Information systems failure, politics and the sociology of translation : the problematic introduction of an American computerised reservation system and yield management at French Railways

Mitev, NN

Abstract

This in-depth cases tudy examinest he troubled introduction of a new computerisedr eservation
system at French Railways. Socrale, based on the American Airlines Sabre system, had a disastrous
beginning.I t wasb adly receivedb y the Frenchp ublic, led to strikes andg overnmentin quiries,a nd had to
be modified substantially.T he literatureo n information systemsf ailure is reviewedf rom functionalistt o
social constructivista nd critical perspectivesa nd the thesis aims to challengeb eliefs and assumptions
about technological success and failure. The notion of 'symmetry' from the sociology of technology
emphasisetsh at failures expresst he samed ynamicsa s successess,h owingh ow technologicalc hoicesa re
not obvious or unproblematic.
Differences between air and rail transporý between American and European transport
deregulation and between the needs of national identity, regional development and public access to
transporta re all reflectedi n the questiono f yield managementY. ield managemenist a crucial component
of computerisedre servations ystemsa nd was first adoptedd uring the deregulationo f the US air transport
industry in the early 80s. It requires complex optimisation software designed to manage passenger
revenues and control demand, by manipulating the availability of full and discounted fares according to
monitoredd emanda nds tatisticaal nalysis.
Latour and Callon's sociology of 'translation' helps analyse how the Socrate project was
undertaken and interpreted as: borrowing from airline pricing, aiming to gain competitive advantage,
associatingS ocrate to the successo f high-speedt rains, attemptingt o changep assengersb' uying and
travelling behaviour, transformingt he organisationa nd helping identify profitable market segmentsA.
non-essentialisst tanceh elpsu nderstandh ow social and technicald istinctionsa re socially constructeda nd
how the differentiation between what is technical and what is social, for instance in the conception and
application of yield managementi,s a mattero f power and politics. Clegg's circuits of power are usedt o
complement the sociology of translation in examining how power and political factors contribute to
information systemsb ecoming( or not) obligatoryp assagep oints.
Politically controversialc hangesin Frenchr ail transporta re associatedw ith the role of computer
technology in deregulated European and global electronic markets and its effects on the concept of
nationali dentity and sovereigntyin transportp olicy-making.

Citation

Mitev, N. Information systems failure, politics and the sociology of translation : the problematic introduction of an American computerised reservation system and yield management at French Railways. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Aug 16, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 16, 2011
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2000