1. Case analysis.

This week, Group 1 will analyse and post on the case study Building Shared Services at RR Communications. If your group's analysis is not due this week, you must still read the case in order to respond to your colleagues' analysis appropriately.

Unfortunately Group 1 was not able to produce a Case Analysis for this Week. So I've set the context for our discussion of this case: Setting the Context Patton takes a page out of the Donald Trump repertoire with his dramatic "you're fired!" On the one hand we might see Patton's "group firing" of the DIOs as retribution by Patton; on the other we may see it as pragmatism.

First, was there no possible way of getting the DIOs onside? Second, was it appropriate to fire the DIOs publically as opposed to privately? Is it necessary that "all divisional structures must be removed in order to achieve enterprise initiatives"?

RR Communications has grown so successfully because of its strong entrepreneurialism and product innovation; it would not want to jeopardize any of this through overly rigid centralized control.

On the other hand, the four business lines serve the same customer base so the need for a single customer view and integrated marketing in order to better serve the customer and enable cross-selling opportunities is crucial. The other aspect of the firings is the response from the divisional Presidents. If the divisional Presidents are upset with Patton over the firings, this will create a problem for Patton as he moves forward.

In any case, Patton will likely have to bring these Presidents onside as he proceeds to implement his integrated call center. So let's start our discussion by answering these two questions

Is it possible to achieve an enterprise vision with a decentralized IT function?

What business and IT problems can be caused by lack of common information and an enterprise IM strategy?

All students must post an initial response and a minimum of 3 comments in this discussion.

Q1: Purchasing vs. building software Attachment Collapse

A common dilemma that organisations face is the decision of whether to purchase software or develop it in-house.

With the option of purchasing software, depending on the number of licenses you need, the expenses can grow dramatically, and in some cases, costs extend beyond an initial purchase price (e.g. royalties from any products developed using a purchased development programme).

Moreover, purchased software may not have all the features you need to accomplish whatever tasksyour organisation is pursuing. Purchased software might only meet some software requirements. Nevertheless, building software in-house is a time-consuming process that could end up costing more than just a purchase.

In order to aid in such decisions, many organisations hire information systems (IS) specialists. As you might expect, their expertise helps to address many of the noted quandaries.

With all this in mind, for this Discussion, you will assume the role of a manager in a company that has a lot of in-house IS expertise. With this human resource at your disposal, your challenge is to devise a set of decision rules when it comes to purchasing a system/software versus developing it in-house.

To complete this Discussion Post:

Create an initial post in which you take a position on purchasing systems/software or building systems/software. To do this, briefly summarise an organisation you work for or are familiar with and its system/software needs.

Then, analyse and compare the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing those systems/software versus building them in-house. Based on your analyses and comparisons, develop a set of decision rules for deciding between building systems/software.

Also, explain how the availability of IS expertise influenced your set of decision rules make sure 100% plasiarism free divide DQ1 AND DQ2 ONSEPARATE PAGES DIFFERENT ONES EACH