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Information Technology For Managers, 2nd Edition Solution Manual

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    Information Technology For Managers 1 - 1 Chapter 1 Managers: Key to Information Technology Results Solutions to End of Chapter Material Answers to What Would You Do Questions 1. A new financial analyst at your firm has been tasked with performing a competitive analysis of your firm’s IT spending versus your three top competitors. Over lunch with you and a couple of other recent hires, the coworker shares that her analysis shows your firm is spending just over 4 percent of revenue (recent annual revenue for the firm was $150 million) on IT while your company’s competitors are all spending less than 3 percent (recent revenue ranges from $300 million to $400 million). She asks the group if they think this spending difference is significant and if she should highlight it in her report. What would you say? Students’ answers will vary. However, students may mention that organization s typically spend 1 to 6 percent of their total revenues on IT . This spending is generally higher for industries in which IT is more critical to success, such as health care and financial services. IT spending as a percentage of revenue is also typically higher within small organizations than large organizations. Students may also mention that these numbers represent rough averages. IT - related spending varies greatly, even among similar - sized companies within the same industry. While one company may outspend a competitor on IT, it is not necessarily making more effective use of IT. The most important consideration is what organizations are getting out of their investments in IT, not how much they are investing in IT. The most effective users of IT maximize value from IT investments that are aligned with their organization’s strategic needs and that are well managed and executed. Managers must evaluate IT investment opportunities against existing business needs and help frame these opportunities so others can understand them. Managers must provide the leadership to recognize and advocate for those opportunities that fit with the organization’s business strategy. 2. Imagine instead that the new Avon order management system was well designed and extremely easy to use. Identify key actions that the Avon management team must take to

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    Information Technology For Managers 1 - 2 ensure a successful rollout of an easy - to - use system for the Canadian sales reps. Students’ answers will vary. Students may mention that to implement an IT system successfully, Avon might need to change its business processes, worker roles and responsibilities, reward systems, and decision making. Many organizations have tried to implement a promising new IT system, only to have employees never use it or not use the system to its full potential. Managers must be able to overcome this resistance so that the new IT system is accepted and used throughout the organization. Several theories on organizational change management can help smooth the introduction and adoption of IT . Three such theories are: the Change Management Continuum Model, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. 3. The board of directors at City Hospital is determined not to be fined for violation of HIPAA rules. They asked your consulting group to prepare a comprehensive strategy to communicate to employees and contractors the importance of following HIPAA regulations. Brainstorm the key elements of your communications strategy. What actions might you request of the board of directors and other executives at the hospital to strengthen your strategy? Students’ answers will vary. However, students may mention that the introduction of an enterprise IT system requires large amounts of resources and significant changes in procedures, roles and responsibilities, reward systems, and decision making. In other words, it represents a major organizational change. Managers should have their work cut out to gain acceptance of all these changes. To strengthen the communications strategy , the board of directors and other executives should impos e standards and procedures that spell out exactly how transactions must be conducted and how the supporting information must be captured, stored, and shared. Senior management may sometimes encourage adoption of enterprise IT by threatening penalties for nonconformance. 4. You are the new office manager for a small accounting firm of 12 people. You just received a complaint of an employee viewing pornography while at work. Not only is the employee wasting company time but he is also creating a potential liability for a sexual harassment lawsuit if the practice is allowed to continue. What action would you take to handle this situation? Students’ answers will vary. The office manager should ensure that there is no inappropriate use of IT resources such that it reduces employees’ productivity . Employees should not waste time visiting Web sites unrelated to their work. Additionally, inappropriate use of IT resources to view sexually explicit material could subject the firm to a sexual harassment lawsuit. Failure to ensure that IT risks are mitigated can lead to serious problems, such as business disruptions, data breaches exposing employee and/or

