Notes on Papers in Refereed
Journals
September 9 readings
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Authors: Harding,
William T. Assoc. Prof. Texas A & M
Reed. Anita J., doctoral student U of
Gray, Robed L., Chair IS W. New |
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Journal: Information Systems Management, Summer
2001, Vol. 18, Issue 3 |
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Title: Cookies and Web Bugs: What
They Are and How They Work Together |
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Journal Type:
Refereed/Practitioner |
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9 pp. w/ references |
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Question: What is the technology;
what benefits & what threats |
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Method: explains & demos the
technology; quotes & summarizes spokespersons |
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Method details: none |
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Findings: Web bugs can be
detected Synchronized servers at marketer sites
can read cookie data from cookies from other cookies on your hard drive;
could make personal info available to those not authorized |
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Conclusion: Synchronized cookies
may bring vast invasion of privacy |
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Action: Follow up their
references Do search on “Web bugs” and on
“Synchronization” |
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Authors:
Markus, Lynne (editor) Claremont Grad Sch |
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Journal: MIS Quarterly, March 99,
Vol. 23, Issue 1 |
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Title: Rigor vs
Relevance Revisited: Response to Benbasat and Zmud |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
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5 pp – editorial debate |
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Question: How need for relevance
in research impacts conventional academic values |
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Method: The authors are the
source of their own editorial expertise; Use of argument via logic &
analysis |
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Method details: Logical
comparison of their argument with articulation of opponents’ agument |
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Findings: none |
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Conclusion: Tenure criteria, etc.
need to change to accept high quality refereed practitioner journals; The MBA students of today are the
potentially enlightened managers of tomorrow, for IS |
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Action: Read the other arguments Do search on “research relevance”
or “relevant research” or “IS research” Examine contents of MISQ and
other journals for relevance since Vol. 23, Issue 1 Go beyond the limits of the
debate by examining the issue of scientific proof |
|
|
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Authors: Venkatesh, Viswanath, Asst.
Prof of IT, U of Md,
several good journals
Morris, Michael, Asst. Prof of IS, Wright-Patterson Inst, good
journals |
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Journal: MIS Quarterly, March 00,
Vol. 24, Issue 1 |
|
Title: Why Don't Men Ever Stop to
Ask for Directions? Gender, Social Influence, and Their Role in Technology
Acceptance and Usage Behavior |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
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12 pp plus tables &
references |
|
Question: How do gender, social
influence, and usage over time impact the Technology Acceptance Model of
Davis et al |
|
Method: field study |
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Method details: 342 workers
across 5 organizations being introduced to new info retrieval systems
completed questionnaires during training, one month later, and three months later;
also their usage of new systems tracked by number of log-ons;
linear regression software (PLS) used to analyze statistical significance of
six hypotheses |
|
Findings: Differences in organizations and
personal data did not affect results Initially men placed greater
emphasis on Usefulness Initially women placed greater
emphasis on Ease of Use Initially, Social Influence was
significant for women but not for men Over time, emphasis on Usefulness
& Ease of Use continued Over time, significance of Social
Influence declined Differences in actual usage were
seen not to be influenced directly by attitudes about U or UOE, but only
through Behavioral Intention |
|
Conclusion: Perhaps Men and Women
need different approaches in training in order to accept new technology, or
at least individuals who differ in terms of sensitivity versus
action-orientation do. This may be
helpful with respect to the costly problem of unused new technology. |
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Action: Search under "Gender" +
"Technology acceptance" Read Davis, MISQ, Vol 13, issue 3, 1989, pp. 319-339 Contact editors or authors --
Means for Men vs Women on EOU appear reversed? |
|
Gefen et al investigates gender and
technology acceptance but NOT new technology. There is no other gender-oriented research with respect
to tech acceptance, to date! |
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Authors: Swanson, Dans, Enrique, Prof of IS, |
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Journal: MIS Quarterly, June 00,
Vol. 24, Issue 2 |
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Title: System Life Expectancy and
the Maintenance Effort: Exploring Their Equilibration |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
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11 pp plus tables &
references |
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Question(s): What factors determine
managers' decisions to apply more maintenance to a system or to plan to
replace it How can an analysis be completed
which is both based on data and also applies an explanatory model |
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Method: application of a model to
existing data |
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Method details: Study begins with an argument
(age along does not determine a system's fate because managers may decide to
add maintenance to it -- therefore what determines the manager's direction of
decision) Regression analysis of data on
758 systems tests a set of hypotheses Independent variables = size and
age of system and portfolio complexity Dependent variable = maintenance
effort and remaining life expectancy Three indicator variables, four
control variables (added in afterwards -- page 8) Statistical methods used to
