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Information Systems Innovation and Diffusion: Issues and Directions
756
Reviews
gress, 1870–1989 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990), H. Doc. 101-117; entries for Antonio J. Colorado, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico or Henry B. Gonzalez in Hispanic Americans in Congress 1822–1995, (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office), H. Doc. 103-325; and the entry for Jeannette Rankin, first woman to serve in Congress and the only member who voted against U.S. involvement in both World Wars, in Women in Congress 1917–1990, (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991), H. Doc. 101-238.
BRET A. HEIM Reference and Government Documents Thomas Byrne Memorial Library Spring Hill College 4000 Dauphin Street Mobile, AL 36608 USA PII S1352-0237(99)00115-X Information Systems Innovation and Diffusion: Issues and Directions. Edited by Tor J. Larsen and Eugene McGuire. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 1998. 454p. ISBN 1-878-28946-2. $49.95. Information Systems Innovation and Diffusion is a new addition to the excellent Series in Information Technology Management from Idea Group Publishing, edited by Tor J. Larsen and Eugene McGuire both of whom are experts in this field. Larsen is an Associate Professor at the renowned Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, Norway, while McGuire is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science & Information Systems Department at American University in Washington, DC. Business organizations are investing heavily in information technology and a very high percentage of this investment is destined to fail. The development and use of information technology demands continual innovation so that failures can be minimized. The chapters in this book analyze organizations both large and small in light of the traditional innovation and diffusion theory and its suitability in this constantly changing environment. The authors, mostly professors in U.K. and U.S. universities, as well as some from the private sector, employ interdisciplinary theoretical models to analyze information systems and their diffusion in the structures of organizations. The book is divided into four sections, each focusing on a select issue of innovation and diffusion. The first section offers five chapters that provide an in-depth analysis of power distribution in an organization, rate of organizational change, mental workload (information overload), resistance of information systems professionals, and hardware evolution in light of their influence on innovation and diffusion of information technology. The second section consists of four chapters that deal with the traditional information technology applications in organizations such as electronic data interchange, local area networks, and a particular unique information technology application known as Quick Response. The experts in these chapters debate the suitability of the traditional theories of innovation diffusion in an always-changing environment. Thus, some authors, particularly Niederman, suggest that other theories, like critical mass and perceived risk must be included in the analysis to explain the adoption of new technologies and innovations. All the authors in this section point to the fact that the intent of the diffusion theory is not to accelerate or decelerate the adoption of technology by organizations but to understand the underlying forces. The third section, comprised of five chapters, focuses on the facilitation of technology diffusion. The researchers that wrote these chapters examine industry standards, inter-organizational networks, community centers, and organizational learning. This section is of practical interest to those who will implement new technologies in their organizations. It identifies the drivers, levers, enablers, and facilitators of the diffusion process. Understanding these issues in depth will facilitate implementers to identify enablers and inhibitors to achieve success in directing the diffusion of technology with very little overhead. The final section of the book contains four chapters, two of which are by the editors. These chapters provide an integrated perspective on the innovation and diffusion process. The researchers study the merits of the traditional innovation and diffusion theory against the backdrop of contemporary theories and models of chaos theory, organizational learning, organizational change, and business process engineering. These integrative perspectives and thought provoking models provide useful tools to understand the underlying forces in new technologies
Reviews
757
as adopted by organizations large and small. This understanding will in the future minimize loss of the huge investments organizations make in new information technologies. This book would have been more useful to academic researchers if all the references were compiled at the end of the book rather than the end of the particular chapters. A discussion of innovation and diffusion theory by the editors in an introductory chapter would have consolidated and unified the research conducted by the experts in subsequent chapters of the book. Also, a concluding chapter by the editors tying together all the issues discussed by the authors with a look toward the future would have been an excellent addition. Other than these minor oversights, the book is well-written and complemented by excellent graphics and tables. It will be an outstanding addition to all academic and corporate libraries. NASIR AWILL Rod Library The University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA 50613 USA PII S1352-0237(99)00116-1 The United Nations in Our Daily Lives. New York: United Nations, 1998. 106p. ISBN 92-1100654-6. UN Sales Number E.98.l.11. $5.00. UNICEF for Beginners. By Christan Clark. New York: Writers and Readers Publishing, Inc., 1996. 