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    Information Technology For Managers 1 - 3 customer personal data, and legal penalties. Hence, the manager must tell the employee about the consequences of breaking the rule. Answers to Discussion Questions 1. Reflecting on what you read in this chapter and looking forward to a successful course, identify three learning objectives you want to meet this term. Students’ answers will vary. The response will be different for every student. 2. Identify and briefly discuss an example of an enterprise or interorganizational system with which you have recently interacted. Students’ answers will vary. They might describe a system from their personal experience. 3. Based on your own experience and reading, identify and briefly discuss an example of an organization that has invested greatly in IT and yet has relatively little to show as a result. Identify and briefly discuss an organization where the opposite is true. To what do you attribute the difference? Students’ answers will vary. However, students may mention that while one company may outspend a competitor on IT, it is not necessarily making mor e effective use of IT. The most important consideration is what organizations are getting out of their investments in IT, not how much they are investing in IT. The most effective use rs of IT maximize value from IT investments that are aligned with their organization’s strategic needs and that are well managed and executed. Managers must evaluate IT investment opportunities against existing business needs and help frame these opportunities so others can understand them. Managers must provide the leadership to recognize and advocate for those opportunities that fit with the organization’s business strategy. 4. What percentage of revenue should an organization spend on IT? Explain the rationale for your answer. On average, organizations spend between 1% and 6 % of their total revenue on IT. This can vary greatly depending on what opportunities and threats a given organization is facing. Spending also depends on how wise management is in spending its IT dollars effectively. 5. What are the basic reasons that people resist change? How can this resistance be overcome? Four basic reasons that people resist change are:

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    Information Technology For Managers 1 - 4 • Parochial self - interest — some people are more concerned with the impact of the change on themselves than with how it might improve the organization . • Misunderstanding — some people have misconceptions or lack information about the change . • Low tolerance to change — some people require security and stability in their work . • Different assessments of the situation — some people disagree about the reasons for the change or do not support the change process. O ne approach to help overcome resistance to change is to take people through the three phases (inform, educate, and commit) and seven stages (contact, awareness, understanding, positive perception, adoption, institutional ization , and internalization) of the change management continuum model. 6. What is meant by management expectations, and how can they affect the acceptance of new IT? Management expect ation s is the degree of belief that management wants employees to use the system. Management expects everyone to use the new technology and to behave in a manner consistent with the new work processes. Management must communicate their expectations, measure progress toward meeting those expectations, and provide feedback to end users regarding their use of the new information system and work process. 7. Develop a timeline that identifies the approximate times at which the various stages of the Change Management Continuum Model should occur for the implementation of a major enterprise system. Assume that the project will last 18 months and has these key milestones: • Systems definition complete at 3 months • System design complete at 7 months • System construction complete at 12 months • System testing complete at 16 months • System cutover starts at 18 months The approximate times at which the various stages of the Change Management Continuum Model should occur for the implementation of a major enterprise system are as follows: • Contact at 0 month • Awareness at 3 months • Understanding at 7 months • Positive perception at 12 months • Adoption at 16 months • Institutionalization at 18 months

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    Information Technology For Managers 1 - 5 • Internalization after 18 months 8. Considering the Diffusion of Innovation theory, which categories of adopters might you enlist to help in gaining acceptance of a new information system? What specifically would you ask of these different categories of adopters? Which category of adopters may actually impede the rollout of a new information system? What can be done to avoid this? Students’ answers will vary. However, some students may mention that an organization should choose to adopt the category of laggards for gaining acceptance of a new information system. In this category, the organization ha s employees’ peers demonstrate how this change has helped them and bring pressure to bear from other adopters . The innovatory category might impede the rollout of a new information system. A successful enterprise IT system requires the top - down imposition of standards and procedures that spell out exactly how transactions must be conducted and how the supporting information must be captured, stored, and shared. As a result, senior management sometimes encourages adoption of enterprise IT by threatening penalties for nonconformance. 9. Identify six key actions managers can take to increase end users’ acceptance and usage of a new information system and associated work processes. Organizations that successfully adopt new technology recognize that managers have a crucial role in leading the successful introduction and adoption of IT. Managers have three critical responsibilities when it comes to capturing real benefits from IT: identifying appropriate opportunities to apply IT, smoothing the way for its successful introduction and adoption, and mitigating its associated risks. The key factors of IT acceptance and usage of a new information system are as follows: • Usefulness • Ease of use • Management expectations • Facilitating conditions 10. Should it be the responsibility of IT or business managers to identify and define tasks for the successful introduction and adoption of a new IT system? Students’ answers will vary. Some students may mention that IT m anagers must evaluate IT investment opportunities against existing business needs and help frame these opportunities so others can understand them. Business m anagers must provide the leadership to recognize and advocate for those opportunities that fit with the organization’s business strategy. Action Needed

