat, 2009; Bullen et al., 2007;
Data Management Systems
5
Glenn and Gordon, 2007; McAdams, 2007;
Winley et al., 2007; Aasheim et al., 2006;
The Organization and Its
4
Australian Government, 2006; Collett, 2006;
Functions
Catanio, 2005; Morello, 2005; Westervelt,
Managing Physical Resources
2
2005
Managing Finances
1
Sub Total
21
Design Skills
3
Winley and Wongwuttiwat, 2012;
Tools/Techniques
2
Wongwuttiwat, 2009; Bullen et al., 2007;
The Organization and Its
9
Glenn and Gordon, 2007; McAdams, 2007;
Functions
Srinutapong, 2007; Australian Government,
Management Activities
7
2006; Collett, 2006; Catanio, 2005; Morello,
Managing Finances
3
2005; Westervelt, 2005
Sub Total
24
The Organization and Its
Winley and Wongwuttiwat, 2012;
9
Functions
Wongwuttiwat, 2009; Bullen et al., 2007;
Management Activities
4
McAdams, 2007; Srinutapong, 2007;
Aasheim et al., 2006; Australian
Managing Physical Resources
9
Skill Category
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Number
of Skill
Items
Managing Finances
4
Sub Total
26
Personal Traits
7
Problem Solving Expertise
4
Work Environment
7
Personal
Characteristics Communication Skills
5
of IT
Scope of Skills and
5
Professionals Experience
Sub Total
28
Total 147
Domain
Domain Name
Number
5
7
Skill Category
References
Government, 2006; Collett, 2006
Winley and Wongwuttiwat, 2012;
Wongwuttiwat, 2009; Wongwuttiwat et al.,
2008; Bullen et al., 2007; Glenn and Gordon,
2007; McAdams, 2007; Srinutapong, 2007;
Winley et al., 2007; Morello, 2005; Plummer
et al., 2005
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.
This exploratory cross-sectional field study collected data using two questionnaires which
were developed with the assistance of a focus group of five ICT practitioners and five
university ICT academics and each questionnaire was trialed in a pilot study with 10
respondents. The questionnaires for organizations and universities differed only with respect
to Section 1 (see Appendix A1) which asked for information about the respondents and their
organizations or universities. In Section 2 respondents rated the importance of each of 147
items shown in Appendix Table A1 associated with the five domains of ICT expertise on a
scale ranging from 1 unimportant to 5 very important. Respondents from organizations rated
items in terms of their importance to their organizations and academics rated their importance
in relation to the one ICT bachelor degree program in their university with which they were
most familiar.
The target population of organizations included medium to large size public or private
sector organizations operating in Thailand. There are a large number of such organizations in
Thailand and using a precision of 5 percent and a 95 percent confidence level 400 was
determined to be the minimum size of a random sample of these organizations
(https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pd006). It was hoped to obtain a response from three or four senior
ICT professionals within each of these organizations (e.g. CIO, IT managers, IT strategists,
and IT project managers) so 1,700 questionnaires were distributed to 400 organizations
selected at random using the Thailand Company Information (2006-2007) directory as a
sampling frame. The target population of ICT related bachelor degree programs included
offered by public or private universities in Thailand identified using the Student Loan Fund in
Thailand in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer
Technology, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Management. Using the
Student Loan Fund in Thailand it was found that there were 164 such programs. With a
precision and confidence level of 5 percent and 95 percent, respectively, a minimum random
sample size of 115 programs was determined. These 115 programs were selected randomly
using the Student Loan Fund as a sampling frame and this involved the distribution of
questionnaires to 57 different universities where a response was requested from senior ICT
academics (e.g. Deans, Chairpersons, and Directors of programs).
For about 10 percent of the 400 organizations and 57 universities the questionnaires
were distributed by personal delivery accompanied by an introductory letter, a contact for
inquiries, and prepaid envelopes for the return of the questionnaires and the remainder were
sent by post including the same materials. After a requested completion period of two weeks
contact was made with organizations and universities that had not responded but his resulted
in only a small number of additional responses and the data collection was completed in the
second half of 2011. For the organizations a usable response was obtained from 166 of the
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400 organizations (42 percent) in the sample. For the university programs usable responses
were obtained for 78 of the 115 ICT related programs (68 percent) in the sample and these
were distributed across 42 different universities. Although the minimum sample sizes were
not achieved the number of responses was considered acceptable and adequate to ensure the
statistical validity of the study. Anecdotal feedback from some of those who did not respond
indicated that the questionnaires required too much time to complete and were too detailed.
Descriptive quantitative methods were used to analyze the data. The accuracy of data
entry in an SPSS (Version 11) worksheet was checked for a randomly selected 10 percent of
the two samples. A descriptive statistical analysis of the importance ratings for the 147 items
in Section 2 of the questionnaires examined frequency distributions, mean values, standard
deviations, and measures of skewness and kurtosis. Checks were made in order to detect and
remove outliers and to ensure that the magnitudes of skewness and kurtosis were within
acceptable limits of 3 and 7, respectively, as required for the use of t-tests (Walpole et al.,
2002). Frequency distributions were used to analyze the responses in the first section of the
questionnaires in order to prepare profiles of the organizations and the ICT related programs
and universities. The mean values of importance ratings were used to rank the items from 1
most important to 147 least important. This provided a measure of the relative importance of
an item and enabled the calculation of rank order correlation coefficients as a means of
comparing ranked lists. For descriptive purposes these ranks were categorized as high (H),
medium (M), or low (L) depending on whether they were in the top, middle, or bottom third
of the distributions of the rankings, respectively.
4.
DATA ANALYSES
The results of data analyses are presented in this section and provide the basis for the
discussion and interpretation of the findings presented in Section 5. Preliminary data
preparation procedures described above showed that: there were no data entry errors or
outliers; for the importance ratings the values of skewness and kurtosis were within the
acceptable limits required for the use of t-tests; and standard deviations were less than 1
indicating constant responses for the importance ratings among the two groups of
respondents.
4.1
Characteristics of Organizations, Universities, and Respondents
Characteristics of the organizations and the respondents from those organizations are
displayed in Appendix Table A2. The 166 organizations in the sample represented eight
different organizational sectors ranging from 10 organizations from the Education sector to
47 from the ICT sector. The majority (61 percent) of the organizations operated only in
Thailand. The average number of employees was about 3,000 and about 5 percent were ICT
professionals. The majority (52 percent) of these IT professionals had a master degree and a
further 40 percent had a bachelor degree. Most respondents (81 percent) were either IT
Managers or IT Project Managers and 16 percent were at the level of CIO. On average they
had seven years experience in their current position and a total of 14 years ICT experience.
Characteristics of the universities, the respondents from the universities, and the types of
ICT bachelor degree programs offered at these universities are displayed in Appendix Tables
A3 and A4. Most (71 percent) of the 42 universities were public universities. The average
number of ICT teaching staff was 14 and 36 percent of these academics had a master degree
while 62 percent had a doctoral degree. On average they had eight years experience in their
current position and a total of 11 years ICT teaching experience. The majority (57 percent)
were ICT program directors with a considerable number (21 percent) as Chairpersons of ICT
departments. Collectively the 42 universities offered 78 ICT bachelor degree programs of
which 37 percent were IT programs and 36 percent were Computer Science programs.
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Information Systems and Information Technology Management programs accounted almost
equally for a further 23 percent of all of the programs but only 4 percent were
Telecommunications programs. Half of the respondents were most familiar with IT programs,
33 percent nominated Computer Science programs, 12 percent nominated Information
Systems, and the remaining 5 percent were most familiar with either Telecommunications or
Information Technology Management programs.
It was apparent that the organizations, the universities, and the respondents were well
suited to the purpose of the study. However, the small number of university respondents who
were most familiar with Information Systems, Information Technology Management, and
Telecommunications programs may adversely affect the validity of the findings related to
these programs.
