School of Information Systems

IS Research Seminar Series

School of Information Systems colloquia are held regularly throughout the academic year. The objective of the colloquia is to attract high quality researchers both from within our University and from other institutions throughout Australia and the rest of the world.

Visiting speakers schedule

Year

Title

Presenter

Date

2012

Research and Investment Opportunities in Libya

Dr Khalid Al-Mabrouk Abdalla, CEO Libyan Government Investment Promotion Fund and Chairman, Libyan Investment Holding Company (khalidmrzk@hotmail.com)

Tuesday 17 April 2012

2012
A ubiquitous computing infra-structure development project at Kyoto University Hospital, Japan and the University of Oulu, Finland
Associate Professor Tomohiro Kuroda, Graduate School of Medicine and Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University (tomo@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp)
Thursday 23 February 2012

2012

WSN-integrated cloud computing for u-LifeCare (SC³)

Professor Sungyoung Lee, East-West Neo Medicinal u-Lifecare IT Research Centre (sylee@oslab.khu.ac.kr)

Monday 23 January 2012

2011

Pathways to success in collaborative R&D in China and Asia

Associate Professor Ying Su, ISTIC China (suy.rspc@istic.ac.cn) and Professor Gabriele Suder, SKEMA Business School, France (gabriele.suder@skema.edu)

Thursday 1 December 2011

2011

Business innovation with information technology

Professor Joe Peppard, Chair in Information Systems, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, UK. (j.peppard@cranfield.ac.uk

Thursday, 27 October 2011

2011

Managing the risk of user-developed applications in the banking sector

Assistant Professor Elizaveta Kozlova, Institute for Business Information Systems, Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany

Thursday, 13 October 2011

2011

From green IT to a sustainable IS management: current issues and challenges in aligning it and sustainability strategies

Professor Dr Rudiger Zarnekow, (Technical University of Berlin, Germany)

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

2011

Sustainable IS alignment: management and design of complex adaptive IS

Professor Iris Vessey, (University of Queensland)

Tuesday, 22 March 2011

2010

A transformative resource perspective on ICT business value realization

Professor Shirley Gregor AO, (College of Business and Economics, ANU)

Thursday, 29 July 2010

2010

The communication step in design science research

Professor Shirley Gregor AO, (College of Business and Economics, ANU)

Friday 23 July 2010

2010

Impact of IT operational frameworks on the organisation

Mauricio Marrone, (dual PhD candidate in Information Management at the University of Göttingen in Germany; and Macquarie University in Australia)

