IT governance for SMES : a multiple case study

IT Governance is placing IT on the agenda of boards and CEOs. Research on the IT value proposition is broad and elaborate but mostly focussed on large enterprises. Despite the numerous successes illustrating the advantages of bringing IT/IS into organizations it is broadly accepted that the processes of designing, developing, implementing and using IS are cumbersome and not straightforward. Recent and older reports show that IS projects frequently fail. The focus of our research is the relation of IT and SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) in an outsourced environment. We have chosen for a qualitative and positivistic IS case study research strategy based on multiple cases. Considering the current state of the research we have formulated two general research objectives: 1) to extend our knowledge of IS failures in an outsourced SME environment and 2) to clarify the link between the insights of failed IS projects and the principles of IT governance. The research was started in 2006 with the development of the case study database and an extensive literature study. We intend to finish our work by the end of 2008.

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