Description of Group Tasks for the Presentations

Group Tasks Task for Groups 1 and 2 IT Enabled Business Models in One Industry The aim is to understand the current and potential use of IT enabled business models (i.e., e-business) in one industry. Groups will choose an industry to carefully investigate (e.g. retail banking, travel, car manufacturing, specialty retail, legal services). Examples of projects completed by student groups in previous years will be placed on Sloan Space. The aim of your group assignment is to understand the actual and potential impact of ebusiness for your chosen industry. The intent is to profile, from a senior management perspective, the network of buyers and sellers and exchange of information in the industry. Many industries are undergoing change with the boundaries of the particular industry blurring. To account for these changes you should take a broad definition of your industry. By the end of the course, your group should be acknowledged experts on e-business in your industry. To provide focus you should take the perspective of one type of firm (e.g. large insurance company in the insurance industry, a boutique label in the music industry, a largest travel agent in the travel industry) but NOT a particular firm (e.g. Citibank or MIT Sloan or The IRS). To complete your analysis I suggest you: • Perform a detailed industry analysis using a series of tools including those covered in class (e.g. Porter’s five factors, atomic e-Business models etc.) • Conduct a literature review particularly of studies of the market power of the participants and the current use of IT enabled business models. • Interview participants in the industry—I should be able to give you pointers to people who may be helpful • Consider using Scenario Analysis as described by Clemons and Bradley in the reading for session 9. • Analyze future viable IT enabled business models. This is an emerging and fast changing area so I have no firm views on your group’s deliverables for the project. However, to provide a general guideline, the presentation should draw on your work in the following areas: • Identification and definition of the industry • A very brief discussion of the traditional participants and stakeholders, roles and responsibilities, relative power of the stakeholders (e.g., market shares etc.), regulations, profitability, and growth. • Brief discussion of the drivers of change in the industry and identification of the leaders. • Profile of the current practice of business, both marketplace (physical) and marketspace (electronic). • Identification of the likely changes to the industry enabled or caused by e-business and other major factors (regulation, globalization, concentration, disintermediation, etc.) • Identification of the key (current and emerging) business models in the industry. This is the major deliverable of the project. • Prediction of the state of the industry in five years (e.g. business models). • Recommendations for firms of the type you have focused on. Task for Group 3 Information Systems Planning To better understand IS planning, conduct interviews with two or three consulting firms with IS Planning practices. Contact me to get the names and contact details of two consulting firm (e.g., from BCG and Accenture) who have agreed to talk with you. Important issues include: 1. How do they define IS Planning? 2. Typically, which group/person in an organization are their clients. Why are they usually called in? 3. What is the general approach the consulting firm uses? 4. What tools, methods, techniques are used? 5. Brief (anonymous) descriptions of one or two successful engagements. 6. How do they determine if it was a successful engagement? 7. How to choose an IS planning consultant. Finally, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the approach the consulting firm uses. Group 4 Tasks IT Outsourcing Outsourcing of IT is increasing at approximately 10% per annum in large organizations. However, there is little guidance for what IT activities should and shouldn’t be outsourced. Prepare a presentation and report for a group of senior managers from many different organizations addressing the following. What is IT outsourcing? 1. What are the different types of outsourcing arrangements and what IT activities can be outsourced? 2. Describe one or more examples of organizations that have outsourced. 3. In what circumstances should an organization consider outsourcing and what are the risks? 4. Produce a framework to help a firm decide whether and what IT activities should be outsourced. Information Sources: 1. Several books and articles by Rudy Hirschheim or Mary Lacity or Leslie Wilcocks. 2. Firms that have outsourced – see me for details. Task for Group 5 Role of CIO Your group has been invited to the next meeting of the CEO Circle to present on the “Role of the CIO.” The CEO Circle is a group of about 100 London and New York based CEOs who meet on a regular basis to discuss issues of mutual interest and hear from speakers. At a previous meeting several of the members mentioned the challenge of the managing the most senior information technology manager in the organization. Prepare a 20-minute presentation (followed by 15 minutes of questions) on the role of the CIO. In your address consider: 1. The role and responsibilities of the CIO. 2. The type of person and skills required for the job. 3. How to assess the performance of the CIO 4. Recommendations for managing the CIO. Sources of Information: 1. Mark Polansky CIO Search Consultant with Korn Ferry in NYC 2. CIO Magazine Top 100 CIOs Task for Group 6 Productivity Paradox: A Debate Please hold a debate, organizational role-play, or another "show" on the following topic: "The Productivity Paradox: There has been little tangible benefit from the large investments in information technology?" The style and format of the presentation is entirely up to the group. This is the last presentation so have some fun. One suggestion is to use a traditional debate structure. • Chairperson Introduction • Opening Remarks (Affirmative) • Opening Remarks (Against) • Rebuttal (Affirmative) • Rebuttal (Against) • Questions Total time will be 35 minutes.