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Course Information Course Number/Section Course Title Term Days & Times MIS 6204.596 IT and MIS Foundation Fall 2011 Tuesday 06:00 10:00 PM
Professor Contact Information Professor Shawn Alborz Office Phone (972) 883-6455 Email Address salborz@utdallas.edu Office Location SM 3.406 Office Hours By Appointment (I am in everyday) Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions No Pre-requisites Course Description The rapid pace of change in Information Technology (IT) has made it critical for managers to possess a conceptual understanding of IT and how IT creates value at the individual as well as the firm level. We will begin with a study of challenges related to labor arbitrage, global IT outsourcing arrangement, and implementation of enterprise wide applications. Next, operational issues and challenges of running sophisticated IT operations will be discussed. We will also move to a higher level of analysis, consider strategic implications of IT, and explore the use of IT to enable rapid organizational growth. Effective use of IT can radically alter the value proposition delivered to customers and enable firms to respond to customer demand more efficiently and expeditiously. We will be interested in tools and concepts that enhance our ability to define and analyze IT problems and alternative solutions to them. Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the issues and strategic implications of IT. Students will investigate the many different facets of IT, particularly the various business strategies and pertinent managerial issues. Upon completion of the course, students should: 1) gain a better understanding of the role that information technology (IT) plays in the firm 2) gain a better understanding of issues surrounding the management of IT functions 3) better understand how the capabilities provided by information technologies (IT) can enable a firm meet its objectives, including enabling a firm to gain competitive advantage 4) know how to analyze business needs and develop an appropriate strategy 5) understand the affect of decisions made at individual and organizational levels 6) obtain an understanding of some of the theoretical models that are used the design and operate information systems
7) learn how an organization can gain competitive advantage through proper usage of IT
Required Textbooks and Materials Reading (case packet) is available via Harvard Business Publishing. Please go the link below, create an account, access and purchase the course packet. http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/access/9781506 Assignments & Academic Calendar This schedule is tentative. You also will be notified if the reading material or its order changes.
Tentative Schedule
DATES Oct 25 READING ASSIGNMENT / ACTIVITY Class Discussion Course organization and discussion of the course Discussion of the terms information, management, systems, and information technology to provide an understanding of how these have changed over time Components of research articles and an abstract structure Reading IKEAs global sourcing challenges: Indian rugs and child labor DVD Submission Questions 1. How appropriate were the previous actions as IKEA management took in response to the crisis on 2. What is your evaluation of the IWAY policies and practices that have redefined IKEAs relationship with its suppliers? What benefits do you se? What concerns do you have? 3. What does the recent audit of Venkat Industries tell us about the effectiveness of IKEAs overall approach to dealing with the problem of child labor in its supply chain? 4. What should Marianne Barner recommend to Kaisa Mattson in dealing with Venkat Industries recent audit result?What long-term changes in IKEAs philosophy, policies, and practices should she recommend to Anders Dahlvig? Nov 1 Reading Xerox: Outsourcing global information technology resources Submission Questions 1. Identify the key events leading up to outsourcing at Xerox. 2. Would you have made the same decision to outsource IT at Xerox? Why? Why not? 3. 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. 4. What are the key management challenges of ensuring that the Xerox/EDS outsourcing agreement is successful? Nov 8 Class Discussion
DATES
Reading Tektronix, Inc: Global ERP implementation Submission Questions 1. Why did Tektronix implement ERP in stages? How should a company decide between implementing in stages or going big-bang? 2. How did Tektronix manage the risks of ERP implementation? 3. What is your overall assessment of the Tektronix ERP project? Nov 15 Class Discussion Reading Cisco Systems: Implementing ERP Submission Questions At the end of the case, Pete Solvik has a number of questions. Please think about these questions and prepare your answers. 1. What factors had made the difference between success and failure of the Cisco ERP project? Where had the ERP team been smart? Where had the ERP team been just plain lucky? Do you think that the Cisco team could do such a project again if they had to? Why? Why not? 2. How important is the ERP to the overall architecture? Do you see the ERP component as something that will be undertaken by some, most of all companies as they build their information age IT architecture? Nov 22 Class Discussion Reading Mrs. Fields Cookies Submission Questions 1. Describe and evaluate the role of information technology at Mrs. Fields Cookies. 2. What were the organizational reporting structures? Was there a room for improvement? Nov 29 Class Discussion Reading Volkswagen of America: Managing IT priorities Submission Questions 1. What is your assessment of the new process for managing priorities at Volkswagen of America? Are the criticisms justified? Is it an improvement over the old process? 2. Who controls the budgets from which IT projects are funded at Volkswagen of America? Who should control these budgets? Should the IT department have its own budget? 3. How should Matulovic respond to his fellow executives who are calling to ask him for special treatment outside the new priority management system? 4. What should Matulovic do about the unfunded Supply Flow project?
DATES Dec 6
READING ASSIGNMENT / ACTIVITY Final Exam (Comprehensive open book exam of about 2 hours)
In-Class Examination There will be one final open book exam. Students can use their notes, books, lecture materials, and internet. Exams are designed to evaluate your understanding of the fundamental concepts discussed in class or covered in assigned materials. However, no interactions between students are permitted during the exam sessions. Explanation of Grading Policy: Grades are based on total points, averages are not used. Participation points will be awarded on a weekly basis. Everyone begins with zero points and points can be added or subtracted at any time. Participation points are awarded to any student who contributes to the understanding of the class as a whole. Also, there will be up to three simple quizzes throughout the semester. Grade Determination Case write ups Group presentation Final exam (open book) Grading Scale 40 points 10 points 50 points ====== Total 100 points
Meaningful Class Participation Students are expected to read the assigned journal articles and be prepared to discuss the topic. Class attendance is extremely important. Excessive absences will result in a failing grade. Active participation is an essential part of the learning experience. Each student must accept the responsibility for class preparation and read the assigned material prior to class session and be prepared to discuss the content individually or as a group. Meaningful participation in the class discussion is valued and needed. Meaningful participation means making a contribution to our discussion, not merely talking, and it does not mean repeating facts in the readings or simply agreeing with what others have said. Nor does it mean making a point here or there. One clear way of making a contribution is to critically evaluate the comments of your classmates where needed. The quality rather than quantity of responses will be the basis for assessing performance. All students are also required to fill out the student evaluation that will be provided toward the end of the course. Assignment Submission Instructions Each student hands in a write up of the assigned questions at the beginning of each class session. No electronic submission is accepted (No Exceptions). Also, students will form groups and each group is expected to take part in one group project (see table below), present their research
finding (PowerPoint format) during their assigned presentation session, and hand in an analysis not exceeding four pages (word document, times roman 12 point font). Group Projects
# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Project Role of ecommerce: Analyzing eBay IT doesnt matter (Nicholas Carr) Balanced Scorecard (Robert Kaplan & David Norton) What is strategy? (Michael Porter) ITIL IT governance IT and business unit alignment Supplier selection and evaluation FedEx Capability maturity model integration
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These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.