The Semiotics of Information Systems A Research Methodology for the Digital Age

The central concepts of information meaning, embodied cognition and semiotics are hugely relevant to contemporary organisations and personal and social lives. However, these concepts are not well understood and are frequently under-represented, misrepresented, and their importance seriously underplayed in the study of management. This is particularly noticeable in the study of the information systems and digital technologies that underpin so much of business operations, personal and social life, organisation, communication and management today.

This book seeks to fill the obvious gap. It provides detailed understanding of fundamental concepts and develops a useable, integrative semiotics framework. The framework is grounded in rich social theory and philosophy, and, as the book demonstrates, provides a valuable exploratory and explanatory framework for researchers. This takes shape as a 12-step research process, that has the general features of most research methodologies but also provides distinctive rich resources for in-depth research into semiotically related phenomena. It will be of great interest to academics undertaking research in digital technologies and business model innovation, as well as scholars of research methodology, organisation studies, HRM, marketing and information systems.

Section 1: Semiotic Foundations—Information, Meaning and Embodied Cognition.- Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2 - Theories of Information— The Semantic and Pragmatic Aspects.- Chapter 3: The Nature of Information and its Relationship to Meaning.- Chapter 4: Embodying Information Systems—The Contribution of Phenomenology.- Chapter 5: A Review of Theories of Information Across Disciplines.- Chapter 6: A Theory of Information as Objective and Veridical.-  Section 2: Semiotics Philosophy and Research Method.- Chapter 7. Developing an Integrative Semiotics Framework.- Chapter 8: Applying the Integrative Semiotic Framework.- Chapter 9: Towards a Methodology for Semiotic Research.- Chapter 10: Enacting Semiotics Research—A 12-Step Process.

John Mingers is Emeritus Professor at Kent Business School, University of Kent, UK, where he was previously Professor of Operational Research and Information Systems. He has an international reputation for his work on research metrics, the nature of information, meaning and knowledge, the use of systems methodologies in problem situations - multimethodology, and the philosophy of critical realism. He has published widely in books and journals.

Leslie Willcocks is Emeritus Professor at London School of Economics and Political Science and is an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, UK. He has an international reputation for his work on automation and the future of work, ITO/BPO outsourcing, cloud computing, digital business, strategy, automation, IT and innovation, organisational change and global business management. He was previously Professor in Technology Work and Globalization at the Department of Management. He has published widely in books and journals and is a Series Editor of the Technology, Work and Globalization book series with Palgrave Macmillan.