Ćwiklicki, Marek

Wspolczesne Zarzadzanie Kwartalnik srodowisk naukowych i liderów biznesu

English

Jagiellonian Univeristy Repository

II. RECENZJE I OMÓWIENIAInfonomics for Distributed Business and Decision-Making Environments: Creating Information System EcologyMarek Ćwiklicki*Th e issue of appropriate management of information resources in New Economy is considered in various forms. Dealing with such a comprehensive issue as information re-source management requires interdisciplinary studies. Consequently, there are attempts to approach it in the form of new scientifi c disciplines, such as information economics or in-fonomics, within which integration of diff erent disciplines occurs.For this reason, one should highly appreciate the book Infonomics for Distributed Busi-ness and Decision-Making Environments: Creating Information System Ecology edited by M. Pańkowska (Pańkowska (ed.), IGI Global, Harshey, 2009, p. 429), in which an attempt is made to shed light on this extremely complex issue. Th e Editor is also due credit for the fact that 31 individuals from such countries as Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Ro-mania, Slovenia, Sweden, Taiwan and the US were encouraged to contribute. Such a selection of authors has conferred an international dimension to the eff ort, which indicates that the pub-lication constitutes a synthetic overview of research undertaken in diff erent parts of the world.Th e key issue addressed in this book focuses on the possible discrepancies in the interpre-tation of information by management, which causes methodological problems. An attempt to systematize this research theme is off ered in the fi rst part of the work. Good examples of this are the Concepts and functions of information (Chapter 1) and Infological interpretation of information (Chapter 3), the Use of ontology-based network management (Chapter 2) and the proposal of a method of modelling communication and learning. Considerations included in this section let the Reader become familiar with diverse interpretations of information and the understanding of limitations that apply to selected approaches to information modelling.Th e formalization of the term information and defi ning its ontology permit the under-taking of activities that transcend the area of an individual organization. Consequently, it is so important to present information management from the point of view of a company’s strategy and the operation of a company in its distributed business environments. In this way, the legitimacy of the use of the term information system ecology is ascertained, which means that its study is no longer confi ned to the classical, narrow way in terms of a company information system, but refl ects the current trends in management that take into consider-ation the broader background of its operation. A response to this challenge is the Integrated model of enterprise business processes and enterprise information interaction activities  * Dr. Marek Ćwiklicki, Cracow University of Economics.WSPÓŁCZESNE ZARZĄDZANIE nr 4/2010Kwartalnik Środowisk Naukowych i Liderów Biznesu168 II. RECENZJE I OMÓWIENIA(Chapter 5). What is interesting is the presentation of the organization of health care from the vantage point of its operation in an environment (the so-called e-health business envi-ronment) (Chapter 6). Th e use of IT in such situations is possible through the so-called in-telligent agents, which was discussed in Chapter 7. Additionally, actions integrated within the management system called the Information Governance Model (Chapter 8) are to help with complex information management within an organization.Operation under such conditions requires evaluation of information that keeps changing when it is analysed more broadly. Diff erent points of view concerning information valuation are presented in part three of the book. Th e fi rst one contains an Analysis of the value of infor-mation in distributed decision-support systems (Chapter 9) with useful considerations on me-thodical aspects of the evaluation of e-banking services (Chapter 11). In the context of develop-ing the system of data monitoring in a virtual organization, various strands appear that illustrate the complexity of accounting and billing in computing environments (Chapter 10). An inter-esting example of the need to adapt to the line of business as a result of the rapidly developing information technology is the case of health informatics (Chapter 12). A diff erent point of view concerning value – from the standpoint of evaluating the information sector in the economy – demonstrates the need to standardize both international and national classifi cations (Chapter 13). Accordingly, just as in the fi rst section, this one also presents the diversity of approaches in the evaluation of information, which results from diff erent interpretations. Examples from e-health and e-banking testify to the fact that a shared methodology for evaluating information has not been developed yet, and still pose an open axiological research problem.One of the special strengths of this book is the presentation of the unusually complex issue of collaboration in networks. Th e adopted infonomic approach permits the isolation of such is-sues as the Infrastructure supporting such collaboration (Chapter 14), and Collaboration in vir-tual networks (Chapter 15). Th e Authors have demonstrated that the network organization as a new organisational form requires supplementary research in order to facilitate collaboration and excellence in management. Collaboration of this kind is also connected with issues border-ing on morality. Th ese are supported by the issues related to Digital confi dence (Chapter 17) and Ethics (Chapter 18). Th is non-typical set of themes admirably supplements the traditional outlook on information management demonstrating how many issues need further research.In the light of the above considerations, one ought to state that the work edited by M. Pańkowska fi lls a research gap and contributes to a better understanding of contem-porary trends in enterprise information management. Despite the extremely varied con-tents of individual chapters, the Editor succeeded in arranging them in an order that makes it possible to learn in succession about the new area of research within the framework of the information system ecology and more broadly, within the framework of the new scien-tifi c discipline – infonomics. Th e exploration of diff erent aspects – technological, organiza-tional, sociological and philosophical – testifi es to the fact that research into information in the 21st century requires as interdisciplinary approach. Such a synthesis, thanks to the inte-gration of ontologies typical of diff erent research disciplines, may contribute to a better de-ployment of information in management. As a result, apart from utilitarian value, the book contributes to the development of the discipline of infonomics.Without doubt, a comprehensive presentation of this problem area even in such an ex-tensive volume is impossible, however, the fi ne selection of studies highlights its most im-portant elements. Consequently, the book can also be treated as diagnosis of the current state of infonomics with clearly laid out directions for its further development. 

Infonomics for distributed business and decision-making environments : creating information system ecology

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Infonomics for distributed business and decision-making environments : creating information system ecology

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