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1、Eur.J.Inf.Systs.(199S)4,74-81©1995OperationalResearchSocietyLtd.Allrightsreserved0960-085X/95$12.00InterpretivecasestudiesinISresearch:natureandmethodGWALSHAMDepartmentofManagementScience,TheManagementSchool,LancasterUniversity,LancasterLAI4YX,UKTherehasbeenanincreaseinrecentyearsinthenumberofin
2、-depthcasestudieswhichfocusonhumanactionsandinterpretationssurroundingthedevelopmentanduseofcomputer-basedinforma-tionsystems(IS).Thispaperaddressesphilosophicalandtheoreticalissuesconcerningthenatureofsuchinterpretivecasestudies,andmethodologicalissuesontheconductandreportingofthistypeofresearc
3、h.Thepaperaimstoprovideausefulreferencepointforresearcherswhowishtoworkintheinterpretivetradition,andmoregenerallytoencouragecarefulworkontheconceptualisationandexecutionofcasestudiesintheinformationsystemsfield.IntroductioninterpretiveISresearchers,andindeedispartoftherationaleforthiscurrentpap
4、er.Theimportanceofsocialissuesrelatedtocomputer-TheISliteraturecontainsreportsandconclusionsbasedinformationsystemshasbeenrecognisedincreas-fromasignificantnumberofinterpretivecasestudies,inglyoverthelastdecade,andthishasledsomeIScoveringarangeoftopicsandissues(forexampleresearcherstoadoptempiri
5、calapproacheswhichfocusMarkus,1983;Suchman,1987;Zuboff,1988;Boland&particularlyonhumaninterpretationsandmeanings.Day,1989;Orlikowski,1991;Walsham,1993).MostofThevehicleforsuch'interpretive'investigationsisthisliteratureisconcentratedonthesubstantivecaseoftenthein-depthcasestudy,whereresearchinvo
6、lvesstudiesthemselvesandtheconclusionswhichcanbefrequentvisitstothefieldsiteoveranextendedperioddrawnfromthem.Thisisclearlyadesirablefocus,butoftime.Thispaperfocusesonsuchinterpretivecasetherearefewpublishedpapersthatprovideasynthes-studiesintheISfield,andconsidersphilosophicalandisedviewofthena
7、tureandconductofsuchcasestudiestheoreticalissuesconcerningthenatureofthesestud-withspecificreferencetothefieldofcomputer-basedies,andmethodologicalissuesonhowtocarryoutandIS;thisleavesagapintheliteraturewherethispaperreporto