Theories of Language and Information Systems: An Appraisal of Alternative Language Views for Information Systems

Information systems(IS) draws in its research on several reference disciplines. Languageand communication research, although IS\u27s are linguistic communication systems-only technically implemented, has not been widely recognized as a reference discipline. Instead, linguistic communication in IS has been studied in terms of communication engineering, cybernetics, psychology, and organizational behavior. The main argument of the paper is that the IS research community should be more aware of different traditions for the study of language and communications Language viewsproposedinlinguisticsandthe philosophyoflanguage have been adopted in the IS research community without a wide and open debate. However, these views exert a remarkable influence on the contents and strategies of information systems development and IS research. The paperis an attempt to describe some of the implemented language theories and their effects on IS. Language is a confusing phenomenon, It can be comprehended in different domnins For example, the term\u27data\u27 applied in computer science applies to physically implemented symbols of language and disregards all aspects related to the meaning and use of these linguisticexpressionsinasocialsetting.Inthispaperweareespeciallyinterestedinthelatter aspect Here we may distinguish five language views. Each of them includes dissenting assumptions and stipulations of how an IS can and should be comprehended as a linguistic entity. These views are: 1. THE FREGEAN CORE: a formalistic study of language in terms of relationships between the world and language. Language is a means to articulate something that is true or false. Language expressions can only denote. Aspects of use are excluded from the study by requiring that it must proceed without considering use contexts. The study is a branch of mathematics applying only our linguistic intuitions. 2. THE CHOMSKYAN GRAMMAR: a generative study of language in terms of structural relationships between elements of language and how they can be generated.Language isa system of connected conceptual elements. Combinations of elements are governed by syntactic and semantic rules-the grammar. These rules are possessed by an idealized, fluent speaker capable of generating and distinguishing all acceptable formations of language. The study considers meanings in\u27null-contexts\u27 and purposes of use are thus excluded. 3. THE PIAGET SCHEMA: a cognitive studyoflanguage in terms ofrelationships between themindandlinguisticbehaviour. Languageisunderstoodintermsofcognitiveprocesses and structures and its study is concerned with psychological reality and regularities. It proceeds without a consideration of uses and purposes of linguistic expressions. The function of language is cognitive: to provide schemata to interpret the world. 4. THE SKINNERIAN RESPONSE: a behavioralistic study of language in terms of relationships between observable behavior and language. Language is a mechanism causing observable behavior sequences and its study concentrates on observable parameters in the use context and reveals invariances between their states. Meaning is a predisposition to respond in a certain way to a linguistic stimulus. 5. THE ORDINARY SPEAKING: an interactional study of language in terms of relationships betweenlanguage and human action. Language is one categoryofhuman action and a manifestation of human intentionality. The study of language is concerned with social rulesanditincludesadescriptionofcategoricalrule-knowledge. Themeaningisaresultof rule-governed behavior and it is always contextually determined, because contexts are defined by social practices A survey of the IS literature showed that all language views co-exist in the IS research community. All views, except the Piaget\u27s schema view, have rendered a definition for an IS. All views have been or are being adopted in some phases of the systems life cycle to comprehendthe linguistic communicative functions of the system. These phases are usually the early phases of systems life cycle. However, the objects, goals, and criteria of linguistic inquiryproposedineach viewvarysubstantially. The sameholdstrue forthe waytheanalysis process is arranged. We show that these features are dependenton the underlying language views and can be analytically derived from the procedural image of linguistic analysis pmposedineachview. Thus, theunderlyinglanguageviewcan explainasonefactorthemain content, criteria, and principles of ISD tasks The survey also revealed that the Fregean core and the Skinnerian response views have gained a wide acceptance and a plethora ofISD methods and methodologies are based on them The other views have had a modest impact on ISD methods and methodologies, although this should not necessarily be so. The reason for the wide application of only two views is theirdirectsupportfortheformalizationoftheapplicationandforthemodelbuildingabout the IS use in decision making, respectively. These two abstractions, however, are not adequate to understand the language used in communication and IS. A hypotheses is therefore made that a competent analyst is capable of abstracting language from many points of view and adapting this abstraction process to the problem solving context This adaption is mostly intuitive and takes place in an ad-hoc manner. Idealized ISD tasks are outlined using the development of an order-processing application as a case. Finally remaining research problems are compiled. These include invitations both for theoretical and empirical studies. We need more empirical research specifically on how various views can be adapted to problem solving contexts. On the normative level we need moreelaboratedISDmethodologiesthataccomodateseveralviewscontingently. Finally, the need for refinement of the interactional view for IS is emphasized

