April 2008 Archives

McGrath in this chapter brings up the importance of research methodology which is inherently tied to the kind of evidence and results advanced by any behavioral and social science enquiry. Therefore, to understand empirical evidence it is crucial to look at the concepts and techniques upon which the evidence is based. The chapter further elucidates the tools with which the researchers go about doing research. It raises issues about potentials and limits of some research strategies, as well as operationalization of those strategies. 

One of the major points raised by the chapter is the use of multiple methods.  Methods are defined as tools by which a science obtains and analyzes information.  Each method should be thought as offering unique potentials not available by other means, but also as posing some inherent limitations. These limitations however could be offset by other methods. That is why the author dubs all research methods bounded opportunities.

The flaws of each method cannot be avoided unless the researcher brings more than one approach to bear on each aspect of the problem. The methods can add strength to one another by addressing each other’s weaknesses.  For instance, inevitable limitations of laboratory experiments are rather evident. Researchers might need to draw upon other strategies to complement the data collected through laboratory experiments. These alternatives include field studies, samples surveys and several others.  In a nutshell, credible empirical knowledge requires consistency or convergence of evidence across studies based on multiple methods.

In order to signify inherent limitations of each method, the chapter states “you cannot pound a nail if you don’t have a hammer. But if you do have a hammer, that hammer will not help you much if you need to cut a board in half.”  This claim sounds well justified, but how we assure that the phenomenon that we are going about is a nail, not a board? The author defines three interwoven domains that constitute the research process. In fact, neither of them would be able to accommodate the stance that a researcher should take when it comes to his/her theory of knowledge.

My paper for this week”Information Systems Epistemology: A Historical Perspective” turns attention to important issues associated with knowledge and its acquisition which could influence the way we think about what constitutes valid research in Information Systems. Basically they are anchored in reach historical traditions and are fundamental to our understanding of nature and society. Although many researchers are blind of this background, the epistemological position that they take could exert enormous influence over their results and conclusions.  Essentially epistemology refers to our conceptualization of knowledge; in particular how we acquire it. Hirschheim investigates into diverse and widely used sort of epistemology, including, but not limited to, Positivism and Post-Positivism.

His main contention is information systems are  a kind of social system rather than purely technical ones, given the nuanced social phenomena involved in the design and the adoption process. As such the epistemology of information system should be heavily borrowed from social sciences.  The scientific paradigm adopted by the natural sciences is appropriate insofar as it lends itself to the contingencies of social sciences. Finally he argues against one correct method of science, and makes a case for the methodological pluralism in Information Systems research.

References:

Hirschheim, R. (1985). "Information Systems Epistemology: An Historical Perspective." Research Methods in Information Systems: 13-35.

The new information and communication technologies provide unprecedented opportunities for disaster-relief. As the article points out, Microsoft’s efforts to register roughly one million refugees who fled Kosovo in 1999 were well intentioned and were the first of their kind in an emergency situation. Microsoft’s headquarter, located in Paris, offered its service to the U.N., and photographed refugees and presented them with computer generated ID cards, which were being used later to, for example, locate their family members.  This case signifies the role of humanitarian infrastructure due to the unprofitable nature of the enterprise. Now space agencies collaborate to release satellite imagery free of charge during a disaster, and several non-profit organizations offer their aids through providing crisis-related mapping and analyzing geographic data.

“Sky-surveys” embrace satellite technologies and information technology to offer a fuller picture of disasters. These imageries captured by satellites then are combined with GIS tools which incorporate data from multiple sources. The resulted integration would provide vital information on the locations of victims, their health status, and etc.

However, there is a question as to how effective these technologies are. I think the technology itself cannot bring about the expected results, but its proper use can.  For example, as the article states evidence of war crimes can also be collected through forensic technologies.  In Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s, the U.S military captured aerial photographs of mass graves. Despite the presence of international forces, the images failed to prompt an immediate halt of the slaughter. As such, technology can only drive change when further factors like political intentions come to play. What Fink , as a physician, does not sufficiently address in the article is the broader social and organizational considerations.

Maitland et al (2007) touches upon some of these issues and look at potential implications of ICT’s relief as complements to program for long term socioeconomic development. They particularly appeal to the transition between disaster and development, and posit that the transition could face many hurdles. They describe these as challenges regarding physical and organizational context, and inter-organizational coordination. 

Physical context ‘s difficulties could include Challenging environment for ICT deployment with a lack of fixed, infrastructure, poor or non-existent transportation, lack of power, and exposure to weather (lack of structures). Organizational context could lead to other problems. For example, the amount of operational information flowing through an organization during a disaster response can be overwhelming. More importantly they contend that the conflict of knowledge and authority is regarded as the one the factors that can plague the whole process. In fact, the most sophisticated technology is unable to solve the conflict. 

The lack of inter-organizational coordination has to do with the multiplicity of relief agencies. It includes differences in funding bases and organizational goals, professional and organizational status hierarchies, and the tendency of each organization to try to maximize its own autonomy. To cope with these challenges, these entities require to raise interdependencies and communication. Interdependencies have been described as pooled, sequential or reciprocal, each requiring a corresponding type of coordination. In pooled interdependence, efficient coordination is accomplished through standardization. For example, maintaining a shared inventory database across several organizations is a standardized policy.

References:

Maitland, C.F., Pogrebnyakov, N. and van Gorp, A.F. A Fragile Link: Disaster Relief, ICTs and Development. Information and Communication Technologies and Development, 2006. ICTD'06. International Conference on. 339-346.