Richard O. Mason

Applying ethics to information technology issues

The articles in this special section express a common theme; the use of information technology in society is creating a rather unique set of ethical issues that requires the making of new moral choices on the part of society and has spawned special implications for its members. Technology itself is not the only, nor necessarily the most responsible, cause of these issues. All ethical questions arise initially out of human agency. Technology, due to its capability to augment mental and physical powers of human beings, does stand in the role of a coconspirator. The hire of power-enhancing capabilities makes technology an inducer of sorts, a necessary but not sufficient underpinning to many of the ethical issues we face today.

Can information technology revitalize your customer service

Executive Overview The era of mass production and mass merchandising has given us an abundant cornucopia of products but has often done so at a considerable cost to customer service. Progress in information technology permits a return to an earlier era of hometown service, when customers were treated as individuals, products were often tailored to personal needs, and customer support was provided throughout the products life cycle. In this article, we describe and illustrate several simple conceptual tools that can help in discovering ways that information technology can be used to personalize both products and customer service. A customer service life cycle is presented which can assist in using information technology to revitalize customer service at various stages. For instance, a customer facing a complex range of product choices or features might be provided with an expert system to assist in product specification. Seven basic questions permit us to examine a business as it currently operates and of...

Global business drivers: aligning information technology to global business strategy

The alignment of worldwide computer-based information systems and integrated business strategies is critical to the success of multinational firms in a highly competitive global market. In this paper, information technology (I/T) solutions are explored that drive firms toward making economic decisions based on worldwide distributed knowledge. These solutions focus on a number of entities (or global business drivers) that identify where a firm can benefit most from the management and application of the technology. A variety of approaches for overcoming the barriers and risks of applying this technology are also discussed.

What Every Business Student Needs to Know About Information Systems

Ives, Blake; Valacich, Joseph S.; Watson, Richard T.; Zmud, Robert W.; ALAVI, MARYAM; BASKERVILLE, RICHARD; BAROUDI,JACK J.; BEATH, CYNTHIA; CLARK, THOMAS; CLEMONS, ERIC K.; DAVIS, GORDON; DAVIS, FRED; DENNIS, ALANR.; SAWY, OMAR A. EL Marshall School of Business University of Southern California; FEDOROWICZ, JANE; GALLIERS,ROBERT D.; GEORGE, JOEY; Gray, Paul; HIRSCHHEIM, RUDY; JARVENPAA, SIRKKA; JESSUP, LEN; Kemerer, Chris F.;KING, JOHN L.; KONSYNSKI, BENN; KRAEMER, KEN; Luftman, Jerry N.; MARCH, SALVATORE T.; MARKUS, M. L.;MASON, RICHARD O.; MCFARLAN, F. W.; MCLEAN, EPHRAIM R.; OLFMAN, LORNE; OLSON, MARGRETHE H.;ROCKART, JOHN; SAMBAMURTHY, V.; TODD, PETER; Vitale, Michael; WEBER, RON; and WHINSTON, ANDREW B.(2002) What Every Business Student Needs to Know About Information Systems,

Studying cyborgs: re-examining internet studies as human subjects research

Virtual communities and social networks assume and consume more aspects of peoples lives. In these evolving social spaces, the boundaries between actual and virtual reality, between living individuals and their virtual bodies, and between private and public domains are becoming ever more blurred. As a result, users and their presentations of self, as expressed through virtual bodies, are increasingly entangled. Consequently, more and more Internet users are cyborgs. For this reason, the ethical guidelines necessary for Internet research need to be revisited. We contend that the IS community has paid insufficient attention to the ethics of Internet research. To this end, we develop an understanding of issues related to online human subjects research by distinguishing between a disembodied and an entangled view of the Internet. We outline a framework to guide investigators and research ethics committees in answering a key question in the age of cyborgism: When does a proposed Internet study deal with human subjects as opposed to digital material?

Global Outsourcing of Information Processing Services

The low productivity growth and competitive weaknesses of U.S. manufacturing industry and the associated loss of blue-collar jobs to the Pacific rim and European countries during the last two decades are well documented and debated (Hayes and Wheelwright, 1984; Thurow, 1991). In contrast, the service sector of the U.S. economy has proved to be the engine of growth for decades, and hence, Americans have taken the growth of service sector jobs for granted. Given this, the recent reports on the unimpressive performance of the service sector (Nasar, 1991) and the growing migration of certain white-collar jobs overseas are disquieting indeed (Shereff, 1989; Wysocki, 1991).

Experimentation and Knowledge A Pragmatic Perspective

Two primary attributes of knowledge producing activities are identified: tightness of control and richness of reality. These attributes are taken generally to be in opposition to one another at the same level of knowledge. Hence, ultimately researchers must make a trade-off between them. The more of one or both of these attributes a knowledge-producing activity yields, however, the more knowledge a project generates. This leads to the concept of iso-episteme curves—curves of equal units of knowledge that reflect the trade-offs made between reality and control. The results of any experiment can be plotted on an iso-episteme curve and then used to address issues such as improving research methodologies, setting publication policies, and increasing knowledge by means of programs of research.

Commentary on Varieties of Dialectic Change Processes

Although there are many varieties of dialectics, they all have a common starting point: a contradiction. This commentary augments Nielsens categorization by pointing out similarities among Socrates, Hegel, Marx, Argyris, and Schön, and Churchmans conceptions of dialectic as they evolve from this common source. In this context, Hegels theory is robust. Some minor exceptions to Nielsens argument are also presented.

Exploration of opportunity costs and consideration exploration of opportunity costs and consideration for future generations: Two lasting contributions to systems thinking

In his numerous writings C. West Churchman has shown how the systems approach can be used to secure improvements in the human condition. Specifically one must think holistically. Two concepts—exploration of opportunity costs and consideration for future generations—underline whole systems thinking. The author argues based on his own experience that these tools of the human intellect are among the most lasting contributions Churchman has made to systems thinking.

How U.S. cities compete through information technology: Securing an urban advantage

Abstract The information age is bringing about a change in the world division of labor. Many of the great trading cities that arose during the Industrial Revolution as shipping, railroad, and financial centers are now facing new challenges, challenges brought about by global telecommunications. Information technology and the changing nature of business and government offer new opportunities and threats to these and other cities as they strive to acquire or retain treasured economic activity. Telecommunications and computation capacity are among the tools cities can use as they vie with one another for this commerce. This study describes how U. S. cities are affected by these trends and summarizes some of the key technological and policy issues involved. Several case studies are reported, which show the various strategies used by large cities such as New York and Boston, progressive Midwest cities such as Omaha, and small cities such as Heathrow, Florida. Some preliminary principles of success are adduced.