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    Information Technology For Managers 1 - 6 1. You are a new hire in the Marketing Department and just received a vague text message from your manager asking you to “get involved” in a major new marketing MIS effort. How do you respond? Students’ responses to this message will vary. While some students may view it as a challenge and involve themselves in the new marketing effort immediately , others may have queries about their role , purpose, duration, etc., and may prefer to wait until they have clarity on their queries. 2. You are a member of the Human Resources Department of a medium - sized organization that is implementing a new interorganizational system that will impact employees, customers, and suppliers. Your manager has requested that you work with the system development team to create a communications plan for the project. He would like to meet with you in two hours to review your thoughts on the key objectives of the communications plan. What should those objectives be? Students’ answers will vary. Some students may mention that the objectives of the communication plan should be the key factors that determine a user’s IT acceptance and usage. The objectives should also address the reasons employees resist change and convince them to use the system. 3. You are the newest member on the IT development team contracted to implement an enterprise resource planning system for a small retail chain. You are surprised after the project’s initial kick - off meeting that no one was there to represent the client. Following the meeting, you encounter the project manager in the hallway. What do you say? Students’ answers will vary. Some students may suggest asking the project manager the reason for the absence of the client in the meeting . Students may also mention t hat since it was the project’s initial kick - off meeting, a client representative would have helped them direct their work in the right direction. Web - Based Case e - Borders Revisited 1. In 2003, the United Kingdom’s Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) developed the initial plan of work for the e - Borders program. In 2004, the British government signed a three - year contract with IBM to deliver Project Semaphore, the first deliverable of the e - Borders project. In the following years, new government agencies, such as the Joint Border

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    Information Technology For Managers 1 - 7 Operations Centre and the National Border Targeting Centre, were created to implement e - Borders. Private contracts were awarded to Raytheon and other IT companies to construct the IT infrastructure. Do research online to investigate where the project went wrong during its 11 - year history. Document the actions taken by both government agencies and private companies. Students’ answers will vary. Students might perform a Web search to investigate where the project went wrong during its 11 - year history. 2. In August 2014, the U.K. courts ordered the Home Office to pay £224 million to Raytheon for breach of contract after Theresa May, the British home secretary, terminated the company’s contract to build the immigration computer system. Explain why you think the court decided in favor of Raytheon in its breach of contract decision. Then, do research to discover if the government agencies involved with the development of this system implemented lessons learned from the e - Borders’ failures. Do further research to assess whether the new Border Systems Programme is robust enough to protect U.K. citizens from looming terrorist threats. Students’ answers will vary. Students might perform a Web search to research their answers. Answers to Case Study Walmart Reworking Its Supply Chain Management Systems Discussion Questions 1. Outline a strategy that could be used by Walmart to encourage vendors to not just accept the new GRS system and processes but to embrace them. What will it take to implement these measures? Students’ answers will vary. Students may suggest that Walmart use the key factors of IT acceptance and usage to their advantage and convince its vendors to implement the measures. 2. Write a paragraph that could be included in an email sent to all vendors that explains why it is to their benefit to participate in the new GRS system and processes and motivates them to embrace the new program. Students’ answers will vary. However, students may mention that the email to vendors

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    Information Technology For Managers 1 - 8 should specify the benefits of using the GRS system , such as reducing costs, saving time, and eas e of use . The main goal is to provide “just - in - time” inventory, so that products sit on shelves for as short a time as possible before being replenished. The system is now being tested with a handful of Walmart’s larger vendors. Walmart hopes that this new system, along with increased labor hours, will help it overcome its recent shelving woes. 3. Identify several measures that could be taken to ease the vendors’ transition to Walmart’s new system. Why might it be worth Walmart’s time and effort to do so? Students’ answers will vary. Students may mention that several theories on organizational change management c an help smooth the introduction and adoption of IT. Three such theories are as follows: the Change Management Continuum Model, the Unified Theory of Ac ceptance and Use of Technology, and the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Students may base their answer around these theories. 4. What could Walmart do to provide more support for suppliers in using the new GRS system? Students’ answers will vary. Some students may mention that Walmart could train the suppliers to use the GRS system and share the cost with the suppliers. Furthermore, Walmart could restructure the “reordering system” such that suppliers can reach their Walmart contact easily to get their ordering back on track. 5. Besides putting in a new GRS system, what else must Walmart do to improve its supply situation and its relationships with vendors? How important is it for Walmart to maintain good vendor relationships? Students’ answers will vary. Students may suggest putting up interorganizational information system with vendors to ease sharing of data for purchase orders, invoices, and payments. This would even speed up the flow of materials, payments, and information while allowing com panies to reduce the effort and costs of processing such transactions . The companies should work together to re solve technical issues relating to data definitions and formats, database designs, standards t o ensure high data quality, and compatible technology infrastructures. The full integration of an interorganizational informat ion system requires new work processes and significant organizational change .

