A Framework for Guiding and Evaluating Literature Reviews

Given that the synthesis of cumulated knowledge is an essential condition for any field to grow and develop, we believe that the enhanced role of IS reviews requires that this expository form be given careful scrutiny. Over the past decade, several senior scholars have made calls for more review papers in our field. While the number of IS review papers has substantially increased in recent years, no prior research has attempted to develop a general framework to conduct and evaluate the rigor of standalone reviews. In this paper, we fill this gap. More precisely, we present a set of guidelines for guiding and evaluating IS literature reviews and specify to which review types they apply. To do so, we first distinguish between four broad categories of review papers and then propose a set of guidelines that are grouped according to the generic phases and steps of the review process. We hope our work will serve as a valuable source for those conducting, evaluating, and/or interpreting reviews in our field

The Making of a 'Top' Open Data City: A Case Study of Edmonton’s Open Data Initiative

In recent years, various models and indexes have been proposed to evaluate and rate the performance of open data initiatives. However, little research examines cities’ open data initiatives in relation to these indexes and how cities achieve open data success. Through an exploratory case study of Edmonton, Canada’s top ranked open data city, this research sheds light on the mechanisms contributing to top-rated and successful open data initiatives. Our findings reveal current open data indexes emphasize publication of data sets over the measurement of impact. The case study suggests that to be successful, cities should approach open data as a continuing journey and must actively engage other stakeholders, particularly intermediaries and citizens. Finally, we observe that common myths constructed around open data help promote open data at a strategic level, but must be viewed skeptically at the operational level

The Making of a \u27Top\u27 Open Data City: A Case Study of Edmonton’s Open Data Initiative

In recent years, various models and indexes have been proposed to evaluate and rate the performance of open data initiatives. However, little research examines cities’ open data initiatives in relation to these indexes and how cities achieve open data success. Through an exploratory case study of Edmonton, Canada’s top ranked open data city, this research sheds light on the mechanisms contributing to top-rated and successful open data initiatives. Our findings reveal current open data indexes emphasize publication of data sets over the measurement of impact. The case study suggests that to be successful, cities should approach open data as a continuing journey and must actively engage other stakeholders, particularly intermediaries and citizens. Finally, we observe that common myths constructed around open data help promote open data at a strategic level, but must be viewed skeptically at the operational level

(Re)considering the Concept of Literature Review Reproducibility

Literature reviews play a key role in academic research by describing, understanding, explaining, and testing the constructs and theories within a particular topic area. In recent years, various commentaries, debates, and editorials in the information systems (IS) field’s top journals have highlighted the importance of a trustworthy literature review process, including detailed discussions on systematicity and transparency. Although the reproducibility of a literature review has also been noted as important, it remains less recognized because of several terminology-related issues. This ambiguity could result in misunderstandings regarding the degree of trust that should be placed in a literature review’s process. In this research essay, we seek to clarify what makes a literature review reproducible, how it is distinct from related concepts, and when achieving it is desirable and feasible. We propose a series of clarifications and remedies to assist scholars within and outside the IS field in the preparation of stand-alone reviews

Integrating Across Sustainability, Political, and Administrative Spheres: A Longitudinal Study of Actors’ Engagement in Open Data Ecosystems in Three Canadian Cities

Over the last decade, cities around the world have embraced the open data movement by launching open data portals. To successfully derive benefits from these initiatives, various individual and organizational actors need to engage with them. These actors undertake activities supporting data publication and dissemination in open data ecosystems. In this paper, we focus on enhancing the IS community’s contribution to the open data movement by conducting a longitudinal, qualitative archival analysis of open data initiatives in three Canadian cities: Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal. Combining two complementary models of open data and information ecosystems, we explore how actors engage in and across the sustainability, political, and administrative spheres to influence open data initiatives. Our findings suggest most actors operate in a single sphere but that some can operate across two or all three spheres to become ecosystem anchors. Through these sphere-spanning efforts, ecosystem anchors help to shape the way in which open data initiatives evolve. We provide a theoretically grounded explanation of processes in successful open data initiatives and suggest new directions for practice

Portrait des politiques en matière d'utilisation des marchés publics pour des fins de développement économique

Ce document vise à dresser un portrait d'ensemble des politiques des autres gouvernements (provinciaux, états et autres pays) en matière d'utilisation des marchés publics pour des fins de développement économique, en particulier en ce qui a trait aux industries manufacturières. Il vise aussi à documenter des façons de faire novatrices par les différents gouvernements. Ce rapport n'est pas disponible car il est confidentiel.

Open Innovation in the Public Sector: A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective and the Role of Information Technology

Public sector organizations (PSOs) are facing important structural, financial, environmental, and technological pressures. To adapt and respond to this complex and changing environment, PSOs need to deploy new innovative and collaborative approaches to capture and capitalize on specialized knowledge coming from a wider number of contributors. Open innovation (OI) is one such promising approach. Drawing on a dynamic capabilities perspective and based on an analysis of 100 case study reports of OI initiatives, we identified 16 key organizational actions deployed by PSOs to implement OI initiatives. Data analysis showed that PSOs’ dynamic capabilities of sensing, seizing and transforming are enacted and collectively used to engage in OI initiatives through these 16 organizational actions. In virtually all of these organizational actions, information technology (IT) plays a key role either as a central support tool or as an outcome

Towards solving social and technical problems in open source software ecosystems : using cause-and-effect analysis to disentangle the causes of complex problems

Managing large-scale development projects in open source software ecosystems involves dealing with an array of technical and social problems. To disentangle the causes of such problems, we interviewed experts and performed a cause-and-effect analysis. Our findings demonstrate that loss of contributors is the most important social problem, while poor code quality is the most important technical problem, and that both problems result from complex socio-technical interrelations of causes. Our approach suggests that cause-and-effect analysis can help to better understand problems in open source software ecosystems

Which Factors Affect the Scientific Impact of Review Papers in IS Research? A Scientometric Study

Review papers provide a foundation for knowledge development in information systems (IS) as well as in any other scientific discipline. While some of the prominent reviews in information systems are cited more than twice a day on average, others take years to accumulate single digit citations. The magnitude of these differences and the proliferation of review papers in recent years prompt us to empirically analyze what distinguishes those reviews that have proven to be integral to scientific progress from those that might not be considered impactful. Our results demonstrate that the attributes explaining scientific impact are unique for the different types of reviews: reviews for describing, understanding, explaining, and theory testing. Transparency of the applied methodology is important for reviews that target theory testing, understanding, or explaining; similarly, reviews for describing, understanding or explaining achieve a higher impact when they develop a research agenda. By providing nuanced insights into the attributes of review papers that are valued by subsequent research, our study contributes to the vibrant discourse on literature reviews in IS. We thereby inform the different stakeholders involved in the development and publication of review papers in the IS field