Me Burke

Making choices: research paradigms and information management Practical applications of philosophy in IM research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine a variety of research approaches which information managers may find useful to meet the needs of working in the networked, digitized age. Design/methodology/approach – This is achieved by a discussion of the research paradigms inherent within both information theory and social theory. Findings – The findings work towards a final justification for an interpretist approach as the most appropriate context in which to work, in order to meet the emerging trends and current challenges of information technology management. Practical implications – The central theme of this paper is that research which deals primarily with people and information in a world of change, competition, and fluid communications technology should take into account and allow for an understanding of human behaviour. This understanding helps to highlight different contexts, backgrounds, and cultures and therefore provides assistance in making appropriate choices concerning research paradigms and information management, which in turn will ensure thoughtful methodology and justifiable research results. Originality/value – This paper examined questions regarding the choices of research paradigms and the practical application of philosophy to the life of professional information managers.

Knowledge sharing in emerging economies

Purpose – One of the new factors in Eastern European countries (and there is an acknowledgement that this aspect is displayed in other countries too) is this concept of freely sharing information, i.e. the concept of what is known in knowledge management (KM) literature of “Knowledge Sharing”. Sharing only takes place where there is trust and where there is a shared feeling of ownership of goals. The reasons behind the tendency to share are based on the kind of interpersonal relations between co‐workers inherent within the organization and the effects of social relationships within organizational teams. Strengthening the social relationships between individuals in the team is crucial in motivating team members to share knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to add to the understanding of how KM impacts on an small‐ to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) and create a framework of best practice of KM in SMEs.Design/methodology/approach – New research is currently investigating the concept of “sharing social rela...

Towards a philosophical understanding of documentation: a Dooyeweerdian framework

Documents as we encounter them in everyday life are complex and diverse things, whether on paper, computer disk or on the World Wide Web. They play many roles vis‐a‐vis human beings, and the humans engaged with them have diverse responsibilities that are not always easy to fulfil. Added to this is the issue of how a document or literary work can change and yet retain its identity, as found in maintenance, drafting and versioning of documents. This paper explores how the meaning‐oriented philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd may be used to understand the complex nature of documents, to throw light on the roles, responsibilities and culture surrounding them, and to tackle issues of identity and change.

Case study: A case analysis of knowledge sharing implementation and job searching in Malaysia

The aim of this research is to consider an analysis through case studies on how knowledge sharing may be successfully implemented. The study will clarify a conceptualisation that provides a new understanding of the relationship between unemployed graduates and the human capital concept. The cases adopted web documentation for the research technique, and an interpretive approach was used as the research paradigm. Two online recruitment agency sites were analysed through qualitative analysis. The connections show how knowledge sharing can be used as a medium to help unemployed graduates to get jobs through online recruitment agencies. High quality candidates must have good soft skills, problem-solving skills and employable value added skills to get the best jobs. The findings will be expressed as qualitative results from the two online recruitment agencies researched as the case studies for the paper. From these case studies, the findings will contribute to the ongoing study on how to implement knowledge sharing among undergraduates after they finished their studies.

Cultural issues, organizational hierarchy and information fulfilment: An exploration of relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the cultural results of a three year study into the concept of information fulfilment and considers the impact of culture on levels of information fulfilment.Design/methodology/approach – Ethnographic studies were undertaken within higher education institutions in four countries, by examining each organizations shape and comparing it with the level of achievement of information fulfilment. The social and symbolic meanings that underpinned the culture of information in the chosen institutions are presented. The cultural frameworks are analysed and followed by a section of “raw data” from the ethnographic field.Findings – Culture impacted significantly in all the studies, and each study had its own unique character which provided rich insights into the culture, atmosphere and contexts of the fields.Originality/value – The relationships between the cultures and the levels of information fulfilment are reported with a view to helping build knowledge managemen...

Low-cost Internet of Things digital technology adoption in SMEs

This paper presents the findings of two related case studies into the potential beneficial uses of low-cost digital technology on estate agent property listings. The adoption of the technology is not hindered by the availability of resources, but by lack of knowledge and training held by Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). This research helps to illustrate how SMEs could improve their business processes by utilising new digital technology as an effective method for disseminating information to a target audience at the point of request, without significantly increasing costs. Economical benefits can be gained through relatively little training or expense, which may have otherwise hindered the adoption by SMEs. The UK consumer market must be prepared to adopt new practices and utilise the Internet of Things, where all objects can connect to the internet.

A thematic review and a policy-analysis agenda of Electronic Health Records in the Greek National Health System

The increasing pressure to improve healthcare outcomes and reduce costs is driving the current agenda of governments at worldwide level and calls for a fundamental reform of the status quo of health systems. This is especially the case with the Greek NHS (National Health System), a system in continuous crisis, and with the recent ongoing financial turbulence under intensive scrutiny. Technological innovations and Electronic Health Records (EHR) in particular, are recognised as key enablers in mitigating the existing burdens of healthcare. As a result, EHR is considered a core component in technology-driven reform processes. Nonetheless, the successful implementation and adoption of EHR proves to be a challenging task due to a mixture of technological, organisational and political issues. Drawing upon experiences within the European Union (EU) healthcare setting and the Greek NHS the paper proposes a conceptual framework as a policy-analysis agenda for EHR interventions in Greece. While the context of discussion is Greece, the paper aims to also derive useful insights to healthcare policy-makers around the globe.

The exploration of relationships between information fulfilment and organisational design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between information fulfilment and organisational design.Design/methodology/approach – The exploration is undertaken in four ways. First, the early part of the paper places information fulfilment within the literature. Second, there is an attempt to further determine the meaning of information fulfilment. Third, the factors that impact on information fulfilment are identified within the context of organisational design. Fourth, empirical findings are reported in the form of a European project which investigated the “relationship” between organisational design and information fulfilment.Findings – Information fulfilment is shown to be about the process of taking an intuitive “feel” and delineating a number of aspects which are concerned with what might be called emotion. Fulfilment is also connected with organisational roles and wider environmental issues.Originality/value – The contribution of this paper to the discipline of information ma...

Philosophical and theoretical perspectives of organisational structures as information processing systems

This paper considers the issues surrounding the fit between information systems and organisation structures. The paper uses philosophical ideas concerning knowledge and applies them to organisational design and information processing in order to encourage alternative perspectives and new ideas. This is achieved by a discussion of the issues surrounding organisational design and the impact of design on information processing; an overview of the ideas concerning the theory of knowledge proposed from both a rational and an empirical viewpoint and how these relate to other epistemological theories such as historicism and pragmatism. The paper closes with a discussion of the means by which philosophical considerations can assist towards new forms of information processing.

The business of digital storytelling Augmenting information systems with QR codes

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present case study findings that explore the implementation and use of a low-cost digital technology platform to collect, process and disseminate information in business-to-consumer practices. Design/methodology/approach – The research is interdisciplinary, drawing from a range of backgrounds, the epistemological approach is that of mixed methods, combining both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis techniques. Insights are drawn from what emerges from observations arising from the data, rather than starting with a hypothesis and designing the research to test this. The over arching research approach was “action research”. Action research has at its basis the premise of conducting research “in practice”. The “practice” on this occasion was a business practice, implemented in high street estate agents. Findings – This approach to accessing information aids important decision-making in the buying and selling of homes. It allows for mobile augmentatio...