4.2
Domains of Expertise
Table 2(a) shows the percentage of the organizations which experienced each type of change
in demand for skills in the four domains of expertise during the period 2006 to 2011. Table
2(b) shows the percentage of each ICT related bachelor degree program which considered the
domains of expertise to be important parts of the program. For example, for 14 of the 28
Computer Science programs (i.e. 50 percent) skills in the Technology Infrastructure and
Services domain were an important part of the programs.
Table 2(a): Demands for Skills Experienced by Organizations during the Period 2006 to 2011
Domain of Expertise
Technology Infrastructure and Services
Information Design and Management
Process Design and Management
Relationship and Sourcing Management
Percentage of Organizations which Experienced an:
Increase in
No Change in
Decrease in
Demand
Demand
Demand
49
46
5
60
39
1
51
48
2
32
66
2
Table 2(b): Important Domains of Expertise in the ICT Programs
Domain of Expertise
Technology Infrastructure and
Services
Information Design and
Management
Process Design and
Management
Relationship and Sourcing
Management
ICT Bachelor Degree Program (Number of Programs)
Computer Information Information Telecommunications
Information
Science Technology Systems (9)
(3)
Technology
(28)
(29)
Management (9)
50
76
78
100
33
79
66
78
33
22
61
41
56
33
33
21
41
11
33
56
From Tables 2(a) and (b) it is seen that over the period 2006 to 2011 the majority (60
percent) of organizations experienced an increased demand for skills in the Information
Design and Management domain. These skills were considered to be important in the
majority of Computer Science, Information Systems, and IT programs (79, 78, and 66
percent, respectively) but they were not considered to be important in the majority of the
Telecommunications programs (67 percent) and Information Technology Management
programs (78 percent). Only about half of the organizations experienced increased demands
for skills in the Technology Infrastructure and Services and the Process Design and
Management domains. At least half of the Information Systems, IT, Telecommunications,
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and Computer Science programs identified the importance of skills in the Technology
Infrastructure and Services domain but only one third of Information Technology
Management programs considered these to be important. Process Design and Management
skills were considered important in at least 56 percent of the Computer Science and
Information Systems programs but they were important in only a minority (33 to 41 percent)
of the other three programs. For skills in the Relationship and Sourcing Management domain
the majority (66 percent) of organizations experienced no change in demand. The majority
(56 percent) of the Information Technology and Management programs considered these
skills to be important. They were important in no more than 41 percent of the other programs
and they were least important in Information Systems programs (11 percent).
4.3
Generalist, Specialist and Versatilist Professionals
Table 3 is derived from Appendix Table A1 and shows the relative importance of the
characteristics of generalist, specialist and versatilist ICT professionals.
Table 3: The Relative Importance of Characteristics of Generalists, Specialists and
Versatilists
Specialist
Versatilist
Generalist
Defining
Defining
Defining
Organizatio Universit
Organizatio Universit
Organizatio Universit
Characteristi
Characteristi
Characteristi
n
y
n
y
n
y
c
c
c
Deep skills
Deep skills
Shallow
and a narrow
and a broad
skills and a
scope of
M
H
scope of
H
H
broad scope
M
H
roles and
roles and
of roles and
experience
experience
experience
Skills
Skills
Skills
recognized
recognized
recognized
in ICT and
only within
H
H
in ICT and
H
H
L
H
other work
the ICT
other work
domains
work
domains
domain
Note: H, M, and L indicate that the item had high, medium, or low relative importance, respectively.
From Table 3 it is seen that universities placed a high level of importance on the
characteristics which defined generalists, specialists, and versatilists. Organizations also
placed a high level of importance on versatilists but generalists and specialists were less
important. Although organizations placed the same medium level of importance on shallow
or deep skills and a broad or narrow scope of roles and experience associated with generalists
or specialists they placed a much higher level of importance on the recognition of skills in the
ICT and other work domains associated with generalists than the recognition of skills only
with the ICT work domain associated with specialists.
4.4
The Importance of Knowledge and Skills Items
The importance of each of the 147 knowledge and skills items was analyzed from two
perspectives: its importance rating (i.e. the mean value of the ratings assigned by respondents
on a scale from 1 unimportant to 5 very important); and its importance ranking on a scale
from 1 most important to 147 least important.
4.4.1 Importance Ratings of Skills
Using t-tests with a statistical significance level of 0.05 it was found that: (a) For
organizations and universities all of the importance ratings were statistically significantly
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greater than 1 unimportant and statistically significantly less than 5 very important; (b) For
organizations and universities none of the items had an importance rating statistically
significantly less than the neutral rating of 3; and (c) For organizations 95 percent of the
items had importance ratings that were statistically significantly greater than the neutral
rating of 3 (i.e. their importance was emphasized) with a corresponding proportion of 82
percent for universities.
Table 4 shows the proportion of items in each domain for which the importance rating
was statistically significantly greater than the neutral rating of 3 for both organizations and
universities and for organizations and universities separately.
Table 4: Proportion of Items in each Domain with Importance Rating Statistically Significantly
Greater than the Neutral Rating of 3
Percentage of Items with Importance Ratings Statistically
Significantly Greater than the Neutral Rating of 3
For Both Organizations For Organizations For Universities
and Universities
Only
Only
Technology Infrastructure and Services (48)
83
6
11
Information Design and Management (21)
86
5
9
Process Design and Management (24)
75
21
4
Relationship and Sourcing Management (26)
35
65
0
Personal Characteristics of IT Professionals
100
0
0
(28)
Domain
(Number of Items)
From Table 4 it is seen that in the Technology Infrastructure and Services domain the
organizations and the universities emphasized the importance of 89 percent and 94 percent of
the items, respectively. The importance of 83 percent of the items in this domain was
emphasized by both the organizations and the universities. This pattern of agreement between
the organizations and the universities about a large proportion of the items with emphasized
importance was similar for the Information Design and Management domain and especially
the Personal Characteristics of IT Professionals domain. In the Process Design and
Management domain the level of agreement was slightly less. The organizations considered
96 percent of the items to have emphasized importance compared to 79 percent for
universities and they were in agreement about the emphasized importance of 75 percent of
the items in this domain. However, for the Relationship and Sourcing Management domain
the level of agreement was considerably less. The universities emphasized the importance of
only 35 percent of the items while for organizations the importance all of the items was
emphasized.
Using t-tests with a statistical significance level of 0.05 for the items displayed in
Table 5 there was a statistically significant difference between the importance ratings assigned
by the organizations and the universities.
