The Future of Academic MIS Research: From Information Systems Economics to Innovative Business Models, Social Impacts, Public Policy, Regulation, and the Law

Abstract

The academic research community is going to augment its research and teaching focus once again, comparable to the change in the 1980s when studying management of information was augmented with studying the impact of information on management. Just as information economics became newly significant for research and teaching in business school’s MBA programs, there will be an increasing focus on the impact of information on society and social welfare. The study of strategy will be augmented by the strategy of social policy, regulation, and the law. This will allow us to exploit our competitive advantage over researchers in large technology firms, which enjoy greater access to data, computing, and analytical staff. This will also make us more valuable to our students and to society.