Building Enterprise Architecture Agility and Sustenance with SOA

Service-Oriented Architecture(SOA) is primarily regarded as a technical architecture consisting of tools and service specification to build loosely coupled applications. At another level it is also a means to leverage flexibility and agility to system services as it offers a hierarchical framework to coordinate simultaneous business process design and implementations using loosely coupled service infrastructures. SOA has been debated both in the academy and industry and misinterpretations of its nature impede its adoption. We summarize its historical origins and current evolutions. We review technologies that underlie SOA. In particular, we address how to integrate SOA initiatives with current technology platforms, and how to enforce reuse during the design of loosely coupled systems. We also analyze SOA design methodologies and platforms, and what are their roles in the application integration. Finally we outline challenges and future research directions for SOA

Is Implementing ERP Like Pouring Concrete Into a Company? Impact of Enterprise Systems on Organizational Agility

Literature is divided on whether enterprise systems promote or hinder organizational agility. To the best of our knowledge, this paradox has never been rigorously theoretically analyzed nor empirically investigated. This paper seeks to address this paradox by leveraging upon innovation assimilation literature and knowledge based and capabilities based views of organizations. We propose a theoretical framework of the effects of ERP assimilation on agility. We also theorize that the dynamic capability of systems agility not only has a direct effect on organizational agility, but also moderates the effect of ERP assimilation levels on agility. We validate the proposed framework by conducting a cross-sectional survey across 215 organizations. The results validate our key theoretical claims: higher ERP assimilation levels positively influence organizational agility. Moreover, systems agility acts as a critical enabler by amplifying the net positive impact of ERP assimilation on organization agility in addition to having a strong direct effect

The Market of Ideas as the Center of the IS Field

The center of the IS field is presented as a market of ideas, an intellectual exchange related to the design and management of information technologies in organized human enterprise. In this view, the IS field is a loosely coupled system operating through weak social ties across intellectual communities. A loosely coupled system can operate towards contradictory goals of both plasticity and stability in the search for new research opportunities and generation of valid knowledge. The market of ideas allows reconciliation of rigor and relevance, technical and social, design and explanation. It lowers the barriers of established disciplinary regimes and institutions, and facilitates scholarship in fields where conditions change quickly. It helps to balance exploration and exploitation in an effort to avoid competency traps. Limitations of the metaphor are considered

Digitally induced industry paradoxes: disruptive innovations of taxiwork and music streaming beyond organizational boundaries

The exponential growth of digital technologies and their increased importance in both organizational and everyday life poses new challenges to paradox research within management studies. Management scholars taking a paradoxical lens have predominantly focused on social paradoxes within the confines of the organization. Technological change has often been treated as an exogenous force bringing previously latent tensions to the fore. Such newly salient paradoxes are viewed as instigating managerial sensemaking and exploration of strategic responses that will re-establish equilibrium. Our investigation of how digital innovations disrupted London taxiwork and global music distribution shows something different. The paradoxical tensions raised by emerging digital technologies inevitably play out at industry and societal levels. Concomitant changes in boundaries, categories, and potentials for action that shape and channel ongoing industry transformation call for organizational responses and adaptation. Critically, such tensions must be interpreted within the context of industry arrangements absent a centrally controlling actor. Rather than episodes of exogenous change, the nature of the digital, along with interactions across multiple sources of agency, continually surface complex dynamic and systemic tensions within and across industries. Our findings highlight the importance of explicitly accounting for the inter-relatedness and mutual dependence of the social and technical elements of change. As digital innovation expands and starts to impact all aspects of human experience it is critical for management scholars to reflect how the paradoxical perspective can be expanded to better understand these contemporary large-scale changes

Path Creation with Digital 3D Representations: Networks of Innovation in Architectural Design and Construction

