James A. O’Brien was an adjunct professor of Computer Information Systems in the College of Business Administration at Northern Arizona University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Hawaii and Gonzaga University and earned an MS and PhD in Business Administration from the University of Oregon. He was professor and coordinator of the CIS area at Northern Arizona University, professor of Finance and Management Information Systems and chairman of the Department of Management at Eastern Washington University, and a visiting professor at the University of Alberta, the University of Hawaii, and Central Washington University.

Dr. O’Brien’s business experience included working in the Marketing Management Program of the IBM Corporation, as well as serving as a financial analyst for the General Electric Company. He is a graduate of General Electric’s Financial Management Program. He also served as an information systems consultant to several banks and computer services firms.

Jim’s research interests were in developing and testing basic conceptual frameworks used in information systems development and management. He wrote eight books, including several that have been published in multiple editions, as well as in Chinese, Dutch, French, Japanese, and Spanish translations. He also contributed to the field of information systems through the publication of many articles in business and academic journals, as well as through his participation in academic and industry associations in the field of information systems.

George M. Marakas is a professor of Information Systems at the School of Business at the University of Kansas. His teaching expertise includes Systems Analysis and Design, Technology-Assisted Decision Making, Electronic Commerce, Management of IS Resources, Behavioral IS Research Methods, and Data Visualization and Decision Support. In addition, George is an active researcher in the area of Systems Analysis Methods, Data Mining and Visualization, Creativity Enhancement, Conceptual Data Modeling, and Computer Self-Efficacy.

George received his PhD in Information Systems from Florida International University in Miami and his MBA from Colorado State University. Prior to his position at the University of Kansas, he was a member of the faculties at the University of Maryland, Indiana University, and Helsinki School of Economics. Preceding his academic career, he enjoyed a highly successful career in the banking and real estate industries. His corporate experience includes senior management positions with Continental Illinois National Bank and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. In addition, George served as president and CEO for CMC Group Inc., a major RTC management contractor in Miami, Florida, for three years. Throughout his academic career, George has distinguished himself both through his research and in the classroom. He has received numerous national teaching awards, and his research has appeared in the top journals in his field. In addition to this text, he is the author of three best-selling textbooks on information systems: Decision Support Systems for the 21st Century; Systems Analysis and Design: An Active Approach; and Data Warehousing, Mining, and Visualization: Core Concepts.

Beyond his academic endeavors, George is also an active consultant and has served as an advisor to a number of organizations, including the Central Intelligence Agency, Brown & Williamson, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Defense, Xavier University, Citibank Asia-Pacific, Nokia Corporation, Professional Records Storage Inc., and United Information Systems. His consulting activities are concentrated primarily on e-commerce strategy, the design and deployment of global IT strategy, workflow reengineering, e-business strategy, and ERP and CASE tool integration.

George is also an active member of a number of professional IS organizations and an avid golfer, a motorcyclist, a second-degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, a PADI master scuba diver trainer and IDC staff instructor, and a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.