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Journal of Applied Sciences

Year: 2013 | Volume: 13 | Issue: 15 | Page No.: 2940-2946
DOI: 10.3923/jas.2013.2940.2946
The Impact of Symbolic power on Information Systems Adoption: A Bourdieusian Perspective
Huifen Wang and Wenhui Ye

Abstract: IS adoption is a complex issue of socio-technical interaction and a lot of organizations can’t utilize it successfully. We should not pay attention to power shift activities and IS attributes such as MRPII/ERP/ERPII but adopt relation thinking mode to explore the nature of IS as symbolic power and cause mechanism of power alteration in IS adoption. In the study, we use critical realism to explore change of power relations in IS adoption processes and construct the model of the symbolic power generation mechanism based on Bourdieu’s social practice theory. From symbolic power perspective, we conclude that character status and role prestige is ascribed to IS, implementation of an IS is configuration of power relation designed by IS software vendors. We propose a framework for analyzing IS as symbolic power to explain the regular pattern and the process of IS adoption and recommend that one must review power from relation thinking mode in IS adoption.

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How to cite this article
Huifen Wang and Wenhui Ye , 2013. The Impact of Symbolic power on Information Systems Adoption: A Bourdieusian Perspective. Journal of Applied Sciences, 13: 2940-2946.

Keywords: Symbolic power, information systems adoption, critical realism and social recognition

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