The &apos;Self-service&apos; Student: Building Enterprise-wide Systems into Universities 1

Pollock, Neil

doi:10.1080/0810902032000051045

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Prometheus

Volume 21, Issue 1

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The 'Self-service' Student: Building Enterprise-wide Systems into Universities 1

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Author(s): Neil Pollock

Publication date (Print): 2003

Journal: Prometheus

Publisher: Pluto Journals

Keywords: Self-service Technologies, Universities, Student Identity, Enterprise-wide Computer Systems

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Abstract

This article investigates the take-up by universities of enterprise-wide computer systems and the development of a new module for the management and administration of students. Having its origins in Electronic Commerce, the system assumes the existence of a certain kind of user, one with particular roles and responsibilities--Aa self-service user. The notion of 'self-service' is deployed as an integral part of the system rollout where students are to view, input and modify administrative and financial information on themselves and their courses. Drawing from the sociology of science and technology, and material from a 3-year ethnographic study, we describe the system's implementation in a British university. While accepting of the need for an ERP system the campus community reject self-service. However, as we will show, because Campus Management is a 'global product' unwanted functionality can be difficult to resist outright and this can have important implications for the autonomy of the university and the reshaping of fundamental principles and relationships.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (publisher-id): cpro20

Journal ID (archive): CPRO

Title: Prometheus

Subtitle: Critical Studies in Innovation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 0810-9028

