PLS-Based Model Selection: The Role of Alternative Explanations in Information Systems Research

2019 ◽  
pp. 346-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratyush Nidhi Sharma ◽  
◽  
Marko Sarstedt ◽  
Galit Shmueli ◽  
Kevin H. Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Model Selection ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research

Tacit Knowledge and Discourse Analysis

2011 ◽  
pp. 3657-3662
Author(s):  
Michele Zappavigna-Lee ◽  
Jon Patrick
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Dominant Position ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research ◽  
Subsequent Section

The emphasis in information systems research is typically on converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge (Hershel, Nemati, & Steiger, 2001). Attention is also given to setting up a dichotomy of tacit and explicit knowledge in terms of articulation (can it be carried in language?), codification (can it be turned into an artifact?) or judgment (is it objective or subjective?). This article is structured to critique the dominant position in information systems research that tacit knowledge is ineffable. The background section provides an introduction to the extensive interdisciplinary literature on tacit knowledge, providing context for the subsequent section that deconstructs the assumptions that this literature makes about what it means to, in Polanyi’s (1966, p. 4) terms, “know more than we can tell.” To conclude, the role of linguistic and semiotic analysis in realising the growing trend toward theorising “community knowing,” rather than knowledge as an artifact, is suggested in the final sections.

scholarly journals Writing, Arguing, Contributing - A Cogent Argumentation Framework for Identifying, Specifying, and Evaluating Research Contribution

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian K. Boell ◽  
Dirk S. Hovorka
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Abductive Reasoning ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research ◽  
Cogent Argument ◽  
Research Contribution ◽  
Disciplinary Matrix ◽  
Role Of It

The predominant means by which research becomes visible and accessible to the research community is through publication. Generally, publication requires careful framing of the research in relation to existing knowledge. As a contribution to knowledge cannot be self-evident, authors must persuade, through argumentation, the editors, reviewers, and the research community that their work offers a contribution. In Information Systems, the discussion of argumentation is often limited to the logic dimensions of argumentation, namely deductive, inductive, and abductive reasoning. In this paper, we demonstrate that argumentation requires the consideration of three additional dimensions of argumentation: rhetoric, dialectic, and social-institutional. Kuhn’s concept of the disciplinary matrix is introduced as the background toward which a cogent argument is directed and against which contribution is evaluated. We then illustrate the role of argumentation through the example of the seminal paper by Orlikowski and Iacono on the role of IT in Information Systems research. Understanding the importance of argumentation in framing one’s research contribution is critical to authors, editors, and reviewers alike within and beyond Information Systems and its reference disciplines.

scholarly journals Toward Principles of Construct Clarity: Exploring the Usefulness of Facet Theory in Guiding Conceptualization

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Guy Gable ◽  
Arun Rai
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Facet Theory ◽  
Knowledge Accumulation ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Information Systems Research

Conceptualization in theory development has received limited consideration despite its frequently stressed importance in Information Systems research. This paper focuses on the role of construct clarity in conceptualization, arguing that construct clarity should be considered an essential criterion for evaluating conceptualization and that a focus on construct clarity can advance conceptualization methodology. Drawing from Facet Theory literature, we formulate a set of principles for assessing construct clarity, particularly regarding a construct’s relationships to its extant related constructs. Conscious and targeted attention to this criterion can promote a research ecosystem more supportive of knowledge accumulation.

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