The Information Systems Academic Discipline in Singapore

The global downturn in demand for IT skills has not left Singapore unscathed. While the demand for information systems graduates has not been as adversely affected as that for traditional computer science ones, there appears to be a drop in the entry quality of students seeking to do information systems degrees. While there appears to be some turnaround on the horizon, to better prepare for the future it is timely to examine the current state of IS as a discipline in Singapore and understand what might be the driving forces that shape it. Using Whitley’s theory of scientific change as a theoretical framework [1984a, 1984b], this case study seeks to explore the degree of professionalization and the maturity of IS as a discipline in Singapore through analysis of data gathered from in-depth interviews and secondary data sources. It is found that of the four constructs proposed by Whitley for determining if a discipline is a mature, distinct scientific one, the IS discipline in Singapore clearly satisfies three: the discipline has a high level of professionalization, strong scientific reputation, and well-established research competence and skills. While the IS researchers agree that the discipline has a common vocabulary with which to communicate with one another, they also agree that it is not unknown to the researchers outside the discipline and thus, in this aspect, the discipline only satisfies part of the fourth construct in Whitley’s theory.