Researcher: Ginny A. Baro Contact me at Ginny.
This page is viewed best with Internet Explorer				Degree Related Information (As of March 2007) Ph.D. in Computer and Information Systems Candidate
Table of Contents		Introduction Dissertation Committee Biography Dissertation Topic Benefits to Survey Participants			Research Methodology Acknowledgements Relevant Links Hobbies / Facts
Introduction		This Web-page is intended to inform and provide some background on a Ph.D. dissertation effort which began back in January 2000. Motivated by the vast activity of mergers and acquisitions in the corporate environment, the high rates of merger failures, and by my passion for management information systems, this study focuses on mergers and acquisitions and the IS integration component of the integration between two merging firms. Education: Rutgers College, BA in Computer Science Rutgers Graduate School of Management (GSM), MBA in Management New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), MS in Computer Science NJIT, Ph.D. Candidate in Computer and Information Systems
Ph.D. Dissertation Committee		Dr. Alok Chakrabarti, Co-Chair (School Web Page) Distinguished Professor of Management & Industrial Engineering Foundation Chair in Management of Technology, NJIT Dr. Fadi Deek, Co-Chair (School Web Page) Dean, College of Science and Liberal Arts, Professor, Information Systems, Information Technology, and Mathematical Sciences, NJIT Dr. Julian M. Scher  (School Web Page) Associate Professor of Information Systems and Information Technology, NJIT Dr. Vassilka Kirova, Member (School Web Page) Visiting Professor, Information Systems Department, NJIT Dr. Robert W. Zmud (School Web Page) Professor, Chair in MIS, Michael F. Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma
Biography		For the past seven years, I have been a candidate for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems (IS) at New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ. My professional experience in IS, Information Technology (IT), and the financial industry spans over 15 years, the most recent seven of which I have spent working at an asset management firm in Jersey City, NJ. I am currently a member of the technology executive team responsible for technology strategic planning activities. Contact Information: Ginny A. Baro Information Systems Department, Ph.D. Program 5500 GITC Building University Heights Newark, NJ 07102-1982
Dissertation Topic		Dissertation title: The Influence of Organizational and Information Systems Factors on the Effectiveness of Post-Merger Technology Integration Abstract: Many mergers and acquisitions fail to achieve their intended objectives. The literature indicates that slow post-merger integrations are partly responsible for such failure and highlights that a successful post-merger integration is essential to a successful merger. Recognizing the fact that integration, specifically information systems integration, is important for effective merger performance and that few information systems and mergers and acquisition researchers have ventured in this arena, the objective of this research is to focus on identifying factors that can impact the effectiveness of post-merger information systems integrations. Specifically, the study will explore how ten organizational and information systems factors influence post-merger IS integration success by surveying the senior IS executives at firms that have experienced a merger in the banking and finance industry. This research contributes to the information systems field by investigating sources influencing information systems integration performance, a key component of the overall integration between merging firms, and thus helping to explain sources of overall merger performance. It also contributes by exposing the role of key organizational and IS factors that can be impacted by management teams, allowing these teams to manage how the influential factors are manifested in the post-merger environment, and aiding them to improve at achieving post-merger integration success, and ultimately overall merger performance.
Benefits to Survey Participants Research Methodology		Senior IS executives participating in the study will be able to benchmark the influential, manageable organizational and information systems factors against those they currently consider in their IS integration practices after a bank or financial merger. The study results will provide helpful insight about the role of those factors and would allow CIOs and management to monitor them more closely during the IS integration. The researcher will provide an executive summary of the study findings and conclusions to those who participate in the survey. To assess the influence of the ten organizational and IS factors on IS integration success, a non-experimental, descriptive design will be used. Specifically, a cross-sectional survey design will be employed, relying on a mail, self-administered survey assessment instrument. The target population and sampling units for this study will be senior IS executives at organizations that have undergone a U.S. public merger greater than 50 Million in the banking and finance industry. The research sample of 1000 firms will be randomly drawn from companies that have undergone a merger during the time period from 2004 to 2006. Because the data to be used in this study is not available through any secondary archival source, a key informant in each firm will be asked to provide the data through a survey. The key informant will be the senior executive in charge of IS. 1,000 firms will be randomly selected through a random numbers program to be included in the sample. Data will be collected during the fall 2007. The survey will be mailed out using a four-step process. First, a pre-letter will be sent to alert senior IS executives that they would be receiving the survey within a few days, to inform them of the survey’s purpose and importance, and to request their participation. Second, a packet will be mailed that includes a cover letter, the survey, and a postage-paid, pre-addressed return envelope. Third, a postcard reminder will be mailed a week after the survey packet is mailed. Lastly, between two and four weeks after the original survey is mailed, a replacement survey will be mailed to all sample members who have not responded.
	Acknowledgements		Reaching this juncture in my Ph.D. career has been a very interesting process, filled with moments of exhilarating excitement and disappointments. It has meant starting from step one in many different occasions, staying passionate about the topic, and keeping an eye on the goal in order to find the courage and energy to forge forward. Along the ups and downs of this journey, key people have been there to make a difference and encourage this research. I would like to thank my new dissertation committee, Co-Chairs Dr. Alok Chakrabarti and Dr. Fadi P. Deek, and Professors Dr. Julian M. Scher, Dr. Vassilka Kirova, and Dr. Zmud for the willingness to devote their knowledge and effort to advise and guide with their minds and their hearts and contribute to the realization of this research. Their unique backgrounds bring diversity and strength to this research. I also extend my gratefulness towards my family, especially my husband, and friends for their unwavering support, encouragement, and patience over the past seven years. This dissertation proposal is especially dedicated to the memory of my father Joseph Baro, a remarkable person who inspired me to always do my best and taught me to appreciate and find the beauty and core essence in people and in all life around us.
	Relevant Links		State of the Art Paper College of Computing Sciences New Jersey Institute of Technology
	Hobbies / Facts		My favorite hobbies include traveling, domestically and overseas; watching movies; reading; and exercising. Spending quality time with family and close friends is at the top of the leisure list. One thing most people do not know about me: I can write backwards, something I learned around the age of six or seven from tracing the back pages of my mother’s lesson plans. I was born in the Caribbean island of Dominican Republic and have been a NJ resident since 1983, when my parents gave me the choice to take advantage of all the great opportunities the U.S. has to offer! I will always be grateful to them for making that sacrifice for me and my two older brothers.

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