Bernd Carsten Stahl

The ethical nature of critical research in information systems.

Abstract.  Critical research in information systems is based on and inspired by ethics and morality. In order to support this proposition, this paper will suggest a way of classifying critical research that differs from definitions common IS research. According to the current definition, research is critical when it is motivated by the intention to change social realities and promote emancipation. Based on this critical intention, critical research is furthermore characterized by critical topics, critical theories, and critical methodologies. Using these criteria of critical research, the paper argues that critical research is ethical in nature. To support this view, the paper introduces the concepts of ethics and morality by analysing two traditions of moral philosophy, here called the ‘German tradition’ and the ‘French tradition’. Using three examples of current critical research in information systems, the paper will show that ethics and morality strongly influence critical intention, topics and theories. Having thus established the ethical nature of critical research, the paper concludes by discussing the weaknesses of critical research from the point of view of ethics and morality.

Technology, capabilities and critical perspectives: what can critical theory contribute to Sen's capability approach?

This paper explores what insights can be drawn from critical theory to enrich and strengthen Sen’s capability approach in relation to technology and human development. The two theories share some important commonalities: both are concerned with the pursuit of “a good life”; both are normative theories rooted in ethics and meant to make a difference, and both are interested in democracy. The paper provides a brief overview of both schools of thought and their applications to technology and human development. Three areas are identified where critical theory can make a contribution to the capability approach: conceptually, by providing a critical account of individual agency and enriching the concept of technology beyond the simplistic notion of commodities; methodologically, by sensitising towards reification and hegemony of scientific tools, and, finally, by emphasising reflexivity of researchers.

Information security policies in the UK Healthcare Sector: A critical evaluation.

All organisations must take active steps to maintain the security and integrity of their information resources, and nowhere is this strategy more critical than in hospitals where issues of information accuracy and patient confidentiality are paramount. Of all the tools at the information security managers disposal, none is more widely valued and used than the information security policy. Much research therefore concentrates on the way in which information security policies contribute to the protection of systems from internal and external threats. Such work is legitimate and important, but it often fails to explore alternative views of security and related policies. Against this backdrop, this paper seeks to provide novel insights into the role and purpose of information security policies by reviewing them through a critical theoretical lens. It presents the results of a critical discourse analysis which looked for evidence of ideology and hegemony within a sample of information security policies from the UKs National Health Service. The findings support the contention that an alternative description of information security policies from a critical perspective provides better insights into existing problems than most mainstream work. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings and future research avenues.

Information, Ethics, and Computers: The Problem of Autonomous Moral Agents

In modern technical societies computers interact with human beings in ways that can affect moral rights and obligations. This has given rise to the question whether computers can act as autonomous moral agents. The answer to this question depends on many explicit and implicit definitions that touch on different philosophical areas such as anthropology and metaphysics. The approach chosen in this paper centres on the concept of information. Information is a multi-facetted notion which is hard to define comprehensively. However, the frequently used definition of information as data endowed with meaning can promote our understanding. It is argued that information in this sense is a necessary condition of cognitivist ethics. This is the basis for analysing computers and information processors regarding their status as possible moral agents. Computers have several characteristics that are desirable for moral agents. However, computers in their current form are unable to capture the meaning of information and therefore fail to reflect morality in anything but a most basic sense of the term. This shortcoming is discussed using the example of the Moral Turing Test. The paper ends with a consideration of which conditions computers would have to fulfil in order to be able to use information in such a way as to render them capable of acting morally and reflecting ethically.In modern technical societies computers interact with human beings in ways that can affect moral rights and obligations. This has given rise to the question whether computers can act as autonomous moral agents. The answer to this question depends on many explicit and implicit definitions that touch on different philosophical areas such as anthropology and metaphysics. The approach chosen in this paper centres on the concept of information. Information is a multi-facetted notion which is hard to define comprehensively. However, the frequently used definition of information as data endowed with meaning can promote our understanding. It is argued that information in this sense is a necessary condition of cognitivist ethics. This is the basis for analysing computers and information processors regarding their status as possible moral agents. Computers have several characteristics that are desirable for moral agents. However, computers in their current form are unable to capture the meaning of information and therefore fail to reflect morality in anything but a most basic sense of the term. This shortcoming is discussed using the example of the Moral Turing Test. The paper ends with a consideration of which conditions computers would have to fulfil in order to be able to use information in such a way as to render them capable of acting morally and reflecting ethically.

CULTURAL UNIVERSALITY VERSUS PARTICULARITY IN CMC

Abstract Cultural factors are often identified as a crucial influence on the success or failure of information systems in general and computer-mediated communication (CMC) in particular. Several authors have suggested ways in which management can accommodate these factors or solve the problem they pose. This paper attempts to go one step beyond management measures and ask whether there is a theoretical foundation on which one can base the mutual influence of culture and CMC. In order to find such a theoretical basis the paper discusses the question whether there are aspects of culture that are universal or whether culture is always particular. In the course of this discussion the concept of culture is defined and its relationship with technology is analysed. As a solution the paper suggests a Habermasian approach to culture which sees a universal background to particular cultures in the structure of communication which creates and sustains culture. The paper then tries to give an outlook how such a Habermasian theory of culture can enable designers and users of CMC to reflect on their activity and improve the quality and reach of CMC.

IT for a better future: how to integrate ethics, politics and innovation

Purpose – The paper aims to explore future and emerging information and communication technologies. It gives a general overview of the social consequences and ethical issues arising from technologies that can currently be reasonably expected. This overview is used to present recommendations and integrate these in a framework of responsible innovation.Design/methodology/approach – The identification of emerging ICTs and their ethical consequences is based on the review and analysis if several different bodies of literature. The individual features of the ICTs and the ethical issues identified this way are then aggregated and analysed.Findings – The paper outlines the 11 ICTs identified. Some of the shared features that are likely to have social relevance include an increase in natural interaction, the invisibility of technology, direct links between humans and technology, detailed models and data of humans and an increasing autonomy of technology that may lead to power over the user. Ethical issues include...

