MIS 696A Readings in MIS
Large Group Project Presentation
Key Fields and Key Researchers in MIS
December 13, 2000
1
Acknowledgement
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The following is based on:
– information from Internet searching
– previous MIS696A group projects
– interview with professors of the MIS
department
2
Presentation Schedule
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Overview
AI / IR, KM, DB (Computer Science)
Telecom (Electronic Engineering)
E-Comm, Work Flow (Organizational study)
Operations Research (Management Science)
CMC, HCI, VIS, Social, Ethical, Psychological,
Political (Social Science)
Information economics (Economics)
GSS
3
MIS Overview
IR
AI
Tel
EE
CS
SA&D
MIS
DB
EC ORG
KM WF
GSS
CMC/HCI/VIS
Soc/Eth/Psy
Policy
SS
IE
MS
OR
ECON
4
Artificial Intelligence
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Review
– The original goal of AI is to understanding and implementing intelligence.
– Knowledge representation and reasoning
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Logic and common sense
– Machine learning
– The practice of AI
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Trend
– The decline in complex knowledge representations and the success of
prepositional or probabilistic competitors
– Machine learning and automation of deductive reasoning
– Building intelligent systems that let people access and utilize enormous
amounts of info. today for making decisions .
– Multi-Agent Systems, application for data mining, knowledge
management
5
Key Researchers
Herbert A. Simon, CMU
Building and testing theories of human cognition, using computer
simulation models. The usage of different representations to draw
inferences from information, especially reasoning from
diagrammatically and pictorially presented information, and
comparing the effectiveness for communication purposes of different
representations.
John McCarthy, Stanford University
• His research is mainly in artificial intelligence. Long ago he
originated the Lisp programming language and the initial research on
general purpose time-sharing computer systems
6
Key Researchers
Raj Reddy and Edward A. Feigenbaum, CMU
Research Areas: Knowledge-Based Systems Research and
Applications; Computer Industry Research; Defense
Technology and Technology Policy
Roger C. Schank, Northwestern University
Research areas: His work stresses the value of learning from
experts, developing skills rather than perfecting routines, and
applying the benefits of "just-in-time" training. Natural language
Processing.
7
Information Retrieval
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Review
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Automatic Text Analysis
Automatic Classification
Search Strategies
Probabilistic Retrieval
Trend
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Multimedia IR, Collaborative IR, Multilingual IR
Semantic Web, Text Mining, Web Mining
Mobile/Wireless Computing
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Information Retrieval
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Gerard Salton, Cornell University
Research area: Natural language processing, information retrieval
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Gary Marchionini, University of North Carolina
Research area: Information seeking, human-computer interaction,
digital libraries, information design, information policy.
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Karen Sparck Jones, University of Cambridge
Research area: automatic language and information processing
research. Document retrieval including speech applications,
database query, user and agent modeling, summarizing, and
information and language system evaluation.
9
Information Retrieval
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Edward A. Fox, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Research Interests: Multimedia information storage
and retrieval; digital libraries; hypertext/hypermedia;
electronic publishing and text processing; educational
technology and distance learning; library automation;
artificial intelligence.
10
Knowledge Management
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Definition of Knowledge Management
(KM)
– A discipline that promotes an integrated approach
to identifying, capturing, retrieving, sharing and
evaluating an enterprise’s information assets
– Visualization, categorization
– Representation of data,
information, knowledge and
wisdom to enable their
transfer and sharing to other
groups and people
– Technical vs. Behavioral
KMS Understanding Hierarchy
Context
Wisdom
Principles
High
Knowledge
Patterns
Information
Relations
Low
Data
Symbols
Easy
Noise Detection
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Difficult
Key Researchers
Christine L. Borgman, UCLA
• Research Areas:Digital libraries, HCI, information seeking
behavior, and scholarly communication and bibliometrics, IT policy
in Central and Eastern Europe.