determine that the independent variables have significant effect on the
dependent variables |
|
Findings: Older systems have less life
expectancy Expectation of longer system life
promotes investment in maintenance Larger systems have greater life
expectancy Older systems require more
maintenance but don't get it
|
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Conclusion: Managers and
researchers need a much more thorough study of what constitutes effective IS
portfolio management? |
|
Action: Follow up their references to
assess their claim that all previous studies are deficient either in facts or
in theory |
|
|
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Authors: Bharadwaj, Anandhi, Asst Prof
of IT at Emory, several papers in quantitative journals of high quality |
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Journal: MIS Quarterly, Mar 00,
Vol. 24, Issue 1 |
|
Title: A Resource-Based
Perspective on Information Technology Capability and Firm Performance: An
Empirical Investigation |
|
Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
|
13 pp plus tables &
references |
|
Question(s): How can the
resource-based view theoretical approach be applied to data to result in a
reliable analysis of the relation between IT capability and business
performance, in the face of inconclusive results to date |
|
Method: the first part of the
paper is a long theoretical exposition of what could be the components of
organizational infrastructure needed for IT capability to give a firm
sustained competitive advantage The second part applies a
matched-pairs statistical technique to existing data on two sets of firms, in
order to test two hypotheses |
|
Method details: Variables to be compared are
traditional accounting data, such as ROI, taken from the Compustat
database One set of firms selected for
study because ranked by Information Week as having superior IT capability The other set was matched with
these by industry and average annual sales |
|
Findings: In each pair, profit ratios were
significantly higher (statistically) for the IT leaders In each pair, some costs of
business were significantly lower for the IT leaders, but some were not |
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Conclusion: the fact that this
study has partial success in demonstrating some empirical relations between
IT capability and business performance can be construed as evidence for the
view that other studies that fail to show this positive relationship are
partly flawed in their research design On 'practical' level, the study
shows managers that the goal is not merely to invest in IT but rather to do
so only with a strategy that shapes the role of IT as a part of the firm's
unique capabilities |
|
Action: Follow up her references to
papers that show inconclusive results for IT investment, and see if her
critique of their research fits |
|
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Authors: several
senior editors, past and present of MISQ |
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Journal: MIS Quarterly, Dec 01,
Vol. 25, Issue 4 |
|
Title: Research in Information
Systems: What We Haven't Learned |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
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15 pp of commentary |
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Question(s): What are the areas
for future research that are likely to be published in the leading journals |
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Method: observations based on
personal expertise |
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Method details: None |
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Findings: None |
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Conclusion(s): (Zmud) How
an organization should manage its IT portfolio (Robey)
Increase the number of top journals and make papers more interesting (Watson) System quality as
dependent on the accuracy of the design phase of SDLC; and, a theory of MIS. (Zigurs)
Different perspectives (Wei)
The delivery process of IT applications, especially focusing on the new ways
of system development; and, the IS interface with marketing & economics (Myers ) Mixture of different
research methodologies within the same article, e.g. quantitative and
qualitative (Sambamurthy)
what business and IT capabilities are associated with continued success,
especially focusing on the new ways of doing business (Webster) Reviews of literature
that result in better conceptual frameworks (Agarwal/
current editor) IT innovation and IT-based innovation |
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Action: Search the existing literature
for these topics |
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Authors: Croasdell, David, Assoc. Prof at |
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Journal: Information Systems Management,
Winter 2001, Vol.18, Issue 1 |
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Title: IT's
Role in Organizational Memory and Learning |
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Journal Type:
Refereed/Practitioner |
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3 pp plus references |
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Question(s): How can Information
Systems be designed to enable organizational learning |
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Method: review of some of the
literature on organizational learning, followed by speculation on IT's possible role in enabling it |
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Method details: None |
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Findings: Turnover can involve serious loss
of organizational knowledge, unless that knowledge is captured beforehand The right kind of IT could
capture organizational knowledge automatically with every e-communication
that occurs within the organization Duplication of effort can be
reduced |
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Conclusion: organizational learning
needs to be continuous |
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Action: Search for organizational
learning and IT |
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Authors: Chou,
David, Prof in Finance and CIS, |
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Journal: Information Systems
Management, Fall 01, Vol. 18, Issue 4 |
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Title: Integrating TQM Into
E-Commerce |
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Journal Type:
Refereed/Practitioner |
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8 pp plus tables & references |
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Question(s): How can the
established principles of TQM be applied in E-commerce |
