Special Issue: Challenges in the Context of Professional Services Firms
Guest Editor: Linda L. Brennan, Ph.D., P.E., Mercer University, USA

Submission Deadline:  July 15, 2008
Publication Date: July-December 2009

Professional services firms present unique challenges in the application and management of information technologies.  Attorneys, accountants, physicians, engineers, and other professionals create and apply knowledge by adding value to information.  Information technology can be a key resource for firms that provide professional services. 

Yet, the application and implementation of information systems in this context can be problematic.  Professionals may resist the structure implied by an information system or the time commitment required for its implementation.  They may be unwilling to make tacit knowledge explicit.  The customized nature of the professionals’ work may further confound the challenges.

Developing insights into these challenges can be interesting and instructive.  Prospective authors are invited to submit manuscripts detailing cases that illustrate issues and applications of information technology in professional services firms.  Possible topics include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Design considerations for new systems
• Implementation approaches by firms
• Realized opportunities to leverage or extend professionals’ services
• Acquisition approaches for knowledge sharing
• Maintenance strategies for knowledge bases’ currency
• Social changes in organizational and interpersonal behaviors
• Unexpected consequences of technology use
• Ethical issues in technology application
• Business cases for technology investment.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

The Journal of Cases in Information Technology is a scholarly, peer-reviewed, quarterly publication of IGI Global.  Manuscripts for the special issue must follow the case organization and submission guidelines of the journal, available directly at: http://www.igi-global.com/jcit.  Only original and previously unpublished cases will be considered for review. Simultaneous submissions are not allowed.

Cases are expected to be empirically-based, centered on a decision point or key juncture, and grounded with a review of the literature.  The instructional purpose of the manuscript should be explicitly addressed in the executive summary of the case.                      

Authors of accepted cases will be asked to prepare case support material, including 5-7 questions and answers, epilogue and lessons learned, and supplemental sources for additional information.