Information System Concepts Towards a consolidation of views

This is a compilation of papers presented at the Information System Concepts conference in Marburg, Germany. The special focus is consolidation and harmonisation of the numerous and widely diverging views in the field of information systems. This issue has become a hot topic, as many leading information system researchers and practitioners come to realise the importance of better communication among the members of the information systems community, and of a better scientific foundation of this rapidly evolving field.

The discipline of information systems: let many flowers bloom! Theories of meaning and different perspectives on information systems. Multiple relationships: an analysis of their semantics and their modelling. About a framework for information and information processing of learning systems. A self-descriptive conceptual schema modelling facility, its implementation and extension. A user-centred method for the development of data-intensive dialogue systems: an object-oriented approach. A meta model transformation approach towards harmonisation in information system modelling. Limitations of information systems theory and practice: a case for pluralism. What's in a relationship? On distinguishing property holding and object binding. English grammar as a sentence model for conceptual modelling using NIAM. From information systems to knowledge systems. Anything, everything and things playing roles: three realizing principles as a contribution to a platform for understanding .Semiotic approach for object abstraction. Abstraction and concretizing in information systems and problem domains: implications for system descriptions. Business model representations. How should business professionals analyze information systems for themselves? How far harmonisation? Panel discussion set-up. Position papers on `How far harmonisation?' Index of contributors. Keyword index.

Eckhard Falkenberg is Professor Emeritus of Information Systems and lives in Germany