Post-conference Review by Dr. Robert Behling, Executive Director
IACIS Pacific 2005, held in Taipei, Taiwan, attracted 314 scholars from 17 countries for the academic portion of the conference. We also had more then 50 Taiwanese business executives participating in the Practical Business Sessions organized by our principal sponsor, The Taiwan Management Institute. Support and logistics were provided by our principal academic sponsor, Chang Gung University, Taiwan. Our thanks to both principal sponsors for their participation, support and interaction during the conference activities.
The conference opening session on Friday morning began with an address to all delegates by Dr. Rong-I Wu, Vice Premier of Taiwan. Dr. Wu focused his talk on the importance of Information Technology to the economic development of Taiwan and how they have been able to gain standing in the international community through their aggressive national technology policies. The opening address was followed by three keynote speakers: Dr. Tom Gulledge, speaking on SAP implementation for large scale projects; Dr. Susan Haugen, speaking on quality issues and standards in distance education; and Dr. Daryl Nord and Dr. Jeretta Nord speaking on academic and scholarly publishing. For the remainder of the conference, 45 concurrent sessions were scheduled for presentation of academic research findings, and practical business sessions were scheduled for the Taiwan Management Institute delegates. The conference provided many opportunities for networking by delegates and ended with a gala Chinese Banquet.
The quality of research presented was outstanding, and delegates participated in many lively discussions. In fact, at times it was difficult to handle all the questions in the time allotted. All accepted papers met the double blind review test for quality, and based upon the recommendation of reviewers, two papers were selected for special recognition. Brunel University, UK, provided financial support for the recognition of Best Papers and awarded an honorarium to each of the authors. Recipients of Best Paper awards were presented to the following authors:
Viktorija Sulcic, University of Primorska, Slovenia and Nada Trunk Sirca, University of Primorska, Slovenia for their paper titled: Introducing Blended Learning in Higher Education in Slovenia.
Teresa L. Ju, Shu-Te University, Taiwan; Wann-Yih Wu, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan; and Szu-Yuan Sun, National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, Taiwan for their paper titled: Capturing Organizational Memory with ISO 9000 Processes and Topics Maps.
Congratulations to these scholars for the high quality of their work and their selection for Best Paper Recognition.
This conference would not have been possible without the support of our primary sponsors, the Taiwan Management Institute represented by Dr. Ing San Hwang and Dr. Ho-ming Huang, and Chang Gung University, Taiwan, represented by Dean Sushan Wu. Our corporate and institutional sponsors who contributed to the success of the conference were National Science Council, Taiwan; Fa Min Foundation, Taiwan; Information Service Industry Association of R.O.C., Taiwan; Hewlett-Packard Taiwan Ltd.; Kun Shan University of Technology, Taiwan; National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, Taiwan; National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan; Brunel University, UK; Center for e-Manufacturing and e-Commerce, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan; College of Management and Department of Information Management, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan; College of Management, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan; College of Management, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan; Electronic Commerce Research Center, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan; Kang Da Information Inc, Taiwan; Shih Chien University, Taiwan; and Shu-Te University, Taiwan. Our thanks to all of our sponsors for their financial support, logistical assistance, promotion throughout the Taiwan academic community, and assistance in helping to make this an outstanding international conference.
Recognition for a superb job of organizing all the conference details, including the submission and review of papers, coordination and solicitation of sponsors, and management of conference details, needs to be given to Dr. Binshan Lin, Conference Program Chair. Binshan does not seek recognition and prefers to work behind the scenes. Those of us involved with planning the conference know how hard he worked to make this conference a success, and we thank him for his efforts. Local coordination was handled by Dr. Eugenia Huang, and support for preparing and editing the proceedings was provided by Dr. Shi-Ming Huang. Attending the conference and representing the IACIS Board of Directors were Dr. Roger Hayen, Past President; Dr. Thom Luce, Vice President and Conference Chair for IACIS 2005 New Orleans; Dr. Susan Haugen, Treasurer and Director of Conference Arrangements; Dr. Daryl Nord, Managing Director; Dr. Jeretta Horn Nord, Director of Publications; and Dr. Robert Behling, Executive Director.
The Grand Hotel provided a wonderful venue for the conference opening ceremony and breakout sessions, and the meals served were excellent and representative of the Chinese culture of Taiwan. A number of delegates were given a tour of the cultural attractions of Taipei and the opportunity to interact with leaders of business and industry. This provided an excellent opportunity to gain a more in-depth understanding of the economy and cultural heritage of Taiwan. Dean Soushan Wu, Chang Gung University, provided coordination and logistical support for these events and deserves special thanks for his efforts.
While we do not plan to hold a second conference every year, the Board of Directors is very pleased with the outcome of IACIS Pacific 2005. It will serve as a model for planning future conferences in Europe, Asia or elsewhere.
Post-conference Message from Dr. Binshan Lin, Program Chair
The following link contains hundreds great photos from our very successful IACIS Pacific 2005 Conference. All photos in the link were taken by Dr. Thom Luce, IACIS Vice President. Thanks for his outstanding works and awesome photos. If you want copies, save them to your hard drive now, as the photo files may be removed in the near future to free up server space. Here is the link:
We are getting nothing but excellent reports and comments from everyone attending the conference. I will never forget how many people it takes to make the IACIS Pacific 2005 conference happen. Once again, I'd like to thank our sponsors for their generous support – I know that it is impossible to deliver a first class conference without their financial support. I'd also like to thank all who worked so hard to make the conference in Taipei a great success.
Have a great summer break! Hope you'll all plan to join us for the IACIS 2005 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 5-8.
