Some Guidance on Conducting and Reporting Qualitative Studies

This paper sets out to address the problem of the imbalance between the number of quantitative and qualitative articles published in highly ranked research journals, by providing guidelines for the design, implementation and reporting of qualitative research. Clarification is provided of key terms (such as quantitative and qualitative) and the interrelationships between them. The relative risks and benefits of using guidelines for qualitative research are considered, and the importance of using any such guidelines flexibly is highlighted. The proposed guidelines are based on a synthesis of existing guidelines and syntheses of guidelines from a range of fields

Beyond Bourdieu, Foucault and Habermas: Review and Assessment of Critical Information Systems Research

This paper presents a literature review of critical information systems (IS) research. Specifically, it focuses on how IS researchers have responded to Myers and Klein’s (2011) call to consider critical approaches and theorists in addition Bourdieu, Foucault and Habermas. The review identifies and discusses three types of critical IS research “beyond Bourdieu, Foucault and Habermas”: work based on a) (other) critical grand social theories, b) postcolonialism and c) data-focused critical methods (i.e., Capabilities Approach, Critical Discourse Analysis, Critical Heuristics and Design, Frame Analysis and Phronetic Enquiry). Based on the literature review, the paper maps the landscape of critical approaches and theories and identify their origins. This analysis is helpful for IS researchers interested in conducting critical IS research by charting the range of critical research approaches beyond Bourdieu, Foucault and Haberma

Knowledge creation in information technology and tourism research

We critique Information Technology and Tourism (ITT) research and make recommendations to enhance its theoretical and methodological development. Our recommendations are based on four critiques: 1) ITT is primarily a self-referential research area; 2) ITT is popular with tourism academics, but not in other technology-related disciplines; 3) ITT does not synchronize with its mother discipline of information systems; and 4) ITT is primarily focused on business applications of technology, with limited engagement of theoretical developments in social science. We firstly suggest ITT researchers should engage with wider disciplinary knowledge through their parent fields of Information Systems and Tourism. Secondly, we suggest a shift from the user-centric and over-crowded applied business studies focus of ITT and encourage theorizing IT and tourism in a larger social context critically and reflexively. Thirdly, we encourage academics to develop ITT specific guidance to offer rigorous directions and instructions of theoretical and methodological development

“The Voices of the Subjugated” - A Feminist Critique of Information Systems Research

In this research-in-progress paper, we argue that feminist epistemologies can greatly benefit Information Systems research as it tries to grapple with societal issues of marginalization, emancipation, and distribution of power associated with digital technologies. Indeed, Information Systems scholars’ growing focus on “doing good” requires us to think carefully not only about who the subject and objects of study are, but also on our own privileges as researchers. By drawing on Spivak and Deleuze and Guattari, we propose that feminist perspectives can play a key role in researching marginalized voices. We engage in asking questions and emphasize the need for IS research to (1) locate experiences of alternative subjectification done in environments where people are subjugated or obliged to conform to an imposed identity; and (2) enter a dialog with major theories to showcase the contradictions within dominant discourse

Challenges of Critical and Emancipatory Design Science Research: The Design of 'Possible Worlds' as Response

Popper's (1967) 'piecemeal social change' is an approach manifesting itself in science as critical and emancipatory (C&E) research. It is concerned with incrementally removing manifested inequalities to achieve a 'better' world. Although design science research in information systems seems to be a prime candidate for such endeavors, respective projects are clearly underrepresented. This position paper argues that this is due to the demand of justifying research ex post by an evaluation in practical settings. From the perspective of C&E research it is questionable if powerful actors grant access to their organization and support projects which ultimately challenge their position. It is suggested that theory development based on a synthesis of justificatory knowledge is a complementary approach that allows designing realizable responses to C&E issues---the design of 'possible worlds' (Lewis, 1986) as basis for C&E design science research.Comment: Presented at the 15th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, 4-7 July, 2013 Angers FR. Website: http://www.iceis.org/?y=201

The Internet Architype “Karen” as an Enabler of Consumer Online Brand Defending – A Case Study on Costco Taiwan

The Internet\u27s growth enables consumers to critique brands openly, but these criticisms may be deemed unsubstantiated by others who label these consumers as Karen, signifying them as problematic. Occasionally, consumers may voluntarily defend the brand. These critiques and defenses, part of online reviews, significantly shape the brand\u27s eWOM. Despite the widespread use of the term Karen for problematic consumers, prior research did not clearly show how Karen triggers consumer online brand defending. Our case study on Costco Taiwan indicates that consumer actions prompting online brand defending can be categorized into three groups: (1) Disruption, (2) Critics, and (3) Abuse. Further details on these behaviors and potential responses are provided

Pragmatizing the Normative Artifact: Design Science Research in Scandinavia and Beyond

In this panel report, we analyze the discussion that unfolded during the “Design Science Research: A Scandinavian Approach?” panel held at the third Scandinavian Conference on Information Systems in Sigtuna, Sweden, in August, 2012. The second author of this paper chaired the panel, which also included Tone Bratteteig, Shirley Gregor, Ola Henfridsson, Alan Hevner, Jan Pries-Heje, and Tuure Tuunanen as panelists. Three themes that highlight how the design of artifacts contributes to knowledge production emerged during the panel. The first theme addresses our responsibility, as a research community, to come up not only with descriptions of the world but also to try to change things into preferable states. The second theme emphasizes that knowledge production also happens through the design of artifacts. The third theme identifies an apparent pragmatic turn in our discipline

When Stablecoin is No Longer Stable - A Case Study on the Failure of TerraUSD

Comparing to other price-volatile cryptocurrencies, stablecoins provide a reliable way to store value and make transactions, and thus are more suitable for daily-life usage and investment risk control. However, there remains a lack of understanding of how stablecoin can gain success. This may lead to the introduction of stablecoins based on uninformed proposals, which may eventually fail. In turn, owners of these stablecoins may suffer from significant financial losses. Using theories of Information Systems and digital startups failures as the theoretical foundation, our study identified four underlying factors (lack of scarcity, lack of fiat reserve backup, decentralization, and failure of value creation) and two triggers (massive selling by major investors and algorithm malfunction) behind the collapse of a stablecoin, based on the case of TerraUSD’s collapse. Our findings provide implications for stablecoins issuers to prioritize maintenance and foster user adoption, thus increasing the likelihood of success of stablecoins