[AISWorld] Journal of IT Applications and Research (JITCAR) included in SCOPUS -- Issue 20.3-4 published

[Shailendra Palvia]

Dear Friends around the world:

It is my pleasure to present the third and fourth combined 2018 JITCAR issue. The contents of this issue are: Editorial Preface article by Mr. Vivek Wadhwa and Dr. Shailendra Palvia; Research Case article co-authored by Dr. Nitin Walia, Dr. Fatemeh Mariam Zahedi and Dr. Hemant Jain; Teaching Case article authored by Dr. Prashant Raman; Expert Opinion report by Dr. Mahesh Raisinghani; and Book Review by Dr. Vijay Vemuri. Summary information of these items is as follows.

In the editorial preface article titled, "Is Information Technology Hacking Our Happiness?", the authors assert that millions of adults lose productivity, sleep, and motivation because of constant interruptions by Internet platforms like Social Media. The very visionaries who brought myriads of IT and Internet innovations express their misgivings about what they have wrought. Authors surmise that "Fake news, hoaxes and information warfare; adverse impact on human brains specially children; information technology addiction leading to attention deficit; loneliness, unhappiness and lack of empathy. Netizens are increasingly becoming pawns and puppets of IT innovations to serve profit motives of their creators. Going into the future, what we need is a balanced approach for all producers and consumers of IT products and services."

First research article is titled, "The Theory of Organic Emergence of Systems: The Case of Virtual Worlds." This article explores the process of assimilation of new technologies into mainstream IT systems. This paper investigates the unique aspects of building IT systems utilizing the 3D virtual world (VWs)  technology, and develops the Theory of Organic Emergence of Systems (TOES). The integrative lens in this paper provides a unifying framework for different and often divergent views regarding the choice of suitable methods for systems development.

Second article is a Teaching Case article titled, "Zomato: A Shining Armour in the Foodtech Sector."  It describes the life cycle of a technology startup (Zomato) right from scratch to its growth and consolidation phase and evaluates the opportunities and challenges faced by a startup in an extremely competitive industry. It also deliberates on how an online restaurant discovery business can become effective and profitable in a highly cash risk industry.

The Expert Opinion report documents interview by Dr. Mahesh Raisinghani with Mr. Lakshmi Prasad, an Angel Investor, Founder of a Non-Profit organization and also Chief of SSIT, Inc. (a global Digital company headquartered in California, USA). He has more than two decades of Industry experience in Information Technology and Data Analytics with Fortune 1000 clients globally. His expertise spans in shaping and mentoring companies and individuals to thrive in the digital world. He founded a Non-Profit organization to help underprivileged children and provide medical access to senior and needy people across the globe. SSIT, Inc. is a fast-growing 35 digital-first strategy company that enables its clients to realize value on digital investments. It works with Fortune 1000 clients across the globe delivering services to businesses and IT functions with its talented team spread across USA, UK, China, UAE, Mexico, and India. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are its partners. Questions posed to Mr. Lakshmi Prasad are: (a) How important is information technology (IT) in your industry, and your organization?; (b) What has been the role of IT in the internationalization of your business?; (c) Please describe the worldwide global IT architecture in your organization (i.e., where are the major computing centers, how are they connected, etc.); (d) Please name and briefly describe some of your key international IT applications; (e) What have been the most important technologies (mobile, Internet-based, imaging, satellite communications, etc.) that have facilitated international expansion?; (f) What have been the key technical challenges/problems in the overseas implementation of IT applications?; (g) What have been the key management challenges/issues in the overseas implementation of IT applications?; (h) Have you faced specific issues dealing with international/transborder data flows and data privacy?; (i) What are the cultural issues that have arisen as a result of using native technology and management practices in foreign markets?; (j) Please name three opportunities for international IT application, based on your company's experience.

Book review report by Dr. Vijay Vemuri provides a detailed critique of the 2013 book titled, "Blockchain: A Practical Guide to Developing Business, Law, and Technology Solutions" authored by Joseph J. Bambara, and Paul R. Allen and published in 2018 by McGraw-Hill Education. The report says, "Cryptocurrency, a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security, has been mired in controversy from its inception. Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency that was launched in 2009, attracted widespread attention and its adoption now has moved beyond technophiles to mainstream financial institutions and had a market value of over $140 billion in mid-2018. The manifestation of its broader acceptance and its importance in the financial world can be seen by the incorporation of knowledge of cryptocurrencies in professional exams including those for Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Public Accountant. Despite its popularity, cryptocurrencies evoke strong opposition. Warren Buffett,
a highly respected American investor, predicted that cryptocurrencies "will come to a bad ending" and bitcoin is "probably rat poison squared." Why is there such strong antagonism toward cryptocurrencies? The use of Bitcoin to conduct illegal and criminal transactions on the Silk Road marketplace and the dark web has led many people to associate cryptocurrencies with illegal activities. The theft of nearly $450 million in bitcoins in the early 2010s from Mt. Gox, a Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange, tarnished the image of cryptocurrencies even further. The volatile price changes of Bitcoin (increase from $1,000 to over $19,000 in the year 2017, and decline to below $7,000 by the end of January 2018) equated cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin to an investment bubble." The central element of blockchain technology is storing financial data on the Internet in data blocks, where a new block of transactions is authenticated and added to the existing data blocks. The curiosity to delve into the details of this
technology is immense. Amazon lists 2,777 books on blockchains, over 4,000 books on Bitcoin, and over 3,000 books on cryptocurrencies. This book in its 320 pages and 11 chapters takes a balanced approach, serving as a primer on blockchain technologies, providing technology, business, and legal use cases. It includes tutorials, instructions, and code to develop small blockchain applications. If one's academic, professional, or personal needs require learning about blockchains, this book is a worth reading and learning from.

Routledge, in line with the ongoing trends, has published this journal online since 2014. The website to find all JITCAR issues is http://www.tandfonline.com/utca. All authors and reviewers are encouraged to start using Routledge's online manuscript submission and reviewing system http://www.editorialmanager.com/jitcar/. I urge all our current and future authors and reviewers to familiarize themselves with this system.

I hope you all know that JITCAR is included in the SCOPUS index.

I hope you will enjoy reading all the items in this issue. With best regards,

Sincerely

Dr. Shailendra Palvia
Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholar 2016-17
Professor of MIS, College of Management
Long Island University Post, Brookville, NY 11801.
Lifetime Scholarly Achievement Nomination from LIU Post in 2012 and 2016
http://liu.edu/CWPost/Academics/Faculty/Faculty/P/Shailendra-Palvia?rn=Faculty+Profiles&ru=/CWPost/Academics/Faculty/Faculty
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of IT Case and Application Research (JITCAR)
Phone #: 732-983-7034
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