Full-Time MBA Program

ITM 1651: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT1

Spring 2015

INSTRUCTO
R

Ron Thompson
Office: 312 Farrell Hall
336.758.4998 336.758.6133 thompsrl@wfu.edu
COURSE
OBJECTIVE
S
This course is designed to introduce you to major information technology (IT) concepts and
important issues that business managers face when using, developing and managing
information systems (IS). It will help you become an IT-sophisticated business professional so
that you can make IT-related decisions competently, participate in IS projects effectively, and
communicate with IT experts knowledgeably.
By completing this course, you will be able to:
appreciate the role of IT in business and your responsibility for its management;
evaluate organizational IS portfolios and distinguish the various types of systems in
them;
recognize the value of strategic IS and their linkage to business objectives;
comprehend the challenges associated with IS development and identify methods to
manage them;
understand the major opportunities and key risks in IT outsourcing, especially offshoring;
recognize the potential value and risks of open-source software;
comprehend the security challenges associated with IT management;
assess the disruptive potential of emerging IT;
understand how new technologies are diffused in the marketplace; and
become familiar with key emerging information technologies.
As this is an integrative course, concepts from your other business classes will be utilized in it.
COURS
E
FORMA
T

Revised January 7th, 2015

This course consists of a series of interactive seminars and case discussions. You are required
to complete the assigned readings and analyze the specified cases before each session. Also,
you are expected to provide critical comments and present relevant ideas during our
discussions. Please ensure that your comments contribute to the development of a respectful
and comfortable environment in which others can present their ideas.
During the seminars, we will discuss important IT-related concepts, issues and frameworks
(theories). Both mini-lectures and student discussions will take place in seminars. Your
participation will be facilitated through in-class exercises, Q&A sessions, and cold calling.
During the case discussions, you will be asked to apply relevant concepts to specific business
scenarios. Case discussions enable you to confront real situations highlighting significant
managerial issues and are a critical part of this course. Cases are also used to introduce new
theoretical concepts. The cases in this course cover a diverse set of IT managerial issues in a
variety of organizational settings (established firms and start-ups; public and private
organizations; domestic and foreign businesses; etc). The cases will be used to illustrate
effective --and sometimes ineffective-- approaches to IS management and the impact of IT on
the competitiveness of the firm.

COURSE
MATERIA
L
For this course, we will use the following materials:
1. Textbook (Gallaugher, J. Information Systems: A Managers Guide to Harnessing
Technology, Version 3.0, flatworld knowledge). Note: the book is available in multiple
formats, You can access it online, have online access and eReader format (for iPad, Kindle,
etc.), purchase it in hardcopy form, or choose online and eReader. To register for the
course and access the book use this link:

https://students.flatworldknowledge.com/course/1785659
2. Readings, presentations, cases, and other materials that are published as PDF or PPT files
on the courses Sakai site (accessible through the Schools of Business Intranet).
3. Harvard Business School and University of Western Ontario cases available through links
on the courses Sakai site.
The material on the course site will be updated on a frequent basis. Note that a few slides
from the instructors presentations will not be included in the posted files. The reason for this
is twofold: to avoid the distribution of discussion-related slides before the actual discussion
and to ensure that you engage in active learning (which includes note-taking). It is your
responsibility to take adequate notes in class; the completed slide sets will not be provided
by the instructor.
If a specific topic that we cover in class is of interest to you, the instructor can usually provide
additional references that will enable you to explore it in more depth. Please feel free to
share with your classmates (by email or other means) timely articles on topics that are
discussed in the course.