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Method: reviews principles of TQM,
reviews characteristics of E-Commerce, identifies TQM party responsibilities
for five varieties of E-Commerce |
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Method details: None |
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Findings: TQM benefits to B2C, C2B, C2C,
B2B, B2G Web-sites and support services
have to employ technology that avoids delay and keeps all the wanted data
constantly before the customer Network connectivity and
capability to integrate latest web languages essential Security, privacy, 15 second
response, and measuring of quality items that cannot be gathered automatically
are all needed |
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Conclusion: C2B & C2C are the
difficult modes in which to implement TQM, but all modes are possible |
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Action: Search on TQM + e-commerce |
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Authors: Evans,
Cain, IT Consultant and Lecturer in |
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Journal: Information Systems
Management, Fall 01, Vol. 18, Issue 4 |
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Title: An E-Strategy for Online
E-Business |
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Journal Type:
Refereed/Practitioner |
|
10 pp plus tables &
references |
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Question(s): How is E-Business different
from E-Commerce What must a company do to prosper
as an E-Business |
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Method: review of the author's
experience on the topic |
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Method details: None |
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Findings: E-Business is conducting all the processes
of the firm through the web site, which requires a highly scalable InfoNet
An E-Business typically goes thru
stages -- Brochureware site; E-Commerce site;
E-Business; E-enterprise What is essential is an E-vision
that is communicated to all, internally and externally In effective E-commerce, all
parties may mine the data to improve their own performance |
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Conclusion: E-businesses fail
through poor preliminary analysis of what is required to sustain identity;
this must be done before any effort at technical implementation |
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Action: Compare other discussions, if
any, on E-business |
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September 16 readings
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Authors: Benbasat, Izak, Editor MISQ
Zmud, Robert, Editor MISQ |
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Journal: MIS Quarterly, Mar 99,
Vol. 23, Issue 1 |
|
Title: Empirical Research in
Information Systems: the Practice of Relevance |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
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10 pp plus tables |
|
Question(s): Why does most IS
academic research lack relevance? What tactics can introduce
relevance? |
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Method: Survey of commentaries on
IS research, and a model of the process of authoring |
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Method details: None |
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Findings: Some points are made in an
analytical fashion, as follow. Relevance is not a matter of relevant
topics, but rather whether an article's implications are implementable. A research article may be
rigorous in method without the stilted language and endless discussion about
its methodology instead of its findings. IS researchers lack a basic set
of common constructs IS researchers should commit to a
topic rather than generating questions based on literature reviews. |
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Conclusion(s):
"Academics…strive to develop parsimonious theories with a limited number
of variables that explain phenomena across a wide range….[P]ractitioners desire … rich prescriptions to be applied in
specific situations…" |
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Action: Investigate my question -- do
reviewers really know the difference between rigor and the
"trappings" of rigor? Investigate my question -- can
you chase the technology and rigor at the same time? Investigate my question -- does
IS research have any genuine predictive power? |
|
|
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Authors: Alavi, Maryam, widely published
author
Leidner, Dorothy, widely published
author |
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Journal: Information Systems
Research, Mar 01, Vol. 12 Issue 1 |
|
Title: Research Commentary:
Technology-Mediated Learning -- A Call for Greater Depth and Breadth of
Research |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
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7 pp plus tables & references |
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Question(s): How can research on
TML catch up with practice? What systems design practices can
promote TML? |
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Method: review of research articles
on TML, and contrast with the authors' theory of the potential of such
research |
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Method details: None |
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Findings: Current research lacks study of
the interactions of technology, instructional method, and learner psychology TML utilizes instructional
strategy, viz. presenting, sequencing, synthesizing Research should examine four
modes/levels of university deployment of TML |
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Conclusion: typical research on TML
measures things such as test scores with and without TML; what is needed is
research on differing university strategies for employing TML |
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Action: difficult to spin off on
this article ???????? |
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Authors: Orlikowski, Wanda, frequent author, editor, MIT
Iacono, Suzanne, National Science
Foundation |
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Journal: Information Systems
Research, June 01, Vol. 12, Issue 2 |
|
Title: A Resource-Based
Perspective on Information Technology Capability and Firm Performance: An
Empirical Investigation |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
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13 pp plus references |
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Question(s): How can a research
method be pursued that focuses on "the IT Artifact"? |
