The questionnaire consists of Six (6) sections:
A. General questions – brief information of the respondents
B. New Business model and New Corporate Structure
C. Changes in Accounting Information Systems
D. Resistance to Change
E. Other matters
F. Concluding Remarks
A. General Questions
1. How long have you been working in this company?
2. Can you share your job function?
3. Are you part of the team that develop the Accounting Information System
(AIS) and/or are you part of the team that use the AIS?
B. New Business Model and New Corporate Structure
4. Annual report 2012 of ALPHA stated that “We now have the resources to be a global leader” and the Vision Statement is “to be the leading globally diversified integrated agri–business”. Can you explain on this?
ALPHA change its business focus recently?
5. ALPHA has adopted a Global Strategic Blueprint which provides a direction of ALPHA in the long run.
6. Any relation of ALPHA‟s new business model, new corporate structure, new vision statement, Global Strategic Blueprint and listing of ALPHA to the Malaysian Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)?
C. Changes in Accounting Information Systems (AIS)
7. Can you compare AIS structure of ALPHA before 2010 and in 2014?
Situation of AIS structure before and after listing in 2012.
8. What caused ALPHA to modify its existing AIS structure? It is due to:
a. Malaysian Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)?
b. New business model?
c. New Global Strategic Blueprint?
d. New vision statement?
e. New corporate structure?
f. Listing on Bursa Malaysia Stock Exchange in 2012 which requires the company to provide additional information and reporting?
h. Improve integration function with another department?
i. Government‟s requirement?
j. New law and regulations?
k. Competitive advantage?
l. Cost saving?
structure?
professionals?
for decision making?
9. Can you explain the nature and process of changes in AIS of ALPHA, in
term of?
a. Modification, addition, replacement, integration?
s. Any other aspect of changes
10. Can you briefly about the following AIS:
a. SAP
c. Business Planning & Consolidation
d. Sunguard Integrity
e. Just Commodity
f. WebCycle
(Function, implementation, integration, efficiency, cost, report and product)
11. Further explanation of the “Online KPI Reporting and Tracking” in term of:
a. Function of the system
consider the benefits of the system out weight the cost incurred?
12. Further explanation of the “Business Planning and Consolidation” in term of:
a. Function of the system
13. Further explanation of the “Sunguard Integrity” in term of:
e. Did the system required for integration with other systems? Any issues?
f. Comparison between before and after the implementation of the system.
g. How about staff‟s perception of the system?
h. The process of change – Revolutionary or Evolutionary, Progressive or Regressive and Formal or Informal
14. Further explanation of the “JustCommodity” in term of:
a. Function of the system
b. During development stage, any issues and constraints faced? How about situation post development stage?
c. Benefits of the system. How can the system benefit the company as a whole? Improve efficiency of the information dissemination? Do you consider the benefits of the system out weight the cost incurred?
d. Weaknesses of the system
e. Did the system required for integration with other systems? Any issues?
f. Comparison between before and after the implementation of the system.
g. How about staff‟s perception of the system?
h. The process of change – Revolutionary or Evolutionary, Progressive or Regressive and Formal or Informal
15. Further explanation of the “WebCycle” in term of:
a. Function of the system
b. During development stage, any issues and constraints faced? How about situation post development stage?
c. Benefits of the system. How can the system benefit the company as a whole? Improve efficiency of the information dissemination? Do you consider the benefits of the system out weight the cost incurred?
d. Weaknesses of the system
e. Did the system required for integration with other systems? Any issues?
f. Comparison between before and after the implementation of the system.
g. How about staff‟s perception of the system?
h. The process of change – Revolutionary or Evolutionary, Progressive or Regressive and Formal or Informal
D. Changes in AIS structure, Resistance and Management of Resistance
16. Management of resistance.
a. Are the staffs aware of the changes in AIS?
b. How did they react to such changes? What are the staff‟s expectations from the new AIS? More efficient, easier, faster or job stability?
c. Are there any resistance to adapt the changes in AIS? For example, absenteeism, confront or refusal the use the system.
d. Why did they resist to such changes?
e. Was the resistance in group or individual?
f. Was resistance coming from senior or junior staff?
g. How did ALPHA handle the issue of resistance to change? Any staff involved in development and implementation of new AIS? Feedbacks from experienced staff are considered? Or staff involvement is only limited to training? Any workshops organised by ALPHA related to development of new AIS?
h. Did ALPHA provide interventions to provide understanding and accepting the modified/ new AIS?
i. Is the intervention formal (such as meeting and training) or informal (such as through social gathering)?
j. Did consultants appointed by ALPHA influence and assist BETA to overcome the resistance?
k. Do you consider resistance from staff is effective and caused the delayed in the process of development and implementation of new AIS? Do you consider their resistance influence the design of the new AIS?
l. Did they ultimately agree to the modified/new AIS? What do you think that cause them to ultimately agree? If they have not, what cause them to still resist? Despite the resistance, have their resistance to change reduce?
E. Other Related matters
17. ALPHA has recently acquired three companies, i.e. M Company Bhd, PU Plantation Bhd and PT CN. Are they using the same system? Are these systems integrated? If integrated, were there any issues arise in process of integration? How ALPHA overcome the issues?
F. Concluding
18. Do you consider changes in existing AIS structure of ALPHA significant?
19. Do you think the modified/new AIS are able to meet the provision of information required by ALPHA? Are there any further initiatives to further improve the AIS?
