Case Western Reserve University
Spring 2008
IIME 420—Information Technology and Systems
Wednesdays, 6:00-8:30 pm, PBL 02
instructor:
email:
office:
voice:
fax:
web site:
office hours:
Fred Collopy
collopy@case.edu
527 Peter B. Lewis Building
216-368-2144
216-368-4776
collopy.case.edu
posted on web site and by appointment
instructor:
email:
office:
voice:
fax:
office hours:
Lev Gonick
lev.gonick@case.edu
311 Adelbert
216.368.1025
216.368.4903
by appointment
Objectives
The focus of this course is information, the design of systems used to manage it, and the benefits
that can be derived from it in an organizational context. Information systems and technologies
are responsible for much of the rapid change that is affecting organizations and the professionals
that manage them. It is more important than ever to be skilled in acquiring and understanding
information, presenting it effectively and using it to forecast and make decisions. We address
these through discussions, assignments, and projects.
We also explore issues related to the effective use and management of information technology.
We will examine how information technology can be used to support the needs of business with
a particular focus on the role that managers must play in the development and delivery of
technology solutions. Technology is an essential aspect of firms today. As such it requires the
attention of management, at both the organizational and the project levels. Further, technology
affects almost every aspect of managing.
The objectives you should have for this course are to develop:
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an understanding of the basic concepts and terminology of information technology,
insight into the role of information technology in the strategy and management of
organizations, and
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comfort with issues relating to the management of the information function and its
resources.
By the end of the course, you should expect to be equipped with enough knowledge to be an
informed and active participant in information technology decisions in your organization.
We will achieve these broad objectives by developing some specific skills. In the course of the
semester you’ll gain experience in:
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Making and using systems maps to think about complex situations
Applying a systematic approach to project planning and execution
Developing and evaluating principles for the use of information technology
Evaluating and improving business cases for information systems projects
Developing an historical perspective on technology and business
Using the Internet and other resources for ongoing professional development
Making presentations
Working in groups
Structure
During the first part of the semester we will learn several approaches to understanding,
designing, and adopting information systems. These approaches have all been developed in
response to the unique challenges facing designers of socio-technical systems. Such systems are
often embedded in other, often political, systems. Their boundaries are often fuzzy, without clear
delineations of where the designer’s responsibility begins or where it ends. They are often
designed and refined incrementally in the context of their use and by the people who use them as
much as by their nominal ‘developers.’ So, while your skills and your training as engineers will
be relevant, it will often not be enough. These approaches are intended to help you where those
skills leave off.
The second part of the course will comprise looking at living cases, real projects that are
currently underway. Participants in those projects will join us to discuss issues that have arisen in
the course of the project. Preparation for these sessions will consist reading working documents,
and integrating the issues raised with ideas covered in the text.
Finally, a couple of class sessions will be devoted to group presentations of cases that you will
develop around projects that are currently ongoing. More details about this requirement are
discussed below under Developing Cases.
Materials
To help reduce costs most of the materials to support this class available on Blackboard.
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Evaluation
Performance in the course is assessed using three components:
Contribution
Project
Peer reviews
20%
60%
20%
Academic integrity
All students are expected to adhere to university standards of academic integrity. Cheating,
plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty are not tolerated. This includes, but is not
limited to, consulting with another person during an exam, turning in written work that was
prepared by someone other than you, and making minor modifications to the work of someone
else and turning it in as your own. Ignorance will not be permitted as an excuse.
If you are not sure whether something you plan to submit would be considered either cheating or
plagiarism, it is your responsibility to ask for clarification. When your name appears on a group
product for a class, you are responsible for the integrity of the work, even if you did not
personally write the offending material. Either ask me about it or consult credible sources of
information on the subject.
Two useful Internet sites are Indiana University's guidelines for avoiding plagarism and UNC's
citation guidelines. Please remember that you have agreed to Standards of Academic Integrity
which outlines your responsibility in greater detail.
Contribution
Much of your learning will occur as you prepare for and participate in class discussions. Most
people in business are evaluated as much on what they say as on what they write. The classroom
gives you the opportunity to hone your discussion and debating skills. We encourage you to
work with others to get ready for each session.
Your contribution will not be evaluated on what you know, but rather on what you contribute to
the class. Effective participation in a discussion has much more to do with quality than quantity.
In other words, using airtime without contributing to the advancement of the discussion is not
rewarded. Nor is mere repetition. A great contribution is usually sensitive to the context that has
developed up to that point. It often takes the analysis to a new level. If you are unfamiliar with
this approach to education, a good way to start is by getting involved early in a case discussion,
when things are wide open and fairly fluid.
Criteria for credit include attendance, punctuality, apparent level of preparation, and
professionalism. We encourage you to engage in critical thinking, to challenge without showing
disrespect and to regularly put your ideas forward for consideration.
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Project
Groups of five students will work together over the course of the semester on a project.
Milestones:
January 23:
February 6:
February 13:
March 5:
March 26:
April 2:
April 9:
April 9 & 16:
Form groups
Turn in brief
Peer critique of brief returned to group
System map submitted
Project passed to peer-review group
Peer-review back to group
Project posted on blackboard
Project presentations
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
Any student requiring special consideration in classroom arrangements or equipment, please
make an appointment to come and speak with me.
Instructor Biographies
Fred Collopy
Fred received his PhD in 1991 from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He has
been on the faculty here since then. His interests include business forecasting, objective setting in
organizations, multimedia, and design.
Before starting my PhD Fred worked mainly in entrepreneurial ventures. His first job out of
college was as an analyst for the Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati, a public
policy think tank, where he worked with church and civic leaders primarily to influence
telecommunications and health policy. He was one of five during the earliest days of Thiel
Audio, which has since become a leading manufacturer of high-end loudspeakers. In 1979, he
founded Conceptual Instruments to develop The Desk Organizer. When published by Warner
Software (a division of Time Warner), it created a new product category.
