MIS5801 Singapore Fall 2014

Managing Information in the Enterprise

Schedule

Day 1 Agenda Saturday, December 13, Morning Session
Topic	Time	Activities	Supporting Materials (review prior to class except where noted)
Course Introduction	:30	Introduction Overview of the day Review the syllabus	Syllabus
Discuss: Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat”	:30	Discuss the following questions: What is the overall point of the video? What are the four main flatteners and their implications? What does a company have to do to be competitive? What does an individual have to do to be competitive ?	Video: Thomas Friedman: “The World is Flat 3.0” http://video.mit.edu/watch/the-world-is-flat-30-9321/
Breakout: Google	:30	In breakout groups, discuss the following questions: The case describes several of Google’s “products” (search engine, Gmail, Google Earth). What do they have in common? What is Google’s line of business? What is Google’s revenue model (how do they make money)? Who are its customers? What is Google’s real product? Based on the material in the case, how would you describe Google’s strategy? Do they have one? The last section of the case is titled “What Should Google Do?” What is your answer (it doesn’t have to be one of the options described in the case)? Make sure you explain why you chose that course of action.	Case: HBS Case 9-806-105: Google Inc. Articles: Wikipedia: Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Wikipedia: Value Chain
Coffee	:30
Discussion: Google	:30	Discuss answers to questions above
Watch Clips from “Inside the Mind of Google”	:30	Overview of Google/PageRank Discussion of AdWords
Discussion: Disruptive Innovations and Systems Thinking	1:00	Class discussion of the following issues from the readings: Systems thinking and how it can be applied. The role of feedback in designing information systems. The effects of disruptive innovation on industries.	Case: Reading: Seeing What’s Next (getAbstract) Articles: Principia Cybernetica (Feedback) Wikipedia: Disruptive technology Overview of Systems Thinking

Day 1 Agenda Saturday, December 13, Afternoon Session
Topic	Time	Activities	Supporting Materials (review prior to class except where noted)
Lunch	1:00
Breakout: STARS Air Ambulance	:45	In breakout groups, discuss the following questions: Identify three or four of the most critical challenges facing the new CIO and make recommendations for how Khan can tackle each of these challenges. What should Kahn’s objectives be for his upcoming meeting with the CEO and how can he prepare to best meet them? What should Kahn do about departments contacting their “favorite IS staff member” when they need technical assistance? How can he change this practice and still gain the trust and support of the CEO and other senior managers?	Article: Ivey Case 908E04: Stars Air Ambulance: An Information Systems Challenge
Discussion: STARS Air Ambulance	:45	Discuss answers to the questions above.
Coffee break	:30
Discussion: Enterprise Applications	:45	Class discussion of the following issues from the readings: What is a business process? The benefits (and pitfalls) of process thinking. The role of Enterprise Resource Planning systems. The limitations of the single-system (ERP) approach.	Articles: Wikipedia: Business Process What IT Can Learn From the Railroad Business The “P” in Business Process Management Introduction to ERP Introduction to CRM
Breakout: Cisco Systems Architecture	:30	In breakout groups, discuss the following questions: Why was an ERP system important for Cisco? What problems was the ERP system supposed to solve? Why was it a management challenge? Discuss how the ERP project was “sold” to the board for approval. Specifically, what was their method of justification? How did they set an implementation timeline? Do you agree or disagree with the way they did this? What was Solvik’s web strategy? How did the Internet and Intranet strategies tie in with the ERP project? Why was the ERP project essential for their web strategy to succeed? What makes a good manager for the projects described in this case? How high in the organization should the manager sit?	Case: HBS Case 9-301-099: CISCO Systems Architecture: ERP and Web-enabled IT
Discussion: Cisco Systems Architecture	:45	Discuss answers to the questions above.

