University of Arkansas

Walton College

The Sam M. Walton College of Business

Information Systems: Research

The Information Systems Department has an active and flourishing research program. We are driven by a common vision to have a significant global impact through excellence in research, teaching, and industry connection.

Recent Research Highlights

Department consistently ranked among the top five in the world in publications in top IS research journals. Ranked jointly 1st worldwide for research productivity in 2015 and 2013.

Department faculty published 24 articles in the top two IS research journals (MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research) during 2016-2020 (http://top100.utdallas.edu/).

The department includes a winner of the AIS LEO Award (Dr. Varun Grover), a Fellow of IEEE (Dr. Rajiv Sabherwal), three Fellows of the Association for Information Systems (Dr. Sabherwal, Dr. Grover, and Dr. Mary Lacity). The ISYS department is the only department in the world to include faculty with these prestigious awards for outstanding research.

The department includes a recipient of the AIS Early Career Award (Dr. Zach Steelman) and two recipients of the AIS Best Dissertation Award (Dr. Jeff Mullins and Dr. Abhijith Anand).

Three members of the department have been recognized as Association for Information Systems Distinguished Members Cum Laude (Dr. Grover and Dr. Sabherwal) or Distinguished Member (Dr. Rhonda Syler).

Lacity and the Blockchain Center of Excellence team are part of a $3.5 million grant for “Poultry Excellence in China: Improving Food Safety of Poultry Supply Chain – Phase II” sponsored by the Walmart Foundation.

The department includes three of the top ten most cited (based on Google Scholar) faculty at the University of Arkansas: Dr. Grover, Dr. Lacity, and Dr. Sabherwal.

Grover is among the Top 5 IS Researchers based on h-index and is ranked #1 in Sociometric Analysis in An Analysis of the Most Published Authors and Most Cited Authors in the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems in 2019.

Lacity received both the Best Information Systems Publications Award and the Outreach Practice Publication Award from the Association of Information Systems in 2019.

Based on publications in MIS Quarterly and Information Systems Research in 2019, Dr. Sabherwal was tied with two other individuals for #1 in the world. Dr. Steelman was tied with 8 others for #4 in the world.

Tracy Sykes was identified in a study published in 2015 as the most productive researcher in the world among all information systems assistant professors earning their doctorates in or after 2000.

Departmental faculty serve as senior editors, department editors, and editorial board members of numerous prestigious journals.

Recent Publications (2019-2022)

Sharma, P. N., Daniel, S., Chung, R., Grover, V. (2022). A Motivation-Hygiene Model of Open-Source Software Code Contribution and Growth. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, V23(1), 165-195.

Burleson, J., Grover, V., Thatcher, J., Sun, H. (2022). A Representation Theory Perspective on the Repurposing of Personal Technologies for Work-related Tasks. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 22(6), 1556-1589.

Van Hoek, R., Larsen, G., and Lacity, M. (2022). RPA in Maersk Procurement – Applicability of Action Principles and Research Opportunities. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 52(3).

Shook, C. (2022). Teaching Tip: Vignettes to Support Diversity Training in Information Systems. Journal of Information Systems Education, 33(1), 15-22.

Mullins, J. K., Cronan, T. P. (2021). Enterprise Systems Knowledge, Beliefs, and Attitude: A Model of Informed Technology Acceptance. International Journal of Information Management, 59(1-13). 

Farzley, B., Holcomb, A., Hadley, W., Freeze, R. (2021). Food Recovery Efforts for Upstream and Downstream Benefits. Data & Analytics For Good. I1.A2. August, 5, 2021. 

Tian, H., Grover V., Zhao J. (2021). The differential impact of types of app innovation on customer evaluation. Information and Management, 57(7).

Grover, V., Niederman, F. (2021). The Quest for Innovation in IS Research:  Recognizing, Stimulating, and Promoting Novel and Useful Knowledge. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 22(6), 1753-1782.

Grover, V., Lyytinen, K. (2021). Special Issue Editorial: Strategies for Surviving and Thriving Within and Between Digital Platforms. MIS Quarterly Executive, Vol. 20, Issue 4, Article 4.

Grover, V. (2021). Forward: for "Rural Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Digital Era". Lokuge and Sedera, eds. ICI Global Publishing. IGI Global.

Grover, V. (2021). Business Models, Data and Value Creation. Handbook of Digital Innovation S. Nambisan, K. Lyttinen and Y. Yoo eds), Edward Elgar (UK).

Tams, S., Grover, V., Thatcher, J., Ahuja, M. (2021). Grappling with Modern Technology: Interruptions Mediated by Mobile Devices Impact Older Workers Disproportionally. Information Systems and e-Business Management.

