THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF

AN ELECTION CANDIDATE SUPPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM

_________________________

A Thesis

Presented to the

Graduate Faculty of the Department of Computer Science

University of San Carlos

Cebu City, Philippines

_________________________

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

_________________________

by

Ruselo Riva Asentista

March 2011

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 Approval Sheet
This thesis entitled THE THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF AN ELECTION
CANDIDATE SUPPORT INFORMATION SYSTEM prepared and submitted by
RUSELO RIVA I. ASENTISTA in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY has been examined and
is recommended for acceptance and approval for ORAL EXAMINATION.

THESIS COMMITTEE

Rene Argenal, M.S.

Adviser
Jacqueline Yara, M.S. Rosana Ferolin, M.S.
Member Member
Ricardo Pardillo, M.B.A.
Member

PANEL OF ORAL EXAMINERS

Approved by the Committee of Oral Examination with the grade of PASSED.

Rene Argenal, M.S.

Adviser
Jacqueline Yara, M.S. Rosana Ferolin, M.S.
Member Member
Ricardo Pardillo, M.B.A.
Member

Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF

SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

Comprehensive Examination PASSED: November 26-27, 2009

RAMON S. DEL FIERRO, Ph.D.

Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
February 10, 2011
Date of Oral Examination
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 Abstract

This research explores the various theoretical foundations in the development and
usage of an Election Candidate Support Information Systems. By following the steps in the
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), it is performed using first-hand exploration
which uncovered previously unnoticed or underemphasized relationships and subdivisions
among theoretical foundations.
This is a response to a research gap in the Information Technology (I.T.) field where
there is a general lack of foundational studies because of the pressures from the software
crisis.
A descriptive research design is utilized in this study. The research population is the
municipal level election candidates of Dumanjug - a fourth class municipality of Cebu. The
research instruments include guided interviews, focus group discussions, and expert
validation.
In the course of the exploration, the researcher uncovers and describes previously
unnoticed or underemphasized relationships in the theoretical foundations such as
“Normalization vs. Object-Orientation”, “Inheritance Vs. Composition”, and “Event-Driven
Vs. Procedural Object Oriented Programming”.

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 Acknowledgements

It is an honor for me to have worked with several dedicated people to make this
research a reality.
To my adviser, Mr. Rene Argenal, I’m grateful for your insights regarding content
and structure of this research. Without your foresight and guidance, this research would not
have been completed.
To the members of my panel, Mrs. Jacqueline Yara, Mrs. Rosanna Ferolin and Mr.
Ricardo Pardillo, I’m grateful for the all the constructive advice and patience that went into
the numerous revisions of my draft documentations.
To my respondents, I’m grateful for your time in answering my questionnaires and
responding to my interviews.
To the experts, I’m grateful for the time and knowledge that you shared in
contribution to the development of this research.
To the USC librarians, I’m grateful for providing me with enough resources for this
thesis especially the online databases where I found world-class research papers that have
been my inspirations in the world of Information Technology.
To the graduate faculty of Computer Science, I’m grateful for knowledge that was
shared to me throughout my stay as an MSIT student. My days as an MSIT student have been
one of the most enlightening and most memorable days of my life.
To my colleagues and mentors in the Mathematics and Computer Science
Department, I’m grateful for the times that we shared in the pursuit of knowledge.
To my mentors in the Political Science Department, I’m grateful for the attitude and
the perspective that has guided me through tough times.
To my family, I’m grateful for all the financial, emotional and social support that I
received throughout the development of this research.

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Table of Contents

Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. i 
Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... ii 
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. vi 
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vii 
CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE ................................................................................ 1 
Rationale of the Study ..................................................................................................... 1 
Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................ 4 
Specific objectives ....................................................................................................... 4 
Scope and Limitations ..................................................................................................... 5 
Significance of the Study ................................................................................................ 6 
Theoretical Background .................................................................................................. 7 
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7 
Research for Theoretical Foundations of Information Systems .................................. 7 
Information Systems .................................................................................................. 11 
I.T. Standardization ................................................................................................... 14 
Political Systems Theories: An Alternative Perspective ........................................... 17 
I.T. Methodologies .................................................................................................... 18 
Review of Related Studies ............................................................................................ 27 
Research Methodology .................................................................................................. 31 
Research Instruments ................................................................................................. 31 
Research Respondents ............................................................................................... 32 
Research Environment ............................................................................................... 32 
Research Procedures .................................................................................................. 33 
Definition of Terms........................................................................................................................ 34 
Organization of the Study .............................................................................................................. 35 
CHAPTER 2 PRESENTATION OF DATA ........................................................................................ 36 
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 36 