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    Information Technology For Managers 2 - 1 Chapter 2 Strategic Planning Solutions to End of Chapter Material Answers to What Would You Do Questions 1. You were just hired to fill an entry - level position in the customer service organization of a large retail store. You are completing the first day of new hire orientation when the trainer shares with your class the set of organizational goals listed in the following bulleted list. She asks you to identify which of the goals would be considered SMART goals. What is your response? • Achieve 100 percent customer satisfaction within the next year. • Improve customer service by 50 percent. • Reduce customer complaints about mispriced merchandise from 12 per day to less than 3 per day by June 30. • The customer is always right. Students’ answers will vary. Students may mention that the principal advantage of SMART goals is that they are easy to understand, are easily tracked, and contribute real value to the organization. The SMART acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time constrained. Of the four listed goals, only one of them is a SMART goal — reduce customer service about mispriced merchandise from 12 per day to less than 3 per day by June 30. This is the SMART goal because: • It is specific about what the organization wants to achieve . • It is easy to measure the organization ’s progress to ward accomplishing the goal. • It is achievable for the organization. • It is relevant to the organization as it increases customer satisfaction and reduces complaints from customers. • There is a time limit for the organization to reach the goal. 2. Johns Hopkins Medicine strives to create a culture in which diversity, inclusion, civility, collegiality, and professionalism are championed through actions, incentives, and accountability. You are a member of a three - person team within the finance organization that is working under the direction of the CFO to define a set of strategies that will support Johns Hopkins Medicine’s financial objectives and goals. The CFO has asked each member of the team to speak for five minutes to present his or her thoughts on two topics:

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    Information Technology For Managers 2 - 2 (1) Should any resources from outside the finance organization be recruited to help identify and evaluate alternative strategies? (2) How should potential strategies be evaluated? What would you say? Students’ answers will vary. Students may mention that a strategy describes how an organization will achieve its vision, mission, objectives, and goals. Selecting a specific strategy focuses and coordinates an organization’s resources and activities from the top down to accomplish its mission. Creating a set of strategies that will garner committed supporters across the organization, all aligned with the mission and vision, is key to organizational success. In choosing from alternative strategies, managers should consider the long - term impact of each strategy on revenue and profit, the degree of risk involved, the amount and types of resources that will be required, and the potential competitive reaction. In setting strategies, managers draw on the results of the SWOT analysis and consider the following questions: • How can the organization best capitalize on its strengths and use them to their full potential? • How do es the organization reduce or eliminate the negative impact of its weaknesses? • Which opportunities represent the best opportunities for the organization? • How can the organization exploit these opportunities? • Will the organization ’s strengths enable it to make the most of this opportunity? • Will the organization’s weaknesses undermine its ability to capitalize on this opportunity? • How can the organization defend against threats to achieve its vision/mission, objectives, and goals? • Can the organization turn this threat into an opportunity? 3. You are an experienced and well - respected member of the Chevron human resources organization and are frequently asked for advice on personnel matters. So you are not surprised when you receive a call from a member of the IT organization staff asking your opinion on two candidates to fill an open position as IT decision maker in the Upstream business unit. An IT decision maker fills a key role — working with the Upstream business sponsor to tailor an IT strategic plan for the business unit and helping to identify and evaluate which potential projects should be staffed and resourced. The IT decision maker must have a good understanding of how Chevron operates and an appreciation for how IT can move the organization ahead. You are familiar with both candidates — Kendall Adair and Bud Fox from working with each of them on a couple of brief special projects. Kendall spent her first 10 years working on oil crews in her native Australia, the Congo,

