The UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS) 2007 Conference: 21st century organisations: do organisations matter?: The widening periphery of information systems research: Some reflections and ideas for action

Purpose - To offer the authors' own observations on the ways in which information science is developing in relation to information management in an extensive introduction to a special issue of European Journal of Information Management devoted mainly to papers presented at the UK Academy for Information Systems (UKAIS) 2007 Conference, Manchester University, UK, 11-12 April 2007. Design/methodology/approach - A brief review of the literature of information science, information systems (IS) and IT is presented, followed by summaries of the articles to follow. Findings - The authors' attention is focused on the growing debate over the need for action and change if the IS community is to develop a more coherent view and definition of the IS field. Concludes that: the IS research field is evolving and proliferating rapidly; the debate over what constitutes the core and the periphery of IS research is valid; IS has embraced a plurality of research approaches, methods and techniques and is achieving a good balance of rigour and relevance; IS research may be considered too far removed from practice and could be seen to be drifting further with the crossing of boundaries into sociology, anthropology and political philosophy; the IT productivity paradox still exists; and there is a need to articulate more clearly what IS is Sets out a number of action points that include: developing a revised definition for IS; making the boundaries for IS research more clearly defined; developing a popular definition of an IS system; focusing on rebuilding the IS community and identity; focusing on mechanisms for greater engagement of IS academics with practitioners; and focusing on a redefinition of the IS subject programme syllabus.