Cumulative Tradition Research Articles

Information Systems Success: The Quest for the Dependent Variable

A large number of studies have been conducted during the last decade and a half attempting to identify those factors that contribute to information systems success. However, the dependent variable in these studies—I/S success—has been an elusive one to define. Different researchers have addressed different aspects of success, making comparisons difficult and the prospect of building a cumulative tradition for I/S research similarly elusive. To organize this diverse research, as well as to present a more integrated view of the concept of I/S success, a comprehensive taxonomy is introduced. This taxonomy posits six major dimensions or categories of I/S success—SYSTEM QUALITY, INFORMATION QUALITY, USE, USER SATISFACTION, INDIVIDUAL IMPACT, and ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT. Using these dimensions, both conceptual and empirical studies are then reviewed (a total of 180 articles are cited) and organized according to the dimensions of the taxonomy. Finally, the many aspects of I/S success are drawn together into a descriptive model and its implications for future I/S research are discussed.

On To Wards a World Theology

For Wilfred Cantwell Smith, to understand religion is to understand— transculturally and critically self-consciously (TWT, 60)—what he considers to be constitutive of our full humanity (e.g., 51). His data come from all of religious history, seen 'whole' so far as possible, but seen from the perspective of participants in one or other religious tradition, not from outside or somehow from above (44, 49). Through such understanding, Christians are expected to become more Christian, Buddhists more Buddhist, humanists more humanist, and so on. They become such by discovering the cross-cultural currents in the one river of life which moves us all along (26). The philosophical inspiration for Smith's foundational contrast between cumulative tradition and personal faith is Buber's classic conception of lch und Du (40, 143). In Towards a World Theology, however, as I shall point out, Smith's mature position echoes themes more often associated with Hegel or Whitehead (37, 193).2 It remains to be seen how successfully he holds the two strands together—the personalist/existentialist and the holistic/evolutionary—in his accounts of the humane and transcendent, i.e., the terms which, with faith, prove key

Scriptures and Histories

I am delighted to have this opportunity to participate in celebrating the contributions of Wilfred Cantwell Smith. For there is a sphere of faith and a cumulative tradition which we share: the academy and its work. It has brought us together for conversations, from time to time, which have been memorable for me in experiencing Smith's uncommon generosity and stubborn, unwavering commitment to discourse, punctuated by insights which always reveal new dimensions to familiar objects of thought. I am also delighted (and relieved) to have the advantage of refracting my appreciation in terms of the subject, Scriptures and Histories, in advance of Smith's long awaited book on the subject. At the very least, this leaves me a more open playing field. From one point of view, Smith and I have relatively little in common. Although I read him, with interest and respect, as each new book comes out, he has not played much of a role in my constructive work. We share last names, but not much else. However, from another vantage point, and one that I value more, Smith's work and general demeanor has been a constant challenge, a source of stimulation, and a model for emulation. I refer here to the teaching enterprise where, largely unknown to Smith, and to anyone else I suppose, he has been a major, imaginary conversation partner for almost 30 years. The Meaning and End of Religion was the first book of theory I ever taught in its entirety, with my other colleagues, at a senior seminar at Dartmouth College in 1964, the year it appeared in paperback. While much of my own theoretical work has been based on an affirmation of Smith's historical study of the word, 'religion,' it has been based, as well, on an affirmative answer to Smith's rhetorical question, Is the concept adequate? That is to say, as I tried to suggest in the opening paragraph

The organizational fit of information systems

Abstract. One can expect that the fit, match or congruence between an information system and its organizational context will be of increasing importance as information systems become more and more integral parts of organizations. Existing IS research has largely neglected the theoretical analysis of the concept ‘fit’, however, even though it has been widely used in a ‘pre‐theoretical’ sense. The analysis of the concept of ‘organizational fit of an information system’ put forward in this article is essentially based on the recent analysis of ‘fit’ in contingency theory, suggesting three interpretations for the concept: a selection approach, an interaction approach and a systems approach. A review of the IS literature on the organizational fit of information systems indicates a lack of any cumulative tradition in existing empirical contingency research into information systems and dominance of the selection approach. Because of the two limitations, this paper regards any definite assessment of the potential prospects of contingency research into information systems as overhasty and proposes a framework for future research into the situation dependence and organizational fit of information systems which integrates contingency research into information systems, contingency research into IS impacts and contingency research into the IS adoption (development/implementation) process.

