BUSINESS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY


We have now discussed some of the central underlying concepts of information systems. Information systems tend to be based on technology, more specifically on information technology. One could argue that information systems do not necessarily require such a technological basis, but the academic discipline as well as business practice tend to refer to technical systems when they use the term . Information systems find their meaning in organisations, usually businesses; they are based on IT; and they develop their complexity because they are socio-technical systems. Why is it that information systems are of such central importance in business? One possible answer is that businesses are eminently dependent on information. Markets can be interpreted as the (theoretical) places where supply and demand meet. They are therefore subject to functioning exchange of information. Every step of the value chain of a business is dependent on information. On the other hand businesses are also directly linked to technology. Modern ways of production all need technology, and without technology the way we do business would not be possible. Technology also plays an important role in the theory of the economy, where it is used as a factor to explain growth. In fact, the impact of technology on business theory and practice are incalculable.

The concept of information systems is highly complex and warrants attention from different angles. Definitions of business information technology, such as any activity using information technology which is undertaken by business (cf. Langford, 2000, p. 227), may give a first orientation, but they are not really helpful because they do not even hint at the levels and aspects of what information systems stand for. Similar to the terms business, information, and technology on which it is based, information systems have a distinct theoretical and practical side to them, and also show relevant differences in their different levels of magnitude.

While it is hard to give a clear and precise definition of IS, it may help to look at their development to gain a better picture of the concept s meaning. Information systems serve a basic purpose, which is the pursuit of wealth, security, recreation, entertainment, and control. Simultaneously, they help avoid destitution, fear, uncertainty, boredom, depression, and chaos. This common root is too wide to be of any practical use in the discussion of the term, but it paves the way for an important argument that will be developed later on. It shows that an information system is not a value-free object, but is intrinsically linked to different conceptions of a good life. It is therefore subject to ethical discussion.

In a narrower interpretation the concept of IS stands for the attempt to use newtechnologiesforthepurposesofbusiness.Thisperspectiveseesorganisations as market driven and having to adapt constantly to the changes and contingencies of the external environment. Here, IT is seen as a resource to be deployed according to the needs and pressures of that environment (Scarbrough, 1998, p. 20). The meaning and content of the concept of IS has been subject to change over time and depends on economic theory. Up to the mid-1980s, information systems were used to integrate the organisation s technical and social systems. The idea was to model the organisation and its hierarchy, and be able to control it with the push of a button through the use of IT (Rolf, 1998, p. 46). Changes in economic theory led to another model of organisations and companies, away from hierarchy and bureaucracy towards models of cooperation of more or less independent groups and sub-organisations. This change in economic theory was reflected in IS, which evolved away from centralised computer architectures towards decentralised client-server or peer-to-peer architectures. The general idea, however, has mostly remained the same. ISs are supposed to reflect the organisation and formalise the structure of the company, the relevant information, departments, job descriptions, the structures of governance and control (Rolf, 1998, p. 6). The different sorts of IS all share this common objective of improving the processes of control (Mason et al., 1995, p. 243).

Although information systems have been around for over 50 years , they have acquired new importance with the advent of network technology and particularly the Internet. The inclusion of networks, the interconnection of networks, and the use of the Internet in business have led to a virtual explosion of new applications and business models since the beginning of the 1990s. Buzzwords such as e-commerce, e-business, and e-government stand for new concepts that are in the process of revolutionising the way we do business and connect organisations. Despite the end of blind enthusiasm and the resulting burst of the dot.com bubble promises held by these, developments are still huge. Reduction of transaction costs, enlargement of markets and reach, as well as rationalisation of business processes are factors that permit the prediction that the combination of information technology and business will remain of importance for the foreseeable future.

We now have a relatively good idea of what information systems are and how the concept is based on these underlying concepts of business, information, and technology. The objective of this text is to find out how information systems as socio-technical entities are related to the notion of responsibility. Before we get to the core of this question, there is another group of concepts that need to be examined more closely. Responsibility is a term with many different meanings that will be discussed later on. However, every sort and instance of responsibility has a moral or ethical aspect. In many cases responsibility is exclusively moral, but even if it is not, it is still of moral relevance. Therefore we will emphasise the moral aspect, and in order to do so, we will have to clarify the terms ethics and morality. We have seen that even a seemingly clear-cut term like information systems has many roots, meanings, and aspects. This is even more so in the case of the fundamental notions of moral philosophy. The next chapter will therefore be dedicated to an introduction to the concepts of ethics and morality.




Responsible Management of Information Systems
Responsible Management of Information Systems
ISBN: 1591401720
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 52
Authors: Bernd Stahl

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