SEMINAR SCHEDULE AND READINGS LIST
Days
June 10
Topics/Leader
Introductions
Some Introductory Articles
Views of Editors
 Lee, A.S. "Submitting a Manuscript for Publication: Some Advice and an Insider's
View," MIS Quarterly, 24(2), 2000, pp. iii-vii
 Straub, D. S. "Why Do Top Journals Reject Good papers?" MIS Quarterly, 32(3),
2008, pp. iii-viii
 Straub, D. S. "Why Do Top Journals Accept Your Paper?" MIS Quarterly, 33(3),
2009, pp. iii-X
 Grover, V., Straub, D. S., and Galluch, P. “ Turning the Corner: The Influence of
Positive Thinking on the Information Systems Field,” MIS Quarterly, 32(1), 2009,
pp. iii-viii.
 Senior Scholars Letter to the AIS President
 Sarker, S., Xiao, X., & Beaulieu, T. (2013). Qualitative Studies in Information
Systems: A Critical Review and Some Guiding Principles. MIS Quarterly, 37(4), iiixviii.
June 11
What is IS Research and Understanding paradigms and the IS discipline. What is
Theory?
 Orlikowski, W.J., and Baroudi, J.J., (1991). "Studying Information Technology in
Organizations: Research Approaches and Assumptions," Information Systems
Research, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1991, pp.1-28.
 Lee, A.S. "Integrating Positivist and Interpretive Approaches to Organizational
Research," Organization Science, Vol. 2, No. 4, 1991, pp. 342-365.
 Markus, M.L. and Robey, D. "Information Technology and Organizational Change:
Casual Structure in Theory and Research," Management Science, Vol. 34, No. 5,
1988, pp. 583-598.
 Fitzgerald, B., and Howcroft, D. "Towards dissolution of the IS Research Debate:
From Polarization to Polarity," Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 13, 1998,
pp. 313-326.
 Sutton, R. I., and Staw, B. M. "What Theory is Not," Administrative Science
Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 3, Sept. 1995, pp. 371-384.
 Weick, K. E. "What Theory is Not, Theorizing Is," Administrative Science Quarterly,
Vol. 40, No. 3, Sept. 1995, pp. 385-390.
 DiMaggio, P. J. "Comments on 'What Theory is Not'," Administrative Science
Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 3, Sept. 1995, pp. 391-397.
 Van Maanen, J. "Style as Theory," Organization Science, Vol. 6, No. 1, 1995, pp.
133-143.
 Corley, K. G. and D. A Gioia. 2011. “Building theory about theory: what
constitutes a theoretical contribution,” Academy of Management Review (36:10),
pp. 12-32.
 Lepine, J. A. and King, W. A. (2010) “Developing Novel Theoretical Insight from
Reviews of Existing Theory and Research,” Academy of Management Review
(35:4), pp. 506-509.
June 12
Conducting Research in MIS- Issues related to diversity, rigor, and relevance, and
the IS Core
 Benbasat, I., and Weber, R. "Research Commentary: Rethinking ‘Diversity’ in
Information Systems Research," Information Systems Research, Vol. 7, No. 4,
1996, pp. 389-399.
 Robey, D. "Research Commentary: Diversity in Information Systems Research:
Threat, Promise, and Responsibility," Information Systems Research, Vol. 7, No. 4,
1996, pp. 400-408.
 Lee, A. S. "Researching MIS," in Rethinking Management Information Systems: An
Interdisciplinary Perspective, W. L. Currie and B. Galliers (Eds.), Oxford University
Press, New York, 1999, pp. 7-27.
 Benbasat, I., and Zmud, R. W. "Empirical Research in Information Systems: The
Practice of Relevance," MIS Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 1, March 1999, pp. 3-16.
 Davenport, T. H., and Markus, M. L. "Rigor vs. Relevance Revisited: Response to
Benbasat and Zmud," MIS Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 1, March 1999, pp. 19-23.
 Lee, A. S. "Rigor and Relevance in MIS Research: Beyond the Approach of
Positivism alone," MIS Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 1, March 1999, pp. 29-33.
 Straub, D.S., and Ang, S. “Rigor and Relevance in IS Research: Redefining the
Debate and a Call for Future Research,” MIS Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 1, March
2011, pp. iii-xi.
 Benbasat, I., and Zmud, R. W. "The Identity Crisis within the IS Discipline: Defining
and Communicating the Discipline's Core Properties," MIS Quarterly, Vol. 27, No.
2, June 2003, pp. 183-194.
 Orlikowski, W.J., and Iacono, C.S. “Research commentary: Desperately seeking
the ‘IT’ in IT research – A call to theorizing the IT artifact,” Information Systems
Research, Vol. 12, No. 2, June 2001, pp. 121–34.
 Allen, G.N., Ball, N.L., and Jeff Smith, H. “Information Systems Research
Behaviors: What are the Normative Standards,” MIS Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 3,
September 2011, pp. 533-551.
