Table Of Content. INFORMATION SYSTEM CONCEPTS:
An Integrated Discipline Emerging
IFIP -The International Federation for Information Processing
IFIP was founded in 1960 under the auspices of UNESCO, following the First World
Computer Congress held in Paris the previous year. An umbrella organization for societies
working in information processing, IFIP's aim is two-fold: to support information
processing within its member countries and to encourage technology transfer to developing
nations. As its mission statement clearly states,
IFIP's mission is to be the leading, truly international, apolitical organization which
encourages and assists in the development, exploitation and application of information
technology for the benefit of all people.
IFIP is a non-profitmaking organization, run almost solely by 2500 volunteers. It operates
through a number of technical committees, which organize events and publications. IFIP's
events range from an international congress to local seminars, but the most important are:
• The IFIP W orId Computer Congress, held every second year;
• open conferences;
• working conferences.
The flagship event is the IFIP World Computer Congress, at which both invited and
contributed papers are presented. Contributed papers are rigorously refereed and the
rejection rate is high.
As with the Congress, participation in the open conferences is open to all and papers may
be invited or submitted. Again, submitted papers are stringently refereed.
The working conferences are structured differently. They are usually run by a working
group and attendance is small and by invitation only. Their purpose is to create an
atmosphere conducive to innovation and development. Refereeing is less rigorous and
papers are subjected to extensive group discussion.
Publications arising from IFIP events vary. The papers presented at the IFIP World
Computer Congress and at open conferences are published as conference proceedings, while
the results of the working conferences are often published as collections of selected and
edited papers.
Any national society whose primary activity is in information may apply to become a full
member ofIFIP, although full membership is restricted to one society per country. Full
members are entitled to vote at the annual General Assembly, National societies preferring
a less committed involvement may apply for associate or corresponding membership.
Associate members enjoy the same benefits as full members, but without voting rights.
Corresponding members are not represented in IFIP bodies. Affiliated membership is open
to non-national societies, and individual and honorary membership schemes are also offered.
INFORMATION
SYSTEM CONCEPTS:
An Integrated
Discipline Emerging
IFlP TC8jWG8.1 International Conference on
Information System Concepts:
An Integrated Discipline Emerging (/SCO-4)
September 20-22, 1999, University of Leiden, The Netherlands
Edited by
Eckhard D. Falkenberg
Germany
Kalle Lyytinen
University of Jyvaskyla
Finland
Alexander A. Verrijn-Stuart
University of Leiden
The Netherlands
~.
"
SPRINGER·SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
IFIP TC81WG8.1 International Conference on Information System Concepts (4th :
1999 : University of Leiden)
Information system concepts : an integrated discipline emerging : IFIP
TC81WG8.1 International Conference on Information System Concepts ; an
Integrated Discipline Emerging (ISCO-4) : September 20-22, 1999, University of
Leiden, The Netherlands / edited by Eckhard D. Falkenberg, Kalle Lyytinen,
Alexander A. Verrijn-Stuart.
Inc1udes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4757-5485-8 ISBN 978-0-387-35500-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-0-387-35500-9
1. Database management-Congresses. 1. Falkenberg, Eckhard D., 1942- II.
Lyytinen, Kalle, 1953- III. Verrijn-Stuart, A.A. IV. Title.
QA76.9.D3 1163 1999
005.74-dc21 00-022054
Copyright ® 2000 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2000
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photo-copying, recording,
or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher,
Springer-Science+Business Media, B.V.
Printed an acid-free paper.
