Information Systems Research: Thinking Outside the Basket and Beyond the Journal

2019 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 44

Authors: Fitzgerald, Brian; Alan R. Dennis, Alan R.; An, Juyoung; Tsutsui, Satoshi; Muchala, Rishikesh C.

Abstract: Information systems (IS) researchers have long discussed research impact and jou ... Expand

Abstract: Information systems (IS) researchers have long discussed research impact and journal rankings. We believe that any measure of impact should pass the same fundamental tests that we apply to our own research: validity and reliability. In this paper, we examine the impact of journals in the AIS Senior Scholars’ basket of eight journals, three close contenders (i.e., journals that researchers frequently suggest for inclusion in the basket), and six randomly selected IS journals (from the Web of Science list) using a variety of traditional measures (e.g., journal impact factor) and newer measures (e.g., PageRank). Based on the results, we make three rather unpleasant and likely contentious conclusions. First, journal impact factor and other traditional mean-based measures do not represent valid measures so we conclude that one should not use them to measure journal quality. Second, the journal basket does not reliably measure quality, so we conclude that it one should not use it to measure journal quality. Third, the journal in which a paper appears does not reliably measure the paper’s quality, so we conclude that one should not use the number of papers an author has published in certain journals as a criterion for promotion and tenure assessments. We believe that the best way forward involves focusing on paper-level and not journal-level measures. We offer some suggestions, but we fundamentally conclude that we do not know enough to make good recommendations, so we need more research on paper-level measures. We believe that these issues pertain to many disciplines and not just the IS discipline and that we need to take the lead in doing research to identify valid and reliable measures for assessing research impact. Collapse

Topics: decision support system web page IS discipline database system

Methods: descriptive statistic co-citation analysis literature sample journal ranking literature filtering

On a participation structure that ensures representative prices in prediction markets

2017 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 4

Authors: Carvalho, Arthur

Abstract: The logarithmic market scoring rule (LMSR) is now the de facto market-maker mech ... Expand

Abstract: The logarithmic market scoring rule (LMSR) is now the de facto market-maker mechanism for prediction markets. We show how LMSR can have more representative final prices by simply imposing a participation structure where the market proceeds in rounds and, in each round, traders can only trade up to a fixed number of contracts. Focusing on markets over binary outcomes, we prove that under such a participation structure, the market price converges after a finite number of rounds to the median of traders' private information for an odd number of traders, and to a point in the median interval for an even number of traders. Thus, the final market price effectively represents all agents' private information since those equilibria are measures of central tendency. We also show that when traders use market price data to revise their private information, the aforementioned equilibrium prices do not change for a broad class of learning methods. Collapse

Topics: privacy price management

Methods: computational algorithm experiment descriptive statistic theorem proofing

Managers’ perception of information management and the role of information and knowledge managers: The Malaysian perspectives

2008 | International Journal of Information Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Karim, Nor Shahriza Abdul; Hussein, Ramlah

Abstract: This paper reports a study conducted to investigate the progression of informati ... Expand

Abstract: This paper reports a study conducted to investigate the progression of information and knowledge management (KM) within the business organizations in Malaysia from the managers’ point of view. Among the objectives set are to identify the information requirements of managers, to identify the need for effective information management (IM) and information managers, and to identify the role and skill requirements of information and knowledge managers in the organizations. Using survey questionnaires and interviews, the findings provided rich and meaningful information about information requirements of managers and their overall perception of information and KM. The findings also revealed the important roles of information and knowledge managers and their desired competencies as perceived by the managers. Positive perception towards the establishment of a one-stop resource center or library was also reported. Overall, the findings may assist in the initial stage of effective IM and KM strategy by organizations, and in the development of curriculum for the IM program and the related management fields. Collapse

Topics: data quality systems development information exchange productivity organizational productivity

Methods: survey data transformation qualitative content analysis factor analysis qualitative interview

Trust Indicator Modeling for a Reputation Service in Virtual Organizations

2007 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Winkler, T; Haller, J; Gimpel, H; Weinhardt, C

Abstract: In today's Internet economy, new business models emerge to respond to business o ... Expand

Abstract: In today's Internet economy, new business models emerge to respond to business opportunities that one organization alone can not exploit. Virtual organizations (VOs) are a prominent example for such models currently investigated in, e.g., collaborative engineering and aggregated services provisioning. The partner selection process is a problem that needs to be swiftly performed for a VO to become operational. In the global Internet community, previously unknown partners have to be considered for important business transactions, taking a risk in expecting partners to behave reliably. A reputation service can help to reduce this risk by supporting the (automated) decision process of system integrators inquiring about potential partner organizations. This paper presents a service-based reputation system rooting trust in an organization’s inherent observable properties, called trust indicators. A taxonomy to classify trust indicators according to their semantic meaning is proposed. Furthermore, a stochastic trust indicator model based on distribution functions is presented, taking updates and trust indicator aggregation towards an overall reputation using Bayes theory into account as well. Collapse

Topics: risk management online reputation system word of mouth web service service oriented architecture

Methods: design artifact Bayesian network design science stochastic model literature study