June 16
Theory and the IS Discipline
 Gregor, S. “The Nature of Theory in Information Systems,” MIS Quarterly, Vol. 30,
No. 3, 2006, pp. 611-642.
 Straub, D. 2012. “Does MIS Have Native Theories?” MIS Quarterly (36: 2), iii-xii.
Available at: http://misq.org/misq/downloads/download/editorial/560/
 Rivard, S. 2014. “The Ions of Theory Construction,” MIS Quarterly (38:2), pp. iii-xii.
Available at:
http://www.misq.org/skin/frontend/default/misq/pdf/V38I2/EdCommentsV38N
2.pdf
 Weber, R. 2012. “Evaluating and Developing Theories in the Information Systems
Discipline,” Journal of the Association for Information Systems (13: 1), pp. 1-30.
Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol13/iss1/2
 Tan, B. C.Y., Srinivasan, A., Lyytinen, K., and Grover, V. 2008. "Contributing to
Rigorous and Forward Thinking Explanatory Theory," Journal of the Association
for Information Systems: Vol. 9: Iss. 2, Article 5. Available at:
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol9/iss2/5
 Leonardi, P. M., and Barley, S. R. 2008. “Materiality and Change: Challenges to
Building Better Theory about Technology and Organizing,” Information and
Organization (18:3), pp. 159-176.
 Robey, D., Anderson, C., and Raymond, B. 2013. "Information Technology,
Materiality, and Organizational Change: A Professional Odyssey," Journal of the
Association for Information Systems (14:7), Article 1. Available at:
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol14/iss7/1
June 17
Design Research
 Gregor, S., and Jones, D. “The Anatomy of a Design Theory,” Journal of the AIS,
Vol. 8, No. 5, March 2007, pp. 312-335.
 Pries-Heje, J., and Baskerville, R. “The Design Theory Nexus,” MIS Quarterly, Vol.
32, No. 4, pp. 731-755.
 Hevner, A.R., March, S.T., Park, J., and Ram, S. “Design Science in Information
Systems Research,” MIS Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 1, 2004, pp. 75-105.
 Wall, J.G., Widmeyer, G.R., and El Sawy, O. “Building an Information System
Design theory for Vigilant EIS, Information Systems Research, Vol. 3, No. 1,
March 1992, pp. 36-59.
 Markus, M.L., Majchrzak, A., and Gasser, L. “A Design Theory for Systems that
Support Emergent Knowledge Processes,” MIS Quarterly, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2002,
pp. 179-212.
 Abbasi, A., Zhang, Z., Zimbra, D., Chen. H., and Nunamaker, Jr., J.F. “Detecting
Fake Websites: The Contribution of Statistical learning Theory,” MIS Quarterly,
Vol. 34, No. 3, 2010, pp. 435-461.
 Chatterjee, S., Sarker, S., and Fuller, M. “A Deontological Approach to Designing
Ethical Collaboration,” Journal of the AIS, Vol. 10, March 2009, pp. 138-169.
 Winter, R., “Design Science Research in Europe,” European Journal of
Information Systems, Vol. 17, 2008, pp. 470-475.
 Sein, M. K., Henfridsson, O., Purao, S., Rossi, M., and Lindgren, R. "Action Design
Research,"MIS Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 1, 2011, pp. 37-56.
June 18
Levels of Analysis, Multi-level, Cross-level, and Theories that bridge Levels of
Analysis
 Rousseau, D. M. (1985). Issues of level in organizational research: Multi-level and
cross-level perspectives. Research in organizational behavior, 7(1), 1-37.
 Morgeson, F. P., & Hofmann, D. A. (1999). The structure and function of collective
constructs: Implications for multilevel research and theory development.
Academy of Management Review, 24(2), 249-265.
 Lapointe, L., & Rivard, S. (2005). A multilevel model of resistance to information
technology implementation. MIS Quarterly, 461-491.
 Orlikowski, W.J. (1992) "The Duality of Technology : Rethinking the Concept of
Technology in Organizations," Organization Science, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 398-427.
 DeSanctis, G.R., and Poole, M.S. (1994) "Capturing the Complexity in Advanced
Technology Use: Adaptive Structuration Theory," Organization Science, Vol. 5,
No. 2, pp. 121-147.
 Burton-Jones, A., & Gallivan, M. J. (2007). Toward a deeper understanding of
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system usage in organizations: a multilevel perspective. Mis Quarterly, 31(4), 657679.
Sarker, S., and Valacich, J. S. “An Alternative to Methodological Individualism: A
“Non-reductionist” Approach to Studying Technology Adoption by Groups,” MIS
Quarterly, Forthcoming, 2009.
Sarker, S., Sarker, S., and Sidorova, A., “Actor-Networks And Business Process
Change Failure: An Interpretive Case Study,” Journal of MIS, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2006,
pp. 51-86
Monge, P.R., and Contractor, N.A. “Emergence of Communication Networks,” in
The New Handbook of Organizational Communication, 2001, pp. 440-502.
