Monthly Archives: September 2016
BRING A LAPTOP on Oct 3 class
Next week, we will learn how to calculate returns on IT investments with Excel. Please bring a laptop on Oct 3.
Need to a volunteer to explain the ROI concepts (a waiver for one brief)
I am looking for a volunteer who can explain the concepts of return-on-investments (ROI) for Oct 3rd. She/he will explain how to calculate net present value (NPV), internal rate of returns (IRR), and a backpack period.
The volunteer will be given participation points and a waiver for one reading brief. Please email me (minspang@temple.edu) to come forward!
Week 4 – Enterprise Architecture – class slides
In-class discussion questions – Week 5 (Oct 3)
- How can we justify a large amount of investments in e*Logistics or Common Digital Platform?
- Why is security a concern at an airport?
- Which individuals should an airport manage for security?
- Which information does a security system have to maintain? Which process does the security system have to handle?
- What are the risks from the current manual, inefficient processes in managing airport employee credentials?
- What could be the WORST-CASE scenarios from a security failure at SFO?
- What is your recommendation for SAFE Project at SFO? Go or no go? How certain are you? Are you certain that everything will pan out as predicted?
- Which assumption or prediction is most sensitive (critical)?
- What are the problems with the ROI analysis we just did? What does this fail to account for?
Week 5 – San Francisco Airport – Brief Guideline
- Why is San Francisco Airport considering to upgrade its security system?
- What are the problems and risks in SFO’s current security infrastructure and processes?
- How does Ms. Dickie try to justify the investments into the new security system?
Online discussion questions – Sep 26
- What are other examples of M&A between hospitals or between insurance companies. What are the reasons for these M&As?
- What are the other examples of standard we’re enjoying in our everyday life (other than language, currency, railroad, power outlet)?
- What should be changed if the U.S. adopts the Metric System as in other countries?
- Why does a standard stifle innovation and creativity?
- Other examples of a standard payment system such as E-Zpass or SmarTrip?
- What would be a valid business/technical reason for a business unit to use Oracle database while everyone else uses My SQL?
- By adopting one standard technology for all employees/units (e.g. Microsoft Windows, Oracle database, SAP ERP), what would be the risks?
In-class discussion questions – Week 4 (Sep 26)
- What is a Unified Service Organizations (USO) (Trinity case p. 3)?
- Why does Trinity implement a “Common Digital Platform”?
- Why is IT important in hospitals?
- What kind of standards do we enjoy in our daily life?
- Why do many European nations use Euro as a common currency?
- Why do the U.K. and some others refuse to adopt Euro?
- What are the benefits from a standard?
- What would be the costs in having a standard? By having a standard, we are losing what?
- Why does the U.S. refuse to adopt the Metric System?
- Why do states adopt E-Zpass for a common standard payment system?
- Why have IT systems at IVK gotten so complex?
- When there is freedom, employees and business units are using different kinds of ITs, whatever they want. What are the problems in this case?
- What does it mean by coupling in IT systems?
- Can the collections system at IVK be up-and-running without communicating with the loan operation system or the financial/accounting system?
Week 4 – IT Adventures Ch. 16 – Brief Guideline
- What has made IVK IT systems so complex?
- Why is Mr. Barton considering to standardize IVK’s IT systems?
- What are his alternatives? What are the pros and cons of each option?
Week 3 – IT and Competitive Strategies (II) – class slides and video (UPDATED)
Week 03 – IT and Strategy (II) (color).pdf
Week 03 – IT and Strategy (II) (bw).pdf
From Fee-for Service to Value-Based Care – Xerox (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YYT-jb6FPQ)
Week 03 – Best Brief – Yuting Li
Online discussion questions – Sep 19
- In Otis case page 8, “Traditionally we had focused on the management of physical assets. The next step in our evolution will be the management of information flows between all the participants …” What does it mean by “information management” and why is this important?
- Would the changes with e*Logistics be easy? Who would be unhappy with this change? How do you think Otis managed and overcame these challenges?
- In Otis case page 8, “To achieve continuous transformation, the e*Logistics program makes sure the business process change sticks. … With the e*Logistics program, best practices from SIP are baked into the organization and institutionalized…” What does it mean by “sticks” and “baked”?
- In an industry you are familiar with, which company is playing in Cost Leadership strategy? Who’s in Differentiation? Who’s in Focused?
