We address the seemingly implausible project of moving the technical support of complex organisational technologies online. We say 'implausible' because from the point of view of micro-sociological analysis, and the influential work of Julian Orr, there appears a consensus that the diagnosis and...

We consider naming and categorization practices within the information technology (IT) arena. In particular, with how certain terminologies are able to colonise wide areas of activity and endure for relatively long periods of time, despite the diversity and incremental evolution of individual...

This paper considers the constant propagation of new terminologies within the information technology domain. Whilst scholars have noted and developed concepts to explain this proliferation, we look in the opposite direction to consider their corollary, noting how very few designations actually...

This paper addresses the seemingly implausible project of establishing a "generic" organizational information system. This is an apparent contradiction: on the one hand, we are told of the diversity of specific organizational contexts and on the other, we often find the same standardized...

We describe a conceptual approach used to study large organisational software packages (such as enterprise-wide information systems). Building on earlier studies that have examined the mutual adaptation of technology and organisation, we develop a framework for investigating the 'biography' of...

The modern enterprise-wide information system has become a software package. A small number of software suppliers, of which the software giant SAP is the clear leader, have apparently succeeded in deploying their enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions across many different organisations,...

Im Zuge der Digitalisierung sehen sich Unternehmen mit einer zunehmenden Notwendigkeit zur Differenzierung konfrontiert. Um Kunden stärker an das eigene Unternehmen zu binden, konzentrieren sich viele Initiativen auf die Gestaltung besonderer Kundenerfahrungen. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt...

Rankings are a powerful feature of economic life, such that scholars foreground their constitutive aspects. Some go as far as to describe rankings as ‘engines’ that intervene in the economy. They are in seen in particular to encourage ‘mechanisms of reactivity’ amongst actors. This...

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are widely used by large corporations around the world. Recently universities have turned to ERP as a means of replacing existing management and administration computer systems. In this article we provide analysis of the rollout of an ERP system in one...