Treiblmaier, H., Rejeb, A., Van Hoek, R., and Lacity, M. (2021). Intra- and Interorganizational Barriers to Blockchain Adoption: A General Assessment and Coping Strategies in the Agrifood Industry. Logistics, 5(4), 87-107.

Lacity, M., and Van Hoek, R. (2021). How Walmart Canada Used Blockchain Technology to Reimagine Freight Invoice Processing. MIS Quarterly Executive, 20(3), pp. 1-15. 

Lacity, M., and Van Hoek, R. (2021). What We’ve Learned So Far About Blockchain for Business, Sloan Management Review, 63(3), pp. 48-54. reprint #: 62310.

Lacity, M., Willcocks, L. (2021). Becoming Strategic with Intelligent Automation, MIS Quarterly Executive, 20(2), pp. 1-14. 

Lacity, M., Willcocks, L., Gozman, D. (2021). Influencing Information Systems Practice: The Action Principles Approach applied to Robotic Process and Cognitive Automation, Journal of Information Technology, 36(3), 216-240.

Lacity, M. (2021). Fake news, technology and ethics: Can AI and blockchains restore integrity? Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases.

Shew, A., Nayga Jr., R. M., Snell, H., Lacity, M. (2021). Consumer Valuation of Blockchain Traceability for Beef in the United States, Applied Economic Perspectives & Policy, pp. 1-25.

Treiblmaier, H., Swan, M., Filippi, P. Lacity, M., Hardjono, T., and Kim, H. (2021). What’s Next in Blockchain Research? – An Identification of Key Topics Using a Multidisciplinary Perspective, The Data Base for Advances in Information Systems, 52(1), pp. 27-52. 

Lacity, M. (2021). Tracking Assets in Supply Chains with Distributed Ledger Technologies, Business & Information Systems Engineering Journal; The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, February Issue.

Lacity, M., Mocker, M., Piccoli, G., Watson, R. (2021). Anatomy of a Good Paper – Writing a Solid Practice-Oriented Paper. AIS Research Exchange, April 27, 2021.

Nikkhah, H. R., Sabherwal, R. (2021). Information Disclosure Willingness and Mobile Cloud Computing Applications: The Impact of Security and Assurance Mechanisms. Information Technology and People.

Reychav, I., Arora, A., Sabherwal, R., Polyak, K., Sun, J., Azuri, J. (2021). Reporting Health Data in Waiting Rooms with Mobile Technology: Patient Expectation and Confirmation. International Journal of Information Management, 148, January 9, 2021. 

Shook, C. L., Boston, K., Clay, R. (2021). Cultivating Skills for the Virtual Job Market. AACSB Insights

Kane, G., Young, A. G., Majchrzak, A., Ransbotham, S. (2021). Avoiding an Oppressive Future of Machine Learning: A Design Theory for Emancipatory Assistants. MIS Quarterly, 45:1b. 

Young, A. G., Majchrzak, A., Kane, G. (2021). Reflection on Writing a Theory Paper: How to Theorize for the Future. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 22(5), 1212-1223.

Young, A. G., Majchrzak, A., Kane, G. (2021). Organizing Workers and Machine Learning Tools for a Less Oppressive Future. International Journal of Information Management, Volume 59, August 2021, 102353.

Anand, A., Sharma, R., Kohli, R. (2020). The Effects of Operational and Financial Performance Failure on BI&A-enabled Search Behaviors - A Theory of Performance-driven Search. Information Systems Research. Published online: December.

Conway, D. (2020). Enhancing Trust in Business Ecosystems with Blockchain Technology. IEEE Engineering Management Review, 48(1).

Subramanian, H., Cousins, K., Bouyad, L., Sheth, A., Conway, D. (2020). Blockchain Regulations and Decentralized Applications: Panel Report from AMCIS 2018. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 47.

Grover, V., Kuai, L., Zhu, Y., Wei, J. (2020). The Complexity of Establishing Causality in a Digital Environment: An Eye to the Future. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, Volume 22, 2020, Issue 1.

Carter M., Petter S., Grover V., Thatcher J.B. (2020). Information Technology Identity: A Key Determinant of IT Feature and Exploratory Usage. MIS Quarterly, 44 (3).

Carter, M., Grover, V., Petter, S., Thatcher, J. (2020). IT Identity: A Measure and Empirical Investigation of its Utility to IS Research. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 21(5), September.

Grover, V. (2020). Do We Need to Understand the World to Know It? Knowledge in a Big Data World. Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 23(1).