Table 5: Items with Statistically Significantly Different Importance Ratings by Organizations and
Universities
Importance Rating by
Organizations Statistically
Importance Rating by Organizations
Significantly Less than
Statistically Significantly Greater than
Importance Rating for University
Domain
Importance Rating for University Programs
Programs
(Percentage of all the Items in the Domain)
(Percentage of all the Items in the
Domain)
Technology Design Skills Select applications/systems sold by vendors Development Methodology System
Infrastructure Applications Customer relationship management (CRM) development life cycle (SDLC),
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Importance Rating by
Organizations Statistically
Importance Rating by Organizations
Significantly Less than
Statistically Significantly Greater than
Importance Rating for University
Domain
Importance Rating for University Programs
Programs
(Percentage of all the Items in the Domain)
(Percentage of all the Items in the
Domain)
and Services Technical Support Services Data warehouses/marts (6) Object-oriented analysis and design
(OOAD) Design Skills Program and
code, Completely develop
applications/systems Applications
Multimedia applications (10)
Data Management Systems Data warehouses/marts
Design Skills Design databases Data
Information
Managing Physical Resources Databases and data
Management Systems Object
Design and
warehouse/mart, Knowledge bases Managing Finance relational databases, Object oriented
Management
Determine the costs of information requirement (19)
databases (14)
The Organization and Its Functions Internal
governance regulations, Regulation by external
authorities, Standard operational processes, Workflows,
Process
Business process outsourcing (BPO), Change/risk
Tools/Techniques Computer aided
Design and management Management Activities Aligning ICT plans
systems engineering (CASE) (4)
Management with the organization's mission, ICT performance
indicators, ICT support for internal/external regulatory
compliance, System recovery procedures Managing
Finances Help and support functions (46)
The Organization and Its Functions Culture,
Structure /internal relationships, Strategic plans,
Relationship with partners/ alliances, Workplace
behavior requirements, Customer/client base
Management Activities Negotiations with
stakeholders, Business processing outsourcing
Relationship
relationships Managing Physical Resources Recruit
Nil
and Sourcing
ICT staff, Assess ICT staff performance, Plan and
Management
manage education/ training for ICT staff, Plan and
manage education/training for ICT users Managing
Finances Preparing tenders for external provision of
ICT, Evaluating bids from ICT providers, Preparing
contracts with ICT providers, Preparing and managing
ICT budgets (62)
Personal
Scope of Skills and Experience
Shallow skills and a broad scope of
Characteristics
Nil
roles and experience, Skills recognized
of IT
only within the ICT work domain (7)
Professionals
From Table 5 it is seen that for 23 percent of all of the 147 items the importance
rating by organizations was statistically significantly greater than the importance rating by
universities. These items were predominantly in the Relationship and Sourcing Management,
the Process Design and Management, and the Information Design and Management domains
where they accounted for 62 percent, 46 percent, and 19 percent of the items in those
domains, respectively. The importance rating by universities was statistically significantly
greater than the importance rating by organizations for only 7 percent of all of the items and
these were mainly in the Information Design and Management domain and the Technology
Infrastructure and Services domain where they represented 14 percent and 10 percent of the
items, respectively.
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4.4.2 Importance Rankings of Skills
The importance ratings do not convey directly information about the relative importance of
items. For this purpose the importance ratings were used to rank the items from 1 most
important to 147 least important. For organizations and universities the importance ratings
for all of the items were significantly above 1 unimportant so an item ranked in position 147
was certainly not considered to be unimportant. In Table 6 Kendall’s tau was used to
compare the rankings of items by organizations and universities.
Table 6: Correlations for the Rankings of Items by Organizations and Universities
Technology
Information
All Domains Infrastructure Design and
and Services Management
Kendall's Tau
0.160
0.268
0.429
Domain
Process
Design and
Management
0.138
Relationship
and Sourcing
Management
0.358
Personal
Characteristics of
IT Professionals
0.215
Note: Highlighted values of Kendall's Tau are statistically significant at a level of 0.05 or less.
From Table 6 it is seen that there was statistically significant agreement between
organizations and universities about the importance rankings of items across all of the
domains and within the Technology Infrastructure and Services domain. However, within the
other 4 domains while there was neither statistically significant agreement nor disagreement.
In order to further examine the similarities and the differences in the rankings of the items the
types of ranks (High (H), Medium (M), or Low (L)) were analyzed.
Table 7 shows the distributions of the expected and observed numbers of items with
the three types of ranks in each domain. The expected number was the number of each type
of rank if they were distributed uniformly in the domain in proportion to the total number of
items in the domain. If the observed number was greater (less) than the expected number by 3 or
more then the level of importance of items was described as being more (less) than expected
because a difference of 3 or more between the expected number and the observed number
was considered to be an important deviation compared to deviations less than 3 which
represented expected levels of importance.
Table 7: Distribution of the Expected and Observed Numbers of the Types of Ranks
Observed Number
Type of Expected
Rank Number Organizations Universities
High
16
12
19
Technology
Infrastructure
Medium
16
15
18
and Services
Low
16
21
11
High
7
9
6
Information Design
Medium
7
6
13
and Management
Low
7
6
2
High
8
6
0
Process Design and
Medium
8
10
9
Management
Low
8
7
15
High
9
7
1
Relationship and
Medium
9
8
3
Sourcing Management
Low
9
11
22
High
9
13
22
Personal
Characteristics of IT Medium
9
12
6
Professionals
Low
9
3
0
Domain
Comment
The level of importance of items was:
More than expected for universities but
less than expected for organizations
More than expected for universities but
as expected for organizations
Less than expected for universities but
as expected for organizations
Less than expected for universities but
as expected for organizations
More than expected for universities and
organizations
In addition to the comments for each domain shown in Table 7 it was seen that for
universities the level of importance of items was more than expected in three domains
(Technology Infrastructure and Services, Information Design and Management, and Personal
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Characteristics of IT Professionals) but it was less than expected in the other two domains
(Process Design and Management and Relationship and Sourcing Management). For
organizations the level of importance was as expected for items in three domains
(Information Design and Management, Process Design and Management, and Relationship
and Sourcing Management), more than expected for the Personal Characteristics of IT
Professionals items, and less than expected for items in the Technology Infrastructure and
Services domain.
Appendix Table A5 compares the type of rankings assigned to each of the 147 items
by the organizations and the universities. Table 8 is derived from that table and displays the
items which organizations and universities ranked in the same manner.
Table 8: Items Ranked in the Same Manner by Organizations and Universities
Domain
(Percentage of
items ranked in
the same
manner)
High
Medium
Design Skills Integrate
Applications Management
applications /systems
information (MIS) Networks Applications Enterprise
resource planning (ERP)
and Communications
Technology Internet Technologies for
Networks and
Communications Local area
Infrastructure Security Networks,
networks (Radio/Wireless),
and Services Operational systems, Data/
information, Web
Intranets, Wide area networks
(54)
sites/applications Technical (WAN), Wireless and mobile
Support Services Networks, technologies Technical
Databases, Web site
Support Services Hardware,
Computer operations
Information
Design and
Management
(29)
Process
Design and
Management
(46)
Design Skills Integrate
information Data
Management Systems
Relational databases The
Organization and Its
Functions Privacy
Nil
Relationship
and Sourcing Managing Physical
Management Resources Networks
(54)
Low
Development Methodologies
Frameworks for development
(e.g. Agile) Design Skills Select
applications/systems sold by
vendors, Tailor purchased
applications/systems Tool
s/Techniques Network
performance tools Architecture
Micro computers Applications
Internal governance applications,
External regulation applications
Networks and Communications
Cellular or Internet telephony,
File server architectures
Applications Knowledge
management systems (KMS), Data Management Systems
Document management
Multidimensional databases
systems (DMS)
Design Skills Model/design
processes The Organization
and Its Functions Quality
assurance Management
Activities ICT innovations,
ICT projects Managing
Finances Determine the costs
of ICT developments
Managing Physical
Resources Hardware,
Telecommunications
Design Skills Redesign/reengineer processes
Tools/Techniques Computer
aided systems engineering
(CASE), Process modeling tools
The Organization and Its
Functions Competitive
processes, Business process
outsourcing (BPO), Supply chain
management
The Organization and Its
Functions Supply/demand
analysis/forecasts, Public
relations management
Management Activities ICT
sourcing strategies, Negotiations
with stakeholders, Relationships
with external ICT providers,
Business processing outsourcing
relationships Managing Physical
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Resources Forecast ICT
workforce supply/demand,
Recruit ICT staff Managing
Finances Preparing tenders for
external provision of ICT,
Evaluating bids from ICT
providers, Preparing contracts
with ICT providers
Personal Traits Professional
and ethical behavior, Service
oriented, Innovative, Form
good relationships Work
Environment In crossPersonal
functional teams, With
Characteristics
customers /clients
of IT
Communication Skills
Professionals
Reading, Writing, Listening,
(61)
Speaking Scope of Skills and
Experience Deep skills and a
broad scope of roles and
experience, Skills recognized
in ICT and other work
domains
Problem Solving Expertise
Deal with ambiguity, Deal
with complexity, Deal with
intangibles Work
Environment With vendors
/suppliers
Nil
From Table 8 it is seen that 54 percent of the items were ranked in the same manner
by organizations and universities and among these items 32 percent, 27 percent, and 41
percent were ranked high, medium, and low, respectively. About 56 percent of the items in
each of three domains (Technology Infrastructure and Services, Relationship and Sourcing
Management, and Personal Characteristics of IT Professionals) were ranked in the same
manner by organizations and universities but there was less agreement in the Process Design
and Management and the Information Design and Management domains where 46 percent and
29 percent, respectively, of the items were ranked in the same manner. Notably, there were:
(a) no items ranked low by organizations and universities in the Personal Characteristics of
IT Professionals domain and none ranked high by both groups in the Process Design and
Management domain; (b) few items ranked in the same manner by both groups in Information
Design and Management domain; and (c) few ranked high or medium by both groups in the
Relationship and Sourcing Management domain. On the other hand, there was agreement
between organizations and universities about many of the items which were ranked low in the
Technology Infrastructure and Services and the Relationship and Sourcing Management
domains and those ranked high in the Personal Characteristics of IT Professionals domain.
