XXIII
Preface
e transformative power of information technologies (IT) enables it
to penetrate beneficially and bountifully into every tangible domain
these days. For a significant time, IT has been the biggest enabler of
business operations. Of late, there has been a paradigm shift. In addi-
tion to business enablement, IT is being touted as the best way for
people empowerment through the perfect formulation and provision
of sophisticated and situation-aware services (information, transac-
tion, physical, etc.). IT has been granted the glowing and grandiose
role of precisely understanding people’s needs (personal as well as
professional) and delivering them unobtrusively in time in the years
ahead. is has led to the penetration of IT in all facet ...