Fostering the evaluation of reference models: Application and extension of the concept of IS design theories

Authors

Michael Schermann, Santa Clara UniversityFollow
Tilo Böhmann
Helmut Krcmar

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2007

Publisher

Association for Information Systems

Abstract

Despite the imperative to substantiate innovative research results expressed in reference models, little methodical guidance exists for evaluating reference models yet. We propose that IS design theories [WaWE92] can provide theoretical guidance for reference model evaluation since reference models can be formulated as a set of design principles that consist of testable propositions, kernel theories, and intended applications. We show how to facilitate the reconstruction process by applying the idea of pattern languages. Such decomposed reference models allow evaluating each design principle separately and thus formulating a more concise and elementary evaluation objective. We demonstrate the benefits of reconstructing reference models as design theories on the Service Data Management reference model that has been developed by the authors.

Comments

Wirtschaftsinformatik Proceedings 2007

Recommended Citation

Schermann, M., Böhmann, T., and Krcmar, H. (2007): ”Fostering the Evaluation of Reference Models: Application and Extension of the Concept of IS Design Theories”, International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik, Karlsruhe, Germany.