ISM 785, Spring 2015
Theories in Information Systems
Thursday 9 am to 11.50 am in Bryan 433
Lakshmi Iyer, Bryan 435, 334-4984; E-mail: Lsiyer@uncg.edu
Office Hours: TR 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm; others by appointment.
Any time I am in my office you may call or stop by to ask any questions pertaining to the class. Please call
336-334-4984 (you can leave a message if I am not there) or e-mail me if you wish to set a specific
appointment. Call me on my home or cell ONLY in case of an emergency. My home phone number is 336286-9933 and Cell is: 336-254-1190.
Catalog Description:
Examines underlying theories in information systems research. Theories from organizational behavior,
strategic management, economics, other disciplines inside and outside business, and IS will be discussed.
Course 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.
Course Materials:
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Extensive readings (see list of articles) - This course primarily uses research papers drawn from various
elite journals in IS and sister disciplines. The instructor will make these research papers available
through the course management system. 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
AIS web site: http://www.aisnet.org/
Theories used in IS: http://istheory.byu.edu/wiki/Main_Page
Inter-Nomological Network (INN): http://inn.colorado.edu/
Course Learning Objectives:
At the successful completion of this course, students will 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
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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.
Teaching Strategies:
Since this is a seminar not a lecture course, active class interaction is essential. Students are
expected to be prepared for each meeting and participate fully in class discussion. Since class
participation is part of a student’s final grade, failure to prepare and participate will have
consequences. All work must be turned in by the due date.
The course will be coordinated through a combination of lectures, class discussions, research
projects, analysis of articles, and presentations by students. Students will be provided detailed
guidelines for presentations, discussions, and various research projects.
Course Expectations of Students:
Students are expected to set aside at least 16 to 18 hours each week outside of classes to prepare
for each class meeting. It is strongly recommended that the students work in a group to discuss the
research papers prior to a class meeting designed to discuss those articles. This will ensure that the
students have had ample time to reflect and quiz each other on various concepts, theories, and
research methods presented in the articles. This will also help the students write answers to the
questions for each week.
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.
Therefore, it is suggested that they not only read each individual paper but also look for concepts
that cut across many of these articles or concepts that stand out in contrast. Additionally, students
must look for the assumptions made in each theory, specific research questions addressed
and the relationship between the theory proposed and the research method chosen by the
authors. Students must understand why each of the above was appropriate. Beyond this, students
must also begin to ask what else or how else might one extend the line of enquiry or theory
presented by the authors. What are some of the possible strengths or weaknesses of the proposed
theories etc? Additionally, students should also look at how the authors have written these papers
and pick up the necessary skills for effective methods for research communication. As evident,
there is a great deal expected from the students in this Ph.D. Seminar.
Electronic Mail and Learning Management System (LMS):
You should check your UNCG email regularly and you will be responsible for any information or
announcements contained in the email messages. Any updates to readings will be on the LMS
course site. http://courses.uncg.edu/log-in/ (select ISM785 Spring 2015 after login).
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Evaluation:
Your grade is based on the following work and activities (all items below are individual work):
Class Discussions and Participation:
Contributions to INN and Theories Wiki
Integrative Summaries and Discussion Questions:
Research Project:
Final exam
_________
Total
10%
10%
20%
30%
30 %
100 %
The instructor reserves the right to adjust the final grade based on individual effort (or lack thereof).
Grading Scale:
95--100 = A, 90--94 = A--, 86--89= B+ , 82--85= B, 80--82=B--, 76--79=C+, 73--75=C, 72 and lower is F
Class preparation/participation/presentation/discussion:
It is expected that each student 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 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. The purpose is to learn how to
integrate various concepts and theories across various articles. This is what one needs to
accomplish in any good literature review in order to publish in a quality journal. To help prepare
for the discussions in a meaningful way, each student will be expected to develop preparatory
notes for each class session. Be prepared to summarize the main points of each assigned reading
and discuss the following questions:
• What is the research question of this article? What is the main contribution?
• What theories were used in the study? Why are they relevant?
• 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)?
• Are there alternate theories that can be considered to extend this research?
• Are there alternate research methods that can be used to answer the research question(s) posed in
the article?
Students will be asked to lead discussions on articles.
I will post discussion questions for some weeks for which you have to post the response in
LMS discussion forum by the date/time provided.
Contributions to INN and Theories Wiki
Details on LMS
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Integrative Summary.
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. The summary can also serve as quick review notes at comps time.
Summaries will be due by 9 am on the Monday following class meeting. Summaries must be
posted in the LMS (not under appropriate discussion forum). You are encouraged to take detailed
notes during class that will help you with the summary. Please note the weeks in the schedule
when Integrative Summaries are due.
Research Paper
Each student is required to develop a research paper during the course of the semester.
Specifically, the paper must cover: a thorough and relevant literature review, building theoretical
models, justifying research methods, constructing convincing discussion and writing effectively
for academic publication. To this end, the following items comprise various aspects of this
research project:
Proposal
20%
In-­­depth literature review and research
question(s)
Development of a Proposed Research Model
Identification and Justification of Research
Methods
Effective Writing and Communication
20%
20%
20%
20%
The initial proposal (at least 3 pages not exceeding 5 pages) must detail the topic, research issues
and relevant literature (not an exhaustive one at this point but the most relevant ones). Each
student should provide constructive comments on their peers’ proposal.
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). If possible and relevant, a pilot study and discussion of results are
recommended.
No incompletes or late submissions are acceptable.
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all classes. A student should contact the instructor where work
needs and/or health problems make attendance impossible.
Academic Honor Code:
Each student is required to sign the Academic Integrity Policy on all work submitted for this
course. The policy can be viewed at: http://sa.uncg.edu/handbook/academic-integrity-policy/
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Bryan Faculty/Student Guidelines:
Please view these guidelines at: http://bae.uncg.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/faculty_student_guidelines.pdf
Tentative Schedule: The following schedule provides a general guideline only. Given the small
class size, we will be informal at times, and are likely to make changes along the way. I fully expect
to get into discussions of many related areas.
UNCG Spring 2015 Academic Calendar: http://www.uncg.edu/reg/Calendar/acaCal/sp15.html
Course Schedule
Week
Topic(s) to be covered
Assignment Due
1
Introduction to Course, Introduction to Theory and
Theory Building
Discussion Question set 1
2
Theory testing and research methodology
Integrative Summary 1
3
4
5
6
7
Resource, Knowledge Based View and Dynamic
Capabilities of the Firm
Competitive Advantage and Competitive Dynamics
Resource Dependence Theory; Proposal
presentation
Absorptive Capacity
Integrative Summary 2
Research Proposal due
Integrative Summary 3
11
Institutional Theory
Rational Decision Making Theory and Managerial
Conflict
Information Processing Theory and Organizational
Memory – Mid-term project presentation
Theory of Reasoned Action, Planned behavior and
TAM
Theories of Trust
12
TCE, Outsourcing – Project update
Research methods due
8
9
10
13
14
April
23rd
Literature review and updated RQs due
Research model due
Integrative Summary 4
Structuration Theory and Organizations
Last course meeting
Research project Presentations
Research paper – pre-final version
Final project report due by May 1st 5 pm
Final Exam – Take home similar to Comps
Readings will be posted on LMS.
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