A set of ethical principles for design science research in information systems

Over the past decade, design science research (DSR) has re-emerged as an important research paradigm in the field of information systems. However, the approaches currently recommended for conducting design science research do not include an ethical component. Thus, the objective of this paper is to initiate a debate about the need for ethical principles for DSR in Information Systems (IS). To launch this debate, we suggest that a set of ethical principles for DSR in IS must be created. Although the interpretation and application of these principles might not always be straightforward, our argument is that all DSR practitioners in IS should devote at least some time to consider ethical principles

Where is the crowd?

Crowdfunding has received increasing attention in the financial services space in the past few years. This is because crowdfunding has become a viable alternative to traditional capital investment and thus a threat to investors in that sector. Various platforms exist which allow fundraisers to pitch an idea and spread awareness with the intention of acquiring backers. Most backers of crowdfunding campaigns come to the platform with the fundraiser rather than from the platform itself [25]. Fundraisers must find and engage a crowd and not rely on the platform for provision of the crowd. This paper sets out four action design principles for identifying and engaging a crowd. Using a boundary object theory approach, the crowdfunding campaign is broken down based on backer’s social worlds which define the crowd and their interests

Design ethnography in information systems

Until recently, most ethnographic research in information systems has been based on the traditional anthropological model of ethnography. In this traditional model of ethnography, one of the most important data-gathering techniques is participant observation. The ethnographer observes and participates but does not actively seek to change the situation. In recent years, however, a new type of ethnographic research has emerged - one that can be called design ethnography. Design ethnography is where the researcher goes beyond observation and actively engages with people in the field. Our view is that design ethnography has much potential for research in information systems. It is a new form of engaged scholarship that bridges the gap between ethnographic research and design science research

Towards a Model for Discourse Ethics-based Digital Business Strategy Development

We develop a model that implements generic discourse and business ethics proposals for the concrete purpose of ethical digital business strategy (DBS) development. The model’s objective is to outline how DBS initiatives with the potential to affect the wider society can be developed and justified considering economic, ecological, and social criteria, based on a consensus among the relevant stakeholders. We evaluate the model on the grounds of a two past DBS initiatives that were reported in the media to be controversial due to a lack of stakeholder consensus. With the model, we contribute a pragmatization of the business and discourse ethics literature for the IS discipline that covers the time before actual IS design and development decisions take place. Business and IT executives in practice can draw on the model to guide their DBS processes along ethical lines

Reducing human error in cyber security using the Human Factors Analysis Classification System (HFACS).

For several decades, researchers have stated that human error is a significant cause of information security breaches, yet it still remains to be a major issue today. Quantifying the effects of security incidents is often a difficult task because studies often understate or overstate the costs involved. Human error has always been a cause of failure in many industries and professions that is overlooked or ignored as an inevitability. The problem with human error is further exacerbated by the fact that the systems that are set up to keep networks secure are managed by humans. There are several causes of a security breach related human error such as poor situational awareness, lack of training, boredom, and lack of risk perception. Part of the problem is that people who usually make great decisions offline make deplorable decisions online due to incorrect assumptions of how computer transactions operate. Human error can be unintentional because of the incorrect execution of a plan (slips/lapses) or from correctly following an inadequate plan (mistakes). Whether intentional or unintentional, errors can lead to vulnerabilities and security breaches. Regardless, humans remain the weak link in the process of interfacing with the machines they operate and in keeping information secure. These errors can have detrimental effects both physically and socially. Hackers exploit these weaknesses to gain unauthorized entry into computer systems. Security errors and violations, however, are not limited to users. Administrators of systems are also at fault. If there is not an adequate level of awareness, many of the security techniques are likely to be misused or misinterpreted by the users rendering adequate security mechanisms useless. Corporations also play a factor in information security loss, because of the reactive management approaches that they use in security incidents. Undependable user interfaces can also play a role for the security breaches due to flaws in the design. System design and human interaction both play a role in how often human error occurs particularly when there is a slight mismatch between the system design and the person operating it. One major problem with systems design is that they designed for simplicity, which can lead a normally conscious person to make bad security decisions. Human error is a complex and elusive security problem that has generally defied creation of a structured and standardized classification scheme. While Human error may never be completely eliminated from the tasks, they perform due to poor situational awareness, or a lack of adequate training, the first step to make improvements over the status quo is to establish a unified scheme to classify such security errors. With this background, I, intend to develop a tool to gather data and apply the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), a tool developed for aviation accidents, to see if there are any latent organizational conditions that led to the error. HFACS analyzes historical data to find common trends that can identify areas that need to be addressed in an organization to the goal of reducing the frequency of the errors