Day 2 Agenda Sunday, December 14, Morning Session
Topic	Time	Activities	Supporting Materials (review prior to class except where noted)
Introduction	:15	Introduction Overview of the day
Activity: Process Thinking	:45	In groups, choose a business process in which one of your group members has experience and map it out: Who owns the process? What are its boundaries? Where are the opportunities for improvement? Where are the opportunities for transformation?
Discussion: Network-enabled Business Models	:45	Class discussion of the following issues from the readings: Web 2.0 defined. Cloud computing models. The advantages and pitfalls of being “in the cloud.”	Articles: What Web 2.0 is (and isn’t) How Cloud Computing is Changing the World Video: Jeff Bezos “Amazon’s Cloud Strategy” http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/417 (Do not prepare – watching in class.)
Coffee Break	:30
Breakout: Amazon Web Services	:45	In groups, discuss the following questions: What are the four major web services described in the case that are offered by Amazon.com? What does each service do? Compare each service in terms of pros and cons. Why would a company use these services from Amazon instead of maintaining their own infrastructure? Assume you are the manager for a large bank, think through the pros and cons of using Amazon’s services. Is Amazon Web Services following a disruptive strategy or do they have a different business model?	Case: HBS Case 9-609-048: Amazon Web Services
Discussion: Amazon Web Services	:45	Discuss the answers to the questions above
Activity: Applying Systems Thinking to Digital Business Models	:30	In groups, use a “systems thinking” approach to determine the effect of cloud-based services on a specific aspect of a business. What are the implications to that part of the organization? What are the implications to the entire organization? What are the implications on external stakeholders? What might be some unintended consequences (good or bad) from leveraging the cloud?

Day 2 Agenda Sunday, December 14, Afternoon Session
Topic	Time	Activities	Supporting Materials (review prior to class except where noted)
Lunch	1:00
Business Models around Digital Content Breakout: Radiohead: Music at Your Own Price	:45	In groups, discuss the following questions (think back to the ideas in Christensen’s book): How did Radiohead sell their album “In Rainbows”? Was it successful? What problems could this create for other artists? Compare the disruptive effects of digital content in the music and book publishing industries. What are the similarities and differences? What “signals of change” did Amazon respond to in creating the Kindle? Why do you think it was more difficult for the record labels to respond to their own “signals of change?” How might Radiohead’s experiment in music distribution be disruptive to Amazon?	Cases: HBS Case 9-508-110 and 9-508-111: Radiohead: Music at Your Own Price (Parts A and B) Articles: Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business Amazon’s Kindles Squeeze and Seduce Media Companies
Discussion: Radiohead: Music at Your Own Price	:45	Discuss the answers to the questions above
Coffee Break	:30
Discussion: User Generated Content and Crowdsourcing	1:00	Class discussion of the following issues from the readings: Implications of user-generated content. Effects on privacy and information sharing. Why the “Wisdom of the Crowd” works and when it doesn’t.	Articles: We Googled You Great Wall of Facebook… The Rise of Crowdsourcing
Activity: Prediction Markets	1:00	Refer to the instructions for the Hollywood Stock Exchange activity.

Day 3 Agenda Saturday, December 20, Morning Session
Topic	Time	Activities	Supporting Materials (review prior to class except where noted)
Overview: Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence	:45	Class discussion of the following issues from the readings: The power of acquiring and analyzing data. The difference between structured and unstructured data. The difference between data, information, and knowledge. Communities of practice and sharing knowledge.	Articles: Wenger: Communities of Practice The Differences Between Data, Information and Knowledge The Brain Behind the Big, Bad Burger…
Breakout: Knowledge Management at Katzenbach Partners	:45	In groups, discuss the following questions: What are the key elements of Katzenbach’s knowledge management strategy? Is this a good strategy? What are the critical challenges in Katzenbach’s knowledge management? Describe both organizational and technical challenges. What are some specific ways in which Web 2.0 technology help Katzenbach’s knowledge management initiatives? Identify specific challenges, technology, and business solutions.	Case: Stanford Case SM-162: Knowledge Management at Katzenbach Partners LLC
Coffee break	:30
Discussion: Knowledge Management at Katzenbach Partners	1:00	Discuss the answers to the questions above.
Watch: “Inside the Mind of Google” and “No Place to Hide”	:30	Watch the video and take notes on the following questions: How does Google acquire its data? How does Google use its data? How does ChoicePoint acquire its data? How does ChoicePoint use its data? What responsibility do both Google and ChoicePoint have regarding the collection and storage of their data? What are the risks to the company? To the public?
Discussion: “No Place to Hide” and “Inside the Mind of Google”	:30	Discuss the answers to the questions above

