Fundamentals of IS Research

Doctoral level course

Instructor: Samadrita Bhattacharyya
4 credits

Contact hours: 30

20 sessions of 1.5 hours

COURSE INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the course is to enlighten the students about the history and evolution of IS
(Information Systems) as a discipline and its research. This course will expose the students to
different schools of thought in IS. The course should facilitate clear understanding of various classic
and current research streams in IS, appreciation for the seminal works of the discipline, learning
about theories and various methodologies applied in IS research. This course aims to create a
foundation for IS research.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the end of the course students should be able to:

1. Understand the role of researcher in IS and management discipline in general

2. Have a clear understanding of the discipline and the difference between research in IS and IT
(or other technical disciplines)
3. Appreciate IS as a multidisciplinary field and its various streams, theories, schools of
thoughts and research methodologies
4. Critically read and analyze research papers and synthesize their findings
5. Take cognition of the rapidly evolving technology landscape and identify potential research
domains
6. Develop a knack for academic writing

PEDAGOGY

Research articles, both classic and contemporary will be assigned to students for in-depth studying.
The articles will provide perspectives on the evolution of IS discipline, ongoing and emerging trends
in IS research, applications of different methodologies in research and different debates and
discourses in the field. Prior to each class students will be required to study the articles assigned to
them and critique and synthesize the articles. In some sessions students will be asked to present one
or more articles through PowerPoint presentations as well. Classes will be conducted as discussion
sessions where students put forth their perspectives. Instructor will facilitate the discussions and
provide feedback on students’ thought process and writing.

EVALUATION

1. 60 marks for session write-ups and presentations

 Submit 2-pagers before the sessions or present the papers as ppts in class
 Present critical analysis of the articles
 In case of multiple articles under the same theme, synthesize them
  Highlight key takeaways and how the articles fit in contemporary areas of IS

2. 40 marks for Term paper: Students are expected to draft a research proposal and submit in a
form of a term paper at the end of the course.
 They must select a contemporary research domain in IS of their interest and conduct a
detailed literature review.
 Identify a research gap in the area and propose interesting and important research
questions.
 If applicable, present hypotheses and/ or theoretical frameworks
 Present a roadmap or plan for testing the hypotheses and frameworks – plan for research
design, data collection, analysis and expected results
 The goal is to develop a research-in-progress submissible to a conference/ workshop

SESSION PLAN

Session # Topics Readings

1&2 Introduction to IS as 1. Hirschheim, R. and Klein, H.K. (2012) “A Glorious and Not-
a discipline and its So-Short History of the Information Systems Field”, JAIS,
10th July evolution 13, 4, 188-235.
2. Rai, A. (2016). Celebrating 40 Years of MIS Quarterly:
2 pm to 5 MISQ’s History and Future Through the Lenses of its
15 pm Editors-in-Chief. Management Information Systems
Quarterly, 40(4), iii-xvi.
3. Banker, R.D., and Kauffman, “The Evolution of Research in
Information Systems, Management Science, 50, 3, 2004,
281-198. (INFORMS/BSP)
3&4 Impact of IS on 1. Garry, G A and Scott Morton, M S., (1971), “A framework
Markets and for management information systems”, Sloan
12 July Organizations Management Review, 13 (1).
930 1245 2. Brynjolfsson, E., Malone, T. W., Gurbaxani, V., and
Kambil, A. “Does IT Lead to Smaller Firms?” Management
Science, 40, 12, December 1994, 1628-1644.
(INFORM/BSP/JSTOR)
3. Gurbuxani, V., and Whang, S. “The Impact of Information
Systems on Organizations and Markets.” Communications
of the ACM, 34, 1, January 1991, 59-73. (BSP/ACM)

5&6 IS in Organizational 1. Huber, G. (1984), “The Nature and Design of Post-

Design/ Change Industrial Organizations,” Management Science, 30(8),
19 July 928-951.
2. Galbraith, J., (1974), “Organizational Design: An
Information Processing View” Interfaces 4(5), 28-36.

