INVITATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION

History of Conference

Seven years ago Arje Wassenaar (University of Twente), Markku Saaksjarvi (University of Helsinki), and I put together the first academic Conference on Outsourcing of Information Systems Services (OUT'93) which took place May 20-22, 1993 at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Since then, research on IS outsourcing has evolved rapidly. Outsourcing has emerged as a key topic for both IS practitioners and academics. Whilst academics may have lagged behind our practitioner brethren in recognizing its importance in the beginning, we have begun to catch up. By our quick count, we note over 85 academic papers have been published on IS outsourcing since 1992, along with numerous doctoral dissertations.

We felt the time was right to continue the tradition started at Twente by running a second conference. Although Arje and Markku are not specifically involved in the organizing of this conference, their spirits will no doubt be part of it. Armin Heinzl and Jens Dibbern, both from the University of Bayreuth, will be joining me in organizing this event. We're calling it the 2nd International Conference on Outsourcing of Information Services (ICOIS'2001).

Objective and Structure

The objective of the forthcoming conference is to bring all researchers in the field of IS outsourcing together again, in a workshop setting, to exchange ideas and discuss current and past research projects. The conference will be held in Bayreuth, Germany, June 22-23rd, 2001. We hope the timing of the event is suitable since it is scheduled one week in advance of the ECIS'2001 conference June 27-29, 2001 to be held in Bled, Slovenia. Bled is within reasonable driving distance from Bayreuth thus providing plenty of opportunities to visit major scenic places in Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia and Italy.

It is our intention to invite all researchers that have published or are currently working on academic publications or dissertations in IS outsourcing to participate in the ICOIS workshop. In order to provide a high degree of interaction and discussion among the conference participants, the meeting will be conducted in a workshop-like setting. All registrants are expected to attend the entire conference and actively engage in discussions. Each participant will be asked to speak for about 20 minutes and provide a paper based on his/her past, present or future research work on IS outsourcing. The papers will be the basis of an edited book entitled Information Systems Outsourcing in the New Economy: Enduring Themes, Emergent Patterns and Future Directions arising from the conference.

Venue

Because of the interactive and discursive nature of the conference, we will have to restrict the number of attendees. Actually it is more than that. We are restricted to no more than 50 people since the conference room simply cannot accommodate any more. In fact, one of the attractive features of this conference is its venue. Far away from the hectic bustle of the metropolises, the conference will take place in a rural atmosphere at the Castle of Thurnau. Thurnau is a small village near Bayreuth, located within the north-eastern part of Bavaria in Germany. Close to the castle is a small lake which is perfect for walking, hiking, jogging or simply relaxing during the conference breaks. If this conference invitation isn't attractive enough, we are also planning to offer a post conference event on Sunday, June 24th. All conference participants are welcome to join a rafting tour on the upper-Main river or receive what my German friends term "a hyper culture infusion" at one of the wonderful historical cities in the northern part of Bavaria. Further details on this will be available soon.

Cost

Now for the even better news. The conference will be FREE. Participants are expected to have their host organizations bear the costs of their travelling to and from the conference. But thanks to the hard work of Armin Heinzl and Jens Dibbern, several German companies have agreed to sponsor the event. This includes 2 nights accommodation and all meals during the conference. Participation at the post Conference event will not be covered, but this should not be very expensive if you want to participate.

Registration

If you would like to participate in the conference, we need to hear from you as soon as possible but preferably by November 30 since space is quite tight. We will also need your paper by May 01, 2001. Acceptance at the conference will be done on a first come, first serve basis. You can register for the conference by going to the conference web page and providing the relevant information. If you have specific questions about the conference you can contact Armin (heinzl@uni-bayreuth.de), Jens (jens.dibbern@uni-bayreuth.de) or me (rudy@uh.edu ).