ISM 785: Theories of Information Systems
Bryan School of Business and Economics
Department of Information Systems and Operations Management
Spring 2014 Syllabus
Instructor:
Office:
Office Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Dr. Hamid Nemati
425 Bryan Bldg.
(336) 334-4993
(336) 334-5580
nemati@uncg.edu
By appointment
Prerequisites:
Enrollment in ISOM PhD program and Permission of the Ph.D. Director
For Whom Planned:
Doctoral students in Information Systems.
Detailed Description:
Theories of Information Systems is a core requirement in the Information Systems (IS) Ph.D. Program. This
course is central in providing doctoral students with in-depth appreciation of and exposure to the various
theories related to information systems research. These theories are varied in nature and are drawn from
various disciplines to equip students to become thoughtful and engaged scholars. Information Systems research
is very complex since any research question that is likely to advance our knowledge in the IS discipline, for
both the academics and practitioners, inevitably involve interplay among information technology, human
behavior and larger organizational and social contexts. It is therefore imperative that students not only become
intimately familiar with the individual theories, but also with the integration, contrast and configuration of the
central tenets of these theories in relation to information systems research. Students must also develop the
necessary acumen to formulate interesting, unique and novel research questions. They should be able to
identify and justify necessary research methods to assess proposed theoretical models. To accomplish this end,
it is necessary not only to read research articles published in some of the elite journals in the IS and sister
disciplines, but also to develop appreciation for writing and communicating research ideas in the most
effective manner. This course is designed to help doctoral students acquire the necessary skills addressing
some of the issues identified above.
Learning Objectives:
At the successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
 Analyze and assess various theories and their possible contribution to information systems research
 Examine various concepts and research models in relation to information systems research
 Apply the theories covered in this course to formulate research questions, propose research models and
assess research methods for testing such theoretical models
 Evaluate and assess the merits and weaknesses of different theories to IS research.
Student Requirements:
Just a note, this course will make significant demand on the students and their ability to think beyond what is
presented in the research papers. It is NOT sufficient to read the papers. Students are expected to understand
each research paper and then be able to integrate diverse set of concepts from across the set of articles
covered in each class discussion.
Course Materials and Requirements:
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This course primarily uses research papers drawn from various elite journals in the IS and sister disciplines.
The instructor will make these research papers available through the Blackboard system in time. The number
of research papers to be discussed each week will vary depending upon the topic or theory being considered. It
is anticipated that about six to eight research papers may be discussed each week. These articles be
selected by the instructor from among the important references similar to journals listed below:
Information Systems Research
MIS Quarterly
Harvard Business Review
Decision Support Systems
Journal of Management Information Systems
Academy of Management Review
Behavior and Information Technology
Computers in Human Behavior
And others in IS, Psychology, DSS and Management Literature.
Evaluation and Grading:
The evaluation of student performance will be based on the following components and following grading scale
will be used in this course:
95-100 = A, 90-94 = A-, 86-89= B+ , 82-85= B, 80-82=B-, 76-79=C+, 73-75=C, 70-72=C-,
69 and lower is F
Evaluation Methods:
Class Discussion and Participation
Weekly Integrative Write-ups and Presentations
Research Project (Individual)
Final Take Home Exam
20%
20%
45%
15%
Class preparation/participation/discussion and presentations as the primary: 20%
This is a doctoral seminar course that examines the theories of Information Systems and their assumptions,
methodologies, justifications, etc.. The course involves extensive reading and discussion of the research
literature. Since this is a seminar not a lecture course, you are primarily responsible for all readings and
expected to come to class fully prepared to discuss all the readings on a particular topic and play an active role
in leading and participating in class discussions. I suggest you read and re-read the articles, so you get a good
understanding of the content and integrate concepts from related readings. Each class meeting will have about
6-8 required and other recommended readings (with the exception of week 1 and 2).
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Each student will be expected to develop preparatory notes for each class session. Be prepared to
summarize the main points of each reading and discuss the following questions:
What is the research question of this article? What is the main contribution?
What were the most important insights you obtained from the reading?
What do you know now that you didn’t know before?
What do you now think about differently?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of each article?
What didn’t you understand?
What type of data and research method was used?
How do the articles relate to each other and to others read in previous weeks (not applicable for week1)?
You will be asked to lead discussions on articles (to sign-up in class at least a week before).
It is expected that you will make meaningful contribution to each class discussion. By meaningful discussion, I
refer to a contribution that advances our understanding of the theory or concepts being discussed. This does
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NOT mean just mere recitation of what the authors have written word for word. We all will have read the
articles before each class meeting. Therefore, it is NOT at all useful to repeat what is in the article but rather to
provide a unique perspective on the concepts or theories discussed in one or more of the articles.
Weekly Integrative Research Readings, Reports:
20%
The grade for this portion of the course depends on the quality of article summaries, evaluation and integration
write up and presentation to the class. Each week you will be required to submit an integrative research report
of assigned articles. You are required to read, summarize, synthesize, evaluate and prepare your integrative
report and present it to the class. Integrative write-ups are to be based and focused on the assigned articles.
However, they are NOT just summaries of individual research papers in each set for each class. The goal of the
integrative summary is not to simply summarize each reading separately but to integrate but to frame the
topic(s), provide a thoughtful evaluation of the materials read, raise some theoretical or empirical questions,
compare and contrast methodologies, approaches or findings across the readings. These integrative reports can
also serve as quick review notes at comps time. You can think of these reports as a type of short literature
review about the weekly topics but just based on the articles to be discussed that week. The weekly integrative
summary should be NO more than four double-spaced pages 11-point fonts with 1-inch margin on all sides and
is due by 9 am on Tue, just before class meeting. Summaries must be posted in BB. You are encouraged to
take detailed notes during class that will help you with the summary.
Final Research project, presentation and paper:
45%
You are to develop a research project that should lead to a publishable paper based on one of the topics
discussed in the course. You will present this project to the class at the end of the course. Specifically, the
paper must cover:
A.
The research question/motivation from a theoretical perspective,
B.
The discussion of the importance, significance of the theory and a review of the relevant literature.
C.
The research model/framework.
If the paper is theoretical, it should include a set of propositions. If the paper is empirical, it should include an
appropriate methodology and research design for examining it empirically.
An initial proposal (at least 3 pages not exceeding 5 pages) detailing the topic, research issues and relevant
literature (not an exhaustive one at this point but the most relevant ones), proposed data source, and analysis
approach must be submitted in writing by week 4. The proposal must be emailed. The proposals will be
discussed in week 5. Each student should provide constructive comments on their peers’ proposal (this will be
counted towards class participation).
The full paper should expand the proposal by including the items listed above and outlining a research plan (of
how this research may be conducted) including the appropriateness of research methodology employed to
investigate the research question, and expected outcome (contributions to theory and practice). More will be
discussed about the details of the project parameters.
Final project synopsis of due dates:
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Proposal – due week 4 (10% of your total grade will be assigned to this).
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Proposal discussion – week 5 (will impact your class participation grade)
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Initial draft of paper – week 10 (at least 40% to 50% of the paper must be done). I expect you to have
covered the basis for the paper – research question, motivation, and literature review.
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Final paper due and presentation - week 14 (40% of your grade).
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Please adhere to the time line specified above. No incompletes will be awarded.
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