20th Australasian Conference on Information Systems

Track Description

Information technology is associated with new and breaking innovations. This track invites information systems research that highlights the use of technology in new areas as well as research that promotes a positive social impact on the environment as well as on fulfilling human ideals.

Suggested topics

• Green information technology
• Social development through information technology
• Innovative use of information technology
• Development/appropriation/co-production of social networking communities and technologies
• Energy Informatics
• ICTs and climate change
• Building management information systems
• Information systems and eco-sustainability
• ICTs and development ( Development Informatics)
• Other topics related to this track

Track Description

The use of information systems has become pervasive and synonymous with business. Even though a long tradition exists for studying the use of technology in business some issues still exist. These issues are related to the return of investment, managing the projects and deriving value from these technologies. New technology itself also possesses challenges as well as opportunities for businesses. This track invites information systems research that highlights the challenges faced by organisations investing and managing information technology projects.

Suggested topics

• Management of collaborative (B2B) projects in general
• E-commerce
• E-procurement
• B2B e-commerce
• ERP-based e-business applications
• Implementation and innovative use of Web Services
• Electronic supply chain management and Internet-based electronic data interchange
• E-business technology investment strategies
• Theories used in project management
• Project management methodologies
• Knowledge sharing and management in IT projects
• Other topics related to this track

Track Description

Recently, there has been renewed emphasis on the behavioural aspects of information systems use, in both individual and organisational contexts. The popular media in particular has documented the rise of online systems for communications and networking, personal systems for entertainment and task processing, ubiquitous access to processing devices, and increased scrutiny of the value, benefits and downstream effects of such systems.
Amid this coverage, the changing role of the human user, now and into the future, deserves further attention. The outcomes of interplay between humans and information systems provide a rich backdrop for much information systems research. Understanding human cognition (processes such as thinking and feeling) and the behaviours of users is critical to the successful information system design and implementation.
For this track, human/systems interactions could be examined at the individual or  group level. We particularly encourage studies that constructively challenge current thinking, as well as work advancing the theoretical basis of our field. Theoretically grounded empirical work is especially welcome.

Suggested topics

• Behavioural and cognitive perspectives on the design or use of information systems
• Human-device interaction or behavioural perspectives involving cognition,  perception, emotion and belief
• Conflicts and synergies between IS for work, socialisation and leisure
• Behavioural aspects of group and individual problem-finding and problem-solving
• Case studies exploring behavioural or cognitive aspects of particular applications and tools, such as personal and mobile devices, social networks or ubiquitous processing
• Behavioural aspects of group and individual decision support systems
• Cognitive processes of actors and actor groups, such as programmers, developers, users, regulators and auditors
• Cognitive and behavioural perspectives on online social interaction and networking
• Cognitive perspectives on human or computer-mediated knowledge management and knowledge sharing
• Cognitive aspects of learning and innovation
• Cognition and behaviour for ethics, security and fraud

Track Description

ISD is at the kernel and builds the very foundation of the IS discipline and there is a need for a sustainable understanding and integrative theory based on extensive, empirical field research. ISD is a dynamic process, which is conducted in an increasingly turbulent and complex environment. It includes activities such as analysis, design, programming, and maintenance and deals with project management and methods and tools for the development and organizational implementation and utilization of information technology. Design Science research has lately been advocated as a research approach to theorize about information systems development as it deals with the construction and evaluation of methods, models and the resulting information systems. Models are one important artifact in the development of IS and modeling has been a prominent and yet debated task in the development of IS. This track therefore combines  both the topics design science and model-based development with more classical subjects of ISD and it invites empirical studies of ISD practice as well as conceptual and experimental research of ISD.

Suggested topics (but are not limited to)

• Studies of ISD practice
• ISD as a design process
• ISD as a model-based process
• ISD as a methodical process
• ISD as an agile process
• ISD as amethodical, emergent, process
• ISD as a global and distributed process
• ISD as an outsourced process
• ISD as an open source process
• ISD as a component-based process

Track Description

This track aims to bring together papers that address the management and governance of IS/IT within organizations. The role of IS and IT remains fundamental to business strategy in modern organizations, as IT now underpins most new opportunities for product, service and process innovation. However, it is not always easy to assess the value IT adds to a business. Firms are demanding more efficient delivery, and more effective, yet cheaper, IT-supported business processes; as well as continued attention to safeguarding firm assets and reputation.  Business leaders and end users alike expect the firm to take advantage of novel technologies that often introduce new trade-offs and risks. Software and IT service vendors, and external consultants, now typically account for a significant proportion of the IT budget, and need to be managed carefully to ensure that the firm does not end up with systems that no longer align with firm priorities. The importance of both business and systems project management remains critical to effective and efficient service delivery, while IT governance is receiving increasing attention from firms reeling from the impact of behaviours that led to the global economic crisis. This track invites papers that clarify the role of IT; its organization within a business; the management of IT operations; and the measurement of IT performance. We hope to attract papers that apply rigorous thinking to problems that are relevant to IT professionals and academics.

