The need for organisations to make sense of their data has never changed. Data has always played a role in helping organisations improve their operational efficiencies, maintain customer relationships, and seek maximum returns through different targeted strategies. From the early days of aggregated data reports, to dashboards and business intelligence, the complexity in the volume of data to analyse and the need for complex insights to influence decision making has organisations shifting their interest and focus on analytics.

Analytics refer to the use of a variety of computer technologies, both in terms of hardware and software, to analyse massive amount of data for complex data patterns and data characteristics. Business analytics broadly refers to the application and customisation of these techniques to effect the positive outcomes sought by organisations. In addition to the technological aspects of analytics, “business analytics” also builds on the foundation of information systems theory that enable the raw technology to be meaningfully contextualised and applied to solve the real-world business problem.

Objectives
This special section thus has three objectives:

• To publish empirical research on the use of analytical technologies to solve business problems;
• To publish basic research that draws upon the body of knowledge in information systems to guide the development of “business analytics” solutions;
• To bring researchers in both the field of analytics and information systems together to develop a relevant research agenda for this new emerging and important field.

We invite researchers to submit papers that share theoretical, empirical or case-studies of business analytics discussing one or more of the topics below. Of course, submissions are not limited to the topics below and any papers that fulfils the objective(s) of this special issue are welcomed.

• Application of IS theories in business analytics, e.g., information fusion and diffusion as the basis of understanding data prior to analytics
• Real-world application of analytics, i.e., case studies or discussion of analytical solutions deployed to solve problems in the private, public or NFP sectors
• A formal study of issues and problems in business analytics and solutions inspired by information systems theory and foundations
• Case studies and formal literature review of the state of the art in business analytics from an information systems perspective

Guest editors
• Damminda Alahakoon, La Trobe University, Australia
• Kok-Leong Ong, La Trobe University, Australia
• Graeme Shanks, University of Melbourne

Deadlines
• Call for paper - November 2014 – March 2015
• Deadline for paper submission – 25 March 2015