Stylized Facts as an Instrument for Literature Review and Cumulative Information Systems Research

The accumulation of scientific knowledge is an important objective of information systems (IS) research. Although different review approaches exist in the continuum between narrative reviews and meta-analyses, most reviews in IS are narrative or descriptive—with all related drawbacks concerning objectivity and reliability—because available under¬lying sources in IS do typically not fulfil the requirements of formal approaches such as meta-analyses. To discuss how cumulative IS research can be effectively advanced using a more formalized approach fitting the current situation in IS research, in this paper, we point out the potential of stylized facts (SFs). SFs are interesting, sometimes counterintuitive patterns in empirical data that focus on the most relevant aspects of observable phenomena by abstracting from details (stylization). SFs originate from the field of economics and have been successfully used in different fields of research for years. In this paper, we discuss their potential and challenges for literature reviews in IS. We supplement our argumentation with an application example reporting our experience with SFs. Because SFs show considerable potential for cumulative research, they seem to be a promising instrument for literature reviews and especially for theory development in IS

Assistive Technology for Independent Living with Dementia: Stylized Facts and Research Gaps

Background: Demographic change and continuously increasing spending on public health have intensified the public debate as well as deliberations on the development and deployment of new assistive technologies; particularly for dementia patients as it affects a large and increasing number of people, not only causing massive social distress, but also great economic losses. Recent advancement in assistive technologies (AT) have therefore fueled the debate on new, IT-reliant ways of providing cure and care of dementia. Still the impact on practice has been little. With this paper, we want to find out to which extent current studies have discussed the impacts of AT for dementia. Methods: We conduct a scoping review of the literature. We identified n=539 unique articles, out of which n=36 reported on impacts of AT use in the context of dementia. Based on this subset, we extracted a list of original statements, which was then further aggregated to 6 stylized facts. Results: The identified stylized facts describe common findings that can be observed in most studies reporting on IT-reliant assistive tools for dementia patients although applying different methods, focusing on different technologies, or working in different contexts. Conclusions: While the identified stylized facts indicate how much evidence behind certain common assumptions is, we additionally found that studies in the area of AT for dementia often neglect the socio-economic and ethical dimension. These are important research gaps for future work

Exploring foundations for using simulations in IS research

Simulation has been adopted in many disciplines as a means for understanding the behavior of a system by imitating it through an artificial object that exhibits a nearly identical behavior. Although simulation approaches have been widely adopted for theory building in disciplines such as engineering, computer science, management, and social sciences, their potential in the IS field is often overlooked. The aim of this paper is to understand how different simulation approaches are used in IS research, thereby providing insights and methodological recommendations for future studies. A literature review of simulation studies published in top-tier IS journals leads to the definition of three classes of simulations, namely the self-organizing, the elementary, and the situated. A set of stylized facts is identified for characterizing the ways in which the premise, the inference, and the contribution are presented in IS simulation studies. As a result, this study provides guidance to future simulation researchers in designing and presenting findings

Loot Boxes, Problem Gambling, and Problem Gaming: A Critical Review of the Emerging Literature

The literature studying video game loot boxes is young but growing quickly. Given the rapid proliferation of loot box research and its developing influence in public policy, a stocktaking and critical reflection is in order. This paper reviews the emerging literature on loot boxes and problematic behaviors such as problem gambling and problem gaming and describes some challenges facing this research. The main problems involve (1) the availability of relevant and useful data, choice of research subjects, and difficulties of reliable and representative sampling; (2) the use of research tools and methods that fail to take account of the unique characteristics of loot boxes; and (3) neglect of the underlying economic significance of loot box engagement, a necessity for considering the true social impact and the policy implications of loot boxes. Together, these challenges show clearly that loot box research has a long way to go before it can be relied on for practical purposes. The paper concludes by outlining a positive research program with a view to informing policy

A Knowledge Development Perspective on Literature Reviews: Validation of a new Typology in the IS Field

Literature reviews (LRs) play an important role in developing domain knowledge in all fields. Yet, we observe insufficient insights into the activities with which LRs actually develop knowledge. To address this important gap, we 1) derive knowledge-building activities from the extant literature on LRs, 2) suggest a knowledge-based LR typology that complements existing typologies, and 3) apply the typology in an empirical study that explores how LRs with different goals and methodologies have contributed to knowledge development. In analyzing 240 LRs published in 40 renowned information systems (IS) journals between 2000 and 2014, we draw a detailed picture of knowledge development that one of the most important genres in the IS field has achieved. With this work, we help to unify extant LR conceptualizations by clarifying and illustrating how they apply different methodologies in a range of knowledge-building activities to achieve their goals with respect to theory

Towards the development of stylized facts on the understandability of graphical business process models

The development of theory is one of the major tasks of every scientific discipline, and thus of Information Systems Research (ISR) as well as Business Informatics (BI). While different approaches can be used to develop theory in ISR and BI, there is one “dominant” way of IS theory development which has been described by GROVER and LYYTINEN in a recent article published in MISQ as the common “epistemic script”. The authors criticize this epistemic script for promoting a quite restricted production of IS-related knowledge. Furthermore, GROVER and LYYTINEN, identify new potential ways of overcoming the common epistemic script and propose – among others – the concept of Stylized Facts (SF) as one potential way for innovative knowledge production in ISR and BI. Against the background that we – the authors of this report – have been using Stylized Facts as a research approach for some years and can confirm the potential of this approach, the following report presents the idea and the current state of a promising comprehensive dissertation project (first author of this report) using Stylized Facts in ISR and BI which started in 2014. In the following, the idea of developing Stylized Facts regarding the understandability of graphical business process models is elaborated. Besides the presentation of an approach for a transparent development of SF, a comprehensive application example will illustrate the derivation of a SF regarding the relationships of the structuredness of business process models and the resulting model understandability

