The ethical nature of critical research in information systems.

Critical research in information systems is based on and inspired by ethics and morality. In order to support this proposition, this paper will suggest a way of classifying critical research that differs from definitions common IS research. According to the current definition, research is critical when it is motivated by the intention to change social realities and promote emancipation. Based on this critical intention, critical research is furthermore characterized by critical topics, critical theories, and critical methodologies. Using these criteria of critical research, the paper argues that critical research is ethical in nature. To support this view, the paper introduces the concepts of ethics and morality by analysing two traditions of moral philosophy, here called the ‘German tradition’ and the ‘French tradition’. Using three examples of current critical research in information systems, the paper will show that ethics and morality strongly influence critical intention, topics and theories. Having thus established the ethical nature of critical research, the paper concludes by discussing the weaknesses of critical research from the point of view of ethics and morality

Examining Validity Claims for Internet Filtering in Islamic Middle Eastern Countries: A Critical Discourse Analysis

ICTs represent a source for emancipation among the citizens of repressive regimes as evidenced by the growth of websites, blogging, social networking and text messaging in countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. However, these ICTs are heavily filtered in both countries. We examine the justifications offered by authorities for this censorship. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, we demonstrate that the claims fail Habermas’s four part validity test and are better understood as ideology. We argue that ICT filtering is implemented to serve the political agendas of small but powerful Islamic elites in order to undermine citizens’ capacities to pursue their democratic goals

Quality Assurance Based Healthcare Information System Design

Despite decades of research, health information systems have been characterised by cost over-runs, poor specifications and lack of user uptake. We propose an alternative approach to their design. By viewing health care as a process and quality as continuously seeking iterative improvements to processes, an objectoriented analysis reveals a class model, which supports quality assurance (QA). At the heart of the model is the ability to store actions for comparison with intentions. Measurement of the proportion of planned tasks that are executed provides a basis for identifying when to alter a process. We show that the model is able to represent medical and administrative procedures and argue that it forms an electronic record suitable for health care organisations. Were this record to become a standard, software could be developed close to the point of use, in harmony with the needs of stakeholders, so avoiding many criticisms of health information systems

Group Methods

This chapter provides a typology for thinking critically about group methods and their use(s) within business and management research. Disciplinary based literature has concerned itself primarily with the practice of the method, affording little attention to the diverse knowledge-constituting assumptions that can underpin its use. I argue that group methods can serve the interests of researchers from a variety of philosophical traditions, but understanding the practical implications of this variability is crucial to appropriate and effective use of group work from any given philosophical stance. It is hoped that this chapter can go some way towards developing the practice of group methods within the business and management domain through enhancing researchers’ awareness of the relationship of philosophical issues to the design and application of the method itself. The chapter thus aims to provide students and researchers with new ways of conceiving group methods by locating discussions of group design, conduct and analysis in prevailing philosophical traditions within business and management research

Beyond Bourdieu, Foucault and Habermas: Review and Assessment of Critical Information Systems Research

This paper presents a literature review of critical information systems (IS) research. Specifically, it focuses on how IS researchers have responded to Myers and Klein’s (2011) call to consider critical approaches and theorists in addition Bourdieu, Foucault and Habermas. The review identifies and discusses three types of critical IS research “beyond Bourdieu, Foucault and Habermas”: work based on a) (other) critical grand social theories, b) postcolonialism and c) data-focused critical methods (i.e., Capabilities Approach, Critical Discourse Analysis, Critical Heuristics and Design, Frame Analysis and Phronetic Enquiry). Based on the literature review, the paper maps the landscape of critical approaches and theories and identify their origins. This analysis is helpful for IS researchers interested in conducting critical IS research by charting the range of critical research approaches beyond Bourdieu, Foucault and Haberma

Emancipation Research in Information Systems: Integrating Agency, Dialogue, Inclusion, and Rationality Research

Emancipation is a key concept in critical theories. Prior work suggests that emancipation is a complex and multi-faceted concept. Many conceptualizations of emancipation exist, and emancipation is defined in different ways. Existing empirical studies mainly focus on one or few components of emancipation. To have an integrated understanding of emancipation, we review the literature on emancipation in information systems (IS), with a view toward developing a typology of components of emancipation in the IS field. The typology of emancipation components consists of four components: freedom to act, freedom to express, freedom to belong and freedom to think. These components relate to the concepts of agency, dialogue, inclusion, and rationality, respectively

Being Critical of Technology: An ANT Perspective

This paper argues that the development of a critical approach to technology from an ANT perspective is both possible and necessary. This approach to critique is not based on the belief in the autonomous and rational human agent since it fully acknowledges human/technological entanglement. It is argued that such an approach could make a contribution to the field of critical research of information systems (CRIS). It is also argued that an emphasis on critique is needed within the corpus of ANT studies which are often accused of managerialism. It is further argued that a form of critique is possible within ANT in spite of various sceptical views. In the light of the processes of translation in the formation of network, a conception of critique is developed on the basis of Latour’s view of “irreduction” of entities. The central critical question deals with the ways in which entities are betrayed within the process of translation

Ethical Guidelines for the Construction of Digital Nudges

Under certain circumstances, humans tend to behave in irrational ways, leading to situations in which they make undesirable choices. The concept of digital nudging addresses these limitations of bounded rationality by establishing a libertarian paternalist alternative to nudge users in virtual environments towards their own preferential choices. Thereby, choice architectures are designed to address biases and heuristics involved in cognitive thinking. As research on digital nudging has become increasingly popular in the Information Systems community, an increasing necessity for ethical guidelines has emerged around this concept to safeguard its legitimization in distinction to e.g. persuasion or manipulation. However, reflecting on ethical debates regarding digital nudging in academia, we find that current conceptualizations are scare. This is where on the basis of existing literature, we provide a conceptualization of ethical guidelines for the design of digital nudges, and thereby aim to ensure the applicability of nudging mechanisms in virtual environments