[AISWorld] CFP: AMCIS 2017 Social Technical and Social Inclusion Issues Track (sponsored by SIG Social Inclusion)

[Carter, Michelle]

Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

AIS SIG Social Inclusion (SIGSI) is delighted to sponsor the Social Technical and Social Inclusion Track at AMCIS 2017 in Boston.   We invite you to submit your full research papers (conceptual, theoretical, and empirical), as well as research-in-progress, case studies, and best practices / lessons learned to one of the track’s seven mini-tracks (details below).

** Track Chairs **
Michelle Carter, Washington State University, michelle.carter at wsu.edu 
Karen Patten, University of South Carolina, pattenk at sc.edu

**Track Description**
The Social Technical and Social Inclusion Issues track focuses on information systems (IS) research at the intersection of humans and technology. It provides a venue for scholars of multiple IS research areas to present research related to a broad range of social-technical and social inclusion topics. This includes topics related to the mutual constitution of people and information technologies (IT) in embedded organizational and societal contexts, as well as the part IT plays in enabling or inhibiting individuals and social groups participation in the social structures in which they exist.
This track creates an area for interested researchers to establish platforms for future work leading to comprehensive research streams dealing with information systems and social, ethical, political, and cultural aspects from the individual, organizational, or societal focus. The track also addresses the needs of under-represented producers or consumers of information systems and technology within the IT field. In doing so, it helps foster awareness of issues related to diversity and social exclusion and provides an opportunity to focus related research into emergent research streams, which often spin-off to become new tracks.

** Mini-Track 1: Inclusion of the Differently-Abled in the Information Society **
This mini-track invites research papers (conceptual, theoretical, and empirical), research-in-progress, case studies and best practices on Information Systems (IS) use by the differently-abled (DA). DA includes the blind & visually-impaired, the elderly, the hearing-impaired and the dyslexic. They are atypical users who interact with IS differently. Often, they face systemic and functional barriers in effective use of IS. Moreover, they are an under-studied population in the IS discipline. We draw the attention of the AIS community to the broad theme of IS and DA users to make IS more inclusive. The long-term goal is to leverage the unique skill-sets of DA users to develop an inclusive information society. Relevant topics include Information Systems Accessibility & Usability; Universal Access to IS Education; E-learning of DA; Social/ Mobile Computing through Assistive-Technology; Healthcare IS for the Da; Public Policy and/or Legal Implications of Accessibility and Usability.
** Mini-Track Chair(s) **
Rakesh Babu, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, babu at uwm.edu

** Mini-Track 2: Online Networks and Community Building **
Online networks of choice, which are groups that require voluntary identification and participation, have become important locations of identity, communication, information exchange and community building.  Particularly useful among communities that are geographically remote, online networks manage to foster a shared identity through cultural exchange, sharing of resources and shared values. Typical patterns of social interaction, ethical and moral priorities in such exchange of ideas, the influence of diversity (or lack of diversity) among group members all may influence the way in which these networks succeed in creating community and building a feeling of shared identity. The aim of this mini-track is to promote theoretical and empirical research addressing the role of online networks in community building, regardless of the purpose of the network. We seek innovative contributions from scholars who engage in analysis of participation in online groups such as self-help groups, hobby groups, groups of demographic unity etc.
** Mini-Track Chair(s) **
Arti Mann, University of Houston Clear Lake, Mann at uhcl.edu
Rucha Ambikar, Bemidji State University, rambikar at bemidjistate.edu

** Mini-Track 3: Organizational and Social Dynamics in Information Technology **
Social issues related to information technology represents one of the most often discussed underpinnings in information systems research throughout the tenure of the IT field. Social issues are those research topics most aligned with the human factor in terms of information technology planning, development, implementation and utilization. This mini-track includes all aspects of behavioural and social aspects that are impacted by information technologies within and among organizations or institutions. This would include the conceptualization of specific social issues and their associated constructs, empirical validation of social models, and case studies illustrating socialization success and failures.  Major topics may include: (1) Human Interaction issues in an IT-enabled organizational change context, (2) Organizational culture and identity, and (3) Management of IT professionals.
** Mini-Track Chair(s) **
Dragos Vieru, Teluq University, dragos.vieru at teluq.ca
Michael Knight, Texas A&M University – Kingsville, michael.knight at tamuk.edu

