Course Outline for MGS 606
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Textbooks
- I.
- Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, Inc.
- II.
- Applegate, L.M., McFarlan, F.W., McKenney, J.L. Corporate
Information Systems Management, 4th edition, Irwin, Homewood, IL, 1996
- III.
- Harvard Business School Cases, HBS Publishing, 1997.
- IV.
- Packet for MGS 606, Professor Rao's Lecture Notes, SUNY at Buffalo.
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Course Objective
To provide an understanding of the wide range of technological and organizational
issues involved in the strategic management of information resources. A special emphasis will
be placed on the use of information systems for competitive advantage. Cases that represent
real-life situations in firms will be used. You will apply the text, readings and lecture material
to analyze cases, identify critical factors, evaluate alternate courses of action and make
decisions. Teamwork will be emphasized, because the days of the "lone ranger" information
systems analyst are over. In every information organization, from EDS to M&T Bank, it is
teamwork that produces results. Communication is an integral part of the course, and you must
strive for excellence in written and oral communication and critical listening.
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Course Design
This course can be taken by MBA students and is one of the core requirements.
This course has been designed to integrate theoretical concepts with their practical
applications so as to teach both the theory and the practice of information systems
management. (Ref: IS '97 Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Degree
Programs in Information Systems, Database, Vol 28, No 1, 1997)).
The emphasis on practice is important because in many areas of information
systems theory lags practice. In fact, it is the attempt of this course not only to understand
current practice but also to contribute to it.
This is a case oriented course wherein your are encouraged to apply and integrate
various tools and techniques for solving managerial information systems problems. Most of the
work will be done in teams. However, individual performance will be closely monitored both
within the team as well as in the classroom. There are four major requirements:
- 1.A team project, with clearly demarcated individual contributions.
- 2.A team case presentation/individual case write-up
- 3.Class participation and pop ten - twelve minute quizzes
- 4.Homework
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Grading
The final grade will be determined on the basis of the following scheme:
Team project 30%
(Team contribution 15%)
(Individual contribution 15%)
Team case presentation (Submit copy of presentation) 20%
(Team performance 10%)
(Individual performance 10%)
Individual Case Write-up 10%
Ind. Class participation and discretionary 10%
Pop Quizzes (approx 10 minutes each) 15%
Homework 15%
Total 100%
Incompletes will only be considered for extenuating circumstances. You must be passing the
course as evidenced by your work to receive, via a written (typed) request, an "I" grade.
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Team Project
Teams will be required to do a project, the details of which will be provided in the
class.
Project Objectives
Below are a partial list of objectives:
The project should provide an opportunity for students to become familiar with the
generic functions and roles of an information technology "organization". Students will
determine the location of these functions and roles in a complex and large company with
diverse and autonomous business groups, identify the degree to which each function and role
should be centralized at the corporate level or distributed to the business groups. Students
should readily become aware of the opportunities available to the IT architect and the trade-offs among the various organizational structures identified. Issues such as corporate culture
and business group independence which need to be addressed during decision making processes
in the organization need to be examined.
The project should expose students to management rather than technical issues
associated with consolidating data processing operations. Students may assess whether a central
utility can provide equivalent services to business groups without compromising efficiency or
effectiveness.
The project may provide students with an opportunity to study the implementation of
the corporate information technology function. Issues to be considered for implementation
need to be brought out; for instance, students can examine the feasibility and the issues that are
important to the information systems manager.
Please see attached addendum (below) for more details. Each team will try to interview two
different persons in the organization and hand in a combined team report and a transcript of
each meeting. The transcript does not have to be typewritten. It could be
an audio/video tape or even notes scribbled on a sheet of paper (paper
towels or dinner napkins are not acceptable!)
