ABSTRACT
In the developed world we live at a time when the promise of technology is bright and alluring both for national economies - witness the fascination of the USA, UK and developing countries with the information superhighway, and for organisations which have and are computerising at rapid rates (see Dutton et al., 1996; Global Knowledge, 1997; Scott Morton, 1991). For some a dark side to such a reliance on technology is recognised. Such viewpoints are many faceted: some have seen a problem of automation linked to deskilling and lack of employment (see Braverman, 1974); others argue that a deeper problem lies in the way in which technology is being used to overwhelm nature (see Heidegger, 1977). Within such broad ranging debates it is important that sufficient attention is paid to exploring examples of information technology transfer and implementation and, of equal importance, to theorising these experiences to suggest wider understandings of the relationship between information technologies, society and organisations.