Table 9 is derived from Appendix Table A5 and highlights the items in each of the
domains which organizations and universities ranked in a clearly different manner (i.e. high
versus low).
Table 9: Important Differences in Rankings by Organizations and Universities
Domain
Universities Organizations
Items
Technology
Development Methodologies Object-oriented analysis and design
Infrastructure
High
Low
(OOAD) Design Skills Program and code, Design web sites,
and Services
Completely develop applications/systems
The Organization and Its Functions Internal governance
Process Design
Low
High
regulations, Standard operational processes, Change/risk
and Management
management Management Activities System recovery procedures
Relationship and
The Organization and Its Functions Culture, Structure/internal
Sourcing
Low
High
relationships, Mission, Strategic plans, Relationships with
Management
partners/alliances
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Domain
Universities Organizations
Items
Personal
Personal Traits Develops others Scope of Skills and Experience
Characteristics of
High
Low
Skills recognized only within the ICT work domain
IT Professionals
From Table 9 it is seen that clear differences in rankings by organizations and
universities occurred for only 10 percent of all of the items and none of these were in the
Information Design and Management domain. About 8 percent of the items in the
Technology Infrastructure and Services domain and the Personal Characteristics of IT
Professionals domain were of this type while about 18 percent of the items in the Process Design
and Management domain and the Relationship and Sourcing Management domain were clearly in
a different manner by organizations and universities.
5.
DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE FINDINGS
The usefulness of the theoretical framework used in this study is discussed first followed by a
discussion of the findings concerned with the three objectives set for this study in Section 1.
5.1
The Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework used in this study included three related components: five domains
of ICT professional expertise; the depth and scope of recognition of an ICT professional’s
skills, roles, and experience; and specific knowledge and skills items associated with the
domains of expertise. The framework provided a useful theoretical approach for comparing
ICT curricular in universities with organizational requirements for ICT professionals in the
developing nation of Thailand. In particular, the findings for the first two components of the
framework enabled comparisons with predictions made by Morello (2005) and Plummer et
al. (2005) about changes over the period 2005 to 2010 in the ICT profession in
technologically advanced organizations.
5.2
ICT Generalists, Specialists and Versatilists
University programs and organizations both placed a high level of importance on the
characteristics which defined versatilist ICT professionals (i.e. deep skills recognized in ICT
and other work domains and a broad scope of roles and experience) and this supported the
predictions made by Plummer et al. (2005) and Morello (2005) for technologically advanced
organizations. However, university programs also placed an equally high level of importance
on characteristics defining generalists and specialists while organizations ranked the
importance of generalists and specialists below versatilists. For organizations shallow or deep
skills and a wide or narrow scope of roles and experience were of equal but only medium
importance while skills recognized in ICT and other work domains were highly important
compared to the low level of importance for skills recognized only within the ICT work
domain. The findings do not represent a major mismatch between the university programs
and the organizations but compared to the university programs the organizations placed much
less importance on skills recognized only within the ICT work domain.
5.3
ICT Skills Demand in Organizations and Importance in ICT Programs
Technology Infrastructure and Services: About half of the organizations experienced
increased demands for skills in this domain which was slightly different from the prediction
by Morello (2005) of no change in demand for these skills in a majority of organizations.
This suggests that many organizations continue to retain these skills in-house rather than
access them completely through outsourcing practices. It also reflects the stage of
development of ICT in many organizations where many systems are being implemented for
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the first time and so there is a strong demand for these traditional predominantly technical
ICT skills.
The importance of skills in this domain was emphasized in Computer Science,
Information Systems, IT, and Telecommunications programs. ICT professionals with
expertise focused in this domain are expected to account for the largest proportion of ICT
professionals (Morello, 2005) and so there is no reason to suggest that the importance placed
on these skills in these ICT programs should be reduced. It is understandable that the
importance of these skills was not emphasized among a majority of Information Technology
Management programs where instead there was an equal or greater emphasis on the
importance of skills in the Process Design and Management and the Relationship and
Sourcing Management domains.
Based on the importance ratings and rankings of the specific skills in this domain
overall there were only a few differences between the organizations and the university
programs. The organizations considered 6 percent of the skills to be more important than in
the university programs (selecting applications/systems sold by vendors, CRM systems, and
data warehouses/marts) while the reverse was true for 10 percent of the skills (multimedia
applications, the design of web sites, SDLC and object-oriented methodologies, and
programming and coding). It appears that organizations are not completely developing
applications, systems, and web sites in-house but instead they are being fully or partly
purchased from vendors. So for organizations skills in development methodologies are not as
important in-house as those related to practical concerns with the use of information (CRM
systems and data warehouses/marts). The university programs need an increased emphasis on
these skills that were more highly valued by the organizations and a decreased emphasis on
skills such as multimedia applications, the design of web sites, and systems development
methods although these should not be completely eliminated from the curricula.
Information Design and Management: The majority of organizations experienced an
increased demand for skills in this domain which was in agreement with the prediction by
Morello (2005). These skills were considered to be important by most of the Computer
Science, IT, and Information Systems programs and this emphasis was compatible with the
demand experienced by organizations. However, these skills were not important for the
majority of the Telecommunications and the Information Technology Management programs.
A continuing emphasis on these skills in Computer Science, IT, and Information
Systems programs is justified. However, a higher level of importance for these skills is
recommended in the Telecommunications programs, especially considering the use of
communication technologies for providing access to and the distribution of information, and
also in the Information Technology Management programs where skills associated with the
management of information as an important resource need to be emphasized.
Based on the importance ratings and rankings of the specific skills in this domain
overall there were differences between the organizations and the university programs. The
university programs placed more emphasis than the organizations on 19 percent the skills
including the design of databases and technical expertise related to object relational and
object oriented databases. The organizations placed more emphasis than the university
programs on 14 percent of the skills including: technical skills related to data
warehouses/marts; and the management of resources (databases, data warehouses/marts,
knowledge bases, and the costs of information requirements). These emphases by the
organizations complement the skills they emphasized in the Technology Infrastructure and
Services domain. Again, the university programs need to adjust to these needs of the
organizations and in particular the skills in the management of resources need to receive more
emphases in the Information Technology Management programs.
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Process Design and Management: About half of the organizations experienced
increased demands for these skills which was slightly different from the prediction by
Morello (2005) of an increased demand in the majority of organizations. These skills were
important for the majority of Computer Science and Information Systems programs but they
were not considered to be important among a majority of any of the other three programs.
Based on the importance ratings and rankings of the skills in this domain there was a
noticeable difference between the organizations and the university programs. Forty six
percent of the skills in this domain were more important to the organizations than they were
in the university programs while the reverse was true for only a single item related to skills in
using CASE tools. Compared to the university programs the organizations placed more
importance on organizational functions (internal/external governance regulations, standard
operational processes, workflows, BPO, and change/risk management) and management
activities (aligning ICT plans with the organization's mission, ICT performance indicators,
ICT support for internal/external regulatory compliance, system recovery procedures, and
help and support functions). It is recommended that there be an increased emphasis on these
skills in the IT, Information Technology Management, and Telecommunications programs.
