-------- Original-Nachricht -------- Betreff: [wkwi] Information Systems for a Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (AMCIS 2011 Minitrack, Final CfP, EXTENDED DEADLINE) Datum: Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:09:58 +0100 (CET) Von: Gilbert Fridgen gilbert.fridgen@wiwi.uni-augsburg.de Antwort an: postmaster@idefix.buva.sowi.uni-bamberg.de An: undisclosed-recipients:;

#### Apologies for cross-postings ####

CALL FOR PAPERS

17th Americas Conference on Information Systems (http://amcis2011.aisnet.org)

August 4-7, 2011, Detroit, MI, USA

TRACK: Information Systems for Sustainability and Global Competitiveness

MINITRACK: Information Systems for a Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

MINITRACK DESCRIPTION

The availability of natural resources (in the following just “resources”) in sufficient quantities and with a cost-effective supply chain is essential not only for western industrial countries but increasingly also for newly industrialized countries. Ensuring access to these resources is a critical factor especially for countries which do not have relevant resources or only small quantities at their disposal. While most resources are – in geological terms – not likely to run out in the short term, the availability of economically and ecologically viable deposits cannot be guaranteed in the future (see e.g. the U.S. Geological Survey 2010). Furthermore, there are highly relevant resources (e.g. special elements required in the semiconductor industry) that are currently mined in or transported through few, politically unstable and/or unreliable regions, or that are under control of few companies. Increased competition can increase the risk, that such resources may be confined due to strategic considerations (e.g. by taxes, export barriers or blockades). According to the European Commission (2010) it takes 9-25 years to open up a new mine. Substitution is often impossible due to physical or economic reasons: There could be no substitute available or employing a new material could require new, costly approval procedures (e.g. in aircraft industry). Consequently, there is a considerable risk of a resources gap. However, most of today’s businesses are not aware of these dependencies. While, for example, design, approval, and production of new types of vehicles or aircraft take many years or even decades, purchasing plans rarely cover more than two years. Decisions on used materials (usually made by engineers) mostly reflect physical attributes and current spot prices. Decision supporting information on the development of availability, reliability, or price of certain resources is missing. Strategically relevant decisions for R&D investments in recycling, remanufacturing or substitution are systematically made too late.

Information Systems (IS) can play a central role with regard to the sustainable management of natural resources. They can be used to analyze the dependencies on certain resources by means of parts lists and production plans. The results can be the basis for the subsequent development and valuation of alternative action plans as well as their IS-supported implementation. Moreover, IS can provide decision support not only within one company, but also across the boundaries of firms. Knowing the own dependency on resources does not suffice if a critical supplier lacks a certain chemical catalyst that is not even part of the final product. Collaborative planning within the value chain requires methods to protect data confidentiality (e.g. a trusted third party or secure multiparty computation algorithms).

We invite contributions from a broad spectrum including business and information systems engineering, information systems, management, applied computer science, and economics in order to fully incorporate technical and business aspects. We also invite practitioners that will enrich the discussions through their business experiences. The minitrack thereby focuses on but is not limited to the following topics:

- IS for measuring the availability of natural resources - IS for forecasting the prices of natural resources - IS for measuring the individual dependency on natural resources (e.g. through data mining) - IS for measuring and managing natural resource risk - Business value of IS for managing natural resources - Collaborative planning through secure multiparty computation - Electronic data interchange to analyze resource dependencies in value chains - IS architectures for the global processing of information on natural resources - IS for remanufacturing and recycling - Optimization of production strategies - Ontologies for resource management - Databases on worldwide raw material deposits - Databases on the geological and/or political stability and reliability of regions - Databases on substitute materials or technologies

SUBMISSION SITE

http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/amcis2011

*** UPDATED *** IMPORTANT DATES *** UPDATED ***

Deadline for paper submissions: February 28, 2011, 12 a.m. PST Notification of acceptance: April 4, 2011 Final copy due: April 25, 2011

MINITRACK CHAIRS

Hans Ulrich Buhl - hans-ulrich.buhl@wiwi.uni-augsburg.de Gilbert Fridgen (primary contact) - gilbert.fridgen@wiwi.uni-augsburg.de Andreas Rathgeber - andreas.rathgeber@mrm.uni-augsburg.de

FIM Research Center Finance& Information Management Institute for Materials Resource Management University of Augsburg Universitätsstraße 12, 86159 Augsburg, Germany

TRACK CHAIRS

Alan Fisk - Ford Richard Watson - The University of Georgia Marie‐Claude Boudreau - The University of Georgia

______________________________________________________

Dr. Gilbert Fridgen Dipl.-Kfm.

Research Center Finance& Information Management

Prof. Dr. Hans Ulrich Buhl

University of Augsburg, D-86135 Augsburg ______________________________________________________

Phone: +49 821 598-4849 (Secretariat: -4801) Fax: +49 821 598-4899

mailto:gilbert.fridgen@wiwi.uni-augsburg.de

http://www.fim-online.eu/ ______________________________________________________