Exploring Information Systems Research Approaches

Exploring Information Systems Research Approaches is intended for supervisors and research students in the information systems and related fields. This collection of thought-provoking articles, arranged in sections that reflect the broadening nature of the field, provides examples of a range of research approaches. This book focuses on different research approaches – their strengths, limitations, and the conclusions which can be drawn from them – and explores the impact of information and communication technologies on groups, on organizations, between organizations, on markets, and on society worldwide.

The articles selected have been chosen to represent an approach to research, or an alternative design within an approach (e.g., single case versus multiple cases; survey within industry versus survey across industries). Each section is preceded by an editorial introduction that places the chosen articles in context of other, similar research, and provides a summary of the articles in terms of the:

• research method employed
• focus and perspective of the research
• technology being employed
• findings and overall contribution of the work.

Each introduction also highlights various issues and factors that the reader should consider when studying each of the articles in the section and includes ideas for further reading and discussion questions suitable for doctoral research seminars.

Robert D. Galliers is Provost of Bentley College, USA, and Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics, where he was formerly Professor of Information Systems and Research Director in the Department of Information Systems.

M. Lynne Markus is the John W. Poduska Sr. Chair in Information and Process Management at Bentley College, USA, and was the 2005 Shaw Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and the 2006 Fulbright Visiting Research Chair on Knowledge Based Enterprises at Queen's University, Canada.

Sue Newell is the Cammarata Professor of Management at Bentley College, USA, and Professor of Information Management at Warwick Business School.