However, the focus on these skills may need to be different for these programs with IT
programs focusing on design skills, tools, and techniques and Information Technology
Management programs focusing on management activities and with both programs giving
increased importance to skills concerned with organizational functions. For
Telecommunications programs the skills in this domain may not need to have the same high
level of importance as in the other programs but an increase in the awareness of process and
design management skills would be appropriate especially as they apply to the use of
communications technologies in the design and redesign of organizational processes.
Relationship and Sourcing Management: The majority of organizations experienced
no change in demand for skills in this domain which was contrary to an increased demand
predicted by Morello (2005). This highlighted a situation where the use of outsourcing is at
an early stage of development among many of the organizations and the marketplace for
outsourcing services is also developing. As expected these skills were important in the
majority of the Information Technology and Management programs but they were not
important for the majority of any of the other programs and in particular they were
considered to be least important in the Information Systems programs.
Based on the importance ratings and rankings of the skills in this domain there was a
very noticeable difference between the organizations and the university programs.
Organizations placed a higher importance than the university programs on 62 percent of the
skills related to: a wide range of organizational functions (culture, structure/internal
relationships, mission, strategic plans, relationship with partners/alliances, workplace
behavior requirements, and the customer/client base); management activities (negotiations
with stakeholders and business processing outsourcing relationships); and managing physical
and financial resources (recruit ICT staff, assess ICT staff performance, plan and manage
education/training for ICT staff and users, preparing tenders for external provision of ICT,
evaluating bids from ICT providers, preparing contracts with ICT providers, and preparing
and managing ICT budgets). Notably, many of these skills of high importance to
organizations point to an increased interest in skills necessary for managing outsourcing
relationships successfully. On the other hand, none of the skills in this domain were
considered to be more important among the university programs than the organizations but
there is a very clear need for the university programs, especially IT, Information Systems,
and Information Technology Management, to increase the importance of these skills.
Personal Characteristics of IT Professionals: The organizations and the university
programs considered the attributes in this domain to be very important with ratings of at least
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3.74 on a scale of 1(unimportant) to 5 (very important). This was compatible with the strong
demand for these soft skills reported in previous studies. and there is no reason to suggest that
this level of emphasis will change among the organizations or needs to be reduced in the
university ICT programs.
In terms of differences between the organizations and the ICT programs referred to in
the preceding discussion Table 10 summarizes skills that require an increased emphasis in
curricula in order to align the need for these skills in the organizations with their importance
in ICT programs. In addition, the ICT programs are identified where the need for increased
focus on the skills is most evident.
Table 10: Increased Emphases Required to Align ICT Programs with the Needs of
Organizations
Skill to Receive More Emphasis in ICT
Category of Skill
Curricular
Select applications/systems sold by vendors
Design Skills
Customer relationship management
Applications
Data warehouses/marts
Data warehouses/marts
Domain
ICT Program Mainly Affected
Computer Science, IT, Information
Systems, Telecommunications, and
Information Technology
Technology Management
Infrastructure IT, Information Systems, and
and Services Information Technology
Management
Technical Support
Computer Science and IT
Services
Data Management
Computer Science and IT
Systems
Information
Managing Physical
Information Systems, Information
Design and
Resources
Technology Management
Management
Information Systems, Information
Managing Finance
Technology Management
Databases and data warehouse/mart,
Knowledge bases
Determine the costs of information
requirement
Internal governance regulations,
Regulation by external authorities,
The Organization
Standard operational processes,
and Its Functions
Workflows, Business process outsourcing
(BPO), Change/risk management
Aligning ICT plans with the
organization's mission, ICT performance
Management
indicators, ICT support for
Activities
internal/external regulatory compliance,
System recovery procedures
Managing
Help and support functions
Finances
Culture, Structure/internal relationships,
Mission, Strategic plans, Relationship
The Organization
with partners/ alliances, Workplace
and Its Functions
behavior requirements, Customer/client
base
Negotiations with stakeholders,
Management
Business processing outsourcing
Activities
relationships
Recruit ICT staff, Assess ICT staff
Managing
performance, Plan and manage
Physical
education/ training for ICT staff, Plan
Resources
and manage education/training for ICT
IT and Information Technology
Management
Process
Design and
Management
Technology Management
Technology Management
IT, Information Systems, and
Information Technology
Management
Relationship
Information Systems, and
and Sourcing
Information Technology
Management
Management
Information Systems and
Information Technology
Management
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Skill to Receive More Emphasis in ICT
Category of Skill
Curricular
Preparing tenders for external provision
of ICT, Evaluating bids from ICT
Managing
providers, Preparing contracts with ICT
Finances
providers, Preparing and managing ICT
budgets
20
Domain
ICT Program Mainly Affected
IT, Information Systems, and
Information Technology
Management
From Table 10 it is evident that skills related to understanding the organization and its
functions, management activities, and especially the management of physical and financial
resources are dominant among the skills that ICT programs need to emphasize more in order
to meet the needs of the organizations. In addition, the university programs place more
importance than the organizations on skills concerned with systems development
methodologies, the complete development of applications/systems, using CASE tools,
programming and coding, database design, technical expertise with object relational and object
oriented databases, and multimedia applications. It is not suggested that these topics should be
deleted from the ICT curricular but instead in the emphasis may need to be reduced to allow for those
areas where an increased emphasis is recommended.
6.
CONCLUSION
The theoretical framework provided insights into the three objectives for the study: (a) the
overall demand experienced by organizations for skills in the five domains of expertise and
the importance given to these domains in ICT curricular; (b) the level of importance given to
ICT versatilists, specialists, and generalists in organizations and in ICT curricular; and (c) the
level of importance assigned by organizations and ICT curricular to specific skills associated
with the domains of expertise. In summary, with respect to the three objectives the findings
suggested that:
(a) Over the period 2006 to 2011 the majority of the organizations placed a strong
emphasis on the importance of attributes in the Personal Characteristics of IT
Professionals domain, experienced an increased demand for skills in the Information
Design and Management domain, and experienced no change in demand in the
Relationship and Sourcing Management domain. Only about half of the
organizations experienced an increased demand for skills in the Technology
Infrastructure and Services and the Process Design and Management domains while
an almost equal proportion experienced no change in demand in these domains.
Overall, the findings are close to the predictions made by Morello (2005) for
technologically developed nations with the notable exception that Morello predicted
an increased demand for skills in the Relationship and Sourcing Management
domain and this difference may be largely due to the early stage of development of
outsourcing practices among the organizations in Thailand.
Technology Infrastructure and Services skills were considered to be important
in at least half of all of the different ICT programs except for the Information
Technology Management programs. Information Design and Management skills
were important in the majority of all of the different programs except for the
Telecommunications and the Information Technology Management programs.
Process Design and Management skills were important in the majority of Computer
Science and Information Systems programs but much less important in the other
programs. Relationship and Sourcing Management skills were important in most of
the Information Technology and Management programs but they were much less
important in the other programs. The Personal Characteristics of IT Professionals
were important in all of the programs.
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(b) Organizations placed a high level of importance on versatilists but a lower level
of importance on specialists and generalists. On the other hand, universities placed a
high level of importance on developing the characteristics of versatilists, specialists,
and generalists.
(c) Overall, there was evidence of alignment between the skills needed by
organizations and the importance assigned to these skills in the ICT programs but
differences were most evident in the Relationship and Sourcing Management
domain, less evident in the Process Design and Management and the Information
Design and Management domains, and least evident in the Technology
Infrastructure and Services and the Personal Characteristics of IT Professionals
domains. Understanding the organization and its functions, management activities,
and especially the management of physical and financial resources characterize the
wide range of specific skills that are more important to organizations than they are in
ICT programs where instead greater emphasis is placed on skills concerned with
methodologies for systems/application development, CASE tools, programming and
coding, database design, technical expertise with object relational and object oriented
databases, and multimedia applications.