Hsinchun Chen, University of Arizona
• Research areas: Digital library, intelligent information retrieval,
automatic categorization and classification, concept space
generation, automatic thesaurus browsing and traversal, inductive
query by examples, machine learning for IR, large-scale information
analysis and visualization, internet resource discovery, multilingual
IR, collaborative systems, intelligence systems.
12
Key Researchers
W. Bruce Croft, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• Research Areas: Formal models of retrieval for complex, textbased objects, text representation techniques, the design and
implementation of text retrieval and routing systems, and user
interfaces.
Daniel E. O'Leary, University of Southern California
• Research areas: E-Commerce, ERP Systems, Knowledge
Management, Reengineering and Workflow, and Virtual
Organizations.
13
Future Research Direction
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Relevance
– relevant knowledge for decision making
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Dynamism
– knowledge about the state of multiple
processes operating in parallel
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Community
– a collective environment that actively
supports knowledge sharing
14
Database
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Introduction: Research on data modeling
has evolved into object-oriented
approaches to support Internet-based
implementations.
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Key Researchers
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E.F. Codd
Peter Chen
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Won Kim
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Stuart Madnick
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Sudha Ram
16
Future Research Direction
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Some of the continuing and future
influences on database research are the
Internet, faster connection speeds, highdensity data storage, and data in
ubiquitous computing devices.
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Systems Analysis & Design
Building Information SystemsFinal goal of all techniques
 Iterative process
 Takes a lot of time and team effort
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Key Researchers
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Edward Yourdon, Consulting & Writing
Object Oriented analysis/design.
Leading developer of structural analysis/design
26 books, 250 technical articles
 Michael Fagan, IBM & Univ of Maryland
Reducing the number of defects in s/w and h/w.
Formal process definitions.
Code inspection.
 Grady Booch, Rational Software
Developer of UML, OO analysis,
Complex s/w systems.
19
Key Researchers
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Watts Humphrey, Carnegie Mellon Univ
Improved s/w engineering processes.
Founder of s/w process program at SEI, CMU
Management of s/w
 Roger Pressman, Consultant & book writing
Software engineering: A practitioner’s approach.
Effective s/w engineering practices.
 Tom DeMarco, Camden Maine
Structured analysis.
Distributed online banking in Europe.
S/w metrics and team building
IEEE s/w editorial board
20
Key Issues
Shortening cycle time for s/w
development
 Reuse of software
 OO techniques
 Making complex s/w systems
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21
Tele-Communication
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Linking different kinds of packet networks
together without requiring the users or their
computers to know packet switching
ARPANET, TCP/IP, INTERNET, E-mail,
WWW
Military interest to commercial application
Experiencing exponential growth in the
number of networks, hosts, volumes
Future is unpredictable -- Too dynamic
22
Key Researchers
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Robert E. Kahn -- Corporation for National Research Initiatives
– Conceived the idea of open-architecture networking
– Co-inventor of TCP/IP
– Developing the concept of digital object infrastructure -interoperability of heterogeneous information system
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Vinton G. Cerf -- MCI
– Development of internet-related data packet technologies
– Co-inventor of TCP/IP
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Ted Nelson -- Keio University, Japan
– Coining terms of “Hypertext” and “Hypermedia”
– Founder and pursuer of Project Xanadu (Hypertext)
– Redefining a component Xanadu for new internet environment
23
Key Researchers
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David Clark -- MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
– One of the developers of key token ring LAN concepts
– Developed info. security models stressing integrity of data
– Protocols and architecture for very large and high
speed networks
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Deborah Estrin -- USC
– Design of network and routing protocols for very large,
global networks
– Scalable multicast routing protocols, multicast-oriented
reservation setup protocols
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Roch Gourin -- Univ. of Pennsylvania
– Networking and quality-of-service, the intersection of
the above two areas
24
Electronic Commerce
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The goal of basic research in EC
– to foster advances in related areas
– to maximize the synergistic
– to increase interdisciplinary understanding of how
electronic commerce technologies affect market
processes and welfare
– to assure that electronic commerce applications
achieve their promised efficient outcomes
25
Key Researchers
Lynda M Applegate , Harvard
• Research Areas: the influence of information technology on
markets and organizations
Tridas Mukhopadhyay , CMU
• Research Areas: the business value of information, EDI
technology, residential use of the Internet and software cost
management.
