Education

• B.A., University of Pennsylvania, Mathematics, 1977.

 
• Ph.D., The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Decision Sciences, 1986.

Principal Positions

• Associate Professor, Information and Communication Systems, Graduate School of Business Administration, Fordham University (1999- ).

 
• Associate Professor, Information Systems Department, Stern School of Business, New York University (1993-1999).

 
• Assistant Professor, Information Systems, Anderson Graduate School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles (1986-1994).

 
• Senior Research Fellow, Higher Education Finance Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania (1979-86).

 
• Systems Analyst, International Data Base Systems, Inc. (1978-79).

Research Interests

My current research focuses on the design of Internet Applications. In particular, I am studying the many usability problems associated with browser-based applications and considering alternative approaches to remedying these problems. I am also interested in extending the concepts of system restrictiveness and substantive (decisional) guidance to this domain.

My previous research focused on how computer-based Decision Support Systems affect managerial decision-making behavior. I studied the effects of system design features on the processes through which managers make decisions. I concentrated on two such system features: "system restrictiveness" (how a system constrains its users) and "decisional guidance" (how a system enlightens or sways its users). Examining these features helps one understand the role of the system as an agent for change.

Selected Publications

Books:

• Silver, Mark S., Systems That Support Decision Makers: Description and Analysis, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 1991.

Refereed Articles:

• Silver, Mark S., M. Lynne Markus, and Cynthia M. Beath, "The Information Technology Interaction Model: A Foundation for the MBA Core Course," MIS Quarterly, 19, 3, September 1995, pp. 361-390.

 
• Chung, H. Michael, and Mark S. Silver, "Rule-Based Expert Systems and Linear Models: An Empirical Comparison of Learning-by-Examples Methods," Decision Sciences, 23, 3, May-June 1992, pp. 687-707.

 
• Silver, Mark S., "Decisional Guidance for Computer-Based Decision Support," MIS Quarterly, 15, 1, March 1991, pp. 105-122.

 
• Silver, Mark S., "Decision Support Systems: Directed and Nondirected Change," Information Systems Research, 1, 1, January-March 1990, pp. 47-70.

 
• Silver, Mark S., "Descriptive Analysis for Computer-Based Decision Support," Operations Research, 36, 6, November-December 1988, pp. 904-916.

 
• Silver, Mark S., "On the Restrictiveness of Decision Support Systems," in Organizational Decision Support Systems, Proceedings of the IFIP WG 8.3 Working Conference, R. M. Lee, A. M. McCosh, and P. Migliarese (eds.), Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland), Como, Italy, June 1988, pp. 259-270.

 
• Silver, Mark S., "User Perceptions of Decision Support System Restrictiveness: An Experiment," Journal of Management Information Systems, 5, 1, Summer 1988, pp. 51-65.

Teaching

I am especially interested in the design of the MBA core course in Information Systems. Together with M. Lynne Markus and Cynthia Beath, I have devised a pedagogic model that can be used as the foundation for this course.  Our model is available on-line:

• The Full Paper
• A Student Handout

I also teach the undergraduate core IS course. I am especially interested in the fundamental principles that help students in that course learn "how to think about IT."

Editorial

I am a member of the editorial board of Organization Science and I have been an associate editor of the Management Information Systems Quarterly.  I was selected Reviewer of the Year by Information Systems Research in 1994. I was also the editor of the DSS-92 Transactions.

Contact Information

Mark S. Silver
Information and Communication Systems
Graduate School of Business Administration
Fordham University
113 W. 60th Street
New York, NY 10023, USA
Tel: (212) 636-6755
E-mail: silver@fordham.edu