Infosys v2n001 (January 13, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/infosys/infs-v2n001 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * IIIII N N FFFFF OOO SSSSS Y Y SSSSS * * I NN N F O O S Y Y S * * I N N N FFF O O SSSSS Y SSSSS * * I N NN F O O S Y S * * IIIII N N F OOO SSSSS Y SSSSS * * * * INFOSYS: The Electronic Newsletter for Information Systems * * Volume 2, Number 1 January 13, 1995 * * * * Editor: Dennis W. Viehland, Massey University, New Zealand * * Guest Editor: Ake Gronlund, Umea University, Sweden * * Listowner: Greg Welsh, American University, Washington DC * * * * Current Subscribers = 3,457 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TABLE OF CONTENTS * * * * * * * * * * * * * GUEST EDITOR'S NOTE - INFOSYS Volume 2 * * NEWS - From EDUPAGE * * ANNOUNCEMENT - Extended deadline COOCS'95 * * ANNOUNCEMENT - ICIS Dissertation Competition Winner * * CALL FOR PARTICIPATION - Electronic Commerce Symposium * * CALL FOR PAPERS - The 3rd ECIS * * CALL FOR PAPERS - AIEM4 * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Journal of Organizational Learning * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Ass. Professors (4x) * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - IS Lecturer and Senior Lecturer * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 0480* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GUEST EDITOR'S NOTE - INFOSYS Volume 2 * * Ake Gronlund, Umea University, Sweden * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * You are looking at the first edition of INFOSYS Volume 2. 1995 has started slowly with very few submissions last week. This week, people seem to be back at their offices, judging by the increasing number of letters in my mailbox. Welcome back to work. You will find INFOSYS Volume 2 very much the same as Volume 1, at least for a start. \EOA 0481* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NEWS - From EDUPAGE * * Ake Gronlund, Umea University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE A two-day meeting of international telecommunications leaders to discuss the future global information infrastructure is scheduled for February 25-26 in Brussels, and for the first time will include a session with 40-50 private sector representatives from the tele- communications and computer industries. The U.S. government hopes to gain international agreement on its five principles for GII develop- ment: to encourage private investment; to promote competition; to create a flexible regulatory framework; to provide open access to the network for all information providers; and to ensure universal service. For info on the meeting: gopher.ntia.doc.gov, or www.ntia.doc.gov, or ftp.ntia.doc.gov . MASTERCARD, NETSCAPE CHARGE AHEAD MasterCard International and Netscape Communications will offer a secure system for charging purchases made online. MasterCard will use Netscape's secured software to link its computers to the Internet, and encoded authorization requests will be forwarded from Mastercard's private network to the appropriate financial institution. "People will be able to become merchants on the Internet with nothing more than software," says Netscape's technology VP. (Wall Street Journal 1/10/95 B7) ANOTHER VIEW ON COMPUTERS AND PRODUCTIVITY A soon-to-be-published paper disputes the common assumption that computers have been largely responsible for the recent growth in productivity. In "Brookings Papers on Economic Activity," the authors figure that from 1987 to 1993, computers and peripheral equipment contributed a maximum of 0.2% to the 1.9% overall annual growth in business output, after adjusting for inflation. The reason: despite all the spending on technology over the past few years, the installed base of computers still represents only 2% of the nation's total capital stock. And by junking obsolescent machines every few years, businesses have vastly reduced the economic growth attributable to high-tech gear. "I'm not suggesting computers haven't brought about efficiency gains for individual corporations. It's just not the story for the economy as a whole," says one author. (Business Week 1/16/94 p.24) THE HIGH-TECH HOME WORKER MARKET Companies are starting to wake up and realize that high-tech home workers represent a huge marketing opportunity. The average self- employed professional with a PC generates almost $70,000 in income - 42% more than one without. Home workers don't scrimp on gear, either. A recent survey shows more than half the PCs used in home businesses were purchased within the last two and a half years, and 57% were 386 or higher machines. Another 5% work on high-end Macs. Two thirds use Windows, and 40% have had some experience with the Internet. (Inc. Technology Premiere Issue p.31) IS CYBERSPACE BEYOND THE LAW? Claiming that the case raises the issue "whether new wine can be poured into old bottles," a federal judge threw out a wire-fraud lawsuit that had been filed against an MIT student