Andrew B. Whinston , University of Texas at Austin
• Research areas: various realms of Electronic Commerce, its impact
on business protocols and processes, on organizational structure and
corporate networks, electronic publishing, electronic education,
complementarity of convergent computational paradigms and
business value of IT
26
Key Researchers
Yannis Bakos, Stern Business School in NYU
• Research Areas: the impact of information technology on markets ,
in particular on how internet-based electronic marketplaces
will affect pricing and competition, pricing strategies
for information goods
Haim Mendelson , Stanford
• Research areas: Organizing for e-business,
electronic commerce, electronic networks,
financial markets
27
Major Research Problems
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Infrastructure and system architecture area
– Current
– Future
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The interplay between technological
infrastructure and commercial environment
– Current
– Future
28
Workflow
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Review
 Workflow Definition: The computerized facilitation or automation of a
business process, in whole or part.
Workflow is often associated with Business Process Re-engineering, which is
concerned with the assessment, analysis, modeling, definition and subsequent
operational implementation of the core business processes of an organization
(or other business entity).
 Workflow Management System Definition: A system that completely
defines, manages and executes “workflows” through the execution of software
whose order of execution is driven by a computer representation of the
workflow logic.
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Trend
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Workflow Automation
Workflow Analysis
Workflow and E-Commerce
Workflow and AI
29
Key Researchers
Christoph Bussler, Oracle Corporation, USA
Research area: organizational policy management in workflow management
systems, generic workflow models, architecture of high-performance
workflow management systems, mobility aspects of workflow management
Clarence Ellis, University of Colorado at Boulder
Research area: workflow technology, groupware, cognitive science
(group cognition), computer supported cooperative work, object
oriented systems, systems modeling, databases, group user interfaces,
and distributed systems.
Stefan Jablonski, University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Germany
Research area: workflow management, business process and enterprise
modeling, systems integration, transaction management, database
management
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Key Researchers
Amit P. Sheth, University of Georgia
Research area: interoperable information systems and enterprise
application integration (esp. workflow management), global information
systems (esp. management of heterogeneous digital media, information
brokering, the logical/semantic view of the web through use of broad
variety metadata and ontologies).
J. Leon Zhao, University of Arizona
Research area: Development of database and workflow technologies
and their applications in electronic commerce, knowledge
management, and organizational process automation.
31
Operation Research
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Objective: to find practical and pragmatic
solutions to operational or strategic problems
quantitative methods, modelling, problem
structuring, simulation and other analytical
techniques
decision analysis, vehicle routing, effectiveness
of mandatory minimum sentencing and
information technology
to facilitating OR with information system,
making the switch from academia to the "real
world"
32
Key People (OR)
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Hau L Lee
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Marshall Fisher
James
B. Orlin
George
Nemhauser
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Key People (OR)
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Ellis Johnson
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Paul H. Zipkin
Moshe
Dror
34
Key Papers (OR)
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Jack Edmonds, “Maximum matching and a polyhedron with
0,1-variation”, 1965
Jack Edmonds, “Paths, trees, and Flowers”, Canadian Jornal of
Mathematics, 1965
Thomas L. Saaty, and Chen, Kun Yuan, Hoover's problem.
Math. Mag. 1978
Cachon, G. and M. Lariviere. 1999. An Equilibrium Analysis of
Linear and Proportional Allocation of Scarce Capacity
Glasserman P Introduction to the special issue on stochastic
models and simulation
Kelton W.D., Random Initialization methods in Simulation, IIE
TRANS 21: (4) 355-367 DEC 1989
Chen, Fangruo. 2000. Optimal Policies for Multi-Echelon
Inventory Problems with Batch Ordering. Operations Research
48, 376-389
35
CMC/HCI/Communication/
Visualization
 What
are they?
