Kaplan / Truex / Wastell Information Systems Research

Relevant Theory and Informed Practice
2004
ISBN: 978-1-4020-8095-1
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, Band 143, 768 Seiten

Reihe: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology

"Information Systems Research: Relevant Theory and Informed Practice" comprises the edited proceedings of the WG8.2 conference, "Relevant Theory and Informed Practice: Looking Forward from a 20-Year Perspective on IS Research," which was sponsored by IFIP and held in Manchester, England, in July 2004.

The conference attracted a record number of high-quality manuscripts, all of which were subjected to a rigorous reviewing process in which four to eight track chairs, associate editors, and reviewers thoughtfully scrutinized papers by the highly regarded as well as the newcomers. No person or idea was considered sacrosanct and no paper made it through this process unscathed. All authors were asked to revise the accepted papers, some more than once; thus, good papers got better. With only 29 percent of the papers accepted, these proceedings are significantly more selective than is typical of many conference proceedings.

This volume is organized in 7 sections, with 33 full research papers providing panoramic views and reflections on the Information Systems (IS) discipline followed by papers featuring critical interpretive studies, action research, theoretical perspectives on IS research, and the methods and politics of IS development. Also included are 6 panel descriptions and a new category of "bright idea" position papers, 11 in all, wherein main points are summarized in a pithy and provocative fashion.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kaplan, Bonnie

Wastell, David

Truex, Duane P.

