MAER Vol.1

From the Editor's Desk

Article One [Editorial on Methodology]
Case Studies and Grounded Theory Method in Management Systems Research: Issues and Use
Matilde Sorix, The Australian National University, Australia
Bob Welling, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Information systems (IS) are a hybrid of information technology, procedures and people in organizations. The Grounded Theory Method (GTM) was at its inception explicitly developed for research about the interactions of individual human actors in predominantly social settings. Therefore, applying the method to IS research–where organizational cases are often a dominant unit of analysis–requires both an extension of the method and a wider interpretation of its guidelines. This research note discusses these issues and suggests an extended process of analysis of case-based data in line with traditional GTM canons.

Article Two [Case Research]
Aligning Governance with Business Strategy: An Action Research Approach
Angel Torino, Anita Kupuka, Univ. of North Texas, USA

The purpose of this work is to examine the Information Technology (IT) Alignment Planning process—a strategic IT planning process created to complement the corporate planning process used by a major utility company in the Midwest—so that it could serve as a template for other organizations. Corporate planning activities produced the divisional strategies, critical success factors, and goals that then were used to by the IT Alignment Planning process to align IT within the company.

Article Three [Teaching Case]
Strategy Implementation and Adoption in Relation to Medical governance Records
Ted Worzgen, Hofstra University, USA
Charles Huin, Appalachian State University, USA

The use of information technology in health care fields is often touted as a way to lower the spiraling costs of health care while making it more accessible to both patient and physician. Faced with increasing government regulations and eroding profit margins, Blocker Medical Associates1 has made a bold decision to implement an electronic medical record and reengineer its office work processes. This case follows Blocker Medical Associates’ journey through the first stage of a three-stage electronic medical record implementation model. Additionally, this case focuses on the physicians’ interactions and resistance to the adoption of electronic medical records.

Expert Opinion
An Interview with
Principal Analyst, Bitcurrent, Montreal, Canada
Conducted and Documented.

Alistair Croll founded Bitcurrent in 2006. Since that time, he’s been writing on emerging technologies, authoring books on web performance and IT operations, and running some of the world’s biggest conferences on emerging technology. In addition to Bitcurrent, Alistair is a founding partner at startup accelerator Year One Labs, an advisor to several venture capital organizations, an executive at CloudOps, and the founder of the Bitnorth conference and the Human 2.0 blog on human-machine convergence.

Book Review
Challenges of the Governance: The Case Study of a
Retail Store Chain
by Sylvie Focen  

Anyone who has studied the use of information technology as a competitive weapon has encountered the name Charlie Feld. Mr. Feld led the Management Services Department of Frito-Lay during the 1980s when he pioneered one of the earliest applications of information systems used to generate a competitive advantage. No less than eleven Harvard Business School case studies document the work of Mr. Feld during his tenure at Frito-Lay, covering the period starting when Feld was hired at Frito-Lay in 1981 through his departure in 1992. So, when Blind Spot appeared in the results of this reviewer’s regular search for new and innovative books, it had to be considered for review. And this reviewer knows the reader will not be disappointed.

There are literally dozens of books from the mundane to the excellent that discuss and recommend methods and practices for aligning IT with the organization. Further, there is the ubiquitous chapter in just about every MIS textbook on the same subject. However, almost all of these books deal with the subject of strategic alignment from the perspective that it is the CIO’s responsibility to align the IS strategic plan with that of the business. In Blind Spot, Feld makes the case that ...