New Information Technologies in Organizational Processes

A number of relatively new technologies, such as Enterprise Resource Planning systems, the Internet and intranets, have entered the organizational landscape. These technologies have not only enabled a wide range of social and organizational transformations, but have also challenged much of the received wisdom that operates in academic and industrial discourses. This book attempts to capture some of these strands by discussing the social and organizational issues surrounding the implementation and use of these new technologies in organizational processes. Some of the contributions are critical and reflexive by nature, while others offer rich insights through the analysis of cases. The book represents a wide scope of traditions of thought, as well as research approaches, in addressing these emerging issues. A number of practical and theoretical topics are discussed in detail, including: Implementation of ERP; Electronic commerce; Intranet implementation; The management of standards; Issues of organizational analysis; Understanding BPR tools; Collaborative technologies; Knowledge work environments. This book contains the selected proceedings of the International Working Conference on New Information Technologies in Organizational Processes: Field Studies and Theoretical Reflections on the Future of Work, organized by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in August 1999. This valuable new title will be essential reading for researchers working in information systems and management, technology, social and organization studies.

1 Building on a Decade of Research on IT and Organizations.- 1: Critical Reflections.- 2 Nations, Identities, and Global Technologies.- 3 Knowledge and Methods in IS Research: From Beginnings to the Future.- 4 The Tyranny of Space in Organizational Analysis.- 5 Distinctions Among Different Types of Generalizing in Information Systems Research.- 6 Research and Ethical Issues Arising from Ethnographic Interviews of Patients' Reactions to an Intelligent Interactive Telephone Health Behavior Advisor.- 7 The Potential of the Language Action Perspective in Ethnographic Analysis.- 2: Field Studies.- 8 Identification of Necessary Factors for Successful Implementation of ERP Systems.- 9 Hunting for the Treasure at the End of the Rainbow: Standardizing Corporate IT Infrastructure.- 10 Reengineering the Supply Chain Using Collaborative Technology: Opportunities and Barriers to Change in the Building and Construction Industry.- 11 Organizational Disposition and Its Influence on the Adoption and Diffusion of Information Systems.- 12 Key Role Players in the Initiation and Implementation of Intranet Technology.- 13 A Hermeneutic Interpretation of the Effect of Computerized BPR Tools on Redesign Effectiveness in Two Organizations.- 14 Understanding E-commerce Through Genre Theory: The Case of The Car-Buying Process.- 15 Balancing Flexibility and Coherence: Information Exchange in a Paper Machinery Project.- 16 The Role of Information Technology in the Learning of Knowledge Work.- 17 Incorporating Social Transformation into the Information Systems and Software Development Lifecycles.- 3: Panels.- 18 The Uses and Abuses of Evaluative Criteria for Qualitative Research Methods.- 19 Re-evaluating Power in Information Rich Organizations: New Theories and Approaches.- Index of Contributors.