About SIRCA Call for Papers

• Pre-call M4D 2010
• ICA 2010 Pre-conference Workshop
• Online Social Capital: An Agenda for Future Research
• The Journal of Information Technology for Development (ITD): A Special Issue of the Journal

Pre-call M4D 2010

The 2nd International Conference on M4D - Mobile Communication Technology for Development

The conference is the second international conference in M4D following the inaugural conference in Karlstad, Sweden in 2008 (http://m4d.humanit.org/) and M4D in East-Africa 2008 (http://m4d.kcl.co.ug/).

The conference will be located in Kampala, Uganda in early November 2010.

M4D2010 aims to provide a forum for researchers, practitioners and all those with interests in the use of Mobile Communication Technology for Development.

M4D2010 will combine two days of plenary peer-reviewed paper sessions, with two days of workshops, panel sessions, discussion forums, and demos.

M4D2010 will be one of the most exciting m4d events of 2010!

Important dates:

Submission deadline: 1 July 2010
Acceptance note: 31 August 2010
Final papers due: 30 September 2010
More information will follow shortly.

Gudrun Wicander
Conference Coordinator
Gudrun.wicander@kau.se
Centre for HumanIT
http://www.humanit.org
Karlstad University, Sweden
http://www.kau.se

Welcome to M4D2010!

ICA 2010 Pre-conference Workshop

"Innovations in Mobile Use" (21-22 Jun 2010, Singapore)

With usership crossing the four billion mark, mobile communication increasingly incorporates broad aspects of contemporary human life, potentially impacting not just the work and play of advanced users in developed markets, but also the daily lives of those in the developing world.

At one end of the spectrum, the rapid diffusion of mobile phones in developed countries offer an extended range of integrated functions and applications such as communication, information, entertainment, internet surfing, transactions, and political participation. At the other, there is rising adoption of mobiles in developing countries, both organic and planned, with the pursuit of basic development objectives such as livelihood generation, education, and health.

The Mobiles preconference workshop aims to foster discussions around how developments in emerging markets reflect the trends in mature markets, as well as assess potential for the cross-pollination of information and communications technologies for development and/or empowerment.

The workshop examines innovations in a variety of societal contexts highlighting different phenomena of mobile phone uses. With advancements in functionality and transmission technologies, mobile phones not only serve as a distribution platform, but also enable content production and consumption anytime, anywhere.

Juxtaposed with the engagement of social media, the extent and effects of mobile communications are amplified, for instance through the use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in U.S. and Iran elections, as well as in the demonstration for religious freedom by Uighur Muslims in China.

For more information, visit the website at http://www.sirca.org.sg/mobiles2010 or download the PDF file.

Online Social Capital: An Agenda for Future Research

This preconference aims to showcase new scholarly work examining definitional, operational and practical issues related to the study of new forms of social capital, with particular emphasis on case studies and applications beyond the US context. The proliferation of social media, online games and other platforms for online and mobile socializing suggests an increased importance of communication research for the study of social capital and its implications.

Download the PDF file for more detail.

The Journal of Information Technology for Development (ITD): A Special Issue of the Journal

Information Technology Success Factors and Models in Developing and Emerging Economies

Information technology (IT) projects continue to suffer from frequent cost and time overruns and failure to fully deliver on the expected benefits to the users or the organization. Furthermore, what determines the success or failure of information technology implementations and use in developing and emerging economies may differ substantially from generally accepted success factors in highly developed countries. Developing economies are defined by low gross national income per capita, and are generally characterized by low standards of living, a weak industrial and commercial base, and a poor infrastructure. Still developing economies that exhibit robust, continual economic expansion, resulting in fast growing per capita income, and which have administrations that are dedicated towards developing the commercial base and improving the infrastructure are termed emerging economies. IT is generally considered to be a prime factor in the economic and national development of these regions.

The aim of this special issue is to provide a forum for research and practice specifically directed at the factors and models that contribute to the success (or failure) of IT implementation and use for economic and national development in developing and emerging economies. Submitted papers, while focusing on specific success factors or exemplary models, must explain how the work makes a contribution to better understanding the role of IT in economic or national development, affecting people's lives and their communities, Submitted work will be evaluated for methodological soundness, empirical completeness, and academic rigor, as well as originality and interestingness. Possible contributions may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Organizational culture and IT success factors in developing or emerging economies
• Factors and models that contribute to (or may inhibit) technology bringing about economic development
• Case studies looking at successful (or failed) models of IT use in developing or emerging economies
• Critical success factors in Web service adoption in developing or emerging economies
• Differences in success perception of IT between developing/emerging and developed countries
• Cultural factors and models in successful IT adoption and use in developing countries
• Factors and models that may make IT a successful tool for achieving global

For more information, visit the website at http://www2.newpaltz.edu/~roztockn/itd2010.htm or download the PDF file.