Nik Rushdi Hassan

Using Social Network Analysis to Measure IT-Enabled Business Process Performance

Abstract This study demonstrates how social network analysis (SNA) theory supports the task of designing IT-enabled business processes by providing social network measures for evaluating alternative process designs. These measures offer better information for process designers who are faced with making IT investment tradeoffs, especially as the process design task is being undertaken. A seven step methodology is proposed, demonstrated with the help of two case studies showcasing the robustness and flexibility of SNA measures.

Is information systems a discipline? Foucauldian and Toulminian insights

Following the Kleinian spirit, this study takes a critical view of the existing orthodoxy within information systems (IS) and reframes the ongoing discussion concerning the intellectual core, identity and disciplinary status of IS using the disciplinary analysis of Michel Foucault and Stephen Toulmin. Instead of limiting the discussion to specific paradigms, topics, subjects or content, it focuses on the characteristics, rules and goals of IS as an academic field. A disciplinary lens is used to frame what it means to be a field, discipline and science, and in the process the study uncovers four doxas that have shaped the development of the IS field: (1) the IS research community sees no difference between fields, disciplines or sciences; (2) IT changes so rapidly, and thus the IS field needs to change to remain relevant; (3) disciplines are by definition rigid, inflexible and uni-theoretical and (4) because IS is pluralistic, IS should not become a discipline. This studys analyses of the IS fields discursive formation and intellectual ideals offer novel perspectives that allow for the integration of the IS fields plurality and diversity. To transform the IS field from its multimodal existence into a vibrant, diverse, academically and socially relevant and influential discipline, the study proposes actionable strategies that include (1) agreeing on the intellectual ideals for IS, (2) focusing on conceptual formation, (3) focusing on theory construction, (4) erecting genealogical boundaries and (5) fostering the development of professional bodies.

The relationship between market sentiment and equity premium: an artificial neural network analysis

This study explores whether market sentiment is significantly related to equity premium levels using the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) framework with both the Conference Board CCI and the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI) as market sentiment proxies. Contrary to several studies, our results showed that after controlling for a standard set of fundamental variables, there is little evidence to support a strong direct relationship between market sentiment and equity premium. However, these results agree with other empirical studies that find market sentiment to be a reflection of market fundamentals, which in turn actually affect equity premium levels.

Paradigm lost … paradigm gained: a hermeneutical rejoinder to Banville and Landry’s ‘Can the Field of MIS be Disciplined?’

This study offers an alternative interpretation to Banville and Landry’s (B&L, 1989) Can the Field of MIS Be Disciplined?, the canonical text that argued persuasively against the adoption of the Kuhnian view of scientific progress for the information systems (IS) field. Much has transpired in the quarter of a century since its publication, which provides us with new sources of understanding about paradigms and how they relate to the challenges faced by the IS field. On the basis of the hermeneutical principles of tradition, prejudice, temporal distance, history of effect and application, this study describes the context from which B&L was written, its dependence on Whitley’s (1984) The Intellectual and Social Organization of the Sciences, and examines several of its claims and assertions. In contrast to B&L, this study finds the Kuhnian model of scientific progress well suited for a multidisciplinary and pluralistic field like IS and concludes with guidelines on how to reclaim the more transformative aspects of the paradigm concept, engender a culture of contextual borrowing from reference disciplines, and encourage conceptual development and autonomous theory construction.

Editorial: A Brief History of the Material in Sociomateriality

Sociomateriality is gaining acceptance in the IS field as a way of taking technology more seriously, but not without its share of criticism. Technology itself is defined in many different ways. Coupled with the broader debates surrounding the complex issues and controversies around the relationship between the social and the material, discussions on how technology is tied to work and organizations will continue to develop. The goal of this special issue is to contribute towards clarifying what the tenets of sociomateriality mean for IS research. Beginning with this editorial that elaborates on material agency in IT, the articles in the special issue discuss post-humanism and notion of separability and inseparability, compare the tenets of sociomateriality with critical realism, propose a method for researching sociomateriality, and elaborate on how a view of ontological fusion provides a more holistic view of a digitally-infused society.

Engaging scientometrics in information systems

Although scientometrics is seeing increasing use in Information Systems (IS) research, in particular for evaluating research efforts and measuring scholarly influence; historically, scientometric IS studies are focused primarily on ranking authors, journals, or institutions. Notwithstanding the usefulness of ranking studies for evaluating the productivity of the IS field’s formal communication channels and its scholars, the IS field has yet to exploit the full potential that scientometrics offers, especially towards its progress as a discipline. This study makes a contribution by raising the discourse surrounding the value of scientometric research in IS, and proposes a framework that uncovers the multi-dimensional bases for citation behaviour and its epistemological implications on the creation, transfer, and growth of IS knowledge. Having identified 112 empirical research evaluation studies in IS, we select 44 substantive scientometric IS studies for in-depth content analysis. The findings from this review allow us to map an engaging future in scientometric research, especially towards enhancing the IS field’s conceptual and theoretical development.