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Method: review of papers in ISR
over past 10 years Proposal of a new method of
research Argumentation |
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Method details: 188 articles were examined |
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Findings: Five
views of IT were discovered in the literature -- IT as a tool; IT's measured as something else (proxy); IT as a form of
system (ensemble); IT as computational processes; IT as a secondary topic
(Nominal) |
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Conclusion: the systems approach,
which is the only one that actually focuses on what constitutes IT, was used
in only 12% of the articles We need a focused theory of IT,
and that theory will always be oriented to the social context of use of the
particular system |
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Action: Contrast this study with patterns in other
journals |
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Authors: Killingsworth, Brenda, Assoc. Prof. E. Carolina Hayden, Michael, Program Manager, Nasa Goddard
|
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Journal: Information Systems
Management, Spring 01, Vol. 18, Issue 2 |
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Title: A Model for Motivating and
Measuring Quality Performance in Information Systems Staff |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Practitioner |
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6 pp plus tables & references |
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Question(s): a review of the
effectiveness of the Team Based Assessment form of management for IS
Personnel |
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Method: case study |
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Method details: 3600 systems professionals in
large consulting group A number of specific measures of
performance for Senior Manager and Team Leader are expounded for Product
Quality, Staff Development, Customer Outreach, Administrative Efficiency, and
Fiscal Responsibility. |
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Findings: None |
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Conclusion: A future study will
attempt to correlate leader scores on these measures with degree of retained
contracts |
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Action: Search for other articles
on team development as a management strategy, in IS and in general |
|
|
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Authors: Watson,
Hugh, endowed chair, U of Georgia
Ariyachandra, Thilini,
doctoral student, U of Georgia Matyska, Robert, doctoral student, |
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Journal: Information Systems
Management, Summer 01, Vol. 18, Issue 3 |
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Title: Data Warehousing Stages of Growth |
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Journal Type:
Refereed/Practitioner |
|
7 pp plus tables & references |
|
Question(s): How do key variables change in the 3 stages of
growth for Data Warehousing suggested by the author's theory of stages of
growth? |
|
Method: application of the 3
stages model to some cursory examples from leading companies |
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Method details: Eight leading authorities in the
field were interviewed about: the number of data warehousing stages; the
variables that define the stages; descriptions of the evolution of data
warehouses The three stage model emerged
from the interviews |
|
Findings: Stages = initiation, growth,
maturity Variables = data, architecture,
stability, staff, users, impact on users, applications, cost/benefits, impact
on organization 1) Initial data warehousing
project tends to be limited to particular question and the users are systems
personnel (cost in six figures) 2) In growth stage, many 'data
marts' proliferate and consolidation is only beginning 3) Mature -- centralized data
warehouse -- relational database -- professional staff provide info to a wide
group of users Every Fortune 1000 company uses
data warehousing |
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Conclusion: there are a number of
dos and don'ts for growth -- Design must be scalable;
specialists are needed; jobs will be changed; users must be trained; sponsors
must develop at the top; 24/7; integrate data warehousing into corporate
strategy |
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Action: search for other studies
of data warehousing |
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|
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Authors: Raisinghani, Mahesh, director of research, U of Dallas
Grad School of Mgmt |
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Journal: Information Systems Management,
Spring 01, Vol. 18, Issue 3 |
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Title: WAP: Transitional
Technology for M-Commerce |
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Journal Type:
Refereed/Practitioner |
|
8 pp plus tables & references |
|
Question(s):how will Wireless Application
Protocol be used for E-commerce via mobile phones |
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Method: miscellaneous data on the
technology |
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Method details: none |
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Findings: None |
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Conclusion: huge growth potential |
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Action: see if there is any real
research yet on this topic |
|
|
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Authors: Klein,
Heinz, SUNY Binghamton, pubs in MISQ & ISR
Myers, Michael D., U of Auckland, Assoc Ed of MISQ, other boards |
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Journal: MIS Quarterly, Mar 99,
Vol. 23, Issue 1 |
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Title: A Set of Principles for
Conducting and Evaluating Interpretive Field Studies in Information Systems |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
|
16 HTML pp plus tables &
references |
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Question(s): By what principles,
specifically other than Positivist, should Interpretive Field Studies be
Evaluated? |
|
Method: description of seven
principles for such evaluation, drawn by the authors from lit review, and
their application to three sample interpretive field studies |
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Remainder of the Analysis of this
article -- Please bring your ideas to the class on this. |
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Authors: Smith, H.
