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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>CALL FOR PAPERS for a Special Issue of Asia Pacific Journal of Information Systems (APJIS)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Electronic Word of Mouth and User Generated Content”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>[Guest Editors]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sung-Byung Yang, Ajou University, South Korea, sbyang at ajou.ac.kr <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Kyung Young Lee, Bishop’s University, Canada, klee at ubishops.ca <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Animesh Animesh, McGill University, Canada, animesh.animesh at mcgill.ca <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Saeed Akhlaghpour, Middlesex University, United Kingdom, s.akhlaghpour at mdx.ac.uk <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>[Theme]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As consumers take greater control over products and services they consume, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and user generated content (UGC) are now being considered as one of the most critical information sources not only for customers of online goods and services but also for those who are involved in product development, marketing, and customer services in online shopping contexts. In recent years, with the radically growing popularity of (1) social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook, Twitter, and KakaoTalk, (2) online review sites (ORS) such as IMDB (movies), Tripadvisor (travel), and Yelp (restaurants), (3) UGC sharing platforms such as YouTube, Picasa, and Pinterest, and (4) online product reviews (OPR) created in e-commerce sites such as Amazon.com, it is now almost impossible for consumers to make better choices without the help of such online services (SNS, ORS, UGC sharing platforms, and OPR). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Most major companies now try to incorporate such eWOM channels by creating and maintaining their own product/service review websites, online forums, blogs, and company accounts on SNS in an attempt to increase communication between businesses and customers (or communication among consumers). But, only little is known about what kinds of factors contribute to the generation and propagation of eWOM and UGC, how eWOM and UGC can change consumers' attitudes toward the products and services and even influence their purchasing intentions and behaviors, how knowledge is created, disseminated and adopted through eWOM communication, and how they can provide significant business value to the providers of products and services. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thus, Asia Pacific Journal of Information Systems invites submissions for a special issue on “Electronic Word of Mouth and User Generated Content.” This special issue intends to bridge this knowledge gap by providing an outlet for innovative and timely contributions pertaining to eWOM and UGC, as disseminated through different kinds of online communication channels, including (but not limited to) SNS, ORS, UGC sharing platforms, company- or 3rd-party owned online forums, blogs, and OPR in e-commerce sites. We especially encourage contributions that address specific topics of eWOM and UGC in diverse industries such as digital goods (e.g., mobile applications), healthcare, hospitality, tourism, entertainment, telecommunications, and etc. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>[Topics]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Topics for the special issue include, but are not limited to:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- The roles of eWOM or UGC in diverse industry contexts<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Business value of eWOM and UGC in diverse industry contexts <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Unique opportunities and challenges of eWOM communication strategies<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Innovative eWOM communication strategies using UGC<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Customer engagement strategies using UGC<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Information/knowledge creation, transfer, or adoption of eWOM and UGC participants<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Comparisons of different types of eWOM channels, as well as UGC<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Antecedents (facilitating/inhibiting factors) of eWOM <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- The impacts of eWOM on consumers’ attitude, behavior, and sales<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- The valence of user generated contents<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Dynamic perspectives of eWOM and UGC using social networking analysis<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>- Legal, ethical, and regulatory issues of UGC and eWOM<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>[Important Dates]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Deadline for Submissions: 30 April 2015<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>First Decision: 1 July 2015<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Revision: 1 September 2015<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Final Decision: 1 November 2015<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Notification of Acceptance: 15 November 2015<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Expected Publication Date: 31 December 2015<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>[Submission Guidelines and Contact Information]<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Asia Pacific Journal of Information Systems (APJIS) is a peer reviewed academic journal published by the Korea Society of Management Information Systems (KMIS), which is the largest professional institute in the field of information systems in Korea. The journal website is located at <a href="http://www.apjis.or.kr">http://www.apjis.or.kr</a>. Original manuscripts should be prepared according to the APJIS Submission Guidelines available at <a href="http://www.apjis.or.kr/html/sub_07.asp">http://www.apjis.or.kr/html/sub_07.asp</a>. Manuscripts may involve conceptual/theoretical papers, case studies, and empirical research papers. All inquiries and manuscripts for the Special Issue should be <b><u>directly sent to Dr. Sung-Byung Yang (sbyang at ajou.ac.kr)</u></b> or <b><u>Dr. Kyung Young Lee (klee at ubishops.ca)</u></b> via email with the title of the [Special Issue] in the Subject Line.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222;background:white'>*******************************************************</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'><br><span style='background:white'>Sung-Byung Yang</span><br><span style='background:white'>Ph.D. of Management Engineering (e-Biz & MIS)</span><br><span style='background:white'>Assistant Professor</span><br><span style='background:white'>School of Business</span><br><span style='background:white'>Ajou University</span><br><span style='background:white'>206 Worldcup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 443-749, Korea</span><br><br><span style='background:white'>E-mail: sbyang at ajou.ac.kr</span> <br><span style='background:white'>Tel: +82-31-219-2726</span><br><span style='background:white'>Fax: +82-31-219-1616</span><br><span style='background:white'>*******************************************************</span></span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>