He has also worked at, and consulted with, some of the largest companies in the world, the U.S.
federal government, and many universities, local governments, and non-profit organizations.
In 1998-99, Fred was a visiting scientist at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Laboratory, where
he worked with the Computer Music Center on the design of interfaces for controlling sound and
graphics in real-time. He was a visiting professor in the Communications Department at Cornell
University in 2006.
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Lev Gonick
Lev Gonick has been teaching, working, and living on the Net since 1987. Today, Lev is Vice
President for Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer at Case Western
Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Case is one of the nation's leading independent research
universities, with programs that are marked by distinction in health sciences, law, management,
engineering, social work, and arts and sciences. Case’s technology infrastructure and reputation
for innovation and cutting-edge applications is recognized across the country and around the
world. Case’s switched gigabit network is among the fastest enterprise networks in the world.
Case is also a leader in the deployment of wireless services. Lev is also President of the Board of
OneCleveland, a metropolitan-wide strategy to extend high speed network connectivity to the
non-profit sector in Northeast Ohio, and serves on multiple national and local boards.
Previously, Lev served as Chief Information Technology Officer for Cal State Monterey Bay
(CSUMB). CSUMB is the 21st campus of the 365,000-student body California State University
system. CSUMB is the Cal State's "Bullets to Books to Bytes" campus being built on former Fort
Ord as the Cal State's first 21st century campus.
From 1996 through 1999 Lev was University Dean for Instructional Technology and Academic
Computing at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona California. Under his
leadership, Cal Poly Pomona became a national leader in charting the future of Higher Education
in the Digital Age. MediaVision, Cal Poly Pomona’s internationally acclaimed digital education
content development and delivery system has been recognized with awards from both the
technology and education communities
Lev received his PhD in International Political Economy from York University in Ontario,
Canada. He is married to Barbara Weltman-Gonick. They have two children and live in
Beachwood, Ohio
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Schedule
Jan 16
Read:
View:
Introduction
Ray Kurzweil, The singularity and human destiny
The singularity is near (Kurzweil at Google)
Links to the above are available on blackboard.
We’ll be joined by a panel to reflect on the issues raised:
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Mark Ansboury (OneCommunity) -- connectivity
Bill Snow (Sprint) -- mobility
Mark Chase (Genetics) -- data
Cathy Horton -- business
Jan 23
Read:
Prepare case:
Case method
Systems approach
J. Scott Armstrong, The systems approach
Fordley car park
Discussion questions:
 Why are we looking at a car park in an information systems class?
 How could this meeting have been made more productive?
 What systems were discussed during the meeting?
 What systems should be considered?
 What would you recommend?
We will also look briefly ad the case method and at preparing a brief during this session.
Jan 30
Systems thinking
Preparation:
Explore the Principia Cybernetica web site. The link brings you into the site at the
concept of feedback. Beginning there explore the site to develop an appreciation of some
basic concepts in cybernetics and systems thinking.
Prepare case:
Better information isn’t always beneficial
Discussion questions:
 What does it mean to call information “the antidote to uncertainty”?
 What are the implications of aggregating information? Does it make sense to say “it
changes nothing” given that the information has been available?
 Are the issues that Wessel identifies in this article actually “practical issues”?
 How would you describe the impacts of accurate forecasts on the market for insurance?
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Feb 6
Read:
Prepare case:
The principles approach
Thomas H. Davenport, Information Strategy
United Parcel Service: Delivering Packages and E-Commerce Solutions
Discussion questions:
 What are the issues facing UPS?
 How did UPS become a technology company?
 How did UPS manage eCommerce as it became standard?
 What was the role of principles in managing technology there?
We will also discuss how to conduct a critique.
Feb 13
Read:
The soft systems method
Checkland & Howell, The information system which won the war
Discussion questions:
 What characteristics of this system made it successful?
 What about the way the systems were developed contributed?
 When is the soft systems methodology most likely to be worth using?
Prepare case:
eBusiness from within: The organizational transformation at Glamox
Discussion questions:
 What problems face Glamox?
 Why did Thommessen take this job?
 Why did he support Fredly’s project?
 How does their handling of this transformation relate to the Checkland and Howell’s soft
systems method?
 If you were Thommessen, which part of the organization would you target next for
change?
 What is Glamox’s strategic position and outlook at the end of the case?
Feb 20
Read:
Making a business case for an information system
Consumer Products International
Biogenetical San Jose ITSA Replacement
Discussion questions:
 What is the primary basis for the argument in each of the two cases?
 What is the potential strategic impact of each system?
 How essential are the investments?
 How would you compare the quality of the two presentations?
 How would you compare the quality of analysis in the two cases?
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Prepare case:
Managing large-scale global enterprise resource planning systems: TI
Discussion questions:
 What are the issues facing TI?
 What is their situation?
 Under what conditions are single-instance ERPs preferred?
 How was the system justified at TI?
 What factors account for their success?
Feb 27
Read:
Prepare case:
Design thinking
Roger Martin, Embedding Design into Business
Bang & Olufsen: Design Driven Innovation
Discussion questions:
 How issues face B & O?
 How would you approach the big meeting?
 What do you think of the thesis-antithesis process?
 How comfortable are you with the way decisions are made at B & O?
During the weeks from March 5th through April 2nd we will look at live cases in several
organizations.
Mar 5
Mar 19
Mar 26
Apr 2
Apr 9
Project presentations
Apr 16Project presentations
Apr 23
Wrap-up
A free-wheeling discussion of themes, ideas and lessons learned
1/11/07
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