Syllabus: MBA 778 Managing Tech. in Turbulent Times - Spring 2018

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1 Syllabus: MBA 778 Managing Tech. in Turbulent Times - Spring 18 Welcome The current economy is unlike the economy at any other time. Businesses are facing tremendous challenges to survive and be more competitive in the global economy. Often the mantra for businesses is to be increasingly more productive or perish altogether. The pressure to perform at the highest level is demanding that businesses incorporate technology into business processes in a smart and cost-effective manner. Despite the gloom and doom about the current economic conditions, it is technology coupled with strategy that can effectively transform a business from the depths of recession to the heights of global leadership. For businesses to understand and use technology in today's world is a complex challenge, in part because technology is continuously evolving. While most businesses rely on well-established technologies for their normal operations, they cannot ignore emerging technologies that may transform business models. With limited business investment, firms need to decide wisely (i) what role traditional and emerging technologies play in the company's technology strategy, (ii) which emerging technologies, if any, they need to invest in, and (iii) how to effectively use technology in reducing costs, while maintaining their core business products and services. For example, new technologies such as the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) are transforming the business supply chains. You as a manager may sometimes need to understand and evaluate an emerging technology. At times you may need to initiate and manage a technology project that is challenging in its core and risky in its outcomes. This course is intended to give you some of the knowledge, tools and techniques to manage technology in the current business environment. I will share some of my experiences in this area during the discussions. Please note that none has all the answers to the complex problem of managing technology. Welcome, keep an open mind, be inquisitive, and enjoy the course and your fellow students. My goal is to have you look beyond the obvious, explore technology and management issues, gain a better understanding of the application of technologies, and leave the course with knowledge that will be useful in your careers. Course Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to: Perceive multiple variables in a problematic situation and distinguish between the relevant and extraneous data Conduct a line of inquiry and analysis using logical thinking and research with primary and secondary sources Evaluate computer and communications technologies to achieve organizational goals Design approaches to implement new technologies Explain the concepts for the identification and assessment of emerging technologies Apply project initiation and project management techniques for organizational projects Evaluate the computer, data and network security in the organization and design processes to enhance security Course Description The intent of this course it to show the synergy that exists between the introduction of technologies into an organization and the shift in management strategy and decision making that is essential to receive full value from the technology investment. While MIS management is generally responsible for the technology acquisition and operating decisions, functional management needs to understand the application, impact, and value of the various technologies to their operating units. The course will include topics that look at managerial, organizational, strategic aspects of technology. Managing technology during turbulent times takes into account:

2 1. The rapid pace of change found with all technologies and the impact of this continual change on organizations. 2. The turbulent economic climate, including downsizing, mergers, and new channels of distribution such as the Internet. 3. The demand for more comprehensive information from both customers and suppliers, pressuring information systems and managers to meet and exceed expectations. 4. The need to justify technology expenditures in terms of increased efficiencies, better customer service or improved profits. Unit 1 introduces the role of information systems in business functions and discusses approaches to integrate technologies with business functions. It presents an overview of some of the traditional technologies and how technologies are used in different business disciplines. New technologies are a major source of turbulence in any organization. Unit 2 discusses strategies for organizations to deal with new technologies by using examples of new technologies for advertising. Unit 3 presents an overview of different wireless technologies in the enterprise and for supply chains. To keep up with competitors and effectively interface with trading partners, wireless technologies are a necessity in these times. Unit 3 also provides an in-depth study of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and discusses concepts behind a successful enterprise wireless strategy. Effective project management is a necessity for the success of IT projects in any economic environment. Unit 4 discusses project initiation and project management and concepts such as project risk management. Unit 5 discusses concepts behind assessing markets for new technologies and commercialization strategies for new technologies. This unit discusses cloud computing and related technologies. Security breaches are a common cause of concern for businesses. Unit 6 presents data security aspects and provides a series of steps for developing an enterprise-level security strategy. Many businesses have a need for saving tremendous amounts of data. Unit 7 discusses data centers and provides an overview of different types of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. The following table presents the learning outcomes for each unit. Unit 1 Learning Outcomes Managerial: Explain the role of technologies in functional areas of business. Applied: Apply technologies to accomplish example business tasks. Managerial: Discuss how technologies assist in achieving organizational goals. Managerial: Explain the role of technologies such as social media in engaging customers. Unit 2 Applied: Apply technical tools to analyze social media data. Managerial: Describe how technologies such as IoT and Social Media transforming businesses. Managerial: Analyze the role of wireless technologies in the enterprise. Unit 3 Applied: Compare and contrast new technologies such as RFID with the traditional technologies in the supply chains. Managerial: Arrive at a wireless technology strategy at the enterprise level. Applied: Utilize data from wireless technologies to address questions related to product movement in the supply chain.