COURSE
REQUIREMENT
S
2

1. Team Case Report

For one of the cases in this course (Vermont Teddy Bear Company), your team is required
to prepare a written report. Additional instructions are provided in a separate handout
that is available from the course Sakai site.
2. Individual Case Report
For one of the cases in this course (Canadian Shield Insurance), you are required to
prepare a written report on your own (individually).
3. Final Examination
The final examination will be individual and comprehensive (i.e., it will cover all material in
the course).
4. Participation
You are expected to participate regularly and in a valuable manner during seminar and
case discussions. Participation points will be allocated to you based on the quality and
frequency of your contributions. While your participation grade will reflect the instructors
subjective assessment of your in-class performance (based on records that will be created
after each class session), quality matters more than quantity.
The following guidelines will be used to assign participation grades:
A (Outstanding): Folks who have something significant and insightful to say on a
consistent basis. Comments are always precise, related directly to the immediate
debate, and indicative of a level of analysis that goes far beyond superficial
statements.
A- (Excellent): Has many of the characteristics of the category above, but some
days may be better than others. Can generally be counted on to address the
question on the floor. Any problems are counterbalanced by an overall
performance that is quite laudable. The A and A- break usually revolves around the
ratio of great days (when we say wow to ourselves) to good days (when we
are still glad the student is contributing, even if we havent said wow).
B+ (Very Good): Overall, has provided evidence of solid preparation and
involvement in the discussions. In general, remarks move the discussion forward.
Criticisms or queries (from the instructor or from other members of the class) are,
for the most part, handled without any problems. On the other hand, participation
may have been uneven or occasionally reflective of some problematic tendencies
(see B below). In general, a B+ grade indicates that a student is well
connected to the course and is a credible contributor.
B (Good): Has met the participation requirements for the course but has not gone
very far beyond them. In some cases, participation is infrequent; in others, there is
more than enough quantity but not enough quality. Some problematic tendencies
may have been observed at times. For example, there may be comments that are
off-the-mark, lacking in precision, or of excessive length. Or there may have been
a lot of "chip shots" (banking remarks off other people's analyses without adding a
lot of new thoughts). Or it may be that there are problems with timing: a few
people in this category make statements that would be good if inserted more
appropriately in the discussion (e.g., revisiting a topic that was thoroughly covered
earlier in the discussion).
B- through C range (Somethings missing): Quite often, folks who seldom volunteer
to speak. When cold-called, they muddle through. In other cases, people in this
category do speak regularly, but a large number of the problematic tendencies
noted above are evident.
Below a C (Real problems): Folks who hardly ever speak. If cold-called, they
appear unprepared.

Preliminary feedback about your participation will be provided shortly after the midpoint of
the course. At that time, you will receive an email message indicating your level of
performance up to that point in the course. The message will provide a preliminary
indication of your contribution level using one of three categories: excellent (A- or
above); very good (B+ or B); and needs improvement (B- or below). Upon request,
more feedback about your participation can be provided by the instructor.
GRADING &
OTHER POLICIES
Your course grade will be based on the following components:
Activity
Case Report
Case Report
Final Exam
Participation

Responsibility
Study team
Individual
Individual
Individual

Weight (%)
20
35
35
10

Your course deliverables will be graded using the following standard:

Grad
e
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CF

Numeric

Performance

4
3.67
3.33
3
2.67
2.33
2
1.67
0

Outstanding without flaw

Excellent, but some minor issues
Very good, yet some room for improvement
Good, but significant room for improvement
Okay, but needs major improvement
Just below acceptable (unsatisfactory)
Serious deficiencies (unsatisfactory)
Clearly unacceptable (unsatisfactory)
Not worthy of graduate school credit (Fail)

The following policies will be followed when assessing your performance in this course:

Presentation Style: Your assignments will be graded primarily for content, but also a
portion of the grade will be on presentation. Therefore, your deliverables should be
polished, using the pitchbook format similar to that in your Operations Management
course.

Length of Submissions: There is no specific limit to the length of your pitchbook,

although conciseness is expected. Note that bullet-point format is acceptable (more
instructions are available on Sakai, and additional instructions will be provided in
class).

Attendance: Because peer-to-peer learning is a critical aspect of this course, both

attendance and participation are valued. Unexcused absences will negatively affect
your participation grade (proportionally to the number of missed sessions). Other than
for excused absences (e.g., documented medical and family emergencies), make-up
exams and deliverables will not be allowed.

Case Preparation: Please read and analyze each assigned case prior to our in-class
discussion. If you are unfamiliar with a specific term, acronym or technology in a case,
feel free to look it up (using wikipedia.org or any other source). With the exception of
our discussion of Google Glass, please do not conduct any research (either online or
offline) on the company or the industry in the case. Your analysis should rely only on
the information in the case and our course material and discussions. The purpose of
the case method is to sharpen your analytical --not research-- skills.

In-class Computer Use: The use of laptops, smart phones and other electronic
devices in class is allowed for note-taking only; any other use without the instructors
permission is prohibited.

