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

1. Intro to course - show syllabus using WWW
2. Intro to I/T models, strategic advantage
3. example of org design based on I/T: Mrs. Fields Case + Fields software
4. example of new information based arena - electronic commerce and the Internet
5. lab on using the WWW, creating web pages
6. How do we get there part I - I/T platforms (hardware + software)
7. How do we get there part I - networks and telecommunications
8. case: Bradlees and Wal-Mart
9. do it better: groupware, hierarchy, informated organization, organizational memory
10. do it better: Lotus Notes, Chemical Bank case + supplement OR OR KPMG
11. do it better: reengineering lecture/Greyhound Case
12. do it better: IRS case, classic reengineering success
13. strat advan: ???? (maybe Frito Lay)
14. strat advan: interorganizational systems - Lithonia Lighting (or something else) 20% said drop
15. strat advan: electric commerce, Part II
16. strat advan: closed model, Georges Selvais 41% said to drop
17. How do we get there Part II: management of I/S development, Wetherbe, risk
18. How do we get there Part II: independent consultant Jim Townsend
19. How do we get there Part II: outsourcing case
20. Potholes along the way: privacy (LMP + lecture)
21. Potholes: labor replacement, Washington Post case
22. Potholes: security, hackers, eavesdropping, Clipper chip
23. Potholes: special challenges of operating internationally
24. Group presentation 1
25. Group presentation 2
26. 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