Geoff Walsham - Böcker

Information Technology has become an essential component of contemporary society, allowing much faster and more widespread communication, not least through the growth of the Internet. However, many issues concerned with the human aspects of the use of IT remain problematic despite technological advances. An enhanced ability to collect and process data, or to communicate electronically across time and space, does not necessarily lead to improved human communication and action. This book explores the social aspects of computerisation, using a wide range of detailed case studies, analysed from a variety of conceptual viewpoints. A further distinctive feature of the book is that it draws on empirical material from across the world as a whole, including non-Western countries. It is argued that we should be using IT to support a world in which diversity and difference are respected.SynopsisMaking a World of Difference provides a context for the whole debate about the relationship of people and computers. It looks at the role of IS/IT in a modern society and the way it impacts on people, companies, economics etc. Prof. Walsham readily acknowledges that this environment is rapidly changing and that it is therefore important not to focus too closely on current technologies or one particular system of thought, but consider them as one of many other alternatives. It is structured to be of use for academics and business audience - Part 1 is holistic and reflexive, while Parts 2 and 3 are written for the busy manager who can consider the key issues independently.

This title was first published in 2001. A discussion of information technology (IT) in developing countries. The contributors can be considered to share the following set of broad premises: information and communication technologies, and related systems, have significant potential to aid the economic growth and improvement of social conditions in the developing world; however, such potential is not released by simply transferring technologies and processes from advanced economies; in order to better serve development needs, people involved with the design, implementation and management of IT-related projects and systems in developing countries must improve their capacity to address the specific contextual characteristics of the organization, sector, country or region within which their work is located. The text thus emphasizes the importance of context in examining the role and value of IT in the developing countries. It focuses attention on the fusion of the activities of "professionals" (technical experts, managers, policy makers) and "users" (more broadly, all other groups affecting or affected by the technologies and systems), with the intention of facilitating locally meaningful and effective change.