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Appendix Real World Case Studies
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Appendix
Real World Case Studies
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Introduction
Based on real situationsYour opportunity to:
Integrate your knowledge of major conceptsApply your knowledge to real world
situations
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Solving Case Studies
Simplest approach – read the case and then answer the questions
More formal approachIdentify problems, opportunities, and
symptomsSeparate problems/opportunities from
symptoms (determine the root cause of the problem)
Identify major systems components most involved in the problems/opportunities
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Solving Case Studies (continued)
Statement of ProblemWhat are the major problems or
opportunities facing the organization (define the problem)
Summary of alternative solutionsIdentify several alternative solutions to the
identified problems/opportunities
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Solving Case Studies (continued)
Evaluation of alternative solutionsEvaluate the alternatives using evaluation
criteria that reveal the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative
Rationale for the selected solutionWhich solution best meets the evaluation
criteria?Why did you select this solution over all
others? What made this solution number one rather than number two or three?
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Solving Case Studies (continued)
Information system design proposalPropose a design for any new or improved
information system required by the selected solution.
Use one or more tools of analysis and design to illustrate your design proposal.
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Solving Case Studies (continued)
Implementation PlanPropose a plan for implementing your
chosen solution
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Solution Constraints
InformationThe amount of data and information is
limited.Assumptions
You will be making a number of assumptions. Identify and explain the reasons for any major assumptions you make.
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Solution Constraints (continued)
TimeThe more time you have, the more
information you can gather, and the more analysis you can perform.
But remember, time constraints are typical, so make the best use of the time you have.
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The Feld Group
Rescuing Failing IT Organizations
The Feld Group’s MissionWhy do large business organizations with
large IT departments and many years of IT experience need the help of a company like the Feld Group?
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The Feld Group (continued)
What is the goal of the Feld Group when called in to a company? Is this goal appropriate to the situations they usually face?
Why can Charlie Feld say that diagnosing a company’s IT problems is the easy part of his team’s mission?
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The Feld Group (continued)
The Feld Group’s Approach
Evaluate the Feld Group’s five dimensions approach. Is it appropriate to the situations they usually face?
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The Feld Group (continued)
What can be done about “the gap” that Feld sees in business/IT? Do you agree with him that outsourcing or decentralizing IT is not the way to solve the problem?
Why do you think the Feld Group finds that many companies have a “Tower of Babel, full of fossils and fads” in IT? What can be done to solve this problem in business?
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The Feld Group (continued)
Turning around the IT Organization
Is the turnaround project used by the Feld Group a good turnaround device? What are the benefits and limitations?
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The Feld Group (continued)
Why does Feld prefer a “publish and subscribe” model for IT in business, rather than the more usual “service model”? What are the issues involved? What is your position on Feld’s view?
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The Feld Group (continued)
Do you agree with how Feld likes to improve the IT organization in a company? What are the benefits and limitations?
Feld says of IT: “It’s time this profession grew up.” Is this a fair assessment?
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Delta Airlines
From Failure to Success in Information Technology
Changing IT at Delta
Why did Delta need something like Y2K to help change its IT operation?
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Delta Airlines (continued)
How did the investment in Priceline.com help change the state of IT at Delta?
How do you rate Delta’s leadership position in IT as claimed by CEO Leo Mullin after reading this case?
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Delta Airlines (continued)
The Role of IT at DeltaDo you agree with Leo Mullin’s position on
the role of IT at Delta and for the airline industry?
How do you rate the websites of Delta mentioned in this case in terms of Delta’s online performance?
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Delta Airlines (continued)
How is IT helping to improve the customer experience at Delta? How do you rate their performance?
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Delta Airlines (continued)
The Future of IT at DeltaDo you agree with the way Delta is using IT
to improve its relationship with its employees? What else could they do?
How can Delta use IT to deal more efficiently with its suppliers and other business partners?
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Delta Airlines (continued)
How else could Delta use information technology to improve air travel for its customers? What is the business and customer value of your proposals?
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IBM Corporation
The Reinvention of an Information Technology Company
Changing the Business Model
How did IBM change its basic business model under CEO Louis Gerstner?
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IBM Corporation (continued)
Why did IBM change from closed proprietary systems to open-standards technologies?
How has the change to open standards changed IBM’s lines of business and business performance?
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IBM Corporation (continued)
From Success to Failure to Success
What was the basis for IBM’s success before the 1990s?
What were the reasons for IBM’s dramatic failure in the early 1990s?
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IBM Corporation (continued)
What business and technology strategies and choices are the keys to IBM’s current success?
Why have those strategies made a difference?
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IBM Corporation (continued)
The Future of IBM and the IT Industry
How do IBM’s competitors view its current business model?
How does IBM view its new business strategies?
What is your view?
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IBM Corporation (continued)
How have IBM’s competitors been affected by IBM’s transformation? How should they compete with the new IBM business model?
What are the challenges and dangers that could sabotage IBM’s success in the future? What should they do to meet these challenges?
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Zara and Inditex
Using Information Technology for Competitive Advantage
Zara’s Business ModelHow does Zara’s business model differ from
other large apparel retailers?
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Zara and Inditex (continued)
Is Zara’s business model the key to their current success compared to their competitors in the retail apparel industry?
Does Zara’s use of information technology give them a competitive advantage in their business model?
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Zara and Inditex (continued)
How important are store managers and their use of IT to the success of Zara’s business model?
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Zara and Inditex (continued)
Zara’s ChallengesWhat business challenges might Zara face as
it continues to expand in Europe and elsewhere?
How could Zara use IT to help meet such challenges?
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Zara and Inditex (continued)
Should other major apparel retailers in the U.S. market and other countries copy the Zara business model and use of IT?
Should Zara expand its present limited retail e-commerce presence or continue its emphasis on expanding its physical retail store locations?
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eBay Inc.
The Challenges of Online Marketplace Success
The World’s Online Marketplace
How well does eBay provide “the world’s largest online trading platform, where practically anyone can trade practically anything”?
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eBay Inc. (continued)
Why do you think eBay has become the largest online market for certain products, such as autos, collectibles, computers, photo equipment, and sporting goods?
How do people make a living trading on e-Bay? What does it take to be an e-Bay Powerseller, or have someone sell for you?
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eBay Inc. (continued)
The Business of eBayWhy has eBay become such a successful,
growing marketplace?
How does eBay Inc. generate such large revenues and profits from its online global trading marketplace compared to other businesses?
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eBay Inc. (continued)
How important is information technology to the success of eBay?
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eBay Inc. (continued)
The Challenges of Social CapitalWhy is the success of an online marketplace
like eBay so dependent on its supply of social capital?
How has eBay succeeded in creating and managing its marketplace so it has been able to attract and retain substantial social capital?
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eBay Inc. (continued)
What challenges does eBay now face in continuing to attract and retain the social capital it needs to succeed as an online marketplace?
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eBay Inc. (continued)
Changing the Online Marketplace
Why is eBay developing fixed-priced selling and competing with Amazon.com?
Is this a good business strategy?
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eBay Inc. (continued)
Why is eBay encouraging large companies like Disney, Home Depot, and IBM to trade on its site? What are the business benefits and challenges of this strategy?
What can eBay do to “continue to expand aggressively into new categories, geographies, formats, and customer types” and still retain the social capital it needs to succeed as an online marketplace?