Wood-Harper, A. Trevor

Degross, Janice I.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Contents;6
2;Foreword;12
3;Preface;16
4;Conference Chairs;20
5;Associate Editors;21
6;Reviewers;22
7;1 Young Turks, Old Guardsmen, and the Conundrum of the Broken Mold: A Progress Report on Twenty Years of Information Systems Research;25
7.1;1 INTRODUCTION;25
7.2;2 OVERVIEW OF THE PAPERS AND OTHER SUBMISSIONS;27
7.2.1;2.1 Panoramas;27
7.2.2;2.2 Reflections on the IS Discipline;28
7.2.3;2.3 Critical Interpretive Studies;30
7.2.4;2.4 Action Research;31
7.2.5;2.5 Theoretical Perspectives in IS Research;32
7.2.6;2.6 Systems Development: Methods, Politics, and Users;34
7.2.7;2.7 Panels and Position Papers;36
7.3;3 CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS;38
8;Part 1: Panoramas;43
8.1;2 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY‚ HEAL THYSELF;45
8.1.1;1 INTRODUCTION;45
8.1.2;2 SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS ARE RESEARCH SUBJECTS TOO;47
8.1.3;3 READY‚ WILLING‚ AND ABLE;54
8.1.4;REFERENCES;57
8.2;3 INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN ORGANIZATIONS AND SOCIETY: Speculating on the Next 25 Years of Research;59
8.2.1;1 INTRODUCTION;59
8.2.2;2 THE INTELLECTUAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE IFIP 8.2 COMMUNITY;60
8.2.3;3 SUMMARIZING THE IFIP 8.2 COMMUNITY’S CONTRIBUTIONS;61
8.2.4;4 TWO OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE IFIP 8.2 COMMUNITY;64
8.2.5;5 SUMMARY;72
8.2.6;REFERENCES;73
8.3;4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH AS DESIGN: Identity, Process, and Narrative;77
8.3.1;1 INTRODUCTION;78
8.3.2;2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND IDENTITY;79
8.3.3;3 INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH AS LANGUAGE GAMES THAT NARRATE THE WORLD;81
8.3.4;4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH AS AN ONGOING PROCESS OF STRUCTURING THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS FIELD;82
8.3.5;5 INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH IDENTITY AS A NARRATIVE;85
8.3.6;6 AN ILLUSTRATIVE CASE STUDY OF REFLEXIVE MONITORING OF IS RESEARCH AND CONSTRUCTION OF OUR IDENTITIES;87
8.3.7;7 IMPLICATIONS;89
8.3.8;REFERENCES;90
9;Part 2: Reflections on the IS Discipline;93
9.1;5 INFORMATION SYSTEMS— A CYBORG DISCIPLINE?;95
9.1.1;1 INTRODUCTION: ON CYBORGS, CYBORGNESS AND DISCIPLINES;95
9.1.2;2 CYBORG TALE 1: AS A DOCTORAL STUDENT;98
9.1.3;3 CYBORG TALE 2: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH PROJECT;100
9.1.4;4 TREATING INFORMATION SYSTEMS AS A CYBORG DISCIPLINE;102
9.1.5;REFERENCES;104
9.2;6 CORES AND DEFINITIONS: Building the Cognitive Legitimacy of the Information Systems Discipline Across the Atlantic;107
9.2.1;1 INTRODUCTION;108
9.2.2;2 THREE THEMES SUPPORTING THE FIELD’S CLAIMS TO LEGITIMACY;110
9.2.3;3 THE DEFINITION OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM AS AN OBJECT OF STUDY: THE QUESTIONS OF AN ONTOLOGY;113
9.2.4;4 FRENCH SCHOLARS ON THE INFORMATION SYSTEM DEFINITION;114
9.2.5;5 CONCLUSION: THE CONTRIBUTION OF FRENCH SCHOLARS TO THE QUESTION OF THE CORE OF THE IS DISCIPLINE;120
9.2.6;REFERENCES;121
9.3;7 TRUTH, JOURNALS, AND POLITICS: The Case of the MIS Quarterly;127
9.3.1;1 INTRODUCTION;127
9.3.2;2 KNOWLEDGE AND POWER: THE CONSTITUTION OF REGIMES OF TRUTH;128
9.3.3;3 REGIMES OF TRUTH AT THE MISQ;132
9.3.4;4 TOWARD A BETTER POLITICS OF KNOWLEDGE;140
9.3.5;REFERENCES;142
9.4;8 DEBATABLE ADVICE AND INCONSISTENT EVIDENCE: Methodology in Information Systems Research;145
9.4.1;1 INTRODUCTION;145
9.4.2;2 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: IN PRINCIPLE;146
9.4.3;3 CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: IN PRACTICE;151