Originality of Work: You are required to properly reference all of your sources
--including personal communication and electronic resources-- using the APA
referencing style. Both in-text citations and a reference list are required (for more
information, see the Citing Sources Guide on the webpage of the Schools library).
Should you fail to reference your sources for direct quotations, paraphrasing, or any
other material you will receive a zero as a grade on the specific assignment and any
other penalty as decided by the school. Individual assignments must be completed
without the assistance of anyone else. Please note that you may not consult any
student-generated material (such as case reports, exams, etc.) from earlier offerings of
this or a similar course.
5

Grade Appeals: You should expect to receive your graded assignments within 10
days of submission. To appeal a grade, submit the graded paper along with a written
statement explaining your request for re-grading. Please justify the reasons for appeal
by referring to specific course material and/or the syllabus. Appeals must be
submitted no later than two weeks after a graded assignment has been returned by
the instructor.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Date

Topic

Readings/Cases
INFORMATION SYSTEMS PLANNING AND CONTROL

4
5

01/14/1
5

01/16/1
5
1/19/15
01/21/1
5
01/23/1
5
01/26/1
5

IT for Business
Managers

IT for Business
No class

IT Portfolio

IT Portfolio
Strategic IS

01/28/1
5

Strategic IS;
Role of the CIO

01/30/1
5

IT Governance;
Managing IT
Staf

02/02/1
5

CASE REPORT

Friedman, T. L. and Mandelbaum,M. (2011). That Used to be Us, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, NY, pp.
53-66.
Ross, J.W. and Weil, P. (2002). Six IT Decisions Your IT People Shouldn't Make, Harvard Business
Review 80(11), pp. 84-91,
Optional Reading: Friedman, T. L. and Mandelbaum, M. (2011). That Used to be Us, Farrar, Straus
and Giroux, NY, pp. 66-80.
Gallaugher, Chapter 1 (Setting the Stage: Technology and the Modern Enterprise).
CASE: Rich-Con Steel, HBS case # 9-699-133.
(Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday)
Weill,P. and Aral, S. (2006). Generating Premium Returns on Your IT Investments, Sloan Management
Review, 47(2), pp. 39-48.
Weill, P., Woerner, S. and McDonald, M. (2009). Managing the IT Portfolio (Update Circa 2009), MIT
Sloan CISR Research Briefing, August, Vol. IX (Number 8).
Jeffery, M. and Leliveld, I. (2004). Best Practices in IT Portfolio Management, Sloan Management
Review, 45(3), pp. 41-49.
CASE: Volkswagen of America: Managing IT Priorities, HBS case #9-606-003.
Gallaugher, Chapter 2 (Strategy and Technology)
Gallaugher, Chapter 3 (Zara).
CASE: WestJet Airlines: Information Technology Governance and Corporate Structure, Ivey case #
9B13E020.
Pearlson, K. and Saunders, C. (2010), Managing and Using Information Systems, Chapter 8
Governance of the Information Systems Organization, pp. 218-240.
CASE: Champion Products, Ivey case # 9B03E009
CASE: Vermont Teddy Bear, Journal of Information Technology Teaching Cases, (2011), 1, 61-70.

Team Case Report Due

INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT AND SOURCING

02/04/1
5

IT Investments

02/06/1
5

No Class

1
0

02/09/1
5

1
1

02/11/1
5

IS
Development

1
2

02/13/1
5

IS Sourcing
and Cloud
Computing

1
3

02/16/1
5

CASE REPORT

IS Security

Ross, J.W. and Beath, C.M. (2002). Beyond the Business Case: New Approaches to IT Investment,
Sloan Management Review, 43(2), pp. 51-58.
Ward, J., Daniel, E. and Peppard, J. (2008). Building Better Business Cases for IT Investments, MIS
Quarterly Executive, 7(1), pp. 1-14.
MBA Off-site retreat
Gallaugher, Chapter 15 (Information Security: Barbarians at the Gateway and Just About
Everywhere Else).
CASE: Crisis: When Disaster Strikes IT, Austin et al., Chapter Ten, The Adventures of an IT Leader,
Harvard Business Press, 2009.
Gallaugher, Chapter 11 (Understanding Software: A Primer for Managers).
CASE: Austin et al., Project Management: Whats the Best Approach for IT? Chapter Six, The
Adventures of an IT Leader, Harvard Business Press, 2009.
Keil, M. Pulling the Plug: Software Project Management and the Problem of Project Escalation, MIS
Quarterly, Dec. 1995, pp.421-423, 438-440.
Gallaugher, Chapter 12 (Software in Flux: Open Source, Cloud, and Virtualized and App-driven Shifts).
Optional Reading: Keil, M. Pulling the Plug: Software Project Management and the Problem of
Project Escalation, MIS Quarterly, Dec. 1995, pp.423-438.
CASE: A Project Dilemma at Canadian Shield Insurance, Ivey case #W11384.
Individual Case Report Due
MANAGING EMERGING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