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 I.T. Orientation Model .................................................................................................. 37 
Routine and Decision Making Activities ...................................................................... 41 
Technical Framework .................................................................................................... 45 
Logical Design........................................................................................................... 47 
Physical Design ......................................................................................................... 58 
Test Design ................................................................................................................ 72 
SDLC Summary ............................................................................................................................. 85 
Descriptions on the Theoretical Foundations................................................................................. 93 
Decision Point: Normalization vs. Object Orientation.................................................. 93 
Decision Point: Composition vs. Inheritance ................................................................ 96 
Proposition: Transformative Decomposition ................................................................ 98 
Proposition: Decoupling through Realistic Relationships ............................................ 99 
Proposition: Non Transaction-Based MIS Component ............................................... 101 
Proposition: Non-MIS based Decision Support Information Systems........................ 103 
Proposition: Flow-based Structured Programming ..................................................... 104 
Decision Point: Event-driven vs. Procedural Object Orientation ............................... 107 
Proposition: Model-View-Controller Design Pattern ................................................. 109 
Proposition: Design Issues in Extendible Classes ....................................................... 110 
Proposition: Cyclo Data Structures ............................................................................. 113 
Argumentative Validation of the Discovered Theoretical Foundations ...................................... 115 
Expert Validation ......................................................................................................................... 134 
CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS............ 137 
Summary ..................................................................................................................... 137 
Findings ....................................................................................................................... 140 
Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 143 
Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 147 
Appendix A .................................................................................................................................. 153 
Permit to Conduct Interviews for the Target Population ......................................... 153 
Appendix B .................................................................................................................................. 154 

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 Research Instruments .................................................................................................. 154 
Appendix C .................................................................................................................................. 163 
Time-Table of Activities ............................................................................................. 163 
Appendix D .................................................................................................................................. 164 
Expert Validation Details ............................................................................................ 164 
Appendix E .................................................................................................................................. 171 
Curriculum Vitae ......................................................................................................... 171 
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 172 
Books ........................................................................................................................... 172 
Periodicals ................................................................................................................... 174 
Web Sources ................................................................................................................ 175 

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List of Figures
Figure 1: McNurlin's Alternative Model for Information Systems Evaluation ................ 12 
Figure 2: Levels of Organization and Traditional Systems .............................................. 14 
Figure 3: Stage of the Software Development Life Cycle ................................................ 22 
Figure 4: Conceptual Framework of the Study ................................................................. 26 
Figure 5 : I.T. Orientation Data Model ............................................................................. 40 
Figure 6: Role Analysis of I.T. Methodologies and Technologies ................................... 46 
Figure 7: ERD for the Data Tier of the GIS Component .................................................. 52 
Figure 8: ERD for the Data Tier of the Web Component ................................................. 53 
Figure 9: UML Diagram for the Middle Tier of the GIS Component .............................. 54 
Figure 10: Server Script Files for the Middle Tier of the Web Component ..................... 54 
Figure 11: UML Diagram for the Presentation Tier of the GIS Component .................... 56 
Figure 12: ASP.NET Page Files for the Presentation Layer of the Web Component ...... 57 
Figure 13: Detailed Enhanced ERD for the Data Tier of the GIS Component................. 62 
Figure 14: Detailed Enhanced ERD for the Data Tier of the Web Component ............... 63 
Figure 15: Detailed UML Diagram for the Middle Tier of the GIS Component ............. 64 
Figure 16: Partial Class Definition for the Middle Tier of the Web Component ............. 65 
Figure 17: The Main Window of the GIS Component ..................................................... 66 
Figure 18: MDI Features for Managing Internal Windows .............................................. 67 
Figure 19: Sample GIS Visualization of Voter Data ........................................................ 68 
Figure 20: General Data Editor ......................................................................................... 69 
Figure 21: Data Warehouse Search Function Snapshot .................................................... 70 
Figure 22: Web Organizer of Campaign Activities .......................................................... 71 
Figure 23: SDLC Summary Graphical Form .................................................................... 92 
Figure 24: The Toulmin Model of Argumentation ......................................................... 118 

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List of Tables
Table 1: Guided Interviews Results .................................................................................. 39 
Table 2: Survey Results on Campaign Activities ............................................................. 42 
Table 3: Activity Descriptions .......................................................................................... 44 
Table 4: Information System Functional Areas ................................................................ 48 
Table 5: Client/Server Architecture .................................................................................. 49 
Table 6: Information System Technologies ...................................................................... 50 
Table 7: Physical Design for Software ............................................................................. 59 
Table 8: Physical Design for Hardware ............................................................................ 60 
Table 9: Physical Design for Data Sources....................................................................... 61 
Table 10: White Box Tests for the GIS Component ......................................................... 74 
Table 11: White Box Tests for Web Component (Unloaded with Data) .......................... 75 
Table 12: Results of the Module Test ............................................................................... 80 
Table 13: Results of the Integration Tests ........................................................................ 82 
Table 14: Results of the System Tests .............................................................................. 84 
Table 15: Validation: Characteristics of Discovered Theoretical Foundations .............. 120 
Table 16: Quantitative Validation: RASIS Metrics ........................................................ 123 
Table 17: Qualitative Validation: Toulmin Model Dissection ....................................... 127 
Table 18: Qualitative Validation: Toulmin Model Qualification ................................... 134 
Table 19 : Expert Validation Results Summary ............................................................. 135 
Table 20: Summary of Findings ..................................................................................... 142 
Table 21: Summary of Conclusions ................................................................................ 146 
Table 22: Expert Profile Details ..................................................................................... 165 
Table 23: Expert Confirmation Details ........................................................................... 167 
Table 24: Expert Comments ........................................................................................... 170 

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