Dr. George M. Marakas is a Professor of Information Systems at the College of Business at Florida International University. 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, Technology Acceptance, and Computer Self-Efficacy.George received his Ph.D. in Information Systems from Florida International University in Miami and his MBA from Colorado State University. Prior to his position at FIU, he has been a member of the faculty at University of Kansas, the R.H. Smith School of Business at University of Maryland and the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, as well as an adjunct faculty member at 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, FL 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. He is also the author of five best-selling textbooks in information systems: Decision Support Systems for the 21st Century, Systems Analysis and Design: An Active Approach, Data Warehousing, Mining, and Visualization: Core Concepts and Management Information Systems and Introduction to Information Systems with Professor James O'Brien.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, British-American Tobacco, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Defense, Xavier University, Citibank Asia-Pacific, Nokia Corporation, Professional Records Storage, Inc., and United Information Systems, among many others. His consulting activities are concentrated primarily on global IT strategy, design and deployment of global IT architectures, workflow reengineering, e-Business strategy, and ERP and CASE tool integration. In addition, George and his wife Kyle are co-owners of K and G Cycles LLC (www.kandgcycles.com), an online motorcycle parts and accessories retailer.George is also an active member of a number of professional IS organizations and is an avid golfer, a 2nd 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.