ISSN (Electronic): 1470-1030

Publication date (Print): 2003

Volume: 21

Issue: 1

Pages: 101-119

Article

Publisher ID: 10032482 Coden ID: Prometheus, Vol. 21, No. 1, 2003, pp. 101-119

DOI: 10.1080/0810902032000051045

SO-VID: 08a86533-0989-423b-8007-daedcc224e30

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

Page count

Figures: 0, Tables: 0, References: 46, Pages: 19

References

Poster Mark. , ed. 1995. . “'Databases as discourse'. ”. In The Mode of Information . , Cambridge : : Polity Press. .
September. 2000 . “'Process Improvement Programme in Higher Education'. ”. September. , UK: : Staffordshire University. .
Silver H. and Silver P.. 1997. . Students: Changing Roles, Changing Lines . , Buckingham : : Open University Press. .
Barnett R.. 2000. . Realizing the University in an Age of Supercomplexity . , Milton Keynes : : Open University Press. .
Lockwood G.. 1985. . “'Universities as organizations'. ”. In Universities: The Management Challenge . , Edited by: Lockwood G. and Davies J.. Windsor : : NFER-Nelson Publishing. .
Balderston F.. 1995. . Managing Today's University: Strategies for Viability, Change and Excellence . , San Francisco : : Jossey-Bass Publishers. .
1976. . 'Educational organizations as loosely-coupled systems'. . Administrative Science Quarterly . , : 1––19. .
Schuller T.. , ed. 1995. . The Changing University? . , Buckingham : : Open University Press/SRHE. .
Scott P.. 1995. . The Meanings of Mass Higher Education . , Buckingham : : SRHE and Open University Press. .
Davenport T.. 1998. . 'Putting the enterprise into the enterprise system'. . Harvard Business Review . , Vol. 76((4)): 121––32. .
Davenport T.. 2000. . Mission CriticaL Realising the Promise of Enterprise Systems . , Boston : : Harvard Business School Press. .
Walsham G.. 2001. . Making a World of Difference: IT in a Global Context . , Chichester : : Wiley. .
2000. . 'The virtual university is the university made concrete'. . Information, Communication and Society . , Vol. 3((4)): 508––25. .
Abeles T.. 1998. . The academy in a wired world'. . Futures . , Vol. 30((7)): 603––13. .
Abeles T.. 1999. . 'The inevitability of a business model for higher education'. . Foresight: The Journal of Futures Studies, Strategic Thinking and Policy . , Vol. 1((1)): 10––6. .
Scott P.. , ed. The dobatisation of Higher Education . , Buckingham : : Open University Press. .
Feenberg A.. 1991. . Critical Theory of Technology . , Oxford : : Oxford University Press. .
Button W. H. and Loader B. D.. , eds. 2002. . Digital Academe: The New Media and Institutions of Higher Education and Learning . , London : : Routledge. .
Gallon M.. 1986. . “'The sociology of an actor-network: the case of the electric vehicle'. ”. In Mapping the Dynamics of Science and Technology . , Edited by: Gallon M., Law J. and Rip A.. London : : Macmillan Press. .
Akrich M.. 1992. . “'The de-scription of technical objects'. ”. In Shaping Technology/Building Society . , Edited by: Bijker W. and Law J.. Cambridge , MA : : MIT Press. .
McClelland R. J.. 2001. . 'Web-based administrative supports for university students'. . The International Journal of Educational Management . , Vol. 15:: 292––302. .
Newby H.. 1999. . “'Higher education in the 21st century: some possible futures'. ”. London : : CVCP. .
Pollock N. and Cornford J.. 2002. . 'The theory & practice of the virtual university: working through the work of making work mobile'. . Minerva: A Review of Science, Learning & Policy . , Vol. 40:: 359––373. .
Crook C.. 2002. . “'Learning as cultural practice'. ”. In Distributed Learning: Social and Cultural Approaches to Practice . , Edited by: Lea M. R. and Nicoll K.. London : : Routledge Palmer. .
Goddard J. B., Charles D., Pike A., Potts G. and Bradley D.. 1994. . Universities and Communities . , London : : CVCP. .
Hansen H. R.. 1995. . 'A case study of mass information systems'. . Information and Management . , Vol. 28:: 215––25. .
September. 2000 . “'Process Improvement Programme in Higher Education'. ”. September. , UK: : Staffordshire University. .
http://s3.livjm.ac.uk/document/jtapol.htm (http://s3.livjm.ac.uk/document/jtapol.htm)
Bull G., Dallinga-Hunter C., Epelboin Y., Frackman E. and Jennings D.. 1994. . Information Technology: Issues for Higher Education Management . , p. 30 London : : Jessica Kingsley Publishers. .
Goddard A. and Gayward P.. 1994. . 'MAC and the oracle family: achievements and lessons learnt'. . Axix . , Vol. 1((1)): 45––50. .
Pollock N.. 2000. . 'The virtual university as "timely and accurate information"'. . Information, Communication & Society . , Vol. 4((3)): 349––65. .
McLaughlin J., Rosen P., Skinner D. and Webster A.. 2000. . Valuing Technology: Organisations, Culture and Change . , London : : Routledge. .
Gledhill J. M.. 1999. . Managing Students . , Buckingham : : Open University Press. .
Latour B.. 1987. . Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers Through Society . , Harvard , MA : : Harvard University Press. .
Gershuny J.. 1978. . After Industrial Society? The Emerging Self-Service Economy . , London : : Macmillan. .
Moon Y. and Frei F.. 2000. . 'Exploding the self-service myth'. . Harvard Business Review . , Vol. 78((3)): 26––30. .
Gilster P. A.. 2001. . 'Making online self-service work'. . Workforce . , Vol. 80((1)): 54––62. .
Agre P.. 1999. . 'Designing the new information services'. . Educom Review . , Vol. 34((5)): 12––4. . 42––3. .
Greengard S.. 1998. . 'Building a self-service culture that works'. . Work/one . , Vol. 77((7)): 60––9. .
Cornford J. and Pollock N.. 2003. . Putting the University Online: Information, Technology & Organisational Change . , Milton Keynes : : Open University Press. .
Sauer C.. 1993. . Why Information Systems Fail: A Case Study Approach . , Henley-on-Thames : : Alfred Waller Limited. .
Ciborra C. and Associates. . 2000. . From Control to Drift: The Dynamics of Corporate Information Infrastructures . , Oxford : : Oxford University Press. .
Brady T., Tierney M. and Williams R.. 1992. . The commodification of industry applications software'. . Industrial and Corporate Change . , Vol. 1((3)): 489––514. .
Kiesler S. and Sproull L.. 1987. . Computing and Change on Campus . , Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .
Knorr-Cetina K.. 1999. . Epistemic Cultures: How the Sciences Make Knowledge . , Cambridge , MA : : Harvard University Press. .

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Poster Mark. , ed. 1995. . “'Databases as discourse'. ”. In The Mode of Information . , Cambridge : : Polity Press. .

[2] September. 2000 . “'Process Improvement Programme in Higher Education'. ”. September. , UK: : Staffordshire University. .

[3] Silver H. and Silver P.. 1997. . Students: Changing Roles, Changing Lines . , Buckingham : : Open University Press. .

[4] Barnett R.. 2000. . Realizing the University in an Age of Supercomplexity . , Milton Keynes : : Open University Press. .

[5] Lockwood G.. 1985. . “'Universities as organizations'. ”. In Universities: The Management Challenge . , Edited by: Lockwood G. and Davies J.. Windsor : : NFER-Nelson Publishing. .

[6] Balderston F.. 1995. . Managing Today's University: Strategies for Viability, Change and Excellence . , San Francisco : : Jossey-Bass Publishers. .

[7] 1976. . 'Educational organizations as loosely-coupled systems'. . Administrative Science Quarterly . , : 1––19. .

[8] Schuller T.. , ed. 1995. . The Changing University? . , Buckingham : : Open University Press/SRHE. .

[9] Scott P.. 1995. . The Meanings of Mass Higher Education . , Buckingham : : SRHE and Open University Press. .

[10] Davenport T.. 1998. . 'Putting the enterprise into the enterprise system'. . Harvard Business Review . , Vol. 76((4)): 121––32. .

[11] Davenport T.. 2000. . Mission CriticaL Realising the Promise of Enterprise Systems . , Boston : : Harvard Business School Press. .

[12] Walsham G.. 2001. . Making a World of Difference: IT in a Global Context . , Chichester : : Wiley. .

[13] 2000. . 'The virtual university is the university made concrete'. . Information, Communication and Society . , Vol. 3((4)): 508––25. .