Grover, V., Tian, H. (2020). The differential impact of types of app innovation on customer evaluation. Information and Management, Volume 57, Issue 7, November 2020, 103358.

Grover, V., Lindberg, A., Benbasat, I., Lyytinen, K. (2020). The Perils and Promises of Big Data Research in Information Systems. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 21(2), April.

Tams, S., Ahuja, M., Grover, V., Thatcher, J. (2020). Worker Stress in the Age of Mobile Technology:   The Combined Effects of Interruption Overload and Worker Control. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Volume 29, Issue 1, March 2020, 10159.

Grover, V., Wang, E., Cheuh, L. (2020). IOS Drivers of Manufacturer-Supplier Flexibility and Manufacturer Agility. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Volume 29, Issue 1, March 2020, 101594.

Noume, F. L.S., Grover, V. (2020). Effect of Release Timing of App Innovations Based on Mobile Platform Innovations. Journal of Management Information Systems, 37(4).

Grover, V., Sabherwal, R. (2020). Making sense of the confusing mix of digitalization, pandemics and economics, International Journal of Information Management, 55, December.

Lacity, M. (2020). Crypto and Blockchain Fundamentals. Arkansas Law Review, 72 (4), 365-395.

van Hoek, R., Lacity, M. (2020). How the Pandemic Is Pushing Blockchain Forward. Harvard Business Review Online (4/27/2020) and Harvard Business Review Summer 2021 Issue, p. 52-53.

Lacity, M. C. Blockchain Foundations for the Internet of Value. (2020). Fayetteville AR, Epic Books/University of Arkansas Press.

Nikkhah, H.R., Noume F.L.H., Hodges B., Sabherwal R. (2020). Team Performance and Triangle Approach: A Longitudinal Study, Journal of Computer Information Systems. Published online: June. Volume 61, 2021, Issue 5.

Balapour, A., Nikkhah, H. R., Sabherwal, R. (2020). Mobile Application Security: Role of Perceived Privacy as the Predictor of Security Perceptions. International Journal of Information Management, Volume 52, June 2020, 102063.

Kim J-H., Sabherwal R., Bock G-W., Kim H-W. (2020). Understanding the Impact of Social Media Monitoring and Online Rumors on a Firm’s Performance and Reputation through the Concept of Engagement, Journal of Computer Information Systems. Published online: May. Volume 61, 2021, Issue 6.

Kim, J.-H., Bock, G.-W., Sabherwal, R., Kim, H.-M. (2020). Spreading Online Rumors: The Effects of Negative and Positive Emotions. Asia Pacific Journal of Information Systems, 30(1), 1-20.

Mullins, J. K., Sabherwal, R. (2020). Gamification: A cognitive-emotional view. Journal of Business Research, January, 304-314.

Falcone, E., Aloysius, J. A., Steelman, Z. R. (2020). Understanding Managers’ Reactions to Blockchain Technologies in the Supply Chain: The Reliable and Unbiased Software Agent. Journal of Business Logistics, 42(1), 25-45.

Venkatesh V., Sykes T., Zhang X. (2020). ICT for Development in Rural India: A Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health Outcomes. MIS Quarterly, 44 (2), 605-629.

Sykes T. (2020). Enterprise System Implementation and Employee Job Outcomes: Understanding the Role of Formal and Informal Support Structures Using the Job Strain Model. MIS Quarterly, 44 (4).

Young, J., Biros, D., Syler, R., Smith, T., Stephens, P., Schuetzler, R. (2020). When Programs Collide: A Panel Report on the Competing Interests of Analytics and Security. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 46.

Shim, J.P., Sharda, R., French, A., Syler, R., Patten, K. (2020). The Internet of Things: Multi-Faceted Research Perspectives. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 46.

Young, A. G., Wigdor, A., Kane, G. (2020). The Gender Bias Tug-of-War in a Co-creation Community: Core-Periphery Tension on Wikipedia. Journal of Management Information Systems, 37(4).

Chugthai, H., Myers, M., Young, A. G., Borsa, T., Cardo, V., Demirkol, O., Morgan, C., Morton, S., Prior, C., Wilkin, J., Young, E., Özkula, S. (2020). Demarginalizing interdisciplinarity in IS research: interdisciplinary research in marginalization. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, Vol 46.

Myers, M., Chugthai, H., Tsibolane, P., Davidson, E., Young, A. G. (2020). Studying the Other or Becoming the Other: Engaging with Indigenous Peoples in IS Research. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, Vol 47.

Freeze, R. D., Alshare, K., Peggy, L., M, A. (2019). Development and Determinants of End-User Intention: Usage of Expert Systems. Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 21 (2), 166-185.

