IS theories, are they emerged in IS disciplines or adopted from other Article

IS theories, are they emerged in IS disciplines or adopted from other disciplines - Article Example The field of Information System is dependent on knowledge and information concerning a world made up of physical systems, designed artifacts and human behavior (Gregory and Dennis, 2005, p.3). However, it is essential to ensure that only relevant knowledge is theorized, and in an integrated manner. Ideas may be retrieved from diverse disciplines; however this has to be done with an aim of focusing on the nature of information system and its uniqueness. A theory, according to Merriam-Webster (2004), can be said to be a hypothesis that is developed for the sake of an investigation. A discipline, on the other hand, may be referred to as a branch of learning or institution. This, however, does not mean that the disciplines are confined to only their areas of study. This supposition therefore means that Information Systems is by nature â€Å"single†. This, however, is not the case as Information System is regarded as â€Å"pluralistic† field. This is because it draws its kno wledge from other, different and more reputable disciplines. Some form of control should be established in each field to avoid cases where there’s no agreed upon area of teaching, practice or research. Such a case would result in incoherence and, low status for the discipline. A balance should be established to avoid total control or general incoherence of the discipline. Scoping Information System Applications in IT are now revolutionizing the way in which firms conduct their daily operations. Such changes have allowed researchers to contribute significantly towards helping the organizations to embrace thes changes. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) states that, the advances and changes in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are revolutionizing economic activities just like electricity, steam engine or the railways in the past (OECD, 2001). The progress made in computer technologies has today led to the rise of diverse areas of appli cation. This has, therefore, contributed to an increase in the role of IS while expanding its scope. This makes ICT technologies present in numerous and diverse areas such as governments, health sector, etc. According to Avison and Fitzgerald (2003, p. xi), information systems are â€Å"†¦ the effective design, delivery, use and impact of information technology in the organizations and society†. This definition touches on one of the significant aspects of IS, that is the creation of IT applications. It also identifies the fact that a broader attention rather than just technology applies in ICT applications. IS discipline has moved from it technology centered focus to other areas that include management, technology, social and organization. Information System is not entirely about technology nor is it a management field like put by Webster and Watson (2002). Information system is distinguishable from these disciplines due to the incorporation of artifacts in machine-human systems. According to Lee: â€Å"Research in the information systems field examines more than just the technological system, or just the social system, or even the two side by side; in addition, it investigates the phenomena that emerge when the two interact.† (2001, p. iii) This, therefore, goes to show that information system is the discipline that combines the knowledge of humans with that of physical objects. One can draw relations between Information System