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Ethics in the Design and Use of “Best Practice” Incorporated in Enterprise Information Systems

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Information Systems: People, Organizations, Institutions, and Technologies

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Abstract

This paper deploys case study research to examine the ethical issues arising from the design and use of “best practice” incorporated in enterprise packaged software, specifically a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. CRM like other Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) e.g. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are global phenomena, increasingly influencing the strategic direction of a diverse range of organisations. Whilst the research on EIS continues to grow in a number of specific areas, there have been relatively few studies to examine the ethical issues associated with the design and use of such Information Systems (IS). This research reflects on MacIntyre’s ideas in virtue ethics (MacIntyre A. After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory (2/e). 1985: Duckworth, London), particularly his notion of “practice” to assess how such issues affect individuals in organisational life? For the purposes of scope we restrict our focus to the ethical issues arising from changes in task allocation and autonomy, and some of the associated issues in performance setting, monitoring and surveillance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, Manchester, UK

    C. M. Bull

  2. University of Salford, Salford, UK

    A. E. Adam

Authors
  1. C. M. Bull
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  2. A. E. Adam
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Correspondence to C. M. Bull .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sistemi Informativi (CeRSI), Centro di Ricerca sui, Via G. Alberoni 7, Roma, 00198, Italy

    Alessandro D'Atri

  2. Dipto. Elettronica Informatica, Sistemistica (DEIS), Università Calabria, Via P. Bucci 41 c, Rende, 87036, Italy

    Domenico Saccà

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© 2009 Physica-Verlag Heidelberg

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Bull, C.M., Adam, A.E. (2009). Ethics in the Design and Use of “Best Practice” Incorporated in Enterprise Information Systems. In: D'Atri, A., Saccà, D. (eds) Information Systems: People, Organizations, Institutions, and Technologies. Physica-Verlag HD. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7908-2148-2_38

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