Friday 12 February 2010

TITLE	PUBLIC LECTURE: *BUSINESS INNOVATION WITH INFORMATON TECHNOLOGY*
Presenter	Professor Joe Peppard, Chair in Information Systems, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, UK. (j.peppard@cranfield.ac.uk)
Venue	Q501/502
Date	Thursday, 27 October 2011
Time	5:30pm for 6:00pm start
Abstract	The impact that information and communications technology is having on all types of organisations and for competition is all too apparent today. Through the deployment of technology we have seen the execution of new business models, the reconfiguration of demand and supply chains, the implementation of new processes and work practices, and the creation of new products and services. All of these are the result of innovation: marrying the capabilities of technologies with competitive and management opportunities. Yet innovating with information technology is a key challenge for organisations. Few are consistently able to “mindfully” innovate with IT. While there are examples of IT being deployed by organizations to provide them with a superior competitive position, in the majority of cases these are one-off instances with organizations unable to sustain this innovative capability. This lecture will offer practical advice and guidance to organisations in traditional, non-IT industries such as retail, law, manufacturing, constructions, energy, utilities, public sector, transport and banking on how to innovate with IT.
TITLE	MANAGING THE RISK OF USER-DEVELOPED APPLICATIONS IN THE BANKING SECTOR
Presenter	Assistant Professor Elizaveta Kozlova, Institute for Business Information Systems, Philipps-Universität, Marburg, Germany
Venue	T452
Date	Thursday, 13 October 2011
Time	12noon – 1:00pm
Abstract	The thousands of uncontrolled end-user applications (eg Excel Spreadsheets) used by banks every day constitute a significant operational risk. At the same time, these applications offer many advantages and opportunities (eg usefulness, flexibility and convenience). A strategy for the risk assessment and controlled use of end-user applications is necessary. In this seminar, a reference model for end-user application management and governance will be presented and discussed. Elizaveta has an industry background in the financial services sector in Germany and teaches in the Business Information Systems programme at the University of Marburg. Her research interests include IT governance and risk, IT auditing, innovation and entrepreneurship. She recently completed her PhD in the management of risks of end-user computing in banking.
TITLE	FROM GREEN IT TO A SUSTAINABLE IS MANAGEMENT: CURRENT ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN ALIGNING IT AND SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES
Presenter	Professor Dr Rudiger Zarnekow (Technical University of Berlin, Germany), ruediger.zarnekow@tu-berlin.de
Venue	T452
Date	Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Time	l:00pm - 2:00pm
Abstract	The increasing dissemination of information systems (IS) into all areas of business and personal life has drawn attention to its environmental effects. IS organizations are beginning to take measures that aim to reduce the environmental impacts of IS. Most activities in the area of Green IT today focus on technical improvements within the data centre (e.g. cooling and server virtualization) and office environment (e.g. Green PC). In contrast, broader organisational and strategic implications of a Sustainable IS Management have only scarcely been addressed in research and practice. The presentation will give an overview of our research on Sustainable IS Management at the Berlin Institute of Technology. Two frameworks, the 'Integrated Green IT Reference Model' and the 'Strategic Green IT Alignment Framework' will be presented. In addition, two current large-scale Green IT projects, which are funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology are presented: The 'Green Government Cloud Laboratory (GGC-LAB)', and the 'Green IT Management Cockpit'.
TITLE	SUSTAINABLE IS ALIGNMENT: MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN OF COMPLEX ADAPTIVE IS
Presenter	Professor Iris Vessey, (University of Queensland), i.vessey@business.uq.edu.au
Venue	T357
Date	Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Time	12 noon - 1:00 pm
Abstract	To date, IS alignment has largely been viewed as a static, short-term, deterministic phenomenon, a view that does not, however, inform the crucial issue of how alignment may be sustained over time. The alternative view, that alignment is dynamic, multi-faceted, and non-deterministic, acknowledges that alignment is a process whereby information systems evolve, that is, emerge, in response to both internal (organizational) and external (environmental) changes. In this research, we view IS alignment as a dynamic, co-evolutionary, non-deterministic process, a view that is synonymous with sustaining alignment over time. We use complexity theory and its inherent characteristics of complex adaptive systems and co-evolution as an appropriate foundation for addressing sustainable IS alignment. Specifically, we address the design and management of IS for sustainable alignment in what we term co-evolutionary alignment theory. For expository purposes, the framework of our co-evolutionary IS alignment theory examines IS alignment at three organizational levels (enterprise architecture, organizational information systems, and IS development projects). Three levels of management (administrative, adaptive and enabling management) are required to accommodate the blending of top-down, hierarchical control processes inherent in a bureaucracy with bottom-up, evolutionary processes essential to adaptation. There are signs that adaptivity is being introduced at each of these levels. It is our belief that the complexity theory perspective may provide the cohesive theoretical foundation the field needs to move to a new level of understanding, not only of how to manage and design adaptive IS, but also of how to view organizations and IS in the fast-paced world that is today's reality.

2010 Visiting speaker schedule

TITLE	A TRANSFORMATIVE RESOURCE PERSPECTIVE ON ICT BUSINESS VALUE REALIZATION
Presenter	Professor Shirley Gregor AO, (College of Business and Economics, ANU) & USQ Faculty of Business Dean’s Distinguished Visitor Gregor, Shirley.Gregor@anu.edu.au
Venue	Q501/502
Date	Thursday, 29 July 2010
Time	5:30pm – 7:00pm
Abstract	The question of information technology’s contribution to organizational performance is of significant interest in both research and practice. Despite a considerable amount of work, however, we do not have a general, well-accepted framework that integrates research and practice findings and shows how value from information and communication technologies (ICT) is best achieved. This presentation builds on work in economics that shows how transformative, radical technologies such as the steam engine and ICT require complementary organizational change to reap full benefits, changes that can take some time. Ideas from ‘best practice’ ICT management are also incorporated. A survey was undertaken of 800 Australian organizations across all industry sectors and with organizations of varying sizes, with follow-up interviews. Analysis of results showed the transformative resource perspective was supported. Organizations that gained most value from ICT engaged in innovation with ICT and had sound ICT management practices to a higher degree than others. There was an interesting dependency on the industry in which the organization operated, as in industries that are ‘ICT-intensive’, the need for innovation with IT is crucial, but this is not the case in the ‘non-ICT-intensive’ industries

