STRATEGIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT MIS375 Unique#: 04030 FALL 2011

VERSION: 8/19/2011 Instructor Class times Class location Instructors Office Phone Fax E-mail Office Hours Course objectives Information technology (IT) is a relatively young business function in corporate history compared to other business functions. But rapid developments in the short history of IT have already had profound impacts on firms. In addition to becoming an essential infrastructure over which almost all business functions run, IT has played major roles in expanding capacity of firms for sensemaking, learning, and improvising in complex, dynamically evolving competitive landscapes. Yet, many business leaders are mystified by technical complexities of IT. They have a tendency to relegate IT management to technical leaders and run IT as a support function rather than a strategic platform that determines where the firm can play and how it can win. For such business leaders, IT continues to be a blind spot and a stumbling block to the achievement of their firms strategic objectives. This course is developed for students who would like to avoid such blind spots and stumbling blocks and use IT strategically. The course introduces students to fundamental concepts of information economics and strategic IT management. Understanding economics of information is essential especially in service-oriented economies in which the majority of goods and services are information based. The course examines how firms compete on information products and services that are subject to network externalities, switching costs, and lock-in. It explores how IT-enabled interconnections among products, customers, business processes, firms, industries, and economies affect the complexity of competitive landscapes and growth and decline of firms. The course also discusses how digital business strategy of a firm can enable or constrain profitable growth of the firm. Course delivery format The course is delivered through a participant-centered, discussion-based, active learning format in which students share control and responsibility for learning. Course website Course packet : : Hosted on the Blackboard system http://courses.utexas.edu/. Updates to this syllabus and other course materials will be posted on this website. Please log on to the site before each class to view the announcements. A digital course packet (CP), which contains electronic versions of some of the cases and articles, is available from Harvard Business School Publishing. See the course website on Blackboard for details. Reading assignments that are not available in the course packet can be accessed through Blackboard (BB). : : : : : : : : Hseyin Tanriverdi, Associate Professor Monday / Wednesday 11:00am-12:30pm UTC 4.134 CBA 5.208 (512) 232-9164 (512) 471-0587 [email protected] by appointment

Grading: Contributions to in-class discussions Take home midterm-1 Take home midterm-2 Take home final Total

: : : : :

25% 25% 25% 25% 100%

Contributions to in-class discussions. This class uses a participant-centered, discussionbased, active learning format. You are expected to read, analyze, and think about the issues covered in assigned articles, cases, and presentations before coming to class. This preparation is a critical success factor for making contributions to in-class discussions and earning participation credits. The following note in the case packet provides guidance for preparing for a case discussion: Hammond, J.S. "Learning by the Case Method," Harvard Business School Teaching Note #: 9-376-241. Your contribution level will be assessed in all class sessions throughout the semester. Your attendance is required, but attendance earns only 20% of the in-class participation credit for the day. To earn the remaining 80% of the in-class participation credits, you need to make contributions to discussions and learning processes in the classroom. If you have to miss a class, please notify me by email before the class. You must make up for participation expectations in subsequent classes. The following factors will contribute positively to your in-class participation: Doing the assigned readings and coming to class prepared for discussions Arriving before the start of class and staying until the end Listening actively to instructor and peers Asking good questions Linking and synthesizing topics Bringing to discussions examples and questions from prior work experiences Synthesizing or reconciling issues being discussed Responding to questions raised Disagreeing with others constructively Neither dominating the conversation nor being too quiet Exhibiting a good sense of humor The following factors will contribute negatively to your in-class participation: Being unprepared, passing on cold calls Lack of involvement, silence, detachment or disinterest Distracting others by surfing the web, e-mailing, instant messaging, not turning off your cell phone, etc. Not listening actively Lack of empathy Dominating the conversation Leading the discussion into unrelated topics Spending undue amount of time on minor points Long, rambling comments Please use a name card until the instructor and peers learn your name. Sitting roughly in the same place in each class could help speed up this process. Take home exams: Take home exams of this class entail written analyses of assigned questions on case studies. The cases will be available either in the digital course package or

