From the editor’s desk

I am pleased to present the 24(4)th issue of the Journal of IT Case and Application Research (JITCAR). This issue comprises a remarkable assortment of articles, interviews, and reviews on gender equity, social justice, information security, working conditions, and health IT. The contents of this issue include an editorial preface article by Yan Chen, a teaching case article by Atiya Avery, Renée M.E. Pratt, and Dream Gomez, and a research case article coauthored by Steven Wallace and Laxmi Iyer, a CIO interview by Gaurav Bansal and Zhuoli Axelton, and a book review article by Alanah Mitchell. The summary information on these articles is as follows.

In the editorial preface article, Informations security management: compliance challenges and new directions, Yan Chen talks about the role of compliance in information security management (CISM). She pinpoints some specific challenges in this area and suggests future research directions. Yan lists multiple challenges faced by organizations related to CISM. Quoting her article, she writes, “there is never enough security.” She lists the complexity and scale of CISM, the repetitive nature of compliance work, resource constraints, and emerging IT as major challenges that overwhelm organizations. She concludes the article by providing future research directions where IS research can seek innovative solutions to support organizations in this critical endeavor.

The teaching case titled Reducing warrant executions on incorrect addresses: a case of the Fulton County sheriff’s use of a criminal justice information system is coauthored by Avery, Pratt, and Gomez. This teaching case introduces students to the complexities inherent in designing, implementing, and managing criminal justice information systems connected to the execution of warrants for wanted persons. The authors argue that unlike other types of information systems, such as those used in healthcare and public administration, the research regarding criminal justice information systems is sparse. Criminal justice information systems have huge implications for social justice and equity, and thus these information systems have far-reaching consequences for the general public. In this teaching case, students will assume the role of external information systems consultants whose objective is to reduce the prevalence of warrants executed on incorrect addresses searching for wanted persons.

The case research article titled Health IT use outcomes in small physician practices is coauthored by Steven A. Wallace and Lakshmi S. Iyer. The case focuses on small physician practices (SPP) and argues that though SPP makes up 60% of healthcare providers, there have been very few studies on Health Information Technology and its impact within SPP. This study attempts to understand how health information technology quality and use influence organizational outcomes of small physician practices. The case uses a modified IS success model as the framework and analyzes data from multiple case studies.

The expert opinion report by Gaurav Bansal and Zhuoli Axelton transcribes their interview with Anu Varma, vice president and CIO for the Communication Solution Segment and Corporate Functions within TE Connectivity. In the interview with JITCAR titled Gender equity is not the only challenge women CIOs face Anu talks at length about the challenges CIOs, particularly women CIOs and IT leaders, face. Anu shares insights about CIO-CEO dynamics in manufacturing companies and her perspective on key challenges facing manufacturing CIOs while simultaneously discussing how they have been unique for CIOs, particularly women IT leaders, during COVID. She ends the interview by offering valuable advice on promoting more girls to STEM-related disciplines and careers.

The book review article by Alanah Mitchel is on the book Out of office: The big problem and bigger promise of working from home by Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen (ISBN: 0593320093). Alanah argues in her review that Out of office provides a useful roadmap for leaders and employees making important decisions about organizational work practices such as remote (work-from-home) or hybrid plans. Alanah, appreciating the book, suggests that it includes several helpful ideas about understanding work flexibility and boundaries, culture, technology, and the role of community in enabling remote and hybrid working conditions for employees. She writes, “the text offers some helpful organizational practices and examples that could be used for class discussions to prepare students for today’s workforce. Specifically, comments that remote working is not a skill taught or even addressed, and employees are asked to be on their laptop at home without much preparation or guidance.”

I hope you will enjoy reading all the items in this issue and find them relevant and useful in your classes, research, and workplace.

With best regards,

Sincerely