Many Paths: A Catholic Approach to Religious Pluralism by Eugene Hillman

BOOK REVIEWS 741 pointedly, what he is asking for is " the ' planned dissolution ' of the Latin Church into a considerable number of distinct, autonomous ' patriarchates ' " (p. 132) . These suggestions, although not original, are intriguing. They deserve, however, more than three pages. What is needed is a detailed presentation of these changes, indicating their historical context, their advantages and disadvantages, and their practical implementation. Despite the criticisms given above, there is much good material to be found in this crisply written book. I agree in general with Hill's judgment that Church authority should embody a collegial rather than a monarchical ecclesiology. He shows that the MC ecclesiology has a solid foundation in scripture and tradition and its cornerstone is the theology of the local Church. Furthermore, he is correct in insisting that the doctrines of collegiality and the priesthood of the faithful are urgent questions in contemporary ecclesiology and that they have broad ecumenical ramifications. He speaks convincingly of greater lay participation, local autonomy, consultation, and accountability. At the same time, his partisanship leads him to caricature the MP view. He will not persuade many MP supporters by criticizing their "highhanded authoritarianism and paternalism " (p. 53) and " ecclesiastical dishonesty " (p. 127) or by claiming that the Roman Curia " is neuro· tically obsessed with the matter of papal authority" (p. 114). Hill makes many valid and important points, but, on occasion, he weakens them by exaggeration. At times his partisan style overcomes his theo· logical substance. The Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. pATRICK GRANFIELD Many Paths: A Catholic Approach to Religious Pluralism. By EUGENE HILLMAN. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1989. Pp. 95. A Christian theology of religions raises fundamental epistemological and methodological questions. Hillman comes to the debate from what Lindbeck has called an " experiential expressivist " background, that is, there is a tacit assumption that reality is experienced and then expressed , that reality precedes language rather than being disclosed and shaped through language. When such an outlook is applied to the theology of religions, the outcome is often the " discovery " of a common experience underlying all religions, despite their different expressions . The latter can be seen to vary according to climate, history, temperament, and so on. Such expressions are loose symbols for a 742 BOOK REVIEWS greater reality, which takes on an increasingly vague shape with the demise of the signifier. History can offer very little resistance to such a model, and the conflicts, differences, intractabilities, and real problems of religious plurality are slowly silenced, almost numbed into a drowsy calm. That history refuses to play this role, while theologies of religion are often demanding it, is indicative of the difficulties with such a model. Hillman's first book on this topic (The Wider Ecumenism, 1968) showed him to be a follower of Rahner. He stressed the universality of grace and its mediation through the historical and particular; he thereby argued for a wider ecumenism with regard to the world religions , in a model analogous to intra-Christian ecumenism. In this book, Hillman advances the same position, but now infused with a strong dose of Wilfred Cantwell Smith. He does not confront the theological criticisms made against either of his mentors. The book is divided into four lucid chapters. The first considers the meaning and role of religion, and much of Hillman's discussion is helpful. However, as the chapter proceeds, one finds that the definition of religion is not controlled by the particularities and intractable dif. ferences presented by the subject matter but rather by an experiential essentialism. Hillman uses Smith's distinction between "faith" and " belief " to two ends, one descriptive, the other evaluative. However he, like Cantwell Smith, conflates description with evaluation. Furthermore , he is untroubled that the subject matter under inspection does not easily yield to such distinctions. Descriptively, " belief " or the " cumulative tradition " involves the " myriad historico-cultural par· ticularizations " that go to make up a religion such as liturgies, doc· trines, ethical systems, practices, histories, and so on {20). Faith is basically an experience of " the tr,anscendent, which is presumably the same for every person," and can be distinguished from the "cumulative tradition, which is different for each people, nation or...