9.4.4;4 DISCUSSION;155
9.4.5;5 CONCLUSIONS;158
9.4.6;REFERENCES;158
9.5;9 THE CRISIS OF RELEVANCE AND THE RELEVANCE OF CRISIS: Renegotiating Critique in Information Systems Scholarship;167
9.5.1;1 INTRODUCTION;167
9.5.2;2 THE MEANING OF CRITIQUE IN IS;168
9.5.3;3 CRITIQUING THE MEANING OF CRITIQUE;171
9.5.4;4 THE RELEVANCE OF CRISIS;175
9.5.5;5 CONCLUSIONS;177
9.5.6;REFERENCES;180
9.6;10 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS ETHICS? Caught between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea;183
9.6.1;1 INTRODUCTION;183
9.6.2;2 WHAT PRACTITIONERS DO AND WHAT STUDENTS LEARN;186
9.6.3;3 MORAL BEHAVIOR AS DECISION MAKING OR WHAT?;187
9.6.4;4 CODES OF CONDUCT AND PRACTICE;189
9.6.5;5 TEACHING AND LEARNING COMPUTER ETHICS;190
9.6.6;6 METHODOLOGIES AS NORMATIVE ETHICAL DEVICES;191
9.6.7;7 CONCLUSION;193
9.6.8;REFERENCES;194
9.7;11 SUPPORTING ENGINEERING OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN EMERGENT ORGANIZATIONS;199
9.7.1;1 INTRODUCTION;199
9.7.2;2. PRIOR RESEARCH;200
9.7.3;3. SUPPORTING THE ENGINEERING OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN EMERGENT ORGANIZATIONS;204
9.7.4;4. ENGINEERING THE EMERGENCE: AN R-FORMS MANIFESTO;207
9.7.5;5. CONCLUDING REMARKS;210
9.7.6;REFERENCES;211
10;Part 3: Critical Interpretive Studies;217
10.1;12 THE CHOICE OF CRITICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH;219
10.1.1;1 INTRODUCTION;219
10.1.2;2 WHAT IS A CRITICAL EPISTEMOLOGY?;220
10.1.3;3 EMPLOYING A CRITICAL APPROACH IN IS RESEARCH;221
10.1.4;4 IMPLICATIONS FOR IS RESEARCH AND PRACTICE;225
10.1.5;5 CONCLUSION;230
10.1.6;REFERENCES;231
10.2;13 THE RESEARCH APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY USED IN AN INTERPRETIVE STUDY OF A WEB INFORMATION SYSTEM: Contextualizing Practice;237
10.2.1;1 INTRODUCTION;237
10.2.2;2 THE CASE METHOD AS A RESEARCH STRATEGY;238
10.2.3;3 CONTEXTUALIZING THE STUDY BY DEFINING INFORMATION SYSTEMS;239
10.2.4;4 CONTEXTUALIZING THE RESEARCH;240
10.2.5;5 CONSTRUCTIVIST RESEARCH;240
10.2.6;6 CONTEXTUALIZING THE RESEARCH PROCESS;241
10.2.7;7 METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES;242
10.2.8;8 CHOOSING THICK DESCRIPTION AS A METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO DATA COLLECTION;243
10.2.9;9 REFLECTING ON CHOICE OF QUALITATIVE METHOD;244
10.2.10;10 DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS IN AN INTERPRETIVE STUDY;250
10.2.11;11 CONCLUSION;253
10.2.12;REFERENCES;253
10.3;14 APPLYING HABERMAS’ VALIDITY CLAIMS AS A STANDARD FOR CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS;257
10.3.1;1 INTRODUCTION;258
10.3.2;2 DISCOURSE ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS;258
10.3.3;3 PARADIGMS AND METHODS IN DISCOURSE ANALYSIS;259
10.3.4;4 DISCOURSE, DECISION MAKING, AND RATIONALITY;260
10.3.5;5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND METHODOLOGY;262
10.3.6;6 METHODS IN ACTION: THE ACADIA ADVANTAGE CASE STUDY;266
10.3.7;7 DISCUSSION;274
10.3.8;8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY;276
10.3.9;9 CONCLUSION;276
10.3.10;REFERENCES;277
10.4;15 CONDUCTING CRITICAL RESEARCH IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Can Actor-Network Theory Help?;283
10.4.1;1 INTRODUCTION;283
10.4.2;2 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES: CRITICAL THEORY AND ANT;285
10.4.3;3 CRITICAL THEORY AND ACTOR-NETWORK THEORY: CAN THEY COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER?;290
10.4.4;4 CONCLUDING REMARKS;293
10.4.5;REFERENCES;294
10.5;16 CONDUCTING AND EVALUATING CRITICAL INTERPRETIVE RESEARCH: Examining Criteria as a Key Component in Building a Research Tradition;299
10.5.1;1 INTRODUCTION;299
10.5.2;2 WHY CRITICAL INTERPRETIVE?;301
