Schwerpunkt-Report über das Jahr ... / Wirtschaftsinformatik und Informationswirtschaft / Fachbereich Wirtschaftswissenschaften

Im Zentrum des Schwerpunktes stehen die Beschreibung, Erklärung und Gestaltung von Informationserstellungs- und -verarbeitungsprozessen, insbesondere soweit sie durch moderne Informations- und Kommunikationstechniken unterstützt werden. Diese Prozesse dienen zum einen der unmittelbaren Bedürfnisbefriedigung durch Information sowie zum anderen der Koordination physischer Wertschöpfung. Die schnelle Fortentwicklung der IuK-Systeme sowie die rasante Verbreitung ihrer Nutzung führen vielfach zu tief greifenden Veränderungen der Geschäftsabläufe und darüber hinaus des gesellschaftlichen Lebens. Aufgabe des Schwerpunktes ist hierbei, die Nutzenpotenziale neuer Informations- und Kommunikationstechniken sowie deren Anwendung insbesondere in Wirtschaft und Verwaltung zu analysieren und eigene Gestaltungsvorschläge zu unterbreiten. Dies gilt auch für die Gestaltung und Auswahl der institutionellen Rahmenbedingungen von Informationserstellungs- und - verarbeitungsprozessen

Schätzwerterfüllung in Softwareentwicklungsprojekten

Effort estimates are of utmost economic importance in software development projects. Estimates bridge the gap between managers and the invisible and almost artistic domain of developers. They give a means to managers to track and control projects. Consequently, numerous estimation approaches have been developed over the past decades, starting with Allan Albrecht's Function Point Analysis in the late 1970s. However, this work neither tries to develop just another estimation approach, nor focuses on improving accuracy of existing techniques. Instead of characterizing software development as a technological problem, this work understands software development as a sociological challenge. Consequently, this work focuses on the question, what happens when developers are confronted with estimates representing the major instrument of management control? Do estimates influence developers, or are they unaffected? Is it irrational to expect that developers start to communicate and discuss estimates, conform to them, work strategically, hide progress or delay? This study shows that it is inappropriate to assume an independency of estimated and actual development effort. A theory is developed and tested, that explains how developers and managers influence the relationship between estimated and actual development effort. The theory therefore elaborates the phenomenon of estimation fulfillment.Schätzwerte in Softwareentwicklungsprojekten sind von besonderer ökonomischer Wichtigkeit. Sie überbrücken die Lücke zwischen Projektleitern und der unsichtbaren und beinahe künstlerischen Domäne der Entwickler. Sie stellen ein Instrument dar, welches erlaubt, Projekte zu verfolgen und zu kontrollieren. Daher wurden in den vergangenen vier Jahrzehnten diverse Schätzverfahren entwickelt, beginnend mit der "Function Point" Analyse von Allan Albrecht. Diese Arbeit versucht allerdings weder ein neues Schätzverfahren zu entwickeln noch bestehende Verfahren zu verbessern. Anstatt Softwareentwicklung als technologisches Problem zu charakterisieren, wird in dieser Arbeit eine soziologische Perspektive genutzt. Dementsprechend fokussiert diese Arbeit die Frage, was passiert, wenn Entwickler mit Schätzwerten konfrontiert werden, die das wichtigste Kontrollinstrument des Managements darstellen? Lassen sich Entwickler von diesen Werten beeinflussen oder bleiben sie davon unberührt? Wäre es irrational, zu erwarten, dass Entwickler Schätzwerte kommunizieren, diese diskutieren, sich diesen anpassen, strategisch arbeiten sowie Verzögerungen verschleiern? Die vorliegende Studie zeigt, dass die Unabhängigkeitsannahme von Schätzwerten und tatsächlichem Entwicklungsaufwand unbegründet ist. Es wird eine Theorie entwickelt, welche erklärt, wie Entwickler und Projektleiter die Beziehung von Schätzungen und Aufwand beeinflussen und dass das Phänomen der Schätzwerterfüllung auftreten kann

An exploration of intersectoral partnerships for people with multiple and complex needs: a realist informed qualitative study