CONTENTS
Editors' Preface ix
Conference Officers and Committee Members xi
Information Systems as a Social Science: An Alternative to the FRISCO
Formalism
Ronald K Stamper 1
Comments on "Information Systems as a Social Science" by R.K. Stamper
Kalle Lyytinen 52
Comments on "Information Systems as a Social Science" by R.K. Stamper
Eckhard D. Falkenberg 55
Conceptions are Social Constructs -towards a Solid Foundation of the
FRISCO Approach
Hubert von Braun, Wolfgang Hesse, Urs Andelfinger, Hans-Bernd Kittlaus
and Gert Scheschonk 61
Comments on "Conceptions are Social Constructs" by H. v. Braun,
W. Hesse, U. Andelfinger, H.-B. Kittlaus, and G. Scheschonk
Hannu Kangassalo 74
An Organisational Theory ofInformation
Anatol W. Holt and Felice Cardone 77
Comments on "An Organisational Theory ofInformation" by A.W. Holt
and F. Cardone
Ronald K Stamper 92
A Semiotic Approach to the Design of Agent-mediated E-commerce
Systems
Samuel Chong and Kecheng Liu 95
Comments on "A Semiotic Approach to the Design of Agent-mediated
E-commerce Systems" by S. Chong and K. Liu
John Krogstie 115
Contents
VI
The Quality of Business Process Modelling Methods: Illustration of a
Framework for Understanding Modelling Quality
Bart-Jan Hommes and Victor van Reijswoud 117
Comments on "The Quality of Business Process Modelling
Methods" by B.-J. Hommes and V. van Reijswoud
Pieter w.G. Bots 137
Modelling Concurrent Process Coordination in Workflow Specifications
Alistair P. Barros and Arthur HM ter Hofstede 141
Comments on "Modelling Concurrent Process Coordination in Workflow
Specifications" by A.P. Barros and A.H.M. ter Hofstede
Jan L. G. Dietz 163
An Autopoietic View of the Concept 'Information System'
EI-SayedAbou-Zeid 165
Comments on "An Autopoietic View ofthe Concept 'Information System'"
by E.-S. Abou-Zeid
Motoshi Saeki 187
Failure, Identity Loss and Living Information Systems
Panagiotis Kanellis, Mark Lycett and Ray J. Paul 189
Comments on "Failure, Identity Loss and Living Information Systems"
by P. Kanellis, M. Lycett and R.I. Paul
Kalle Ly ytinen 213
An Ontological Evaluation ofthe OML Metamodel
Andreas L. Opdahl, Brian Henderson-Sellers and Franck Barbier 217
Comments on "An Ontological Evaluation ofthe OML Metamodel"
by A.L. Opdahl, B. Henderson-Sellers and F. Barbier
Arne S@lvberg 233
Overviews of Models Defined with Charts of Concepts
Xavier Castellani 235
Comments on "Overviews of Models Defined with Charts of Concepts"
by X. Castellani
Zheying Zhang 257
Information System? Which One Do you Mean?
Joao Alvaro Carvalho 259
Comments on "Information System? Which One Do you Mean?"
by J.A. Carvalho
John Lindsay 278
Contents VII
The 'Information' Concept in FRISCO Compared to Empirical Studies of
Information in Decision Making
Jens Kaasbnll 281
Comments on "The 'Information' Concept in FRISCO Compared to
Empirical Studies ofInformation in Decision Making" by J. Kaasb011
Deborah Bunker 295
Keynote Address: Formal and Informal Aspects ofIntelligent Agent-based
Systems
John-Jules Ch. Meyer 299
Conceptual Foundations of Information Systems:
Report on Workshop 1
Wolfgang Hesse 311
Innovation and Standardization in the Information Systems Field:
Report on Workshop 2
T. William Olle 325
Information System Concepts in Practice:
Report on Workshop 3
Willem Hengeveld and Alexander A. Verrijn-Stuart 333
Index of Contributors 341
Keyword Index 343
Editors' Preface
This volume contains the invited paper, the reviewed research papers, the
discussants' comments on the latter, and the workshop memoranda of the
fourth IFIP WG 8.1 International Working Conference on "Information
System Concepts", with the subtitle "An Integrated Discipline Emerging"
(ISC04). It was held in Leiden, The Netherlands, 20-22 September 1999.
