Managing Technology & Systems – Spring 2017
MIS 5302 – Prof. Min-Seok Pang

Monthly Archives: March 2017

Reading Brief Qs for Session #3 – IT Adventures Ch. 4, 5, and 8

Published March 28, 2017 | By Min-Seok Pang, Ph.D.

Read Ch. 4, 5, and 8 of “The Adventures of an IT Leader” and write answers to the following questions in no more than 200 words (for all four questions, not for each).

  • What is the funding mechanism for IT at IVK? What is a chargeback? (Ch. 4)
  • What are the concepts of “Competes vs. Qualifiers” and IT Strategic Grid (Ch. 5)
  • Why has Mr. John Cho’s request for IT security funding been being denied? (Ch. 8)
  • Why had Mr. Davies, the former IVK CIO, had to set up a slush fund? How? (Ch. 8)
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Session #3 – In-Class Discussion Questions

Published March 28, 2017 | By Min-Seok Pang, Ph.D.
  • How much do you think Otis has spent in Otisline and e*Logistics? How can we justify such a large amount of investments?
  • What are the business benefits of Otisline?
  • Who provides the IT budget at IVK? On what basis do the business units at IVK pay for IT?
  • Why had Mr. Davies, the former CIO, have to set up “slush funds”? How did he secure the slash funds?
  • Why is Mr. John Cho requesting an immediate funding on IT security? Why has the request for IT security funding kept being denied?
  • Do you know why there is no group assignment in this course?
  • What are the examples of Prisoner’s Dilemma in our daily or business life?
  • What does Maggie, Mr. Barton’s girlfriend/consultant, mean by “one neck in the noose”?
  • How would you evaluate the IT funding process at VWoA? Is it better than the current process at IVK? How?
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Session #2 – In-Class Discussion Questions

Published March 22, 2017 | By Min-Seok Pang, Ph.D.
  • What is a competitive strategy? What is a sustainable competitive advantage?
  • What does it mean by a bargaining power of buyers?
  • If there are so many competitors in your industry or your market, what would you do to better compete with them?
  • According to the case, which business is more profitable? Elevator manufacturing or service? Why?
  • How often do you change your doctor? Why?
  • Can you think of an example of bundle around us? Why do firms sell a bundle?
  • What are the improvements in customer service from OTISLINE?
  • What is BHAG (p. 5)? Why is this “quantum leap improvement” (p. 5) necessary?
  • How were things going before e*Logistics? How now are things going after e*Logistics? What are the improvements from e*Logistics?
  • What do they mean by “the management of information flows” (p. 8)? Why is it important?
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Class Slides and Video – Session #1

Published March 21, 2017 | By Min-Seok Pang, Ph.D.

Session 1 – Introduction.pdf

Investing in IT – Sam Bake.pdf

CIO – We Mean Business – Radhika Kedia.pdf

Jeff Bezos Interview – The Daily Show (http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/baettl/jeff-bezos)

Historic Blockbuster – Onion News (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5o4oo_historic-blockbuster_news)

Unfriended – Facebook IPO – WSJ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehc-eatmQ2I)

Delta Airlines Glitch – The National (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WA5JpH6aic)

IS in Action – Wal-Mart Supply Chain – CNBC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUe-tSabKag)

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Session #1 – Introduction – In-Class Discussion Questions

Published March 2, 2017 | By Min-Seok Pang, Ph.D.

I am posting in-class discussion questions to help you prepare for class discussions and debates. The class slides will be posted after classes.

  • Why do you think MIS 5302 is a required course for Fox GMBA?
  • Amazon.com used to be an online retailer that sells stuff. Why did it start to make “stuff” in 2009?
  • What happened to Target in Dec 2013?
  • How likely is it that an IT disruption would happen to your company?
  • Which industry or company can operate without functioning IT in 2017?
  • Why do you hate your CIO or IT group at your company?
  • If you were Mr. Jim Barton, would you take the CIO offer from Mr. Williams?
  • Why did Mr. Davies warn Mr. Barton that he will not last more than a year?
  • Should a CIO be chosen among technically-trained managers or business-background managers?
  • Which skill is easier to learn? IT or Management?
  • What does it mean by “IT management is about management”?
  • What does it mean by “IT department is positioned to understand how the business works better than any other department”?
  • Why does a business need a CIO? What are the roles of a CIO in business? What are the qualifications of a CIO?
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Reading List for Session #1 (March 21)

Published March 2, 2017 | By Min-Seok Pang, Ph.D.

Required Reading for a Reading Brief

  • IT Adventures Ch. 1 and 2

Recommended Readings

Upon registration, a few articles are free at hbr.org and cio.com.

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Welcome to MIS 5302 – Managing Technology & Systems

Published March 2, 2017 | By Min-Seok Pang, Ph.D.

Greetings,

I hope everyone is enjoying the unseasonable but nice weather. My name is Min-Seok, and I will be teaching MIS 5302 in Spring 2017. I would like to wholeheartedly welcome you all to MIS 5302!

We will meet on Tuesday, March 21 at 1 pm at Alter Hall 745. Please find and read the syllabus below and be prepared with the textbook and the required materials.

• The Adventures of an IT Leader (Updated Edition) – https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Leader-Updated-Preface-Authors-ebook/dp/B01BO6QMDW/
• Harvard Business Coursepack for MIS 5302 – http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/61897822

I would like to learn about your accomplishments and experiences before we meet. Please connect with me at LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/minspang

Once again, I’m very much excited to have you in MIS 5302. Please email me at minspang@temple.edu if you have any question. I’ll look forward to seeing you soon.

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