Information Technology and Management

More Focus on Information Systems & Technology: Organizational Responsiveness remains at the center of the text, but, based on reviewer feedback, the theme is centered within the context of how an information system can impact an organization's competitiveness.
Increased Coverage of Networks and Telecommunications: Focused on how technology can help an organization achieve its goals. All key technology concepts supported with case vignettes.
Enhanced Treatment of Databases and Database Management: Helps students become literate with a database tool in the very first IS course.
Napster in Historical and Contemporary Context: An opening case study in the book, providing issues around which the Framework for Decision Making can be contemplated and put to use. The final chapter ends with an analysis of Napster and what went wrong with the business model, viewed through the criteria developed in the text.
Practicum Assignments - Help Implement inquiry into the classroom with assignments that aid the supervised practical application of previously studied theory.
Active-Learning Framework for Decision-Making: Boxed Elements such as 'How this Really Works' and 'Why is this Important' ask students to use a set of criteria, such as performance, cost, reliability, and ethics to develop and present tools with which the effectiveness of an information systems initiative can be measured.
Business Briefs: Real-world articles and stories that present actual business situations taken from articles published in professional publications, published cases, and cases specifically developed by the authors. Questions following each case require the student to analyze the situation using concepts presented in the chapter. These are interspersed throughout the text, located near the corresponding course material.
Competitive, Ethical and International Examples: Highlighted with icons, these examples are included throughout the chapters and illustrate the pervasiveness of Information Technology and the managerial issues related to these topics.
Connective Cases: Designed to reinforce concepts from each chapter, with suggested solutions provided for the first four connective cases, so that those students without case experience can gain familiarity with the process.
Chapter Review Materials: Including a summary, key concepts and terms, useful web sites, review questions, more thought-provoking discussion questions, group assignments, application assignments (requiring the use of productivity tools), and a case assignment.
End of Module Cases: Multiple installments from the same company. Dakin Farm is a real organization, and the installments describe real situations and decisions faced by the president. The case installments at the end of each module are longer and more complex than those offered at the end of the chapter. They provide an excellent opportunity to review and reinforce material presented within the chapters. A web site tie-in has been added to this edition.

Ronald Thompson is a professor at Wake Forest University.

William Cats-Baril is a professor at the University of Vermont.