[Hi all, please see the details of the upcoming conference on SPEED in July,2002, Budapest. I have been asked -- and agreed -- to do a keynote speech on
'something fast' and others are being signed up. Lots of people are going
from all kinds of disciplines, ranging from politics and sociology to
literature etc. Joanne and I are also hoping to do a conference paper
together so we shall both definitely be there. It would be good to meet up
with others from and/around CSL too. We did discuss the idea of a 'CSL
Corporate Tent' but decided against it in the end ...  John.]

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CALL FOR PAPERS

20th Anniversary Standing Conference on Organisational Symbolism

Speed:
Research and Representation in the Age of Instantaneous Organization

10th-13th July 2002
Budapest, Hungary

Hosted by the International Business School, Budapest, and organised in
collaboration with the Department of Management Studies, University of Keele
and the Business School, Oxford Brookes Univeristy


Executive Summary

Speed... is of the essence, or so we are endlessly told. Nearly one hundred
years since Marinetti announced ... 'that the world's magnificence has been
enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed', we remain in its thrall. Not
just the 'powerful mechanical beasts' that so enamoured Marinetti, but also
the 'instantaneous' transmission of more ephemeral 'information'.

For speed is never satisfied, acceleration is integral. From fast-cycle
resourcing to just in time, from compressed development to shorter product
life cycles, our innovatory call is faster, faster. We need the new, new
thing and we need it NOW! Where do you want to go today?

Well, why not go to Budapest? Take some time to consider the compression of
time and space on your journey. You could maybe ponder what is happening to
your consciousness into the bargain. Is it becoming more fragmented,
excessively rationalised, alienated even? What do the philosophers and
social theorists have to say about this? Cite Benjamin, Bergson and Bauman.
Refer to Giddens, Harvey... Virilio, Weber and Zizek. And what's going on
under your feet to nations, political systems and the global economy as you
speed through space in an insulated metal box? Let alone `under your feet',
what about the plethora of electromagnetic signals that are passing
invisibly through your body as you sit there? What is such ubiquitous
mass-mediation doing to you, to `us' or to the organisations and cultures of
which we form a `networked' part? And what of the many people, attitudes,
places and things that are `othered' in the feverish pursuit of speed? So
many things to think about as you sit there consuming your pre-packed,
microwaved in-flight food (at least it's quick and convenient, even if it
does give you indigestion).

Come to the conference, give your paper, listen to others, view the city (or
at least the important bits that we've selected to show you on our
whistle-stop tour), and fly out again. Pack more in. Time is of the essence.
If you can afford to create some space in your busy schedule, write an
abstract and send it to us (see below for details). Keep it brief. We're
busy. What are you waiting for?

Summary Executive Summary (This one has bullet points)

SCOS XX invites interdisciplinary empirical, methodological or theoretical
contributions addressing the phenomenon of `speed and organisation'.

Recommendations. Possible themes might include the following (the list is
intended to be suggestive only and we welcome creative interpretations of
the conference title):

*       Speed and the VIRTUAL or CYBORGANISATION
*       The GENDERING of speed in organisations
*       Speed and CONSUMPTION
*       PHILOSOPHIES of speed
*       HISTORIES of speed
*       ANTHROPOLOGIES of speed
*       SOCIOLOGIES of speed
*       GEOGRAPHIES of speed
*       Speed and POSTMODERNITY
*       Speed and MODERNITY
*       `Speed' and PREMODERNITY
*       Speed and GLOBALISATION
*       The ETHICS of speed
*       The POLITICS of speed
*       COMIC or TRAGIC aspects of speed
*       The AESTHETICS of speed (just think of Glenn Gould)
*       Organisational AMPHETAMINES
*       The RHETORIC of speed
*       CULTURES of rapid CHANGE and TRANSFORMATION
*       Fast moving MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
*       Technologies and METHODS of rapid research
*       Organisation by `bullet point'

Open Stream

The SCOS Annual Conference is intended as a forum where the latest
developments in research on Organisational Culture and Symbolism may be
presented, regardless of their direct relevance to the conference theme, and
an Open Stream is set aside for this purpose. Papers are invited on any
aspect of theory, methodology, fieldwork, interventions or themes which are
of continuing interest to the SCOS community.

Workshops

We welcome suggestions for workshops, performances or similar events as well
as traditional paper presentations. Outlines of proposed workshops should be
not less than the length of a paper abstract and should clearly indicate the
resources required, number of participants accommodated, time required, the
approach to be taken, and the objectives of the session.

Abstracts

Abstracts of up to 500 words (who has time to write more?) should be
submitted by Friday 30th November 2001 to:

Email: [log in to unmask]
Please send abstracts in MS Word97 or Rich Text format.

Snail mail:     Peter Case
                SCOS XX
                Business School
                Oxford Brookes University
                Wheatley
                Oxford OX33 1HX
                UK

For inclusion in published proceedings, full papers should be submitted no
later than Monday 22nd April 2002 (acceptance will be notified by
mid-January 2002).

Conference organisers: Peter Case, Oxford Brookes University; Simon Lilley,
University of Keele; Tom Owens, International Business School, Budapest.

CONFERENCE FEE: Approximately 500 GBP inclusive of food and accommodation.

HAVE YOU JOINED SCOS YET? Check out the SCOS Website at www.scos.org to join
SCOS free of charge, to obtain further information on SCOS and for links to
the conference web page and on-line registration as these become available.

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