Globalization of business, internationalization of trade, and increasing prevalence of multi-cultural interdisciplinary teams are beginning to redefine the nature of office work. Different-time/different-place/different-culture teams will become the norm. Same-time/same-place/same-culture teams will become the exception. The International Office of the Future (IOF) will be a dramatically different environment than that which exists in the majority of today's organizations. Prospects for the IOF give rise to numerous questions, which are addressed in this book. What are the salient issues? What design options or solution strategies exist to address these issues? How might these design options be best implemented? What are their implications? In addition, a number of specific topics will be discussed including: multi-cultural team productivity, IT platform requirements, and global telecommunications.

TRACK 1: Innovative Applications in the Public Sector The integration of multimedia based applications and the information superhighway fundamentally concerns the creation of a communication technology to support the ac tivities of people. Communication is a profoundly social activity involving interactions among groups or individuals, common standards of exchange, and national infrastruc tures to support telecommunications activities. The contributions of the invited speakers and others in this track begin to explore the social dimension of communication within the context of integrated, information systems for the public sector. Interactions among businesses and households are described by Ralf Strauss through the development within a real community of a "wired city" with information and electronic services provided by the latest telecommunications technologies. A more specific type of interaction between teacher and student forms the basis of education. John Tiffin demonstrates how virtual classrooms can be used to augment the educational process. Carl Loeffler presents yet another perspective on interaction through the integration of A-life and agent technologies to investigate the dynamics of complex behaviors within networked simulation environments. Common standards for communication in the form of electronic documents or CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work), according to Roland Traunmiiller, provide en abling technologies for a paradigm shift in the management of organizations. As pointed out by William Olle, the impact of standardization work on the future of information technology depends critically upon the interoperability of software systems.

Education is the foundation to almost all successful lives, and it is important that a high level of schooling be available on a global scale. Studying the trends in accessibility in education will allow educators to improve their own teaching techniques, as well as expand their influence to more remote areas in the world. The Future of Accessibility in International Higher Education is a comprehensive reference source for the latest scholarly material on emerging methods and trends in disseminating knowledge in university settings. Featuring extensive coverage on relevant topics such as e-learning, economic perspectives, and educational technology, this publication is ideally designed for educators, academics, students, and researchers interested in expanding their knowledge of global education.

"Information Systems for Business and Beyond introduces the concept of information systems, their use in business, and the larger impact they are having on our world."--BC Campus website.

Monograph Series of the International Council for Computer Communications, Volume 1: The Office of the Future: Communication and Computers focuses on the advancements in the processes, technologies, techniques, principles, and approaches involved in communication and computers, including computer based tools, data gathering and information retrieval, and office automation. The publication first elaborates on the automated office of the future, tools to support the communication activity, and text editing tools for generating, organizing, analyzing, and transforming information. Discussions focus on generating, organizing, and analyzing information, basic message system concepts, impact of computer networks, and other processes in the office. The text then examines the integration of computer based tools, data gathering and information retrieval tools, coordination tools in the office of the future, and tools to support office processes. The manuscript ponders on the integration of the spoken word with interactive computer based office support systems, underlying technology, digital channel, and software aspects of the office environment utilizing the micro-processor. Topics include single board computer, advances in digital computer communications technology, future directions for digital networks, bandwidth availability, and storage and retrieval of voice information. The book is a dependable source of data for computer science experts and researchers interested in the relationship of communication and computers.

As the 21st century begins, we are faced with opportunities and challenges of available technology as well as pressured to create strategic and tactical plans for future technology. Worldwide, IT professionals are sharing and trading concepts and ideas for effective IT management, and this co-operation is what leads to solid IT management practices. This volume is a collection of papers that present IT management perspectives from professionals around the world. The papers seek to offer new ideas, refine old ones, and pose interesting scenarios to help the reader develop company-sensitive management strategies.