We examine the wake of innovations in architecture and construction propelled by the adoption of digital three dimensional (3D) representations of buildings and their parts. Departing from the traditional view of innovation that treats information technology adoption as an unproblematic, singular event, we examine IT induced innovations and their consequences as path creation created by the network of professional communities involved in architect Frank Gehry\u27s projects. We report the results of a retrospective case study of 3D representation enabled and triggered innovation during the design and construction of the Peter B. Lewis Building at Case Western Reserve University. Our analysis suggests that the consequences of a complex information technology innovation like the use of digital 3D representations of buildings and their part cannot be fully understood as a singular adoption event. Instead, a more holistic and integrated view of the innovation process as continuous path creation by multiple actors sharing practices and feedback across professional communities while they appropriate 3D representations is required. Information technology innovation is not a single event created by a heroic individual or champion, but it involves multiple agents\u27 mindful deviations from established paths of practices and resource use. We observe that the use of 3D representations breaks down the traditional loosely coupled system in construction that relied on 2D representations to share information between different contractors. These representations essentially black-boxed and hid most information how to build the building or how different parts of design interrelate with one another. To effectively adopt and appropriate the potential of 3D representations requires that traditionally isolated actors during design and construction need to be brought together in a tightly coupled system. This system is arranged around rich and complex boundary objects enabled by the digital 3D representations and their transformations

Expanding the Frontiers of Information Systems Research: Introduction to the Special Issue

An introduction to the Expanding the Frontiers of Information Systems Research special issue

What does computer support for cooperative work mean? a structurational analysis of computer supported cooperative work

Technical developments in electronic communication and computing coupled with new understanding of relationships between computers and work processes has given impetus to a significant amount of research in the area of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). Much of this work, however, lacks strong theoretical foundations, and there is no clear definition of CSCW, the major research questions of the field, or appropriate strategies for research. In this paper we suggest Giddens' theory of structuration as a conceptual foundation for CSCW research and propose a formal definition for CSCW. We conclude by discussing seven implications of the framework for future research into: (a) platform software features, (b) research methods, (c) systems development approaches, (d) features of CSCW development methodologies, (e) interactions between CSCW use processes and organizational structures, (f) interactions between work processes and CSCW applications, and (g) larger social change due to adoption of CSCW applications.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30257/1/0000654.pd

Diffusion and Impacts of E-Commerce in the United States of America: Results from an Industry Survey

The paper provides baseline conditions of U.S. e-commerce in the post-dot.com era. The article examines the key factors that act as determinants of e-commerce diffusion. It is based on qualitative analysis of U.S. industry survey data, matched to a similar data and analyses from other countries. It presents data taken from one of the most comprehensive sample surveys of U.S. firm activity in e-commerce. The paper analyzes differences among three industry sectors, and between small/medium and large firms using both qualitative interpretations and direct observations from the survey data, as well as use of structural equation modeling of e-commerce diffusion and impacts. Some differences in e-commerce orientation and experience were found across the three industry sectors studied in the survey. These differences are related largely to the nature of the tasks done in the respective industries, and to prior industry-level investment and learning related to e-commerce. There were also differences found in e-commerce attitudes and experience between small/medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and large establishments. Only modest differences were found between U.S. and non-U.S. establishments. Quantitative analysis revealed significant regression relationships with their level of statistical significance. Results show that e-commerce adoption is path dependent (i.e., establishments follow earlier investment patterns), and that each industry\u27s market and institutional context play a significant role in adoption

Globalization and E-Commerce VII: Environment and Policy in the U.S.

The United States is a global leader in both Business-to-Customer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) electronic commerce. This leadership comes in part from the historical US strengths in information technology, telecommunications, financial services, and transportation - all of which are essential enabling components of e-commerce. The size and strength of the US economy, the wealth of its consumer base, and the relatively open access to venture capital creates an attractive environment for e-commerce investment. Official US Government policy toward e-commerce is to let the private sector take the lead, with government helping to make the business climate right for innovation and investment. Prior US Government investments in essential e-commerce infrastructure for military purposes (e.g., digital computing, the Internet) and for civilian purposes (e.g., interstate highways, air transport) played an important role in the US lead in e-commerce. US Government policies favoring widespread economic liberalization since the 1970\u27s in areas such as financial services, transportation, and telecommunications helped enable and stimulate private sector investment and innovation in e-commerce. The collapse of the dot.com era in the late 1990\u27s hit key sectors of e-commerce hard, suggesting that some of the more dramatic and positive predictions of e-commerce growth and impact will either be delayed substantially or will not come to pass. The strength of surviving e-commerce companies (e.g., Amazon and eBay), as well as the relative stability of the technology sector (e.g., Cisco Systems, Dell, Intel, IBM) and the continued investment of large industry sectors (e.g., autos, finance) suggest that e-commerce is still growing and is here to stay. Consumers are intrigued by B2C e-commerce, and many have used such services, but serious concerns related to privacy and transaction security remain obstacles to universal adoption of B2C e-commerce