---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: Cfp: IT and Small Business track: IRMA 2002 - Seattle, Washington Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2001 14:40:47 +1000 From: Stephen Burgess stephen.burgess@VU.EDU.AU To: ISWORLD@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE

Apologies for cross-postings.... --------------------------------- CALL FOR PAPERS: IT AND SMALL BUSINESS TRACK

2002 Information Resources Management Association International Conference: http://www.irma-international.org

(Submission deadline: October 1, 2001).

May 19-22, 2002 - Renaissance Madison Hotel - Seattle, Washington, USA

CONFERENCE THEME Issues and Trends of Information Technology Management in Contemporary Organizations

TRACK CHAIR Stephen Burgess Senior Lecturer School of Information Systems Victoria University of Technology PO Box 14428 Melbourne City MC Victoria, Australia, 8001

Tel: 61 3 9688 4353 Fax: 61 3 9688 5024 Email: Stephen.Burgess@vu.edu.au

TRACK COVERAGE In many countries, small businesses comprise over 95% of the proportion of private businesses and approximately half of the private workforce, with Information technology (IT) being used in over 90% of these businesses. Governments around the world are placing increasing importance upon the success of small business entrepreneurs and are providing increased resources to support this emphasis. There are a number of key differences in the use of information technology (IT) between small and larger businesses. These include: Small businesses generally have fewer resources available to devote to IT; Small businesses have very little control over forces that are external to the organisation; Small businesses generally do not have their own separate IT department; Small businesses generally have less formalised planning and control procedures. Small business entrepreneurs are thus often placed in the situation of knowing that IT can support their business in some way, but they lack the expertise and resources to know how it can be effectively applied.

Up until a few years ago, research into the use of IT in small businesses was almost non existent when compared with the amount of research being carried out for medium and large-sized businesses. Recently, an increasing amount of research has been conducted into this important, emerging field.

RECOMMENDED TOPICS The purpose of this IRMA track for 2002, IT and Small Business, is to provide a forum for a number of researchers to contribute in this expanding research area. Areas in which contributions may be made include (but are not limited to): ¨ Small business and the strategic use of IT ¨ Small business and IT success factors ¨ Evaluation of IT performance in small businesses ¨ Hardware and software selection in small businesses ¨ Small business and electronic commerce ¨ Small business and internet adoption ¨ IT planning methodologies in small businesses ¨ Small business and IT training ¨ Small business and IT adoption ¨ Small business and IT use across regions ¨ Government support programs for IT in small business.

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES Papers are invited for the track on IT and Small Business in a number of submission categories:

· Full Length Submissions

Those individuals interested may submit a full length (not to exceed 3,500 words), original, and previously unpublished, conceptual or empirical research manuscript for review and decision. Accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings in their entirety or as a 1500-2000 word mini-paper, as recommended by the reviewers. High quality papers will be considered for further review and possible inclusion in the Information Resources Management Journal, Journal of End User Computing, Journal of Database Management or Journal of Global Information Management. In addition, the best paper in terms of quality and suitability to the theme of the conference will be awarded the “Best Paper” award.

· Research-In-Progress Submissions

Those individuals interested may submit research-in-progress proposals (abstracts) or a summary of tentative results of the study to date in 500-1000 words by October 1, 2001. Authors of accepted proposals are asked to forward a 1500-2000 words paper by January 11, 2002 for inclusion in the conference proceedings.

· Panel, Workshop, Tutorial and Symposium Submissions

Individuals interested in conducting a panel, workshop, symposium or tutorial dealing with technological, managerial, professional, teaching, societal, national or international issues of information technology management are invited to submit a 500-1000 word proposal covering the objectives, issues to be covered, and the names/addresses of any other panel, workshop, tutorial/ symposium members. Method of presentation is at the submitter’s discretion, however the submitter has the responsibility for providing his/her own participants (such as panel members). All accepted proposals will appear in the conference proceedings. (Note: All panel, workshop, tutorial/symposium members must register and pay for the conference). Panel presenters should know that during the conference, an overhead projector and screen will be provided by the association for each presentation. Any additional equipment needed for the panel, workshop, tutorial or symposium is at the discretion of the presenter and it will be his or her responsibility to provide the extra equipment.

Submission Guidelines 1. Manuscripts must not exceed 3500 words for full length submissions, 500-1000 words for research-in-progress summary/ proposals; and 500-1000 words for panel, workshop, tutorial and symposium proposals. 2. Submissions must be accompanied by a separate cover letter with every author(s) name, address, phone & fax numbers, email, full affiliation and the track to which it is submitted. All correspondence will be sent to the first author unless otherwise specified. 3. Submitted papers must not currently be under review by any other publication or conference. 4. Submitters must provide their email address where the acknowledgement will be forwarded. 5. The number of submissions by an author (including joint authorship) is limited to a maximum of two submissions. 6. All submissions should be submitted electronically in either MS Word or rich text format (RTF). (Note: If you do not receive an email acknowledgement one week after your electronic submissions, please contact the program chair).

Authors of accepted manuscripts and proposals will be asked to provide the final copy of the submission in MS Word ’97 or RTF format electronically. Authors of accepted papers (at least one person) must register and attend the conference. Important dates Submission Deadline: October 1, 2001

Notification of Acceptance/Rejection: November 30, 2001

Final Submission Due: January 11, 2002

Early Registration Ends: April 1, 2002

Conference Period: May 19-22, 2002

All conference participants (presenters, panellists, etc.) must register for the conference. Location Join the IRMA 2002 international conference attendees in Seattle, Washington. Nicknamed The Emerald City because of its steep hills and lush greenery, you will be surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the sparkling waters of Puget Sound and the snow-capped grandeur of Mount Ranier in the distance. Home of corporate giants Boeing, Microsoft, Nordstrom and Starbucks, experience the feeling of small town charm with big city amenities. Learn more about this exciting location by visiting the Seattle Convention Bureau Web Site at http://www.seeseattle.org/visguide/visguide.htm.

Send all enquiries and submissions to:

Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, Program Chair 2002 IRMA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 1331 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA 17033-1117, USA. Tel: (717) 533-8879 Fax: (717) 533-8661 Email: irmaconf@irma-international.org

For conference registration and hotel registration forms, contact IRMA at 717-533-8879 or visit the web site at http://www.irma-international.org

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