From the editor’s desk

I am delighted to present the first Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research (JITCAR) issue of 2016. The contents of this issue are: an Editorial Preface article by Dr. Shailendra Palvia and Dr. Vijay Vemuri; a Research Article by Dr. Saini Das and Dr. Madhukar Dayal; a Teaching Case article co-authored by Dr. Chetan S. Sankar and Mr. Stephen Dawe; an Expert Opinion report by Dr. Daniel A. Peak; and a Book Review by Dr. Salvatore Parise. Summary information of these items follows. In their Editorial Preface article titled, “Forecasts of Jobless Growth: Facts and Myths,” Dr. Palvia and Dr. Vemuri mention that while the agricultural era lasted several millennia and the industrial era has lasted a couple of centuries, the information and service economy has existed for only few decades. A manifestation of these transitions can be seen vividly in the shifts in the composition of the labor force in the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors of economically developed nations. The service sector currently dominates the employment scene due to the extraordinary impact of information technology on nearly every aspect of human life for the last six decades. Jobs for the world’s citizens have been transforming based on not only changing demand and supply of goods and services, but also based on new technologies for their production and distribution. Several researchers and practitioners have painted a dismal future by predicting growing unemployment due to the increased use of software, the Internet, and robots. Their critics have argued against such dire predictions, citing almost infinite human resilience in the face of constant change. This article examines arguments of doomsayers and optimists and offers predictions for the future as a result of computer technology fundamentally transforming jobs, skills, wages, prices, purchasing power, leisure time, work–life balance, and the unemployment rate. The first research article is titled, “Exploring Determinants of Cloud-Based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Selection and Adoption: A Qualitative Study in the Indian Education Sector. ” Cloud-based ERPs (CLERP) provide scalability, flexibility, and cost-savings. The advantages of CLERP are most prominent in developing economies where access to robust information technology (IT) resources is difficult. This study explores drivers of CLERP selection and adoption by proposing a socio-technical (S-T) framework integrating three technology adoption theories: diffusion of innovations, task-technology fit, and the extended technology acceptance model. The S-T framework is tested using case study methodology based on semi-structured interviews in three higher educational institutions in India. The results suggest that vendors should focus on providing cost-effective, reliable, secure, standardized, long-term, convenient, and better quality of service and support to clients. Vendors should also provide free trials and customize their solutions while maintaining a balance between additional costs incurred and business value gained due to customization. The clients should determine organizational fit of the CLERP and train their employees to minimize resistance to its adoption. The second article is a Teaching Case article titled “Developing a Smart City by Operationalizing the Co-Creation of Value Model. ” This article describes a project that used the co-creation of value model to collect and analyze data on storm drains for a city to improve management of water drainage issues. The city worked with a university center and ensured that the key success factors were met. The project was able to integrate science and technology through information systems; analyze, optimize, control, and monitor the conditions of the 27,000 storm drains in the city; and enhance the decision-making process of the city. This case study provides an example of how a city and a university center can cocreate value thereby helping the city’s management become “smarter” in managing its storm drains and facilitating a rich field-based educational experience for the students.