517The chapters in Part IV address the key activities of IS leaders as they work with business leaders to
ensure that the organization is spending wisely on new IT investments and is making the best use of its
IT resources—not just technology but also its IT workers.
Chapter 12 describes some best practices for creating plans for an organization’s information
resources that are well aligned with its business strategy. The importance of business manager partici-
pation in the planning of a firm’s information resources cannot be underestimated, and is highlighted
throughout the chapter.
Chapter 13 focuses on the other key responsibilities of an organization’s IS leaders, including
the delivery of IT services, managing a portfolio of new and existing software applications, hiring and
retaining personnel with the needed IS skills, and fostering strong relationships with other business
managers. The chapter ends with a discussion of two IS leadership challenges that reflect today’s
increasingly digital world: managing a global IS organization, and managing IT outsourcing arrangements.
Chapter 14 is concerned with information security topics. After a brief discussion of different
types of computer crime, the chapter focuses on the managerialaspects of information security—
including risk management, organizational policies for information security, business continuity planning,
and electronic records management. Also discussed is the relatively new role of Chief Security Officer
and several relevant U.S. laws for which there are significant penalties for noncompliance.
Chapter 15 addresses IT-related legal, ethical, and social issues. It begins with some frameworks
for addressing ethical issues in general and examples of codes of ethical conduct for IT professionals.
The chapter deals with not only organizational issues but also broader IT-related issues of importance
to individuals and the societies we live in—including privacy issues, identity theft, and intellectual
property rights.
Part IV (and this textbook) ends with eight original case studies, all written by the textbook
authors. The Clarion School case study describes how a small organization develops a plan for new IT
investments. The Sallie Mae case study describes a successful example of a “fast-track” project to
integrate the technology assets of two merging companies under strong IT leadership and a preexisting
project management office (PMO).
The next two case studies describe the challenges faced by a $2 billion company with multiple
business units and aggressive growth goals as it chooses its first major IT outsourcing vendor and then
manages the contract for all of its business units. Schaeffer A describes the decision process and the
opposing views of different IT and business leaders about relying on an external vendor for computer
operations and telecommunications support. Schaeffer B describes the management issues the
company faces during its multiyear outsourcing relationship with the Tier 1 service provider it selected,
including what contract adjustments to make as its IT support needs change.