[14] Abeles T.. 1998. . The academy in a wired world'. . Futures . , Vol. 30((7)): 603––13. .

[15] Abeles T.. 1999. . 'The inevitability of a business model for higher education'. . Foresight: The Journal of Futures Studies, Strategic Thinking and Policy . , Vol. 1((1)): 10––6. .

[16] Scott P.. , ed. The dobatisation of Higher Education . , Buckingham : : Open University Press. .

[17] Feenberg A.. 1991. . Critical Theory of Technology . , Oxford : : Oxford University Press. .

[18] Button W. H. and Loader B. D.. , eds. 2002. . Digital Academe: The New Media and Institutions of Higher Education and Learning . , London : : Routledge. .

[19] Gallon M.. 1986. . “'The sociology of an actor-network: the case of the electric vehicle'. ”. In Mapping the Dynamics of Science and Technology . , Edited by: Gallon M., Law J. and Rip A.. London : : Macmillan Press. .

[20] Akrich M.. 1992. . “'The de-scription of technical objects'. ”. In Shaping Technology/Building Society . , Edited by: Bijker W. and Law J.. Cambridge , MA : : MIT Press. .

[21] McClelland R. J.. 2001. . 'Web-based administrative supports for university students'. . The International Journal of Educational Management . , Vol. 15:: 292––302. .

[22] Newby H.. 1999. . “'Higher education in the 21st century: some possible futures'. ”. London : : CVCP. .

[23] Pollock N. and Cornford J.. 2002. . 'The theory & practice of the virtual university: working through the work of making work mobile'. . Minerva: A Review of Science, Learning & Policy . , Vol. 40:: 359––373. .

[24] Crook C.. 2002. . “'Learning as cultural practice'. ”. In Distributed Learning: Social and Cultural Approaches to Practice . , Edited by: Lea M. R. and Nicoll K.. London : : Routledge Palmer. .

[25] Goddard J. B., Charles D., Pike A., Potts G. and Bradley D.. 1994. . Universities and Communities . , London : : CVCP. .

[26] Hansen H. R.. 1995. . 'A case study of mass information systems'. . Information and Management . , Vol. 28:: 215––25. .

[27] September. 2000 . “'Process Improvement Programme in Higher Education'. ”. September. , UK: : Staffordshire University. .

[28] http://s3.livjm.ac.uk/document/jtapol.htm (http://s3.livjm.ac.uk/document/jtapol.htm)

[29] Bull G., Dallinga-Hunter C., Epelboin Y., Frackman E. and Jennings D.. 1994. . Information Technology: Issues for Higher Education Management . , p. 30 London : : Jessica Kingsley Publishers. .

[30] Goddard A. and Gayward P.. 1994. . 'MAC and the oracle family: achievements and lessons learnt'. . Axix . , Vol. 1((1)): 45––50. .

[31] Pollock N.. 2000. . 'The virtual university as "timely and accurate information"'. . Information, Communication & Society . , Vol. 4((3)): 349––65. .

[32] McLaughlin J., Rosen P., Skinner D. and Webster A.. 2000. . Valuing Technology: Organisations, Culture and Change . , London : : Routledge. .

[33] Gledhill J. M.. 1999. . Managing Students . , Buckingham : : Open University Press. .

[34] Latour B.. 1987. . Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers Through Society . , Harvard , MA : : Harvard University Press. .

[35] Gershuny J.. 1978. . After Industrial Society? The Emerging Self-Service Economy . , London : : Macmillan. .

[36] Moon Y. and Frei F.. 2000. . 'Exploding the self-service myth'. . Harvard Business Review . , Vol. 78((3)): 26––30. .

[37] Gilster P. A.. 2001. . 'Making online self-service work'. . Workforce . , Vol. 80((1)): 54––62. .

[38] Agre P.. 1999. . 'Designing the new information services'. . Educom Review . , Vol. 34((5)): 12––4. . 42––3. .

[39] Greengard S.. 1998. . 'Building a self-service culture that works'. . Work/one . , Vol. 77((7)): 60––9. .

[40] Cornford J. and Pollock N.. 2003. . Putting the University Online: Information, Technology & Organisational Change . , Milton Keynes : : Open University Press. .

[41] Sauer C.. 1993. . Why Information Systems Fail: A Case Study Approach . , Henley-on-Thames : : Alfred Waller Limited. .

[42] Ciborra C. and Associates. . 2000. . From Control to Drift: The Dynamics of Corporate Information Infrastructures . , Oxford : : Oxford University Press. .

[43] Brady T., Tierney M. and Williams R.. 1992. . The commodification of industry applications software'. . Industrial and Corporate Change . , Vol. 1((3)): 489––514. .

[45] Kiesler S. and Sproull L.. 1987. . Computing and Change on Campus . , Cambridge : : Cambridge University Press. .

[46] Knorr-Cetina K.. 1999. . Epistemic Cultures: How the Sciences Make Knowledge . , Cambridge , MA : : Harvard University Press. .