Day 3 Agenda Saturday, December 20, Afternoon Session
Topic	Time	Activities	Supporting Materials (* = review prior to class)
Lunch	1:00
Evaluating Emerging Technology Trends	:45	Class discussion of the following issues from the readings: Why do incumbents (firms currently involved in related technologies) have so much difficulty with disruptive technologies? How can an incumbent deal with the specific pitfalls mentioned in the paper? What are some examples of emerging technologies where incumbents have prevailed? Why did it happen? What are some examples of emerging technologies where new entrants prevailed? Why did it happen?	Article: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Emerging Technologies
Breakout: Kodak	:45	In groups, discuss the following questions: Would you characterize the digital camera as more of an evolutionary technology or more of a discontinuous technology? Consider both the technology itself and its effect on the photography industry. As a response to Sony, Kodak invested $5 billion in digital imaging R&D over 10 years. Was this the right response? Kodak developed a series of new technologies in the 1980s but seemed unable to capitalize on them. Why? To which of the “pitfalls” did Kodak fall victim? Since the case, the company continued to have problems despite continuing to innovate (see the additional readings). What should Kodak do going forward?	Case: HBS Case 9-705-448: Kodak and the Digital Revolution (Only part A) Articles: At Kodak, Some Old Things Are New Again Kodak posts wider loss, warns on prospects Kodak’s Fuzzy Future
Coffee Break	:30
Discussion: Kodak	1:00	Discuss answers to the questions above.
Watch: Kodak video	:30	As you watch the video, consider our class discussion: Does the interview confirm your thoughts about Kodak’s problems? How does culture play a role? Are you surprised they are still having problems in 2011?
Discussion: Kodak video	:30	Discuss the answers to the questions above.

Day 4 Agenda Sunday, December 21, Morning Session
Topic	Time	Activities	Supporting Materials (* = review prior to class)
Discussion: Digital Transformation of Governance Models	:45	Class discussion of the following issues from the readings: How IT enables decentralized business models Tension between centralization and decentralization of the IT function The role of metrics in IT evaluation	Articles: IT Governance: Stop the Pendulum In the Next Industrial Revolution, Atoms Are the New Bits Everything is Measureable
Breakout: Volkswagen of America: Managing IT Projects	:45	In groups, discuss the following questions: Describe the problems with the way Volkswagen had been managing IT projects at the start of the case. How did the new management system change their prioritization processes? How is it possible that under this new system a “critical” project (the global supply chain system) was underfunded? Assignment #1 (Group): Each group should prepare a 10 minute presentation which addresses the following issue: Groups 1 and 2: What did Volkswagen get right regarding its method of prioritizing IT projects? How does it enable innovation? Groups 3 and 4: What did Volkswagen get wrong regarding its method of prioritizing IT projects? How does it hamper innovation?	Case: HBS Case 9-606-003: Volkswagen of America: Managing IT Priorities
Coffee break	:30
Group presentations and discussion: Volkswagen of America	1:00	Group presentations and class discussion.	Assignment #1 (Group) Due Email the presentation to (Bruce.Hohne@temple.edu)
Breakout: Technology Platforms: Applying Systems Thinking	:30	In groups, prepare a brief analysis of who will prevail: Google or Apple? See the slides for details.
Discussion: Applying Systems Thinking	:30	Class discussion of the analysis.

Day 4 Agenda Sunday, December 21, Afternoon Session
Topic	Time	Activities	Supporting Materials (* = review prior to class)
Lunch	1:00
Breakout: “IT Doesn’t Matter” and “The End of Corporate Computing”	:30	In group, discuss the following questions: What is Carr’s basic theme? What are its implications? Do you agree or disagree? What do others say about his papers (you’ll need to do an Internet search)? How does this tie in with what you’ve learning in this course? How does this tie in with Friedman’s talk “The World is Flat”? Assignment #1 (Group): Groups 1 and 3: Things have evolved significantly since Carr wrote these articles. Based on the assertions Carr makes in his articles, what opportunities exist for companies? Groups 2 and 4: Based on the assertions Carr makes in his articles, what pitfalls exist for companies?	Articles: IT Doesn’t Matter The End of Corporate Computing
Discuss: “IT Doesn’t Matter” and “The End of Corporate Computing”	1:00	Group presentations and class discussion.	Assignment #2 (Group) Due Email the presentation to (Bruce.Hohne@temple.edu)
Student Evaluations	:15
Coffee Break	:30
FINAL EXAM	2:00
Post-class assignment Monday January 5, 2015
Assignment #3 (Individual) Due: Submit journal (10 PowerPoint slides) via email to Bruce.Hohne@temple.edu

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