BUSINESS COMPUTING SYSTEM RESEARCH - STRUCTURING THE FIELD

For over a decade now, scholars have been debating the definition, evolution and scope of research in the field of business computing systems. This article chronicles that debate by examining both philosophical and pragmatic perspectives. It also contributes to the debate by offering a hierarchic taxonomy of forums for publishing business computing research. The taxonomy's first stratum consists of two categories-academic journals and practitioner publications. Academic journals are further categorized by three orientations-business/managerial, computer science/engineering and general/social sciences. The first of these is further segmented, including the identification of five categories of journals devoted to business computing research. The roots and relationships of categories within the taxonomy are analyzed in light of existing studies. Empirical support for the business computing categories is presented.