MIS research strategies

Different strategies for conducting empirical research in the Management Information Systems (MIS) field are discussed. Strategies employed in 532 MIS articles published in 15 journals during the 1970–1979 time period are analyzed. The trends are analyzed over the ten year period with respect to the differences between articles authored by practitioners and academic, differences between articles that are cited frequently versus infrequently, and the relationship with the type of research conducted.The analysis points out that more than two thirds of published MIS research by either academicians or practitioners had utilized non-empirical approaches and focused on a single variable. Case studies are the most commonly employed empirical strategy and most studies do not measure the impact of independent variables on the process of using developing, or operating information systems. The analysis suggests that MIS journal articles employing empirical research strategies are cited more frequently than nonempirical ones.     

Thematic orientation of the ISJ within a semantic space of IS research

This study examines research published in the first 24 years of Information Systems Journal's (ISJ) publication history using a thematic space of all information systems (IS) research as the backdrop. To that end, abstracts from all contributing articles published in eight prominent IS journals in the period 1991–2014 were analysed to extract a latent semantic space of five broad research areas. A two‐dimensional projection of the results was used to create a two‐by‐two map, where one dimension represents the European vs. North American style of IS research and another dimension represents a micro vs. macro level of IS research. The ISJ is positioned in the ‘micro and European school’ quadrant. Over the course of the journal's first 24 years, research in the ISJ started with a relative focus on the IT artefact and IS development and gradually moved towards a more balanced position that includes a considerable amount of research on IT for teamwork and collaboration, as well as on IT and individuals.     

Reflections on Information Systems Journal's thematic composition

This article analyses the scholarly output of Information Systems Journal (ISJ) in relation to its seven peer journals in the Association for Information Systems Senior Scholars' Basket of Eight journals (SSB8) since ISJ's inception in 1991. To do so, cluster analyses are generated using metadata (i.e. titles, keywords and abstracts) from the articles published. The analysis results reveal commonalties and some distinguishing differences between ISJ and its peer journals. The findings illuminate that ISJ has published articles in the area of information systems development at a much higher rate than its counterparts. The analyses also illustrate that ISJ has embraced broader philosophical and methodological underpinnings than other SSB8 journals.     

Marketing the MIS

The promise of management information systems has not yet been realized; low utilization rates by line decision-makers may be one cause. This paper suggests that the effort of marketing the MIS is as important as the work of both the MIS design and implementation phases combined. Various MIS “markets” are segmented, and marketing mix strategies which could encourage greater MIS usage are developed. An application of these marketing strategies for an advanced MIS is provided as an illustration.     

Profiling a decade of Information Systems Frontiers’ research

This article analyses the first 10 years of research published in the Information Systems Frontiers (ISF) from 1999 to 2008. The analysis of the published material includes examining variables such as most productive authors, citation analysis, universities associated with the most publications, geographic diversity, authors’ backgrounds and research methods. The keyword analysis suggests that ISF research has evolved from establishing concepts and domain of information systems (IS), technology and management to contemporary issues such as outsourcing, web services and security. The analysis presented in this paper has identified intellectually significant studies that have contributed to the development and accumulation of intellectual wealth of ISF. The analysis has also identified authors published in other journals whose work largely shaped and guided the researchers published in ISF. This research has implications for researchers, journal editors, and research institutions.

A paradigmatic and methodological examination of information systems research from 1991 to 2001

Abstract. The field of information systems (IS) has evolved for more than three decades. Although many schools of thought have emerged and even become well established, few historical analyses of research paradigms and methodologies have been undertaken. One of the rare exceptions is Orlikowski & Baroudi (1991). Yet, the IS research community has evolved substantially since 1991 in many aspects. A variety of journal outlets have emerged and become well established. More attention has been paid to paradigmatic and methodological issues. Political and professional contexts have also changed noticeably. Therefore, it should be an opportune time for the field to ask: ‘What changes are manifested in journal publications?’‘Is the field making progress regarding pluralism in IS research?’‘How will the field's publications practices change in the future?’ The purpose of this paper is to investigate these questions and, in turn, reflect on the paradigmatic and methodological progress made since 1991. We examined 1893 articles published in eight major IS publication outlets between 1991 and 2001. Our findings suggest that the long‐term endeavours of interpretivist researchers might need to continue because the paradigmatic progress appears somewhat inconsequential; positivist research still dominates 81% of published empirical research. In particular, US journals, as opposed to European journals, tend to be more positivist, quantitative, cross‐sectional and survey oriented. With respect to research design, survey research is still the most widely used method (41%), although case studies have gained substantial recognition (36%). Further, the increase of qualitative research (30%), empirical studies (61%) and longitudinal cases (33%) at the expense of laboratory experiments (18%) might suggest that IS researchers have become more interested in obtaining scientific knowledge in real world settings. In summary, we suggest that the field has been dominated by the positivist paradigm, despite calls to the contrary. Indeed, if the field was to truly embrace pluralism, it would have to find ways to fundamentally change the publication practices of the journal system, including the current tenure and promotion system, which pose considerable obstacles for the acceptance of alternative paradigms.     

