UMKC Bloch School

MIS 558 "Management and Economics of Computers"

Course Syllabus for Fall, 2000

Wednesdays at 7:00 - 9:45 P. M. in Bloch 4

Click on this text to move directly to assignment and topic schedule.

Associate Professor: Roger Alan Pick
Office: Bloch 237
Phone: +1 (816) 235-2336
FAX: +1 (816) 235-6506
E-Mail: pick@acm.org

Hours: I am available by appointment. In addition, I'm usually in and out of my office from 9:30 to 5:00 Monday - Thursday and am happy to talk to you on a drop-in basis. It's best to call before coming over to be sure I'm in. Much can be handled over the phone; leave voice mail if I don't answer.



Textbook: Lynda M. Applegate, F. Warren McFarlan and James L. McKenney, Corporate Information Systems Management: Text and Cases, 5th edition, New York: Irwin-McGraw-Hill, 1999.



Overview: We will survey a variety of topics concerning information technology management in the twenty-first century. There is a bias towards addressing issues that concern senior executives at large firms. Instructional techniques will include lectures and case discussions.



Prerequisite: MIS 502 or equivalent.



Objectives:



ADA: If you have any questions about disability or desire accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act, please contact the Office of Disabled Student Services at 235-1083.



Attendance: You are responsible for everything covered or handed out in class. The easiest way to meet this responsibility is to come to class every time.



Grading: Sixty percent of your grade will come from two exams (30% each). Forty percent will come from an evaluation of your contribution to in-class case discussions.



Exams: There will be two open-book and open-note essay exams. You are expected to do each exam on your own without assistance from anyone. Use of e-mail, chat, or similar facilities during an exam will result in a zero grade for the exam. Makeup exams will only be given if you miss an exam for any reason. It is easier to solve problems in advance than after the fact; make me aware of any problems as early as possible.



Cases: There are twelve cases. Preparing for these case discussion is crucial to your success in this class. The individual class participation grade is based upon the case studies. After each case discussion, I will note who was present, who spoke at all, and will subjectively judge whose participation was excellent. Students who never participate in class should not be surprised to learn that their class participation grade will seriously lower their overall grade in this course. If you are unsure how to begin participating, you can get started by looking at the financial situation of the firm (when the case provides the data), at the competitive situation of the firm (when the case provides the data), at the firm's website (when the case is not disguised), and at the discussion questions given in the course schedule below. The lowest two class participation grades will be dropped.

Winter Weather: Although I do not anticipate the necessity of this, it is possible that it may be necessary to cancel class due to inclement weather. This class will meet if UMKC is open; conversely, if UMKC is closed, this class is canceled. Students who are unable to attend class during bad weather when the class has not been canceled should call and leave a message on the professor's voice mail system indicating this. If class is canceled due to closure of the university, all activities scheduled for the canceled session will take place during the next class meeting including exams.



Administrative Note: Keep every graded paper returned to you until you receive your final grade report from the university.



Incomplete: I am permitted to give incomplete grades to students who have been unable to complete the work of the course because of illness or serious reasons beyond their control. This work must be completed within one calendar year to avoid the incomplete grade lapsing to an F. You should bring up problems in advance when you can do so.





Below is a tentative schedule for the class.



Date Activities/Topics/Assignments
8/23 Course Introduction. Lecture on IT issues and themes. Lecture on roles of CIO, managers, and users. Read textbook pages 1-13 and 36-38. Hand out syllabus.
8/30 Lecture on integration, emerging technologies, smart cards, sourcing policies application development. Discussion of Case 1-2 "A Tale of Two Airlines." (What assumptions did Prof. McPherson make regarding information technology support at the London-based airline? Were these assumptions realistic for the mid-1990s? What were the differences between the London-based and the Atlanta airline's approach? Did the Atlanta-based airline have any special advantages? What advice would you give to the London-based airline's management?) Read pages 24-36.
9/6 Lecture on strategic impact of information technology. Discussion of Case 1-1 "Verifone." (What are the key attributes of the VeriFone organizational structure? Will it be possible to maintain the company's culture as part of HP?) Read pages 15-24 and 59-86.
9/13 Lecture on e-commerce. Discussion of Case 2-1 "Canadian Airlines." (What is Canada's position in the airline industry? What are the major IT issues facing the two airlines? How important is a good reservation systems?) Read pages 87-118.
9/20 Lecture on organizing the MIS function. Possible videotape. Lecture on control and transfer pricing Discussion of Case 2-3 "Internet Securities." (Evaluate the ISI business model. Take a look at the ISI website (www.securities.com) and become familiar with the features of their information service. What advice would you give to Gary and George concerning the strategic positioning of ISI?) Read pages 171-205 and 425-435.
9/27 Lecture on IT architecture, centralization vs decentralization of technology. Discussion of Case 2-2 "H E Butt." (What is HEB's competitive position? What is Efficient Consumer Response? What have been HEB's systems innovations in the past decade? What technology challenges do they face in the future?) Read pages 207-236.
10/4 Lecture on leadership, centralization vs decentralization of organization. Discussion of Case 3-4 "MicroAge." (How has MicroAge been reinventing itself? What organizational changes has MicroAge made to accomplish its current strategy? Take a look at their website (www.microage.com). What challenges do the senior management team face in January, 1998? Do you agree with management's decision to adopt a hybrid business model? Do you agree with the Gartner Group's analysis?) Read pages 347-367.
10/11 Exam! You must bring your textbook to the exam.
10/18 Lecture on outsourcing. Discussion of Case To Be Handed Out "Agrico." (What is Burdell's view of the situation? What is Rogers's view? Advise Burdell over the next hour. Advise Burdell over the long term.) Read pages 369-389.
10/25 Lecture on IT operations, ethical issues. Discussion of ethical issues. Discussion of Case 4-1 "Xerox." (Why did Xerox outsource? Are their reasons for outsourcing generalizable to other companies? How is global outsourcing different from domestic outsourcing?) Read pages 391-417. Additional reading to be announced.
11/1 Lecture on enterprise resource planning and IT planning. Discussion of Case 5-1 "Colliers." (Compare and contrast the Colliers organization with a traditional hierarchical firm. What role does information technology play in enabling the organization to meet its challenges? What recommendation would you make to Stewart Forbes?) Read pages 419-425, 435-450, and additional reading to be announced.
11/8 Project risk assessment. Discussion of Case 5-2 "Springs Industries." (Characterize Springs Industries' financial situation. Characterize their competitive position. How do you decide if you're spending enough or too much on technology? Describe the evolution of Spring IT architecture. What are the recent computer applications at Springs? What strategy should Springs pursue? What is the place for electronic commerce at Springs?) Read pages 451-466 and additional reading to be announced.
11/15 Lecture on operating a global IT infrastructure. Discussion of Case 4-4 "Denver International Airport." (Assess the riskiness of this project. List every decision described in the case which delayed the project. List every event described in the case which delayed the project. Who's at fault? Do some outside research to find out how the problem was solved.) Read pages 563-587.
11/29 Lecture on IT business. Discussion of Case 4-3 "Singapore Unlimited." (What was Prime Minister Yew's vision for Singapore? How has this vision been changed under Prime Minister Tong? What is a National Information Infrastructure? Evaluate the process used to implement Singapore's National Information Infrastructure. Would you consider the implementation successful?) Read pages 589-604.
12/6 Exam! You must bring your textbook to the exam.
12/13 8-10 p.m. Comprehensive final makeup exam by reservation.


The latest version of this syllabus will be located online at http://pickr.bsbpa.umkc.edu/mis558/.