The minitrack on “Standards and Standardization” will be part of the January 2006 HICSS-39 conference, to be held in Kauai County in Hawaii.

This is the third HICSS minitrack related to standards; see the minitrack webpage for information on previous papers and topics.

Contents

• Minitrack chairs
• Abstract
• Subject Domain
• Key Dates
• Publication in Special Issue
• HICSS Submission Policies

Minitrack Chairs

Joel West College of Business San José State University jwest2@mail.sjsu.edu

Rolf Wigand Department of Information Science University of Arkansas at Little Rock rtwigand@ualr.edu

The minitrack is part of the Internet and the Digital Economy track, chaired by David King and Alan Dennis.

Abstract

Standards are essential for enabling interoperability in complex IT systems, and thus have a direct impact upon an organization’s IT function. Interorganizational standards enable the coordination between firms in an industry and between suppliers and customers. Vertical standards promote coordination and coordination among organizations in a specific industry sector. Internal standardization both enables the creation of a common enterprise architecture and constrains future choices made in systems design and procurement.

This minitrack considers the creation, adoption and impact of both compatibility and administrative standards. The domain includes both inter-organizational, vertical and intra-organizational standards and standardization efforts.

The minitrack will also co-sponsor a session on standards and open source to consider issues that intersect both minitracks, such as the role of user innovation, technical communities and IPR.

Subject Domain

The minitrack will focus on the organizational and societal impacts of I.T. standardization, both between and within organizations. However, we welcome all papers related to standards and standardization.

One topical area is the the creation, adoption, competition and impacts of interorganizational standards. Such standards may be created within the buyer’s industry, or offered to buyers by IT vendors. Possible topics include:

• changing role of IP in standards
• differences between traditional vendor and vertical industry standardization
• of implementation in defining interoperability
• difficulties dues to incomplete standardization or differences in implementations
• modularity
• new firm strategies

Another topical area is vertical industry standards. Vertical information systems standards are designed to promote communication and coordination among the organizations comprising a particular industry sector; these standards may address product identification, data definitions, business document layout, and/or business process sequences.

A third topical area is internal standardization, either of purchased on internally produced systems. Possible topics include:

• standardization as an enabler (or outcome) of centralization
• defining differences and boundaries between infrastructure and higher-level standardization
• the role of standardization in enterprise architecture
• linkages between internal and external standardization

We encourage papers representing a wide range of perspectives, including

1. Theory. This is an interdisciplinary minitrack, and we welcome authors considering standards and standardization from a technical, behavioral, sociological or economic perspective. Previous authors in the minitrack have represented information systems, computer science, communications and management departments.
2. Methods. Authors from all methodological domains are encouraged to submit their work, such as quantitative, qualitative or abstract models. Or papers could describe experience building actual systems. We particularly welcome papers written from a participant observation perspective, shedding light on standardization antecedents, processes or outcomes.
3. Type of Standards. The minitrack is part of the Internet and Digital Economy track, reflecting the high interest by I.S. researchers in standards in Internet, web, and e-business. But papers may also consider other types of IT or business standards. Papers may consider all forms of standards, whether de facto or de jure, compatibility (e.g. APIs and protocols) or process standards (e.g. coding standards), inter-organizational or intra-organizational.

You may also wish to consult the programs for HICSS-34 and HICSS-38 minitracks, although we always welcome new topics.

Prospective authors are encouraged to contact either of the minitrack chairs in advance of the June 15 deadline if they have questions about the suitability of a potential submission.

Publication in Special Issue

A subset of accepted minitrack authors will be invited to have their papers considered for a special issue of International Journal of IT Standards & Standardization Research (JITSR), the only journal focused solely on standards and standardization in I.T. industries.

By using JITSR’s Editorial Review Board as minitrack reviewers, and using an accelerated review process that overlaps with HICSS deadlines, we can expedite the review process to publish accepted papers in late 2006. Submission of a manuscript to the minitrack does not obligate an author to publish in the special issue.

Key Dates

June 15, 2005	Completed manuscript through the HICSS online submission system
August 15, 2005	Minitrack chairs send notices of accepted manuscripts to authors
September 15, 2005	Deadline for proceedings version of manuscript
September 15, 2005	Deadline for conference registration by at least one author
December 2005	Minitrack date and schedule posted
January 5-7, 2006	HICSS-39 conference sessions

HICSS Submission Policies

General HICSS submission policies are:

• HICSS papers must contain original material not previously published, or currently submitted elsewhere.
• Do not submit the manuscript to more than one Minitrack Chair. If unsure of which Minitrack is appropriate, either contact one of the Minitrack Chairs beforehand, or submit abstract to one of the Track Chairs for guidance.
• Submit your full paper in electronic form, according to the detailed formatting and submission instructions found on the HICSS website. Note: All papers will be submitted in double column publication format and limited to 10 pages including tables, figures and references.