A profile of information systems research published in Information & Management

Information & Management (I&M) has been consistently regarded as one of the top academic journals in information systems (IS). In a spirit of introspection, this article profiles research published in I&M: we identified the most productive authors and universities associated with most research publications in I&M during the past 13 years (1992–2005). Based on a more detailed analysis of publications during the past 7 years, we determined the subject areas most often investigated and the research methodologies most often employed. Finally, we identified best practices by way of reporting the topics and methodologies used by the highly published authors. Our results indicate that while IS research is clearly dominated by US based universities, international researchers are beginning to make inroads. Furthermore, while the survey methodology is still dominant, interest in utilizing other methodologies is on the rise. Our findings should have implications for researchers, journal editors, universities, and research institutions.     

Improving management information systems research: question order effects in surveys

This paper demonstrates the impact that question order can have in using survey research in management information systems (MIS). Using data from a survey of 379 companies concerning electronic data interchange (EDI), significant differences are found in the evaluation of successful implementations. The overall evaluation of success is increased (or decreased) depending upon alternative versions of question order. In addition, the analyses show that the main effects from question order interact in different ways with respondent characteristics, including functional area, educational background and being a systems user. The bias tends to be consistent for some types of respondents, such as systems users. However, other classes of respondents, especially persons with professional backgrounds in systems or MIS, are influenced in more complex ways by question order. The order in which queries regarding systems output and quality occur tends to be especially important in anchoring subsequent responses and overall assessments. The final section addresses corrective actions and future research.     

采用B/S结构的MIS的设计与实现

管理信息系统是现代化管理不可缺少的组成部分,其体系结构普遍使用C／S结构和B／S结构。首先对C／S结构和B／S结构进行比较,接着以一个具体的实例介绍采用B／S结构的管理信息系统的设计和开发。系统使用效果良好。达到设计目标。     

The problem of reasoning by case analysis

This article is the twenty-ninth of a series of articles discussing various open research problems in automated reasoning. The problem proposed for research asks one to find criteria that an automated reasoning program can apply to decide when to conduct a case analysis argument and to decide which cases are appropriate. When the choice of employing a case analysis argument is wise and the cases are well chosen, the likelihood that the reasoning program — or, for that matter, a person — will find an answer to the given question is sharply increased.This work was supported by the Office of Scientific Computing, U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract W-31-109-Eng-38.     

Scientometric Study of the Progress and Development of e-Government Research During the Period 2000–2012

Many countries have implemented changes in public-sector management models, based on the strategic and intensive use of new information and communication technologies. From a critical standpoint, this paper analyzes and characterizes the contributions made by research in the field of e-government, identifying future areas of interest and potentially valuable methodologies. In addition, it compares research efforts focused on developing countries with those concerning developed economies, in order to identify research gaps and possibilities for improvement in the context of e-government research in developing countries. Diverse scientometric approaches are employed in this analysis of papers published by international journals listed in the SSCI index in the fields of Public Administration and of Information Science & Library Science. Our findings reveal the existence of various research gaps and highlight areas that should be addressed in future research, especially in developing countries. Indeed, the research approach to e-government remains immature, focusing on particular cases or dimensions, while little has been done to produce theories or models to clarify and explain the political processes of e-government. In addition, significant differences are found between the impact of scientific output and patterns of scientific production as regards developing and developed countries.     

An empirical assessment and categorization of journals relevant to DSS research

This paper reports on an objective empirical study of the decision support system literature for the purpose of assessing journals relevant to DSS research efforts. Here, we provide DSS researchers and those who evaluate them an up-to-date picture of the forums available for scholarly discourse and research. We conducted a citation analysis of the Decision Support Systems journal for the years 1985–1993 to obtain a citation base containing over 7,500 citations. The citation base is then used to (1) examine citation trends for books, proceedings, and journals; (2) determine a relative ranking of journals based on total citations, and (3) organize journals into categories. Guidelines are provided for utilizing the categorization.     

