EDITORIAL

Time, experience and change

Ray J Paul

Editor

European Journal of Information Systems

(2004) 13, 93–94.
doi:10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000495

As I announced in my editorial in the European Journal of Information
Systems (2003) 12, 167, I have retired, but instead of going part-time, I am a
pensioner whose therapy (basket-weaving equivalent) is to go to work and
be available to give advice. So I am currently basket-weaving at Brunel
University as an Professor Associate and at the London School of
Economics as a Visiting Professor. So what can I offer? I have an
explanation that I have used freely with my colleagues. The only benefit
of getting older as far as I can tell is the gaining of experience, and one of
the major if not only benefits of this experience is to pass it on to the less
experienced. And to make sure I am listened to, I make the point that if
they do not believe this to be true, then they are telling themselves they
have no future! This explanation works well, and attentiveness is markedly
improved.

Since the European Journal of Information Systems (2003) 12, 167 editorial,
time has passed (six months), there has been much change, and hence
experience has been gained. For example, the European Journal of
Information Systems has improved its editorial team this year with the
acquisition and accession of Richard Baskerville whose editorial in the last
issue on An Editor’s Values not only proved the astuteness of his
acquisition, but also the mastery of his accession. I would like to say that
Richard covered my views, but in fact he did better than that! If unread, I
recommend it to you (incidentally our online statistics show that editorials
are quite popular).

Carolyn Bailey our Editorial Administrator is moving on and is passing
the job to Neela Rungien. Carolyn took over the Administration when Bob
O’Keefe and I became Editors in 2000. She has cared for and delivered 18
issues of the journal to date, which has involved her in the handling and
communication associated with well over 1000 submissions to the journal.
And she has managed the Editors! She leaves the European Journal of
Information Systems fully electronic since taking over a paper-based system
and with sound administrative procedures.

Thanks Carolyn.
In this issue, we have papers that also exemplify the theme of time,

experience and change. Mlcakova and Whitley investigate the regulatory
features of software with regard to peer-to-peer software for MP3 file
sharing. While the latter might become history with the rate of
technology change, the authors attempt to make sense of a new and
possibly transitory topic, leads them to research methodological issues and
the introduction of an appropriate approach they call ‘impressionism’. I
expect ‘impressionism’ will quickly join the small but improving range of
research methods acceptable in information systems. Choudrie and Lee
report on a research mission to South Korea and the latter’s world
leadership in Broadband development. Again this may be transitory,
but there are long-term lessons from the study. The experience gained
from the study, though, depends to some extent on the maxim ‘Where
one stands depends on where one sits’. For example, high-density
population in urban areas can be viewed as an important enabler

European Journal of Information Systems (2004) 13, 93–94
& 2004 Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. All rights reserved 0960-085X/04 $30.00

www.palgrave-journals.com/ejis



of Korea’s success, or as a convenience coincidental
to the success of a strategy. Supporters of the ‘there-
is-nothing-we-can-do’ school of hope will attach
themselves to the former, and supporters of the
‘it-will-happen-if-we-make-it-happen’ school to the
latter.

Marble’s study of the former East Germany’s companies
having to take on Western Information Systems, and the
consequent common lowering of performance illustrates
the problems associated with change in a world which
does not permit the passage of time necessary to gather
sufficient experience. Bruque-Camara et al. examine the
speed of IT adoption in the pharmaceutical distribution
sector, and conclude that intangible factors such as
internal low-level communication in the companies,
have a major effect. Not easily captured as experience to
be used in the future. Mackay et al. discuss electronic
commerce adoption in the non-commercial world of

small voluntary organisations. Since profit is not a driver,
why bother with electronic commerce? The paper
suggests that perceptions play a major role in the form
of perceived benefits, perceived pressure, and perceived
social risk.

Impressionism, perceptions, change without the ex-
perience, change open to opinionated interpretation, and
intangible factors driving change are brought to the
reader in this issue, thus demonstrating that time,
experience and change have similar consequences for
individuals as well as organisations. Ending, as I started,
on a personal note, my Mum recently died (she brought
me up from the age of seven years) and I wrote a funeral
speech for her overnight after her death. I realised what a
remarkable woman she was, which I had not realised
until then, when I took the time to study my experiences.
In this issue, we have the fruits of finding the time to do
such studies.

Editorial Ray J Paul94

European Journal of Information Systems


	Time, experience and change