Towards the development of stylized facts on the understandability of graphical business process models

The development of theory is one of the major tasks of every scientific discipline, and thus of Information Systems Research (ISR) as well as Business Informatics (BI). While different approaches can be used to develop theory in ISR and BI, there is one “dominant” way of IS theory development which has been described by GROVER and LYYTINEN in a recent article published in MISQ as the common “epistemic script”. The authors criticize this epistemic script for promoting a quite restricted production of IS-related knowledge. Furthermore, GROVER and LYYTINEN, identify new potential ways of overcoming the common epistemic script and propose – among others – the concept of Stylized Facts (SF) as one potential way for innovative knowledge production in ISR and BI. Against the background that we – the authors of this report – have been using Stylized Facts as a research approach for some years and can confirm the potential of this approach, the following report presents the idea and the current state of a promising comprehensive dissertation project (first author of this report) using Stylized Facts in ISR and BI which started in 2014. In the following, the idea of developing Stylized Facts regarding the understandability of graphical business process models is elaborated. Besides the presentation of an approach for a transparent development of SF, a comprehensive application example will illustrate the derivation of a SF regarding the relationships of the structuredness of business process models and the resulting model understandability

Open Access to Telecommunications Infrastructure and Digital Services: Competition, Cooperation and Regulation

Open Access, defined as the non-discriminatory access to an upstream bottleneck resource, takes a central role in information and communications technology markets. This thesis investigates the competitive and cooperative interactions in these markets, where firms require access to an essential input resource. Theoretical analyses and experimental evaluations are employed to examine market outcomes under alternative regulatory institutions and voluntary access agreements

Enterprise reference architectures for higher education institutions: Analysis, comparison and practical uses

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is currently accepted as one on the major instruments for enabling organisations in their transformation processes to achieve business-technology alignment. Despite that over the last years EA has been successfully adopted in many industries, Higher Education still represents one of the sectors with lower levels of adoption and maturity of EA practices. The present thesis puts the emphasis particularly on the study Enterprise Reference Architectures (ERAs), as a particular type of EA artefact, in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). After formally clarifying the concept of ERAs and giving a panoramic view of the current state-of-the-art of existing HEI-oriented ERAs, the thesis proposes an artefact framework build through a Design Science Research (DSR) approach aimed to facilitate practitioners their (re-)use or application in their own real practical settings. The purpose of the constructed artefact is to support practitioners when conducting the necessary adjustments to exiting HEI-oriented ERAs in order to be successfully applied for their specific needs.La Arquitectura Empresarial (AE) es actualmente reconocida como una disciplina que permite configurar procesos de trasformación organizativa a objeto de alinear el negocio con la tecnología. A pesar de que en los últimos años la AE se ha ido adoptando progresivamente de forma exitosa en diversas industrias, la educación superior representa todavía hoy en día uno de los sectores con menores niveles de adopción y de madurez en lo que se refiere a las prácticas de AE. La presente tesis hace especial hincapié en el estudio de las Arquitecturas de Referencia Empresariales (AREs), entendidas como un artefacto específico de AE, en Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES). Así, después de clarificar formalmente el concepto de ARE y de ofrecer una visión panorámica del estado del arte relativo a las AREs para IES existentes, la tesis propone un framework de trabajo construido a través de un enfoque de investigación basado en la Ciencia del diseño destinado a facilitar su (re-)utilización o aplicación práctica en dominios de trabajo reales. El objetivo del artefacto es proporcionar soporte práctico a los profesionales para realizar los ajustes necesarios a las AREs para IES existentes para que puedan aplicarlas con éxito a sus necesidades específicas.L'Arquitectura Empresarial (AE) és actualment reconeguda com una disciplina que permet configurar processos de transformació organitzatius a fi d'alinear el negoci amb la tecnologia. Tot i que en els darrers anys l'AE s'ha anat adoptant progressivament amb èxit en diverses indústries, l'educació superior representa encara avui dia un dels sectors amb menors nivells d'adopció i de maduresa pel que fa a pràctiques d'AE. Aquesta tesi posa especial èmfasi en l'estudi de les Arquitectures de Referència Empresarials (AREs), enteses com un artefacte concret d'AE, a Institucions d'Educació Superior (IES). Així, després d'aclarir formalment el concepte d'ARE i oferir una visió panoràmica de l'estat de l'art relatiu a les ARE per a IES existents, la tesi proposa un framework de treball construït a través d'un enfocament de recerca basat en la ciència del disseny destinat a facilitar-ne la seva (re-)utilització o aplicació pràctica en dominis de treball reals. L'objectiu de l'artefacte és proporcionar suport pràctic als professionals per realitzar els ajustaments necessaris a les AREs per a IES existents de forma que les puguin aplicar amb èxit a les seves necessitats específiques.Tecnologies de la informació i de xarxe