Interpreting Information Systems In Organizations

A coherent integrated source for an interpretive approach to understanding information systems in organizations to aid readers in their own processes of defining computer systems. Examines four major IS issues--strategy, evaluation, design and development, implementation. Features in-depth case studies to illustrate key points.

This book is concerned with the ways in which organizations design, build and use information technology systems. In particular it looks at the interaction between these IT-centred activities and the broader management processes within organizations. The authors adopt a critical social science perspective on these issues, and are primarily concerned with advancing theoretical debates on how best to understand the related processes of technological and organizational change. To this end, the book examines and deploys recent work on power/knowledge, actor-network theory and critical organization theory. The result is an account of the nature and significance of information systems in organizations which is an alternative perspective to pragmatic and recipe-based approaches to this topic which dominate much contemporary management literature on IT.

Over the past 20 years, the field of information systems has grown dramatically in theoretical diversity and global reach. This growth is reflected in the language that policy makers and organizational stakeholders use when they talk about their IT plans. As information technology penetrates further into organizational and global life, it becomes ever more important to articulate assumptions embedded in the discourse. This will help to clarify the complex and yet conceptually improvised or pasted-up worldview that becomes embodied in systems. The assumptions point to particular domains of discourse. The discourse sets up conventions and boundaries. It thus shapes what can or cannot legitimately be talked about, researched, addressed, or solved within the scope of IT. A number of practical and theoretical topics are discussed in detail, including: *Globalization, development, and space; *Mobilization of power; *ERP systems; *IS planning and projects; *Critical research and the study of discourse; *Public institutions; *Analytical frameworks. This book contains the selected proceedings of the Working Conference on Global and Organizational Discourse About Information Technology, sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in Barcelona, Spain in December 2002.

The articles in this book constitute the proceedings papers from the IFIP WG 8.2 Working Conference, "IS2000: The Social and Organizational Perspective on Research and Practice in Information Technology," held June 1 0-12, 2000, in Aalborg, Denmark. The focus of the conference, and therefore this book, is on the basic aim of the working group, namely, the investigation of the interrelationships among four major components: information systems (IS), information technology (IT), organizations, and society. This basic social and organizational perspective on research and practice in information technology may have evolved substantially since the founding ofthe group, for example, increasing the emphasis on IS development. The plan for the conference was partially rooted in the early WG 8.2 traditions, in which working conferences were substantially composed of invited papers. For IS2000, roughly half of the paper presentations were planned to be invited; the remaining half were planned to be double-blind refereed in response to a "Call For Papers." Invited papers were single-blind reviewed in order to provide the authors with pre-publication feedback and comments, along with the opportunity to revise their papers prior to its final incorporation in this book.

Recent advancements in data collection will affect all aspects of businesses, improving and bringing complexity to management and demanding integration of all resources, principles, and processes. The interpretation of these new technologies is essential to the advancement of management and business. The Handbook of Research on Expanding Business Opportunities With Information Systems and Analytics is a vital scholarly publication that examines technological advancements in data collection that will influence major change in many aspects of business through a multidisciplinary approach. Featuring coverage on a variety of topics such as market intelligence, knowledge management, and brand management, this book explores new complexities to management and other aspects of business. This publication is designed for entrepreneurs, business managers and executives, researchers, business professionals, data analysts, academicians, and graduate-level students seeking relevant research on data collection advancements.

This is a compilation of papers presented at the Information System Concepts conference in Marburg, Germany. The special focus is consolidation and harmonisation of the numerous and widely diverging views in the field of information systems. This issue has become a hot topic, as many leading information system researchers and practitioners come to realise the importance of better communication among the members of the information systems community, and of a better scientific foundation of this rapidly evolving field.