From a theoretical perspective the study has shown that the theoretical framework
derived from previous studies has enabled the three objectives of the study to be achieved and
so it is recommended to other researchers as a means of obtaining a comprehensive view of
the importance of ICT knowledge and skills among stakeholders. In particular, a comparison
of the demands experienced by organizations in Thailand in each of the domains with the
predictions for these demands in technologically developed nations made by Morello (2005)
suggested that in all but the Relationship and Sourcing Management domain the ICT
profession in Thailand is developing in a similar direction to that of the developed nations.
From a practical perspective, based on comparisons between the organizations and the ICT
curricular with respect to the importance placed on domains, specific skills, and the scope of
those skills it was possible to identify differences and thus recommend skills that required
increased emphasis in ICT curricular in order to enable curriculum developers to align ICT
curricular more closely with the needs of organizations (see Table 10). These same
differences identified skills that recent graduates may need to develop in order to make an
improved contribution in their current positions and this information is of practical value to
those responsible for designing and delivering professional training/education programs.
There are limitations on the findings of this exploratory study in Thailand. The
number of organizations participating in the study was considered to be reasonable and
represented a cross section of organizations from different sectors but the 42 responses from
the universities needed to be increased. In particular, the small number of responses
representing Information Systems, Information Technology Management, and
Telecommunications programs placed limitations on the findings related to these programs.
In subsequent studies it would be useful to conduct analyses of the importance ratings of the
specific skills separately for the different programs and this was not done in this study
because of these small numbers. Otherwise, it is expected that the findings are of practical
value and interest to those responsible for national ICT policies and ICT education and
training.
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APPENDIX
A1. Section 1 of Questionnaires
Section 1: Organizations
Your current position: □ IS/IT Manager □ CIO (or equivalent) □ IS/IT Strategist □ IS/IT Project Manager □ Other (Please specify):________________
Number of years of experience in current position: _______ years?
Total number of years of experience in ICT positions: _______ years?
Highest level of education: □ Secondary school (or equivalent) □ Diploma □ Bachelor degree □ Master degree □ Doctoral degree
Other (please specify):________________
5. Which sector best describes your organization? □ Government □ Banking/Finance □ Information and Communication Technology □
Manufacturing/Engineering
□ Wholesale/Retail □ Education □ Health □ Tourism/Transport □ Other (Please specify): ___________________
6. Does your organization operate: □ Only within one nation □ Internationally?
7. Please indicate for your organization the: Total number of employees :_________
Total number of ICT staff: ___________
8. What changes in demand for ICT staff in each of the following 4 domains of expertise did your organization experience during the past 5 years?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Domain of Expertise
Significant Increase in the Past
5 Years
No Significant Change in the Past
5 Years
Significant Decrease in the Past
5 Years
Technology infrastructure and services
Information design and management
Process design and management
Relationship and sourcing management
Section 1: Universities
1. Your current position: □ Dean of the Faculty of ICT □ Director of ICT Program □ Head of ICT Department □ Other (Please
specify):___________________________
2. Your number of years of experience in current position: _______ years. 3. Total number of years of your experience in teaching ICT: _______ years.
4. Highest level of your education: □ Bachelor degree □ Master degree □ Doctoral degree 5. Is your institution a: □ Public University or □ Private
University ?
6. Please indicate the total number of staff teaching ICT programs: ___________ 7. Please indicate the ICT programs at Bachelor degree level that are offered
in your institution:
□ Computer Science □ Telecommunications □ Information Technology □ Computer Technology □ Information Systems □ Information Technology
Management
□ Other (Please specify):_______________________________
8. In the following table: (a) please identify the one ICT program at your institution with which you are the most familiar, (b) for each ICT program offered at your
institution please indicate the important domain(s) of expertise developed by the program noting that there may be one or more of these 4 domains which are considered
to be important.
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Bachelor Degree Programs
Domain of Expertise
Computer Information Computer Information
Telecommunications
Science Technology Technology Systems
Information
Technology
Management
Other (Please specify):
Technology infrastructure and
services
Information design and management
Process design and management
Relationship and sourcing
management
A2. Data Analyses
Table A1: Importance ratings and rankings of items by universities and organizations
Domains and Items
Development Methodologies
System development life cycle
Object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD)
Frameworks for development (e.g. Agile)
Design Skills
Understand current/emerging technologies
Determine systems requirements
Program and code
Design networks
Design web sites
Integrate applications/systems
Select open source applications/systems
Select applications/systems sold by vendors
Tailor purchased applications/systems
Completely develop applications/systems
Tools/Techniques
Software testing
Network performance tools
Universities
Importance
Rank
Type of Rank
Rating
Domain 1: Technology Infrastructure and Services
Organizations
Importance
Rating
Rank
Type of Rank
4.33
4.12
3.43
6.5
26.0
111.5
H
H
L
3.84
3.48
3.18
95.5
132.0
145.0
M
L
L
4.29
4.26
4.14
3.83
3.98
3.79
3.43
3.12
3.17
3.95
10.5
13.5
22.5
58.0
41.5
67.5
111.5
140.5
136.5
44.5
H
H
H
M
H
M
L
L
L
H
3.98
4.02
3.58
3.76
3.74
3.94
3.38
3.74
3.32
3.28
59.0
50.5
127.0
104.5
108.5
70.0
138.5
108.5
141.0
142.0
M
M
L
L
L
M
L
L
L
L
3.71
3.45
83.0
109.0
M
L
3.80
3.76
101.0
104.5
L
L
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Universities
Domains and Items
Architecture
Micro computers
Mobile computers
Applications
Transaction processing (TPS)
Management information (MIS)
Decision support (DSS)
Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Multimedia applications
Web applications
E-learning applications
Internal governance applications
External regulation applications
Networks and Communications
Local area networks (Cable)
Local area networks (Radio/Wireless)
Internet
Extranets
Intranets
Wide area networks (WAN)
Cellular or Internet telephony
Wireless and mobile technologies
File server architectures
E-mail systems
Technologies for Security
Networks
Operational systems
Data/information
Web sites/applications
Technical Support Services
Hardware
Networks
Databases
Data warehouses/marts
Computer operations
Importance
Rating
Rank
3.50
3.55
Organizations
Type of Rank
Importance