115p. ISBN 0-86316-197-9. $11.00. Two recently published books detail various branches of the United Nations (UN). The United Nations in our Daily Lives explains 25 of the UN’s main functioning branches, with examples of how each branch affects the world on a daily basis. UNICEF for Beginners examines one branch of the UN, dissecting its origin and function. Both books are aimed at children and young adult readers between the ages of 10 and 18. The daily influence of the UN in the world is the focus of The United Nations in Our Daily Lives. Whimsically illustrated, the volume is organized around a basic table of contents. The subject matter of the book consists of explanations of 24 of the UN’s agencies, specialized agencies, offices and programmes, and a description of the Secretariat, one of the six main organs of the UN. It should be noted that only one of the six main organs of the UN is detailed, so the book does not completely cover the UN. There are no indices besides the basic table of contents. Each included branch of the UN has its own individual entry. Each entry is divided into four parts to aid clarity for younger readers: address information, a “Did you know that . . .” section, an “in our daily lives . . . ” section, and an “in brief . . . ” section. The first section of each agency’s entry contains that agency’s address, telephone number and web address. Although all of the UN addresses are accessible through the main UN webpage ,http://www.un.org., it is helpful to have the main addresses of these agencies compiled and accessible. This inclusion gives the book the feel of a detailed directory, not simply a subject summary or a basic address list. The second “Did you know that . . . ” section presents world facts as they pertain to the UN branch being discussed. For example, under the entry for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), some of the included facts are: “A third of the world’s population is under 18 years old,” and “9 out of 10 children live in developing countries.” The third “in our daily lives . . . ” section imparts worldwide examples of how each UN agency deals with the “Did you know that . . . ” facts. Under UNICEF the topic of malnourished children is presented with a story about Kim Pok Nan, a malnourished five-year-old in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Her story is told and then linked to how UNICEF aid helped her and others like her. All of the entries follow this question/answer format. The last segment of the entry is the “in brief . . . ” section. This part of the entry contains the facts behind the UN agency, including mission statement, establishment date, major accomplishments, and priorities. For UNICEF, its basic mission is presented, including the statements: “To defend, promote and protect children’s rights and to ensure special protection for the world’s most disadvantaged children.” This last section balances the earlier question/answer section by delivering clear-cut facts about each agency.
Reviews
gress, 1870–1989 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990), H. Doc. 101-117; entries for Antonio J. Colorado, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico or Henry B. Gonzalez in Hispanic Americans in Congress 1822–1995, (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office), H. Doc. 103-325; and the entry for Jeannette Rankin, first woman to serve in Congress and the only member who voted against U.S. involvement in both World Wars, in Women in Congress 1917–1990, (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1991), H. Doc. 101-238.
BRET A. HEIM Reference and Government Documents Thomas Byrne Memorial Library Spring Hill College 4000 Dauphin Street Mobile, AL 36608 USA PII S1352-0237(99)00115-X Information Systems Innovation and Diffusion: Issues and Directions. Edited by Tor J. Larsen and Eugene McGuire. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 1998. 454p. ISBN 1-878-28946-2. $49.95. Information Systems Innovation and Diffusion is a new addition to the excellent Series in Information Technology Management from Idea Group Publishing, edited by Tor J. Larsen and Eugene McGuire both of whom are experts in this field. Larsen is an Associate Professor at the renowned Norwegian School of Management in Oslo, Norway, while McGuire is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science & Information Systems Department at American University in Washington, DC. Business organizations are investing heavily in information technology and a very high percentage of this investment is destined to fail. The development and use of information technology demands continual innovation so that failures can be minimized. The chapters in this book analyze organizations both large and small in light of the traditional innovation and diffusion theory and its suitability in this constantly changing environment. The authors, mostly professors in U.K. and U.S. universities, as well as some from the private sector, employ interdisciplinary theoretical models to analyze information systems and their diffusion in the structures of organizations. The book is divided into four sections, each focusing on a select issue of innovation and diffusion. The first section offers five chapters that provide an in-depth analysis of power distribution in an organization, rate of organizational change, mental workload (information overload), resistance of information systems professionals, and hardware evolution in light of their influence on innovation and diffusion of information technology. The second section consists of four chapters that deal with the traditional information technology applications in organizations such as electronic data interchange, local area networks, and a particular unique information technology application known as Quick Response. The experts in these chapters debate the suitability of the traditional