Thesis Meeting: July the 9th 2007

On Monday a meeting was held with Dr. Poon and my fellow colleagues to discuss our progress in research what the deliverables will be for the next few week. We all gave updates on where we were in terms of our research and Dr. Poon was please with our progress.

One of my tasks will be to obtain data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) that will be used in my model to estimate the complementarities between hardware and software. The data to be obtained will be from the Economic Activity Survey, from 1998 to 2007. Whilst a lot of the literature I have found does advocate the use of firm level data, Dr. Poon has advised me that the ABS most likely will not provide this level of detail. He has suggests that I ask the ABS for data broken up by firm size i.e. small, medium and large. Whilst this level of detail is not the most desirable form it will still serve the purpose of treatise well in examining the complementarities between hardware and software. The items from the survey which I am required to obtain data for are:

• Employment
• Income from Services
• Sale of Goods
• Total Income
• Labour Costs
• Purchases
• Telecommunication Services
• Computer Software Expensed
• Training Services provided by other businesses
• Other Management and Administrative services
• Reported operating profit or loss before tax
• Inventories
• Derived items
• Capital expenditure and disposal of assets including computer software capitalised and computers and computer peripherals
• Capitalised wages and salaries and purchases of materials for capital work.

In addition to obtaining the data, I have been researching additional papers related to my topic to determine my motivation and definitions of my thesis. I have found in excess of 40 papers and am still researching for additional papers. I am currently going through the papers that I have found to determine which are the most relevant to my topic. I will continue this activity over the coming 2 weeks. I have also received notification from the library that the Chambers text book I have requested is available for pick up and I will collect this today to continue my research into substitution elasticities.

Dr Poon has also provided me with four additional papers for me to read, however I had already come across most of them through my research. These papers are :

• Fernadez, W., Gregor, S., Martin, M., Stern, S. & Vitale, Michael. ‘Identifying the Key Strategies in the Realization of Value from Information Technology’, 2007.
• Fernandez, W. ,Gregor, S., Holtham, D,. Martin, M., Stern, S., Pratt, G. & Vitale, M., ‘Achieving Value from ICT: key management strategies’, Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, ICT Research Study, Canberra, 2004.
• Mittal, N. & Nault, B.R., ‘Investments in Information Technology: Indirect Effects and Information Technology Intensity’, Haskayne School of Business: University of Calgary Canada, 2006.
• Dewan, S. 'The Subsitution of Information Technology for Other Factors of Production: A Firm Level Analysis', (2006) 43 Management Science 1660-16.
  

Dr. Poon for our next meeting would also like us to prepare a 15 minute presentation on a particular area that is inline with the research and literature reviewing that we are currently completing. My presentation will focus on the different testing methods of substitution elasticity that I have come across my research.

Our next meeting is scheduled to be early on in the first week of semester 2. My goals and aims I wish to achieve by the next meeting are:

• Obtain a quote on the data to be obtain from the ABS
• Continue to develop core skills using R
• Continue further research int the testing methods of substitution of elasticity
• Complete my thesis project plan