First International Symposium of Information Systems

The Centre for IT and the Networked Economy (CITNE), at the ISB, along with the Fox School of Business at Temple University, Philadelphia, hosted the First International Symposium of Information Systems from December 16-18, 2006. The conference, facilitated discussion and presentation of research papers on all aspects of Information Systems. The focus of the meet was on the role of IT in enhancing global competitiveness and economic development.

The first two days of the conference dealt with academic research. Some of the reseach topics were - Auctioning Online Advertisements, Web 2.0 and the consumer Internet, Designing a Social Network Based Electronic Market, Knowledge Sharing in Global Work, Role of ICT in Economic Development etc.

The final day, tagged as the ‘Industry-Academia Day’, proved to be a productive interface between leading IT business leaders and the academia. Dean M R Rao, in his address, stressed on the growth phase of the ISB, and pointed out the ongoing relationship between NASSCOM and all the Centres of Excellence at the ISB.

Keynote speaker, Kiran Karnik, President, NASSCOM, highlighted the setbacks of the Indian education system, which, according to him, stressed on “regurgitating given facts without questioning.” “Our educational system does not impart soft skills like communication and team work. One is not encouraged to raise issues and question the given. Our system does not inculcate team work and peer criticism,” he said. This shortcoming, however, had a quick fix, according to Karnik. A four month training in soft skills, particularly in articulation, something like a finishing school, was what he prescribed. The more serious problem facing the industry today, according to Karnik, was the fact that few young people today opt for research as they get lured by jobs at their second year of professional college itself. He made a point about a sense of freedom prevalent at the ISB, which was the key behind the ISB “success story. Karnik concluded his note with a practical solution to the ailing educational system. “Create special education zones. Liberate education from bureaucracy. Allow private investment in education, just like the hospitals, which have managed to create benchmarks for themselves globally,” he suggested.

The concluding day of the Symposium saw four panels in animated discussions. They were -

IT and BPO Outsourcing: A View From Both Sides, moderated by Professor Ravi Aron, Wharton

An Inward Looking Indian IT- Revolution: Fuelling Economic Development Through Innovation, moderated by Professor Prabhudev Konnana, UT Austin

Excellence in Software Engineering: People, Process and Performance, moderated by Professor Rajiv Banker, Temple/ISB

Strategic Use of IT: the Indian Context, moderated by Professor V Sambamurthy, Michigan State University.

For complete details, please visit First International Symposium of Information Systems