3 Unit 4 Managerial: Explain how projects are initiated in organizations. Managerial: Identify project requirements. Managerial: Apply economic feasibility techniques for project selection. Applied: Apply Critical Path Method to arrive at project completion time. Applied: Analyze project budget performance using cost metrics. (Managerial) Analyze business, technological, and economic dimensions of Software as a Service (SaaS) & Cloud Computing. Unit 5 (Managerial) Determine the applicability of SaaS and Cloud Computing to organizations. (Managerial) Apply Day and Schoemaker's theoretical framework based on changes in customers, competitors, and complementary assets to cloud computing and SaaS. (Technical) Determine suitable cloud technologies for organization's applications. Discuss technologies available for data security. Unit 6 Develop processes for minimizing security breaches and dealing with security breaches. Construct a security policy for the enterprise. Explain the technological designs for data centers and ERP systems. Unit 7 Apply concepts related to data center consolidation (physical, virtual and site consolidation). Critique the emerging trends in data centers such as green data centers and co-located data centers. Required Textbook There are no required textbooks for this course. Course materials are included as documents or links to external sources as part of readings section in each unit. Each student is expected to read every week (as specified in the Unit reading materials). These additional reading materials include published research papers and white papers from various sources. Coursework The above learning outcomes are assessed using discussions, discussion summaries, unit assignments and case studies. In addition, for some units, you may be required to construct Excel spreadsheets and process diagrams using tools such as Microsoft Visio. There are no midterms or final examinations for this course. Unit coursework may include one or more of the following learning activities: 1. Written management briefings (unit assignments) discussing technical or management issues 2. Responses to specific discussion questions relevant to the weekly study topic 3. Review and summarization of discussion comments. 4. Solutions and action plans developed on the basis of a case study 5. Analysis of business data by constructing spreadsheets and using spreadsheet techniques 6. Construction of process and data models for business functions using tools such as Microsoft Visio. All submitted written work should be in Microsoft Word, Excel, and Visio.

4 Grading Policy Course grading will be based on a total of 1,000 points, allocated as follows: Personal Introduction Discussions: Initial Postings Discussions: Follow-up Postings Discussion: Summaries (no summaries required for units 4 and 6) Assignment #1 (Unit Assignment): 60 Assignment #2 (Unit Assignment): 60 Assignment #3 (Unit Assignment): 60 Assignment #4 (Case Study Paper): 80 Assignment #5 (Unit Assignment): 60 Assignment #6 (Case Study Paper): 80 Assignment #7 (Unit Assignment): 60 TOTAL MAXIMUM POINTS 1000 each (280 total) each (1 total) each (100 total) You are not required to submit summaries for Unit #4 discussion and Unit #6 discussion, since both weeks have significant case study papers due. Grading Scales For UW-Eau Claire and Consortium Students: Student Total Range Letter Grade A A B B B C C C D D D- At or below 450 F For UW-Oshkosh Students: Student Total Range Letter Grade A A B B B-

5 C C At or below 650 F For UW-La Crosse Students: Student Total Range Letter Grade A AB B BC C D At or below 600 F For UW-Parkside Students: Student Total Range Letter Grade A A B B B C C C- At or below 600 F Policies on Late Work Assignments that are turned in late will have points deducted as follows: 1 to 3 days late, deduct 10 percent of available points 4 to 7 days late, deduct 30 percent of available points More than 7 days late, deduct 50 percent of available points Please note that discussion postings (including initial messages, follow-up messages and discussion summaries) need to be submitted by the deadline and credit may not be given for late work on discussions. If you have a business problem, illness, business trip, or domestic situation, arrangements should be made and approvals granted before the due date if the late assignment is to receive full credit. Methods of Assessment A primary method of assessment is evaluation of written deliverables. A case study assignment will be evaluated for clarity, content, and construction. What this means is that while there may be no right answer, there is a right way to approach the problem-solving process. The first task is to determine the critical issues of the case, which will drive all the data gathering and analysis. Technologies employ specific nomenclature, and your work will be evaluated on how well it uses the terms and language properly. Finally, logical analysis and presentation, along with effective writing, round out the case evaluation criteria. Unit assignments will be evaluated for content, logic of presentation, and clarity of writing. The objective is to condense a great deal of technical information into a two-page report, make it meaningful, yet keep it simple enough so that the novice can understand it.

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7 Course Calendar - Spring 18 Note: You are not required to submit summaries for unit #4 discussion and unit #6 discussion, since both weeks have significant case study papers due. All assignments are due at 11:59 pm on the date listed on the calendar. Unit 1 Personal Introduction 1/29 Discussion: Initial Posting 1/31 Assignment (Unit Assignment): 2/2 2/4 2/5 60 Unit 2 Discussion: Initial Posting 2/7 Assignment (Unit Assignment): 2/9 2/11 2/12 60 Unit 3 Discussion: Initial Posting 2/14 2/16 2/18 Assignment (Unit Assignment): 2/19 60

8 Unit 4 Note: Because of the case study, no discussion summary is needed for Unit 4. Discussion: Initial Posting 2/21 Assignment (Case Study): 2/23 2/26 80 Unit 5 Discussion: Initial Posting 2/28 Assignment (Unit Assignment): 3/2 3/4 3/5 60 Unit 6 Note: Because of the case study, no discussion summary is needed for Unit 6. Discussion: Initial Posting 3/7 Assignment (Case Study): 3/9 3/12 80 Unit 7 Discussion: Initial Posting 3/14

9 Assignment (Unit Assignment): 3/16 3/18 3/19 Complete final course evaluation 3/16 60