NOKOBIT-98 1 Sesjon 1:1a Key Issues in Information Systems Management in Norway: An Empirical Study Dag H. Olsen 1 , Tom R. Eikebrokk 1 and Maung K. Sein 2 1 Institutt for Informasjonsvitenskap Høgskolen i Agder dag.h.olsen@hia.no, tom.eikebrokk@hia.no 2 Georgia State University msein@cis.gsu.edu ABSTRACT This article presents an empirical study of key IS issues among Norwegian IS managers. We look at which issues the IS managers perceive as most important. In addition we test how the perception of key issue importance is moderated by industry type and position. We find that four issues are significantly correlated with industry type or IS manager position. INTRODUCTION It is generally believed that information systems (IS) management issues become increasingly important in the global economy (e.g. Watson et al., 1997) A number of surveys have investigated the assessments of key IS issues in several countries. The stream of research initially started in the Unites States in the early 1980s. The Society for Information Management (SIM) in cooperation with the MIS research center at the University of Minnesota and others, has periodically surveyed its members periodically since 1980. (Dicson et al., 1984; Brancheau et al., 1996). These surveys provide a valuable insight into the evolution of the MIS discipline and the professional applications of it. Later, a number of studies have surveyed the key IS management issues in other countries. An overview can be found in Watson et al. (1997) The purpose of this article is to determine the key IS management issues in Norway, and test a set of hypotheses about differences in key issues in different industries. We will address the following research questions: What are the key IS management issues facing IS managers in Norway? Are there differences in the importance of the issues between different industries? The results can give valuable input to people who needs to be aware of IS managers key concerns. Researchers, educators, consultants and IS vendors need to know what issues have priority among the people who makes the decisions about IS purchases, development and implementation. As researchers and educators, we form and convey assessments about which IS issues are prominent in the industry. We need to check our assessments with reality. IS managers assessments have significant bearing on what the markets for IS personnel, solutions and services will be in the future. Moreover, for IS managers it can provide a measure of benchmarking. Knowing which issues have priority among his/her colleagues can help the individual manager