A Lifetime of Theory and Action on the Ethical Use of Computers: A Dialogue with Enid Mumford

Enid Mumford devoted her career to promoting the ethical use of computers. She founded her work on ethics, socio-technical and general systems theory, and action research. These foundations translated into four principles underlying all her work: (1) Information systems should be designed to improve the quality of life for all. (2) Individuals should be able to participate in designing their own working circumstances and information systems. (3) Solutions to local problems have global consequences. (4) All research should include action to improve the situation being studied. Enid Mumford¡¯s legacy extends from ethical information system design to complex problem solving in the global era. This paper is an interview of Enid Mumford at her home in the United Kingdom in the summer of 2003 with a brief introduction to the theoretical foundations of her thinking, her research and her legacy to the information systems research field

Ten Years of The Philosophical Foundations Mini-Track at AMCIS - Some Patterns

The Origins The first decade of the Philosophical Foundations mini-track at AMCIS has come to an end. Ten years of a lively discourse on a variety of topics hinging on philosophy, systems theory and ethics have left the core supporters of the track emotionally attached to the community of participants and the international effort that first grew out of the frustration of four individuals (Bunker et al., 2004, 2005) who felt strongly about promoting a more philosophical, systems-theoretical and ethical agenda for the information systems research field. At the time, it was difficult to find conference forums or publishing outlets for articles that built upon philosophy, systems theory or ethics. The general feeling amongst the founding members of the track was that the IS field considered ideas of many world-class philosophers too detached from IS research practice to be interesting or important. Similarly, systems theory had fallen out of fashion despite the fact that the very ideas of a computer and an information system originated from the concepts of that theory. Globa

Contrasting Approaches to Implementing an Evolving Technology: Internet-EDI

This paper traces the evolution of Internet-EDI technology in the last 3 years through two illustrative cases of it\u27s implementation -an Internet-EDI pilot project by Bank of America (BofA) and Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL) in 1994, and a robust, production level Internet-EDI implementation by McKesson in 1996. While BofA took a proof of concept approach in its early implementation, McKesson applied the traditional life cycle model in the system design and purchased much of its Internet-EDI capability up front, albeit at a prohibitive cost. The rapid evolution of the technology has resulted in the availability of browser-based systems in early 1997. By facilitating entry of small to mid size companies into EDI networks, these inexpensive systems could transform the competitive landscape within these network

The Historical Research Method and Information Systems Research

In this paper, we review the premises and practice of the historical method in order to understand how it can be applied to studying information systems (IS) related phenomena. We first examine the philosophical and methodological foundations of the method. For this purpose, we introduce a four-tiered research framework, which consists of (1) the paradigmatic or meta-theoretic assumptions that guide historical research, (2) pragmatism as an overarching approach or a way of doing historical research, (3) the historical method as the guiding principles for producing history, and (4) a review of some central techniques IS historians have applied in historical research. For point four, we review how McKenney et al. (1997) and Porra et al. (2005, 2006) applied Mason et al.’s (1997ab) seven steps of doing IS history. Finally, we compare the historical method with other methods applied in the IS field today: We compare the historical method with the longitudinal case study, case study, field study, and ethnography

Phylogeny and Power in the IS Domain: A Response to Benbasat and Zmud\u27s Call for Returning to the IT Artifact

We question a call by Benbasat and Zmud (2003) to narrow the focus of information systems research to a set of core properties. We first discuss three limitations of their argument and then offer two alternative viewpoints for analyzing the state of our profession. One viewpoint casts the arguments of Benbasat and Zmud in terms of power in the domain of scholarship. The second viewpoint, based on colonial systems, sees fresh perspectives, discipline newcomers, boundary spanners, and topical outliers as the likely source of the field¡¯s creativity, vitality, and long-term survival. We conclude that the discipline is best served by focusing on supporting diverse and novel research. We proffer neither an alternative research agenda nor a research-appropriate evaluation mechanism since we demonstrate that such restrictive policies hinder both our relevance and potential survival. We suggest some administrative changes for the IS discipline intended to encourage and nurture creativity without sacrificing academic rigor

Mini-track on the Philosophical Foundations of Information System

Keen (1980) and Churchman (1996), among others, have called for the use of philosophy as a reference discipline for information systems research, the objective being to produce more imaginative, reflective and diverse studies and hence a broader knowledge base for IS theory. This paper describes how Churchman’s inquiring systems may be used as a basis for IS studies, and further describes five roles (as defined by Hodges 1995) that philosophy may play in informing IS research