10.5.3;3 DO RESEARCH METHODS IN INTERPRETIVE AND CRITICAL RESEARCH DIFFER?;303
10.5.4;4 CRITERIA FOR CRITICAL INTERPRETIVE IS RESEARCH;304
10.5.5;5 CONCLUDING REMARKS;312
10.5.6;REFERENCES;314
10.6;17 MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS FROM INTERPRETIVE CASE STUDIES: Examining Processes of Construction and Use;317
10.6.1;1 INTRODUCTION;318
10.6.2;2 CONSTRUCTING AND USING CONTRIBUTIONS: A THEORETICAL APPROACH;319
10.6.3;3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY;324
10.6.4;4 THE CONSTRUCTION AND USE OF CONTRIBUTIONS IN STAR AND RUHLEDER;326
10.6.5;5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS;332
10.6.6;REFERENCES;334
11;Part 4: Action Research;337
11.1;18 ACTION RESEARCH: Time to Take a Turn?;339
11.1.1;1 INTRODUCTION;339
11.1.2;2 THE NEW ACTION RESEARCH;341
11.1.3;3 EXAMPLE: A COOPERATIVE INQUIRY INTO METAPHORS;348
11.1.4;4 SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS;353
11.1.5;REFERENCES;354
11.2;19 THE ROLE OF CONVENTIONAL RESEARCH METHODS IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS ACTION RESEARCH;359
11.2.1;1 INTRODUCTION;359
11.2.2;2 ACTION RESEARCH;361
11.2.3;3 MIXING METHODS;362
11.2.4;4 ACTION RESEARCH CASES;363
11.2.5;5 DISCUSSION;367
11.2.6;REFERENCES;370
11.3;20 THEMES, ITERATION, AND RECOVERABILITY IN ACTION RESEARCH;377
11.3.1;1 ACTION RESEARCH IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS;377
11.3.2;2 RECOVERABILITY, THEMES, AND ITERATION;378
11.3.3;3 CONCEPTS IN USE;380
11.3.4;4 CONCLUSION;384
11.3.5;REFERENCES;384
12;Part 5: Theoretical Perspectives in IS Research;387
12.1;21 THE USE OF SOCIAL THEORIES IN 20 YEARS OF WG 8.2 EMPIRICAL RESEARCH;389
12.1.1;1 INTRODUCTION;389
12.1.2;2 METHOD;390
12.1.3;3 RESULTS;394
12.1.4;4 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS;406
12.1.5;REFERENCES;408
12.2;22 STRUCTURANTION IN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE: Representing Actor Networks, Their Structurated Orders and Translations;413
12.2.1;1 INTRODUCTION;413
12.2.2;2 STRUCTURATION AND ACTOR NETWORK THEORY;414
12.2.3;3 CONSTRUCTING THE STRUCTURANTION HYBRID;415
12.2.4;4 THE STRUCTURANTION THEORY HYBRID;417
12.2.5;5 TRANSLATING STRUCTURATED ORDERS;420
12.2.6;6 BREAST CANCER TREATMENT DECISION MAKING ILLUSTRATION;423
12.2.7;7 CONCLUSION;431
12.2.8;REFERENCES;432
12.3;23 SOCIO-TECHNICAL STRUCTURE: An Experiment in Integrative Theory Building;435
12.3.1;1 INTRODUCTION;436
12.3.2;2 STRUCTURE AND TECHNOLOGY;437
12.3.3;3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY;444
12.3.4;4 INTEGRATIVE THEORY MODEL: DEEP, SURFACE, MATERIAL STRUCTURES;446
12.3.5;5 COMPETENCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT AT VOLVO IT;448
12.3.6;6 CONCLUSION;452
12.3.7;REFERENCES;453
12.4;24 EXPOSING BEST PRACTICES THROUGH NARRATIVE: The ERP Example;457
12.4.1;1 INTRODUCTION;458
12.4.2;2 METHODOLOGY AND CONCEPTUAL SCHEME;458
12.4.3;3 ANALYZING THE NEGOTIATION OF BEST PRACTICE AT IVY;461
12.4.4;4 DISCUSSION;467
12.4.5;REFERENCES;472
12.5;25 INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT BY ACTIVITY ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT: Dead Horse or the Next Wave?;477
12.5.1;1 INTRODUCTION: WORK IS THE KEY;478
12.5.2;2 ACTIVITY THEORY IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS;479
12.5.3;3 ACTIVITY ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT;481
12.5.4;4 APPLICATION EXPERIENCES;485
12.5.5;5 DISCUSSION: CHALLENGES AHEAD;489
12.5.6;6 CONCLUSION;492
12.5.7;REFERENCES;493
12.6;26 MAKING SENSE OF TECHNOLOGICAL FRAMES: Promise, Progress, and Potential;497
12.6.1;1 INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION;497
12.6.2;2 CHARACTERIZING TECHNOLOGICAL FRAMES;498
12.6.3;3 DEVELOPMENTS IN TFR RESEARCH;501