Rating
Rank
Type of Rank
104.0
96.5
L
M
3.70
3.58
114.0
127.0
L
L
3.60
4.10
3.90
3.64
3.40
3.81
4.12
3.71
3.50
3.31
92.0
29.0
47.5
88.0
116.0
62.0
26.0
83.0
104.0
126.5
M
H
H
M
L
M
H
M
L
L
3.72
4.26
3.92
3.88
4.00
3.24
3.96
3.40
3.42
3.66
112.0
12.5
76.0
88.5
54.5
143.5
64.5
137.0
135.5
117.5
L
H
M
M
M
L
M
L
L
L
4.00
3.79
4.33
3.64
3.76
3.79
3.50
3.86
3.52
3.76
38.5
67.5
6.5
88.0
74.0
67.5
104.0
54.5
100.0
74.0
H
M
H
M
M
M
L
M
L
M
3.98
4.02
4.28
3.38
3.92
3.90
3.34
3.96
3.62
4.18
59.0
50.5
9.5
138.5
76.0
83.0
140.0
64.5
122.5
23.0
M
M
H
L
M
M
L
M
L
H
4.29
4.07
4.24
4.24
10.5
30.5
17.0
17.0
H
H
H
H
4.36
4.38
4.56
4.42
4.5
3.0
1.0
2.0
H
H
H
H
3.74
4.12
4.29
3.76
3.81
79.5
26.0
10.5
74.0
62.0
M
H
H
M
M
4.02
4.08
4.32
4.20
3.86
50.5
39.5
7.5
19.0
92.5
M
H
H
H
M
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Domains and Items
End-users
Web sites
Design Skills
Model/design information requirements
Design databases
Integrate information
Design web aesthetics
Tools/Techniques
Data modeling
Database query languages
Applications
Data mining
Knowledge management systems (KMS)
Document management systems (DMS)
Data Management Systems
Relational databases
Object relational databases
Object oriented databases
Multidimensional databases
Data warehouses/marts
The Organization and Its Functions
Information requirements
Information flows
Knowledge management
Privacy
Managing Physical Resources
Databases/data warehouse/mart
Knowledge bases
Managing Finances
Determine the costs of information requirements
Design Skills
Model/design processes
Redesign/re-engineer processes
Participate in R&D projects
Universities
Importance
Rank
Type of Rank
Rating
3.83
58.0
M
4.19
21.0
H
Domain 2: Information Design and Management
Organizations
Importance
Rating
4.08
4.10
Rank
Type of Rank
39.5
34.0
H
H
4.00
4.38
4.02
3.86
38.5
2.0
36.0
54.5
H
H
H
M
3.88
3.96
4.26
3.62
88.5
64.5
12.5
122.5
M
M
H
L
3.83
3.93
58.0
46.0
M
H
3.58
3.92
127.0
76.0
L
M
3.74
3.88
3.60
79.5
50.5
92.0
M
M
M
3.74
3.84
3.96
108.5
95.5
64.5
L
M
M
4.45
3.88
3.86
3.48
3.62
1.0
50.5
54.5
107.0
90.0
H
M
M
L
M
4.18
3.24
3.12
3.44
4.12
23.0
143.5
146.0
134.0
32.0
H
L
L
L
H
3.79
3.81
3.79
3.98
67.5
62.0
67.5
41.5
M
M
M
H
4.14
4.04
4.06
4.18
29.5
47.0
44.5
23.0
H
H
H
H
3.88
3.76
50.5
74.0
M
M
4.34
4.20
6.0
19.0
H
H
3.33
123.5
L
Domain 3: Process Design and Management
3.86
92.5
M
3.94
3.76
3.42
70.0
104.5
135.5
M
L
L
3.76
3.52
3.71
74.0
100.0
83.0
M
L
M
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Universities
Domains and Items
Importance
Rating
Rank
Organizations
Type of Rank
Tools/Techniques
Computer aided systems engineering (CASE)
3.38
120.0
L
Process modeling tools
3.48
107.0
L
The Organization and Its Functions
Internal governance regulations
3.24
133.0
L
Regulation by external authorities
3.14
138.0
L
Standard operational processes
3.48
107.0
L
Competitive processes
3.17
136.5
L
Workflows
3.57
94.5
M
Business process outsourcing (BPO)
2.98
147.0
L
Quality assurance
3.57
94.5
M
Supply chain management
3.21
135.0
L
Change/risk management
3.38
120.0
L
Management Activities
ICT strategic planning
3.64
88.0
M
Aligning ICT plans with the organization's mission
3.60
92.0
M
ICT performance indicators
3.52
100.0
L
ICT support for internal/external regulatory compliance
3.43
111.5
L
ICT innovations
3.74
79.5
M
ICT projects
3.79
67.5
M
System recovery procedures
3.52
100.0
L
Managing Finances
Help and support functions
3.40
116.0
L
Determine the costs of ICT developments
3.55
96.5
M
Determine the costs of processes
3.52
100.0
L
Domain 4: Relationship and Sourcing Management
The Organization and Its Functions
Culture
3.40
116.0
L
Structure/internal relationships
3.40
116.0
L
Mission
3.24
133.0
L
Strategic plans
3.36
122.0
L
Relationships with partners/alliances
3.26
131.0
L
Workplace behavior requirements
3.31
126.5
L
Customer/client base
3.31
126.5
L
Supply/demand analysis/forecasts
3.29
129.5
L
Public relations management
3.31
126.5
L
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Importance
Rating
Rank
Type of Rank
2.78
3.58
147.0
127.0
L
L
4.22
3.82
4.08
3.60
4.26
3.46
3.92
3.50
4.16
16.0
98.0
39.5
124.0
12.5
133.0
76.0
131.0
26.5
H
M
H
L
H
L
M
L
H
4.08
4.22
3.98
3.94
3.90
3.90
4.26
39.5
16.0
59.0
70.0
83.0
83.0
12.5
H
H
M
M
M
M
H
3.96
3.90
3.92
64.5
83.0
76.0
M
M
M
4.10
4.06
4.32
4.36
4.04
3.90
4.00
3.66
3.58
34.0
44.5
7.5
4.5
47.0
83.0
54.5
117.5
127.0
H
H
H
H
H
M
M
L
L
EJISDC (2013) 59, 1, 1-34
30
Universities
Domains and Items
Management Activities
ICT sourcing strategies
Negotiations with stakeholders
Relationships with external ICT providers
Business processing outsourcing relationships
Managing Physical Resources
Hardware
Software
Networks
Telecommunications
Forecast ICT workforce supply/demand
Recruit ICT staff
Assess ICT staff performance
Plan and manage education/training for ICT staff
Plan and manage education/training for ICT users
Managing Finances
Preparing tenders for external provision of ICT
Evaluating bids from ICT providers
Preparing contracts with ICT providers
Preparing and managing ICT budgets
Importance
Rating
Rank
3.40
3.12
3.33
3.07
3.69
3.76
3.98
3.67
3.24
3.02
3.29
3.43
3.38
Organizations
Type of Rank
Importance
Rating
Rank
Type of Rank
116.0
140.5
123.5
143.0
L
L
L
L
3.80
3.64
3.64
3.56
101.0
120.5
120.5
130.0
L
L
L
L
85.0
74.0
41.5
86.0
133.0
144.5
129.5
111.5
120.0
M
M
H
M
L
L
L
L
L
3.92
4.08
4.14
3.82
3.66
3.68
3.94
4.00
3.96
76.0
39.5
29.5
98.0
117.5
115.0
70.0
54.5
64.5
M
H
H
M
L
L
M
M
M
3.66
3.72
3.72
3.98
117.5
112.0
112.0
59.0
L
L
L
M
3.00
146.0
L
3.12
140.5
L
3.02
144.5
L
3.12
140.5
L
Domain 5: Personal Characteristics of IT Professionals
Personal Traits
Organizational awareness
Professional and ethical behavior
Service oriented
Develops others
Innovative
Manage conflict
Form good relationships
Problem Solving Expertise
Deal with ambiguity
Deal with complexity
Deal with intangibles
Understand the organizational/social implications of ICT
Work Environment
In virtual teams
4.05
4.36
4.07
4.12
4.36
3.86
4.21
33.0
4.0
30.5
26.0
4.0
54.5
20.0
H
H
H
H
H
M
H
3.86
4.08
4.22
3.80
4.08
4.14
4.20
92.5
39.5
16.0
101.0
39.5
29.5
19.0
M
H
H
L
H
H
H
3.81
3.88
3.81
4.02
62.0
50.5
62.0
36.0
M
M
M
H
3.90
4.02
3.94
3.90
83.0
50.5
70.0
83.0
M
M
M
M
3.76
74.0
M
3.76
104.5
L
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EJISDC (2013) 59, 1, 1-34
31
Universities
Domains and Items
In multi-disciplinary teams
In cross-functional teams
In cross-cultural environments
With vendors/suppliers
With customers/clients
On multiple tasks
Communication Skills
Reading
Writing
Listening
Speaking
Fluency in more than 1 language
Scope of Skills and Experience
Deep skills and a narrow scope of roles and experience
Shallow skills and a broad scope of roles and experience
Deep skills and a broad scope of roles and experience
Skills recognized only within the ICT work domain
Skills recognized in ICT and other work domains
Importance
Rating
4.12
4.05
4.05
3.74
3.98
3.90
Organizations
Rank
Type of Rank
26.0
33.0
33.0
79.5
41.5
47.5
H
H
H
M
H
H
Importance
Rating
3.88
4.18
3.92
3.82
4.18
4.00
4.36
4.24
4.31
4.29
4.14
4.0
17.0
8.0
10.5
22.5
H
H
H
H
H
4.02
4.26
3.95
4.24
4.24
36.0
13.5
44.5
17.0
17.0
H
H
H
H
H
Rank
Type of Rank
88.5
23.0
76.0
98.0
23.0
54.5
M
H
M
M
H
M
4.14
4.04
4.28
4.16
3.98
29.5
47.0
9.5
26.5
59.0
H
H
H
H
M
3.88
3.86
4.10
3.74
4.08
88.5
92.5
34.0
108.5
39.5
M
M
H
L
H
Note: The mean represents the importance rating of an item and high (H), medium (M), and low (L) ranks are in the top, middle, or bottom third
of the distribution of the ranks, respectively.
