Social Contruction of Legacy Systems : A case study from a health information systems development project in Mozambique

This thesis is about challenges in Information Systems (IS) development in developing countries contexts, with an emphasis on challenges faced in processes dealing with improvement and replacement of Health Information Systems. Empirical data are collected from action research interventions in the Mozambican health sector. The work was done under the umbrella of a global action research project, called the Health Information System Programme. I argue that typical priorities among stakeholders in centralized developing countries settings, as focus on immediate needs rather than long term solutions, control, and reluctance in support for significant changes, may lead to the unintended consequences of creation and maintenance of legacy systems. Lack of communication and consideration of real users needs among decision makers is a contributor to this, meaning that centralized contexts may be especially challenged in HIS projects, as the distance between decision makers and real users typically is substantial organizationally-wise. The research suggests that the dilemma of introducing small changes with a new IS and at the same time supporting further organizational development may be solved by implementing flexibility in the IS done practically through flexibility in design and by enabling implementation of emerging needs by looking upon systems development as a continuous process through the life time of the IS. By applying different change strategies for different levels of the installed base, getting away from legacy systems problems may be reached in change resisting social systems

The Shifting Legitimation of an Information System: Local, Global and Large Scale

ICT infrastructure and information systems have come to play a vital role in globalization. Walsham (2008) highlights three major aspects of this phenomenon: software outsourcing, virtual teams, and information system (IS) roll-out. In this paper we examine shifts over several years of globally distributed development and roll-out of an open source information system targeted at the public health care sector in developing countries, which touches on all three aspects. In following the development of an system as it co-evolved with the various institutional settings in which it was embedded, we highlight shifting sources of legitimation in institutional processes involved in health information systems implementation. The attention to changing sources of acceptance and legitimation frames our view on knowledge between local cultures and related stakeholders, in the interplay with global FOSS development

CO2 Adsorption Enhanced by Tuning the Layer Charge in a Clay Mineral

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Intercalation of CO2 Selected by Type of Interlayer Cation in Dried Synthetic Hectorite

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Influence of CO2 on Nanoconfined Water in a Clay Mineral

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Faithfulness in Practice: Towards an Expansion of Representation Theory

Representation Theory is concerned with how information systems can provide faithful representations of real-world phenomena. In this paper, we discuss the concept of a faithful representation in relation to contexts where the real-world phenomenon is complex. While current Representation Theory takes an internal view to representations, we argue for an expansion of the theory to include what we term the interpretive structure, to account for faithfulness in complex situations. Based on an observational study, we present an exemplary vignette from an emergency care unit in a Norwegian hospital. We abductively develop an extended view of Representation Theory by synthesizing it with a wider range of theories of information in tandem with our data analysis. We discuss how interaction between an information system’s deep structure and interpretive structure is necessary for an information system’s representations to be faithful to a complex real-world phenomenon. This faithfulnessin-practice perspective is thus an extension to Representation Theory and offers implications for how we conceptualize representations in Information Systems research

ADAPTIVE NETWORKED GOVERNANCE OF E-HEALTH STANDARDS: THE CASE OF A REGIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN NORWAY

Due to local idiosyncrasies and professional variations in the capture and use of patient infor-mation, healthcare providers often struggle to facilitate smooth transfer of patients along with essential information about them. This puts pressure on national and regional authorities to consolidate e-health standards, but they often lack the legitimacy, capacity or mandate to im-plement significant changes. We have looked at the rather successful governance of e-health standards in one health region in Norway. Through the establishment of a coordinative network, health professionals share knowledge and continuously improve e-health standards across hos-pitals in the region. We conceptualize the phenomenon as an adaptive network-oriented stand-ards governance model for very large information infrastructures. For e-health standardization practitioners, we advise that the inherent consolidation problem in standards governance in healthcare may be mitigated through the establishment of profession-based network groups that can mediate between top-down and bottom-up standardization activities. Theoretically, we con-tribute with a fresh standards governance model, which takes into account the process, struc-ture and technical perspectives necessary to manage large-scale standardization efforts