12.6.4;4 REALIZING THE POTENTIAL OF TECHNOLOGICAL FRAMES;508
12.6.5;5 CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS;512
12.6.6;REFERENCES;513
12.7;27 REFLECTION ON DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES USING THE PSYCHOLOGY LITERATURE: Over Two Decades of Bias and Conceptual Blocks;517
12.7.1;1 INTRODUCTION;518
12.7.2;2 CONCEPTUAL BLOCKS;520
12.7.3;3 CHARACTERISTICS OF TECHNIQUES;521
12.7.4;4 REPRESENTING PROBLEM AND SOLUTION SPACES ADDRESSED BY TECHNIQUES;522
12.7.5;5 VISUAL REPRESENTATIONAL ATTRIBUTES;525
12.7.6;6 LANGUAGE AND DISCOURSE ATTRIBUTES;526
12.7.7;7 INDIVIDUAL ORIENTATION ATTRIBUTES;528
12.7.8;8 APPLICATION;529
12.7.9;9 CONCLUSION;529
12.7.10;REFERENCES;531
13;Part 6: Systems Development: Methods, Politics, and Users;537
13.1;28 ENTERPRISE SYSTEM AS AN ORCHESTRATOR OF DYNAMIC CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT: A Case Study of the IRAS and TechCo;539
13.1.1;1 INTRODUCTION;540
13.1.2;2 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION;541
13.1.3;3 METHODOLOGY;544
13.1.4;4 CASE DESCRIPTION;544
13.1.5;5 CASE ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS;546
13.1.6;6 CONCLUSION;553
13.1.7;REFERENCES;555
13.2;29 ON TRANSFERRING A METHOD INTO A USAGE SITUATION;559
13.2.1;1 INTRODUCTION;559
13.2.2;2 ON METHODS;560
13.2.3;3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY;562
13.2.4;4 METHOD TRANSFER: AN INFOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE;563
13.2.5;5 THE FRAMEWORK FOR METHOD TRANSFER;564
13.2.6;6 OBSERVATIONS FROM CASE STUDIES WITH THE 2G METHOD;569
13.2.7;7 CONCLUSIONS;572
13.2.8;REFERENCES;573
13.3;30 FROM CRITICAL THEORY INTO INFORMATION SYSTEMS PRACTICE: A Case Study of a Payroll-Personnel System;579
13.3.1;1 INTRODUCTION;579
13.3.2;2 CRITICAL SOCIAL THEORY AND ITS RELATION TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH;580
13.3.3;3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY;587
13.3.4;4 DISCUSSION;593
13.3.5;5 CONCLUSION;596
13.3.6;REFERENCES;597
13.4;31 RESISTANCE OR DEVIANCE? A High-Tech Workplace During the Bursting of the Dot-Com Bubble;601
13.4.1;1 INTRODUCTION;601
13.4.2;2 WORKPLACE CHANGE;603
13.4.3;3 SOCIAL DEVAINCE AND THE WORKPLACE;604
13.4.4;4 THE ICT-ENABLED WORKPLACE;604
13.4.5;5 CRITICAL THEORY‚ DEVIANCE AND RESISTANCE;605
13.4.6;6 A CASE STUDY;607
13.4.7;7 CONCLUSIONS;614
13.4.8;REFERENCES;617
13.5;32 THE POLITICS OF KNOWLEDGE IN USING GIS FOR LAND MANAGEMENT IN INDIA;621
13.5.1;1 INTRODUCTION;621
13.5.2;2 THE POLITICS OF KNOWLEDGE IN GIS APPLICATIONS FOR LAND MANAGEMENT;623
13.5.3;3 RESEARCH APPROACH;626
13.5.4;4 THE CASE STUDY;627
13.5.5;5 CASE ANALYSIS;630
13.5.6;6 CONCLUSION;635
13.5.7;REFERENCES;636
13.6;33 SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT IN THE WILD: User-Led Exploration and Transformation of Organizing Visions;639
13.6.1;1 A DIFFERENT REALITY?;640
13.6.2;2 THREE CASES OF REALIZATION;641
13.6.3;3 ALLOWING FOR THE USER-LED TRANSFORMATION OF ORGANIZING VISIONS;648
13.6.4;4 IMPLICATIONS FOR IS PROFESSIONALS;650
13.6.5;REFERENCES;651
13.7;34 IMPROVISATION IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT;655
13.7.1;1 INTRODUCTION;655
13.7.2;2 IMPROVISATION IN ORGANIZATIONS;657
13.7.3;3 RESEARCH SETTING AND METHOD;658
13.7.4;4 DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS;658
13.7.5;5 CASE STUDY;660
13.7.6;6 DISCUSSION;665
13.7.7;7 CONCLUSION;667
13.7.8;REFERENCES;668
14;Part 7: Panels and Position Papers;671
14.1;35 TWENTY YEARS OF APPLYING GROUNDED THEORY IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS: A Coding Method, Useful Theory Generation Method, or an Orthodox Positivist Method of Data Analysis?;673
14.2;36 BUILDING CAPACITY FOR E-GOVERNMENT: Contradictions and Synergies in the Dialectics of Action Research;675
