Information Systems and
Organisations
Lecture 7:
People and IS Interpretation
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.2
Scope and Coverage
This unit will cover:
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Use of information and interpretation
Security of information
Ethics in relation to IS
Data security and legal issues (data protection)
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.3
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit students will be able to:
• Appreciate how the use of IS relates to differing
interpretations of the meaning of information
• Be aware of typical ethical issues that arise with IS
• Critically analyse data security of IS in the context
of ethical and legal requirements
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.4
Contents
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Interpretation, use and sharing of information
Care and security of information
Ethics and stakeholders in IS
Data protection and legal principles
• Emphasis – People and Technology
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.5
Interpretation
• We take a consciously contextualist approach in
this topic
• The processes of keeping information secure will
reflect how people interpret its value and relevance,
as well as use
• Politics and culture come into play
• Structuration is a relevant theory when considering
interpretations and norms – and the means by
which information is kept secure
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.6
Interpretation and Use
• People both within and outside organisations will
use IS in a way that is meaningful to them
• How much they trust the technology with their
information will have an effect on the way it is used
• Use may not always follow ‘obvious’ function
• A good example illustrating this is ‘Internet
Shopping’
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.7
Internet shopping
Nielsen statistics from January 2008 – Over 875 Million Consumers Have Shopped Online
Number of Internet Shoppers is Up 40% in Two Years.
Among Internet users, the highest percentage shopping online is found in:
South Korea (99%)
UK (97%)
Germany (97%)
Japan (97%)
US (94%)
The most popular and purchased items are:
Books (41% purchased in the past three months)
Clothing/Accessories/Shoes (36%)
Videos / DVDs / Games (24%)
Airline Tickets (24%)
Electronic Equipment (23%)
www.multilingual-search.com/world-statistics-on-the-number-of-internet-shoppers/28/01/2008/
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.8
Internet Influence
• 73% of Internet users use it for research before
purchasing
• Used at every stage of the process including
checking details and price
• Consumers use the Internet to get informed about
sources of products - Online research and
experience translates to off-line purchases
• ....no simple relationship between Internet use and
purchasing habits (Chaffey 2007, p155)
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.9
Sharing Information
• Attitudes, norms and rules about sharing
information also differ between people and
organisations
• Contrast people who are happy to use social
networking with those not happy to use it, or not
interested
• In business, attitudes to sharing information and
knowledge vary widely
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.10
Information in Organisations
• What information is
needed?
• Which information is the
most valuable to us?
• Who owns it?
• Where is it stored?
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• Information Culture
• Information is power
mentality
• ‘Need to know’ basis
• What information is
shared?
• How is sharing
encouraged?
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.11
Use, Interpretation and Care
• Applies to all users of IT and IS
• Data and information security is a key concern with
private use of the Internet
• But people do not necessarily carry this into the
workplace – and this applies to security as well
• ... the following is an amusing but serious video clip
that makes the point well
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6tbUNjL0No
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.12
Ethical Issues
• Should a company monitor website use by staff?
(should staff use the Internet for personal reasons
whilst at work?)
• Should a search engine provide information to a
government on websites visited and searches by an
individual?
• Should medical and care agencies share sensitive
information?
• Why must care be taken to protect individual data?
• Should companies have the right to ‘spam’ people?
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.13
Domain of Human Action
Formal IS
e.g. ERP
Accounting
Domain of
codified law
(legal standard)
Informal IS
e.g. Email
Forums
Domain of
ethics
(social standards)
‘Public’ IS
e.g. Social Networking
Wiki Leaks
Domain of
free choice
(personal standards)
Low
High
explicit control
based on Boddy, Boonstra and Kennedy 2008, Page 86, Fig 3.5.
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.14
Ethics and Stakeholders 1
Stakeholders
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Employees
IT Professionals
Shareholders
Suppliers
Customers
Citizens
Creative writers, musicians
etc.
• Governments
Expectations
• Transparent policies on
surveillance
• Policies consistent with IP rights
• Acceptable ROI
• Fair use of information on
products
• Secure personal information
• Security from misuse of (e.g.)
Internet
• Payment/Respect for IP rights
• Obey the law, no illegal use of IS
Boddy, Boonstra and Kennedy (2008), Page 88
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.15
Ethics and Stakeholders 2
Stakeholders
Expectations
• Open source advocates
• Software code to be public
and freely distributed
• Hackers
• Being able to gain access to
computer files to alter of copy
Ethical behaviour varies depending on which group you consider
Boddy, Boonstra and Kennedy (2008), Page 88
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.16
Organisations and Ethics
• Reputation (brand) is important and fragile
• Ethical behaviour is only sustainable if it maintains
or improves performance
• IS policies and activities need to be ETHICAL and
contribute to;
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Enlightened self interest
Corporate mission
Avoiding negative publicity
Corporate strategy
Boddy, Boonstra and Kennedy (2008), Pages 91 and 92
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.17
Example - Online Retailers
• Consumers value:
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Security for financial aspects of transactions
Privacy of personal information
Non-deception
Fulfilment/Reliability
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.18
Protecting Personal Data
• Legal requirements – typically
- Notice/awareness of personal information being held
- Consent for anything other than the original purpose the
data was collected
- Access to, and ability to correct errors in personal data
- Integrity and security in respect of unauthorised access
- Enforcement of the law and redress for transgressions
- Personal information no longer required for a valid
purpose is supposed to be destroyed
e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_Protection_Act_1998
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.19
Electronic Data vs Hardcopy
• A lot of personal information is held by
organisations in paper form and in manual filing
systems
• Such information is much harder to access than
computer based data
• Both types of information are open to fraud and
abuse due to human agents
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.20
Organisational Concerns
Formal IS
e.g. ERP
Accounting
Domain of
codified law
(legal standard)
High
Informal IS
Domain of
ethics
(social standards)
‘grey’ zone
‘public’ IS
e.g. Social Networking
Wiki Leaks
Domain of
free choice
(personal standards)
Low
Based on Boody, Boonstra and Kennedy (2008), Page 86, Fig 3.5.
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.21
References
• Based around material sourced from:
- Boddy, D., Boonstra ,A., Kennedy, G. (2008) Managing
Information Systems : Strategy and Organisation 3rd ed.
FT Pearson.
- ISBN-10: 0273716816
- ISBN-13: 978-0273716815
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People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7.22
Lecture 7 – People and IS Interpretation
Any Questions?
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