Theories: general systems theory

Consensus and Differences of Opinion in Electronic Prediction Markets

2005 | Electronic Markets | Citations: 8

Authors: Gruca, Thomas S.; Berg, Joyce E.; Cipriano, Michael

Abstract: Businesses are exploring the use of prediction markets to assist with forecastin ... Expand

Abstract: Businesses are exploring the use of prediction markets to assist with forecasting. In this study, we focus on the ability of prediction markets to reflect the consensus of trader forecasts as well as the dispersion of these forecasts. Using a real‐money, computerized, anonymous double‐auction market mechanism, we examine a series of markets forecasting a real‐life outcome, i.e., movie box office performance. This continuous outcome was segmented into a small number of mutually exclusive ranges, each associated with a winner‐take‐all contract. This payoff structure allowed us to determine whether the contract prices reflect the dispersion of the traders' individual forecasts, which were submitted before trading began. We find that these markets do an excellent job revealing the consensus forecast. The market prices for all contracts are consistent with the entire distribution of trader forecasts for most of the markets. In addition, we find that markets with a wider pool of traders tend to result in superior forecasts. Collapse

Topics: privacy anonymity

Methods: descriptive statistic laboratory experiment parametric test Student's t-test computational algorithm

A reversed context analysis of software piracy issues in Singapore

2004 | Information & Management | Citations: 7

Authors: Moores, Trevor T.; Dhaliwal, Jasbir

Abstract: The level of software piracy and reasons underlying the behavior among students ... Expand

Abstract: The level of software piracy and reasons underlying the behavior among students in Singapore was investigated using the reversed context analysis previously used by Moores and Dhillon in a study of Hong Kong. This technique presented the respondents with a set of context statements that describe the buying and using of pirated software in terms of high availability, high cost, and low censure. The contexts were reversed (low availability, low cost, high censure) in order to determine whether targeting one or more of these reasons would lead the respondents to stop the behavior. The same instrument was used here with a sample of 462 students. The results showed general agreement with those of the Hong Kong study, although the level of pirating behavior was lower, with a weaker switch from agreement to disagreement when the context involved cost. A closer examination of the respondents revealed a set of respondents that frequently bought and used pirated software and seemed resistant to any of the reversed scenarios. This suggests that even in culturally similar markets different approaches may be required to combat software piracy. Collapse

Topics: digital piracy legal information system

Methods: nonparametric test Mann Whitney U test descriptive statistic one-way ANOVA survey

Toward a Contingency Model for Selecting an Information System Prototyping Strategy

1999 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 2

Authors: Hardgrave, Bill C.; Wilson, Rick L.; Eastman, Ken

Abstract: Many proposed contingencies regarding the conditions when the use of prototyping ... Expand

Abstract: Many proposed contingencies regarding the conditions when the use of prototyping will lead to successful system development appear in the literature. Using an industry survey, this exploratory study empirically investigates the effect of certain contingencies on system success. Overall, results indicate that five variables, when combined with prototyping, affect system success (as indicated by user satisfaction): innovativeness of the project, impact of the system on the organization, user participation, number of users, and developer experience with prototyping. These results provide some insight into the proper uses of prototyping to improve system success. The results also indicate that several of the current contingencies, if followed, do not ensure high levels of system success. Collapse

Topics: IS success participatory design innovation management user satisfaction IS impact

Methods: design artifact design methodology survey regression analysis method descriptive statistic

Theories: contingency theory

A Comparative Investigation of Ethical Decision Making: Information Systems Professionals Versus Students

1998 | ACM SIGMIS Database | Citations: 0

Authors: Cappel, James J.; Windsor, John C.

Abstract: As information technology evolves, it continues to raise new ethical challenges. ... Expand

Abstract: As information technology evolves, it continues to raise new ethical challenges. In recognition of this, the business and academic communities have focused increased attention on ethics. Professional codes of ethics have been enacted by the ACM, AITP, and other computing organizations to provide guidance to information systems (IS) professionals in resolving ethical dilemmas. In addition, the IS'95 model curriculum and the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) guidelines for business education both recognize the importance of ethics in business educational programs.This paper explores an important question that has been neglected by previous research: do IS professionals differ significantly from students in terms of their perceptions about ethical issues? Two studies were conducted and they revealed a number of ethical decision-making differences between professionals and students. This result, along with an additional finding that participants showed little consensus about most ethical scenarios, suggests that ethical decision making is often difficult and that both students and professionals can benefit from ethical training and education. The findings also have important implications for IS research. Collapse

Topics: decision making IT workforce email spam software developer information system use

Methods: survey survey design descriptive statistic qualitative content analysis multivariate analysis of variance

Knowledge as a Basis for Expertise in Systems Analysis: An Empirical Study

1985 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 48

Authors: Vitalari, Nicholas

Abstract: This study explores the content of the systems analyst's knowledge base. The st ... Expand

Abstract: This study explores the content of the systems analyst's knowledge base. The study utilizes a protocol analysis methodology in a quasi-experimental research setting to define the types of knowledge used by 18 experienced systems analysts in solving an accounts receivable problem. The study provides preliminary findings regarding the core knowledge utilized by systems analysts, and differences in the knowledge utilized by high-and low-rated analysts. Collapse

Topics: systems analysis problem solving knowledge base systems development requirements analysis

Methods: qualitative coding experimental task protocol analysis qualitative interview cognitive walkthrough