14.3;37 NEW INSIGHTS INTO STUDYING AGENCY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY;677
14.4;38 RESEARCHING AND DEVELOPING WORK ACTIVITIES IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS: Experiences and the Way Forward;679
14.5;39 CROSSING DISCIPLINARY BOUNDARIES: Reflections on Information Systems Research in Health Care and the State of Information Systems;681
14.6;40 THE GREAT QUANTITATIVE/ QUALITATIVE DEBATE: The Past, Present, and Future of Positivism and Post-Positivism in Information Systems;683
14.7;41 CHALLENGES FOR PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH IN INDUSTRY-FUNDED INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROJECTS;685
14.7.1;1 INTRODUCTION;685
14.7.2;2 PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH;686
14.7.3;3 CASE STUDY: IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE;686
14.7.4;4 REFLECTIONS ON THE ROLE OF POWER IN THE PAR TEAM;687
14.7.5;5 CONCLUSION;689
14.7.6;REFERENCES;690
14.8;42 THEORY AND ACTION FOR EMANCIPATION: Elements of a Critical Realist Approach;691
14.8.1;1 INTRODUCTION;691
14.8.2;2 CRITICAL REALISM, POSITIVISM, AND INTERPRETIVISM;692
14.8.3;3 WHAT CONSTITUTES A REALIST APPROACH?;693
14.8.4;4 WHAT IS CRITICAL?;694
14.8.5;5 CONCLUSION;695
14.8.6;REFERENCES;696
14.9;43 NON-DUALISM AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH;699
14.9.1;1 INTRODUCTION;699
14.9.2;2 GROUNDING NON-POSITIVIST IS RESEARCH IN NON-DUALISM;700
14.9.3;3 GROUNDING IS RESEARCH IN NON-DUALISM IN CERTAIN CULTURAL CONTEXTS;703
14.9.4;4 CONCLUDING REMARKS;703
14.9.5;REFERENCES;703
14.10;44 CONTEXTUAL DEPENDENCIES AND GENDER STRATEGY;705
14.10.1;1. INTRODUCTION;705
14.10.2;2 DECENTRALIZED POWER;706
14.10.3;3 CONTEXTUAL DEPENDENCY;706
14.10.4;4 GENDER STRATEGY;707
14.10.5;5 CONCLUSION;709
14.10.6;REFERENCES;709
14.11;45 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE GOOD LIFE;711
14.11.1;1 IN SERVICE OF THE GOOD LIFE;711
14.11.2;2 ESTABLISHING A RESEARCH POSITION;712
14.11.3;3 THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND ITS CRITICAL BASE;713
14.11.4;4 TOWARD A RESEARCH POSITION;715
14.11.5;REFERENCES;715
14.12;46 EMBRACING INFORMATION AS CONCEPT AND PRACTICE;717
14.13;47 TRUTH TO TELL? Some Observations on the Application of Truth Tests in Published Information Systems Research;723
14.13.1;1 INTRODUCTION;723
14.13.2;2 BACKGROUND;724
14.13.3;3 OBSERVATIONS;725
14.13.4;4 CONCLUSIONS;727
14.13.5;REFERENCES;728
14.14;48 HOW STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS CAN BE MOBILIZED WITH ACTORNETWORK THEORY TO IDENTIFY ACTORS;729
14.14.1;1 ACTORS AND STAKEHOLDERS;729
14.14.2;2 STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION IN ANT;730
14.14.3;3 CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH;732
14.14.4;REFERENCES;733
14.15;49 SYMBOLIC PROCESSES IN ERP VERSUS LEGACY SYSTEM USAGE;737
14.15.1;1 INTRODUCTION;738
14.15.2;2 ERP VERSUS LEGACY SYSTEMS REVISITED;738
14.15.3;4 RESEARCH METHODS;739
14.15.4;5 RESEARCH FINDINGS;740
14.15.5;6 DISCUSSION;744
14.15.6;7 CONCLUSION;745
14.15.7;REFERENCES;745
14.16;50 DYNAMICS OF USE AND SUPPLY: An Analytic Lens for Information Systems Research;747
14.16.1;1 INTRODUCTION;747
14.16.2;2 BRINGING THE EVOLVING IT ARTIFACT INTO FOCUS;749
14.16.3;3 VIRTUAL REALITY IN CONSTRUCTION;751
14.16.4;4 CONCLUSIONS;756
14.16.5;REFERENCES;756
14.17;51 APPLYING ADAPTIVE STRUCTURATION THEORY TO THE STUDY OF CONTEXT-AWARE APPLICATIONS;759
14.17.1;1 INTRODUCTION;759
14.17.2;2 CABdriver;760
14.17.3;3 RESEARCH APPROACH;761
14.17.4;4 THE CABdriver SETTING;762
14.17.5;5 CONCLUSION;764
14.17.6;REFERENCES;764
15;Index of Contributors;767
16;More eBooks at www.ciando.com;0

