Description
The evaluation of information technology and its business value are the subjects of many academic and business discussions. Investments in IT are growing extensively and business managers worry whether the benefits derived might not be as high as expected. This phenomenon is often called the IT investment paradox or the IT Black Hole: large sums of money are invested in IT that seem to be swallowed by a large black hole without rendering much return.
How to measure the benefits of IT is the concern of Technology Evaluation Methods and Management. Different IT evaluation approaches and methods are discussed and illustrated with cases: traditional financial evaluations such as the return on investment, information economics and the recently introduced IT Balanced Scorecard. The latter approach is proposed as an ideal mechanism to support the IT/business alignment process and its related IT governance process.
Author's/Editor's Biography
Wim Van Grembergen (Ed.)
Wim Van Grembergen is a full professor at the Economics and Management Faculty of the University of Antwerp (UA) and executive professor at the Antwerp Management School (AMS). He teaches information systems at master and executive level, and researches in IT governance, IT strategy, IT performance management and the IT balanced scorecard. Within his IT Alignment and Governance (ITAG) Research Institute (
www.uams.be/itag) he conducts research for ISACA/ITGI on IT governance and supports the continuous development of COBIT and VAL IT. Currently he is evolved in the development of COBIT 5. Dr. Van Grembergen is a frequent speaker at academic and professional meetings and conferences and has served in a consulting capacity to a number of firms. He has several publications in leading academic journals and published books on IT governance and the IT balanced scorecard. His most recent book
Enterprise Governance of IT. Achieving strategic alignment and value is published in 2009 (Springer, New York).