IFIP TC8 information systems : Conception, birth and early years

The paper begins by discussing the conception and birth of IFIP TC8 in Amsterdam in 1975 and 1976, describing the roles of the main players (such as IFIP and IFIP ADP). The background in terms of the IFIP organization and its already extant technical committees is reviewed. The birth pains associated with IFIP TC8’s early existence are also explained. The early meetings of TC8 and its Working Groups are discussed. From 1976 to 1986 formally planned events are discussed, with emphasis on the driving forces influencing the TC8 decision process throughout thiese years. The second half of this paper then reviews the background in the IT world (outside IFIP) as it prevailed in the period leading up to 1976. This backgound is examined in terms the of software and hardware technology of the timeThe past and the future of information systems: 1976-2006 and beyondRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Information systems as an academic discipline : Looking back, looking forward, and ensuring the future

In an organization of any size, there is an organization function responsible for the technology, activities and personnel to support its technology-enabled work systems and the information and communication needs of the organization. There is an academic discipline that teaches those who build, acquire, operate and maintain the systems and those who use the systems. Both the organization function and the academic discipline have developed over a period of 55 years (but primarily in the last 40 years). There have been two fundamental forces driving the formation of a new organization function and the new technology-enabled systems in organizations. One is the availability of powerful computer and communications technology; the other is the desire of organizations to use the capabilities in organization work. The result has been revolutionary as new capabilities and new affordances have been applied to the activities of organizations. A new academic discipline has emerged. This period of rapid innovation in organizations has resulted in successes, challenges, failures, and surprises. I have been a participant and an observer of this period of change. The paper will survey key developments (from my perspective) that have brought us to the present conditions in use of information and communications technology in organizations and the current status of the academic discipline. I will note the role of IFIP TC8 (Information Systems). It has been important in several key developments, but not in all of them. I will identify some of my observations about the value added by TC8.The past and the future of information systems: 1976-2006 and beyondRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

A Glorious and Not-So-Short History of the Information Systems Field

In this paper, the more than 40-year history of the information systems discipline is discussed by dividing history into four somewhat overlapping eras. For each era, important events that occurred are highlighted. The events are categorized as “management/governance of the IS function”, “technology”, “research themes”, “research methodology”, “education”, and “infrastructure” (organizations, conferences, journals, etc.). The paper then speculates on what the value would be if the IS community were to adopt a shared history. The paper contends that such a shared history would be effective in helping to bridge the communication gaps that exist between the different sub-communities that make up the discipline

IFIP TC8 information systems : Conception, birth and early years

The paper begins by discussing the conception and birth of IFIP TC8 in Amsterdam in 1975 and 1976, describing the roles of the main players (such as IFIP and IFIP ADP). The background in terms of the IFIP organization and its already extant technical committees is reviewed. The birth pains associated with IFIP TC8’s early existence are also explained. The early meetings of TC8 and its Working Groups are discussed. From 1976 to 1986 formally planned events are discussed, with emphasis on the driving forces influencing the TC8 decision process throughout thiese years. The second half of this paper then reviews the background in the IT world (outside IFIP) as it prevailed in the period leading up to 1976. This backgound is examined in terms the of software and hardware technology of the timeThe past and the future of information systems: 1976-2006 and beyondRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Information systems as an academic discipline : Looking back, looking forward, and ensuring the future

In an organization of any size, there is an organization function responsible for the technology, activities and personnel to support its technology-enabled work systems and the information and communication needs of the organization. There is an academic discipline that teaches those who build, acquire, operate and maintain the systems and those who use the systems. Both the organization function and the academic discipline have developed over a period of 55 years (but primarily in the last 40 years). There have been two fundamental forces driving the formation of a new organization function and the new technology-enabled systems in organizations. One is the availability of powerful computer and communications technology; the other is the desire of organizations to use the capabilities in organization work. The result has been revolutionary as new capabilities and new affordances have been applied to the activities of organizations. A new academic discipline has emerged. This period of rapid innovation in organizations has resulted in successes, challenges, failures, and surprises. I have been a participant and an observer of this period of change. The paper will survey key developments (from my perspective) that have brought us to the present conditions in use of information and communications technology in organizations and the current status of the academic discipline. I will note the role of IFIP TC8 (Information Systems). It has been important in several key developments, but not in all of them. I will identify some of my observations about the value added by TC8.The past and the future of information systems: 1976-2006 and beyondRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

A ‘conversation’ between Frank Land [FL] and Antony Bryant [AB] – : Part 2

Part 1 of the ‘conversation’ offered important insights into a groundbreaking era for computer development – adding further detail to existing writings by Frank Land, the work of the LEO group in general, and extended accounts such as those by Ferry, Hally and Harding. This should have whetted the appetite for readers keen to know more, also prompting others to offer their own accounts. Part 2 moves on to Frank Land’s subsequent activities as one of the founding figures of the Information Systems (IS) Academy, and his ‘Emeritus’ phase

Introduction: Advances in E-business Engineering

(First paragraph) E-business is more than just e-commerce. It is one of the most challenging areas for industry and research communities. E-business has evolved from business-to-business, business-to-customer, customer-to-business, customer-to-customer, and business-to-government systems to the integrated and collaborative business services among various information systems and e-marketplaces. In this evolving process, integrated e-business systems and their related supporting platforms have to be rapidly designed and developed in order to meet different requirements. A variety of e-business engineering paradigms and technologies have been developed to tackle these challenges. There are many research issues needed to be addressed. These issues include heterogeneous services integration, disparate e-business functions collaboration, semantic level e-business messaging, etc. Today, not only large companies, but also medium or small-sized companies are learning that e-business is a required component of doing business. As a result, there is a growing demand for insights into challenges, issues, and solutions related to the design, implementation, and management of e-business systems

Qualitative Analysis Software Applied to IS Research - Developing a Coding Strategy

In the past two decades, the IS research community underwent an intensive debate and fought hard to legitimise interpretive and qualitative research paradigms. Now that the war is over it is ironic that despite a knowledge of technology the IS literature has been slow to embrace software in order to support qualitative data analysis. In the broader social science field, a range of software support tools have emerged offering diverse functionality and a developing critical mass of appropriate literature. This paper sets out to consider how IS research can embrace QAS. Qualitative research has three distinct phases, namely data collection, data reduction and data display, with the later pair being most suitable for enhancement by QAS. Coding is central to QAS, but the IS field has been slow to develop rigourous coding schemas. Are there any frameworks within the IS literature that could by applied to such a task? The Qualitative Analysis Software must not be used without consideration for the research philosophy context, as a ‘package-led’ orthodoxy would regress the attempts to encourage quality research. Finally, the logical tests for measuring the quality of research (Yin, 1994) are reviewed and alternative tactics enabled by QAS are proposed