***
Please click here for Addendum A: "An Introduction to Business Process
Change" ***
Please click here for Addendum B: "Team Project Overview and Detailed
Guidelines"
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Team Case Presentation
The team case presentation involves analyzing (not repeating) and making
recommendations regarding one of the cases in the text. The presenters
have to submit a copy of their transparencies on the day of their
presentations. Case preparation and what it entails are outlined in the
attached note: "Guidelines for Cases."
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Case Presentations
Case presentations are a most effective way to simulate an actual business environment, and offer an excellent opportunity to prepare for the future.
Think of your team as representing a management consulting firm that has been asked to study a business enterprise and provide analysis and recommendations on the conduct of the business.
Members of each team should work together outside of class to determine their approach and individual responsibilities and participation in the presentation.
The presentation will include:
- A brief summary of the case.
- Identification of the various underlying problems
- Your recommendations.
- Analysis and rationale for the recommendations.
- Actions required to implement the recommendations.
The thrust of the presentations will be to identify and discuss the critical strategic and
tactical issues in the case as opposed to rehashing details and history. Each
recommendation will be supported by clear-cut rationale and quantitative analyses.
- Time allowed: 20 minutes.
- The time limit will be enforced strictly.
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Case Discussion
While one team will be responsible for the presentation of a case, other members of the class will be participating in the discussion of the same case. Each individual who is not a member of the presentation team must also hand in an individual case write-up. (see below)
Folowing the case presentation, there will be a
discussion. Maximum Time Allowed for the discussion: 10 minutes
The participants in the discussion should be ready to :
- Constructively critique and provide additional recommendations, and
- Approach the case from the view point of the board of directors.
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Guidelines for Individual Case Write-up
This is an individual report. Spelling and grammatical errors will be severely
penalized. Proofread the report thoroughly, utilize spelling and grammar checks of word
processing software and, if time permits, have it read by someone else to weed out errors.
Written in formal American English, the report consists of an executive summary.
Executive Summary: [Format: 1 page, single line spacing, 1" margins]. This
is written as a memorandum from you to a manager providing an overview. It should contain:
- The Problem Statement - state the problems / symptoms concisely, in "bullet form"
(with one or two introductory statements for readability).
- The Recommendations - summarize your recommendations succinctly, in
"bullet form." Be specific and avoid inaction / procrastinating action statements.
Address underlying causes instead of symptoms. Include follow-up / contingency
actions that may be required, and a sequence of action (short term, medium term, long
term, etc.).
- The Supporting Analysis - present brief analysis for the recommendations made.
Discuss other alternatives which you seriously considered but rejected them due to their
limitations. The report must show evidence of an in-depth analysis, utilizing relevant
concepts, tools and techniques.
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Participation
- Over the years, we have found that peer feedback plays a major part in
adding value to student presentations. 1/3 of the `class participation'
grade will be based on the following: Individuals will
evaluate the presenters. The evaluators will evaluate
- Each of the
individuals who are presenting the case.
- The team performance.
- Note:
- You must do a good job of evaluating the cases, since this part of your participation grade depends on how rigorous your evaluation is. You must specifically emphasize problem analysis and creativity in problem solving. (See last
page of syllabus for a sample.)
- 1/3 of the participation grade will be based on how active a part you
take during the (case and other)
discussions.
- Counting towards the participation grade will also be
occassional two minute
white papers that you will be asked to write at various times during
the course.
The two minute white papers will be typically based on one of the
following questions:
1) What is the most important point I made in class?
2) What is one question that is uppermost in your mind at the end of
today's session?
3) How is today's material related to previous subject matter?
4) What changes would you have made in my presentation?
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Pop Quizzes
At random points of time during the course, there will be a 10-12
minute pop quiz on
the theoretical aspects of information systems. This will be only on what is covered in the class.
The quizzes will add up to 15% of the total grade.
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Guidelines for Homework
Homework problems have to be done individually. See the
attached course outline for the due dates of the homework.
One problem will be graded at random in each homework, and will count
toward your homework grade.
