Abstract
The serious difficulties facing the developer of international systems (ie supporting business functions in different countries) are widely acknowledged. Despite their often pivotal importance, however, scholarly research in this field has been sparse and global information technology applications are still largely unstudied and under-explored. This investigative paper attempts to establish whether there is some commonality to the structure and nature (ie. the ‘architecture’) of international systems. The investigative method selected is based on a grounded theory approach, attempting to establish a set of preliminary theoretical ‘concepts’ and ‘categories’. Three case vignettes from the author’s own experience are used to establish a conceptual base.
A two-dimensional topology emerged as a candidate for an architecture paradigm. The implications of this concept are discussed in terms of its impact on the development of international information systems. A correlation between the shape of the systems topology and the underlying global business strategy was found. Directions for further research are outlined.
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Lehmann, H. (1996). Towards a common architecture paradigm for the global application of information technology. In: Glasson, B.C., Vogel, D.R., Bots, P.W.G., Nunamaker, J.F. (eds) Information Systems and Technology in the International Office of the Future. IFIP — The International Federation for Information Processing. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35085-1_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35085-1_15
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