TITLE	the communication step in design science research
Presenter	Professor Shirley Gregor AO, (College of Business and Economics, ANU) & USQ Faculty of Business Dean’s Distinguished Visitor Gregor, Shirley.Gregor@anu.edu.au
Venue	T452
Date	Friday, 23 July 2010
Time	12 noon - 2:00 pm
Abstract	Design science research (DSR) has been an important component of Information Systems (IS) research for a considerable period of time and its general acceptance as a legitimate approach to research in IS is increasing. A step in the DSR process that has been comparatively neglected, however, is that of reflection and communication of research results in such a way that a sound and significant contribution to knowledge and theory is established. The aims of this presentation are to: (i) propose a general schemata for the communication of design science research in scholarly articles and theses; and (ii) more specifically, give guidance as to how a contribution to knowledge can be identified and signalled. The DSR communication schemata that is proposed has similarities to more conventional schematas, but includes the description of the DS artifact in place of a traditional results section. The two-dimensional framework that is proposed for signalling the contribution to knowledge relies on distinctions between new and existing knowledge and new and existing problems. The communication schemata and contribution framework proposed in the paper are evaluated against existing examples of DSR.

TITLE	IMPACT OF IT OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORKS ON THE ORGANIZATION
Presenter	Mauricio Marrone, (dual PhD candidate in Information Management at the University of Göttingen in Germany; and Macquarie University in Australia)
Venue	Q501
Date	Friday, 12 February 2010
Time	12 noon - 1:00 pm
Abstract	The project focuses on understanding the impact of IT frameworks, such as IT infrastructure Library (ITIL) on the organization. It will provide understanding on how the benefits and challenges evolve as the company implements the IT framework. The project covers the perception of IT, as well as that of the business. The motivation for this research derives from both theoretical and practical objectives.

2009 Visiting speaker schedule

TITLE	interactive workshop on us-australia r&d grants
Presenter	Lakshmi Narasimhan, (East Carolina University; narasimhanl@ecu.edu)
Venue	Q501
Date	Friday, 3 July 2009
Time	9:30 am - 12 noon
Abstract	This will be an interactive workshop on US-Australia R&D grants available from many sources such as, the NSF, NIH, DoD, DARPA, industry and many other sources. We will kick start this workshop with exchange of the notes on our experiences in obtaining funds from within the country and outside the country. In particular, US-Australia grants are based on the experience and expertise of not only individual Chief Investigators, but also the teams behind the two countries. Quite often, if one can elaborate how the members of team can supplement and/or complement each other and, across the continents, then we have a very good chance of winning. This involves the preparation of a "cross-cutting matrix of research interests" that fits into the particular project being chosen. Basically this is a strategic direction, around which the project proposal needs to be approached. Perhaps we can have a show of hands on a few projects of interests, filter or rank order them and choose two out of them. Subsequently, we can work on how to create an outline for a proposal or two, develop various elements of the proposal, collaborative matrix, task assignment towards proposal/s development and the various ways ahead.

TITLE	Seeking, Sourcing, Managing and Exploiting Business Intelligence
Presenter	Lakshmi Narasimhan, (East Carolina University; narasimhanl@ecu.edu)
Venue	Q501
Date	Thursday, 2nd July 2009
Time	10:00 am - 12 noon
Abstract	Business Intelligence (BI) is a term used to explain the vast amount of background and on-going work performed by the business community in order to initiate, sustain and lead in their businesses. With the advent of computers, the Internet and other technologies, the process of seeking, sourcing, managing and exploiting business intelligence has changed by leaps and bounds. In this seminar, I shall explore the concept of business intelligence of various types, their application to various fields, domains and disciplines, and the impact of technology of various natures on business intelligence. I will outline the impact of BI on issues such as, business performance management, operational performance and developing confidence in decision making. The issue and relevance of data quality will also be outlined. I shall also explore some aspects of Open Source Intelligence (OSI) also. Depending on the audience interest, I shall give detailed examples of systems, technologies, processes and (international) Standards that are being developed around the world.

TITLE	The European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA)
Presenter	Lise Lund Håheim (Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Service; lise.lund@haheim.no)
Venue	Q501
Date	Monday, 29 June 2009
Time	12 noon–1:30pm
Abstract	The European network for Health Technology Assessment, EUnetHTA was established to connect public national/regional HTA agencies, research institutions and health ministries, enabling an effective exchange of information and support to policy decisions by the Member States. In 2004 the European Commission and Council of Ministers targeted Health Technology Assessment (HTA) as “a political priority”, recognising “…an urgent need for establishing a sustainable European network on HTA”. A Commission call was answered in 2005 by a group of 35 organisations throughout Europe. EUnetHTA, coordinates the efforts of 29 European countries including 25 Member States of the European Union in evaluating health technology in Europe. EUnetHTA aims at developing an organisational framework for a sustainable European network for HTA along with practical tools to fill into this framework to ensure timely and effective production, dissemination and transfer of HTA results into useful policy advice to the Member States and the EU. Professor Lund Håheim will report on an evaluation of EUnetHTA

