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

The Comparison of Information Systems Develop Trends between the Chinese Mainland and International

The aims of this research are two fold. First, it compares the research focus of Information Systems in Mainland China with that of the international IS research community. Second, the paper describes the main features and trend of IS research in Mainland China, and makes some suggestions as to some possible interesting research arena. The data are from twenty five academic journals in China and proceedings of international Information Systems conferences

A Meta-Analysis of Survey-Based Research in MIS Field from 1992-2006

Survey research is among the most common methodologies employed in MIS research. However there is an increasing concern over the rigor of research method in MIS field. Based on a review and comparative analysis of the literature this paper provides a critical analysis of trends in the conduct of survey research in the MIS field. Some 651 survey-based studies reported in three leading MIS journals between 1992 and 2006 are reviewed. The finding indicate that there has been an over-reliance on the conduct of cross-sectional studies whereas more emphasis on the use of longitudinal studies would have been appropriate. In terms of unit of analysis, most of the articles reviewed had focused on the individual leading to some concern about potential mismatch between respondents and the unit of analysis

Understanding the Acceptance of Modeling Methods by IS Developers: A Theoretical Model and an Empirical Test

Modeling is an essential aspect of information systems (IS) development. A modeling method defines the constructs and syntax that modelers can use to develop information models. Despite the proliferation of modeling methods, only a few have been widely accepted by the IS development community. IS developers are ultimately the ones who use these modeling methods and evaluate their acceptability. Therefore, the long-term viability of a modeling method and its eventual success depend on its extensive and continued use by IS developers. This study examines IS developers’ modeling method acceptance by identifying factors that influence their intention to continue using a modeling method. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is used as the primary theoretical foundation for this research. Based on a comprehensive literature review, a research model to explain IS developers’ modeling method continuance was developed. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted to test the research model

Combating Phishing Attacks: A Knowledge Management Approach

This paper explores how an organization can utilize its employees to combat phishing attacks collectively through coordinating their activities to create a human firewall. We utilize knowledge management research on knowledge sharing to guide the design of an experiment that explores a central reporting and dissemination platform for phishing attacks. The 2x2 experiment tests the effects of public attribution (to the first person reporting a phishing message) and validation (by the security team) of phishing messages on reporting motivation and accuracy. Results demonstrate that knowledge management techniques are transferable to organizational security and that knowledge management can benefit from insights gained from combating phishing. Specifically, we highlight the need to both publicly acknowledge the contribution to a knowledge management system and provide validation of the contribution. As we saw in our experiment, doing only one or the other does not improve outcomes for correct phishing reports (hits)

Information Quality of Commercial Web Site Home Pages: An Explorative Analysis

In the search for substantive relationships in the use of emerging technology, information quality is often difficult to assess. This research explores user perceptions of presentation, navigation, and quality of Web home pages for approximately 200 selected Fortune 500 companies across 10 industries. An instrument is developed to measure these constructs and is assessed for convergent and discriminant validity as well as reliability. Company Web home pages are clustered using 24 Web site features. Interpretations of the type of Web home page within a cluster are based on their characteristics. An explorative analysis is performed between types of Web home pages and user perceptions of these sites. This study provides empirical evidence of relationships between companies at different positions in the supply chain and the information quality of their Web home pages

INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH IN CHINESE UNIVERSITIES: AN EXAMINATION OF THE INPUT SIDE

Along with the rapid growth of the Chinese economy over the past decades, information systems (IS) research in China has undergone a profound transformation. This exploratory study reports on a survey involving 107 university researchers, focusing on the input aspects of IS research and how institutional factors affect the input. In this paper, input mainly refers to research activities, effort, methods and reference disciplines. Data show researchers are withdrawing from IS development projects, while increasing their effort in academic research. Compared to the past, IS research topics are now more aligned to the international mainstream. A major hurdle for empirical research is the lack of familiarities with empirical research methodology, as indicated by nearly half of the respondents. Effort in academic research tends to correlate with the researchers\u27 income scheme, i.e., sources and proportion of base salary and benefits in their overall income. However, surprisingly, emphasis on quality of publication has not significantly influenced researchers\u27 effort yet, nor has the increased degree of internationalization affected the selection of research methods and the shift to empirical research. The underlying reasons are explored, and implications are also discussed

Charting changes in the discipline : a tri-continental analysis

The purpose of this paper is to describe and chart three key and underpinning dimensions of Information Systems (IS) research in three &lsquo;flagship&rsquo; journals of three continents, over a period of nine years. The dimensions are: research domain, research paradigm, and research setting and they comprise respectively, &lsquo;the what&rsquo;, &lsquo;the how&rsquo;, and &lsquo;the where&rsquo; of research. The paper contributes to the debate on research diversity in Information Systems in three ways. Firstly, it provides a view of &lsquo;research domain&rsquo; that is at a semantically higher level than previous schemas examining the &lsquo;what&rsquo; of research. This view reveals deep structural trends within the IS literature. Secondly, it details the results of a content analysis which examined research domain, research paradigm, and research setting within the journals MIS Quarterly (MISQ), European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS) and the Australasian Journal of Information Systems (AJIS) during the years 2001-2009. Lastly, the study compares the publication trends across the three continents and identifies an emerging, if tentative convergence across the Atlantic and to some extent in Australia. The paper suggests some reasons for this convergence and some avenues to explore it.<br /