** Mini-Track 4: Social Inclusion **
We welcome relevant theoretical, empirical, and intervention research, in either completed research or emergent research forum (research-in-progress) format, that relates to the mission of SIG Social Inclusion (SIGSI). The purpose of SIGSI is to promote research, pedagogy, and outreach on all aspects of social inclusion in the field of Information Systems (IS). The goal of such efforts is to stimulate greater diversity of thought and personnel in AIS and the IS field overall, and participation of all our members in a more socially-aware and inclusive discipline. Social inclusion research includes topics such as the gender gap in the IS field, gender minorities, intersectionality of identities (such as ethnicity, gender and socio-economic class), socioeconomic divisions that impact access to or use of technology, the digital divide, underserved groups in the information society, and a range of topics related to human diversity, and the “haves” and “have nots” in the information society.
** Mini-Track Chair(s) **
Jaime Windeler, University of Cincinnati, Jaime.Windeler at uc.edu

Mini-Track 5: Social Theory in Information Systems Research
STIR’17 solicits papers that make use of social theory in information systems research drawing upon such approaches as sociotechnical theory, critical theory, social informatics, organizational theory, cultural anthropology, sociology and others. We want to highlight research that uses these approaches to critically examine the constitution of ICT, and their roles in organizations and society. We are particularly interested in research that makes use of social theory to address the main theme of the conference, A Tradition of Innovation, meaning work that is innovative in terms of multi- and trans-disciplinary uses of social theory and methodologies to study the impacts of new and emerging technologies on people in their organizational and social lives. We are interested in questions about how we interact with ICTs in our work and social lives in ways that help and hinder the move towards more useful, productive, and happier lives.
** Mini-Track Chair(s) **
Howard Rosenbaum, Indiana University, hrosenba at indiana.edu
Pnina Fichman, Indiana University, fichman at indiana.edu

Mini-Track 6: Socio-Technical Challenges in Smart City Development
It is increasingly recognized by governors, information systems researchers and industrial practitioners that, although the smart city concept is driven by advanced information technologies, its success can be highly influenced by a wide range of socio-technical factors and challenges.  However, an extensive review of the current literature suggested that the majority of smart city studies focused mainly on the technical and engineering aspects, such as smart city IT architecture, operational algorithms, engineering models, prototype designs, and smart testbeds.  In contrast, there is a significant scarcity of studies to explore potential social, cultural, political, ethical, managerial, organizational, and human aspects related to the design, development, deployment and usage of smart technologies, systems and services in different societal and city contexts.  This minitrack thus aims to serve as a forum to bridge this knowledge gap, as well as to offer a socio-technical angle and an information systems perspective to complement the very technical view in the current smart city research agenda.
** Mini-Track Chair(s) **
Guochao Alex Peng, Sun Yat-Sen University, alexchaox at hotmail.com
Miguel Nunes, Sun Yat-Sen University, miguelnunes at mail.sysu.edu.cn

Mini-Track 7: The Embedded Digital Environment: Individual and the New Socio Technical Ecosystems
In today’s digital world, facilitated by innovative and mobile platforms, individuals are faced with a more dynamic and complex environment when interacting with sociotechnical systems. It is through these interactions that an ecosystem is created where individuals and various sociotechnical systems they are connecting to are symbiotically influenced by one another. Such ecosystem imposes changes on the sociotechnical systems all the while it is gradually changing people’s daily life as well as whole societies. As such, people are living in an embedded digital environment, which dramatically impacts their individual capabilities offered by customizability of the systems they use. Therefore, the study of social technical and social inclusion issues cannot be fully understood without a thorough examination of the dynamics of the interdependent interaction between individual and the system. This mini-track provides a forum for presenting research in this new and exciting area of social technical environment. 
** Mini-Track Chair(s) **
Hamid Nemati, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, nemati at uncg.edu
Weian Wang, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, w_wang5 at uncg.edu

The AMCIS 2017 Conference is accepting the following types of submissions:

Completed Research, due 01-March-2017 1:00 PM EST (13:00)
Emergent Research Form (ERF), due 01-March-2017 1:00 PM EST (13:00)
Workshops and Tutorials, due 03-April-2017
Panels, due 03-April-2017
Technology Research, Education, and Opinion (TREO) Talk Sessions, due
25-April-2017
Professional Development Symposia (PDS), due 25-April-2017

Look forward to seeing you in Boston!

--
Michelle Carter
 
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Management, Information Systems and Entrepreneurship
Carson College of Business
Washington State University
 
Affiliate Assistant Professor
The Information School
University of Washington
 
President, AIS SIG Social Inclusion (SIG SI)
 
mailing address: WSU Everett, 2000 Tower Street, Everett, WA 98201-1390
phone: 404-428-6463
email:  michelle.carter at wsu.edu
skype:  michellecart
linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-carter-wsu <http://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-carter-wsu>