Choosing Technology Majors: What You Don’t Know Can Influence You

This study explores high school graduates’ understanding of technology careers and reasons they choose not to major in technology fields. We employed two data collection methods (surveys and focus groups) in three data collection stages to explore student views in greater depth. Pre-survey and focus group results suggest that steps should be taken to provide a more enjoyable experience for high school students and teach them relevant skills that they will recognize as beneficial. Post-survey results demonstrate that introductory technology classes that introduce students to MIS careers can lead them to a more accurate understanding of MIS careers. The study offers insights into specific ways high school courses can be improved to increase understanding of MIS, resulting in a greater likelihood that students will consider and therefore choose technology careers. Findings suggest that increased understanding of technology careers can result in more consideration of these careers by high school students.     

Design considerations for MIS in an Executive MBA program

Executive education courses are typically decision making and policy oriented. This paper suggests and empirically evaluates such an introductory MIS course suitable for an Executive MBA program (EMBA). The analysis reported here should be helpful to any educator teaching or preparing to teach MIS to executives. The evaluation indicates that executives seek both a hands-on educational experience with selected MIS technologies as well as a conceptual framework for managing and using MIS. Although not all MIS topics are deemed relevant, executives develop a strong need to insure a proper organizational direction for MIS activities. They are most concerned with understanding and controlling the evolution and rapid changes of MIS and look for ways that MIS can help them cope with change. For this reason, a successful course pedagogy includes joint case analysis with functional or technique courses in the overall curriculum.     

Designing Scientific Knowledge Infrastructures: The Contribution of Epistemology

Scientific knowledge is increasingly being stored in online infrastructures such as electronic journals, digital libraries and online encyclopedias. Their designers need to find an adequate approach for representing this knowledge. Unfortunately, most online infrastructures adopt the traditional article-issue-journal model which is based on print technology. This article develops an alternative model for the representation of scientific knowledge which is based on epistemology—the theory of knowledge. The characteristics of scientific knowledge identified by four philosophers of science—Popper, Nagel, Dubin and Bunge—are synthesized into a conceptual model which can be used as the foundation of scientific knowledge infrastructures in an online environment. The article shows that much more fine-grained structures are needed for representing scientific knowledge. Knowledge should not be accumulated as a collection of articles but as a network of epistemologically relevant elements such as theories, concepts, statements, facts etc.     

Human-centred appraoches to control and information technology: European experiences

In this paper, the concept of Human-Centred Technology will be described with regard to the different dimensions of workplace, groupwork and networks and in terms of the frameworks of both society and the natural environment. These different aspects of Human-Centred Systems will be illustrated by a series of case studies representing several European countries. The report covers a wide range of research fields. The emphasis is on technology: the roles of control and information technology in enterprises today — including issues of applying AI — and the strategies of designing and implementing technology taking into account the specific aspects which characterize human-centred systems.     

A discipline for a stage? A Shakespearean reflection on the research <Emphasis Type="Italic">plot</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">performance</Emphasis> of the Information Systems field

The different traditions of European and North American Information Systems research are highlighted and traditional means of measuring research quality (including citation patterns and journal impact factors) are questioned. Shakespearean metaphors are used to highlight these distinctions. The article concludes with a call for greater diversity and appreciation of alternative research traditions and cultures, and of the journals that publish such research.     

An overview of fuzzy research with bibliometric indicators

Bibliometrics is a discipline that analyzes bibliographic material from a quantitative perspective. It is very useful for classifying information according to different variables, including journals, institutions and countries. This paper presents a general overview of research in the fuzzy sciences using bibliometric indicators. The main advantage is that these indicators provide a general picture, identifying some of the most influential research in this area. The analysis is divided into key sections focused on relevant journals, papers, authors, institutions and countries. Most of the results are in accordance with our common knowledge, although some unexpected results are also found. Note that the aim of this paper is to be informative, and these indicators identify most of the fundamental research in this field. However, some very influential issues may be omitted if they are not included in the Web of Science database, which is used for carrying out the bibliometric analysis.     

Pluralist action research: a review of the information systems literature*

Action research (AR) has for many years been promoted and practised as one way to conduct field studies within the information systems (IS) discipline. Based on a review of articles published in leading journals, we explore how IS researchers practise AR. Our review suggests that AR lends itself strongly towards pluralist approaches which facilitate the production of both theoretical and practical knowledge. First, on the level of each study we analyse how research and problem‐solving activities are mixed, in three ways: the research dominant, the problem‐solving dominant and the interactive approaches. Second, in the context of the wider research programme in which the study is situated, we analyse how AR is mixed with other research methods, in two ways: the dominant and the sequential approaches. We argue that these pluralist practices of mixing types of research activities and types of research methods provide IS action researchers with a rich portfolio of approaches to knowledge production. This portfolio helps them address the risks involved in AR to ensure their efforts contribute to the literature as well as to practical problem‐solving.