Grover, V. (2019). Diversify Performance Metrics in Research: Thinking Within and Outside the Journal. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, Vol 45.

Raman, R., Grover, V. (2019). Studying the Multi-Level Impact of Cohesion Vs. Structural Holes in Knowledge Networks on Adaptation to IT-enabled Patientcare Practices. Information Systems Journal, 30(1).

Grover, V. (2019). Surviving and Thriving in the Evolving Digital Age: A Peek into the Future of IS Research and Practice. The DATA BASE for Advances in Information Systems, 50.

Grover, V., Sedera, D., Lokuge, S. (2019). Organizational Readiness for Digital Innovation: Development and Empirical Calibration of a Construct. Information and ManagementVolume 56, Issue 3, April 2019, Pages 445-461.

Grover, V., Carter, M., Jiang, D. (2019). Fostering Virtuous Adaptation to Trends in Information Systems Research: A Riposte. Journal of Information Technology, 34(2), 193-195.

Grover, V., Carter, M., Jiang, D. (2019). Trends in the Conduct of Information Systems Research. Journal of Information Technology, 34(2), 160-177.

Craig, K., Grover, V., Thatcher, J. (2019). The IT Identity Threat: A Conceptual Definition and Operational Measure. Journal of Management Information Systems, 36(1).

Lacity, M. (2019). From Theory Worship to Action Principles: Scholarly Commentary on Hirschheim's "Against Theory". Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 20 (9), Article 12.

Porra, J., Lacity, M., Parks, M. (2019). Can Computer-Based Human-Likeness Endanger Humanness? - A Philosophical and Ethical Perspective on Digital Assistants Expressing Feelings They Can't Have. Information Systems Frontiers, 22, 533–547.

Willcocks, L., Hindle, J., Lacity, M. (2019). Becoming Strategic with Robotic Process Automation. SB Publishing, Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Kim, J.-H., Bock, G.-W., Sabherwal, R., Kim, H.-M. (2019). Why Do People Spread Online Rumors? An Empirical Study. Asia Pacific Journal of Information Systems (4), 591-614.

Sabherwal, R., Sabherwal, S., Havakhor, T., Steelman, Z. (2019). How Does Strategic Alignment Affect Firm Performance? The Roles of Information Technology Investment and Environmental Uncertainty. MIS Quarterly, 43 (2), 453-474.

Jenkin, T., Chan, Y., Sabherwal, R. (2019). Mutual Understanding in Information Systems Development: Changes Within and Across Projects. MIS Quarterly, 43 (2), 649-671.

Balapour, A., Reychav, I., Sabherwal, R., Azuri, J. (2019). Mobile Technology Identity and Self-efficacy: Implications for the Adoption of Clinically-supported Mobile Health Apps. International Journal of Information Management, 49, 58-68.

Steelman, Z. R., Havakhor, T., Sabherwal, R., Sabherwal, S. (2019). Performance Consequences of IT Investment: Implications of Emphasizing Current or New Information Technologies. Information Systems Research, 30 (1), March, 204-218.

Havakhor, T., Sabherwal, R., Steelman, Z. R., Sabherwal, S. (2019). Relationships Between Information Technology and Other Investments: A Contingent Interdependency Model. Information Systems Research, 30 (1), March, 291–305.

Reychav, I., Beeri, R., Balapour, A., Raban, D. R., Sabherwal, R., Azuri, J. (2019). How reliable are self-assessments using mobile technology in healthcare? The effects of technology identity and self-efficacy. Computers in Human Behavior, 91 (February), 52-61.

Lacity, M., Sabherwal R., Sørensen, C. (2019). Editorial for Special Issue on Delivering Business Value through Enterprise Blockchain Applications, MIS Quarterly Executive, 18(4), Article 3.

Jia, R., Steelman, Z. R., Jia, H. (2019). Psychometric Assessments of Three Self-Report Autism Scales (AQ, RBQ-2A, and SQ) for General Adult Populations. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49 (5), 1949-1965.

Venkatesh V., Sykes T., Rai A., Setia P. (2019). Governance and ICT Initiative Success: A Longitudinal Field Study of Ten Villages in Rural India. MIS Quarterly, 43 (4), 1081-1104.

Venkatesh V., Sykes T., Chan F., Thong J, Hu, P. (2019). Children’s Internet Addiction, Family-to-Work Conflict, and Job Outcomes: A Study of Parent-Child Dyads. MIS Quarterly, 43 (3).

Young, A. G., Selander, L., Vaast, E. (2019). Digital organizing for social impact: Current insights and future research avenues on collective action, social movements, and digital technologies. Information and Organization, Volume 29, Issue 3, September 2019, 100257.