The Equity Premium Puzzle: An Artificial Neural Network Approach

Purpose - In recent years, equity premiums have been unusually large and efforts to forecast them have been largely unsuccessful. This paper presents evidence suggesting that artificial neural networks (ANNs) outperform traditional statistical methods and can forecast equity premiums reasonably well. Design/methodology/approach - This study replicates out-of-sample estimates of regression using ANN with economic fundamentals as inputs. The theory states that recent large equity premium values cannot be explained (the equity premium puzzle). Findings - The dividend yield variable was found to produce the best out-of-sample forecasts for equity premium. Research limitations/implications - Although the equity premium puzzle can be partly explained by fundamentals, they do not imply immediate policy prescriptions since all forecasting techniques including ANN are susceptible to joint assumptions of the techniques and the models used. Practical implications - This result is useful in capital asset pricing model and in asset allocation decisions. Originality/value - Unlike the findings from previous research that are unable to explain equity premium behavior, this paper suggests that equity premium can be reasonably forecasted.

Using Social Network Analysis to Test an IT-Enabled Business Process Reengineering Theory

After more than a decade of research in information technology-enabled business process reengineering (BPR), no clear theory explains the link between information technology (IT) and organizational transformation. This paper introduces the use of social network analysis (SNA) methods to analyze this link. SNA is a social structural approach that focuses on dynamic relationships among the technology, its adopters, and the social context they are in. It is used in this study to test Galbraith’s Organizational Information Processing Theory (OIPT) in describing three IT-enabled BPR efforts. The results of the research show that SNA coupled with the OIPT is capable of explaining how technological innovation and process innovation interact within the context of BPR. The results of the research also provide measures that can be used by practitioners and researchers as leading indicators of BPR success.

Philosophy and Information Systems: Where are We and Where Should We Go?

All research is philosophy in action. A lack of attention to and understanding of philosophy can render research and its outcomes misleading or vacuous. Understanding philosophical questions, on the other hand, can help information systems (IS) researchers ensure their work is rigorous and insightful. It can also improve the quality of the work itself (Lee, 2004). These are strong statements. In this editorial of the special issue on philosophy and the future of IS, we develop arguments to support them, review the current state of philosophy in IS, and put forward a research agenda. First, we need to justify this focus on philosophy that motivates the special issue. In order to undertake any sort of research, the researcher needs to answer a number of philosophical questions that precede the research. These include questions such as What am I researching? What does it mean to know? What is knowledge? How can I create knowledge? What is truth and is it important? What exists and can be described? Are the consequences of my research acceptable? Is it right for me to ask the question? How can I communicate my insights? Who am I? Who is my audience and who are the people using IS? These questions may lead to other questions. What does “use” mean? And does “use” cover most of technology’s effects? What about people who do not use those technologies but are impacted regardless. Researchers in the field of IS, just like those in many other fields, tend to have implicit, taken-forgranted answers to these questions that are unacknowledged, and often broadly shared and agreed upon. It is important to acknowledge that such questions are typically open to many different types of answers and that successful research requires them to be addressed in a consistent manner. To do so, one needs to have an understanding of the field or discipline that deals with them, namely philosophy. This need for a philosophical grounding of research may explain why the highest degree that universities in many English-speaking countries confer is that of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Researchers holding such a degree can therefore rightly be expected to display a significant awareness of philosophy. But what is it, this mysterious thing we call philosophy? The literal meaning of philosophy is the “love of wisdom or knowledge” (Greek philo“loving” + sophia“wisdom”). In its current incarnation, philosophy is typically seen as an academic discipline, part of the broader canon of the humanities. One can study philosophy at many universities. When doing so, the student of philosophy will typically be taught many of the subdisciplines of philosophy including metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, philosophy of language, political philosophy, and many others. These different sub-disciplines ask particular questions and have more or less clearly defined subject areas that cover many of the questions listed earlier. A basic understanding of at least some of these fields is thus required for an IS researcher to be able to justify their work and approach. While this view of philosophy as an academic discipline is appropriate and represents the current state of affairs, we would like to point to a broader and older understanding of philosophy. When the term came up with the ancient Greeks, epitomised by great philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the term covered the entire field of knowledge and was thus closer to what we now might call “science” or “research”. Most, if not all, academic disciplines as we know them today can be traced back to philosophy: physics, biology, chemistry, and other sciences are all embodied in classics such as Newton’s (1687) Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy and Lord Kelvin, Tait, and Darwins (1888) Treatise of Natural Philosophy. Going beyond such natural sciences, philosophy in a broader understanding did not only have the purpose of organising knowledge in a particular domain, but also to inform individuals and societies about how to live their lives and achieve the “good life”. This was typically seen as a life spent perfecting oneself, including the development of knowledge, being part of a commonwealth, and having positive relationships with others in the pursuit of the optimum state of being that could be achieved, individually and collectively. We do not want to overly romanticise the antique Greek way of life where slavery and the subjugation of women and foreigners were commonly accepted. It is furthermore clear that in modern pluralistic societies, it will be more difficult, if not impossible, to find answers to such grand questions. This does not mean, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS, 2018 VOL. 27, NO. 3, 263–277 https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2018.1470776