Is Information Systems a science? An inquiry into the nature of the information systems discipline

The Information Systems (IS) discipline is apparently undergoing an identity crisis. Academicians question the need for IS departments in colleges stating the absence of a core for the field and its integration within other business functions as a basis for its elimination. At the same time, many practitioners, as reflected in the US government\u27s recent IT labor shortage report, continue to ignore IS as a distinct field of study. This article briefly outlines these and other challenges and argues that notwithstanding underlying philosophical differences, it can be concluded that IS is an emerging scientific discipline. This conclusion is reached through an assessment of the debate surrounding the issue of whether IS should be a discipline and an analysis of the IS discipline using some key characteristics of science. The arguments put forth in this paper have four key implications for the IS community: a continuing emphasis on adopting scientific principles and practices for conducting inquiry into IS phenomena; an enhancement of the self-concept of IS academics and professionals through a common identity; enhances the ability of supporters of the IS field to defend against criticisms, integration with other disciplines, and resource rivalry; and creates the potential of being well-situated to building a cumulative tradition in the field

Discipline Formation in Information Management: Case Study of Scientific and Technological Information Services

Discipline formation in information management is investigated through a case study of the origi-nation and development of information services for scientific and technical information in Australia. Particular reference is made to a case of AESIS, a national geoscience, minerals and petroleum reference database coordinated by the Australian Mineral Foundation. This study pro-vided a model for consideration of similar services and their contribution to the discipline. The perspective adopted is to consider information management at operational, analytical and strate-gic levels. Political and financial influences are considered along with analysis of scope, perform-ance and quality control. Factors that influenced the creation, transitions, and abeyance of the service are examined, and some conclusions are drawn about an information management disci-pline being exemplified by such services

Which Theory Applies: An Analysis of Information Systems Research

Research in information systems has rapidly expanded during its relatively brief existence. IT offers organizations a fundamental decision-enhancing environment that extends new opportunities, therefore producing thriving, competitive firms, adding business value and offering valuable products and services to customers. Research within the IT domain has produced several new theories, some of which have been used to help explain and predict end-user use of technologies. We provide a comprehensive overview of the major IT theories and review their theoretical fundamentals

Expanding the Notion of Relevance in IS Research: A Proposal and Some Recommendations

Based on an analysis of a priori discussion on the notion of relevance, this paper proposes a holistic view of relevance in IS research. This expanded notion of relevance incorporates a broader definition of audience/stakeholder, and includes additional dimensions such as scope/value of relevant research, time frame, and situatedness of relevance. In view of this definition, it is argued that practical relevance is not the sole goal of academic research. Hence, the authors recommend, for example, that knowledge claims in IS need to be better communicated and targeted for the future development and recognition of the IS discipline

Application Of Grounded Theory Method In Information Systems Research: Methodological And Practical Issues

This paper argues that the grounded theory method (GTM) is a positivist-oriented research method from a methodological standpoint. It argues that following the systematic procedures, principles, and mechanism of conducting the research and creating knowledge and theories, and the unavoidable influence of the literature, places GTM under the umbrella of the positivist paradigm. It also sheds some light on practical issues that information systems (IS) researchers face when applying GTM such as applying theoretical sampling and coding in GTM, concerns of presenting GTM data, and the politics of applying GTM. These issues, which are methodological in nature, and their implications will also be discussed

The philosopher's corner: questioning assumptions in the information systems discipline

A healthy characteristic of any research field is a willingness to question its own assumptions. In this essay, I discuss Treiblmaier's proposal to question the epistemological and methodological assumptions of the Information Systems field. Treiblmaier's proposal is thoughtful and provocative and reflects his deep knowledge of the topic and his strong desire for an alternative epistemological and methodological future for our field. Drawing on Feyerabend, Treiblmaier recommends that IS researchers adopt epistemological anarchism, methodological anarchism, and "anything goes" as a guiding principle. I argue against all of these viewpoints. I argue that epistemological anarchism will not foster research progress, methodological anarchism will not lead to major new insights, and "anything goes" as a guiding principle will not benefit the field. Despite disagreeing with Treiblmaier's main recommendations, I highlight several points that I agree are important for the field to address

IS discipline in the IT services land : an exploratory study of IS in India

Information Systems (IS) research is characterized by plurality of methodologies, perspectives and contexts giving rise to various communities within the discipline. Studies of IS communities in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific highlight the cognitive diversity, institutional distribution and research themes based on geography. While regional variations have been acknowledged, the debate on the identity and status of IS is on-going. In this paper we conduct an exploratory study of the IS research paradigm in India and contribute to IS discipline studies by bringing in the India perspective. We analyse the &lsquo;cognitive&rsquo; and &lsquo;behavioural&rsquo; legitimacy of IS discipline in India based on interviews conducted with Indian business school professors from IS and non-IS disciplines. The focus of the study is to understand the current state of IS research community in India. We find a need to establish a &lsquo;collective identity&rsquo; of IS research in India, which will benefit both the Indian and larger IS community to work on unique research possibilities presented by the socioeconomic context of India.<br /

The Information Systems Academic Discipline in Pacific Asia 2006: A Contextual Analysis

This paper serves as an introduction to, and contextual analysis for, the overarching study titled "The Information Systems Academic Discipline in Pacific Asia 2006" reported in this special edition of the Communications of the AIS. This paper describes the genesis of the study; reflects on prior literature on the state of IS; discusses the theory underpinning the individual case studies; and outlines the overall multi-method approach, particularly the case study method used for the state reports. The process of multiple-peer review of the individual state reports is also described. Importantly, this paper summarizes and interrelates each of the component studies reported in the special edition. An outline is also provided of in-progress studies that complement the efforts reported in this special edition

Information systems and technology: a scientific area oriented to the knowledge needs of professionals involved in the continuous transformation of organizations through information technology

Tecnologias e sistemas de informação é a área científica de enquadramento para aqueles que se interessam, académica ou profissionalmente, pela adopção e exploração de tecnologias da informação no contexto das organizações ou da sociedade. É uma área que emergiu como consequência da importância que as TI tem vindo a assumir nas actividades humanas que envolvem alguma forma de processamento de informação. Dada a sua forte interligação com outras áreas, as suas fronteiras são de difícil delimitação. As actividades dos profissionais de TSI e as suas necessidades de conhecimento são usadas neste artigo como critério para definir o âmbito da área científica. Assim, após uma caracterização das actividades profissionais de TSI, são apresentados os grandes grupos que constituem o corpo de conhecimento da área e são apresentados os principais métodos de I&D usados na produção de novo conhecimento cientificamente válido.Information systems and technology (IST) is the scientific area of reference for those interested, academic or professionally, in the adoption and exploitation of information technology within organizations or society. IST emerged as a consequence of the importance that IT has assumed in human activities that involve some form of information processing. Given its strong association with other areas, its boundaries are difficult to define. The activities of IST professionals and their knowledge needs are used in this article as the criteria to define the scope of the IST scientific area. So, after a characterization of the professional activities of IST, we present the major components of the body of knowledge and the main R&D methods used in the production of new scientifically valid knowledge in the area