Physica Information Systems: People, Organizations, Institutions, and Technologies: ItAIS:The Italian Association for Information Systems

1 2 D. Avison andS. Conger Wewerehonoredtobeaskedtoopenthe5thConferenceoftheItalianChapterof theAssociationforInformationSystems(ItAIS)inPariswhichtookplaceovertwo daysinDecember2008. Thegoalofthechapteristopromotetheexchangeof ideas,experiences,andknowledgeamongscholarsandprofessionalsengagedin thedevelopment,management,anduseofinformationandcommunicationss- temsandtechnology. Thisconferencewasoneofaround30conferences,consortia andworkshopsthattookplaceimmediatelybeforetheInternationalConferencein InformationSystems(ICIS2008). AsPresidentoftheAISandtheVice-PresidentAISforChaptersandSpecial InterestGroups,wewereparticularlydelightedtoparticipateastheItalianChapter oftheAIShasprovensosuccessful. Howeverwewerenotreadyfortheexcellent attendance and outstanding presentations that are re?ected in this volume that represents the best of the conference. Further, the conference highlighted both researchandpractice. Toooften,conferencesinISdonotevidencetheimpactof research on practice. The conference chairs, Alessandro D'Atri and Domenico ' Sacca,alongwiththeorganizingandprogramcommittees,deserveourgratitude forthesuccessoftheeventandtheexcellenceofthisvolume. TheconferencetracksthatincludedE-ServicesinPublicandPrivateSectors, Governance,MetricsandEconomicsofIT,InformationandKnowledgeMana- ment,ISDevelopmentandDesignMethodologies,ISTheoryandResearchMe- odologies,LegalandethicalaspectsofIS,NewthemesandfrontiersinISStudies, Organizational change and Impact of IT, Human Computer Interaction and the StrategicroleofIS,notonlyprovideacrosssectionofItalianresearchinISbut researchinISmoregenerally. Itiscommonthatourresearchinformsourcla- rooms,andifthisconferenceisanyevidence,ItalianITprogramsshould?ourish. ItisimportantfortheAISthatregionalandcountrygroupsarefosteredandgrow asthishelpstoensurethatthedisciplinedevelopsnewideasandisin?uencedby diverseresearchandscholarshipcontributions. TheItalianchapterisamodelfor 1 PresidentoftheAIS2008-2009,ESSECBusinessSchool,France,avi-son@essec. fr 2 AISVicePresidentSIGsandChapters2007-2010,UniversityofDallas,USA,sconger@aol. com v vi Foreword chaptersuccessandwehopetheItalianchaptercanhelpleadthewayindeveloping regionalgroupsaswell. Inexaminingthisvolume,thereadermightaskwhether thereissomethingdifferentaboutItalianresearchand,moregenerally,research fromtheMediterraneanarea(thereisafourthMediterraneanConferenceinInf- mationSystems(MCIS)inAthensinOctober2009). Thisvolumeofpapersisa goodplacetostartansweringthatquestion. Contents Introduction...1 AlessandroD'1 2 D. Avison andS. Conger Wewerehonoredtobeaskedtoopenthe5thConferenceoftheItalianChapterof theAssociationforInformationSystems(ItAIS)inPariswhichtookplaceovertwo daysinDecember2008. Thegoalofthechapteristopromotetheexchangeof ideas,experiences,andknowledgeamongscholarsandprofessionalsengagedin thedevelopment,management,anduseofinformationandcommunicationss- temsandtechnology. Thisconferencewasoneofaround30conferences,consortia andworkshopsthattookplaceimmediatelybeforetheInternationalConferencein InformationSystems(ICIS2008). AsPresidentoftheAISandtheVice-PresidentAISforChaptersandSpecial InterestGroups,wewereparticularlydelightedtoparticipateastheItalianChapter oftheAIShasprovensosuccessful. Howeverwewerenotreadyfortheexcellent attendance and outstanding presentations that are re?ected in this volume that represents the best of the conference. Further, the conference highlighted both researchandpractice. Toooften,conferencesinISdonotevidencetheimpactof research on practice. The conference chairs, Alessandro D'Atri and Domenico ' Sacca,alongwiththeorganizingandprogramcommittees,deserveourgratitude forthesuccessoftheeventandtheexcellenceofthisvolume. TheconferencetracksthatincludedE-ServicesinPublicandPrivateSectors, Governance,MetricsandEconomicsofIT,InformationandKnowledgeMana- ment,ISDevelopmentandDesignMethodologies,ISTheoryandResearchMe- odologies,LegalandethicalaspectsofIS,NewthemesandfrontiersinISStudies, Organizational change and Impact of IT, Human Computer Interaction and the StrategicroleofIS,notonlyprovideacrosssectionofItalianresearchinISbut researchinISmoregenerally. Itiscommonthatourresearchinformsourcla- rooms,andifthisconferenceisanyevidence,ItalianITprogramsshould?ourish. ItisimportantfortheAISthatregionalandcountrygroupsarefosteredandgrow asthishelpstoensurethatthedisciplinedevelopsnewideasandisin?uencedby diverseresearchandscholarshipcontributions. TheItalianchapterisamodelfor 1 PresidentoftheAIS2008-2009,ESSECBusinessSchool,France,avi-son@essec. fr 2 AISVicePresidentSIGsandChapters2007-2010,UniversityofDallas,USA,sconger@aol. com v vi Foreword chaptersuccessandwehopetheItalianchaptercanhelpleadthewayindeveloping regionalgroupsaswell. Inexaminingthisvolume,thereadermightaskwhether thereissomethingdifferentaboutItalianresearchand,moregenerally,research fromtheMediterraneanarea(thereisafourthMediterraneanConferenceinInf- mationSystems(MCIS)inAthensinOctober2009). Thisvolumeofpapersisa goodplacetostartansweringthat