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With its multidisciplinary and applied foci, team-working skills are seen as especially critical in business courses in general and in business information systems courses in particular, and are specifically incorporated into desired graduate attributes by many universities. Past research has focused on the benefits of group working but little work has been conducted to examine the relative contribution of group formation choices on academic performance. This paper reports on a study that develops and validates a datacollection instrument and identifies four underlying factors that influence formation of groups: convenience, social cohesion, task management and technical skills/knowledge. The results thus suggest that academic performance is influenced by the skills and knowledge of individual members, potential social cohesion among the group members and the task management ability considered at the group formation stage. The study notes that while how a group is formed influences ultimate academic performance, how the group operates is also an important factor.

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Purpose -Organisations are increasingly looking to establish shared services centres (SSCs) yet there is limited guidance available. The paper aims to propose a structured framework that will form the basis for identifying a series of characteristics associated with a successful SSC. Design/methodology/approach -Based upon Scott-Morton's organisational framework a series of dimensions were proposed for the analysis of SSCs. A case study was then presented as a starting point for identifying specific characteristics along each dimension associated with a successful SSC. Findings -Based on the framework, a case study highlights characteristics associated with a successful SSC. Specifically, the SSC is given responsibility for demonstrably reducing costs through economies of scale and process improvement of multiple transaction-oriented tasks. An enterprise resource planning system is seen as key to realising those savings. Use of the SSC is compulsory and charged for. SSC management feels they require a good understanding of each task under their remit and are focused on leading change and developing an appropriate human resource base.Research limitations/implications -The research is exploratory in nature and limited by the empirical work consisting of a single case study. Additional case studies are required to determine if the findings are generalisable. Originality/value -A structured framework for the analysis of successful shared services is provided. A case study illustrates the application of that framework. Together, the theoretical and empirical components of the paper enhance understanding of the requirements for a successful SSC.