The introduction of information and communications technology into physical communities : an action case study

Byrne, B

Abstract

The role of information and communications technology, which has been mostly
limited to use within business and government organisations, is now moving through
society and touching all sections, groups and individuals therein. Information and
communications technology is now pervading physical, or real, communities, as
opposed to communities created through information technology, virtual
communities. For the purposes of this research study, a traditional view of
community is taken and defined as people sharing experiences and interrelations with
others living in a physical locality, comprising all residents, workforce, official bodies
and authorities that exist or have business within a defined physical area. There is
potential for positive change within physical communities through the use of such
technology to change the way people work, interact with local government, and the
way people access information. There are also potential dangers that cannot be
ignored. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the technology and the speed of advances
in the technology, some dangers may be overlooked. Much of the research work
concerning these issues tends to be focused on the technological aspects of the
phenomenon, or takes a utopian view of the implementation of technological
advances within communities.
This research study takes a more critical view of the issues involved and is based
upon an exploration of the issues associated with the introduction of information and
communication technologies within the physical community. The study uses an
ethics-based framework to explore these issues, together with a unified conceptual
framework covering all aspects of the research study. An ethics-based approach was chosen because of its applicability to issues that have potentially harmful social
effects, and was closely related to prior research work. An action case research
method was employed to engage with a selected research subject. This allowed the
researcher to conduct the study while acting close to the main participants within a
community.
Research uncovered a number of research findings or lessons, including, but not
limited to, the finding that: the introduction of ICT into physical communities has
divergent issues that stem from a broad spectrum of domains; arguments portraying
aspects of projects as being amoral must be countered, that ethics is not just about big
questions; that ethical analysis is important, both to the subject area of this research
and others; the contingent nature of IS research in context means IS research cannot
follow the waterfall model. Research also led to the formation of two important ideas,
the notion engagement and in-situ ethical analysis.

Citation

Byrne, B. The introduction of information and communications technology into physical communities : an action case study. (Thesis). University of Salford, UK

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jun 23, 2009
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 23, 2009
• Award Date: Jul 1, 2003