This group is led by two established information systems researchers, Dr Kevin Hapeshi and Dr Shujun Zhang. Through the review period the core focus of this group has been on Knowledge Transfer work. The group is now actively involved in the generation of publications resulting from the KTP experience.
Since the last review, two staff members have left to take up chairs and three have progressed to senior academic positions elsewhere. This has been counterbalanced by the appointment of an established researcher (Dr Zhang) to provide refreshed leadership and the development of a cluster of early career researchers (David Johnston and Siraj Shaikh).
In the information management disciplines there is lively engagement with internal and external peers through internal seminar activity and external involvement in conferences and collaborative partnerships. There is an extensive programme of information systems research seminars supported by academics from a wide range of institutions, local industry, government institutions, and professional bodies, including the British Computer Society and Institute of Electronic Engineers.
There have been a range of outputs on applied computing. Topics include information systems to support sustainability, 'soft' information systems, technically advanced on network security and biomimetic information modelling, to inform industrial design and manufacturing processes.
The group hosted the Environmental Management Accounting Conference Europe in 2002, Software Quality Management in 2005 and the United Kingdom Academy of Information Systems in 2006.
Staff are also active internationally in conference organization and journal reviews. Dr Zhang has worked extensively with colleagues in the UK and China on the organization and delivery of projects and conferences in fields associated with biomimetics and industrial organizations. Dr.Vicky Bush acts as a reviewer for Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE) organised by the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), the Higher Education Academy's Subject Network for Information and Computer Sciences annual conference and Information and Computer Sciences development fund.