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    Information Technology For Managers 2 - 3 Kazakhstan, and Argentina. It was during this time that she earned an online bachelor of science in geology from the University of Florida. When Chevron began to pilot its global mission control centers five years ago, Kendall was recruited to help define the business requirements and evaluate various prototypes. Once the first mission control center was complete, she was selected to be the operations manager. Kendall’s leadership and performance have been outstanding, although she is well known for her frequent outbursts in meetings as she argues strongly for her point of view. Bud Fox has risen quickly through the ranks during his 10 years at Chevron. His education includes undergraduate degrees in both computer science and geological and environmental sciences from Stanford (he graduated with honors) and an MBA from Harvard. Bud has led a number of IT projects in the areas of leak detection using modeling technology and the use of high - powered computers and analytics to evaluate seismic data. He is well regarded for his sound and deliberate decision making. Ken Wilson, the business sponsor for the Upstream business unit for the past three years, is the person with whom the new IT decision maker will work most closely. His background is strictly finance, with no real field experience. However, he is a genius at working with the right people to determine the economic feasibility of various projects. He has an easy going management style and people find it easy to collaborate with him. Which candidate would you recommend and why? Students’ answers will vary. Some students may be of the opinion that the most suitable candidate for the IT decision maker designation is Bud Fox. He has more experience with the firm, has led a number of IT projects, and well regarded for his sound and deliberate decision making. Answers to Discussion Questions 1. To what degree do you think an organization’s strategic plan is influenced by the vision, personality, and leadership capabilities of the CEO? Do research to identify an example of a strategic plan developed by a CEO you consider to be a strong, charismatic leader. Briefly summarize the notable aspects of this plan. The CEO of an organization must make long - term decisions about where the organization is headed and how it will operate, and has ultimate responsibility for strategic planning. Subordinates, lower - level managers, and consultants typically gather useful information, perform much of the underlying analysis, and provide valuable input. But the CEO must thoroughly understand the analysis and be heavily involved in setting high - level business objectives and defining strategies. The CEO also must be seen as a champion and supporter

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    Information Technology For Managers 2 - 4 of the chosen strategies or the rest of the organization is unlikely to “buy into” those strategies and take the necessary actions to make it all happen. Students’ examples of a strategic plan developed by a C E O they consider to be a strong and charismatic leader will vary. 2. Identify an event that would trigger a need to redefine the organization’s vision/mission statement. Students’ answers will vary. Students’ examples of an event that would trigger a need to redefine the organization’s vision/mission statement will vary. However, students may mention that the vision/mission statements seldom change once they are formulated. The organization’s vision/mission statement forms a foundation for making decisions and taking action. The most effective vision/mission statements inspire and require employees to stretch to reach its goals. 3. What would it imply if, while performing a SWOT analysis, an organization could not identify any opportunities? What if it could not identify any threats? If an organization cannot identify any opportunities, it may mean that the industry in which it competes is dying or that its employees lack imagination and creativity. Either way, the organization is in serious trouble. If an organization cannot identify any threats, it lacks understanding of the industry and environment in which it competes. It is likely to be hit with an unexpected threat that has serious negative consequences for the organization. 4. How would you distinguish between an organizational weakness and a threat to the organization? How would you distinguish between a strength and an opportunity? Students’ answers will vary. Students may mention that a threat is an indication of something impending that may negatively impact an organization. Threats are considered to occur in situations in which the organization has little control, such as a threat from a competitor or worldwide economic conditions. A weakness is a fault or defect that already exists within the organization. Typically, an organization can take action to eliminate its weaknesses. A strength is an existing strong attribute or inherent asset of the organization. An organization builds on its strengths. An opportunity presents a good chance for an organization to make an improvement of some type. 5. Brainstorm an approach you might use to gather data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a competing organization. Identify resources, specific tools, or techniques you might apply to gain useful insights. Students’ answers will vary. They may describe different approaches that an organization

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    Information Technology For Managers 2 - 5 might use to gather data to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a competing organization. Students may mention that all levels and business units of an organization must be involved in internally assessing its strengths and weaknesses. Creating a historical perspective that summarizes the organization’s development is one way to begin conduct ing an internal assessment. Surveys of customers and suppliers are often used to identify strengths and weaknesses of organizational processes. Analysis of this data can reveal how well the organization is meeting current objectives, goals, and measures of performance. Where possible, internal processes of the organization can be compared to competitors in terms of speed, cost, and meeting customer expectations. 6. Would you recommend that an organization set BHAGs? Why or why not? Identify an example of a BHAG from a real organization. Was that BHAG achieved? Students’ answers will vary. Students may mention that some organizations encourage their managers to set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs) that require a breakthrough in the organization’s products or services to achieve. Such a goal “may be daunting and perhaps risky, but the challenge of it grabs people in the gut and gets their juices flowing and creates tremendous forward momentum.” 7. Discuss what it means to deploy an organization’s strategic plan. Why is deployment important? Outline an effective approach for a medium - sized organization with operations in six states to deploy its strategic plan. The strategic plan defines objectives for an organizatio n, establishes SMART goals, and sets strategies on how to reach those goals. These objectives, goals, and strategies are then communicated to the organization’s business units and funct ional units so that everyone is “on the same page.” The managers of the various organi zational units can then develop more detailed plans for initiatives, programs, and projects that align with the firm’ s objectives, goals, and strategies. Alignment ensures that the effort s will draw on the strengths of the organization, capitalize on new opportunities, fix organiza tional weaknesses, and minimize the impact of potential threats. Students may outline different approaches to deploy strategic plan for a medium - sized organization with operations in six states. 8. In comparing two potential IT projects, one project has an economic rate of return of 22 percent but does not directly relate to any identified strategic objectives. Another project has no apparent tangible benefits but strongly contributes to an important strategic objective. Which project would you support? Explain why. Students’ answers will vary. However, students may mention that preliminary costs and benefits should be weighed to see if a project has an attractive rate of return. Unfortunately,