Table A2: Characteristics of organizations and their respondents
Scope of Operation
Percentage
National
Only
61
Percentage
International
Average
Number of
Employees
(NE)
39
3172
Level of Education
Current Position
Average
(Percentage of Respondents)
(Percentage of Respondents)
Number of
NIT/NE
IT
IT
(Percentage) Secondary
Bachelor Master Doctoral IT
IT
Professionals
Diploma
CIO Project
School
Degree Degree Degree Manager Strategist
(NIT)
Manager
143
5
1
4
40
52
3
48
3
16
33
Average Average
Years
Years
in
of
Current
IT
Position Experience
7
14
Table A3: Characteristics of universities and their respondents
Percentage of
Universities
Public
Private
Level of Education
Average
(Percentage of Respondents)
Number of
Staff Teaching Secondary
Bachelor Master Doctoral
Diploma
Dean
ICT Programs
School
Degree Degree Degree
Current Position
(Percentage of Respondents)
Head of
Director of ICT Senior ICT
ICT
Program
Lecturer
Department
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Average
Years in
Current
Position
Average Years
of
ICT Teaching
Experience
EJISDC (2013) 59, 1, 1-34
71
29
32
14
1
4
2
36
62
8
21
57
14
8
11
Table A4: Distributions of types of ICT programs and ICT staff familiarity with programs
Total Number
of ICT
Percentage of:
Programs
All ICT
Programs
78
Respondents
Most Familiar
with the Program
Computer
Science
36
Information
Technology
37
33
50
Type of ICT Bachelor Degree Program
Information Systems Telecommunications
Information Technology Management
12
4
11
12
2
3
Table A5: Comparison of the rankings by organizations and universities
Domain
Technology
Infrastructure
and Services
Organizations
Medium
Low
Development Methodologies System
Development Methodologies Objectdevelopment life cycle, Design Skills
Understand current/emerging technologies, oriented analysis and design (OOAD)
Design Skills Program and code, Design
Determine systems requirements
High
Applications Decision support (DSS), Web web sites, Completely develop
applications Networks and Communications applications/systems
Local area networks (Cable)
Design Skills Integrate applications/systems Design Skills Design networks
Tools/Techniques Software testing
Networks and Communications E-mail Applications Enterprise resource planning
systems Technical Support Services Data (ERP) Networks and Communications Local Architecture Mobile computers
area networks (Radio/Wireless), Intranets,
Medium warehouses/marts, End-users
Applications Transaction processing (TPS),
Wide area networks (WAN), Wireless and Multimedia applications, E-learning
mobile technologies Technical Support
applications Networks and
Services Hardware, Computer operations
Communications Extranets
Development Methodologies Frameworks
for development (e.g. Agile) Design Skills
Integrate applications/systems, Select
applications/systems sold by vendors, Tailor
Applications Customer relationship
Nil
purchased applications /systems
Low
management (CRM)
Tools/Techniques Network performance
tools Architecture: Micro computers
Applications Internal governance
applications, External regulation
Universities
High
Applications Management information
(MIS) Networks and Communications
Internet Technologies for Security
Networks, Operational systems,
Data/information, Web sites/applications
Technical Support Services Networks,
Databases, Web sites
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Domain
Information
Design and
Management
Universities
Relationship
and Sourcing
Management
High
Design Skills Integrate information Data
Management Systems Relational
High
databases The Organization and Its
Functions Privacy
Data Management Systems Data
warehouses /marts The Organization and
Its Functions Information requirements,
Medium Information flows, Knowledge
management, Managing Physical
Resources Databases data
warehouse/mart, Knowledge bases
Organizations
Medium
Nil
Low
applications Networks and
Communications Cellular or Internet
telephony, File server architectures
Design Skills Model/design information
requirements, Design databases
Tools/Techniques Database query languages
Applications Knowledge management
systems (KMS), Document management
systems (DMS)
Managing Finances Determine the costs of
information requirements
High
Nil
Nil
Design Skills Model/design processes The
Organization and Its Functions Quality
The Organization and Its Functions
Workflows Management Activities ICT assurance Management Activities ICT
Medium
innovations, ICT projects Managing
strategic planning, Aligning ICT plans
Finances Determine the costs of ICT
with the organization's mission,
developments
The Organization and Its Functions
The Organization and Its Functions
Regulation by external authorities
Internal governance regulations, Standard
Management Activities ICT performance
operational processes, Change/risk
Low
indicators, ICT support for internal /external
management
regulatory compliance Managing Finances
Management Activities System recovery
Help and support functions, Determine the
procedures
costs of processes
High
Managing Physical Resources Networks
Nil
Managing Physical Resources Hardware,
Medium Managing Physical Resources Software
Telecommunications
The Organization and Its Functions
The Organization and Its Functions
Culture, Structure/internal relationships, Workplace behavior requirements,
Low
Mission, Strategic plans, Relationships
Customer/client base Managing Physical
with partners/alliances
Resources Assess ICT staff performance,
Plan and manage education/training for ICT
Low
Process
Design and
Management
33
Nil
Design Skills Design web aesthetics
Tools/Techniques Data modeling
Applications Data mining Data
Management Systems Object relational
databases, Object oriented databases
Data Management Systems
Multidimensional databases
Nil
Design Skills Participate in R&D projects
Design Skills Redesign/re-engineer
processes Tools/Techniques Computer
aided systems engineering (CASE), Process
modeling tools The Organization and Its
Functions Competitive processes, Business
process outsourcing (BPO), Supply chain
management
Nil
Nil
The Organization and Its Functions
Supply /demand analysis/forecasts, Public
relations management Management
Activities ICT sourcing strategies,
Negotiations with stakeholders,
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Organizations
Medium
Low
staff, Plan and manage education/training for Relationships with external ICT providers,
ICT users Managing Finances Preparing
Business processing outsourcing
and managing ICT budgets
relationships Managing Physical Resources
Forecast ICT workforce supply/demand,
Recruit ICT staff Managing Finances
Preparing tenders for external provision of
ICT, Evaluating bids from ICT providers,
Preparing contracts with ICT providers
Personal Traits Organizational awareness
Personal Traits Professional and ethical
Problem Solving Expertise Understand the
behavior, Service oriented, Innovative,
organizational/social implications of ICT
Form good relationships Work
Work Environment In multi-disciplinary
Environment In cross-functional teams,
Personal Traits Develops others Scope of
teams, In cross-cultural environments, On
With customers/clients Communication
Skills and Experience Skills recognized
multiple tasks, Communication Skills
High
Skills Reading, Writing, Listening,
only within the ICT work domain
Fluency in more than 1 language Scope of
Personal
Speaking Scope of Skills and Experience
Skills and Experience Deep skills and a
Characteristics
Deep skills and a broad scope of roles and
narrow scope of roles and experience,
of IT
experience, Skills recognized in ICT and
Shallow skills and a wide scope of roles and
Professionals
other work domains
experience
Problem Solving Expertise Deal with
ambiguity, Deal with complexity, Deal with
Medium Personal Traits Manage conflict
Work Environment In virtual teams
intangibles Work Environment With
vendors/suppliers
Low
Nil
Nil
Nil
Domain
Universities
High
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