Implementing information systems with stakeholder analysis: A case study

Despite the proliferation of information technology, the implementation of information systems remains problematic. While some organizations have been successful in implementing information systems, many systems fail to live up to expectations and some end up as disasters. This article describes how stakeholder analysis was used in the successful implementation of a decision support system in the Nev/ Zealand army. The system gives legal advice to New Zealand Army commanders about the laws of armed conflict

Investigating Information Systems with Ethnographic Research

Ethnographic research is one of the most in-depth research methods possible. Because the researcher is at a research site for a long time - and sees what people are doing as well as what they say they are doing - an ethnographer obtains a deep understanding of the people, the organization, and the broader context within which they work. Ethnographic research is thus well suited to providing information systems researchers with rich insights into the human, social, and organizational aspects of information systems. This article discusses the potential of ethnographic research for IS researchers, and outlines the most important issues that need to be considered in selecting this method

The IS Core - VIII: Defining the Core Properties of the IS Disciplines: Not Yet, Not Now

I believe that a lively and vigorous debate about the nature of the IS discipline is important. We need an open and constructive debate about the identity of the IS field and its subject matter. For this reason I welcome Benbasat and Zmud\u27s June 2003 article in MIS Quarterly in which they suggested that the core of IS research should be the IT artifact. I also welcome Alter\u27s response in this issue of Communications of the AIS, in which he argues that the core of IS research should be systems in organizations . However, both articles take one point for granted: that the IS discipline is ready and able to define a core. In this article I take issue with this fundamental assumption. I believe the attempt to narrow the field to a core is misguided, at least at this point in time. The argument of this paper is that the field of information systems is nowhere near ready to define a core in information systems

The use of quality function deployment in systems development: A case study

It is now generally recognized that organizations need great flexibility to remain competitive. This paper looks at one company\u27s attempt to mandate flexibility by the use of a technique known as Quality Function Deployment (QFD). QFD is a customer-driven planning and communication process for designing, developing or improving products or services, and is a particular implementation of the Total Quality Management philosophy. The QFD approach is multi-functional-various stakeholders in the design process come together from the project\u27s inception to concurrently plan, design and produce a product or service. In this particular case the company has not only applied the principles of QFD to manufacturing processes; the QFD approach has also been applied to other areas of the business including information systems development. This paper discusses how the application of a QFD approach to information systems development has changed the relationship between the IS department and users, and the process of systems development itself

Social media in qualitative research: Challenges and recommendations

The emergence of social media on the Internet provides an opportunity for information systems researchers to examine new phenomena in new ways. However, for various reasons qualitative researchers in IS have not fully embraced this opportunity. This paper looks at the potential use of social media in qualitative research in information systems. It discusses some of the challenges of using social media and suggests how qualitative IS researchers can design their studies to capitalize on social media data. After discussing an illustrative qualitative study, the paper makes recommendations for the use of social media in qualitative research in IS

The dreams of the cashless society: A study of EFTPOS in New Zealand

This paper looks at the way in which Utopian dreams, such as the cashless society, influence the adoption of information technology. Some authors claim that Utopian visions are used by IT firms to market their services and products, and that the hype that often accompanies technological innovations is part of a large scale social process in contemporary societies. This article discusses the social role of technological utopianism with respect to the introduction of EFTPOS in New Zealand. The case of New Zealand is interesting, given that New Zealand has the highest saturation of EFTPOS terminals in the world