Possible topics (but are not limited to)

• Competitive strategy and IS - particularly innovative business strategies and business models based in IT/IS
• Business-IT alignment
• Business process design and management (including BP outsourcing, on and offshore)
• Implications of IT/IS developments for organizational design
• Establishing the value of IS/IT
• Implementing and gaining value from enterprise systems
• Performance measurement for IS/IT
• IT governance and its mechanisms (including managing IT risks)
• Sourcing ISs and IT services
• Project management issues (both business and software project management)
• IT cost management (including total cost of ownership models; and IT services cost accounting and charging)
• Management issues raised by emerging technologies (such as SOA and web services) and enterprise architectures (EAs).

Track Description

The use of technology for social interaction has proliferated in recent times.  The track aims to address the theoretical, empirical and design oriented research that contribute to better understanding of the nexus between IT and communication.

Suggested topics

• Emerging changes of the communicative nature of organisations and society due to the extensive use of ICT, the Internet and the Web-based technologies
• Innovative uses of technologies for collaboration and community building
• Supporting remote relationships: devices, media & content
• Designing and managing IT-enabled collaborative groups and teams
• Collaboration across the supply chain: the mutuality of technology and people
• Enhancing collaboration in communities using Web 2.0 technologies
• Mobile technologies for real-time collaboration
• Social, privacy and security issues with IT-enabled collaboration
• Presence, trust and friendship: the role of technology in collaboration?
• Who owns the relationship? Protecting stakeholders and their data
• Opportunities and threats for societies: technology to connect or disconnect?
• Other topics related to this track

Track Description

The nature of the world and the basis of all human knowledge and action are considered by the field of philosophy. As such, philosophical considerations underlie all fields of knowledge, including Information Systems. These considerations are then combined with often unstated deep questions that the field of Information Systems is seeking to answer through research. Pursuit of these questions in turn leads to cumulative research. This track will consider papers in all areas of philosophy relevant to the field of information systems. It will also especially consider papers concerned with the formalisation of generalised knowledge into theory or theories related to Information Systems as well as the essence of the deep questions the field is pursuing.

Suggested topics (but are not limited to)

• The ontological nature of Information, Systems, and Information Systems
• Epistemological and methodological issues in Information Systems Research
• The deep questions that Information Systems research is seeking to answer, and why they are important
• Methodological pluralism
• Ethical issues and moral responsibility in Information Systems practice
• Ethical issues and moral responsibility in Information Systems research
• The types, role and structure of theory in Information Systems
• Social philosophy in Information Systems
• Critical Theory in Information Systems
• Design Theory in Information Systems
• Systems Theory and Socio-Technical Systems in Information Systems
• The relationship of theory to practice
• Tracing cumulative research in Information Systems

Track Description

The IS Pedagogy track is designed to provide a forum for those researching the teaching of Information Systems (IS) and those researching the use of information technologies in IS education, to share their experiences and insights. Papers are sought that report research and associated case studies that will build insights into curriculum design, instructional approaches and exercises, student assessment strategies and practice, IS education in a global context, and evaluating IS education strategies, designs and implementations.  Proposals are also sought for Panels, Workshops and Tutorials that will build the skills and knowledge needed by educators to improve the learning experience and learning outcomes for IS students.

Suggested topics (but are not limited to)

• Curriculum Design including:
• Aligning IS curriculum to industry need
• Incorporating ethical issues in the IS curriculum
• IS curriculum design to support student acquisition of generic skills (eg, communication, teamwork and team management, …)
• The impacts of emerging/evolving information technologies on IS curricula
• Innovative Instructional Approaches and Exercises including:
• E-teaching and e-learning in IS education
• Innovative instructional materials for IS education
• Technology-based learning systems and applications to IS education
• Work-integrated/collaborative learning strategies and approaches for IS education
• Student Assessment Strategies, Designs and Implementation including:
• IS student assessment strategies and design
• IS student assessment issues
• IS Education in a Global Context including:
• Internationalising the IS curriculum
• Instructional approaches, exercises and resources for IS education in an international marketplace
• IS education issues in a global context
• Evaluating IS Education Strategies, Designs and Implementation