ISM 158 Business Information Strategy

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ISM 158Business Information Strategy

• Instructor Kevin Ross
• Teaching Assistant Joey Rios

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ISM 158 Overview

• This class considers the role of information in
  business strategy. In particular, we focus on
  decisions regarding information technology and
  information systems to give a business
  competitive advantage over other companies. We
  will focus on case studies to see why some
  businesses are more successful than others in
  building information systems that lead to
  organizational and individual efficiencies.
• We look at how information impacts industries,
  markets and countries, and leads to technology
  development. We develop an understanding of
  design and maintenance of networked
  organizations, including issues of leadership and
  management.

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Schedule
Date Topic (Reading corresponding chapter from text) Case (Reading corresponding case from text) Presentation Assessment
1 Tue, April 3 Introduction
Thu, April 5 No class Instructor Away
2 Tue, April 10 IT Strategy
3 Thu, April 12 Charles Schwab
4 Tue, April 17 IT and Organization Leapfrog
5 Thu, April 19 Extending the Enterprise
6 Fri, April 20 (makeup class time and venue TBA) Wyndham Project Team and Topic Due
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Schedule
Date Topic (Reading corresponding chapter from text) Case (Reading corresponding case from text) Presentation Assessment
7 Tue, April 24 Making the case for IT
8 Thu, April 26 IT Doesnt matter
9 Tue, May 1 Internetworking Infrastructure
10 Thu, May 3 iPremier Project Proposal Due
11 Tue, May 8 Reliability and Security
12 Thu, May 10 Ford
13 Tue, May 15 Managing Diverse IT Infrastructure
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Schedule
Date Topic (Reading corresponding chapter from text) Case (Reading corresponding case from text) Presentation Assessment
14 Thu, May 17 Postgirot
15 Tue, May 22 Organizing and Leading IT
16 Thu, May 24 Cathay Pacific Business Proposal Due
17 Tue, May 29 Managing IT Outsourcing
18 Thu, May 31 Royal Caribbean Cruises
19 Tue, June 5 IT Portfolio Management
20 Thu, June 7 Conclusion Global Landscape Project Due
Wed, June 13, 8am Final Exam Final Exam
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Instructor

• Kevin Ross
• kross_at_soe.ucsc.edu
• Office hours Tuesday 3 5pm
• (or by appointment)
• E2 room 559

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Teaching Assistant

• Joseph Rios
• rios_at_soe.ucsc.edu

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Assessment
Value Due date
News Presentation 5 Throughout
Quizzes 10 Throughout
Discussion Participation 10 Throughout
Business Proposal 10 Thu, May 25
Project 40 Thu, Apr 27 and Thu, June 8
Final Exam 25 Wed, June 14, 1200 300
Policy Assignments are due at the start of class
on the due date. Late assignments, missed
presentations and quizzes will result in zero
grade unless specific permission is given by
instructor at least one week in advance.
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News Presentation

• Each student will present one news story to the
  class during the quarter.
• The story can be from any source, and describe an
  interesting recent development in the use of
  information for business strategy.
• The presentation should be professionally
  presented using powerpoint or similar technology.
  
• 5-8 minutes in length,
• include both factual information (who is doing
  what and why?) and some commentary (your opinion
  is this a good idea why?!) on the story.
• All news sources that have been used should be
  acknowledged with specific references on a final
  slide.
• The student is responsible for one of
• (a) bringing the slides on a laptop,
• (b) bringing slides on a USB drive that will work
  on instructors laptop, or
• (c) emailing slides to the instructor the night
  before the presentation.
• A schedule of presentations will be posted at the
  end of the first week, and changes can only be
  made with permission of the instructor.
• Email instructor to volunteer for an early slot!

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Quizzes

• There will be up to five surprise quizzes over
  the quarter.
• These will be fairly short and test knowledge of
  the text and cases.
• Students who are absent the day of a quiz will
  receive a zero grade for that quiz
• unless they have informed the instructor at least
  a week in advance that they have to miss class
  (for some legitimate reason)

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Discussion Participation

• We will discuss cases approximately once per
  week. Active participation in the discussions of
  the cases and the course material is expected and
  examined.

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Business Proposal

• You will be provided with a scenario for a
  business information system problem, and be
  required to make a written proposal of a
  solution, as the chief information officer.
• Details will follow.

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Project

• The major assignment in this class is a
  comprehensive project. You will analyze a major
  (at least 1000 employees) company, and study how
  they use information and information systems to
  achieve competitive advantage.
• The project can be completed in groups of two or
  three, as you select, and the company is chosen
  by the group.
• Details will follow, but start thinking about
  group and topic

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Final Exam

• The final examination will cover the topics from
  the whole year.
• You will not be allowed to bring notes into the
  exam room.

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Prerequisites

• This course is for juniors and seniors
• ISM 50 or permission of instructor required
• Interest in technology and business

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Feedback Please!

• Instructor has substantially revised the course
  material
• The course is for you
• Dont hesitate to ask questions, give suggestions
• As senior students, you know that youll get out
  what you put in

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Textbook
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• The Challenges of Managing in a Network Economy

• IT is a source of opportunity and advantage but
  also uncertainty risk
• Chasm between viewpoints
• Business executives View IT with apprehension
• Technical executives Business leaders lack
  vision
• What is undeniable is the rapidity of change
• In system architecture and interfaces
• In business
• In work and the workforce

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The Embedding of IT

• IT now embedded in
• Definition and execution of strategy
• Organization and leadership of businesses
• Definitions of unique value propositions
• Every business definition is morphing before our
  eyes
• Markets
• Industries
• Strategies
• Firm designs
• Information is now a major economic good

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Riding the IT Rollercoaster

• Mid 1990s
• World Wide Web demonstrated IT potential
• Structural and technical hurdles remained in
  using IT
• Late 1990s
• Capital markets caught the fever
• VCs eager to spend on IT, regardless of long-term
  path to profitability
• 21st Century
• Speculative bubble burst
• Downward spiral until 2003

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What Now?

• What we know
• World is forever changed IT will never return to
  the basement
• Technology as core enabler, primary business
  channel
• Global village is here to stay
• Rigid organization boundaries have fallen
• What we need to do
• Engage in sense-making of the transformation
• Mine the last decade of business experimentation
• Synthesize in order to choose a path forward

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Key Themes

1. Continuous pace of technology evolution requires
   that we confront new choices for designing and
   building industries, markets, organizations
2. Business models that dominated the Industrial
   Economy are evolving
3. Types of opportunities pursued and technology
   employed strongly influence approach to
   developing, operating, managing IT
4. As IT infrastructure becomes more standardized,
   modular, scaleable, there is a shift in IT
   investment priorities and decisions

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Key Themes (cont.)

1. The time required for successful organization
   learning and assimilation of rapidly changing
   technologies limits practical speed of change
2. External industry, internal organizational, and
   technological changes are increasing pressure on
   organizations to buy rather than to make IT
   applications and services
3. Ability to exploit technology requires high
   levels of engagement and cooperation among four
   key constituencies business executives, IT
   executives, users, technology providers/partners

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Key Themes (cont.)

• Ability to ensure high levels of security,
  privacy, reliability, and availability is a core
  capability that determines organizations
  ultimate success and survival
• Over the last decade, there has been a
  fundamental shift in IT that has dramatically
  impacted the way
• People access and use technology
• Organizations exploit technology
• Technology is developed and managed

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Questions?
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Guest Talk

• Adam Ryszka, ISM alumni 2006