2008 Visiting speaker schedule

TITLE	NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR MAPPING INFORMATION FLOW WITHIN SURGERY OPERATING ROOMS
Presenter	Latif Hakim (School of Management & Marketing, USQ, Toowoomba) hakim@usq.edu.au)
Venue	T452
Date	Thursday, 25 September 2008
Time	12noon–1:00pm
Abstract	Every activity that an enterprise engages in requires information. Without adequate information quality, the activity may not result in a quality outcome. The current organisational techniques are activity-based techniques. These techniques answer the question, 'what other activities must be completed before the start of the current activity?' The newly developed Information Quality theory directs researchers and practitioners to answer a very different question: 'What information is needed from other activities before completing the existing one?' With the aid of field study within surgery operating room, this presentation shows how such perspective can be used to identify disruption in the surgical flow and help to rectify surgical errors.

TITLE	QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS: FIELD EXPERIENCE
Presenter	Gordon M Hunter (Faculty of Management, University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada) ghunter@uleth.ca)
Venue	Q501
Date	Wednesday, 2 July 2008
Time	12noon–1:00pm
Abstract	This presentation discusses various qualitative research methods. To begin a qualitative research perspective is outlined. Then two methods are discussed. The first method is based upon Personal Construct Theory. A project which investigated 'Excellent' systems analysts is reviewed. The status of a current project involving recruitment and retention of medical practitioners will be presented. The second method is Narrative Inquiry. The following projects will be briefly reviewed: Information systems and small business Multi-generation small business Information systems professionals: voluntary turnover decisions ERP Implementations More detail will be presented about a project which investigated the experiences of Chief Information Officers. Finally, conclusions about conducting qualitative research will be presented.

TITLE	DATA QUALITY: A DATABASE PERSPECTIVE
Presenter	Xiaofang Zhou (School of IT & Electrical Engineering, UQ, zxf@itee.uq.edu.au)
Venue	Q501
Date	Thursday, 26 June 2008
Time	12noon–1:00pm
Abstract	Data quality is an important yet very complex and challenging issue which can be approached from organizational, architectural and computational angles. The industry response to this issue has already resulted in dedicated tools and technologies to provide reliable data quality control methods. In this talk Dr Zhou will present an overview of key issues and solutions from a database perspective. It will cover general aspects of the problem space as well as the most significant research achievements in key topics including data cleaning, record linking, constraints, provenance and data uncertainty research by the database research community.

TITLE	RESEARCH & PUBLISHING IN THE IT ENVIRONMENT
Presenter	Jeretta Horn Nord (Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA, jnord@okstate.edu) G Daryl Nord (Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA, dnord@okstate.edu)
Venue	T356
Date	Friday, 20 June 2008
Time	11:00am–12noon

Title	ANGEL: RAISING THE ALARM WHEN THE BUTTON IS OUT OF REACH
Presenter	Judith Symonds (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, judith.symonds@aut.ac.nz )
Venue	Q501
Date	22 May 2008
Time	11:00am–12noon
Abstract	For people who are frail and live alone, in their own home or in a low care facility, there is a danger that they will have an adverse event such as a fall and on occasions not be able to raise the alarm themselves. They rely on being discovered by someone visiting them and may lie unattended, for many hours. Current solutions to this problem rely on the use of a wearable radio button (bracelet, belt or pendant) to allow them to raise the alarm. However, at times, the wearable radio button is removed as often happens when showering or sleeping, and so an adverse event may occur when the user is unable to raise the alarm using the wearable radio button. It is proposed that prototype evaluation will occur with the cooperation of the Salem Lutheran Rest Home, Toowoomba at the Hursley Road complex.

Title	School of Information Systems PhD Seminar
Venue	T452
Date	Thursday, 8 May 2008
Time	11:00am–12:30pm
Presenter	Dave Roberts (USQ PhD Student, School of Information Systems, USQ, roberts@usq.edu.au)

Title	What factors influence the decision of small businesses to upgrade their software
Presenter	Anas Al Bakri (USQ PhD Student, anasbakri9@yahoo.com )
Title	The adoption and diffusion of Business-to-business (EC) by Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Jordan and its Influence on performance and efficiency
Presenter	Shelly Grist (USQ PhD Student, grist@usq.edu.au)