7 What is theory? 1. Whetten, D. A. (1989). What constitutes a theoretical

contribution?. Academy of management
26th July review, 14(4), 490-495.
2. Sutton, R. I., & Staw, B. M. (1995). What theory is
 not. Administrative science quarterly, 371-384.
3. Weick, K. E. (1995). What theory is not, theorizing
is. Administrative science quarterly, 40(3), 385-390.
4. DiMaggio, P. J. (1995). Comments on" What theory is
not". Administrative science quarterly, 40(3), 391-
397.
8 Finding the core of IS 1. Avegerou, C. (2000) “IS: What sort of science is it”,
as a field Omega, 28
2. Straub, D., “Does MIS have native theories?”, Editors
th
26 July Comments, MISQ, June 2012, 36, 2.

9 & 10 Methodologies and 1. Lee, A. S. "Integrating Positivist and Interpretive

theories in IS Approaches to Organizational Research,"
Aug 2 Research Organization Science, (2), 1991, 342-365.
2. Mingers, J. (2001). Combining IS research methods:
Towards a pluralist methodology. Information
Systems Research, 12(3), 240-259.
3. Eisenhardt (1989). Building theories from case study
research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4),
532-550.
4. Hevner, A., March, S. T., Park, J., and Ram, S. “Design
Science Research in Information Systems,” MIS
Quarterly (28:1) March 2004, pp. 75-105.
5. Orlikowski, W. and Baroudi, J. (1991). Studying
information technology in organizations: Research
approaches and assumptions. Information Systems
Research, 2(1), 1-28.
6. Orlikowski, W. J., & Scott, S. V. (2008). 10
sociomateriality: challenging the separation of
technology, work and organization. Academy of
Management annals, 2(1), 433-474.

11 & 12 IS in behavioral 1. Davis, F.D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, ease of use,

research and user acceptance of information technology. MIS
Aug 9 Quarterly, 13(3), 319-339.
2. Venkatesh, V., Morris, M.G., Davis, F.D., and Davis,
G.B. “User Acceptance of Information Technology:
Toward a Unified View,” MIS Quarterly, 27, 2003,
425-478.

13 & 14 The classic rigor vs. 1. Benbasat, I., and Zmud, (1999), “Empirical Research in
relevance debate Information Systems: The Practice of Relevance,” MIS
Aug 16 Quarterly, 23(1), 3-16.
2. Applegate, L., and L. King, (1999), “Rigor and Relevance:
Careers on the Line, MIS Quarterly, 23(1), 17-18.
3. Davenport, T; and Markus, M.,(1999), “Rigor vs.
Relevance Revisited: Response to Benbasat and Zmud,”
MIS Quarterly, 23(1), 19-23.
4. Lyytinen, K., (1999), “Empirical Research in Information
Systems: on the Relevance of Practice in Thinking of IS
 research,” MIS Quarterly, 23(1), 25-28.
5. Lee, A., (1999), “Rigor and Relevance in MIS Research:
Beyond the Approach of Positivism Alone,” MIS Quarterly,
23(1), 29-33.

15 & 16 IS impact and value

1. Brynjolfsson, E., “The Productivity Paradox of
Information Technology,” Communications of the
Aug 23 ACM, 36(12), 1993, 66-77.
2. DeLone, W. and Mclean, E., “Information Systems
Success: The Quest for the Dependent Variable”,
Information Systems Research (3:1), 1992, 60-95.
3. Melville, N., Kraemer, K., & Gurbaxani, V. (2004).
Review: Information technology and organizational
performance: An integrative model of it business
Value. MIS Quarterly 28(2), 283.
17 -20 Contemporary and Students are expected to select 1-2 articles on each of the
emerging areas following contemporary and emerging IS research themes
Aug 30 & from top tier journals (MISQ, ISR, ManSc, JMIS, JAIS, EJIS) and
31st present the articles in class

9 30 to 12 1. IT supported collaboration and virtual teams

45 2. Digital commerce and E word of mouth
3. E governance
4. Information Privacy and Security
5. Health Information Systems
6. Dark side of IT – cyberbullying, addiction, surveillance
etc.
7. Sharing economy and platforms
8. IS and future of work