Georgetown University School of Business
Fall 1995
MGMT 550 Information Technology and Business Strategy
Sessions:
Section 04: Monday and Wednesday, 4:15 to 5:30 p.m.
William K. McHenry
Office telephone: 202 687 3808
Internet: mailto:mchenry@guvax.georgetown.edu
World Wide Web: http://www.georgetown.edu
Office Hours: ?
Ewan: I am working on my syllabus. Thanks for your example. I found many
stimulating ideas there. I like to start with a concrete class list and then work my
way backwards to the readings. So far I have made a list of all the possible
readings from the Cash et al. 1994 book. (See below) The main thing is that I
have a good overall idea for where the course is going, and I have sketched out
a possible sequence of classes. I am going to continue working on this but
would appreciate any feedback youžd like to give me now. Bill PS. This is my
first ever web document!
1. Basic concepts of I/S and gaining a strategic advantage
- Category I,II,III
- Alter framework (reading from textbook)
- Strategic Grid (Harvard reading)
- Porter stuff
CASE: Mrs. Fields
2. Using I/T to do better what we do now
- organizational design
- groupware, breaking down hierarchical organization, organizational memory
- Chemical Bank Case (if show Lotus Notes video first) OR KPMG
- business process reeningeering
- lecture + Greyhound Case
- IRS case - classic example + pitfalls of not going all the way
3. Using I/T to create new products and markets, gain strategic
advantage
- strategic information systems
- Lithonia Lighting - interorganizational systems
- the emerging information society/electronic commerce/WWW
- models of electronic commerce - open or closed?
- possibly Georges Selvais (example of closed)
- commerce on the WWW
4. How do we get there?
- Management of the technologies
- platforms, OS, telecommunications, client/server
- Management of I/S development
- Software methodologies, risk, Wetherbe
- Jim Townsend guest speaker
5. Potholes along the way:
- Ethical issues which arise
- privacy (LMP + lecture)
- labor replacement - Washington Post case + guest
- security - hackers, eavesdropping
- International Issues which arise
- ?? transborder data flow, autarchic I/T policies, influence of national culture, political,
economic systems
6. Final presentations
- 15 minutes + 5 minutes for discussion (5 minutes after each for me to write) 3 per class
- 40 students => 10 groups of 4, 8 groups of 5 (nine groups means 3 classes)
List of possible classes
- Intro to course - show syllabus using WWW
- Intro to I/T models, strategic advantage
- example of org design based on I/T: Mrs. Fields Case + Fields software
- example of new information based arena - electronic commerce and the Internet
- lab on using the WWW, creating web pages
- How do we get there part I - I/T platforms (hardware + software)
- How do we get there part I - networks and telecommunications
- case: Bradlees and Wal-Mart
- do it better: groupware, hierarchy, informated organization, organizational memory
- do it better: Lotus Notes, Chemical Bank case + supplement OR OR KPMG
- do it better: reengineering lecture/Greyhound Case
- do it better: IRS case, classic reengineering success
- strat advan: ???? (maybe Frito Lay)
- strat advan: interorganizational systems - Lithonia Lighting (or something else) 20% said
drop
- strat advan: electric commerce, Part II
- strat advan: closed model, Georges Selvais 41% said to drop
- How do we get there Part II: management of I/S development, Wetherbe, risk
- How do we get there Part II: independent consultant Jim Townsend
- How do we get there Part II: outsourcing case
- Potholes along the way: privacy (LMP + lecture)
- Potholes: labor replacement, Washington Post case
- Potholes: security, hackers, eavesdropping, Clipper chip
- Potholes: special challenges of operating internationally
- Group presentation 1
- Group presentation 2
- Group presentation 3
Other Ideas about how to organize the class
Class participation on case days only
Write up a case if you have to miss it
One case write up is required, graded, but grade not recorded
Write cases if you want practice before the take home final
A lot of remedial reading for those who do not know much about
technology
No overheads - plug in for Freelance Graphics every time
Discuss cases in advance, write-ups done alone
What the Cash book contributes
Intro:
1. Very short introductory matter - I/S challenges 3-5
How do we get there I:
4. I/T architecture 159-176
10. Emerging technologies and change 454-462
Do It Better: Org design
2. Organizational structures 25-36
3. Management control systems 95-104
7. I/T in organizations 253-267 including stage model, org learning
Drucker: Coming of New Org (1987) 85-92
No Excuses Management Reading 268-285
Applegate: I/T and Tomorrow's Manager 473-483
Strat Advantages
8. Interorganizational Systems 339-351
9. I/T and business transformation 398-420 (Business process reengineering)
Potholes
5. I/T and individual - very short description of issues 207-212
6. Ethical concerns 247-251