Jeff, Assoc. Prof., Babcock School, pubs in MISQ, ISR, Sloan
Hasnas, John, Assoc. Prof., George Mason School of
Law |
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Journal: MIS Quarterly, Mar 99,
Vol. 23, Issue 1 |
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Title: Ethics and Information
Systems: The Corporate Domain |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
|
12 HTML pp plus tables &
references |
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Question(s): How do the three
established Normative Theories of Business Ethics apply to an actual example? What implications are there for
installing procedures of ethical reasoning as part of the systems development
process? |
|
Method: the three normative theories
are explained, applied to a very brief statement of the case of Blockbuster
Video and to IS in general, followed by some discussion |
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Method details: The philosophical content of the
three theories is explained at a basic level and discussed in application to
the case and the implications for future practice |
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Findings: The Stockholder Theory is upheld
in law and its ethical soundness is, while not nil, debatable. It supports Blockbuster's sale of
customers' rental of videos by category The Stakeholder Theory in turn
depends on how one defines stakeholders.
Whether it would support the Blockbuster policy depends on the
comparative degrees of benefit and harm to each group The Social Contract Theory
clearly rejects the Blockbuster policy, since social harm clearly appears to
outweigh social benefit. Alternatives to these 3 theories
could lie in modifying any one of them or creating one's own. These ethical theories are not
something that arises as company policy, but rather in the traditional
fashion of ethical philosophy, as personal standards of morality by which to
evaluate company policy. |
|
Conclusion(s): with respect to IS
projects and ongoing IS work, companies may wish to engage professionals in
ethical philosophy to promote dialogue on which theory the company as a whole
will adopt. Each IS project could then be
scrutinized for its adherence to adopted ethical policy. An ethics officer could be
appointed within the company specifically for IS issues. |
|
Action: further research on existing
pubs on ethics in IS Provide a philosophical critique
of the argument here, particularly with respect to Kant's argument against
the relevance of ANY consequences in moral decision making, and
the background of Kant's ethical formula. |
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Authors: Lerch, F. Javier, Carnegie Mellon
Harter, Donald, U of Michigan.
Both institutions have depth in systems simulation |
|
Journal: Information Systems
Research, Mar 01, Vol. 12 Issue 1 |
|
Title: Cognitive Support for
Real-Time Dynamic Decision Making |
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Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
|
15 HTML pp plus tables &
references |
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Question(s): Can decision making
be improved by increasing individual's attentional
resources? Can decision making be improved
by providing feedback and/or feedforward? |
|
Method: controlled experiments
with human subjects and simulation programming |
|
Method details: Students recruited as subjects Series of experiments conducted
in light of successive results Subjects make simulated decisions
to direct postal mail to automated sorting machines Subjects pre-tested with respect
to the capacity of their Working Memory (WM) Program provided summary data
(feedback), or simulated best strategy for future (feedforward),
or not, in four experimental states Program provided freeze-frame
time (Browse) for subjects to consult feedforward,
or not Hypotheses tested with subject
performance (simulated machine utilization, missed tasks) as dependent
variable |
|
Findings: High WM subjects did worse in
treatment of feedforward with no Browse, getting
lost in scenarios and missing tasks Low and moderate WM subjects,
where subjects were instructed specifically to make sure they kept the
simulated machines fully utilized, were superior decision makers for this
sort of task Where subjects were instructed
specifically to make sure they kept the simulated machines fully utilized,
for low and moderate WM subjects, both the treatments of (1) feedback and feedforward combined, with no Browse, and (2) neither of
these, with no Browse, resulted in the best improvement over time (four
trials). |
|
Conclusion(s): compared with so
many other types of cultural practices for supporting decision-making,
computer support is very new and we still do not understand very well how to
