-------- Original-Nachricht -------- Betreff: [isworld] Call for papers: 2009 AMCIS Mini Track on Sourcing Issues Datum: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:31:26 -0700 Von: Kirs, Peeter J. pkirs@utep.edu Antwort an: Kirs, Peeter J. pkirs@utep.edu An: AISWORLD Information Systems World Network isworld@lyris.isworld.org

Call for papers: 2009 AMCIS Mini Track on Sourcing Issues

The debate over the sourcing of work insourcing/outsourcing/offshoring/nearshoring) rages on. On the one hand, press reports mention that by the year 2015, $151.2 billion in wages will have been shifted from the United States to lower-wage countries. On the other hand, reports also mention that outsourcing/offshoring reduces labor costs and savings from outsourcing/offshoring allowed U.S. companies to create many thousands jobs in 2008. Academic studies on sourcing are needed and this mini-track will address important issues related to sourcing.

We define IS offshoring as outsourcing of Information Systems (IS) projects/services to be completed in a country other than the country in which the project/service will be used. It is different from outsourcing or nearshoring as national-level factors and sometimes issues related to physical distance come into consideration, although technologies such as the Internet tries to bridge the latter type of obstacles. Offshoring has also many similarities with outsourcing, near shoring. So issues important to offshoring, outsourcing and nearshoring are all welcome for this track. Since offshoring involves different nations, past research has conjectured that national level-factors, beside the firm-level factors could be at play. Also, offshoring mostly involves projects with developing nations, and since the U.S/Canada/U.K are major clients, an English-speaking and/or technical savvy workforce, differences in national cultural values, trust, IT infrastructure and institutional values of vendor nations could be some of the important factors at play. Offshoring to countries at similar economic level is not uncommon. Studies are needed to figure out what motivates this kind of offshoring. Researchers have also speculated the importance of vendor management and system integration, among other things, in offshoring, from the client-side. Also theoretical frameworks are needed to understand better the sourcing process. Since certain IS jobs are shrinking/getting obliterated, issues of incorporating offshoring technical and management skill issues in IS curriculum cannot be ignored. Calls for such needs have already been issued by researchers and experts in IS area. This mini-track, will therefore address all these issues and all other emerging problems related to sourcing in general. All types of empirical studies including case studies are welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

*All aspects of offshoring, nearshoring and outsourcing including comparison studies *Impact of offshoring (short- and long-term): at national level and at firm level *Factors influencing/inhibiting offshoring/outsourcing/nearshoring: at firm, national levels *Offshoring and the issue of trust, culture, institutional factors *Theoretical frameworks that help analyze offshoring/outsourcing/nearshoring issues *Offshoring/outsourcing etc. and vendor management *Offshoring/outsourcing etc. and system integration *Offshoring and IS curriculum

Please consider submitting a paper for the sourcing minitrack (Sourcing Issues), the details of which you will find at the AMCIS 2009 web site using the following link:

http://amcis2009.org/images/stories/amcis09/doc/amcis-mt-118-2009-File00 1.pdf

The deadline for submission is February 20, 2009. Hope you are able to attend AMCIS 2009 at San Francisco.

Peeter Kirs (pkirs@utep.edu) and Kallol K. Bagchi (kbagchi@utep.edu)

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