- Note:
- Most of the homework that has been /will be handed
out to you is from "MIS Learning: Exercises and
Applications" by Sassan Rahmatian (SR). There will be one individual+group homework
dealing with electronic commerce on the internet.
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Imperatives
Students are expected to prepare all cases and take an active part in class discussions. A
regular record of students' participation in each class will be maintained. An indicator of the
importance and earnestness of this is the requirement that students sit in the same seat
throughout the course. Also, that they bring a name tag to class for display on their table so
that participation can be accurately identified.
Since a major part of the course work is done in teams, it is critical that you choose a team
with members who are accessible to each other and can work together. A major part of your
learning in this course will come from team interactions for case and case-study analyses. All
members of a team are expected to contribute to the projects. Also, all members are expected
to participate in all oral presentations made by the team. At the end of the course, each
member is required to turn in a written typed evaluation of their team members.
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Standards of Integrity
Please refer to your MBA Handbook for Standards of Academic Integrity. These standards
will be strictly enforced.
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List of Cases
Some interesting cases from around the world
Halfsed Clothing Case
San Phillipa Herald
Information
Technology and the Dutch Flower Auction
Digital Equipment Corporation: The Internet Company
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CASES
Case A:- The Vasa Capsizes
- This case exposes the need for a leader with a strategic vision. It is very important that information technology be integrated with the normal, day-to-day operating and managing of the business.
For this it is very important to create and maintain
IT strategy.
Some relevant links
The Vasa Case Online (by Prof R. Mason)
The Vasa Museum
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Case 1:- Verifone.
Verifone is an excellent example of an organization which embodies the
"new" management principles such as the "virtual organization",
"forward deployment", and the use of only electronic mail for internal
communications.
Verifone is a young agile corporation that has made the transition from
being an entrepreneurial startup to a mature mid-sized company.
Suggested Assignment Questions
- What are the key attributes of the Verifone organizational structure?
- Describe and evaluate the role of the CIO at Verifone. How is Will
Pake's role different from the CIO roles that you have observed at other
companies?
- What major changes will Verifone senior management face in the future?
Some relevant links
Verifone
Home Page
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List of cases
The case provides an overview of the tumultuous growth of Xerox as
a small, one product $40 million company in 1960 to the $13 billion,
high-tech services conglomerate it became, and now to a more rationalized
and
focused "document" processing company that it is trying to become.
- Identify the key events leading up to outsourcing at Xerox.
- Would you have made the same decision to outsource IT at Xerox?
Why? Why not?
- Sketch a management framework to assist senior management to
appropriately think about the alternatives, and the pros and
cons of IT outsourcing for different situations.
- What are the key management challenges of ensuring that
the Xerox/EDS outsourcing agreement is successful?
Some interesting links
Xerox - The Document Company
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List
Case 3:- Singapore TradeNet: A Tale of One
City
- The Singapore TradeNet: A Tale of One City permits discussion of the role that
information technologies can play in the competitive position of a country. The case presents
the story behind the development of an industry wide information technology (IT)-based
platform to facilitate trade documentation processing. The system is critical for the
competitive position of Singapore. TradeNet involves the partnership of a unique assortment
of government agencies, bureaus, statutory boards, private agencies, and private companies
involved in all aspects of shipment of goods. The apparent success of the effort invites a
review of the factors that contributed to the initiative and its implementation. The case also
expands the theme of IT-enabled business transformation from the organizational to the
interorganizational perspective.
Suggested Assignment Questions
- What was Lee Kuan Yew's vision for Singapore? What challenges did he face in
reaching his goals?
- Describe the trade documentation process before and after the implementation of
TradeNet. Who were the major stakeholders involved in the process redesign?
- Evaluate the process used to implement TradeNet. Would you consider the
implementation "successful"? If so, what factors contributed to its success. If not,
what factors contributed to its failure?
- What impact will TradeNet have on countries outside the Pacific Rim?