for running a computer bulletin board that allowed people to download bootleg copies of commercial software. The government had pressed the case under (criminal) wire-fraud statutes rather than (civil) copyright law. The prosecutors are considering whether to ask the Department of Justice to file legislation "explicitly dealing with willful, multiple infringements of copyrighted software to remove any uncertainties." (New York Times 12/31/94 p.10) INTERNAUGHTS ANONYMOUS The recent prank message circulated on the Internet "reporting" that Microsoft had purchased the Catholic Church has prompted a new round of debate about anonymous messages in cyberspace, which users can obtain by such identity-disguising techniques as routing through a computer configured as an "anonymous remailer," which strips away the message-sender's identifying tags before sending the message to the intended recipients. There are a number of such remailers around the world, usually set up as a public service for such privacy seekers as whistle-blowers, religious dissidents, etc. Some people worry that anonymous communications can be used for criminal and terrorist purposes; others worry about the loss of privacy if anonymity is made impossible. (New York Times 12/31/94 p.1) CYBERPHOBICS GALORE A recent Gallup poll conducted for MCI shows almost half of the 600 white collar respondents admitting they are cyberphobic or resistant to new technology. More than a third do not use a computer at all, either at home or at work, and nearly 60% don't use voice mail. Two thirds do not use e-mail at work, and about the same number don't carry a pager. The most common reason cited for anti-technology attitudes was a fear of loss of privacy. Close runners up were worries over information overload and a fear of losing face-to-face contact with associates. (Miami Herald 1/2/95 p.22) "GIVE US YOUR MONEY, BUT KEEP YOUR OPINIONS TO YOURSELF!" A survey of small business executives conducted for IBM by Roper Starch Worldwide shows 65% of the respondents saying that building the information highway is a good use of government funds, but only 3% think the government should have "a lot" of influence on how the highway operates. Forty-four percent felt the government should have no influence, and 49% said they thought it should have "some" say in how things were run. (Inc. Technology Premiere Issue p.19) THE WIRED REVOLUTION While saluting Wired magazine's worthy premise as a publication that addresses the social and cultural effects of digital technologies, the director of the 21st Century Project at the University of Texas blasts Wired for its "fevered, adolescent consumerism, its proud display of empty thoughts from a parade of smoke-shoveling celebrity pundits, its smug disengagement from the thorny problems facing postindustrial societies, and most annoyingly, its over-the-top narcissism. If this is the revolution, do we really want to be part of it?" (New Republic 1/9-16/95 p.19 "THOMAS" OFFERS WWW ACCESS TO LEGISLATION The Library of Congress unveiled the new Web "Thomas" (after Thomas Jefferson) as a way to allow people to use the Internet to call up the full text of any bill introduced in Congress since 1992. Its URL is http://thomas.loc.gov. (New York Times 1/6/95 A22) ORACLE TRUSTS YOU Taking a giant step into the marketing unknown, Oracle plans to distribute its newest software product, Personal Oracle 7, over the Internet. Customers can download a complete copy of the software for a free, 90-day trial, after which they're expected to pay up or erase it off their hard drives. "We are trusting them," says Oracle's client-server systems VP. But just to make sure, the company will require downloaders to provide names and phone numbers, and some information about how they plan to use the software. Oracle is still considering the option of building in a password that kills the program after a certain time period unless the owner pays for it. (Wall Street Journal 1/4/95 B1) MICROSOFT ASSISTANT Microsoft's Internet Assistant for Word will be available for downloading - free - from its Web site, probably by mid-January. The software converts documents created in Word for Windows into Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), for use on the World Wide Web. The URL for microsoft is http://www.microsoft.com (Business Week 1/9/95 p.22). Guest Editor's Note: Edupage, a summary of news items on information technology, is a service of Educom. This is an abbreviated list of news items of interest to the IS community from the January 3, 5, 8, and 10, 1995 issues. \EOA 0482* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENT - ICIS Dissertation Competition Winner * * Jim Courtney * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The winner of the 1993-94 ICIS dissertation competition was Betty Vandenbosch presently of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The title of Betty's dissertation is "Executive Support System Impact Viewed