Inside the IMF An Ethnography of Documents, Technology, and Organizational Action

In this book, Richard Harper uses the International Monetary Fund as a case study to show how thinking differently about IT systems can dramatically improve the manageability and accessibility of documents in organisations. The systems he considers uses search and retrieval applications, the use of hypertext documents and shared database applications like Lotus Notes.
Key Features
* Advises how to improve the work processes and computer systems of organizations
* Considers such IT systems as search and retrieval applications, the use of hypertext documents, and shared database applications
* Provides the first study to reveal the inside workings of the IMF
* Utilizes sociological methods to understand the technology which underpins office and commercial life

Introduction. What Is a Document? Designing Ethnography. A Sketch of the Fund. The Machinery of Policy Work. The Use of Information. Desk Officers. A Mission to Arcadia. The Use of a Staff Report. Conclusion. References.

Richard H. R. Harper