Theo Bemelmans

Early 1970s the study of computer science at the Technical University of Eindhoven had been allocated in the Department of Mathematics chaired by Edsger Dijkstra. At the Department of Technology Management mid-1970s there was growing demand for lessons in informatics and automated data processing. These lesson were initially supplied by Gert Nielen from the Tilburg University.[8]

In 1978 at the Department of Technology Management Bemelmans was nominated among others by Nielen and Verrijn Stuart as lecturer in business economics, and particularly administrative information systems and automation. In his 1978 inaugural speech he defined the foundations of his research and education in "operations research, organizational science and informatics."[8]

Bemelmans in 1982 published the book "Bestuurlijke informatiesystemen en automatisering" (Management Information and Automation) which presented an overview of the field, and became a seminal work in the Netherlands.

One of the approaches for information analysis presented in Bemelman's 1982 book, is the in Dutch so-called "Ober strategie" (translated: Waiter strategy).[9] This is one of four strategies for determining the information requirements:[10]

• Waiter strategy: ask directly what kind of information user needs
• Reference strategy : Derive the information from existing information systems
• Development strategy : obtaining the required information by analysis of the users
• Evolutionary strategy : discover the information by experimenting with an evolving information system.

The idea of the Waiter strategy is that the analyst, like a waiter, directly ask the managers, what information he wants to have. A common misunderstanding in this strategy is, that is works with the assumption that managers can exactly indicate the information they need. This is often not the case. Other disadvantages of this method are:[10]

• It determined the status quo without taking into account possible changes in the information.
• It provides a large amount of information in which structure is difficult to detect, and
• Users tend to indicate the information needs with too much focus on recent problems, rather than focussing on the 'bigger picture'.

Designing and building information systems be accelerated by starting from existing ideas about how a particular organization works, how the business therein, which are used and what functionality is required. Bemelmans therefore developed a limited classification of types of organizations:[11]

• Companies without physical conversion process
• Companies with a physical transformation process (manufacturing companies) with a homogeneous mass, heterogeneous mass or piece-piece and series production
• Agricultural and extractive industries
• Service companies
• Financial institutions

Each type has its own organization specific information requirements, depending on the nature of the primary transformation system.

Bemelmans further states that one a comprehensive set of functional requirements can not think that applies to all types of organizations. One can indeed some "body system" as standard agree, then each individual organization based on that trunk system can develop its own information system.[12]

In his farewell speech "Inform and communicate" in 2004, Bemelmans,[2] that information in the course of the years in terms of emphasis shifted to communication systems, intended to support various forms of cooperation. However, cooperation is difficult, even in the information sphere. Critical factors here are the success and failure in this area, the realistic test whether or not a project is a bridge too far, and the question of what ICT actually has to offer in various partnerships within and between organizations?[2]