- What is an interesting recent example of M&A? Why do they merge with each other?
Updated Syllabus with a new schedule
MIS 3534 Fall 2016 – Syllabus (09.18).pdf
Please find a change in the class schedule.
Executive Report #1 – due by Oct 7 (draft due by Sep 30)
MIS 3534 Fall 2016 – Exec Report #1.pdf
Best Executive Reports – Hyun Jeong You.pdf
Best Executive Reports – Joshua Stansfield.pdf
Pepsi Americas – MIT CISR http://cisr.mit.edu/blog/documents/2010/02/10/mit_cisrwp378_pepsiamericas_beathross.pdf/ (registration and login required)
Week 3 – Trinity Health – Reading Brief Guideline
You can download Trinity Health case for free from this site – http://cisr.mit.edu/blog/documents/2011/12/19/mit_cisrwp386_trinityhealthmda_tanriverdidu.pdf/ (registration and login required).
- What are the motivations behind Trinity Health’s growth-through-acquisition strategy?
- What are the benefits from the common digital platform?
- How does the common digital platform support the growth-through-acquisition strategy?
You do not include Page 8-10 in your brief, but do not skip to read them!
In-class discussion questions – Week 3 (Sep 19)
- What were the problems before e*Logistics in Otis’ business processes?
- How does e*Logistics address these problems and what are the improvement achieved by it?
- Who would be unhappy with the changes in the business processes caused by e*Logistics?
- How do you think Otis managed and overcame these challenges? Who do you think played a key role?
- Why does a company acquire and merge another?
- Why does Trinity Health acquire and merge other hospitals?
- What is the different between fee-for-service and fee-for-value in healthcare?
We will discuss these questions in-class on Monday, Sep 19.
Online discussion questions – Sep 12
- When would buyers have a strong bargaining power vis-a-vis sellers (except the number of buyers, price-sensitivity, and switching costs)?
- What are the examples of switching costs (other than long-term contracts or finding a new doctor/mechanic)?
- In what cases is it easy or inexpensive for you to change a service provider that you’ve been dealing with? (i.e. little switching cost)
- What are the examples of a bundle around us? (other than what discussed in-class – cable/Internet, Xbox/game, elevator/service, Microsoft Office, etc.)
Week 2 – IT and Competitive Strategies (I) – class slides and video (UPDATED)
The class slides updated on Sep 19.
Week 02 – IT and Strategy (I) (color).pdf
Week 02 – IT and Strategy (I) (bw).pdf
Interview with Michael Porter – HBR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYF2_FBCvXw)
In-class discussion questions – Week 2 (Sep 12)
We will discuss the following questions in-class on Monday, September 12.
- What does it mean by a bargaining power of buyers? When would buyers have a strong bargaining power?
- Any example of switching costs for buyers?
- Suppose you’ve got $300 millions from winning a lottery. You want to start a new airline company. What does it takes for you to make the first flight take off?
- What would be substitutes for a travel by flight? Wha would be substitutes for grocery stores?
- According to the Otis case, which business is more profitable? Elevator manufacturing or service?
- In the Otis case, “The service market attracted many participants because of its steady demand, low barriers of entry, and high profitability.” (p. 3) Doesn’t it mean that the service market is not profitable for Otis?
- How often do you change your doctor? Why?
- Will Otis customers (building owners or managers) change an elevator service company often? Why or why not?
- Can you think of an example of bundle around us? Why do firms sell a bundle?
- Why would bundling up an elevator (product) and maintenance services together (i.e. total solutions) be more profitable than selling an elevator and services individually?
- How were things going before OTISLINE? How now are things going after OTISLINE?
- What are the improvements in customer service from OTISLINE?
Week 2 – Otis Elevator – Reading Brief Guideline
Read Otis Elevator case from the Harvard Business School coursepack and explain the following three points.
- What’s the direction of Otis’s strategic move?
- Why is Otis trying to shift its strategic focus?
- How do Otis’s IT projects (OtisLine, e*Lostistics) support such a move?
Instructions
- Submit via Blackboard (http://learn.temple.edu/).
- Up to 200 words.
- Due by 5:30pm on Monday, Sep 12. A late submission will not be graded.
- For your brief to be considered for a best brief with extra credits, you need to submit by noon, Sep 12.
- DO NOT COPY AND PASTE from the case. Use your own words. Plagiarized work will be graded at 0.