Sarker, S., Ahuja, M., Kirkeby, S., and Sarker, S. “Revisiting the Role of Trust and
Communication in Globally-Distributed Teams: A Social Network Analysis
Perspective,” Journal of MIS, Vol. 28, No. 1, Summer 2011, pp. 273-309.
BREAK TILL SEPTEMBER
September Individual level Theories in IS- I (Communication-related)
 Daft, R. L., and Lengel, R. H., "Organizational Information Requirements, Media
Richness, and Structural Design" Management Science, May 1986, pp. 554-571.
 Ngwenyama, O.K., and Lee, A.S., “Communication Richness in Electronic Mail:
Critical Social Theory and the Contextuality of Meaning,” MIS Quarterly, June
1997, pp. 145-167.
 Dennis, A. R., Fuller, R.M., and Valacich, J. S. "Media, Tasks, and Communication
Processes: A Theory of Media Synchronicity," MIS Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 3, 2008,
pp. 575-600.
 Carlson, J. R., and Zmud, R. W. "Channel Expansion Theory and the Expierential
Nature of Media Richness Perceptions," Academy of Management Journal, Vol.
42, No. 2, April 1999.
 Markus, M.L. (1987) “Toward a ‘Critical Mass’ Theory of Interactive Media,”
Communication Research, 14(5), pp. 491-511.
 Watson-Manheim, M.B., and Belanger, F. “Communication media Repertoires:
Dealing with the Multiplicity of Media Choices,” MIS Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 2,
2007, pp. 267-293.
September Individual level Theories in IS- II (User-centric)
 Davis, F.D., Bagozzi, R.P., and Warshaw, P.R. “User Acceptance of Computer
Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models,” Management Science,
35(8), 1989, 982-1003.
 Taylor, S., and Todd, P. “Understanding Information Technology Usage: A Test of
Competing Models,” Information Systems Research, 6(2), 1995, pp. 144-176.
 Venkatesh, V., Morris, M.G., Davis, G.B., and F.D. Davis (2003) “User Acceptance
of Information Technology: Toward a Unified View,” MIS Quarterly, 27(3), pp.
425-278.
 Schwartz, A., and Chin, W. “Looking Forward: Toward an Understanding of the
Nature and Definition of IT Acceptance,” Journal of the AIS, Vol. 8, No. 4, 2007,
pp. 230-243.
 Goodhue, D.L., and R.L. Thompson (1995) “Task-technology fit and individual
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September
performance,” MIS Quarterly, 19(2), pp. 213-237.
DeLone, W.H., and McLean, E.R. "The DeLone and McLean Model of Information
Systems Success: A Ten-year Update," Journal of the MIS, Vol. 19, No. 4, 2003, pp.
9-30.
Compeau, D.R., and Higgins, C.A., “Application of Social Cognitive Theory to
Training for Computer Skills,” Information Systems Research, Vol. 6, No. 2, 1995,
pp. 118-143.
Kohli, R., and Devaraj, S “Measuring information technology payoff: A metaanalysis of structural variables in firm-level empirical research,” Information
Systems Research, Vol. 14, No. 2, 2003, pp. 127–145.
Mata, F.J., Fuerst, W.L., and J.B. Barney (1995) “Information Technology and
Sustained Competitive Advantage: A Resource-based Analysis,” MIS Quarterly,
19(4), pp. 487-505
IT at the Organizational Level (Adoption and Outsourcing)
 Fichman, R.G. (2004). “Going Beyond the Dominant Paradigm for Information
Technology Innovation Research: Emerging Concepts and Methods,” Journal of
the AIS, Vol. 5, No. 8, pp. 314-355.
 Cooper, R.B., and R.W. Zmud (1990) “Information Technology Implementation
Research: A Technological Diffusion Approach,” Management Science, 36(2), p.
123.
 Cohen, W.M., and Levinthal, D.A. “Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on
Learning and Innovation,” Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 1, 1990,
pp. 128-152.
 Lacity, M. C., and Hirschheim, R. Information Systems Outsourcing: Myths,
Metaphors and Realities, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK, 1993, pp. 24-48.
 King, W. R., and Torkzadeh, G. "Information Systems Offshoring: Research Status
and Issues," MIS Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 2, 2008, pp. 205-225.
 Levina, N., and Vaast, E. "Innovating or Doing as Told? Status Differences and
Overlapping Boundaries in Offshore Collaboration," MIS Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 2,
2008, pp. 307-332.
 Gefen, D., and Carmel, E. "Is the World Really Flat? A Look at Offshoring at an
Online Programming Marketplace," MIS Quarterly, Vol. 32, No. 2, 2008, pp. 367384.
 Sarker, S., and Sarker, S. “Exploring Agility in Distributed Information Systems
Development Teams: An Interpretive Study in an Offshoring Context,”
Information Systems Research, Vol. 20, No. 3, September 2009.
 Sarker, S., Munson, C., Sarker, S., and Chakraborty, S. “Assessing the Relative
Contribution of the Facets of Agility to Distributed ISD Success: An Analytic
Hierarchy Process Approach,” European Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 18,
2009, pp. 285-299.