from a learning perspective." Betty's degree was awarded by the University of Western Ontario, and Chris Higgings was her advisor. Other finalists were: Debabrata Dey, now at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The title of Deb's dissertation is "A Design Methodology for Temporal Databases." His degree is from the University of Rochester. Veda Storey and Terry Barron (now at the University of Toledo) were co- advisors. Frederick Riggins of the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Fred's dissertation title was "The Growth of Interorganizational Systems in the Presence of Network Externalities and Unequal Interdependent Benefits." The degree was awarded by Carnegie- Mellon University, and Tridas Mukhopadhyay was the chair. James F. Courtney Tenneco Professor of Business Administration Business Analysis and Research Department 401 Blocker Building Texas A&M University College Station, Texas USA 77843-4217 PHONE: (409) 845-9541 FAX: (409) 845-5653 EMAIL: j-courtney@tamu.edu \EOA 0483* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ANNOUNCEMENT - Extended deadline COOCS'95 * * Rob Kling * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The deadline for submissions to the Conference on Organizational Computing Systems (COOCS `95), which was announced in INFOSYS No 49/94, has been extended to January 30. Rob Kling (behavioral track chair) Dept. Information/Computer Sci University of California Irvine, CA 92715 USA Phone: +1 714 856 5955 Fax: +1 714 856 4056 email: kling@ics.uci.edu \EOA 0484* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PARTICIPATION - Electronic Commerce Symposium * * Roger Clarke * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Electronic Commerce Research and Teaching Symposium June 6th - 8th, 1995 Bled, Slovenia The fifth annual Research and Teaching Symposium on Electronic Commerce is a part of the eighth international conference to be held there. The Conference Theme this year is 'Electronic Commerce for Trade Efficiency'. This is the world's premier meeting place for academics and others practising research and education in such areas as electronic data interchange (EDI), electronic funds transfer (EFTS and EFT/POS), applications of magnetic-stripe and smart cards, on-line directories, and on-line screen-based trading. The Symposium comprises two distinct segments: 1. A stream of formal, refereed research papers is scheduled for the afternoons of Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th June, as an integral part of the host Conference. 2. A series of academics-only sessions on Friday 8th June will include: --brief reports of research-in-progress, by both seasoned researchers and doctoral students, followed by commentaries and discussion; --demonstrations and workshops of teaching materials and research artefacts; and --panel sessions on particular issues and techniques. The following list is intended as an indication of the diversity of topics and perspectives which are of current research interest: --electronic commerce on the Internet; --open EDI; --interactive EDI; --static bulletin boards and the dynamic publication of business opportunities; --management of the dynamics of EDI and other standards; --UNCTAD Trade Points for small and medium enterprises (SMEs); --alliances and spot-markets; --development techniques for inter-organisational systems; --business process re-engineering, workflow and electronic commerce; --security in the open net; --control, audit and legal aspects of electronic commerce; --identified, anonymous and pseudonymous transactions. The Symposium has a strong focus on the identification of appropriate methods for particular research challenges. Suitably prepared graduate students are warmly encouraged to attend, provide short presentations on their work, and gain feedback from the community of scholars. Delegates are also encouraged to offer papers reporting research results of interest to industry and government. Submissions are required no later than 15 February. It is recommended that potential participants make early email contact with the Programme Chair. Address papers and proposals to: Roger Clarke Programme Chair, Bled ECRTS'95 Department of Commerce Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA Email: Roger.Clarke@anu.edu.au Fax: +61 6 249 5005 Tel: +61 6 249 3666 Chair, Conference Organising Committee: Prof. Joze Jesenko, University of Maribor Chair, Conference Programme Committee: Prof. Joze Gricar, University of Maribor \EOA 0485* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - The 3rd ECIS * * Vasilis Serafeimidis * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The 3rd European Conference on Information Systems 1-3 June Athens , Greece The 3rd ECIS invites submissions for: --the EDI - Electronic Trading Research Workshop --the Information Systems Evaluation Workshop to be held during the conference in Athens June 1-3, 1995. Academics, doctoral students, their