– This body of literature’s research tries to understand how
humans interact and communicate with one another using
different computerized technologies. It is important to
understand how people interact with the computer and with
one another in order to better understand prototypes that MIS
researchers may design.
36
Key Researchers
Frank Biocca, Michigan State U.
Dr. Biocca studies computer design and visualizations. He is a
leader in research surrounding multimodal sensory
information.
Robert Kraut, CMU
He focuses on individuals and organizations performance in
coordinating tasks, prototyping designs, Video communication
systems, and technology on quality of work. Currently, Dr.
Kraut is working on the influence of networks and
communication technology.
Jakob Nielsen
Currently he is working on the designs of websites and
information architecture and task design. He was listed as one
of the web’s most influential people.
37
Key Researchers
Judy Olson, U. Michigan
Her focus is on Human-computer-interaction and the design and
evaluation issues of software.
Ben Shneiderman, U. Maryland
Dr. Shneiderman’s research pertains to areas involving humancomputer-interaction and psychology. He also participates in
visualization information representation and design.
Sherry Turkle, MIT
Dr. Turkle has been researching communication on the Internet
along with psychological impacts of computational objects. Her
interests have involved computer culture, sociology, and
psychology with regards to new technologies, specifically the
Internet.
38
Key Researchers
Joseph Walther, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
His research focuses on computer-mediated-communication and
its effects in teaching, teams and social relationships. He
draws in psychological and social issues of Internet-based
communication into collaborative work across countries.
Suzie Weisband, U. Arizona
Dr. Weisband’s research includes social and behavioral impacts of
technology on people. She has participated in research
involving communication among groups using various
technological platforms and interactivity. Dr. Weisband has
also been involved in GSS research, F-t-F interactions, and
melding disciplinaries such as MIS, Communication,
Sociology, and Psychology into her research.
39
Social/Ethical/Psychological
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What are the issues?
– Social
– Ethical
– Psychological
40
Key Researchers
Mary J. Culnan, Georgetown University
Dr. Culnan’s research focus is on how information technology is
impacted by social and public policies and information privacy
issues..
Sara Kiesler, CMU
Dr. Kiesler has been currently working on the social, emotional,
and behavioral impacts of computing on individuals, families,
and teams. She is noted for her research on interdisciplinary
collaborations and a system called HomeNet.
Robert Kling, Indiana U.
Social consequences of computerization and how it affects the
public, computer ethics, and personal privacy are major issues
Dr. Kling focuses on. Currently he is working on areas
pertaining to scholarly communication and the use of
electronic media to support it.
41
Key Researchers
Donald Norman, Apple Computer
Dr. Norman is a leading researcher on human cognition and the
interaction of technology and society. He is interested in how
people utilize technology and the impact that has on society.
Gary Olson, U. Michigan
Topics of specialization for Dr. Olson include computer support for
collaboration issues, policy formation, and decision making. He
is interested specifically in cognitive psychology and humancomputer-interaction. His background is in psychology and he
implements theories of psychology to social issues governing the
use of computers.
Lee Sproull, NYU
Dr. Sproull’s research focuses on social and organizational
implications of technology. She is currently working on the
dynamics and consequences of electronic groups and
communities.
42
Policy Issues of Computing

Description of the Research Discipline
– Not Well Established
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Except Telecommunication Policy Research (TPRC)
– Close Related With Research in Social and Ethics
Issues
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Nature of the Relationship between Social Science, Ethics
and Policy Science
ACM Policy ‘98 - The ethics and social impact component
on Shaping policy in the information age
– Focus of Policy Research
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High-level Relationship
Power
Goal
International View
43
Key Researchers
Robert Kling, Indiana University (From UCI)
• Research Areas: Social Informatics; Organizational Informatics
Information Systems; Information Technology and Social Change
Eli M. Noam, Columbia University
• Research areas: Communications, Information, Public choice,
Public finance, and General Regulation.
Seymour E. Goodman, Georgia Tech (From U of A)
• Research areas: International Developments in the IT, Technology
Diffusion, IT and National Security, and Related Public Policy
Issues.
