We find difficuity to evaluate the effectiveness of computerization as the rapid progress of information technology. At the same time, it becomes actual that there are different opinions between end users and IS people due to the diversity of views about the computerization of each function. Consequently, the division of responsibility becomes more obscure between end users and IS division. In this paper, the author propose a new method for making the mutual consent between them by introducing index α for evaluate IS functions and index β for evaluate the effective use of IS. Therefore, index α proves the contribution of IS department, and index β proves of end users.The product α・β represent the IS total effectiveness. Here, index α is the ratio between IS performance(f) and IS cost(i); ie., α=f/i. Similarly, β=o/f: o stands for output.

This paper aims at proposing a viability-based efficiency concept of R&D investment. Since it is hard to simultaneuously expect the performance of R&D investment due to its time-lag and obsolescence, we introduce techno-potential as concept to evaluate R&D investments which have the two properties. Then, we formulate three kinds of effciency indices of technology investment; the first is efficiency that is concerned with growth of the techno-potential, the others are concerned with the transformations from techno-potential to their outputs with respect to short-term and long-term, respectively. Furthermore, in order to assess several decision making units(DMUs), each of which has various inputs and outputs concerning R&D, we combine DEA with our concepts. Finally, by using the data of 12 countries, we analyze their efficiency based on the three indices.

Our modern society may be characterized as a sophisticated information society. In the society, a community and a group seem to emerge auto-genetically depending on information systems. They can be named as a virtual community. The information systems make it possible to share much information among participants in the community. What kind of mechanisms may exist in emerging the group and its boundary auto-genetically? Information sharing and disappearance of regional constraints seem to affect the emergence. In order to explore the mechanisms of emergence, we develop a communication model in terms of interactions among agents, The interactions are classified into three types with respect to memorization: i.e. Individual Memory type, Trans-active Memory type, and External Memory type. In the Individual Memory type, the agent does not share information except in an occasion of interaction occurred. In the Trans-active Memory type, the agent shares information among group agents, In the External Memory type, agents have a common data base to share information among group agents. Computer simulation reveals the process of boundary emergence. Among the findings, the process of boundary emergence in the Trans-active Memory type is quite different from the other two types. As a conclusion, the model can describe the interesting behavior of boundary emergence and the method of computer simulation may be promising to explore the role of information systems in a society.

This study proposes a method for developing a decision-support system to help experienced planners decide with greater ease, speed, and accuracy whether to open a new supermarket store. Our method proceeds in the following steps: 1) investigate the decision-making process of an experienced planner; 2) design the contents of support for three steps in the planner's decision-making process, i.e., "making a concrete concept for a new store," "estimating initial investment, expenses, and sales figures for the new store," and "considering the profitability of the new store"; 3) design a framework enabling supply of the contents of support to the planner; 4) develop a prototype system based on the above framework; 5) carry out a field test to assess the performance of the newly developed prototype system. Upon carrying out the above steps, we validated our method for developing a planner's decision-making support system from three perspectives: "appropriateness of the contents of support," "ease of access to information from the contents of support," and "usefulness of the contents of support."