Overview Mission Theme Call for Participation Program Accommodations Directions Conference Blog Conference Organizers & Key Partners Abstracts, Bios and Posters		Mission The EPIC conference is designed to enhance human understanding and research by promoting the science, practice, and application of ethnographic understandings. Those practicing their ethnographic training in the corporate setting can benefit from new venues for support and sharing information.  Towards this end, the conference should: Provide a forum for ethnographic practitioners in business to exchange research, insights, methods and other information Support participants in their efforts to study and apply, the principles, findings, and best known methods of  ethnographic research Identify opportunities for expanding and developing the science and practice of  business ethnography   Monitor and address challenges to the understanding and practice of ethnographic research in consumer and work settings Promote public awareness of business ethnographic researchers Develop and maintain a record of the community through published proceedings Mission The EPIC conference will promote the use of ethnographic investigations and principles in the study of human behavior as they are applied in corporate settings.  By understanding people; what they do, how they do it, and how these change over time, we can create better corporate strategies, processes, and products, as well as enhance and simplify people’s lives. Beyond this, the conference aspires to promote the integration of anthropological perspectives, methods, and theory into business practices; to advocate business decisions based upon sound research; to promote public recognition of practicing ethnography as a profession; and to support the continuing professionalization of the field. Who The conference is designed for people who have trained for and are practicing ethnography in business contexts. This could include, but is not limited to, people who specialize in qualitative methods from disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, semiotics, art history, and linguistics. Problems / Opportunities Corporate ethnography is growing as a field of inquiry. We intend to create a supportive forum that allows corporate practitioners to discuss and address a range of issues and further their discipline. Practitioners face unique demands, including questions about the value of the research in general and how to frame problems in the appropriate ways. The execution of research raises other issues in corporate settings, notably restrictions on the time available to conduct research if it is to be useful. There is an opportunity to make transparent the ethical dilemmas and resolutions that accompany the practice of corporate ethnography. Other challenges arise from structural aspects of the institution within which research is conducted; for example, working as part of interdisciplinary teams. Finally, how do we translate research into valuable and actionable findings? Praxis Diverse procedures, tools, techniques and “how to” documents have been developed to assist in addressing academic issues and problems; however, these have not been adapted to the needs of practicing researchers. We want to capture and/or rigorously develop both standardized and situationally-specific procedures and techniques used in our ethnographic research. Conducting research without a theoretical orientation leads to poor practice. Practitioners need knowledge of research theory and practice about society, culture and individuals. Translating theory into practice is a challenge.  Academics are not rewarded for such efforts, and many practitioners lack the time and resources for continuing education. This forum will provide an opportunity and a venue to assist people in finding and applying appropriate theory, and reward those who make progress toward praxis.