supervisors, as well as practitioners are invited to discuss and share their experience. Papers describing research in progress and doctoral research are particular welcome even at early stages. A paper summarizing the research (maximum 600 words) should cover the following topics: --research question(s) being addressed, --theoretical foundations, --research methodology, --current status of research and --expected preliminary results. The language of the workshop is English and all submitted papers must be in English. Submissions should include a separate title page with full name of all authors, affiliation, complete address, telephone and fax number and e-mail address. Accepted papers (maximum 3000 words) will be published in proceedings that will be distributed at the workshop. Deadline for both events: January 31, 1995 For the EDI - Electronic Trading Research Workshop submissions should be sent to: Norbert Reekers London School of Economics Information Systems Department Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE, UK. Phone: +44-71-955-7655 Fax: +44-71-955-7385 e-mail: reekers@lse.ac.uk For the Information Systems Evaluation research Workshop, papers should be sent to: Dr Barbara Farbey Centre for Research in Strategic Information Systems School of Management University of Bath Claverton Down Bath BA2 7AY, UK Phone: +44-1225-826742 Fax: +44-1225-826473 \EOA 0486* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - AIEM4 * * Moshe Zviran, Tel-Aviv University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * AIEM4 - The Fourth International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence in Economics and Management, January 8-10, 1996, Tel-Aviv, Israel. This series of workshops addresses issues relevant to the application of AI technologies in economics and management. The Workshop aims to present innovative applications and techniques, relevant research findings, and reports on work in progress. Submissions are encouraged from both practitioners and academics. Proposals for panel discussions are also encouraged. The focus of the conference is applications of AI techniques in: --finance --banking --marketing --economics --manufacturing --operations management The technologies of interest include, among others: --knowledge representation and acquisition : expert systems, knowledge-based decision support systems --problem solving paradigms : qualitative reasoning, case-based reasoning, neural networks, genetic algorithms --human-machine interface : natural language processing, hypertext, multimedia, machine learning. Proposals are also solicited for panel discussions. These proposals should describe the topic, present the discussants, and suggest why the discussion will be of interest to participants. Important Dates: May 1, 1995: extended abstracts and panel proposals due July 15, 1995: acceptance notices October 15,1995: final papers due January 8-10, 1996: conference Submissions to: AIEM4 c/o Dr. Moshe Zviran Faculty of Management Tel-Aviv University Tel-Aviv 69978 Israel Inquiries should be directed to: AIEM4, c/o Dr. Moshe Zviran, Faculty of Management, Tel-Aviv University Tel-Aviv, Israel. Phone: +972-3-6408025, Fax: +972-3-6409560, Internet: AIEM96@vm.tau.ac.il email: ila2033@zeus.datasrv.co.il \EOA 0487* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * CALL FOR PAPERS - Journal of Organizational Learning * * Tojo Joseph, George Mason University * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Journal of Organizational Change Management invites papers for a special Issue on Organizational Learning. Organizational learning (OL) is currently the focal point of a prolific debate in management among academics and practitioners. Though the construct has become an integral part of discourses about organizations, considerable ambiguity exists regarding what it signifies. The purpose of this special issue is to help generate an interdisciplinary understanding of the subject. A wide range of topics and interests within the domain of organizational learning will be considered, including but not limited to: --historical perspectives on OL literature --cognitive and linguistic models of OL --the social and organizational character of OL --the goals and processes of creating learning organizations --factors facilitating and inhibiting learning --core competencies for OL --deconstructing anthropomorphic notions of OL --the nexus between information technology and OL --OL as a way of initiating dialogues about change in organizations --reengineering and OL --the role of reflexivity in OL and ways of increasing reflective practices in organizations --cultural differences in OL --ethical issues in OL Deadline for submissions of manuscripts is February 15, 1995. Please send four double-spaced copies (20-25 pages) to the special issue editor: Tojo Joseph Program on Social and Organizational Learning George Mason University 4084 University Drive, Suite 206 Fairfax, Virginia 22030 Inquiries