[AISWorld] Call for papers on ITSM]

Fri May 24 16:54:05 EDT 2013

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                IJITSA SPECIAL ISSUE IN:
Engineering and Management of IT-based Service Systems: a Systems Approach
http://www.igi-global.com/ijitsa

Deadline is June 30, 2013 !
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CONTEXT:
The economic relevance of service systems (or service sector in general)
in the modern worldwide economy is totally recognized. As Sheenan (2006)
reports “business organizations focused on delivering help, utility,
experience, information or other intellectual content 
 account for more
than 70% of total value added in the OECD”. In this special issue, we
pursue to advance our scientific knowledge on the processes,
methodologies, techniques and tools for engineering and managing IT-based
service systems under a Systems Approach. The service-oriented paradigm
has permeated several disciplines (Chesbrough and Spohrer, 2006). IT-based
service systems can be defined as “
 a value coproduction configuration of
people, IT, other internal and external service systems, and shared
information (such as language, processes, metrics, prices, policies, and
laws.” (adapted from Spohrer et al., 2007). Accordingly, a service can be
defined –in general- as “
 the application of resources (including
competences, skills, and knowledge) to make changes that have value for
another (system)” (idem, 2007). Service paradigm has been identified as
one of the relevant themes for IT in the last decade (Demirkan and Goul,
2006; Rai and Sambamurthy, 2006; Beachboard et al. 2007; Zhao et al.
2008). While models of processes for engineering and managing IT-based
service systems (like ITILv2, ITIL v3, CMMI-SVC, CobIT, ITUP, MOF 4, ISO
20000) have been posed, their specific practices are still unclear and few
used by most IT practitioners. We consider such a topic to be mandatory to
foster a cost-effective and trustworthy engineering and management of
IT-based service systems (Buede, 2000). Additionally, since IT-based
service systems are also systems (Tien, 2008; Alter, 2008; Mora et al.,
2009) their essential and shared attributes for general systems (Ackoff,
1971; Gelman and Garcia, 1989) should be considered.  Based on
aforementioned issues for systems, service  systems, and IT-based systems,
we believe that a Systems Approach (Ackoff et al., 1962; Checkland, 2000)
and a Systems Engineering view (Sage, 2000; Buede, 2000) can be helpful
for this aim.  A Systems Approach can be defined as an answering and
problem-solving system comprised of: (i) systemic philosophical paradigms
(P’s: an ontological, epistemological and axiological stance on the
world): (ii) systemic theoretical frameworks  (F’s: ideas-constructs,
theories, and models); (iii) systemic methodologies (M’s:
methods,techniques, and instruments), and (iv) situational areas
identified as systems (A’s:  natural, artificial or social objects,
artifacts and subjects under study).  Similarly, a Systems Engineering
discipline, can be briefly defined as “the interdisciplinary approach and
means to enable the realization of successful (cost-efficient and
trustworthy) systems”. References upon request.

OBJECTIVE OF THE SPECIAL ISSUE:
This special issue aims to increase our scientific theoretical and applied
knowledge on the engineering and management of IT-based service systems
from a Systems Approach view.

RECOMMENDED TOPICS:
Topics to be discussed in this special issue include (but are not limited
to) the following:

•Systems Foundations of IT-based Service Systems
•Determination of the Role of Service Systems in Super-systems such as
Economical, Environmental, Social and Political that is making it a
Service System
•Definition of Sub-systems that are forming a Service System in order to
assure the fulfillment of its Mission and Objectives
•The specificity of the organization and management of the service
systems, which assure their productivity as well as their development
•Conceptual comparative studies of ITSM standards and models (ISO 20000,
ITIL, CMMI-SVC, ITUP, MOF 4, CobIT)
•Empirical studies on implementations of ITSM standards and models (ISO
20000, ITIL, CMMI-SVC, ITUP, MOF 4, CobIT)
•Applied cases of implemented engineering practices for IT-based Service
Systems
•Applied cases of implemented management practices for IT-based Service
Systems
•Applied cases in real Data Centers
•Applied cases of adaptations of ITSM Processes for specific SMBs
•Application of IT-based Service Systems in Critical domains (health care,
international security, international financial stock markets, green
initiatives, gap e-education)
•Classification of IT-based Service Systems
•Value models for IT-based Service Systems (how can it be valued a priori
(designs) and a posteriori (evaluations of real systems))
•Innovative applications of IT-based Service Systems

SUBMISSION DUE DATE:  June  30, 2013
PUBLISHING DATE:  July, 2014

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit papers for this
special theme issue Engineering and Management of IT-based Service
Systems: a Systems Approach on or before June 30, 2013 to Dr. Manuel Mora
(ijitsa at gmail.com). All submissions must be original and may not be under
review by another publication. INTERESTED AUTHORS SHOULD CONSULT THE
JOURNAL’S GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS at:
http://www.igi-global.com/development/author_info/guidelines%20submission.pdf.
All submitted papers will be reviewed on a double-blind, peer review
basis. Papers must follow APA style for reference citations.

GUEST EDITORS:

Dr. Ovsei Gelman, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
Dr. Mahesh S. Raisinghani, Texas Woman’s University, USA
Dr. Miroljub Kljajic, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Dr. Manuel Mora, Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Mexico

ABOUT International Journal of Information Technologies and the Systems
Approach (IJITSA):
The Journal of Information Technologies and Systems  Approach (IJITSA) is
an academic and practitioner journal created to
disseminate and discuss high quality research results on Information
Systems and related upper and lower level Systems as well as on its
interactions with Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Complex
Systems and Philosophy issues, through rigorous Theoretical, Modeling,
Engineering or Behavioral studies in order to explore, describe, explain,
predict, design, control, evaluate, interpret, intervene and/or develop
organizational systems where Information Systems are the main objects of
study and the Systems Approach –any variant- is the main research
methodology and philosophical stance used. This journal is an official
publication of the Information Resources Management Association
(http://www.igi-global.com/ijitsa), and it is semi annually published
(both in print and electronic form).

Editors-in-Chief:
Emeritus Professor Frank Stowell, University of Portsmouth, UK
Professor Manuel Mora, Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Mexico

Published:
semi-annually since 1998 (both in Print and Electronic form)
www.igi-global.com/ijitsa

PUBLISHER:
The International Journal of Information Technologies and the Systems
Approach (IJITSA) is published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.),
publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group
Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference”, “Business Science
Reference”, and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional
information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com.
All submissions should be directed to the attention of:

Editors-in-Chief:
Emeritus Professor Frank Stowell, University of Portsmouth, UK
Professor Manuel Mora, Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Mexico