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    Information Technology For Managers 2 - 6 costs and benefits may not be well understood at an early phase of the project, and many worthwhile projects do not have benefits that are easy to quantify. Risk is another factor to consider. Managers must consider the likelihood that the project will fail to deliver the expected benefits; the actual cost will be significantly more than expected; the technology will become obsolete before the project is completed; the technology is too “cutting edge” and will not deliver what is promised; or the business situation will change so that the proposed project is no longer necessary. Action Needed 1. You are a facilitator for a strategic planning session for a new, small organization that was spun off from a much larger organization just six months ago. The CEO and four senior managers involved in the session seem drained at the close of the first day of a two - day off - site meeting. As the team discusses their results, you are struck by how conservative and uninspiring their objectives and goals are. What do you do? Students’ answers will vary. However, students may mention that a goal is a specific result that must be achieved to reach an objective . It help s managers determine if a specific objective is being achieved. Resu lts, determined by how well the goals are met, provide a feedback loop . Students may suggest encouraging managers to set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs) that require a breakthrough in the organization’ s products or services to achieve. Such a goal “may be daunting and perhaps risky , but the challenge of it grabs people in the gut and gets their juices flowing and creates tremendous forward momentum. The use of so called SMART goals has long been advoc ated by management consultants. The principal advantage of SMART goals is that t hey are easy to understand, are easily tracked, and contribute real value to the organization. 2. You are a member of the finance organization of a mid - sized manufacturer. You serve as a liaison between the finance group and the IT organization for budget review. The IT organization has just completed its annual strategic planning and budgeting process. Their plans, which include a $10 million budget (a 6 percent increase over last year), were forwarded to you for review by the recently hired CIO. Frankly, you do not understand the plan, nor do you see a close connection between the proposed projects and the strategic goals of the organization. The CIO is on the phone, asking to meet with you to discuss his plans and budget. How do you respond? Students’ answers will vary. By all means , the member acting as the liaison between the finance group and the IT organization should agree to meet with the new CIO at the earliest possible time. There is a definite disconnect between the IT organization and business strategy. The member cannot allow IT and company resources to be wasted working on

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    Information Technology For Managers 2 - 7 things that are not contributing to the strategic goals of the organization. The member should t ell the CIO that he/she expect s the CIO to clarify the connection between the IT and business strategy before he/she is willing to support the IT strategy. 3. You are pleased to find yourself sitting in the office of the CIO along with four other new employees in the IT department. The CIO welcomes you all to the firm and firmly shakes each of your hands. She expresses her hope that you all will bring some exciting new ideas to the company. She then switches the topic to the three - day annual strategic planning off - site meeting for senior IT managers coming up in a few weeks. The CIO expresses her concern that the senior managers simply do not have the time to stay current with the latest technology developments and that this lack of knowledge may limit their strategic thinking. She asks, “What can be done to provide us with a quick update on those technical developments pertinent to our firm and industry? Any ideas?” Your heart is racing; it is clear she actually wants you to try to answer the question. What do you say? Students’ answers will vary. The new employee could suggest that the organization use goal - based strategic planning, Porter’s Five Forces Model, or SWOT matrix to find out which technical developments are pertinent to the firm and its industry. Web - Based Case Jobs vs. Cook 1. Do research to compare and contrast the leadership styles of the two CEOs. (You may wish to view the 2013 movie Jobs, which portrays the story of Steve Jobs’ ascension from college dropout to Apple CEO.) Which CEO — Jobs or Cook — do you think developed and executed the most effective strategic plan? What evidence can you find to support your opinion? Students’ answers will vary. Students might perform a Web search to compare and contrast the leadership styles of the two CEOs — Steve Jobs and Tim Cook and substantiate their opinion s . Case Study Strategic Plan: Company of Your Choice 1. Choose a company that interests you and document its strategic plan. Include the following:

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