Assessment Instrument for Privacy Policy Content: Design and Evaluation of PPC

Privacy policies are notices posted by providers and intended to inform users about privacy practices. However, extant research shows that privacy policies are often of poor quality and do not address users’ concerns. In this paper, we design and develop PPC – a privacy policy content assessment instrument to support assessments of whether offered privacy policy content provides comprehensive information addressing users’ privacy concerns. PPC is developed based on extant research, standards, and guidelines. Application of PPC to 62 privacy policies of mHealth apps available in iOS and Android demonstrates utility of PPC and suitability of PPC as assessment instrument for privacy policy content. Contributions of our research are twofold: For research, we conduct improvement design science research contributing to design theory on assessment of privacy policy content. For practice, potential applications of PPC are support in privacy policy development and identification of deficiencies in offered privacy policies. In addition, through evaluation of PPC, we reveal an insufficient current state of mHealth app privacy policy content

MIXED REALITY IN THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS PEDAGOGY: AN AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Mixed Reality (MR) has brought a significant change in today’s world and its significance is continuously evolving in Information Systems (IS) pedagogy. This study expands on the current literature to plan, design, test, and evaluate the use of Microsoft HoloLens, which is an MR device in an IS classroom. This study uses design science guidelines to introduce HoloLens to 20 postgraduate students and 130 undergraduate students in their class. Student responses were both positive and negative highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of the technology, the applications and its interface as presented in this paper. Findings suggest that the use of an authentic learning framework provided effective instructional design guidelines support the acquisition of advanced knowledge

Towards Ontology-Based Design Science Research for Knowledge Accumulation and Evolution

The potential of design science research (DSR) to contribute to real-world problems solving and innovation has been considered as an opportunity for IS researchers to demonstrate the relevance and significance of DSR paradigm. While most DSR studies have been informed on single design and development projects, future research needs to consider knowledge sharing and accumulation across multiple projects. This paper argues for combining the forces of design science research and ontology studies to foster knowledge creation and evolution. We propose a new approach to DSR by adopting ontology engineering as a knowledge sharing mechanism in which researchers assemble knowledge parts throughout the study. We develop a framework for understanding, conducting and evaluating ontology-based design science research, then present the roadmap and guidelines for its conduct and evaluation. This paper concludes with a call for a more collaborative endeavor to design studies in IS research

Making the world a better place with Mixed Reality in Education

Mixed Reality (MR) is an emerging technology in which the real world is enhanced by an overlay of computer graphics-based interaction. The use of MR in the Information Systems (IS) pedagogy is becoming more and more to be taken as a reflection of reality. This study expands on the current literature to plan, design, test, and evaluate the use of Microsoft HoloLens a MR device in IS classroom. This study uses design science guidelines to introduce HoloLens to 205 students in a postgraduate and undergraduate class. Student responses were both positive and negative highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of the technology, the applications and its interface as presented in this paper. This study uses Socio-Technical Interaction Networks (STIN) analytical strategy for social informatics to compare the different forms of knowledge embodiment in the mixed reality system for education

Design and Development of a Diabetes Self-Management Platform: A Case for Responsible Information System Development

Diabetes Mellitus a prevalent chronic disease that affects people from all genders and ages, continues to grow exponentially with predictions of nearly 578 million people affected by 2030. Self-management, known to be an essential aspect of any care program can help patients with diabetics to control blood glucose and thereby reduce the impact and likely complications. However, self-management to date has included the development of digital health solutions have poor sustained uptake. This is primarily since such digital solutions have a poor fit with patient and clinician needs. In this paper we propose a digital platform for supporting patients with diabetes. The proposed platform is a work-in-progress research and has been co-designed and co-developed (jointly with patients and clinicians) based on design science principles and includes key aspects of task-technology fit information system theory for further evaluation