Real estate development : risk in the zoning process

Bakgrunnen for valg av tematikk i denne oppgaven er et resultat av vår felles nysgjerrighet på risiko i reguleringsprosessen. Vi har et ønske om nærmere å undersøke hvilke risikomomenter reguleringsprosessen innebærer og hva utviklere kan gjøre for å forbedre prosessen. Litteratur på fagområdet påpeker at reguleringsprosesser ofte er tidkrevende og tar lengre tid enn det plan og bygningsloven åpner for. Dette medfører økt risiko for utviklere, men også redusert forutsigbarhet til plansystemet som helhet. I den forbindelse har vi utformet problemstillingen “Hvordan kan eiendomsutviklere optimalisere reguleringsprosessen fra oppstartsmøte til vedtatt detaljregulering, som virkemiddel for å redusere den helhetlige risikoen?” Gjennom å svare ut problemstillingen mener vi at det vil gi oss en dypere forståelse av hvilke risikoelementer utviklerne møter, hvilke effekter risikoen kan medføre og hvilke metoder som kan benyttes for en mest mulig smidig og forutsigbar planprosess. Det er i denne oppgaven sett på optimalisering av reguleringsprosessen som et risikoreduserende tiltak sett fra utviklers ståsted. Det har samtidig vært viktig å kartlegge kommunens syn på problemstillingen. Dette for å se om kommunens syn på risikoelementer i reguleringsprosessen samsvarer med utviklers.The objective of this paper is to explore the aspect of risk in the zoning process. This theme was a result of our mutual curiosity for the topic. We wanted to further explore and evaluate which risk factors that arise with the zoning process. Furthermore, we also wanted to know what real estate developers can do to improve this process. The literature points towards the zoning process as time demanding. In many, cases the time spent in this process far surpasses the time that the Planning and Building Act opens up for. This leads to a greater level of risk for the developer. At the same time this reduce the predictability for the system as a whole. This has been part of the motivation the create the following thesis: “How can one optimize the zoning process from the start meeting to the detailed zoning plan is approved, as a mean to reduce the complete risk profile for real estate developers?”. The purpose of the thesis questions is to get a deeper understanding of the underlying aspects, and to understand what kind of methods developers can use to mitigate the risk involved. The term optimize in this thesis is seen from the perspective of the real estate developers. At the same time we wanted our thesis to include the administration of the municipality´s thoughts on the issue.M-EUT

Eiendomsutvikling : risiko i reguleringsprosessen

Bakgrunnen for valg av tematikk i denne oppgaven er et resultat av vår felles nysgjerrighet på risiko i reguleringsprosessen. Vi har et ønske om nærmere å undersøke hvilke risikomomenter reguleringsprosessen innebærer og hva utviklere kan gjøre for å forbedre prosessen. Litteratur på fagområdet påpeker at reguleringsprosesser ofte er tidkrevende og tar lengre tid enn det plan og bygningsloven åpner for. Dette medfører økt risiko for utviklere, men også redusert forutsigbarhet til plansystemet som helhet. I den forbindelse har vi utformet problemstillingen “Hvordan kan eiendomsutviklere optimalisere reguleringsprosessen fra oppstartsmøte til vedtatt detaljregulering, som virkemiddel for å redusere den helhetlige risikoen?” Gjennom å svare ut problemstillingen mener vi at det vil gi oss en dypere forståelse av hvilke risikoelementer utviklerne møter, hvilke effekter risikoen kan medføre og hvilke metoder som kan benyttes for en mest mulig smidig og forutsigbar planprosess. Det er i denne oppgaven sett på optimalisering av reguleringsprosessen som et risikoreduserende tiltak sett fra utviklers ståsted. Det har samtidig vært viktig å kartlegge kommunens syn på problemstillingen. Dette for å se om kommunens syn på risikoelementer i reguleringsprosessen samsvarer med utviklers

Managing Redundancy:A Practice Perspective on Emergent Standardization in a Hospital Unit

Data redundancy constitutes a challenge in modern healthcare systems, and is therefore critical to address. This has nurtured a sustained debate on how this challenge may be addressed through standardization of e.g. information models and technologies. H