29/10/2010

The enactment of significance: exploring the nature of information, systems and technology

Speaker: Professor Paul Beynon-Davies
Title: The enactment of significance: exploring the nature of information, systems and technology
Abstract: This talk introduces a new perspective which helps unpack the relationship between information, systems and technology within the nature of human organisation. We argue for an area of interest located at the intersection of signs and systems, which involves the enactment of forma, informa and performa. To demonstrate the utility of this perspective we deliberately consider a case from a different time, space and culture. We discuss the nature of human organisation amongst the Inka Empire and how this organisation was reliant upon the enactment of signs, particularly in relation to an artefact known as the khipu. We conclude with a discussion of the value of our framework in helping us understand the complex entanglement of information, systems and technology within human organisation. The talk summarises some of the major themes discussed in a new book to be published in December by Palgrave.
Paul Beynon-Davies is currently professor of organisational informatics at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. Before taking up an academic post, Professor Beynon-Davies worked for several years in the Informatics industry in the UK and still regularly acts as a consultant to the public and private sector. He has published widely, having 11 books and over seventy refereed academic papers to his name.