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Financial institutions, and banks, in particular, are one of the largest investors in information systems (IS) and information technologies (IT) and there are indications that this trend is likely to continue. However, there is growing concern that IS investments are not yielding the anticipated results, an issue that is of grave concern to many CEOs and top managers. One way to address this concern is to analyse the relationship, if any, between investments in IS and an organization’s efficiency measures. Reports the results of an empirical study that assesses the role and contribution of ISs to a bank’s efficiency, based on a study of nationalized banks in the state of Florida. More specifically, reports on the role of ISs in achieving business goals, improving productivity, and enhancing customer service in banks.

Cone-penetrometer testing and computer modeling were utilized to investigate factors controlling fresh-water lens formation at Grand Isle, Louisiana. Measurements of tip resistance, sleeve friction, and electrical conductivity were recorded with depth to permit classification of sediment type and to determine thickness of the fresh-water lens and transition zone. Cone-penetrometer testing provided virtually continuous determinations of change in sediment type and ground-water salinity at a resolution rarely achieved using conventional drilling and water sampling techniques.Three sand bodies are present, each separated by a clay layer. The fresh-water lens is thinner in the center of the island than on the flanks. Fresh-water lens thickness is limited by a clay layer which prohibits downward movement of significant volumes fresh water. The transition zone from fresh water to salt water varies in thickness, being thinnest near the Gulf of Mexico and thickest where silt and clay interfinger with the upper sand.Both the thickness of the fresh-water lens and the shape of the transition zone differ from that predicted by theoretical models. Calibration of STJTRA, a variable-density solute-transport model, indicates that permeability variations are the dominant control on formation of the fresh-water lens. (KEY TERMS: hydrogeology; barrier island; modelling; fresh-water lens; cone penetrometer.)

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