Research in Management Information Systems, 1980-1984: Points of Work and Reference

This article examine the progress of MIS as a scholarly field of study since 1980. In this examination, MIS is identified as emerging from a supporting base of three foundational fields: computer science, management science, and organization science. Hypotheses related to this emergence are tested by an analysis of data on 271 MIS articles published during th e period 1980-84 in six academic journals and one conference proceedings. Each article is described by its work point (the field of study represented by the publication in which the article appears) and its reference point (as represented by the distribution of the article's publication citations). Results of the analysis support the proposition that MIS is emerging as a distinct field of study, with its own cumulative tradition.

Wilfred Cantwell Smith as Theologian of Religions

Much has been written about Wilfred Cantwell Smith's account of the nature of religion, particularly by those who, broadly speaking, may be calledReligionswissenschaftler. Surprisingly little, though, has been written about his theology. In part at least, this can be attributed to the incipience of his theological thought within the broad parameters of his studies of religion. Theological ideas have been more imbedded in the wealth of materials aimed at the elucidation of the nature of belief, faith, religious truth, and cumulative tradition than presented in any overt and systematic way. But the recent appearance of the third volume of his trilogy,Towards a World Theology, enables us to concentrate more directly on his theological thought and, in light of this, to reflect upon the theological nuances of his earlier work.

'Faith' and 'cumulative tradition' in functional specialization: A study in the methodologies of Wilfred Cantwell Smith and Bernard Lonergan

'Faith' and 'cumulative tradition' in functional specialization: A study in the methodologies of Wilfred Cantwell Smith and Bernard Lonergan

Societal Reaction and the Response to Deviation in Small Groups

This article demonstrates the potential of small group laboratory research for attacking some of the theoretical and methodological problems currently confronting the societal-reaction perspective in the field of deviance. The results of small group research by Schachter, and Sampson and Brandon are reinterpreted within a conceptual framework derived from the societal-reaction literature. These two studies suggest that inclusive reactions to deviance attempt to control deviation through intense interactional pressure, accompanied by relatively low attitudinal hostility toward the deviant. Exclusive reactions to deviance reject the deviant as an outsider and are characterized by low levels of interaction, but high levels of covert hostility. Inclusive reactions tend to occur when deviance is attributed to a particular situation, whereas deviance attributed to the character of the deviant tends to result in exclusive reactions. While labeling theorists have contributed a number of insights as to the social processes involved in deviance, they have not been much concerned with developing a clear and rigorous formulation of their theoretical position (Gibbs, 1966, 1972; Schur, 1969); or with adequate empirical evaluation of it (Davis, 1972; Gove, 1970; Mankoff, 1971; Ward, 1971). Until we overcome these deficiencies, the ideas of the societal-reaction perspective are not likely to generate a soLind cumulative tradition of theoretically oriented research. This article will argue that small group laboratory research is a potentially valuable tool for sharpening the attack on certain theoretical issues raised by the societal-reaction perspective. Small group research has been used effectively to stLidy a variety of social differentiation processes, such as status structure development and role differentiation (cf. Cartwright and Zander, 1968; Hare et al., 1965). This methodological strategy seems no less applicable to processes of societal reaction, particularly because of the emphasis placed by labeling theorists on the analysis of deviance as an interactional product. The small group laboratory enables more detailed and reliable observation of interactional processes than is achieved by the impressionistic and loosely structured research techniques typically used by those favoring the societal-reaction perspective (Davis,

What Is Comparative Religion Comparing? The Subject Matter of "Religious" Studies

What is the subject matter of the study of religion? Is it the external expression of religious persons and communities, i.e., the historical deposit of sacred scriptures, theologies, social institutions, ethical and liturgical prescriptions and practices? Accurate observation and description of these data and analysis to detect common structures are important and necessary. This is not, however, primary, since it excludes from its purview the personal meaning these external traditions possess for their participants. This objection suggests that enquiry should focus on the existential selfhood of individual communicants. Yet this, also, is unsatisfactory because it restricts study to the psychology of individuals. Research should concentrate, instead, on religious faith, i.e., existential selfhood or personal faith as this is evoked and expressed by an historical tradition. This entails discerning how items in a cumulative religious tradition enter into the believer's faith or selfhood by being existentially interpreted.