How Information System Investment Evaluation Being Initiated: An Actor Network Theory Perspective

Abstract

Determining whether investments in information technology (IT) have an impact on firm performance has been and continues to be a major problem for information systems researchers and practitioners. To better understand the often far-reaching implications associated with technology investment and interrelated IS evaluation, this study follows actor-network theory (ANT) as a lens and interpretive case study as a methodology to understand how Information System investment ideas being initiated in the developing country context of Jordan.The purpose of applying ANT is to produce an initial functional outline of the different actors—human, nonhuman, technical, social and cultural—that interact in the actor network. With respect to IS investment, examination of the interactions surrounding the idea of IS investment will provide information on many important issues and on the relationships between human and nonhuman actors. This paper seeks to make a contribution through exploring IS system idea initiations from the perspective of actor-network theory. In addressing the above issues the study serves an important objective which is to provide valuable insights regarding the way that investments ideas are initiated, which is currently lacking in both the information systems and the management literature.

Keywords: actor-network theory, Information systems, Information technology, IS investment, IS Evaluation