achieve effective results Currently many forms of intended
computer support for decision making overload people or fail to pace them
adequately Perhaps many real-world decision
making jobs are best done by people who don't think all that much "Information technology has
mitigated the relative scarcity of one resource -- information -- and has
created scarcity in another -- human attention." |
|
Action: search for other research
on simulation used in experiments on decision support systems |
|
Authors: Im, Kun Shin, U of Colorado at Denver
Dow, Kevin, Accounting Dept, Temple University
Grover, Varun, Mgmt Science, U of South
Carolina |
|
Journal: Information Systems
Research, Mar 01, Vol. 12 Issue 1 |
|
Title: Research Report: A
Reexamination of IT Investment and the Market Value of the Firm: An Event
Study Methdology |
|
Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
|
8 HTML pp plus tables &
references |
|
Question(s): How can we improve
on previous research to effectively show the positive relation between IT
investment and firm performance? |
|
Method: analysis of stock prices
for firms that have announced major IT investments |
|
Method details: Data on stock prices, and trading
volume for 97 firms, collected by Dos Santos in 1993, and 131 firms collected
by the authors more recently (all firms had announcements in major trade pubs
re IT investment), statistically analyzed for increase in value Data sub-divided by size of firm,
by older data of Dos Santos versus newer data, and by financial firms versus
non-financial firms |
|
Findings: abnormal return was
significantly positive for the smaller firms Where the Dos Santos study found
no significance for increased returns, in the newer data set there was
statistical significance (p < .01) In the newer data set, financial
firms had a significantly higher increase in price as compared with
non-financial firms No significant results with
respect to volume |
|
Conclusion: the results of this
research, which use the impact of the event of announcement of IT investment
on stock prices, support the more direct research on contributions of IT
investment to the firm's performance and help dispel the famous productivity
paradox |
|
Action: if it could be done,
access the stock price data and consider the size of the price increases
relative to the direction of the overall market at the time |
|
Authors: Sabherwal, Rajiv, U of Missouri
- St.Louis
Chan, Yolanda, Queen's University, Ontario |
|
Journal: Information Systems
Research, Mar 01, Vol. 12 Issue 1 |
|
Title: Alignment between Business
and IS Strategies: A Study of Prospectors, Analyzers, and Defenders |
|
Journal Type: Refereed/Academic |
|
12 HTML pp plus tables &
references |
|
Question(s): Applying Venkatraman's six measures of business strategy to operationalize the strategic theory of Miles and Snow,
can we show that alignment of IS strategy with business strategy results in
positive firm performance? |
|
Method: builds a model of
strategic alignment both in business and in IS and tests the model via two
sets of executive surveys (164 and 62 companies), using statistical analysis |
|
Method details: Using five point scale, the
survey (apparently) inquires on the following: (1) rating of the firm on Venkatraman's six measures of business strategy --
defensiveness, risk aversion, aggressiveness, proactiveness,
analysis, futurity (2) rating of the firm in terms of
its IS focus on efficiency, flexibility, or comprehensiveness (3) rating of the firm in terms of
successful performance Using above data, firms were
classified into three strategic types of Defender (holding onto niche, intensively
into fixed assets), Prospector (venture-focused, low degree of organization),
or Analyzer (follows up on Prospector and competes vigorously). Each type should follow the IS focus
appropriate to it (=alignment) Tested survey results for
correlations between perceived success and perceived alignment. |
|
Findings: Type of industry did not have
significant impact on any result Perceived alignment was
significantly associated with perceived success for all data for the
Analyzers, for the data from Survey 1 and the combined data but not for the
data from Survey 2 for the Prospectors, and for none of the data for the Defenders |
|
Conclusion(s): It is suggested by
the findings that alignment between business strategy and IS strategy is
associated with the company's business success The findings suggest that for
Defender firms a focus on aligning IS and business strategy may be misplaced As the data is all perceptual, it
would be good to follow up with further research |
|
Action: is there any significant
research on this question of alignment that uses actual rather than perceived
measures of firm performance? Note the classic work by Dr. Mendelow in this field |