Testimonials

(From the Foreward)

An obvious take-away from the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, is the essential role played by digital technology and information systems. Online meetings, contactless purchases, food delivery services—to name a few—proved to be absolutely essential components of economic survival.  Moreover, the epidemic significantly accelerated the pace of digital transformation and disruption. 

Helping students to understand these technology-induced changes and develop the managerial skills to leverage digital resources in their organizations is the overarching objective of Gabe and Federico’s book. While the text demonstrates the co-authors’ deep understanding of both established and leading-edge technologies, it is their emphasis on applying and leveraging these digital technologies to drive business value that sets it apart.  As such, in today’s digitally transforming world, this book provides essential knowledge for all students of business.
While I have authored, edited and reviewed textbooks written to teach students and executives how to use IT to innovate and transform business and society, and have also authored over 300 HBS case studies, Gabe and Federico did something that authors rarely succeed at – packing a lot of content in the book while ensuring the text is engaging and lively. The book is filled with rich descriptions and real-world examples, mini-cases and quotes from executives. And, as with previous editions, the option of a case-enhanced version is also available.

Undergraduate and MBA students will appreciate the concrete examples and cases, and the very approachable writing style. Executive-level audiences will immediately see how to apply what they learn and the value that can be created by harnessing the power of digital innovation in their own organizations. This is anything but dry reading, and your students will thank you for using it!

Lynda M. Applegate
Baker Foundation Professor
Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration, Emerita
Harvard Business School

There tend to be two major approaches to teaching information systems. The technology perspective instructs students about hardware and software, and the focus is very much on information technology. The transformative approach assists students in identifying how information systems can transform an enterprise’s relationships with its key stakeholders, such as customers and suppliers. Under the transformative approach, the emphasis is on what the information systems as an enterprise can create and the value they can then unleash. Anyone can buy information technology, but it takes skill, vision, and persistence to create a transformative information system that can radically change an enterprise and even a society.

Gabe is a key member of the transformational school of information systems. His academic research and work with practitioners, the results of which are incorporated in this book, are directed at understanding and exploiting the transformative power of information systems. He has studied many examples of transformation, as you will find when you read some of the insightful cases in this book and the highly useful frameworks he presents. As you read this book, you will discover why information systems have been the major change engine for many enterprises and economies over the last five decades. Nothing else has had anywhere near the same influence on the way we live today.

As you develop your managerial skills, it is important that you realize that to become an organizational leader, you will need to demonstrate that you can design, lead, and execute transformational projects. Most of the morphing assignments you take on will require an intimate understanding of technology in organizations. Irrespective of which particular field is your area of concentration, you will find that at some point you will need to become deeply steeped in understanding how you can exploit one or more information technologies to create a new information system to generate a competitive advantage or superior customer experience. How well you integrate people, procedures, and information technology to create an information system will determine your success. This book is about developing your skills to successfully participate in, and possibly lead, an information systems–enabled project to create new opportunities for customer service and organizational growth. Read the book carefully, reflect on the frameworks and cases, incorporate the key insights into your model of the world, and above all, apply the knowledge gained to improve your organization’s performance.

Richard T. Watson
Rex Fuqua Distinguished Chair for Internet Strategy
University of Georgia

As we all know, the required master’s-level information systems course is a very difficult one to teach. I always admire the few faculty teaching this course who can transcend the reluctance, prejudice, and general disinterest too many of us confront from our students. Gabe is one of the talented few. He has enjoyed significant success teaching the required information systems course over the years, receiving teaching awards for his work with both master’s and executive MBA students. In my foreword to the first edition, I said, “Hopefully, this book will arm the rest of us with some of Gabe’s teaching magic.” Now that we are in Edition 4.0, I can report that I have talked to a number of colleagues who teach required MBA, executive MBA, and high-level undergraduate courses who have confirmed that this book has worked quite well for them.

I can now be confident in saying that this book will be a great addition to your arsenal, allowing you to leverage the enthusiasm of students already interested in the material and energize those who come in the door with a negative bias toward an “IT course.” This book can make your course more compelling to your students thanks to Gabe’s very approachable writing style, the wealth of examples he uses, the opening minicases that quickly create excitement and buzz, and the unique full-length cases in the full version of this textbook (several of which we wrote together). Most helpfully, Gabe has identified both the foundational and cutting-edge content that is most relevant to management students. With this book, you will find it much easier to demonstrate the relevance of information systems to your students and to create a positive learning environment in your classes.

Blake Ives
C. T. Bauer Chair in Business Leadership
C. T. Bauer College of Business
University of Houston