1
4
1
5

02/18/15

Database Mgt

02/20/15

Social Media

1
6

02/23/15

Difusion of
New
Technologies

1
7

02/25/15

Disruptive
Innovations

Gallaugher, Chapter 13 (The Data Asset: Databases, Business Intelligence, Big Data and Competitive
Advantage).
Gallaugher, Chapter 8 (Social Media, Peer Production, and Web 2.0).
Narayanan, V. K. (2001). Managing Technology and Innovation for Competitive Advantage, Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Chapter 4, pp. 95-118.
CASE: Google Glass (live case)
Christensen, C., Johnson, M. and Rigby, D. (2002). Foundations for Growth: How to Identify and Build
Disruptive New Businesses, Sloan Management Review, 43(3), pp. 22-31.
CASE: Volkswagen Group: Driving Big Business with Big Data, Ivey case #W11384.

1
8

02/27/15

Artificial
Intelligence

03/02/15

CASE REPORT

Wikipedia: IBMs Watson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watson_%28computer%29)

Individual Final Case Report Due (exam case to be distributed earlier)

The above schedule is subject to change. You can find the updated schedule on the course Sakai site.

Information Technology Management

Preparation Assignment for Class #1
January 14th, 2015

Materials:
1. Friedman, T. L. and Mandelbaum, M. (2011). That Used to be Us, Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, NY, pp. 53-80. (Note: we will be focusing on the material from pp. 53-66, but feel
free to read the remainder of the chapter if you find it of interest).
2. Gallaugher, Chapter 1 (Setting the Stage: Technology and the Modern Enterprise).
3. Ross and Weill (2002). "Six IT Decisions Your IT People Shouldn't Make,"
Note that you should access the articles from the Course Resources folder (more specifically,
the Materials for classes 1-4 folder) on the course Sakai site. If you have difficulty locating the
articles, please let me know.
Optional Reading: Friedman, T. L. and Mandelbaum, M. (2011). That Used to be Us, Farrar,
Straus and Giroux, NY, pp. 66-80.
Gallaugher, Chapter 1 (Setting the Stage: Technology and the Modern Enterprise).

Preparation:
1. Read the articles and be prepared to discuss them.
Note: If you have questions about technical terms that you encounter in the readings or the
cases for this course, try looking them up at: www.wikipedia.com, www.howstuffworks.com, or
from any other source that you wish to use.

Information Technology Management

Ron Thompson

Pandemic Plan
As you may be aware, the Provost of the University requested that all faculty members
prepare a plan that would allow students to complete each course in the event that an
emergency is declared and the University has to be closed. Here is our pandemic plan
for the ITM course:
At the beginning of the semester (now):
Download all readings and cases (from the course Sakai site)
Download all class assignments (from the course Sakai site)
If an emergency is declared:
Read all assigned readings
Complete a case report for each case, incorporating concepts from
readings
I will distribute an exam case (by email or regular postal service)
Complete the exam
If email is available, then you will complete a case write-up for each remaining case
(including the exam case), and forward your case report to me by the date we were
supposed to discuss the case in class. If email is unavailable, then complete your case
reports and store them. As soon email service is re-activated, or as soon as the
University is re-opened (whichever occurs first), you will forward your case reports to
me. Depending on when the emergency is declared, I will either replace the weighting
of class participation with an equal weighting on case reports and the exam, or I will
prorate those weightings (e.g., if we have completed half the class sessions, I will use
your class participation to that point in the course for 5%, and the other 5% that had
originally been assigned for class participation will be re-assigned to the individual case
write-ups).
If you have any questions about this plan, please let me know. Hopefully we wont have
to implement it.