***************** CALL FOR PAPERS ****************** SUBMISSION DUE DATE: April 15th, 2015 SPECIAL ISSUE ON: SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND SYSTEMIC THINKING – RESEARCH AND TEACHING ISSUES to be published in the International Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach (IJITSA), IGI Global Guest Editors: Dr. Don Petkov, Eastern Connecticut State University, USA Dr. George Schell, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA Dr. Theo Andrew, Durban University of Technology, South Africa INTRODUCTION: The importance of Systems Analysis and Design (SA&D) for any program of study in information systems and to the field of Information Technology (IT) development is well summarized by Harris et al. (2006:242). The re-emerging interest in SA&D a few years ago (see Parsons et al., (2005)) was evolving in parallel with a renewed interest in the applicability of systems thinking to Information Systems as a discipline (see Mora et al., 2007, Petkov et al, 2008). A number of relevant papers on the application of systemic approaches to Information Systems development were published over the last seven years in the International Journal on Information Technologies and the Systems Approach (IJITSA). The body of knowledge in Soft Systems Methodology has reached a stage of maturity that allows reflections on how it is applied in practice (see Checkland & Winter (2006) for general insights on SSM and Rose & Saifullah (2012) for a recent case study of its application to IS development). The Work System Theory by Steven Alter, a systemic methodology specifically developed to bridge the gap in the language of IT practitioners and the clients, has also been the subject of increasing research (see Alter (2013), Petkov et al (2012)). We seek to identify the state of research on applying or teaching systemic approaches to systems analysis and design in the last several years and hence this special issue call for papers. The objective of the special issue is to disseminate high quality research that links systemic approaches and systems analysis and design and shows how that can be practiced in IT projects or how such ideas can be taught to IT students at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Topics to be discussed in this special issue include issues in research and teaching of systems thinking applied to systems analysis and design including (but are not limited to) the following: Systemic thinking and software requirements analysis. Soft Systems Methodology and action research applied to IS development. Work System Theory and its applications. Combining systemic thinking and object oriented analysis. Using systemic action research for studying the effectiveness of object oriented modeling. Combining systemic thinking and agile software development. Using systemic approaches to decide on development methods enabling balance between discipline and agility in software development (as advocated by Boehm and Turner, 2004). Systemic approaches, systems analysis and design science research in IS. System Dynamics Models for supporting System Analysis and Design. System Analysis and Design methods and Process Models and Standards (ISO 12207, ISO 29110, CMMI, among others). Management of software development, action research and systems thinking. Systems approaches applied to the management of IT outsourcing. Teaching systems approaches to IT students and practitioners. Systems Analysis and Design in the curriculum. SUBMISSION PROCEDURE: Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit papers for this special theme issue on SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND SYSTEMIC THINKING – RESEARCH AND TEACHING ISSUES on or before April 15th, 2015. All submissions must be original and may not be under review by another publication. INTERESTED AUTHORS SHOULD CONSULT THE GUIDELINES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS at http://www.igi-global.com/Files/AuthorEditor/guidelinessubmission.pdf . All submitted papers will be reviewed on a double-blind, peer review basis. Papers must follow APA style for reference citations. All manuscript submissions to IJITSA should be sent through the online submission system: http://www.igiglobal.com/authorseditors/titlesubmission/newproject.aspx All submissions and inquiries should be directed to the attention of: Don Petkov Guest Co-Editor International Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach (IJITSA) E-mail: petkovdon@yahoo.com ABOUT International Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach (IJITSA): The Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach (IJITSA) is an academic and practitioner journal created to disseminate and discuss high quality research results on Information Systems and related upper and lower level Systems as well as on its interactions with Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Complex Systems and Philosophy issues, through rigorous Theoretical, Modeling, Engineering or Behavioral studies in order to explore, describe, explain, predict, design, control, evaluate, interpret, intervene and/or develop organizational systems where Information Systems are the main objects of study and the Systems Approach –any variant- is the main research methodology and philosophical stance used. This journal is an official publication of the Information Resources Management Association (http://www.igiglobal.com/ijitsa). Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Manuel Mora, Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Mexico Published: semi-annually (both in Print and Electronic form) PUBLISHER: The International Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach (IJITSA) is published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference”, “Business Science Reference”, and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igiglobal.com. All inquiries regarding this special issue of IJITSA should be directed to the attention of: Dr. Don Petkov Guest Co-Editor International Journal of Information Technologies and Systems Approach (IJITSA) E-mail (please send to both addresses) : petkovdon@yahoo.com ; petkovd@easternct.edu References Alter, S. (2013). Work system theory: overview of core concepts, extensions, and challenges for the future. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 14 (2): 72121. Boehm, B. and R. Turner (2004). Balancing Agility and Discipline: A Guide for the Perplexed, Reading, MA, Addison-Wesley, Inc. Checkland, P. and Winter, M. (2006). Process and content: Two ways of using SSM. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 57 (12): 1435-1441. Harris A. L, Lang, M., Oates B., Siau, K. (2006) “Systems Analysis & Design: An Essential Part of IS Education, Journal of Information Systems Education, 17 (3): 241248. Mora, M. Gelman, O, Forgionne, G. Petkov D and Cano, (2007) J. Integrating the fragmented pieces in IS research paradigms and frameworks – a systems approach, Information Resource Management Journal, 20(2): 1-22. Parsons, J., Iivari, J., & Hevner A. (2005) Research in Information Systems Analysis and Design: Introduction to the Special Theme Papers, Communications of the AIS, 16: 810-813. Petkov, D., Edgar-Nevill, D, Madachy, R., O’Connor, R. (2008). Information Systems, Software Engineering and Systems Thinking? Challenges and Opportunities. International Journal on Information Technologies and the Systems Approach 1 (1): 62—78. Petkov, D., Petkova O., Sewchurran, K., Andrew T. and Misra, R. (2012) The work system method as an approach for teaching and researching information systems, in Dwivedi, Y.K, Wade, M.R. and Schneberger, S.L.(eds), Information Systems Theory: Explaining and Predicting Our Digital Society, Vol.2, ch.43, Springer, New York. 413424. Rose, J., Saifullah, M. (2012), Bridging Worlds: Information Systems Development through Cross-Cultural Comparison, Systemic Practice and Action Research, 25 (6): 511-536 ******