Responsibility for information assurance and privacy: a problem of individual ethics?

Information assurance and security have an ambiguous relationship to privacy concerns. Using a theory of responsibility, this paper investigates where the reconciliation of such sometimes contradictory demands can be allocated. The thoughts developed in this paper have contributed to the debate on privacy in computing and IS through being reprinted in: Mahmood, M. Adam (ed.): Advanced Topics in Organizational and End User Computing, Volume 4, Idea-Group Publishing, Hershey PA: 186 207 (2005) and Nemati, Hamad (ed.): Information Security and Ethics: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. Information Science Reference, Hershey, New York: 3170 3187 (2008)

Focus groups and critical social IS research: How the choice of method can promote emancipation of respondents and researchers.

Critical social research in information systems has been gaining prominence for some time and is increasingly viewed as a valid research approach. One problem with the critical tradition is a lack of empirical research. A contributing factor to this gap in the literature is the lack of agreement on what constitutes appropriate methodologies for critical research. The present paper contributes to this debate by exploring the role that focus group research can play in the critical approach. This paper outlines the main characteristics of critical research with an emphasis on its emancipatory faculties. It then reviews the focus group method from the perspective of critical approach and provides a critical account of two research projects that used focus groups as a method of data collection. The paper presents the argument that focus groups, if designed and executed in light of a critical approach, can contribute to the emancipation of researchers and respondents. This argument is built upon the critical theories of the two most influential theorists in critical social information systems research, namely Jürgen Habermas and Michel Foucault. Critically oriented focus groups have the potential to improve communication and move real discourses closer to Habermass ideal speech situation. At the same time, they can contribute to challenging the prevailing orthodoxy and thereby overcome established regimes of truth in the Foucauldian tradition. The paper ends by developing a set of guiding questions that provide a means for researchers to ensure that the emancipatory potential of focus group research can be achieved.

The inflation of academic intellectual capital: the case for design science research in Europe

Editor-in-ChiefEuropean Journal of Information Systemsadvance online publication,7 December 2010; doi:10.1057/ejis.2010.57In this issue, EJIS is publishing ‘Memorandum on Design OrientedInformation Systems Research’, an opinion that has engendered muchdebate in the German-speaking Information Systems (IS) community.Already published in German, we present an English translation. Followingthe Memorandum is ‘A Response to the Design-oriented InformationSystems Research Memorandum’ by Richard Baskerville, Kalle Lyytinen, V.Sambamurthy, and Detmar Straub. To a certain degree, these opinionpapers are part of a wider and continuing discourse about the evolvingmores in the assessment of academic research. This discourse hasmaterialized in a number of EJIS articles, for example, relating to Britain(Paul, 2008), Finland (Iivari, 2008), and Europe in general (Lyytinen et al.,2007).There are many issues; but a central theme in this discourse has beenthe value and scientific quality associated with the various artifacts thatrepresent IS research outcomes. Such artifacts not only include reportssuch as books, journal articles, and conference presentations, but becauseof the underlying technology they may also include operational computerprograms, machinery, and practices (Committee on Academic Careersfor Experimental Computer Scientists, 1994). The precedence in thevalue attached to these artifacts is evolving and is relative to differentinstitutions, academic traditions and cultures. In some cases, journalarticles are particularly privileged, and this privilege may even exclusivelyvalue only ‘top’ journal articles. In this editorial, our central concern froma perspective of editors of EJIS is this focus on the high value often attachedto our journal review and acceptance decisions. The basis of suchvaluations is not only ours, but also the precedence attached by others.These valuations are often situated within specific institutions or scholarlycultures. For example, in the scholarship of discovery (Boyer, 1996),articles in the scientific literature are often rightfully favored. In thescholarship of teaching, textbooks are rightfully valued (which does notlessen the value of scientific papers).A part of these issues therefore lies with various institutional or culturalvaluations of scholarly artifacts. Such valuations may err by levelingexpectations for research journal publications from scholars whoseduties do not actually involve scientific research. Research journal qualitymanagement has worked quite well to advance the community’s research-oriented knowledge via competitive peer reviews. These processes are notto blame for the rejection of artifacts that lack a serious researchcontribution.Further, a part of these issues is the evolution within some evaluationbodies toward the assignment of a singular importance of top journalplacements, and associated risks of a too rigid system in terms ofresearchers’ learning and personal development, complementarities ofpublications and diversity of outputs for overall richer knowledge andtools creation (Loos et al., 2010). Such evaluations will leave other artifacts

Interpretive Accounts and Fairy Tales: A Critical Polemic Against the Empiricist Bias in Interpretive is Research

In 1995, Geoff Walsham wrote one of the most important and most widely cited papers on interpretivism in information systems (IS). Walshams paper, along with his further work, represents a cornerstone of the discourse surrounding interpretive research. It has set the tone for further publications in the area and has more recently been followed up by a detailed practical account of how to undertake interpretive research by the same author. Using Walshams position as a starting point, the present paper questions some basic assumptions of interpretivism. Drawing on the philosophical background of interpretivism in hermeneutics and phenomenology, the paper questions the status of empirical research in the interpretivist tradition. Using quality criteria of different research streams related to interpretivism, the paper compares the role of empirical data in different types of research accounts with fairy tales, noting that interpretive IS research shares at least as many quality features with fairy tales as with positivist narratives. The paper concludes by discussing which consequences this position has for interpretive and other research in IS.