8 Chapter 1 • Managing IT in a Digital World
The Topics and Organization of This Textbook
The primary objective of this textbook is to increase your
knowledge about IT management so that as a manager you
can effectively invest in and utilize new and old informa-
tion technologies. The remaining chapters of this textbook
have been grouped into four distinct parts, as described
below. At the end of each part, we provide several full-
length case studies that were primarily written by the au-
thors specifically for this textbook. Although some of the
organization names are camouflaged, all of these cases are
based on real-world practices and events.
Part I. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 on computer systems, net-
works, and data present fundamental technology con-
cepts and major IT industry developments. As will be
described, business managers are frequently the desig-
nated “owners” of systems projects and organizational
data sets (e.g., customer data, product data). Both IT
and business managers therefore share responsibilities
for ensuring data quality and appropriate security lev-
els. Readers who have already studied the technolo-
gies described in Part 1 will benefit from the summary
discussions, industry updates, as well as the sections
on newer technology developments such as Web
services, WiMAX networks, and cloud computing.
Part II. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 provide in-depth
descriptions of three different categories of software
applications used by today’s organizations. Chapter
5 focuses on enterprise systems, including supply-
chain system applications that link a company with
its customers or suppliers, as well as back-office
systems for financial reporting and managing the
company’s human resources. Chapter 6 describes
different types of managerial support systems, which
include applications to support daily operational
decision making as well as strategic decision making
using sophisticated analytical toolsets. Chapter 7
focuses on systems that leverage the Internet,
including business-to-business (B2B) and business-
to-consumer (B2C) applications, as well as Web
sites that play intermediary roles (such as search
engines). Successful e-business examples of both
traditional and dot-com companies provide useful
models for how companies in different industries can
leverage the Internet to compete in a digital world.
Part III. The four chapters in Part III describe meth-
ods and techniques for developing and implementing
applications and managing IT projects, based
on today’s “best practices.” Chapter 8 introducessystems thinking concepts and design methods that
are common across the systems development
methodologies described in the subsequent chapters.
Chapter 9 discusses in detail both traditional and
newer methodologies for custom application devel-
opment. Although the primary focus is on custom
software engineering by IT professionals, user appli-
cation development methods are also discussed.
Chapter 10 focuses on the selection, design, and
implementation of purchased software packages,
and Chapter 11 presents effective practices for man-
aging IT projects in general. Special project manage-
ment challenges addressed here include managing
IT projects—including managing IT project risks
and implementing business change as part of an
IT project.
Part IV. Chapters 12, 13, and 14 focus on how to
effectively plan and manage an organization’s
IT assets. Chapter 12 focuses on the strategic IT
planning of information resources from a portfolio
perspective. Chapter 13 describes today’s IS leader-
ship roles and responsibilities in detail, including
alternative IS governance designs and effective
IT outsourcing practices. Chapter 14 focuses on
information security practices, including managerial
practices to help ensure IT security at multiple levels
and IT-related compliance with federal laws and
other regulations.
The final chapter in this textbook, Chapter 15,
addresses issues that extend beyond an organiza-
tional setting: social, ethical, and legal issues from
the perspective of individuals and societies.
Included here are the importance of maintaining the
privacy of personal information and reducing vul-
nerabilities to identity theft crimes. Also discussed
are some “unintended” social impacts of today’s
digital technologies as well as some examples of
IT-related ethical dilemmas faced by managers and
computer users.
As our seventh edition of this textbook is prepared for
publication, we authors take pride in having witnessed the
first decades of a digital age that holds great opportunities
for those in developed countries as well as governments,
organizations, and individuals in developing and emerging
countries across the globe. Yet all of us—in our roles as
managers, IT specialists, consumers, and world citizens—
need to remain vigilant about not only how to effectively
design and use IT but also how to fulfill our social and
environmental responsibilities for the appropriate usage of
today’s and tomorrow’s information technologies.