theories of innovation diffusion in an always-changing environment. Thus, some authors, particularly Niederman, suggest that other theories, like critical mass and perceived risk must be included in the analysis to explain the adoption of new technologies and innovations. All the authors in this section point to the fact that the intent of the diffusion theory is not to accelerate or decelerate the adoption of technology by organizations but to understand the underlying forces. The third section, comprised of five chapters, focuses on the facilitation of technology diffusion. The researchers that wrote these chapters examine industry standards, inter-organizational networks, community centers, and organizational learning. This section is of practical interest to those who will implement new technologies in their organizations. It identifies the drivers, levers, enablers, and facilitators of the diffusion process. Understanding these issues in depth will facilitate implementers to identify enablers and inhibitors to achieve success in directing the diffusion of technology with very little overhead. The final section of the book contains four chapters, two of which are by the editors. These chapters provide an integrated perspective on the innovation and diffusion process. The researchers study the merits of the traditional innovation and diffusion theory against the backdrop of contemporary theories and models of chaos theory, organizational learning, organizational change, and business process engineering. These integrative perspectives and thought provoking models provide useful tools to understand the underlying forces in new technologies
Reviews
757
as adopted by organizations large and small. This understanding will in the future minimize loss of the huge investments organizations make in new information technologies. This book would have been more useful to academic researchers if all the references were compiled at the end of the book rather than the end of the particular chapters. A discussion of innovation and diffusion theory by the editors in an introductory chapter would have consolidated and unified the research conducted by the experts in subsequent chapters of the book. Also, a concluding chapter by the editors tying together all the issues discussed by the authors with a look toward the future would have been an excellent addition. Other than these minor oversights, the book is well-written and complemented by excellent graphics and tables. It will be an outstanding addition to all academic and corporate libraries. NASIR AWILL Rod Library The University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA 50613 USA PII S1352-0237(99)00116-1 The United Nations in Our Daily Lives. New York: United Nations, 1998. 106p. ISBN 92-1100654-6. UN Sales Number E.98.l.11. $5.00. UNICEF for Beginners. By Christan Clark. New York: Writers and Readers Publishing, Inc., 1996. 115p. ISBN 0-86316-197-9. $11.00. Two recently published books detail various branches of the United Nations (UN). The United Nations in our Daily Lives explains 25 of the UN’s main functioning branches, with examples of how each branch affects the world on a daily basis. UNICEF for Beginners examines one branch of the UN, dissecting its origin and function. Both books are aimed at children and young adult readers between the ages of 10 and 18. The daily influence of the UN in the world is the focus of The United Nations in Our Daily Lives. Whimsically illustrated, the volume is organized around a basic table of contents. The subject matter of the book consists of explanations of 24 of the UN’s agencies, specialized agencies, offices and programmes, and a description of the Secretariat, one of the six main organs of the UN. It should be noted that only one of the six main organs of the UN is detailed, so the book does not completely cover the UN. There are no indices besides the basic table of contents. Each included branch of the UN has its own individual entry. Each entry is divided into four parts to aid clarity for younger readers: address information, a “Did you know that . . .” section, an “in our daily lives . . . ” section, and an “in brief . . . ” section. The first section of each agency’s entry contains that agency’s address, telephone number and web address. Although all of the UN addresses are accessible through the main UN webpage ,http://www.un.org., it is helpful to have the main addresses of these agencies compiled and accessible. This inclusion gives the book the feel of a detailed directory, not simply a subject summary or a basic address list. The second “Did you know that . . . ” section presents world facts as they pertain to the UN branch being discussed. For example, under the entry for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), some of the included facts are: “A third of the world’s population is under 18 years old,” and “9 out of 10 children live in developing countries.” The third “in our daily lives . . . ” section imparts worldwide examples of how each UN agency deals with the “Did you know that . . . ” facts. Under UNICEF the topic of malnourished children is presented with a story about Kim Pok Nan, a malnourished five-year-old in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Her story is told and then linked to how UNICEF aid helped her and others like her. All of the entries follow this question/answer format. The last segment of the entry is the “in brief . . . ” section. This part of the entry contains the facts behind the UN agency, including mission statement, establishment date, major accomplishments, and priorities. For UNICEF, its basic mission is presented, including the statements: “To defend, promote and protect children’s rights and to ensure special protection for the world’s most disadvantaged children.” This last section balances the earlier question/answer section by delivering clear-cut facts about each agency.