ICT- DESIGN SCIENCE ARTICLES

(c) Raimo Hälinen 2013

Research opportunities

Learning and skills Business value sought

Value creation cabability

Unidentified Identified

Unidentified(How we can learn?)

Dreams (I)New technological standardsNew technological systemsNew technical hardwareNew software tools and language

Problem solving (II)Business problems and technical solutionsApplied technological solutions

Defined(How we can apply, what we know?)

Technology transfer (III)Transfering technology from business area to other branchesMigration process form old software to new software and new systems and new hardware.Technological ecosystems

Business formation (IV)New business ideaHow to create value-added processes and servicesNew production and service consepts

Source: modfied from Ardichvili et al. (2003)

The research cycle

Theory

Deductive reasoning

Data

Inductive reasoning

The theoretical research cycle describes a genera process, how a research can develop a theory by starting accepted theory and creating research setting based on theory and creating testable hypotheses. Gathering research data using by suitable data-gathering technique, a researcher can analyze the collected data and produce the results that can be used to inductive reasoning for develop a new theory, a modified theory or falsify the current theory.

Starting from theory anddeveloping hyphoteses

Demonstrating andtesting hypotheses Designing study prosess and

how to collect data

Reflecting and learning.Drawing conclusions.Proposing new theory oradding something newto current theory orrejecting current theory

The model and units for theory development

Personal traitscreativityoptimism

skills

Social networksweak tiesaction set

partnershipinner circle

Enterpreneurial alertness

Prior knowledgeDomain one (special interest)Domain two (industry knowledge)Knowledge of marketsKnowledge of information technologyKnowledge of services and ways to organize services

Core process

PerceptionDiscoveryCreation

Development

Evaluation

Subsequent business

Vernture formationAbortion

Type of opportunity

Theories and functionsTheories and functions

Descriptive

Delimiting Generative Integrative

Dubin’s hypothetico-deductive theory

The descriptive function explain why the phenomena exists. It is a causal explanation.

The delimiting function puts boundaries what is examined. According to Whetten who, when and where are relevant questions.

The function tends to inspire new research thereby expanding the existing body of knowledge. Whetten’s what and how combination produces models (theory) can be used to produce testable proposals.

The function seeks to provide a coherent unified picture of often diverse and at timeless seemingly facts. Whetten’s what question tries to answer how to integrate knowledge.

Inductive grounded theory

Meta-analytical theory

Social constructionist theory

Case study theory

Habermas’ typology: empirical-analytical, interpretive and critical theoryHeinen’s typology: inductive-synthesis and hierarchical theory (hypothetico-decuctuve)Järvinen P.’s typology: Approachers studying reality: What is reality and utility of innovation, and mathematical approachers.

Types of induction

Source: Tsang and Williams (2012)

Theory

Sample

Particular instance

Same population

Different population

Different context

Different time

TheoreticalGeneralization

Deduction

InductiveAnalogy

Statistical syllogism

Temporal Generalization

ContextualGenralization

Cross-populationGeneralization

Within-populationGeneralization

Locationof the sample

Setting ofthe study

Theoretical level

Empirical level

Yin’s model of generalization

Theory Rival theory

Population characteristics

Case study findings

Experimental findings

Sample Subjects

Source: modifed from Yin (1994)

Level-2inference

Level-1inference

Writing case studies

ChoronlogyRepresentation: Logical sequenceNature: Set of ordered factsRole: AnalystPostion: Absent or separatedFormat: LinearTime flow: unlinear

BiographyPortrait of a lifeBased on facts and experienceSelective writerPresent and not separatedMultiple formatsLinearThematic

PlayDrama storyBased on factsDirector of the playAbsent or separatedMultilinear to one outcomeMultiple lines to one end-point

VoicesInteractive complexityMeaningful and consistent social constructionsFacilitatorPresent and not separatedNon-linear, interactive, decentralizedMultiple times

Reduction

Multi-logueMonologue

Complexity Source: Van Der Blonk (2003)

Taxonomy of Experiments

Types of experiment

Descriptions

Field experiment A study in which an intervention is deliberately introduced to observe its effects.

Randomized experiment

An experiment in which units are assigned to receive the treatment or an alternative conditions by random process. (toss a coin or random numbers)

Quasi-experiment An experiment in which units are not assigned to conditions randomly.

Natural experiment Cause cannot be manipulated, study that contrasts a naturally occuring events.

Correlational studies A study that simply observes the size and direction of relationship among variables.

Source: Shadish, Cook and Campbell ()

Criteria for research article on Information System Research (ISR)

Criteria for evaluating the publishability of a research article includes:

Is the phenomenon of salient interest to the information systems community?

Are the connections to the literature and relevant theories robust?

Is the theoretical model appropriate and compelling enough to provide justification for the propositions or hypotheses?

Are the empirical methods appropriate, valid, and well-executed?

Are the analyses done competently? Are the results interesting? Are the conclusions compelling?

Research Notes on ISR

Research Notes will have the following characteristics:

Authors introduce the phenomenon of choice and the dominant nomological model shaping the prevailing understanding about it.

The phenomenon should be of salient interest to the information systems community.

Authors provide a compelling conceptual rationale for the extensions to the model in the form of specific mediators, moderators, or predictors. Since a dominant research model is the starting point, less time is spent in theoretically justifying the entire model. Instead, the authors should efficiently explain how and why their proposed extensions are conceptually or theoretically justifiable.

Note that some papers might propose several new constructs or reconfigure the prevailing model in novel ways.

In such cases, the contribution might be more substantive and the paper should be submitted as a Research Article.

Authors provide the empirical evidence for their proposed model of the phenomenon and explain its significance for research and practice.

Research Commentary on (ISR)

Research Commentaries are designed to provide a critical evaluation and roadmap for future research on an important information systems phenomenon. Key questions in evaluating the research commentary include:

Does the paper highlight an important and under-recognized phenomenon or perspective?

Does the article provide a critical, accurate, and insightful critique of the literature to date?

Does the article provide insightful directions for future research?

Will future researchers benefit from the ideas in the paper? Are the prescriptions compelling, insightful and actionable?

Explanatory statement

might lead to

Prescriptive statements

Mid-range theorizing in design research

Evidence

Case Effect

Prescribed action Goal

is intended to lead to

can be confirmed byleads to revision of

ArtifactEvaluationleads to

Kerneltheories

Mid-rangetheories

Designtheories

Theory development

Source: Kuechler and Vaishnavi (2008)