44
Key Researchers
Barbara Simons (President of ACM in 1998)
Peter G. Neuman
(Principal Scientist at SRI International Computer Science Laboratory)
Peter J. Denning (George Mason University)
Dorothy E. Denning (Georgetown University )
Pamela Samuelson (UC Berkeley )
Sharon Eisner Gillett (MIT)
45
Research Direction
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From ACM Policy
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Universal Access
Intellectual Property
Encryption and Computer Security
Free Speech and the Internet
Funding for Scientific Research
Privacy
46
Research Direction

From TIPI
– (Telecommunications
and Information Policy
Institute, University of
Texas, Austin TX
78712, USA)
1. TELECOMMUNICATIONS *
A. Policy Aspects *
World Trade Organization *
International Telecommunication Union *
Federal Communications Commission *
Special focus: Harmonization *
B. Access and Equity *
Universal Access *
Digital Divide *
C. Subsidies *
D. Regulatory Frameworks *
E. General Political Milieu *
F. The role of the state/government *
G. Structure *
H. Rates *
I. Procurement *
J. Technologies *
Convergence *
Innovation *
K. Services *
2. INNOVATION CLUSTERS/TECHNOPOLES *
A. Space and Place *
B. Agglomeration *
Institutional Frameworks *
Other importance factors include: *
Cultural Conditions *
Demand *
"Environmental" Conditions *
Labor *
C. Agglomeration is not a sufficient condition *
D. Software Development *
3. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE *
A. Space/Place *
B. Taxation *
C. Supply chain/ Industrial structure *
D. Technological Bases *
Transaction Security *
Privacy *
E. Intellectual Property *
47
Information Economics

Key Issues and Conflicts*:
– The interdisciplinary research of information economics draws on
principles of information science, economics, management,
political science, public policy, organizational theory, psychology,
ethics, and computer science to propose answers to the tough new
questions confronting the networked society:
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When does sharing proprietary information improve a firm’s
competitive stance?
Does information technology encourage or impede information
equality?
When does it make economic sense to give away information
products for free?
Does the Internet require a new regulatory paradigm?
What business models work for information commerce, and how
should information goods be priced?
* Reference: University of Michigan School of Information, http://www.si.umich.edu/academics/iemp/
48
Information Economics (cont’d)
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Most Important Theories*:
– Information asymmetry
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Bayes, decision theory, and choice
Principal-agent models
Moral hazard
Adverse selection
Revelation mechanisms
– Concepts of information
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Shannon entropy
Turing machine
(instructional/computational)
– Macroeconomic effects
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Growth theory
Information markets
– Intellectual property
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Creation incentives vs. monopoly
costs
Patents & copyrights
– Information & social policy
– Information pricing
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Value
Hedonics
Options
Packaging information
* Reference: University of Michigan
School of Information,
http://www.si.umich.edu/Classes/6
46/#itopics
49
Information Economics (cont’d)

Key Researchers:
–
–
–
–
Erik Brynjolfsson, MIT
Charles H. Kriebel, CMU
Tridas Mukhopadhyay, CMU
Andrew B. Whinston, UT Austin
50
Group Support Systems
Introduction and Key Theories
 Key Research Institutes
 Key Papers

– DeSanctis, G., & Gallupe, R. B. (1987). A Foundation for the Study of
Group Decision Support Systems.
– Nunamaker, J. F., Briggs, R. O., Mittleman, D. D., Vogel, D. R., &
Balthazard, P. A. (1997). Lessons from a Dozen Years of Group
Support Systems Research: A Discussion of Lab and Field Findings
– Fjermestad, J., & Hiltz, S. T. (1999). An assessment of Group Support
Systems Experimental Research: Methodology and Results
51
Major Research Problems in
the Future
Research of distributed group
(facilitation)
 Integration of GSS with video conference
 Integration of GSS with automatic
language translation
 GSS transfer and adoption
 GSS uses in the classroom
 Automation of facilitation
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52
Questions and Comments
Thank you very much !!
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