posted on the course website. A set of case write-up questions will also be posted on the class website by 11am on the day of the take home exam. There will be no class that day. Your solution to the take home exam will be due within 48 hours, i.e., by 11am, two days after the posting of the take home exam questions. Submissions after the deadline will incur a late submission penalty of 10pts for each additional hour of lateness. In preparing and submitting the take home exam, please follow the format and submission requirements to be posted on the course website along with the exam questions. Your write-up should address the assigned questions based on the facts covered in the case and concepts discussed in class. Final letter grades: Weighted averages of in-class participation and take home exam grades will be used to set a class curve. The curve will be the basis for determining final letter grades. McCombs Classroom Professionalism Policy The highest professional standards are expected of all members of the McCombs community. The collective class reputation and the value of the Texas BBA experience hinges on this. Faculty are expected to be professional and prepared to deliver value for each and every class session. Students are expected to be professional in all respects. The Texas BBA classroom experience is enhanced when: Students arrive on time. On time arrival ensures that classes are able to start and finish at the scheduled time. On time arrival shows respect for both fellow students and faculty and it enhances learning by reducing avoidable distractions. Students display their name cards. This permits fellow students and faculty to learn names, enhancing opportunities for community building and evaluation of in-class contributions. Students minimize unscheduled personal breaks. The learning environment improves when disruptions are limited. Students are fully prepared for each class. Much of the learning takes place during classroom discussions. When students are not prepared they cannot contribute to the overall learning process. This affects not only the individual, but their peers who count on them, as well. Students respect the views and opinions of their colleagues. Disagreement and debate are encouraged. Intolerance for the views of others is unacceptable. Laptops are closed and put away. When students are surfing the web, responding to e-mail, instant messaging each other, and otherwise not devoting their full attention to the topic at hand they are doing themselves and their peers a major disservice. Phones and wireless devices are turned off. Weve all heard the annoying ringing in the middle of a meeting. Not only is it not professional, it cuts off the flow of discussion when the search for the offender begins. When a true need to communicate with someone outside of class exists (e.g., for some medical need) please inform the professor prior to class.

Make-up and Drop Policy. This course does not permit make-ups except for documented medical emergencies. If the University policies allow, a student may withdraw/drop the course within the timeframes set by the University. Students who drop the course after the official withdraw/drop timeframe will receive a grade based on what they have earned in the course at that point in time.

Scholastic Dishonesty Policy. The McCombs School of Business has no tolerance for acts of scholastic dishonesty. The responsibilities of both students and faculty with regard to scholastic dishonesty are described in detail in the Policy Statement on Scholastic Dishonesty for the McCombs School of Business: By teaching this course, I have agreed to observe all of the faculty responsibilities described in that document. By enrolling in this class, you have agreed to observe all of the student responsibilities described in that document. If the application of that Policy Statement to this class and its assignments is unclear in any way, it is your responsibility to ask me for clarification. Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty: Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. You should refer to the Student Judicial Services website at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/ or the General Information Catalog to access the official University policies and procedures on scholastic dishonesty as well as further elaboration on what constitutes scholastic dishonesty. The following was taken from the website for the Dean of Students: A fundamental principle for any educational institution, academic integrity is highly valued and seriously regarded at The University of Texas at Austin. More specifically, you and other students are expected to maintain absolute integrity and a high standard of individual honor in scholastic work undertaken at the University. This is a very basic expectation that is further reinforced by the University's Honor Code. At a minimum, you should complete any assignments, exams, and other scholastic endeavors with the utmost honesty, which requires you to: acknowledge the contributions of other sources to your scholastic efforts; complete your assignments independently unless expressly authorized to seek or obtain assistance in preparing them; follow instructions for assignments and exams, and observe the standards of your academic discipline; and avoid engaging in any form of academic dishonesty on behalf of yourself or another student. For the official policies on academic integrity and scholastic dishonesty, please refer to Chapter 11 of the Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities. Questions about scholastic dishonesty procedures should be referred to Paula Murray, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Program Office. Special Accommodations Policy. The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.

STRATEGIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT FALL 2011 COURSE OUTLINE Reading assignments and discussion materials for the sessions are to be posted on the course website. S# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Day W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W Date Aug24 Aug29 Aug31 Sep05 Sep07 Sep12 Sep14 Sep19 Sep21 Sep26 Sep28 Oct03 Oct05 Oct10 Oct12 Oct17 Oct19 Oct24 Oct26 Oct31 Nov02 Nov07 Nov09 Nov14 Nov16 Nov21 Nov23 Nov28 Nov30 TOPIC Introduction to the course and strategy Foundation for strategy execution: Operating model and IT governance Case discussion No class: Labor day Architecting business and IT Case discussion Exploiting the foundation for profitable growth Case discussion
Scalability and profitable growth

Case discussion Competing on analytics TAKE HOME MIDTERM-1

Case discussion Digitizing the business end-to-end Case discussion

Case discussion
Platform-mediated business networks

Case discussion TAKE HOME MIDTERM2

Case discussion
Hypercompetition

The Big Shift

Synthesis & conclusion TAKE HOME FINAL