The well-being of people with complex and multiple needs is impacted upon by the interplay of life experiences, social determinants, contextual factors, and health conditions. People with multiple and complex needs are considered to include but not be limited to People with severe and enduring mental health problems People who are in contact with the criminal justice system People with substance misuse problems People whose life opportunities are limited due to income People who have experienced significant trauma Despite policy imperatives, there remains a lack of systematic knowledge and practice relating to what works, for which people, and under which set of circumstances. Evaluating the evidence base for interventions for people with complex and multiple needs is complicated by several factors. Historically (and currently), interventions tend to be focused on a diagnosis, behaviours, or for a particular age range. Too often, professional services look at behaviour and conditions without exploring the wider set of relationships and opportunities and life disruptions that people might have experienced or are experiencing. Within the Lothian area, a number of intersectoral partnerships (ISPs) have been developed, focused on improving health, well-being, and opportunities for people with multiple and complex needs. The partnerships are intersectoral in that they include statutory, private, and voluntary partners working together to provide innovative interventions and services for people with multiple and complex needs. Lothian’s ISPs provide support to individuals, in response to specific needs, and may be defined by geographical locations or in respect to service requirements. However, common features of good practice are obscured by differing models for provision, apparently dissimilar client groups, and a diversity of providers and contributors. Key success features and elements of effective practice require investigation and synthesis. The current research used qualitative and realist methods to propose a “programme theory” of effective intersectoral partnership based on ISPs within Lothian. Qualitative data were gathered from 18 key informants from 6 Lothian-based ISPs. A clearer, more rigorous, and systematic understanding of ISPs for people with complex and multiple needs has been developed, with recommendations for how programmes might be developed in other areas or otherwise expanded. The Incite model is the summary descriptor of the refined programme theory. The model contains the programme theory of context, mechanisms, and outcomes which should be considered in the development of an intersectoral partnership. How the Incite model may be operationalised is discussed in the thesis, as well as implications for policy, practice and research

Entanglements in the E-service of land record in Bangladesh: an action design ethnographic study

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonUnderstanding dynamic, unpredictable, multiple, pluralistic and entangled relations in technology and organization is an inherent endeavor of the Information System (IS) research. However, recent innovation and changes in technology and organizations have posed significant challenges to the existing theoretical and methodological lens to analyze mutually dependent, ensemble, inseparable, ceaselessly intra-actable and constitutively entangled relations in technology and organizations. In line, this study employed sociomateriality as a wider theoretical lens to analyze constitutive entanglements and disentanglements in technology and organization illustrated with a case of E-service of land record in Bangladesh. This study has applied sociomateriality along with intra-actions, diffraction, relational ontology and performativity lens to trace continuous constitutive entanglements and disentanglements in the E-service. Thus, this study identified significance of constitutive entanglement lens through tracing unprecedented changes, unintended consequences and unexpected outcomes from the intra-actions, diffractions, relationalities and performativity in the organizational context and technological process of the E-service. This study has developed ‗action design ethnographic research' (ADER) as an in-depth methodological framework through conducting 'action design research‘ (ADR) in the process of ethnographic research (ER). In line, this study has formulated problems in organizational contexts, designed and redesigned solutions through mutually reciprocal relations between the researcher and clients, conducted concurrent evaluation and identified learning. Consequently, this study has addressed the practitioners' problems through engaging and intervening in the organizational contexts and technological processes of the E-service of land record in Bangladesh. Thus, both the sociomaterial lens and ADER offered potentials to design and redesign the organizational contexts and the E-service processes. Along the line, the study has contributed to theory and practice of IS research through applying sociomateriality and addressing practitioners‘ problems. Therefore, this study has made significant contribution to knowledge and practice.Bangabandhu Fellowship on Science and ICT, Bangladesh Ministry of Science and Technolog

Conceptual modeling - an epistemological foundation

The success of contemporary organizations depends on their ability to make appropriate decisions. Making appropriate decisions is inevitably bound to the availability and provision of relevant information. Information systems should be able to provide information in an efficient way. Thus, within information systems development a detailed analysis of information supply and information demands has to prevail. Based on Syperski’s information set and subset-model we will give an epistemological foundation of information modeling in general and show, why conceptual modeling in particular is capable of specifying effective and efficient information systems. Furthermore, we derive conceptual modeling requirements based on our findings. A short example illustrates the usefulness of a conceptual data modeling technique for the specification of information systems