to Tojo Joseph: Email: joseph@gmu.edu Ph: 703 934 1565 Fax: 703 934 1578 \EOA 0488* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - Ass. Professors (4x) * * Jim Goes * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Four academic positions, assistant/associate professor are sought for the School of Business and Public Administration, University of Alaska Southeast --Business or Public Administration (Quantitative Emphasis) --Public Administration (Core Emphasis/Natural Resource) --Business Management (Core Emphasis/Environmental Management) --Business Management (Tourism/Visitor Industry Emphasis) UAS offers business and public administration programs uniquely oriented towards the economic and environmental challenges facing Southeast Alaska. We are seeking four motivated individuals to join our fast-growing and high-energy team. Minimum qualifications include a completed doctorate in an appropriate discipline and demonstrated capability or promise in instruction (including training), applied scholarly research, service to the business and public community and university, and program development. Competitive salaries and an outstanding benefits package are available. For more information about one of these positions, the university, our programs, and the community, contact: Nancy Parr, Assistant to the Dean School of Business and Public Administration University of Alaska Southeast 11120 Glacier Highway Juneau, AK 99801 907-465-6369 Fax: 907-465-6383 Complete descriptions for each of the four positions can also be obtained by automatic e-mail response from the URSUS listserver. To do so, send an e-mail message to listserv@ursus.jun.alaska.edu, with the following command in the first line (body) of the message: get misc positions You will receive complete details on all four positions by return e-mail. UAS is an AA/EEO Employer and Educational Institution \EOA 0489* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT - IS Lecturer and Senior Lecturer * * Department of Computer Science, Un. of Hong Kong * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Applications are invited for Lectureship and Senior Lectureship positions in Information Systems, tenable from September 1, 1995. The appointments will be made on a fixed-term basis for a period of two or three years with a possibility of renewal. Qualifications: Ph.D. from research-oriented institution with evidence of scholarly research and teaching ability. Candidates with prior experience must have a significant record of research and publication in major refereed MIS journals. Preference will be given to those with background in systems analysis and design, DSS/AI, and telecommunications. Benefits: Children's education allowances, leave, and medical benefits are provided; housing or tenancy allowances are also provided in most cases at a charge of 7.5% of salary. A gratuity equivalent to 15% of the salary earned during the period of such appointment. If interested please send a copy of your c.v. via IS@CSD.HKU.HK \EOA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ABOUT INFOSYS * * INFOSYS is an electronic newsletter for faculty, students, and * * practitioners in the field of Information Systems. INFOSYS * * publishes news items, requests for assistance, calls for papers * * announcements of professional meetings and conferences, position * * announcements, journal table of contents, and other items of * * interest to the Information Systems community. * * * * INFOSYS is published biweekly, more frequently if volume requires * * it. INFOSYS operates as an electronic mailing list on listserv * * software at American University in Washington, DC. The editor is * * Dennis W. Viehland . Guest editor during * * December '94 and January '95 is Ake Gronlund * * * * * * To subscribe to INFOSYS send the following one-line e-mail * * message to listserv@american.edu: subscribe infosys yourfirstname * * yourlastname (e.g., subscribe infosys John Smith). You will * * receive a welcome letter that will tell you more about INFOSYS * * and listserv. To cancel your subscription send the following * * message to listserv@american.edu: unsubscribe infosys * * * * Guidelines for submitting articles to INFOSYS are published in * * the Welcome message each new subscriber receives (or e-mail "get * * infosys welcome" to listserv@american.edu). Send articles to * * infosys@american.edu or d.viehland@massey.ac.nz. * * * * The INFOSYS Calendar of Upcoming Events is updated fortnightly * * and can be obtained in the following ways: * * --E-mail: send the following one-line message to * * listserv@american.edu: get infosys calendar * * --FTP: anonymous FTP to ftp.american.edu; file is \infosys\ * * infosys.calendar * * --Gopher: gopher to auvm.american.edu; choose INFOSYS * * --WWW: forthcoming * * * * INFOSYS Back Issues are archived by Robert McArthur at: * * http://www.fit.qut.edu.au/~mcarthur/infosys/ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *