IT 509 QU: Management of Information Technology
Woodbury University
Spring 2009
Room NBUS 202
Instructor Nathan Garrett
Nathan.Garrett@Woodbury.edu
818.252.5147, Miller Building
Last Updated 2/20/09
Catalog Description
The role of information as a corporate resource, and its use in providing strategic
advantage. Problems of aligning corporate IT and corporate goals, creating IT
architectures and using IT to enable change in organization. The case study method is
used. This course is appropriate for both users of systems and providers of system
support. Prerequisite: Computer literacy and graduate standing. 3 Units.
Course Learning Outcomes
My goal for this class is to answer the following two questions:
1. What are the fundamental principles behind IT systems?
2. How can I use these systems to generate advantage in my business?
This class is not about using IT, but is designed to help non-technical people understand the principles
behind iPods, cellular phones, websites, Laptops, the Internet, and the invisible systems that make it
possible for Target to deliver an order to your front door.
At the end of the course, you will be able to:
1. Describe major IT technologies
2. Describe the impact of major IT technologies on business operations
3. Write reports supporting the use of IT in providing strategic advantage
4. Orally present arguments for the use of IT in providing strategic advantage
Woodbury Principles
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Innovation & Creativity
Communication
Transdisciplinary
Social Responsibility
The Integrated Student
Academic Quality
Alignment with Program Goals
This course is designed to support the following MBA and AACSB Program learning goals:
MBA Goals
1. Develop: Communicate effectively
2. Develop: Act in an ethnical manner
3. Develop: Act effectively in global environments
4. Develop: Integrate strategies cross-functionally
5. Develop & Master: Develop Domain-specific Knowledge and Skills
AACSB Goals
1. Secondary: Capacity to lead organizations
2. Secondary: Capacity to apply knowledge in new and unfamiliar circumstances
3. Secondary: Capacity to adapt and innovate to solve new problems
4. Secondary: Integrate learning across disciplines
Textbooks
We will not be using a textbook for this course. Instead, we will be reading a selection of readings from
Harvard Business Review and other major journals.
Several HBR Case Studies will be assigned as homework. These must be individually purchased by each
student. You are responsible for reading the cases on your own computer, as the digital rights
management used may not work on Woodbury lab computers.
Readings and cases vary depending upon student interests, and will be announced in class.
Time Estimation
The credit hour system at Woodbury estimates that each hour of normal in-class work will require around
2 hours of out-of-class preparation. For our 4 hour class, this would result in 8 hours a week of
preparation.
Furthermore, IT509 is an accelerated course. Since we meet for half the semester, you should plan on
doubling the out-of-class preparation time. I attempt to make each week’s assignments comparable, but
you should expect to take some more time for the assignments in the final two weeks.
Grading & Assignments
Letter grades will follow Woodbury University Catalog standards. The following preliminary schedule
gives a rough estimation of the points available for the course.
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7 Reading Summaries – 20 Points Each
7 Quizzes – 20 Points Each
Company Proposal – 100 Points
Group Company Proposal Presentation – 100 Points
Case Study Presentation – 100 Points
Final Case Proposal – 200 Points
Other points TBD
Course Outline
I will email the class with your first week’s assignments on March 2.
To help you keep on top of the material, I send out a weekly email with assignments due the next class
meeting. Please contact me quickly with any questions you may have; I am typically able to respond
quickly to questions.
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March 9: The Basics of Computing in Business, Part 1
a. Due: Reading Summaries
b. Due: In-class Quiz
c. Tech:
i. Binary
d. Bus: Major IT Systems
i. Porter
ii. Reengineering
iii. Market Transformation
iv. Business IT Usage Levels
March 16: The Basics of Computing in Business, Part 2
a. Due: Reading Summaries
b. Due: In-class Quiz
c. Bus: Using IT To Provide Strategic Advantage
i. CRM, ERP
ii. Internet
d. Tech: Networks
i. Internet
ii. Websites
March 23: Programming Languages and Governance
a. Due: Reading Summaries
b. Due: In-class Quiz
c. Due: Proposal 1
d. Bus: Who Makes Decisions?
i. Outsourcing
ii. Governance
e. Tech:
i. Programming Languages
March 30: Databases and Open Source
a. Due: Reading Summaries
b. Due: In-class Quiz
c. Due: Mini Case Study Presentation
d. Bus:
i. SCM
ii. Carr - Does IT Matter?
e. Tech:
i. Databases
ii. Open Source
April 6: Project Management
a. Due: Reading Summaries
b. Due: In-class Quiz
c. Due: Assigned Case Studies - Report & Presentation (1st half of class)
i. IBM Innovation Jam
ii. Oracle v. Salesforce.com
iii. CVS
d. Bus:
i. What business managers need to know about PM
e. Tech:
i. Risk Factors / Redundancy / Reliability
April 13: Mass Collaboration
a.
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Due: Assigned Case Studies - Report & Presentation (2nd half of class)
i. Charles Schwab Case
ii. Harley Davidson
iii. IBM Case
b. Bus: Using Mass Collaboration
i. Wiki-nomics
ii. Network Effects, The Long Tail
c. Tech: Standards
i. Winning with Standards, VHS/DVD and HD-DVD/Blue-ray
April 20: Business Analytics
a. Due: Reading Summaries
b. Due: In-class Quiz
c. Due: Final Open Source Case Proposal
d. Bus:
i. Using Analytics to Win
e. Tech:
i. Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining
ii. Security, DRM, GIS, RFID, Social Networks
Important Notes
1.
Email
a.
All email to me must be signed with your full name, and needs to include the course
number in the email title.
b. Email addresses in IQ Web should be up-to-date. You are responsible for ensuring
Nathan.Garrett@Woodbury.edu is white-listed in your spam filter.
2. Attendance
a. Missing class will lower your final grade. Missing 2 classes lowers your maximum grade
to a B, 3 to a C, and more than 3 will result in a F.
b. Lateness or leaving early counts as missing ½ of a class.
c. Code of Student Conduct See Student Handbook:
http://www.woodbury.edu/s/131/index.aspx?sid=131&gid=1&pgid=1731
3. Subject to change
a. This syllabus is provisional and subject to change.
4. Assignments
a. Please single-space assignments, and use 1in margins and 10pt Arial font.
b. Assignments can be submitted in Word 2007 (docx) or 2003 (doc) format.
c. Writing Center: http://www.woodbury.edu/s/131/index.aspx?
sid=131&gid=1&pgid=1646&sparam=writing%20center&scontid=0
5. Plagiarism
a. This class will adhere to the standard Woodbury policies on plagiarism.
http://my.woodbury.edu/Staff/AA/Shared%20Documents/
Approved%20Academic%20Honesty%20Policy.pdf