Learning with Information Systems: Analysis and Design in Developing Countries (Routledge Studies in Information and Library Management Systems, 1)

✍ Scribed by Simon Bell

• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 201
• Edition: 2nd
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Taking the developing world as the context this work elaborates, through a series of case studies, a commomly used systems analysis methodology. It shows how this methodology can evolve and adapt as new ideas become prominent. Issues of sustainability of information systems, participation in systems design and user ownership of systems are all examined. This text does not attempt to be prescriptive for all contexts nor does it focus on any particular technology. It addresses the essential questions and offers practical approaches aimed at helping in the avoidance of the worst forms of disaster associated with the planning of information systems for developing countries.

✦ Table of Contents

BOOK COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 2
TITLE......Page 4
COPYRIGHT......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 6
FIGURES......Page 9
TABLES......Page 10
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 11
ABBREVIATIONS......Page 13
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS......Page 14
Part I INTRODUCING THE CONTEXT......Page 16
1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND......Page 17
THE DEVELOPING COUNTRY CONTEXT......Page 18
What are the ‘developing countries’?......Page 19
How is ‘development’ perceived?......Page 20
An economic approach......Page 22
The evidence for technology transfer......Page 23
The evidence of technology transfer problems......Page 25
Information systems, development policy and perception......Page 26
RISK AND UNCERTAINTY......Page 28
Risk and uncertainty factors in information technology......Page 29
AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS......Page 31
The soft approach......Page 32
A functional approach to systems......Page 33
What should be the result of systems analysis?......Page 35
Systems analysis and perception......Page 36
Blending hard and soft tools......Page 37
SUMMARY......Page 38
ANALYSIS AND DESIGN AND COMPLEXITY......Page 40
The approach......Page 44
The analyst......Page 45
The approach......Page 46
The context......Page 47
The approach......Page 48
The analyst......Page 51
The experience of the agricultural research systems......Page 52
Lessons to be learned......Page 54
Rapid Rural Appraisal......Page 55
Lessons to be learned......Page 56
On-line search: analysis and design in developing countries......Page 57
Issues addressed in the literature......Page 58
System-specific issues......Page 59
SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT SO FAR......Page 60
Part II THE QUESTION AND THE APPROACH......Page 62
BACKGROUND TO THE QUESTION......Page 63
THE QUESTION FOR INVESTIGATION......Page 64
SUMMARY......Page 65
APPROACHES TO RESEARCH: REDUCTIONISM AND HOLISM......Page 66
Holism and systemic approaches......Page 67
A continuum of research approaches......Page 68
The selected research approach......Page 69
The Multiview methodology......Page 73
Adaptations to Multiview......Page 74
Systems analysis and experiential learning......Page 75
A self-analysis tool......Page 77
INTRODUCING THE ACTION-RESEARCH FIELDWORK APPROACH......Page 78
Chronological structure 1988–91......Page 79
Comparative structure......Page 80
SUMMARY......Page 81
Part III ACTION-RESEARCH LEARNING......Page 82
5 LEARNING CYCLE 1: A DEPARTMENT OF ROADS......Page 83
The country......Page 84
The objectives of the consultancy......Page 85
The application of Multiview......Page 87
Stage 1: the human-activity system......Page 89
Stage 2: information modelling......Page 92
Stage 3: socio-technical systems......Page 95
Stage 4: the human/computer interface......Page 98
Stage 5: technical aspects......Page 101
Stage 6: training, hardware and software selection and implementation strategy......Page 104
Positive aspects of the application......Page 106
Problems with the application......Page 107
Context issues......Page 110
CONCLUSIONS......Page 112
6 LEARNING CYCLE 2: AN ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF COLLEGE......Page 114
The country......Page 115
The specific situation......Page 116
The objectives of the consultancy......Page 118
ACTION TAKEN......Page 120
The MIS units......Page 121
The computer unit......Page 122
Stage 2: information modelling......Page 124
Stage 4: the human/computer interface......Page 125
Positive aspects of the application......Page 126
Problems with the application......Page 127
Analyst issues......Page 128
Methodology issues......Page 130
CONCLUSIONS......Page 132
7 LEARNING CYCLE 3: A BOARD FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION......Page 134
The specific situation......Page 135
ACTION PLANNING......Page 136
The objectives of the consultancy......Page 137
Phase I: The pre-implementation stage of the management information system......Page 138
Phase II: Implementation......Page 139
Stage 1: the human-activity system......Page 140
Stage 4: the human/computer interface......Page 144
Stage 5: technical aspects......Page 145
Positive aspects of the application......Page 147
Problems with the application......Page 148
Analyst issues......Page 149
Contextual issues......Page 150
Methodology issues......Page 151
CONCLUSIONS......Page 153
SUMMARY......Page 154
Part IV OVERVIEW AND CONCLUSIONS......Page 155
8 AN OVERVIEW OF THE LEARNING PROCESS......Page 156
ADAPTING MULTIVIEW......Page 157
Stage 1: the human-activity system......Page 158
Stage 3: socio-technical systems......Page 159
Stage 4: the human/computer interface......Page 160
Stage 5: technical aspects......Page 161
Conclusions......Page 162
Self-analysis/pre-project analysis......Page 163
Monitoring and evaluation......Page 165
Conclusions......Page 166
The research question: positive and negative comparisons......Page 167
Multiview and the Rapid Rural Appraisal tradition......Page 168
SUMMARY......Page 169
9 THE NEXT STEPS......Page 170
Assessment of the analyst’s intellectual background......Page 171
Assessment of the analyst’s methodology preferences......Page 172
Assessment of context......Page 173
Drawing conclusions from the matrix......Page 174
Action planning......Page 176
Action planning for all participants......Page 177
CONCLUSIONS AND THE NEED FOR METHODOLOGY......Page 178
IN SUMMARY......Page 180
NOTES......Page 181
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 183
INDEX......Page 195