Developing Ontological Theories for Conceptual Models using Qualitative Research

Conceptual modelling is believed to be at the core of the IS discipline. There have been attempts to develop theoretical foundations for conceptual models, in particular ontological models as axiomatic reference systems. Although the notion of ontology has become popular in modelling theories, criticism has risen as to its philosophical presuppositions. Taking on this criticism, we discuss the task of developing socially constructed ontologies for modelling domains and outline how to enhance the expressiveness of ontological modelling theories by developing them via qualitative research methods such as Grounded Theory

Do Process Modelling Techniques Get Better? A Comparative Ontological Analysis of BPMN

Current initiatives in the field of Business Process Management (BPM) strive for the development of a BPM standard notation by pushing the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN). However, such a proposed standard notation needs to be carefully examined. Ontological analysis is an established theoretical approach to evaluating modelling techniques. This paper reports on the outcomes of an ontological analysis of BPMN and explores identified issues by reporting on interviews conducted with BPMN users in Australia. Complementing this analysis we consolidate our findings with previous ontological analyses of process modelling notations to deliver a comprehensive assessment of BPMN

Ontology-driven conceptual modeling: A'systematic literature mapping and review

All rights reserved. Ontology-driven conceptual modeling (ODCM) is still a relatively new research domain in the field of information systems and there is still much discussion on how the research in ODCM should be performed and what the focus of this research should be. Therefore, this article aims to critically survey the existing literature in order to assess the kind of research that has been performed over the years, analyze the nature of the research contributions and establish its current state of the art by positioning, evaluating and interpreting relevant research to date that is related to ODCM. To understand and identify any gaps and research opportunities, our literature study is composed of both a systematic mapping study and a systematic review study. The mapping study aims at structuring and classifying the area that is being investigated in order to give a general overview of the research that has been performed in the field. A review study on the other hand is a more thorough and rigorous inquiry and provides recommendations based on the strength of the found evidence. Our results indicate that there are several research gaps that should be addressed and we further composed several research opportunities that are possible areas for future research

Ontological Foundations of Representational Information Systems

A research program around the idea that information systems represent real-world systems was started almost twenty years ago. The program started by Wand and Weber is still going strong with a significant amount of research inspired by them and is one of the few instances incremental foundational research in Information Systems. Much of this research is being undertaken in Australia, and its influence has spread far and wide. Wand and Weber have used ontology, a discipline with roots in two thousand years of philosophy, to drive empirical work into how well information systems represent reality. In this paper the inspiration and progress of the program of research followed over the past two decades is described. The research program has recently progressed from its roots examining information systems development to examine enterprise systems and other package solutions. Further, it is beginning now to more fully use the depth of ontological theory available. However, there are challenges in how Bunge’s ontology has been used and opportunities for using complementary ontologies and for different conceptualisations of information systems

Percieved Evaluability - Development of a Theoretical Model and a Measurement Scale

Sound conceptual models are commonly considered as an important factor for successful information systems (IS) development. Due to inaccurate conceptual specifications, IS projects can be delayed or even fail. Thus, thorough evaluation of models is a major concern in IS research. Consequently, theoretical models are required which elucidate the conditions for the successful evaluability of conceptual models. However, IS literature only provides little insights about the prerequisites of effective evaluation. Systematic investigations on the evaluability of conceptual models are missing. Therefore, is paper aims at two research results. Firstly, based on a comprehensive literature review we propose a theoretical model of perceived evaluability. This theoretical model rests on the influence of domain knowledge and the perceived comprehensibility of conceptual models as its two main impact factors. Secondly, to prepare an empirical evaluation of the theoretical model, the development of measurement scales is described. The first steps of this process are exemplified based on an inquiry of modeling experts and implications for testing our hypotheses are provide

Using ontology for the representational analysis of process modelling techniques

Selecting an appropriate business process modelling technique forms an important task within the methodological challenges of a business process management project. While a plethora of available techniques has been developed over the last decades, there is an obvious shortage of well-accepted reference frameworks that can be used to evaluate and compare the capabilities of the different techniques. Academic progress has been made at least in the area of representational analyses that use ontology as a benchmark for such evaluations. This paper reflects on the comprehensive experiences with the application of a model based on the Bunge ontology in this context. A brief overview of the underlying research model characterizes the different steps in such a research project. A comparative summary of previous representational analyses of process modelling techniques over time gives insights into the relative maturity of selected process modelling techniques. Based on these experiences suggestions are made as to where ontology-based representational analyses could be further developed and what limitations are inherent to such analyses

Ontological Evaluation of Conceptual Models

The objective of this paper is to present a philosophically sound approach to conceptual model evaluation. Accordingly, the ontological evaluation of conceptual models is enriched with a linguistic interpretivist perspective. The need for such an approach to evaluation is justified by the substantial economic importance of conceptual models. The quality of a conceptual model has a significant impact on other IT artefacts and, thus, on the costs of IT projects. However, little research has so far focused on their evaluation. In the course of this paper, we develop a framework which describes the current state of research and recognizes neglected research fields. With the aid of this framework we identify a notable shortcoming in conceptual model evaluation research, especially with respect to philosophically sound evaluation procedures. Based on these findings we address the following research questions: What are the shortcomings in current evaluation research, what are the merits of ‘ontological evaluation’ in this context, and how can the linguistic interpretivist approach help to form a comprehensive and philosophically sound conceptual model evaluation approach

Information Systems as Representations: A Review of the Theory and Evidence

Representation theory proposes that the basic purpose of an information system (IS) is to faithfully represent certain real-world phenomena, allowing users to reason about these phenomena more cost- effectively than if they were observed directly. Over the past three decades, the theory has underpinned much research on conceptual modeling in IS analysis and design and, increasingly, research on other IS phenomena such as data quality, system alignment, IS security, and system use. The original theory has also inspired further development of its core premises and advances in methodological guidelines to improve its use and evaluation. Nonetheless, the theory has attracted repeated criticisms regarding its validity, relevance, usefulness, and robustness. Given the burgeoning literature on the theory over time, both positive and negative, the time is ripe for a narrative, developmental review. We review representation theory, examine how it has been used, and critically evaluate its contributions and limitations. Based on our findings, we articulate a set of recommendations for improving its application, development, testing, and evaluation

Computational Ontologies and Information Systems I: Foundations

This paper provides a state-of-the-art review about computational ontologies to raise awareness about this research area in the IS discipline and to explore areas where IS researchers can engage in fruitful research. This paper discusses the basic foundations and definitions pertaining to the field of computational ontologies. It reviews the intersection of computational ontologies with the IS discipline. It also discusses methods and guidelines for developing computational ontologies. The paper concludes with recommendations for important and emerging directions for research. The technical aspects of ontologies are presented in a companion paper (Volume 14, article 9). The companion paper provides a comprehensive review of the formalisms, languages, and tools used for specifying and implementing computational ontologies

Associations and Mutual Properties - An Experimental Assessment

Associations are a widely used construct of object-oriented languages. However, the meaning of associations for conceptual modelling of application domains remains unclear. Ontological considerations in past research suggest that associations are related to the concept of mutual properties. Specifically, previous research has suggested that mutual properties, not associations, should be modelled, and guidelines for doing this in UML have been offered. This paper presents the results of an experimental study, which suggest that this guidance does in fact lead to improved models