MIS Quarterly Special Issue on Information Systems for Symbolic Action: Social Media and Beyond Submission Deadline: February 1, 2012 Guest Editors: Mark Aakhus, Rutgers University ( a) Pär J. Ågerfalk, Uppsala University ( pa Kalle Lyytinen, Case Western Reserve University ( ) Dov Te'eni, Tel Aviv University ( ) This special issue aims to foster Information Systems research in understanding, illustrating, and explaining how IS forms an inherent aspect of human activity and a means of symbolic action. We invite submissions that advance IS theory and research on the intersection of information systems and symbolic action through theoretical review, analysis, and development, empirical and design studies, or large-scale empirics and methodology development. Central issues to be tackled revolve around novel conceptualizations of IS, uses and design of IS, and methods for investigating IS as grounds, means, and outcomes of symbolic action.

Minitrack for Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) on Design Theory and Research: From Design Science to Positive Design    Minitrack Chairs: Mark Aakhus , Rutgers University, USA, aa Pär J. Ågerfalk , Uppsala University, Sweden, paContact Email: Important Dates  January 2, 2009: Manuscript Central will start accepting paper submissions February 20, 2009 (11:59 PM Pacific time zone): Deadline for paper submissions April 2, 2009: Authors will be notified of acceptances on or about this date April 20, 2009 (11:59 PM Pacific time zone): For accepted papers, camera ready copy due   Objective and Aspirations The objective of this minitrack is to explore how pragmatic and action-oriented perspectives on IS and IT can rovide grounds for making the shift from design science to positive design. Description Information and communication technology, in general, and computerized information systems in particular, are used in organizations and society to support and facilitate collaborative human activity. How people act and work through information systems in this way presents an important challenge for understanding and practising design in IS.

AIS SIGPrag SIGPrag 2008 Call For Papers Pragmatist IS Research (SIGPrag) is a new special interest group developed by the Association for Information Systems ( http://home.aisnet.org/ ) that responds to research interests in understanding how IT becomes an aspect of human activity and its consequences in supporting collaboration and communication. SIGPrag invites researchers to contribute position papers advancing SIGPrag's central theme: theorizing the IT artifact and its organizational and societal context from a pragmatic and action-oriented perspective. The position papers will be presented at the inaugural SIGPrag meeting at ICIS2008 in Paris, France ( http://www.icis2008.org/ ).

  Association of Information Systems forms new Special Interest Group on Pragmatist IS research   Special Interest Group on Pragmatist IS research ( www.sigprag.org ) I n the IS field there is a growing recognition of the importance of theorizing the IT artifact and its organizational and societal context from a pragmatic and action-oriented perspective. Over the years, a number of events and journal special issues have been devoted to this topic (e.g. the Language/Action Perspective workshops 1996-2005 and special issues of CACM and Data and Knowledge Engineering , the Understanding Sociotechnical Action workshops and special issue of IJTHI , the Action in Language, Organizations and Information Systems conferences and EJIS special issue, and the Pragmatic Web conference).

3rd International Conference on the Pragmatic Web 29–30 Sept. 2008, Uppsala, Sweden http://www.pragmaticweb.info/  Submission Deadline: 30 May (17:00 GMT) In cooperation with ACM SIGWEB and the Scandinavian Chapter of the AIS (IRIS) TRUST AND COMMITMENT: Whether we look at our geo-political and environmental context, work within and between organizations, or our   local communities, there has never been a greater need for interaction and understanding across cultural, intellectual, and other boundaries. Whether the context is international policy, distributed teamwork, e-business, or community mobilization, fundamentally, people must build trust and commitment to common goals by talking and acting together.        What role does the Web have to play in these complex processes?

Design Theory and Research Track Chairs Jacky Akoka, CNAM Paris (France) Michel Avital, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) http://www.unice.fr/icis2008/step1/themeTracks.html  Track Description Design has long been an underlying theme in the study of information systems. Yet, until recently, the term design has been used primarily to denote the activity of creating technical artifacts, especially software applications. Most design concepts, models, and methods are treated in this limited context of technically designed systems with social consequences.

HC4D: Human-Centred Computing for Climate Change Deliberation by Simon Buckingham Shum Knowledge Media Institute & Centre for Research in Computing http://kmi.open.ac.uk/people/sbs/research/hc4d.html Welcome to this temporary gathering point while we build a better shelter... I don't need to say anything about the urgency of the problem facing us. What I want to do is highlight an emerging activity stream tackling one of the most pressing challenges concerning the infrastructure we have for working together on contentious problems: What socio-technical infrastructure will enable diverse stakeholders to contribute, and contest in principled ways, their views on climate change issues?

The Media Industry and CSR  The media industry is composed of large corporations with enormous global reach. What stake do media organizations and the media industry have in corporate social responsibility? It could be argued that media organizations as a business should productively engage with social and environmental matters in their business conduct.

Facts about climate change and grounds for changing business as usual. Paul Epstein will speak about the science of climate change and why many business leaders around the world take these facts seriously in their business plans.Epstein is a medical doctor trained in tropical public health who is a leader in researching the relationship between health and climate change. ( Listen to an NPR interview .) Epstein' s case challenges many of the points of impasse in the political, cultural and media sphere.

Unfolding the future: The Possibilities for Business-Stakeholder Engagement The next 20-30 years will likely be flourishing with opportunity and yet will likely realize increasing divides in demographics, wealth, gender, nutrition, health, environmental resources, education, information, security, governance. So, says a recent report by SustainAbility on Raising our Game: Can we sustain globalization? The global future we realize will depend on how we respond to the intensification of globalization, especially the engagement between business and its stakeholders.

Social Entrepreneurship -- Les Silverman, McKinsey & Company   Americans made more than $295 billion in charitable donations in 2006.  What happens to all these donations? How effectively do the non-profit organizations handle these donations and deliver social change?

Corporate Social Responsibility Speaker Series Michael Bzdak, Director of Corporate Contributions at Johnson & Johnson and a leading expert on CSR has arranged for other leading experts on CSR issues to speak on key topics in CSR. The confirmed guest lecturers are:   Topic: Social Entrepreneurship    Les Silverman , Director Emeritus of McKinsey & Company. Silverman is the founder of McKinsey’s Nonprofit practice.

Corporate Social Responsibility --- Speaker Series 2007   Les Silverman , Director Emeritus of McKinsey & Company. Silverman is the founder of McKinsey’s Nonprofit practice. Topic: Social Entrepreneurship    Date: 10/03/2007, 7 p.m.