Some relevant links
Pacific Net
IT2000 - A Vision Of An
Intelligent
Island
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Case 4:- Open Market,Inc.
-
Shikhar Ghosh, Open Market's President, is convinced that doing business on the
net will transform how companies sell and how consumers buy. The only questions
in his mind are "When will this happen?" What will it all look like when it does?"
"Who will be the winners and losers?" and What do we do while this is all taking
shape?" These fundamental questions are particularly salient for open market,
which having seen its nine-month-old business plan become ancient history, must revise its business strategy.
Suggested Assignment Questions
- What is Internet? How should one integrate it with the overall IT architecture of an Organization?
- Is the Internet the technology solution to creating the global information superhighway?
- What impact is the Internet having on the way firms conduct business? What are the future implications? As business leaders, how do you think it will influence your careers?
- What are the new business opportunities offered by the Internet? How do you explain the performance of Netscape's IPO?
- How should large, multinational firms evaluate the Internet as
a potential communications platform for their firms? Give specific
examples of how large firms can exploit the opportunities offered by Internet? What strategy should a company employ towards investments
in Intranets?
Specific Questions
- What recommendations do you have for Shikhar Ghosh and
the management team of Open Market?
(a) What strategy should they adopt?
(b) What implications does the strategy have for the firm's
position within the industry?
(c) What implications deos this strategy have for
organizational design?
(d) What are the technical and business risks that must be
addressed immediately?
- What steps should be taken within the next six months
to implement the strategy you propose?
- How will management know if the strategy is successful? How
will they know if it is not successful?
Some relevant links
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Guidelines for Cases
Your group is responsible for dividing the case workload and presentation into "equal" parts.
Be sure to focus on the information systems issues in the case. You may enhance the class's
knowledge about the case in almost any way you want. Whatever your presentation, include
the following:
Planning:Plan and rehearse the presentation carefully. Assume that your classmates have
read the case. Don't spend more than a sentence or two reminding us what the case is about.
(Do add new facts or a new point of view if you want to.)
Participation: All people responsible for the presentation should have an obvious responsible
role.
Liveliness: Try to make the presentation interesting to your classmates who are your captive
audience. Involving your classmates in discussion is usually more interesting than lecturing to
them.
Keep your time limit in mind (20-25 minutes each group). In terms of content I will expect
your presentation to include this information at a minimum:
- A. What information systems issues does the case raise. Relate the case to the ideas in the
chapters the class has already gone over.
- B. Bring the case up-to-date by discussing if the information systems issues that the case
raises are now dead, and if so why. Determine if new information systems issues
should be brought to bear on the case. Read other materials about this case to help
update it.
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More Guidelines for Case (Team) Presentations
Please click here for More Guidelines
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Team Evaluation Instructions
General
You are to use the Rating Guidelines and the Evaluation Form (given to you in the class by me)
to evaluate each of your team member's role in your meetings. Please pay very careful
attention to the guidelines. It is not intended or expected that all students will get an "A"
rating.
Purpose
For each member of the team including yourself (do not label who you are per se), give
a letter grade from A thru C in each category (see next page). Average
the category grades
for each student.
Record the letter grade for each team-mate.
Remember:Rate your entire team
including yourself.
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Team Evaluation Rating Guidelines
- Attendance at the team meeting
- always attended
- almost always attended
- usually attended
- occasionally attended
- never attended
- Contribution of ideas to the team effort
- made the major contribution in terms of ideas
- made an important contribution
- made reasonable contribution
- made little contribution
- made no contribution
- Contribution to the overall process
- was the most helpful in encouraging others to participate, in integrating the
various ideas, in resolving disagreements and in keeping the team "on the track"
- was often helpful in several of the areas
- was moderately helpful, especially in selected areas as in report writing
- was occasionally helpful
- was rarely helpful
- Average =
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Copyright SUNY at Buffalo, Dr H. R. Rao. Please do quote with permission.