Leseproben

2 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION (p. 517-518)

The strategization of information technology (IT) to attain a competitive edge is ritualistic among private institutions (Ives and Learmonth 1984; McFarlan 1984) and contributes to an extensive list of classical business applications (Clemons 1991). Notwithstanding these testimonial cases of successful MIS, the feasibility of IT-based competitive sustainability remains debatable within academia (see Mata et al. 1995; Mykytyn et al. 2002). Citing reasons such as the prevailing adoption of IT as a strategic necessity (Clemons 1986) and the possibility of generating even deadlier reactions from rivals through creative duplication (Kettinger et al. 1994; Vitale 1986), many have contested the viability of IT-derived competitiveness and emphasized that research in this domain should focus on "describing how, rather than systematically why" IT can deliver strategic benefits (Reich and Benbasat 1990, p. 326).

Unsurprisingly, in light of their copious organizational influence and the substantial implementation investments they require, ES are readily conceived by scholars as the next logical candidate for the reimbursement of competitive value (Ross and Vitale 2000). As IT-based business solutions, ES are touted as configurable software packages that purportedly enable the collation of transaction-oriented data and functional processes into a singular infrastructure (Lee and Lee 2000; Markus et al. 2000a; Markus and Tanis 2000). Nevertheless, despite the projected benefits of prepackaged ES (Markus et al. 2000b), there remain unresolved adoption hurdles. Implicit within ES packages are business principles that emulate industry best practices (Everdingen et al. 2000).

These posited business paradigms, as predefined by the vendor, serve as convenient templates for corporations to mirror competitive praxis, although in many instances the projected benefits of the implemented ES do not materialize (Markus and Tanis 2000). The failures have been attributed to a blend of socio-technical constraints surrounding ES, such as their complexities, their customization difficulties, and the presence of cultural misfits underlying their inherent business process assumptions and those of the adopting organization (Howcroft and Light 2002; Lee and Lee 2000; Soh et al. 2000).

While we do not underestimate the aforementioned technological and organizational challenges of ES implementation, the purpose of this paper is to shed light on how competitive benefits can be manifested through ES adoption, rather than the reason why they can or cannot be realized. As conceived by Rosemann (1999), the fundamental notion of ES is analogous to the developmental objective in mapping the entire array of enterprise business processes into an integrated infostructure.

From this perspective, ES are predominantly operational commodities that double up as "the key element of an infrastructure" which conveys a holistic business solution to adopters (Rosemann and Watson 2002, p. 201). Yet, despite the consensus among researchers of the strategic significance of ES, their exact business potential has not been exploited beyond the extrapolative predictions of existing MIS trends (Davenport 2000a; Hayman 2000; Markus et al. 2000b). Consequently, the question of how ES can deliver competitive qualities continues to evade answering in strategic MIS research and, specifically, ES literature.