Information Systems and Organisations Lecture 7 People and

Information Systems and Organisations Lecture 7: People and IS Interpretation V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7. 2 Scope and Coverage This unit will cover: • • V 1. 0 Use of information and interpretation Security of information Ethics in relation to IS Data security and legal issues (data protection) © NCC Education Limited

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 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7. 4 Contents • • 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 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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’ V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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/ V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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, p 155) V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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? V 1. 0 • Information Culture • Information is power mentality • ‘Need to know’ basis • What information is shared? • How is sharing encouraged? © NCC Education Limited

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=Y 6 tb. UNj. L 0 No V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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? V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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. V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7. 14 Ethics and Stakeholders 1 Stakeholders • • 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 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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; • • Enlightened self interest Corporate mission Avoiding negative publicity Corporate strategy Boddy, Boonstra and Kennedy (2008), Pages 91 and 92 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7. 17 Example - Online Retailers • Consumers value: • • V 1. 0 Security for financial aspects of transactions Privacy of personal information Non-deception Fulfilment/Reliability © NCC Education Limited

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 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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. V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

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 3 rd ed. FT Pearson. - ISBN-10: 0273716816 - ISBN-13: 978 -0273716815 V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited

People and IS Interpretation Lecture 7 - 7. 22 Lecture 7 – People and IS Interpretation Any Questions? V 1. 0 © NCC Education Limited