A Retrospective on the Information Systems Discipline in Australia
Appendix: Early Australian PhDs in IS

Roger Clarke **

Review Version of 26 March 2007

This file contains the Appendices to the paper 'A Retrospective on the Information Systems Discipline in Australia'

© Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 2005-07

This document is at http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/AISHistApp5-0703.html

This Appendix lists PhDs known to have been awarded to Australians, whose work was clearly in or directly relevant to IS, prior to the end of 1995. Sources used include the ISWorld Dissertation Database, the Australian Digital Theses Program, the author's memory, interviews with Ron Weber and Cyril Brookes, and email discussions with several others.

This list excludes people who entered the IS discipline with doctorates in other areas, and those who migrated to Australia after completing a doctorate elsewhere.

1977 Ron Weber 'Auditor Decision Making: A Study of Some Aspects of Accuracy and Consensus and the Usefulness of a Simulation Decision Aid for Assessing Overall System Reliability' University of Minnesota, supervisor Gordon Davis

1982 Errol Iselin '[re information overload]', University of Queensland, supervisor Ron Weber

1984 Iris Vessey '[re psychological processes underlying program debugging]', University of Queensland, supervisor Ron Weber

1986 Ross Jeffery 'A Comparison of Models Describing Third and Fourth Generation Software Development Environments, with Implications for Effective Management' University of New South Wales, supervisor Cyril Brookes

1987 Rick Watson 'A Study of Group Decision Support System Use in Three and Four-Person Groups for a Preference Allocation Decision' University of Minnesota, supervisor Gerry deSanctis

1987 Bob Galliers '[topic?], LSE, supervisor Frank Land

1988 Peter Clayton [? Very Close to IS!] 'User involvement in academic library strategic planning: congruence amongst students, academic staff and libary staff at the Canberra College of Advanced Education' University of Canberra, supervisor ?

1989 Patricia Willard [? Very Close to IS!] 'The Personal Computer and the Public Library: A Study of the Absorption of New Technology and an Analysis of Librarian's Opinions about the Present and Future Impact on Australian Public Libraries' University of New South Wales, supervisor?

1990 Marianne Broadbent 'The Alignment Of Business And Information Strategies' Graduate School of Management, The University of Melbourne, supervisor Peter Weill

1992 Chris Sauer 'Information Systems Failure: The Problem of Managing Support for a Flawed Innovation Process' University of Western Australia, supervisor ?

1992 Paul Swatman 'Increasing Formality in the Specification of High Quality Information Systems in a Commercial Context', Curtin University, supervisor Roger Duke

1993 Paula Swatman 'Integrating Electronic Data Interchange with Existing Organisational Structure and Internal Application Systems: the Australian Experience', Curtin University

1994 James Popple 'SHYSTER: A Pragmatic Legal Expert System' Australian National University, supervisor Roger Clarke

1994 Graham Pervan 'A Comprehensive Model of Group Support Systems Application: Development and Initial Testing' Curtin University of Technology (Australia)

1995 was selected as the cut-off point on the pragmatic grounds that the numbers increased significantly from then onwards, with at least 7 in 1996 (D'Ambra, Gould, Gregor, Green, Kirlidog, Mackay and Sayer) and at least 5 in 1997 (Clarke, Klobas, Parker, Shanks and Williams). It would appear that, by 2002, about 20-30 IS PhDs were graduating from Australian universities each year (Pervan & Shanks 2004).

Author Affiliations

Roger Clarke is Principal of Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, Canberra. He is also a Visiting Professor in the E-Commerce Programme at the University of Hong Kong, Visiting Professor in the Baker & McKenzie Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre at the University of N.S.W., and Visiting Fellow in the Department of Computer Science at the Australian National University.

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Created: 11 March 2005 - Last Amended: 26 March 2007 by Roger Clarke - Site Last Verified: 15 February 2005
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