The previous three ISCO conferences were subtitled "An In-depth
Analysis", "Improving the Understanding", and "Towards a Consolidation
of Views". Their proceedings were published in 1989, 1992, and 1995,
respectively. The ISCO conferences were instigated by the former Task
Group FRISCO (an acronym for "FRamework of Information System
Concepts"), charged by the IFIP Working Group 8.1 with the task of
proposing a conceptual framework for the information system field. Its
report, entitled "A Framework of Information System Concepts" (the
"FRISCO Report" for short), is available on the World Wide Web via the
address:
http://www.wi.leidenuniv.nl/~verrynstlfrisco.html
or may be downloaded directly as a condensed Word-6 file from:
ftp://ftp.leidenuniv.nl/pub/rullfri-full.zip
The FRISCO Report forms a significant contribution to the long-lasting
quest of our community towards developing a scientific outlook on the field
of information systems. Clarifying the varied nature of many diverging
views - some of which may not easily be reconciled - the report does
propose a coherent, consistent and partially formalised framework of
concepts. While its coverage may not be complete, its line of reasoning may
be helpful in resolving (or at least bringing out into the open) a considerable
range of issues and problems addressed by the information system research
community. In particular, it advocates that cognizance be taken of the
scientific, engineering and social angles.
The previous three ISCO conferences were intended to accompany and
stimulate the (at that time ongoing) FRISCO task and to debate possibilities
and approaches to further advance our field into a scientific discipline.
ISC04 on the other hand was intended not only to further debate these
possibilities and approaches, but also to review the FRISCO Report. For a
better understanding of the review aspects in this volume, it is recommended
to read (parts of) the FRISCO Report first.
x Editors' preface
There is no section in this volume called "A Review of the FRISCO
Report". Rather, a review spirit will be encountered througout the
proceedings. Several research papers and in particular the three workshop
memoranda contain reflections on and/or criticism of the FRISCO Report as
a whole or of specific aspects thereof.
The research papers in this volume were selected in a blind-reviewing
process. They can be classified broadly into the following categories:
• Reflections on and criticism of conceptual frameworks (such as FRISCO)
• Fundamental and generic information system concepts
• Novel information system design approaches
• Approaches to integrate and synthesise information system design
methods
These papers appear in the same order as presented at the conference.
Each is followed by the comments of at least one invited discussant.
The workshop themes were:
• The conceptual foundations of information systems
• Innovation and standardisation in the information system field
• How do our concepts shape our practice, and vice versa?
We do hope that this volume will indeed help to develop the information
system field into an integrated discipline.
We wish to thank Zheying Zhang and Matti Rossi, University of
Jyvaskyla, for their support during the reviewing process, Hans van Bemmel,
manager of the Lorentz Center, for his support concerning the local
arrangements before and during the conference, Arnold van Ittersum,
director of the sponsoring organisation SERC, for his support regarding the
financial arrangements, and for the financial support of the European
Espinode Program.
Eckhard D. Falkenberg
Kalle Lyytinen
Alexander A. Verrijn-Stuart
Conference Officers and Committee Members
GENERAL CONFERENCE CHAIR:
Eckhard D. Falkenberg
Germany
PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Kalle Lyytinen
University of JyvaskyHi, Finland
PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
David Avison, United Kingdom
Sjaak Brinkkemper, The Netherlands
Jan Dietz, The Netherlands
Terry Halpin, Australia
Brian Henderson-Sellars, Australia
Wolfgang Hesse, Germany
Hannu Kangassalo, Finland
John Krogstie, Norway
Frederick Lochovsky, China
Ojelanki Ngwenyama, USA
Andreas Oberweis, Germany
James Odell, USA
Klaus Pobl, Germany
Colette Rolland, France
Motoshi Saeki, Japan
Ronald Stamper, The Netherlands
Burt Swanson, USA
Jon Turner, USA
Yair Wand, Canada
Richard Welke, USA
Trevor Wood-Harper, United Kingdom
1!""l&u~'J.ro\"'~lfl1f.liTYEE'b"},,'L""ln!,J.'ARY:
Zheying Zhang
University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
ORGANISING COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Alexander A. Verrijn-Stuart
Leiden University, The Netherlands
ORGANISING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Hans van Bemmel, Lorentz Center, University of Leiden
Arnold van Ittersum, SERC, Utrecht
